Prosecutor, Politician And Poet

www.desitalk.com – that’s all you need to know

6 October 14, 2016 COVER STORYP

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By a Staff Writer

reet Bharara, UnitedStates Attorney for theSouthern District ofNew York, dismissed asuggestion last week

that Indian culture may be con-doning corruption, or promotingthe idea of shortcuts to achievesuccess.

Bharara was speaking Oct. 9,at the closing session of thethree-day Indo-American ArtsCouncil’s third annual LiteraryFestival. The Festival featuresworks by authors whose heritagelies in the Indian subcontinent,as well as those who have writtenabout a subject connected to anyaspect of that part of the world.Veteran and emerging authorsget to showcase their work, andspeakers also include publishersand literary agents.

On the opening day Oct. 7,India’s Member of Parliamentand former United NationsUndersecretary forCommunications and PublicInformation, and renownedauthor Shashi Tharoor, spoke ona panel entitled “India Today,India Tomorrow” held at newYork University School ofJournalism. He was joined by

New York Times award-winningauthor Shomini Sen Gupta inconversation with author SuketuMehta, author of the acclaimedbook, Maximum City: BombayLost and Found. They tackledquestions such as where Indiastands today in relation to whereit should be, and what are thereasons driving it in a particulardirection.

At Bharara’s talk held in NYU’sKimmel Center, entitled “IsCorruption Endemic to Politics?”the ‘Sheriff of Wall Street,’ whohas prosecuted several high pro-file New York City politicians, aswell as several Indian-Americansin high places for white-collarcrimes, was questioned by SeemaMody, a global markets reporterfor CNBC, and members of the

audience. Among the questionsasked was whether Indian culturecondones corruption.

“I do not think so,” Bharararesponded. “I am part of Indianculture. I am from Ferozepur (inPunjab). I think (the questionshould be) if one has been raisedwith the proper education andright values, whether Indian orAmerican. I do not think this has

something to do with the Indianculture,” Bharara emphasized.

Bharara touched on a host ofissues during the 50-minute con-versation, including allegationsin the Indian media that hisoffice targeted only high-profileIndian-Americans when he pros-ecuted people like Rajat Gupta,Anil Kumar and others for insidertrading, or people like formerIndian diplomat DevyaniKhobragade.

“I think that is a stupid remarkor suggestion,” Bharara retorted.“We never targeted anyone basedon the person’s ethnicity. I don’twalk into my office and say 'bringme the head of an Indian,’”Bharara said as the house burstinto laughter.

He gave the audience somesense of how the prosecutor’soffice works – as a place whereprofessional prosecutors conducttheir investigations and followthe money trail to where it takesthem, before deciding to prose-cute the suspects, according tothe law.

He indicated that some peoplesuffer from a sense of hubriswhen they have money andpower, which leads them to com-mit crimes, believe they wereimmune from prosecution.

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United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara, during ‘A Conversation With Seema Mody,” a CNBC reporter, at the closing session of the 3-day Indo-American Arts Council’sthird annual Literary Festival Oct. 9, at NYU’s Kimmel Center. The question-answer session followed a talk on the topic -- ‘Is Corruption Endemic to Politics?” Photo below, member of Indian Parliament andauthor Shashi Tharoor, left, at a panel discussion on “India Today, India Tomorrow” along with Suketu Mehta, author of the acclaimed book, 'Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found' and New York Times

award-winning author Shomini Sengupta, Oct. 7 at NYU School of Journalism at Cooper Square.

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At The Indo-American Arts Council’s Third Annual Literary Festival