Sexually abused by relative at 7; raped by boyfriend at 16: Model Padma Lakshmi

Agencies
September 26, 2018

New York, Sept 26: Padma Lakshmi, a prominent Indian-American model host, has alleged that she was raped by her boyfriend at the age of 16, saying she wanted to bring out this secret in the wake of allegations of sexual assault on US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Lakshmi, a former wife of controversial author Salman Rushdie, explained in an article in The New York Times that she kept quiet for 32 years as she feared fingers would point at her for bringing it upon herself.

The 48-year-old model and actress wrote that she was reminded of her feelings about the incident last week by allegations surrounding US President Donald Trump's choice for the Supreme Court.

"I have been turning that incident over in my head throughout the past week, as two women have come forward to detail accusations against the Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh," Lakshmi said in the opinion piece revealing that she was raped on New Year's Eve, just a few months after she started dating her boyfriend.

The 'Top Chef' host did not reveal the name of her boyfriend who was a 23-year-old college student at the time.

"Christine Blasey Ford (the first accuser) said he (Kavanaugh) climbed on her and covered her mouth during an attempted rape when they were both in high school, and Deborah Ramirez (the second accuser) said he exposed himself to her when they were in college," she wrote.

Lakshmi was critical of President Trump for having questioned the two women.

"On Friday, President Trump tweeted that if what Blasey said was true, she would have filed a police report years ago. But I understand why both women would keep this information to themselves for so many years, without involving the police. For years, I did the same thing. On Friday, I tweeted about what had happened to me so many years ago," she said.

According to her, she was sexually assaulted by stepfather's relative when she was seven.

"Shortly after I told my mother and stepfather, they sent me to India for a year to live with my grandparents. The lesson was: If you speak up, you will be cast out," she wrote.

"These experiences have affected me and my ability to trust. It took me decades to talk about this with intimate partners and a therapist. Some say a man shouldn't pay a price for an act he committed as a teenager. But the woman pays the price for the rest of her life, and so do the people who love her," Laksmi wrote.

She has an eight-year daughter now. "For years I’ve been telling her the simplest and most obvious words that it took me much of my life to understand: "If anybody touches you in your privates or makes you feel uncomfortable, you yell loud. You get out of there and tell somebody. Nobody is allowed to put their hands on you. Your body is yours."

Laksmi explained the reason for coming out with this story now.

"Now, 32 years after my rape, I am stating publicly what happened. I have nothing to gain by talking about this. But we all have a lot to lose if we put a time limit on telling the truth about sexual assault and if we hold on to the codes of silence that for generations have allowed men to hurt women with impunity,” she said.

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News Network
November 21,2024

CAKhaleel.jpg

Prominent NRI community leader SM Syed Khalilur Rehman, fondly known as CA Khalil, passed away in Dubai on Thursday at the age of 86 after a brief illness.

Khalil had been admitted to Aster Hospital in Mankhool on Tuesday after experiencing severe leg weakness. Despite the best efforts of the medical team, he succumbed to a double heart attack that worsened his condition, his son Rais Ahmed confirmed.

The news of his passing has sent waves of grief across communities, particularly in his hometown of Bhatkal, Karnataka, where he was a celebrated figure. Tributes have been pouring in on social media, highlighting his significant contributions to international trade, social service, and education.

A Legacy of Leadership and Service

A chartered accountant by profession, Khalil was a founding member of the Dubai chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), where he served as chairman from 1987 to 1994. His illustrious career included key leadership roles, such as general manager of Khaleej Times, group executive director of the Ilyas and Mustafa Galadari Group, and vice-chairman of the Jashanmal Group of Companies.

He also chaired Maadhyama Communications and Sahil Online, a web-based news platform, and was a director and trustee of several media companies and charitable organisations in Dubai and India.

A Champion for Education and Philanthropy

Khalil’s impact extended far beyond his professional achievements. As president and general secretary of Anjuman Hami-e-Muslimeen, he played a pivotal role in the development of educational institutions, including schools and colleges in Bhatkal and surrounding areas. His dedication to social upliftment earned him recognition from the Government of Karnataka, which honoured him with a prestigious award for his philanthropic contributions.

A Life Celebrated

The Bhatkal Muslim Khaleej Council (BMKC) recently released a documentary celebrating Khalil’s remarkable life and service to the community—a testament to his enduring legacy.

CA Khalil is survived by his family and countless admirers across the globe. His passing marks the end of an era for Indian expatriates in the UAE and beyond, leaving behind a legacy of leadership, generosity, and commitment to community service.

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News Network
November 18,2024

Advisors to US President-elect Donald Trump have instructed his allies and associates to refrain from using the inflammatory language they previously employed when discussing issues related to migrants and the deportation of asylum seekers, in a bid to avoid “looking like Nazis.”

US media reports said that Trump’s associates had been asked to stop using the word “camps” to describe potential facilities that would be used to accommodate migrants rounded up in deportation operations across the country.

The reports said the US president-elect’s allies had been ordered to stave off such charged terms as they would bring to mind “Nazis,” and be used against Trump.

“I have received some guidance to avoid terms, like ‘camps,’ that can be twisted and used against the president, yes,” one Trump ally told American monthly magazine Rolling Stone.

“Apparently, some people think it makes us look like Nazis.”

The presidential advisers also cautioned surrogates and allies to keep racist terms, which have dogged Trump’s campaign, out of their remarks.

They said with Trump’s heated rhetoric that used to compare undocumented immigrants to “animals” and his slight that they are “poisoning the blood of our country,” detractors did not need to reach too far to find parallels to Nazi Germany.

Stephen Miller, who Trump tapped to be his deputy chief of staff of policy, specifically used the word “camps” to describe holding facilities that he hoped the military could put together for immigrants.

Tom Homan, who served as the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is chosen by Trump to be in charge of the US borders, was no stranger to such language.

“It’s not gonna be a mass sweep of neighborhoods,” he said in an interview earlier this week. “It’s not gonna be building concentration camps. I’ve read it all. It’s ridiculous.”

Becoming a little more forthright about the new government’s aggressive deportation plans, Homan likened the early days of the Trump administration to the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003.

“I got three words for them – shock and awe,” he said. “You’re going to see us take this country back.”

Trump made immigration a central element of his 2024 presidential campaign but unlike his first run, which was mainly focused on building a border wall, he has shifted his attention to interior enforcement and the removal of undocumented immigrants already in the United States.

People close to the US president and his aides are laying the groundwork for expanding detention facilities to fulfill his mass deportation campaign promise.

The businessman-turned-politician deported more than 1.5 million people during his first term.

The figure do not include the millions of people turned away at the border under a Covid-era policy enacted by Trump and used during most of Biden’s term.

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News Network
November 25,2024

Udupi: Six junior artists from the prequel of Kannada blockbuster film ‘Kantara’ were injured, when the bus they were travelling in overturned in the district, police said on Monday.

According to police, the accident occurred near Jadkal on Sunday night when the mini-bus carrying the crew of the film overturned.

“The incident happened while they were returning to Kollur after completing the shoot at Mudoor in Jadkal. The mini-bus was carrying 20 junior artistes when it met with the accident,” a police officer said.

The injured were rushed to hospitals in Jadkal and Kundapur for treatment, they said.

The Kollur police are investigating the matter.

"The news making rounds is completely false. The Kantara: Chapter 1 team began shooting at 06:00 AM today, and everything is proceeding as normal. A minor accident occurred 20 kilometres away from the shooting location, involving a local bus carrying some members of the Kantara team. However, no injuries were reported," a source close to the production said.

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