NEW YORK • WASHINGTON D.C. • CHICAGO • ATLANTA • CALIFORNIA VOL 26, No. 1365 December 4, 2020 50¢ Periodical Postage COVID SURGE IN US Experts worry about major surge of Covid-19 after Thanksgiving

Mayors from 8- Bay-area cities celebrate Diwali

Details on page 17 IND-AM Neera Tanden to head China to build a budget office major dam on Details on page 7 Brahmaputra Anand Sharma Details on page 5 hails PM's visit to vaccine hubs AR Rahman becomes BAFTA Details on page 6 ambassador

Details on page 8 CONTENTS

Bollywood ------29 WASHINGTON: Two top American health experts, people have died. Classifieds ------30 also members of the White House Task Force on COVID- "If you look at the second wave, we had less than Community Post ------17-23 19, fear a major surge in the coronavirus pandemic af- 25,000 cases a day, we had way less mortality. We're Edit Page ------32 ter the Thanksgiving festival, which traditionally in- entering this post-Thanksgiving surge with three, Horoscope ------28 This week’s question volves gathering of family and friends over dinner. four and 10 times as much disease across the coun- Immigration Post ------12-13 Life Style ------14-15 Will Biden support India's The number of new COVID-19 cases reported in the try," Dr Deborah Birx, who is coordinator of the UNSC membership? Philosophy/Perspective ------31 US topped 200,000 for the first time on Friday (27 taskforce, told CBS News. Last week’s result Info/Highlights ------4 Nov.), according to data from Johns Hopkins University. "That's what worries us the most. We are deeply Real Estate ------26-27 Will rest of the world support Since January, when the first infections were re- worried about what could happen post-Thanksgiv- TechBiz Post ------10-11 US policy on Tibet? ported in the US, America's total number of cases ing," Birx said. Travel & Hospitality Post ------16 YES 92% NO 8% has surpassed 13 million. More than 265,000 Details on page 5 Wellness Post ------24-25 2 India Post December 4, 2020 www.indiapost.com December 4, 2020 India Post 3 www.indiapost.com 4 India Post December 4, 2020 www.indiapost.com

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SAN FRANCISCO & Nora rides a camel Dating in 2020 SILICON VALLEY Vidya Sethuraman Bureau Chief Nora Fatehi rode a camel for the first Single Indians are now ready to dip Vijay Thapar CPRO & Advertising time in life to celebrate her their toes back into dating in real life as Kiran Pandey Director, WellnessPost Instagram follower count touching India unlocks. However, how does one Vinita Thapar Marketing Deepak Chhabra Promotions 20 million. do that in the midst of the pandemic? Ritu Maheshwari Director Promotions 29 14 Sudesh Kumari Correspondent

LOS ANGELES Mrs Shashi Trivedi Bureau Chief Cover Story: Techbiz:

CHICAGO COVID SURGE IN US Black Friday sale logs $9bn Ramesh Soparawala Resident Editor Two American health experts, also US consumers spent $9 billion online A Q Siddiqui Correspondent members of the White House Task Force during the Black Friday sale, up by 21.6 ST. LOUIS on COVID-19, fear a major surge in the per cent on a year ago. Smartphones Ashwin Patel Correspondent coronavirus after Thanksgiving. 5 alone accounted for $3.6 billion in sales. 10 NEW YORK & NEW JERSEY Pinky Kaur Bureau Chief Srirekha N. Chakravarty Correspondent Nikita Japra Correspondent Community: Travel: Sukhvinder Saini Circulation Mayors celebrate Diwali Phuket BOSTON Gope Gidwani Bureau Chief Indian organizations across the Bay area Golden beaches, numerous offshore celebrate "Community Diwali" in the islands, upbeat markets, a high-octane CANADA presence of mayors and mayor-elects nightlife and thrilling watersports Paras Nehra Correspondent from 8 Bay Area Cities 17 characterize Phuket in a nutshell. 16 NEW DELHI Lakshay Sharma Web Developer

MUMBAI Immigration: Wellness: Nidhi Soparawala Correspondent Frank Fernandes Correspondent US will appeal order 90,000 Americans hospitalized

VADODARA, GUJARAT The U.S. government on Wednesday, 25 Thursday's (26 Nov.) grim milestone Vaidehi Patel Correspondent November, appealed a judge's order comes as the US still accounts for the Priyanka Shah Correspondent barring the expulsions of immigrant world's highest number of Covid-19 PUNJAB children who crossed the border alone. 12 cases and deaths. 24 Raman Nehra Bureau Chief Jaswant Singh Gandam Correspondent INFO-CENTER Business Partner India: CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS PHOENIX DUO MATRIX 1860 Mowry Ave # 200 Fremont, CA 94538 COMMUNICATIONS Tel: 510-396-9140 • Fax: 510-790-2806 • e-mail: [email protected] PRIVATE LIMITED S-1/A, 3rd Floor, Arjun Nagar, E-SUBSCRIPTION& EDITORIAL: Vidya Sethuraman: Tel: 510-491-4867 • e-mail: [email protected] Safdarjung Enclave Extension, ADVERTISEMENT: Naresh Sodhi: Tel: 510-938-8667 • e-mail: [email protected] I Graphics Inquiry: E-mail: [email protected] New Delhi -110029, INDIA T: +91 11 46068685, +91 11 41006051 INDIA CORPORATE OFFICE • E: [email protected] • W: www.phoenixduomatrix.com 230-A, 3rd Floor, Jin Kushal Suri Complex (Opp NDSE Part-II) New Delhi - 110049 • Tel: 11-26257769 • E-mail:[email protected] For advertisement rates call the office nearest to you: India Sales Offices: India Post Copyright©1994 RJ Media Inc, ISSN 1084-3868, is published weekly for SAN FRANCISCO & SILICON VALLEY NEW DELHI PUNJAB $30 for 52 issues yearly by India Post, 1860 1860 Mowry Ave # 200 Fremont, CA 94538 Chandrika Malikarya Amardeep Singh Mowry Ave Ste 200, Fremont, CA 94538- Naresh Sodhi: 510-938-8667 • e-mail: [email protected] Sr. Manager - Sales & Business Development Manager - Business Development 1730. Application to mail at Periodicals M: +91 8373929895 M: +91 8527456807 postage prices is pending at Fremont, Vidya Sethuraman: 510-491-4867 • e-mail: [email protected] E: [email protected] E: [email protected] California and additional mailing offices. LOS ANGELES CHICAGO BANGALORE POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 16224 Alpine Pl. La Mirada, CA 90638 2543 W Devon Ave Chicago IL 60659 Gowtham Sivanandam Advertorials & Event Team India: India Post, 1860 Mowry Ave Ste 200, Tel: 562-441-5511, Tel: 773-973-7394; Fax: 773-973-7396; Sr. Manager Business Development Fremont, CA 94538-1730. [email protected] Email: [email protected] M: +91 9880535664 Deepti Dogra E: [email protected] Assistant Manager DISCLAIMER NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY India Post Editorial and Content Support assumes all advertisers to be Tel: 510-938-8667 • e-mail: [email protected] MUMBAI/AHMEDABAD [email protected] reliable and responsible for all liability M: +91 9560750802 for their claimers For editorial, contact: [email protected] December 4, 2020 Cover/Top Stories India Post 5 www.indiapost.com COVID SURGE IN US Experts worry about major surge of Covid-19 after Thanksgiving

WASHINGTON: Two top American health experts, also members of the White House Task Force on COVID-19, fear a major surge in the coronavirus pandemic after the Thanksgiving festi- val, which traditionally involves gather- ing of family and friends over dinner. The number of new COVID-19 cases reported in the US topped 200,000 for the first time on Friday (27 Nov.), accord- ing to data from Johns Hopkins University. Since January, when the first infec- tions were reported in the US, America's total number of cases has surpassed 13 million. More than 265,000 people have died. "If you look at the second wave, we had less than 25,000 cases a day, we had way less mortality. We're entering this post-Thanksgiving surge with three, four and 10 times as much dis- ease across the country," Dr Deborah Birx, who is coordinator of the taskforce, told CBS News. "That's what worries us the most. We the line we may see a surge upon a deal with, that we likely will have an in- able for the higher-priority people to- are deeply worried about what could surge," he told ABC news. crease in cases as we get into the wards the middle and end of Decem- happen post-Thanksgiving," Birx said. "We don't want to frighten people, colder weeks of the winter and as we ber and as we get into January and Feb- Appearing on another Sunday talk but that's just the reality. We said that approach the Christmas season," Fauci ruary," he said. show, Dr Anthony Fauci, a prominent these things would happen as we got said. "So, everyone is totally empathetic member of the task force and Director into the cold weather and as we began Countries that have mitigated have about the fatigue that everyone is feel- of National Institute of Allergy and In- travelling. And they've happened. It's turned around the surge. States that ing. But if we can hang in there a bit fectious Diseases, too expressed seri- going to happen again, he added. have mitigated have had a turnaround longer and do the fundamental things, ous concerns over the sudden jump in "We have to be careful now because of the inflection of the curve. So it does wearing of masks uniformly, avoiding COVID-19 cases in the US in the coming there almost certainly is going to be an work, he asserted, pleading Americans crowds in congregate settings, keeping days and weeks. uptick because of what has happened to follow the mitigation measures. physical distance, washing your hands - "In the next few weeks, we're going with the travel. We understand the im- "And as we've just heard, help is on they seem simple in the enormity of the to have the same sort of thing, and per- portance of families getting together, the way. Vaccines are really right on the problem that we're facing, but they do haps even two or three weeks down and it's just something that we have to horizon. We'll be having vaccines avail- make a difference," Fauci told ABC news. Birx also pleaded with people to fol- low the mitigation measures and go for China to build a major dam on Brahmaputra river: Official COVID19 testing if they attended a Thanksgiving gathering. BEIJING: China will build a major hy- reported. WeChat account of the Central Com- "If you're young and you gathered dropower project on Brahmaputra Speaking at a conference recently, mittee of the Communist Youth (for Thanksgiving), you need to be river in Tibet and a proposal for this Yan said the project was clearly put for- League of China. tested about 5 to 10 days later, but you has been clearly put forward in the ward in the proposals for formulating "There is no parallel in history it need to assume you're infected and not 14th Five-Year Plan to be imple- the country's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021- will be a historic opportunity for the go near your grandparents and others mented from next year, the official 25) and its long-term goals through Chinese hydropower industry," Yan without a mask," Birx said. media on Sunday (29 Nov.) quoted the 2035 made by the Central Committee told the conference organized to cel- The White House task force has also head of a Chinese company tasked to of the ruling Communist Party of China ebrate the 40th anniversary of the urged mayors and governors to in- build the dam as saying. (CPC), it quoted an article on the founding of the China Society for Hy- crease the availability of testing. Yan Zhiyong, chairman of the Power dropower Engineering. "What we do know works is mask Construction Corp of China, said China The 14th Five-Year Plan (2021- mandates. Starting with mask man- will "implement hydropower exploita- 2025) and National Economic and So- dates, followed by, if you have high case tion in the downstream of the Yarlung cial Development and the Long- numbers one the first things you should Zangbo River (the Tibetan name for Range Objectives Through the Year do is close spaces where people can- Brahmaputra) and the project could 2035 were adopted by Plenum - a not wear masks and we know where serve to maintain water resources and key policy body of the CPC - last that is, that's bars and indoor restau- domestic security, the Global Times month. PTI rants," she said. PTI 6 India Post Top Stories December 4, 2020 www.indiapost.com

Trump suffers another jolt as US Congress leader Anand Sharma hails PM's court rejects Pennsylvania lawsuit visit to vaccine hubs WASHINGTON: In a fresh setback to US President Wisconsin to the Democrats' column. Donald Trump's efforts to reverse the November 3 Biden has 306 electoral votes to Trump's 232 NEW DELHI: A day after Congress' chief spokes- presidential election result in the battleground state votes. To win the race to the White House, the suc- person Randeep Surjewala attacked Prime Minis- of Pennsylvania, a court has dismissed a lawsuit filed cessful candidate should have at least 270 elec- ter Narendra Modi over his visit to vaccine facili- by his team, observing that "voters, not lawyers toral votes out of the 538-member Electoral Col- ties amid farmers' protests, senior leader Anand choose the president." lege. Sharma struck a divergent view the next day and The judgment came four days after Pennsylvania Biden's tally is far more than the 270 needed to hailed the PM's one-day tour, saying it was a rec- certified Trump's Democratic rival Joe Biden as the win the race for the White House, and he also leads ognition of Indian scientists and will lift the mo- winner in the state, which has 20 Electoral College the popular vote by more than six million. rale of frontline COVID warriors. votes. In his Thanksgiving Day remarks, Trump, how- Sharma, who is a party spokesperson and part Trump, a Republican, has re- of the group of 23 Congress leaders who wrote to fused to accept defeat in the No- party chief Sonia Gandhi seeking large scale vember 3 presidential election, changes in the organization, said the prime and told reporters recently it minister's visit was a recognition of Indian scien- would be "hard" to concede to tists and their work to produce vaccines for Biden, a Democrat. COVID-19. The President has said that he "Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visit to Se- would leave the White House if rum Institute, Bharat Biotech and Zydus Cadila was the Electoral College declares a recognition of Indian scientists and their work to Biden as the winner, but made produce the vaccine for COVID-19. That alone will clear he is not prepared to "con- lift morale of frontline warriors and reassure the cede" the election. nation," Sharma said in a tweet. He has launched a slew of law- "Also respecting the institutions that India has suits in key states, but has not built over decades that have expertise and poten- provided any evidence to back tial, making India world's largest vaccine manufac- his claims of electoral fraud. turer. Urging PM to ensure that an efficient and Many of the lawsuits have been equitable platform is functional as the vaccine ar- dismissed by courts. rives," he said. The three-judge panel of the Prime Minister Modi on Saturday (28 Nov.) vis- Donald Trump 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals ited Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Pune to review upheld a previous ruling that dis- the development and manufacturing process of missed the Trump campaign's request for an injunc- ever, said it will be a mistake if the Electoral Col- coronavirus vaccines at facilities in these cities. tion in the case in Pennsylvania to challenge the elec- lege were to elect Biden. tion results and slammed the lawsuit. The president-elect leads by more than 80,000 "Free, fair elections are the lifeblood of our democ- votes in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. racy. Charges of unfairness are serious, but calling an Trump's lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis election unfair does not make it so. Charges require said they will now appeal to the Supreme Court. specific allegations and then proof. We have neither "The activist judicial machinery in Pennsylvania here," Judge Stephanos Bibas said in his order. continues to cover up the allegations of massive "The campaign cannot win this lawsuit," said Bibas, fraud. We are very thankful to have had the oppor- who was appointed by Trump. tunity to present proof and the facts to the PA He authored the order along with two other judges state legislature. On to SCOTUS!" they said. According to the lo- "Free, fair elections are the lifeblood of our democracy. cal Philadelphia In- Anand Sharma quirer, "Bibas pointed Charges of unfairness are serious, but calling an election out that despite the He visited the Zydus Biotech Park in unfair does not make it so. Charges require specific campaign's speculative Ahmedabad, Bharat Biotech in Hyderabad and Se- claims and fiery rheto- rum Institute of India in Pune. allegations and then proof. We have neither here," ric, it never alleged - let Hitting out at Modi, Surjewala accused Modi of getting pictures clicked in corporate offices while Judge Stephanos Bibas said in his order alone offered any evi- dence to suggest - that farmers are protesting on roads of Delhi. any vote had been im- "Wish the PM talks to farmers on the road in- on the bench, Chief Circuit Judge Brooks Smith and properly counted or cast." stead of flying in the aircraft," he had said in a Judge Michael Chagares, who were appointed by "Voters, not lawyers, choose the president. Bal- tweet, after Modi visited a company in former Republican president George W Bush. lots, not briefs, decide elections alchemy cannot Ahmedabad, which is engaged in the COVID-19 Trump has refused to concede the November 3 transmute lead into gold," Bibas wrote in his order. vaccine research. election to Biden and has filed multiple lawsuits The New York Times said many courts have used "Coronavirus vaccine will be found by scientists, challenging the poll results in several states. scathing language in tossing out a relentless bar- farmers will feed the country and Modi ji and BJPites will handle television," Surjewala had said. Former vice president Biden was declared the rage of lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign and Congress leaders have been found airing differ- winner of the US presidential election on Novem- its supporters, but even so, the Third Circuit's ruling ing views on key issues of late. PTI ber 7 after flipping Pennsylvania, Michigan and was particularly blunt. PTI December 4, 2020 Top Stories India Post 7 www.indiapost.com

Biden picks Indian-American Neera Biden-Harris announce Tanden to head powerful budget office all-women White House communications team NEW YORK: Joe Biden, who is to become US Presi- The Indian-American veteran of Democratic elec- dent in January, has picked Indian-American Neera tion campaigns, if confirmed, will oversee the budget WASHINGTON DC: US President-elect Joe Tanden, a controversial close confidante of the process for the entire government on behalf of the Biden has appointed an all-female White House Clintons, to head the powerful White House Office of President and have a wide range of responsibilities communications team, choosing former Barack Management and Budget, according to several media for management of various federal agencies and per- Obama administration's State Department reports. sonnel and for legislative coordination. spokesperson Jen Psaki as his White House She is currently the president of press secretary, Biden-Harris's transition team the Centre for American Progress made the announcement 29 November. think-tank. "I am proud to announce today the first se- Because of her controversial nior White House communications team com- background, there are signs that prised entirely of women. These qualified, ex- she may have difficulty getting perienced communicators bring diverse per- Senate confirmation. spectives to their work and a shared commit- "Neera Tanden, who has (made) ment to building this country back better," an endless stream of disparaging Biden said. "...These communications profes- comments about the Republican sionals express our commitment to building a Senators' whose votes she'll need, White House that reflects the very best of our stands zero chance of being con- nation," said Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. firmed," tweeted a spokesperson Biden's communications team will be led by for Republican Senator John Kate Bedingfield, who will serve as the White Cornyn. Another person close to Senate Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and was his chief of staff, Josh Holmes, indicated that Biden may be putting her up so the Re- publicans can get the satisfaction Neera Tanden of knocking down one of his nomi- But opposition to Tanden was welling up Sunday nees and let others pass. night (29 Nov.) soon after the news of her selection He tweeted: "And there's the sacrifice to the confir- leaked because she is an outspoken critic of Republi- mation gods." cans and is considered a partisan within her Demo- Even if Democrats gain control of the Senate, she cratic Party. may have trouble finding unanimous support of non- Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Republican senators because of her work for Hillary House Communications Director. Bedingfield Clinton's campaigns when she vigorously opposed Huge potential for furthering has served as Deputy Campaign Manager and Senator Bernie Sanders, the socialist contender for the Indo-Dutch economic ties: Communications Director for the Biden-Harris party's presidential nomination. Campaign. India's envoy Venu Rajamony And if Tanden gets the job, she will have to work "I'm unspeakably proud to have the opportu- with Congress to get the budget through. nity to serve as White House Communications THE HAGUE: There is huge potential for furthering She was one of the vehement critics of Trump and Director for @joebiden," Bedingfield tweeted. growth in the Indo-Dutch economic ties, especially in has said his "actions and words are tearing the coun- She has served as Communications Director the key areas of water, agriculture, food processing try apart, and it falls upon every government official of for Vice President Biden and as Associate Com- and healthcare, India's envoy to the Netherlands Venu both parties and every citizen to reject his call". munications Director, Deputy Director of Media Rajamony said on Monday. A Yale law graduate, Tanden had earlier worked for Affairs, and the Director of Response in the Modern flood management principles adopted by former President Bill Clinton's campaign and went on Obama-Biden White House. the Dutch nation are of great value to India besides to work at the White House as an associate director Jen Psaki, who has been chosen for the role the culture of fitness and passion for cycling are worth for domestic policy and as an adviser to Hillary Clinton. of White House Press Secretary, currently over- emulating, he said on the last day of his tenure in this When Hillary Clinton ran successfully for senator, sees the confirmations team for the Biden-Har- country. Tanden was her deputy campaign manager and be- ris Transition. The pandemic has opened everyone's eyes to the came her legislative director after her election. "Honored to work again for Joe Biden, a man need to stay healthy and build immunity. Bicycles are She advised Clinton's presidential campaign and I worked on behalf of during the Obama-Biden cheap, efficient and environment friendly. Electric was tipped for a senior White House job were she to Admin as he helped lead the economic recov- bikes of the kind popular in the Netherlands can trans- win. ery, rebuilt our relationships with partners port people over long distances with little effort. If Tanden worked as a senior adviser to the Health (turns out good practice) and injected empathy manufactured in India in large numbers, prices will and Human Services Department in former President and humanity into nearly every meeting I sat in," also be reasonable, Rajamony told PTI in an interview Barack Obama's administration, helping craft his af- Psaki tweeted. over telephone. fordable healthcare law and program. During the Obama-Biden administration, He said that India has strong economic interests in Some of her personal emails that a hacker got from Psaki held several senior roles, including White the Netherlands in terms of trade and investment. breaking into the emails of John Podesta, a former House Communications Director and State De- In the financial year 2020-2021 (April-June), the counselor to Obama, caused embarrassment for her partment Spokesperson under then-Secretary Netherlands is the second largest investor into India as they revealed her blunt views about some politi- of State John Kerry. ANI at USD 1.085 billion, the senior diplomat said. PTI cians, sometimes with four-letter obscenities. IANS 8 India Post Top Stories December 4, 2020 www.indiapost.com

With no action by Washington, AR Rahman becomes BAFTA Breakthrough states race to offer virus aid India ambassador SANTA FE: Faulting inaction in Washington, gover- we want to do the best with what we have to take nors and state lawmakers are racing to get pandemic care of our own. MUMBAI: Academy Award-winning music com- relief to small-business owners, the unemployed, rent- In New Jersey and Washington states, Republicans poser AR Rahman was announced as the ambas- ers and others whose livelihoods have been upended who are a minority in both legislatures were the ones sador for the British Academy of Film and Televi- by the widening coronavirus outbreak. pushing for special sessions. They want to direct more sion Arts' (BAFTA) 'Breakthrough Initiative'. In some cases, elected officials are spending the last money to struggling small-business owners. The initiative, supported by Netflix, aims to of a federal relief package passed in the spring as an Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin, who control identify, celebrate, and support up to five talents end-of-year deadline approaches and the fall COVID- both houses of the Legislature, are considering working in film, games, or TV in India. 19 surge threatens their economies anew. Democrats whether to return in December to address effects of Rahman said he is thrilled to work with BAFTA have been the most vocal in criticizing President the latest coronavirus wave after Democratic Gov. Tony to discover talent that the country has to offer. Donald Trump and the GOP-controlled Senate for fail- Evers put forward a 500 million COVID-19 relief bill "This is a unique opportunity for promising art- ing to act, but many Republican lawmakers are also earlier this week. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Demo- ists to be supported by a world-renowned orga- sounding the alarm. crat, plans to convene lawmakers in December to con- nization, to not only make connections with other Underscoring the need for urgency, the number of tend with the virus, partially at Republicans' urging. talented creatives across the world but to be new COVID-19 cases reported in the United States Senate Republicans are committed to recovering mentored by BAFTA-winners and nominees. reached 205,557 on Friday (27 Nov.), according to data our economy that has been harmed by broad and pro- from Johns Hopkins University the first time its daily longed shutdowns, Minnesota Senate Majority Leader figure topped the 200,000 mark. Its previous daily Paul Gazelka said in a statement. We will work with high was 196,000 on anyone to find solutions. Underscoring the Nov. 20. State government leaders want Trump and Con- The total number gress to extend the Dec. 30 deadline for spending vi- need for urgency, of cases reported in rus relief money already allocated under the CARES the number of new the U.S., since the Act, which was approved in March, and to provide COVID-19 cases first one in January, more federal funding to deal with the consequences has topped 13 mil- of the latest surge. AP reported in the lion. United States The Democratic reached 205,557 governors of Colo- New York Public rado and New on Friday (27 Nov.), Mexico convened schools to reopen AR Rahman according to data special legislative sessions in the clos- starting December 7 "I am looking forward to seeing the brilliant tal- from Johns ing days of Novem- ent chosen from India to be showcased on a glo- Hopkins University ber to address the bal stage," the 53-year-old composer said in a NEW YORK: Despite the recent surge in COVID-19 virus-related emer- statement. the first time its cases, public schools in New York City (NYC) will re- gency. Earlier this The flagship new talent initiative, applications sume in-person classes starting early December, NYC for which are now open, is part of BAFTA's year- daily figure topped week, the New Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced. round work to support new talent, operating the 200,000 mark Mexico Legislature "NYC Mayor announced @NYCSchools buildings will alongside their awards ceremonies worldwide. passed a bipartisan reopen for 3-K, Pre-K and K-5 students on Monday, According to a press statement, BAFTA Break- relief bill that will deliver a one-time 1,200 check to all December 7. District 75 school buildings will reopen through India will help facilitate the development unemployed workers and give up to 50,000 to certain on Thursday, December 10," the Official New York City of relationships between British talent and India's businesses. government handle tweeted. NYC Mayor said that the homegrown creatives. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the state took ac- Amanda Berry OBE, Chief Executive of BAFTA, tion to help residents who have real issues about public schools in NYC will be reopening in phases be- said Rahman shares the team's passion for identi- keeping food on their table, a roof over their head. ginning with preschool. fying and nurturing new talent and they were While the United States of America is on fire, the "Reopening our @NYCSchools buildings is para- grateful for his support. Trump administration has left states to fight this virus mount to recovering from #COVID19. Today we can "He is well positioned to support the initiative, on their own, she said, noting state efforts alone sim- announce that we plan to reopen buildings for 3-K, with his broad spectrum of work drawing recog- ply are not enough. It is clear no help is coming not Pre-K, and grades K-5 on Monday, December 7. Dis- nition across Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu films, which from this president, not from this administration. As trict 75 schools at all grade levels on Thursday, Decem- will help BAFTA to appeal to a wide section of the we have done every day this year, New Mexico will ber 10," Blasio tweeted. In an earlier tweet, he had said that NYC will con- industry," Berry added. step up. As part of BAFTA Breakthrough India, a jury of tinue to be guided by facts and data in its fight In Colorado, a special session will consider roughly British and Indian industry experts will select five against COVID-19. 300 million in relief to businesses, restaurants and talents from across India to take part in the year- Previously, in-person classes were halted in NYC in bars, child-care providers, landlords, tenants, public long mentoring and guidance program. mid-November when daily positive testing for the schools and others. The participants will receive one-to-one coronavirus crossed critical levels. Even as cases have exploded across the country, mentoring, global networking opportunities, free According to Johns Hopkins University, the US con- Congress and the president have not yet passed access to BAFTA events and screenings for 12 tinues to be the worst affected country by the pan- much-needed relief for people, Colorado Gov. Jared months, and full voting BAFTA membership. PTI Polis said in announcing the session. Here in Colorado, demic with 13,363,182 cases and 266,813 fatalities. ANI December 4, 2020 India Post 9 www.indiapost.com

New York AIRWING TRAVELS INC. New Jersey (Hicksville) (Iselin) Est. 1991 Tel: (516) 931 4600 Toll Free: (866) 532 3413 Tel: (732) 658 5450 Lowest Fares / Confirmed Seats to INDIA & Other Destinations Worldwide Save upto 40% on First and Business Class OPEN 7 DAYS -CCall or Email : [email protected] Tech News SpiceJet seaplane services to restart from Dec 15 Glenmark to divest select Anti-Allergy NEW DELHI: Airline major SpiceJet announced its seaplane op- brands to Dr Reddy's erations will restart from December 15 after they were tempo- TechBiz rarily suspended due to mandatory aircraft maintenance. Last month, the airline company had launched a seaplane ser- MUMBAI: Glenmark Pharma- vice between Ahmedabad (Sabarmati riverfront) and the Statue ceuticals Ltd. announced it has of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat. The flight service is operated by entered into a definitive agree- SpiceJet's fully-owned subsidiary, Spice Shuttle, and a 15-seater ment with Dr. Reddy's Labora- 10 India Post www.indiapost.com December 4, 2020 Twin Otter 300 aircraft has been deployed for these flights. IANS tories Ltd. to divest - subject to completion of certain prece- dent actions and closing activi- ties - its brand Momat Rino (for Black Friday sale logs $9bn in US, Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan), Momat Rino Ad- vance (for Russia), Momat A (for Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan), smartphones bring in $3.6bn Glenspray and Glenspray Ac- tive (for Ukraine), along with SAN FRANCISCO: US con- Earlier, American consum- Statistics provided by ber'," said Adobe Analytics. rights to the trademarks, dos- sumers spent $9 billion online ers' online spending hit a Adobe Analytics showed that The National Retail Federa- siers and patents for the terri- during the Black Friday sale, up record high of $5.1 billion on nearly 50 per cent of the online tion (NRF) said that the US holi- tories mentioned. by 21.6 per cent on a year ago. Thanksgiving Day with a year- spending was on the purchase day sales in the last two The divested brand and its Smartphones alone accounted on-year growth of 21.5 per of smartphones, and retailers months of 2020 would grow extensions represent two for $3.6 billion in sales -- up by cent, according to data by with curbside pickup service 3.6 per cent to 5.2 per cent types of products, (a) 25.3 per cent over the last year Adobe Analytics. had a much higher conversion year--n year, reaching $755.3 Mometasone mono product as people stayed indoors dur- Heavy discounts and ag- rate of traffic to their websites. billion to $766.7 billion. and (b) combination of ing the pandemic. gressive promotions since "This year's Black Friday Meanwhile, the NRF added Mometasone with Azelastine, For Black Friday, Adobe had that the US online sales and and are indicated for the treat- originally forecast sales be- other non-store sales would in- ment of Seasonal and Perennial tween $8.9 billion and $9.6 bil- crease 20 to 30 per cent year- Allergic Rhinitis. "In line with lion, TechCrunch reported late on-year in the range of $202.5 our strategy to launch Ryaltris, on Saturday 28 November. billion to $218.4 billion in No- our global anti-allergy brand, The $9 billion Black Friday vember and December, which in the markets of Russia and sale figure makes the event is higher than $189.1 billion other CIS countries, we de- cided to divest the Momat Rino the second-largest online projected by Adobe Analytics. brand and its extension. As we spending day in the US history Black Friday, one of the most await approval to launch (after 2019's Cyber Monday). anticipated days by consum- Ryaltris in the Russian market, According to Adobe ana- ers, shifted its consumption we look forward to strength- lysts, "Cyber Monday is likely patterns due to the Covid-19 ening our respiratory franchise to continue to be the biggest early November succeeded in won't have as much 'door- pandemic this year. in the Russia/CIS region. We re- of them all, expected to bring making consumers loosen busting' as usual. Retailers are More shoppers have opted main committed to the respi- in between $11.2 billion and their wallet strings earlier, said pushing deals up and promis- for online sales, and in-store ratory space globally." ANI/ $13 billion in e-commerce Taylor Schreiner, director with ing Black Friday deals to last for shoppers tend to buy things PRNewswire transactions". Adobe Digital Insights. 'all of November and Decem- much faster than before. IANS Global coalition to #MakeAmazonPay

NEW DELHI: Jeff Bezos's #MakeAmazonPay". mortar stores, online sales are greatly: Amazon's chief execu- "The result: claims that company has made vast Casper Gelderblom is coor- expected to soar. One merchant, tive, Jeff Bezos, the world's rich- workers have been forced to profits, but at a huge cost to dinator at the Progressive In- in particular, stands to profit est man, at the helm of one of urinate in bottles for lack of workers and the planet, says ternational and the world's most powerful com- adequate break-time (Ama- Casper Gelderblom. a PhD re- panies zon has disputed such In an article in The Guard- searcher at the "While Bezos's wealth has claims), thousands of Covid ian, he writes, "But this year's European Uni- risen by more than $ 70 billion infections and claims of inad- Black Friday not only pre- versity Insti- (£52bn) since the onset of the equate worker protection", sents an opportunity for tute. pandemic, Amazon workers he said. Bezos to make extraordinary He wrote, have put their health at risk "This Black Friday marks a pandemic profits. It also "Black Friday is daily with only marginal in- turning point. Linking the marks the arrival of a new here once again, creases in pay", he said. struggles of trade unionists, global movement linking and bargains The corporation is said to environmentalists and pro- warehouse workers, environ- abound. With monitor its warehouse work- gressive public advocates, a mental activists and advo- widespread ers, sanctions them whenever planetary coalition is assert- cates for racial, tax, and data lockdowns pre- their productivity drops and ing itself with a set of Com- justice around the world in a venting crowds has spied on their efforts to or- mon Demands and a global common mission to at brick-and- Jeff Bezos ganize, he wrote. day of action. IANS December 4, 2020 TechBiz Post India Post 11 www.indiapost.com Sweden acknowledges India's Tech Briefs role as 'pharmacy of world' Google rolling out new feature called 'Chrome Actions' NEW DELHI: Acknowledging rorism even as he noted the Molin says that overall bilat- India's role as the "pharmacy to growing Indian role in the Indo- eral ties between India and WASHINGTON: Tech giant initiate some actions. Like the world", leading European Pacific region. Sweden have been excellent Google is gradually rolling out other non-search results, nation Sweden said it is focus- On the long-pending free- and that both sides are looking a new feature to Google these actions are presented ing on expanding bilateral co- trade agreement between In- at broader cooperation in Chrome 87 that allows the in the suggestion list that operation in the areas of health dia and the European Union, eight key areas including inno- user to type commands in the user has to either click or if it vation, trade and investments, address bar that performs is currently selected already, health and defense. specific browser actions. hit Enter to take effect. "The pandemic has focused According to Mashable, Techdows lists some of our thinking, and our coopera- this new feature is called those actions that are al- tion in health and in life sci- 'Chrome Actions' and allows ready known including: de- ences has increased. the user to type in a com- lete history, update browser, "India is the pharmacy to the mand, causing an action to launch incognito mode, up- world and some of our compa- be displayed in the address date credit card info, edit nies, some already established bar search results. here, some venturing here now, When the user se- are looking for new matchups," lects that action, it the ambassador said. will be executed in "AstraZeneca is a well- the browser. The new known example, currently in option can help user phase three trials for a COVID- directly search in and life sciences in view of the the envoy said there is still vaccine, but also researching Google or the engine coronavirus pandemic. some work to be done in cali- and developing in India in of choice and even Swedish Ambassador Klas brating expectations and other areas," he said. present calculations and unit passwords, and translate Molin also said Sweden and In- scope on both sides, noting India has supplied medi- conversions even before this. dia stand "firmly and unequivo- that it will be mutually benefi- cines and other medical assis- pressing 'Enter'. Its next trick Depending on one's typ- cally" in the fight against ter- cial for both sides. tance to over 150 countries in might appeal to a certain ing skills, these commands the last few months to help class of users who are more might be faster than digging them deal with the used to entering commands through menus or click on Demand for holiday homes gains coronavirus pandemic at a in a terminal or envision things. They are not also en- time when the country itself themselves giving orders to abled by default and the traction amid pandemic was reeling under its impact. the browser through typed user will at least have to dig India's medical assistance commands. through chrome://flags to NEW DELHI: As the pan- working from home, geogra- has drawn recognition from As reported by Mashable, turn them on. demic has significantly im- phy is no longer a constraint," several countries as well as the new feature called As the site points out, this pacted operations of busi- he said. multilateral fora. 'Chrome Actions' will let the is not a Google innovation and nesses and people's working He also noted that from As the world anxiously waits user type in some keywords other browsers have had a model, housing preferences the investment perspective, for a COVID-19 vaccine, British- and phrases, which can take similar feature even before also have changed and the second homes in non-metro Sweden pharmaceutical com- the form of commands, to Chrome Actions arrived. ANI demand for holiday homes or cities are a relatively safe in- pany AstraZeneca Plc. and the second vestment op- University of Oxford are holding homes has in- tion with trials of a vaccine candidate. creased in the higher capi- Google Pay's old application, website to lose In India, AstraZeneca is past few tal apprecia- partnering with the Serum In- payment features in America in January months. tion com- stitute of India (SII) for the po- According pared to WASHINGTON: Google Google support document tential vaccine. to Aditya homes in has said its payments appli- quoted by The Verge, the To a question on security is- Kushwaha, metros, espe- cation Google Pay's iOS, and old apps will not be able to sues, Molin said that India and CEO & Direc- cially during Android applications along send or receive payments or Sweden stand together firmly tor Axis COVID-19, with its withdraw and unequivocally in the fight Ecorp, the need for a perfect when alternative options website ver- money soon. against terrorism. balance between work and such as mutual funds, shares sion are set to Alterna- He also noted "India is tak- personal life has fuelled the have seen diminishing re- lose their tively, a notice ing on a growing role in the concept of a weekend retreat turns. payment fea- on the Indo-Pacific and is deepening in a holiday home. These properties can be tures in website of the its cooperation with other "Due to the COVID-19 pan- rented out to home-stays and America. payments ser- countries, both regional and demic, the concept of a holi- tourism businesses, a boom- According vice also said from outside, in order to pro- day home or a second home ing market promising an as- to the Verge, applications that it will also lose the fea- tect its interests and guaran- has gained widespread ac- sured and stable source of in- will only work till December ture of sending and receiv- tee free navigation of and safe ceptance. With most of the come to investors, Kushwaha and will lose their features in ing peer-to-peer payments. maritime passage in interna- corporate professionals said. IANS January in America. As per a ANI tional waters". PTI In Brief The Justice Department filed a UAE stops visas to notice of appeal Pak on security concerns Immigration Wednesday night to the U.S. Court of NEW DELHI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has stopped is- Appeals for the District suing new visas to citizens of of Columbia Circuit 13 mostly Muslim-majority 12 India Post www.indiapost.com December 4, 2020 countries, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Syria and Somalia, among others. An immigration document US will appeal order barring expulsions said that applications for new employment and visit visas have been suspended until fur- of migrant children ther notice for nationals out- Credit: AFP via Getty Images side the UAE from countries in- HOUSTON: The U.S. govern- cluding Afghanistan, Libya and ment on Wednesday, 25 No- Yemen. vember, appealed a judge's or- The visa ban also applies to der barring the expulsions of citizens of Algeria, Kenya, Iraq, immigrant children who Lebanon, Pakistan and Tunisia, crossed the border alone, a the document said. It is not policy enacted during the clear if there are any excep- coronavirus pandemic to deny tions to the ban, Al Jazeera re- the children asylum protec- ported. tions. The report said that a source Judge Emmet Sullivan is- briefed on the matter said the sued a preliminary injunction UAE has temporarily stopped on Nov. 18 sought by advo- issuing new visas to Afghans, cates for immigrants that Pakistanis, and citizens of sev- barred expulsions of unaccom- eral other countries over secu- panied children under public rity concerns. health laws. The source did not say what The Justice Department those concerns are but said filed a notice of appeal the visa ban is expected to last Wednesday night to the U.S. for a short period. Court of Appeals for the Dis- Last week, Pakistan's foreign trict of Columbia Circuit. It also ministry had said that the UAE asked Sullivan to issue a stay of the injunction pending appeal, had stopped processing new border communities and the cited the spread of the virus in move forward anyway. a request he previously de- visas for its citizens and those country at large. border communities in Arizona Immigration advocates who nied. from some other countries. Sullivan's order only covered and Texas. It warned that sought the injunction say the Since March, border agents Islamabad said it is seeking children who cross the border Sullivan's order ``likely will government has the ability to have expelled 200,000 immi- information from the UAE on without a parent and not have an irreversible impact on protect children and border grant adults and children cit- the reason for the suspension adults or parents and children. public health'' by straining agents simultaneously. They ar- ing the pandemic and a need but that it thought it is re- At least 8,800 unaccompanied hospital capacity and forcing gue the Trump administration to prevent the spread of the lated to the coronavirus pan- children have been expelled the government to move "po- is using the pandemic as a pre- virus, even though COVID-19 is demic. IANS without having a chance to tentially infected" children and text to crack down on immi- spreading broadly through seek asylum protections or speak to a lawyer. Most people Since March, border agents have expelled have been expelled within 200,000 immigrant adults and children citing the PRADEEP ROY-SINGH hours or days, though the pandemic and a need to prevent the spread of the Trump administration de- B.A. LL.B. M.B.A. J.D. tained hundreds of children virus, even though COVID-19 is spreading broadly Attorney-at-Law for weeks in hotels near the through border communities Former Assistant State’s Attorney U.S.-Mexico border for days or weeks at a time until another teenagers through airports. grants. 1 Civil & Criminal Litigation judge barred that practice. The Associated Press re- "There is no basis for allow- 1 Felonies, Misdemeanors, Inc DUI President-elect Joe Biden ported on Oct. 3 that top offi- ing this cruel, unprecedented 1 Personal Injury, Business, Divorce etc. has said he will reverse several cials at the Centers for Disease policy to take effect, given the 1 Property Tax for Commercial Properties of President Donald Trump's im- Control and Prevention re- harm that these young chil- migration programs when he sisted issuing an emergency dren would face if sent back http://www.proy-singh.com takes office in January. Biden declaration allowing immi- and the readily available ways has not stated whether he will grant expulsions because it of safely housing the children," 2335 W. Devon Ave., Suite 204, stop expulsions of immigrants. lacked a public health basis, said Lee Gelernt, a lawyer for Chicago, IL 60659 Tel: 773-381-1820 In its filing Wednesday but that Vice President Mike the American Civil Liberties night, the Justice Department Pence ordered the agency to Union, in an email. AP December 4, 2020 Immigration Post India Post 13 www.indiapost.com Mobile fingerprinting a core Bangladeshi man arrested for plotting tool in US deportations attacks against Hindus

BOSTON: A mobile fingerprinting app US immigra- public's view," she said. "And in those places, abuse is SINGAPORE: A Bangladeshi man, who was plot- tion agents use to run remote ID checks in the field most likely to occur. ting attacks against Hindus in his own country and has become a core tool in President Donald Trump's ICE spokesman Mike Alvarez rejected those allega- planning to fight in Kashmir, has been arrested by deportation crackdown, a pair of immigration rights tions. He said field use of the mobile app, which is Singapore's security agencies which investigated groups say in a new report based on a Freedom of paired with Bluetooth-enabled fingerprint readers, the suspicious activities of 37 people as part of the Information Act lawsuit. does not replace detention booking at a local office. heightened security measures in the city-state fol- The 2,500 pages of documents obtained through There is no way to know whether its use increases col- lowing recent terror strikes in Europe, the govern- the 2017 lawsuit show that the app, known as EDDIE, lateral arrests, he said, because the agency doesn't ment reported. has helped Immigration and Customs Enforcement collect such data. In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs said agents ramp up deportations of migrants not inten- The app allows field agents to remotely check fin- that counter-terrorism investigations into the sus- gerprints they collect against those picious activities of 37 people in Singapore have registered in DHS and FBI databases. been carried out after most of them posted on so- Courts have questioned federal data- cial media, inciting violence or stoking community bases' reliability when used as the sole unrest in the aftermath of the terror attacks in basis for detention decisions. France. Under extraordinary pandemic-re- Of the 37 people, 14 are Singaporeans and 23 lated powers beginning in March, Bor- foreigners, mostly Bangladeshis, it said. der Patrol agents have used mobile fin- "The 14 Singaporeans comprise 10 males and gerprinting devices to assist in imme- four females, and are aged between 19 and 62 years old. Most of them had, in response to the re- diate expulsions to Mexico without giv- cent terror attacks in France, made social media ing migrants a chance to seek asylum. postings which incited violence or stoked commu- The FOIA lawsuit was brought by the nal unrest," the ministry said. National Immigration Project of the Na- As for the 23 foreigners, 16 of them, including tional Lawyers Guild and Mijente, who 15 Bangladeshis and one Malaysian have been re- say the collection and sharing of bio- patriated, it said. metric data by DHS leaves non-citizens Seven foreigners are still under investigation, it vulnerable to both civil rights and data added. One Bangladeshi man under investigation privacy abuses. identified as 26-year-old Ahmed Faysal - has been tionally targeted for removal, the report states. The EDDIE app accesses a person's immigration his- arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) fol- Such people are often detained as collaterals tory, any outstanding arrest warrants and previous en- lowing investigations into "terrorism-related ac- picked up in operations aimed at others, the activists counters with US law or immigration officers. It col- tivities", the ministry said. have said in a recent report. They say that field use of lects location data and time stamps and has been He even bought foldable knives, which he the app exacerbates racial profiling in immigrant com- used in all US immigration field offices as well as claimed he would use for attacks against Hindus in munities. abroad, the documents show. Bangladesh, it said, adding that he was also willing For instance, an internal agency newsletter re- Becca O'Neill, a Charlotte, N.C., immigration lawyer, to travel to Kashmir to fight against "perceived leased with the documents described immigration said ICE agents routinely use the app when pulling enemies of Islam". agents using the app during traffic stops in collabora- over vehicles linked to deportation orders, trying to Preliminary investigations by the Internal Secu- tion with local police in Escondido, California, in 2017. fingerprint everyone inside. Agents do the same at rity Department (ISD) showed that Faysal was That report credited the operation with 333 illegal targeted homes, she said. radicalized and harbored the intention to "under- alien arrests in a 12-month period, although it pro- O'Neill tells migrants they have a constitutional take armed violence in support of his religion", the vided scant additional context. right not to submit to mobile fingerprinting. Alvarez, Channel News Asia reported, citing the statement Used routinely by US immigration and border the ICE spokesman, said it is voluntary. But activists say issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). agents, mobile fingerprinting figures in a biometric immigration agents' behavior often contradicts that Faysal had been working as a construction data collection scheme the Trump administration is claim. Immigration officers cannot force their way into worker in Singapore since early 2017, and became seeking to broadly expand in its final weeks. homes without a court-issued warrant, so they often radicalized in 2018 after "imbibing online propa- A regulation pro- use such deceptive ganda on ISIS", the statement said. He was arrested posed by the De- tactics as identifying Used routinely by US immigration and border on November 2. partment of Home- themselves only as agents, mobile fingerprinting figures in a biometric "He was attracted to ISIS' goal of establishing an land Security on police, immigration Islamic caliphate in Syria and wanted to travel Sept. 11 would for- data collection scheme the Trump administration activists say. there to fight alongside ISIS against the Syrian gov- malize the collection is seeking to broadly expand in its final weeks Such behavior can ernment. He believed that he would be a martyr if of face, iris and palm be seen in the Netflix he died while doing so," it said. prints of non-citi- documentary mini- In mid-2019, Faysal shifted his allegiance to zens, as well as their DNA, in addition to the finger- series Immigration Nation, where EDDIE is seen being Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), another militant group print data now collected. used on "collaterals. fighting to establish an Islamic caliphate in Syria. EDDIE is a way to bypass oversight and accountabil- In its platform, the campaign of President-elect Joe "He donated funds to a Syria-based organiza- ity, said Paromita Shah of the non-profit Just Futures Biden vowed to undo the damage of Trump's anti-im- tion on the understanding that his donations Law, which produced the report with the immigrant migration policies but did not address data-collection would benefit the HTS' cause in Syria," the min- rights group Mijente. It allows agents to do the book- issues. Biden's transition team did not reply to re- istry said. PTI ing, to do the interrogations out of sight, out of the quests for comment. AP 14 India Post www.indiapost.com December 4, 2020

SIDDHI JAIN ingle Indians are now ready to dip their toes Understanding each other's lifestyle is crucial Don't forget to ask them what they are comfortable back into dating in real life (IRL) as India un No matter how attracted you are to a person, it's with as well. locks. However, how does one do that in the essential to understand whether their everyday hab- Smidst of this ongoing pandemic? The pan- its align with yours, especially during a pandemic. Ask- Protocols for IRL dates demic has changed how we communicate with each ing questions like - do you have a social bubble? Do Your health and safety matters but so do the rela- other but what hasn't changed is the need for making you go to work? Do you attend large gatherings? Are tionships you make. So, how do you make this work? meaningful connections. you ready or feel comfortable to meet in person? - Discussing protocols that are mutually agreed upon Bumble's new study has found that one in two help you understand whether you would even be in- prior to the date is a must! During these testing times, people claim they are ready to go on an in-person terested in forming a connection with them. If you're there are a lot of do's and don'ts that one must keep in date. As India unlocks, Shahzeen Shivdasani, Bumble seeking to find a new connection on a dating app, mind. It's important to establish mutual boundaries so India's relationship expert and the author of 'Love, Lust Bumble's recently-launched badges are a great way both sides feel comfortable on a date. The best way to and Lemons', shares a handy guide and tips to help to communicate how you would like to date during ensure this is by addressing questions like how many you navigate the new rules of dating in 2020. this pandemic - you can opt to show your potential people you both have interacted with, whether they matches your dating preferences such as virtual, so- should get tested, or where they'd be most comfort- Virtual dating is the way to go! cially-distanced, or socially distanced with a mask . able meeting. Even staying in a two-week quarantine Meeting people at bars, going out with your before the date could be an option to consider. friends, or even bumping into old acquaintances, now Setting a timeline to meet seems like a way of the past. Since finding love is as Once you have found someone that you are inter- Outdoor and ready for distance-dating! important as ever during such tough times, virtual ested in getting to know First dates can be nerve-wracking for a lot of dating is the way to go! It is through this realm that more, most people. And now, we have to do it with special gear people seem more at ease with getting to know new people are left on! However, regardless of the dilemma you might people. wondering, "If I only face with this required accessory, your safety comes Virtual dating allows you to set the bound- get to know them virtu- first and wearing your aries and decide when you're ready to ally, will this fizzle out"? Discuss- mask is a must! So- take the next step to meet. You can ing a timeline for when you are willing cially distance plan your next virtual date on to meet is key. Virtual dating during the pan- when you meet in- Bumble, the social network- demic has given us a chance to not rush the dat- person. ing app where women ing process by getting to know people on an emo- Life's short, make the first move, using tional level before getting to know them on a physical make the first the apps Video Call and one. This change in the dating sphere has allowed move! IANSlife Voice Chat features more meaningful connections to blossom. Let your without sharing any crush know how long you would like to get to know For detailed story visit personal information! them online before discussing a meeting in-person. www.indiapost.com December 4, 2020 India Post 15

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son because you get all of the Experience the Californian sightseeing of summer plus spectacu- lar fall colors and fewer visitors. From Hiking, Kayaking and Paddle Boating to Skiing and Snowshoeing you're guaran- outdoors in Mammoth Lakes teed to have an adventure packed va- cation. There's nothing quite like camp- ing in this mountain town. The Mam- moth Lakes area is home to more than 800 campsites, many of them located near alpine lakes and in forested streamside settings. Scenic views - Hiking and Backpacking Hiking in the Eastern Sierra is spec- tacular year-round. In spring, the sharp and craggy granite peaks of the Sierra Nevada Range from a dramatic back- drop for meadows brightly colored by wildflowers. In the summer, you'll never tire of finding secret alpine lakes, lush aspen-lined streams and forested hide- aways tucked away in the mountains. In fall, early snow in the high-country con- trasts beautifully with the vibrant golds and oranges of aspens and willows alight with their display of autumn col- ors. There are plenty of short, easy and family-friendly hikes. For more ambi- tious hikers and backpackers, check out trails from Mammoth Lakes link to the Pacific Crest Trail and the John Muir Trail.

Experience Water Adventure Whether you're paddling a kayak or stand-up paddle board, or motoring a SIDDHI JAIN Mammoth Lakes delivers excitement Adventure is available year-round in pontoon boat or small fishing boat, get- for everybody. In fact, this small moun- Mammoth Lakes. Outdoor adventure ting out on the water offers a unique NEW DELHI: Call it a safety precaution tain city has no shortage of water ad- activities are a great way to enjoy a perspective and is an excellent way to or your chance to finally have some "me ventures. The clear and pristine lakes quiet moment in nature as a solo travel- observe waterfowl, fish, and other wild- time" in the pan- ler. During winter you can ski and life. The scenery is incomparable, with demic, solo During winter snowboard Mammoth Mountain or take sweeping views of the surrounding travel is unques- off into the wilderness on your cross- you can ski and mountains and distinctive geological tionably one country skis. When spring hits, you can features. Delight in the sight of Carson thing that is snowboard ski and also celebrate the fishing Peak from June Lake, or Mammoth bound to appeal opener on the same day. The summer Mammoth Mountain from Lake Mary. See how to young travel- melts away the snow, opening roads to many of the 300 species of birds that lers, especially Mountain or take Devil's Postpile National Monument, frequent Mono Lake you can spot. Many women. Owing 101-foot Rainbow Falls and the gateway off into the visitors have even been thrilled to spot to various out- to Yosemite National Park. eagles and black bears during their door activities, wilderness on your Some claim autumn is the best sea- boating adventures. IANSlife Mammoth Lakes cross-country skis. in California is one location that When spring hits, naturally lends it- you can ski and also self to social dis- tancing. celebrate the fish- From superb ing opener on the views on hiking trails to thrilling same day rides at the num- ber one bike park within the USA, sum- are perfect for dipping your toes or mer time is jam-packed with outdoor catching a trophy trout, beckon. activities. Whether you're exploring the geographic area on horseback or sam- What to do once you get here? pling exquisite cuisines at a festival, Year-Round Adventures 16 India Post www.indiapost.com December 4, 2020

he largest Island in all of eccentric tastes. ber to February. Activities like Thaeo National Park. This is also Thailand, Phuket has ev- Patong beach, snorkeling and scuba diving true down south at beaches Terything Thailand has to on the other can be done at popular and like Rawai beach and even on offer. Serviced by the Phuket hand, caters to all scenic locations such as Phi Phi the west such as Karon beach International Airport, the island those who like it Islands and Similan Islands, that are generally less sees no dearth of travellers dur- cheap, loud and crazy, which make for day-trips by crowded and offer a more se- ing any time of the year. Golden even after the sun sets. speedboat. Further up north, a rene experience. beaches, numerous offshore is- Bangla road with its numerous more quiet and rustic experi- Hidden in plain sight is also lands, upbeat markets, a high- bars, ping-pong shows and shows or even at the ever-popu- ence can be had while visiting an immersive experience of octane nightlife and thrilling street food vendors comes lar street markets. The Phuket the Elephant Thai culture. Phuket Town watersports characterize alive, as the night grows older. Walking Street or Phuket Week- Sanctuaries heavily retains its Chinese influ- Phuket in a nutshell. Beaches Those who shy away from dizzy end markets are places where and national ence and Sino-Portuguese his- like Surin and Kata cater to fami- bright lights and alcohol will one can spend hours sifting parks such tory via its cuisine, cooking lies and those individuals with find themselves at the Cabaret through various clothes, souve- as Sirinat Na- styles, architecture and histori- nirs and novelty items. tional cal museums and buildings. Aside from all the glitz and Park Chalong Wat, a Buddhist swankiness, Phuket offers many and temple and Jui Tui Shrine, an traditional activities and expe- Khao important Chinese place of riences too. Enjoying tropical Phra worship, stand as embodi- weather all year round, the wa- ments of how various religions ters of Phuket come to life, and cultures coexist. brimming with marine habi- www.holidify.com tants in the months of Novem- For detailed story visit www.indiapost.com Desi News Remembering victims of 26/11 terror COMMUNITY attacks in Mumbai MADHU PATEL CHICAGO: Several Ameri- ACROSS AMERICA cans and Indian Americans got to gather in Schaumberg's Volkensin Lake area which is December 4, 2020 www.indiapost.com India Post 17 Livermore Mayor Bob Woerner Proclamation near Police station to pay trib- ute to the 166 victims of 26/11 terrorist attack carried out by terrorists elements in Pakistan Mayors from 8-Bay-area cities come together to celebrate Diwali event India Post News Service and Jewish communities, cated volunteers. tioned the spiritual aspect of ith a noble intent of serv- among others. A unique program "Sewa the festival and per Hindu phi- Wing humanity beyond Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh Diwali" caught the attention of losophy the assertion that there identities and to address the who had organized the Diwali all attendees. Under the banner is something beyond the physi- problem of Hunger, many or- event, provided an update re- of "Sewa Diwali" (where Sewa cal body & mind which is purer, ganizations came together on infinite & eternal aatma. Diwali the occasion of Diwali. Mayors, is an event to light the inner Indians and Americans gather to Mayor-elects from 8 cities light of our mind. All other may- condemn terror attack in Mumbai on across the bay area attended ors in their remarks echoed Nov. 26 a few years ago this special function. similar sentiments. a few years ago in Mumbai. On November 22, several In- Esteemed guest - Dr T.V The gathering condemned dian organizations across the Nagendra Prasad (Hon. Consul Pakistan and worldwide terror- Bay area came together to cel- General of India - San Francisco) ism going on in the name of ebrate the "Community Diwali" shared his thoughts regarding religions. Chanted "Terrorist event. The event saw the pres- Diwali & importance of helping Pakistan" and "Shame on Paki- ence of mayors and mayor- the local community. Other no- stan" slogans. Chilly cold 39 F/ elects from across Eight Bay table attendees included 4 C weather could not deter Area Cities (Bob Woemer - Mr.Sarvajna Dwivedi, President, them nor dampen their spirit. Livermore, Sanjay Gehani - Fos- CEO and Co-Founder of The restrictions on large gath- Recent photo of Sewa Diwali food drive - donating ~ 1000+ lbs. of food to ter City, Lily Mei-Fremont, Alan West Valley, Community Services AngioSafe Inc. and Mr. Ved ering in Illinois induced L Nagy - Newark, Barbara Nanda, Distinguished Univer- limitedattendance as other- Halliday- Hayward, Melissa garding its volunteering efforts translates to selfless-service) sity Professor of Law at the Uni- wise there could be many for COVID-19 service (in part- hundreds of organizations and versity of Denver and President more, including Americans Hernandez- Dublin, Dave nership with Sewa Interna- volunteers came together to of HSS America Zone. who would like to come and Hudson- San Ramon, and Karla condemn terror attacks in any Brown- Pleasanton) and repre- tional) which includes serving address the need of Hunger, All of the notable attendees part of the world. sentatives from local school dis- 4000+ families in the Bay area both nationally and locally. provided short speeches tricts, Indian community organi- by distributing 5000 masks Across the Bay Area over (Pleasanton Mayor Karla Brown zations (RANA,HAF,MMBA etc.), with the help of 150+ dedi- twenty cities and fifteen part- had sent a recorded message), ner organizations have partici- conveying their thoughts about pated in the Sewa Diwali initia- the celebration of Diwali and tive and till date collected over the Hindu values and principles 7000+ pounds of food. This ef- that underscored the impor- fort is ongoing for the next tance of serving and collaborat- couple of weeks. ing with local communities. The Livermore Mayor, Mr. Bob event also showcased various Across the Bay Area over twenty cities and fifteen partner organizations have participated in the Sewa Diwali initiative and till date collected over 7000+ pounds of food

Woemer told the gathering Indian cultural performances of that he is happy to be part of dance and music. the celebration and Livermore Diwali is a festival of lights appreciates the Indian commu- and one of the major festivals nity for their service efforts. He celebrated by Hindus, Jains and also presented to HSS a Diwali Sikhs. The festivalusually lasts proclamation on behalf of five days and is celebrated dur- From (L to R): Dave Hudson (San Ramon Mayor), Diane Fisher (Jewish Community), Karla Brown (Pleasanton mayor), Livermore City. Foster City Vice ing the Hindu lunar month Lily Mei (Fremont Mayor), Barbara Halliday (Hayward mayor) & Dr T.V Nagendra Prasad, Consul General of India) Mayor Sanjay Gehani men- Kartika. 18 India Post Community Across America December 4, 2020 www.indiapost.com Seniors celebrate virtual Diwali, New Year and Annakut JAYANTI OZA CHICAGO: United Senior Pariwar, Chi- cago, virtually, Celebrated Diwali, NutanVarshbhinandan, Bhai Bij and Annakut festivals 21-22 November with close to 200 participants, including community leaders, representatives from other organizations like; Indian Se- niors of Chicago, Bhartiya Seniors of Chi- cago, Silver Seniors Group, Dr. Bharat Barai and Consul Pramod Kumar Mishra, joining the event Ramesh Chokshi, Secretary, wel- comed all members, Consul, Shri Pramod Kumar Mishra, Dr. Bharat Barai and all invited Guests of Honor, offering his good wishes to everybody for Diwali and New Vikram Sawant 2077. President Ramanbhai Patel also wel- comed the Chief Guest, Invited Guests United Senior Pariwar celebrating Festivals of Diwali and Annakut of honor namely, Hirabhai Patel, Shirish Patel, Anil Shah, Om Prakash Kamaria, The Diwali and Govardhan Puja were, He talked about Covid-19 and explained Chirag Shah and Mrs. Chintanben virtually performed by Secretary, important precautionary measures. He Mehta extending his good wishes to all Ramesh Chokshi and his wife Mrs. also urged to face and bear with this members and volunteers. Jyotsna Chokshi in their house. The Puja pandemic. He thinks the vaccine for this President, Shri Ramanbhai Patel an- was also virtually guided by our Acharya pandemic will become availableby mid- nounced, "Executive Committee mem- Rohit Joshi Ji. Everybody was impressed Decemberurging everyone to use Mask, bers and the Board of Trustees of the chanting of mantras and guidance Sanitizer, Social Distancing of 6 feet until United Senior Pariwar have provided by our Acharya Joshi Ji. Vaccine availability. electedRohitbhai Joshi as a Vice Presi- SecretaryChokshi introduced Consul The musical evening had well known dent of USP. This post was vacant due to Pamod Kumar Mishra Ji and dwelt singers Jitendra Bulsara, Smt. Rama death of past VP Chhitubhai Patel." briefly on a journey of Mishra's Raghuraman, and Mihirbhai Acharya. Shree PradumanPathak, one of the assignmentsfor the Government of In- Some of our members like, AshokPotdar, members, philosophically and histori- dia, Ministry of External Affairs.Mishra Mrs. Bhadrda Shah and Mrs. Ranjan Dave cally related stories touting upon the addressed the gathering and offered also joined with these professional sing- festivals of Diwali and Annakutand Consul P K Mishra his best wishes to United Senior Pariwar ers. Every one enjoyed this fantastic per- Govardhan puja festivals and all. formances up to 11 PM.Kanubhai Patel, Joint Secretary, gave a vote of thanks to The musical evening had all singers, Members and invited Guests. well known singers Jitendra Bulsara, Smt. Rama Raghuraman, and Mihirbhai Acharya

He also talked about the significance of these festivals, Diwali, and Annakut. He assured that the office of Consulate General of India, Chicago, is always ready to help community whenever they need. He also recognized the par- ticipations of United Senior Pariwar or- ganization in many events organized by the C. G. office. Shree Kiritbhai Pandya, Treasurer, in- troduce Dr. Bharat Barai (Board of Trustee) who in his speech greeted ev- Dr Bharat Barai Newly Elect Vice President Rohit Joshi ery one for Diwali and coming New Year. December 4, 2020 Community Across America India Post 19 www.indiapost.com Teens gather to Create Mural of Cans Themed "COVID-19" ASHWIN PATEL

CANstruction: to Spread awareness overCovid-19

ST. LOUIS: The St Louis Teens demic time. Approximately community. The purpose of this to create interdependent re- Louis is a cultural school de- from the organizations Gujarati 2,000+ cans make up this project was to allow our youth lationships among diverse signed to promote, instill, and Samaj of St Louis and BalVihar CANstruction structure that to help those in need in the St. cultural backgrounds and to foster Indian culture in chil- came together as one team to took approximately six hours Louis community and to teach become a resource for educa- dren ages 5 and above. Bal build a mural made of canned to build and was on display the value of community service tional, social, and other need Vihar encourages the youth goods called "CANstruction: available to view by appoint- and to create a sense of one- and through joint efforts cre- group (ages 13 an above) to Covid-19."The pandemic ment at GSSTL Center in the ness. ate networking opportunities participate in activities that COVID-19 induced teens from main Hall through November This CANstruction project for business owners. promote respect and under- different school districts and 20, 2020. Later thousands of allowed local youth to come The Center for Indian Cul- standing of different cultures different grades from age 13 cans were donated to together, while enhancing tural Education - Bal Vihar of St. and religion. their leadership and teambuilding Air India direct flight to skills. With all the hard work Hyderabad and efforts by SURENDRA ULLAL years to 17 years participated Hazelwood area Food Pantry volunteers from both organi- in this community event. TEAM. The teens used both Aer zations, we were able to ex- For the first time, Gujarati and Creativity to construct this plore the theme "COVID-19" Samaj has organized this col- extraordinary structure that and servicing those in need. laborative project in partner- represents consciousness, Gujarati Samaj of Saint Louis ship with the Center for Indian hope, love, and unity among all. mission and purpose of Cultural Education - Bal Vihar of As the country navigates Gujarati Samaj is to educate St. Louis. This year's theme through the pandemic it is very the community in understand- COVID-19 is inspired to raise imperative to spread aware- ing the cultural differences in awareness in this difficult pan- ness to this deadly virus to the the Greater St. Louis area and

Former FIA president Jashbhai Patel dies

India Post News Service He was cremated in West CHICAGO: Air India an- AI 109/108 (DEL/ORD/HYD) CHICAGO: Jashbhai Patel, 84 Chicago on November 25 in nounced the introduction of will operate on Day 3 effective a community leader heading presence of relatives Non-stop flight from Chicago to 13 January 2021. the Federation of Indian Asso- Born on April 4 1936 he is Hyderabad effective ciations Chicago a few de- survived by wife Vimlaben, 13th January 2021.We cades ago and highly edu- sons JatinPatel, Vivek Patel, are also increasing the cated civil engineer working Raju Patel and grandchil- number of weekly at Illinois Department of dren- Anil, Sagar, Roshan, flights on the DEL/ORD/ Transportation, breather his Sachin andSerena. His DEL sector. last here on November daughters in law are Urmela The details of the new AI 107/110 (HYD/ORD/DEL) 23.2020 largely because of Patel, Manisha Patel and flights and timings are as per to operate on Day 5 effective age related complications Jashbhai Patel Seema Patel. details in chart above: 15 January 2021 20 India Post Community Across America December 4, 2020 www.indiapost.com Tulsi Vivah celebrated at Lake County Temple with fervor GEETHA PATIL CHICAGO: Hindu Temple in Lake County, a Chicago Suburb, celebrated with great fervor TulsiVivah, an auspi- cious festival to honor the marital union of Lord Vishnu with Tulsi (Basil) plant. Celebration also was with Karthik Purnima'sSatya Narayana Puja. Limited number of onsite grand sponsors and sponsors and many more online devo- tees participated in Tulsi Vivah - the cer- emonial commemoration that rejoiced the traditions of a Hindu Wedding with a reduced amount of pomp and gaiety. In adherence with Government guidelines, this year's Tulsi Vivah and Shri Satya Narayana Puja were made simpler and followed social distancing rules and directions very strictly but fo- cused on giving everyone the opportu- nity for watching the wedding cer- Welcoming Tulsi as Bride emony and have the darshan of Ma Tulsi and Lord Krishan. performed all the Vedic rituals and and be ready to help others e with not destroy it. He further mentioned The main program started with Lord chanted all the Vedic Maha and Beeja humble mind and acts. that Tulsi plant is believed to be an in- Ganesh and Navagraha Pujan that were Mantras. He narrated the story of Swami Later, began Ma Tulsi Vivah by per- carnation of Goddess Lakshmi and is followed by Shri Vishnu and Satya Satya Narayana Katha to all the devo- forming welcome/Swagat of Ma Tulsi as considered very sacred and dear to Narayana Pujan by Pt. Anil Joshi who tees to obtain full benefits of the Puja a Bride into the Shrine by the temple priest, Pt Joshi Ma Tulsi and Lord Krishna Pujan were per- formed with all the Vedic rituals and Maha Mantras. Kanya Daanam and Gaow (Cow) Daanam rituals were formed. After tying the Mangal Sutra, Jaya Mala exchange, and offering of Sindhoor, the new- lywed couple takes seven steps around the holy fire that is called Saptapadi, the most important rite of a Hindu marriage ceremony. Pt. Joshi said that Hindu Philoso- Tulsi Krishna Pujan phy teaches not only to love and nurture naturebut also feel the presence of holiness in all plants and re- Lord Vishnu. The plant holds great im- spect their benefits to humanity and portance in the Hindu religion. It sym- bolizes purity, pro- motes longevity and happiness. Any mar- riages, puja or religious event in Hindu religion is incomplete without the use of Tulsi leaves. This puja is mostly performed by married women to pray for marital bliss. Unmar- ried women also ob- serve this day to get good husbands. The Tulsi wedding signifies the end of the monsoon and the beginning of the wedding season in Hinduism. He blessed Discourse on Tulsivivah by Pt Joshi all the devotees. December 4, 2020 Community Across America India Post 21 www.indiapost.com Misadventures of a Sinking Ship called Indian National Congress A.Q. SIDDIQUI

hese days we hear faint SOS into his promising web of words. saddle but till date Rahul is only playing ing party image is not countered by voices emanating from a giant In 2018-19 campaigns Rahul exhib- back stage role. The damaged giant Congress. BJP keeps accusing Congress T sinking ship called Indian Na- ited deplorable lack of political apti- ship has seen many good sailors, like for pro Muslims, even at times pro Paki- tional Congress. The faint voices are tude. Who was his speech or Scindia and Pilot quietly taking the life- stan. There is no official rebuking from rebels calling for an experienced cap- scriptwriter? Blame must go to scripts boats out in open seas. Congress. While Congress has lost a tain who could really steer the dam- of his speeches. Rahul was speaking Today, the leadership issue in Con- good chunk of its Hindu supporters, In- aged ship from troubled waters. The about Rafale in villages or town rallies gress is similar to the role of a Captain dian Muslims are far from it. So where leadership issue or rebels calling for where no one has any inkling of what of a ship sailing in troubled waters. An does the party stand now? elections within Congress is an exclu- was Rafale issue? Rahul's dig against PM experienced captain can see both blow- In fact, Muslims strongly feel Con- sive internal affair of the party but it is Modi in slogan, "Chowkidar Chorhai" also ing wind and tide. Here Captain Sonia gress has done more damage for their happening when the world's second misfired. Rahul literally took the 2019 has no expertise or team around her interests than any other party. Pandit largest democracy badly needs a defeat on heart and left for personal so- even to counter the fake propaganda Nehru and Indira Gandhi cared for Mus- strong opposition. The Congress Party lims and other minorities and accom- is like gigantic Titanic ship that was built The Iceberg that really hit Congress party ship was the modated their leaders within party. It to sail nonchalantly on stormy waters move to re designate Manmohan Singh as the second term was Rajiv Gandhi who opened the Babri but met an unfortunate ending entirely Masjid gate and it was RSS cadre Late due to error on part of its Captain. The Prime Minister when another senior leader Pranab Mukherjee PV Narsimha Rao who, Muslims feel, same fate is repeating for Congress could have been a better choice played a role in Mosque demolition. party. The series of blunders hitting This led Muslims tilt towards regional hard on Congress body are eventually political parties all over India. pushing it to nonexistence. lace. This was the time for Congress to against the party image. When PM Modi The leader must speak to people. The Iceberg that really hit Congress reshape the party outlook, come out of came to power, he first established an Speak for their issues on all occasions. party ship was the move to re desig- worn out Gandhi garb and march on a IT cell and advised all his ministers to Social Media journalists Abhisar Sharma nate Manmohan Singh as the second new road under a new leadership. saddle in social media rides. and Vinod Dua are doing opposition term Prime Minister when another se- Nothing of this sort happened and Congress has no social media plat- task much better than Sonia Gandhi or nior leader Pranab Mukherjee could party kept losing on regional levels as form. Now only Rahul keeps twitting Rahul Gandhi. And this is the reason have been a better choice. Political ob- well. The supporters of Gandhi family in but there is no team to promote his rebels in Congress are rightly demand- servers strongly feel that Sonia Gandhi Congress kept imploring him to re- tweets. Even false propaganda malign- ing a change of leadership. lacked the political spirit or expertise from the very first day she took com- mand in hand. She even failed to groom Rahul Gandhi in a powerful political clout or let him do so. Rahul Gandhi was elected MP from 2004 to 2013 but he remained like any other MP in Congress. Sonia should have assigned him any im- portant port folio particularly he should have been assigned as Foreign Minister during congress rule, a role that would have shaped a global political leader- ship aptitude in him. But Sonia kept Rahul as a pupil in learning. In political history, Sonia Gandhi re- mains the longest serving President of congress with a brief stint of Rahul Gandhi who was projected as PM can- didate without proper grooming. This was another blunder of Sonia in 2019 when Congress could have re captured the lost glory. The 2014-2019 BJP rule has not produced any good impact on economy or development and this was the topic island where damaged Con- gress ship could well have anchored. But Sonia let it sailed on with same old melodies. Lacking political expertise, Sonia pitched naive Rahul against the Master of words, PM Modi who was re- shaping the ordinary citizen's dreams 22 India Post Community Across America December 4, 2020 www.indiapost.com Akshaya Patra Foundation USA's Gratitude Gala

India Post News Service every single day," said Vandana Tilak, hosted the evening. Bhookh (Hunger). Then, Consul General NEW YORK: Akshaya Patra Foundation President of Akshaya Patra Foundation Elegant and talented actress and of India Randhir Jaiswal expressed his USA recently held its 7th and final grand USA. "There is no escape, except for the politician Hema Malini shared her favor- admiration for Akshaya Patra's achieve- finale virtual gala of 2020, the Gratitude meal they receive in school. It is up to ite silver screen moments, movies, and ments and partnership with the Indian Gala, on a Saturday evening. The Grati- all of us to keep up the work of provid- heroine roles. Also, she discussed her Government to change millions of tude Gala was a huge success having ing meals and education and a decent involvement in politics and utilizing her children's lives. Next, the talented over 10,000 attendees who viewed the Swanand Kirkire recited a poem he event on Akshaya Patra's webpage, wrote and dedicated to Akshaya Patra. Facebook, Youtube and TV Asia, and The poem talks about the eagerness for raised over $3 million. The funds raised children to learn and discover the world will provide COVID relief to migrant and how Akshaya Patra provides for workers, including cooked meals, ration these children, so they do not go to bed boxes for families, and Happiness Kits hungry. containing 30 days worth of food, hy- Throughout the evening, world-re- giene products, and educational sup- nowned singer Shankar Mahadevan plies to our mid-day meal beneficiaries, performed several popular songs and as well as support mid-day meals for classic hits for the viewers to dance and school children when schools reopen sing-along. He sang various songs from for the 2020-2021 school year. semi-classical compositions from 2020 has been a year of change for Bandish Bandits, Bhajans, and render- Akshaya Patra as they have shifted all in- ings of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi to modern person events to be entirely virtual. foot-tapping numbers from Kal ho na Ho These seven virtual galas have reached and Lakshya. over 32,000 people and consisted of a Overall, the event was full of heart- great list of speakers, including felt gratitude, lively musical perfor- Raveena Tandon, John Chambers, mances, and enlightening conversa- Jamshyd Godrej, Sanjeev Kapoor, tions, celebrating the beneficiaries, vol- Boman Irani, Smt. Sudha Murthy, and childhood for our beneficiaries." audience to make a difference by pro- unteers, and chapter teams from Con- many more. The Gratitude Gala virtual event was moting education and women empow- necticut, Long Island, New Jersey, and "The Gratitude Gala was a poignant a celebration of Akshaya Patra's 20th erment. The inspirational poet and lyri- New York. reminder of the realities of hunger. Dur- Anniversary and thanks to all of its sup- cist Javed Akhtar voiced his gratitude For more Information visit https:// ing the COVID crisis, we stepped up to porters, donors, well-wishers, and part- for all the work Akshaya Patra has done foodforeducation.org or contact serve 100 million meals. But we also ners. Dr. Rachana Kulkarni, Cardiologist, to end hunger. Then he graced us by [email protected] [email protected], know that for a child, hunger is a crisis and Akshaya Patra Board Member sharing one of his original poems titled, [email protected] New Zealand clothing firm removes Ganesh pants after protest MADHU PATEL CHICAGO: Takaka (Tasman, New Hinduism is the oldest and third larg- of obstacles and is invoked before the Zealand) headquartered firm Mariposa est religion of the world with about 1.2 beginning of any major undertaking. Clothing has removed pants carrying billion adherents and a rich philosophi- Before removal, objectionable images of Hindu deity Lord Ganesh, af- cal thought and it should not be taken Ganesh Pants was described as "fun ter a strong protest from aggrieved frivolously. Symbols of any faith, larger and playful" and was priced at $15. devotees who dubbed them "highly in- or smaller, should not be mishandled. Launched in 2005, Mariposa Clothing, appropriate". Any trivialization of Hindu deities would whose tagline is "retail color therapy"; In a communication to Rajan Zed be disturbing to the Hindus world over. sells clothing, footwear, gifts, jewelry, who spearheaded the protest, Tracey In Hinduism, Lord Ganesh is wor- etc.; from its warehouse/online-store Brignole of Mariposa Clothing saidit has shipped as god of wisdom and remover and six stores in Nelson and Takaka. removed the pants saying,"It was cer- tainly never our intention to cause any offence and we apologize to anyone In a communication to Rajan Zed who spearheaded who did take offence. " the protest, Tracey Brignole of Mariposa Clothing saidit has Rajan, President of Universal Society of Hinduism, thanked Mariposa Cloth- removed the pants saying,"It was certainly never our ing and Brignole for understanding the concerns of the community observing intention to cause any offence and we apologize to that Lord Ganesh is meant to be wor- anyone who did take offence " shipped in temples or home shrines and not to adorn one's legs. December 4, 2020 Community Across America India Post 23 www.indiapost.com Grand Diwali celebration in New England Boston GEETHA PATIL BOSTON: The United India Association of New England Inc. (UIANE) organized its Vir- tual Diwali celebration pro- gram on Saturday, November 21, 2020 with close to 500 en- thusiastic families in atten- dance on Zoom and Facebook Live links opened to the pub- lic. Aditi Soni, the welcomed and thanked all those partici- pants and attendees of the vir- tual Diwali celebration pro- gram. Boston Mayor Marty J. A classical Indian Dance Ram Katha participates Walsh and his staff with UIANE team made this year's Diwali pation. amazing 'Aloe Aloe' dance for 5-year-old Ada Guptanicely Dance Medley was presented an extra memorable for Indo- The evening cultural pro- the spectators to relish the fla- presented their dance to a by DFD Academy. American community in New gram started with the pictorial vor of Bengal. Geetika Bajpai tuneful Bollywood song. Besides participants and England, by displaying lights 'Rama Katha' and the perfor- presented a striking Indian Tra- The Fashion show was cho- those attending the event, reographed by Lovely Singh. Aditi also thanked all the spon- Jusrin Padam performed bril- sors who made this event pos- liantly a Bollywood dance that made all the spectators swayed away by her moves. Two more lovely performances namely, 'Indo-Western Kathak Fusion', and 'Tarana- The Beauty of Rhythm' by Mona Dance Academy. Subsequently, the performing Arts of New En- Aditi Sonipresident of UIANE, Indian Consul General Randhir Jaiswal and Boston Mayor Marty J.WALSH gland offered an attractive 'Prem Deewani' dance piece. on Boston City Hall, as well as mance by young kids Aadi, Aria Roopa by joining virtually in the cul- and Meer Bhardwaj. This was Modha, A Rangoli display tural event to share their followed by a melodious con- choreogra- Diwali greetings with every- cert by TaalMel-The Band well- pher sible, including Shehla Gull one. Consulate General of In- known in the Lexington area. ofTriveni from New York Life, Vik Selhi dia Shri. Randhir Jaiswal also Next was Aangikam Dance School of and Sushil Tuli from Leader joined virtually and extended Academy's Jasmine Shah, who Dance pre- Bank, Peabody Essex Museum, his greetings to New England presented her students' el- sented her McDonalds, Dina Debs from community. egant 'Dheem Mahi' dance. students' Eastern Bank, Manish Arora Before the main virtual A melodic Bollywood Med- beautiful from Verizon/IM wireless, Diwali program, UIANEheld ley was presented by Anal and dance. One Rajive Dografrom Coldwell online Rangoli contest and an- Raagini Jawa to the attendee to more stun- Banker, Devender Guhania enjoy music. 'East Meets West' ning from ExpRealty, Jeet Shahani nounced Piranha Manish Boston City Hall Decorated a for Diwali Jaiswal and Sonali Rathod as dance was presented by the Bollywood from The Shahani group. the top 2 winners and appreci- performing Arts of New En- ated all the entries and gland very professionally. ditional dance. This was fol- thanked them for their partici- Nrityam group performed an lowed by Aangikam Dance Academy's 'Tribute to Saroj Khan' dance choreographed by Jasmine Shah. In between the program, UIANE event lead presented prerecorded 'Diwali Greetings' from the New England Com- munity leaders. Young kids sang another very inspirational Hindi song written by Gulzar, "Humko Man Ki Shakti Dena" that was directed by Poppy A group of United India Association of New England members Carpalia. 2-year-old Adelia and Health Line New Mexico food banks prepare to buy millions of meals

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.: New Mexico food banks will be able One can be said to be perfectly healthy in body and mind only if no part of the body or mind makes itself felt. A part to provide more meals for makes itself felt only when there is something wrong with it. You know that you have a head only when it aches. thousands of families with an Sri Atmananda (1883 - 1959) infusion of $5 million in funding 24 India Post www.indiapost.com December 4, 2020 as part of an economic relief package approved by state lawmakers and signed by the governor. Record-high 90,000 Americans Mag Strittmatter, president and CEO of Roadrunner Foodbank in Albuquerque, hospitalized with Covid-19 called the legislation signifi- cant given that 1 in 3 children WASHINGTON: Nearly newly reported Covid-19 The third wave of Covid-19 Long-term care facilities re- and 1 in 5 New Mexicans over- 90,000 Americans infected deaths will likely increase over deaths in long-term care facili- corded about 3,000 new all are at risk of hunger amid with the novel coronavirus are the next four weeks, with ties has continued, as cases in- deaths in one week, a marker the ongoing pandemic. currently hospitalized across 10,600 to 21,400 new fatalities creased at twice the rate of the last passed in early June. ``We will all be able to ac- the US, reaching a new all-time likely to be registered in the nation's total cases, The COVID Nearly half of these deaths quire the many millions of high for the 16th consecutive week ending December 19. Tracking Project revealed. occurred in the Midwest, ac- meals needed to help the day, according to The Covid cording to the tracking project. growing number of food inse- Tracking Project. While the Midwest remains cure neighbors in the state, Thursday's (26 Nov.) grim the epicenter of long-term while in the throes of this pan- milestone comes as the US still care facility outbreaks, ac- demic. We are so grateful to all accounts for the world's high- counting for 39 per cent of who helped make this pos- est number of Covid-19 cases new cases, the crisis stretches sible,'' she said in a statement. and deaths, making it the beyond the Midwest. In northern New Mexico, of- worst affected country. As Covid-19 continued to ficials at The Food Bank said In its latest update, the sweep the country, each re- that along with unemploy- Johns Hopkins University re- gion reported their largest in- ment, the need for emergency vealed that the country's over- crease of long-term care cases food assistance has increased all caseload and death toll in the past four months, ac- during the pandemic. The Food stood at 12,879,861 and cording to the tracking project. Bank and its nonprofit partners 263,413, respectively. "With winter approaching moved about 7.8 million On Wednesday, the country and case numbers higher than pounds of food in the first nine reported new 2,284 fatalities, The CDC's national en- States across the US re- ever before, existing safety months of the year. AP the highest since May 7. semble predicted that a total ported a 50 per cent increase measures will not adequately The US Centers for Disease of 294,000 to 321,000 Covid- in new long-term care cases, protect this vulnerable popula- Control and Prevention (CDC) 19 deaths will be reported by 46,153 new Covid-19 cases tion," said a report of the predicted that the number of December 19. this week alone. project. IANS Scientists develop new gene therapy for eye disease US study suggests home health care improves COVID-19 outcomes PHILADELPHIA: The findings vivors of COVID-19 are a vulner- haustion. In the study rich data the potential to provide sup- DUBLIN: Scientists from Trin- of a new study by the Univer- able population who often have from more than 1,400, COVID-19 port and achieve improved re- ity College Dublin have devel- sity of Pennsylvania School of health ramifications from their patients admitted to home covery for these patients. oped a new gene therapy ap- Nursing (Penn Nursing) suggest illness and hospital stay. Upon health care after hospital dis- "Our findings suggest that proach that offers promise for that 94 per cent of the COVID- returning home from acute care, charge describes home visit acute care providers might one day treating an eye disease 19 patients discharged to carefully consider which that leads to a progressive loss home health care, which in- COVID-19 survivors would of vision and affects thousands cluded skilled nursing and benefit from home health of people across the globe. physical therapy, achieved sta- care after hospitalization," The study, which involved tistically significant improve- writes Kathryn H. Bowles, collaboration with clinical ments in symptom burden and Ph.D., RN, FAAN, FACMI, Pro- functional outcomes and 87 per fessor of Nursing and van teams in the Royal Victoria Eye cent had no adverse events. Ameringen Chair in Nursing and Ear Hospital and the Mater The study, published in the Excellence at Penn Nursing. Hospital, also has implications Annals of Internal Medicine "A decision support tool to for a much wider suite of neu- states no data has been avail- identify general hospitalized rological disorders associated able on the outcomes of patients for home health care with ageing. The scientists COVID-19 patients discharged large proportions of survivors care and recovery extent. The referral may be helpful." published their results in lead- home after hospitalization and experience functional depen- study indicates that increasing Bowles was the lead investi- ing journal, Frontiers in Neuro- their recovery needs. The sur- dencies, pain, dyspnea, and ex- referrals to home health care has gator of the study. ANI science. ANI December 4, 2020 Wellness Post India Post 25 www.indiapost.com the vaccine being administered as the first dose" to some participants. UK asks regulator to assess AZ-Oxford The drug makers informed the UK regulator of the issue when it was dis- vaccine amid questions covered, and it was agreed to complete the late-stage trial with two groups. LONDON: The British government has AstraZeneca vaccine, and plans to start efficacy are met." AstraZeneca has said it plans to con- formally asked the country's medicines distributing it in December if it gains Oxford and AstraZeneca had re- duct a new global clinical trial to assess regulator to assess whether a approval. ported that their vaccine appeared to the vaccine's efficacy but does not ex- coronavirus vaccine developed by The regulator said it could not give a be 62 per cent effective in people who pect that to delay regulatory approval AstraZeneca and Oxford University time frame for possible approval of the received two doses, and 90 per cent in Britain or the European Union -- should be authorized for use. though the US Food and Drug Adminis- The step comes amid questions tration may take longer. about preliminary results from trials of Some scientists have expressed con- the jab, after the company and the uni- cerns about gaps in the data and the versity acknowledged that the most way the results were reported. Only encouraging part of their findings 2,741 people received the half dose, stemmed from a dosing error. making it hard to know if the effective- UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock ness seen in the group is real or a statis- said he had asked the Medicines and tical quirk. A total of 8,895 people re- Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency ceived two full doses. (MHRA) to determine whether the vac- Eleanor Riley, professor of Immunol- cine "meets rigorous safety standards." ogy and Infectious Disease at the Uni- It's the second vaccine candidate to versity of Edinburgh, said Oxford and reach the formal assessment stage in AstraZeneca needed to answer ques- Britain, following a shot developed by tions about their results "clearly and Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. vaccines. effective when volunteers were given a completely." A third vaccine from US firm Moderna is MHRA Chief Executive June Raine half dose followed by a full dose. "Trust is at a premium when it comes not far behind. said, "No vaccine would be authorized They did not mention at the time, but to vaccines and we must not do any- The British government has ordered for supply in the UK unless the ex- later acknowledged, that a manufactur- thing that might in any way undermine 100 million doses of the Oxford- pected standards of safety, quality and ing issue had resulted in "a half dose of that trust," she said. AP Realty Tidbits DDA to announce housing scheme 2020 in December India's Best Golf he Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is plan Course at the World Real Estate Tning to launch its housing scheme by the end of Golf Awards 2020 December 2020. Under the new housing scheme, the DDA will allot luxury flats and penthouses in BENGALURU (Karnataka): Delhi in 14-story buildings, with terrace gardens Prestige Golfshire, South India's and best-in-class finishing. The Authority will allo- only luxury golf residential de- cate around 843 DDA flats in Delhi's Sector 19B, velopment has created a Dwarka, Manglapuri and Jasola, most of them in the differentiator in Bengaluru's 26 India Post www.indiapost.com December 4, 2020 MIG category. thriving real estate market, since its inception in 2012. Set in the background of the UP Govt Okays ambitious Ganga Expressway picturesque Nandi Hills, a 10- minute drive away from the Ban- galore International Airport, project worth Rs 36,402 cr Prestige Golfshire is spread across 275 sprawling acres and LUCKNOW: The Uttar operational decisions to mon- Authority too was asked to for the expeditious execution classifies as one of the city's hot- Pradesh government has ap- etize the Agra-Lucknow Ex- complete the preparatory of the project. The decisions test properties. The 18-hole proved an ambitious 594-km pressway. operations for the project in included the approval to the championship golf course de- Ganga Expressway project For the implementation of time and approval was given proposal to provide the Gram veloped by renowned British ar- worth Rs 36,402 crore running the road project along the to it to explore the option of Sabha land free of cost, pur- chitect, Bob Hunt and the PGA along the river from Hardwar Ganga, it was decided that Foreign Direct Investment chasing and acquiring land, Design Consulting Group has to Allahabad. fixing the annual budget for been the crowning glory of the The decision to build the ex- the project and to take a loan property, attracting golfers from pressway between the two cit- from the Housing and Urban across the country - both profes- ies on the riverbank while run- Development Corporation sionals and amateurs. Over the ning through Meerut, Hapur, Limited (HUDCO) for it. years, Prestige Golfshire has Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, In its statement, the gov- been the coveted venue for the Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao ernment also said besides most prestigious golf tourna- and Rae Bareli was taken in a providing a smooth and fast ments in India. Winning 'India's UP Cabinet meeting chaired traffic movement from Best Golf Course' Award at the by Chief Minister Yogi Hardwar to Allahabad, al- reputed World Golf Awards Adityanath. most parallel to the river 2020 is a testimonial to the The Cabinet also approved a Ganga, the expressway will world-class standards of the golf district-wise alignment of the also be helpful in the social course at Prestige Golfshire. Expressway, an official release and economic development Prestige Golfshire emerged a has said. of UP. winner amidst tough competi- The government also de- funds will be withdrawn from (FDI) for it, the release added. Additionally, the traffic tion from reputed golf courses cided to monetize the Agra- the treasury after the money Additionally, the SBI Capital coming through the water- including, DLF Golf Delhi, Royal Lucknow Expressway for fund- raised from the monetization Market Limited too was way being built from Haldia Calcutta Club, Calcutta, ing the ambitious Ganga Ex- of the Agra-Lucknow Express- nominated as the financial to Varanasi will also be able Karnataka Golf Association Ban- pressway project and decided way has been deposited. advisor for the project, it said. to travel easily to Delhi and galore and Delhi Golf Club, Delhi. to set up a high-power com- The Uttar Pradesh Express- In its meeting, the Cabinet other states via Allahabad, ANI/BusinessWire India mittee to take procedural and ways Industrial Development also took a slew of decisions the release pointed out. PTI

How a peepal tree in Delhi's Asiad Village got the PMO involved NEW DELHI: What would Retired IRS officer Ajay locked, had reached our house. he narrated his ordeal. you do if you buy a flat worth Rs Agnihotri is one of the 80-odd After complaining to RWA and "Last time, after my com- 6-7 cr of market value in one of occupants who bought flats in the Telecom Ministry could not plaint to the PMO, when en- the prime real estate markets this largely government-owned yield any result, I had to knock gineers came, they gave me of Delhi, but end up having a prime housing society. But at the PMO's doors. I had no op- a number to contact for any peepal tree hollowing its foun- Agnihotri has been running tion as the RWA did not have the further problems. They have dation? What would you do if from pillar to post, even knock- authority and we did not have never answered it since. that humble tree were weak- ing the doors of the Prime the keys. However, after reach- Now there is a bigger tree. ening your ceiling so much that Minister's Office twice, all for a ing out to the PMO, within 24 It has cost my ceiling," he it abruptly falls down and all tree coming out of a flat whose hours, people came and the complains. you can do is hope for help that occupant - the MTNL, has kept tree was removed," he said. Agnihotri claimed the never comes. the property closed for years, But the repair work was ceiling of his multi-crore ru- This is not fiction but a claims the senior citizen. shoddy, he alleged as recently pees flat was compromised strange but harsh reality at "At the fag end of the last another 25-feet peepal tree, recently which he suspects Delhi's upscale Asiad Village, year, a tree coming out of the much bigger than the previous was because of the deep where a tree has unleashed roof whose roots were con- one, was spotted. This one too roots of the peepal tree and such havoc that the Prime nected to the flat owned by has its roots in the same locked water collected inside the Minister's Office had to step in. MTNL, which keeps its flat MTNL flat, claims Agnihotri, as locked MTNL flat. IANS December 4, 2020 Real Estate Post India Post 27 www.indiapost.com Vastu Shastra tips for the main door/entrance PURNIMA GOSWAMI SHARMA

he main door should be bigger than any other door in the house and should open in a clock wise manner. Avoid having three doors in a Tline; parallel to the main door, as this is consid- ered as a serious Vastu defect and can affect the hap- piness in the home. Materials used for the main door A wooden door is considered most auspicious for the main entrance. South direction: the door should have a combina- tion of wood and metal. West: should have metal work. Northern door: should have more of silver color. East: should be made of wood and adorned with limited metal accessories. Main door and its visibility as per Vastu Both, Vastu Shastra and Feng Shui principles sug- gest that the main door should be prominent, visible and easily identifiable. Adding your house number or even your name are good ways to make the main en- trance stand out. It is also better to have a simple nameplate on the door, rather than going in for en- gravings for ornamentation. Remember that the main door should be seven ft. Always have a bright light at the entrance but avoid and water-elements should be avoided near the main in height with a width of at least three ft. Big doors red lights. The main door should be well lit in the door. bring in more energy into the house. So, avoid short evening. Do not paint the main door in black color. doors. Also, all the other doors in the house should be Never place a mirror opposite the main door. shorter in height. The back door should not be used Decorate the entrance with green plants, if there is What to avoid at the main entrance of your by owners as the main entrance. It can be used by space. house? your domestic help or other staff. The main door should open at 90 degrees, without Most often, people keep the shoe racks close to the any obstacles in the way. Ensure that it opens in a main door of their house. It helps them to remove Decorating the area around the main door clockwise direction. their footwear and keep it away, as soon as they enter Cleanliness, especially around the main entrance, Ensure that the hinges are oiled regularly and door the home. While it is convenient, it should be avoided. attracts positive energy in the home. Do not keep accessories are polished. There should not be any bro- The same holds true for dustbins and broken furniture. dustbins, broken chairs or stools, near the In big cities, you do not have much control over the main door, cautions Kajaal Rohira, a holis- layout of your home. However, if you are buying a tic healer from Mumbai. property, check that the main door does not face an- "The area surrounding the main door, other person's entrance. This can create problems. should have adequate light. Never place Shadows cast by another person's main door or even a mirror opposite to main entrance, which a plant, are not good for your house. reflects the main door, as it will cause the Avoid sliding doors at the entrance of your home. energy to bounce back," says Rohira. Even circular-shaped doors must not be used. They Tanya Sinha, a homemaker from Delhi, may look fashionable but do not abide by the rules of rejected almost a dozen flats, as the main Vastu. Stick to simple, superior quality door for the entrance of the house was not according entrance. Wood is a preferred choice and it is also said to Vastu Shastra, before buying a home to correct any dosha. It is also recommended that with an entrance in the east. "The main there should be a threshold at the main door. Do en- door of my house has been artistically sure that the house is not on the same level as the designed, with a matte gold finish. It has ground. This signifies the positive environment inside a carved swastika design and a gold- ken or chipped wood, or missing screws at the en- the house, as against the negative energy that is out- culturednameplate on it. The main entrance exudes a trance. Extra nails must be removed. side. The threshold acts as a barrier for the entry of warm welcome and I have also placed a lovely yellow Always put up a nameplate. A metal nameplate is bad vibes and also prevents loss of wealth. If there are lamp at the entrance," she explains. recommended, if the door is in the north or west di- stairs, these should be in odd numbers. Similarly, a The main door should always have a threshold, rection. Use a wooden nameplate, if the door is in the doormat is important. When you dust the feet before (marble or wood), as it is believed that it absorbs south or east direction. Torans are also good, as deco- you step inside the home, it signifies leaving all sorts negative vibes and allows only positive energy to pass rations for the main door. of negative energies outside the home. through. Decorate the main door with divine symbols Use only superior quality wood and note that the A septic tank should never be placed near the en- like, Om, swastika, cross, etc., and put rangolis on the height of the door should be greater than other doors trance of a main door. floor, as they are considered auspicious and invite in your home. Avoid placing the main door in a corner of the good fortune. Bathrooms should not be placed close to the main house. The corners of the house must be left empty, to door. ensure wellness of the inhabitants. www.housing.com Vastu dos and don'ts for the main door Animal statues and other figures or even fountains For detailed story visit www.indiapost.com 28 India Post Horoscope December 4, 2020 www.indiapost.com Your Weekly Future by VANEET SHARMA DEC 4TH to DEC 10TH 2020

MAR 21 to APRIL 20 JUN 21 to JULY 22 SEP 23 to OCT 22 DEC 22 to JAN 19

he planetary tran- his shall be a fulfill- n the beginning of he first half of the T sit indicates T ing week on all I the week you shall T week is not excellent beginning of fronts. The beginning enjoy compatibility good for your health the week with im- of the week indicates with your partner/ and happiness. Some provement in health, achievement on pro- spouse. The conjugal financial issues might immunity, domestic happiness and con- fessional front and eventually you shall bliss shall also be fulfilling and quite sat- also crop up suddenly. You might lose fidence. You shall work sincerely for your earn benefits thereby consolidating your isfactory in the first part of the week your confidence and therefore your per- personality development. You would source of income and establishing repu- and you would be earning sudden finan- formance in competitive examination enjoy good time with family and friends tation as a skilled full time public speaker cial gains too. Health conditions shall re- shall be average. Although the support in spite of your busy schedule. Reputa- or an image builder. You can expect to main average. The latter part of the of seniors shall be available but lack of tion in society shall get enhanced. The win public support for the kind of job week indicates that you would be mak- focus might not let you perform reason- last two days of the week are not good you are into. The journeys shall prove sur- ing some new plans for the expansion ably. The latter half of the week is indi- enough for your general happiness. prisingly beneficial in this week. of your work. cating bigger support of seniors.

APRIL 21 to MAY 20 JULY 23 to AUG 22 OCT 23 to NOV 22 JAN 20 to FEB 19

he state of mind n the beginning of the he first of the week his shall be a won- T might remain I week you shall be en- T shall be better T derful week for all disturbed in the be- joying good luck result- than the second half. areas of life. The start- ginning of the week ing from a beneficial The starting of the ing of the week indi- however from second journey or with the sup- week is bringing the cates good news for day you shall regain your energies, health port of father/mentor. This shall be a shin- support of destiny for doing better on you from your kith and kin and you shall and confidence. This week is excellent ing week for your work area. Apart from professional front followed by substan- be participating in social activities ac- for doing better than your adversaries. progress, recognition and excellent per- tial gains but because of less focus and tively. The mid of the week is auspicious In the latter half of the week you shall formance you can also expect substan- lack of resistance it shall not be easy to for domestic happiness. In the latter half be multiplying your social activities with tial gains after the mid of this week. Your earn desired gains from developments. of the week you shall be getting good the support of your family members. This image in society shall also be fine and In the second half of the week some results in matters related to education, time can be utilized to increase person- you are likely to take some beneficial good opportunity might get swayed love life, marital bliss, children & devel- nel and social influence. You can do bet- bold decisions. For extracting benefits away between your passion, imagina- opment of destiny. The hall mark of this ter in competitive examinations too. you shall go on journeys too. tion and health issues. week shall be attainment.

MAY 21 to JUN 20 AUG 23 to SEP 22 NOV 23 to DEC 21 FEB 20 to MAR 20

his week shall be lanetary transit in his week is excel- our difficulties T full of happi- P dicates slow T lent for marital Y shall be very ness, travel, journeys & beginning and low bliss, the support of less in this week as pleasure. Although energy levels how- spouse and business you shall be getting you might not give ever the remaining tours. You shall be tak- good results like the enough time for family but everybody part of the week shall be excellent for ing interest in occult. Professionally your association with some influential people, shall be ready to support you and apart all areas especially for work and consoli- research work shall help you do better marital bliss and attainment of stability from that you shall be earning from your dating the amount of gains by the end than others. In the first half of the week and security on financial and profes- skills giving great ideas to friends around of it. Your performance at work area shall you shall also attain the blessings of some sional front. In the mid of the week you. In the mid of the week you shall find get enhanced suddenly but there can be spiritual practitioners who shall teach there might remain some tensions re- yourself gaining focus in your work. You some tensions also in the back of your you the most effective methods of medi- lated to health, children and relation- shall be paying due attention to your mind. For improving your performance tation. In the latter half of the week there ship however by the end of the week health too. You shall be getting oppor- you shall have to become little more dis- shall be sudden financial gains. Your in- there shall be a big relief in terms of tunity to spend quality time with family. ciplined and organized in work. creased social influence. attainment of peace.

Kindly read the predictions from your ascendant sign. If you do not know your ascendant sign then read the VANEET same from Moon sign. If Moon sign is also not known then read it from the Zodiac sign. The ascendant sign which is SHARMA calculated from the birth details viz. date, month, year, time & place of birth gives 85 % accurate predictions. The 510-648-4899 accuracy of predictions from Moon sign get limited to only 50 %. The predictions from Zodiac sign are only 25 % “Felicitated and accurate. In nutshell the predictions from ascendant sign are most accurate. In getting personality analysis the traits honored by then President of India Shri given by ascendant sign are 100 % accurate and that is the essence of Vedic Astrology. Pranab Mukherjee" TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS

1 Taaron Ke Shehar: Taaron Ke Shehar Naach Meri Rani 29 India Post www.indiapost.com December 4, 2020 2 Naach Meri Rani: 3 Teri Aankhon Mein: Teri Aankhon Mein 4 BurjKhalifa: Laxmii 5 Care Ni Karda: Chhalaang 6 Baby Girl: Baby Girl 7 Dil Chahte Ho: Dil Chahte Ho 8 BamBholle: Laxmii 9 Aabaad Barbaad : Ludo 10 Ae Mere Dil: Ae Mere Dil

ollywood star B Sonakshi Sinha on a dreamy vacation in the Maldives, announced she is now a li- "I WOULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOU GUYS. I AM SO LUCKY censed TO HAVE YOU GUYS. TWENTY MILLION AND COUNTING. scuba driver, AND IT'S CRAZY AND IT'S JUST THE BEGINNING” and flaunted her 100 ora Fatehi rode a camel for the first time in life to celebrate per cent score in the her Instagram follower count touching 20 million. open water diver course test. N "Celebration continues. I rode a camel for the first time! It was The 'Holiday' star took to so fun," the actress posted on her verified Instagram account along with Instagram and shared pictures fea- a picture of her camel ride, carrying "20M" shaped balloons. turing her receiving the license, and The actress wrote: "I wouldn't do it without you guys. I am so the scorecard in which she had lucky to have you guys. Twenty million and counting. And it's crazy scored outright. In the first picture, and it's just the beginning. We have so much to do and I wouldn't Sonakshi is knelt down on the deck able to do without you guys. I love you so much." as she receives the honor of becom- The actress will next be seen in Ajay Devgan starrer "Bhuj: ing a trainer by her coach and men- The Pride Of India". The period drama looks back at the story tor. In the backdrop is the pictur- of 300 women of Madhapar village in Gujarat's Kutch district, esque view of a beach and a cloudy who played a pivotal role in helping India win the 1971 sky - with palm trees and rich flora. Indo-Pak war. IANS "Thank you @oceanicworl dmaldives for giving me my super strict and super cool instructor ollywood actor Nushrratt Bharuccha has started Mohammed, I couldn't have asked shooting for the upcoming film Chhorii and says B for a better teacher (i mean this is she is excited as well as nervous about the project. the first time I've scored a 100% in Nushrratt posted a string of pictures from the sets ANY exam)! ANI of the film's mahurat pooja on Instagram. In one image, Nushrratt is seen posing with the film's clapboard. "Onto new beginnings, this time for #Chhori. Excited, nervous and charged up for this one! @furia_vishal cannot wait to create magic with you! Thank you @ivikramix and @abundantiaent, along with @crypttv and the sweetest @notjackdavis for having put this thrill- ing film together and trusting me with it! @shikhaarif.sharma Girl you get me, kahaan thi tu ab tak!" Nushrratt captioned the image. The actress started shooting for the film in Madhya Pradesh at Pipariya in Hoshangabad district. "Chhorii" is a horror film with a social message. It also stars Mita Vasisht, Rajesh Jais and Saurabh Goyal. IANS 30 India Post Classifieds December 4, 2020 www.indiapost.com

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www.indiapost.com December 4, 2020 OP-ED India Post 31 www.indiapost.com Philosophy Lure of long-term infrastructure investments SHRI ATMANANDA ally are? Because only this 'I' principle is present, remains, when it is would fuel India's economic growth f you don't know what your stand stripped of body, senses and mind. DR. NIRANJAN HIRANANDANI Ipoint is you can never hope to know There you find Consciousness and the reality of things. I say, you don't know Peace. That is why I say that this 'I' he central governments move three years, it would be able to what your standpoint is, you say: 'I am fat, principle is Peace or Bliss. to identify 7,000 projects under achieve the target of becoming a $5 I am thin, I walk, I sit, I move,' and so forth. This Consciousness can never be Tthe National Infrastructure trillion economy by the year 2025- In this way you identify yourself with the separated from the 'I' principle, in any pipeline will not just showcase India 26. physical body. If you say: 'I feel, I see, I of the three states that we have inves- as a lucrative destination at the meet The central government has been touch something,' and such, you identify tigated. Consciousness is present in with global fund houses but also as a taking several steps to eliminate yourself with your senses. the 'I' principle, in deep sleep. It is also major contributor to global growth roadblocks and smoothen the in- And, when you say: 'I think, I feel' present with the 'I' principle in the Infrastructure projects are touted vestment process in the country. Niti and so on, you identify yourself with dream state, and also it is not less as a means to achieve fiscal stimulus Aayog, the central government's the (constantly changing) mind. For present in the waking state. as Infrastructure spending gives a policy think-tank has released a draft that reason you are never conscious of Although the 'I' principle is coupled huge boost to the economy. The cen- model act on the land titles in the what your standpoint is. Therefore, it is to different things in the dream and tral government also knows this and country. The objective of this act is to absolutely necessary to know what waking states it is nonetheless is also working in the same direction. reduce litigations and ease the ac- you are and what your standpoint is, if present. Not only that: if you subject The government's move to showcase quisition process especially for infra- you want to arrive at the right know- your own experiences to a deep in- India as a global manufacturing hub structure projects in the country. ing, or to put it another way, to see the vestigation, you will discover that it to 20 top global fund houses with a The government of India since the right perspective. allows itself often to be seen as pure collective asset base of $6 trillion is year 2014 had been initiating regu- It is not enough to only investigate (not coupled to anything) Conscious- intended to attract long-term infra- latory reforms with an intention of the waking state for that purpose, be- ness, for example in the short mo- structure investments. making the environment more busi- cause your experience extends also ments between two states, between The central government has also ness-friendly in the country. India has set up a task force on the National In- reached 63rd position today in its frastructure Pipeline (NIP) which has ease of doing business ranking glo- 'I' principle is present in identified 7000 social and economic bally. However, there is a scope for infrastructure projects and intends to doing a lot more and bringing in fur- waking, dream & sleep spend more than $1.4 trillion over the ther efficiency in the system. The period of the next five years. The gov- government needs to bring in a The 'I' principle is unjustly coupled ernment aims to raise funds through comprehensive system to ease the with the body, the senses and the a series of municipal bonds and accel- compliance burden on the industry especially when mind and that in reality it is The government has taken several it aims to set Shri Atmananda independent of these dynamic reforms and opened up several key goals in a global arena. two thoughts, feelings or sensory ob- sectors like defense, space, and agriculture The new labor into the dream and into deep (dream- servations. in the last seven months of the pandemic. codes enacted in less) sleep states. Let us then initiate You have to admit that there is a the parliament an investigation into these three pause between two thoughts. If not, Despite the contraction witnessed during intend to in- states. You will discover that the 'I' prin- there would be a thought that is con- the first quarter of the financial year crease the ease ciple (the true unchanging Self) is con- tinuous without interruption. A thought of doing business tinuously present in each of the three has to come to an end before another and protect the states. The body, the senses and the can begin. Therefore it cannot be de- erating the monetization of infrastruc- workforce in the country. These re- mind are present in one state, but they nied that even though you may call it a ture assets. The government also in- forms will ensure that India has a are not there in the others. miniscule fragment of a second, the tends setting up development finan- competitive edge where industry From that it follows that the 'I' prin- pause between two thoughts exists. cial institutions for the infrastructure and commerce is concerned. These ciple is unjustly coupled with the body, Excerpted from a talk by Shri sector. measures would help in attracting the senses and the mind and that in Atmananda in Switzerland in the early The government has taken several more investments by foreign players reality it is independent of these three. nineteen fifties. The 136th birth anni- dynamic reforms and opened up sev- who have been refraining from set- That can be seen in the deep (dream- versary of Shri Atmananda will be ob- eral key sectors like defense, space, ting up their base here due to rigid less) sleep, where it shines in all its served on December 8 and agriculture in the last seven labor laws and aggressive trade bliss. You can see there that the pure months of the pandemic. Despite the unions. Consciousness is a deep Peace. contraction witnessed during the first India has also witnessed robust When you awaken out of the deep 50 SPIRITUAL APPETIZERS quarter of the financial year, India is foreign exchange inflows in recent sleep you then say that you were Vinod Dhawan still expected to be the fastest-grow- years. Even during COVID, India man- ing economy among the top ten ma- aged to attract FDI inflows to the happy. How would it be possible to “It’s a lovely book. It feels en- claim this if you had not been aware of ergetically clear and light. It’s jor economies between the years tune of $22 billion. During the year that happiness (the deep peace), that easy to read, dip in and out and 2021 and 2025 according to the In- 2019-20, foreign direct investments you experienced during deep sleep? most importantly it offers infor- ternational Monetary Fund (IMF).The rose 13 percent to almost $50 billion It follows therefore that Conscious- mation without fluff! Blessings IMF has predicted that the Indian as compared to $44.36 billion for the ness and Peace were present in the on this project.” economy is expected to grow at 8.8 year 2018-19. IANS Jac O’Keeffe percent and if India manages to deep sleep - and that this Conscious- Spirituality teacher based in For detailed story visit ness, this Peace is your true nature. USA. achieve this target for a period of www.indiapost.com Why do I say that this is what you actu- Available on AMAZON, FLIPKART Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal to the author 32 India Post OP-ED December 4, 2020 www.indiapost.com India's expectations from Biden Presidency D.C. PATHAK

rime Minister Narendra Putin's Russia- with whom Trump spectrum of global hot spots Modi has personally con seemed to have an even tie - like America's trans- Pacific Pgratulated President- Biden's view is that the former policy, security of Indo- Pacific, ADIEU TO LEGENDS elect Joe Biden on his success superpower is an adversary that trade imbalance between US razilian football great Pele, mourned fellow legend Diego and used the occasion to em- should be made to pay for its al- and China, peace in Afghanistan Maradona after the Argentine died last Wednesday (25 Nov.) phasize on the importance of leged interference in the last US and climate change. President B saying he hoped they would "play together in the sky" one day. strategic partnership between election. Trump would be remembered "I have lost a dear friend, and the world has lost a legend," Pele the two countries. There is little Unlike Trump who was cool for breaking from the traditional wrote on Instagram, alongside a picture of Maradona hoisting the doubt that the change of re- towards Europe, Biden wants to polity to confront the new chal- World Cup trophy in 1986. gime in the US will not affect the restore American ties with it- lenges of the present, for shift- "There is much more to say, but for now may God give his family tested foundations of this this fits in with his attitude to- ing the focus from the interna- strength. One day, I hope, we will play soccer together in the sky." friendship that were in fact laid wards Russia. Biden does not tional politics to the economic Pele and Maradona, who often vied for the title of best with Obama administration de- share the visceral dislike of Is- situation of Americans at home footballer in history, had just celebrated milestone birthdays last claring India as a major defense lamic militancy that Trump dis- and for being straightforward month: 80 and 60, respectively. partner of the US. played through his tenure. The about not letting the growing Pele had wished Maradona well on his birthday on October 30, The deep convergence that stand of the Democrat President threat of Islamic militancy reach writing, "May your journey be long and may you always smile, and Modi government struck with on Pakistan, China and Afghani- the US soil again. make me smile, too!" the US in the Presidentship of stan will therefore be of great An area of possible strain for Maradona had likewise congratulated Pele on his 80th a week Donald Trump on most matters strategic interest for India. India could crop up in the Biden before, joining in what he called "the universal tribute to the King." relating to security and eco- The President elect has in his administration at some point of The Brazilian and Argentine were jointly named best player of nomic development established statements and write ups fo- time because of the ideological the 20th century by FIFA in 2000. a bench mark in Indo- US rela- cused entirely on the domestic proneness of a Democrat dis- Maradona's career with the Argentine national team included tionship and this will have to be scene that prevails in the US in pensation to getting easily influ- World Cup appearances in 1982, 1986, 1990, and 1994. He dominated sustained by the two sides the aftermath of a bitterly con- enced by the motivated cam- the 1986 competition in Mexico. In a 2-1 quarterfinal victory over through a new set of interactive tested election and pledged to paign of liberal lobbyists who England, he scored two of the most memorable goals in World Cup meetings at various levels. unite the nation, get on with the had lately become active also history. The first was scored with his hand (the referee mistakenly Much water has flown down effective handling of Covid and against Modi government in In- thought the ball had struck his head), a goal now remembered as the "Hand of God" goal. The second occurred after Maradona the bridge since the times of work for restoring 'decency' in dia -particularly in its second gained possession of the ball in midfield and dribbled through a spell. pack of English defenders and past the keeper before depositing The deep convergence that Modi government A politically inspired combine the ball in the goal. He did not finish the 1994 World Cup, because is forming in India around the so struck with the US in the Presidentship of Donald he tested positive for the drug ephedrine and was suspended. called left liberals including Trump on most matters relating to security and Maradona also played in the South American championship-win- Maoists, practitioners of minor- ning teams of 1987 and 1989. economic development established a bench ity politics who ran down nation- Earlier this year India lost its soccer legend, Pradip Kumar mark in Indo- US relationship alism and some sections of the Banerjee, famously known as PK. He was a professional footballer opposition, with the aim of who played as a striker for the India national football team. He also somehow pulling down the captained the national team and later became its coach. He repre- Obama-Biden rule in US and the America's socio-political life. Modi rule. This axis is rapidly link- sented India in 45 official matches and scored 15 official goals for government of Dr Manmohan It is a fact that the political di- ing up with forces outside - led the country and was one of the first recipients ofthe Arjuna Award, Singh in India -the geo- political vide has been sharpened by by the Pak lobby against India- when the awards were instituted in 1961. He was also awarded the changes revolving round Xi ideological, demographic and and building a narrative that hu- prestigious Padma Shri in 1990 and named Indian Footballer of the Jinping's China and the transi- class polarization cumulatively man rights were in jeopardy in 20th century by IFFHS (International Federation of Football History tion of 'war on terror' to a caused by the appeal of America the Modi regime. & Statistics). In 2004, FIFA awarded him its highest honor, the FIFA broader global conflict between First, economic downturn result- It is significant that this anti- Order of Merit. Islamic radicals and the US -led ing from the pandemic and the Modi 'alliance' has suddenly as- Banerjee died on 20 March 2020 after suffering from age-related West, warrant a new effort by tensions on the street gener- sumed a high profile in Kashmir issues, having been on life support at a Kolkata hospital since 2 the two nations to steer the ated by the campaigns. Some - well after the completion of a March. He also had an underlying history of Parkinson's disease, democratic world towards analysts term this as the after ef- year since the abolition of Ar- dementia and heart problems. greater safety and security. fect of 'Trumpism' on American ticles 370 and 35A of the Consti- He represented India at the Asian Games 1958 in Tokyo, 1962 India would keenly watch politics. tution by the Indian Parliament. Jakarta, where India clinched the gold medal in football and then President Joe Biden unfolding The democratic environ at It comprises the pro-Pak sepa- 1966 in Bangkok. He was part of the national team at the 1956 Sum- his foreign policy agenda. So far home will reestablish itself with ratists, the valley based politi- mer Olympics in Melbourne where they reached Semi-Finals. He captained India at 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, where he he has not spoken on Pakistan or passage of time but for the cians seeking to benefit from an scored an equalizer against France in a 1-1 draw. He represented on the rise of Islamic militancy on world outside, particularly India, anti- India stance and some India thrice at the Merdeka Cup in Kuala Lumpur, where India won the latter's soil. Also, his ap- Biden's foreign policy package forces in the national opposition. a silver medal in 1959 and 1964, and a bronze in 1961.Recurring proach to China may be firm would be eagerly awaited as IANS injuries forced him to drop out of the national team and subse- without replicating the hard line that would have to define the For detailed stories visit quently to his retirement in 1967. of Trump while in respect of new regime's stand on a vast www.indiapost.com We are sure world soccer will witness great players but none will Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal to the author replace Maradona and P. K. Banerjee. December 4, 2020 India Post 33 www.indiapost.com 34 India Post December 4, 2020 www.indiapost.com