India Herald 030619

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Web: www.india-herald.com • Editor@india-herald.com • Tel: 281-980-6746

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India Herald

VOL. 25 • NO. 10 • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019 • P.O. BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487 • PERIODICAL PERMIT USPS 017699 • 25 cents

Sewa’s Dancing stars

Ardra Rajesh Nair, student of Sunanda’s Performing Arts Center Bollywood Group, a grand prize winner in the 5-8 year category, receives the award from Sewa International President Sree Sreenath during a fundraiser, Sewa Dancing Stars 2019; Rear, Kavita Tewary, executive director of Sewa International Houston. Photo by NAVIN MEDIWALA. HOUSTON Nepal, Afghanistan, Kenya, Some of the best dancing Syria, Eritrea, Columbia, talent from the Greater Guatemala and Mexico. Houston area descended on The event this year featured stage to participate in the about 100 performances in Sewa Dancing Stars 2019 group and solo categories. The competition and fundraiser for performers competed in 4 age Sewa International. groups and in 3 categories. The event was held at the The event emcees Mallika Houston Durgabari Society Ghei and Himi Haridas kept the Auditorium on March 2. audience engaged as performers With the support of over in group category competed 20 dance schools, over in the main auditorium, while 900 attendees (performers, Nilamani Venisetty and Shruthi audience, and judges) and over were the masters of ceremonies 20 sponsors the organization for the solo competitions. raised over $27,000 to support This year’s event was bigger ASPIRE tutorials. and better than before as 350 This fundraiser was participants competed for 8 organized to raise funds grand prizes in solo and group exclusively for “ASPIRE categories in all 4 age groups. Tutorials”, an education The grand prize winners were initiative undertaken by Sewa Age group 5 - 8 Solo International for over 250 kids Ardra Rajesh Nair, Groupfrom refugee , low income, and Sunanda’s Performing Arts under-served communities. Center Bollywood Group These kids are from Bhutan, See DANCE, Page 6

Thara Narasimhan named president of Hindus of Greater Houston

Hindus of Greater Houston - Board of Directors Left to Right: Gopal Aggarwal, Hemant Jadhav,(Jt. Secretary) Bharat Pallod –Hindu Youth Camp, Board of Advisor, Girish Naik, (Treasurer) Sreemathy Ranganathan, Bhawna Luthra( Secretary) , Thara Narasimhan(President), Partha Krishnaswamy, (Immediate Past President) Sanjay Jain, (Vice President) Somansh Agarwal, Swapan Dhairyawan, Vijay Pallod. Not in Picture: Tupil Narasiman, Vinod Mantri, Bhagwan Bhutada, Sanjay Jajoo, Mark Ram, Rajesh Bakshi, Raj Shah, and Sharad Amin HOUSTON the greater responsibility that Narasimhan, President, Sanjay After an incredible three comes with the position, she Jain, Vice-President, Partha year run as President of Hindus accepts to serve the community Krishnaswamy, Immediate of Greater Houston, Partha and do her best to take the new Past President, Bhawna Luthra Krishnaswamy handed over role as President of HGH, along Secretary, Hemant Jadhav the reins to Thara Narasimhan with a new admirable team Jt. Secretary, Girish Naik, in February 2019. As one of its of board members to build a Treasurer. founders, Thara’s association harmonious successful year.” A Houstonian since 1981, with the organization runs The new HGH 2019 Thara isn’t new to leadership deep. While she “understands executive team includes Thara See HGH, Page 2

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PAGE 2 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019

HGH From Page 1 roles. She has served as President of Bharathi Kalai Manram- the Tamil cultural organization in Houston and the “Samskriti Society of Indian Performing Arts”. Thara intends to focus on the HGH website database and consolidate information about all the temples and their activities in and around Houston. Another goal is to develop an “open, single communication center” for clarifying questions about Hinduism for mainstream America or issues within the community. Developing young Hindus of Houston is another priority. A competitive tennis player until two years ago, one of the lessons Thara absorbed is that one can’t always win but what’s important is “giving every game your best shot.” She will utilize these life lessons from tennis to Sri Hari:

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Thara Narasimhan “Listen, Learn and Lead” in her new capacity. A native of Chennai, high schooled in Besant Theosophical High School Adyar, Thara graduated with a Masters in Microbiology from Madras Medical College. Her grandparents were a major influence in imbibing in her the values of Sanatan Dharma, learning Sanskrit, Hindi and Tamil slokas and bhajans was mandatory for all in her family. She loves to learn the “arth” (meaning) of the lyrics in Classical music compositions and Sanskrit hymns. She is well versed in Tamil, Hindi, Sanskrit and Telugu languages. Her parents inspired her to develop love for arts and culture. Professionally, a microbiologist, medical and radiology technologist at an Urgent Care Clinic for the past 35 years, Thara points out that the color of the blood she draws from every one of her patients is identical. In a philosophical vein she says, “We are all alike inside and different outside and I value each life as one and the same.” She shares these nuggets of spiritual wisdom every weekend with her listeners when she dons the headset on the “Voice of Sanatan Hinduism” a radio show that explains the tenets of Hinduism. She is proud to continue the legacy started by Shri Padmakant Khambhati as a Hinduism Radio program, which has communicated through public media not only the eminence of Hindu faith but also presented melodious bhajans, music and chants of Vedic Hinduism.” Khambhati ji was the main influence for her to join HGH and also takes inspiration from Beth Kulkarni ji who is also a founder and past Advisory Board member of HGH. HGH Chairman of the Board of Advisor Dev Mahajan has this to say “Tharaji is not only a great team player but an excellent leader. The objectives and goals of HGH are ingrained in her blood since she has served diligently as a secretary for last 6 years. I believe she will lead HGH to new heights.” Despite so much on her platter, Thara seems to juggle it all with ease. She credits this to a “very admirable and understanding husband, Dr. N.D Narasimhan who is a pillar of patience and support.” Their son Kirthi Narasimhan, Retail Development Manager, Lululemon Dallas, born and raised in Texas is married to Dr. Rashmi Narayan.

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019 • PAGE 3

NEWS

Kavya Kopparapu gets STEM award for invention designed to improve brain cancer treatment

WASHINGTON STEM Education USA has chosen Kavya Kopparapu as the 2018/2019 National STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Education Award recipient. The $10,000 award, given by STEM Education USA, recognizes Kavya as an “extraordinarily talented and accomplished” individual “who has meaningfully promoted STEM education.” STEM award recognizes an individual who exemplifies excellence in the theoretical and practical STEM education fields and who has meaningfully promoted STEM education. Kavya is a freshman at Harvard University, researching at the intersection of medicine and computer science. Kavya is the inventor of GlioVision, a precision medicine platform powered by AI that predicts tumor characteristics in a fraction of the time and cost of traditional methods. It is a major step to targeted treatment for patients with cancer which uses a deep learning computer system to determine the molecular and genetic signature of a brain tumor with 100 percent accuracy. Kavya has been recognized for her commendable efforts to battle a rare but deadly disease, and to encourage others to pursue their expertise in STEMrelated fields.

holder of 10 patents. STEM Education USA promotes excellence in science, technology, engineering, and math education. The mission of the organization is to empower young women and under-represented groups in computer science, AI, and technology. It regularly hosts workshops for girls who lack access to computing and science resources. As the foundKavya Kopparapu er and CEO of She has been recognized as GirlsComputingLeague.org a WebMD Health Hero, Thiel Fellowship Finalist, Davidson which has raised over $100,000 Institute for Talent Develop- for computer science programment Scholar Laureate, Re- ming impacting over 3,800 stugeneron Science Talent Search dents across the US. “I love to share my passion Finalist, and US Presidential for computer science as it has Scholar. given me a world of opportuniKavya has spoken at the ties and I would like to see othSmithsonian, NASA Kennedy er girls succeed”, Kavya says Space Center, and several Artion the GirlsComputingLeague ficial Intelligence Conferences. Kavya Kopparapu succeeds website. immediate past winner, Peyton At 16, the STEM advocate Robertson -- the youngest perdesigned a 3D-printed, mason named to the 2018 Forbes chine learning-powered eye 30 under 30 Science List and disease diagnosis system. It was

a cheap, portable AI system to diagnose diabetic retinopathy, a common eye infliction that her grandfather suffers from, which often goes undetected and leads to blindness. “I want to be known as a computer scientist who happens to be a girl,” she says. Kavya is an alumni of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, a STEM magnet school in Northern Virginia, and no novice to awards and laurels. The accom-

plished innovator is a 2018 Regeneron Science Talent Search Finalist, US Presidential Scholar, 2017 WebMD Health Hero, Thiel Fellowship Finalist, Davidson Institute for Talent Development Scholar Laureate, and among Time magazine’s most influential teens of 2018. An experienced speaker, she has delivered talks at the Smithsonian Institution, NASA Kennedy Space Center, and participated in several AI conferences.

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PAGE 4 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019

COMMUNITY

Entertaining the seniors: Community service by Sugar Land couple

Muklesh and Upma Sha, front right, with seniors from the Jain Society at their Sugar Land home.

HARDIK VYAS Youngest Astrologer in North America Vaastu & Gem Stone Consultant; Hindu Priest for all Pujas & Marriages Languages spoken: English, Hindi, Gujarati & Marathi Astrologer Hardik Vyas, a famous young face in Vedic Astrology from India is in Houston. Call for guidance on Health, Wealth, Education, Career, Business, Property, Love & Passion, Marriage & Compatibility, Horoscope-Making, Child Problem, Luck & Fortune, Peace & Prosperity, Karma & Economic success. Vaastu Shastra is an ancient science. Fix an appointment for personal visit to your home, plot, business/office, shop, factory, or hotel. Gain peace of mind and prosperity by doing little changes as per Vaastu Shastra. Simple, Easy, Scientific & Affordable solutions/remedies to overcome problems in your Horoscope and Vaastu.

A group of 60 to 70 senior citizens were treated to music, fun and food at the private residence of Mukulesh and Upma Shah in Sugar Land recently. It was a party with a dierence, rather a celebration making a distinct dierence in the life of the seniors. The Shahs did not host the party for any cause or need, but for the simple cause of serving the community. Things fell into place when Muklesh and Upma Shah found Mona Shah and Bharti Shah, who also had a similar idea. As members of the Jain Society of Houston, they decided to take the seniors out on a leisure trip to places like Galveston, San Antonio and Austin. They have been doing this senior outing once a month from the Jain Society. While the bus is provided by Harris County free of charge, Mona Shah and her family provided lunch and snacks during the day trip. Upma and Mukulesh Shah took the opportunity of hosting a fun day for the seniors at their home. They arranged music by local singers to provide entertainment. Upma Shah added a personal touch by singing a folk song in Gujarati which explains the pangs of an aging mother, who waits for her son to come and see her in the village after he leaves for work in a distant township. The mother, having waited for a long time in vain, conveys her feelings in a spirit of resignation. The theme was somewhat appropriate to boost the spirit of the seniors, some of whom may be feeling neglected. Upma Shah wanted to spread the word about this seniors’ party so that others in the community can similarly entertain seniors, not only from the Jain Society but from the community at large. The singers who entertained at the Shahs residence included Bharat and Meena Contractor, Mahendra Mehta, Manisha Gandhi, Jigna Shah and Upma Shah. Jayendra Prabhukhot was on the tabla, Altaf played the keyboard and Syed operated the sound system. The Shahs also featured an exhibition of one line drawings by Kumud Nilekani, who in her 80s, keeps herself engaged in such creative pursuits. —SESHADRI KUMAR

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Upma Shah, left, with Jain Society volunteers Bharti Shah and Mona Shah who organized the seniors’ trip.

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Muklesh Shah, left, singer Jigna Shah, Mahendra Mehta, Bharat and Meena Contractor, Upma Shah and Manisha Gandhi.

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019 • PAGE 5

COMMUNITY

“Share Our Secrets” holds seminar for seniors on retirement plans HOUSTON India House and Share Our Secrets Organization (SOS. ORG) recently conducted a free seminar on one of the most vexing issues faced by the retired and elderly. The seminar was held at India House. Often, seniors do not realize the gaps that exist in their retirement plans that could threaten a comfortable retired lifestyle. For example, as seniors face health issues, they may be relying on long-term care and assisted living, which can be a significant drain on their asset pool. In order to mitigate these risks and meet their evolving needs, seniors are exploring various insurance options. The primary purpose of this seminar was to discuss how life insurance, long-term care insurance, and medical insurance can be used to fill the gaps during one’s retirement. SOS Outreach Coordinator Atma Ram welcomed the audience of seniors and, as a stand-in for Col. Vipin Kumar (retired), Executive Director of India House, introduced a video describing the various activities underway at India House. He also described the activities of SOS, a task typically undertaken by Mani Subramanian, another SOS Outreach Coordinator. Anasuya Kabad, Certified Financial Planner, introduced the three expert panelists and later served as the moderator

during the Q&A session. The panelists were Attorney Benecia Flores, Insurance Advisor A. J. John, and SOS Founder Biki Mohindra. An estate planning attorney specializing in elderly care and families with special needs children, Ms. Flores explained the intricacies of the Medicare and Medicaid health care programs. She said that it is a common misconception among the seniors that Medicare would cover their long-term care costs. “That is not so. I help families that have not planned to pay for long-term care possibly through the Medicaid program.” According to Flores, Medicare provides healthcare benefits for retirees who have paid into the Social Security system for at least 40 quarters. Medicare covers nursing care for only the short term. Medicaid is a need based program and covers long-term care only if the retiree is indigent. Insurance Advisor A.J. John explained how many insurance carriers have dropped their traditional long-term care policies because of the rising cost of elderly care. John suggested that a new type of a “hybrid” insurance policy might be an option because it provides the options of either long-term care benefits or insurance benefit for your beneficiaries, if the long-term care benefit is not either used at all or used on a limited basis. Speaking as an insurance

Principals at the seminar were Insurance Advisor A.J. John, moderator Anasuya Kabad, CFP®; Attorney Benecia Flores and SOS Founder Ranvir “Biki” Mohindra. consumer, SOS Founder Biki ists. Mohindra presented a chart to The organizers and panelists show how much one needs to explained that the information retire comfortably, based on presented was for educational various income levels. He also and informational purposes stressed the importance of get- only. They said the information ting professional help to solve presented should enable the inyour insurance-related prob- dividuals to review their respeclems as early as possible. “If tive situation with their family you use these professionals and develop the most suitable when you don’t have a prob- strategy and plan. lem, it will cost you $0.10. If The organizers’ plan for the you wait until you have a prob- rest of 2019 is to hold three lem, it will cost you a $1. Still, additional seminars on major if you wait until the problem topics, and deep dive hands-on gets acute, the cost will escalate workshops between those semito $10.00.” nars. A follow up workshop is As in previous seminars, the planned to be held on Tuesevent concluded with a Q&A day, March 12 at India House session and then small group- from 9.30 AM to 12.30 PM to huddle sessions, which allowed address specific questions on the attendees to raise more spe- long-term care insurance and cific questions with the panel- life insurance. The organizers

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appreciate receiving input on topics for future seminars and hands-on workshops that can be held between these seminars. All input, including interest in attending the March 12th workshop, can be e-mailed to sosoutreachteam@gmail.com. Share Our Secrets (SOS) is an educational organization, which conducts a gamut of programs for educated young people to teach them skills that are not taught in college curriculums and enabling them to succeed in their careers. SOS also conducts various community outreach events, on topics of interest to Houstonians, and specifically for seniors that could benefit them in their retired lives. India House provides a myriad of services & activities, either free or at a highly discounted price. India House and SOS have a strategic partnership, and have been conducting seminars and workshops of relevance to the seniors in our community. In the “Life After” seminar series, two sessions were held on the subject “Loss of Spouse – Life After” to help the seniors face this reality and provide experience-based tips to cope with the challenges involved. They also conducted a seminar on “Demystifying Estate Planning”, which covered the details of various components of estate planning, and various documents that one should consider executing.

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COMMUNITY Dance From Page 1 09 - 12 Solo - Megha Sunil, Group- Shivangini Academy Folk Group 13 - 17 Solo - Antaraa Sarkar, Group- Sunanda’s Performing Arts Center Classical Group Arpanam 18+ Solo - Tejaswini Mohankumar, Group- Kalaangan School of Odissi Classical Group Sewa International President Gitesh Desai addressed the gathering and thanked the dancers, their families and the volunteers for participating in the very noble cause of supporting educational needs of underserved and underprivileged children, he also remarked that the dancers’ passion for giving and of being service to others through dancing was very noticeable on their faces. Sewa International USA President Professor Sree Sreenath Ji was the guest of honor for this event and he spent over 2 hours interacting with volunteers, judges and the participants. In his address to the event gathering, he also talked about how ASPIRE is helping students in more 5 US cities, overcome the cycle of poverty.

Nikhil Jain, Houston Chapter Co-coordinator, and Chapter Coordinator Achalesh Amar urged the audience to support such initiatives and give back to the Houston community by either volunteering or by funding the projects. Volunteer Coordinator of the event Andrea Garza thanked over 60 volunteers, that worked tirelessly under the leadership of the core team including Hema Venkat, Charanya Sriram, Hasita Karthik, Lekha Vasanth, Jagruti Sarkar, Andrea Garza, Andrew Roberts, Sharda Gadiya, Naveen Medivala, Achalesh Amar, Goutam Venkatesh, Kavita Tewary and the event chair Anita Ravat. On the event day, key volunteers helped to anchor the various roles, including Nikhil Jain, Madan Luthra, Yagnesh Patel, Anusha Jain, Bharat Patel, Aatreya Tewary, Kaushiki Tewary, Abhijeet, among others. Sewa International is a nonprofit charity registered under the Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3). The mission of Sewa is to serve humanity in distress, aid local communities, and promote volunteerism. To know more about ASPIRE, please go to www. sewaaspire.com

Right, Winners display their trophy. Photo by Andrew Roberts

Right, Group performers at the event .

Below, Emcees Malikka Ghei and Himi Haridas along with Sewa International President Prof. Sreenath, Houston President Gitesh Desai and folk adult group winners. Photo by Navin Medivala

Sewa International President Sree Sreenath, rear right, and Sewa International Houston President Gitesh Desai with winners . Photo by Navin Medivala.

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019 • PAGE 7

COMMUNITY Enchanting Tamil Valentine Tamil Nadu Foundation’s Houston Chapter celebrated Valentine’s Day during an afternoon of camaraderie among friends, highlighted by an artistic extravaganza of dances, interludes of music by Sargam Melodies, fashion show by local artists, and gestures of appreciation to service and seniority, over delicious treats of coffee, tea and snacks. The event was held at the San Jacinto South Campus on Sunday, February 24. The highlight of the evening was the scintillating performance by Eyakkam Dance Company from Dallas, under the title ‘Konjum Salangai’ (Enticing Anklets), who, as claimed by their title, treated the audience to an array of ‘enticing medley’ of dances. The endowed group of young and younger artists presented a nostalgic collage of memorable masterpieces of yesteryears, from an era before any of them were even born. Some of the exceptional pieces were the ‘dance duel’ by Annam and Lavanya, that offered glimpses of the ever-memorable contest between Padmini and Vyjayanthi-

mala from the movie Vanchicot Valiban, the Eyakkam Medley and the grand finale of Thillana by all the dancers of the troupe. The choreography was brilliant, the costumes were exquisite and the discipline and balance of the artists, impeccable. The dancing guests from Dallas presented the audience a treat that would be remembered for quite a while. The professional musicians of Sargam Melodies rendered some pleasing songs that are always the audience’s favorites. Many wished that the music items alone could have been ample entertaining for an evening. But the surprising finale of the evening entertainment was the dance and music ensemble presented by about sixteen couples from TNF community, who mesmerized the gathering with an assortment of visually glamorous to enchanting displays of talent as they performed to chosen cinematic songs most appropriate for an evening of Valentine love theme. The evening of festivities was introduced by Mala Gopal with a brief explanation of the

‘Dance duel’ by Annam and Lavanya. Tamil Nadu Foundation (TNF) activities along with some video clippings. The Houston Chapter has been helping the ABC project of TNF, towards ‘Achieving grade level proficiency, Boosting the morale and Championing for higher aspirations’, and thus promoting the education of underprivileged rural students, especially of government schools, providing them with resources, programs and tools being the objectives of TNF. Some of the initial leaders

of TNF Houston chapter were acknowledged for their service and leadership, a few senior elderly mentor couples of the community were brought on the stage and offered flowers, the dear departed community member Meena Vairavan was honored by adorning a ponnada on husband Vairavan Subramanian, and a short presentation by the Tamil Chair followed. The visiting Eyakkam artists were appropriately felicitated with mementoes and the enjoyable evening concluded with some lilting songs from the

melody group. Mala Gopal was the charismatic organizer of the event, who was ably assisted by other members of TNF introducing the items and performers, as Dr. Vaduganathan filled in as the MC with his inimitable style. The audience left contented with an evening of delightful entertainment and with compassionate hearts motivated by the charitable deeds of TNF. —By Dr. Venugopal Menon

The finale of the evening was a dance and music ensemble presented by 15 couples from the TNF community in Houston.

Artists of Eyakkam Dance Company from Dallas with TNF board members.

Some of the initial leaders of TNF Houston chapter were acknowledged for their service and leadership, and a few senior elderly mentor couples of the community were brought on the stage and offered flowers.

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019 • PAGE 8

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Indian Culture Fest with Youth Competitions and Sri Jagannath Chariot Parade The second annual Puranava INDIA Culture Fest with Youth Cultural Competitions and the Sri Jagannath Chariot Parade (Rath Yatra) will be held at the Pearland Town Center Pavilion on Saturday, March 23. The free event, organized by Global Organization for Divinity, will commemorate Houston Namadwaar’s 9th anniversary and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s jayanthi. The Honorable Mayors of both Pearland and Manvel, Mayor Tom Reid and Mayor Debra Davison, will attend the event. This project is also supported by a City of Pearland Cultural Arts Grant program from the City of Pearland Convention & Visitors Bureau. The culture fest, which will begin from 4 pm onwards, will be an opportunity for families to enjoy and appreciate India’s unique regional diversity. There will be cultural exhibits from different Indian states as well as regional music, dance and folk performances, both on stage and during the Chariot Parade, showcasing various cultures within India – including the Assamese Bihu dance, Mohiniyattam dance and Chenda Melam percussion from Kerala, classical Odissi from Orissa, and classical and folk performances from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Sreepadam School of Arts, Kalaangan the Odissi School of Dance and Sunanda’s Performing Arts Center will also present thematic presentations. The traditional chariot (Rath) of Sri Jagannatha will be pulled around the Pearland Town Center Pavilion in a gesture of universal harmony, amid kirtan, dance and regional arts performances. Children of the Gopa Kuteeram Youth Program will present a Song of Unity in 16 different world languages to commence the Rath Yatra. The Rath Yatra is co-hosted by the Universal Shraddha Foundation. The festival will also feature Indian food booths and a bazaar with saris and Indian-wear, jewelry, artwork, Indian garden plants, books, and more, and also children’s’ activities. Earlier in the day, from 9 am onwards, competitions will be conducted for all ages of children/ youth in Art, Chess, Indian classical music, Indian classical dance, and a unique ‘Heritage Vocabulary Bee’, at the same venue. These competitions are open to participants of all cultural backgrounds. To see competition guidelines and register, go to www.puranava-usa. org. This event is also a commemoration of the 9th anniversary of Namadwaar Prayer House located in the Pearland/Manvel area. This anniversary celebration includes annually supporting various local service organizations by providing necessary supplies. This year, the organizations being supported are Alvin ISD’s Youth Empowerment Team and Manvel Community Outreach pantry. Supplies, donations of new board games/youth activity kits and non-perishable/ canned foods will be accepted at Namadwaar Prayer House located at 3642 Bailey Ave, Manvel TX 77578 any time until March 22 or at the Puranava Culture Fest event on March 23. The Puranava INDIA Culture Fest is organized by Global Organization for Divinity, in collaboration with Love to Share Foundation America. The chariot parade is cohosted by the Universal Shraddha Foundation. Thank you to all the local businesses and restaurants who are participating in the festival and supporting the event through sponsorships and prizes. For more information about the Culture Fest, to reserve a vendor or booth space, or offer gift certificates as prize sponsorships, please call 281-4026585 or visit www.puranava-usa. org or houston.godivinity.org.

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019 • PAGE 9

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PAGE 10 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019

NEWS

Global Leadership University launched

By SESHADRI KUMAR GLUDES, a Global Leadership University for Development, Entrepreneurship and Strategy was launched in Sugar Land recently. It is the brainchild of Fort Bend County resident Nozer Buchia, a noted speaker, author, entrepreneur and transformational business & life coach. Nozer Buchia has authored two business books - Why

entrepreneurs really fail (published in the USA & in India) and Roadmap to success (co-authored with Dr. Ken Blanchard and Dr. Deepak Chopra). “Our goal is to develop leaders, not followers and our vision is to eliminate educational leadership poverty,” says Buchia. Buchia defines leadership as follows: Leadership must have

vision, the courage to travel unexplored paths, know how to manage success and minimize failures, develop the courage to make decisions, challenge the status quo and leaders must create more leaders, not followers. GLUDES has been founded to leverage the knowledge and best practices of today’s thought leaders with counselling and preparing the next

ŽŶƐƵůĂƚĞ 'ĞŶĞƌĂů ŽĨ /ŶĚŝĂ ,ŽƵƐƚŽŶ

Nozer Buchia at the launch of GLUDES.

^ > ŽĨ h^ Z ^ĂůĞ ŽĨ ƵƐĞĚ ŽĨĨŝĐŝĂů ĐĂƌ dŽLJŽƚĂ ^ĞƋƵŽŝĂ͕ ϮϬϭϭ͕ ůĂĐŬ ĐŽůŽƌ DŝůĞĂŐĞ ϮϯϵϬϬϬ ďĞůŽŶŐŝŶŐ ƚŽ ŽŶƐƵůĂƚĞ 'ĞŶĞƌĂů ŽĨ /ŶĚŝĂ͕ ,ŽƵƐƚŽŶ͘ /ŶƚĞƌĞƐƚĞĚ ƉĂƌƚŝĞƐ ŵĂLJ ƐĞŶĚ ƚŚĞŝƌ ŽĨĨĞƌ ǁŝƚŚ ƌĞĨƵŶĚĂďůĞ ĞĂƌŶĞƐƚ ŵŽŶĞLJ ĚĞƉŽƐŝƚ ŽĨ h^ ΨϱϬϬͬͲ ;ĐĂƐŚŝĞƌ ĐŚĞĐŬ ŝŶ ĨĂǀŽƌ ŽĨ ͞ ŽŶƐƵůĂƚĞ 'ĞŶĞƌĂů ŽĨ /ŶĚŝĂ͕ ,ŽƵƐƚŽŶͿ ďLJ ŵĂŝů Žƌ ŝŶ ƉĞƌƐŽŶ ďĞĨŽƌĞ ϭϲϬϬ ŚƌƐ ŽŶ Ϯϴ͘Ϭϯ͘ϮϬϭϵ ĚĚƌĞƐƐ͗Ͳ ŽŶƐƵůĂƚĞ 'ĞŶĞƌĂů ŽĨ /ŶĚŝĂ͕ ϰϯϬϬ ^ĐŽƚůĂŶĚ ^ƚƌĞĞƚ͕ ,ŽƵƐƚŽŶ͕ dĞdžĂƐ͕ ϳϳϬϬϳ &Žƌ ŝŶƋƵŝƌLJ ƉůĞĂƐĞ ĞŵĂŝů ͗Ͳ ĂĚŵŶ͘ŚŽƵƐƚŽŶΛŵĞĂ͘ŐŽǀ͘ŝŶ ŚŽĐ͘ŚŽƵƐƚŽŶΛŵĞĂ͘ŐŽǀ͘ŝŶ

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generation. “Our aim is to provide an ethical leadership education experience that coerces behavioral change to revolutionize results. It is our observation and belief that long-term success is directly proportional to the quality of the leadership.” GLUDES is a dynamic learning facility where individual students, entrepreneurs and corporations work together to address and continually advance the evolving challenges faced by our business and society. “We achieve this through the development of one of the greatest dominant qualities required today, - leadership,” Buchia says. The extensive and industry proven best practices curriculum for successful leadership, addresses the needs of those that are preparing to take the next step in their careers in GLUDES. Buchia acknowledges the contribution of some of the best industry front-runners and 25 plus entrepreneurs, successful professional leaders and CEOs who have endowed GLUDES with their successes and failures as well as their thoughts and ideas on building leadership skills. He calls the process GLUDE-e-FICATION which creates a protective business shield. The initial faculty of GLUDES includes Tara Bush, David Jones, Patricia Bermudez and Casey Salge. One of the pillars of the program is to confirm that the GLUDIFIED entity is leadership-ready to take on challenges encountered by the business in the course of their daily activities “Our Leadership Measurement Criteria has been designed and developed by gaining a diversity of perspectives

from those that have encountered and overcome similar challenges. Our high quality curriculum validates leadership readiness as we are focused on developing leaders… not creating followers,” Buchia says. Instructors lead class discussions and offer feedback on quizzes, assignments and projects. Each course features a multipart project that incorporates concepts, tools, framework and ideas as applicable to your particular situation and work circumstances. The courses are designed to enable one to tackle the current issue at hand and successfully move forward. GLUDES differentiates coaching from mentoring, training and counselling “Our goal is to brand GLUDE-e-FICATION as the corporate industry standard that will become the measurement criteria for leadership preparedness, readiness and authentication. GLUDE-e-FICATION by industry vertical endorses business leadership acumen and sends a powerful message to the competition of preparedness to be a leader within that particular industry. We define leadership… period!” says Buchia with confidence. Work is in progress to open leadership centers in Houston, Dubai, India (Mumbai & Gujarat) and South Africa. For more information, visit www.gludes. com. “In the meantime,” Buchia says, “we are open for business at alternate locations including the organization that requests our services and candidates can enroll at present for our Leadership program. We are already enrolling corporations for the certification program as well. This will be an extensive 4 month program and can be extended to 1 year based on time commitments from organiza

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019 • PAGE 11

COMMUNITY

County Judge KP George meets local Indian trade delegation

India business representatives in the Houston area with Inndian Consul-General Dr. Aupam Ray, seventh from left, and Fort Bend County Judge KP George, to his left. By SESHADRI KUMAR A number of Indian companies have a substantial presence in Texas. The Consul General of India led a delegation of 20 Indian companies to call on KP George, County Judge of Fort Bend County on Wednesday, February 27. Allison Wen of Safari Texas Ranch hosted the dinner meeting. The multi-sectoral delegation included a mix of public and private sector companies varying in size from large Fortune 500 multinationals to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The delegation included the CEOs of GAIL Global USA, ONGC Videsh Limited, Oil India USA, and Mahindra USA. Other large Indian companies include Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Infosys, Wipro and Welspun Tubular. A particularly interesting as-

pect of the delegation was the presence of Indian SMEs such as Pradeep Metals Inc., Sunrise Natural Foods, Sunita Hydrocolloids, SAE Towers, LT Foods Americas, and Technocraft Scaffolding. Indian SMEs are a rapidly growing presence in this area. Representatives from major Indian owned companies in Texas such as Nextt, Bio Urja, PfP Industries and Expedien Inc. were part of this high-level delegation. The purpose of this meeting was to brief the County Judge about the operations of these companies in Texas and to discuss opportunities of doing business in Fort Bend county. Indian companies, it may be noted, are ramping up their investments in the United States. This visit was also intended to raise awareness amongst local political leaders about how Indian companies in this region

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are creating jobs and contributing to the growth and development of the local community. The County Judge invited the business representatives to explore investment opportunities in Fort Bend County and how these companies could benefit. The United States is currently the largest economy in the world. India is the fastest growing major economy. The consul general noted the growing role played by Indian companies in the rapid expansion and the strengthening of this relationship. Representatives of the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce, Central Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council and economic development directors from some area cities attended the meeting.

Peter Chia-yen Chen, right, Director-general, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston, Dr. Anupam Ray, KP George and Sanjay Bpapt, attorney with the law firm ABHR.

India’s Consul-General Dr. Aupam Ray is flanked by Safari Texas Ranch owner Allison Wen, right, and Sohini Romar, catering manager, left. Safari Texas Ranch hosted the dinner meeting for the Indian trade delegation.

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PAGE 12 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019

NEWS Balakot action ‘over,’ government focuses Masood Azhar’s brother, on diplomatic game plan son among 44 of proscribed With military action on the their regional representatives at action against the JeM, and by organisations detained Jaish-e-Mohammad train- the UNSC to clear the listing. EAM Sushma Swaraj’s visit to ing camp in Balakot oďŹƒcially “over,â€? the government is now pushing for multipronged diplomatic action across world capitals to ensure the UNSC lists JeM chief Masood Azhar as a terrorist on March 13th, sources involved in the outreach said. However, they also warned, “If there is any subsequent terrorist attack then all options are available for the government of India.â€? The sources listed actions being taken by diplomats at the U.N. Security Council in New York, the Financial Action Task Force in Paris and through friendly countries who are exerting pressure on Pakistan directly to take “credibleâ€? action against Azhar, and other leaders of the JeM as well as Lashkare-Taiba chief HaďŹ z Saeed. “We are taking steps to reach out to all 15 members of the UN Security Council who are also members of the 1267 (al-Qaeda aďŹƒliated terror listing) Committee, both in their capitals and at the U.N. itself. No stone will be left unturned by us to do this,â€? the sources said, adding that India had also reached out to all countries of the United Nations to add their pressure on

At present, apart from permanent members U.S., U.K., France, Russia and China, the UNSC comprises Belgium, Ivory Coast, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Germany, Indonesia, Kuwait, Peru, Poland and South Africa. As The Hindu had reported last week, the government has already shared its dossier on the JeM and its link to the Pulwama attack with the Pakistan government, and with other countries at the U.N. In the copy of the UNSC listing ďŹ led by France, U.K. and U.S., which was exclusively accessed in this paper, Azhar has been named for â€œďŹ nancially supportingâ€? JeM, for recruiting jihadi volunteers for Afghanistan to ďŹ ght “western forcesâ€?, and for the Pulwama attack on February 14th that killed 40 Indian police oďŹƒcers, which the JeM has claimed responsibility for. The sources said they could not conďŹ rm whether China would allow the Masood Azhar listing this time or put a hold on it as it has three times in the past three years, but that the government was “encouragedâ€? by China’s decision to allow a UNSC statement calling for

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Beijing last week. “Should [the listing] happen, the political signal to Pakistan would be hugeâ€?, the oďŹƒcial said, adding that after the Masood Azhar listing which was the â€œďŹ rst stepâ€?, the government would proceed against other terrorist leaders in Pakistan. Meanwhile India will also keep the pressure on UN members to ensure that HaďŹ z Saeed, who is on the 1267 terror list, is not allowed to “go all over the placeâ€? and meet with Pakistani Ministers from the Imran Khan government. Under the UNSC sanctions, designated entities are banned from travel outside the country, face an assets freeze and can’t access weapons. Finally, the sources said that the government will “carefully documentâ€? each action by the Pakistan government as part of its obligations to the FATF “between now and Juneâ€?. The international terror-ďŹ nancing watchdog will complete a review in May 2019 on the basis of a 27-point action report and recommend a possible blacklisting if Pakistan doesn’t comply, later this year.

India will have ‘all options’ available if there is another terror strike: oďŹƒcials Sources say India has shared with the U.S. the evidence of use of the F-16 jet by Pakistan during retaliatory aerial combat and was conďŹ dent that the US is investigating the matter. India will have “all optionsâ€? available in case there is another terror strike, oďŹƒcial sources on March 5 asserted and maintained that the government will insist on concrete steps taken by Pakistan in dismantling the terror infrastructure on its soil. The sources said India had shared with the U.S. the evidence of use of the F-16 jet by Pakistan during the retaliatory Indian airspace violation by and was conďŹ dent that the U.S. was investigating the matter. Since the Balakot Indian Air Force strike, India was trying to build maximum pressure on Pakistan on terrorism, sources said. The Indian Air Force kept all its bases in the Western sector on maximum alert, the sources said. India carried out a strike on the biggest terrorist training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed in Pakistan’s Balakot on February 26 and the next day, Pakistan attempted to retaliate by unsuccessfully targeting a number of military installations in Kashmir. India’s air strike, which the government termed a “nonmilitaryâ€? action, followed a terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama, Kashmir, in which 40 personnel were killed.

Pakistan has taken 44 members of banned organisations, including Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar’s son and brother, into preventive detention, the Ministry of Interior said on Tuesday. “In order to implement [the] National Action Plan (NAP), a high-level meeting was held in the Ministry of Interior on March 4, which was attended by representatives of all provincial governments. It was decided to speed up action against all proscribed organisations,â€? the Ministry said in a statement. “In compliance, 44 under-observation members of proscribed organisations, including Mufti Abdul Raoof [Masood Azhar’s brother] and Hamad Azhar [his son], have been taken into preventive detention for investigation. These actions will continue, as per the decisions taken in National Security Committee (NSC), while reviewing the National Action Plan.â€? Solely Pakistan’s own decision: Minister The action plan was announced by the Pakistani government to crack down on terrorism. Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi said in a press conference in Islamabad that this is solely Pakistan’s decision. “We will not allow Pakistani soil to be used against any country,â€? he said. Ministry of Interior Secretary Azam Khan was also present at the press conference. Masood Azhar’s son and brother were named in the Pulwama dossier handed to Pakistan by India last week, said Azaz Syed, author of The Secret of Pakistan’s War on Al-Qaeda. Indian dossiers after Mumbai and Pathankot attacks were quite powerful and contained evidence, which is why cases were lodged in Pakistani courts against those allegedly involved in those attacks. “However, the Pulwama dossier seems weak and lacks tangible evidence. Still, the government of Pakistan has arrested both Mufti Abdul Raoof and Hamad Azhar as they have been identiďŹ ed in the Pulwama dossier. Pakistan will conduct its own investigation now,â€? Mr. Syed told The Hindu. Mr. Syed also told Geo TV that Prime Minister Imran Khan will decide about the detention of Masood Azhar in the next 24 hours. Senior journalist Kashif Abbasi said that in his interactions with senior civil and military leadership over the past few months, it’s clear that the authorities are this time serious in actions against militants. “Pakistan has realised that it will have to take action against militant organisations. With the kind of international pressure due to the FATF [Financial Action Task Force], Pakistan cannot aord to have these organisations operate from our soil.â€? “The international environment has changed so we are cracking down on militancy for ourselves, not for anyone else,â€? he added. The FATF, the multilateral body on terror ďŹ nancing, has placed Pakistan on its ‘grey list’, which makes it diďŹƒcult for Pakistan to get international loans. Security analyst Muhammad Amir Rana said that after the 2002 crackdown on Jaish and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, Pakistan saw a wave of terrorist attacks, including two assassination attempts on General Pervez Musharraf. “Before the Lal Masjid operation, most terrorist attacks in Pakistan were carried out by the splinter groups of Jaish. Pakistan paid a heavy price for this crackdown as these organisations have proper hardcore militants. Pakistan has now taken a huge risk by launching another crackdown against Jaish. Security forces believe there may be retaliation but Pakistan’s intentions this time are quite serious,â€? Mr. Rana told The Hindu. He said this decision is due to the FATF pressure. A proper framework is being formulated by Pakistan in this regard, he added. Indian Navy rejects Paksitan’s claim â€? The Indian Navy on Tuesday rejected Pakistan’s claims that they prevented its submarine from entering their [Pakistan] waters as propaganda and said their deployments remain undeterred. “Over the past several days, we have witnessed Pakistan indulging in false propaganda and spread of misinformation. The Indian Navy does not take cognisance of such propaganda. Our deployments remain undeterred,â€? the Navy said in a statement. The Navy also reiterated the statement made during the joint press conference on February 28 that it remains “deployed as necessary to protect national maritime interests.â€? In a statement on Tuesday, the Director General Public Relations of Pakistan Navy claimed to have detected one of Indian Navy’s latest submarines and localised in Pakistan’s maritime zone on Monday “The submarine could have been easily engaged and destroyed had it not been Pakistan’s policy to exercise restraint in the face of Indian aggression and to give peace a chance to prevail,â€? the statement claimed and added this was the second such incident, the last one being in November 2018. Pakistani media outlets have shown a video of the purported Indian submarine.

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019 • PAGE 13

NEWS

Suresh Garimella appointed president of University of Vermont The University of Vermont Board of Trustees announced today that Dr. Suresh Garimella will become the University’s 27th president. His appointment will be eective July 1, 2019. “The Board is very excited about Dr. Garimella becoming our next president,â€? said Board Chair David Daigle. “ “He clearly emerged as the most capable candidate for this position. We are conďŹ dent that we have selected an exceptional individual who will inspire our University to reach even greater levels of excellence.â€? Garimella, who is currently Executive Vice President for Research and Partnerships and the Goodson Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University, said, “I am deeply honored to be selected the University of Vermont’s next president. I appreciate the Board’s conďŹ dence and trust, and am eager to begin our important work together. “I am impressed by UVM’s academic proďŹ le and the high quality of its students, faculty and sta. The University is well positioned to compete in a rapidly changing higher education environment, while fulďŹ lling its important land-grant mission and positively impacting the lives of students and Vermonters. I look forward to listening to and engaging with the entire campus community, as well as the state and region, as we collectively identify the vision, strategies and creative approaches that will propel

UVM into the next decade and beyond. Above all, we must emphasize our considerable strengths, while seeking opportunities for deliberate innovation designed to increase the accessibility to UVM’s learning, discovery, and engagement missions, and their impact.â€? As Purdue’s executive vice president, Garimella leads a world-changing, $660 million per year research enterprise and oversees Discovery Park, a unique set of facilities and institutes, where disciplines converge to solve global challenges related to health and life sciences, sustainability, food, energy and defense and security. He is responsible for Purdue’s international programs and its global and corporate partnership endeavors, focused on strengthening relationships to advance innovation, research, and education. Under his leadership, Purdue has experienced consecutive record years in research funding and established signiďŹ cant new partnerships around the world. Garimella conceived and implemented an ambitious Life Sciences Initiative, establishing two new institutes that bring together faculty from dozens of disciplines to study integrative neuroscience and inammation, immunology and infectious disease, to complement signature eorts in the plant sciences and drug discovery. Additionally, partnering with Purdue’s Provost, he initiated the Integrative Data Sci-

The University of Vermont will pay incoming president Suresh Garimella $630,000 a year. Garimella and the university agreed to the contract Friday. He will earn $480,000 in base salary, $50,000 in deferred compensation and $100,000 in a retirement plan for each year he serves as president. ence Initiative, which focuses years as a Senior Fellow in on applying data science re- the State Department’s Energy search to pressing fundamental and Climate Partnership of the and socially relevant issues. Americas, and as the State DeThe initiative also establishes partment delegate to the Interan educational ecosystem that national Energy Agency. He is prepares students for the rap- co- author of over 500 publicaidly expanding future of a data- tions and 13 patents. driven, knowledge economy. Garimella earned his Ph.D. Garimella’s previous admin- at the University of Califoristrative experience at Purdue nia, Berkeley, his M.S. from University includes appoint- The Ohio State University and ments as the Chief Global Af- his bachelor’s degree from the fairs OďŹƒcer and as the As- Indian Institute of Technology sociate Vice President for Madras. Engagement. “Dr. Garimella clearly posGarimella has a long list of sesses the intellect, vision, honors and awards, includ- leadership skills and academic ing his 2018 appointment as a credentials to be a highly sucmember of the National Sci- cessful president at UVM,â€? ence Board. In 2010, the U.S. said Daigle. Department of State appointed “He is a passionate educahim as a Jeerson Science Fel- tor, a highly accomplished low to serve as a Science Advi- researcher, an eective relasor in the International Energy tionship builder and a gifted OďŹƒce. He also served for six administrative leader. He has

a well demonstrated ability to attract external investment and support, and he has a deep and abiding passion for the landgrant mission. Importantly, Dr. Garimella is sharply focused on the quality of the student educational experience as well as student success during and after college.â€? The search for a new UVM president began formally in September. More than 90 outstanding candidates applied for the position. The search committee personally interviewed 10 of the most highly qualiďŹ ed candidates in December. Candidate conďŹ dentiality requirements necessitated that the University not identify publicly the outstanding ďŹ nalists who emerged from the process. However, faculty members, administrative and academic leaders, and students played a key role in the search process. The Board of Trustees was briefed about their feedback and the results of comprehensive reference checking before Garimella was invited to campus for the public vetting stage. On Feb. 14, Garimella participated in a series of meetings with constituency groups across the University and interacted with campus community members in a large open forum. The Board was again briefed on campus feedback during its Feb. 15 meeting, after which they unanimously authorized the Chair to conduct negotiations and ďŹ nalize an agreement with Garimella.

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Hari Venkatachalam Hindu Students Association, Board of Directors

Succeed In Your Business

PRESS RELEASE

rid TX of–your staffi ng problems and spend more April 6, 2017Get – AUSTIN, The Hindu Students Association (HSA) would like to regretfully announce that itNumbers will be Good = Good Decisions cancelling its annual Gateway Retreat for the 2017 year. HSA prides itself in building a strong network of young Hindu Americans, and it looks forward to organizing other events in the future that will link students from its various branches. HSA has been reorienting itself in recent months to doing more grassroots work. “We have been focusing more on accomplishing work on the local and branch level,” said Mrinalini Vijalapuram, National President of the Hindu Students Association. “We have been doing this through many different activities including interfaith events with other religious organizations, building community partnerships, and expanding into other campuses that don’t already have HSA branches.” While the cancellation of Gateway may come as a disappointment for many prospective attendees, HSA hopes to get feedback from students on other projects and events that interest its branch members. Currently, several projects, including developing HSA’s podcast series and releasing monthly articles that highlight the accomplishments of members from the various campuses have been the focus of the organization’s efforts. HSA welcomes student and community members to get involved in these activities to help further the goals of the organization. “It is important that we meet the needs of the campuses and communities we serve,” reiterated Ms. Vijalapuram. “We want to make sure that we are putting our attention on projects that will truly benefit them.” U.S. 90 A -***-

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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019 • PAGE 17

NEWS Donald Trump plans to end preferential trade terms for India under GSP

U.S.-India trade ties were hurt after India unveiled new rules on e-commerce that restrict the way Amazon.com Inc and Walmart Inc-backed Flipkart do business. United States President Donald Trump has said he intends to end the preferential trade terms for India under the U.S.’s Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program. The program, which sets zero tariffs for certain goods from a set of 120 developing countries in order to foster trade and economic development, accounts for some $5.6 billion of India’s exports to the U.S, making India the largest GSP beneficiary. The Trump administration, which periodically reviews the GSP eligibility launched a review last April of India’s compliance with GSP market eligibility criteria. “I am taking this step because, after intensive engagement between the United States and the Government of India, I have determined that India has not assured the United States that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to the markets of India…” Mr. Trump said in a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and President of the Senate, shared with reporters. “India has implemented a wide array of trade barriers that create serious negative effects on United States commerce. Despite intensive engagement, India has failed to take the necessary steps to meet the GSP criterion,” the United States Trade Representative (USTR) said on its website. India’s new e-commerce rules, price controls on medical devices and tariffs on ICT (information and communications technolog) products are among the issues that have caused trade frictions between the two countries. Mr. Trump has repeatedly taken shots at India’s tariffs, which he views as unreasonable. One of the discretionary criteria the President must (as per the GSP statute) take into account while determining the GSP eligibility is the “extent to which such country has assured the United States that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to its markets and basic commodity resources and the extent to which it has assured the United States it will refrain from engaging in unreasonable export practices.” 60-day notice period A mandatory 60 days must now pass after notice has been given to the beneficiary countries and to Congress, during which time there is, at least technically, the possibility of negotiation. After the 60-day period, a beneficiary country can be taken off the GSP list by a presidential proclamation. Notably, Mr. Trump’s letter to the two congressional leaders also says, ‘I will continue to assess whether the Government of India is providing equitable and reasonable access to its markets, in accordance with the GSP eligibility criteria.” It is not likely though that it will be re-negotiation of India’s place under the system, a source familiar with the told The Hindu. A separate letter was sent to congressional leaders by Mr. Trump saying he intended to withdraw Turkey from the list of GSP beneficiaries. However, the reasons were different: Mr. Trump said Turkey was no longer at a level of economic development that warranted preferential treatment. “ In particular, in the four and a half decades since Turkey’s designation as a GSP beneficiary developing country, Turkey’s economy has grown and diversified,” the letter said. Meanwhile, the Indian government on Tuesday downplayed the effect of the decision by the United States government to withdraw trade concessions granted to India under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP), with Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan saying that the impact would amount to $190 million on total export amount under GSP of $5.6 billion to the US. The US Trade Representative office on Tuesday morning (IST) said that it had decided to withdraw the GSP status for India and Turkey at the direction of US President Donald Trump following India’s “failure to provide the United States with assurances that it will provide equitable and reasonable access to its markets in numerous sectors”. “The withdrawal of GSP benefits to India will have a minimal and moderate impact,” Mr. Wadhawan said at a press conference. “The total GSP benefits amount to about $190 million on overall exports (under GSP ) of $5.6 billion between the two countries.” ‘Additional requests not acceptable’ “We had worked out a meaningful package that covered the US’ concerns but they made additional requests which were not acceptable at this time,” he added. “The GSP system is envisaged as a non-reciprocal benefit to developing countries.” Mr. Wadhawan added that India was still in talks with the US on the higher import duties that country charges on steel and aluminium, and said that India was still reviewing whether it would impose retaliatory tariffs or not. The government had in the middle of last year decided the list of items on which it would impose retaliatory tariffs, but has since then postponed the deadline of implementation six times. The latest deadline is April 1, 2019.

We believe in action, not mere tokenism: Defense Minister Sitharaman Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said the Narendra Modi government has been able to resolve vexed issues related to the welfare of the armed forces because it believes in real action rather than mere tokenism. “Issues like one rank one pension (OPOP) or a national war memorial which had been hanging fire for decades were picked up and resolved at the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi because we believe in real action and not in mere tokenism like previous governments,” Sitharaman said addressing exservicemen and family members of soldiers who had died fighting for the country. As announced by Union Minister Piyush Goel in Parliament, while Rs 35,000 crore have already been paid to the beneficiaries under OROP, an annual budgetry provision of Rs 8,000 crore has been made for payments under OROP in the interim budget, she said adding “this is what happens when real action replaces mere tokenism”. “It was a huge task which was accomplished despite all odds in two years. So far all arrears under OROP have been paid in four instalments,” she said. Alleging that lies are being spread through social media platforms to mislead the armed forces about welfare measures related to them, she said if they have any doubt about a scheme, they should ask her directly through email or their MPs. Citing another example to buttress her argument about the government being serious about issues pending for decades, she

Nirmala Sitharaman said the country did not have a national war memorial despite fighting four major wars since independence. “The Modi government dedicated a national war memorial to the country last month. What could not happen in 70 years, has been done in five years,” she said. Claiming that the Centre was sensitive to problems faced by armed forces personnel, the Defence Minister said it has been decided to give women permanent commission in the Army, Navy and the Air Force like their male counterparts. Three 200bed multi speciality hospitals like AIIMS are going to be opened under the ex-servicemen contributory health scheme (ECHS) while the minimum pension for retired armed forces personnel has been revised from Rs 10,000 to Rs 18,000. She said her ministry had also decided not to go in appeal if the Armed Forces

Tribunal certified disability of a soldier. “Those busy spreading myths on the social media platforms about schemes related to the armed forces should look straight into our eyes if they have the guts and ask us what is it that we did not do,” she said. The Minister also said coming to Uttarakhand is always a great experience for her as it is the land of brave soldiers who don’t hesitate in laying down their lives for the sake of their country. “I derive great motivation from the people of Uttarakhand. It has such a character. Not only its men but its women too are equally brave. Its women fought for statehood while its men guarded the country’s frontiers,” she said. The defence minister honoured 15 wives and mothers of deceased soldiers. She also laid the foundation stone of a drinking water project in Clement Town.

On March 2, a resolution was submitted in Pakistan’s National Assembly Secretariat stating that Khan’s decision of releasing Indian Air Force pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman has de-escalated the hostility between Pakistan and India. According to the resolution, Khan “acted responsibly” in the current tension and “deserves the Nobel Peace Prize”. After the Pulwama attack, the Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting what it said was a JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Paki-

stan on February 26. The next day, Pakistan retaliated with a large air formation, comprising 24 fighter jets, including F-16s. Varthaman, who was in one of the eight MiG-21s that took on the invading Pakistan Air Force jets and shot down an F-16, was captured by Pakistan. Khan during a joint session of Parliament on February 28 announced to release the IAF pilot as a “gesture of peace” and the “first step” to open negotiations with India. Varthaman was released at the Wagah border on Friday.

Person who solves Kashmir issue will be worthy of Nobel Peace Prize: Imran

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said the person who solves the Kashmir issue will be worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize, days after a resolution was submitted in Parliament endorsing him for the prestigious award, citing his “efforts to de-escalate” tensions with India. “I am not worthy of the Nobel Peace prize. The person worthy of this would be the one who solves the Kashmir dispute according to the wishes of the Kashmiri people and paves the way for peace & human development in the subcontinent,” the premier tweeted.

PAGE 18 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019

COMMUNITY CALENDAR Art Museum Kannappan Art Museum will be open for public Tuesday 5.30 PM to 7.30 PM, Saturday 10AM to 2 PM, Sunday 12 noon to 4 PM. Address: 2341 N. Galveston Ave, Pearland, TX 77581. Ashirwad Classes for Kids in Katy Enrollments are open for Indian Heritage classes for Kids and Teens from 4 to 16 yrs. Class curriculum includes Yoga, Meditation, Sloka, Ramayan, Mahabharat, Bhagwad Githa, Sports Day, VEDIC Fair Presentations, Dance, Drama, Hindi & more. Contact : 281-995-0930 or AshirwadABlessing@gmail.com. Durga Bari Temple Durga Bari temple is open from 9 to 11 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. Mon. thru Sat. Sandhya aarti at 6:30 p.m. Temple closes at 7 p.m. Sunday special from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Temple is located at 13944 Schiller Rd (o Hwy 6 bet. Bellaire & Westpark). Call Ganesh Mandal at 713-797-9057 / 832-423-8541. Arya Samaj Satsang Weekly Havan Satsang every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. DAV Sanskriti School Sundays 10 a.m. to 12 noon. - Havan, Hindi and Naitik Shiksha classes. DAV Montessori School for ages 2 to 7 years. Call Arti Khanna 281-759-3286. Free Yoga classes on Sat. Sanskrit & Upanishad classes Tue. 6-8 p.m. At 14375 Schiller Rd. (bet Westpark & Bellaire o Hwy 6). 281-752-0100. Brahma Kumaris The Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Meditation Center is open 7 days a week. The center oers free Raja Yoga Meditation classes: MonFri @ 6:00-6:45am and 7-8 pm, BUY

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Sat-Sun @ 7:00-8:30am, 10 am-2 pm. Visiting hours are Sat-Sun @ 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Contact us at (832) 379-8888, houston@bktexas. com, or bktexas.com to sign-up for classes. All Raja Yoga Meditation teachers at the Houston center are samarpit and have 15+ years of teaching experience. Chinmaya Mission Sunday satsangs for adults, youth, and children. A unique Bala Vihar program for each grade, from PreK to Grade 12. Satsangs in two sessions between 8:35 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. and 11:20 a.m. - 1p.m. Bala Vihar students can take shloka, bhajan and orchestra classes or language classes for Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, and Gujarati. Chinmaya Mission is located at Chinmaya Prabha, 10353 Synott Road, Sugar Land, TX 77498. New members may visit the welcome desk between 8 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. or 10:15 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Please visit www. chinmayahouston.org or contact Bharati Sutaria 281.933.0233 for more information. Jeeyar Educational Trust Translate knowledge into action classes every Sunday at 10:15 a.m to 12 p.m. at Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple, 10098 Synott Road, Sugar Land, Tx 77498. Call 785 550 3621 or 832-334-9163. Visit www. ashtalakshmi.org for registration. Vedanta Society Vedanta Society of Greater Houston, VSGH (oďŹƒcial Branch Center of Ramakrishna Math, Belur), 14809 Lindita Dr. (77083), has lectures & talks on every Sunday 11 am - 12 pm, followed by Arati & Prasad; Bhagwad Gita Class on Tuesdays, 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm; OLD

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and Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna on Thursdays, 11 am - 12 pm. Rev. Sw. Atmarupanandaji, the Resident Monk, gives all classes, lectures & talks. Ramnaam Sankirtan is on 1st Saturdays 6 pm - 7 pm. Please visit www.houstonvedanta. org or call 281- 988-7211. Jain Society Jain Society of Houston, JSH, is located at 3905 Arc Street Houston Texas 77063. Key tenets of Jainism are: Non-violence - Ahimsa, Philanthropy with multicity in views – Anekantvad, No possessiveness - Aparigrah, Right Knowledge -- Samyak Gyan, Right Path – Samyak Darshan, and Right Conduct – Samyak Charitrya. JSH has Jain Pathshala Classed for students of all ages each Sunday starting at 10:15 AM. The center is open M-F from 7:30 AM to 12 Noon and 4 to 7 PM, and Sat, and Sun from 8 AM to 6 PM. Call Jain Center at 713 789 2338 or visit www.jainsocietyhouston.org for calendar of events and other detailed information. Shiv Shakti Mandir Sanatan Shiv Shakti Mandir, 6640 Harwin. Open daily 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. All major festivals, as well as birthdays, naam karan, engagement and other ceremonies. Call Pandit Virat Mehta 713-278-9099 or Hardik Raval 361-243-6539 for puja or other ceremonies. Heartfulness Meditation Heartfulness Meditation is a practical technique of tuning inwards to experience our higher selves. Meditation with someone who has the capacity of yogic transmission can help you explore the Heartfulness practice more deeply. There are no charges for this, and we invite you to experience the unique beneďŹ ts of this transmission. Workshops on Heartfulness relaxation and meditation are held weekly throughout Houston. Web: www.heartfulness.org; Email: houston.heartfulness@gmail.com. Cell: 713-929-0040. Hare Krishna Dham Houston’s original Vedic temple, ISKCON of Houston. At 1320 W 34th St. (77018). Daily Darshan & Arati Times: 4.30 a.m, 7 a.m, 8.30 a.m, 12 noon, 4.30 p.m, 7 p.m, 9 p.m. Sunday Festival: 5.30 pm to 7.30 p.m. Weekly Gita classes for adults; call 281-433-1635 or harekrishnadham @gmail.com Houston Namadwaar A prayer house where the Hare Rama Hare Krishna Maha-mantra is continuously chanted. Weekends: 8-11 AM & 4-7 PM, Weekdays: 7-8 AM & 6-7 PM. Weekly “Gopa Kuteeramâ€? children’s heritage classes and Srimad Bhagavatam classes. Call 281-402-6585; visit www.godivinity.org (Global Organization for Divinity). Saumyakasi Sivalaya Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya is located at Chinmaya Prabha, 10353 Synott Road, Sugar Land, TX 77478. Temple timings: Monday to Friday: 9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon and 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM. Saturday and Sunday: 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM. For more information Contact 281-568-1690 or Jay Deshmukh at 832-541-0059 or visit www.saumyakasi.org Gauri Siddhivinayak Temple Darshan from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. All major festivals as well as birthdays, naam karan, engage-

ment and other ceremonies. Call Pandit Pradip Pandya 832-4669868 for puja and other ceremonies. At 5645 Hillcroft Ste 701, Houston, TX 77036. Veerashaiva Samaja VSNA Houston is a group of families who believe in Veerashaiva dharma (Basava dharma). Monthly Mahamane program for prayer and discussion on Vachana Sahitya followed by Prasada. Contact: vsnahous ton@gmail.com or Jagadeesh Halyal 832-744-4166. Mar Thoma Church Trinity Mar Thoma Church every Sunday at 5810 Almeda Genoa Rd. Sunday School at 9:15 a.m. Malayalam service at 9:30 a.m. on 1st & 3rd Sunday. Adult Bible class at 9:30 a.m. English service at 10:30 a.m. on 2nd & 4th Sunday. Call 713-991-1557 or 281261-4603. Telugu Christian Fellowship Telugu Christian Fellowship meets every third Saturday of the month at Triumph Church, 10555 W. Airport Blvd., Staord TX 77477 at 6:30 p.m. Join us for a time of praise, worship and fellowship. Worship is in English. For information call Chris Gantela 281-344-0707, or Rev. Vijay Gurrala 281-997-0757. Sri Guruvayurappan Temple Hours: Mon to Fri 6 a.m. -8 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Weekends & Holidays: 6 a.m. to noon and 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Bhajans Saturdays 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Sundays 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Special poojas (weekends and holidays) Choroon (Annaprasam) for kids, Thulabharam, Vahana Pooja, Nirapara. Temple is located at 11620 Ormandy St. (77035) Tel: 713-7298994 email: temple@ guruvayur.us Preksha Meditation JVB Preksha Meditation Center conducts weekly Meditation, Yoga and Swadhyay sessions inside its unique Pyramid hall under the auspicious guidance of Samani Kanchan Pragyaji and Samani Pranav Pragyaji who are stationed at Houston Center this year. It also runs special events and programs like I-Choose, Meditation Camps and Gyanshala program for children ages 4-14 yrs. JVB is located at 14102 Schiller Rd. Houston 77082. Every Tuesday, 9:30am11:30am, Samaniji has pravachan for all adults interested in learning about Jainism. Every Wednesday there is Swadhyay class from 7-8pm and meditation from 8-9pm. Every Thursday from 9:30-11am there is special Yoga class for Ladies only. Every Saturday, there is Yoga Class from 9-10am and Meditation from 10-10.30am. Ist & 3rd Sundays, there is Gyanshala Classes for Kids ages 4-14yrs. from 10-12:15pm followed by Lunch. Visit www.jvbhouston.org or send email at info@jvbhouston.org for more details. Patanjali Yogpeeth Free Yoga Classes every Sat/Sun at Arya Samaj from 8 am to 9:30 a.m. Call Anil 281-579-9433. For other free classes, call Indra 281537-0018. For Yoga/Herbal products, call Shekhar 281-242-5000. www.pyptusa.org; www.DivyaProducts.com. Hindu Temple of The Woodlands 7601 S. Forest Gate Dr,

The Woodlands, TX 77382 Temple Hours, Weekdays: 7:30 AM - 9:30 AM 5:30 PM - 8.30 PM Aarti @ 7:30 PM Saturday and Sunday 8:30 AM - 1:30 PM Aarti at 12:00 PM 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM Aarti @ 7:30 PM; Contact 832-585--0001 or temple@myhtw.net Sathya Sai centers Sunday program held at two locations (North Houston: 12127 Malcomson Road, Houston; South Houston: 246 Fluor Daniel Drive, Sugar Land) from 3:00 to 5:30 pm) - Sai Spiritual Education (SSE) classes for children; Study Circle for adults & Devotional singing for all. Service programs - food distribution, canned food drives, nursing home visits, tutoring at schools, etc. Contact Venkat Rao (North) - 602-503-2249 or Ranji Raghavan (South) 281-451-8238. Visit www.sairegion10.org Sadhu Vaswani Center Sadhu Vaswani Center of Houston holds regular Satsang on 3rd Thursday of the month and daily Arti at 7.30 p.m. Call 281-4630379 or e.mail ramolaj@aol.com Gaudiya Math Shri Govindji Gaudiya Matha is a Hindu Vaishnava temple of Sanatan Dharam and worshipping place of Shri Shri Radha Krishna, Shri Gaur Nitai & Shri Ram Darbar. Mandir is open daily from 5.30 AM until 8.30 PM. The services are held from 5.30PM to 7.30PM followed by prashad. Daily Aarti times : Mangala Aarti- 5:30 am. Bhog Aarti - 12:30 pm. Evening Aarti - 7:00 pm. Enroll your child in Sri Govindaji Vedic School. We oer Hindi classes for all ages. Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha is located in Northwest Houston at 16628 Kieth Harrow Blvd Houston TX 77084. For more information, call at 832-464-4686 or visit our website: http://sggm.org. Swaminarayan Temple Hindu Satsang at Shree Swaminarayan Hindu Temple, under Shree NarNarayan Dev Gadi kalupur. Opens daily from 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Daily aarti at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday sabha from 5 p.m to 7 p.m. followed by aarti at 7 p.m. and Maha-Prasad (free dinner). www.issotx.org. (281) 530-2565. Sanatan Dharm Maha Sabha West Indian Religious Organization called Sanatan Dharm Maha Sabha Branch # 377 is located at 26100 Tina Lane, Katy, TX 77494. Durga Mata Pooja is held every Friday from 7 pm to 9.30 pm. Contact Ram Sharma @ 713-4129985. Gandhi Library Mahatma Gandhi Library Book Club: Meets 2nd Sunday of each month; 12:30 PM at Arya Samaj Greater Houston, 13475 Schiller Rd. Join the discussion of the great man’s autobiography – The Story of My Experiments with Truth. Call Manish Wani 713-829-6979. Sant Nirankari Mission Sant Nirankari Mission holds its weekly spiritual congregation on every Sunday at India House 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. followed by community meals. All are welcome. For further information, call Raj Bhala at (281) 980-2825.

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6 • PAGE 19

NEWS

93% of rural Indians have Global coalition protests at the United Nations against terrorism sponsored by Pakistan access to toilets: Sanitation survey

A new government-commissioned survey has found that 93.1% of rural Indian households now have access to toilets, in comparison to 77% last year. The second edition of the National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey (NARSS) also recorded encouraging data with regard to toilet usage and open defecation, finding that 96.5% of people who had access to toilets, use them. The Centre’s flagship Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, launched in 2014, aims to completely eliminate open defecation in the country by October 2, 2019. The NARSS figures seem to contradict the findings of a recent independent survey by the research institute for compassionate economics (r.i.c.e.), which found that 44% of people in rural Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan still defecate in the open. NARSS 2018-19 was conducted between November 2018 and February 2019, covering 92,040 households in 6,136 villages. Third party oversight The survey was commissioned by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, the nodal Ministry in charge of Swachh Bharat’s rural arm, and conducted by a third party agency, Kantar Public, with oversight by an expert working group. The Ministry’s own tracking system claims that 98.9% of households across the country have access to toilets, with only four states — Goa, Odisha, Telangana and West Bengal — falling short of 100% coverage. Ministry data shows that 5.54 lakh villages claim to be open defecation free or ODF. The new NARSS survey has found that 90.7% of these villages can be confirmed as ODF. There is no State-wise data available for NARSS 2018-19 as yet. A late 2018 survey r.i.c.e with the Centre for Policy Research’s Accountability Initiative covering 1,558 households in 157 villages in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, tracked changes between 2014 and 2018. It found that while there was a huge increase in toilet ownership, it did not translate into a proportionate increase in usage.

Narendra Modi to lay foundation stone of ₹1,000 crore temple complex Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for a mega temple complex, coming up on the city’s outskirts at a cost of ₹1,000 crore, on March 4, organisers said on Friday. Over five lakh people are expected to attend the grand foundation stone laying ceremony of the complex - Vishv Umiya Dham - they said. The temple will be dedicated to Maa Umiya, the reigning deity of ‘Kadva Patels’, a sub-group of the Patidar community. Besides a grand temple, the complex will house a skill University, hostels for boys and girls, a job placement and counselling centre for students, a counselling cell for issues related to agriculture and immigration and a centre to resolve social and commercial disputes among community members. The entire complex, situated near SG Highway on the city’s outskirts, will be spread across 30 lakh square feet, said R.P. Patel, a trustee of the Vishv Umiya Foundation. “Our aim is to make this complex a social empowerment hub for our community. Among other facilities, it will also have a sports and health complex, an NRI Bhavan, employment training centre, a healthcare unit, apartments for the elderly citizens. We will also provide guidance to farmers, students and businessmen from here,” Mr. Patel told reporters at the venue. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for this project on March 4. We have already distributed invitation cards to 5 lakh people, including those living outside India. We expect the number of attendees to be far more than five lakhs,” claimed Patel. He said the entire project would be completed in the next 10 years. “The estimated cost of the entire project is around Rs 1,000 crore. Till now, we have received donations of ₹360 crore. The temple and skill university building will be ready in the next 4 to 5 years. It will take another five years to construct the remaining structures,” Mr. Patel said. On Thursday, State government officials had announced Mr. Modi will be on a two-day visit to Gujarat from March 4. During the visit to his home state, the PM would inaugurate various development projects and also lay the foundation of the temple complex, they had said.

New Jersey/New York About 400 people from different nationalities protested against Pakistan outside the United Nations, New York on March 3 for its cross border terrorism in India and Afghanistan and sponsorship of Global Terrorism. They condemned the dastardly attack on CRPF personnel in Pulwama, Jammu & Kashmir state on Feb 14th, 2019. Forty lives were lost in the cowardly act by Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammad headed by Masood Azhar . People from different nationalities including India, Caribbean countries, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Israel, Balochistan (part of Pakistan) expressed their solidarity to the protest. Richard Benkin, a Jewish American commented, ‘Pakistan long has been a cancer on the international body politic. It was allowed to get away with sponsored attacks on India for decades, but that time has passed. A new and strong Indian resolve defends the nation. We all must stand with India and let Pakistan know that its cowardice and support for terror will go unanswered no longer. While it oppresses its own minorities, it lashes out against other, peace-loving nations. Failure to stop Pakistan now only means greater problems and more deaths later’. A Bangladeshi American from BHBCU (Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian unity Council) commented that half million Bangladeshi women were raped as war booty during Pakistan 1971 war and the world need to understand the scourge of Pakistan establishment. Vincent Bruno, a Hindu American activist said, ‘India has a responsibility to her citizens and the world to end the state bred Islamic terrorism within Pakistani borders. My advice is India take her own in this and not be overly influenced by any foreign power’. Protesters included young and old from across different Organizations in NY/NJ area, raised slogans about all major terrorist

attacks originating from Pakistan such as Mumbai 26/11 attacks, Pulwama and URI attacks, 2001 Indian Parliament attack, 9/11 US attacks, Kabul US Embassy attacks, London bus and subway bombings, Germany embassy attack, extra-judicial killings of activists from Balochistan province of Pakistan perpetrated by those who are nurtured, protected and funded by Pakistani establishment. Slogans and posters threw light on the many terrorist Organizations that grew out of Pakistan soil such as Al-Qaeda, Lakshare-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Haqqani network, Taliban, Laskshar-e-Omar, Sipah-e-Sahaba, JKLF and their associated terrorists such as Osama Bin Laden, Masood Azhar, Rashid Rauf, Hafiz Saeed, Jalaluddin Haqqani. Protestors shed light on the enormous cost to humanity across the world from Pakistan bred terrorism. As per 2015 statistics 47,000 people including security personnel are believed to have lost their lives due to Pakistan supported insurgency in Kashmir, India. Pakistan people are also paying enormous price to the policies of

supporting terrorists by Pakistan establishment. While Indian leaders have reached out to Pakistan for peace many times, Pakistan answered with terror attacks every time. The protestors demanded that UN should make Pakistan accountable for Pulwama, Mumbai and other terror attacks, to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism and ban all terrorist organizations operating from Pakistan’s soil, hand-over Masood Azhar to India to face trial, set free Kulbhushan Jadhav immediately and hand-over international criminal Dawood Ibrahim. Pakistan has been ruled by military dictators over half of its independence. Pakistan army must understand that their actions have serious consequences. Protestors urged UN and the world community to sanction Pakistan’s army generals and ISI leadership, freeze their assets around the world, declare Pakistan as a Global Terrorist State and Masood Azhar as a Global Terrorist. These people must be brought to justice for abetting the terrorist activities around the globe. A memorandum is being mailed to Secretary-General of the United Nations Mr. Antonio Guterres.

Deadbeat NRIs’ passports canceled

There has been an alarming rise in the cases related to ‘NRI marriages’ where the husbands send divorce notices from abroad to their wives in India ostensibly on grounds of incompatibility. The government has cancelled passports of 45 non-resident Indians for abandoning their wives, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi has said. The Integrated Nodal Agency made to look into the matter has been issuing Look-Out Circulars to absconding husbands in cases of NRI marriages and 45 passports have been impounded by the External Affairs Ministry, Ms. Gandhi said. The agency is chaired by secretary in the women and child development ministry, Rakesh Srivastava. Ms. Gandhi said the government has also introduced a Bill in Rajya Sabha to give justice to the women who have been abandoned by their NRI husbands, but expressed dismay that the Bill has got stalled in the upper House. The Bill envisages registration of marriages by non-resident Indians, amendment of the Passports Act, 1967 and Amendment to the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. The Bill is a joint initiative of the External Affairs Ministry, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Law and Justice.

PAGE 20 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019

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