A do or die battle for the three contenders-Parkash Singh Badal, Capt. Amarinder Singh and Arvind Kejriwal.
CHANDIGARH (TIP): Two days before the polling on February 4, campaign din ended on February 2. The three main contenders for power- the ruling SAD-BJP combine, the Congress Party and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) held impressive roadshows to give a final push to their campaigns. As loudspeakers went silent at 5 pm, on February 2, party cadres were seen going door-to-door to persuade the voters. SAD-BJP combine is trying to retain power which the Congress Party and the AAP are trying to wrest from it. AAP is fighting the Assembly elections in Punjab for the first time.
Election campaign in Punjab has always been marred with violence. It was no different this time. Often shrill and at times nasty, it was marred by the twin blasts at Maur Mandi in Bathinda on January 31 in which six persons were killed and several injured.
In the first round, the electioneering revolved around the issues of drugs, unemployment, agrarian crisis and incidents of sacrilege. It was reduced to mere rabble-rousing in the last phase, with leaders making wild allegations against one another. What stood out was the participation of the Punjab youth in a big way.
Polling for the 117 Assembly constituencies in Punjab on February 4 will decide the fate of 1,145 candidates in the fray. There is a stiff triangular contest among the SAD-BJP, Congress and AAP candidates in most constituencies. Other parties, such as the BSP, too, are in the election arena.
On the last day of campaigning, AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi chose to focus on Malwa, including Lambi, where PPCC chief Capt. Amarinder Singh is pitted against Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal held a roadshow in Lambi. The AAP convener, Arvind Kejriwal, held one in Ludhiana. Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal spent the day in Jalalabad, her husband’s constituency.
AAP’s Bhagwant Mann and Congress’ Navjot Singh Sidhu drew huge crowds during campaigning. Among the key campaigners were Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BSP chief Mayawati, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and a number of senior leaders from various parties.
The Prime Minister addressed two rallies in Jalandhar and Kotkapura where he sought votes on the “stability” plank, saying Pakistan was trying to disturb the state’s peace.
On the other hand, Rahul claimed Punjab, a front-ranking state, had fallen behind as the ruling Akalis had “plundered” it to serve their own interests. He promised tough laws to curb the drug menace.
New entrant AAP accused the SAD and the Congress of “hobnobbing” with each other and vowed to put the Badal family behind bars on the issue of drugs. All parties wooed the Dalits who constitute over 30 per cent of the electorate.
White Paper spells out need for new immigration laws
LONDON (TIP): British Prime Minister Theresa May faces fresh legal challenge over Brexit as David Davis, the Brexit secretary, refused to rule out a vote on leaving the EEA when he was asked about it in the Commons by Labor MP Heidi Alexander. David Davis released document – a 77-page white paper setting out the government’s plans for leaving the EU- highlighting need for new laws on immigration and customs systems after UK leaves EU. “Leaving the EU will mean that our laws will be made in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, and will be based on the specific interests and values of the UK,” The White Paper states.
The document, which sets out Theresa May’s plans was, was presented to Parliament on Thursday, February 2.
It comes after a Supreme Court ruling empowered Parliament to give its approval before any official talks on Brexit could begin.
The ruling was a blow to Theresa May, who would have rather bypassed a Parliament vote. However, MPs overwhelmingly supported the triggering of Article 50 with 498 votes to 114 on Wednesday.
Brexit is an abbreviation for “British exit,” which refers to the June 23, 2016, referendum whereby British citizens voted to exit the European Union. The referendum roiled global markets, including currencies, causing the British pound to fall to its lowest level in decades.
he majestic Rajpath saw a scintillating display of India’s military might and resplendent cultural diversity as the country celebrated its 68th Republic Day January26, with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan attending the event as guest of honor. Light rain and overcast skies failed to dampen the enthusiasm of thousands of spectators who watched the nearly an hour-and-half-long parade along the imposing
Rajpath, India’s ceremonial boulevard. A major highlight of the parade was 149-member marching contingent from UAE comprising personnel from Presidential Guards, the Air Force, the Navy and Army, led by a band comprising 35 musicians from the Gulf country with which India’s defense and security ties are on an upswing.
Al Nahyan, also Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE armed forces, was seated next to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who wore a pink colored ‘safa’ (turban). The two leaders were seen sharing some light moments.
Alongside the Crown Prince, the ceremonial parade was watched by Vice President Hamid Ansari, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and the country’s top political and military brass, besides the diplomatic community.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, at Rajpath, on the occasion of the 68th Republic Day Parade 2017, in New Delhi on January 26, 2017.
The tableau of Punjab passes through the Rajpath, on the occasion of the 68th Republic Day Parade 2017, in New Delhi on January 26, 2017.
The tableau of Himachal Pradesh passes through the Rajpath, on the occasion of the 68th Republic Day Parade 2017, in New Delhi.
The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee and the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi with the Chief Guest of the Republic Day, The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of U.A.E. Armed Forces, General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, returning after witnessing the 68th Republic Day Parade 2017, in New Delhi on January 26, 2017.
Rajpath comes alive with the dare devil stunts of motorbike riders of Corps of Military Police, on the occasion of the 68th Republic Day Parade.
A bird’s eye view of Rajpath on the occasion of the 68th Republic Day Parade 2017, in New Delhi on January 26, 2017
The Madras Engineers Group Contingent passes through the Rajpath, on the occasion of the 68th Republic Day Parade 2017, in New Delhi on January 26, 2017.
Three SU-30 MKI fighter planes fly over Rajpath, on the occasion of the 68th Republic Day Parade 2017.
Tank T- 90 (Bhishma) passes through the Rajpath
Akash Army Launcher passes through the Rajpath, on the 68th Republic Day Parade
Transportable Satellite Terminal passes through the Rajpath
TEJAS, NSG MAKE DEBUT
In a first, the ‘black cat’ commandos of the elite counter-terror force National Security Guard (NSG) participated in the parade which drew loud cheers from the spectators.
A number of weapons systems and aircraft including the Tejas light combat jets and the Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&C) developed by DRDO were on display, showcasing India’s military prowess.
The Indian Army’s missile firing T-90 ‘Bhishma’ tank, Infantry Combat Vehicle BMP-2K, Mobile Autonomous Launcher of the BrahMos Missile System, Weapon Locating Radar ‘Swathi’ and Akash Weapons System, and Dhanush artillery guns were among the main draw in the mechanized columns. President Pranab Mukherjee took the salute of marching contingents.
The splendid driving skills of ‘Dare Devils’–the MOTORCYCLE acrobatics team of Corps of Military Police was a major attraction of the parade. They performed breathtaking man oeuvres like Salute to President, Ladder, Double Bar, Lotus, Christmas Tree, Aircraft, Sudarshan Chakra, Flower Pot, Pyramid and Wheeling on moving motorcycles.
SPECTACULAR SHOW BY AIR FORCE
The ‘Netra’, an Airborne Early Warning and Control System aircraft also known as “Eye in the Sky” was one of the major attractions.
It was followed by the ‘Globe Formation’ comprising one C-17 Globemaster flanked by two Su-30 MKIs. Next in line were the fighters, with five Jaguars fling in arrowhead formation, while five MiG-29 fighters darted through the sky in fulcrum style.
It was followed by the breathtaking ‘Trishul’ formation comprising three Su-30 MKIs.
The flypast concluded with another Su-30 MKI carrying out a ‘Vertical Charlie’ maneuver over the saluting dais. The ceremony concluded with the national anthem and release of colorful balloons.
The theme of IAF tableau was “Air Dominance Through Network Centric Operations” and it displayed the scaled down models of Su-30 MKI, Mirage-2000, AWACS, UAV, Apache and Communication Satellite.
The grand finale of the parade was a spectacular flypast by the Indian Air Force which displayed various formations like ‘Chakra’ and ‘Vic’ leaving spectators spell-bound. The ‘Hercules’ formation comprising three C-130J Super Hercules aircraft also drew loud cheers.
CULTURAL HERITAGE ON FULL DISPLAY
Tableaux from 17 states and Union Territories and six central ministries and departments showcased the varied historical, artistic and cultural heritage of the country. Interestingly, Goods and Services Tax (GST) was the theme of the tableau of Central Board of Excise and Customs.
Tableaux from states, Union Territories and Union ministries presented the historical, artistic and cultural heritage of the country.
Floats from Goa, Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam and Jammu and Kashmir showcased the country’s progress in different fields.
In the children’s pageant section, about 600 boys and girls drawn from three schools in Delhi and a group of school children from South Central Zone Cultural Centre, Nagpur, performed colorful dances on varied themes.
The Indian Navy’s tableau showcased the lethal Marine Commandos proceeding for action, the indigenously built Kolkata Class Destroyer and the Kalvari Class next generation attack submarines. It also showcased a model of the P-8I Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft.
NEW YORK (TIP): TV Asia Chairman/CEO and prominent Indian American community leader HR Shah was on Wednesday, January 25 named for the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian honor in the field of Literature & Education – Journalism. Two other Indian Americans are also named for this year’s Padma Shri award – Ustad Imrat Khan in the field of Art-Music and Anant Agarwal in the field of Literature & Education.
The Padma awards are conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions which are held at Rashtrapati Bhawan usually around March/ April every year. This year the President of India has approved conferment of Padma Awards to 89 persons. The list comprises of 7 Padma Vibhushan, 7 Padma Bhushan and 75 Padma Shri Awardees. 19 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 5 persons from the category of foreigners, NRIs, PIOs and 6 posthumous awardees.
Mr HR Shah is the recipient of the prestigious 2005 Ellis Island Medal of Honor, which is bestowed only on those who display significant contributions to their own communities and to the US at large. He has received more than a hundred awards and citations from across the globe in serving ethnic American communities in different fields. He is a founding member of GOPIO as well as Past President and Trustee of the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) and a member of the Board of Advisors of the Ellis Island-National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO). As the Chairman and Trustee of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (USA), the world famous institute of Indian culture, education, music and the arts, he has worked for the upliftment in lifestyle of Indians via education. With TV Asia, Mr Shah is the first NRI to run a 24/7 TV station in North America. He is also the first NRI to own a chain store business anywhere in the world – Krauszer’s Food Stores.
Shah said “I am deeply humbled, honored and overjoyed that the Republic of India has decided to confer on me the Padma Shri”. He said he would “rededicate” himself to help India and US further strengthen their ties.
“I look forward to receiving the Padma Shri in New Delhi later this year and rededicate myself to helping India and the United States further their close relations, as well as to promote India’s rich culture and heritage,” Shah said, January 25 after he was announced as a recipient of India’s prestigious civilian honor.
Ustad Imrat Khan, younger brother of sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan, has established his reputation not only by an absolute mastery of two different instruments, the sitar and the surbahar, but also by the consistent purity and integrity with which he presents every aspect of the great Indian classical genres, spanning the whole spectrum of feeling and expression. He is the senior performer of the Imdadkhani gharana, the school of sitar and surbahar performance named after his grandfather Imdad Khan. He spends a portion of each year teaching classical Indian music and instructing sitar students at Washington University in Saint Louis. In 1988 Imrat Khan received a Sangeet Natak Akademi Award from the president of India.
Anant Agarwal is currently the president of eDX.com in Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA. In 2012, he was named by Forbes magazine among the 15 “classroom revolutionaries” who are using innovative technologies to reinvent education for students and teachers globally. Agarwal did his early education in city’s St Aloysius College right from std 1 to second PUC (1977). He then moved to IIT-Madras where he did his BTech, and followed it up with MS and PhD in electrical engineering from Stanford University, USA. At MIT, he led the development of Alewife, an early cache coherent multiprocessor, and founded Tilera, a fabless semiconductor company focusing on scalable multicore embedded processor design.
Here is thecomplete list of 2017 Padma award winners. The list comprises of 7 Padma Vibhushan, 7 Padma Bhushan and 75 Padma Shri Awardees. 19 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 5 persons from the category of foreigners, NRIs, PIOs and 6 Posthumous awardees.
PADMA VIBHUSHAN / Awardee Field of Prominence
Sharad Pawar / Public Affairs
Murli Manohar Joshi / Public Affairs
P.A. Sangma (posthumous) / Public Affairs
Sunder Lal Patwah (posthumous) / Public Affairs
K.J. Yesudas / Art – Music
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev / Others – Spiritualism
Udipi Ramachandra Rao / Science & Engineering
PADMA BHUSHAN / Awardee Field of Prominence
Vishwa Mohan Bhatt / Art – Music
Devi Prasad Dwivedi / Literature & Education
Tehemton Udwadia / Medicine
Ratna Sundar Maharaj / Others-Spiritualism
Swami Niranjana Nanda Saraswati / Others-Yoga
H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn (Foreigner) / Literature & Education
Cho Ramaswamy (Posthumous) / Literature & Education –Journalism
PADMA SHRI / Awardee Field of Prominence
Basanti Bisht / Art-Music
Chemanchery Kunhiraman Nair / Art-Dance
Aruna Mohanty / Art-Dance
Bharathi Vishnuvardhan / Art-Cinema
Sadhu Meher / Art-Cinema
T K Murthy / Art-Music
Laishram Birendrakumar Singh / Art-Music
Krishna Ram Chaudhary / Art-Music
Baoa Devi / Art-Painting
Tilak Gitai / Art-Painting
Aekka Yadagiri Rao / Art-Sculpture
Jitendra Haripal / Art-Music
Kailash Kher / Art-Music
Parassala B Ponnammal / Art-Music
Sukri Bommagowda / Art-Music
Mukund Nayak / Art-Music
PurushottamUpadhyay / Art-Music
AnuradhaPaudwal / Art-Music
WareppaNaba Nil / Art-Theatre
Tripuraneni Hanuman Chowdary / Civil Service
T.K. Viswanathan / Civil Service
Kanwal Sibal / Civil Service
Birkha Bahadur Limboo Muringla / Literature & Education
Eli Ahmed / Literature & Education
Narendra Kohli / Literature & Education
G. Venkatasubbiah / Literature & Education
AkkithamAchyuthan Namboothiri / Literature & Education
Kashi Nath Pandita / Literature & Education
Chamu Krishna Shastry / Literature & Education
Harihar KripaluTripathi / Literature & Education
Michel Danino / Literature & Education
Punam Suri / Literature & Education
VG Patel / Literature & Education
V Koteswaramma / Literature & Education
Balbir Dutt / Literature & Education – Journalism
BhawanaSomaaya Literature & Education-Journalism
Vishnu Pandya Literature & Education-Journalism
Subroto Das Medicine
Bhakti Yadav Medicine
Mohammed Abdul Waheed Medicine
Madan MadhavGodbole Medicine
DevendraDayabhai Patel Medicine
Harkishan Singh Medicine
MukutMinz Medicine
Arun Kumar Sharma Others-Archaeology
Sanjeev Kapoor Others-Culinary
MeenakshiAmma Others-Martial Art
GenabhaiDargabhai Patel Others-Agriculture
ChandrakantPithawa Science & Engineering
Ajoy Kumar Ray Science & Engineering
ChintakindiMallesham Science & Engineering
Jitendra Nath Goswami Science & Engineering
DaripalliRamaiah Social Work
Girish Bhardwaj Social Work
KarimulHak Social Work
BipinGanatra Social Work
Nivedita Raghunath Bhide Social work
AppasahebDharmadhikari Social Work
Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal Social Work
ViratKohli Sports-Cricket
Shekar Naik Sports-Cricket
Vikasa Gowda Discus Throw
Deepa Malik Sports-Athletics
MariyappanThangavelu Sports-Athletics
DipaKarmakar Sports-Gymnastics
P. R. Shreejesh Sports-Hockey
Sakshi Malik Sports-Wrestling
Mohan Reddy Venkatrama Bodanapu Trade & Industry
Imrat Khan (NRI/PIO) Art-Music
Anant Agarwal (NRI/PIO) Literature & Education
H.R. Shah (NRI/PIO) Literature & Education-Journalism
NEW YORK CITY (TIP): The Consulate General of India, New York celebrated India’s 68th Republic day with enthusiasm and patriotic fervor, January 26. The celebrations began in the morning at the Consulate. Consul general of India in New York, Ambassador Riva Ganguly Das hoisted the Tri-color. After singing the national anthem, Consul General read out selected parts from President of India’s address to the Nation.
Speaking to The Indian Panorama, Ambassador Riva Ganguly Das said, “I would like to wish the Indian American community a very happy Republic day. This is our 68th Republic day. I just read out the President’s message addressed to both Indians in the country and Indians abroad. It’s a very inspirational message. While we have achieved much, still we have a lot to do. And we count on the support of Indian American community as we move forward for progress and prosperity of our wonderful democracy, our wonderful nation.”
In the afternoon, Ambassador rang the closing bell at New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). She was accompanied by Deputy Consul General Dr. Manoj Kumar Mohapatra and other dignitaries. John Tuttle, Global Head of Listings at NYSE welcomed them.
Consul General reading out selected parts from President of India’s address to the Nation
Consul General rang the closing bell at New York Stock Exchange
A view of the gathering
Consul General with Padma Shri HR Shah (to her left). Also seen is Padma Shri Dr. Parikh, among others
In the evening, there was a huge gathering at the consulate where about 150 people were present from the tri-state area.
Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin, India’s permanent representative to the United Nations told The Indian Panorama, “The Republic day comes at the beginning of the year and at a time when there is change in the air at the United Nations. Now we have a new secretary general and a new president. So, we expect change in the UN as well as in US. In these changing circumstances our goal is to protect and promote India’s national interest. Therefore, we seek the support of Indian community because India’s interest is not only promoted by diplomats but promoted by everyone who is Indian. So, we seek the support of Indian community to protect and promote India’s interest.”
At the reception, the CG gave a welcome address and highlighted the significant achievements India has made in the last few decades.
NEW DELHI (TIP): President of Republic of India, in his address to the nation on the eve of Republic Day,on Wednesday, January 25, spoke about the need for simultaneous elections to Parliament and assemblies, saying that it is the Election Commission who has to move forward in consultation with political parties.
The President also brought up the issue of demonetization in his speech and said that currency ban may have led to “temporary” slowdown in economy but it will bring more transparency in the system.
The official celebration of Republic Day spans over four days. It is marked by illumination of Raisina Hill area, address by the President, parade past the India Gate and the Beating Retreat ceremony.
The crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyanwould is the chief guest for the parade.
Highlights of President’s address to the Nation.
President Pranab Mukherjee extends his greetings to all forces and pays his tribute to the soldiers who lost their lives in the line of duty.
We waited till January 26, 1950 — when the Indian people got their constitution… On that day, we became the biggest democracy of the world,” the President says.
Indian democracy has been a scene of oasis in a region troubled by unrest, says Pranab Mukherjee.
President Mukherjee lists out the strides made by India in the fields of economy, development, education since its Independence.
Our economy has been performing well despite global challenges…. we are showing sustained recovery, says Mukherjee, who was also the former finance minister of India.
Demonetization may have led to temporary slowdown of economic activity, but it will improve the transparency of economy:?Mukherjee talks on the contentious issue of currency recall. The Narendra Modi-led government had demonetized old Rs 500/1000 notes in an announcement on November 8 last year. The Opposition, including Congress party, have maintained vigilant attack against the Modi government, saying that note ban has hurt the poor.
Ahead of Assembly elections 2017 in which five states go to polls this year, the President says “time is ripe for a constructive debate on electoral reforms”.
As our Republic enters her sixty-eighth year, we must acknowledge that our systems are not perfect #President Mukherjee – President of India (@RashtrapatiBhvn) January 25, 2017
Mukherjee enumerates the benefits of Clean India initiative, MGNREGA, Digital India, Start-up India, National Skill Development mission.
Hailing the plurality of India, Mukherjee says ideas, tolerance and respect for others are values inherent to India. We are the “argumentative India”, not the “intolerant Indian”.
“Our tradition has always celebrated the ‘argumentative’ Indian; not the ‘intolerant’ Indian… Multiple views, thoughts and philosophies have competed with each other peacefully for centuries in our country.”
“We are a noisy democracy, yet we need more, not less.”
We have to work harder because our pluralistic culture and tolerance are still being put to test by vested interests #PresidentMukherjee President of India (@RashtrapatiBhvn) January 25, 2017
Referring to the recent Budget session that ended on December 16, Mukherjee slams parliamentary disruptions and says that legislators lost time arguing.
In his speech, the President talks about the issues facing India, including ensuring the well-being of security personnel, women’s safety, ecological degradation and food security.
“Our motherland asks each of us in whatever role we play to do our duty; with integrity, commitment & unflinching loyalty,” the President says, ending the speech swiftly.
Says he is restoring power back from Washington to people and “Together we will make America Great again”
Donald Trump became the 45th president of the United States Friday, January 20, as he was administered oath of office at a ceremony at the Capitol Hill. The oath was administered by the US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts at 12 pm.
An estimated around 800,000 guests attended the inaugural ceremonies – a number far below the crowd that came out for President Obama’s first inaugural.
The 70-year-old billionaire was joined by his wife and children.
Also on hand were three of the four living former presidents George W Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama, members of the Supreme Court and leaders of Congress. In addition, his Democratic rival in the election, Hillary Clinton was in attendance.
In his inaugural speech as president Trump thanked outgoing president Obama for ensuring ‘A gracious transition.’ But his speech was almost copied from his many election campaign speeches.
“January 20, 2017, people of America became the rulers of the country again. This is the transition of power from DC to you – you the people. Now government will be controlled by our people. The world has never seen this before”, said Trump.
Here is look at the electoral promises that Trump reassured in his first presidential speech:
Will put our interest first
Will bring back our jobs
Will protect our border first
Rebuild America with American hands and labor
Will change education system
Will make sure that people buy American and hire American
Will eradicate Islamic terrorism
Trump concluded his speech by saying “We’ll make America strong again, wealthy again, proud again, safe again, and great again.” Only time will say how he will do that.
But Trump took over as President without his complete team. Various important offices in State Department and the all important intelligence agencies look for askance.
The three days of inaugural festivities kicked off Thursday. Trump left his Trump-branded jet in New York and flew to Washington in a government plane, saluting an Air Force officer as he descended the steps with his wife, Melania. He and the incoming vice president, Mike Pence, solemnly laid a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery before joining supporters for an evening concert at the Lincoln Memorial.
Cheerful Trump supporters flocked to the nation’s capital for the inaugural festivities, some wearing red hats emblazoned with his “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan.
Trump tweeted Friday morning, “It all begins today! I will see you at 11:00 A.M. for the swearing-in.
THE MOVEMENT CONTINUES – THE WORK BEGINS!“
On Friday morning, Trump, Vice President-elect Mike Pence and their families attended services at St. John’s Episcopal Church near the White House, a precedent set by Franklin D. Roosevelt and followed by every president since.
The president-in-waiting then arrived at the White House for tea with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama. Before welcoming his successor, Obama took a final stroll from the Oval Office through the Rose Garden as a sitting president.
Donald Trump scored an upset win in 2016 elections. With a clear victory in sight for Hillary Clinton at one point of time, a couple of factors weighed in his favor in the ultimate upset results to give him presidency.
Trump won the White House on promises: Deporting immigrants, Banning and surveilling Muslims, building a wall at US-Mexico border, bringing back water boarding, making it easier to sue the press.
Donald Trump, probably takes over as the least popular incumbent to the White House because of his treatment of women, minorities and the disabled during the campaign He takes over control of the most powerful nation of the world with a lot of baggage which is likely to impede his movement forward.
Americans have never handed their highest office to a businessman with no experience in public service. Trump, the real estate mogul and reality television star is the only president to break away from the tradition of President divesting himself from his business interests. “The law’s totally on my side ? meaning, the president can’t have a conflict of interest,” Trump has said, dismissing warnings from a government ethics watchdog and experts with experience under Republican and Democratic presidents who have charged that his business entanglements will find him in violation of his oath from the very moment he takes it.
This is a serious issue; some ethics experts point out.
“There’s an issue about whether the president and his family will use the presidency for self-enrichment,” says Robert Weissman, president of the advocacy group Public Citizen in an interview with NPR. “The most important part of the problem is how these conflicts will affect policy-making. That is an inescapable and pervasive problem. It doesn’t matter whether Donald Trump is operating in good faith. So long as he has these conflicts, he can’t not know what he owns and he also can’t not know how policy decisions will affect his businesses.”
Trump has indicated he will continue to own his many U.S. and foreign businesses, and has rejected calls to sell them and said that he will hand them over to his sons to manage – which falls well short of addressing the ethical conundrum he faces. “Stepping back from running his positions is meaningless from a conflicts of interest perspective. Nothing short of divestiture will resolve these conflicts,” Walter Shaub, director of the Office of Government Ethics, said earlier this month.
For full text of Trump’s inauguration speech, click here
Hundreds of thousands of people protesting Donald Trump’s presidency swarmed events in U.S. cities and around the world in a rebuke to an incoming president unlike any seen in modern times.
In the nation’s capital, marchers jammed city streets and filled the large swath of parkland between the U.S. Capitol and the White House known as the National Mall.
Organizers expected 200,000 people, but officials were prepared for at least twice that many – The city’s public transit service, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, recorded about 275,000 trips as of 11 a.m. Saturday, more than the 193,000 it recorded by 11 a.m. Friday ahead of Trump’s inauguration speech and parade.
The huge crowd comes a day after empty space was spotted on the National Mall ahead of Trump’s inauguration speech and bare bleachers were noticeable along the inaugural parade route. Officials estimated about 900,000 people would file into D.C. for Friday’s parade and speech. That’s about half the attendance at former President Obama’s 2009 swearing-in, the largest event in the history of the nation’s capital.
At a train station blocks from the White House on Saturday, trains filled with participants would stop, but there was no room for passengers. Finally, after three trains went by, a USA TODAY reporter was able to squeeze on.
WASHINGTON (TIP): In his parting message before Donald Trump took over, President Barack Obama assured Americans that “we’re going to be OK” but vowed to protect US’ “core values” and speak up against issues like discrimination, muzzling of press freedom and rounding up of young immigrants.
“At my core, I think we’re going to be OK,” Obama said as he concluded his final news conference at the White House. “We just have to fight for it, work for it, and not take it for granted,” he said.
Obama said he has given his best advice to his successor Trump to whom he passed on the baton January 20. “I have offered my best advice, counsel about certain issues both foreign and domestic,” Obama said, describing his conversations with the President-elect.
“And my working assumption is, is that having won an election opposed to a number of my initiatives and certain aspects of my vision for where the country needs to go, it is appropriate for him to go forward with his vision and his values. I don’t expect that there’s going to be enormous overlap,” he said.
He said now his priorities would be to do some writing, spend some time with his two daughters and Michelle. “I want to do some writing, I want to be quiet a little bit and not hear myself talk so darn much. I want to spend precious time with my girls,” he said.
However, he said any effort to enforce systematic discrimination, erode voting rights, muzzle the press or round up young immigrants, would cause him to speak out.
During the campaign, Trump vowed to ban Muslims from entering the United States and deport millions of illegal immigrants.
After Trump’s victory in the November 8 presidential elections, Obama has met his successor only once, but the two leaders have spoken over phone quite frequently with the last one being reported to be on Monday.
Obama said it may be that on certain issues, once Trump comes into office and he looks at the complexities of how to, in fact, provide healthcare for everybody-something he says he wants to do or wants to make sure that he is encouraging job creation and wage growth in this country, “that may lead him to some of the same conclusions that he arrived at once I got here”.
Asked for a commenton his relations with his successor, Obama said: “I won’t go into details of my conversations with President-elect Trump. They are cordial. At times, they’ve been lengthy and they’ve been substantive. I can’t tell you how convincing I’ve been. I think you’d had to ask him whether I’ve been convincing or not,” he said when asked about the details of his conversations.”
WASHINGTON (TIP): Immediately after taking oath, January 20, President Donald J Trump issued an executive order to minimize the Economic Burden of The Patient Protection (Obamacare) and Affordable Care Act, Pending Repeal.
By another order, he granted a waiver to General James Mattis, his nominee for Secretary of Defense, clearing his way to assume the office.
‘Indians abroad are ambassadors of our culture’: President Mujherjee
BENGALURU (TIP): The three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention came to an end on Monday, January 9, with the President Pranab Mukerjee delivering valedictory address and conferring Pravasi Bharatiya Samman on 30 NRI’s which included the Chief Guest at the PBD, Prime Minister of Portugal Luiss Santos DaCosta, who has his roots in Goa, and Nisha Desai Biswal, US Asstt Secretary of State, On the occasion, President also released a Book of Prime Ministers speeches abroad.
President Pranab Mukherjee praised the Centre’s efforts of extracting thousands of Indians from difficult situations across the globe during Bengaluru’s Pravasi Bharatiya Sammelan, says overseas Indians are ambassadors of the country’s culture abroad.
Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) from the US led the list of 30 persons conferred the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman awards by President Pranab Mukherjee.
The first award was received by Portugal Prime Minister Antonia Luiss Santos Da Costa for his contribution in the field of public service.
As per the list, six awards were given to NRIs from the US, the highest in the list, while two each to those from the UK and UAE.
One award each was given to NRIs from 20 countries, including Australia, France, Canada, Israel, Libya, Fiji, Brunei, Singapore, Portugal and others.
Among the NRIs from the US, Hari Babu Bindal was honored for his contribution in the field of environment engineering, Nisha Desai Biswal for public affairs, Sampat Kumar Shidramapa Shivanagi for community leadership, while Mahesh Mehta, Ramesh Shah and Bharat Haridas Barai were awarded for their contribution in the field of community service. Neena Gill and Priti Patel from the UK were honored for their contribution in the field of public service.
In the list of NRIs from the UAE, Vasudev Shamdas Shroff and one organization Indian Social and Cultural Centre were awarded.
In the field of business, Rajasekharan Pillai Valavoor Kizhakkathi from Bahrain, Mukund Bhikhubhai from Canada and Susheel Kumar Saraff from Thailand were honored.
In the field of medical science, Lael Anson E Best from Israel and Carani Balaraman Sanjeevi were selected.
Sandip Kumar Tagore from Japan was awarded for his contribution in the field of arts and culture, while Muniandy Thambirajah from Malaysia and Zeenat Musarrat Jafri from Saudi Arabia were honored for education and community service. In the field of public service, Pravin Kumar Jugnauth from Mauritius and Winston Chandarbhan Dookeran from Trinidad were honored. Vinod Chandra Patel from Fiji was selected for his contribution in the field of social service.
The theme of this year’s PBD is “Redefining engagement with Indian diaspora”. A record 8,000 delegates from 30 countries participated in the three-day event. Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the Indian diaspora across the world as he addressed people at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas 2017 in Bengaluru on Sunday.
He added that Indian diaspora has made invaluable contribution to our economy and the government aims to change brain drain to brain gain through its policies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the persons of Indian origin for their support to government’s initiative against black money and corruption.
An emotional President Barack Obama with the First Lady Michelle Obama and their daughter Malia Obama at his farewell address to the nation from McCormick Place in Chicago, January 10, Obama dwelt on the challenges before America’s democracy and sought to give a message of hope to American. “Let’s be vigilant. But not afraid”, he said.
CHICAGO (TIP): President Barack Obama became nostalgic while delivering his Farewell Address in Chicago on January 10, 2017. Joined by first lady Michelle Obama, daughter Malia, and Vice President Joe Biden, the president credited Chicago for playing a crucial role in his life. “I first came to Chicago when I was in my early 20s, still trying to figure out who I was; still searching for a purpose to my life’, said Obama. “. It was on these streets where I witnessed the power of faith, and the quiet dignity of working people in the face of struggle and loss. This is where I learned that change only happens when ordinary people get involved, get engaged, and come together to demand it.”
Noting the increasing partisanship that marked his tenure as president, Obama warned another threat to democracy was the trend of people becoming “so secure in our bubbles that we start accepting only information, whether true or not, that fits our opinions instead of basing our opinions on the evidence is out there.”
Obama mentioned the incoming president only once by name. “I committed to President-elect Trump that my administration would ensure the smoothest possible transition, just as President Bush did for me. Because it’s up to all of us to make sure our government can help us meet the many challenges we still face.”
President Obama delivered his Farewell Address in Chicago on January 10, 2017. Watch it here:
Here is an unedited transcript of President Obama’s remarks, as provided by the White House.
NEW YORK (TIP): Indian-American South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley would appear before a Congressional panel for her confirmation hearing for the post of US Ambassador to the UN on January 18, an official has said.
If confirmed, Haley, 44, the daughter of Indian immigrants, would be the first-ever Indian-American to serve on a Cabinet rank position in any presidential administration in the US.
Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement that the nomination hearing to consider Haley to be US Ambassador to the United Nations will be held on January 18.
Haley, who will replace Samantha Power at the UN if confirmed, has already created history by becoming the first women Indian-American Governor of a US State.
NEW DELHI (TIP): Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has been honored by the US Embassy to acknowledge his immense contribution to the India-US ties on tuberculosis. The award was presented on January 8 by US Ambassador to India Richard R Verma to the 74-year-old actor, who himself is a TB survivor and brand ambassador for the cause.
After receiving the award, Bachchan went live on Facebook with Verma to discuss the cooperation between the two nations to spread awareness about the much-feared disease.
Remembering his first encounter with Verma, Bachchan said that they have been associated since 2015, when the latter was awarded the Padma Vibhushan.
Bachchan adds, “Within a week later, I received a letter from the ambassador (citing that) … We are looking at doing something about tuberculosis in India. Would you be kind enough to entertain in joining this effort? And I readily agreed.” The “Pink” actor also said that it was embarrassing that India is the largest carrier of TB in the world.
Recounting his “Kaun Banega Crorepati” days, when he experienced excruciating pain in the spine, he said, “I survived on 8-9 painkillers every day. In 2002, it was discovered in a general investigation that I was suffering from the tuberculosis of the spine.”
Bachchan added, “Without immodesty, I can say that if it (TB) can happen to me it can happen to anyone. If it is detected in time, there is a cure.” The actor was especially impressed with the involvement of women in spreading awareness and busting myths about the disease under this initiative. He said that it was inspiring how they fought both with the disease and fear of alienation due to the social stigma about the disease.
On giving the award to Bachchan, Verma said, “We are proud to give you this award for your leadership and everything that you have done.”
The US ambassador also said that the US government has been working with the Indian government for over 20 years on tuberculosis.
“Over USD 100 million have been invested… we have treated over 15 million people with our Indian partners, saved millions of lives from the disease,” he added. (PTI)
NEW DELHI (TIP): The Election Commission on January 4 (Wednesday) announced the poll dates for Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa. Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi said that the state of Manipur will have a two-phase election and Uttar Pradesh will have a seven-phase election. Counting for all states will be held on 11 March.
A total of 690 assembly constituencies will go to polls in these elections. Twenty three of these have been reserved from Scheduled Tribes candidates. Over 160 million voters – that’s the size of the electorate in these assembly elections. There will be 1,85,000 polling stations across five states.
Seven-phase elections in Uttar Pradesh from February 11 to March 8; Punjab and Goa will vote on February 4 while Uttarakhand on Feb 15; results on March 11
NEW DELHI (TIP): Assembly elections in UP, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur will be held between February 4 and March 8, the results of which — to be announced on March 11 — are likely to be seen as a referendum on the demonetisation move by PM Narendra Modi.
The terms of the legislative assembly of Goa, Manipur and Punjab are due to expire on March 18 while that of Uttarakhand expires on March 26. The legislative term of Uttar Pradesh ends on May 27. Goa has 40 assembly seats, Manipur has 60, Punjab has 117, Uttarakhand has 70 while Uttar Pradesh has 403.
Election Commission made the much-anticipated announcement of dates on January 4 (Wednesday), setting in motion a process that will impact Indian polity in the coming months. The UP polls are already being dubbed as a “semi-final” to the 2019 general elections. These polls are significant for BJP as a good electoral harvest will boost its strength in the Rajya Sabha in the near future. The outcome will also have a bearing on the Presidential elections later this year.
UP will have a seven phase election, with polling on February 11, 15, 19, 23, 27, March 4 and 8.
Manipur, which continues to be under a blockade and is facing law and order problems, will have a twophase election with polling on March 4 and 8.
Punjab and Goa will vote on February 4 while Uttarakhand on Feb 15. While the Code of Conduct has come into force with the announcement, the state-wise notification process will begin with Punjab and Goa on January 11.
Demonetisation is likely to be a big issue in these elections, though the polling pattern will be guided by local factors, caste equations and identity politics. With the Centre propagating a less-cash economy, the extent to which money power is at play in these polls will be keenly watched. One of the new rules of these elections allows parties to use cash for campaign payments only up to Rs 20,000.
Candidates will also have to take oath this time that they have no pending public utility bills. The SC order last week barring political parties and candidates from seeking votes in the name of religion or caste has also added to the worries of the contestants. While SP is seeking to retain power in UP and is facing a challenge from BJP and BSP, Congress is trying to beat anti-incumbency in Uttarakhand and Manipur. BJP is a part of the ruling coalition in Punjab and rules Goa. The caste-ridden politics of UP now has an added dimension with the feud in the first family of SP. CM Akhilesh Yadav is fighting over the symbol, bicycle, with his father and party patriarch Mulayam.
SAD-BJP combine, which has ruled Punjab for two consecutive terms, has not lost hope, especially if AAP makes it a triangular contest at the expense of Congress. AAP is also making things difficult for BJP and Congress in Goa.
BJP is still confident of retaining power. BJP is hopeful of defeating Congress in Uttarakhand while CM Harish Rawat is playing the victim card, citing the saffron party’s attempt to topple his government a few months ago. BJP is hopeful of defeating Congress in Manipur currently under Congress rule. Manipur has been facing an economic blockade on its two highways since November 1 over creation of seven new districts.
THE CONVENTION WILL FOCUS ON DIASPORA ACHIEVEMENTS
TIP Correspondent BENGALURU: The curtains are ready to be raised on the 14th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas being held at Bengaluru from January 7 to 9, 2017.
President of India Pranab Mukherjee will present Pravasi Samman awards on January 9.Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the PBD 2017 on January 8.
The Mahakumbh of the NRIs, expected to be attended by over 3000 delegates from across the world, will be opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 8.
President Pranab Mukherjee will present the awards on the last day, January 9, the day Mahatma Gandhi had returned from South Africa to India in 2015.
Dr. António Costa, Prime Minister of the Republic of Portugal will be the Chief Guest
Dr. António Costa, Prime Minister of the Republic of Portugal will be the Chief Guest at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention. He will participate in the inaugural session of the PBD Convention on 8 January and address the delegates.
Mr. Michael Ashwin Satyandre Adhin, Vice President of the Republic of Suriname will be the Special Guest at the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
Mr. Michael Ashwin Satyandre Adhin, Vice President of the Republic of Suriname will be the Special Guest at the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) to be held on 7 January. He will address the young overseas Indian delegates at the inaugural session of the Youth PBD, along with Minister of External Affairs Smt Sushma Swaraj and Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Vijay Goel.
Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is a platform to connect with the youth, the new generation of Pravasis growing up all over the world, confident, aspirational and transcending the old boundaries of caste and class. The government is keen to enable young Diaspora to know more about their roots and the place from where their fathers or forefathers originated. They can discover many features of India, its tradition, rich art and culture and many facets of contemporary India.
The Government has put in place many schemes and programs to connect with the young Diaspora.
The Bengaluru event will be the first full-fledged festival of diaspora Indians under a new format adopted by the government last year.The annual convention of Non Resident Indians will focus on what the Indian origin NRIs and PIOs achieved in the last few years, culminating with award of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman to distinguished NRI achievers.
Dhyaneshwar Mulay, Secretary, Overseas Indian Affairs, said, “Highlight of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2017 is social innovations by Indians, 20 social innovations will be highlighted and there will also be a contest of innovators and the winner will get an award of Rs.1 lakh.”
Mr. Mulay said all sessions will be held in plenary format to allow more interaction with delegates from overseas to convey their suggestions to the government directly. “The sessions will focus on immigration and the role of diaspora organizations,” he said.
The theme this year is ‘Redefining engagement with Indian diaspora’ and the event exhibition would showcase the achievements of the government in various sectors, and the delegates can also explore business opportunities in India and connect with government officials, business owners and entrepreneurs.
The stated objectives of PBD 2017.
PBD 2017 will focus on the theme “Redefining the engagement with the Indian Diaspora”.
To strengthen Diaspora engagement and provide a platform for networking with the Diaspora.
To recognize the Diaspora’s contribution to India and know their expectations and concerns.
To deepen engagement with young Diasporas, to help them know more about their roots.
For more information on PBD 2017, please visit www.pbdindia.gov.in
NEW YORK (TIP): The much anticipated federal trial of the once prominent Long Island restaurateur Harendra Singh, which was scheduled for jury selection Monday, January 2, has been delayed indefinitely, according to court records, the judge’s clerk, and sources.
Singh has been negotiating a plea deal to be a key witness in Eastern District prosecutors’ corruption case on Long Island against Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano, his wife Linda, and recently resigned Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto, according to sources. In addition, Singh has been negotiating a similar deal with Southern District prosecutors in Manhattan probing the possible granting of favors by city officials to campaign fundraisers such as Singh.
Singh has been charged with bribery, income-tax evasion and obstruction of justice. He has pleaded not guilty in the Eastern District and has not been charged with any crimes in the Southern District.
The Manganos and Venditto also have pleaded not guilty.
It would not be unusual for a key government witnesses charged in one case to have their own trial delayed until the completion of their testimony in another case. Such witnesses are often required to secretly plead guilty so that when they testify, jurors know they will be held accountable for their crime.
The Singh trial date was set before the Manganos and Venditto were arrested in October on charges of receiving “bribes and kickbacks” from a person identified only as a co-conspirator, but whom sources identified as Singh.
Singh’s attorney Anthony La Pinta, of Hauppauge, declined to comment on the reason for the delay in the case.
Attorneys for the Manganos, and Venditto’s attorney, also declined to comment, as did spokespersons for prosecutors in the Eastern and Southern Districts.
Singh was arrested in September 2015 on charges of bribing a former deputy Oyster Bay town attorney with $50,000 in order to help him get an ‘indirect” guarantee from the town on $32 million in loans. He was also charged with defrauding the Internal Revenue Service by failing to report millions of dollars in wages paid off-the-book, as well as cash paid by his restaurants’ customers.
In addition, Singh was charged with obstruction of justice for lying to FBI agents, and also illegally collecting $950,000 from FEMA for falsely reporting damage by superstorm Sandy to his Water’s Edge restaurant in Long Island City.
In June, U.S. District Judge Sandra Feuerstein in Central Islip set jury selection for Singh’s case to begin Monday with the trial to start immediately afterward. Feuerstein’s deputy confirmed Wednesday that the Singh case was no longer on her court calendar for that date and no future dates had been scheduled.
Federal prosecutors claimed that Linda Mangano received more than $450,000 for no-show jobs including that of a “food taster.” And Eastern District U.S. Attorney Rob Capers said that Mangano was charged with extortion for pressuring the co-conspirator to award the no-show job to his wife.
In return, the co-conspirator got hundreds of thousands of dollars in county contracts to provide food services and received multimillion dollar loan guarantees, prosecutors charged.
In the Southern District case, prosecutors are investigating whether businessmen such as Singh, who gave tens of thousands of dollars to political campaigns, received favorable treatment in dealings with the city, according to sources. The focus of Singh’s role has been whether he received favorable treatment in the handling of the city lease on his now shut Water’s Edge restaurant in Long Island City. DeBlasio administration officials have denied that they had engaged in any such pay-to-play scheme.
(Source: Newsday)
Meanwhile, Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos who is keen to be the next Executive of Nassau County said in a statement, January 4: “The indictment and resignation of John Venditto as Oyster Bay Town Supervisor is another blow to public trust in government. It is imperative that steps be taken immediately to start the process of restoring the public trust. In this vein, I call on the entire Oyster Bay Town Board, who appears to have condoned the corruption, to resign, and all Long Island elected officials who have been indicted to step aside”.
WASHINGTON (TIP): USIBC and Indiaspora will host a Leadership Conference and Gala January 3 at Washington, DC to celebrate the “Fab Five” Indian-Americans who were recently elected / re-elected to the US House and Senate, namely Reps.-elect Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna and Pramila Jayapal; Rep. Ami Bera; and Sen.-elect Kamala Harris.
The event will spotlight the Indian-American community as it progresses “From Success to Significance” while also highlighting Indian culture. Members of the incoming Presidential Administration and Members of Congress from both parties will be invited to this bipartisan event.
1,000 leading Indian-Americans from all walks of life, and eminent people from India, are expected to attend the Conference and Gala. Among them will be about 200 senior political officials (Senators, Congressmen/women, Governors, Ambassadors and Mayors) from various parts of the country.
The evening Gala will feature Michelin Star Indian-American cuisine. Music, dancing and entertainment will fill the ballroom as part of this celebration! Premium “Sapphire” guests will gain access to a special lounge where they can rub shoulders with elected officials and other VIPs.
NEW DELHI (TIP): New Delhi could not have a more surprising news than the one that Najeeb Jung resigned as the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, with 18 months left in his tenure, saying he wants to return to his “first love, academics”.
Jung’s three years in office were dogged by his constant power tussle with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.”Sh Jung’s resignation is a surprise to me, my best wishes in all his future endeavors.(sic)” Mr Kejriwal tweeted.
Jung’s adviser Ajai Chaudhari said he was shocked too. “He resigned since he had personal reasons. He said he has worked for 45 years, now he wants to spend time with family and his grandchildren,” Chaudhari told mediapersons.
Sources close to Jung claimed it was not a sudden decision and he had been thinking of quitting for some months.
An undated letter of Jung, however, has surfaced in which he has written to Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi that he would be on a private visit to Goa from December 25 to January 1. The letter, news agency Press Trust of India reported, also said the Delhi Chief Secretary will keep in touch with Jung “about important developments” and when needed, seek Mehrishi’s advice.
A statement from Jung’s office said he thanked “the people of Delhi for all their support and affection, especially during the one year’s President Rule in Delhi, when he got unstinted support from them and which in turn helped run the administration in Delhi smoothly and effortlessly. ”
He also thanked Kejriwal, who accused him of acting as the Centre’s agent.
Kejriwal’s deputy Manish Sisodia said in a statement.
AAP leader Kumar Vishwas commented that Jung probably “was controlled elsewhere” and that he had no choice in the way he navigated a hostile relationship with the elected government in Delhi.
Jung is a former bureaucrat and Vice Chancellor of the Jamia Millia Islamia University.
AAP alleges that as the center’s representative in Delhi, Jung used his veto to strike down several Delhi government decisions in recent months.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court had observed that “an elected government should have some power to run, otherwise the government cannot function.”
The center and Jung said because Delhi is not a state, the Lieutenant Governor has special powers, an argument accepted by the Delhi High Court which, in August, ruled against Kejriwal. The court said that Jung is the administrative head of the capital and has to sign off on government decisions. Kejriwal challenged that verdict in the Supreme Court, which will hear his appeal in January.
Meanwhile, aspirants for the job have begun lobbying for the position. A former Police Commissioner of Delhi is also being mentioned as a candidate.
NEW DELHI (TIP): India off-spinner R Ashwin has claimed the top ICC awards for 2015-16, having been named the ICC Cricketer of the Year and the Test Cricketer of the Year. Ashwin is the third Indian, after Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for Cricketer of the Year.
Ashwin, currently the top-ranked Test bowler, had picked up 48 wickets and scored 336 runs in eight Tests during the ICC’s voting period from September 2015 to 2016, in addition to 27 wickets in 19 T20Is. In 2016 alone, he picked up 72 wickets in 12 Tests and became the second-fastest bowler to 200 wickets during the Kanpur match against New Zealand.
Ashwin said he was overwhelmed by the recognition. “It’s a bit overwhelming and it is yet to sink in completely. At the same time, I was expecting to land one but to end up with two awards was extremely special,” he said. “To be bracketed alongside Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar is indeed a matter of great pride.
“I want to dedicate this award to my family who have been a pillar of strength. And not to forget all my teammates and coach Anil Kumble who push me to give my best with their support and guidance.” The off-spinner rated his 7 for 83 in the Antigua Test against West Indies as the performance he enjoyed the most. That haul helped India to an innings-and-92-run win, and he finished the series as the leading wicket-taker with 17 dismissals. Another performance Ashwin rated highly was his knock of 118 in the first innings in St Lucia, which helped rescue India from 126 for 5 to 353. They went on to win the match by 237 runs. It was also Ashwin’s fourth Test hundred.
South Africa wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock was named ODI Player of the Year. De Kock has been South Africa’s leading run-getter in ODIs since September last year, and tallied 793 runs in 16 ODIs during the voting period. Overall, since September 2015, he has scored 1175 runs in 22 matches in the format, with five centuries and three fifties, ahead of senior batsmen like Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla. One of de Kock’s most prolific phases came between October 2015 and February 2016, when he scored four centuries in six innings during the tour of India and the home series against England. He enjoyed the same form in the longest format, with five successive fifty-plus scores between August and November 2016. De Kock is the second South Africa player after AB de Villiers to win the award.
West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite’s match-defining 34 not out off 10 balls in the World T20 final against England earlier this year was named the T20 Performance of the Year. The all-rounder, who took over as the T20 captain in August, sealed a second World T20 title for West Indies by slamming four successive sixes to end a chase of 156 in Kolkata. Bangladesh seamer Mustafizur Rahman was named Emerging Cricketer of the Year, having notched up impressive performances since his international debut in April 2015. The first Bangladesh cricketer to win an annual ICC award, Mustafizur picked up eight ODI wickets and 19 T20I wickets in the voting period.
WASHINGTON (TIP): Embassy of India organized celebration of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah at Indian Ambassador Navtej Sarna’s residence on December 19, 2016. The event was attended by around 200 guests including leading members of the Jewish community, representatives from US Administration, Congressional staff, business, think-tanks and media. The event has been held at the Indian Embassy for the last 15 years. Following the lighting of the Menorah, Ambassador Sarna evoked the rich and historic Jewish tradition in India and the continued deepening of bilateral ties as reflected in the recent high-level exchanges of visits. In his remarks,
Ambassador Ron Dermer, Ambassador of Israel to the US described the gathering as a celebration of the remarkable history of both our nations. He noted the truly unique ability of both Israel and India to balance the currents of globalization while preserving their identity. Also, both countries face the threat of terrorism.
Mr. Stanley Bergman, Honorary President of American Jewish Committee recalled his growing years in South Africa where they celebrated Diwali and Hanukkah together. Congressman-elect from Maryland, Jamie Raskin emphasized that this was a celebration of freedom and democracy. Other speakers referred to the strengthening India-US relationship based on democratic traditions and human values.
LONG ISLAND, NY (TIP): The Indian Panorama hosted a well-attended fundraising dinner for the Eye Foundation of America on Tuesday, December 13 at Cotillion in Jericho, Long Island.
V.K. Raju, Founder and Medical Director of the Eye Foundation of America (EFA), a charitable organization that provides eye care to children in 21 developing countries
Dr. VK Raju, an internationally reputed ophthalmologist who is founder and president of the Eye Foundation of America, was the guest of honor and Mr HR Shah, CEO, TV Asia was the Chief Guest.
This is an evening with a purpose to recognize the tremendous humanitarian work done by Dr Raju”, said The Indian panorama Chief Editor Prof. Saluja, in his welcome note
In his welcome speech, Prof Indrajit S Saluja, Publisher and Chief Editor of The Indian Panorama said, “I thank everyone present here for their support to a beautiful and noble cause. This is an evening with a purpose to recognize the tremendous humanitarian work done by Dr Raju.” Prof Saluja spoke about the charitable work the Eye Foundation of America was doing to prevent blindness among children in India. The Foundation is dedicated to the elimination of avoidable blindness in children worldwide, and, in India. This is Dr. Raju’s way of paying back to the country of his origin, Prof. said, amid thunderous applause from the gathering.
After the lamp lighting ceremony Dr Raju gave a brief presentation about his mission – ‘To eliminate avoidable childhood blindness.’
“We need three things to bring a change. First is education, second is education and third is education”, said Dr. VK Raju, Founder and President of the Eye Foundation of America, in his impassioned speech dwelling on his vision of making the world free from childhood blindness.
“For last 38 years, I am working on this issue which is so close to my heart. And I am so honored to see Prof. Saluja and through him my new friends here joining me in this regard”, said Dr Raju. He described through his presentation how visually impaired or blind children grow up without the same advantages as sighted children and become a burden on their families and communities. “We need three things to bring a change. First is education, second is education and third is education.”
A Q &A session followed and Dr. Raju answered a few questions from the gathering.
While introducing the Chief Guest of the event Mr HR Shah, Prof Saluja said, “He needs no introduction. He has created an empire in the field of media. His greatest virtue is that he did not forget the ladder and his past. He always took lesson from his past.”
HR Shah, Chairman & CEO of TV Asia said, without vision, there is no world for a person and extolled the effort of Dr. Raju in working to prevent avoidable childhood blindness
Mr HR Shah in his speech stressed on the importance of ‘Vision.’ “Without eyes, you can’t see the world. It is dangerous than any other disease. The eye foundation is doing a great job for the society.” He requested people to donate generously as he feels that ‘Laxmi ka alankaar Daan hai.’
The Eye Foundation of America presented tokens of appreciation to Purnima Desai, Peter and Dorothy Bheddah, Anumolu Rao, Tina Shah and Zinda Singh, and Srinu Maddula for their support to the Foundation.
Maddula, who calls himself ‘Foster child of Dr Raju’ as he saved him from blindness by doing corneal transplant said, “Giving money is easy but doing the actual work is difficult.”
A plaque was presented to Dr Raju by The Indian Panorama in appreciation of the great humanitarian work being done by him and his Eye foundation. Dr. Raju was also presented a proclamation from the New York State Assembly. HS Toor from the office of Assemblyman David Weprin presented the proclamation which eulogized Dr. Raju for his humanitarian services.
Dr Raju presented, on behalf of the Eye Foundation, a token of appreciation to HR Shah.
Dr. Leela Raju, daughter of Dr. Raju was among the prominent guests which included Air India Regional Manager Vandana Sharma and District Manager Mohan Kothekar, Consul KD Nair from the Indian Consulate, HAB Vice President Rizwan Qureshi, Rajeev Bhambri, CEO of India Abroad, AAPI National President Dr Ajay Lodha, AAPI-QLI President Vaijnath Chakote and his team which included , among others, Dr. Sunil Mehra, Dr. Satish Anand and Dr. Rakesh Dua; Dr. BK Verma, Shikshayatan and Sriniketan Founder and President Purnima Desai, Philanthropists Peter and Dorothy Bheddah, business magnate Anumolu Rao, community activists Tina Shah and Zinda Singh, Dr. Seema Jain, President, Queens democratic Party, IAF Chairperson Indu Jaiswal, HS Toor from the office of Assemblyman David Weprin, Ms Anu Jain, community activist, INOC (USA) Chairman George Abraham and General Secretary Harbachan Singh, John Joseph, America Tamil Sangam General Secretary, Former Nassau County Director Mohinder Singh Taneja, INOC (I) Chairman Shudh Jasuja, NJ community activist Dave Makkar, Sikh community leaders Master Mohinder Singh, Himat Singh Sarpanch, Mohan Singh, Paramjit Singh Bedi, Omni Mortgage President Herman Singh, Jackson Heights business community leaders Shiv Dass and Mohinder Verma, and International Hindi Conference co-ordinator Ashok Ojha. The list by no means is exhaustive and some prominent persons may have been missed out.
At the ceremonial inauguration with traditional lighting of the lamp. L to R: Dr. Seema Jain, Consul KD Nair, Anumolu Rao, Dr. VK Raju, Prof. Indrajit Saluja, Dr. Ajay Lodha, Mrs. Purnima Desai, Rajeev Bhambri, HR Shah, Vandana Sharma, Peter Bheddah, Indu Jaiswal, Dorothy Bheddah
A view of the gathering
Friend of the Eye Foundation of America is honored. Mrs. Purnima Desai, Founder and President of the wonderful educational and cultural institutions Shikshayatan and Sriniketan is presented a token of appreciation. L to R: Purnima Desai, Dr. VK Raju and HR Shah
Friend of the Eye Foundation of America is honored. Anumolu Rao, a business magnate, is presented a token of appreciation. L to R: Anumolu Rao, Dr. Raju, HR Shah
Friend of the Eye Foundation of America is honored. Srinu Maddula who likes to be known as foster child of Dr. Raju, because Dr. Raju saved him from going blind, is presented a token of appreciation. L to R: Mrs. Vandana Sharma, Regional Manager, Air India, HR Shah, Srinu Maddula, Dr. Raju
Friend of the Eye Foundation of America is honored. Tina Shah and Zinda Singh, philanthropists and community activists are presented a token of appreciation. L to R: Mrs. Vandana Sharma, HR Shah, Tina Shah, Zinda Singh, Dr. VK Raju, Karan Beri
HS Toor from the office of Assemblyman David Weprin (right) presents a New York Assembly proclamation to Dr. Raju.
The Indian Panorama honors Dr. VK Raju with “Humanitarian Services Award”. L to R: Prof. Saluja, Mrs. Vandana Sharma, HR Shah, Dr. VK Raju
AAPI-QLI presents donation check to Dr. Raju. L to R: AAPI National President Dr. Ajay Lodha (2nd), AAPI-QLI President Dr. Vaijnath Chakote (3rd), Dr. Satish Anand (4th), Mrs. Anand (5th), Peter Bheddah (6th). Second row- L to R: Zinda Singh, Dr. Raju (3rd)
Friend of the Eye Foundation of America is honored. Dr. VK Raju presents a token of appreciation to HR Shah.L to R: Mrs. Vandana Sharma, Prof. Saluja, Dr. Raju, HR Shah, Karan Beri
Dr. VK Raju and Prof. Saluja with community leaders. L to R: Prof. Saluja, Himat Singh Sarpanch, Dr. Raju, Master Mohinder Singh, Ranjit Singh Mahmatpur, Zinda Singh, Herman Singh, HS Toor, Mohinder Verma
Coming together for a picture. L to R: Dr. Satish Anand, Mrs. Anand, Peter Bheddah, Dr. Ajay Lodha, Zinda Singh, Rajeev Bhambri, Indu Jaiswal
The media community which graced the occasion included Sharanjit Singh Thind, Publisher of the South Asian Insider, Jay Jasbir Singh, Publisher of Hum Hindustani, and Parveen Chopra, Managing Editor of the South Asian Times, from the print media. The electronic media at the event included TVAsia represented by Mukesh Gangani and Gunjesh Desai; and PTC TV represented by Davinder Singh, Jaya Sharma, Balwant Hothi and Gurinder Hothi. Freelance journalist Hema Virani also graced the occasion.
There was a brief entertainment session presented by Jyoti Gupta and Dr Rakesh Dua who enthralled the audience with a duet song. The entertainment segment was organized by Shyam and Indu Gajhwani.
The Indian Panorama Assistant Editor Bidisha Roy, Karan Beri, Jaskiran Beri, Chitagam Saluja and Kabir Beri supervised all arrangements, including the vital department of hospitality which incidentally came in for a lot of praise for the pleasant ambience of the place and great food at Cotillion.
NEW YORK (TIP): President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks have created a buzz as he is building it with his allies, old friends, and even some past rivals. But interestingly, list of his nominees as of Dec. 15, 2016, includes two billionaires and at least nine millionaires, with a combined net worth of about $5.6 billion, according to a report by the Bloomberg. There were no billionaires in the first confirmed cabinet of his predecessors – George W Bush and Barack Obama.
The report also says that fewer than half of Trump’s nominees have any prior government experience. Only 44% of appointees as of December 15, have government experience while it was 96% for Bush and 87% for Obama.
Here’s a look at the billionaires and millionaires whom Trump has picked so far:
Mike Pence, Vice President (Net Worth – $635K) – Pence, the 50th and current Governor of Indiana who served 12 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, will provide a channel to Congress for the new administration. The former radio talk-show host has championed limited government and social causes, such as opposition to abortion.
Rex Tillerson, Secretary of State (Net Worth – $365M) – Rex Tillerson is the chairman and chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil Corporation, the world’s sixth largest company by revenue. An Exxon lifer, Tillerson would have to sell his 2.6 million shares of the company’s common stock, which had a value of about $240 million as of Dec. 14, He is stepping down as CEO and chairman at the end of the year.
Sen. Jeff Sessions, Attorney General (Net Worth $7.4M) -The Alabama senator became one of the first members of Congress to endorse Trump this February. He became an adviser on almost every major decision and policy proposal Trump made during the campaign. As the chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration, Sessions helped Trump craft a hardline immigration plan that he touted would prevent people from entering the country illegally. Sessions has opposed nearly every immigration bill that has come before the Senate the past two decades that has included a path to citizenship for immigrants in the country illegally.
Rep. Tom Price, Secretary of Health and Human Services(Net Worth $18.7M) – Georgia Rep. Tom Price, the six-term Congressmanis the fierce opponent of the Affordable Care Act. A Republican with a plan to simultaneously repeal and replace Obamacare, Obama’s signature legislative accomplishment, Price, 62, an orthopedic surgeon from the Atlanta suburbs and the chair of the House Budget Committee, began focusing his energies on dismantling Obamacare almost as soon as President Obama signed the landmark health insurance law in 2010.
Betsy DeVos, Secretary of the Department of Education(Net Worth $130M) – DeVos is aschool-choice activist, philanthropist and Republican mega-donor. The 58-year-oldbillionaire philanthropist, heads the American Federation for Children. Her group advocates for charter school education and she has been an advocate for school vouchers. Her foundation (American Federation for Children) has been mainly focused on trying to further the privatization of public education, not on strengthening it.
Elaine Chao, Secretary of Transportation (Net Worth $25.6M) – Trump tapped Chao, a former labor secretary, to head the Department of Transportation. Chao is the first American woman of Asian descent to be appointed to a President’s Cabinet in nation’s history. Having served from 2001-2009, she is the longest tenured Secretary of Labor since World War II, and the only member of President George W. Bush’s original cabinet to have served the entire eight years of his Administration.
Steve Mnuchin, named Secretary of Treasury, has a net worth of $655 million
Steve Mnuchin, Secretary of the Treasury (Net Worth $655M) – Mnuchin, a banker, film producer, and political fundraiser served as the Trump campaign’s national finance chair and was largely considered the frontrunner for the job. He began his career at Goldman Sachs, where he spent 17 years and rose to become a partner. He left to start his own hedge fund and went on to become a financier of Hollywood films like “Avatar” and “American Sniper.” Throughout his career, Mnuchin showed only a limited interest in politics and remained mostly behind the scenes during Trump’s run.
Ben Carson, HUD Secretary (Net Worth $23M) – Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who has never held elected office, unsuccessfully sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, rose to national prominence for the successful 1987 separation of twins conjoined at the head at the John Hopkins Hospital.
Andrew Puzder, Labor Secretary (Net Worth $110M) – Fast-food magnate Andrew Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants, which owns the Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. chains, was an economic adviser to Trump during the campaign.
Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Commerce(Net Worth $2.9B) – The 79-year-old billionaire former banker, is known for restructuring failed companies in industries such as steel, coal, telecommunications, foreign investment and textiles. He also has been an outspoken critic of free trade agreements, which was a hallmark of Trump’s campaign. His relationship with Trump goes back decades. Ross helped Trump keep control of his failing Taj Mahal casino in the 1990s by persuading investors not to push out the real estate mogul.
Linda McMahon, Small Business Administration (Net Worth $1.4B) – Linda McMahon co-founded World Wrestling Entertainment and shares a net worth of at least $1.35 billion with her husband, Vince. She spent $97 million on two failed bids to win a U.S. Senate seat in Connecticut and gave an additional $7.5 million to the Trump campaign.
She battled every odd in her life and won, most of the times; but she lost the battle of life, much though she fought it bravely and for, perhaps, a long period.
Jayaram Jayalalithaa, six- time chief minister of Tamil Nadu, died after protracted illness at Apollo Hospital December 5, Chennai where she was being treated. She was 68.
Draped in Tricolour, Jayalalithaa lies in state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Governor Vidyasagar Rao, pays tribute to Jayalalithaa at Rajaji Hall in Chennai on Tuesday, 6 December 2016 Photograph: @AIADMKOfficial/Twitter
She was buried with full state honors into the ground in a sandalwood casket next to the memorial of her mentor, MG Ramachandran at Chennai’s Marina Beach. Lakhs of people had gathered at Marina Beach to get a final glimpse of their beloved “Amma” or “mother”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Chennai’s Rajaji Hall, a large public auditorium where J Jayalalithaa’s body was placed for people to pay their respects.
Jayalalithaa first came into prominence as a leading film actor in the mid 1960s. Though she had entered the profession very reluctantly, only upon the urging of her mother to help support the family, Jayalalithaa worked prolifically. She appeared in 140 films from 1961 to 1980, primarily in the Tamil, Telugu and Kannada film industries. Jayalalithaa was especially praised for her versatility, having portrayed a wide variety of characters in films spanning several genres, and for her dancing skills. Among her frequent co-stars was M. G. Ramachandran, or MGR, a Tamil cultural icon who leveraged his immense popularity with the masses into a successful political career.
In 1982, when MGR was serving his second term as chief minister, Jayalalithaa joined the AIADMK, the party MGR founded. Her political rise was rapid; within a few years she was made AIADMK propaganda secretary and was elected to the Rajya Sabha. After MGR’s death in 1987, Jayalalithaa proclaimed herself his political heir and, having fought off the faction headed by Janaki Ramachandran, MGR’s wife, emerged as the sole leader of the AIADMK. Following the 1989 election, she served an often-dramatic stint as Leader of the Opposition to her bête noire Karunanidhi’s DMK government.
In the 2011 assembly election, the Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK and its allies routed the ruling, scandal-tainted DMK’s alliance. Sworn in as chief minister for the fourth time, her government embarked on an ambitious program of social welfare and development. However, three months into her tenure, a trial court convicted her in a disproportionate assets case in September 2014, rendering her disqualified to hold office. After eight months, which included a twenty-day stint in jail, Jayalalithaa was acquitted of all charges by the Karnataka High Court and once again sworn-in as chief minister in May 2015. In the 2016 assembly election, she became the first Tamil Nadu chief minister since MGR in the 1980s to be voted back into office. In her victory speech, she commented, “Even when 10 parties allied themselves against me, I did not have a coalition and I placed my faith in God and built an alliance with the people. It is clear that the people have faith in me and I have total faith in the people.”
Populist schemes under the popular ‘Amma’ brand became the hallmark of Jayalalithaa’s tenure as Chief Minister. From the Amma canteens to Amma gymnasiums and parks, the brand became synonymous with her name.
Such outpouring of grief in every nook and corner of Tamil Nadu
CONDOLENCES
Condolences from various leaders and celebrities poured in as soon as the news of her demise spread.
President Pranab Mukherjee – “Heartfelt condolences on the sad demise of Ms. Jayalalithaa, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu #President Mukherjee”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi – Jayalalithaa ji’s connect with citizens, concern for welfare of the poor, the women & marginalized will always be a source of inspiration.
DMK chief M. Karunanidhi -“I offer deep condolences on the passing away of Jayalalithaa. Wishes of lakhs of her followers will make her immortal”.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley – “Saddened by the untimely passing away of J Jayalalithaa ji, an exceptional leader & Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.”
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh – “I join millions of admirers of Jayalalithaji in mourning her sad and untimely demise. She was a charismatic leader who will be remembered forever as the beloved Amma by the people of Tamil Nadu. She was an outstanding leader who was passionately devoted to the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu.”
Former Union Minister P. Chidambaram – Jayalalithaa was most dominant political personality of Tamilnadu in last 25 years. Share grief of millions
Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi – V sad to hear the demise of Amma. A very popular leader. Aam admi’s leader. May her soul rest in peace.
Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal “Popular, strong, bold, efficient, people friendly, charismatic leader, Amma. Always at the heart of people. Big loss. I am shocked, saddened.”
Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh – In deep anguish over the demise of Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa, a long-time friend & a leader with indomitable spirit who is loved by all.
In New York, Tamil community is grief stricken. A representative organization of Tamils here-America Tamil Sangam condoled the death of Jayalalithaa. ATS said it would be difficult to see another leader like her in the decades to come.
“Struggle was her middle name and victory was her last name. Any other leader in her place would have given up and vanished from the scene but she was a born fighter. As a propaganda secretary of her party, as Member of Parliament, as Opposition Leader and as Chief Minister her path was strewn with thorns and rocks but she overcame all with her unmatched grit and determination.” said Prakash M Swamy, president of the Sangam.
John Joseph, Chairman of America Tamil Sangam said she introduced numerous public welfare programs like giving free laptop to school children and grant to perform wedding of girls and remained a charismatic leader till she breathed her last.
Koshy O Thomas, President of US Friends of AIADMK and a staunch supporter of Amma in New York, said Tamils all over the world have lost a true leader who was a mother to them. It’s a terrible and unbearable loss and it struck like a lightening making us speechless. We have become orphans and no words can console us. We will pray for soul to rest in peace.”
Jaya Sundaram, Vice President of America Tamil Sangam said she was an embodiment of modern women who rode like a colossus in the male dominated society. Her concern for poor and vision for development will long be remembered in the decades to come. She created her own branding in politics – amma restaurants, amma cement, amma salt all at subsidized price to help the poor. She was a leader of regional party with national presence.
The Indian Panorama joins billions in condoling the death of the beloved leader of India.
UNITED NATIONS (TIP): Over 20 countries, including two UN Security Council permanent members- France and the UK– have supported a dedication ceremony hosted by India to commemorate the release of a Diwali postage stamp by the US.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said at the event, December 5, that the Diwali Forever Stamp is a “shining tribute to the celebration of multi-culturalism”. Noting that Diwali was commemorated for the first time this year at the United Nations, Mr Akbaruddin said the celebration of Diwali at the world body is a reaffirmation of the foundational objectives of the UN Charter and its purposes and principles, which stand as a force for universal good.
“Though celebrated by different communities for different reasons, the essence of the (Diwali) celebration is the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness. Philosophically, the fight is not only external but also within oneself,” he said.
India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said the celebration of Diwali at the world body is a reaffirmation of the foundational objectives of the UN Charter and its purposes and principles, which stand as a force for universal good.
The event lauded the efforts of Ranju Batra, Chair of the Diwali stamp project who spearheaded efforts for years to get the commemorative stamp issued, reaching out to the Indian-American community members and influential lawmakers, garnering support for the stamp.
Ranju Batra, Chair of the Diwali stamp project who spearheaded efforts for 7 years to get the commemorative stamp issued said: “Today’s celebration is not of a religion or of a nation but it is of the spirit of harmonious inclusiveness and cultural understanding that all religions deserve.”
“The tens of thousands of paper petitions (for the Diwali stamp) were signed not only by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists but also by Christians, Jews, Muslims and every other faith and culture,” Ms Batra said, expressing gratitude for the support she got in her journey to get the stamp issued.
Capping seven-year long efforts by the Indian-American community and influential US lawmakers, the US Postal Service (USPS) had issued the commemorative Diwali stamp to mark the festival of lights.
Over 170,000 Diwali stamps have been sold, making history by becoming the number one best-selling stamp in USPS history.
“Today’s celebration is not of a religion or of a nation but it is of the spirit of harmonious inclusiveness and cultural understanding that all religions deserve,” she said.
Air India team led by its Regional Manager Vandana Sharma (4th from the right) with Diwali Stamp and Batras. Also seen are Regional Finance Manager Sangeeta Singh (5th from right), and District Manager Mohan Kothekar(extreme right). In a rare gesture of good will for the Diwali project, Air India promoted the sale of Stamp in a big way by gifting 10 return tickets to India for the raffle.
Earlier, 20 nations had come together to support a special stamp dedication ceremony co-hosted by the Permanent Missions of India and Belarus.
Eminent Indian-American attorney Ravi Batra said the event has being supported and celebrated by 23 nations, of which “12 are Christian, one Jewish, six Muslim… 23 nations spread across the world are celebrating not only the Diwali stamp but celebrating hope itself”.
The 23 nations that supported the event include Armenia, Austria, Cyprus, France, Georgia, Honduras, Kuwait, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Ukraine, the UK and Vietnam.
The Diwali Forever Stamp was formally launched by the USPS on October 5 at the Indian Consulate, New York in the presence of a large number of Indian Americans, some, like Shiv Dass from New York and Sante Chary from Dallas, TX who had initiated efforts long ago to have the Diwali stamp issued. Another person who made an effort at getting the Diwali stamp issued but failed for lack of political support for the project, the Indiaspora founder MR Rangaswami flew in from California to see his one time dream being realized, albeit by someone else.
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney who played a pivotal role in having the stamp issued, as also Congresswoman Grace Meng who had co-sponsored the House Resolution with Carolyn Maloney were present. Ravi and Ranju Batra praised Congresswoman profusely for her support. It was said again and again that Diwali stamp could not have been issued without the strong political support provided by lawmakers, led by Carolyn Maloney.
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney’s absence from the UN event was rather intriguing. More intriguing was absence of any reference to her contribution in getting the Diwali Stamp issued. Reminds me of Shakespeare.
“But ’tis a common proof
That lowliness is young ambition’s ladder,
Whereto the climber upward turns his face.
But when he once attains the upmost round,
He then unto the ladder turns his back,
Looks in the clouds, scorning the base degrees
By which he did ascend.”
(Julius Caesar Act 2, Scene 1)
A view of the gathering of the world at the UN
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