Kem Cho Mr PM? Obama asks Modi; Michelle Obama not present at dinner

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama on Monday hosted a private dinner for Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House here, ahead of their summit level talks.

Modi was welcomed by Obama who greeted him in Gujarati, "Kem Chho?" (how are you?), the mother tongue of the Prime Minister.

Set in an informal ambiance, the dinner is the first opportunity for both the leaders to interact with each other.

First Lady Michelle Obama, however, gave the dinner a miss.

READ ALSO: How Narendra Modi has pulled a 'fast' one on Obamas

Master card: Narendra Modi gifts US visa power

Both the leaders were joined by 20 attendees at the dinner. The President was joined by Vice-President Joe Biden, secretary of state John Kerry and NSA Susan Rice among others.

Modi was accompanied by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, national security advisor Ajit Doval and Indian ambassador to the US S Jaishankar among others.

As Obama hosted Modi for dinner, the local Indian-Americans celebrated the Modi-Obama meeting by organizing a cultural event and performing "Garbha" dance in front of the White House.

A small group of Kashmir separatists and Sikh separatists also held a protest outside the White House building, but they were far out numbered by the pro-Modi supporters.

There was an unprecedented level of security in and around the White House and Blair House, the official guest house of the US President, in view of the two recent security breaches.

(Activists gathered in Layette Park and along Pennsylvania Avenue supporting and protesting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the presidential mansion. Photo: AFP)

The Pennsylvania Avenue was closed for most part in the evening and the pro-Modi group and anti-India protesters were pushed far behind when the motorcade crossed the avenue on its way to the White House.

Obama received Modi at the South Gate of the White House and the dinner was held in Blue Room of the President's official residence.

The Blue Room is used for receptions and receiving lines, and is occasionally set for small dinners.

Modi's grand reception in NY reflects deep cultural ties: White House

The "rockstar" treatment given to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the prestigious Madison Square Garden by some 20,000 Indian-American people is the reflective of the "deep cultural ties" between the two countries, the White House said on Monday.

"I think the strong turnout at that event and the enthusiastic reaction highlights the deep cultural ties that exist between the United States and India; that there are so many immigrants from India to the United States that are now interwoven into communities all across the countries," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said.

He was responding to questions about the historic turnout of some 20,000 Indian diaspora who had turned up from various parts of the country to attend the reception for Modi at the prestigious MSG in New York City on Sunday.

"I think that just highlights one other way in which the relationship between our two countries is so important," Earnest said.

On Sunday, Modi joined a long but exclusive list of international singers and film stars among others who have spoken at the iconic Madison Square Garden. Modi was perhaps the first international delegate from a country to speak at this venue, which opened on February 11, 1968.

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In death, Karkare’s wife gifts life to three

MUMBAI: Kavita Karkare (57), wife of ATS chief Hemant Karkare who fell to terrorist bullets on the night of 26/11, gave life to three individuals in her death. The mother of three passed away on Monday morning after suffering a brain stroke.

Kavita, who used to teach BEd at a Tardeo college, was declared brain dead two days after she was rushed to P D Hinduja Hospital in Mahim in an unconscious state.

She suffered a brain haemorrhage (bleeding) on Saturday after which she never regained consciousness. A doctor said her brain was completely devoid of blood supply following the haemorrhage. She also had a history of cardiac ailments.

She was kept on ventilator till her daughters flew in from the US early on Monday. The siblings decided to donate their mother's organs to help needy patients.

One of her kidneys went to a 48-year-old man who had been surviving with the help of dialysis for nearly a decade. He had registered for the organ last March.

The recipient of the other kidney was a 59-year-old at Jaslok Hospital who had been waiting for a transplant for seven years.

Karkare also gave a new lease of life to a 49-year-old man who has been battling liver failure for a couple of years and had registered for the organ at Kokilaben Ambani Hospital last December.

All three surgeries were on at the time of going to press. Kavita's eyes were donated to Haji Bachooali Eye Bank in Parel.

Doctors at Hinduja said Kavita's children Akash, Sayali and Jui showed great courage in taking the decision at a time of grief. When TOI contacted the family, Sayli said they would not want to speak to the press at this moment.

Kavita had first met Hemant Karkare during a personality development programme organized by the National Productivity Council, where he was a speaker.

The slain ATS chief was a professor before becoming an IPS officer. After Karkare passed away, the family continued staying at his official residence, the European Quarters, at Dadar (E).

During an interview to TOI on November 26, 2009, a year after Karkare died in the attack, Kavita had recalled her last meeting with her husband. "For the first time in a month and a half, Hemant and I were having dinner together on November 26, 2008.Hemant got a call saying there was trouble at CST. He grabbed his shoes and got into the car," she had said.

He was killed near Cama Hospital. She later questioned the authorities over why no help had reached her husband and fellow officers as they stood outside Cama Hospital for over 40 minutes.

Her funeral will be held in Worli at 7.30am on Tuesday.

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'Chalein Saath Saath': Modi, Obama write first joint editorial

WASHINGTON: They couldn't really break bread together, but they bonded over political banter and, unlikely as it seems, geek talk. US President Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met for the first time ever on Monday evening, but so much preparation had gone into the diplomatic date that a US-India dalliance at the end of it was a foregone conclusion. After nearly two hours of informal talks, the two sides issued an expansive vision statement chirpily titled ''Chalein Saath Saath'' (Forward Together We Go), and in a surprise move, the leaders of the two largest democracies in the world essayed a joint op-ed that will appear later on Tuesday in a prominent newspaper.

The op-ed is expected to echo the "Vision Statement," which did not exactly announce a formal US-India alliance, but is certainly redolent of a transcendental partnership aimed at elevating the bilateral relationship to an even higher plane than it enjoys now. At its core, the statement indicates a deep and abiding security partnership.

READ ALSO: Kem Cho Mr PM? Obama asks Modi; Michelle Obama not present at dinner

"Our strategic partnership is a joint endeavor for prosperity and peace. Through intense consultations, joint exercises, and shared technology, our security cooperation will make the region and the world safe and secure. Together, we will combat terrorist threats and keep our homelands and citizens safe from attacks, while we respond expeditiously to humanitarian disasters and crises," it said.

The statement also suggested upcoming agreements, overt or covert, while talking about the two sides supporting an open and inclusive rules-based global order, in which India assumes greater multilateral responsibility, including in a reformed United Nations Security Council. "At the United Nations and beyond, our close coordination will lead to a more secure and just world," it said in what would constitute a massive reversal of past form in which the two countries have voted against or been pitted against each other more than 90 per cent of the time.

Deals on climate change and energy were also hinted at. "Climate change threatens both our countries, and we will join together to mitigate its impact and adapt to our changing environment. We will address the consequences of unchecked pollution through cooperation by our governments, science and academic communities. We will partner to ensure that both countries have affordable, clean, reliable, and diverse sources of energy, including through our efforts to bring American-origin nuclear power technologies to India," the statement, perhaps reflecting vision more than immediate intent, said.

Obama and Modi at the White House (PTI Photo)

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Such an expansive vision was hardly on the day's menu that began with the "private dinner" going off-script. President Obama greeted Modi by inquiring "Kem Cho, Mr Prime Minister?" (in Gujarati, How are you?) as he received him, to which Modi responded in English. By then it had been agreed that Michelle Obama, who was out campaigning in Milwaukee would not join the party, allowing the dinner to become quasi-official, with nine officials on each side joining the leaders. For form's sake, Modi encouraged his hosts and aides to not be embarrassed to eat their dinner while he sipped warm water on account of his Navratri fast.

As their senior aides and officials knocked back a meal of crisped halibut and saffron basmati rice accompanied by a California wine, Obama and Modi exchanged notes about their political career, according to an official who briefed the media about the meeting. They spoke of their respective election campaigns, of coming to their respective capitals as outsiders, and the problems they encountered in the lack of technological savvy around them, before gravitating to more serious topics such as Ebola, Afghanistan and other serious bilateral stuff that both sides want to work together on.

Obama and Modi engage in talks at the White House (PTI Photo)

"It was a free-flowing discussion. There was a feeling on both sides of the need to focus on some big things to achieve in a finite period over next few years," MEA spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said of the meeting in the White House Blue Room.

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On the sidelines of the meal, officials passed on Prime Minister Modi's gifts for President Obama: A personalized and customized special edition of Gandhiji's interpretation of Gita, brocaded in khadi and silk, and various memorabilia associated with the visit of Martin Luther King to India in 1959, including audio and video clips.

The two leaders will meet again on Tuesday for formal talks after Modi does a round of the monuments to the great men both of them seem to admire: Gandhi and Martin Luther King.

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PIO cardholders will get lifelong Indian visa, PM Modi announces at Madison Square Garden

NEW YORK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday told a rapturous crowd of NRIs that Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) cardholders will get lifetime Indian visa and that American tourists will be given visa on arrival.

Modi, who arrived at the packed Madison Square Garden to a rousing welcome, announced the merger of PIO and Overseas Citizens of India schemes to facilitate hassle-free travel to the Indian diaspora.

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There will not be any police reporting for those staying for long durations, he said.
Outsourcing services will be provided to give faster and hassle free service to NRI, PM Modi said, adding, he may have been living miles apart but he can understand their problems.

Special coverage of PM Narendra Modi's US visit

The next Parvasi diwas will be held in Ahmedabad in January 8-9 next year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced.

The Pravasi Diwas will coincide with the 100 years of coming back of Mahatma Gandhi next year, he said.

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Modi overshadowed Nawaz Sharif at UN: Pakistani daily

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech at the UN was everything his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif's was not, said a Pakistani daily on Monday.

READ ALSO: PM Narendra Modi enthralls a rapturous crowd at Madison Square Garden

An editorial "Modi at the UN" in the Daily Times said: "Modi continued his charm offensive in the west with a speech to the UN general assembly that was everything Nawaz Sharif's was not."

Modi began with a quaint reference to India's ancient Vedic culture, a running theme in his speech.

He took the opportunity following this to rebut Nawaz Sharif's speech from the day before.

"He (Modi) was correct of course; the general assembly is no longer a platform for serious discussion, it is a way for heads of state to build an image for their country and themselves," said the editorial.

It noted that Modi's speech, with its references to Indian spiritual traditions was "written for the US public to consume, while Sharif's bland, narrow focus was everything that western publics feel is wrong with Pakistan - an obsession with India, desire for territory and a total lack of charisma and likeability".

It went on to say that Modi's speech did not focus on Pakistan except by implication.

"Also not lost were his references to India's large population, a way to position India as a major global market ... Climate change and poverty eradication, alongside terrorism, made up Modi's three main talking points."

The daily said that it is a credit to Modi's political acumen that he understands how important western public opinion is to shaping policy.

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26/11 martyr's wife Kavita Karkare dies of brain haemorrhage

MUMBAI: Kavita Karkare, widow of former Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare who died fighting terrorists during the 26/11 attacks here, passed away in a Mumbai hospital on Monday.

Kavita had slipped into coma after suffering brain haemorrhage and was admitted to Hinduja hospital earlier today.

The family decided to donate her organs after she was declared brain dead.

"The two daughters and son have consented to donate their mother's organs for the treatment of needy patients," the hospital said in a statement.

Kavita, a lecturer at the NSS B Ed college, Tardeo, first met Hemant during a personality development program.

Karkare's elder daughter Sayli, a software engineer, lives with her husband in the US. Their younger daughter Juhi has joined the UN. Their youngest child, son Aakash, studied law in Pune.
Kavita's husband Hemant Karkare, then Maharashtra ATS chief, died defending Mumbai in the November 26, 2008 attacks.

He was killed on the night of 26/11 near Cama Hospital, along with additional police commissioner Ashok Kamte and senior police inspector Vijay Salaskar.

(With inputs from PTI)

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Narendra Modi enthralls crowd at New York's Central Park

NEW YORK: Using an unusual platform of a rock concert, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday invoked "can do" attitude of youth to change India and the world while addressing a thousands-strong crowd which gathered for "Global Citizen Festival" in Central Park here.

After a seven-minute speech in English, Modi also read out a Sanskrit scripture calling for "peace in the world" and greeted the largely-American crowd with a "Namaste" amid cheers and claps.

Amid performances by various singers, Modi was introduced to the crowd by actor Hugh Jackman as someone who started as a "tea salesman" and went on to become chief minister of Gujarat and then Prime Minister of India with a huge mandate.

Addressing the crowd, Modi sent his "Namaste" to also those watching the concert on "TVs, laptops, tablets and phones".

Modi said he was delighted to be among the youth in an open park and not inside a closed conference room.

"Because you are the future. What you do today, will decide our tomorrow. I feel a current of hope in this park. Among you, I feel confident about the future," he said.

READ ALSO: At UNGA, PM Modi rebukes Pakistan for its Kashmir obsession

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(PM Narendra Modi addressing a gathering at the New York's iconic Central Park. Picture courtesy: MEA/Twitter)

Hailing the Global Citizen movement to end poverty and provide education and basic sanitation to all, Modi said, "Some believe that the world changes with the wisdom of the old. I think that the idealism, innovation, energy and 'can do' attitude of the youth is even more powerful."

"That is my hope for India too (for) 800 million youth joining hands to transform our nation," he added.

Modi said he decided to come to the festival to extend his support and to express his belief that youth of India can join them in this global effort.

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At UN general assembly, PM Narendra Modi rebukes Pakistan for its Kashmir obsession

NEW YORK: Pakistan's ceaseless effort to internationalize the Kashmir issue earned a sharp rebuke from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who told the UN general assembly that it was a pointless exercise when there were so many more pressing issues facing the region and the world.

"Raising it at the UN won't resolve bilateral issues," Modi suggested in caustic remarks that came a day after Pakistan's prime minister Nawaz Sharif told the general assembly that his country could not draw a veil on Kashmir.

READ ALSO: Why G5, G20 and so on? Let's have G-All, Modi says

Asserting that India's future is tied to its neighborhood, he told the general assembly of his government's positive outreach to its neighbors from day one, and said its approach towards Pakistan was in the same vein.

"We want to promote friendship with Pakistan too, but we can only talk without the shadow of terrorism over us," Modi said in a speech delivered in Hindi, adding that it is incumbent on Pakistan to create a conducive atmosphere for talks.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the UN general assembly. (Reuters photo)

He also referred to the recent floods in Kashmir and said his government had not focused only on Jammu & Kashmir but had also offered to help flood victims in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Modi did not directly accuse Pakistan of promoting terror, but the inference was clear in his wider remarks that reflected India's growing concern over terrorism worldwide. He said terrorism is surfacing in different forms and different ways across the world and no country is immune from it. "Even today there were countries that were giving shelter to terrorist organizations and differentiating between good terrorists and bad terrorists which raised questions about their intentions and motives," he said.

"The world should shun such countries and conclude adopting a comprehensive convention on international terrorism", Modi said.

Sharif left New York last night after his UN speech to handle domestic crises, without meeting Modi on the general assembly margins for a bilateral pow-wow that has been the norm for Indian and Pakistani leaders in the past. In another thinly disguised rebuke to Pakistan over what the Indian side says is its ceaseless confrontational posture, Modi is meeting the leaders of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.

The Prime Minister's caustic remarks on Pakistan came as a surprise after Indian officials indicated last night that he would make a "forward looking" speech and New Delhi's right to reply to the Kashmir issue raised by Nawaz Sharif will be handled at the delegation level.

In broader remarks before the UNGA, Modi also rejected unilateralism and said no one country could handle the world's problem. He took a dim view of various "G group of nation" platforms.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the UN general assembly. (AP photo)

He also referred briefly to contentious globalization issues that has put India and US at odds and said trade agreements should accommodate each others concerns, in a clear indication that he and President Obama have significant gaps to bridge on issues such as trade and climate change when they meet in Washington, DC on Monday.

PTI adds:

Modi's address covered a number of subjects such as terrorism, including its resurgence in West Asia, reforms of the United Nations, including the security council, and the need for a more inclusive global development.

Talking about India's neighbourhood, the Prime Minister said that India desired a peaceful and stable environment for its development. "A nation's destiny is linked to its neighbourhood. That is why my government has placed the highest priority on advancing friendship and cooperation with her neighbours," he said.

"India is part of the developing world, but we are prepared to share our modest resources with those countries that need this assistance as much as we do," he said.

Describing the present as "a time of great flux and change", Modi said the world was witnessing tensions and turmoil on a scale rarely seen in recent history. Although there were no major wars "there is absence of real peace and uncertainty about the future".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the UN general assembly. (AFP photo)

In an apparent reference to the ongoing conflict in Iraq and Syria, where a US-led coalition is attacking the Islamic State (IS) militants, he said that India welcomed efforts to combat terrorism's resurgence in West Asia which was affecting countries near and far.

He pointedly emphasized, "... this effort should involve the support of all countries in the region."

The effort should involve the support of all countries in the region, he said, adding UN should ensure that there will be peace, stability and order in the outer space and cyber space.

"We should work together to ensure that all countries observe international rules and norms," he said.

He referred to the Asia-Pacific region and said that it was "still concerned about maritime security that is fundamental to its future."

Europe faces risk of new division, he stressed, adding that in West Asia, extremism and fault lines are growing.

"Our own region continues to face the destabilising threat of terrorism. Africa faces the twin threat of rising terrorism and a health crisis," he said.

Modi also asked the world leaders to adopt an International Yoga Day, saying that by changing lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us deal with climate change.

"Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day,"

Noting that Yoga is "an invaluable gift of our ancient tradition", he said: "It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature."

Yoga is the 5,000-year-old Indian physical, mental and spiritual practice that aim to transform body and mind.

"Yoga embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well being," he said.

"By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us deal with climate change," he added.

Calling for reform of the United Nations, including the security council, whose membership India is aspiring for, Modi said the world body should be more democratic and participative.

"Institutions that reflect the imperatives of the 20th century won't be effective in the 21st. It would face the risk of irrelevance and we will face the risk of continuing turbulence with no one capable of addressing it," he said.

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Panneerselvam is the first among equals in Tamil Nadu CM race

CHENNAI: Who will be the next chief minister? That had been a moot question much before the verdict that sent Jayalalithaa to jail.

While names of many diehard loyalists have been floated, state finance minister O Panneerselvam has emerged the strongest probable.

Having served as chief minister for six months from September 2001 when Jayalalithaa had to step down because of the Tansi case, Panneerselvam may clinch it for his record of being tried and tested. He has remained more loyal than expected, and never made any effort to be remembered as an ex-CM.

It was as an acknowledgement of this loyalty that Jayalalithaa rewarded him with the key portfolios of finance and public works when the party came to power in 2011. Party insiders say that in the recent past Panneerselvam has been the liaison person between Jayalalithaa and other ministers and senior partymen. That he enjoys the confidence of Sasikalaa is an added advantage.

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But since predictability is not one of Jayalalithaa's bestknown attributes, there are other hopefuls. Transport minister V Senthil Balaji, revenue minister R B Udayakumar, speaker P Dhanapal, AIADMK parliamentary party leader M Thambidurai and Rajya Sabha MP A Navaneethakrishnan are but some of them.

( Finance minister O Panneerselvam before budget presentation in the assembly. File Photo)

READ ALSO: 1995 lavish wedding that entangled Jayalalithaa in 18-yr-long trial

Soon after the verdict, governor K Rosaiah on Saturday summoned chief secretary Mohan Varghese Chunkat, director general of police K Ramanujam and Chennai police commissioner S George to discuss the fallout of Jayalalithaa's conviction. Although the governor is in charge right now, concerns over a power vacuum and a volatile law and order situation figured in the half-anhour meeting at Raj Bhavan.

An official release said the officers apprised the governor about measures taken to prevent untoward incidents. The governor told the officers that law and order needs to be maintained.

The meeting centered on fixing the future course of action. Identifying a replacement would be the next crucial step for Jayalalithaa.

A CM who won't sit in CM's chair?

During his short stint as chief minister between September 2001 and March 2002, O Panneerselvam not only refused to sit on the CM's chair but was reluctant to sign files. He seemed happy to be a nightwatchman, comfortable in his status as a stopgap arrangement. In that tenure he was happy to be seen as servile, even nonfunctioning.

But with polls just two years away and the law apparently stacked up ag ainst the chances of Jayalalithaa making a quick comeback, OP may have to be seen as more proactive. While Jayalalithaa had introduced several welfare schemes and for a brief period seemed to temper down the power crisis, there is much work left to be done in governance matters before the 2016 polls.

Galloping power demand has already made the new power plants inadequate. No new power capacity is going to be added in the near future, and the scenario of rolling power cuts and long hours of pitch darkness looms. But OP's long years in government should help him. Panneerselvam was a surprise choice when he was chosen to replace Jayalalithaa in 2001.

Starting his career as a tea shop owner, Panneer slowly strengthened his position in the party with the help of former MP and Sasikala's close relative TTV Dinakaran. He was chairman of Periyakulam municipality during 1996-2001 and that was his first elected position. He was elected for the assembly for the first time in 2001 and served as revenue minister when Jayalalithaa was sworn in as CM.

After he stepped down so his leader could take over, Panneerselvam continued to serve in the cabinet handling crucial porfolios such as public works and revenue.

In 2011, he was appointed as finance minister when Jayalalithaa stormed back to power. This year, she gave him additional charge of public works department. He was the number 2 and served as the point person for ministers and senior leaders of the party. As a demonstration of the trust Jayalalithaa has on her lieutenant, party sources cite Jayalalithaa speaking to OP twice during the verdict process. "When the judgment was delayed, Amma came out of the court and had some instructions for Panneer," said a party district secretary.

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Pakistan 'spoiled the game' by talking to Hurriyat: Sushma Swaraj

NEW YORK: External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday said Pakistan "spoiled the talks" by talking to Hurriyat leaders just before foreign secretaries of the two nations were scheduled to meet in Islamabad last month.

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"New (Narendra Modi) government has given a new signal. So they (Pakistan) spoiled the talks, they spoiled the game," Swaraj told Indian reporters here after her meeting with the IBSA foreign ministers on the sidelines of the ongoing UN General Assembly session.

Swaraj was asked to comment on Pakistan's national security and foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz's remarks that talks between the two countries can happen only if New Delhi takes the initiative since India was the one which cancelled the August 25 talks.

Swaraj said: "No question of first or second. As far as our reaction is concerned we have said repeatedly that if a reaction had to come it had to come at this time only. The initiative was there from our side," she said.

She said it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had invited Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for his swearing-in ceremony.

During the bilateral meeting between the two prime ministers, it was discussed that trade should start immediately at the Wagah-Attari border, said Swaraj.

She said Sharif had suggested that foreign secretaries should meet for bilateral talks and "we agreed to that."

"But just as the talks are about to happen on the 25th (August), four days prior to that the (Pakistani envoy) is talking with Hurriyat leaders, then who spoiled the game," she asked.

Aziz had also remarked that there was nothing new in Pakistani officials talking to Hurriyat leaders and such talks have been happening for the last 20 years.

(External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj with her counterparts from Brazil, Germany and Japan during a meeting on the sidelines of the 69th UNGA in New York. Photo: PTI)

Swaraj said as far as talks with Hurriyat leaders are concerned, the leaders who came from Pakistan used to talk with the group.

But "for the first time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif came to India and he did not talk to them because he understood India's signal. Things began from there," she said.

"But before any talks, the ambassador has met with the Hurriyat leaders, that has never happened," Swaraj said.

Swaraj said she has not talked to Aziz yet but the two were present for the Commonwealth and SAARC foreign ministers' meetings on Thursday.

Swaraj had last met Aziz on September 12 at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Dushanbe where the two had exchanged pleasantries during a break at the summit.

"When you are sitting at the same dinner table you have some civilities. We exchanged pleasantries" she said of her meeting in the Tajik capital.

Ahead of participating in the SAARC meeting, Aziz told a group of Indian reporters that an India-Pakistan talks can happen only if New Delhi takes the initiative.

(PM Narendra Modi with Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif. File photo.)

Swaraj said there is no possibility of a meeting between Modi and Sharif.

On being asked that India was upset over Pakistani envoy Abdul Basit's talks with Hurriyat leaders, Aziz said "it was an over-reaction by India."

"Hurriyat talks were nothing new. (Pakistan officials) have been meeting Hurriyat leaders since last 20 years. There will be no initiative from our side. Initiative has to come from India."

On India having concerns over ceasefire violations at the border, Aziz said there were not any violations by Pakistan.

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I draw confidence from stories of ordinary Indians, Prime Minister Narendra Modi writes in Wall Street Journal

NEW DELHI: India will pursue its dreams in partnership with our international friends and will be open and friendly to the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written in an op-ed for Wall Street Journal as he gets ready to script a new chapter in India-US relations during his trip to America.

Stating that there is a high tide of hope in India, the Prime Minister promises to create world-class infrastructure that country badly needs to accelerate growth and meet people's basic needs.

Accepting that the challenges before him are dauting, Modi writes, "I draw confidence from countless extraordinary stories of ordinary Indians that I have seen through decades of travel across India."

Highlighting the role of technology in development, Modi says, "I also strongly believe in the possibilities of technology and innovation to transform governance, empower people, provide affordable solutions for societal challenges and reach people in ways that were unimaginable not so long ago."

Modi, who is on a trip to US, feels India and America have a fundamental stake in each other's success.

"The complementary strengths of India and the US can be used for inclusive and broad-based global development to transform lives across the world. Because our countries' values and interests are aligned, though our circumstances are different, we are in a unique position to become a bridge to a more integrated and cooperative world," Prime Minister writes.

Full text: PM Narendra Modi's op-ed in Wall Street Journal

There is a high tide of hope for change in India. This May, across India's immense diversity, 1.25 billion people spoke unequivocally for political stability, good governance and rapid development. India has a government with a majority in the Lok Sabha, our lower house of parliament, for the first time in 30 years. A young nation with 800 million people under age 35, India is brimming with optimism and confidence. The young people's energy, enthusiasm and enterprise are India's greatest strength. Unleashing those attributes is my government's biggest mission.

We will pursue this mission by eliminating unnecessary laws and regulations, making bureaucratic processes easier and shorter, and ensuring that our government is more transparent, responsive and accountable. It has been said that doing the thing right is as important as doing the right thing.

We will create world-class infrastructure that India badly needs to accelerate growth and meet people's basic needs. We will make our cities and towns habitable, sustainable and smart; and we will make our villages the new engines of economic transformation. "Make in India" is our commitment—and an invitation to all—to turn India into a new global manufacturing hub. We will do what it takes to make it a reality.

We ran our election campaign on the promise of inclusive development. To me, that means many things: skills education, and opportunity; safety, dignity and rights for those in every section of our society, especially women; a bank account for every Indian; affordable health care within everyone's reach; sanitation for all by 2019; a roof over every head by 2022; electricity for every household; and connectivity to every village. In addressing these daunting challenges, I draw confidence from countless extraordinary stories of ordinary Indians that I have seen through decades of travel across India.

I also strongly believe in the possibilities of technology and innovation to transform governance, empower people, provide affordable solutions for societal challenges and reach people in ways that were unimaginable not so long ago. The number of cell phones in India has gone up from about 40 million to more than 900 million in a decade; our country is already the second-largest market for smart phones, with sales growing ever faster. When I think of the growth in computing power and storage capacity and its miniaturization that the world has witnessed over the past two decades, I am confident that this can be replicated in renewable energy. With solar and wind power, thousands of Indian villages will be able to get access quickly to reliable, affordable and clean energy, without waiting for large, faraway conventional power plants to be built.

For this reason, India's journey to prosperity can be a more sustainable and environmentally sensitive one than the path followed by countries that came of age in earlier eras. This is a journey of our choice, rooted in our tradition that worships nature's bounties.

India will pursue its dreams in partnership with our international friends. History tells us that India's natural instinct is to be open to the world. India will be open and friendly—for business, ideas, research, innovations and travel. In the coming months, you will feel the difference even before you begin your travel to India.

The United States is our natural global partner. India and the U.S. embody the enduring and universal relevance of their shared values. The thriving Indian-American community in the U.S. is a metaphor for the potential of our partnership, and for the possibilities of an environment that nurtures enterprise and rewards hard work. Our strengths in information technology are especially important for leadership in the digital age. The partnership between our businesses takes place in the comfort and certainty of similar political systems and shared commitment to rule of law. In education, innovation, and science and technology, the U.S continues to inspire India.

India and the U.S. have a fundamental stake in each other's success—for the sake of our values and our many shared interests. That is also the imperative of our partnership. And it will be of great value in advancing peace, security and stability in the Asia and Pacific regions; in the unfinished and urgent task of combating terrorism and extremism; and in securing our seas, cyber space and outer space, all of which now have a profound influence on our daily lives.

The complementary strengths of India and the U.S. can be used for inclusive and broad-based global development to transform lives across the world. Because our countries' values and interests are aligned, though our circumstances are different, we are in a unique position to become a bridge to a more integrated and cooperative world. With sensitivity to each other's point of view and the confidence of our friendship, we can contribute to more concerted international efforts to meet the pressing global challenges of our times.

This is a moment of flux in the global order. I am confident in the destiny of our two nations, because democracy is the greatest source of renewal and, with the right conditions, offers the best opportunity for the human spirit to flourish.

This op-ed originally appeared in Wall Street Journal. You can also read it here.

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US steps in to nip in bud Modi legal wrangle, says he enjoys immunity

NEW YORK: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have total immunity from legal proceedings in the US that have been initiated by human rights activists, the Obama administration said on Friday even as the Indian leader arrived in New York to a purported US court order pertaining to the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Radical Sikh activists who have been carrying out a legal campaign in US to shame the Indian government for perceived human rights excesses attempted to embarrass Modi ahead of his arrival in New York by initiating legal action, resulting in a court order seeking his response to the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat. But the Obama administration stepped in to assure the visiting leader that he's safe from any legal wrangle even as he landed in New York.

Senior Obama administration officials previewing the visit said in a teleconference that as a visiting head of government, Modi enjoyed complete immunity for the duration of the visit not only from court proceedings, but also from being personally served or handed court summons. "While we cannot comment specifically on this lawsuit, I can tell you that as a general legal principle, sitting heads of government enjoy immunity from suits in American courts," one official said.

"Sitting heads of government also enjoy personal inviolability while in the United States, which means they cannot be personally handed or delivered papers or summons to begin the process of this," the official said, adding that, "as a matter of treaty, heads of delegation to the UN General Assembly enjoy immunity while in New York to attend the UN event."

Although touted by an excitable media as the court issuing "summons" to the Prime Minister, the order by a district court in New York only enjoins the Indian Prime Minister to respond within 21 days after he is served notice, and in no way affects his US programme or his visit. Indian government sources say the action, which they suspect is supported by "forces inimical to India," is only aimed at embarrassing the Prime Minister on his first visit to the US in 14 years.

"Steps being taken 2 address frivolous & malicious attempts 2 distract attention from the visit of @PMOIndia to US," Syed Akbaruddin, spokesman of India's external affairs minister tweeted as soon as the Modi touched down at JFK airport.

Sikh activists have routinely obtained such summons against visiting Indian leaders, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress party president Sonia Gandhi, with no particular fallout other than briefly making headlines.

In fact, a federal court dismissed a rights violation suit against Congress president Sonia Gandhi some weeks back, but the group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) and two survivors of November 1984 Sikh massacre have since filed an appeal with the United States Circuit Court challenging the dismissal of the suit in continuing legal action to hold New Delhi to account.

READ ALSO: US court issues summons to Narendra Modi

The latest lawsuit, backed by Sikh activists, has been filed by the American Justice Center (AJC), a non-profit human rights organization on the basis of Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) and the Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA), which in effect gives US courts jurisdiction to hear lawsuits filed by US residents for acts committed in violation of international law outside the US. The AJC said it filed the suit along with two survivors of the "horrific and organized violence of Gujarat 2002."

The 28-page complaint charges Modi with "committing crimes against humanity, extra-judicial killings, torture and inflicting mental and physical trauma on the victims, mostly from the Muslim community."

READ ALSO: Modi awaits rockstar reception as US lobby questions his reform credentials

READ ALSO: I draw confidence from stories of ordinary Indians: PM in Wall Street Journal

"The Tort case against Prime Minister Modi is an unequivocal message to human rights abusers everywhere," John Bradley, a director at the AJC said in a statement, adding, "Time and place and the trappings of power will not be an impediment to justice."

Sikh activists and human rights campaigners are also planning to hold demonstrations and other events beyond legal stratagems — including picketing in front of the White House when Prime Minister Modi arrives to meet President Obama — to shame the Indian government for its indifference to rights issues.

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Just 2% of Isro’s engineers are from IITs, NITs

COIMBATORE/ NAGPUR: Isro may be making great strides in space, but when it comes to attracting graduates from premier institutes like IIT, it has a long way to go. Details gathered through an RTI application show that only 2% employees of Indian Space Research Institute (Isro) are graduates from IITs or NITs.

With satellite launches and interplanetary exploration increasingly becoming as commercial as scientific, Isro will need products of premier institutes. "But this is not a trend that affects only Isro," says V Adimurthy, senior advisor of interplanetary mission at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram. Other sectors like roadways and railways too don't attract them," says the IIT-Kanpur alumnus.

Moreover, Isro's centralized recruitment system doesn't differentiate between an IIT graduate and one from another engineering college. "We look for strength in fundamentals, wherever the person is from. It is essential to have people from different institutions."

READ ALSO

Isro's Mars mission successful, India makes history

Mars Orbiter Mission: Timeline

Isro chairman K Radhakrishnan sees a silver lining in Isro's Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IISST), Thiruvananthapuram. Since its inauguration in 2007, the institute has been getting toppers as applicants. "We have been getting some brilliant students who I am sure would go on to become big scientists in Isro," says Radhakrishnan.

But given the trickle of IITians and NITians, academics feel Isro should collaborate with educational institutions to initiate and attract the best of talent from other campuses.

"Collaborative research with colleges other than IITs and NITs have deepened engagement with students and made students aspire for a nationalist career at ISRO," says Vaidhyasubramaniam S, dean, planning and development, SASTRA University. Pramod Prasad, a 2008 electronics and communication graduate from SASTRA was a part of Mars Orbiter Mission.

Photo via Isro's Mars Orbiter Mission on Facebook

Academics agree that most of the IITians and NITians look for fat-paying jobs in software and technology companies. "Going abroad and earning high are the priorities," says a senior academician of a deemed university. But this could change, feels former Isro chairman U R Rao.

"Achievements like the Mars Orbiter Mission would attract graduates to Isro. You need passion to work in Isro. That's why people who join the organisation seldom leave it for another job.

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iPhone 6 Plus 'bendgate': Apple breaks silence

Apple broke its silence on complaints about bending iPhones, hours after withdrawing a glitch-ridden software update as the company struggles to restore momentum to the rollout of its latest phones.

"With normal use, a bend in iPhone is extremely rare and through our first six days of sale, a total of nine customers have contacted Apple with a bent iPhone 6 Plus," Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller said in an email.

Apple shares closed down nearly 4% at $97.87 on Thursday, wiping out nearly $23 billion in market value.

READ ALSO: Do Moto X, HTC One, Lumia 1020 'bend' like iPhone 6 Plus?

The new phones face criticism over their bendability, dubbed "bendgate". Social media and online forums have been abuzz with comments about how the new phones can bend when placed in back pockets or while wearing skinny jeans.

Apple said its iPhones feature stainless steel and titanium inserts to reinforce high-stress locations and use the strongest glass in the smartphone industry.

The only way an iPhone may have bent is if someone put it in their back pocket and sat on the phone for a very long time, said Laban Roomes, chief executive of Goldgenie, which customizes and gold plates iPhones.

Apple was also forced to withdraw a faulty update to its latest operating system after some users of its new phones complained of call service disruptions.

"We apologize for the great inconvenience experienced by users," Muller said.

READ ALSO: Apple pulls iOS 8 update over dropped calls

Apple said on its website it was working on an iOS update to fix the issue, and will release it in the next few days.

"I do believe this speaks to execution issues at Apple," said JMP Securities analyst Alex Gauna. "At the end of the day I believe this too shall pass, but we are noting with concern that the miscues pile up."

Apple said on Monday it had shipped 10 million units of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

Users of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus also complained about the inability to use the fingerprint-reading Touch ID after updating to iOS 8.0.1. Some users had complained of "sluggish Wi-Fi and dwindling battery life" after moving to iOS 8, Time magazine reported earlier this week.

On Thursday, Apple issued a step-by-step guide for users to reinstall iOS 8, launched last week, through the latest version of iTunes. The health app will not work for now and will be fixed in the next software update, the company said.

READ ALSO: iOS update blocked calls on your iPhone? Here's a fix

Customers might, however, hope for replacements for their bent iPhones, depending on whether their devices passed an inspection, tech news website The Next Web reported, quoting an Apple support executive.

"It's not game over for Apple, but nor should we give them a pass on this," Gauna said.

Cases of bent iPhones 5 and 5S had been reported in 2013 by Cult of Mac, a website that exclusively covers Apple.

Rival smartphone makers took digs at Apple's problems. A Samsung Electronics advertisement showcased a bending phone against its own product, while BlackBerry CEO John Chen said: "I would challenge you guys to bend our Passport."

Samsung also tweeted:

Nestle's KitKat chocolate wafer brand tweeted "We don't bend, we break."

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BJP MP gifts property worth Rs 100cr for daughter-in-law's remarriage

RAJKOT : Porbandar BJP MP and Leuva Patel leader Vitthal Radadiya has given a property worth Rs 100 crore to his daughter-in-law on Friday to get her remarried.

Vitthal Radadiya is a BJP MP as well a farmers' leader from Porbandar. According to the sources, Radadiya's son Kalpesh Radadiya died of cardiac arrest seven months ago. Kalpesh is survived by his wife Manisha and two children.

Chetan Ramani, close aide to Vitthal Radadiya said that ever since Kalpesh died, Radadiya wanted to get his late son's wife re-married so that she gets a new lease of life.

The wedding of Manisha with Hardik Chowatiya, a friend of Vitthal Radadiya's son Lalit, will take place on Friday in Jamkandorna town of Rajkot district.

"Vitthal Radadiya has set an example for the society by giving a property of Rs 100 crore to his daughter-in-law as Kanyadan'' Ramni added.

Hardik Chowatiya lives in Surat and works with Lalit Radadiya.

Vitthal Radadiya's son Jayesh Radadiya is BJP MLA from Jetpur and also a minister of state for tourism in Gujarat government.

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White tiger behaving, eating normally after killing youth, Delhi zoo officials say

NEW DELHI: A day after a 20-year-old youth was mauled to death by a white tiger in Delhi Zoo, teams from ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) and Central Zoo Authority reviewed the safety measures for visitors at the facility.

The teams will submit a report to top MoEF and Central Zoo Authority officials about Tuesday's incident, its circumstances and the way the tragedy could have been averted.

"Teams from ministry of environment and forests and Central Zoo Authority have visited the zoo and they will submit a report in this regard to top government officials in this regard," said National Zoological Park curator RA Khan.

Maqsood (20) was mauled to death by the tiger when he fell into its enclosure at the Delhi Zoo on Tuesday.

The seven-year-old tiger Vijay was not released from its enclosure on Wednesday and will be kept under observation for two-three days.

The white tiger, born in the zoo in 2007, is behaving normally now and ate his normal diet of 10kg buffalo meat at 4.30pm on Tuesday and Wednesday as well, the curator said.

Zoo doctors who examined him found him absolutely normal and the big cat did not seem to be in any kind of stress.

"He is behaving normally and he ate his food as per his daily routine. Zoo doctors have confirmed that he does not require any medicines," said Khan.

Meanwhile, another 2.25-minute video surfaced on Wednesday which showed the youth scrounging himself against a wall as the feline stood in front of him looking visibly confused.

For about 1 minute 20 seconds in the video, the tiger is seen patting the youth several times with his paw while his handlers are heard calling his name to divert his attention.

At about 1 minute 25 second, the tiger finally pounces on 20-year-old Maqsood after he was irritated by the visitors who were screaming, shouting and throwing objects at the big cat.

Khan also said that had visitors not raised din, they would have brought the tiger back into his cage by striking it which signals that his food has been served.

"The tiger would have returned to his cage without harming the youth. People are saying that we could have tranquilized the tiger but they should know that it takes 15 minutes for the animal to get unconscious after he is tranquilized while the incident took place within five minutes.

"It is being said that we had 10 or 15 minutes to respond but the latest video shows that it all happened in 2.25 minutes," said Khan.

Maqsood's body is being carried off the tiger enclosure by Delhi zoo workers.
He also said that all security measures laid by Central Zoo authority were followed by Delhi Zoo, so there is no security lapse from their side.

"Maqsood himself and the crowd who provoked the tiger were responsible for this incident, not us. We cannot control the public as they don't listen to our guards. If the tiger had escaped from the enclosure and attacked him, then it would have been our responsibility but here the man had entered tiger's territory," he said.

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Maqsood's obsession with tigers led to his death

NEW DELHI: A pall of gloom has descended over a dingy hutment located below the Zakhira flyover in central Delhi, at Anand Parbat, on Wednesday. Maqsood, 20, who was mauled to death by a white tiger at the Delhi zoo on Tuesday, lived here with his family.

Almost 24 hours after his tragic death, the family recollects that it was his new-found love for tigers that had led to his death. A random visit to the zoo sometime in June had got him obsessed with tigers and he often spoke about it to his wife and family members. The visits became frequent after he lost his job as a porter a few weeks ago.

Maqsood had married Fatima, a woman from Kolkata, a year ago. Of late, he had heard about stories of Bengal tigers and how a tiger had mauled two men at Alipur zoo when they had gone to garland the animal back in 1995. "He never told us what was it about tigers that had aroused his curiosity so much but these stories used to excite him and he often shared his experiences at the zoo," said Mohammad Tahir, his grandfather.

READ ALSO: White tiger behaving, eating normally after killing youth, Delhi zoo officials say

Maqsood's friends say that his obsession only grew and he would often slip out of his house in the afternoon and visit the zoo to watch the tigers, and lions. The fact that he had lost his job four months ago gave him ample time. He often told his mother he was going out to look for a job but instead landed at the zoo. He used the little money he had saved to buy tickets at the zoo.

"He had gone there even last Tuesday and told the children stories about the white tigers after his return," said Adil, a friend who owns a grocery shop outside the colony. He said Maqsood had dropped out of school in eighth class and was working as a labourer since then.

His relatives say his death has brought his parents together. They had been living separately for the past few years over some differences. Maqsood lived with his mother, Ishrat, who works as a household help. His father, Mehfuz alias Pardesi, works as a rickshawpuller in Anand Parbat while his younger son, Mehmood, works in Jaipur. "The first thing that came to my mind was to inform my husband about the incident since I have no one else. We went and faced the situation together," said Ishrat.

READ ALSO: Zoo staff had 10 minutes to rescue Maqsood

Maqsood's wife, Fatima, who is seven months pregnant, is at her hometown, Kolkata. It was a harrowing experience for her as TV channels played the mobile clips and pictures of her husband being attacked by the tiger all through Tuesday and even on Wednesday. "She is inconsolable and has fallen ill since she saw her husband on TV and has now left for Delhi," said Tahir.

"He was erratic and had lost his job many times. We took him for treatment to RML Hospital. He was being counselled and was under medication. He had showed some improvement of late," said Ishrat.

Maqsood often angered his employers due to his forgetful and easygoing nature. He had lost his last job of unloading sacks from trucks after he went chasing some animal. That job used to earn him anything between Rs 100-150. His last employer, Lalit, who owns a cardboard making factory at Anand Parbat, said Maqsood would often go and do others' work and leave the sacks behind. "This had annoyed me and I asked him to leave four months ago," he said.

READ ALSO: Six years ago, a man had a lucky escape in Delhi zoo

His neighbours remember him as a happy-go-lucky youth who would rarely speak to anyone and walked around with earplugs. "He did not have a sim card in his mobile phone and used it only to click pictures or listen to music. He also had tigers' picture in his phone," said Satish, a former classmate who also got him a job at a local factory.

Maqsood's body was handed over to his family members on Wednesday afternoon and he was buried at a local graveyard. Delhi Police are yet to quetion zoo officials and record their statements. The zoo protocol is being studied after which the cops will verify if it was followed or the officials were negligent.

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BJP-Shiv Sena poll alliance in Maharashtra over: BJP sources

MUMBAI: The BJP-Shiv Sena's over 25-year-old poll alliance has come to an end, sources said on Thursday.

An official announcement is expected by evening.

Significantly, BJP president Amit Shah has cancelled his Mumbai visit, lending credence to speculation that the Sena-BJP alliance was heading for a split.

READ ALSO: With alliance on verge of collapse, Sena, BJP vying to woo junior partners

Shah's presence in Mumbai — he was scheduled to address a meeting at the Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh seminary in Uttan, in suburban Bhayander — would have helped the saffron leaders defuse the crisis.

Shah decided to stay away from Mumbai as it became clear that, to quote a Sena functionary, "the party was over."

READ ALSO: The first time the Sena-BJP split and Sharad Pawar stepped in

Sena president Uddhav Thackeray was scheduled to visit the Goddess Tulaja Bhavani shrine in Sholapur on Thursday to seek the popular deity's "blessings" for the Sena's election campaign, a Sena MLA said.

Senior Sena-BJP leaders were closetted in a south Mumbai apartment till the wee hours of Thursday to hammer out an amicable seat-sharing formula. However, the negotiations were "futile", a senior state BJP leader said.

READ ALSO: Shiv Sena won't contest less than 150 seats, party says in fresh snub to BJP

The two allies have begun frantic attempts to win over the smaller parties, such as the Raju Shetty-led Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, the Rashtriya Samaj Party of Mahadeo Jankar, the Ramdas Athavale-led RPI and Vinayak Mete's Shiv Sangram Sanghatana.

A file photo of BJP president Amit Shah (L) with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. The alliance between the two parties is headed for a split ahead of Maharashtra assembly polls.

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Isro's Mars mission successful, India makes history

CHENNAI/BANGALORE: India created history on Wednesday, becoming the first country to successfully get a spacecraft into the Martian orbit on its maiden attempt.

Indian Space Research Organization's Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) spacecraft started orbiting the red planet at 7.47am, but it was only 12 minutes later — because of a time delay in radio signals travelling the 680 million km — that scientists at Isro Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network in Bangalore, could erupt in joy as Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood a happy witness.

As it happened: Mangalyaan's Mars odyssey

Mangalyaan: 10 things to know

For most of the time the main engine was firing — 20 of the 24 crucial minutes — MOM was hiding behind Mars, adding to the suspense.

The scientists had waited for more than 300 days as MOM journeyed on through space, but the last 54 minutes were virtually unbearable. For, it was during this period that the orbiter first reoriented itself and then fired its engine and thrusters for about 24 minutes to get into the Mars orbit.

READ ALSO: Mars Orbiter Mission — World praises Isro's historic feat

China hails India's Mars mission success as landmark progress

First signals received from Australia

For all the action at the ground station, there was not much the scientists had to do. More than 10 days ago, they had uplinked all the commands for the manoeuvres to the spacecraft. MOM, like an obedient child, carried them out perfectly.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Isro scientists over the success.

Full text of PM Modi's speech

"MOM never disappoints," he told applauding scientists at the Isro Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network in Bangalore.

"India is the first country to get this right in the first attempt," he said.

READ ALSO: Narendra Modi congratulates Isro scientists, says 'MOM' never disappoints

Hits and misses of India's space agency

Modi turned philosophical while talking about the scientific achievement. "Jab kaam mangal hota hai, irade mangal hote hain, tho yaatra bhi mangal hota hai (When the task is holy, and so is the intention, the journey has to be a success)," he said.

Congratulating and prodding on Indian space scientists, he went on: "Unless you enter the waters you don't learn to swim. Risk tho lena hi padtha hai (You have to take risks," he said.

Congratulate Isro scientists

He urged the scientists to continue to inspire the future generation. "Despite our many limitations, we have succeeded. It is a shining symbol of what we are capable of as a nation ... A successful space programme generates efforts across multiple domains," Modi said.

Switching between English and Hindi, the Prime Minister said the scientists were changing our lives and speed of achievement.
For many months -- if not years -- MOM will remain a satellite of Mars, clicking pictures and sniffing out details on the atmosphere and morphology of the red planet.

Through its journey since November 5, 2013 when PSLV-C25 lifted off from Sriharikota with the spacecraft in its nosecone, MOM has had a perfect journey. The first litmus test came on Monday when it was to carry out time-tagged commands to reignite its main engine which had been idling for about 300 days since it left the Earth orbit on December 1, 2013. MOM did this in style, burning for the designated four seconds to show that the engine is in fine shape. On Wednesday, it proved its resilience.

As it goes around Mars on an elliptical orbit with the closest point around 420km and the farthest around 80,000km, MOM will employ five equipment that collectively weight 15kg to do scientific studies.

Mars Orbiter Mission: Timeline

'Namaste', 'Howdy': Mangalyaan, Curiosity Rover engage in space talk

The Lyman alpha photometer would measure the relative abundance of deuterium and hydrogen in the upper Martian atmosphere to understand previous presence of water on the red planet. A methane sensor will look for sources of the gas. While the Mars colour camera clicks away, a thermal infrared spectrometer will study heat emission, minerals and soil on Mars.

Before India, various countries have launched Mars missions, but out of the 51 attempts, only 21 were successful. India now joins the Martian club that comprises the US, Russia and the European Space Agency. Only the European Space Agency has got its orbiter right in the first attempt (Mars Express in 2003), but India can claim a first since the agency is a conglomeration of several countries.

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Zoo staff had 10 minutes to rescue Maqsood

NEW DELHI: Could prompt intervention by zoo officials have saved Maqsood's life? Eyewitnesses TOI spoke to said he sat frightened inside the moat for about 10 minutes before Vijay, the tiger, attacked him. While Praveen, a guard, called his seniors on the wireless immediately, many things could have been done in the minutes before the tiger attacked.

A senior Central Zoo Authority (CZA) official said there were discussions on how the animal could have been kept at bay by spraying water. Maqsood could have also been pulled out with a collapsible ladder. "I have seen zoos in Singapore and the US. Brookfield Zoo in Chicago and the Bronx Zoo in New York have alarm systems and ladders that can immediately help the person out," said an expert from CZA on condition of anonymity.

READ ALSO: Tiger kills 20-year-old in Delhi zoo

Some eyewitnesses said senior officials, who have the authority to direct keepers, arrived after 15 minutes. "Keepers could have helped distract the animal quickly. But they were delayed. The boy had some time before the tiger mauled him. He seemed to be praying with folded hands," said Jalaluddin, a visitor from Ghaziabad.

Vijay, a white tiger, looms over Maqsood, the youth who fell into the animal's enclosure. For 10 minutes the tiger didn't touch Maqsood, nor did the zoo guards rescue him. (PTI Photo)

Had more guards been around, Maqsood could have been prevented from crossing the barrier. There is only one guard on each of the 20 zoo beats, officials said. Riaz Khan, curator (education), however, said there are 2-3 guards per beat.

The zoo could have also arranged for a tranquilizer gun immediately. "Only a doctor can use a tranquilizer gun. CZA rules and regulations do not allow guards to use one. By the time we would have got a tranquilizer from the hospital, he would have died," said Khan.

Strangely, the moat which acts as a water barrier was also dry. Even though tigers can swim, it would have given Maqsood a few more minutes. "The water is of very bad quality so we keep it dry," said Khan.

CZA has set up a two-member inquiry team to examine design aspects and other factors that might have led to the tragedy. "There will be an official inquiry on Wednesday. CZA rules have standards for the stand-off barrier height. Those need to be checked. However, if he jumped the barrier too, I guess saving was difficult," said Brij Kishore Gupta, evaluation and monitoring officer, CZA. A team from the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) will also visit the zoo to check on the tiger.

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Narendra Modi congratulates Isro scientists, says 'MOM' never disappoints

BANGALORE: "Aaj MOM ka Mangal se milan ho gaya, aur Mangal ko MOM mil gayi," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said congratulating scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) for putting India on the world map of space exploration and becoming the first to have a successful Mars mission on debut.

Stating that he had complete confidence that "MOM would never disappoint," he said he knew it as soon as the short name for the Mars Orbiter Mission became 'MOM'.

In a speech riddled with metaphors, Modi urged Indians to take pride in Isro's achievement.

"...When our cricket team wins a tournament and returns, the entire country rejoices, this is an achievement greater by a 1,000 times," he said, and added that every school and college must dedicate 5 minutes celebrating this.

"History has been created! We've dared to reach out into the unknown and achieved the near impossible," he said in English soon after.

Alternating between Hindi and English, his efforts were deliberate and struck an immediate chord with the scientists, many of who interrupted his speech with applauses.

The sheer distance covered, the effort to communicate with the spacecraft and the "agony-stricken wait," Modi said, deserved recognition.

"Sometimes we flip when we order a parata and get a roti on our plate. Imagine the wait, without knowing how the spacecraft has received it and how it's going to react," he asked.

That India might be the first nation to tell the world about the presence of methane on Mars despite all odds having been against us, he said is proof that our scientists can challenge anybody in the world.

"And this, we must remember has come from our ancestors who'd given the world Zero, predicted eclipses accurately, discover planetary positions. Today we've honoured our ancestors and inspired our next generation," he said.

Complementing Isro for cultivating a culture of progressively nurturing young talent in line with our ancient "guru- shishya parampara," he said we must push our boundaries further.

"We must use our science to better governance, achieve economic growth and deliver the fruits of our development to people it's never reached in the past."

Meanwhile, President Pranab Mukherjee also heaped praise on Isro scientists for the successful launch and described it as a "historic achievement".

The success of the mission to Mars will "inspire our scientists to make even greater strides", President Pranab Mukherjee said.

READ ALSO: Mars mission a historic achievement, President says

Mukherjee on Wednesday congratulated the Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) for the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) entering the orbit of the red planet in its first attempt.

In a message to Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) chairman K Radhakrishnan, the president said: "I extend my hearty congratulations and best wishes to you and your team on the successful Orbit Insertion Maneuver of the Mars Orbiter Mission 'Mangalyaan' after a journey of nearly nine months. "The success has made India the first Asian country and ISRO the fourth space agency to send a satellite to the red planet. ISRO is also the first to enter the Martian Orbit in its maiden attempt."

(With inputs from agencies)

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Maharashtra polls: Shiv Sena 'agrees to give 130 seats to BJP'

NEW DELHI: The Shiv Sena has agreed to give 130 seats to the BJP, bringing an end to the deadlock over seat-sharing for the Maharashtra assembly elections, according to Times Now.

The leaders of the two parties met on Tuesday to sort out differences over seat sharing and arrive at a consensus to save the alliance.

However, it is still not clear if the Sena will cut its share of seats or the smaller parties of the coalition will have to make the sacrifice.

The two parties will now discuss the new proposal with other allies in the coalition.

READ ALSO: The first time the Sena-BJP split and Sharad Pawar stepped in

Earlier, Sena group leader in assembly Subhash Desai, party spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut arrived at the BJP office — Vasant Smriti Bhavan — in Dadar in central Mumbai around noon and met top BJP leaders on the alliance issue.

BJP's Maharashtra poll in charge Om Mathur and state party president Devendra Fadnavis were among those present at the meeting.

Fadnavis has convened a meeting of state BJP unit functionaries, district unit presidents, legislators and MPs here today to discuss the political situation ahead of the Assembly polls.

Leader of opposition in assembly Eknath Khadse and leader of opposition in council Vinod Tawde also participatied in the meeting.

BJP has already rejected the formula put forth by Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray of his party contesting 151, BJP-119 and allies 18 seats for the elections to the 288-member state Assembly.

BJP yesterday made a counter offer seeking 130, a climbdown from earlier 135, but said it would contest all 288 seats if "compelled" to part ways from its oldest ally in the NDA.

Earlier, BJP president Amit Shah had issued categorical instructions to the party's Maharashtra leaders not to accept anything less than 130 assembly seats from Shiv Sena.

(With inputs from PTI)

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Infosys vice-presidents get salary hikes of Rs 4-5 crore

BANGALORE: Infosys has raised the salaries of its top executives so sharply that some of them are now in the $1-million (Rs 6-crore) compensation club - making them almost unpoachable by even international rivals - and raising the salary benchmark in the Indian IT industry.

The executive vice-presidents who are now at the Rs 6-crore level had salaries in the Rs 1.2-Rs 2 crore range previously, meaning that they have got three to five-fold hikes.

READ ALSO: Vishal Sikka reaches out to exiting Infosys employees

The move comes as newly appointed CEO Vishal Sikka seeks to revitalize the demoralized company and stem the flood of exits, and brings in senior executives from his erstwhile employer, SAP, at salaries that Infosys has largely been unused to.

Navnit Singh, MD of executive search firm Korn/Ferry India, says it is a retention strategy to make the senior executives less vulnerable to competition. "If you look at salaries of some of the global companies, they are comparable to what Infosys has done," he said.

"It's a golden handcuff," said a senior executive in the company who did not want to be named. When contacted, Infosys said it would disclose the details in its statutory filings, "as appropriate in due course".

Considering that Indian executives are seen increasingly as great candidates for global companies, HR experts say the new salaries are warranted. Former Wipro co-CEO Suresh Vaswani is on Dell's board and management team, and former Infosys president BG Srinivas is group managing director and executive director of Hong Kong-based telecom and media giant PCCW.

In the period immediately preceding Sikka's arrival at Infosys, Srinivas and former consulting head Stephen Pratt had compensations of over $1 million. Now, at least five of the existing executives, and some of the new appointees from SAP, are said to be in that bracket. The salaries of other top executives, too, are said to have been raised significantly.
In June, the $8.2-billion IT-services company elevated 12 senior VPs to executive VPs, and gave some of them new roles. Among these are Sandeep Dadlani, head of retail, CPG and logistics, and head of Americas; Rajesh Krishnamurthy, head of energy, communications & services and resources & utilities, and head of Europe; Mohit Joshi, head of financial services, and head of Brazil and Mexico; Sanjay Jalona, head of high-tech & manufacturing and engineering services; and Manish Tandon, head of life sciences and services in North America. Many of these are over $1-billion businesses.

Inofsys CEO Vishal Sikka
An HR executive who does not want to be named says the company needs to reduce the differential in the salaries of Sikka and the rest. Sikka came in as the highest paid professional CEO of an Indian company, drawing a salary of $5.08 million (Rs 30 crore). This includes a base salary of $9,00,000 and a variable pay of $4.18 million that is subject to the company achieving certain fiscal milestones.
READ ALSO: Infosys gives salary hike of 4-10%

GC Jayaprakash, executive director in RGF Executive Search, says the standard practice in the IT industry is to offer substantial variable pays at top levels.

So while the Infosys top execs would have received a significant increase in their fixed salaries, the much larger increment would be in bonuses and variable pay. "This ensures that the current structure does not become too imbalanced, and most of the payments happen depending on how the company and the individual performs," the HR executive says.

Another HR executive who does not want to be named says: "By the end of this exercise, I expect the top 300 executives in Infosys will see role expansions, reorganization of their career tracks and significant increases in their compensation."

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Tiger kills visitor inside Delhi zoo

NEW DELHI: In a hair-raising incident which was captured live on cameras, a white tiger killed a youth after he fell into the animal's moat in the Delhi zoo, an official said on Tuesday.

The incident, which took place between 12.30pm and 1pm, created a sensation and word soon spread through the city.

Eyewitnesses and zoo officials said the young man, who was later identified as Maqsood, a resident of Anand Parbat in Delhi, was leaning against the moat which separated the tiger enclosure from the visitors' gallery, tumbled into the dry moat and immediately was face to face with the tiger 'Vijay' which itself appeared initially surprised on seeing the human intrusion.

"As soon as the youth slipped and fell into the moat, the tiger approached him and silently watched him for nearly 15 minutes," Bittoo, an eyewitness, who recorded the entire incident on his mobile, told reporters.

He said what possibly provoked the tiger to attack the man was when onlookers and a guard tried to divert its attention by pelting stones at it.

"Everyone was pelting stones and making noises to divert the tiger's attention," Bittoo added. "It was then that the tiger pounced on the youth with his paw and dragged him inside his enclosure by his neck," Bittoo added.

Another eyewitness Himanshu said: "The man was cowering in fear and appeared to be pleading with folded hands to the tiger to spare him. The barricading around the tiger was hardly two to three feet in height."

The zoo staff managed to drag the tiger in its closed enclosure by luring him with meat.

The zoo authorities claimed only one guard is assigned per enclosure and that visitors are warned not to get too close to animal enclosures. Most of the time, visitors ignore these warnings, a zoo official said.

(File photo of a white tiger)

(With inputs from IANS)

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Meet the 19-year-old developer who turned down Apple

Last week, 19-year-old John Meyer dropped out of a prestigious university computer science program to work full-time on his tech startup, Fresco News.

His parents weren't happy at first. He was attending NYU where his mom is a professor, he said.

But they eventually came around to support him, because they had to admit: Meyer is already a successful independent computer programmer. He's been writing apps since his freshman year in high school, 2008, after teaching himself the programming language Objective C.

And he's been making money at it since his sophomore year of high school, he says.

"Money-wise, I've been pretty fortunate. I've been able to support myself since just a year after I got started," he said.

He's making so much money writing iPhone apps that during his first year of college he could afford to live alone, pay NYU tuition while bootstrapping Fresco, he said. Fresco News is a sort of intersection between Instagram, Twitter and Flipboard that turns photos from ordinary people on the scene of big news events into news stories.

We pressed him to reveal his income but promised not to share it. Let's just say it's on par with what software engineers earn at some of the best tech companies.

Despite his young age, Meyer's app portfolio is impressive. He's written about 40 apps, mostly through his app company TapMedia, he says.

This includes the popular iPhone 4 flashlight app Just Light (which may have been the very first flashlight app). It went nuts, downloaded about 2 million times, he said. Apple now includes a flashlight app with the iPhone.

He's just had another huge hit called Perfect Shot, too, released about a year ago for iOS 7. It was downloaded 60,000 times in the first four days and is now at over 1 million, he says.

It uses the smile and eye detection features in the iPhone camera for taking the perfect group photo. Hold the phone up and wait. The app takes the shot in the perfect millisecond when everyone is smiling, no one is blinking. A very smart idea.

So smart, that Meyer nabbed the attention of Apple. The company asked him to become an intern, he says. That's a dream come true for most students. And it pays. Apple interns can make $5,723 a month.

But he turned Apple down.

"I get emails from recruiters all the time, and this past summer an offer to intern at Apple," he says. But, he explains, "I am, at heart, an entrepreneur. I won't be happy working for someone else."

He's not worried about missing the chance of a lifetime. "If I wanted to, I'm sure they would offer me another internship," he says.

That's not just the bravado of being 19. "I've been close with a lot of people at Apple, from going to Apple's developer conference every year," he says. "I'm in a field where I've done a lot of things already, an expansive portfolio of projects I've worked on."

He's actually been attending the developer's conference since he was 16, sneaking in the first time with his dad's help. His dad flew him to San Francisco, registered himself for the conference, and then handed the pass to his son to attend.

"I was 16 and anyone under 18 wasn't allowed. It was right after the successful flashlight app. My dad got the ticket from Apple, flew back home and left me in San Francisco," he laughs.

Since then, Apple has created a teen program at the conference he says. It's been great for meeting other programmers his age, he says.

If all that wasn't impressive enough, Meyer was also a finalist in the Thiel Fellowship, he says. That's a program by billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel in which gifted young people drop out of school to start companies. Only 40 people become finalists, flown to the Valley for mingling. 20 are accepted, and Meyer wasn't one of them.

That doesn't bother him at all. He's focused on turning Fresco into a money maker, talking to potential clients for it like New York Times and Wall Street Journal.

And he hasn't ruled going back to college someday. But for now, he's writing apps for fun and profit.

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Chinese incursion: 15 battalions in Ladakh on high alert

NEW DELHI: Indian Army is keeping its 15 battalions as well as "reserve units" in eastern Ladakh on "high alert" to counter the People's Liberation Army in the ongoing shadow-boxing taking place in the high-altitude region to strengthen claims to disputed areas.

Diplomatic channels are now working overtime to de-escalate the border imbroglio at both Chumar and Demchok, after three flag meetings between local military commanders failed to make any headway, but India is not averse to playing "cartographic hardball" with China if required, say sources.

READ ALSO: Chinese soldiers pitch seven tents in Chumar, stand-off continues

"The situation is fluid but not tense. Chumar has always been held by us. We will not allow the PLA to construct a road or anything else on what we consider our territory. If they withdraw, we will also simultaneously pull back some of our troops," said a source.

But no change in the ground situation in either the troop faceoff at Chumar or the so-called "civilian confrontation" at Demchok was reported till Sunday evening. Around 1,000 PLA troops were still occupying six to seven tactical positions in the Chumar sector, where heights vary from 12,000 to 15,000 feet.

"Some of them often re-position themselves for better logistics. A few return to their administrative bases in the rear for the night, and then come back in the morning. It's a well-planned operation by PLA, which has never set up camps in the area before," said the source.

READ ALSO: Ladakh stand-off worsens, 50 more Chinese soldiers enter Chumar

Over 1,000 Indian troops, too, are maintaining their forward deployment in the Chumar sector, where the "cat-and-mouse game" has now been underway since September 10 after Indian soldiers stopped PLA troops from building a road right up to Chepzi on the unresolved Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The close-quarter jostling for better tactical positions had even led to a young PLA officer being detained by the Indian troops after he had strayed into one of their positions last week. The Chinese lieutenant was later handed over to the PLA.

Though the standoff is currently limited to the southern part of eastern Ladakh, the Army-ITBP combine has stepped up patrols all along the LAC stretching from Daulat Beg Oldi in the north down to Chumar near the Himachal border. Both sides have also deployed helicopters and drones for sustaining their soldiers as well as surveillance to detect build-ups.

An Indian Army convoy passes through the Zoji La pass in Jammu & Kashmir. The pass provides a vital link between Ladakh and Kashmir. (Getty Images file photo)

The Army has enough personnel in the region to take care of such contingencies. There are four battalions each under the 70 Brigade at Kiari and the 114 Brigade at Tangtse, as also five units of the Ladakh Scouts. The 14 Corps at Leh, which looks after the Kargil sector as well as eastern Ladakh, also has the 81 Brigade as "a reserve formation", which can swiftly be deployed towards Kargil or eastern Ladakh when required.

Sources said China seems to be testing the Modi government's resolve both on the land boundaries as well as the Indian Ocean Region with its Maritime Silk Route construct. During the 21-day Depsang faceoff at the DBO sector in April-May last year, just before Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit here, India had got conflicting signals from the PLA commanders on the ground and the political leadership in Beijing.

Similar messaging is happening in the ongoing Chumar faceoff, which coincided with President Xi Jinping's visit here. "It's very difficult to believe that local PLA commanders would act like this without the top Chinese leadership's nod. We have asked China to adhere to the 2005 protocol on CBMs on the LAC," said the source.

It had taken intensive diplomatic intervention to finally defuse the DBO faceoff last year after India dismantled "a tin shed" at Chumar and the PLA troops simultaneously withdrew from the Depsang Valley. Similarly, this time the Chinese troops are also asking Indian troops to demolish a recently-built hut at Tible in the Chumar sector, as reported by TOI earlier.

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Mars spacecraft test-fired successfully, to enter red planet’s orbit on Wednesday

CHENNAI: Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) scientists have successfully reignited the Mars Orbiter Mission spacecraft's main engine for four seconds as a trial before the final firing to get into the red planet's orbit early on Wednesday.

The test-firing was held at 2:30pm, and it lasted for four seconds. However, scientists had to wait for a little more than 12 minutes to confirm it because of the time lag as the radio signals from the spacecraft take about 740 seconds to traverse 220 million km to earth.

The liquid apogee motor (LAM) engine has been idle for about 300 days since the spacecraft left the Earth's orbit on a Martian trajectory on December 1, 2013. The short-duration test was to ensure that the engine is in good shape for the 24-minute manoeuvre on Wednesday.

MOM executed with precision a set of commands sent from mission control in Bangalore last week and fired the 440N engine for close to four seconds. This test took the spacecraft away from its trajectory by more than 100km, but a different set of commands have been fed into the system to bring it back to the ideal Martian orbital insertion.

"We are obviously relieved," said an Isro scientist. "Now we know that the engine is fit for Wednesday's exercise." There were apprehensions of the long duration of idling would have affected some valves because of the corrosive fuel used. If the main engine doesn't fire on Wednesday, an alternative plan is to fire the eight thrusters of the spacecraft to capture the Martian orbit. This Plan B, however, would not help MOM achieve a perfect orbit to take up scientific studies during its elliptical journey around Mars.

READ ALSO: Hope to be first Asian country to reach Mars in first shot: K Radhakrishnan

India hopes to enter Martian orbit on Wednesday

If everything goes fine, Isro aims to put the spacecraft in an orbit with a periapsis (closest point to Mars) of 423km and an apoapsis (farthest point) of 80,000km. Of the 51 Mars mission so far by various countries, only 21 have been successful.

(Scientists and engineers monitor Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) at the Isro centre in Bangalore.)

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India, China quietly struggle in Indian Ocean

NEW DELHI: At first glance, it looks like a diplomatic love-fest. There was Chinese President Xi Jinping, toasting the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a quiet dinner earlier this week in Gujarat. There were the two leaders, deep in conversation as they walked along the Sabarmati River, Xi dressed in a Nehru jacket.

The men are full of praise for one another, and one another's countries. Xi gushes over India as "an enchanting and beautiful land." Modi declares that their pledges to work together "will open big gates for progress and development in the world." Just a few hours into the Xi's three-day visit, Indian newspapers were awash with accomplishments: a joint industrial park, a sister-city pact, ramped up cultural ties, business deals and investment promises from China worth well more than $20 billion.

Left largely unspoken, though, are the deep worries in India over Chinese maneuvering in the Indian Ocean, where New Delhi's years of dominance is being chipped away by billions of dollars in aid from Beijing and gargantuan Chinese construction projects.

And while China's recent push for dominance in the South China and East China seas get more attention, the quiet contest for influence in the Indian Ocean is being watched carefully from Tokyo to Washington,DC. More than anything else, the worries are over energy.

The tankers that move through Indian Ocean carry 80 percent of China's oil, 65 percent of India's and 60 percent of Japan's, making those waters crucially important to three of Asia's great powers. A significant slowdown in tanker traffic — whether from diplomatic standoff, piracy or war — could cripple those countries and send shockwaves around the world.

READ ALSO: Highlights of Narendra Modi-Xi Jinping talks
India silent on Chinas ambitious sea route plan

(Chinese President Xi Jinping with PM Narendra Modi, in New Delhi.)

So for years Beijing has been working to ensure it is not left out of the regional equation, building ports and forging alliances in coastal nations from Myanmar to Pakistan.
"China wants to be a major player in the Indian Ocean, alongside India and the US" said Kanwal Sibal, a former Indian foreign secretary who also held a series of ambassadorships.

Xi's latest initiative is the maritime Silk Road, a series of agreements that would link China to Europe by sea. But if China heralds the Silk Road as a vision of international cooperation, many in the Indian government worry it is a Trojan horse to hide Beijing's expanding influence, said Sibal, who is well-connected in New Delhi's foreign policy circles.

"It is a precursor to eventually positioning themselves more permanently in the Indian Ocean," he said.

Xi, notably, made two stops before arriving in India, both in Indian Ocean nations. First came the Maldives, the isolated archipelago and high-end tourist destination where Beijing's influence has been growing steadily. Next was Sri Lanka, a war-battered island nation where China has become the largest investor, and where it has built a colossal port in the once-quiet town of Hambantota.

"They are building pockets of influence," Sibal said.

Beijing, for its part, firmly denies it is on a quest for Indian Ocean influence. In a signing ceremony for the Silk Road plan in Sri Lanka, Xi called it a chance to "strengthen our cooperation" in everything from port development to maritime security.

Wang Shaopu, director of the Center for Pan-Pacific Studies at Shanghai Jiaotong University, noted that competition was natural given the importance of the region. But, he added, that doesn't make conflict inevitable.

"China and India should make a high priority of cooperation and avoid letting competition become cutthroat," he said. "I think both countries already have realized this."

Publicly, that is definitely the case. The neighbors might have plenty of room for disagreement, from an immense Indian trade deficit to an Indian state that China claims as its own territory. But they have also become highly adept at avoiding the most sensitive issues, playing down disagreements to focus on economic growth.

Even in India, where China's emergence as a world power stings national pride deeply, plenty of people say that's not automatically a bad thing.

China "has the opportunity to build massive infrastructure," across the Indian Ocean as part of the Silk Road initiative, said Vijay Sakhuja, a former Indian naval officer and head of the New Delhi-based National Maritime Foundation. "They make world-class ports ... So can we emulate them or partake" of what they build?

India, however, is also being careful not to put too much trust in China, forging diplomatic agreements in an attempt to balance Beijing's growing strength.

Just weeks ago, for instance, Modi returned from a highly successful trip to Japan, China's fiercest rival, bringing home pledges of billions of dollars in aid and investment along with agreements to strengthen security and economic ties. Then, just days ago, the Indian and Vietnamese presidents issued a joint statement calling for freedom of navigation in the South China and East China seas — a clear jab at Beijing's aggressiveness in the region.

And the underlying tensions between India and China never go completely away.

Indian officials said a few days ago that Chinese soldiers had again entered Indian territory in the border region of Ladakh. The soldiers were said to be building a road.

READ ALSO: All you want to know about the LAC

While Modi made a brief mention on Thursday of border disagreements during a joint appearance with Xi — saying he had raised the issue of the "repeated incursions" with the Chinese leader — his statement was overwhelmingly positive, concluding by saying their relationship was "filled with vast opportunities."

That didn't surprise Sibal.

"We rarely speak frankly to China," said Sibal, the former diplomat said. "We have preferred to speak about areas where we have common interests."

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