Photos / Jay Mandal-On AssignmentPhotos / Jay Mandal-On Assignment
Bollywood heartthrob Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas at the US Open at Flushing Meadows, New York, September 4, 2018
Photo / Mohammed Jaffer-SnapsIndia
Meera Gandhi hosts Anupam Kher and Suhel Seth
Bollywood actor Anupam Kher, the current Chairman of Film and Television Institute of India, Suhel Seth, India’s most admired marketing and management guru, and highly-regarded columnist were hosted to a reception at Meera Gandhi ‘s residence in Park Avenue, New York on 3rd Sept 2018.
L to R: Bejan Daruwalla, Daruwalla Jr. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra PhadnavisL to R: Bejan Daruwalla, Kapil Sharma
Astrologer Bejan Daruwalla launched his official website www.bejandaruwalla.com with Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis and Comedy King Kapil Sharma
Next Year’s Festival Set for Aug. 31, 2019, at Washington Convention Center
WASHINGTON(TIP): Book lovers of all ages came together by the tens of thousands to celebrate reading and meet their favorite authors Saturday at the 18th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival, held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Thousands more watched the festival’s Main Stage streamed live on the Library’s Facebook page.
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden interviewed U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who launched a children’s book on the festival’s 2,500-seat Main Stage. Hayden also interviewed Jacqueline Woodson, the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, who is debuting two new books this fall.
Hayden announced the 19th National Book Festival will be held Aug. 31, 2019.
“The National Book Festival is a thrilling, immersive experience that gives so many readers a unique opportunity to reflect on great books all day long,” Hayden said. “We are so proud to feature a diverse lineup of more than 100 authors who give visitors a new reading list for the year ahead.”
In total, 13 authors launched new books at the festival – the most new books in the festival’s history – including Sotomayor’s “Turning Pages: My Life Story,” Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Leadership: In Turbulent Times;” Girl Scouts of the USA CEO Sylvia Acevedo’s “Path to the Stars: My Journey from Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist;” Kate DiCamillo and Harry Bliss’ “Good Rosie!” Meg Medina’s “Merci Suárez Changes Gears;” Jennifer Nielsen’s “Resistance;” David Shannon’s “Grow Up David!” Suzanne Slade’s “Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon;” David Ezra Stein’s “Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise;” Woodson’s “The Day You Begin” and “Harbor Me;” Ellen Hopkins’ “People Kill People;” Hank Phillippi Ryan’s “Trust Me;” and U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith’s selections for “American Journal: Fifty Poems for Our Time.”
On the festival’s Fiction Stage, Hayden awarded the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction to acclaimed writer Annie Proulx, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Shipping News” and the short story “Brokeback Mountain.” The prize, one of the Library’s most prestigious awards, honors an American literary writer whose body of work is distinguished for its mastery of the art, originality and imagination.
Proulx urged the crowd to make literacy a top priority for children.
“You can never introduce your child to reading too early,” Proulx told the crowd, adding that they should start reading to babies before they’re born and as often as possible. “If you repeat this recipe every day … you will have a smart, intelligent, involved person in your life.”
On Friday, Hayden also announced the winners of the 2018 Library of Congress Literacy Awards, honoring organizations for their exemplary, innovative work to confront illiteracy, raise reading levels and promote reading. The top prizes were awarded to: Reading Is Fundamental of Washington, D.C.; East Side Community School of New York City; and Instituto Pedagógico para Problemas del Lenguaje of Mexico City.
The festival’s celebration of reading and writing kicked off earlier in the week with a pinning ceremony for the 2018 National Student Poets, who represent five regions of the country and presented their work on the festival’s Parade of the States Stage.
The National Book Festival is made possible by the generous support of private- and public-sector sponsors who share the Library’s commitment to reading and literacy, led by National Book Festival Co-Chairman David M. Rubenstein. Charter sponsors are the Institute of Museum and Library Services, The Washington Post and Wells Fargo; Patron sponsors are The James Madison Council, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities; the Champion-level sponsor is PBS; Contributor-level sponsors are National Geographic and Scholastic Inc.; and, in the Friends category, AARP, Booklovers Circle members, Bookshare – a Benetech initiative, Buffy Cafritz, Marshall B. Coyne Foundation Inc., Joseph and Lynn Deutsch, Dollar General Literacy Foundation, Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction administered by The University of Alabama School of Law, The Hay-Adams, The Junior League of Washington, Leon Levy Center for Biography (CUNY), Library of Congress Federal Credit Union, J.J. Medveckis Foundation, Mensa Foundation, Lissa Muscatine and Bradley Graham, Timothy and Diane Naughton, Pizza Hut BOOK IT! Program Reading Is Fundamental, Small Press Expo (SPX), Split This Rock and the Whittle School & Studios. Media Partners are C-SPAN2’s Book TV, The New York Times, NPR and PBS Books. Those interested in supporting the National Book Festival can contact the Library at devofc@loc.gov.
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States – and extensive materials from around the world –both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.
Vice President of the Republic of India to Commemorate 125th Anniversary of the Landmark Parliament of Religions Speech in Special Ceremony
Manu Shah
CHICAGO, IL(TIP): The World Hindu Congress (WHC) announced, September 5, that attendance goals for the 2018 conference have been smashed, with more than 2,500 delegates and 220 eminent speakers confirmed for this year’s iteration. Convening September 7-9 at The Westin Hotel in the Yorktown Shopping Center, Lombard, IL, the 2018 WHC is celebrating the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s Parliament of
Religions speech in Chicago in 1893. Upon completion of WHC deliberations, the Honorable Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President of the Republic of India, will participate in a special ceremony to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Swamiji’s Chicago speech.
“The 2018 World Hindu Congress will be a landmark event,” said WHC Coordinator Dr. Abhaya Asthana. “We are primed and eager to host an unprecedented convergence of Hindu leadership unified in purpose: To connect, share ideas, inspire one another, and impact the common good.
The WHC provides a unique opportunity for participants to exchange ideas on a global stage and draws upon expertise of speakers from a wide range of fields and backgrounds.”
Featuring seven parallel conferences that will explore economics, education, media, politics, women, youth and organization, the 2018 WHC will feature prominent speakers such as economist Dr. Arvind Panagariya, academic Dr. Makarand Paranjape, author Amish Tripathi, and Grammy-nominated artist and entrepreneur Chandrika Tandon.
Additionally, there will be poster presentations at the event that includes 55 posters from various Hindu Leaders and Researchers on topics such as Non-Violence: Our Greatest Gift to the World and Hindu Culture and Life-style studies.
About World Hindu Congress
Held once every four years, the World Hindu Congress (WHC) is a global platform for Hindus to connect, share ideas, inspire one another, and impact the common good. Founded in 2014, the first World Hindu Congress in Delhi birthed the seven parallel conference platform to showcase the values, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit of the global Hindu community. For more information, visit www.worldhinducongress.org
EDISON, NJ(TIP): Varsha Naik’s Dance school- “Navrang Dance Academy” has been contributing to Bollywood Fundamental Dance choreography successfully for over 5 plus years now. Varsha Naik started her dance choreography and training Journey in 2013 and now she has established a strong foundation for Bollywood dance form in New Jersey, USA.
Organizing exclusive Dance workshop began in April – 2016 when Master Saroj Khan – Famous Bollywood Film Choreographer and dance director, conducted a workshop with Varsha Naik of Navrang Dance Academy. This 3-day workshop was organized by “Navrang Dance Academy” in order to give the American Indians here in New Jersey and New York an opportunity to learn from the best in the Industry.
The workshop gained momentum and participants were overwhelming in number. The program had more than 100 participants, in 6 different batches as per age group right from a 6-year-old to 50 years old. It was the first time in New Jersey where participants were experiencing not just the dance but also the process of movie making and learning all that happens behind the scenes. Saroj ji being an amazing teacher that she is, she not only taught dance but gave a complete experience of understanding the meaning of dance and expressions. Of course, her lovely stories added value to the programs.
TV Asia hosted a Program – Meet & Greet which was an interactive talk show. Padma Shri H.R. Shah honored Legendary Choreographer Saroj Khan for her contributions towards training and inspiring the young talented dancers.
This Successful program lead to another one soon enough in June 2016. For Navrang dance, this program not only built a foundation for more Bollywood dancing with the stars but also learning from them. Navrang then did programs and workshop with well-known Choreographer Dr. Sandip Soparkar, Master Sathya (Tollywood), Nishi Singh (Kathak), Dharmesh Yalande and more.
Mrs. Varsha Naik now has a close professional partnership with Choreographer Sandip Soparrkar and they organize USA Dance Day-Dance for a social cause every year in New Jersey. They conduct numerous dance training session on international dance forms and also give young dancers a platform to perform on stage. Navrang Dance Academy is actively involved in community service and brings awareness on various topics whether social or cultural through the medium of dance and music.
NEW YORK(TIP): Manipuri Dance Visions – Institute of Manipuri Dance presented “Dance Homage” – Celebration of Manipuri dance in North America commemorating the birth centenary of Late Guru Bipin Singh (Iconic master of Manipuri dance) on august 25, 2018 in Studio One, Barnard College, Columbia University. The event was co-sponsored by Prof. Uttara Asha Coorlawala, professor of dance department, Barnard College, Columbia University.
Three generations of Guru Bipin Singh’s disciples came together to perform and pay tribute to this Manipuri dance icon who became a legend in his life time. Performers were Sohini Ray, Sanjib Bhattacharya, Jagannath Lairenjam, (direct disciples of Guru Bipin Singh), Krishnakali Dasgupta (grand-disciple like grand-children – Krishnakali studied with Poushali Chatterjee and Sohini Ray) and Annie Ferdous (grand-disciple – Annie studied with Shantibala Devi in Dhaka) and her students from the Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts (great-grand-disciples) in Queens, New York including Taseen Ferdous, Faroza Joty, Zarrin Maisha, Apiya Jahan Pompi and Tanjeela Newaz.
Padma Shri Darshana Jhaveri’s DVD on bhangi parengs was released ceremonially. Several luminaries of the New York dance world – Rajika Puri, Jonathan Hollander, Uttara Asha Coorlawala and Parijat Desai graced the occasion as guests of honor. Several members of the local Manipuri community extended their helping hands. Jasmine Rashid served as the master of ceremony. Achuta Manasa, disciple of Sohini Ray supervised the creation of the fliers in record time in Andhra Pradesh, India. A special thanks to Jan Steward for donating her time and labor in creating the graphics for the brochure.
Several letters of blessings from Darshana Jhaveri, Kalavati Devi, Sunil Kothari, Laily Basu and Christel Stevens blessed the function.
Group photo of members of local Manipuri community in New York, distinguished guests and the performers
The dance program followed showcased Radharoopvarnan by Krishnakali Dasgupta, Sakshat darshan by Sohini Ray, Krira prabandha by Sanjib Bhattacharya, pung cholom by Jagannath Lairenjam, mridang vadan by Sohini, Sanjib an Krishnakali on pung and Jagannath on karate; and also a dance group number with manjira by students of Annie Ferdous.
Program brochure contained a separate insert about Guru Bipin Singh including his photos, a full biography and a rare quote published in 1979 in the book “Guru Bipin Singh” written by the late Nayana Jhaveri.
“Manipuri Dance is rich, graceful, lyrical and aesthetically elevating. Its rhythm pattern is complex and absorbing, essentially devotional, its themes are varied and vast and intensely dramatic. .I must, with full trust in God and his Grace, keep diving deeper and deeper into its intrinsic beauty and develop it into a powerful, enchanting and intelligible theatre art and present it to people all over India and abroad….this is my life’s work.”
HICKSVILLE, NY (TIP): The India Association of Long Island (IALI) will be holding its flagship event INDIAFEST. This event will be held on Sunday September 23rd, 2018 from 11:00 AM to 6:00PM at North Hempstead Beach Park (previously known as Bar Beach) at 175 W Shore Rd, Port Washington, NY 11050
First IndiaFest was held in 1990 at the same location. IndiaFest has attracted thousands of people, not only from Montauk and Orient Points to Manhattan but from as far places as New Jersey and Westchester. With some three dozen vendors in Indian arts & crafts, Indian Fashion clothing, Jewelry, prestigious restaurants with exotic Indian food and traditional snacks, delicacies, and drinks, whole day live music and dance performances, booths for information about various services such as health care, face painting and crafts for children. The atmosphere will create a nostalgia of India. The event will provide an opportunity to meet political and social dignitaries.
Some lucky Attendees may win fabulous prizes in raffle.
FESTIVAL IS OPEN TO ALL WITH FREE ADMISSION AND FREE PARKING.
IALI is a not-for-profit community organization and this year it is celebrating its 40thAnniversay. It undertakes many programs for youth, seniors, women and families throughout the year.
Today I step gingerly, with some determination and considerable unease, but limited optimism, if any. Why open this box that’s full of troubles?
I invite you to think with me for a moment. When I came to the USA there were so few Sikhs around that if we sighted one on the street it seemed like a miracle and we crossed the street with a beaming smile to greet each other. Now, there seem to be so many that perhaps many cross the street to avoid one.
When visiting a new city or neighborhood we anxiously asked if there was a gurduara in town. We progressed? Now there are perhaps ten gurduaras in commuting distance from where I live, and I doubt there is a decent sized town in America that has none. I have heard of perhaps 200 or more gurduaras in the good old U.S of A.
But there is a miracle of miracles. With the exception of one or two (certainly in the single digits) almost all gurduaras have a history of financial irregularities, violence during meetings, election shenanigans and borderline criminal behavior. Our behavioral model seems to look like this: One has to entreat, almost sweet talk, beg and cajole volunteers to join the management committee – it is voluntary work that takes hours of energy but promises almost no reward beyond the satisfaction of doing some seva to the community. But then when a year or two have passed and it is perhaps time topass the baton to a new team, these same reluctant leaders are no longer the shy brides. They have to be kicked out. They act as if they are the primary owners with birthrights to the gurduara.
I forgot to add that I am talking about Sikhs – not in Punjab but in the diaspora. I should add that I am talking of a well-educated community who have been here more than a few years, hold decent jobs, are affluent beyond question and are shrewd businessmen. Every gurduara seems to have a Constitution. They talk about it, but only if forced to do so. Do they ever look at it? I would bet not.
How can such bright successful people be so clueless, I ask you? As they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions and we seem have more than enough good intentions to pave several multilane highways to hell and back.
Think about this: If a majority of gurduaras are in legal and societal limbo, is there something wrong with us – an educated, prosperous community? What do we need? Professional counselors?
A prominent gurduara, one of the most expensive in the country now seems to be in conniptions now. The place and the people will remain anonymous. My purpose is not to shame them; I suspect they are too hot-headed and hard-headed to even think of it. Over a couple of days, I got the chance to sit with some of the movers and shakers on both sides of the divide. The vitriol shocks me. The divisions among the gurduara crowd (I hate to label it a sangat!) seem etched in stone. And these are people that we have admired for so many years. Did we misjudge them so much for so long? I offer you one example of their behavior: A row during which the police had to be called. But the post-mortem analysis did not explore the why and the how of the situation but focused on the fact that the police entered the premises with their shoes on.
And that, to me, is a no-brainer. Our taxes pay for the police; their job is to maintain peace
We need to understand that without sitting together there will be no solution to our divide – no bridge on this span. They have to be open to the possibility of violence – armed or not. So, the police must come in uniform, including shoes and suitably armed. If this is shameful, the onus is not on the police but on the Sikhs.
In their present frame of mind, the two sides won’t sit productively together. If they don’t there will never be a solution.
The gurduara has a Constitution that is routinely flouted, but rarely followed. So, we look for responsibility, process and resolution in extra-constitutional frameworks.
An aside: I came to this country almost 60 years ago and have seen many new government regimes come and go over the years. Often the U.S. Congress was severely divided between the Republicans and Democrats, yet they collaborated to find workable solutions. (I know that things have changed dramatically these days, and the results show it.)
In a negotiated process of mediation neither side gets what it wants.The idea is to be able to come together. Why? Because the needs of the nation or community are paramount. Friends, life is NOT a zero-sum game, nor is this disagreement between us such a framework.
Our internal disagreements are natural. Every dynamic family or community will have them. But they can hurt us significantly unless we manage them wisely. Give the same dignity to your enemies that you want so badly for yourself.
This means that, even though we differ, we will have to sit together in a dignified ambiance of patience and tolerance, if not respect. And we will have to LISTEN DEEPLY to each other as Guru Granth (Dhanasri I, p,660) asks us to do: Jub lug dunyaa rahihae Nanakkitch sunyae kitch kahiyae. (As long as we are in this world, O Nanak we should listen and speak to the One in everyone.)
We seem to be diminishing some critical fundamentals: patient listening, a sense of humility, openness, some give and take – flexibility, a sense of trust, and the idea of the Servant-Leader. These days Business Schools often teach this idea of the Servant-Leader. We have taught it longer than they, but now we need to rediscover and re-embrace it as the concept of Gur-Chelaa. Furthermore, the Guru Granth offers some telling advice(Ang 185)Hoe iktr milo mere bhai, dubhida door karo liv layee; har namae ke hovo jorhee, gurmukh baeso safaa bichhaaee. (Come and join together my brothers; dispel your sense of duality and let yourselves be lovingly absorbed in the One. Let yourselves be joined to the Name of the Lord; become Gurmukh, spread out your mat, and sit down together.)
The point is not whether the idea of “term-limits” is clearly addressed in the Gurduara Constitution. In my view it is fairly stated and should be clarified as necessary, and embraced. In my view it is clear that for everyone a role in management should be respected and accepted but it is not a life-time appointment.
(Note that in the USA for over 200 years there was no law of term limits on the Presidency, yet only three (or four!) tried for a third consecutive term, and only one – FDR – succeeded. A Constitutional amendment, ratified only in 1951, created the legal bar to a third term.)
Keep in mind that the Trustees and Executive are Custodians and Administrators of the gurduara, they are never its owners.
So, at this time can we convene a productive meeting? Likely not. So, what do we do? I recommend several short progressive meetings, each with a few but equal number of participants from each side. The agenda to remain unchanged: Airing of specific grievances and needs, and proposing specific solutions. This must be done with patient listening. These are members of the Sangat, and some may be formally enrolled paid members of the gurduara while others are not.
The purpose is to capture and spread the spirit of reconciliation from and to as large a Sangat as possible. And keep the membership drive open year-round. I know that, unfortunately, there is talk from some about closing the membership.
Soon after this step towards reconciliation should come a general body meeting of members only – there must be an official membership roll somewhere. Communication must be kept open. From this, proceed to new elections and appointments etc., as well the formation of a subcommittee, if necessary, to reexamine the Constitution.
The way things are at this time, surely one side will win the battle but lose the war. In a process of reconciliation, however, neither side will, nor should it, win everything it wants. Sorry if what I said seems alike a rant, but it is a necessary step.
I wanted to say something about how to win friends and influence people. But on re-reading perhaps my rant is an abject lesson on how to burn your friends and lose influence.
Life is not a Zero- Sum Game. Do Not Win a Battle only to Lose the War.
Part of me regrets having to hang our dirty laundry in our backyard, yet that is what I am called to do. But remember, sunshine is the best remedy for dirty laundry.
NEW YORK(TIP): The fury of recent floods in Kerala is unprecedented in the history and has wreaked havoc on the lives and livelihood of millions of people.
More than 350 people have died in the worst flooding in nearly 100 years. More than 350,000 people have found shelter in relief camps and thousands of others on high ground in areas cut off by floods. Thousands of people who were stranded on rooftops or the upper floors of homes have been rescued. Relief and rescue efforts have been in full swing. Supplying of food, medicine and clean water is a growing challenge for authorities.
More than 82,000 rescue operations have been mounted by the Indian military, disaster management teams and volunteer workers including fishermen. Their efforts, however, have been hampered, by incessant rain, which had limited their work to daylight hours.
The aftermath of the flood can also be beset with many problems. Damage to infrastructure is expected to come to $3 billion. Roads and 134 bridges have suffered damage, isolating remote areas in the hilly districts of the state which are worst affected. Thousands of homes have been lost; many more have been found severely damaged. Acres and acres of crops have suffered extensive damage.
Millions of people underwent harrowing experiences and lost belonging that they had owned. All of them are faced with daunting task of rebuilding their lives from scratch. The magnitude of rehabilitation will be an enormous task which need help from everyone, the government of Kerala, the central government and development agencies. Affected people are looking up to various agencies, philanthropic and NRIs/PIOs to help the victims in rehabilitation efforts.
GOPIO would like to raise awareness of this enormous natural calamity and would appeal to all NRIs/PIOs to help their unfortunate brethren during this challenging phase. With comparatively much better access to resources, majority of the NRIs/PIOs, if not all, are in a better position to give donation that can easily make a huge difference. GOPIO Fund would supplement in the rehabilitation effort and help people as they start to rebuild their lives. You may send your donation as per information given below.
For more information, you may contact Inder Singh, Executive Trustee, GOPIO Foundation at indersinghusa@gmail.com or +1 818-708-3885 or Dr. Thomas Abraham, GOPIO Chairman at gopio@innoresearch.net or +1 203-329-8010 or Sunny Kulathakal, GOPIO President at kulathakal44@gmail.com or +91 9845756692.
The funds raised will be channelized through established rehabilitation organizations who are in the field with close supervision of GOPIO International and our GOPIO-Kochi.
Donation to GOPIO may be sent as follows:
By check to: GOPIO International, 11433 Arlee Ave., Norwalk, CA 90650, USA
Or by using your credit card at the – PayPal link.
Visit www.gopio.net or specifically http://www.gopio.net/Kerala_Flood_2018_Donations.htm
Grand celebration by Saints and devotees; Blessings to all the devotees by the saints
Noteworthy seva by women devotees; Devotees around the globe rejoiced
DALLAS, TX(TIP): Around the time when India became an independent nation, Shastriji Maharaj Shri Dharmajivandasji Swami laid the foundation for propagating true wisdom to help build the best character in students through an education that was both academic as well as spiritual. He started this effort by initiating the very first Gurukul of Swaminarayan Sampraday. Today more than 150 Gurukul centers exists across the Swaminarayan Sampraday where more than 100,000 students are enrolled in Gurukuls around the globe.
Shastri Shri Dharmajivandasji Swami renounced his home in 1917 when he was merely 14 years old. To commemorate the centennial anniversary of the event, a grand Bhavanjali Mahotsav was celebrated across several branches of Rajkot Gurukul including Rajkot, Junagadh, Taravda, Una, Sarangpur, Morbi, Ahmedabad, Surat, Mumbai, Hyderabad and also Dallas, TX.
Shri Dhirubhai Babaria and Shri Manubhai Patolia of USA, who have dedicated themselves to the noble vision of Shastriji Maharaj, performed the very first poojan of Guruvarya Shri Devkrushnadasji Swami. 35 saints were present for the celebration including Shri Devprasaddasji Swami, Shri Laxminarayandasji Swami, Shri Narayanprasaddasji Swami and others. Devotees from Canada, Latin America, India, Dubai, Africa, UK, Australia as well as different parts of USA including New Jersey, Chicago, Washington, California, Boston, Atlanta, Phoenix, Pennsylvania, Huston, etc. were present to witness the grand celebration. Devotees including Shri Chaturbhai Vaghasia, Shri Gordhanbhai Paghdal, Shri Dhiubhai Kotadia, Shri Rakeshbhai Dudhat (Africa), Shri Jasmatbhai Sutaria, Shri Ashwinbhai Babaria were also present for the auspicious occasion.
Under the guidance of Shri Vishwaswaroopdasji Swami, several kids (born and raised in the US) took part in traditional Indian folk dances as a tribute to the grand celebration. The kids performed with great flare and poise which reflected their wholehearted dedication. Guruvarya Shri Devkrushnadasji Swami gave his blessings to Shri Vishwaswaroopdasji Swami for his tireless efforts.
There were more than 150 devotees who had dedicated their time to the temple for the past 50 days. Their efforts were blessed by Guruvarya Shri Devkrushnadasji Swami by presenting them all with a personalized momento. Women devotees also had a huge contribution to the celebration with their tremendous help by providing fresh chapatis, theplas and puris for lunch & dinner for roughly 2500 people each day.
Guruvarya Shri Devkrushnadasji Swami, in his blessings to all the devotees said, “Just like how a broom cleans the dust and other garbage, performing seva cleanses a human soul from bad vices.” He also added that, “Lord Swaminarayan always accepts selfless acts of seva. Shastriji Maharaj used to perform selfless seva like fetching water from the well for elderly saints to bathe, make chapatis from 30 kgs of flour every day to feed the saints as well as devotees. And in his free time, he focused on learning. He learned the 18 Adhyays of Geetaji in 18 days. He had memorized more than 800 kirtans and more than 700 slokas. Seeing the selfless efforts of each and every devotee here in Dallas makes me very happy. I pray for all your wellbeing.”
Shri Dharmavallabhdasji Swami had sent a kanthi (made of tulsi) of Nilkanth Varnindra Bhagwan which was graciously accepted by Shri Devkrushnadasji Swami.
More than 150 volunteers worked day and night, taking off from their office work, for last 50 days. Santo blessed these volunteers with memento. Also, women volunteers of Bhakti Mahila Mandal prepared rotli and thepla for more than 10000 visitors during this celebration.
“A Surging Pulse, Raw Edge & Rebel Vibe” – San Francisco Chronicle
“A Marriage of Power Pop and Pure Farce!” – Variety
“Head Over Heelsis a celebration of love in all its forms, joyful, fun and full of heart”….”making people jump from their seats and dance”- The Go-Go’s
Rachel York as Queen Gynecia and Jeremy Kushnier as King Basilius (center) and the company Photo / Joan Marcus, 2018
Head Over Heels is the new musical comedy, on Broadway’s theater district, featuring the iconic songs of The Go-Go’s– Charlotte Caffey, Belinda Carlisle, Gina Schock, Kathy Valentine, Jane Wiedlin – the most successful female rock band of all time.
In the kingdom of Arcadia, the “beat” is divine. But when an oracle’s prophecy of doom threatens its beloved beat, it propels the king and his royal family through a journey of mistaken identities, jealous lovers, secret rendezvouses and sexual awakening – where everything (and everyone) is not what it seems.
Making their Broadway debut as songwriters, The Go-Go’ssaid, “Head Over Heelsis a celebration of love in all its forms, joyful, fun and full of heart, driven by the songs that for decades have been making people jump from their seats and dance.”
The Company
The principal cast of Head Over Heelsfeatures Andrew Durand (Spring Awakening), Taylor Iman Jones (Groundhog Day), Jeremy Kushnier (Cirque du Soleil Paramour), Bonnie Milligan (Kinky Boots tour; Broadway debut), Peppermint (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”; Broadway debut; the first trans-woman actress to create a principal role on Broadway), Tom Alan Robbins (The Lion King, original cast), Alexandra Socha (Spring Awakening) and Rachel York (Disaster!).
The Head Over Heels ensemble is Amber Ardolino (Hamilton), Sharon Catherine Brown (Dreamgirls), Yurel Echezarreta (Aladdin), Lisa Finegold (Rock of Ages), Brian Flores (Pippin tour; Broadway debut), Ari Groover (Holler If Ya Hear Me), Tanya Haglund (Chicago tour; Broadway debut), Arica Jackson (Waitress tour; Broadway debut), Gregory Liles (Broadway debut), Gavin Lodge (Annie), Samantha Pollino (Hot Feet), Justin Prescott (Cirque Du Soleil Paramour), Christine Shepard (Broadway debut), Tanner Ray Wilson (Cats, 2017 revival) and Ricardo A. Zayas (Hamilton).
The Go-Go’s
The Go-Go’shave presided over an amazing three-decade reign as high pop priestesses. From their very first show, The Go-Go’swrote and played their own songs, offering five feisty role models for a generation of ready-to-rock girls and guys. The internationally-loved pop hit makers helped cement the foundation of the early ‘80s pop-rock sound.
Head Over Heels features 18 of The Go-Go’siconic hit songs including “We Got the Beat,” “Get Up and Go,” “Cool Jerk,” “Vacation,” “Our Lips Are Sealed,” “Lust to Love,” “Head Over Heels” and Belinda Carlisle’s solo hits “Mad About You” and “Heaven is a Place on Earth.”
Creative Team
From the visionaries that rocked Broadway with Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Next To Normal, American Idiot, Spring Awakening and Avenue Q, the Head Over Heelscreative team is led by Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer with musical supervision, orchestrations and arrangements by Pulitzer
Prize and Tony winner Tom Kitt and choreography by Emmy and Drama Desk nominee Spencer Liff.
Head Over Heelswas conceived and has an original book by Tony winner Jeff Whitty and is adapted by James Magruder. Head Over Heelsis based on the bookThe Arcadiaby Sir Philip Sidney.
The creative team also includes scenic design by Tony Award nominee Julian Crouch, costume design by Academy Award and Tony Award nominee Arianne Phillips, lighting design by four-time Tony Award winner Kevin Adams, sound design by Tony Award winner Kai Harada and projection design by Andrew Lazarow. Casting by Jim Carnahan Casting. Kimberly Grigsby serves as Musical Director. Lisa Iacucci is Production Stage Manager.
Ticket Information
For full performance schedule and ticket information, visit www.hudsonbroadway.com, or by calling (855) 801-5876, or in-person at Broadway’s Hudson Theatre (141 West 44th Street).
The performance is currently running with no scheduled closing date.
TodayTix Mobile Rush Program
Each day beginning at 10:00am, a limited amount of mobile Rush tickets for Head Over Heelswill be available on a first-come, first-served basis. For access and more information, download the TodayTix app.
Manu Narayan, Jay Klaitz, Mitchell Jarvis, Tad Wilson, Paul Whitty, and Sawyer Nunes Photo / Joan Marcus, 2018
Gettin’ The Band Back Togetheris Broadway’s new musical comedy. The production is directed by Tony Award winner John Rando and choreographed by Chris Bailey.
Mitch Papadopoulos always wanted to be the next Bruce Springsteen, but he left those daydreams behind for a day job. Mitch was the lead singer of his high school garage band called Juggernaut. He, along with the members of Juggernaut, had high school dreams of rock superstardom that eventually dissolved into day jobs and careers.
When Mitch (Mitchell Jarvis), the big-shot banker is handed a pink slip on his 40th birthday, he’s forced to move back in with his mom in Sayreville, New Jersey. He then discovers that her home has been threatened with foreclosure by Tygen Billows (Brandon Williams), the frontman of Juggernaut’s old nemesis, Mouthfeel. To rescue the house and his self-esteem, Mitch agrees to a rematch of the battle of the bands that Mouthfeel lost 25 years earlier.
So Mitch dusts off his guitar, reassembles his players, and sets out to win back his house, his pride—and maybe even the high school sweetheart he left behind—proving it’s never too late to give your dreams one last shot.
The players include Bart Vickers (Jay Klaitz), a shlubby math teacher with a secret crush; Sully Sullivan (Paul Whitty), a police officer with Broadway dreams; and Rummesh Patel (Manu Narayan), a nerd who wanted to be a pediatrician but was instead pressured into entering his father’s dermatology practice — and, imminently, an arranged marriage. A fifth member of Juggernaut must be recruited to replace one who has conveniently died in the interim. The new kid, Ricky Bling (Sawyer Nunes), saves the day at the reconstituted band’s first gig. At an Orthodox Jewish wedding he delivers a “comical” rap (including the immortal line “make a ruckus with your tuchis”). Mitch’s mother Sharon Papadopoulos, a piano teacher in yoga pants, is played winningly by Marilu Henner, who calls a “hedge fund” a “shrub fund.”
The cast of Gettin’ The Band Back Together also includes Dani (Kelli Barrett), Tawny (Becca Kötte), Ritchie (Garth Kravits), Roxanne Velasco (Tamika Lawrence), Billie (Noa Solorio), and Tygen Billows (Brandon Williams); Lindsey Brett Carothers, Ryan Duncan, Scott Richard Foster, Jenny Hill, Nehal Joshi, J. Elaine Marcos, Rob Marnell, Jasmin Richardson, Ian Ward, and Tad Wilson.
Gettin’ The Band Back Togetherhas original music and lyrics by Mark Allen and a book by Ken Davenport and The Grundleshotz with additional material by Sarah Saltzberg.
Gettin’ The Band Back Togetheris produced by Ken Davenport, several individual and corporate producers, and two associate producers.
Belasco Theater: 111 W. 44th St., Midtown West, 212-239-6200
Category: Broadway,Musical
Runtime: 2 hrs. and 25 min.
Scheduled Closing: September 16
For more information on the musical or for Free original cast recording, visitwww.GettinTheBandBackTogether.com
Tickets forGettin’ The Band Back Togetherare on sale through www.Telecharge.com / (212) 239-6200. Group tickets are available atwww.YourBroadwayGenius.comor by calling 855-329-2932.
Follow Gettin’ The Band Back Togetheron Twitter, Instagram, andFacebook: @GettinTheBand
(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Health and Wellness, and Spirituality)
“By far, the biggest contributor to its export income has been the USA. Seventy-five percent of its exports are to America. Because of this enormity of its exports to America that bring in many billion dollars into the Canadian economy (about $50 billion just for selling cars to the USA), if American exports are interrupted, Canada will face huge economic and social problems. That is why, it is understandable that Canada is going to fight tooth and nail to keep its exports to America going unhindered, while not importing goods to protect its local producers and to preserve its cash. Ironically, American political and business leaders, because of Canada’s influence on American politics and business, want the status-quo to continue”.
Watching the currently going US-Canadian trade talks will make anyone understand why no US president in decades, spanning both political parties, dared to get into renegotiating America’s trade deals that had been sealed and practiced for so, so long ago, even though unfair.
The deal with Canada, or NAFTA on a broader scale, is not an isolated case of a trade deal that is unfair to America. Almost all American trade deals are unfair, and that is why, American Presidents decided to stay away from them. They knew that the reopened trade talks will open tough issues that had been so negotiated that America had to open its borders to the other country such that it could export to America unabated, whatever and how much it wanted to export. However, when it came to importing from America, the other country, according to the deal, could engage in protectionism in whatever form it wanted. Take, for example, Canada’s imposition of a 300% tariff on all dairy products imported from America. And America tolerated this. In essence, basically, America always became the only free market in every deal. There was no laterality.
Through the kind of trade deals described above, for the last more than seventy years, America has made the whole world wealthy, whether it had been the countries in Asia, Europe, or North America, including Germany, Japan, China, South Korea, Canada, and Mexico, to name just a few. The trade agreements that they signed legitimized the unfair trade practices against the USA. The outcome had been a constant outflow of wealth from the United States to other countries. Consequently, during the ensuing decades, America fell from holding the top position in almost every measurable economic or social indicator to the bottom of its heap. And, the previously named are the countries among those that replaced America. Since it had been going on for so long, these nations had gotten used to exporting to America to earn cash to pay for imports for their needs from other countries who sold them at the lower prices, or they did it to fulfill their obligations of the deals they signed with the other countries who traded with them. They treated their trade deal with the USA as an entitlement. Because of the effort needed to conduct these negotiations afresh, and the low probability of an outcome that would satisfy the populations involved had the American presidents maintain their status-quo.
Let us, again, take the case of Canada. By rank, it is the 38th country in the world by population size, but 10th when it comes to exports, making it a very powerful, global exporter. Until 2007, it was America’s largest trading partner (lost that position to China). By far, the biggest contributor to its export income has been the USA. Seventy-five percent of its exports are to America. Because of this enormity of its exports to America that bring in many billion dollars into the Canadian economy (about $50 billion just for selling cars to the USA), if American exports are interrupted, Canada will face huge economic and social problems. That is why, it is understandable that Canada is going to fight tooth and nail to keep its exports to America going unhindered, while not importing goods to protect its local producers and to preserve its cash. Ironically, American political and business leaders, because of Canada’s influence on American politics and business, want the status-quo to continue.
Now, let’s take the other side of Canadian foreign trade. While America takes in 75% of Canadian exports, America is not Canada’s largest trading partner. No surprise, it is China. And, do not wonder; that is the case in almost all America’s trading partners. That is how, America did not have well-paying jobs for its population, and had to fund its budgets by taking loans, mostly from its trading partners.
The above given analysis provides us enough to accept that, in spite of exporting so much to America, mostly America’s trading partners do not import enough from the US to help balance the bilateral trade. Each of these countries uses its export dollars earned from America to buy more from China, European Union and other countries, leaving for America an annual trade deficit that was $566 billion in 2017. This is the problem that the Trump Administration is attempting to rectify through these, so called, the new NAFTA negotiations. The situation is exactly the same when we look at almost all of America’s major trade deals. The toughest and the largest one of them all is the trade deals with China. And only Trump has the understanding, desire and the stamina to take on these trade fights, simultaneously, to halt the outflow of these many, many billion American dollars every year that we could use to bring back to the top of the global ranks the standard-of-living and quality-of-life of our population.
(The Author is Business Professor at Seton Hall University. His areas of expertise are strategy, knowledge, and operations. He can be reached at AD.Amar@shu.edu; Tel: (973) 761 9684)
“Modi has failed so far. It is possible that between now and the election, Modi will wake up and execute political skills of Kautilya. I must say it is too early to make any predictions. In six months, there could be big changes. Will Modi use his vision and modernize India?”
By Ven Parameswaran
“However, I would give him only B for his government”, says the author.
Prime Minister Modi will be facing voters in India’s General Election six months from now. It is therefore timely to evaluate his success and failure and give him a suitable grade. Modi started off with new energy and enthusiasm. Though BJP alone received only 31% support, he was able to convince others to join him. Thus, he was able to form the government with a large mandate from the people. The expectations were high, and the results speak for themselves. However, I would give him only B for his government.
MODI’S POLITICAL SKILLS ARE A+ IN CAMPAIGNING AND GETTING ELECTED
Modi has charisma. His political skills have delivered him huge success in the elections and delivered mandate. Unfortunately, he has not been able to transform his success to governing. One gets the impression that he is operating in a vacuum. We also get the impression that the all powerful Indian bureaucracy retains control and fails to implement his policies. Modi has failed to beef up the Office of the Prime Minister, equivalent to the White House in the USA. Will Modi take action to win the corrupt and powerful bureaucracy. I must point out that the Indian bureaucracy is very powerful, and no Prime Minister can govern and rule India without its cooperation. Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Vajpayee had powerful and most competent Principal Secretary to Prime Minister. P.N. Haksar delivered Bangladesh to Indira Gandhi. Brajesh Mishra emboldened the Office of Prime Minister Vajpayee. He was the architect behind the nuclear test, that was kept as secret even from the C.I.A. He also established a direct pipeline with the Bush White House. If Modi selects a topnotch bureaucrat with reputation and competence, it will go a long way to streamline Modi’s policies.
MODI’S ACHIEVEMENTS
It was reported last week that India’s GDP is growing at 8.2%. This is a great news on the eve of the general election. Indian stock market has gone up from 25000 to 38000. 390 million have access to internet. India is fortunate that 50% of its population is under 25 and 2/3rds under 35. This is a huge asset for India. When every major country is getting older and older, India is the only country getting younger and younger. Educated and developed population is an asset. Modi must capitalize on this strength. India has invested $15 billion in the USA and continue to invest. But the US has invested in India only $20 billion during the same period. India must deregulate and encourage foreign private investment. Modi has enabled issuance of visas online helping the tourists and businessmen. These days we do not hear of complaints from visa/passport applicants in the USA – Modi changed it for better.
FAILURE TO MODERNIZE INDIA
India has been unable to deliver water and electricity for 24/7 to all its people. It has failed to build mass transportation in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai. New Delhi metro system seems to be working efficiently. It is taking too long to build mass transportation in Bangalore. The subway system in Calcutta is inadequate. India has built most modern airports in New Delhi, Bombay, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta.
There is no system in India to remove garbage. Modi delivered toilets but there is no sewerage system.
There are more vehicles than the roads everywhere. As a result, the traffic does not move. This contributes to economic waste of valuable time. Time is money.
The courts have too many backlogs resulting in justice delayed or denied.
Failure to build modern infrastructure has impacted on manufacturing, shortage of housing, and loss of export business. India is unable to accept orders to deliver 100 million under wears unlike China.
MODI’S RELATIONS WITH THE MINORITIES NOT LAUDABLE
The Sikhs and the Christians may be small in number. But they are highly educated and economically well to do. They are also a source of foreign exchange. Modi has failed to develop satisfactory relations with these minorities. The U.A.E. offered $200 million to Kerala victims of floods, but Modi government rejected it. Why? Is he not spiting Kerala, not governed by BJP?
India has the second largest Muslim population in the world. Indian Muslims are peace loving. The BJP has not treated them with the respect they command. Beef is banned from the restaurants. Muslims are punished for killing cows. But India is a leading exporter of meat, primarily buffalo meat, deriving $5 billion in foreign exchange. If it is o.k. to slaughter cows for export why it does not apply for domestic consumption.
MODI MAKES GOOD IMPRESSION ON FOREIGN LEADERS BUT FAILS TO TRANSFORM THE RELATIONSHIP
Modi visited the USA, UK, Canada, Australia and others and created most favorable relationships. He addressed huge rallies of Non-Resident Indians. On his return to India, he has been unable to transform the goodwill and solid relationship into meaningful policies. Because he has no link with the mighty Indian bureaucracy, nothing gets implemented. Lack of strong Principal Secretary to Prime Minister is the main cause of his failure.
FAILURE TO FOLLOW KAUTILYA’S PRINCIPLE – KING MUST BE FEARED AND LOVED.
Modi is not feared. Modi has been unable to formulate dynamic and meaningful political and foreign policy strategies. He started off well by inviting the heads of all South Asian neighbors including Pakistan. Here again, there was no follow up. During Modi’s term, China has encircled India by dominating its power and influence in Nepal, Maldives Islands, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Sikkim and Bangladesh. India should not have allowed China to interfere in the coastal waters of India – Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. The US, Japan, Australia, S. Korea had offered joint naval exercises, but India has not taken full advantages. Instead, India has joined naval exercises with China, Pakistan and Russia!
INDIA NEEDS ACCESS TO LATEST TECHNOLOGIES. WILL MODI EMBRACE TRUMP’S OFFER?
Technology is the ultimate weapon that wins modern wars, not large army. India was shut off from the Western technology for over 30 years till President George W Bush gave India civil nuclear deal. The US Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense are now in India for 2+2 talks. Trump has offered India relationship on a par with its closest allies. The offer was made six months ago and if Modi were a master strategist and followed Kautilya he could have solidified the closest strategic relationship with the superpower, USA. Modi is forgetting that relations with others such as Russia and Iran should be secondary. Hope Modi will not miss the big picture and conclude the deal with the Americans. Agreeing to close strategic relationship with the USA will prevent China from its adventures in South Asia. The US also has decided to support and finance several developing countries to prevent domination by China.
WHAT ARE THE CHANCES FOR MODI TO GET REELECTED?
In U.P. Modi’s performance was par excellence grabbing almost 100%. But in his own Gujarat, BJP barely won, and this was shocking. Why did this happen? The Congress Party gave him a shock. Modi is not in power in many important States – West Bengal, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and others. Modi has failed to privatize public sector corporations. He has not sold even the loss-stricken Air India. Skilled politician should be able to negotiate with the opposition be it Rajya Sabha or important States where his party is not in power. The fact remains that has failed in 4-1/2 years to consolidate and influence. Who influences whom, when, where and how is the essence of politics. Modi has failed so far. It is possible that between now and the election, Modi will wake up and execute political skills of Kautilya. I must say it is too early to make any predictions. In six months, there could be big changes. Will Modi use his vision and modernize India?
(The author is Diplomat-in-Residence and Senior Adviser to Imagindia Institute, New Delhi; Chairman, Asian American Republican Committee, Scarsdale, N.Y. He can be reached at vpwaren@gmail.com)
The stirring message from the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment decriminalizing gay sex is that social morality cannot trump constitutional morality. It is a reaffirmation of the right to love. In a 5-0 verdict, a Constitution Bench has corrected the flagrant judicial error committed by a two-member Bench in Suresh Kumar Koushal (2013), in overturning a reasoned judgment of the Delhi High Court reading down Section 377 of the IPC. The 2013 decision meant that the LGBTQ community’s belatedly recognized right to equal protection of the law was withdrawn on specious grounds: that there was nothing wrong in the law treating people having sex “against the order of nature” differently from those who abide by “nature”, and that it was up to Parliament to act if it wanted to change the law against unnatural sex. The court has overruled Koushal and upheld homosexuals’ right to have intimate relations with people of their choice, their inherent right to privacy and dignity and the freedom to live without fear. The outcome was not unexpected. When the courts considered Section 377 earlier, the litigation was initiated by voluntary organizations. When those affected by the 2013 verdict approached the Supreme Court, it was referred to a larger Bench to reconsider Koushal.
In the intervening years, two landmark judgments took forward the law on sexual orientation and privacy and formed the jurisprudential basis for the latest judgment. In National Legal Services Authority (2014), a case concerning the rights of transgender people, the court ruled that there could be no discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. In Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (2017), or the ‘privacy case’, a nine-judge Bench ruled that sexual orientation is a facet of privacy, and constitutionally protected. Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra’s opinion lays emphasis on transformative constitutionalism, that is, treating the Constitution as a dynamic document that progressively realizes various rights. In particular, he invokes the doctrine of non-retrogression, which means that once a right is recognized, it cannot be reversed. Taken together, the four opinions have furthered the frontiers of personal freedom and liberated the idea of individual rights from the pressure of public opinion. Constitutional morality trumps any imposition of a particular view of social morality, says Justice R.H. Nariman, while Justice D.Y. Chandrachud underscores the “unbridgeable divide” between the moral values on which Section 377 is based and the values of the Constitution. Justice Indu Malhotra strikes a poignant note when she says history owes an apology to the LGBTQ community for the delay in providing the redress. The dilution of Section 377 marks a welcome departure from centuries of heteronormative thinking. This is a verdict that will, to borrow a phrase from Justice Chandrachud, help sexual minorities ‘confront the closet’ and realize their rights.
NEW DELHI(TIP): India and the US on Thursday, September 6, inked a vital agreement on seamless exchange of military information — Communications, Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) — even as New Delhi is clear that it will “stay the course” in its military relations with Moscow.
The purchase of state-of-the-art S-400 Russian air-defense missile system is at the heart of the threat of US sanctions against countries dealing with Moscow.
Russia was literally the “elephant in the room” when Indian and US delegations sat down for their first-ever 2+2 dialogue, sources confirmed, as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met their US counterparts Mike Pompeo and Jim Mattis.
Sources said the US told India that it understood the need for New Delhi to maintain its Russian-origin military equipment, but in case big-ticket items (like the S-400) are purchased, cooperation with the US could be “affected”. India is buying the system for Rs 39,000 crore to have a protective air-defense umbrella.
India, in turn, has assured the US that its purchases from Russia do not harm the US’ interests in any manner. A US legislation Countering America’s Adversaries
Though Sanctions Act (CAATSA) provides for a waiver against sanctions to India, it’s not a blanket waiver. Pompeo’s remarks released to the press say, “Our effort here, too, is not to penalize great strategic partners like India, a major defense partner. The sanctions aren’t intended to adversely impact countries like India. They are intended to have an impact on the sanctioned country, which is Russia. And so, we’ll work our way through the waiver decision as the days and weeks proceed, and we’ll do that alongside our partner, India, as well.”
In another important development the two countries committed to start exchanges between the US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) and the Indian Navy. India will post an attaché at Bahrain to coordinate with US forces. India and the US will begin negotiations on an Industrial Security Annex (ISA) that would support closer defense industry cooperation and collaboration.
About COMCASA
Communications, Compatibility and Security Agreement will allow Indian defense forces to receive military-grade communications equipment from the US and ensure access to real-time encrypted information
It will help India gain access to critical communication network of the US armed forces
The pact, valid for 10 years, will ensure interoperability among the US and the Indian armed forces.
LONDON (TIP): Pakistan is expanding its uranium-enrichment and plutonium production facilities, triggering fears that it may become the 5th largest nulcear-weapon state and have 220 to 250 warheads within the next seven years, a report has said.
The report published on August 31 by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists authored by members of the Federation of American Scientists says that Pakistan was also developing several delivery systems.
“Pakistan continues to expand its nuclear arsenal with more warheads, more delivery systems, and a growing fissile materials production industry. We estimate that the country’s stockpile could grow to 220 to 250 warheads by 2025, if the current trend continues,” said the 12-page report.
The report first appeared in Jane’s Defense Weekly, a London-based magazine that reports on military and corporate affairs said on Wednesday.
NEW DELHI(TIP): During the inaugural 2+2 dialogue on Thursday, India flagged its concerns about pending changes in the US Congress to H1B visas and H4 visas for spouses that could severely impact Indians working in America.
Sources said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj raised the issue ‘forcefully’. India made a case of the track record and contribution of its diaspora to American society, asking the Donald Trump administration to take a favorable view on the matter.
“Specifically, I conveyed our expectation for a non-discriminatory and predictable approach to the H1B visa regime,” said Swaraj in her press statement.
Officials privy to the discussion mentioned that the American delegation led by Secretary of State Pompeo and Defense Secretary James Mattis, acknowledged the positive role of the diaspora.
“I have mentioned this to Secretary Pompeo that on the basis of the friendship which exists between President Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indians believe that America will not work against their interest,” Swaraj said.
“The US leaders assured it is review of the entire US immigration system and not specifically targeted at one country… there have been no significant reductions in the number of H1B visas so far,” said a highly placed source.
NEW DELHI(TIP): In a historic verdict, the Supreme Court, on Thursday, September 6, de-criminalized homosexual acts between consenting adults in private, bringing cheers to millions of members of the LGBT community who had been hounded for their sexual orientation under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that made it a punishable offence.
A five-judge Constitution Bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, read down the British-era law, terming it “irrational, indefensible and manifestly arbitrary”.
It reversed the top court’s 2013 judgment which re-criminalized consensual gay sex. The 2013 verdict had overturned a 2009 judgment of the Delhi High Court which had de-criminalized homosexual acts between consenting adults in private.
The verdict will not reopen concluded cases under Section 377 but can be relied upon in pending matters against the LGBT community members.
The five judges wrote four concurring verdicts. While CJI Misra and Justice AM Khanwilkar delivered one verdict, Justices Rohinton Nariman, Dhananjay Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra wrote separate verdicts.
The top court said homosexuality was a type of sexual orientation and not a disease and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community deserved to be treated with human dignity. Terming sexual orientation a “biological phenomenon”, it said any discrimination on this ground was violative of their fundamental rights.
Section 377 refers to ‘unnatural offences’ and says whoever voluntarily has carnal inter-course against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 10 years and shall also be liable to pay a fine.
The judgment came on petitions by dancer Navtej Jauhar, journalist Sunil Mehra, chef Ritu Dalmia, hoteliers Aman Nath and Keshav Suri, business executive Ayesha Kapur and 20 IITians challenging the validity of Section 377.
“Section 377, so far as it penalizes any consensual sexual relationship between two adults, be it homosexuals (man and a man), heterosexuals (man and a woman) or lesbians (woman and a woman), cannot be regarded as constitutional.
“However, if anyone, by which we mean both a man and a woman, engages in any kind of sexual activity with an animal, the said aspect of Section 377 is constitutional, and it shall remain a penal offence,” the CJI ruled. Any act without the consent of the other person would also invite penal liability.
The SC also declared parts of Section 377 as an unreasonable restriction on right to freedom of speech and expression. In his separate but concurring verdict, Justice Chandrachud, said, “Members of LGBT community are entitled, as all other citizens, to the full range of constitutional rights.”
Justice Nariman directed the Centre to ensure that the verdict was given wide publicity. He also asked for “programs to reduce and finally eliminate the stigma associated with such persons” and sensitize government officials, particularly police officials, about the plight of LGBT persons.
Meanwhile, United Nations India Thursday, September 6, lauded the Supreme Court for striking down a “key component” of IPC’s Section 377 which criminalizes “specific sexual acts between adults” and said the judgment will boost efforts to eliminate stigma and discrimination against LGBTI persons.
It also hoped the ruling will be the first step towards guaranteeing the full range of fundamental rights to LGBTI persons.
Sexual orientation and gender expression form an integral part of an individual’s identity the world over, and violence, stigma and discrimination based on these attributes constitute an “egregious” violation of human rights, it said.
“The United Nations in India welcomes the landmark ruling by the Supreme Court of India striking down a key component of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which criminalized specific sexual acts between adults, a law dating back to British colonial rule that has targeted in particular lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals and communities,” it said in a statement.
Government working on new turnaround plan for Air India
NEW DELHI(TIP): Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the International Aviation Summit on Tuesday, September 4, civil aviation secretary RN Choubey said that the government was continuing to fund Air India despite a decision being taken to sell it so that the company’s value doesn’t erode till the time it is disinvested in. “Our first aim is to work out the necessary support for Air India’s healthy functioning. We will not like value destruction to happen. If we do not support, there may be value erosion. Otherwise, when we actually find that environment has improved, oil prices have come down and we actually want to sell, we may find that value has eroded,” Choubey said.
Late August, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, in its representation to the Parliamentary Standing Committee for transport, tourism and culture, said that disinvestment of Air India is not going to be happening any time soon. The first attempt by the government to sell its stake in the airline – codenamed Project Royal – failed mainly due to the government not parting with the entire stake, the high debt-levels and a high employee-to-aircraft ratio. To help the airline survive, the government had announced a financial restructuring plan (FRP) in 2012 as part of the original turnaround plan, as per which the airline’s working capital loans were restructured to long-term debt.
“If FRP was working, Air India wouldn’t have been in a dire strait. FRP didn’t go wrong. The FRP earmarked crude at $45 a barrel and today the crude is at $75 a barrel. Dollar was still high. The plan, now, is to make Air India stand on its own feet so that it can be sold in future when its conducive to sell the airline. Unlike the FRP, where the government did financial restructuring, the new plan will focus more on organizational reform. Will make it a board managed company. One more outsider may join the board,” a senior Air India official said, on condition of anonymity. Last month, the government appointed ITC Chairman YC Deveshwar and Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla as independent directors on the board of Air India.
As per estimates by aviation consultancy CAPA India, the national carrier is expected to lose more than $2 billion in value during 2018-19 and 2019-20. “Air India’s value will continue to erode, making future privatization unlikely. In the absence of full recapitalization and a clear direction, Air India is likely to see a continued decline in its domestic and international market share, and head towards strategic irrelevance. This will diminish its potential to be revived and to secure a strategic investor. In the meantime, it will remain a structural distortion for the industry and a burden on the tax payer. The quantum of losses will become increasingly unacceptable,” CAPA India said in its mid-year aviation outlook for 2018-19.
The Air India official pointed out that the carrier’s financials for the 2017-18 did not show any signs of improvement, primarily due to the soaring fuel costs. “I can’t reveal more on this as the results are being audited,” he said. For the year 2016-17, Air India reported a net loss of Rs 6,288 crore. Choubey said the ministry was yet to take a call whether the new turnaround plan for Air India will require a Cabinet approval or can be done bilaterally between the ministries of civil aviation and finance.
Meanwhile, Air India Ltd will raise ₹500 crore in debt to meet working capital needs and pay interest on its outstanding loans, a senior official at the state-run carrier said on Wednesday, September 5.
“Air India will soon issue a tender to raise ₹500 crore from domestic banks,” said the official who didn’t want to be named.
The latest fundraiser will exhaust the sovereign guarantee limit of ₹2,000 crore offered by the government to the loss-making airline, the official said.
Air India had in August raised ₹1,500 crore from Bank of Baroda under a sovereign guarantee to service bank loans and dues of international vendors, including leasing companies.
The latest fund-raising follows a failed government attempt to privatize Air India to stem the flow of public funds into running the airline.
Civil aviation secretary Rajiv Nayan Choubey on Tuesday, August 4 said the government has agreed to make a fresh equity infusion in Air India and also provide a sovereign guarantee.
“At the moment, we are borrowing from domestic banks as it doesn’t make sense to borrow from international lenders due to the value erosion of the rupee (against the dollar),” the official said.
Air India also used the ₹1,500 crore debt raised in August to “normalize debt accounts”, some of which were in danger of turning into non-performing assets, the official said.
Air India has a net debt of about ₹55,000 crore, including about ₹21,000-22,000 crore of aircraft debt, the official said. “We are hoping to repay the aircraft debt fully by 2021.” The carrier took on the loans to pay for new planes from Boeing and Airbus.
Defense, trade, terror top agenda; Concerns on Russia, Iran sanctions highlighted
NEW DELHI(TIP): India and the United States on Thursday, September 6, sought greater political convergence with a long-term view of relations and enhanced synergy between respective foreign and defense ministries through the inaugural 2+2 dialogue.
Defense Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and James Mattis and Foreign Ministers Sushma Swaraj and Michael Pompeo sat down for separate discussions before the 2+2 dialogue.
Three sessions on energy and people-to-people ties, defense and regional security were part of the dialogue that included all four principals and their delegations.
Followed by lunch and joint press statements, the leaders collectively called on PM Modi. According to sources, there was no laundry list of irritants to be resolved overnight, rather shared understanding of mutual concerns as regards trade ties, reducing the deficit, visas, US sanctions against Iran and Russia as well as counter-terrorism cooperation and Indo-Pacific strategy.
Pompeo shared notes following his meetings with Pakistan PM Imran Khan and Army Chief Bajwa in Islamabad en route Delhi and the missives shared to act on terror and towards reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan.
“On the 10th anniversary of the 26/11 attacks, we recognized the importance of justice and retribution for the masterminds behind this terrorist attack,” said Swaraj.
“India supports President Trump’s South Asia Policy. His call for Pakistan to stop its policy of supporting cross-border terrorism finds resonance with us,” she added.
Pompeo reportedly mentioned that “it is too early to judge the new Imran Khan government, but Pakistan has been asked to step up counter-terrorism efforts and encouraged to take right decisions and actions”.
“Pompeo assured the ministers that ‘we have a long ask of the new Pakistan government’, while sharing concerns about Hafiz Saeed roaming freely,” said an official privy to discussions.
India has asked the US to sustain pressure on Islamabad to crack down on terror entities, sources say.
The sentiments are reflected in the joint statement issued after talks in a significant tweak.
India impressed upon the US to use “under Pakistan control, instead of territory” referring to terror groups operating out of PoK and driving home territorial integrity issue, pointed out officials. “The ministers denounced any use of terrorist proxies in the region, and in this context, they called on Pakistan to ensure that the territory under its control is not used to launch terrorist attacks on other countries,” underlines the statement that was work in progress till late into the night.
Ties with Iran and Russia came up for discussion from the Indian side during the dialogue, but without any specific mention of the S400 missiles purchase, sources said.
Americans reportedly shared India’s position that its defense security systems or energy suppliers could not be switched overnight to US platforms. But India assured it was working to reduce high bilateral trade deficit that Donald Trump has disapproved of openly.
Indian officials sounded hopeful of a carve out on Chabahar port, given its strategic importance to Afghanistan, to avoid heat of US sanctions against Iran.
A shining name in sports and a rising TV and Cinema star, Prachi is a rare combination of many conflicting endowments. As a sportsperson, she developed physical strength, stamina and energy; and as a TV and film star she imbibed the soft aspects of physical beauty and grace.
Prachi was in New York recently. One of her family friends, Mr. Rajeev Bhambri of India Abroad introduced her to me and Mr. Baldev Singh Grewal, publisher/editor of Sher-e-Panjab, the leading Punjabi weekly published from New York. We got together in a family setting at Mr. Grewal’s residence in East Meadow. It was a huge pleasure to find this eminent personality so affectionate and simple, with no attitude, characteristic of successful TV and film artists. She made herself comfortable on a sofa and was a delight to talk to. In her conversation, she was gracefully communicative. It was a pleasure to have her to speak to The Indian Panorama and Sher-e-Panjab. After she had left, Mr. Grewal’s wife and daughter in law commented that they had seen her on TV and were full of admiration for her acting prowess, and now that they had spent some time with her they will remember her as a fine person.
Born in Delhi, Prachi shares her birthday with Father of Indian Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Sorry, we don’t divulge the age of a lady, particularly when she is in to entertainment industry.
An imposing personality with a height of 5‟11 (a Charlie Chaplin will need a few raised steps to reach her face), Prachi is the former Captain of the Indian Netball Team which she led in Commonwealth Games 2010 held in Delhi and in other major Asian Championships in 2010-11. Indian team won its First Silver Medal in South Asian Beach Games under her Captaincy in 2011. For her feats, she is fondly known as “Queen of The Court” and “Lass of The Rings”. These are the titles given her by renowned publishing houses TOI and Indian Express.
Prachi is Brand ambassador and mentor of Netball Development Trust- India.
Here is a brief biography of the rising star in TV and cinema world.
Graduated in B.com Hons from Delhi University- Jesus and Mary College and completed her MBA degree in Human Relations and Marketing from Indraprastha University, New Delhi.
Worked on various projects with the Development Bank of Singapore, Deloitte, Accenture, Philips and 1800Sports.in as a consultant.
Worked with Accenture on a major skill development project named UDAAN – Skills to Succeed for Mobilization, Training and Employment of youths from Jammu and Kashmir under National Skill Development Council, Delhi
Currently working as an Actress and has won many accolades for her stellar performances in Star Plus TV Series Diya Aur Baati Hum as ‘Aarzoo‟ in a short span of time.
Started her sports career with Basketball and played at National Level representing Delhi. Attended the Indian Camp thrice in 2004, in Cuttack, Orissa 2002-2007
Played Indo-Singapore Series, 2010 held in Delhi& Noida, Won it by 5-0
Captain of the team in 7th YouthAsia Championship, 2010 held in Delhi.
Holds the distinction of being the Youngest Captain of the Indian Netball Team in Commonwealth Games 2010, held in Delhi
Captain of the senior team to represent India in 6th Nation Cup, Singapore, 2010
Captain of the senior team to represent India in South Asian Beach Games, 2011 in which the team got silver medal for the first time under her captaincy.
Gold Medal in 54th National Games
After having made her mark in sports, Prachi decided to go in for acting in TV serials and movies. She made her acting debut as an actor in the famous TV series Diya Aur Baati Hum on Star Plus. She played in it the role of “Arzoo”, famously known as “Mushtandi”. The serial became an instant hit and Prachi became with it a star.
Prachi had a lead role as “Nimmy” in the Punjabi Film “Arjan” directed by Manduip Singh. Next came “Bailaras” in October 2017. It was directed by Kshitij Chaudhary.
She will be seen in the lead role in a Malayalam film, due to be released in April 2019 with the megastar Mamoothy. She considers working with Mamoothy a golden opportunity and a challenging task.
Prachi is in a lead role in “Ikyawann”, a Star Plus TV which has been on air since November 13, 2017. She stars with Namish Taneja. Written by Manasvi Arya, the show is directed by Ismail Khan/Arshad Khan.
Asked about her future plans, she said she had a long way to go. Asked about what films she enjoyed working in, she jumped to say it was the Punjabi films she enjoyed working in because Punjabis are so fun loving and straightforward. Asked about her favorite Bollywood actor, she said she was a fan of Salman Khan. She added that Salman has a charisma and he can pull crowds which makes him a superstar. Asked if she would like to work with him, Prachi sighed and said, “wish I could”.
With such luminous record in sports and a successful career in TV and films, it should not be a surprise that Prachi came to be profusely recognized and honored. She has many distinctions to be proud of.
India won its First International Medal under her captaincy in South Asian Beach Games, 2011, Sri Lanka
Youngest Captain to represent India in Netball in the Commonwealth Games 2010
Awarded the Sports Women of the Year 2010 by Jesus and Mary College and recognized as a Sports Achiever in Delhi University Achievers List
Was part of Short films made by Delhi Aaj Tak, Pragya T.V, Focus T.V, Living India by Ayur Group and NDTV. (2010, 2011 Subject of various articles published by leading newspapers, magazines and internet-
NDTV (2011) featured her as one of the Top 10 Hottest Sports Women In India
India Today (2010) featured her as one of the Top 10 Glamorous Faces Of Commonwealth Games-2010
Sports Keeda (2010)
Cupid Speaks (2010)
Hindustan Times (2010)
Times Of India (2010), article “Queen Of The Courts”
Indian Express (2005), article “Lass Of The Rings”
Chief Guest for various sports meets and social events (2010- present)
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University Sports Meet (2010) with Sushil Kumar and Dhanraj Pillay
Terry For Marathon with Satpal Singh and Mohammad Azaharuddin (2010)
Guest at Limca Book of Records with Vijender Singh, Jwala Gutta, Gagan Narang, Mary Kom, Sushil Kumar, etc. (2011)
Chal Leh Bhag Leh Sports Event, Deepalaya School Sports Meet (2011), Dev Samaj School Sports Meet (2012)
KAPSONS for its Brand Promotion, Kirti Nagar, 2012
Awarded the AAS and Aadhi Aabadi Women Achiever Award for excellence in the field of sports
Just a few. There are many more. And many more are yet to come. The Indian Panorama wishes Prachi all success in whatever she undertakes to do, because she has the qualities, faculties and character to achieve even the seemingly unachievable.
LONDON (TIP): Indian-origin Conservative party lawmaker and former UK Cabinet minister Priti Patel has joined the race along with 20 other party rebels who are challenging British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit strategy with a ‘Stand Up 4 Brexit’ campaign.
The grassroots drive against any negotiations with the European Union (EU) that could lead to a so-called soft Brexit is being backed by another ex-minister Ian Duncan Smith and is expected to mount pressure on May to ditch her Chequers plan, which is rejected by Eurosceptic lawmakers within her Conservative party.
‘Stand Up 4 Brexit’ supporters, who also include former foreign secretary Boris Johnson’s key ally Tory lawmaker Conor Burns, pledge to fight plans to keep the EU rules on British goods and free movement in terms of migration.
Ms Patel, a leading pro-Brexit voice in the lead up to the referendum in favor of Britain’s exit from the EU in June 2016, has previously called on the government to be “tougher” in its negotiations with Brussels.
The Stand Up 4 Brexit campaign is building momentum as Mr Johnson, the poster boy for the pro-Brexit camp, launched a scathing attack on Theresa May’s plans in his weekly newspaper column in ‘The Daily Telegraph’ on Monday, saying the approach agreed at Chequers “means disaster” for Britain.
Mr Johnson said negotiations based on the Chequers plan had so far seen the EU take “every important trick”, adding, “The UK has agreed to hand over GBP 40 billion of taxpayers’ money for two-thirds of diddly squat [nothing].”
The so-called Chequers plan put forth by PM May would see Britain agreeing a “common rulebook” with the European Union for trading in goods, in an attempt to maintain frictionless trade at the border.
Critics of the strategy argue this would leave the UK tied to the EU rules even after it formally leaves the economic bloc on March 29 next year and prevent Britain from striking its own trade deals in years to come.
As the UK’s parliamentary recess period of August comes to an end and the political parties in the country prepare for their annual party conferences this month, the battle lines around Brexit are expected to deepen further.
Even after the UK and the EU have reached some sort of an agreement over their future trading relationship, any agreed plan will then be tabled before lawmakers for a vote – a process which will be accompanied with its own share of upheavals.
NEW YORK(TIP): Indian American Shruti Naik, an assistant professor at NYU School of Medicine, has won the prestigious Blavatnik Regional Awards for Young Scientists in the “Life Sciences” category. A postdoctoral researcher at Stony Brook University Priyanka Sharma, another Indian American, received honorable mention in the “Chemistry” category.
The Blavatnik Family Foundation and the New York Academy of Sciences, award and support outstanding postdoctoral researchers in Tri- State of New York. The Foundation said in a press release that 125 nominated researchers competed for the nine spots.
The winners and finalists will be honored at the New York Academy of Sciences’ annual gala in New York on November 5, 2018.
Naik, who was nominated while she was doing a postdoctoral fellow at The Rockefeller University, is being recognized for “demonstrating that skin stem cells retain a ‘memory’ of previous inflammatory experiences, allowing for a more robust and rapid response to subsequent injury,” the release said.
Her groundbreaking work uncovered a new property of skin stem cells that explains how our largest and most vulnerable organ — the skin — responds to and remembers injuries and inflammatory stimuli such as injury or exposure to skin irritants. The skin is the body’s primary barrier to the outside world and it is critical to our survival that it remains intact.”
Her discovery that skin stem cells “can be sensitized to inflammation may aid the development of better treatment strategies for a variety of skin conditions,” it added.
Naik earned her bachelor’s degree in cellular and molecular biology from the University of Maryland College Park, and graduate and doctoral degrees from University of Pennsylvania.
Sharma, a polymer chemist, is being honored for “her pioneering work on the low-cost conversion of untreated biomass to carboxycellulose nanofibers, which have applications in biomedicine and in water purification in developing nations,” the release added.
The Blavatnik Family Foundation, founded by industrialist and philanthropist Len Blavatnik, supports educational, scientific, cultural, and charitable institutions in the United States and other parts of the world.
The New York Academy of Sciences, a 200-year-old nonprofit, advances scientific research, education, and policy.
ARIZONA(TIP): Indian American Anita Malik has won the Democratic party primary in Arizona’s 6th congressional district. She is the 11th Indian American to win the nomination of one of the two major parties in the midterm elections.
Malik will face GOP Rep. David Schweikert, who won the Republican primary unopposed, on November 6.
The primary in Arizona was held on August 28, but the 6th district race was too close to call on the election night, with Malik leading her nearest rival Heather Ross by a narrow margin of 383 votes.
But, as the absentee ballots were counted and certified, the Indian American’s lead grew to 2,402, according to the official results posted on the Maricopa County Recorder website.
Malik, who quit her job as the chief operating officer of the tech startup ClearVoice to run for Congress, was declared the winner.
According to the official tally, Malik received 22,522 (42.04 percent) votes, while Ross received 20,120 (37.55 percent) votes.
“I am proud that my campaign reflected a broad, grassroots coalition of Arizonans who came together to support our vision of creating jobs and ensuring the ability of families to work, live, and thrive in the 6th congressional district,” Malik said in a statement posted on her Twitter account on August 31st.
“Arizonans deserve someone who will work hard to represent them and build a stronger future for our community, our state and our country,” she added. “As the daughter of immigrants — people who believed in the promise of American — I want to help everyone have that opportunity to build a better life for themselves and their families.”
As soon as her victory was announced, Malik quickly went on the general election campaign mode. Focusing on corruption, which is likely to be a major midterm issues, she tweeted: “Indictments, corruption, and ethical violations are the norm in today’s Congress. I’ll fight to root out corruption and enact higher ethical standards, starting with our own district.”
On Labor Day, she tweeted in support of workers: “Today we honor those who have built this country. It’s a strong reminder of the course correction the country needs to bring our voices back to the table. The future of work is already here, it’s time to move boldly and swiftly to protect and support American workers.”
Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Malik’s family moved to Arizona when she was 7. She graduated summa cum laude with degrees in computer information systems and finance from Arizona State University.
She also has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Southern California.
SEATTLE(TIP): Indian-origin Pradyumna Kumar Samal, CEO of two information technology companies in the US, was arrested in connection with a multi-year visa-fraud scheme involving forged and fraudulent documents to get visas such as H-1B for over 200 foreign workers.
Samal, 49, was taken into custody as he arrived from an international flight at Seattle airport.
The criminal complaint describing the visa-fraud scheme was filed under seal in April 2018, soon after Mr Samal fled the United States while the investigation was being carried out. He remained out of the country until this week when he was arrested by law enforcement officials.
The criminal complaint describes how two companies incorporated by Mr Samal in 2010 and 2011 in Washington state engaged in a scheme sometimes referred to as a “bench-and-switch” scheme, to exploit foreign-national workers, compete unlawfully in the market, and defraud the US government.
According to the investigation that began in 2015, Mr Samal served as the Chief Executive Officer of ‘Divensi’ and ‘Azimetry’ in Bellevue, near Seattle. Both companies were in the business of providing information-technology workers, such as Software Development Engineers, to major corporate clients.
The complaint alleges that Mr Samal submitted, and directed his employees to submit, forged and false application materials to the United States government, making it appear as if two corporate clients already had agreed to use several foreign-national employees named in the applications. However, neither client had agreed to do so.
The forged documents included forged letters and fraudulent statements of work, which appeared as if they had been signed by senior executives at the two clients. After the US Citizenship and Immigration Services relied on the false representations and approved the work visa applications, Mr Samal’s companies “benched” the foreign nationals, leaving those foreign nationals unpaid unless they were able to place those employees at actual end clients.
Nearly 200 workers may have been brought in under the phony applications. The employees were forced to pay Mr Samal’s companies a partially-refundable “security deposit” of as much as $5,000 for the visa filings, regardless of whether they were assigned to any projects that provided them with income.
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