METROMAN JOINS BJP Ready to Take Any Responsibility: Sreedharan

NEW YORK • WASHINGTON D.C. • CHICAGO • ATLANTA • CALIFORNIA VOL 26, No. 1379 March 12, 2021 50¢ Periodical Postage METROMAN JOINS BJP Ready to take any responsibility: Sreedharan

The first Gandhi King legacy Pronita Gupta and Chiraag Bains summit Biden appoints Details on page 17 2 IND-AMs as policy advisors Pichai pledges $25 MN to Details on page 6 empower women Hong Kong's Details on page 10 upcoming electoral changes Indian-American named 1st VP, Details on page 7 COO of NY Fed CONTENTS Details on page 8 Bollywood ------30 Classifieds ------31 ANI Photo 'Metroman' E Sreedharan addresses a public meeting after joining BJP, in Thiruvananthapuram on March 7. Community Post ------17-24 Cover/Top Stories ------5-8 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: 'Metroman' E Sreedharan into politics after these many years. For 67 years, I Edit Page ------33 Horoscope ------9 This week’s question said he was ready to take up any responsibility given worked as part of many projects for this country." to him by the BJP, which he had recently joined. "I am still energetic and want to utilize my energy Immigration Post ------12-13 Do you think Sridharan can Life Style ------14-15 handle politics in Kerala? Speaking at a rally attended by Union Home Minis- for the state of Kerala. Whatever responsibility is given OP-ED------32 ter Amit Shah, at nearby Shangumugham, Sreedharan to me I will take it up with all courage and energy," he Last week’s result Info/Highlights ------4 said he wanted to utilize his energy for the state of said at the rally marking the culmination of the Vijay Do you think Mamta will lose Real Estate ------28-29 Bengal elections? Kerala. Yatra taken out by BJP state president K Surendran TechBiz Post ------10-11

YES 57% NO 43% "For the last 67 years I was a government from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram, ahead of the Travel & Hospitality Post ------16 servant.Many people have asked me why I ventured April 6 assembly polls. Details on page 5 Wellness Post ------26-27 2 India Post March 12, 2021 www.indiapost.com March 12, 2021 India Post 3 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]

NEWS

on your desktop

www.indiapost.com 4 India Post March 12, 2021 www.indiapost.com

India Post Newsweekly

www.indiapost.com The Weekly Newspaper Serving Indians Worldwide Mission Statement Romesh & Sunita Japra Publishers To empower the Indian Diaspora and make their voice strong and effective in countries of their adoption. RJ Media conglomerate Rajesh Verma Co-Publisher offers a credible, professional and complete package of news, opinion, entertainment, networking and information. Vikram Paul President Krishan Sharma Mg Director & Joint Editor Naresh Sodhi General Manager HIGHLIGHTS Amit Saini IT Director Harpreet Singh Sub Editor Ghanshyam Bisht Supervisor Graphics Bollywood: Lifestyle:

SAN FRANCISCO & Girls & their bodies Artists & designers come together SILICON VALLEY Vidya Sethuraman Bureau Chief Bollywood debutante Manushi Chillar An exposure such as this gives people Vijay Thapar CPRO & Advertising joins squash ace Dipika Pallial and 24- the kind of exposure required to under- Kiran Pandey Director, WellnessPost year-old boxing prodigy Nikhat Zareen stand their own taste and preferences Vinita Thapar Marketing Deepak Chhabra Promotions to raise awareness on equality. and create their own perception of art. Ritu Maheshwari Director Promotions 30 14 Sudesh Kumari Correspondent

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

CHICAGO METROMAN JOINS BJP $25 MN to empower women Ramesh Soparawala Resident Editor 'Metroman' E Sreedharan said he was CEO Sundar Pichai announced $25 mil- A Q Siddiqui Correspondent ready to take up any responsibility lion in grants to non-profits and social ST. LOUIS given to him by the BJP, which he had enterprises in India and around the Ashwin Patel Correspondent recently joined. 5 world on International Women's Day. 10 NEW YORK & NEW JERSEY Pinky Kaur Bureau Chief Srirekha N. Chakravarty Correspondent Sukhvinder Saini Circulation Community: Travel:

BOSTON Gandhi King legacy summit Costa Rica Gope Gidwani Bureau Chief The first of its type, Gandhi King Legacy Costa Rica covers only 0.03 percent of CANADA Roundtable Summit was organized by the the surface of the globe, it proudly shel- Paras Nehra Correspondent U.S. Congressional Multi Advisory Task Force ters 5 percent of the existing NEW DELHI (MEATF) in cooperation with MAFS Chicago 17 biodiversity in the entire world. 16 Lakshay Sharma Web Developer

MUMBAI Nidhi Soparawala Correspondent Immigration: Wellness: Frank Fernandes Correspondent SUV crash US, China should cooperate VADODARA, GUJARAT Vaidehi Patel Correspondent The 13 migrants killed in the crash Putting the coronavirus under control Priyanka Shah Correspondent sneaking into the US had entered "can only be accomplished through glo- PUNJAB California through a section of border bal coordination, which requires the ac- Raman Nehra Bureau Chief fence 12 tive engagement of US and China" 26 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] March 12, 2021 Cover/Top Stories India Post 5 www.indiapost.com METROMAN JOINS BJP Ready to take any responsibility: Sreedharan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: 'Metroman' E Sreedharan said he was ready to take up any responsibility given to him by the BJP, which he had recently joined. Speaking at a rally attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, at nearby Shangumugham, Sreedharan said he wanted to utilize his energy for the state of Kerala. "For the last 67 years I was a government servant.Many people have asked me why I ventured into politics after these many years. For 67 years, I worked as part of many projects for this country." "I am still energetic and want to utilize my energy for the state of Kerala. Whatever responsibility is given to me I will take it up with all courage and energy," he said at the rally marking the culmination of the Vijay Yatra taken out by BJP state president K Surendran from Kasaragod to Thiruvana- nthapuram, ahead of the April 6 assembly polls. Days ago, Sreedharan had said his main aim was to help the BJP to come to power and hewasopen to chief min- E Sreedharan being greeted by Union Home Minister Amit Shah after joining BJP, in Thiruvananthapuram. (ANI Photo) ister-ship, to which the party is yet to respond. "I would like to say a few words "I am already 56. Many times, I have post of DMRC's Principal Advisor. In the 2016 elections, the saffron about Sreedhran ji.An engineer and a felt that it's time to stop. But even at Sreedharan, now a member of the party, had won only one seat in the teacher, who was part of various de- his age, Sreedharan ji is energetic and BJP state Election Committee, said he 140-member assembly. velopmental projects. He is known as ready to work for this country. I would has requested the party leadership to Shah also wrapped a shawl around Metroman because he constructed like to salute him. The infrastructure field him from a constituency not far Sreedharan welcoming him into the the first Metro in the country. But we developer, Metroman has decided to from his residence in Ponnani in BJP. cannot ignore his engineering mar- join BJP for the nation building," Shah Malappuram district. Speaking at the rally, Shah was all vel- the Konkan Railway- which con- added. Well-known Malayalam actor Devan, praise for the 88-year old former nected southern India to the rest of The 'Metroman', who is all set to who merged his Kerala People's Party technocrat, who was part of various the country in a rapid manner," Shah contest the assembly polls on a BJP with BJP,was also present at the mas- development projects in the country. said. ticket, had recently resigned from the sive rally. PTI

Rishi Sunak tables UK's Budget for recovery, tax hike set for 2023

LONDON: UK Chancellor of the Ex- increase to 25 per cent from the cur- ever it takes to support the British est and best international talent and chequer Rishi Sunak tabled his first rent 19 per cent in 2023 for high-profit people and businesses through this a new Help to Grow scheme will of- Budget, last week, since the COVID- companies. moment of crisis. Second, once we are fer up to 130,000 companies across 19 pandemic hit last year and prom- He also confirmed an extension to on the way to recovery, we will need the UK a digital and management ised to continue doing whatever it the furlough scheme until September, to begin fixing the public finances and boost. takes to protect jobs for an invest- which would mean continued govern- I want to be honest today about our With UK Prime Minister Boris ment-led economic recovery. ment support with salaries for workers plans to do that. And, third, in today's Johnson cheering him along, Sunak The finance minister told parlia- on forced leave at pandemic-hit busi- Budget we begin the work of building told the Commons that his immedi- mentarians in the House of Com- nesses. our future economy, he said. ate priority continues to be support- mons that while it would not be This Budget meets the moment with The UK's first Indian-origin finance ing those hardest hit, with exten- right to raise rates of income tax or a three-part plan to protect the jobs minister reiterated that reforms to the sions to self-employed support, value-added tax (VAT) at this stage, and livelihoods of the British people, immigration system with a post-Brexit business grants, loans and VAT cuts there will have to be rise later and said Sunak. points-based system will help ambi- bringing the total fiscal support to that the rate of Corporation Tax will First, we will continue doing what- tious UK businesses attract the bright- over 407 billion pounds. PTI 6 India Post Top Stories March 12, 2021 www.indiapost.com

Sikh fighter pilot memorial in UK to Biden appoints honor Indians who fought in World Wars 2 Indian-Americans as policy advisors LONDON: The design for a sculpture of an early 20th This project certainly speaks for itself; strongly fur- century Sikh fighter pilot, cricketer and golfer from thering community cohesion and integration, and NEW YORK: A day after US President Joe Biden Oxford University has been approved for a new me- testifying to the major contribution our Sikh and joked that Indian-Americans were taking over the morial to be erected in the England port city of broader ethnic minority communities make to our US, he appointed two of them as special assis- Southampton in memory of all Indians who fought in country, as we live in such a vibrant multicultural so- tants for advising him on domestic policies. the World Wars. ciety here in Southampton, said Pritheepal Singh, The White House released (5 Mar.) the an- OCHD CEO and nouncement by Biden and Vice President Kamala Director. Harris appointing Chiraag Bains and Pronita The memorial Gupta to those positions on the Domestic Policy will be created Council. Both of them had served in the adminis- by English sculp- tration of former President Barack Obama, when tor Luke Perry, Biden was the Vice President. who is associ- Bains will deal with criminal justice while ated with other Gupta will deal with labor and workers. memorials such The duo joins more than 20 Indian-Americans as the Lions of who have been appointed by Biden to senior the Great War positions in his administration. They will not re- monument in quire Senate confirmation, as they will be on the Smethwick in President's staff. the West Mid- lands region of England, which depicts a turbaned Sikh sol- dier to honor the sacrifices made Hardit Singh Malik first arrived in the UK in 1908 as by millions of South Asian service personnel who a 14-year-old to Balliol College at the University of fought for Britain in the World Wars. His design for Oxford and went on to become a member of the Royal the latest memorial was finalized earlier this month Flying Corps during World War I. As the first Indian and and also received the backing of the Council of turbaned pilot with a specialized helmet, he became Southampton Gurdwaras. famous as the "Flying Sikh". Monuments such as this are a vital part of the fight As such the statue to the legendary World War I for equal representation. These artworks are long hero, Hardit Singh Malik, the world's first Royal Flying overdue thanks and recognition to the communities Pronita Gupta and Chiraag Bains Corps (now the Royal Air Force) Sikh, turbaned fighter from around the world who have supported Britain Bains worked in the Justice Department's Civil pilot will be emblematic for the broader Sikh contri- in its past and continue to do so in vital roles, not just Rights Division, first as a prosecutor of civil rights butions in the British armed forces of World War I and in the armed forces but our health care and every crimes and then as senior counsel to the assis- II, with Malik's extraordinary accomplishments as a aspect of modern life, said Perry. tant attorney general. touchstone' for the whole Sikh community and other The public statue of Hardit Singh Malik embodies He was one of the investigators and prosecu- of its lesser-known he- tors in the federal case against the city of roes, notes the One Com- Hardit Singh Malik first arrived in the UK in 1908 as a munity Hampshire & Ferguson for civil rights violations over the shoot- Dorset (OCHD) organiza- 14-year-old to Balliol College at the University of Oxford and ing of an African American teenager by a white police officer in 2014 that led to nationwide pro- tion behind the campaign went on to become a member of the Royal Flying Corps during for the memorial, which tests and riots. was approved by the World War I. As the first Indian and turbaned pilot with a special- He was recently the director of legal strate- Southampton City Council ized helmet, he became famous as the "Flying Sikh" gies at Demos, a national public policy organiza- last year. tion, where he led voting rights litigation. Before Malik also played that, he was a senior fellow at the Harvard Law cricket for Sussex and was also the Indian Ambassa- the spirit of inclusivity representing the will to break- School and a clerk for a federal judge. dor to France after a long and distinguished career in ing the glass ceiling' at the intersection of two World A key component of Biden's election mani- the Indian Civil Service. But it is as a fighter pilot dur- Wars and minority enrolment in the RAF: a significant festo is criminal justice reform to ensure that mi- ing 1917-19 that he is best known. feat for an Indian at the time, added Dr Sanjukta norities are not treated unfairly by laws and law I am truly overwhelmed by the striking beauty and Ghosh, Artistic Director at the School of Oriental and enforcement agencies. power of the exceptional design of the memorial, African Studies (SOAS) South Asia Institute and OCHD Gupta was the deputy director of the Labor which captures the spirit and endeavor of this great Advisor. Department's Women's Bureau in the Obama ad- RAF fighter pilot, Hardit Singh Malik, so well. It gives An online Go Fund Me fundraiser is also inviting ministration. me great happiness to learn that the design is ap- funds for the memorial, the unveiling of which is ex- proved by the community, said Lord Rami Ranger, pected to be accompanied by educational resources, She was recently the director of job quality for Chairman of the British Sikh Association and Chief Pa- a book and a documentary covering several educa- the Center for Law and Social Policy. IANS tron of OCHD. tional themes. PTI March 12, 2021 Top Stories India Post 7 www.indiapost.com

Hong Kong leader ''fully welcomes'' Singapore ranks First, India 26th in Asia-Pac in latest proposed electoral changes Economic Freedom Index HONG KONG: Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said the I'm glad that the central authorities have, again, ex- SINGAPORE: Singapore topped the global city's government fully welcomes changes to the ercised its constitutional powers to help address this ranking for the second year in a row in the latest city's electoral system that will substantially increase problem for Hong Kong, she said. Economic Freedom Index published last week by central government control over Hong Kong politics She declined to elaborate on the views she had US conservative think-tank, The Heritage Founda- and exclude Beijing's critics. shared to the central authorities regarding the election. Singapore increased its overall score by 0.3 Chinese authorities have said the draft deci- points to 89.7 primarily due to an improvement sion before China's National People's Congress in the score for government spending. would mean the largely pro-Beijing committee Singapore's score is well above the regional and that elects Hong Kong's leader would also world averages. choose a large part of the legislature to ensure Rounding up the global top five are New that the city is run by patriots. The Election Com- Zealand in second place with 83.9 points, Aus- mittee would also have the right to vet candi- tralia, third (82.4 points), Switzerland in fourth dates for the Legislative Council, weeding out with 81.9 points and Ireland (81.4 points). any suspected of being insufficiently loyal to As for the major economies, the United King- China and the ruling Communist Party. dom is 7th (78.4 points) United States is ranked Currently, half of Hong Kong's legislature is 20th with a score of 74.8 points, Japan 23rd (74.1 directly elected by voters, although the mass points), Germany is 29th (72.5 points) and China resignation of opposition legislators to protest is number 107 scoring 58.4 points. the expulsion of four of their colleagues for be- This is the first time the index has been pub- ing unpatriotic" means the body is now entirely lished since the COVID-19 pandemic overturned controlled by Beijing loyalists. lives as well as global economies and the scor- There are loopholes in the electoral systems; ing reflects to a small extent how governments there are also flaws in the systems in Hong have responded to the health crisis. 184 coun- Kong, Lam said at a news conference after she tries were covered in the study this time and the returned from the meeting in Beijing. I fully un- period of study is July 2019 to June 2020. derstand that this is not a matter that can be Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam The biggest news generated from the "2021 addressed entirely by the government. Index of Eco- toral reforms, and said many pieces of legislation in nomic Free- Rounding up the Hong Kong would have to be amended. The NPC, dom" was global top five are New Indian expat from Sharjah China's ceremonial legislature, will all but certainly however not Zealand in second wins Rs 24 cr in Big Ticket draw endorse the draft decision, though it may not take the rankings or immediate legal effect. how COVID-19 place with 83.9 points, Unconfirmed reports say the legislation will also impacted the Australia, third DUBAI: Indian expat Shivamurthy Krishnappa, living expand the size of the Legislative Council from 70 to scores but that in Sharjah, is the latest Dh12 million (around Rs 24 90 and the Election Committee from 1,200 to 1,500. The Heritage (82.4 points), crore) ticket winner. Seats on the Election Committee now reserved for di- Foundation de- Switzerland in fourth His winning ticket number -- 202511 -- was bought rectly elected district counselors will also be elimi- cided to ex- on February 17, the Gulf News reported. nated, further cementing Beijing's control over the clude Hong with 81.9 points and Krishnappa was excited as he watched the draw body. Kong from its Ireland (81.4 points) live from home. When the host Richard called him on Lam also said she could not confirm whether legis- rankings for his mobile, an elated Krishnappa said: "I am watching lative elections already postponed for one year last the first time ever. Hong Kong had topped the the live draw. Thank you so much. I cannot believe I September ostensibly because of the coronavirus list for 25 out of the previous 26 years prior to have won." pandemic would be further deferred due to the elec- the current year. The Indian expat, who hails from Shimoga district in toral reforms. The Heritage Foundation said that the reason Karnataka, said he wants to build a house from the She also said the central government authorities for leaving Hong Kong out is that the Special winning money. "I want to build a big house for my are very sincere and very committed in trying to move Administrative Region and its economic policies family back in my hometown. I have two children aged towards the objective of universal suffrage, which was have now come under the direct control of 10 and 4, so a large part of the money will be put into promised to Hong Kong under the Basic Law, the city's Beijing. Dr Edwin J. Feulner, founder of The Heri- deposit for their future." mini-constitution that was drawn up when the British tage Foundation wrote in the Wall Street Journal A mechanical engineer in Dubai since 2005, handed Hong Kong to China in 1997. that the city's ties to Beijing are increasingly Krishnappa has been buying the Big Ticket every Universal suffrage would give Hong Kong voters "forged in steel" and "traditions of English com- month for the last three years. "Before I used to share the right to vote for the city's leader, although only mon law, freedom of speech and democracy the ticket with friends. For the last one year I have candidates approved by Beijing would be allowed to have weakened significantly." been buying the ticket on my own. This time I bought run. Hong Kong has in recent months cracked down The Foundation added that Hong Kong's in- two tickets as the organizers had a special offer for on dissent, and most of the city's opposition figures vestment freedom has been hurt by political and regular ticket buyers," he said. including pro-democracy activists and former law- social unrest dating back to 2019. Meanwhile, Big Ticket organizers launched a new makers are in jail or in exile. A spokesman for the Hong Kong government's look to the live draw. "We are constantly looking for About 100 people, most of whom are pro-democ- financial secretary however expressed "deep ways to excite and engage with our customers, racy activists and supporters, have been charged un- disappointment" at the decision in speaking to whether it be a new prize promotion, social media der the city's sweeping national security law since it Reuters. ANI competitions or the live draw. IANS was implemented in June. AP/PTI 8 India Post Top Stories March 12, 2021 www.indiapost.com

America looking at the world with 'fresh eyes' Indian-American Blinken lays out foreign policy priorities named 1st VP, WASHINGTON: Asserting that America is looking at gether to solve problems no country can solve on its COO of NY Fed the world with "fresh eyes", US Secretary of State own. The world does not organize itself. When we pull Antony Blinken in his first major foreign policy speech back, one of two things often happens: either another NEW YORK: Indian-American Naureen Hassan, a plans to spell out eight aspects of how American di- country tries to take our place, but not in a way that 25-year veteran of the financial services industry, plomacy will carry out the strategy of President Joe advances our interests and values," from Blinken's has been named as the First Vice President and Biden. speech. Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Federal Reserve Prominent among them being its plan to restore "Or, maybe just as bad, no one steps up and then Bank of New York. America's global leadership, engage the world, renew we get chaos and all the dangers it creates. Either way, In a statement issued on 4 March, the Bank said democracy, contain COVID-19 pan- it's not good for America". that the appointment effective March 15, was ap- demic and tackle climate change. In his first major "We need countries to cooperate, proved by the Board of Governors of the Federal "We're not simply picking up now more than ever. Not one global Reserve System. where we left off. We're looking at foreign policy address challenge that affects your lives can "As First Vice President, Hassan will be the New the world with fresh eyes," accord- as president last be met by any nation acting alone not York Fed's second ranking officer as well as an al- ing to excerpts of Blinken's speech even one as powerful as the US. There ternate voting member of the Federal Open Mar- released by the State Department. month, Biden said that is no wall high enough or strong ket Committee," the statement said. In his first major foreign policy ad- enough to hold back the changes America cannot afford "Naureen's leadership background, deep com- dress as president last month, Biden transforming our world," he will say, mitment to fostering diverse teams, and extensive said that America cannot afford to be to be absent any signaling to the world that America is technology and financial experience will be criti- absent any longer on the world back after four years in which former longer on the cal to her role as a bank leader," John C. Williams, stage. president Trump pressed an 'America President and CEO of the New York Fed, was Declaring, "America is back," Biden world stage First' mantra. quoted as saying in the statement. said that his administration will "re- Observing that President Biden pair" the country's strained relations has pledged to lead with diplomacy, with its allies during the previous Donald Trump ad- because it's the best way to deal with today's chal- ministration and engage with the world once again. lenges, Blinken will say at the same time, the US will "Our friends are glad that we are back, because make sure that it continue to have the world's most America is uniquely capable of bringing countries to- powerful armed forces. PTI

Jaishankar, US' special San Francisco plans to envoy for Afghanistan reopen in-person classes discuss Afghan peace talks for youngest students

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar SAN FRANCISCO: San Francisco school officials plan and US special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad to reopen in-person classes for some of the youngest Naureen Hassan spoke over phone and discussed the latest develop- students, according to a report by the San Francisco ments pertaining to the Afghan peace talks. "I am confident that Naureen will be an inspir- Chronicle. Last November also, Jaishankar and Khalilzad held ing and innovative leader, and look forward to School board officials said in a statement that they talks during the latter's India visit on the historic peace working with her to move our organization forward reached a tentative agreement with the teachers negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan gov- in line with our values," he added. union to "return as many students as possible in focal ernment and related issues. Meanwhile, Denise Scott, Executive Vice Presi- groups to nearly a full school day, 5-days a week," be- "Received a call from US Special Representative dent of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation ginning April 12. Those groups are primarily preschool Zalmay Khalilzad @US4AfghanPeace. Discussed latest (LISC) and chair of the New York Fed's Board of Di- through fifth grade. It's unclear when the rest will re- developments pertaining to peace talks. We will re- rectors, said, "Naureen's leadership experience open, the report said, Xinhua news agency reported. main in touch,' Jaishankar tweeted on 7 March. and operational expertise are fully aligned with The board still needs to vote on the deal. The India has been keenly following the evolving politi- what the search committee and I envisioned for cal situation after the US signed a peace deal with the board's next meeting is Tuesday 9 March. this role". Taliban in February last year. It's still unclear how many of the school district's According to the statement, Hassan has previ- The deal provided for the withdrawal of American 52,000 students will return before the term ends June ously served in various capacities in the financial troops from Afghanistan, effectively drawing curtains 2. services industry, focusing primarily on digital and on Washington's 18-year war with Taliban in the coun- "This is an important step on our path to reopening business process transformation. try. schools. We continue to be committed to ensuring For the past four years, she was Chief Digital India has also been maintaining that care should be every student and family in the San Francisco United Officer of wealth management at Morgan Stanley. taken to ensure that any such process does not lead School District is receiving the support they need," Hassan's parents are immigrants from Kerala, to any "ungoverned spaces" where terrorists and San Francisco school board president Gabriela Lopez India. their proxies can relocate. was quoted as saying. Her father, Javad K. Hassan was a former senior India has been a major stakeholder in Afghanistan The deal came after weeks of increasingly tense executive at IBM and former president of Global and it has extended developmental assistance to tune negotiations. The school district and board have faced Inter Connect Systems at AMP Inc. (now TE Con- of around USD 3 billion in the last few years to the escalating pressure from parents and city officials to nectivity). IANS country. PTI reopen schools. IANS March 12, 2021 Horoscope India Post 9 www.indiapost.com Your Weekly Future by VANEET SHARMA MAR 12TH to MAR 18TH 2021

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

he planetary tran- he beginning of n the beginning of n the first half of the T sit is highly fa- T the week shall I the week you I week you are vorable in this week mark lot of activity in are likely to spend likely to face serious but the beginning is matters related to time with family mem- anger and aggression not good for health, children. In the first bers. You shall be hav- related issues. You happiness and decision making. From half of the week you shall be getting ing enough funds and you shall extend shall start getting some relief in the lat- 10th of March you shall become amaz- opportunity to travel but you might not one or other type of help to all who are ter half of the week. You shall be happy ingly active and focused. You shall be avail it because of the attainment of com- dependent on you. Your competitive with some relief in financial matters with attaining complete favor of destiny. Your plete favor of destiny with lot of pleasure spirit shall be at its best and you would some sudden gains and betterment and spouse shall be playing key role in shap- at your place. You shall do develop bet- bed increasing your personnel, social expansion in work area. You shall shine ing your destiny. Your social life, relation ter strategies for winning over your com- and political influence. In your own work in your social circles and you would be with friends and relatives shall help you petitors. 13 and 14th March are good you shall keep generating the required able to solve your issues with your ac- do better in all areas of life. dates for enhancing understanding. gains and your confidence level. tive involvement in social activities.

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

he initial three four eginning of the n the beginning of his week shall T days of the Bweek indicates some I the week you T again go ex- week are not auspi- mental tensions which shall get relief from cellent for all areas of cious for your state of shall disappear com- your mental tensions. life and you shall see mind, health and hap- pletely after 10th You would be doing betterment on profes- piness and you might suffer from the March. If you are in defense services or some experiments in your love life. Initially sional front in the first half of the week problems of mood swings. There is prob- central intelligence or investigation in the first half of the week there shall be and you have to travel in the latter half ability of getting injury etc too therefore agency then remember this week is the probability of some arguments with the of the week. The inflow of money shall you are advised to be cautious. Avoid get- best to prove your mettle as a war strat- family members however the situation of be good in the first half of the week. You ting into unnecessary argument with egist. After the mid of the week you tensions shall get eradicated completely can expect good results in matters re- people around you. You shall be feeling might have to go on a journey to meet in the latter half of the week. It would be a lated to harmony with spouse, and in- very low and lethargic. The latter half of some influential person. The last day of wonderful week for your progress at work flow of money on the last three days of the week is better for all areas of life ex- the week indicates enhancement of your but you need to put a check on your be- the week. If not married then this is the cept the problem of arguments and injury. strength with the help of a female. ing extra generous in this week. right time to plan it.

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

s per planetary ou shall become he beginning of he beginning of A transit you Y victim of few T the week is not T the week is shall be getting mixed tensions in the begin- auspicious for your giving big indication results with ups and ning of the week but happiness and state of of your very strong in- downs in life in mat- you would come out mind. You need to clination towards oc- ters related to finance, domestic envi- of all those tensions gradually. Your keep your patience intact and work on cult and mysterious subjects. In addition ronment and state of mind. There can be health shall be average. You shall be your anger management issues. You shall to that it shall be good for the restora- family feud, arguments with spouse and spending money on yourself, your fam- have to control your anger & aggression es- tion of immunity and improvement of partners too. You are advised to keep ily and also on journeys in this week. In pecially in the first half of it. After the mid of personality, personnel charm and love your patience intact and if you do that the first half of the week you shall en- the week towards its end you shall see tre- life. The first half of the week is auspi- then this week shall bring in excellent hance your association with family mem- mendous increase in your domestic happi- cious for devising new plans and taking results like tremendous appreciation for bers whereas in the latter half of the ness. In your social circles you shall prove those initiatives which would consoli- rendering excellent consultancy service week you would be concentrating more your mettle with the help of your potential date work area like reshaping the mar- and giving advice to people. on your social life and work area. of resourcefulness at its full swing. keting strategies.

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" Tech News Tesla, Ford only carmakers not gone bankrupt: Elon Musk

Satellite will help NEW DELHI: As several carmakers bleed in the US and beyond, India keep an eye Tesla is profitable and according to Elon Musk, his electric car on borders TechBiz company and Ford are the only two carmakers in the US, which have not gone bankrupt. Tesla reported another profitable quar- BENGALURU: India plans to ter as revenue hit $10.74 billion in the fourth quarter of 2020. In launch on March 28 an earth last year, Tesla achieved free cash flow of nearly $2.8 billion after observation satellite that will spending more than $3 billion on building new factories and provide it near real-time im- 10 India Post www.indiapost.com March 12, 2021 other expenditures. IANS ages of its borders and also enable quick monitoring of natural disasters. GISAT-1 is slated to be lifted Pichai pledges $25 MN to empower into space by GSLV-F10 rocket from Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh's Nellore district, women including in India about 100 kms north of Chennai. "We are looking to launch NEW DELHI: In a bid to sup- and financial literacy. Internet can come into the "Over the last few years, un- this Geo imaging satellite on port the economic empower- The virtual event also fore,"said Ratan Tata, Chairman, der Jan Dhan Yojana, we have March 28, subject to weather ment of women in India, marked the completion of Tata Trusts. supported 220 million women conditions", an official of the Google and Alphabet CEO Google's joint effort with Tata Over six years, the Internet to become financially indepen- Bengaluru-headquartered In- Sundar Pichai announced $25 Trusts to empower women Saathi program has benefitted dent. Under the Mudra Yojana, dian Space Research Organiza- million in grants to non-profits we have dedicated 27 crore tion (ISRO) told PTI. and social enterprises in India worth of funds, accessed by 70 The rocket will place the and around the world. per cent women," she said dur- spacecraft in a geosynchro- On the occasion of Interna- ing the event. nous orbit. It will be subse- tional Women's Day, Pichai also "I am happy to learn about quently positioned in geosta- committed to help 1 million Google's efforts and commit- tionary orbit, about 36,000 kms women in rural villages in India ment to enable women entre- above earth's equator, using its to become entrepreneurs preneurs in India as these will onboard propulsion system. through business tutorials, create pathways for the socio- The launch of GISAT-1 tools and mentorship, as part economic advancement of onboard GSLV-F10 rocket was of the Google Internet Saathi women," she added. originally planned for March 5 program. Google said it has launched last year but postponed a day "Women are almost twice as the 'Women Will' web platform before the blast-off due to likely to lose their jobs during that will be complemented by technical reasons. the pandemic and an esti- community support, Experts said positioning the mated 20 million girls are at Sundar Pichai mentorship and accelerator state-of-the-art agile earth ob- risk of not returning to school. programs for rural women en- servation satellite in geosta- We have the opportunity to across rural India with digital over 30 million women across trepreneurs. tionary orbit has key advan- build a future that is more literacy skills via the Internet India through training pro- Available in English and tages. "It's going to be a game- equal and more inclusive - and Saathi program that was vided by over 80,000 "Internet Hindi, the platform is designed changer in some sense for In- we must take it," Pichai said launched in 2015. Saathis". especially for women aspiring dia", a Department of Space of- during the virtual 'Google for "In bringing today's technol- In a special address, Union to explore entrepreneurship. ficial said. India' event. ogy, and perhaps tomorrow's Women and Child Develop- To begin with, Google will "With onboard high-resolu- The company also an- technology, to bear for the ment Minister Smriti Irani said work with 2,000 Internet tion cameras, the satellite will nounced $500,000 Google.org benefit of rural women is a that women can act as great Saathis to help other women allow the country to monitor grant to Nasscom Foundation great move forward. Over enablers of India's growth gain from this resource and the Indian land mass and the to support 100,000 women ag- time, these efforts will ensure story, creating tectonic shifts start on their entrepreneurial oceans PTI riculture workers with digital that the true value of the in society. journey. IANS Nita Ambani launches women-centric digital platform 'Her Circle'

MUMBAI: Reliance that it is aimed at synergizing space for interaction, engage- rations, ambitions, dreams and Nita M. Ambani said, Foundation's Chairperson, women's power with the ment, collaboration, and mu- competencies of women of all "When women lean on Nita Mukesh Ambani has power of the digital revolution. tual support," it said. social backgrounds. women, incredible things launched 'Her "This first-of-its- Her Circle is envisioned to happen! I should know. All my Circle', an empow- kind digital net- be a worldwide digital collec- life I have been surrounded ering and com- working platform tive of women, beginning with by strong women from whom prehensive con- aims to accelerate Indian women but open to par- I have learnt compassion, re- tent, social media, women's empower- ticipation of women from all silience, and positivity; and in and goal-fulfillment and over the globe. return I have strived to pass ment digital plat- strengthen the It is an all-encompassing on my learning to others. As a form for women. bonds of sisterhood content, social media and goal daughter who grew up in a A Reliance globally by provid- fulfillment community that ca- family of 11 girls, I was taught Foundation statement said ing them a joyful and safe ters to the rapidly rising aspi- Nita Mukesh Ambani to believe in myself." IANS March 12, 2021 TechBiz Post India Post 11 www.indiapost.com IIM Calcutta's 2021 MBA batch Tech Briefs records 100 pc placement Apple to stop sale of iMac

KOLKATA: The 2021 MBA placement week at IIM ing for them. Pro base models batch of IIM Calcutta recorded Calcutta, which ended on A total of 90 students were 100 per cent placement as all March 3, saw over 530 job of- selected by top investment WASHINGTON: The Ameri- available in the market. the 467 students who took fers for the 467 students. banking, asset management can multinational technology However, third parties like part in the process got jobs, an Altogether 172 firms partici- and private equity venture company, Apple will stop Amazon may still be left institute statement has stated. pated in the final placement capital firms. selling older iMac Pro base with the product. The 2021 MBA batch of the process, with the average and However, the impact of the models soon in lieu to launch The company is antici- XLRI-Xavier School of Manage- median salaries rising to Rs 29 COVID-19 pandemic and the a new range of iMacs. pated to introduce a rede- ment also achieved a similar lakh and Rs 27 lakh per annum economic slowdown was vis- According to The Verge, signed iMac model which ible in some sectors. the company is on its way will be a revamp of the Mac While consulting and fi- out to stop selling Pro sometime nance roles continued to com- its currently avail- this year. prise roughly half of the place- able iMac models Apple's last ments as seen in previous as the official 27-inch iMac years, general management website of the product was in- and marketing roles came Apple store is troduced in Au- down from 30 per cent last showing the gust 2017, with year 2020 to 15 per cent in product prize an eye towards 2021. tagged as USD gaming, VR, high- In yet another reflection of 4,999 with a configuration, end editing and graphics the economy in 2020-21 and "while supplies last". Apple work. It replaced the out- current trends, major software confirmed to The Verge that dated Mac Pro line and services and e-commerce plat- once the supplies of the proved to be one of its most forms boosted their hiring base model will run out, popular products amongst from the campus. iMac Pro will no longer be professional iMac users. ANI Vinaya Patil, a second year MBA student said, "We were feat as all the 358 students who respectively, it said. really worried about the final Google to stop targeting online sat for placements got jobs, a The consulting sector recruitment given the slow- release by the Jamshedpur- emerged as the top recruiter, down in the industrial activity ads based on browsing history based institute said. with 149 students or 32 per in the last couple of years. Such WASHINGTON: American ing tracked across the web The virtually conducted cent of the total strength opt- placements for the whole multinational technology in order to get the benefits batch feel surreal." company Google recently re- of relevant advertising. And Professor Abhishek Goel, vealed that it's going to stop advertisers don't need to ArcelorMittal to invest over chairperson of the Career De- targeting online ads based track individual consumers velopment and Placement Of- on a user's browsing history. across the web to get the Rs 50,000 crore in Gujarat: CM fice said, "It was a tall order to According to Mashable, performance benefits of get so many offers in the sea- the company also said that it digital advertising". AHMEDABAD: The world's Rupani told reporters. son while keeping the provi- won't be building any tools The blog states that leading steel and mining During his trip to Gujarat, sion for multiple offers for a that can keep track of spe- Google has announced this company ArcelorMittal will Mittal met Prime Minister student. The students stepped cific user in order to invest more than Rs 50,000 Narendra Modi, who at- up to the challenge and the data across get rid of crore in Gujarat, Chief Minis- tended the Combined Com- outcome is an incredible feat." products. support for ter Vijay Rupani said a day af- manders' Conference in Director Professor Anju Seth Making the third-party ter its executive chairman Kevadia in the state, Deputy said, "Achieving 100 per cent announce- cookies, Lakshmi Mittal called on Chief Minister Nitin Patel placements in an unprec- ments on its which is him. said, adding it was a cour- edented time such as this is a Google Ads the reason "All industrialists from In- tesy visit.Mittal also met the true testament to the value of and Com- why it has dia and abroad, including Dy CM and the CM at Vidhan the IIM Calcutta experience merce blog, been work- Lakshmi Mittal, are coming Sabha. and I thank the recruiters for it said, "Keeping the internet ing on the Privacy Sandbox to Gujarat for making invest- "On Saturday (6 Mar.), their trust." open and accessible for ev- for building innovations that ment as they count Gujarat when PM Modi was in The final recruitment pro- eryone requires all of us to protect user anonymity as the best (investment) Gujarat, Mittal paid him a cess at XLRI saw the participa- do more to protect privacy -- while also helping out ad- destination. courtesy visit," Patel said. tion of 108 recruiters, with 370 and that means an end to not vertisers and publishers. Lakshmi Mittal came to He said Mittal talked domestic and international of- only third-party cookies but The company also said meet me yesterday (6 about his proposed contri- fers. also any technology used for that once third-party cook- March). He told me that he bution for making Gujarat as The median salary offered to tracking individual people as ies are phased out, it won't will make an investment of an industrial leader during the batch stood at Rs 23 lakh they browse the web." It fur- build alternate identifiers to more than Rs 50,000 crore in his discussion with the per annum and the average ther mentioned that "people track individuals as they Gujarat in the coming days," deputy CM and the CM. PTI salary increased to Rs 25.08 shouldn't have to accept be- browse across the web. ANI lakh per annum. PTI In Brief Seats in the SUV had been removed except 3 Myanmar for those for the driver policemen cross Immigration and front passenger, into India said Omar Watson, chief of the California NEW DELHI: Police in India's northeastern Mizoram state Highway Patrol's border said they have detained three 12 India Post www.indiapost.com division Myanmar policemen who en- March 12, 2021 tered India seeking refuge a month after the country's powerful military ousted the elected government of leader SUV in crash where 13 died came Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup. Police officer Lalnunzira, who uses one name, said the through hole in border fence three men crossed into Indian territory near Lungkawlh village. The village is 13 kilome- HOLTVILLE (California): The The Border Patrol said its near the Imperial Sand Dunes hold eight people safely, but ters (8 miles) from the border 13 people killed last week in agents were not pursuing the where migrants often climb smugglers are known to pack with Myanmar. one of the deadliest highway vehicle before the wreck. over an aging barrier and wait people into vehicles in ex- crashes involving migrants The opening in the fence for drivers to pick them up, tremely unsafe conditions to sneaking into the US had en- was about 30 miles (48 kilome- hoping to avoid the scrutiny of maximize their profits. tered California through a sec- ters) east of the crash in the Border Patrol agents at check- Seats in the SUV had been tion of border fence with removed except for those for Mexico that was cut away, ap- the driver and front passenger, parently by smugglers, immi- said Omar Watson, chief of the gration officials said. California Highway Patrol's Surveillance video showed a border division. Ford Expedition and Chevrolet The crash happened in an Suburban drive through the area that became a major The three policemen said opening, said Gregory Bovino, route for illegal border cross- they ran from the country be- the Border Patrol's El Centro ings in the late 1990s after cause the Myanmar army was sector chief. The video has not heightened enforcement in on their trail after they refused been publicly released be- San Diego pushed migrants to to obey some orders, the police cause it's part of an ongoing in- more remote areas. officer said. He did not explain vestigation. Barely a mile from the crash, what orders the three police- The Suburban carried 19 there is a cemetery with rows men had refused to obey. He people, and it caught fire for of unmarked bricks that is a said they were wearing civilian unknown reasons on a nearby heart of California's Imperial Val- points on highways leading to burial ground for migrants clothes and were not carrying interstate after entering the ley, a major farming region now Los Angeles, San Diego and who died crossing the border. any weapons when they were U.S. All escaped the vehicle at the height of a harvest that Phoenix. In 2001, John Hunter found inside Indian territory. and were taken into custody provides much of the lettuce, A pandemic-related mea- founded Water Station, a volun- India shares a 1,643-kilome- by Border Patrol agents. onions, broccoli and winter veg- sure that allows the Border Pa- teer group that leaves jugs of ter (1,020-mile) -long border The Expedition crammed etables to U.S. supermarkets. trol to expel people without an water in giant plastic drums for with Myanmar, where more with 25 people continued on, It was made of steel bollards opportunity to seek asylum dehydrated migrants. than 50 people, mostly peace- and a tractor-trailer struck it a that were built before former potentially leads some to try to I was trying to figure out ful protesters, have been killed short time later. Ten of the 13 President Donald Trump blan- evade authorities instead of how to stop the deaths, said since the Feb. 1 military coup. killed in that crash have been keted much of the border with surrendering, sometimes with Hunter, whose brother Duncan AP/PTI identified as Mexican citizens. taller barriers that go deeper fatal consequences. The US strongly advocated for border into the ground. Photos show a Centers for Disease Control wall construction as a con- panel of eight steel poles was and Prevention introduced ex- gressman. PRADEEP ROY-SINGH lifted out and left on the ground in the desert next to an old tire The Expedition crammed with 25 people B.A. LL.B. M.B.A. J.D. and other debris. Attorney-at-Law Human smugglers have continued on, and a tractor-trailer struck it a Former Assistant States Attorney proven time and again they short time later. Ten of the 13 killed in that crash have little regard for human life, 1 Civil & Criminal Litigation Bovino said. Those who may be have been identified as Mexican citizens 1 Felonies, Misdemeanors, Inc DUI contemplating crossing the 1 Personal Injury, Business, Divorce etc. border illegally should pause to pulsion powers nearly a year Illegal crossings in the area 1 Property Tax for Commercial Properties think of the dangers that all too ago under Trump, and the fell sharply in the mid-2000s often end in tragedy, tragedies Biden administration has sig- but the area has remained a http://www.proy-singh.com our Border Patrol Agents and naled no plans to lift them any- draw for migrants and was a 2335 W. Devon Ave., Suite 204, first responders are unfortu- time soon. priority for wall construction nately very familiar with. The cause of the collision under Trump. His Chicago, IL 60659 Tel: 773-381-1820 The breach occurred in a wasn't yet known, authorities administration's first wall busy area for illegal crossings said. The Expedition is built to project was in Calexico. AP/PTI March 12, 2021 Immigration Post India Post 13 www.indiapost.com

UK's new post-study Graduate route work H-1B: Three Republicans bring legislation in Congress to end visa to open for applications July1st allure of cheap foreign labor LONDON: A new post-study work visa that offers To apply under the new Graduate route, interna- international students from countries like India the optional students must have completed an eligible WASHINGTON: Three Republican US lawmak- portunity to stay on for work experience after com- course at a recognized UK higher education provider ers have introduced a legislation in Congress to pleting their course in the UK will formally open for at undergraduate or higher level. bar American employers from hiring H-1B work- applications from July 1, the UK Home Office said. Students on the route will be able to work or look ers, who are mostly highly-skilled Indian IT pro- The Graduate route visa, announced last year by UK for work after their studies for a maximum period of fessionals, if they have recently, or plan to fire Home Secretary Priti Patel as part of her new post- two years, or three years for Doctoral PhD students. their local workers, seeking to put an end to the Brexit points-based immigration regime and con- The Graduate route is unsponsored, meaning ap- allure of cheap foreign labor. firmed within the Immigration Rules tabled in Parlia- plicants will not need a job offer to apply for the route. Introduced in the House of Representatives by There will be no minimum salary require- Republican congressmen Mo Brooks, Matt Gaetz ments or caps on numbers, which the Home and Lance Gooden, the American Jobs First Act Office says would allow graduates on the proposes to overhaul the H-1B visa program by route to work flexibly, switch jobs and de- making necessary changes in the Immigration velop their career as required. and Nationality Act. We campaigned for this in the UK for more The H-1B visa, most-sought after among Indian than six years and this was a commitment IT professionals, is a non-immigrant visa that al- we made to our Indian student community, lows US companies to employ foreign workers in which we are overjoyed to have been able specialty occupations that require theoretical or to deliver, said Sanam Arora, Chair of the Na- technical expertise. tional Indian Students and Alumni Union UK Technology companies depend on it to hire (NISAU-UK), a representative group for In- tens of thousands of employees each year from dian students in the UK. countries like In- According to the most recent statistics, dia and China. The H-1B visa, most- the number of student visas issued to Indi- According to sought after among ans increased by 42 per cent compared to its text released ment this week, is applicable from the 2020-2021 aca- the previous year now numbering more than 53,000. last week, a for- Indian IT profession- demic cohort of international students. This represents 23 per cent of all student visas issued eign guest als, is a non-immi- As we rebuild from the global pandemic we want by the UK up from 13 per cent in the previous year worker may not the world's brightest talent, who aspire to a career at making Indian students among the largest interna- be admitted or grant visa that allows the highest levels of business, science, the arts and tional groups studying in Britain. provided status US companies to technology to see our United Kingdom as the natural The flow of students between India and the UK as an H-1B non- place to fulfill their aspirations, said Kevin Foster, Min- makes the human connection between our countries immigrant in an employ foreign work- ister for Future Borders and Immigration. the living bridge' ever stronger. I'm delighted that in- occupational ers in specialty occu- The changes announced today will ensure once creasing numbers of talented Indian students are classification un- pations that require they have received a gold standard qualification from choosing the UK to study, and even more so that the less the peti- one of our world leading education institutions, they Graduate route will allow them to work in the UK after tioner employer theoretical or techni- can easily secure the status they need to continue liv- their studies. Their presence is the heart of the new has filed with the cal expertise ing, working and fulfilling their dreams in the UK, he partnership between India and the UK, said Alex Ellis, Secretary of La- said. British High Commissioner to India. bor an applica- The grace period for students hit by the The new route is part of the UK government's Inter- tion stating the employer is offering an annual coronavirus travel restrictions and forced into remote national Education Strategy, aimed at increasing the wage to the H-1B non-immigrant that is the learning last year now have until June 21 to be physi- number of international students in higher education greater of the annual wage paid to the US citizen cally present in the UK to be eligible for the new route, in the UK to 600,000 by 2030. or lawful permanent resident employee who did extended further from the April 6 deadline. The Graduate route comes as UK Chancellor Rishi identical or similar work during the two years Students who began their studies in January or Feb- Sunak unveiled plans to launch another new immigra- before the petitioner employer filed such appli- ruary 2021 will need to be in the UK by September 27. tion route to help start-ups and fast-growing firms re- cation; or USD 110. The UK is committed to supporting thousands of cruit the talent they need to innovate and grow in his The petitioner employer also needs to file with Indian students in their dreams to pursue a the Secretary of Labor an application stating the world class UK education and post study As we rebuild from the global pandemic we employer will not require an H-1B non-immigrant employment opportunities. Given the pan- want the world's brightest talent, who aspire to pay a penalty for ceasing employment with demic travel restrictions, these new the petitioner employer before the date agreed timelines to reach the UK will help ensure to a career at the highest levels of business, to by the H-1B non-immigrant and the petitioner international students are able to benefit science, the arts and technology to see our employer. from the Graduate Route and gain coveted The bill that has been referred to the Commit- international work experience, said Bar- United Kingdom as the natural place to fulfill tee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Com- bara Wickham, Director India, British Coun- their aspirations, said Kevin Foster mittee on Education and Labor among other cil. things suspends the F-1 Optional Practical Train- Indian students are encouraged to reach out to Budget speech to the House of Commons last week. ing (OPT) program, which grants all foreign stu- their universities and seek regular guidance on As part of the new route, highly skilled migrants dents extendable work permits and exacerbates blended learning, recommended time to travel to the with a job offer from a recognized high-growth firm job market competition among American gradu- UK, and on any other support required on campus, she will qualify for a visa without the need for sponsorship ates. PTI said. or third-party endorsement. PTI 14 India Post www.indiapost.com March 12, 2021

Yoga brings me closer to myself: Willow Smith

NEW DELHI: American singer Willow Smith says doing yoga brings her closer to herself. "To me, yoga is a practice which brings me closer to myself so that I can still my mind enough to build my relationship with The Divine," says Smith who shares her yoga-related activities on Instagram on a daily basis. Smith, who is the brand ambassador of Japanese fashion brand Onitsuka Tiger, has incorporated yoga he entire space is enriched by some of the most managed to sneak in amidst the dots. Akash and poses into the shoot for the brand's Spring and Sum- intricate lights created by Arjun Rathi hanging Poonam Mehta's colorful set of windows 'Virya' is in- mer 2021 Collection. Tabove the art gallery. The view looking up from spired by the famous Paris-based Indian artist Raza. The theme of the Palladium Atrium towards Rathi's lights is as phenom- Kanhai Gandhi's 'Drop' is part of a larger initiative - a collection, which enal. While on the third floor, Baaya Design has placed constant reminder of saving the most precious re- Willow is wear- some of their bespoke copper enamel plates on dis- source on this planet. The mono-toned 'Coded Illu- ing in the cam- play on the wall opposite Social followed by a setup of sions' by Anand Menon comes from a universe of its paign images, is sculpture artist Mahesh Anjalekar's works. own while Kumpal Vaid's 'Love in the times of war' is "The Onitsuka Tiger Kanhai Gandhi's 'Drop' installation in the Atrium op- inspired by a celebrated photograph from the time of Attitude". posite Gucci is a mesmerizing spectacle. Created us- World War II. Ishan Grover's 'Bindu' is inspired by his Andrea ing large stacks of glass on a glossy metal love for pure geometric patterns and works of Pompilio, Creative base, the installation serves as a con- Raza. Director of stant reminder of preservation of Sapana Jain's Matching Wavelength Onitsuka Tiger, water in ongoing times. installation placed amidst the veneers says the theory of The ART of Veneer cam- adds a pop of color to the space. The the brand is to pay paign was introduced by installation having a huge spring homage to its his- VENZO Wood to stir things connecting two people sitting on tory and continue within the veneer domain, tech-boxes represents the idea of to evolve with cre- Willow Smith push the industry to its full- how important it is to stay physi- ativity and trends. est potential and reveal cally connected in our growing Describing the what can be achieved with virtual reality. campaign in one word, the use of veneer as a mate- Art is subjective to individual Smith says, "I would de- rial. Each artwork is a culmi- perception but is often showcased scribe this campaign the nation of varied veneer pieces for a select few. An exposure such as same way I would describe stacked and inlayed like a one- this gives people the kind of exposure the shoes: originative." of-a-kind jigsaw puzzle. The art in- required to understand their own taste For this campaign, Pompilio said: "We wanted to itself is a manifestation of the designers' and preferences and create their own percep- portray this collection in a dramatic way by incorpo- unique thoughts expressed through an unconven- tion of art. It opens the domain to the masses, gives rating yoga poses, which she happens to be good at. tional medium. them the opportunity to start a conversation on art, This campaign gives us hope that there are no limits Saniya Kantawala decided to pay homage to the and stir imagination. to the diversity of fashion, and that everyone can truly heritage, art and design of South Mumbai by creating The campaign will made available for public view- enjoy fashion in their own unique way, whether on the a map of Kala Ghoda while Manish Dikshit's 'Positively' ing until March 31 and has been in works for over six go or at home, regardless of location, age, or gender." had everyone searching for the one single heart he months. IANSlife IANSlife March 12, 2021 India Post 15

www.indiapost.com NEW DELHI: With over millions of species breathing on earth, the world celebrates Wildlife Day on March 3rd, to raise awareness of global flora and SPOT THESE RARE AND EXOTIC fauna. There are many rare and exotic animals that can be found only in India. Wildlife plays an important role for ANIMALS ONLY IN INDIA the earth, as it scientifically balances the environment and ensures harmoni- ous co-existence among beings. Indian wildlife sanctuaries are home to rare, 2200 m. The animal that usually appears only floating park in the world. As the some of the rare species. The park is beautiful and elusive species of animals of dark brown color with a yellow-col- state animal of Manipur, its signifi- known for its endemic wildlife such as that can be found only in our country. ored patch on its forefeet. Their name cance is seen in the cultural folklore the Assam roofed turtle, hispid hare From lion-tailed macaque in the West- has been derived from the Nilgiri Hills, where sangai is the binding factor be- and wild water buffalo. ern Ghats of India to Sangai, subspecies however sightings have been reported tween humans and nature and killing 6. Nilgiri Tahr, Eravikulam National of brow-antlered deer that holds cul- as far north as Charmadi Ghat and as far it was a sin. Today where a lot of conser- Park (Kerala) tural significance in Manipur, here are south as the Neyyar. You can spot the vation efforts are made to save some wildlife sanctuaries worth visit- Nilgiri marten at Anamalai Tiger Re- and protect the species, one ing, curated by Booking.com curates to serve, a pristine 958.59 sq. km reserve should not miss a chance to bring you a little closer to the beautiful of tropical jungle, shola forest and grass- visit the park situated at the species. land rising to 2400m and spilling over Loktak Lake and be in the com- 1. Lion-tailed macaque, the Western Ghats into Kerala between pany of these rare animals. Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary Kodaikanal and Coimbatore 5. Pygmy Hog, Manas Na- (Kerala) tional Park (Assam) As an Old World mon- As a critically endangered key native to the West- species, pygmy hog is now ern Ghats of South India, only found in Assam. These are they rank among the the smallest wild pigs and most-rare of the 250- piglets, and they are one of The Kashmir Stag species (approx.) of pri- the very few mammals that mates around the world. build its own home and com- The Shendurney Wildlife plete it with a roof. The species is the As the only mountain ungulate in Sanctuary, a protected sole representative of Porcula, native Southern India among just 12 species area in the Kollam dis- to alluvial grasslands in the foothills of found in India, Nilgiri Tahr is found only trict of Kerala houses the Himalayas, and their extinction in the tropical rainforest of the West- and protects the highly Lion-tailed macaque may result in the extinction of the spe- ern Ghats. With curved horns, coarse endangered species. and short fur, the Nilgiri Tahr Spread over 172.403 sq.km. India's first 3. The Kashmir Stag in Dachigam is extensively found in the eco-tourism project, Thenmala Eco- National Park (Jammu & Kashmir) Eravikulam National Park tourism Project has been formulated in The Kashmir Stag, also known as (Idukki district) where an es- and around Shendurney Wildlife Sanctu- Hangul, is a subspecies of elk and is na- timated 700-800 Nilgiri Tahrs ary. During your visit to the sanctuary, tive to Kashmir. Only found in the dense live. Nilgiri Tahr in Eravikulam you can stay inside the forests in spe- riverine forests of Dachigam National National Park occurs in two cially built camping houses and experi- Park located at 22 km from Srinagar, the types of groups: the mixed ence the majesty of the jungle by trek- Kashmir Stag is listed as one of the criti- groups and an all-male group. king, going on jeep safaris or bird cally endangered and rare species. At the Eravikulam National watching, while getting a chance to With their magnificent antlers, the Park located at the backdrop spot the rare lion-tailed macaque. stag is the state animal of Jammu and Pygmy Hog of tea plantations, one can wit- 2. Nilgiri marten in Anamalai Tiger Kashmir. In the 1900s, there were ness the mass flowering of Reserve (Tamil Nadu) about 3,000-5,000 of these species Neelakurinji flowers that found in Jammu and Kashmir cies. Of the 150 pygmy hogs left, bloom once in 12 years and turn the and Himachal Pradesh, but Manas National Park in Assam hosts carpet blue. IANSlife today, about 150 remain in the state. You can locate these majestic animals in the wild at the Dachigam National Park, where you can also spot leop- ard, hill fox and Himalayan se- row, among others. 4. Sangai in Keibul Lamjao National Park Nilgiri marten (Manipur) The Nilgiri marten, a small carnivo- The endangered subspecies of rous mammal, is the only marten spe- brow-antlered deer, called sangai, is cies native to India. They are found in only found in Manipur. They reside in moist and wet evergreen forests of the about 15-20 km area across the Keibul Western Ghats, living at altitudes of 150- Lamjao National Park in Manipur, the 16 India Post www.indiapost.com March 12, 2021

osta Rica is a country lo posed of conservation cated in Central America and natural protected Cthat is ranked as one of territory. the most visited international Furthermore, 2018 destinations. One of Costa has become a mag- Rica's main sources of income is net for meeting tour- tourism. Costa Rica is a demo- ism with the opening cratic and peaceful country and of the National Con- it has not had an army since the gress and Convention year 1948. Center (CNCC), which Although the country is small can welcome some 4,600 and it covers only 0.03 percent people to its meetings. The best way to begin plan- professionals in your field to- of the surface of the globe, it Located eight kilometers ning an unforgettable vacation gether in a country recognized proudly shelters 5 percent of from the Juan Santamaría Inter- people from different back- is getting firsthand information for its diverse attractions and the existing biodiversity in the national Airport and just 10 ki- grounds and cultures to ex- about the different certified ac- activities, connectivity, world entire world. Twenty six per- lometers from San José, the change experiences and new tivities and hotels available in leadership in sustainability and cent of the country is com- new space will bring together businesses. the country. All the activities state-of-the-art and technologi- Costa Rica is also an attrac- found in this section have gone cally advanced infrastructure tive country for investment and through exhaustive verification and services. www.visitcos- offers great potential for the for quality and safeness-to en- tarica.com/en establishment of important sure our visitors will find the For detailed story visit multinational companies, best of the best, in every area www.indiapost.com thanks to the outstanding aca- of the country. demic level of its population, as MEETINGS AND well as the high standard of INCENTIVE modern services and social and We are the ideal des- political stability. tination to hold your THINGS TO DO next meeting or in- In Costa Rica will find plenty centive travel. Bring of exhilarating activities taking place in the greenest habitat and surrounded by exotic wildlife. A paradise for those who look for something different, a visit to Costa Rica provides a new life experience for all. In Costa Rica visitors will find everything they are looking for: adventure, sun, beaches, forest, wildlife and wellness, and much more. Desi News LA County update Miami on the COVID COMMUNITY sportswear Vaccine firm Asked VIDYA SETHURAMAN to withdraw India Post News Service Ganesh A County's COVID Joint ACROSS AMERICA L Informa-tion Center contin- leggings ues a groundbreaking initia- Details on page 21 tive to inform ethnic news me- March 12, 2021 www.indiapost.com India Post 17 dia on the county's response to the COVID 19 pandemic and the vaccine rollout. EMS briefing on March 4 highlighted the The first Gandhi King legacy work of the LA County. Supervisor Hilda Solis, Chair of the LA County Board of Su- pervisors, First District said roundtable summit hope is on the horizon. She added we have been seeing SURESH BODIWALA & DAVE VASUDEVAN steady decline in case num- CHICAGO: The first of its bers, deaths and hospitaliza- type, Gandhi King Legacy tion in LA County. Roundtable Summit was organized by the U.S. Congressional Details on page 18 Multi Advisory Task Force (MEATF) in cooperation with Harare Temples Metropolitan Asian Family Ser- vices (MAFS) on Friday Febru- reopening after ary 26 2021 in Naperville, a COVID-19 shutdowns south side suburb of Chicago. Ms. Vasavi Chakka, Commis- India Post News Service sioner, Naperville Sister Cities HARARE: Two Hindu temples Commission moderating the in Harare (Zimbabwe), run by Summit stating that the Sum- The Hindoo Society Harare mit was being held to Com- (HSH), which had been closed memorate the Black History for months due to COVID-19, Month and Mahatma are opening again with various Gandhi's73 Death Anniversary protocols. with the theme being, "Chal- Temperature of each person lenges of the Behavioral Health entering the premises of the Crisis during the COVID pan- Hindoo Society will be taken demic. and hands will be sanitized at Dr. Mrs Santosh Kumar, Presenting of King Jr Pic plaque at the Gandhi King Legacy event the entrance. Individuals with a Founder Executive Director of temperature not in the per- Metropolitan Asian Family Ser- and how to improve and in- sory Task Force in his opening hence all concerned citizens, missible range (36.1 °C to 37.2 vices (MAFS) welcoming the crease the Behavioral Health remarks credited India's Con- elected officials, behavioral °C) will be denied entry, ac- Roundtable Summit stakehold- Resources in communities sul General at Chicago Amit healthcare providers and other cording to HSH Executive Com- ers said that this was the first around, this being the effec- Kumar for conceiving this his- stakeholders should form a mittee states. time a Gandhi King tive way to continue the legacy toric Summit to honor Gandhi broad framework to work to- Details on page 21 Roundtable Summit is being of the legends Mahatma King's Legacy. A public health wards addressing this chal- held in Illinois State She Gandhi and Martin Luther King expert, Dr Prabhakar said that lenges. IACA celebrates stressed that the Summit Jr. America would face the grav- sought addressing the impor- Dr. Vijay Prabhakar, Founder est challenge from the behav- President's Day by Cont’d on page 23 "Honoring our Heroes" tant issue of Behavioral Health Chairman of Multi Ethnic Advi- ioral health crisis in 2030 and SURESH BODIWALA CHICAGO:Indian American Cultural Association (IACA) celebrated President's Day on Sat- urday, February 27 2021 at the Mall of India in Naperville, a Chicago suburb To commemorate President's Day, IACA honored Our Heroes, Organiza- tions, and Community leaders for their excellence in their respective fields. Two of the prominent supporters a) Indian CG Amit Kumar & Details on page 24 Honoring an honored guest b) Ms Santosh Kumar 18 India Post Community Across America March 12, 2021 www.indiapost.com LA County update on the COVID Vaccine, officials warn against spring travel

VIDYA SETHURAMAN efforts to ensure an equitable distribu- day through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to test positivity rate of 3.5%. L.A. County India Post News Service tion of the vaccine and that our most 5:30 p.m. is very close to meeting the metric A County's COVID Joint Informa- vulnerable communities get access Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, LA thresholds for the less restrictive red tion Center continues a now," said county supervisor Hilda Solís, County Director of Public Health said the tier in the State's Blueprint for a Safety Lgroundbreaking initiative to in- who attended the vaccination. daily number of people hospitalized Economy, which will provide our county form ethnic news media on the county's First doses of the Pfizer vaccine with COVID-19 continues to steadily de- with more opportunities to reopen for response to the COVID 19 pandemic were administered to 50 residents liv- cline. "Vaccines offer powerful protec- additional activities," added Dr.Barbara. and the vaccine rollout. EMS briefing on ing at Nueva Maravilla who are 65 years tion against serious disease and death Jazmin Flores, Lead "Promotora" for March 4 highlighted the work of the LA of age and older, according to Solís. In a for the vaccinated person; it is not yet the East Los Angeles Women's Center County. joint effort with the Federal Emergency known if people who are vaccinated can described the role of promotora's to Supervisor Hilda Solis, Chair of the LA Management Agency (FEMA) and the become infected and pass the virus on educate and bring awareness to the County Board of Supervisors, First Dis- California Governor's Office of Emer- to others." As hospitalization decreases, communities most impacted by this trict said hope is on the horizon. She gency Services (Cal OES), the mobile we can see a decline in death numbers. pandemic. A group of community added we have been seeing steady de- health workers, or promotoras, is taking cline in case numbers, deaths and hos- We need to vaccinate the Latinx and Black population across information about the covid vaccine di- pitalization in LA County. This was pos- rectly to Latino communities. We are sible as most of us followed the county the county. Only 34.3% of Latinx and 28% of Black population outside supermarkets. We carry flyers orders such as mask mandate, not at- over 65 are vaccinated, this dangerously low. To address this, the with phone numbers to call for help. tending large gatherings, practicing county started a vaccination clinic at Nueva Maravilla targeted There is a lot of distrust in underserved physical distances. As of 5 March, there communities. Members of our commu- were more than 2.4 million doses ad- residents of the public housing development in East LA nities want to speak to people that can ministered in the county, with more relate to them; we play an imperative than 814,000 people fully vaccinated. role in breaking the myths and mislead- This number is inspiring; we have a lot vaccination sites at East Los Angeles. She urged LA county residents to ing information. Through our commu- of work yet to do. She was pleased to announce that Los avoid travel during the spring break. nity initiative program 70 ELAWC We need to vaccinate the Latinx and Angeles County officials and Saint John's She issued another warning against lei- promotoras have reached over 25,000 Black population across the county. Well Child and Family Center partnered sure travel, in light of the upcoming community members providing them Only 34.3% of Latinx and 28% of Black with other East Los Angeles leaders to Spring Break, stressing that anyone education and awareness on COVID-19, population over 65 are vaccinated, this open up a COVID-19 vaccine site at the who travels out of the area is still re- added Jazmin. dangerously low. To address this, the Civic Center to help residents in East quired to quarantine for 10 days when Travel increases the risk of getting county started a vaccination clinic at L.A., Boyle Heights and Southeast LA. they return back. L.A. County remained and spreading COVID-19. To avoid this, Nueva Maravilla targeted residents of According to officials, this walk-up site in the state's most restrictive purple please postpone spring travel and con- the public housing development in East will be able to vaccinate up to 400 - 600 tier with an adjusted case rate of 7.2 tinue doing your part to slow the Los Angeles. "This is part of our ongoing people per day and will be open Tues- new cases per 100,000 residents and a spread. World's biggest campaign for Ram Mandir unified Bharat

India Post News Service from every quarter and walk of life of paign, about 900,000 Karyakartas in cross INR 25,000 million. Ram devo- MUMBAI: The world's biggest cam- society. 175,000 teams contacted the people tees in every nook and corner of the paign since January 15, 2021 for con- During this drive, many such occa- from door-to-door. The Samarpan country have made their contribu- struction of the grand temple of sions and episodes also came which amounts were deposited in Banks tions. From the North-Eastern region Bhagwan Shri Ram at Ayodhya com- moved the minds and hearts of the vol- through 38125 Karyakartas. To maintain of Bharat, the people of Arunachal pleted on February 27, 2021, it unified unteers. At many places, while transparency of the entire cam- Pradesh have contributed INR 45 mil- Bharatvarsh from east to west and even the beggars made paign, while 49 control lion, Manipur INR 20 million, Mizoram north to south, according to Shri their contributions, the rooms were working INR 2.1 million, Nagaland INR 2.8 mil- Champat Rai, General Secretary of Shri daily wagers and small across the country, 23 lion, Meghalaya INR 8.5 million, and Ram JanmbhoomiTeerthKshetra farmers also solemnly qualified Karyakartas from Southern states, the people of (Trust) made their prayerful of- led by two chartered Tamil Nadu contributed INR 850 mil- He saidthat the campaign suc- ferings. The Samarpan of accountants at the lion, and Kerala INR 130 million. ceeded in achieving its goal of the Rambhakt Muslim so- main center in Delhi, Updating about the work going on Samarpan in 400,000 villages. Contact ciety is also significant. were constantly in touch at the Janmbhoomi site, Sri Champat was also made in all the wards of the Devotees from outside with the entire network to Rai said that the foundation digging urban areas. Although the statistics of Bharat are requested to wait monitor the accounts. and earth removal works are almost the families contacted are yet to a little more. They will be notified He said that even if the final fig- 60% completed and it is expected come, but it is estimated that about upon completion of FCRA formalities, ures are yet to come, it can be said, that the foundation filling work will 100 million families and Samarpan said Shri Rai. based on the banks' receipts till Febru- get started in the first week of April- (contributions) have been received Shri Rai said that in this huge cam- ary 4, that the Samarpan amount would 2021. March 12, 2021 Community Across America India Post 19 www.indiapost.com College enrollment drops; Student debt grows: Will debt cancellation help?

VIDYA SETHURAMAN $125,000 per year. We have the Latinos take student loans. Bor- with tens of thousands of dol- work in a firm. I am not ap- India Post News Service capacity to forgive those loans. rowers of color and women lars in student loan debt and proved for credit cards, car irst-time college enroll- Currently, some 43 million bor- face particular hardship paying none of the advertised out- loans and have suffered a lot ment has fallen during rowers owe $1.7 trillion in stu- down their loan balances. Black comes. African American and due to this debt. She was iden- Fthe pandemic, highlight- dent loans. We can pay for this borrowers with private stu- Latino students in particular tified as a dangerous em- ing the impact of the economic by the Stop CHEATERS Act that dent loans are almost four are overrepresented in the for ployee with too high debt and downturn as well as the crush- would raise an estimated $1.2 times more likely to fall behind profit college sector. In an ef- lost her job opportunity. Gabe ing weight of $1.7 trillion in trillion in revenue over 10 due to economic hardship. fort to help prospective col- narrated his struggle due to his loan debt held by more than years, by investing $100 billion Even high-earning Black bor- lege students avoid predatory loans. This is a constant stress 43 million student borrowers. into the IRS over the next de- rowers, for example, default at schools and financing, HERA of- at the back of my head. I have Advocates argue that cancel- cade while imposing auditing a rate that's seven times that of fers a multilingual curriculum been making the minimum ling $50,000 per student and reporting requirements to high-earning white borrowers. on choosing a college and pay- payments, and my principal is would leave 75 percent of bor- prevent tax cheating from the The impact of cancellation for ing for higher education. growing bigger. rowers free of debt, helping wealthiest corporations and in- millions of low-income and Andrea Campo and Gabe Because of the pandemic, the economy. President Biden dividuals. By forgiving the loan, low-wealth borrowers particu- Stewart are two students the federal government has recently made waves by saying we can reduce the burden on larly people of color will be struggling to stay financially put all student loans that it he would not support this ap- afloat with student loans ex- owns in forbearance through proach. EMS briefing on March Rep. Ro Khanna, U.S. Congressman, 17th District plained how these debts have Sept. 30, 2021. Student loan 5 discussed with students, impacted their lives. Andrea forgiveness would ease the fi- policy makers and experts on (CA) commented briefly on the COVID relief bill had a $13000 student loan and nancial burden that 43 million the subject. that passed recently. He added that he was was denied the opportunity to borrowers have long faced. Rep. Ro Khanna, U.S. Con- gressman, 17th District (CA) disappointed that the federal minimum wage commented briefly on the from $7.25 to $15 an hour wasn't passed COVID relief bill that passed recently. He added that he was disappointed that the federal the next generation and massive, she said. minimum wage from $7.25 to progressives will continue to Joe Jaramillo, Senior Attor- $15 an hour wasn't passed. I get this passed, said Khanna. ney at Housing and Economic don't know any part of this Kat Welbeck, Civil Rights Rights Advocates (HERA) has country where someone can Counsel, Student Borrower assisted hundreds of borrow- survive on $7.25," he said. Talk- Protection Center based in DC ers in California with managing ing about the Student loan said black families are much student loan repayment and program, Khanna said he had less likely than white families applying for relevant loan dis- taken over a $100,000 loan for to have the money to help pay charge and forgiveness op- his graduate school education for their children's education. tions, particularly those from and was fortunate to have paid Students at historically Black for-profit schools. Many were off in his late 30s. He said stu- colleges may be paying more lured in with false and mislead- dent loans should be forgiven for their student loans. 90% of ing promises of high-paying for Americans making less than the Black students and 72% of jobs but ended up saddled 20 India Post Community Across America March 12, 2021 www.indiapost.com Ankh Jad di - Music video by Pratibha Jairath for memories of young love SURESHBODIWALA

Jay Khatau as Churiewala at the Mela S R Academy dancers CHICAGO:Can you take a sweet song premiered on YouTube on Febru- heart-catching lyrics, sweet backstory Using guitar and drums, they did the Punjabi song and amp it up to be a pul- ary 22 and has been viewed already or the sensational choreography. It ap- remixing and the result was some- sating club number? Apparently, you over 1500 times within 4 days of its re- pears that this video is much more than thing that immediately seemed ready can and the proof is in the fabulous lat- lease. the sum of its parts. The lyrics of the for a new audience. The next step was est Punjabi song Ankh Jad Di music So, what is the secret to its success? song are written by Madhu Uppal, who to plan a music video that would cap- video produced by Pratibha Jairath. The Foot tapping music, melodious singing, penned the song and composed the ture the beauty of the lyrics. music for the CD Rang Punjabi. That is where Pratibha's natural tal- Pratibha Jairath, an acclaimed singer ent for drama burst out. Enlisting the and entertainer, sang the song for the budding performers Ashley Singh and Adi Kukreja, Pratibha has created the vision of young love that blossoms from a chance encounter. Time passes and the two lovers find that they can get through misunder- standings and other hurdles of life as long as they remember their sweet court- ship and what made them fall in love with each other. Suneel Mundle, a very busy equity actor, jumped at the chance to be in the video and his charm shines Pratibha in the Studio throughout the video. The talented dancers of original album. During Covid lockdown, SR Dance Academy were enamored She started thinking about adding with the music and have presented some musical twist to the original song. beautiful dancing under the superb Through her musical contacts, she got choreography of Elizar Rodrigues. The connected to two talented musicians, video was directed by Fahad Zuberi Shahzad Markas and Kafi Khan, who rec- and the cinematography is by Taha ognized the potential of the song and Rizvi. jumped at the chance to create some Here is the link for the beautiful additional musical tracks for the song. video: https://youtu.be/p1m49Ji18lM NEWS on your desktop www.indiapost.com March 12, 2021 Community Across America India Post 21 www.indiapost.com Miami sportswear firm Asked to withdraw Ganesh leggings MADHU PATEL CHICAGO: Hugely piqued Indian Ganesh; calling it hugely disturbing. sweat. Any Inappropriate usage of sa- Americanshave strongly pitched Miami It is contended that Lord Ganesh is cred Hindu deities or concepts or sym- (Florida) headquartered firm Martha highly revered in Hinduism meant to be bols or icons for commercial or other Acuna Sport Wear for immediate with- worshipped in temples or home shrines agenda is not okay with devotees. drawal of Ganesh Lavanda Leggings, and not to adorn one's legs, thighs, RajanZed, President of Universal So- carrying images of Hindu deity Lord calves and knees; or for wicking human ciety of Hinduism, has urged Martha Acuna Sport Wear and its CEO Martha Acuna (who also happens to be a Mexi- can actress) to offer a formal apology; Harare Temples reopening besides withdrawing Ganesh Lavanda Leggings. Clothing companies should not be after COVID-19 shutdowns in the business of religious appropria- tion, sacrilege, and ridiculing entire India Post News Service with Havan on Sundays; and offered fu- communities. It was deeply trivializing HARARE: Two Hindu temples in neral assistance for bereaved families; of immensely venerated Lord Ganesh Harare (Zimbabwe), run by The Hindoo etc., besides running Mahila Mandal, to be displayed on leggings, Rajan Society Harare (HSH), which had been Shishu Mandal and Yuvak Mandal. HSH emphasized. closed for months due to COVID-19, are has also been running various schools- Hinduism is the oldest and third opening again with various protocols. Westridge High School, Westridge Pri- largest religion of the world with Temperature of each person enter- mary School, Gujarati School. about 1.2 billion adherents and a rich ing the premises of the Hindoo Society Commending HSH for attempting philosophical thought and it should necessary precautions and actions to not be taken frivolously. Symbols of combat deadly coronavirus and educat- any faith, larger or smaller, should not ing the community, RajanZed, President be mishandled; Zed noted. of Universal Society of Hinduism, Hindus Lord Ganesh legging-wear In Hinduism, Lord Ganesh is wor- prayers might include making offerings, shipped as god of wisdom and re- continue to reinvent ourselves every chanting mantras, reading sacred texts, mover of obstacles and is invoked be- day" and "All our fabrics are subli- performing aarti and bhajans, doing fore the beginning of any major un- mated". Description of "Ganesh Lavanda puja, etc. Hinduism is the oldest and dertaking. Leggings", priced at $82, included third largest religion of the world with Martha Acuna Sport Wear is claimed "built-in shapeware to provide an in- about 1.2 billion adherents and moksh to be "Inspired by Feminine Energy" stant butt lift with ruched detailing at A Harare temple (liberation) is its ultimate goal. and states that "Our challenge is to mid-rise waist". will be taken and hands will be sanitized at the entrance. Individuals with a temperature not in the permissible range (36.1 °C to 37.2 °C) will be denied entry, according to HSH Executive Com- mittee states. Wearing of masks is compulsory and members will be required to give their names and contact numbers at the entrance and informed to observe social distancing (minimum two meters) within the temple and abide by the tape demarcations. Any person refusing to follow the procedures will be required to leave the premises. Ridgeview Shree Omkar Mandir will be open daily from 06:00 am 07:30 pm, while Cameron Street Shree Omkar Mandir will be open daily from 7:30 am to noon. Cameron Street Shree Omkar Mandir celebrated 90th anniversary in February 2019, while 25th anniversary of Ridgeview Shree Omkar Mandir was observed in 2017. HSH "intends to publish a written record" of the hundred years of "community's existence in Zimbabwe". In the pre-COVID-19 times, HSH had been conducting various bhajan events, twice-weekly yoga classes, Hindi les- sons, cultural/social activities; organized daily aarti at both the temples 22 India Post Community Across America March 12, 2021 www.indiapost.com Successful handling of Covid crisis by India C G SINGH here has been a global puzzle ernment, Bar-Yam said that in particular country into three zones - red, orange 5. Bar-Yam said highlighted the con- ment at how India has managed decisions to impose severe restrictions and green - for localized lockdowns as tribution of the Indian industry, which Tto dramatically lower the spread on travel, stop gatherings, targeted lo- probably the most effective step taken he said responded like never before by of Covid-19 cases and fatality rates over calized lockdowns, school closures, had by the government last April. While se- producing masks and personal protec- the last few months, with some experts proven effective in controlling the out- vere restrictions were imposed in af- tive equipment at great pace not only calling it a "mystery" but American sci- break. Other major steps like effective fected districts, there was partial lifting to meet the country's requirements, but entist Yaneer Bar-Yam has said credit public communication, improvements of restrictions in unaffected districts, also to supply to the world. should go to the government for being in case identification, rapid ramping of along with the opening up of some sec- 6. India has gone from a single lab able to identify and leverage its industrial production of masks and tors to meet the economic challenge. that could perform RT-PCR tests for strengths to limit the spread of the in- other personal protective equipment 2. Restriction on travel was the sec- Covid-19 to over 2300 in a short span of fection. (PPE) and testing capacity, have also ond most important step, as travel was time, and this number has reduced the Bar-Yam, who specializes in quantita- contributed, he added. regulated through issue of e-pass with test result return time and also tive analysis of pandemics, said under- Bar-Yam said that India's success checks on state borders across the strengthened isolation and quarantine lying factors such as previous success- showed that time and travel are key to country. The regulation of travel contin- strategy. ful response efforts in pandemics, less controlling pandemics. "The message ues into 2021, as travel has not been 7. From cautionary caller tunes on urbanization that limits travel and rates phones to heavy fines for not wearing of community transmission, limited In September last year, India was confirming nearly masks, spreading public awareness travel and localized tourism were all about Covid-19 risks has been a major important in mitigating the impact of 1 lakh cases a day, but that figure has dropped to approxi- initiative of the government, and this Covid-19. has meant the population more will- But he pointed out that swift govern- mately 12,000 as the country has effectively flattened the ingly accepted restriction guidelines. ment action of "restricting/regulating curve. The case fatality rate has also dropped sharply 8. The American scientist also praised movement to increasing public health the response in high-density urban ar- capacity to meet the increasing de- eas, which posed the greatest chal- mands of the pandemic," were equally lenge, but the refinement of essential as India seems to have done to go out from India therefore is 'restrict fully de-regulated, he said. lockdowns, travel restrictions, rapid enough to emerge successful in limit- travel in areas wherein cases are there, 3. Isolation and contact tracing of in- case identification, and communication ing the impact of the virus. isolate cases and don't allow them to dividuals who test positive to Covid-19, found in other locations, has helped lim- In September last year, India was transmit infection'," he wrote. and quarantining of primary high-risk ited the spread. confirming nearly 1 lakh cases a day, but In a paper published on his website contacts has been an effective strategy. 9. He said that the vaccination drive, that figure has dropped to approxi- endcoronavirus.org, he listed the nine 4. The government shut down all col- which is the largest in the world, is also ex- mately 12,000 as the country has effec- major government actions because of leges and schools for an extended pe- pected to have an increasingly significant tively flattened the curve. The case fa- which India had managed to tame the riod, and the recent reopening has impact on the outbreak control in India. tality rate has also dropped sharply. infection as well as it has: been partial and only in the context of Disclaimer: Views expressed are Highlighting steps taken by the gov- 1. He described the zoning of the the very low number of cases recently. personal to the author Jesse White cautions investors BABBU TANGEWALA CHICAGO: Illinois Secretary of State includes the Illinois Securities Depart- cial media schemes as the top investor good to be true" often share similar Jesse White pitched that investors be ment, conducted a nationwide survey, threat. Other top schemes included characteristics. The most common wary of Internet and social media which found fraudulent internet, or so- cryptocurrency-related and precious telltale sign of an investment scam is schemes promoting precious metals, metals-based in- an offer of guaranteed high returns cryptocurrencies, promissory notes and vestments, for- with no risk. foreign exchange markets. This week eign exchange- The NASAA survey, which included marks Consumer Protection Week and related schemes responses of enforcement officials White reminds investors to contact the and investments throughout the United States, Canada Securities Department to report invest- involving for- and Mexico, also indicated that 82% ment fraud. eign exchange of state and provincial securities White reminds Illinois investors to andregulators anticipate that fraudsters verify that the salesperson and the in- cryptocurrency- will continue to attempt to prey on vestment itself are properly licensed or related investor fear and anxiety related to registered. "We expect to see more schemes dis- changes in financial markets and the complaints from investors who have guised as mem- economy due to COVID-19. been lured into schemes offering the bership or in- To check if a salesperson or invest- promise of high returns in order to vestment pro- ment advisor is registered, contact supplement lost income due to the grams. the Secretary of State's Securities De- pandemic," said Secretary White. White said in- partment at 800-628-7937 or visit The North American Securities Ad- vestment offers www.AvoidTheScam.net for more infor- Jesse White Secretary of Illinois State ministrators Association (NASAA), which that sound "too mation. March 12, 2021 Community Across America India Post 23 www.indiapost.com The first Gandhi King legacy roundtable summit

Cont’d from page 17 The Summit unanimously resolved to establish a Citizens Action Alliance For Consul General Amit Kumar inaugu- Behavioral Healthcare (CAABH) to nur- rating the Summit said the greatest tes- ture, enrich and empower behavioral tament of the Gandhi King Legacy is the healthcare providers while spreading current strong ties between India, the awareness of behavioral healthcare re- largest democracy and USA, the Oldest sources in our communities. It further democracy, at the highest levels He re- resolved to launch a monthly publica- called the role of India under Prime tion on behavioral healthcare resources Minister Narendra Modi's leadership that features op-ed column by elected during the COVID pandemic. The supply representatives, showcase community of Indian made vaccines to several behavioral health programs, informa- countries recently is yet another glow- tive clinical updates and latest commu- ing example of India's Prime Minister nity behavioral health resource tools. Modi's global leadership. CG Kumar The Summit called for monthly town thanked the organizers for hosting the hall meets of elected representatives, Roundtable Summit and to commemo- community leaders, behavioral rate the Black History Month. A group of prominent dignitaries attending the summit healthcare providers and concerned He recalled that their life, message citizens for behavioral healthcare as a and philosophy continue to inspire all Munsey, Author, Pastor, Creative Direc- ment. He pitched for need to constructive follow up. in that the life of Mahatma was very tor, and Producer giving the Dr. Gandhi strengthen this partnership among Dr Vijay Prabhakar, Founder Chair- closely followed in the US, referred to King Legacy Oration 2021 urged all the ethniccommunities adding, "He would man MEATF named Ms. Twin Green, CEO the historic visit of Dr. King to India in leaders to emulate the virtues of these await to hear about the outcomes of this of THE LINK & OPTION Center, South Hol- 1959 and efforts to spread the legacy of two great legends by their actions in Summit and will work towards support- land, IL as C.A.A. B.H.'s Ambassador for these two leaders. He referred to the their day to day lives and implement life ing the Summit's recommendations." Southland of Illinois at the closing ses- Gandhi-King Scholarly Initiative Act transforming programs with purposeful Dr. David Albert, Director, Division of sion of the Summit. passed by the US Congress in 2020 that goals. He spoke about the need to Mental Health, Illinois Department of The Japan CG, Kenichi Okada pre- was initiated by late Congressman John make Behavioral Health Care affordable Human Services gave the Call to Action, sented the Congressional MEATF Cita- Lewis, another iconic figure in the civil and accessible to all especially the vul- addingthe State Of Illinois runs Seven tions to MAFS Mahatma Gandhi Medal rights movement. He thanked Rep. nerable sections of the community now. Psychiatric hospitals and funds 207 of Excellence 2020 recipients and Dr. Danny K Davis, for his strong support to Mrs Santosh Kumar, Founder of MAFS India-US ties, and recalled his initiative to Consul General Amit Kumar inaugurating the Summit said honored eight individuals with the establish the Multi-Ethnic Advisory Task MAFS Gandhi Medal of Excellence 2020. Force a decade ago to empower differ- the greatest testament of the Gandhi King Legacy is the Dr. Sreenivas Reddy, Vice Chair, Illinois ent ethnic communities in his district. current strong ties between India, the largest democracy Physician Disciplinary Board in his Clos- RepDanny Davis saluted CG Amit ing remarks envisaged that this Gandhi Kumar for his vision in conceiving this and USA, the Oldest democracy, at the highest levels King Legacy initiative on Behavioral Summit as a tribute to two great leg- Healthcare should be implemented glo- ends. The month of February is officially bally and thanked the organizers for observed as BLACK HISTORY MONTH Marvin Lindsey, CEO, Community Be- Community Mental Health Centers in Illi- hosting this historic Summit. He added throughout USA and Gandhi's 73rd havioral HealthCare Association of Illi- nois. During the COVID pandemic, the the presence of Indian CG Amit Kumar Death Anniversary (Punyatihi /Shaheed nois delivered the Key Note Address. need for special attention to the Senior and the CG Japan Kenichi Okada sig- Diwas) was on January 30. U.S. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi in his Population and the Youth /Students naled the new beginnings for a global Congressman's MEATF presented CG remarks said, "I don't need to tell you population is engaging the department. cooperation. Amit Kumar with an Official plaque for that this is Black History Monthand that his initiative in conceiving this epoch we are coming together to celebrate making event. A brief video of Martin this joint legacy of nonviolence, justice Luther King Jr speaking on Mahatma and making sure everyone has a seat at was screened followed by Dr. Sriram the table. That is what today's Sonty, the Vice President of the Gandhi roundtable is all about." Memorial, Chicago eloquently describ- Rep. Danny K Davis in his presidential ing the GANDH-KING Connection and its addresssaid,"Martin Luther King Jr. was relevance to the present day. a disciple of Gandhi. A lot of Gandhi's CG Amit Kumar along with Consul teachings was put into practice by Mar- General of Japan Kenichi Okada at Chi- tin Luther king Jr. So it is important that cago jointly presented the Gandhi King our elected leaders and Community Legacy Award of Excellence 2021 to Dr. leaders adapt and enrich the same part- Steve Munsey, Founder, Family Christian nership between African and Indian Center, Munster, IN for his extraordinary communities here in Chicago and be- leadership to the underserved commu- yond." He applauded leadersfor recog- nities of Northwest Indiana and the City nizing the importance of the Gandhi of Chicago during COVID pandemic King relationship and for continuing from June 2020 to present. Dr. Steve their legacy in this dynamic environ- 24 India Post Community Across America March 12, 2021 www.indiapost.com IACA celebrates President's Day by "Honoring our Heroes" SURESH BODIWALA

IACA Team and supporters CHICAGO:Indian American Cultural of Metropolitan Asian Family Services their efforts in serving the community. volunteered for IACA at multiple occa- Association (IACA) celebrated (MAFS), thanked IACA for it efforts to TV Asia Chief Vandana Jhingan, Adbhut sions during the pandemic times, were President's Day on Saturday, February serve people in need during these Media Founder Gurmeet Dhalwan, honored. Kids namely - Ria Raj, Nysa 27 2021 at the Mall of India in COVID times, and also paid tribute to Asian Media USA Founder Suresh Ranjan, Neelay Ranjan, Shlok Jaiswal, Naperville, a Chicago suburb Vinita Gulabani's parents who passed Bodiwala and Desi Junction, were hon- RiddhimaBembey, Sriya Nitta, Aarushi To commemorate President's Day, away last December. ored for their continued support to the Ved, AkshayWagh, Aarya Mishra and IACA honored Our Heroes, Organiza- CIW President Mrs. Madhu Uppal an- community for their services. Rihan Shah. tions, and Community leaders for their nounced two special honorary plaques. The organizations under Dr. Vijay Dr. Ajit Pant, Founders and current excellence in their respective fields. Hariram and Mohini Panjwani Legacy Prabhakar were honored for standing President of the US India Chamber of Year 2020 was the most challenging Award were presented to two associa- by the side of IACA; American Multi Eth- Commerce, Midwest, USA and Rakesh that brought all of us together cutting tions, Ray Graham Association and Turn- nic Coalition (AMEC) - (Women's Chair - Malhotra, Founder Five Global Values across all barriers and uniting us in a ing Pointe Autism Foundation in Rani Yousefzai) were invited to be honored for their most caring manner. Naperville, for serving special needs Multi Ethnic Advisory Task Force contribution to the community and This Award is being given to acknowl- they recited their beautiful poems. edge the efforts and services of various This Award is being given to acknowledge Among the individual awardees organizations especially during the the efforts and services of various organizations were, Dr. Chandrakant Modi, Dr. Covid-19 pandemic and to highlight the SuneelaHarsoor, Dr. Meenalochani vision to keep up the same spirit of especially during the Covid-19 pandemic and to highlight Narayanan, Dr. Mehar Madhavan, Dr. comradeship throughout 2021 and be- Usha Kartan, Dr. Kamal Patel, Aftab yond. the vision to keep up the same spirit of comradeship Monty Baig, Ranjana Gulati, Anita Beri, Program started with the American throughout 2021 and beyond Anica Beri, Ravi Govindaraj, Sammy and Indian National Anthem by an 11- Atkinson, Kamlesh Bedi, Pratibha year-old boy, Shlok Jaiswal. A welcome Jairath, Syed Hussaini, Richa Pal, Raquel note was presented by Shanu Sinha, the children and adults. Following that, (MEATF) U. S. Congressman Danny K Gavins, Amna Shah, and Mariam Secretary of IACA She spoke about the Vasavi Chakka, the candidate for Davis Ghaniwala. organization's work and community Naperville City Council and Rajesh 7th Congressional District - Vice Chair Also, Shri Hari Ram and Mohini support it has been providing during Narayan, candidate for IPSD School Mrs. Chand Nasim Panjwani Awards were presented to this pandemic time. Board 204 in the April 6th 2021 election World Federation of Tamil Youth schools that serve with special needs. A video recorded message from Con- addressed the crowd. (WFOTY) - Mrs. Alli Dhanraj, Vice presi- Vinita's parents left for Heavenly gressman Raja Krishnamoorthi was Mrs. Pratibha Jairath, renowned dent abode in Dec 2020 and legacy Awards played for attendees after the National singer and entrepreneur took care of Indian American Business Coalition was A Tribute in their memoriam. Anthem. Mrs. Vinita Gulabani, the Presi- the podium and invited the heroes on (IABC) - (Secretary - Anica Dubey) IACA works for Children and adults dent of IACA addressed the awardees stage to be honored. Krishna Bansal, Also, representatives from multiple with Autism and Special needs and and guests. The Guest of Honor Mrs. Chairman Indian Community Outreach organizations were honored for their bridges the gap between Indian and Santosh Kumar, the Executive Director at City of Naperville thanked IACA for unwavering support to IACA. Kids who American cultures. March 12, 2021 Perspective India Post 25 www.indiapost.com Silicon Valley in Kolkata? No, not a dream! Here's how we can turn West Bengal in to the next big thing in IT: "City of Joy" To "City of Future" JUDHAJIT SENMAZUMDAR or Bengalis, as a collective race, it cradle of IT revolution. nario there's still something to cheer its western counterparts, needs Data has been a painful experience to The state should and must put an end about - the presence of a highly skilled Sovereignty Regulation. The strategic lo- Fsee their dreams getting crushed to Syndicate Raj, the running amuck of workforce and basic infrastructure. cation of West Bengal makes it the gate- in the last four-and-half decades. Once, land and promoter mafia looking to forc- First and foremost, the demand must way for North East as well as some South a pioneer in industry, services and ibly bag contracts and force the common be created. And to create demand, these East Asian countries. Certain areas of manufacturing, the state now re- people to buy construction materials five steps have to be followed. Burdwan, Purulia and Jhargram district sembles a wasteland of broken prom- from them. Parallelly, the government 1. Central Govt projects and service provide the perfect condition of setting ises with poverty, migration, corruption must ensure that files are not held up, centers: This is an important step towards up Tier-IV data centers as these districts and joblessness being the primary char- red-tape doesn't become the identifi- setting up centers to cater to the ser- are boosted by adequate supply of elec- acteristic of the state. Overall, the bitter able characteristic of the government vices and demand within the country. For tricity, land and are not located in experience has rendered an average but single-window automatic clearances years West Bengal used to look up to the seismically active zones. educated Bengali with little hopes of become the norm. rail budget and then analyze what it got 4. Scale up @West Bengal: The state of staying back in the urban metropolis In what should be a shameful for ev- or lost out in terms of projects or new West Bengal lacks an ecosystem for and still achieving his goal. ery citizen of the state is the fact that in a trains. Today, the same idea should be startup culture. Barring a few startups in So, today if anyone says we could turn survey conducted in 2019, it was found embedded in the psyche with big-ticket the food and beverages category, there Kolkata into the next Silicon Valley, you are hardly any startups in the state. Since would not only scoff at him or her but At the time of independence West Bengal's share in there's already a huge backlog to cover, even laugh at his face expressing doubts India's GDP amounted 33% which, since then, has dropped the state should look at being the center over his sanity. But the trend cannot only for scaling up of existing startups incu- be stopped but the process of regres- to 5.4% - a steady, continuous slide with ruling dispensation bated, nurtured and developed else- sion can be reversed and indeed we can showing little or no intention to reverse the trend where in the country. set up the next big thing in IT here. 5.Bring back NRI techies: The NRIs Throughout the course of this article I from Bengal, particularly those who have shall bring forth ways, means and the that around 46% of those who were sur- IT projects; data centers by the center been at the forefront of the fourth indus- modus operandi to establish my stand. veyed had to bribe someone or the other and PSUs, replacing new trains and trial revolution. This is a critical thing. The Deindustrialization and the loss of col- to 'get things done'. projects. proud sons of the soil would not only lective confidence In the past Bengalis have stood up 2. West Bengal Govt's IT Service bring back with them the latest tech- At the time of independence West against oppression and have been at the Transformation: The state lags in deliv- nologies but also best practices and the Bengal's share in India's GDP amounted forefront of eradicating social evils. To- ery of government services, schemes morale booster in terms of connection 33% which, since then, has dropped to day, they have to take a firm stand and projects via digitizing the delivery, with place where it all began. Personally, 5.4% - a steady, continuous slide with against corruption and eradicate the and this is a major reason behind an ever I have spoken to a lot of these entrepre- ruling dispensation showing little or no laidback attitude while discharging one's increasing saga of corruption and bribes. neurs and given a convivial atmosphere intention to reverse the trend. duties. It's our social obligation to bring This vertical has huge potential with not they are willing to set up incubation cen- In terms of industrial output, the state in the change otherwise the rot that has only developing new IT infrastructure but ters or relocate but that means eradicat- was ahead of even the Mumbai-Pune in- spread its tentacles will spread even fur- also help in ensuring last mile connectiv- ing corruption, ensure timely delivery of dustrial corridor and Kolkata housed the ther. ity, particularly for those who are depen- infrastructure facilities including land headquarters of the topmost industrial Working in tandem with the central dent on the government for their daily registration and single-window clear- houses and manufacturing industry. The government: For far too long the oppor- subsistence. Let me give an example: In ance of their proposals. state contributed a whopping 30% to tunistic political leadership in Bengal Australia, the whole process of land reg- For these changes to take place Ben- India's output in 1947. And today? A have laid the blame for istration can be done digitally sitting at gal has to fundamentally alter its thought laughable sum that is less than 2%. deindustrialization and rising employ- home. If such things can be replicated process. It has to get rid of its age-old For a new Bengal there is a need to ment at the doorstep of the central gov- not only will corruption be wiped out but baggage of aversion towards private reset the mindset ernment. It's a juvenile mistake to think much-needed transparency in owner- capital.The average Bengali puts an enor- So, any chances of revival not only has that FDIs will flock in to a place, which ship of land will be made visible. mous stress in education and takes pride to rest on new investments and an indus- in learning. The same set of importance try-friendly policy but it also hinges on a The state should and must put an end to Syndicate Raj, has to be accorded to entrepreneurship change in collective mindset, which, for the running amuck of land and promoter mafia looking to and towards the creation of capital. Most too long has been a captive of political importantly, the political will has to be demagogy. Bengalis have to keep in forcibly bag contracts and force the common people to there - the will to sow the seeds of creat- mind that "World does not owe Bengal buy construction materials from them ing the back office for the fourth indus- anything, Bengal needs to create its own trial revolution. For that we need a gov- place in the world." ernment that has a clean image, can instill The following changes are must to locks horn with the central government 3. Data Infrastructure Hub: Despite confidence among investors and is willing usher in a new era on almost all issues. Data points out that guzzling zillions of gigabytes of data to remove every barrier to make Kolkata An industry-friendly image: A clean, those states, which have presented a around 95% of the country's data is till the leading light in the world of IT. transparent government with availabil- joint face in luring foreign investments processed outside. There's a consider- It's not easy but neither is it impos- ity of all civic and social amenities are setting aside the political differences able risk involved in our data being sent sible! But the question is; are we willing must for the IT ecosystem to develop have been most successful. The recent outside as cyber criminals, enemy coun- to take up the challenge? around a particular area. This has been industrial corridors are a great example tries and non-state actors would look at Judhajit Senmazumdar is a Technol- one of the most important underlying of this joint effort. every opportunity to exploit the loop- ogy Entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. conditions of Silicon Valley being the Even amidst this gloom and doom sce- holes and threaten our services. India, like Views expressed are personal. Health Line Panel recommends 4 months between COVID doses

TORONTO: A national panel of vaccine experts in Canada 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 has recommended provinces makes itself felt only when there is something wrong with it. You know that you have a head only when it aches. extend the interval between Sri Atmananda (1883 - 1959) the two doses of a COVID-19 26 India Post www.indiapost.com March 12, 2021 shot to four months to quickly inoculate more people amid a shortage of doses in Canada. A number of provinces said US, China should cooperate now they would do just that. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also expressed opti- mism that vaccination timelines to combat Covid-19: Scholars could be sped up. But one top health official called it an ex- WASHINGTON: The US and search more with each other return to US-China govern- of the variants. These efforts periment and noted no other China should cooperate imme- than with any other country," mental cooperation. should also be based on coop- country is doing it. diately to stop the Covid-19 the Xinhua news agency re- As variants of the eration between the two sides, The current protocol is an pandemic, two researchers ported. coronavirus are emerging the scholars suggested. interval of three to four weeks with a Washington DC-based The tradition of public around the world, it is essential Considering that vaccines between doses for the Pfizer, think tank have said. are deemed as the ultimate Moderna and AstraZeneca vac- The urgent task of putting solution to the crisis, the co- cines. Johnson & Johnson is a the coronavirus under control writers believe "the US and one-dose vaccine but has not "can only be accomplished China should engage in posi- been approved in Canada yet. through global coordination, tive competition and work to- The National Advisory Com- which requires the active en- gether to promote effective mittee on Immunization said ex- gagement of the two largest vaccines platforms." tending the dose interval to four economies in the world," They also called the two months would allow as many as wrote Cheng Li and Ryan countries to jointly increase 80 per cent of Canadians over McElveen with the Brookings vaccine-manufacturing capac- the age of 16 to receive a single Institution in a report pub- ity for the world and enhance dose by the end of June simply lished recently. equitable international distri- with the expected supply of The researchers argued that bution of doses. Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna the governments of the two "Joint efforts by Washington vaccines. countries have a long history of and Beijing today will send inspir- Second doses would begin collaborating to fight global ing signals to save lives," the schol- to be administered in July as health crises such as SARS. US Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping ars said, adding that "collaborat- more shipments arrive, the Meanwhile, facing Covid-19, ing on Covid-19 can help set the panel said, noting that 55 mil- medical experts and scientists health cooperation between to keep transparency and shar- stage for addressing other issues lion doses are expected to be on both sides have preserved Washington and Beijing and ing of data, and establish a glo- of global public good, including delivered in July, August and extensive communication and strong ties in the medical com- bal surveillance network for climate change and nuclear non- September. AP/PTI "cooperated on coronavirus re- munity lay the foundation for a tracing, screening and warning proliferation." IANS US ramps up COVID-19 vaccination efforts

WASHINGTON: With a third 18 years of age and older. Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 able in the country are devel- vaccine production. He hailed Covid-19 vaccine now autho- It is the third Covid-19 vac- vaccine were administered oped by American drug maker the partnership as a way to rized for emergency use, US cine and the first single-dose Tuesday (Mar 2), as initial ship- Pfizer in partnership with Ger- quickly jumpstart the sluggish states are ramping up vacci- man company BioNTech, and by vaccine production, likening it nation efforts to curb American drug maker Moderna, to cooperation between cor- coronavirus transmission and respectively. porations during World War II. the spread of variants. US President Joe Biden has Biden also announced he The US Food and Drug Ad- said the United States would was directing states to pri- ministration (FDA) authorized have enough Covid-19 vaccine oritize teachers in their vac- Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 doses for every adult American cine distribution plans in a vaccine for emergency use, by the end of May, which bid to reopen schools. Xinhua news agency has re- would dramatically accelerate While the country is acceler- ported. A day later, the US his timeline previously set for ating vaccine efforts, some Centers for Disease Control the end of July. states, including Texas and Mis- and Prevention (CDC) recom- vaccine authorized in the ments reached states and vac- Biden announced that sissippi, plan to drop mask man- mended the vaccine to be United States. cination sites. Johnson & Johnson will partner dates and reopen all businesses administered for Americans The first doses of the The other two vaccines avail- with Merck to help accelerate its at 100 per cent capacity. IANS March 12, 2021 Wellness Post India Post 27 www.indiapost.com Study suggests layperson can reduce pregnant women's depression

WASHINGTON: As perinatal depres- tal health services is so great that pro- sion has soared during the pandemic, a viders and perinatal women who have piece of good news comes from a new stress in their lives are really valuing the Northwestern Medicine study. The ability to receive help remotely." study finds that paraprofessionals gen- One in five women will develop post- erated similar reductions in depressive partum depression, and both mother symptoms as mental health profession- and child are adversely affected by post- als when delivering a group-based cog- partum depression. "Preventing postpar- nitive-behavioral therapy intervention. tum depression before it starts is critical The paper will be published in the in promoting the health and well-being Archives of Women's Mental Health. The of new mothers and their children," study findings are based on adding Tandon said. "With appropriate training home health visits by trained lay health and supervision, lay health workers can professionals to low-income pregnant do a good job," Tandon noted. "We don't women in a national project called have to rely on mental health profession- Mothers & Babies. Mothers and Babies als. We can go another route." is an intervention using cognitive be- This is the first study to the research- havioral therapy that aims to reduce ers' knowledge that has used lay home stress and improve mood among preg- oted to deliver the therapy virtually to said lead study author Darius Tandon, visitors to deliver a postpartum depres- nant women and new mothers. pregnant women. associate professor of medical social sion preventive intervention. Previous But since in-person home-visits are "The response to Mothers and Babies sciences at Northwestern University studies using lay health workers have no longer possible during the pan- delivered virtually has been incredibly Feinberg School of Medicine. "In this focused on postpartum depression demic, the program has recently piv- positive from providers and clients," COVID environment, the need for men- treatment. ANI Realty Tidbits

Plastic bottle village Vastu tips in Panama: Eco- Real Estate for placing friendly development mirrors at n eco-village located at AIsla Colón in Panama is al- home and ready undertaking something office extraordinary, with nothing but www.indiapost.com March 12, 2021 waste plastic bottles - they are 28 India Post Details on page27 building their own homes with it. Once finished, this community in the eco-village will have around 120 homes, which will all be insulated, courtesy plastic bottles. This initiative, while fantastically reuses plastic waste, also helps in insulation for these homes, enabling them to stay cool (approxi- mately 17 degrees Celsius cooler than the external temperature) without any hassle. After integrating all utilities, the water bottle frame is en- cased in concrete, making it resemble a regular home, as well. Plastic homes at Panama's eco-village: Interesting facts The tiny island, off Panama, is now teaching the world about stylish and yet, environ- Bengaluru model of development ensured ment-friendly living and waste disposal. Isla Colón, in the Bocas del Toro archipelago, has city's top ranking in ease of living index: CM the first 'plastic bottle village in the world. The project was BENGALURU: The Bengaluru Centre's 'Ease of Living Index', Housing and Urban Affairs. The Bengaluru was adjudged undertaken by Canadian Rob- model of development of citi- Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa Bengaluru model of develop- the most livable among 111 ert Bezeau after shifting to the zen-centric initiatives and de- said. ment of citizen-centric initia- cities in India in the Bocas Islands many years back. livery of services have en- "Bengaluru has emerged as tives and delivery of services government's 'Ease of Living www.housing.com sured the top ranking for the the most livable city in India in have ensured the top ranking Index', followed by Pune, For detailed story visit city as the most livable among the Ease of Living Survey con- of Bengaluru," Yediyurappa's Ahmedabad, Chennai, Surat, www.indiapost.com 111 cities in India in the ducted by the Ministry of office tweeted. Navi Mumbai, Coimbatore, Vadodra, Indore and Greater Mumbai. Demand for luxury smart homes, villas rise in India According to the index released by Union Housing and NEW DELHI: As the real es- months," Kushwaha said. ises an assured and stable cated in the Dodamarg taluka Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep tate sector emerges out of He further noted that these source of income to investors. of North of Goa. The CEO Singh Puri, Shimla topped the pandemic, the market for properties can be rented out Axis Ecorp recently an- noted that the company has category of cities with 'popula- luxury smart homes and villas to homestays and tourism nounced the launch of its witnessed "unprecedented tion less than million'. in India is thriving and demand businesses, which is another luxury smart service villa interest" for the Axis Yog Vil- 'Ease of Living Index' is an has improved in the past three- booming market that prom- project, Axis Yog Villas, lo- las. assessment tool that evalu- four months, said Aditya "The project is pegged at ates the quality of life and the Kushwaha, CEO & Director of the value of Rs 250 crore and impact of various initiatives Axis Ecorp. we have set ourselves a tar- for urban development, the He also noted that non-resi- get of garnering sales to the center has said. dent Indians (NRIs) are looking tunes of Rs 100 crores in the A total of 32.2 lakh people forward to investing in the In- next six months. Given the re- residing across 111 cities par- dian real estate market. sponse we are getting, it will ticipated in a 'Citizen Percep- "The market for luxury smart not be surprising if we tion Survey' holding a homes and villas is constantly achieve this target sooner." weightage of 30 per cent. thriving in the country. While in He further said that the Performance of the cities the year 2020, people were company's major project will have been measured on four showing some resistance, but be Axis Lake City, which will broad parameters gover- things have started getting mark our entry into the eco- nance and social, physical and better in the past three-four luxury space. IANS economic infrastructure. PTI March 12, 2021 Real Estate Post India Post 29 www.indiapost.com Vastu tips for placing mirrors at home and office SURBHI GUPTA irrors are important ele- ments, not just for home decoration but also as per M Vastu Shastra. People who want to make their home Vastu-compli- ant, need to be cautious about the placement of mirrors in their homes, as it can be a source of positive or negative energy. Mirrors have a great impact on the overall vibe of your home, which makes it important to take proper precautions while deciding the right position of mirrors in your home, as well as in office. Follow this guide to know about the right placement of mirrors at home. Also discussed are the dos and don'ts, when including mirrors in your home interiors.

Vastu tips for mirror placement in bedrooms According to Vastu Shastra, avoid placing mirrors in bedrooms, for good Place a mirror in a well-lit part of the your work desk, as it may double your All reflective surfaces, including the health and peaceful life. However, if you bathroom. Do not position it against the workload. television screen, should be placed in have to keep the dressing table with a lights, as you may not be able to see Vastu for mirror placement on walls the southeast corner of the room. If pos- mirror in your bedroom, it should not clearly in the mirror. Place the mirror on Placement wall Effects and tips sible, cover up the screen when not in face the bed or reflect the person on the the north or eastern wall of the bath- North: Avoid square-shaped mirrors use. bed. Also, if possible, cover or conceal room. You can place a full-length mirror East: Avoid round-shaped mirrors Always keep all reflective surfaces the mirror in a wardrobe or cover it with on the door but it should be affixed North-east: Ideal for round or rectangu- clean. Make sure the mirrors are stain- a cloth, when not in use. As per bedroom carefully. Do not place the mirror di- lar mirrors free and one can see a clear reflection Vastu guidelines, a mirror should not re- rectly opposite to the toilet. West: Ideal for square or round mirrors in it. flect the entrance of the bedroom. South-east: No mirror should be placed The mirrors, when placed against the Avoid designer beds, which have Vastu tips for placing mirrors in of- here wall, should not be leaning forward. mirrors on the headrest as it may cause fices and shops South: Avoid placing any mirror here Do not place mirrors near the stair- restlessness to the occupants. Similarly, If you have a cash locker in an office South-west: Causes disharmony among case. adding a mirror to the false ceiling will or shop, you can place a mirror in front family members Always prefer translucent glass win- reflect the bed and floor. Avoid this ar- dowpanes and doors, instead of trans- rangement as it may cause stress. Do parent ones. not place broken or rusted mirrors in Do not keep the mirror near the the bedroom, as it attracts negative en- study table as this may affect concen- ergy. If you have a dressing room at- tration. tached to the bedroom, place the mir- Never place two mirrors opposite to ror on the north or eastern wall of the each other. room. Avoid oval and round-shaped mirrors and opt for square and rectangle Vastu tips for mirror placement in liv- ones. ing rooms If there is any beautiful landscape If your main entrance opens into the outside your window, then, place the living room, avoid placing the mirror in mirror exactly opposite to that win- front of the entrance or entry gate of dow, as it ensures the positive energy the house, as it will reflect back the en- and beauty of the landscape is repli- ergy entering the home. However, you cated inside the home. can place the mirror in the foyer, above You can place a mirror reflecting the a console table that will also add a wel- dining table, as it symbolizes the dou- coming touch to your home. Place a mir- of it, to attract wealth and double the bling of food and attracts wealth. ror on the wall opposite the window in prosperity. Alternatively, you can keep Dos and don'ts for mirror placementat If you have mirrors in the bathroom, the living room on the north or east the mirror inside the locker, in a way home and office then, make sure they are enough lights wall, to maximize the lighting in the af- that it reflects the cash kept inside. Place mirrors or glass showpieces or around it. Avoid transparent window- ternoon. Clean the mirror regularly and keep it other reflective surfaces, on the north- panes in your home. stain-free. It should not reflect a dis- ern or eastern walls. If your home has a cut in any corner, Vastu tips for mirror placement in torted image of the locker. Also, avoid Mirrors should be placed at least four you can place a mirror in that direction. bathrooms keeping a mirror such that it reflects to five ft. above the floor. www.housing.com TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS

1 Taaron Ke Shehar: Taaron Ke Shehar Naach Meri Rani 30 India Post www.indiapost.com March 12, 2021 2 Naach Meri Rani: 3 Teri Aankhon Mein: Teri Aankhon Mein ollywood debutante and former beauty Laxmii Bqueen Manushi Chillar joins squash ace 4 BurjKhalifa: Dipika Pallikal and 24-year-old boxing prodigy 5 Care Ni Karda: Chhalaang Nikhat Zareen to raise awareness on equality. 6 Baby Girl: Baby Girl "I'm delighted to be a part of a campaign 7 Dil Chahte Ho: Dil Chahte Ho that aims at propelling women to break barri- 8 BamBholle: Laxmii ers and shatter glass ceilings. What I loved Ludo about the initiative is that this is essentially a 9 Aabaad Barbaad : platform to inspire women to be more confi- 10 Ae Mere Dil: Ae Mere Dil dent, self-assured and ambitious. I relate to this a lot because it is imperative for us to tell girls to overcome psychological barriers and feel positive about their bodies and celebrate their achievements to foster a really positive attitude towards life." ctor Fatima Sana Shaikh has The campaign, titled Make A Move, is aimed been roped in to star in the at inspiring young girls across India to dream A Hindi remake of Tamil hit film big. "Aruvi". The remake will be directed by E. Niwas, who has called the shots on films like "Shool", "Dum", and "Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega". Manushi is all set to step into The 2017 Tamil film Bollywood with the Akshay starred actress Aditi Kumar-starrer "Prithviraj", Balan in the lead based on the life of Prithviraj role. Balan's pro- Chauhan. IANS tagonist Aruvi was deemed a progres- sive, post- modern symbol of femi- nism by ctor Evelyn Sharma most viewers. A posted a behind-the- "I look forward scenes picture of herself on to dive deep into Instagram. The photo is from the set of the skin of the char- her upcoming film "X Ray: The Inner Image". acter. I am really In the picture, Evelyn, who seems to be excited to em- deep in thought, looks radiant in a red mesh top. bark on this jour- "Behind the scenes shenanigans and some posing!!! ney," said Fatima. #Jigliya #Xray #BTS," she wrote. Director The cast of the psychological thriller has Rahul Sharma Niwas added: and Yaashi Kapoor, and is directed by Rajiv S. Ruia. "'Aruvi' is not just a Meanwhile, Evelyn has been spending time with story of a hero. It's a her Australia-based fiance Dr. Tushaan Bhindi in triumph over the Sydney, and has been treating her fans to pictures labyrinths of life. It's of the two on social media. The couple adopted a totally euphoric, and a puppy a while back. privilege to explore Evelyn made her foray into Bollywood with one of the most beau- the film "From Sydney With Love" in 2012. She tiful cinematic charac- has been part of films such as "Nautanki ters I have come Saala", "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" and across. Fatima Sana "Yaariyan". IANS Shaikh is an absolutely befitting choice." The Hindi remake is expected to go on floors in mid-2021. IANS March 12, 2021 Classifieds India Post 31 www.indiapost.com

NEWS on your desktop

www.indiapost.com

For Classifieds Ads Call NORTHERN CA (Naresh Sodhi) Tel: 510-938-8667 [email protected] (Vidya Sethuraman) Tel. 510-491-4867 [email protected] SOUTHERN CA (Shashi Trivedi) Tel: 562-441-5511/ Fax: 562-947-0632 [email protected] CHICAGO (Ramesh Soparawala) Tel: 773-973-7394 / Fax: 773-973-7396 [email protected] NEW YORK/ NEW JERSEY Naresh:510-938-8667 32 India Post OP-ED March 12, 2021 www.indiapost.com Philosophy India's scientists make low-cost SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR However, for centuries, Lord Shiva's form (pictorial depiction) has been ro- very Mahashivratri is meant to wake manticized by historians and devotees optical telescope Eup every particle of your body. The alike. A body smeared with ash, a tiger S.RAVI festival is a wake-up call to move away skin encircling his loins, a crescent eeping in mind Prime Minister's around the galaxies, cosmic explosions from conflicts and move towards truth, moon adorning his forehead, matted call to develop technology in all like supernovae and highly energetic beauty, peace, and benevolence - the hair piled high on his head from where spheres, Indian scientists have Gamma-ray bursts, young and massive ethereal qualities of Shiva. K the celestial river Ganga flows, one indigenously designed and developed stars, and faint dwarf galaxies. Ever thought why is Shiva the subject hand holding the trident, other set in a a low-cost optical spectrograph. This Commending the effort, ARIES Direc- of such deep wonder and worshipped classical mudra. Sometimes he is play- can locate sources of faint light from tor, Prof. Dipankar Banerjee observed, so widely in India? Could Shiva be an ing the dumroo as he is consumed in distant quasars and galaxies in a very "The indigenous efforts to build com- actual person? Does divinity possess a the cosmic dance. The third eye be- young universe, regions around plex instruments like ADFOSC in India human form? And would it be limited if tween the brows accentuating his bold supermassive black holes around the is an important step to become that divinity was in a human body? handsomeness, snakes encircling his galaxies, and cosmic explosions. 'Aatmanirbhar' in the field of as- What if we tell you that your life has a azure neck. This image in its evocative- Its worthwhile noting that the spec- tronomy and astrophysics." hint of Lord Shiva? What if we tell you ness has never failed to attract and trograph is about 2.5 times less costly Effective collaboration that when you catch this particular as- arouse the curiosity within. compared to the imported ones and Besides ARIES, expertise of various pect of life, then you can achieve Shiva? As many metaphors there have been can locate sources of light with a pho- national institutes, organizations, in- Would you believe if we tell you that to describe the visual appearance of ton-rate as low as about 1 photon per cluding the Indian Space Research Or- Shiva is nothing but that deep state of Shiva, there are more names to de- second. The cost of this instrument is ganization (ISRO) and some micro- peace, calmness and inner stability? scribe the attributes that he is known nearly Rs 4 crore. small-medium-enterprises, was in- Our culture, Traditions, and festivals to embody. The 1008 names of Shiva The largest of its kind among the ex- volved to review and build parts of the have a deeper meaning. All of them are only serve to portray his infinite and isting astronomical spectrographs in instrument serving as an example of associated with a specific divine energy. versatile nature, his unknowable mys- India, it has been successfully commis- effective collaboration. With this exper- This divine energy is given a name and tery, which is devoid of polarities, com- sioned on the 3.6-m Devasthal Optical tise, ARIES now plans to commission form for us to understand the virtues, posite and synthesized. Yet, he is be- Telescope (DOT), located near Nainital, more complex instruments such as qualities, and its blessings clearly. One yond description or definition. among these energies, and the presid- Lord Shiva can only be experienced Shiva is deep state of peace & inner stability Anything with Shiva is with life and anything without Shiva is shava - that is lifeless Lord Shiva

ing energy, is Shiva. and lived through. Is Shiva A Person? The Night of Shiva Uttarakhand. Interestingly, this spec- spectro-polarimeter and high spectral The word Shiva simply means The most sacred festival of Shiva falls trograph is not just the largest in the resolution spectrograph on the 3.6-m mangalam (auspicious). In fact, the term on the 14th night of the new moon, dur- country but also Asia. Devasthal telescope in the near future. Shiva has a much larger connotation ing the dark half of the lunar month of Till recent past, these costly spectro- How the spectrograph works? which includes: having the potential; Phalguna. This is sometime between scopes were imported from abroad. This instrument, a backbone of the being capable of; boding well; being February and March. This is This optical spectrograph named as Ar- 3.6-m DOT for observations of extremely favorable or promising. Mahashivratri or the great night of Shiva. ies-Devasthal Faint Object Spec- faint celestial sources, uses a complex Shiva can be split into: Sha + ee + Va. Devotees stay awake the entire night trograph & Camera (ADFOSC), has been arrangement of several lenses made of Sha stands for shareeram or body; ee on this auspicious night of Shivratri. indigenously designed and developed special glasses, polished to better than stands for eeshwari or life giving en- Mahashivratri falls on March 11 this by Aryabhatta Research Institute of ob- 5-nanometer smoothness to produce ergy; Va stands for vayu or motion. year. Excerpted from the Art Of Living servational sciences (ARIES), Nainital. sharp images of the celestial sky. If the ee is removed from Shiva, it gets website. ARIES is an autonomous institute of De- Photons coming from distant celes- reduced to sha+va or shava, which means partment of Science and Technology tial sources, collected by the tele- a lifeless body. We also use the term (DST), Government of India. Led by Dr. scope, are sorted into different colors shavasana in yoga, where one is motion- 50 SPIRITUAL APPETIZERS Amitesh Omar, ARIES scientist, the tech- by the spectrograph and are finally less and in an absolute state of rest. Vinod Dhawan nical and scientific team, researched converted into electronic recordable While Shava is motionless or lifeless, “It’s a lovely book. It feels en- and developed various optical, me- signals using an in-house developed Shiva is with the potential of life. Any- ergetically clear and light. It’s chanical, and electronics subsystems of Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) camera thing with Shiva is with life and anything easy to read, dip in and out and the spectrograph and camera. cooled to an extremely low tempera- without Shiva is shava: lifeless. So, Shiva most importantly it offers infor- Astronomers worldwide use spec- ture of -120 degree Celsius. is auspicious, Shiva is life and Shiva is po- mation without fluff! Blessings trograph to study distant quasars and (This content is being carried under tential. Shiva is all-encompassing - the on this project.” Jac O’Keeffe galaxies in a very young universe, re- an arrangement with universal soul or consciousness. This re- Spirituality teacher based in gions around supermassive black-holes indianarrative.com) IANS alization of the eternal fact that Shiva is USA. an energy, tattva, leads to ananda, bliss. Available on AMAZON, FLIPKART Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal to the author March 12, 2021 OP-ED India Post 33 www.indiapost.com US vows to deepen India partnership against China dangers; no zero-sum proposition vis-a-vis Pakistan ARUL LOUIS

ounding a high alert regions," he said. sought to take control of about the growing dan "We can do none of this them. S gers to the international work alone. For that reason, we Biden also said, "Terrorism system from an assertive will reinvigorate and modern- and violent extremism, both China, President Joe Biden has ize our alliances and partner- domestic and international, POWER OF QUAD called for building alliances ships around the world," he remain significant threats." he QUAD-consisting of US, Australia, Japan and India, will with like-minded countries said. At its core, though, the soon convene a meeting of their leaders to check-mate and said the US will deepen its "Our democratic alliances guidance is his own version of T China's military aggression towards its neighbors especially ties with India. enable us to present a com- a kinder, gentler America First in the South China Sea. Their goal is to promote free move- The Interim National Secu- mon front, produce a unified that seeks to strengthen the ment of commerce in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and to rity Guidance he released re- vision, and pool our strength to US the unparalleled world check on China's erroneous claims with regards the South cently singled out China as the promote high standards, es- leader. China Sea and Island in Japan. It will also be to India's advan- only "competitor" capable of tablish effective international "America is back. Diplo- tage to have support for its borders and the Indian Ocean vis- mounting a sustained chal- rules, and hold countries like macy is back. Alliances are à-vis any Chinese misadventures. lenge with its multifarious ca- China to account," he said. back. But we are not looking Biden in his recent statement considers China as being the pabilities to the international Envisaging the framework back," he said. only major threat not only to US but also to the entire free world. order. for the alliance of democracies "The United States must This could well be in the making of a second global alliance simi- He said in the document to face the China challenge, he lead by the power of our ex- lar to NATO. As global power equations change, diplomatic that the US will support China's said, "Beyond our core alli- ample, and that will require andmilitary calculations have to keep up with the change. neighbors and declared, "We ances, we will also double hard work at home - to fortify The recent coup in Myanmar could not have happened will deepen our partnership down on building partnerships the founding pillars of our de- without the tacit support of both China and Russia. One can with India." throughout the world, because mocracy, to truly address sys- see a similar situation has also fomented in Hong Kong and in Introducing the document, our strength is multiplied temic racism, and to live up to Russia with Alexei Navalny returning to center stage. he said it would "convey my vi- when we combine efforts to our promise as a nation of im- More than 48 people have already been killed and thou- migrants," he said. sands arrested since the coup last month. Myanmar has wit- "Our success will be a bea- nessed military rule for more than 50 years. For the past 15 Biden drew attention to the risk from China's con to other democracies, years, due to changes in their leadership, mounting global pressure and the latest elections, the countryappeared to "One Belt, One Road" initiative that seeks to bring whose freedom is intertwined with our own security, pros- have begun its return to normalcy and the opening of their diplomacy and economy. Only to run aground once again with countries around the world, especially developing perity, and way of life." 'America will lead the the February coup. Russia and China are sure to veto any UN proposals for mili- world' nations, under its economic dominance tary action on Myanmar. The choice now solely depends on Earlier, Secretary of State QUAD or US taking the lead to mount pressure on Myanmar's Antony Blinken outlined the government to hand over power todemocratically elected sion for how America will en- address common challenges, Biden administration's foreign leaders. And for the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi. gage with the world" and share costs, and widen the policy emphasizing "that Unlike the earlier repression, Myanmar citizens seem to be guide his administration while circle of cooperation." American leadership and en- more organized this time and are resisting the idea of giving Washington begins work on a Biden drew attention to the gagement matter." up their rights of franchise. Several army officials and police new National Security Strat- risk from China's "One Belt, One In his address on "Foreign personnel seem reluctant to take forceful action against egy. Road" initiative that seeks to Policy for the American peaceful demonstrators. Several Myanmar citizens including He sketched a vision of a co- bring countries around the People," he said, "Whether we policemen have fled to India refusing to participate in perpe- operative of democracies to world, especially developing like it or not, the world does tration of harsh actions against fellow citizens. Myanmar gov- face China, which "has rapidly nations, under its economic not organize itself. When the ernment has requested Indian government officials to hand become more assertive." dominance. US pulls back, one of two these asylum seekers to Myanmar security forces at the bor- He called Beijing "the only To counter this Chinese things is likely to happen: ei- der. Hopefully democratic India will not comply. competitor potentially capable project, he said, "We will sup- ther another country tries to Could this be the opportunity for QUAD to support of combining its economic, dip- port China's neighbors and take our place, but not in a Myanmar democratic forces and checkmate China? lomatic, military, and techno- commercial partners in de- way that advances our inter- Several nations in the Pacific especially from the ASEAN logical power to mount a sus- fending their rights to make ests and values; or, maybe just countries have also indicated to join-in with the QUAD to con- tained challenge to a stable and independent political choices as bad, no one steps up, and tain China's aggressive stance. open international system." free of coercion or undue for- then we get chaos and all the More recently,governments of India and Philippines have To counter this as well as the eign influence. We will pro- dangers it creates. Either way, signed a defense MoU wherein India has agreed to sell its challenge from Russia, the US mote locally-led development that's not good for America." long-range Brahmos missile to Philippines. will have to "promote a favor- to combat the manipulation of He also portrayed China as US, Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken in his recent state- able distribution of power to local priorities." the main challenge to the US ment said US cannot allow any country to fill the leadership deter and prevent adversaries China has set debt traps by and world and stressed build- that US had, especially referring to China and reiterated that US needs to bring world democracies together to fight against from directly threatening the making loans to countries for ing alliances to meet it. forces that are trying to destabilize the freedom. He added US United States and our allies, in- infrastructure projects that South Asia Monitor will manage the biggest test of the 21st century in relation to hibiting access to the global they cannot pay back in the For detailed stories visit China. He observed China is the only country with economic, commons, or dominating key long term and then has www.indiapost.com diplomatic, military and technological capabilities to seriously Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal to the author challenge the stable and open international system. 34 India Post March 12, 2021 www.indiapost.com