Anirudh Laskar
Leading credit card companies are busy working out a back-up plan in case the Supreme Court turns down their petition against a consumer court decision to cap the annual interest rate at 30 per cent.
WHAT’S ON OFFERAnnualised interest rates on credit cards
Bank
Interest rate (%)
ICICI Bank 15-40.8
Citibank 18-42
StanChart 23.88-40.8
HSBC 33-38.4
Note: The rate could be higher in cases of late payments or defaults
The apex court is expected to deliver its judgment in the matter in a few days’ time. Leading bankers said they would have no option but to impose a steep annual fee in case the Court agrees with the consumer court’s opinion.
In their rush to grab market share, most banks had waived the annual fee on credit cards. “We will have no option but to impose a hefty fee if there is a cap on the interest rate. In the process, the business itself would become unviable, forcing many of us to withdraw,” said a leading banker.
Many banks have already started “upgrading” their customers to platinum or titanium cards with a few freebies in return for an annual fee. But the numbers are still too small and banks have been wary of pushing this hard in fear of losing customers.
Bankers say the credit-card business is not profitable in India due to the high administration costs and the small ticket size of transactions.
“The average ticket size is just Rs 1,500 and the administration costs are too high. Besides, the default rate in this segment is also pretty high. Thus, it doesn’t make sense to cap interest rates at 30 per cent,” a foreign banker said.
Another banker said high rates also ensure lower mis-selling and raise the entry barrier. But others say banks themselves to blame for this mess. The default rate on credit cards is 8-15 per cent and has been going up mainly due to the practice of issuing free cards.
“Too many credit cards prompted many borrowers to spend beyond their means leading to delinquencies,” admitted a banker.
A few weeks ago, a clutch of foreign lenders including Citibank, HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank and American Express Bank had moved the apex court challenging a consumer court’s judgement that a bank cannot charge beyond 30 per cent annually on credit cards, even in cases of defaults.
The banks argued that capping of interest rates on credit card payment was contrary to the Reserve Bank of India policy giving banks the freedom to fix rates on non-priority sector personal loans, regardless of the loan size.
The court had given the banks three weeks’ time for their explanation and feedback on the high credit card rates, which range from 35 to 50 per cent.
At present, Citibank has over 3.7 million credit-card holders in India. HSBC, which manages about 2.8 million credit-card accounts here, levies annual fees in the range of Rs 750 to Rs 4,000 according to the category of the card. ICICI Bank levies annual fees in the range of Rs 1,500 to Rs 25,000 depending on the features of the card. About 50 per cent of the bank’s card-holders hold free cards.
Oct 3, 2008
Entertainment - India;Recession?Not in filmdom
Ashish Sinha & Madhusheel Arora
The prospects of an economic slowdown loom over most sectors of the economy. The mood amongst businessmen is sombre and none has any appetite left for risks. Except filmdom where producers have put large bets on the coming festive season.
This month, which started with Id, will see Dusshera celebrations in a few days and will end with Diwali, Bollywood is ready with a slew of releases. First off the block will be the Abhishek Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra starrer, Drona, Sanjay Dutt’s Kidnap and the much-awaited and critically-acclaimed Ramchand Pakistani.
Closer to Diwali, there will be five more — Roadside Romeo (animation), Fashion, Golmaal Returns, Heroes and EMI. Trade experts say Rs 150-Rs 180 crore is riding on these five releases alone.
Indian film producers plan to time their blockbusters for release around the festive season every year. Schools and colleges shut down for a break, employees get bonuses and the weather improves in the North. And there is a dash of superstition as well. “Bollywood producers believe that if the film does well during this time, it will help their business all around the year,” says a Mumbai-based film-trade analyst.
This year is no different. Analysis of past releases around festive season show that only one in three films has gone on to become a commercial hit, while others have not even managed to recover their costs.
The season of 2006 saw two high-profile releases –Akshay Kumar’s Jaan-e-Mann and Shah Rukh Khan’s Don. While Don became a hit with 60 per cent returns on investment, Jann-e-Mann lost money. The 2007 season too belonged to Shah Rukh Khan as his home production Om Shanti Om became the biggest grosser of the year and ultimately made about Rs 100 crore worldwide. But Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s melodrama in Sawariya failed to strike a chord with the audience and the producers lost money, experts say.
But never before has the list of festive season releases been as long as this year. A few months ago, some large film exhibitors had told Business Standard that they expected a drop in footfalls because of the rise in inflation – people are expected to spend less on entertainment when prices of essential commodities go up and when there is an economic slowdown.
To be sure, the early part of 2008 was not too good for the film industry. After the initial success of Jodhaa Akbar and Race earlier this year, Bollywood was struggling. “Then, towards the middle of the year, the Indian Premier League cricket tournament adversely impacted the business of multiplexes,” says a senior executive of PVR Cinemas, a leading chain of multiplexes.
Thins took a turn for the better in the second half of the year with four smashing hits – Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, Singh is Kinng, Bachna Ae Hasino and Rock On. Clearly, the slowdown is still some distance away from the movie theatres.
Trade pundits are hopeful that things will look even better this month. “There are big expectations from EMI, Fashion, Roadside Romeo and Golmaal Returns — all of which will appeal to the youth. Even if people curtail their spends on other goods, they always tend to spend on watching movies and we are hoping for the same this Diwali,” says an executive from Popcorn Motion pictures, the producers of Sanjay Dutt starrer EMI that will be released a day after Diwali
The prospects of an economic slowdown loom over most sectors of the economy. The mood amongst businessmen is sombre and none has any appetite left for risks. Except filmdom where producers have put large bets on the coming festive season.
This month, which started with Id, will see Dusshera celebrations in a few days and will end with Diwali, Bollywood is ready with a slew of releases. First off the block will be the Abhishek Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra starrer, Drona, Sanjay Dutt’s Kidnap and the much-awaited and critically-acclaimed Ramchand Pakistani.
Closer to Diwali, there will be five more — Roadside Romeo (animation), Fashion, Golmaal Returns, Heroes and EMI. Trade experts say Rs 150-Rs 180 crore is riding on these five releases alone.
Indian film producers plan to time their blockbusters for release around the festive season every year. Schools and colleges shut down for a break, employees get bonuses and the weather improves in the North. And there is a dash of superstition as well. “Bollywood producers believe that if the film does well during this time, it will help their business all around the year,” says a Mumbai-based film-trade analyst.
This year is no different. Analysis of past releases around festive season show that only one in three films has gone on to become a commercial hit, while others have not even managed to recover their costs.
The season of 2006 saw two high-profile releases –Akshay Kumar’s Jaan-e-Mann and Shah Rukh Khan’s Don. While Don became a hit with 60 per cent returns on investment, Jann-e-Mann lost money. The 2007 season too belonged to Shah Rukh Khan as his home production Om Shanti Om became the biggest grosser of the year and ultimately made about Rs 100 crore worldwide. But Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s melodrama in Sawariya failed to strike a chord with the audience and the producers lost money, experts say.
But never before has the list of festive season releases been as long as this year. A few months ago, some large film exhibitors had told Business Standard that they expected a drop in footfalls because of the rise in inflation – people are expected to spend less on entertainment when prices of essential commodities go up and when there is an economic slowdown.
To be sure, the early part of 2008 was not too good for the film industry. After the initial success of Jodhaa Akbar and Race earlier this year, Bollywood was struggling. “Then, towards the middle of the year, the Indian Premier League cricket tournament adversely impacted the business of multiplexes,” says a senior executive of PVR Cinemas, a leading chain of multiplexes.
Thins took a turn for the better in the second half of the year with four smashing hits – Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, Singh is Kinng, Bachna Ae Hasino and Rock On. Clearly, the slowdown is still some distance away from the movie theatres.
Trade pundits are hopeful that things will look even better this month. “There are big expectations from EMI, Fashion, Roadside Romeo and Golmaal Returns — all of which will appeal to the youth. Even if people curtail their spends on other goods, they always tend to spend on watching movies and we are hoping for the same this Diwali,” says an executive from Popcorn Motion pictures, the producers of Sanjay Dutt starrer EMI that will be released a day after Diwali
Mktg - Revisiting Prof Levitt
How valid today are the views expressed in Prof Theodore Levitt’s classic article, The Globalization of Markets?.
A youth in India is using a Nokia mobile phone, a Lenovo laptop, Nike shoes, pulls out a Coke can from a Whirlpool refrigerator, wearing Levi jeans, hops on to Honda Motor cycle wearing Rayban sunglasses ... But in one critical element Prof Levitt was wrong. Most of these products were possibly developed for the Indian market and may not be available in any other part of the world.
Ambi M.G. Parameswaran
Given what is everywhere the purpose of commerce, the global company will shape the vectors of technology and globalisation into its great strategic fecundity. It will systematically push these vectors towards their own convergence, offering everyone simultaneously high-quality, more or less standardised products at optimally low prices, thereby achieving for itself vastly expanded markets and profits. Companies that do not adapt to the new global realities will become victims of those that do.” Those were the closing sentences in the marketing classic The Globalization of Markets by Prof Theodore Levitt in the Harvard Business Review published exactly 25 years ago (May-June 1983).
Prof Theodore Levitt is no more but his article continues to be compulsory reading for all managers around the world.
Now that 25 years have gone by, are all that he said in his article still true?
Prof Levitt had made some prophetic pronouncements and let us look at some of them:
“Gone are accustomed differences in national or regional preferences. Gone are the days when a company could sell last year’s models — or lesser versions of advances products – in the less developed world.”
“A powerful force drives the world towards a converging commonality, and that force is technology.”
“Global competition spells the end of domestic territoriality, no matter how diminutive the territory may be.”
In fact, Prof Levitt had also propounded the theory of a flat world. He had said ‘The earth is flat.’ “The earth is round, but for most purposes it’s sensible to treat it as flat. Space is curved, but not much for everyday life here on earth.”
Prof Levitt had used the case of several consumer durables, such as washing machines, to build a case for one product for one world. He had denounced the need for localisation and customisation of products, especially if such customisation also adds to the cost of the final product.
Management experts have expressed doubts about the longevity of his tenets. Some such as Alan Mitchell have expressed a view that Ted Levitt wasn’t totally wrong about globalisation with his observation: “Globalisation is a hugely important trend, but it is not the only trend” and “…. he probably overestimated the speed and extent of market convergence. And certainly, at times, he seems to equate globalisation with Americanisation” (Marketing Week, June 26, 2003)
In his article The Post-Global Brand, Prof Jean Noel Kapferer (Journal of Brand Management, June 2005) had issued a warning that “Global brands should never forget that the business must also be local: this is the post-global brand”. Prof Kapferer indicates that brands such as Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Microsoft have all attempted to sell one product promise across the world. But the same cannot be said of many other industries: “The car industry provides a good illustration of why the concept of the global product is in fact a myth”.
Prof Kapferer also says that “the time has, in fact, come to recognise the post-global brand — the brand that no longer tries to adhere unreservedly to the model of total globalisation, which is no longer perceived as ideal. Of course, globalisation at the upstream or production stage remains a priority in many sectors.” So while parts could be standardised on a platform across the globe, individual markets may still command customisation, is Prof Kapferer’s view.
Prof Pankaj Ghemavat in his article in Harvard Business Review (October 2006) makes a point about globalisation not being the apocalypse it is made out to be. Using international trade data Prof Ghemavat says: “… Most types of economic activity that might cross borders are still largely concentrated domestically. Levels of internationalisation of phone calls, management research, charitable giving, investment and even trade cluster much closer to 10 per cent than to 100 per cent”.
The book Bound Together by Nayan Chandra traces the origins of global trade back to the origin of civilisation itself. His view is that globalisation of markets is as old as human civilisation and trade.
With liberalisation, we in India, have had a flurry of new products entering the market over the last 17 years. And if we look around, what Prof Levitt said is possibly more true than ever before. A youth in India is using a Nokia mobile phone, a Lenovo laptop, Nike shoes, pulls out a Coke can from a Whirlpool refrigerator, wearing Levi jeans, hops on to Honda Motor cycle wearing Rayban sunglasses ...
But in one critical element Prof Levitt was wrong. Most of the abovementioned products were possibly developed for the Indian market and may not be available in any other parts of the world.
We are, therefore, not seeing a levelled-out global market but a multi-tiered global-local market structure emerging around the world.
Prof Levitt, if he was alive, would have possibly written a new piece on the ‘multi-globalisation’ of markets. And I would have had to wait another 25 years to write a review. A sobering thought indeed.
(The writer is Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Draftfcb Ulka Advertising.)
A youth in India is using a Nokia mobile phone, a Lenovo laptop, Nike shoes, pulls out a Coke can from a Whirlpool refrigerator, wearing Levi jeans, hops on to Honda Motor cycle wearing Rayban sunglasses ... But in one critical element Prof Levitt was wrong. Most of these products were possibly developed for the Indian market and may not be available in any other part of the world.
Ambi M.G. Parameswaran
Given what is everywhere the purpose of commerce, the global company will shape the vectors of technology and globalisation into its great strategic fecundity. It will systematically push these vectors towards their own convergence, offering everyone simultaneously high-quality, more or less standardised products at optimally low prices, thereby achieving for itself vastly expanded markets and profits. Companies that do not adapt to the new global realities will become victims of those that do.” Those were the closing sentences in the marketing classic The Globalization of Markets by Prof Theodore Levitt in the Harvard Business Review published exactly 25 years ago (May-June 1983).
Prof Theodore Levitt is no more but his article continues to be compulsory reading for all managers around the world.
Now that 25 years have gone by, are all that he said in his article still true?
Prof Levitt had made some prophetic pronouncements and let us look at some of them:
“Gone are accustomed differences in national or regional preferences. Gone are the days when a company could sell last year’s models — or lesser versions of advances products – in the less developed world.”
“A powerful force drives the world towards a converging commonality, and that force is technology.”
“Global competition spells the end of domestic territoriality, no matter how diminutive the territory may be.”
In fact, Prof Levitt had also propounded the theory of a flat world. He had said ‘The earth is flat.’ “The earth is round, but for most purposes it’s sensible to treat it as flat. Space is curved, but not much for everyday life here on earth.”
Prof Levitt had used the case of several consumer durables, such as washing machines, to build a case for one product for one world. He had denounced the need for localisation and customisation of products, especially if such customisation also adds to the cost of the final product.
Management experts have expressed doubts about the longevity of his tenets. Some such as Alan Mitchell have expressed a view that Ted Levitt wasn’t totally wrong about globalisation with his observation: “Globalisation is a hugely important trend, but it is not the only trend” and “…. he probably overestimated the speed and extent of market convergence. And certainly, at times, he seems to equate globalisation with Americanisation” (Marketing Week, June 26, 2003)
In his article The Post-Global Brand, Prof Jean Noel Kapferer (Journal of Brand Management, June 2005) had issued a warning that “Global brands should never forget that the business must also be local: this is the post-global brand”. Prof Kapferer indicates that brands such as Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Microsoft have all attempted to sell one product promise across the world. But the same cannot be said of many other industries: “The car industry provides a good illustration of why the concept of the global product is in fact a myth”.
Prof Kapferer also says that “the time has, in fact, come to recognise the post-global brand — the brand that no longer tries to adhere unreservedly to the model of total globalisation, which is no longer perceived as ideal. Of course, globalisation at the upstream or production stage remains a priority in many sectors.” So while parts could be standardised on a platform across the globe, individual markets may still command customisation, is Prof Kapferer’s view.
Prof Pankaj Ghemavat in his article in Harvard Business Review (October 2006) makes a point about globalisation not being the apocalypse it is made out to be. Using international trade data Prof Ghemavat says: “… Most types of economic activity that might cross borders are still largely concentrated domestically. Levels of internationalisation of phone calls, management research, charitable giving, investment and even trade cluster much closer to 10 per cent than to 100 per cent”.
The book Bound Together by Nayan Chandra traces the origins of global trade back to the origin of civilisation itself. His view is that globalisation of markets is as old as human civilisation and trade.
With liberalisation, we in India, have had a flurry of new products entering the market over the last 17 years. And if we look around, what Prof Levitt said is possibly more true than ever before. A youth in India is using a Nokia mobile phone, a Lenovo laptop, Nike shoes, pulls out a Coke can from a Whirlpool refrigerator, wearing Levi jeans, hops on to Honda Motor cycle wearing Rayban sunglasses ...
But in one critical element Prof Levitt was wrong. Most of the abovementioned products were possibly developed for the Indian market and may not be available in any other parts of the world.
We are, therefore, not seeing a levelled-out global market but a multi-tiered global-local market structure emerging around the world.
Prof Levitt, if he was alive, would have possibly written a new piece on the ‘multi-globalisation’ of markets. And I would have had to wait another 25 years to write a review. A sobering thought indeed.
(The writer is Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Draftfcb Ulka Advertising.)
Mktg - India;A phone of many parts
Janani Krishnaswamy
It’s touted as the iPhone killer. It’s feature-rich and the firsts it claims for itself are many: As much as 24GB memory space, a 2.8-inch-wide screen, a dual LED flash and a dual-band HSDPA are among a few of them. The much anticipated handset from Nokia, the N96, which is also the most advanced multimedia device from the iconic Nseries range, is finally out. And efforts to promote this started months before the product was launched.
The typical users would be “gadget freaks, people who believe in social networking, those who use the Internet too often and people who consume a lot of multimedia”, says Vineet Taneja, Head-Go To Market (GTM), Nokia. They also tend to be younger men in the “elite” class of society.
Efforts to promote the N96 started two to three months prior to its launch. “Much of our preliminary marketing was through the Internet, where we identified key technology bloggers and used their feedback to further alter our marketing and selling plans.”
The device is preloaded with popular audio albums, the Bollywood blockbuster Om Shanti Om, detailed maps of three countries and three N-Gage platform games. “This is also part of our marketing plan – an effort to indirectly make the user try all the features available in the handset,” adds Taneja.
Nokia will run a complete 360-degree campaign in the next few weeks from now, as it is a flagship launch for the industry leaders. There will be a lot of television advertising, a lot of activity in the Internet and in print. Events both online and offline will constitute a major part of the campaign.
“We also had a pre-booking advertisement to check for interest levels in the market, and to our surprise, we found great response. A lot of people pre-booked the handsets, which we consider something phenomenal,” says Taneja.
Nokia banks heavily on experiential marketing and hence a major part of the marketing spend is allotted to retail. “We have a strong presence in retail – both branded retail, and multi-brand outlets. We have our concept stores in specific cities, where we have a set of well-trained promoters to guide the buyer through his purchasing decision,” he added. “Doing just television advertising doesn’t add value.” Nokia believes in getting the user to experience the gadget before actually buying it. “What we do is equivalent to a test drive.”
On September 15, Nokia announced a consumer initiative; the Nokia N96 24 Gig is Big! Challenge, a contest inviting users across India to discover the enormous memory space of the device. Devinder Kishore, Director (Marketing), Nokia India, said, “The Nokia N96 will set new industry parameters for mobile handsets across all categories.” Nokia is involving the student community in a big way. The Nseries ‘ConvergExpress’, a special wi-fi coach showcasing Nokia’s converged devices, will go around Delhi University.
Starting the fourth or fifth month from the launch, Nokia plans to begin a reinforcement campaign. “We will start reinforcing and start generating positive word of mouth.” Nokia already has a consumer interaction platform – MyNokia, where the users of Nokia get to write about their experiences with the gadget.
With its reputation of iPhone killer, it was expected to be priced cheaper than the iPhone. While the iPhone is priced between Rs 31,000 and Rs 36,000, this Nokia handset is priced at Rs 34,999, a price level similar to its predecessor, N95. “The pricing strategy is not any different and is not altered to suit competition,” adds Taneja.
Elaborating on the comparison drawn with the Apple iPhone, Taneja says, “We welcome competition as it helps us. We have a really strong range unlike our competitors. The N96 is our top end device at the moment. However, we have a lot more to offer to our consumers.”
Another important area that Nokia concentrates is on ‘range planning.’ “Range is an important part of our strategy,” he added. Being market leaders, Nokia believes a wide range helps the company hold its position. “We need it as market leaders. We can’t afford to leave any gaps.”
Elaborating on the creative product strategy, Taneja explained one key technology that has come to play in the handset — the DVB-H, which expands as Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld. Though the device is currently enabled with the technology, due to various reasons, it is available only in New Delhi and only Doordarshan can be screened at the moment. Nokia expects Mobile TV technology to be the next big thing, though.
Taneja says the device is N-Gage compatible, like other Nseries handsets. Going forward, Nokia also plans to launch its Music Store in India. There could also be an Application Store in the near future.
Listing features in the device, in the order of user preference, Taneja said music comes on top, followed by Web browsing. That would be followed by gaming for the gadget freaks followed by the video capabilities of the phone. So, where does the basic functionality of calling come into place?
It’s touted as the iPhone killer. It’s feature-rich and the firsts it claims for itself are many: As much as 24GB memory space, a 2.8-inch-wide screen, a dual LED flash and a dual-band HSDPA are among a few of them. The much anticipated handset from Nokia, the N96, which is also the most advanced multimedia device from the iconic Nseries range, is finally out. And efforts to promote this started months before the product was launched.
The typical users would be “gadget freaks, people who believe in social networking, those who use the Internet too often and people who consume a lot of multimedia”, says Vineet Taneja, Head-Go To Market (GTM), Nokia. They also tend to be younger men in the “elite” class of society.
Efforts to promote the N96 started two to three months prior to its launch. “Much of our preliminary marketing was through the Internet, where we identified key technology bloggers and used their feedback to further alter our marketing and selling plans.”
The device is preloaded with popular audio albums, the Bollywood blockbuster Om Shanti Om, detailed maps of three countries and three N-Gage platform games. “This is also part of our marketing plan – an effort to indirectly make the user try all the features available in the handset,” adds Taneja.
Nokia will run a complete 360-degree campaign in the next few weeks from now, as it is a flagship launch for the industry leaders. There will be a lot of television advertising, a lot of activity in the Internet and in print. Events both online and offline will constitute a major part of the campaign.
“We also had a pre-booking advertisement to check for interest levels in the market, and to our surprise, we found great response. A lot of people pre-booked the handsets, which we consider something phenomenal,” says Taneja.
Nokia banks heavily on experiential marketing and hence a major part of the marketing spend is allotted to retail. “We have a strong presence in retail – both branded retail, and multi-brand outlets. We have our concept stores in specific cities, where we have a set of well-trained promoters to guide the buyer through his purchasing decision,” he added. “Doing just television advertising doesn’t add value.” Nokia believes in getting the user to experience the gadget before actually buying it. “What we do is equivalent to a test drive.”
On September 15, Nokia announced a consumer initiative; the Nokia N96 24 Gig is Big! Challenge, a contest inviting users across India to discover the enormous memory space of the device. Devinder Kishore, Director (Marketing), Nokia India, said, “The Nokia N96 will set new industry parameters for mobile handsets across all categories.” Nokia is involving the student community in a big way. The Nseries ‘ConvergExpress’, a special wi-fi coach showcasing Nokia’s converged devices, will go around Delhi University.
Starting the fourth or fifth month from the launch, Nokia plans to begin a reinforcement campaign. “We will start reinforcing and start generating positive word of mouth.” Nokia already has a consumer interaction platform – MyNokia, where the users of Nokia get to write about their experiences with the gadget.
With its reputation of iPhone killer, it was expected to be priced cheaper than the iPhone. While the iPhone is priced between Rs 31,000 and Rs 36,000, this Nokia handset is priced at Rs 34,999, a price level similar to its predecessor, N95. “The pricing strategy is not any different and is not altered to suit competition,” adds Taneja.
Elaborating on the comparison drawn with the Apple iPhone, Taneja says, “We welcome competition as it helps us. We have a really strong range unlike our competitors. The N96 is our top end device at the moment. However, we have a lot more to offer to our consumers.”
Another important area that Nokia concentrates is on ‘range planning.’ “Range is an important part of our strategy,” he added. Being market leaders, Nokia believes a wide range helps the company hold its position. “We need it as market leaders. We can’t afford to leave any gaps.”
Elaborating on the creative product strategy, Taneja explained one key technology that has come to play in the handset — the DVB-H, which expands as Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld. Though the device is currently enabled with the technology, due to various reasons, it is available only in New Delhi and only Doordarshan can be screened at the moment. Nokia expects Mobile TV technology to be the next big thing, though.
Taneja says the device is N-Gage compatible, like other Nseries handsets. Going forward, Nokia also plans to launch its Music Store in India. There could also be an Application Store in the near future.
Listing features in the device, in the order of user preference, Taneja said music comes on top, followed by Web browsing. That would be followed by gaming for the gadget freaks followed by the video capabilities of the phone. So, where does the basic functionality of calling come into place?
Mktg - Looks can sell
Meera Mohanty Bindu D. Menon
Sleek. Nifty. Stylish. Spiffy. Practical too. In a day and age when looks rule as much as substance, packaging is having its moment in the sun. It may be unfair to judge a book by its cover, but when it comes to biscuits, oil, cola and even common salt, it’s the packaging that can convince the consumer to pick one product over another, maybe even drop a trusted old brand.
Santosh Desai, CEO, Future Brands, puts it succinctly when he says, “If the content is prose, than packaging is the poetry.” Ever more sophisticated today, packaging decodes and glorifies what’s inside of it. Packaging, the silent and most important salesman, is critical to products weighing down long retail shelves.
It has the ability to provide great disruption and engagement with the consumer, says Punita Lal, Executive Director (Marketing), PepsiCo India. “We are seeing the emergence of a discerning consumer who is increasingly looking for premium offerings and value-added products. This means that we have to constantly tantalise the consumer with new offerings, whether it is through packaging or communication,” says Lal.
In today’s market there is no way packaging can do without absolutely top class work. It is as much about material as about graphics and design. With the wide number of choices that every brand has to break through, packaging is gaining importance. And brands across sectors are acknowledging that it’s a specialist’s job. “The pack is the first point where the consumer makes contact with the brand,” says George Mathew, Founder Director of Bangalore-based consultancy Icarus which specialises in two areas, Industrial Design and Branding. There is much sophistication that’s going into the packaging even of ready-to-eat goods, processed meats and commodities such as sooji that have so far rarely been branded, says Mathew.
Sometimes the packaging, in cosmetics, for example, becomes a functional part of the product, adding a lot more to the experience, says Future Brands’ Desai. Structural packaging, where shape meets usability, aesthetics and the technical aspects of design, is also an area that is seeing a lot of activity. Talcum powders, toilet cleaners (Harpic’s a great example of structural design, says Icarus’ Mathew) and shampoo bottles are being redesigned with great care and cleverness. Packaging can be a great branding exercise, says Coca-Cola, which would like to claim its contour bottle as one of the “best examples of the power of packaging”. Its message should be instantly recognisable. “We envisage packaging variants playing a major role as consumers become more discerning about usage options. We are open to looking at varied clutter-breaking packaging options in the near future,” said a Coke spokesperson.
Plastics are a lot more accepted. “There is a whole generation that has grown up seeing plastic around them, and are not worried about buying their food products in plastics. The rule that whisky or beer has to be served in glass bottles, for example, no longer exists. New companies such as CavinKare and Paras have skipped glass completely,” says Udit Seth, Vice-President (Sales and Marketing), Pearl Polymers.
Canned products are also likely to be more visible. Rexam Hindustan Tin Works (HTW), the joint venture between the world’s second largest consumer packaging company, the UK-based Rexam Plc, and HTW has seen a 30 per cent growth in the can market from last year. It recently organised a ‘Can School’ for leading breweries and carbonated soft drink (CSD) players that are its clients. “Cans as packages is growing. With greater disposable income, and changing lifestyles, cans are now perceived as a package to be seen with,” says Atit Bhatia, Vice-President (Business Development), Rexam HTW. The price point had been an issue, but with local manufacturing beer makers avoid a 32 per cent import duty and CSD makers save themselves 12 per cent.
When Pepsi’s Rs 15 cans picked up, competition also adjusted prices. Cans still account for less than 1 per cent of CSD sales, compared to 30 per cent globally. (For beers it’s 6 per cent in India, against 30 per cent globally.) Rexam HTW, which provides for more than 50 per cent of canned units sold in India, is betting on cans picking up as they also work out to be more affordable to stack on retail shelves where space is sold by the sq. cm.
“We are also seeing interest from fruit juice companies. If you are looking at non-returnable packaging, the convenience and trendy nature of cans is unmatched,” says Bhatia. There are great possibilities, such as the smart can with a temperature indicator that will change colour to indicate the temperature of the beverage, he adds. As innovations go, Pepsi points to its sleeker My Can launched last year. “The youth are very expressive of their individuality and style. They are not emulative in their approach. They are creators of their own unique style and they proudly wear it on their shoulders. My Can emerged out of a clear need — the youth needed a new, stylish ‘on-the-go’ format,” says Pepsi’s Punita Lal.
Packaging is also becoming more communicative, with context and seasonality (special launches, celebrity packs, collectors’ items) finding space on the package. “It’s becoming the map of the brand,” says Future Brands’ Desai. “Once considered an appendage to the manufacturing value chain and not a core activity, packaging increasingly is being acknowledged as a crucial segment of any economy in proportion to the growth,” says Sanjay Sachdeva, Director (Marketing and Product Management - India and South Asia Markets), Tetra Pak.
The packaging industry is itself reeling under margin pressures essentially caused by rise in raw material prices. “The rising cost of paper, which is the basic raw material for the industry, is eating up the margins,” says Amila Singhvi, President, Indian Carton Manufacturing Association (ICMA). Manufacturers have passed on 3-7 per cent of the cost to their clients. The reduced excise duty on paper mills in the last Budget, from 12 per cent to 8 per cent, however hasn’t been passed on to the packaging industry. A rationalisation of tax structure, says Rajiv Dhar, the Director of Indian Institute of Packaging, can bring in robust growth for the highly fragmented Rs 8,000-crore industry. Big players such as Reliance and the Jindals have entered the industry, which has been seeing an annual growth rate of 22-25 per cent.
Raw material costs have gone up 20-40 per cent from last April to August, say those in the plastic business. According to Pearl Polymers’ Seth, the company has passed on about 30 per cent of the cost increases to its clients, and some of them have passed it on to consumers. A recent drop in demand and lowered crude prices have helped, though. Any significant change in packaging could cost Rs 6-10 lakhs for just the research, design and packaging work. A cautious FMCG industry is holding back some of its launches, say industry sources. “Things are bit in a flux right now. There is a demand, despite the market being overstocked. How long this demand will last will depend on this Diwali season,” says an industry insider.
Packaging accounts for just 5 per cent of a product’s cost, and is hardly the most urgent cost concern to be tackled. Yet, in the face of rising costs, companies could consider refreshing tired and existing brands rather than revamping the brand completely. “Certainly the emphasis is not on introducing too many products as it was last year. There is more a certain tuning, a refreshing of a look,” says Icarus’ Mathew. Lightening the weight of the bottles is a constant R&D effort, adds Seth. “Bigger FMCG players are very stringent on quality and will not take such shortcuts for existing lines. However, we are considering lighter materials for some newer projects. It has also been done for secondary packaging, for example, bottles of confectionery,” says Seth.
Things are, however, looking up these days, certainly for those involved with plastics. Though fluctuating prices will need to stabilise, raw material prices have gone down in the recent past. The implementation of new food safety standards is also expected to bring along with superior standards and norms, new packs, says Satybrata Mishra, Assistant General Manager (Sales and Marketing), Indian Dairy Machinery Company Ltd, the NDDB-promoted company. It will also make the sector more competitive, ultimately passing on the valuable benefits to the end consumer, he adds.
And then there is modern trade. “Unlike in shops, most of which are just large cupboards, modern trade allows the consumer tactile stimuli, where they can pick up products that speak to them directly — that makes packaging the immediate link, most critical,” says Desai. Retail chains are also expected to revamp their own offerings, predicts Icarus’ Mathew. Currently most retails chains offer their own private labels in basic, undifferentiated packs. They will be soon a thing of the past once retail chains invest in a more exciting packaging. There is, however, only that much that anyone can do. At the end of the day the product will have to clinch the game.
Sleek. Nifty. Stylish. Spiffy. Practical too. In a day and age when looks rule as much as substance, packaging is having its moment in the sun. It may be unfair to judge a book by its cover, but when it comes to biscuits, oil, cola and even common salt, it’s the packaging that can convince the consumer to pick one product over another, maybe even drop a trusted old brand.
Santosh Desai, CEO, Future Brands, puts it succinctly when he says, “If the content is prose, than packaging is the poetry.” Ever more sophisticated today, packaging decodes and glorifies what’s inside of it. Packaging, the silent and most important salesman, is critical to products weighing down long retail shelves.
It has the ability to provide great disruption and engagement with the consumer, says Punita Lal, Executive Director (Marketing), PepsiCo India. “We are seeing the emergence of a discerning consumer who is increasingly looking for premium offerings and value-added products. This means that we have to constantly tantalise the consumer with new offerings, whether it is through packaging or communication,” says Lal.
In today’s market there is no way packaging can do without absolutely top class work. It is as much about material as about graphics and design. With the wide number of choices that every brand has to break through, packaging is gaining importance. And brands across sectors are acknowledging that it’s a specialist’s job. “The pack is the first point where the consumer makes contact with the brand,” says George Mathew, Founder Director of Bangalore-based consultancy Icarus which specialises in two areas, Industrial Design and Branding. There is much sophistication that’s going into the packaging even of ready-to-eat goods, processed meats and commodities such as sooji that have so far rarely been branded, says Mathew.
Sometimes the packaging, in cosmetics, for example, becomes a functional part of the product, adding a lot more to the experience, says Future Brands’ Desai. Structural packaging, where shape meets usability, aesthetics and the technical aspects of design, is also an area that is seeing a lot of activity. Talcum powders, toilet cleaners (Harpic’s a great example of structural design, says Icarus’ Mathew) and shampoo bottles are being redesigned with great care and cleverness. Packaging can be a great branding exercise, says Coca-Cola, which would like to claim its contour bottle as one of the “best examples of the power of packaging”. Its message should be instantly recognisable. “We envisage packaging variants playing a major role as consumers become more discerning about usage options. We are open to looking at varied clutter-breaking packaging options in the near future,” said a Coke spokesperson.
Plastics are a lot more accepted. “There is a whole generation that has grown up seeing plastic around them, and are not worried about buying their food products in plastics. The rule that whisky or beer has to be served in glass bottles, for example, no longer exists. New companies such as CavinKare and Paras have skipped glass completely,” says Udit Seth, Vice-President (Sales and Marketing), Pearl Polymers.
Canned products are also likely to be more visible. Rexam Hindustan Tin Works (HTW), the joint venture between the world’s second largest consumer packaging company, the UK-based Rexam Plc, and HTW has seen a 30 per cent growth in the can market from last year. It recently organised a ‘Can School’ for leading breweries and carbonated soft drink (CSD) players that are its clients. “Cans as packages is growing. With greater disposable income, and changing lifestyles, cans are now perceived as a package to be seen with,” says Atit Bhatia, Vice-President (Business Development), Rexam HTW. The price point had been an issue, but with local manufacturing beer makers avoid a 32 per cent import duty and CSD makers save themselves 12 per cent.
When Pepsi’s Rs 15 cans picked up, competition also adjusted prices. Cans still account for less than 1 per cent of CSD sales, compared to 30 per cent globally. (For beers it’s 6 per cent in India, against 30 per cent globally.) Rexam HTW, which provides for more than 50 per cent of canned units sold in India, is betting on cans picking up as they also work out to be more affordable to stack on retail shelves where space is sold by the sq. cm.
“We are also seeing interest from fruit juice companies. If you are looking at non-returnable packaging, the convenience and trendy nature of cans is unmatched,” says Bhatia. There are great possibilities, such as the smart can with a temperature indicator that will change colour to indicate the temperature of the beverage, he adds. As innovations go, Pepsi points to its sleeker My Can launched last year. “The youth are very expressive of their individuality and style. They are not emulative in their approach. They are creators of their own unique style and they proudly wear it on their shoulders. My Can emerged out of a clear need — the youth needed a new, stylish ‘on-the-go’ format,” says Pepsi’s Punita Lal.
Packaging is also becoming more communicative, with context and seasonality (special launches, celebrity packs, collectors’ items) finding space on the package. “It’s becoming the map of the brand,” says Future Brands’ Desai. “Once considered an appendage to the manufacturing value chain and not a core activity, packaging increasingly is being acknowledged as a crucial segment of any economy in proportion to the growth,” says Sanjay Sachdeva, Director (Marketing and Product Management - India and South Asia Markets), Tetra Pak.
The packaging industry is itself reeling under margin pressures essentially caused by rise in raw material prices. “The rising cost of paper, which is the basic raw material for the industry, is eating up the margins,” says Amila Singhvi, President, Indian Carton Manufacturing Association (ICMA). Manufacturers have passed on 3-7 per cent of the cost to their clients. The reduced excise duty on paper mills in the last Budget, from 12 per cent to 8 per cent, however hasn’t been passed on to the packaging industry. A rationalisation of tax structure, says Rajiv Dhar, the Director of Indian Institute of Packaging, can bring in robust growth for the highly fragmented Rs 8,000-crore industry. Big players such as Reliance and the Jindals have entered the industry, which has been seeing an annual growth rate of 22-25 per cent.
Raw material costs have gone up 20-40 per cent from last April to August, say those in the plastic business. According to Pearl Polymers’ Seth, the company has passed on about 30 per cent of the cost increases to its clients, and some of them have passed it on to consumers. A recent drop in demand and lowered crude prices have helped, though. Any significant change in packaging could cost Rs 6-10 lakhs for just the research, design and packaging work. A cautious FMCG industry is holding back some of its launches, say industry sources. “Things are bit in a flux right now. There is a demand, despite the market being overstocked. How long this demand will last will depend on this Diwali season,” says an industry insider.
Packaging accounts for just 5 per cent of a product’s cost, and is hardly the most urgent cost concern to be tackled. Yet, in the face of rising costs, companies could consider refreshing tired and existing brands rather than revamping the brand completely. “Certainly the emphasis is not on introducing too many products as it was last year. There is more a certain tuning, a refreshing of a look,” says Icarus’ Mathew. Lightening the weight of the bottles is a constant R&D effort, adds Seth. “Bigger FMCG players are very stringent on quality and will not take such shortcuts for existing lines. However, we are considering lighter materials for some newer projects. It has also been done for secondary packaging, for example, bottles of confectionery,” says Seth.
Things are, however, looking up these days, certainly for those involved with plastics. Though fluctuating prices will need to stabilise, raw material prices have gone down in the recent past. The implementation of new food safety standards is also expected to bring along with superior standards and norms, new packs, says Satybrata Mishra, Assistant General Manager (Sales and Marketing), Indian Dairy Machinery Company Ltd, the NDDB-promoted company. It will also make the sector more competitive, ultimately passing on the valuable benefits to the end consumer, he adds.
And then there is modern trade. “Unlike in shops, most of which are just large cupboards, modern trade allows the consumer tactile stimuli, where they can pick up products that speak to them directly — that makes packaging the immediate link, most critical,” says Desai. Retail chains are also expected to revamp their own offerings, predicts Icarus’ Mathew. Currently most retails chains offer their own private labels in basic, undifferentiated packs. They will be soon a thing of the past once retail chains invest in a more exciting packaging. There is, however, only that much that anyone can do. At the end of the day the product will have to clinch the game.
India - France plans to sell large 1,600 MW reactor to India
K. Venugopal
Paris, Oct 2 France’s nuclear energy establishment is delighted at the prospect of dealing again with India. It did not matter that the US Senate had not formally voted for the Indo-US nuclear deal; the French were raring to go and their agreement with India was signed during the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh’s stopover in Paris on September 30.
“We have been waiting ten years for this,” said a senior industry executive, who did not wish to be quoted.Preparatory work
France is likely to be among the first off the block as the world’s nuclear industry tries to bid for a piece of the action which will see India adding up to 40,000 MW of capacity with imported reactors in the next decade.
Although negotiations over the deal took many months more than anticipated, a lot of preparatory work has been done in the meantime. Time was not really lost, aver industry executives. Yet, nuclear plants take time to build; even if the contracts are signed today by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India with a supplier such as Areva of France, it would take at least six to eight years before the project can start supplying electricity.
What France plans to sell to India is the large 1,600 MW reactor, indeed, the largest of kind in commercial operations in the world. The biggest reactor working in India is the 540 MW model that debuted in Tarapur, Maharashtra, a couple of years ago. All other domestic reactors are 235 MW or smaller.
Although there has been no formal agreement to the effect, the understanding is that Areva, the French company the majority of whose shares are owned by the Government, and the one that has built all the 56 nuclear power reactors working in France, will supply equipment for the four reactors that NPCIL will set up at Jaitapur, a greenfield site in Maharashtra. The French have already seen the site.
France is confident of its nuclear power prowess: over three-fourth of the country’s electricity is provided by nuclear power stations that were pressed into service in the 1970s as a strategic move to rid itself of dependence on imported energy.Areva exports
France has not added much to its nuclear capacity in the past few years but Areva has exported four reactors to China and is helping the local company there to build several more.
And it is not just nuclear power plants that France hopes to sell. With uranium mining interests in many parts of the world, Areva could also be there bidding to sell natural uranium to power India’s home-made reactors which are currently low on fuel and, therefore, operating far below their capacity.
The French do not make the kind of fuel that India’s heavy water reactors use. But they can supply the natural uranium that India can fabricate the fuel with. The fuel can start coming in a few months of the contracts being signed, said Dr S.K. Jain, Managing Director, NPCIL, in an interview to Business Line recently.
The French touch may be felt in months rather than years.
Paris, Oct 2 France’s nuclear energy establishment is delighted at the prospect of dealing again with India. It did not matter that the US Senate had not formally voted for the Indo-US nuclear deal; the French were raring to go and their agreement with India was signed during the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh’s stopover in Paris on September 30.
“We have been waiting ten years for this,” said a senior industry executive, who did not wish to be quoted.Preparatory work
France is likely to be among the first off the block as the world’s nuclear industry tries to bid for a piece of the action which will see India adding up to 40,000 MW of capacity with imported reactors in the next decade.
Although negotiations over the deal took many months more than anticipated, a lot of preparatory work has been done in the meantime. Time was not really lost, aver industry executives. Yet, nuclear plants take time to build; even if the contracts are signed today by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India with a supplier such as Areva of France, it would take at least six to eight years before the project can start supplying electricity.
What France plans to sell to India is the large 1,600 MW reactor, indeed, the largest of kind in commercial operations in the world. The biggest reactor working in India is the 540 MW model that debuted in Tarapur, Maharashtra, a couple of years ago. All other domestic reactors are 235 MW or smaller.
Although there has been no formal agreement to the effect, the understanding is that Areva, the French company the majority of whose shares are owned by the Government, and the one that has built all the 56 nuclear power reactors working in France, will supply equipment for the four reactors that NPCIL will set up at Jaitapur, a greenfield site in Maharashtra. The French have already seen the site.
France is confident of its nuclear power prowess: over three-fourth of the country’s electricity is provided by nuclear power stations that were pressed into service in the 1970s as a strategic move to rid itself of dependence on imported energy.Areva exports
France has not added much to its nuclear capacity in the past few years but Areva has exported four reactors to China and is helping the local company there to build several more.
And it is not just nuclear power plants that France hopes to sell. With uranium mining interests in many parts of the world, Areva could also be there bidding to sell natural uranium to power India’s home-made reactors which are currently low on fuel and, therefore, operating far below their capacity.
The French do not make the kind of fuel that India’s heavy water reactors use. But they can supply the natural uranium that India can fabricate the fuel with. The fuel can start coming in a few months of the contracts being signed, said Dr S.K. Jain, Managing Director, NPCIL, in an interview to Business Line recently.
The French touch may be felt in months rather than years.
India - Metro:Whose line is it anyway?
Oineetom Shah
After Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad, six more cities—Chennai, Kochi, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh and Pune—are expected to launch metro rail systems in the near future. But the stir created by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) chief Ellatuvalapil Sreedharan’s missive to the Centre over perceived risks stemming from the Hyderabad project being awarded to a private developer could throw a spanner in the works.
With an estimated $13.5 billion required to construct the five metro rail systems in Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Mumbai, the question of how these projects should be financed has become a bone of contention between the urban development ministry (the nodal department for metro projects) and the Planning Commission (which advises the government on infrastructure projects).
The differences centre on whether or not private players roped in for metro projects should be allowed to develop real estate along metro lines to help pay for the overall project and keep passenger costs low. Though all concerned, including the finance ministry, agree that the ultimate decision lies in the hands of the respective state governments, the urban development ministry seems to favour a Centre-state partnership as that would ensure better service quality. It also feels that lack of resources should not be the only consideration.
While Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata are being taken up on a joint-ownership pattern with the Centre and concerned state as project promoters, the metro projects in Mumbai and Hyderabad have been taken up on a PPP basis. Chennai is also hoping to go the DMRC way. But the Planning Commission is pushing to award the project to a private bidder and is making a similar case for Kochi.
“In my view, the Centre and states should not get into the running of metro rail projects because they will not be able to handle the liabilities. However, the metro being an urban amenity, the Centre should extend some funds through the viability gap funding route,” Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia told FE.
The commission, which has framed the model concession agreement (MCA) for the Mumbai and Hyderabad metro projects—the only two to have so far been auctioned out to private players—feels the government’s resources are not sufficient to fund all infrastructure projects and actively makes a case for awarding projects to private bidders. In such cases, real estate development by the concessionaire helps make the project viable.
The finance ministry, which stamped its approval to the Hyderabad metro project, is willing to provide up to 20% as a viability gap fund grant for PPPs, if states opt for that route. But it admits there is room for greater debate on land use as well as valuations. “There is need for an informed discussion on whether land should be parcelled out for a metro project. The issue of land valuation must also be looked into,” a senior finance ministry official said. “We cannot make predictions on the Hyderabad metro at a time when it is not even operational,” he added.
“Whatever the funding pattern, our objective should be to provide a sound system with a reasonable fare structure, which can be used by the common man,” M Ramachandran, secretary, urban development ministry, said, stressing that the primary concern should be to provide an effective metro rail system, not realty development.
Incidentally, the urban development ministry had asked the Planning Commission to draft a concession agreement for metro rail projects, just as the think-tank had done for ports and highways. But while it is yet to clear the document, it has been used successfully for Hyderabad and Mumbai.
“The Hyderabad MCA has been approved through an inter-ministerial process in the government. It is a standard document based on international best practices and allows for a transparent bidding process,” Gajendra Haldea, principal advisor (infrastructure) in the Planning Commission, said while laying to rest any possible fears of misuse of land in Hyderabad.
Analysts point out that internationally, metro rail systems are sustained by property development, as in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, Taipei and even for homegrown DMRC. The funding model for DMRC is at sharp variance with that in Hyderabad. For Phase-I of the Delhi Metro, which stretches over 65 km, funds amounting to Rs 10,571 crore were spent. While the Japan Bank of International Cooperation provided 60%, the Centre and the Delhi government chipped in with the balance.
As far as Hyderabad is concerned, the Andhra Pradesh government opted for the PPP model. It awarded the project to Nava Bharat Consortium last month. As a sweetener, it also gave the concessionaire rights to develop a part of the 269-acre land used to operate the metro rail. The 71-km Hyderabad metro is estimated to cost Rs 12,132 crore. None of the four consortia that eventually submitted financial bids wanted viability gap funding as they felt real estate development would be a sufficient revenue stream.
The Nava Bharat Consortium—comprising of Nava Bharat Ventures Ltd, Maytas Infrastructure Ltd, Italian-Thai Development Plc and Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS)—will undertake the project on design-build-finance-operate-transfer basis. The consortium has actually offered to pay the state Rs 30,311 crore during the 35-year concession period. NVS Reddy, managing director Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd (HMRL), said, “Metro projects are not financially viable and so realty development helps cross-subsidise losses to the private bidder.”
DMRC’s Sreedharan, who was advising the HMRL project until his recent outburst to Ahluwalia led to a severance of ties, noted in his plaint: “It is apparent the BOT operator has a hidden agenda which appears to be to extend the metro network to a large tract of his private land holdings so as to reap a windfall profit of four to five times the land price…. State governments will not be able to achieve standardisation and uniformity, which is essential to reduce the cost and encourage equipment vendors in the country.”
Hemant Sahai, the legal consultant who drafted the Mumbai and Hyderabad concession agreements, said, “The Hyderabad concession agreement is similar to the one drafted for Mumbai. There is no separate piece of land being given to the concessionaire for development,” Only the airspace above the maintenance depot and stations is being given, he noted.
Interestingly, as a consultant to the Hyderabad project, DMRC had pointed out the efficacies of financing it through the PPP route. It has made similar recommendations for Kochi and Mumbai as well. DMRC, although run in partnership with the Centre and Delhi government, is itself roping in private players to construct select routes like the airport express link in the capital.
Moreover, real estate development is the main money-spinner for the rail operator. It has developed properties in prime areas of the Capital, including Shahdara, Seelampur and Khyber Pass, some of which have been given on 90-year lease. In six years of operations, DMRC has earned over Rs 600 crore from realty development. In 2006-07, DMRC generated Rs 542.78 crore in revenue. It earned Rs 222.66 crore from operations, Rs 6.6 crore from consultancy and Rs 61.71 crore from other income. But the highest revenue came from real estate--Rs 251.81 crore.
On being contacted, DMRC declined to comment on the issue.
After Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad, six more cities—Chennai, Kochi, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh and Pune—are expected to launch metro rail systems in the near future. But the stir created by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) chief Ellatuvalapil Sreedharan’s missive to the Centre over perceived risks stemming from the Hyderabad project being awarded to a private developer could throw a spanner in the works.
With an estimated $13.5 billion required to construct the five metro rail systems in Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Mumbai, the question of how these projects should be financed has become a bone of contention between the urban development ministry (the nodal department for metro projects) and the Planning Commission (which advises the government on infrastructure projects).
The differences centre on whether or not private players roped in for metro projects should be allowed to develop real estate along metro lines to help pay for the overall project and keep passenger costs low. Though all concerned, including the finance ministry, agree that the ultimate decision lies in the hands of the respective state governments, the urban development ministry seems to favour a Centre-state partnership as that would ensure better service quality. It also feels that lack of resources should not be the only consideration.
While Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata are being taken up on a joint-ownership pattern with the Centre and concerned state as project promoters, the metro projects in Mumbai and Hyderabad have been taken up on a PPP basis. Chennai is also hoping to go the DMRC way. But the Planning Commission is pushing to award the project to a private bidder and is making a similar case for Kochi.
“In my view, the Centre and states should not get into the running of metro rail projects because they will not be able to handle the liabilities. However, the metro being an urban amenity, the Centre should extend some funds through the viability gap funding route,” Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia told FE.
The commission, which has framed the model concession agreement (MCA) for the Mumbai and Hyderabad metro projects—the only two to have so far been auctioned out to private players—feels the government’s resources are not sufficient to fund all infrastructure projects and actively makes a case for awarding projects to private bidders. In such cases, real estate development by the concessionaire helps make the project viable.
The finance ministry, which stamped its approval to the Hyderabad metro project, is willing to provide up to 20% as a viability gap fund grant for PPPs, if states opt for that route. But it admits there is room for greater debate on land use as well as valuations. “There is need for an informed discussion on whether land should be parcelled out for a metro project. The issue of land valuation must also be looked into,” a senior finance ministry official said. “We cannot make predictions on the Hyderabad metro at a time when it is not even operational,” he added.
“Whatever the funding pattern, our objective should be to provide a sound system with a reasonable fare structure, which can be used by the common man,” M Ramachandran, secretary, urban development ministry, said, stressing that the primary concern should be to provide an effective metro rail system, not realty development.
Incidentally, the urban development ministry had asked the Planning Commission to draft a concession agreement for metro rail projects, just as the think-tank had done for ports and highways. But while it is yet to clear the document, it has been used successfully for Hyderabad and Mumbai.
“The Hyderabad MCA has been approved through an inter-ministerial process in the government. It is a standard document based on international best practices and allows for a transparent bidding process,” Gajendra Haldea, principal advisor (infrastructure) in the Planning Commission, said while laying to rest any possible fears of misuse of land in Hyderabad.
Analysts point out that internationally, metro rail systems are sustained by property development, as in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, Taipei and even for homegrown DMRC. The funding model for DMRC is at sharp variance with that in Hyderabad. For Phase-I of the Delhi Metro, which stretches over 65 km, funds amounting to Rs 10,571 crore were spent. While the Japan Bank of International Cooperation provided 60%, the Centre and the Delhi government chipped in with the balance.
As far as Hyderabad is concerned, the Andhra Pradesh government opted for the PPP model. It awarded the project to Nava Bharat Consortium last month. As a sweetener, it also gave the concessionaire rights to develop a part of the 269-acre land used to operate the metro rail. The 71-km Hyderabad metro is estimated to cost Rs 12,132 crore. None of the four consortia that eventually submitted financial bids wanted viability gap funding as they felt real estate development would be a sufficient revenue stream.
The Nava Bharat Consortium—comprising of Nava Bharat Ventures Ltd, Maytas Infrastructure Ltd, Italian-Thai Development Plc and Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS)—will undertake the project on design-build-finance-operate-transfer basis. The consortium has actually offered to pay the state Rs 30,311 crore during the 35-year concession period. NVS Reddy, managing director Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd (HMRL), said, “Metro projects are not financially viable and so realty development helps cross-subsidise losses to the private bidder.”
DMRC’s Sreedharan, who was advising the HMRL project until his recent outburst to Ahluwalia led to a severance of ties, noted in his plaint: “It is apparent the BOT operator has a hidden agenda which appears to be to extend the metro network to a large tract of his private land holdings so as to reap a windfall profit of four to five times the land price…. State governments will not be able to achieve standardisation and uniformity, which is essential to reduce the cost and encourage equipment vendors in the country.”
Hemant Sahai, the legal consultant who drafted the Mumbai and Hyderabad concession agreements, said, “The Hyderabad concession agreement is similar to the one drafted for Mumbai. There is no separate piece of land being given to the concessionaire for development,” Only the airspace above the maintenance depot and stations is being given, he noted.
Interestingly, as a consultant to the Hyderabad project, DMRC had pointed out the efficacies of financing it through the PPP route. It has made similar recommendations for Kochi and Mumbai as well. DMRC, although run in partnership with the Centre and Delhi government, is itself roping in private players to construct select routes like the airport express link in the capital.
Moreover, real estate development is the main money-spinner for the rail operator. It has developed properties in prime areas of the Capital, including Shahdara, Seelampur and Khyber Pass, some of which have been given on 90-year lease. In six years of operations, DMRC has earned over Rs 600 crore from realty development. In 2006-07, DMRC generated Rs 542.78 crore in revenue. It earned Rs 222.66 crore from operations, Rs 6.6 crore from consultancy and Rs 61.71 crore from other income. But the highest revenue came from real estate--Rs 251.81 crore.
On being contacted, DMRC declined to comment on the issue.
India - Income ceiling of Rs 4.5 lakh for OBC Creamy layer
NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Friday decided to increase the income limit of creamy layer of OBCs from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 4.5 lakh per annum.Nationa
l Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) had recommended the same. The NCBC had submitted a report in this regard to the government. The report reviewed the income criteria for exclusion of "socially advanced persons or sections" among OBC from 27 per cent reservation benefits in posts and services under Government of India. The Commission took into account views expressed by the representatives of the various state backward class commissions and secretaries in charge of the related departments of the states and union territories.
l Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) had recommended the same. The NCBC had submitted a report in this regard to the government. The report reviewed the income criteria for exclusion of "socially advanced persons or sections" among OBC from 27 per cent reservation benefits in posts and services under Government of India. The Commission took into account views expressed by the representatives of the various state backward class commissions and secretaries in charge of the related departments of the states and union territories.
Where does Apple go from here? The question lies at the heart of the media and industry buzz that so often surrounds a company adept at surprising and confounding even the most jaded observers. It's particularly pressing in light of the oblique reference to a "new product transition" made by Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer during a July conference call with analysts. So I am left wondering, what might Apple have under its belt to surprise and delight customers over the next 6 to 24 months? Indulge me while I consider the prospect that at least for the foreseeable future, Apple has done virtually everything it could reasonably be expected to do, given consumer needs and the current state of tech and the economy. There are only so many world-changing moments that even Apple can create. Apple has had quite a string of them in the past several years. The launch of the first iPod, for example, occurred seven years ago this month. The rest, as they say, is history. The iPod for Mac users begat the iPod for Microsoft Windows users, which begat the iTunes store, AppleTV, and the iPhone
The Next Big Thing Now the Web is rife with rumors that Apple will next introduce a device that bridges the gap between the iPod touch and the Mac—a machine that's one part mini-mobile PC and one part media and entertainment device. The idea seems obvious to anyone who's used the iPod touch for e-mail and Web-browsing but wants a larger screen. While other PC companies like Dell and Asustek build mini-notebooks, Apple could best them all, or so the argument goes. But then what? As obvious as the path to a tablet device seems now, I have trouble imagining the next obvious path that Apple might follow in 2009 and 2010. In fact, the company may very well be nearing a product plateau. And here's the real kicker: That may not be a bad thing. Make no mistake. I see the potential for developments with established Apple product lines. Perhaps as soon as next year, the iPhone will evolve into a family of phones. Much like the iPod now comes in four flavors—touch, nano, classic, and shuffle—it's fair to expect that the iPhone will come in more than one model. The iPhone nano, for example, might appeal to those who think the current model is too big or too expensive.
Revving Up AppleTV And something important has to happen to AppleTV, which still seems to be little more than the "hobby" Apple CEO Steve Jobs said it was last year. I see the potential for hardware and software enhancements, including TiVo -like DVR features, a DVD player slot, and so on. Apple could take the features of AppleTV and pack them into an actual TV set—but that's unlikely. Selling TVs is a cutthroat, low-margin business better left to the likes of Sony, Panasonic, and Sharp. But I see less potential for radical new lines of products. There simply aren't many to choose from. Sales of Macs are growing at rates that are the envy of the PC industry, the iPhone is now making its debut all over the world, and the iPod is closing on the sale of its 200 millionth unit. That's three very healthy business lines, and I'm not sure Apple necessarily needs another. In his keynote at the Worldwide Developers Conference in July, Jobs said there are "three parts to Apple now"—the Mac, the music business including the iPod and iTunes, and the iPhone. He used the image of a three-legged stool to make the point. I prefer to think of it as a tripod, and I think Apple can and will do very well to enhance and grow these three legs without the need for building a fourth. Consumers Concerned With Credit And would that be such a bad thing? With the economy heading into certain trouble, consumers around the world are paring discretionary spending. The marketplace for new products that might change the world may have hit a saturation point, and consumers are more concerned about lowering the balances on their credit cards than on maxing them out on new stuff. Apple's in a very different place than it was seven years ago. On the eve of the iPod introduction, Apple had just emerged from debacle of the Mac G4 Cube and for most of 2001 had been reporting financial results that were unimpressive by today's standards. Less than a week before the introduction of the iPod, Apple reported a $25 million net loss on sales of $5.4 billion for the fiscal year. Sales for the quarter that ended September 2001 quarter were less than $1.5 billion. Analysts expect that Apple will finish its September quarter this year with $8 billion in sales, and end the fiscal year with $32 billion in revenues.
Press the Offensive Now, Apple and its customers would be well-served if the company concentrates on making everything better, faster, and cheaper. While the Mac is in the minds of many already a better personal computing platform than Microsoft's Windows, it's time to press the offensive. There is no reason that better Macs and better Mac operating system software can't push Apple's market share in the U.S. north of 10%, from 8.5% in the second quarter. Continued software upgrades will add new and improved features and functionality to the Mac and iPhone, increasing the appeal to new customers and keeping existing users happier longer. It's also time to get things working right that haven't. Case in point: MobileMe, which illustrated that Apple overreached by trying to launch too many products at once. And for all its relevance in North America, I think the iPhone gives Apple an important opportunity in international markets. As I've argued befor, the iPhone establishes a beachhead Apple can use to introduce itself and its other products, especially the Mac, in markets where it hasn't participated strongly. Markets like China and Russia come to mind. No Time for A Breather I'm not suggesting that Apple should slow down and take a breath on the innovation front. Not at all. The company now operates within substantially wider borders than it did when it unveiled the first iPod in 2001. Rather than widening those borders even further, there lies within them plenty of room for important, even if not world-changing innovations—not to mention scope for expanding Apple's business.
Hesseldahl is a reporter for BusinessWeek.com.
Copyright 2000-2008 by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved. Provided by BusinessWeek
The Next Big Thing Now the Web is rife with rumors that Apple will next introduce a device that bridges the gap between the iPod touch and the Mac—a machine that's one part mini-mobile PC and one part media and entertainment device. The idea seems obvious to anyone who's used the iPod touch for e-mail and Web-browsing but wants a larger screen. While other PC companies like Dell and Asustek build mini-notebooks, Apple could best them all, or so the argument goes. But then what? As obvious as the path to a tablet device seems now, I have trouble imagining the next obvious path that Apple might follow in 2009 and 2010. In fact, the company may very well be nearing a product plateau. And here's the real kicker: That may not be a bad thing. Make no mistake. I see the potential for developments with established Apple product lines. Perhaps as soon as next year, the iPhone will evolve into a family of phones. Much like the iPod now comes in four flavors—touch, nano, classic, and shuffle—it's fair to expect that the iPhone will come in more than one model. The iPhone nano, for example, might appeal to those who think the current model is too big or too expensive.
Revving Up AppleTV And something important has to happen to AppleTV, which still seems to be little more than the "hobby" Apple CEO Steve Jobs said it was last year. I see the potential for hardware and software enhancements, including TiVo -like DVR features, a DVD player slot, and so on. Apple could take the features of AppleTV and pack them into an actual TV set—but that's unlikely. Selling TVs is a cutthroat, low-margin business better left to the likes of Sony, Panasonic, and Sharp. But I see less potential for radical new lines of products. There simply aren't many to choose from. Sales of Macs are growing at rates that are the envy of the PC industry, the iPhone is now making its debut all over the world, and the iPod is closing on the sale of its 200 millionth unit. That's three very healthy business lines, and I'm not sure Apple necessarily needs another. In his keynote at the Worldwide Developers Conference in July, Jobs said there are "three parts to Apple now"—the Mac, the music business including the iPod and iTunes, and the iPhone. He used the image of a three-legged stool to make the point. I prefer to think of it as a tripod, and I think Apple can and will do very well to enhance and grow these three legs without the need for building a fourth. Consumers Concerned With Credit And would that be such a bad thing? With the economy heading into certain trouble, consumers around the world are paring discretionary spending. The marketplace for new products that might change the world may have hit a saturation point, and consumers are more concerned about lowering the balances on their credit cards than on maxing them out on new stuff. Apple's in a very different place than it was seven years ago. On the eve of the iPod introduction, Apple had just emerged from debacle of the Mac G4 Cube and for most of 2001 had been reporting financial results that were unimpressive by today's standards. Less than a week before the introduction of the iPod, Apple reported a $25 million net loss on sales of $5.4 billion for the fiscal year. Sales for the quarter that ended September 2001 quarter were less than $1.5 billion. Analysts expect that Apple will finish its September quarter this year with $8 billion in sales, and end the fiscal year with $32 billion in revenues.
Press the Offensive Now, Apple and its customers would be well-served if the company concentrates on making everything better, faster, and cheaper. While the Mac is in the minds of many already a better personal computing platform than Microsoft's Windows, it's time to press the offensive. There is no reason that better Macs and better Mac operating system software can't push Apple's market share in the U.S. north of 10%, from 8.5% in the second quarter. Continued software upgrades will add new and improved features and functionality to the Mac and iPhone, increasing the appeal to new customers and keeping existing users happier longer. It's also time to get things working right that haven't. Case in point: MobileMe, which illustrated that Apple overreached by trying to launch too many products at once. And for all its relevance in North America, I think the iPhone gives Apple an important opportunity in international markets. As I've argued befor, the iPhone establishes a beachhead Apple can use to introduce itself and its other products, especially the Mac, in markets where it hasn't participated strongly. Markets like China and Russia come to mind. No Time for A Breather I'm not suggesting that Apple should slow down and take a breath on the innovation front. Not at all. The company now operates within substantially wider borders than it did when it unveiled the first iPod in 2001. Rather than widening those borders even further, there lies within them plenty of room for important, even if not world-changing innovations—not to mention scope for expanding Apple's business.
Hesseldahl is a reporter for BusinessWeek.com.
Copyright 2000-2008 by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved. Provided by BusinessWeek
World - US says not contemplating a nuclear deal with Pakistan
WASHINGTON: The US has said it was not contemplating any deal with Pakistan similar to the Indo-US nuclear agreement, insisting that New Delhi's cas
e was "unique" because of its past record on non-proliferation. "At the moment, I'm not aware of a contemplation of a similar such (nuclear) deal at this time with Pakistan," State department Spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters here. He disagreed with the suggestion that after cutting a "special" deal with India, others would seek civil nuclear cooperation. "... of course, some may ask for similar treatment. The India case, however, we believed was unique and was unique in the respect of a long history of Indian behaviour that was there for all to see," McCormack said. The spokesman replied in the negative when asked if the issue was raised by the Pakistan leadership during recent bilateral meetings. "In the most recent meeting with the Secretary (Condolezzaa Rice), that's the only one I can personally speak to at this point. That issue did not come up. I know that the issue has come up periodically in public. I think I've had to answer questions about it before and our position is the same" he said. Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani yesterday day indicated that the country may seek a similar arrangement with its close ally China. "Pakistan will now make efforts for a civil nuclear deal and they (the world community) will have to accommodate us," Gilani told reporters in Multan, soon after the Indo-US nuclear deal was approved by the US Senate.
e was "unique" because of its past record on non-proliferation. "At the moment, I'm not aware of a contemplation of a similar such (nuclear) deal at this time with Pakistan," State department Spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters here. He disagreed with the suggestion that after cutting a "special" deal with India, others would seek civil nuclear cooperation. "... of course, some may ask for similar treatment. The India case, however, we believed was unique and was unique in the respect of a long history of Indian behaviour that was there for all to see," McCormack said. The spokesman replied in the negative when asked if the issue was raised by the Pakistan leadership during recent bilateral meetings. "In the most recent meeting with the Secretary (Condolezzaa Rice), that's the only one I can personally speak to at this point. That issue did not come up. I know that the issue has come up periodically in public. I think I've had to answer questions about it before and our position is the same" he said. Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani yesterday day indicated that the country may seek a similar arrangement with its close ally China. "Pakistan will now make efforts for a civil nuclear deal and they (the world community) will have to accommodate us," Gilani told reporters in Multan, soon after the Indo-US nuclear deal was approved by the US Senate.
Entertainment - Playboy looks for bare market in Wall Street
NEW YORK: Playboy magazine is offering a new way to lose your shirt on Wall Street. The adult entertainment magazine, long famous for its photo spre ads of nude women and lessons in living the urbane life of the well-heeled bachelor, is launching a search for models to pose for its upcoming feature, ‘Women of Wall Street’. Playboy came up with the idea for the feature after the onset of the global financial crisis, which has vaporised fortunes and left Wall Street reeling. It is planned for the February 2009 edition of the monthly magazine and on its website. “When the news gets bad, then maybe that’s a chance to make people smile by coming up with something that puts a different twist on it,” said Gary Cole, Playboy’s photo editor. Playboy and Playboy.com frequently run specials such as “Girls of Olive Garden” and “Women of Home Depot”, but in the past it has garnered attention for big business news themes. It published ‘Women of Enron’ and ‘Women of WorldCom’ after the companies’ spectacular failures. The magazine ran a ‘Women of Wall Street’ feature nearly 20 years ago. Playboy is seeking current and former employees of the financial world, and is especially interested in those with more senior job experience. “It would be more interesting to have someone who’s a financial analyst,” said Cole. Models must work for a financial institution or have recently worked for one, and prove that they are at least 18 years old. “How many attractive women do you think there are working on Wall Street and the affiliated companies?” Cole said when asked how much success he thought Playboy would have in finding candidates. “There has to be thousands and thousands.” Playboy likely will photograph about 20 women, he said, adding that compensation would depend partly on how many women apply. “Whether you offer them $500 or $1,000 or $2,000 a piece, that’s probably not going to change anybody’s mind,” he said. “The reason they do this is because they want the attention, the opportunity, the experience of doing it. It’s not really for the money.”
Travel - Presence of Sri Aurobindo in Pondicherry
Divya.A
Kerala, the land of serene backwaters, is now known as God's own country. A drive from Chennai to Pondicherry on the East Coast Road is sure to give you a feeling of déjà vu, though. Once you reach Pondicherry, stay there for a day or two and soak into the place, one is bound to feel the all-encompassing presence of Sri Aurobindo. First thing I was advised to do (like all visitors to this charming French enclave) after a customary walk by the seaside on Goubart Road, is to visit the Aurobindo Ashram on Rue de la Marine.
That entails a very pleasant walk through the French sector. If it's in the evening, the best option is to hire a bicycle and peddle through the bylanes of the picturesque French quarter. By the way, taxi and auto drivers don't expect tips but nor are fares uniform, so use your judgement! Philip Castelino a Frenchman I met who was on the trail of French colonies around the world told me, "I have come here after visiting Chandannagar in West Bengal. Interestingly, I found out that the Guru had stayed for some time after he decided to take up meditation, after his participation in India's freedom struggle and jail term. It was after Chandannagar that the Guru moved to Pondicherry and stayed here forever.” Chandannagar, incidentally, is another erstwhile French colony, like Pondicherry." The Ashram was actually set up in 1926 by Aurobindo Ghose, one of India's greatest philosopher-poets, who originally came to Pondicherry to escape persecution by the British. It was after arriving here that he was drawn into the spiritual realm and discovered the power of yoga. His philosophy, and that of The Mother, is deeply rooted in yoga and their writings have inspired many followers from around the world.
Getting to Pondicherry isn’t difficult actually, despite its relatively tiny size and perch on the south east coast of India. The closest airport is Chennai, around 135 km from Pondicherry, with the option of either road or rail. It’s on the rail map with Villupuram in Tamil Nadu as the nearest station. But the best, and by far the most picturesque, way to reach is by road. There’s AC/non AC bus services every 10 minutes from Chennai's Koyambedu bus stand, very reasonable priced too. The preferable (scenic!) route is the East Coast Road via Mahabalipuram. For a brief stopover to see the great Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram, the best option is to drive down in a car or hire a taxi. It just adds a couple of very pleasant extra hours to an already pleasant drive! The ashram is one of the most well known and wealthiest ashrams in India, with devotees from India and all over the world flocking to it for spiritual salvation. I learnt that I could enter the ashram with my shoes on, but no cellphones, cameras or handbags were allowed.
Once inside, the aura of everything "Auro" is uinmistakeable. Followers of the Guru line up around the samadhi, which is in the central courtyard under a frangipani tree and is covered daily with flowers.
There's pin-drop silence and strangely enough there is not even an urge to talk to anyone, such is the calmness of the place. Besides the Guru's and the Mother's samadhis, I saw Aurobindo's living room, study and meditation foyer. I even bought literature by and about Sri Aurobindo from an in-house bookshop. I could feel the ashram's influence in most of Pondicherry. Some of the ashram's facilities like the library, playground and the main building are housed in other buildings, most of them walking distance from the ashram. As I browsed through rest of Pondicherry, I stopped to have a peep inside the Ashram Art House, do some shopping at Boutique d' Auroville for Auro clothes, Auroshika for incense sticks and Auroshree medicine products. The climate in Pondicherry is generally humid, so I found cottons to be the most practical in the summer; light sweaters and jackets are needed during the short, mild winter. I would also recommend hats and sunglasses, as the sun can be pretty harsh in those parts despite the lush greenery and the breezes blowing in from the Bay of Bengal. Of course, during the monsoon, umbrellas are crucial! A limited number of rooms are available in Ashram guest houses for those on short visits to Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Since rooms are limited and often fully booked, I found it’s better to make reservations well in advance. One can enter the main Ashram freely during visiting hours, but some sections require passes that are available at guesthouses or Bureau Central. Serenity divine Auroville, the global settlement, which is 40 years old now and still going strong, is a place that simply cannot be missed on a visit to Pondicherry. Auroville, meaning the City of Dawn, is an experimental township which actually falls in Viluppuram district of the adjoining state of Tamil Nadu but it’s just 10 km off Pondicherry. Described as a 'new age metropolis conceived as an alternative exercise in ecological and spiritual living', the township stands out as starkly different from the surrounding traditional villages and farms. Especially the crowning glory of the settlement, the Matrimandir, which nestles in its midst. The striking mandir looks like a giant golf-ball-like globe covered with golden discs. As I near it, I’m told "silence is compulsory” and the cult-like atmosphere is reinforced by volunteers who wordlessly motion me to pass them. My efforts to meet their gaze are greeted with complete impassivity. Although originally intended to house 50,000, the actual population today is a mere 2,000 (800 of whom are of Indian origin) seemingly consisting of pony-tailed men riding motorbikes. The best way to move within the settlement, by the way, is by motorbike or a bicycle although rickshaws and taxis can be ordered
Inside Auroville, there are a host of activities to engage in, ideal for a four-hour schedule, like yoga, Tai-Chi, Watsu, different kinds of alternative healing and courses. The variety is wider during the visitors' season, December to March. Besides, it’s a very good idea to dig into some great organic food at the Auroville cafeteria. Pondicherry may have now been christened ‘Puducherry’ officially, but there are some things there that will never change....
Kerala, the land of serene backwaters, is now known as God's own country. A drive from Chennai to Pondicherry on the East Coast Road is sure to give you a feeling of déjà vu, though. Once you reach Pondicherry, stay there for a day or two and soak into the place, one is bound to feel the all-encompassing presence of Sri Aurobindo. First thing I was advised to do (like all visitors to this charming French enclave) after a customary walk by the seaside on Goubart Road, is to visit the Aurobindo Ashram on Rue de la Marine.
That entails a very pleasant walk through the French sector. If it's in the evening, the best option is to hire a bicycle and peddle through the bylanes of the picturesque French quarter. By the way, taxi and auto drivers don't expect tips but nor are fares uniform, so use your judgement! Philip Castelino a Frenchman I met who was on the trail of French colonies around the world told me, "I have come here after visiting Chandannagar in West Bengal. Interestingly, I found out that the Guru had stayed for some time after he decided to take up meditation, after his participation in India's freedom struggle and jail term. It was after Chandannagar that the Guru moved to Pondicherry and stayed here forever.” Chandannagar, incidentally, is another erstwhile French colony, like Pondicherry." The Ashram was actually set up in 1926 by Aurobindo Ghose, one of India's greatest philosopher-poets, who originally came to Pondicherry to escape persecution by the British. It was after arriving here that he was drawn into the spiritual realm and discovered the power of yoga. His philosophy, and that of The Mother, is deeply rooted in yoga and their writings have inspired many followers from around the world.
Getting to Pondicherry isn’t difficult actually, despite its relatively tiny size and perch on the south east coast of India. The closest airport is Chennai, around 135 km from Pondicherry, with the option of either road or rail. It’s on the rail map with Villupuram in Tamil Nadu as the nearest station. But the best, and by far the most picturesque, way to reach is by road. There’s AC/non AC bus services every 10 minutes from Chennai's Koyambedu bus stand, very reasonable priced too. The preferable (scenic!) route is the East Coast Road via Mahabalipuram. For a brief stopover to see the great Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram, the best option is to drive down in a car or hire a taxi. It just adds a couple of very pleasant extra hours to an already pleasant drive! The ashram is one of the most well known and wealthiest ashrams in India, with devotees from India and all over the world flocking to it for spiritual salvation. I learnt that I could enter the ashram with my shoes on, but no cellphones, cameras or handbags were allowed.
Once inside, the aura of everything "Auro" is uinmistakeable. Followers of the Guru line up around the samadhi, which is in the central courtyard under a frangipani tree and is covered daily with flowers.
There's pin-drop silence and strangely enough there is not even an urge to talk to anyone, such is the calmness of the place. Besides the Guru's and the Mother's samadhis, I saw Aurobindo's living room, study and meditation foyer. I even bought literature by and about Sri Aurobindo from an in-house bookshop. I could feel the ashram's influence in most of Pondicherry. Some of the ashram's facilities like the library, playground and the main building are housed in other buildings, most of them walking distance from the ashram. As I browsed through rest of Pondicherry, I stopped to have a peep inside the Ashram Art House, do some shopping at Boutique d' Auroville for Auro clothes, Auroshika for incense sticks and Auroshree medicine products. The climate in Pondicherry is generally humid, so I found cottons to be the most practical in the summer; light sweaters and jackets are needed during the short, mild winter. I would also recommend hats and sunglasses, as the sun can be pretty harsh in those parts despite the lush greenery and the breezes blowing in from the Bay of Bengal. Of course, during the monsoon, umbrellas are crucial! A limited number of rooms are available in Ashram guest houses for those on short visits to Sri Aurobindo Ashram. Since rooms are limited and often fully booked, I found it’s better to make reservations well in advance. One can enter the main Ashram freely during visiting hours, but some sections require passes that are available at guesthouses or Bureau Central. Serenity divine Auroville, the global settlement, which is 40 years old now and still going strong, is a place that simply cannot be missed on a visit to Pondicherry. Auroville, meaning the City of Dawn, is an experimental township which actually falls in Viluppuram district of the adjoining state of Tamil Nadu but it’s just 10 km off Pondicherry. Described as a 'new age metropolis conceived as an alternative exercise in ecological and spiritual living', the township stands out as starkly different from the surrounding traditional villages and farms. Especially the crowning glory of the settlement, the Matrimandir, which nestles in its midst. The striking mandir looks like a giant golf-ball-like globe covered with golden discs. As I near it, I’m told "silence is compulsory” and the cult-like atmosphere is reinforced by volunteers who wordlessly motion me to pass them. My efforts to meet their gaze are greeted with complete impassivity. Although originally intended to house 50,000, the actual population today is a mere 2,000 (800 of whom are of Indian origin) seemingly consisting of pony-tailed men riding motorbikes. The best way to move within the settlement, by the way, is by motorbike or a bicycle although rickshaws and taxis can be ordered
Inside Auroville, there are a host of activities to engage in, ideal for a four-hour schedule, like yoga, Tai-Chi, Watsu, different kinds of alternative healing and courses. The variety is wider during the visitors' season, December to March. Besides, it’s a very good idea to dig into some great organic food at the Auroville cafeteria. Pondicherry may have now been christened ‘Puducherry’ officially, but there are some things there that will never change....
Travel - A Journey to New York
Indulekha Aravind
The thought of going abroad for the first time — that too, to the Big Apple – sure was exciting. But I was also apprehensive. My fears ranged from getting trampled on by busy New Yorkers at traffic signals to being too jet lagged and disoriented to realize that I had accidentally stumbled onto a gangsters' huddle and getting coshed in the bargain– the last courtesy an imaginatively optimistic colleague. I was thankfully proved wrong on all of the above. I had the time of my life! First of all, what better way to fly into the epicentre of finance (currently a bit quaky I admit!) and the high life than in the lap of luxury— a business class seat on the inaugural flight of the brand-new Emirates A380 from Dubai. For a cattle-class type, it was a revelation to see how The Other Half (read Fendi-toting, Chanel-wearing)lives – and jets around. The airline’s business class lounge at Dubai airport set the tone, with its lavish spread of Arab and Western fare, liquor and comfy pre-flight couches. Needless to add, its Delhi lounge paled in comparison. The super jumbo took off around 20 minutes late, to the applause of passengers and relief of tense Emirates topshots also on board. The seats were oh-so-roomy, lots of place to stow bags and the like (do we Indians travel light anywhere, let alone trans-Atlantic?) and a 17" TV screen to while away the hours, partaking of refreshments from Evian water to beer and juice placed on a little shelf. Besides a nice choice of movies, music and news channels, there was even a bar and 'lounge' though the latter comprised just two longish couches! Though the much-touted shower and spa is only for First Class passengers, I was still left wondering how I could ever contemplate sitting further back on airplanes any more after this club class flight!. Even the landing was a never-before and never-again experience: the media-magnet A380 touched down at JFK Airport (in just 13-and-a-half hours instead of the usual 14!) to be greeted by sprays of water from a ceremonial guard of New York fire engines! So, with a slightly bumpy landing, there I was—in New York! Then came the dreaded US immigration process. I whiled away time in the seemingly never-ending queue just observing the sheer variety of people standing with me and hearing the cacophony of different languages. That, by the way, was something I came to love about New York: it's amazingly cosmopolitan, melting-pot nature. I was prepared for a grouchy, harried interviewer but the officer turned out to be polite, friendly even, and waved me through in a few minutes. Then came one of the only hitches in the trip. My luggage – that was supposed to come on the business class conveyor belt — was nowhere to be found. It finally appeared with the economy luggage but by the time I retrieved it, the people was to go with to the hotel had left. This was not something I wanted after a long flight and that too in an 'alien' place.
Finally, after many calls, two hours of waiting and some help from a friendly New Yorker, I managed to reach my hotel on Broadway,right next to Times Square. When I saw the bright lights and buzz of the 'cross-roads of the world' I pretty much forgot that I was tired and disgruntled. I just stood and stared... The neon lights, the crowds converging and then dispersing to and from all corners, the skyscrapers—it was all exactly like I'd pictured it and seen countless times in movies and on TV.
One of the best ways to see New York seemed to be by the ubiquitous, double-decker, hop-on, hop-off buses. Tour operators run quite a few of these. I found them to better than normal tours because they gave me more freedom to decide how much time I wanted to spend, where. When I was done with a spot, I just went to the stop I got off from and waited for the next one to continue the tour at my own pace. I chose the downtown loop tour on the Gray Line (which, paradoxically, runs those red buses seen in movies!) because it had quite a few of the must-sees. Unfortunately, it began to pour the moment I stepped out, and I was entirely unprepared for rain. Luckily, the tour operators thoughtfully provided raincoats — more like giant plastic sheets with a hood and sleeves – but at least it kept me relatively dry. Beginning from Times Square, the bus took me to all the places I'd heard, read and seen (vicariously till now) from Broadway and the Empire State Building to Macy's, SoHo, Greenwich Village, Ground Zero, the Financial District, Bowling Green, Battery Park (the stop for the Statue of Liberty), the Seaport area, Central Park and back. I realize now that it's best to decide all your stops beforehand so that time can be budgeted – which is something I didn't do. I hopped off at the Empire State Building, which was a bad idea because that's something one should see separately as the queues will take at least an hour – if you're lucky. My wait was shorter because there was a sudden announcements that elevators were being stopped due to bad weather. I suppose rain is worse when a building literally scrapes an overcast sky! So, I went on to wander through parts of SoHo (thinking all the while, "Omigod, I'm in New York") ending up at Ground Zero. That turned out to be another waste of time because, well, there's nothing much to see except construction work. The St Paul's Chapel near the site, which is supposed to be Manhattan's oldest public building in use, was very charming, though. I also got off at Battery Park, to see the Statue of Liberty. It was too late for the boatride to the statue, but the Staten Island ferry is a perfect alternative if you don't actually want to get off on the island to see the statue close up. A nd the best part is that it's free – which was important considering I automatically converted everything into rupees despite being warned of the perils of doing so! The ferry chugged past the statue onward to Staten Island – where I had to compulsorily get off there and take the next ferry back. They even had guards check to see that everyone got off, their reasoning being that it was a ferry, not a cruise ship! I enjoyed the bus ride through the Financial District, especially seeing the famous "Charging Bull" near Wall Street. For some curious reason, rubbing its testicles is supposed to bring good luck and our tour guide pointed out the number of people who obviously seemed to believe this! I barely had time for Central Park after this and had to be content with just a small walk and the resolve to come again for a more thorough look-see. Since it was summer, it would get dark only after 8:30 and I didn't much fancy testing if New York really was safe for women at night, so it was back to the hotel. Over the next two days, I packed in a Broadway musical (Rent at the Nederlander Theatre which was excellent!), a trip to the 88th floor of the Empire Street, a walk over Brooklyn Bridge and through China Town, Grand Central Station and Lower East Village. I also notched up a trip to a quaint Swedish restaurant in the Lower East Village with a friend, my first experience of that cuisine. I was quite clueless about food from that part of the world (apart from meatballs) so I let my friend do the ordering. He had traditional meatballs, which came with sweet jelly and mashed potatoes – a surprisingly good combination. I had a yummy halibut, with jacket potatoes and a citrus sauce. Excellent German beer, which came with a slice of lemon, added to the flavour of the afternoon. The meal ended with freshly-brewed Ethiopian coffee at a nearby café. Aaah cosmopolitan New York! My first NY subway experience was from Brooklyn Bridge to Grand Central. While another passenger was explaining how I could buy the token (simply put money into the right slot), another decided to save time by swiping me through! Though the Delhi metro is sleeker, bigger and cleaner (how nice to be able to say that in an awesome place like the Big Apple!), the sheer extent of New York's network is admirable. It's definitely the cheapest and fastest way to get around the city. New York, incidentally, is quite an easy city to navigate, even for someone like me with the double handicap of having the worst sense of direction and an inability to read maps! The city is divided into streets and avenues, crossing at right angles so it's easy to find a place on the grid. I was also lucky enough to run into only friendly New Yorkers when asking for directions. They seemed more than willing to give me the right directions – instead of trampling me! My last day was reserved for that promised second visit to Central Park. How could I leave without paying tribute to Lennon? Negotiating the park was not as easy as walking through the city but every bit as enjoyable. The never-ending expanse of greenery was refreshing and there were lots of things to see from the avenue of elms to the Shakespeare Garden, the Swiss Marionette Theatre (closed then), Belvedere Castle (used by the meteorological department), the beautiful Bethesda Fountain – and Strawberry Fields. The actual memorial to Lennon was a grove of trees contributed by different countries and planted in the shape of a teardrop. There is also a huge circle with 'Imagine' written in the center and apparently decorated every day with flowers by a person who, to me, looked like Hulk Hogan. I also loved the way people playing music at different spots, from a lone flautist to an entire orchestra! Three hours in the park meant I had very little time left for my last stop, the New York Metropolitan Museum. I had just two hours instead of two days so as soon as I got the map I marked what I had to see- the Impressionists. I headed straight there after a quick dekko of the Egyptian, African, Roman and Greek sections. I could hardly believe that I was standing before the masterpieces I'd seen only in pictures—from Van Gogh's self-portrait (I took a photo standing next to it) to Renoirs, Manets and Monets. That was truly a high point of the trip but I had to leave after seeing only a fraction of the Met. Next time....!. I had a strange melancholy feeling as I left New York, not sure that I'd get a chance to visit again. So on my flight back, I watched that Cary Grant-Deborah Kerr classic, An Affair To Remember—to stretch the amazing NY experience just a little longer!
The thought of going abroad for the first time — that too, to the Big Apple – sure was exciting. But I was also apprehensive. My fears ranged from getting trampled on by busy New Yorkers at traffic signals to being too jet lagged and disoriented to realize that I had accidentally stumbled onto a gangsters' huddle and getting coshed in the bargain– the last courtesy an imaginatively optimistic colleague. I was thankfully proved wrong on all of the above. I had the time of my life! First of all, what better way to fly into the epicentre of finance (currently a bit quaky I admit!) and the high life than in the lap of luxury— a business class seat on the inaugural flight of the brand-new Emirates A380 from Dubai. For a cattle-class type, it was a revelation to see how The Other Half (read Fendi-toting, Chanel-wearing)lives – and jets around. The airline’s business class lounge at Dubai airport set the tone, with its lavish spread of Arab and Western fare, liquor and comfy pre-flight couches. Needless to add, its Delhi lounge paled in comparison. The super jumbo took off around 20 minutes late, to the applause of passengers and relief of tense Emirates topshots also on board. The seats were oh-so-roomy, lots of place to stow bags and the like (do we Indians travel light anywhere, let alone trans-Atlantic?) and a 17" TV screen to while away the hours, partaking of refreshments from Evian water to beer and juice placed on a little shelf. Besides a nice choice of movies, music and news channels, there was even a bar and 'lounge' though the latter comprised just two longish couches! Though the much-touted shower and spa is only for First Class passengers, I was still left wondering how I could ever contemplate sitting further back on airplanes any more after this club class flight!. Even the landing was a never-before and never-again experience: the media-magnet A380 touched down at JFK Airport (in just 13-and-a-half hours instead of the usual 14!) to be greeted by sprays of water from a ceremonial guard of New York fire engines! So, with a slightly bumpy landing, there I was—in New York! Then came the dreaded US immigration process. I whiled away time in the seemingly never-ending queue just observing the sheer variety of people standing with me and hearing the cacophony of different languages. That, by the way, was something I came to love about New York: it's amazingly cosmopolitan, melting-pot nature. I was prepared for a grouchy, harried interviewer but the officer turned out to be polite, friendly even, and waved me through in a few minutes. Then came one of the only hitches in the trip. My luggage – that was supposed to come on the business class conveyor belt — was nowhere to be found. It finally appeared with the economy luggage but by the time I retrieved it, the people was to go with to the hotel had left. This was not something I wanted after a long flight and that too in an 'alien' place.
Finally, after many calls, two hours of waiting and some help from a friendly New Yorker, I managed to reach my hotel on Broadway,right next to Times Square. When I saw the bright lights and buzz of the 'cross-roads of the world' I pretty much forgot that I was tired and disgruntled. I just stood and stared... The neon lights, the crowds converging and then dispersing to and from all corners, the skyscrapers—it was all exactly like I'd pictured it and seen countless times in movies and on TV.
One of the best ways to see New York seemed to be by the ubiquitous, double-decker, hop-on, hop-off buses. Tour operators run quite a few of these. I found them to better than normal tours because they gave me more freedom to decide how much time I wanted to spend, where. When I was done with a spot, I just went to the stop I got off from and waited for the next one to continue the tour at my own pace. I chose the downtown loop tour on the Gray Line (which, paradoxically, runs those red buses seen in movies!) because it had quite a few of the must-sees. Unfortunately, it began to pour the moment I stepped out, and I was entirely unprepared for rain. Luckily, the tour operators thoughtfully provided raincoats — more like giant plastic sheets with a hood and sleeves – but at least it kept me relatively dry. Beginning from Times Square, the bus took me to all the places I'd heard, read and seen (vicariously till now) from Broadway and the Empire State Building to Macy's, SoHo, Greenwich Village, Ground Zero, the Financial District, Bowling Green, Battery Park (the stop for the Statue of Liberty), the Seaport area, Central Park and back. I realize now that it's best to decide all your stops beforehand so that time can be budgeted – which is something I didn't do. I hopped off at the Empire State Building, which was a bad idea because that's something one should see separately as the queues will take at least an hour – if you're lucky. My wait was shorter because there was a sudden announcements that elevators were being stopped due to bad weather. I suppose rain is worse when a building literally scrapes an overcast sky! So, I went on to wander through parts of SoHo (thinking all the while, "Omigod, I'm in New York") ending up at Ground Zero. That turned out to be another waste of time because, well, there's nothing much to see except construction work. The St Paul's Chapel near the site, which is supposed to be Manhattan's oldest public building in use, was very charming, though. I also got off at Battery Park, to see the Statue of Liberty. It was too late for the boatride to the statue, but the Staten Island ferry is a perfect alternative if you don't actually want to get off on the island to see the statue close up. A nd the best part is that it's free – which was important considering I automatically converted everything into rupees despite being warned of the perils of doing so! The ferry chugged past the statue onward to Staten Island – where I had to compulsorily get off there and take the next ferry back. They even had guards check to see that everyone got off, their reasoning being that it was a ferry, not a cruise ship! I enjoyed the bus ride through the Financial District, especially seeing the famous "Charging Bull" near Wall Street. For some curious reason, rubbing its testicles is supposed to bring good luck and our tour guide pointed out the number of people who obviously seemed to believe this! I barely had time for Central Park after this and had to be content with just a small walk and the resolve to come again for a more thorough look-see. Since it was summer, it would get dark only after 8:30 and I didn't much fancy testing if New York really was safe for women at night, so it was back to the hotel. Over the next two days, I packed in a Broadway musical (Rent at the Nederlander Theatre which was excellent!), a trip to the 88th floor of the Empire Street, a walk over Brooklyn Bridge and through China Town, Grand Central Station and Lower East Village. I also notched up a trip to a quaint Swedish restaurant in the Lower East Village with a friend, my first experience of that cuisine. I was quite clueless about food from that part of the world (apart from meatballs) so I let my friend do the ordering. He had traditional meatballs, which came with sweet jelly and mashed potatoes – a surprisingly good combination. I had a yummy halibut, with jacket potatoes and a citrus sauce. Excellent German beer, which came with a slice of lemon, added to the flavour of the afternoon. The meal ended with freshly-brewed Ethiopian coffee at a nearby café. Aaah cosmopolitan New York! My first NY subway experience was from Brooklyn Bridge to Grand Central. While another passenger was explaining how I could buy the token (simply put money into the right slot), another decided to save time by swiping me through! Though the Delhi metro is sleeker, bigger and cleaner (how nice to be able to say that in an awesome place like the Big Apple!), the sheer extent of New York's network is admirable. It's definitely the cheapest and fastest way to get around the city. New York, incidentally, is quite an easy city to navigate, even for someone like me with the double handicap of having the worst sense of direction and an inability to read maps! The city is divided into streets and avenues, crossing at right angles so it's easy to find a place on the grid. I was also lucky enough to run into only friendly New Yorkers when asking for directions. They seemed more than willing to give me the right directions – instead of trampling me! My last day was reserved for that promised second visit to Central Park. How could I leave without paying tribute to Lennon? Negotiating the park was not as easy as walking through the city but every bit as enjoyable. The never-ending expanse of greenery was refreshing and there were lots of things to see from the avenue of elms to the Shakespeare Garden, the Swiss Marionette Theatre (closed then), Belvedere Castle (used by the meteorological department), the beautiful Bethesda Fountain – and Strawberry Fields. The actual memorial to Lennon was a grove of trees contributed by different countries and planted in the shape of a teardrop. There is also a huge circle with 'Imagine' written in the center and apparently decorated every day with flowers by a person who, to me, looked like Hulk Hogan. I also loved the way people playing music at different spots, from a lone flautist to an entire orchestra! Three hours in the park meant I had very little time left for my last stop, the New York Metropolitan Museum. I had just two hours instead of two days so as soon as I got the map I marked what I had to see- the Impressionists. I headed straight there after a quick dekko of the Egyptian, African, Roman and Greek sections. I could hardly believe that I was standing before the masterpieces I'd seen only in pictures—from Van Gogh's self-portrait (I took a photo standing next to it) to Renoirs, Manets and Monets. That was truly a high point of the trip but I had to leave after seeing only a fraction of the Met. Next time....!. I had a strange melancholy feeling as I left New York, not sure that I'd get a chance to visit again. So on my flight back, I watched that Cary Grant-Deborah Kerr classic, An Affair To Remember—to stretch the amazing NY experience just a little longer!
Lifestyle - Postprandial drinks
COGNAC: Named after the region in France, Cognac is a spirit of unparalleled complexity and the gold-standard against which all other brandies are judged. A grape-based brandy, Cognac is aged in special casks which mellow it and lend it its famous aroma. It is priced according to the age of the brandies in it and the skills of the master blender. Served in a brandy snifter, it is swirled while gripping it with the palm of your hand to warm the drink, releasing the aroma. Try the stem less cutting-edge Swivel Cognac glass, which adds to the romance associated with this drink. A symbol of luxury across the world, this old-fashioned spirit continues to be a favourite after-dinner drink.
GRAPPA: An Italian grape-based colourless pomace brandy, it is a fiery spirit, whose flavour is dependent upon on the grape quality and variety. It is served in a uniquely-shaped extremely thin glass, either by itself or poured into postprandial coffee. In fact, the famous Italian Café Corretto is espresso which has been ‘corrected’ with Grappa!
ARMAGNAC: Among the oldest brandies with a rustic flavour, it is similar in style to Cognac but more intense.
EAUX-DE-VIE : French for ‘water of life’ , it is a colourless fruit brandy with a dry taste. It is served chilled in a tulip-shaped glass. The most popular are Poire William (pear), Framboise (raspberry), Kirsch (cherry) and the French Calvados (apple).
PORT: A traditional sweet dessert / afterdinner Portuguese fortified wine, it can be either bottle-aged or wood-aged . It is sipped in a small wine glass, filled only halfway, helping it to release its distinctive aroma.
SHERRY: Made in and around Jerez in Spain, sherry is wine that has been fortified with brandy. The taste ranges from bone dry to sweet and is served in the traditional copita (tulip-shaped glass). After a fine meal, if the conversation continues to be stimulating and the music’s still playing , go ahead and ask the sommelier to get the ‘after-dinner carte’
GRAPPA: An Italian grape-based colourless pomace brandy, it is a fiery spirit, whose flavour is dependent upon on the grape quality and variety. It is served in a uniquely-shaped extremely thin glass, either by itself or poured into postprandial coffee. In fact, the famous Italian Café Corretto is espresso which has been ‘corrected’ with Grappa!
ARMAGNAC: Among the oldest brandies with a rustic flavour, it is similar in style to Cognac but more intense.
EAUX-DE-VIE : French for ‘water of life’ , it is a colourless fruit brandy with a dry taste. It is served chilled in a tulip-shaped glass. The most popular are Poire William (pear), Framboise (raspberry), Kirsch (cherry) and the French Calvados (apple).
PORT: A traditional sweet dessert / afterdinner Portuguese fortified wine, it can be either bottle-aged or wood-aged . It is sipped in a small wine glass, filled only halfway, helping it to release its distinctive aroma.
SHERRY: Made in and around Jerez in Spain, sherry is wine that has been fortified with brandy. The taste ranges from bone dry to sweet and is served in the traditional copita (tulip-shaped glass). After a fine meal, if the conversation continues to be stimulating and the music’s still playing , go ahead and ask the sommelier to get the ‘after-dinner carte’
World - Google unveils $4.4 trillion Clean Power by 2030 plan
WASHINGTON: Search engine giant Google has unveiled a $4.4 trillion plan dubbed Clean Power by 2030 that calls for all energy in the US to come from renewable sources. The web giant in a release posted on its site said: "While this plan will cost $4.4 trillion (in undiscounted 2008 dollars), it will ultimately save $5.4 trillion, delivering a net savings of $1 trillion over the life of the plan". The three basic elements of the clean energy plan are new transmission lines and policies like national renewable portfolio standard, new generation vehicles running on non-oil fuels and greater energy efficiency by installing smart meters and real time pricing.
Under the new renewable energy plan, wind power is envisioned to generate 380 gigawatt (gw) and solar power would provide 250 gw. Geothermal source of energy would produce 80 gw and is expected to take a greater role as technology gains in maturity. A gigawatt is equal to one billion watts. This unit is sometimes used with large power plants or power grids. Google also calls for more than 32,000 km of new transmission lines to support renewable energy generation. The web giant visualises 22 million plug-in vehicles by 2030 that would make up half the total estimated vehicles on American roads. Vehicles of traditional technology need to improve fuel efficiency at 72 km per gallon by 2030. "We should offer incentives to get older inefficient vehicles off the roads," it says. "When homes are equipped with smart meters and real-time pricing, research shows that energy use typically drops. Google is looking at ways that we can use our information technology and our reach to help increase awareness and bring better, real-time information to consumers," the website said. "Energy efficiency is the area where Google has been the least vocal, but could potentially offer the most support, by providing a lot of important communications data," the release said.
Under the new renewable energy plan, wind power is envisioned to generate 380 gigawatt (gw) and solar power would provide 250 gw. Geothermal source of energy would produce 80 gw and is expected to take a greater role as technology gains in maturity. A gigawatt is equal to one billion watts. This unit is sometimes used with large power plants or power grids. Google also calls for more than 32,000 km of new transmission lines to support renewable energy generation. The web giant visualises 22 million plug-in vehicles by 2030 that would make up half the total estimated vehicles on American roads. Vehicles of traditional technology need to improve fuel efficiency at 72 km per gallon by 2030. "We should offer incentives to get older inefficient vehicles off the roads," it says. "When homes are equipped with smart meters and real-time pricing, research shows that energy use typically drops. Google is looking at ways that we can use our information technology and our reach to help increase awareness and bring better, real-time information to consumers," the website said. "Energy efficiency is the area where Google has been the least vocal, but could potentially offer the most support, by providing a lot of important communications data," the release said.
Entertainment - Drona Movie Review
Gaurav Malani
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: * ½
Drona claims to derive its roots from Indian mythology but actually ends up falling in the standard template of those frequent fanciful films where the villain desires to gain immortality through magical potions and the hero (or is it superhero) has to stop him from achieving eternity. Aditya (Abhishek Bachchan) has a Harry Potter hangover being orphaned by birth and neglected by his caretakers. He actually happens to be descendent of a royal family who are entitled to safeguard Amrit (the immortality concoction) from the demons. Sonia (Priyanka Chopra) reveals Aditya his real identity of a Drona, the guardian of Amrit. Enter a madcap magician Riz Raizada (Kay Kay Menon) who is bizarre enough to create his clone and kill him, play with a puppet pair and he still keeps saying, ‘Gustakhi Maaf’ (pardon me). Alas his torment is unpardonable. While he is no Joker who matches up to The Batman, he surely is a Clown to compete with the desi-Drona. Riz has identified Drona who can lead him to Amrit. He assigns his troupe of black-robed faceless men to get hold of Drona. Drona has a female bodyguard in the form of Sonia but ironically it’s him who saves her from situations most of the times. As Drona meets his mother (Jaya Bachchan), Riz petrifies her and the son pledges to rescue momma dear amidst some Mummy styled special effects. Now Drona has to unveil secrets, fight demons, ride a horse and win the battle. Drona essentially is designed as a superhero film but sadly his superpowers seem to be nothing more than delivering punches. The film starts on a dull note and as it progresses it starts resembling an Arabian Nights fable of the 80s in the likes of Hatim Tai (to tacky effect), with a protagonist who has to overcome obstacles to complete his mission. Unfortunately the blockages in his path are so bland that the lackluster screenplay loses its audience midways. Everything from the car-chases to the sword fights have been witnessed before and don’t impress. If the cheesiness wasn’t enough, a Gandalf look-alike is added towards the end inciting unintentional humour. Abhishek Bachchan is a good actor but certainly doesn’t have the poise, polish or personality to grace a superhero. He lacks both, the bulk and the body language to carry off his larger-than-life character. Add to that, he carries a single jaded expression throughout the film much to your annoyance. Kay Kay Menon adorns a gayish and garish character and enters the league of caricatured villains. Drona keeps repeating his primary concern through the film saying, “humey shrishti ko bachna hoga”. There’s an implausible pun involved therein as I realized that the producer of this film is called Shrishti Arya. Evidently Drona’s outcome is rona.
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: * ½
Drona claims to derive its roots from Indian mythology but actually ends up falling in the standard template of those frequent fanciful films where the villain desires to gain immortality through magical potions and the hero (or is it superhero) has to stop him from achieving eternity. Aditya (Abhishek Bachchan) has a Harry Potter hangover being orphaned by birth and neglected by his caretakers. He actually happens to be descendent of a royal family who are entitled to safeguard Amrit (the immortality concoction) from the demons. Sonia (Priyanka Chopra) reveals Aditya his real identity of a Drona, the guardian of Amrit. Enter a madcap magician Riz Raizada (Kay Kay Menon) who is bizarre enough to create his clone and kill him, play with a puppet pair and he still keeps saying, ‘Gustakhi Maaf’ (pardon me). Alas his torment is unpardonable. While he is no Joker who matches up to The Batman, he surely is a Clown to compete with the desi-Drona. Riz has identified Drona who can lead him to Amrit. He assigns his troupe of black-robed faceless men to get hold of Drona. Drona has a female bodyguard in the form of Sonia but ironically it’s him who saves her from situations most of the times. As Drona meets his mother (Jaya Bachchan), Riz petrifies her and the son pledges to rescue momma dear amidst some Mummy styled special effects. Now Drona has to unveil secrets, fight demons, ride a horse and win the battle. Drona essentially is designed as a superhero film but sadly his superpowers seem to be nothing more than delivering punches. The film starts on a dull note and as it progresses it starts resembling an Arabian Nights fable of the 80s in the likes of Hatim Tai (to tacky effect), with a protagonist who has to overcome obstacles to complete his mission. Unfortunately the blockages in his path are so bland that the lackluster screenplay loses its audience midways. Everything from the car-chases to the sword fights have been witnessed before and don’t impress. If the cheesiness wasn’t enough, a Gandalf look-alike is added towards the end inciting unintentional humour. Abhishek Bachchan is a good actor but certainly doesn’t have the poise, polish or personality to grace a superhero. He lacks both, the bulk and the body language to carry off his larger-than-life character. Add to that, he carries a single jaded expression throughout the film much to your annoyance. Kay Kay Menon adorns a gayish and garish character and enters the league of caricatured villains. Drona keeps repeating his primary concern through the film saying, “humey shrishti ko bachna hoga”. There’s an implausible pun involved therein as I realized that the producer of this film is called Shrishti Arya. Evidently Drona’s outcome is rona.
India - TRAI removes rural levy on incoming international calls
Five years after the access deficit charge was introduced in the country – to compensate the state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) for its expenses on fulfilling social obligations — the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has decided to completely remove the levy.While the charge was abolished on all domestic telephone calls in April, it has now been taken off for incoming international long distance calls as well in line with the earlier announced plans. BSNL officials claimed that TRAI’s decision will make it difficult for the company to sustain its rural obligations. The company has filed an appeal with the Telecom Dispute Settlement Appellate Tribunal seeking a stay on decision to abolish ADC. Fund for subsidy ADC was a levy imposed on operators to collect a fund that could be used to finance the subsidy being offered by the Government to rural telephone subscribers. The mechanism was introduced in 2003 by the telecom regulator despite strong opposition from the private players. The PSU has received more than Rs 15,000 crore over the five years.The money collected through this levy was passed on to BSNL since it owns most of the fixed telephone lines in rural areas. TRAI’s move to abolish the charges on incoming ISD calls will not have any direct benefit for Indian consumers. However, this will help the Government address the problem of illegal calls, since a zero ADC means lower arbitrage for grey market operators. Private operators pay 50 paise a minute to BSNL on incoming ILD calls. Some of the private operators were earlier caught routing their incoming ILD calls through illegal exchanges to avoid payment of this fee. Grey market accounts for about 25 per cent of the Rs 16,000 crore ILD market. Companies such as AT&T, Cable & Wireless, Sprint and Verizon, which bring in international traffic into the country, will benefit.
Business - Nokia's unltd music service on sale from Oct 16 in Britain
Nokia will start offering unlimited music through mobile phones in Britain on October 16, the Finnish company said Thursday, as it seeks to muscle in on a market dominated by Apple's iPod.The new service, named "comes with music", allows people owning a special device to download unlimited music for free through their mobile telephone or computer for up to 18 months - after which they can also keep the music. "It's about changing the way we consume music," said Tero Ojanpero, executive vice president and head of entertainment and communities business at Nokia, the world's leading mobile phone maker. Britain will be first to offer the service through the Carphone Warehouse dealer. It will be initially available on 5310 Xpress Music phones, which cost 129.95 pounds (165 euros, 229 dollars), but other phones will then be added. The service will then be rolled out to ten other countries including France, Sweden, Spain and Singapore where the online Nokia Music Store is available. The store in Nokia's answer to the iTunes store from Apple, and it has signed deals with Universal Music, Sony BMG, EMI, Warner and a host of independent labels to give customers a wide range of music to choose from. Sony-Ericsson said Wednesday that it would also be launching an unlimited music download service by the end of the year, but it would be part of a mobile phone package, PlayNowTM, and customers could only keep up to 300 songs. In another challenge to Apple, Nokia said it would launch its first touch-screen phone in Taiwan, Spain, Russia, Indonesia, India, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates later this year, and France and Britain in 2009. Nokia performs well in emerging markets such as China, India and Latin America, but has been struggling in the United States, where Apple's iPod, iPhone and related iTunes store have made it the world leader in digital music.
Business - Nokia CEO vowed by iPhone,sights on Blackberry
The chief executive of Nokia, the world mobile phone leader, gave credit to new competitors from the computer world, but said his company was set to respond to all challengers.Nokia President and CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo said emerging rivals Apple Inc, Google Inc, Research in Motion Ltd and Microsoft Corp have helped to accelerate interest in using the Internet on mobile phones. "Suddenly you have the mightiest companies in the world there as your competitors. That is a little mind-boggling," Kallasvuo said in an on-stage interview at the Churchill Club, a speakers' forum for Silicon Valley civic leaders. Nokia sells more than 400 million phones a year and counts a 40 per cent share of the conventional global mobile phone market, where it competes with Samsung, Motorola, LG Electronics and Sony Ericsson, among others. He said he was impressed by the strategy of Research in Motion (RIM), maker of the BlackBerry e-mail phone popular with business professionals, to sell not just devices themselves but whole solutions for managing corporate e-mail securely. "Multiply what RIM has been doing here," the Nokia executive said of his own company's strategy to provide e-mail not only to business users but also consumers and a category of avid users in between the two markets, nicknamed "prosumers."
Nokia to take on Apple in music, touch-screen phones Nokia recently struck a deal to use Microsoft e-mail software on its more than 80 million Series 60 phones sold so far. This should help Nokia quickly overtake RIM in terms of the numbers of phones running corporate e-mail, he said. "We will exceed the RIM client (BlackBerry) in some months with a very good e-mail system," Kallasvuo promised. RIM recently reported it had 19 million BlackBerry subscribers. He singled out the positive impact that Apple has made on the industry with its iPhone over the past year, saying the Cupertino, California computer and consumer electronics company had done the mobile phone industry "a big favor." "We have a new, credible competitor in this business. You know I need to take my hat off," he said of how the iPhone has raised expectations for phones. He added: "Of course we need to be able to respond to any competitor and we will." Of Google, the Nokia executive said it was too early to tell what impact the leading Internet company might have on the mobile phone business: "They are a newcomer here. I think the jury is still out: What is the new thing they bring here?" Thinking back to nearly a year ago to when Google introduced its rival mobile Internet software system, Android, Kallasvuo said Nokia had been working toward similar goals for a far longer time. "I realized that we could have made the same announcement 10 years ago," he said. The first Android phones were introduced last month by T-Mobile in the United States, to be followed shortly by several T-Mobile markets in Europe. They feature an iPhone-like touchscreen and lots of software from independent developers. Europe helped propel the global rise of mobile communications in the 1990s but Silicon Valley created and continues to dominate the Internet, he said. As the Internet moves onto phones, the United States is poised once again to lead that convergence, the leader of the Finnish company said.
Nokia to take on Apple in music, touch-screen phones Nokia recently struck a deal to use Microsoft e-mail software on its more than 80 million Series 60 phones sold so far. This should help Nokia quickly overtake RIM in terms of the numbers of phones running corporate e-mail, he said. "We will exceed the RIM client (BlackBerry) in some months with a very good e-mail system," Kallasvuo promised. RIM recently reported it had 19 million BlackBerry subscribers. He singled out the positive impact that Apple has made on the industry with its iPhone over the past year, saying the Cupertino, California computer and consumer electronics company had done the mobile phone industry "a big favor." "We have a new, credible competitor in this business. You know I need to take my hat off," he said of how the iPhone has raised expectations for phones. He added: "Of course we need to be able to respond to any competitor and we will." Of Google, the Nokia executive said it was too early to tell what impact the leading Internet company might have on the mobile phone business: "They are a newcomer here. I think the jury is still out: What is the new thing they bring here?" Thinking back to nearly a year ago to when Google introduced its rival mobile Internet software system, Android, Kallasvuo said Nokia had been working toward similar goals for a far longer time. "I realized that we could have made the same announcement 10 years ago," he said. The first Android phones were introduced last month by T-Mobile in the United States, to be followed shortly by several T-Mobile markets in Europe. They feature an iPhone-like touchscreen and lots of software from independent developers. Europe helped propel the global rise of mobile communications in the 1990s but Silicon Valley created and continues to dominate the Internet, he said. As the Internet moves onto phones, the United States is poised once again to lead that convergence, the leader of the Finnish company said.
Business - India;Maruti Suzuki to launch A-Star by month end
Maruti Suzuki India is expected to launch its new small car — the A-Star — by the end of this month.But, unlike in Europe, where the car will replace the current Alto and take over that nameplate, in India, Maruti will continue to retain all of its current small car models. Speaking to a selection of Indian mediapersons at the sidelines of the Paris Motor Show on Thursday, Mr Toshihiro Suzuki, Board Member and Senior Managing Executive Officer, Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan said that the company will continue to market all of its current small cars that are in its portfolio in India, including the Alto, Wagon-R and Zen Estilo.Positioning He said that there are a variety of customers with varied expectations and having a wide range of cars enables the company to cater to the market’s various price segments. Mr Suzuki also mentioned that the company will position the new A-Star just below the Suzuki Swift. Speaking about the future of the Maruti 800, he said that it would be difficult to comment concretely on the future strategy of the company for its entry-level small car. However, he mentioned that the company will take into account the market situation and take a decision about the positioning for the M800. Different Segments Mr Suzuki ruled out the possibility of the company taking the Tata Nano head on with a product of its own, since the Tata Motors cars is addressing the two-wheeler buyers segment, which is not the target buyers of MSIL’s cars. Talking about the competition from Hyundai Motors cars, including the soon to be launched i20, which will take on the Swift, Mr Suzuki said that the company is studying the possibility of launching the Suzuki Splash, another global strategic model from the Japanese small car maker.Currently, there are no plans for Suzuki to come up with small diesel engines for its small cars in India, said Mr Suzuki. He,however,said that the economies of scale, lower shipping costs and the synergies that the Indian subsidiary offers were the reasons for the selection of the Manesar plant to be the hub for producing and exporting the new A-Star. He also mentioned that the company is aware that its performance in the Indian market will also be affected, since the global economic crisis will have a bit of effect there too.
Entertainment - Dreamworks announces 'Kung Fu Panda' sequel
DreamWorks Animation SKG has announced plans for a sequel to ``Kung Fu Panda'' to be released in 2011.The movie, like all DreamWorks Animation films starting in 2009, will be produced with 3-D technology, the company said in a statement Wednesday. Actor Jack Black will return to provide the voice of Po, a panda in ancient China who becomes an unlikely martial-arts hero. Actress Angelina Jolie is also slated to return as the voice of Tigress. The computer animated comedy has brought in more than $200 million in U.S. box office and more than $600 million worldwide since its release in early June, making it DreamWorks Animation's most successful original film ever. It will be released on DVD on November 9, along with a new companion short, ``Secrets of the Furious Five.''
Business - Sony Electronics,studios in digital cinema deals
Sony Corp reached a deal for three studios to back its cinema technology in the latest example of Hollywood's ramped up efforts to swit ch to digital projection.News Corp's Twentieth Century Fox, Viacom Inc's Paramount Pictures, and Sony's Sony Pictures on Thursday agreed to promote Sony's digital systems in theaters one day after five big studios reached a separate deal with a theater chain group called the Digital Cinema Implementation Partners (DCIP) to upgrade 20,000 screens in the US and Canada. Sony was not one of the studios involved in the deal by the DCIP, comprised of Regal Entertainment Group, Cinemark Holdings Inc and AMC Entertainment Inc, as the Japanese electronics maker attempts to get theaters to adopts its own digital technology and integration services. About 5,000 of the 37,000 cinema screens in the United States are now digitally equipped and the ultimate aim is to transform all 125,000 screens worldwide. Mike Fidler, senior vice president of Sony's Digital Cinema Solutions and Services group, said Sony expects to deploy its equipment on 9,000 screens in North America, Europe and Asia. Fidler said Sony was in discussions with exhibitors and offering them everything from installation to maintenance, alternative programming, security and advertising. Under its deal with the studios, Sony Pictures, Paramount and Fox would pay virtual print fees when their films play on Sony digital systems. It would not disclose the fees, but sources familiar with the matter said they typically range from about $800 to $1,000 per movie. Sony is among a field of companies now seeking to become digital cinema middlemen or integrators who secure financing via "virtual print fees" from studios to advance the deployment of digital equipment in theaters. Eastman Kodak reached a deal on Wednesday for Paramount to finance deployment of its digital cinema technology, while Access Integrated Technologies has been a leading digital cinema integrator with commitments from studios to provide movies to up to 10,000 digital cinema systems in the US and Canada over the next three years. Because of the large theater chains involved in the DCIP deal, DCIP bypassed the use of a middleman or integrator to cut its own deals with studios. Hollywood and exhibitors hope the digital conversion will boost attendance, cut down on printing and delivery costs and pave the way for more theaters to upgrade to 3-D, which commands premium pricing. Hollywood has a lot riding on the conversion since many of them plan to roll out 3-D films starting in 2009 and need enough 3-D screens to support their slates. There are around 1,300 3-D screens in the United States, but another 1,000 are expected by March 2009, analysts said.
India - Ad Industry likely to be freed from Press Note 1
Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) involving foreign companies in the Indian advertisement industry would soon turn easier. The government is planning to exempt the advertisement industry from Press Note 1, which makes clearance from local partners mandatory for a foreign company to start a new business.The move would make mandatory no-objection certificates (NOCs) from joint venture partners redundant for new investments in the advertising industry. The government is keen to do this since there are various sub-sectors within the broad categorisation of advertisement industry and there is no clash of interest in several cases. The IT industry has already been exempted from Press Note 1. The government was earlier planning to do away with this requirement for all sectors, but a segment-by-segment approach is being adopted now since some departments did not back the idea of scrapping Press Note 1. Senior government officials said the department of industrial policy (DIPP) is considering the relaxation for advertisement companies, as its sub-sectors are independent of each other. For example, advertisement in the print media is considered to be different from advertisements in the television. Similarly, there are companies specialising in advertisements for radio or internet. Outdoor advertising is also considered a specialised segment even though it falls within the broad description of advertising. The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) has discussed the issue, sources said. The DIPP has been asked to prepare a proposal for exempting advertising companies from Press Note 1 restriction and the issue is likely to considered soon, they added. Scrapping the requirement would boost foreign direct investment (FDI) in the advertisement sector and send the right signals, going a long way in attracting FDI in other segments as well. The move is part of a number of measures the government is planning to boost FDI in view of the challenges faced due to the financial sector crisis in the US. The government is also considering FDI in retailing of electronics and sports goods.
Entertainment - India;TV Industry grinds to a halt
Ashwin Pinto
MUMBAI: Television and film production schedules have been hit with around 200,000 workers affiliated with the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) going on an indefinite strike from 1 October.
Speaking to Indiantelevision.com FWICE president Dharmesh Tiwari says that this is a non-co-operation move. The strike affects all 22 crafts including actors, technicians, and musicians.
"Last year we had signed an MoU with the four film producer associations. Despite that there are difficulties," he pointed out.
He notes that television producers shoot for as much as 30 hours at a stretch. This is despite the fact the fact that the limit is eight to 10 hours. Then there is the fact that payments come in after 120 days. "In the interim we pay money for conveyance from our own pocket. There are also agents involved when we have told producers that workers should be paid directly." Another grouse is that often workers not affiliated with the FWICE are employed by producers. These workers are paid less than what is stipulated in the MoU.
The key question is how have television producers been affected? Producer Rajan Shahi who has the number one show Bidaai on Star Plus admits that he is badly affected by the strike. "I had to shoot this very important scene and had erected a very costly set. Now with the cine employees going for a strike I will have to bear a major financial loss."
He adds that some of his actors are going out of Mumbai for a week tomorrow evening about which they had informed him beforehand. "Now with the shooting coming to an idefinite halt I don’t know how I will shoot the sequence. Had I been in the loop I could have extended the shooting. I have not been informed officially about it.
"What does a producer like me do who abides by all the laid down rules? I have strictly asked my people to hire only those who are the members of the association be it art director, associate director or anyone for that matter. Also I have no outstanding payments and I have often been commended for this. To top it all I have not got the correct picture of the whole thing."
He says that the stakeholders need to work in an organised way. One must look at every aspect other than the payment and hours of working. The association and the federation need to sit across and solve the issues amicably.
"But one has to understand that the solutions and rules have to be practical and not hypothetical. Something that looks good on paper might not be practical and logical. One has to consider and take into the account the current view of the market and how it functions. What would happen to those who run their houses on daily wages or need money for an emergency?
"Had they told me about such an outcome I would have worked pro-actively and made a proper account. Generally, I have four episodes in the bank but with the shooting coming to a halt for two days it would definitely affect the telecast. In case of Bidaai, either my script will be altered or the episodes will have to be changed."
Associate producer of BR Films Surinder Malhotra who has a daily show Sujata currently on air says, “We have only tomorrow’s episode and no further bank. I feel that this strike is a fight against the channel.”
Creative Eye Producer Dheeraj Kumar who has five shows on air (Betiyaan, Veeranwali, Maayka, Jai Maa Vaishnodevi, Waqt) says, “We have a bank of 3-4 episodes for all our shows but it is not a relief. With the help of the television federation, we should ensure that the matter gets resolved. It is a loss to the production house as well as to the workers.”
Shakuntalam Telefilms' Shyam Bhattacharya says that the production house has a bank of two days for its shows such as Dulhann (Zee), Bandhan (Colors) and Santan (Star Plus). "However, thereafter it will be trouble for us. No channel is keen to show a repeat telecast. We spent Rs 5 lakh to create a set in Kamalistan studio for Dulhann. The shoot was to commence today but there is nothing we can do now."
He adds that a meeting between the channels, production houses and FWICE is likely to take place on 4 October 2008. On his part Tiwari says that if a meeting is called between the different parties then the FWICE would be willing to come to the table.(With inputs from Mayur Lookhar, Anjum Farookhi, Neha Maheshwri)
MUMBAI: Television and film production schedules have been hit with around 200,000 workers affiliated with the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) going on an indefinite strike from 1 October.
Speaking to Indiantelevision.com FWICE president Dharmesh Tiwari says that this is a non-co-operation move. The strike affects all 22 crafts including actors, technicians, and musicians.
"Last year we had signed an MoU with the four film producer associations. Despite that there are difficulties," he pointed out.
He notes that television producers shoot for as much as 30 hours at a stretch. This is despite the fact the fact that the limit is eight to 10 hours. Then there is the fact that payments come in after 120 days. "In the interim we pay money for conveyance from our own pocket. There are also agents involved when we have told producers that workers should be paid directly." Another grouse is that often workers not affiliated with the FWICE are employed by producers. These workers are paid less than what is stipulated in the MoU.
The key question is how have television producers been affected? Producer Rajan Shahi who has the number one show Bidaai on Star Plus admits that he is badly affected by the strike. "I had to shoot this very important scene and had erected a very costly set. Now with the cine employees going for a strike I will have to bear a major financial loss."
He adds that some of his actors are going out of Mumbai for a week tomorrow evening about which they had informed him beforehand. "Now with the shooting coming to an idefinite halt I don’t know how I will shoot the sequence. Had I been in the loop I could have extended the shooting. I have not been informed officially about it.
"What does a producer like me do who abides by all the laid down rules? I have strictly asked my people to hire only those who are the members of the association be it art director, associate director or anyone for that matter. Also I have no outstanding payments and I have often been commended for this. To top it all I have not got the correct picture of the whole thing."
He says that the stakeholders need to work in an organised way. One must look at every aspect other than the payment and hours of working. The association and the federation need to sit across and solve the issues amicably.
"But one has to understand that the solutions and rules have to be practical and not hypothetical. Something that looks good on paper might not be practical and logical. One has to consider and take into the account the current view of the market and how it functions. What would happen to those who run their houses on daily wages or need money for an emergency?
"Had they told me about such an outcome I would have worked pro-actively and made a proper account. Generally, I have four episodes in the bank but with the shooting coming to a halt for two days it would definitely affect the telecast. In case of Bidaai, either my script will be altered or the episodes will have to be changed."
Associate producer of BR Films Surinder Malhotra who has a daily show Sujata currently on air says, “We have only tomorrow’s episode and no further bank. I feel that this strike is a fight against the channel.”
Creative Eye Producer Dheeraj Kumar who has five shows on air (Betiyaan, Veeranwali, Maayka, Jai Maa Vaishnodevi, Waqt) says, “We have a bank of 3-4 episodes for all our shows but it is not a relief. With the help of the television federation, we should ensure that the matter gets resolved. It is a loss to the production house as well as to the workers.”
Shakuntalam Telefilms' Shyam Bhattacharya says that the production house has a bank of two days for its shows such as Dulhann (Zee), Bandhan (Colors) and Santan (Star Plus). "However, thereafter it will be trouble for us. No channel is keen to show a repeat telecast. We spent Rs 5 lakh to create a set in Kamalistan studio for Dulhann. The shoot was to commence today but there is nothing we can do now."
He adds that a meeting between the channels, production houses and FWICE is likely to take place on 4 October 2008. On his part Tiwari says that if a meeting is called between the different parties then the FWICE would be willing to come to the table.(With inputs from Mayur Lookhar, Anjum Farookhi, Neha Maheshwri)
Sport - Cricket;Q&A Michael Clarke
Anand Vasu
Just as Michael Clarke’s future ascension to the Australian captaincy is a foregone conclusion, his eminence as a batsman was widely predicted by experts well before he made his debut in Bangalore in 2004 with a bubbly 151. But it was not all smooth sailing as he lost his place and had to prove himself again.
When Clarke returned for the 2005-06 Ashes, it was as a thoughtful batsman and an intelligent decision maker, and it was only natural that he be appointed Ricky Ponting’s deputy. Clarke’s big test came recently when, Andrew Symonds preferred a fishing expedition to a compulsory team meeting. The tough decision to send Symonds home was taken but as Clarke revealed, the call was not his alone.
Excerpts from a chat:
On him being the man to send Symonds packing
(Laughs) It certainly wasn’t a decision I made on my own. It was a decision made by the decision group in the team. It was done in the best interests of the team and in the best interests of Symonds. It’s great to see Symmo back playing cricket now and in time he’ll be back in the Australian team. He is still one of my great friends. I love not only playing but also having him around.
On his success in India
I’ve had some success here in the past and I’m looking forward to getting back to Bangalore, where I made my Test debut, and making some more runs. Obviously, we will be playing against guys who love playing in their conditions, a great team in any conditions. There are a lot of challenges playing Test cricket in India, but that’s a great part of being an international cricketer. India is a great place to learn about the game and its history.
On whether expectations of him have increased
I don’t think so. It’s about making sure I train hard, whichever form of the game. I like playing positive, aggressive cricket. Every Test series has a lot riding on it; the Australian team wants to win every game and I don’t think anything will change here. We’ve got a very good squad with a lot of guys looking forward to playing their first Test match in India.
On the inexperience in the Australian team
Youths in the team is a great thing for us. So many fresh faces brings energy to the game. Yes, the Indian team is very experienced, but I still feel we have a lot of experience in our squad as well. Our captain has played so much cricket and so has Matthew Hayden.
On the inaugural IPL
The reason I didn’t play in the first season was because my fiancee’s father passed away, and my father was diagnosed with cancer. I wanted to spend time with him. I’d love to part of the IPL in years to come. It’s great for cricket as a whole. The IPL helped a lot of guys with Indian conditions and playing T20 cricket. It was great for relationships.
Just as Michael Clarke’s future ascension to the Australian captaincy is a foregone conclusion, his eminence as a batsman was widely predicted by experts well before he made his debut in Bangalore in 2004 with a bubbly 151. But it was not all smooth sailing as he lost his place and had to prove himself again.
When Clarke returned for the 2005-06 Ashes, it was as a thoughtful batsman and an intelligent decision maker, and it was only natural that he be appointed Ricky Ponting’s deputy. Clarke’s big test came recently when, Andrew Symonds preferred a fishing expedition to a compulsory team meeting. The tough decision to send Symonds home was taken but as Clarke revealed, the call was not his alone.
Excerpts from a chat:
On him being the man to send Symonds packing
(Laughs) It certainly wasn’t a decision I made on my own. It was a decision made by the decision group in the team. It was done in the best interests of the team and in the best interests of Symonds. It’s great to see Symmo back playing cricket now and in time he’ll be back in the Australian team. He is still one of my great friends. I love not only playing but also having him around.
On his success in India
I’ve had some success here in the past and I’m looking forward to getting back to Bangalore, where I made my Test debut, and making some more runs. Obviously, we will be playing against guys who love playing in their conditions, a great team in any conditions. There are a lot of challenges playing Test cricket in India, but that’s a great part of being an international cricketer. India is a great place to learn about the game and its history.
On whether expectations of him have increased
I don’t think so. It’s about making sure I train hard, whichever form of the game. I like playing positive, aggressive cricket. Every Test series has a lot riding on it; the Australian team wants to win every game and I don’t think anything will change here. We’ve got a very good squad with a lot of guys looking forward to playing their first Test match in India.
On the inexperience in the Australian team
Youths in the team is a great thing for us. So many fresh faces brings energy to the game. Yes, the Indian team is very experienced, but I still feel we have a lot of experience in our squad as well. Our captain has played so much cricket and so has Matthew Hayden.
On the inaugural IPL
The reason I didn’t play in the first season was because my fiancee’s father passed away, and my father was diagnosed with cancer. I wanted to spend time with him. I’d love to part of the IPL in years to come. It’s great for cricket as a whole. The IPL helped a lot of guys with Indian conditions and playing T20 cricket. It was great for relationships.
Science - Of two papers and an elusive particle (G.Read)
A. Rangarajan
Interview with Professors Francois Englert and Robert Brout .
When you start talking about the massive scalar boson and the phenomenon of spontaneous symmetry breaking, Professors Francois Englert and Robert Brout of the Free University in Brussels, both in their seventies, acquire a child-like glow in their faces. It is as if the wonder they stumbled upon 45 years ago has never ceased to fascinate them. Professor Brout recalls with awe the profundity of the moment when realisation dawned on them that they were on new frontiers of theoretical physics. The results of their collaborative research made them look into the origin of massive particles associated with fundamental fields mediating short-range interactions. In contrast to the massless photon associated with the electromagnetic field mediating long-range interactions, they were on new ground, defying established notions. This was path-breaking. While at the Free University in Brussels they were wrestling with the mathematical equations that could give them insight into short-range interactions encountered in subatomic structures in terms of fundamental forces, unknown to them another Professor at the Tait Institute of Mathematical Physics attached to the University of Edinburgh was working on the same problem. That was Peter Higgs. While the Brussels-based pair used a scalar field pervading the universe and in so doing constructed a mechanism capable of generating short-range interactions, remarkably Professor Higgs came to the same conclusion and even concurred on spontaneous symmetry breaking as the underlying explanation. His paper followed in a month. Then, somehow, the scalar field, the associated massive particle and the mechanism all came to be named after Professor Higgs, and not all three of them. The other two say Professor Higgs himself has always been fair in acknowledging that their contributions were equal and that the publication of their work preceded his. They attribute it to circumstances, where terms employed by the early users gained currency.
The work of Brout, Englert and Higgs is now in focus because there is an opportunity to experimentally verify the existence of the BEH boson. It is to be one of the main experiments at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider in Europe. The detection of the BEH boson, dubbed rather dramatically as ‘God Particle,’ will be a breakthrough in our understanding of physical reality. It will also ground the Standard Model on a firmer foundation. (The name boson itself stands in honour of Indian physicist Bose who along with Einstein developed the Bose-Einstein statistics in quantum mechanics.) The Standard Model unifies three of the four forces known in nature — the electromagnetic, the weak nuclear and strong nuclear — leaving out only gravitation. Further, the profundity of the idea of the BEH field assumes significance in the light of the fact that it talks about a kind of mysterious presence permeating space, in some key sense even remaining indistinguishable from it. Building on this concept, more ambitious theories could try to account for how the universe burst forth from a kind of nothingness.
All three physicists shared the 2004 Wolf Prize for the experimental verification of the BEH mechanism. If the scalar boson is detected at the LHC, they could come together again to share the Nobel Prize. Professor Englert and Professor Brout, could you tell us about the significance of your work and that of Professor Higgs’ in terms of the important questions in theoretical physics and within the context of the progress we have made?
Englert: Physics as we know it is an attempt to interpret diverse phenomena as particular manifestations of general testable laws. Galileo, Newton, Maxwell, Einstein, and scores of others have taken us along this journey, raising hopes gradually of a possible unified theory. In this quest we encounter two phenomena, long-range interactions (gravity and electromagnetism) and short-range interactions encountered only within the nucleus of the atom. In the 1960s, theoretical interpretation of short-range fundamental interactions posed certain insurmountable problems. The breakthrough came from the notion of spontaneous symmetry breaking wherein short-range interactions are generated from long-range ones. Our work and then independently that of Higgs, thus allowed the theoretical analysis of short-range forces by unifying it in a common framework for both kinds of interactions. This was explained in terms of the BEH mechanism where both kinds of forces are transmitted by the so-called gauge field. In the case of short-range forces the gauge fields acquire mass from spontaneous symmetry breaking, making use of the scalar boson. On the contrary, the photon which is massless is associated with the electromagnetic interaction that occurs over large distances. This discovery thus permitted the application of laws known at the macro level to the sub-nuclear world.
[ Interviewer’s note: Actually there are two known short-range fundamental interactions: the weak and the strong forces. The BEH mechanism is applicable as such to the former and an alternative mechanism is applicable to the latter. Nevertheless, the alternative mechanism can also be put in the BEH framework using the so-called “dual” description.]
Brout: We were inspired by the work of Professor Nambu, who first suggested that spontaneous symmetry breaking already known in solid state physics could be applied to particle physics and fundamental interactions. That was deep insight and we started from there. The later work of Weinberg and Salam that led to the discovery of W and Z bosons and the formulation of the Electroweak theory (for which they won the Nobel Prize with Glashow) is confirmation that we are looking in the right direction. W and Z bosons are heavy particles associated with short-range weak nuclear forces. Their work was also a landmark moment in the quest for unification as it brought electromagnetism and weak nuclear forces on a common frameworkWe know both of you and Professor Higgs came to the same conclusions. Was there any difference in the approach?
Englert: We based our analysis and mathematics on quantum mechanical methods, and in Professor Higgs’ work the model he discusses is in the classical limit of Lagrangian field theory. There are also certain distinctions in terms of abelian and non-abelian frame-works – this might require a longer explanation, but essentially the conclusions reached along the two paths are identical. In a way both papers complement each other. That brings us to the question of how physicists communicate their work and findings to ordinary people. Is this not getting difficult progressively?
Brout: I think one needs to qualify the progressive element here. If you look at the assumptions Newton had to make to explain the principle of conservation of momentum in terms of the assumptions implicit on space and time, that too was difficult to follow. Even in the pre-relativity era. Galileo’s inertial principle was also hard to follow in the beginning. We need to resort increasingly to mathematics because of the precision and economy it offers as a language when we deal with scientific questions. It may be hard, but nevertheless it is possible for ordinary people to understand the issues in theoretical physics.
Englert: The physicist and the interested larger audience need to take a lot of effort and then these ideas can be communicated, at least at the conceptual level.Can the theory of spontaneous symmetry breaking in the context of the BEH field be seen as a theory of mass as well?
Englert: The work of all three of us essentially involves understanding a mechanism that could give rise to short-range forces from long-range forces through spontaneous symmetry breaking. More precisely, it comes through the fact that the fields which are responsible for the interactions give rise to short-range forces under spontaneous symmetry breaking by acquiring mass. Now not only do these vector gauge fields acquire mass but certain elementary particles like fermions [do so] as well. That is why it sometimes is seen as a theory for mass in very general terms.
Brout: We are only talking about the mass of a certain class of particles, not all. That other elementary particles also acquire mass is part and parcel of the symmetry breaking scenario and is most easily and naturally implemented by appeal to the scalar boson.Now what happens if this boson is not found at the LHC? Professor Hawking’s wager on this is in the news. What will be the consequences for physics?
Englert: Maybe Prof. Hawking has an intuition, we do not know. We have no predictions to offer. Let us wait and see. If the scalar boson is found, it means that we have the most simple and elegant expression of spontaneous symmetry breaking. If it is not found, we have to continue our search for a more complex expression. Also, if the scalar boson is found to be an elementary particle (a non-composite) then it may have wider consequences for our understanding of super-symmetry. This goes beyond the issues we have been discussing here.
Me - I didn't understand much of it,but hope you liked the post.
World - Different strokes of 'nuclear diplomacy'
News: ePaper Front Page National Tamil Nadu Andhra Pradesh Karnataka Kerala New Delhi Other States International Opinion Business Sport Miscellaneous Engagements Advts: Retail Plus Classifieds Jobs Obituary
Opinion - News Analysis Different strokes of ‘nuclear diplomacy’
P. S. Suryanarayana
The question is one of cheese and chalk — the ‘soft’ approach of East Asian members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group towards India and their ‘tough’ choices in ‘denuclearising’ North Korea now.
The new crisis in North Korea’s “denuclearisation,” which poses a challenge to the ingenuity of the lead players in the intermittent Six-Party Talks (SPT), has brought under focus different shades of ‘nuclear diplomacy’ in East Asia.
Major countries in this region, which approved the recent pro-India consensus in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), are in fact trying to deflect Pyongyang from a path of “re-nuclearisation” at this stage. Surely, the objective of recognising this reality is not to equate India with North Korea.
India, now widely seen as a rising and responsible global player, has never been a party to the discriminatory Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). In contrast, North Korea, officially known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), is presently outside the NPT, after having been bound by it for a number of years. And, the United States is only now examining the pros and cons of removing the DPRK from the long-standing American list of “rogue states,” or more precisely, “state-sponsors of terrorism.”
In a high point of this drama of contrasts, the India-specific U.S. legislation for civil nuclear energy cooperation was endorsed on the Capitol Hill on October 1 in the local calendar. And, on October 2 in East Asia, U.S. envoy Christopher Hill sought to defuse the latest crisis over the DPRK’s nuclear issues by holding talks with its leaders in Pyongyang.
Despite such a crystal-clear contrast, there is some similarity between the key issue now being addressed in the DPRK’s case and a central theme in the recent India-specific deliberations of the NSG. Some NSG activists wanted to be sure that India would resolutely adhere to its unilateral moratorium on further nuclear-weapon testing. And, at present, the main concern in the SPT circles is that the DPRK, which conducted a solitary low-yield nuclear-weapon test nearly two years ago, should not abandon “denuclearisation” and resume testing.
The SPT, whose agenda is to bring about “denuclearisation” of the entire Korean peninsula, brings together the U.S., the DPRK, China as Chair of the talks, South Korea, Japan, and Russia. All of them, except the DPRK, are NSG members; and they were party to the recent India-specific consensus, which allows it access to materials, equipment, and knowhow in the civil nuclear energy sector.
The U.S., more than Russia, did in the end influence the thinking of Japan, South Korea, and China, all East Asian states, as also Australia and New Zealand in the extended region, in favour of India in the NSG. So, in a sense, the current thinking of the DPRK’s five SPT-linked dialogue partners on the Korean nuclear issue can be compared with their recent thinking on the India question in the NSG.
Very recently, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) de-sealed and removed all surveillance-gadgets from the DPRK’s reprocessing plant at the Yongbyon nuclear complex. The plant was earlier sealed under the supervision of IAEA inspectors and in terms of the SPT agreements. In fact, the agreed SPT formulae provided for steps to “disable” the DPRK’s known nuclear facilities at Yongbyon. And, the “disablement” is a prelude to their permanent “dismantlement” under the overall “denuclearisation” package in respect of North Korea’s plutonium-based nuclear-weapons programme.
While the de-sealing reverses this process of “disablement,” two other collateral issues are also relevant to the current crisis. Unresolved, at the time this article is written, is the dispute over the modalities of verifying the DPRK’s “nuclear declaration,” already presented under the SPT framework. The other issue relates to Pyongyang’s suspected uranium-based nuclear-weapons programme.
Against the backdrop of these unresolved issues, the de-sealing was carried out in late September, at Pyongyang’s behest; and IAEA inspectors were also withdrawn from Yongbyon. Significant in these circumstances is the fact that the IAEA Board members from East Asia, some of them being NSG participants as well, did not prevent the de-sealing. Two reasons are applicable to this setting.
First, the DPRK, not being a member of the IAEA and not a party to the NPT in recent years, had “voluntarily” agreed to the sealing under the SPT process alone. To this extent, there was nothing that the IAEA could really do to dissuade the DPRK from asking for a de-sealing. Secondly, the “exceptional status,” which the IAEA and the NSG recently granted India, on the grounds of its high non-proliferation credentials, has had a psychological impact on the NSG members from East Asia. These East Asian players have acted in concert with the U.S. on the India issue in the NSG, but more so as a ‘concession’ to the sensibilities of U.S. President George W. Bush. And, thereby hangs a tale of “strategic realities” in East Asia.
Official India’s view of China’s final say in the NSG has to do with the ebb and flow of the relationship between them since the 1950s and with perceptions about their parallel rise as economic and political powers at present. At the other end of the spectrum, Wang Jisi, an America-specialist and an “advisor” to Chinese President Hu Jintao, pointed out, not long ago, that Official China had reason to see the U.S. as “the mainstay of hostile forces.” At the same time, Beijing’s pragmatism in foreign policy is almost proverbial. As Avery Goldstein, John Ikenberry and several other experts have noted, China has chosen to rise as a global power within the “constraints” of the existing U.S.-dominated order. China’s studied ‘concession’ to U.S. wishes becomes meaningful in this context, especially when a potential spin-off can be some goodwill from India.
As for Japan, still a ‘pacifist’ state, and Australia as also South Korea, both being U.S. allies and non-proliferation campaigners, Bush’s wish-list about India tipped the arguments in the NSG. And, New Zealand, with its modest profile in global affairs, could not obviously swim against the U.S.-propelled current for long.
On balance, with China now re-emerging as the major player that the U.S. is turning to for breaking the DPRK-related logjam, the different strokes of ‘nuclear diplomacy’ in East Asia will come into a greater focus. The question is one of cheese and chalk – the ‘soft’ approach of East Asian members of the NSG towards India and their ‘tough’ choices in ‘denuclearising’ North Korea now.
Opinion - News Analysis Different strokes of ‘nuclear diplomacy’
P. S. Suryanarayana
The question is one of cheese and chalk — the ‘soft’ approach of East Asian members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group towards India and their ‘tough’ choices in ‘denuclearising’ North Korea now.
The new crisis in North Korea’s “denuclearisation,” which poses a challenge to the ingenuity of the lead players in the intermittent Six-Party Talks (SPT), has brought under focus different shades of ‘nuclear diplomacy’ in East Asia.
Major countries in this region, which approved the recent pro-India consensus in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), are in fact trying to deflect Pyongyang from a path of “re-nuclearisation” at this stage. Surely, the objective of recognising this reality is not to equate India with North Korea.
India, now widely seen as a rising and responsible global player, has never been a party to the discriminatory Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). In contrast, North Korea, officially known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), is presently outside the NPT, after having been bound by it for a number of years. And, the United States is only now examining the pros and cons of removing the DPRK from the long-standing American list of “rogue states,” or more precisely, “state-sponsors of terrorism.”
In a high point of this drama of contrasts, the India-specific U.S. legislation for civil nuclear energy cooperation was endorsed on the Capitol Hill on October 1 in the local calendar. And, on October 2 in East Asia, U.S. envoy Christopher Hill sought to defuse the latest crisis over the DPRK’s nuclear issues by holding talks with its leaders in Pyongyang.
Despite such a crystal-clear contrast, there is some similarity between the key issue now being addressed in the DPRK’s case and a central theme in the recent India-specific deliberations of the NSG. Some NSG activists wanted to be sure that India would resolutely adhere to its unilateral moratorium on further nuclear-weapon testing. And, at present, the main concern in the SPT circles is that the DPRK, which conducted a solitary low-yield nuclear-weapon test nearly two years ago, should not abandon “denuclearisation” and resume testing.
The SPT, whose agenda is to bring about “denuclearisation” of the entire Korean peninsula, brings together the U.S., the DPRK, China as Chair of the talks, South Korea, Japan, and Russia. All of them, except the DPRK, are NSG members; and they were party to the recent India-specific consensus, which allows it access to materials, equipment, and knowhow in the civil nuclear energy sector.
The U.S., more than Russia, did in the end influence the thinking of Japan, South Korea, and China, all East Asian states, as also Australia and New Zealand in the extended region, in favour of India in the NSG. So, in a sense, the current thinking of the DPRK’s five SPT-linked dialogue partners on the Korean nuclear issue can be compared with their recent thinking on the India question in the NSG.
Very recently, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) de-sealed and removed all surveillance-gadgets from the DPRK’s reprocessing plant at the Yongbyon nuclear complex. The plant was earlier sealed under the supervision of IAEA inspectors and in terms of the SPT agreements. In fact, the agreed SPT formulae provided for steps to “disable” the DPRK’s known nuclear facilities at Yongbyon. And, the “disablement” is a prelude to their permanent “dismantlement” under the overall “denuclearisation” package in respect of North Korea’s plutonium-based nuclear-weapons programme.
While the de-sealing reverses this process of “disablement,” two other collateral issues are also relevant to the current crisis. Unresolved, at the time this article is written, is the dispute over the modalities of verifying the DPRK’s “nuclear declaration,” already presented under the SPT framework. The other issue relates to Pyongyang’s suspected uranium-based nuclear-weapons programme.
Against the backdrop of these unresolved issues, the de-sealing was carried out in late September, at Pyongyang’s behest; and IAEA inspectors were also withdrawn from Yongbyon. Significant in these circumstances is the fact that the IAEA Board members from East Asia, some of them being NSG participants as well, did not prevent the de-sealing. Two reasons are applicable to this setting.
First, the DPRK, not being a member of the IAEA and not a party to the NPT in recent years, had “voluntarily” agreed to the sealing under the SPT process alone. To this extent, there was nothing that the IAEA could really do to dissuade the DPRK from asking for a de-sealing. Secondly, the “exceptional status,” which the IAEA and the NSG recently granted India, on the grounds of its high non-proliferation credentials, has had a psychological impact on the NSG members from East Asia. These East Asian players have acted in concert with the U.S. on the India issue in the NSG, but more so as a ‘concession’ to the sensibilities of U.S. President George W. Bush. And, thereby hangs a tale of “strategic realities” in East Asia.
Official India’s view of China’s final say in the NSG has to do with the ebb and flow of the relationship between them since the 1950s and with perceptions about their parallel rise as economic and political powers at present. At the other end of the spectrum, Wang Jisi, an America-specialist and an “advisor” to Chinese President Hu Jintao, pointed out, not long ago, that Official China had reason to see the U.S. as “the mainstay of hostile forces.” At the same time, Beijing’s pragmatism in foreign policy is almost proverbial. As Avery Goldstein, John Ikenberry and several other experts have noted, China has chosen to rise as a global power within the “constraints” of the existing U.S.-dominated order. China’s studied ‘concession’ to U.S. wishes becomes meaningful in this context, especially when a potential spin-off can be some goodwill from India.
As for Japan, still a ‘pacifist’ state, and Australia as also South Korea, both being U.S. allies and non-proliferation campaigners, Bush’s wish-list about India tipped the arguments in the NSG. And, New Zealand, with its modest profile in global affairs, could not obviously swim against the U.S.-propelled current for long.
On balance, with China now re-emerging as the major player that the U.S. is turning to for breaking the DPRK-related logjam, the different strokes of ‘nuclear diplomacy’ in East Asia will come into a greater focus. The question is one of cheese and chalk – the ‘soft’ approach of East Asian members of the NSG towards India and their ‘tough’ choices in ‘denuclearising’ North Korea now.
India - Decoding the Manmohan Singh Enigma
Harish Khare
Do we really know Manmohan Singh as well as we think? The recently concluded visit to the United States and France provided a glimpse.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is back from his longest overseas trip. Engagements during such trips are minutely orchestrated affairs. Spontaneity, if any, is carefully planned.
But there were still two rather revealing moments during the longish road trip which added to the still unfolding enigma of Manmohan Singh, the man and the politician.
Both moments found Dr. Singh speaking without the restraint of a script, usually vetted by four or five aides who among themselves manage, as a routine, to suck life and liveliness out of any prose.
The first unscripted moment came at the White House on September 25.
The Prime Minister virtually went into a rhetorical overdrive, with President Bush sitting just a handshake away. For nearly five minutes he spoke extempore; as usual not a word out of syntax; but, it is difficult to recall, when, in recent months, the Prime Minister allowed himself to speak off the cuff. The praise he showered on his host seemed to come naturally and from the heart. This was Manmohan Singh uncensored.
As a handful of us present in the Oval Office incredulously heard him proclaim the people of India’s love for George Bush, he was probably convinced of the correctness of his own conviction about the new engagement between India and the United States. Perhaps he also knew that the “India loves George Bush” song will not play well at all in Lucknow or Hyderabad, he still belted it out.
Did the occasion overwhelm his better judgment?
After all, the Prime Minister and his senior colleagues had landed in Washington just at a time when the American leadership, from President George Bush down to the lowly Congressman, found itself in midst of a grave financial crisis.
Indeed even as the Indian press contingent was checking in at one of the side gates of the White House, another horde of newsmen, mostly American, had already gathered, keeping a vigil on the meeting President Bush was having with the presidential candidates, John McCain and Barak Obama.
Dr. Singh had reason to be grateful that the President was willing to spend so much time for India and its Prime Minister at such a distracting time.
We learnt later that there was nervousness in the prime ministerial team whether the meeting and the dinner thereafter would come off at all.
If the Prime Minister’s proclamation of Indian people’s love for Mr. Bush was music to the presidential ear, what Dr. Singh heard from his host was not unmelodious either. The Prime Minister was told that Mr. Bush found his company “calming.” A moment of personal satisfaction — to be savoured notwithstanding Mr. Bush’s rather low standing in the domestic (American and Indian) political discourse.
The second moment came at the very end of the long journey.
The Prime Minister was answering a few questions from the mediapersons travelling with him. He was asked whether there were two Manmohan Singhs: one, a non-politician political leader, uncomfortable with the soggy compromises of the coalition politics; and, the other, unsentimentally determined to pursue what he had set out to achieve (the nuclear deal) even if it meant risking his own government. He was asked whether the first Manmohan Singh had metamorphosed into the second.
The good doctor was flustered; embarrassed at this suggestion of induction into the dark hall of amoral realpolitik; he paused, took a sip of water and then recovered sufficiently to come out with a well composed spiel about the difficulties of working with coalition partners, etc. The googly was neatly deflected for a single.
The follow-up question was a bouncer. But he had recovered his poise by the time he was asked if he was going to be the Congress’ prime ministerial candidate. He simply ducked it: “the Congress party has several leaders who are equally or better qualified than I am.” He was not going to let the calculating Congress crowd gang up on him.
When combined, the two unscripted occasions do give a rare glimpse of Dr. Singh in an unguarded moment to reveal a man determined to have his say, and, if necessary, his way.
Do we really know Manmohan Singh as well as we think? The recently concluded visit to the United States and France provided a glimpse.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is back from his longest overseas trip. Engagements during such trips are minutely orchestrated affairs. Spontaneity, if any, is carefully planned.
But there were still two rather revealing moments during the longish road trip which added to the still unfolding enigma of Manmohan Singh, the man and the politician.
Both moments found Dr. Singh speaking without the restraint of a script, usually vetted by four or five aides who among themselves manage, as a routine, to suck life and liveliness out of any prose.
The first unscripted moment came at the White House on September 25.
The Prime Minister virtually went into a rhetorical overdrive, with President Bush sitting just a handshake away. For nearly five minutes he spoke extempore; as usual not a word out of syntax; but, it is difficult to recall, when, in recent months, the Prime Minister allowed himself to speak off the cuff. The praise he showered on his host seemed to come naturally and from the heart. This was Manmohan Singh uncensored.
As a handful of us present in the Oval Office incredulously heard him proclaim the people of India’s love for George Bush, he was probably convinced of the correctness of his own conviction about the new engagement between India and the United States. Perhaps he also knew that the “India loves George Bush” song will not play well at all in Lucknow or Hyderabad, he still belted it out.
Did the occasion overwhelm his better judgment?
After all, the Prime Minister and his senior colleagues had landed in Washington just at a time when the American leadership, from President George Bush down to the lowly Congressman, found itself in midst of a grave financial crisis.
Indeed even as the Indian press contingent was checking in at one of the side gates of the White House, another horde of newsmen, mostly American, had already gathered, keeping a vigil on the meeting President Bush was having with the presidential candidates, John McCain and Barak Obama.
Dr. Singh had reason to be grateful that the President was willing to spend so much time for India and its Prime Minister at such a distracting time.
We learnt later that there was nervousness in the prime ministerial team whether the meeting and the dinner thereafter would come off at all.
If the Prime Minister’s proclamation of Indian people’s love for Mr. Bush was music to the presidential ear, what Dr. Singh heard from his host was not unmelodious either. The Prime Minister was told that Mr. Bush found his company “calming.” A moment of personal satisfaction — to be savoured notwithstanding Mr. Bush’s rather low standing in the domestic (American and Indian) political discourse.
The second moment came at the very end of the long journey.
The Prime Minister was answering a few questions from the mediapersons travelling with him. He was asked whether there were two Manmohan Singhs: one, a non-politician political leader, uncomfortable with the soggy compromises of the coalition politics; and, the other, unsentimentally determined to pursue what he had set out to achieve (the nuclear deal) even if it meant risking his own government. He was asked whether the first Manmohan Singh had metamorphosed into the second.
The good doctor was flustered; embarrassed at this suggestion of induction into the dark hall of amoral realpolitik; he paused, took a sip of water and then recovered sufficiently to come out with a well composed spiel about the difficulties of working with coalition partners, etc. The googly was neatly deflected for a single.
The follow-up question was a bouncer. But he had recovered his poise by the time he was asked if he was going to be the Congress’ prime ministerial candidate. He simply ducked it: “the Congress party has several leaders who are equally or better qualified than I am.” He was not going to let the calculating Congress crowd gang up on him.
When combined, the two unscripted occasions do give a rare glimpse of Dr. Singh in an unguarded moment to reveal a man determined to have his say, and, if necessary, his way.
World - Pakistan;Marriott bombing:a missed opportunity (G.Read)
Nirupama Subramanian
The Pakistani nation is even more confused today about who it is fighting than it was seven years ago, when the “war on terror” began in the Musharraf regime.
The night of September 20 when the Islamabad Marriott was going up in flames after being hit by the single biggest terrorist bomb in Pakistan’s history, one thought ran through the minds of many Pakistanis: “this is our 9/11”. But influential voices that urged the government to make use of the moment to rally the country in the fight against the Taliban, terrorism, militancy and extremism are in despair now that the opportunity was passed up.
The new government has spoken several times of the importance of building a national consensus on Pakistan’s need to battle terrorism for its own survival. The aftermath of the devastating bombing, some observers are saying, was the right time to build such a consensus.
Instead, as Mr. Zardari flew to New York the next day for the U.N. General Assembly after a botched-up address to the nation — the state-run Pakistan Television showed a rehearsal instead of the final recording — and the Prime Minister left for Lahore, the moment passed.
Except for a brief visit by Rehman Malik, an adviser to the Prime Minister who functions as the Interior Minister, in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, no prominent government figure went to the site of the blast. Not a single opposition party, including Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (N), condemned the attack.
Within a few hours of the attack, Pakistan’s “aha” moment had given way to a bagful of media-led theories leading up more to a justification of the action, rather than its condemnation. Television talk shows connected the hotel attack to the ongoing military operations against Taliban militants in Bajaur, or to the American missile strikes in the tribal areas, or the presence of American marines in the hotel, or to the “root cause” – former President Pervez Musharraf’s decision to participate in the “war on terror”.
It was Mr. Malik, the de facto Interior Minister, who, when asked by reporter at a press conference on the presence of American Marines in the hotel, came closest to framing the problem that Pakistan faces today with any clarity.
“What is the matter that our media never condemns the militants?” he asked. “It is the militants who have heaped up so many corpses today, martyred so many — I want to make a request, that our television anchors, our print journalists, why are they not saying that what these people are doing is against Islam?... For the sake of god, the glorification of terrorists must stop. This is a crime in the world… Marriott is an international chain. Investors stayed there, international journalists stayed there, it is possible that some U.S. Marines also stayed there. But just because two Marines were present among a thousand Pakistanis does not mean you can give permission to anyone to blow up the building. This cannot be a justification. Please consider this request, and consider it in the context of Pakistan.”
But if anything, the Pakistani nation is even more confused today about who it is fighting than it was seven years ago, when the “war on terror” began in the Musharraf regime. Such is the confusion that now when government spokesmen say “no Muslim could have committed such an act of terror,” the media takeaway from that is a non-Muslim “foreign” hand was involved.
Soldiers deployed in the north-west frontier regions do not want to fight the Taliban because they are fellow Muslims. And among the people, the view persists that the Taliban are “our misguided brothers” who can be talked back to the straight and narrow. All the country’s current problems will vanish, it is being said, if only Pakistan would assume a “neutral” position in U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, because it is “not our war.”
On television screens, anchors are foolhardily urging that the Pakistan government show the Americans their place at least by blocking their main supply route into Afghanistan through Pakistan. The argument forwarded is that Pakistan became a target for terrorists only after 2001, when it got drawn into the American-led war in Afghanistan; no suicide attacks took place on Pakistani soil before that..
It is true that Pakistan is unsafe now, more than it was before 9/11, notwithstanding Mr. Zardari’s praise of U.S. President George Bush for making the world a “safer” place. Each callous missile strike by the United States on Pakistani soil serves the cause of the Taliban militants as it feeds into the country-wide anti-Americanism.
But a small section of the country’s opinion-makers, barely audible over the babel, has also begun asking if anything will be resolved just by pulling out of the U.S.-led war. These voices are pointing out that the present situation is not just the result of the American war in Afghanistan, but a blowback of the policies of pre-9/11 Pakistan. Suicide bombings were unknown in Pakistan then, but plenty of militant groups were born and nurtured by a state apparatus that funded them and trained them to fight proxy wars in Kashmir and Afghanistan.
Writing in the The News, commentator Farrukh Saleem estimated that the Taliban and the jihadis, a once-vital leg of the country’s national security doctrine, had killed 10,267 Pakistanis in five years, 6,000 more than the total number of Pakistanis killed in the 1965 war with India.
“Our own proxies are hitting back at the very soul of Pakistan,” he wrote. “It’s neither about religion nor about tribal traditions. This is an active insurgency whereby our ex-proxies are struggling to suck the soul out of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and then hold physical terrain from where to effect their agenda… our national defence strategy has long been due for a major makeover. But, we have long been in a state of denial.”
In the same newspaper, Shafqat Mahmood, a one-time adviser to Benazir Bhutto, said: “Let us clear the cobwebs from our mind. There is the American angle and it complicates the situation mightily for us but we are fighting a home-grown terrorist minority… There is an enemy within. It must be fought with the combined will of the nation or little will remain of us.”
He made the important point that state support to militancy began under the Zia-ul Haq dictatorship without the people’s consent and was later quietly continued by an autonomously functioning Army. In private discussions, influential Pakistanis acknowledge that the first step in Pakistan’s road to recovery has to be a national discussion — in parliament or in an all-party conference — on the state’s three-decade-old jihad policy, a no-holds-barred appraisal of its costs, and its compatibility with what Pakistan wants to be and where it wants to go. It will be difficult — the elected government of the day must take the lead, the Pakistan Army must be on board, and opposition politicians, the media and other opinion-makers must be persuaded to join in. But then, this is what leaders are elected to do.
Some journalists — it first came up at a conference of women media professionals — have also begun to debate how language and the use of words affects the media’s message. The most widely used Urdu word askariyat pasand — literally those who like weapons — it is argued, does not convey any horror. Quite to the contrary, as I. A Rehman, a leading political commentator, wrote in the Dawn, ‘askar’ — arms — ‘askari’ and ‘askariat’ are sacred words and ordinary Pakistanis would not associate any wrong with them. Another columnist in the same paper pointed out that at least one television channel was even describing the Taliban as mazahmat kar, Urdu for resistance fighters.
As the debates rage about right and wrong, the government appears unsure — some would say divided — on whether it really wants to turn the page on the chapter of state-sponsored militancy. A Pakistani friend who recently returned from a trip to southern Punjab related how banned groups such as the Jaishe-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Toiba are regrouping, and canvassing in small towns and villages. Hafiz Saeed, the LeT chief, who also heads its legal front Jamat-ud-Dawa, addresses rallies — most recently in Karachi — at which he openly espouses jihad in Kashmir. The banned Sipah-e-Sahaba held a massive rally in the same city recently. When asked why the government was not doing anything to stop them, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s reply, just two days before the Marriott blast, was that a democratic government’s credentials would be called into question if it began banning “peaceful” rallies. Days after the Marriott attack, a police raid on a safe house of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi in Karachi ended with three would-be suicide bombers blowing themselves up, and the arrest of their leader.
When Mr. Zardari says he wants to “suck out the oxygen” from the Taliban and the Al Qaeda, no one doubts his sincerity. But the question being asked from New York to New Delhi, and also in Pakistan, is whether he has what it takes to rally the nation, his party and the entire state apparatus for the task ahead
The Pakistani nation is even more confused today about who it is fighting than it was seven years ago, when the “war on terror” began in the Musharraf regime.
The night of September 20 when the Islamabad Marriott was going up in flames after being hit by the single biggest terrorist bomb in Pakistan’s history, one thought ran through the minds of many Pakistanis: “this is our 9/11”. But influential voices that urged the government to make use of the moment to rally the country in the fight against the Taliban, terrorism, militancy and extremism are in despair now that the opportunity was passed up.
The new government has spoken several times of the importance of building a national consensus on Pakistan’s need to battle terrorism for its own survival. The aftermath of the devastating bombing, some observers are saying, was the right time to build such a consensus.
Instead, as Mr. Zardari flew to New York the next day for the U.N. General Assembly after a botched-up address to the nation — the state-run Pakistan Television showed a rehearsal instead of the final recording — and the Prime Minister left for Lahore, the moment passed.
Except for a brief visit by Rehman Malik, an adviser to the Prime Minister who functions as the Interior Minister, in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, no prominent government figure went to the site of the blast. Not a single opposition party, including Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (N), condemned the attack.
Within a few hours of the attack, Pakistan’s “aha” moment had given way to a bagful of media-led theories leading up more to a justification of the action, rather than its condemnation. Television talk shows connected the hotel attack to the ongoing military operations against Taliban militants in Bajaur, or to the American missile strikes in the tribal areas, or the presence of American marines in the hotel, or to the “root cause” – former President Pervez Musharraf’s decision to participate in the “war on terror”.
It was Mr. Malik, the de facto Interior Minister, who, when asked by reporter at a press conference on the presence of American Marines in the hotel, came closest to framing the problem that Pakistan faces today with any clarity.
“What is the matter that our media never condemns the militants?” he asked. “It is the militants who have heaped up so many corpses today, martyred so many — I want to make a request, that our television anchors, our print journalists, why are they not saying that what these people are doing is against Islam?... For the sake of god, the glorification of terrorists must stop. This is a crime in the world… Marriott is an international chain. Investors stayed there, international journalists stayed there, it is possible that some U.S. Marines also stayed there. But just because two Marines were present among a thousand Pakistanis does not mean you can give permission to anyone to blow up the building. This cannot be a justification. Please consider this request, and consider it in the context of Pakistan.”
But if anything, the Pakistani nation is even more confused today about who it is fighting than it was seven years ago, when the “war on terror” began in the Musharraf regime. Such is the confusion that now when government spokesmen say “no Muslim could have committed such an act of terror,” the media takeaway from that is a non-Muslim “foreign” hand was involved.
Soldiers deployed in the north-west frontier regions do not want to fight the Taliban because they are fellow Muslims. And among the people, the view persists that the Taliban are “our misguided brothers” who can be talked back to the straight and narrow. All the country’s current problems will vanish, it is being said, if only Pakistan would assume a “neutral” position in U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, because it is “not our war.”
On television screens, anchors are foolhardily urging that the Pakistan government show the Americans their place at least by blocking their main supply route into Afghanistan through Pakistan. The argument forwarded is that Pakistan became a target for terrorists only after 2001, when it got drawn into the American-led war in Afghanistan; no suicide attacks took place on Pakistani soil before that..
It is true that Pakistan is unsafe now, more than it was before 9/11, notwithstanding Mr. Zardari’s praise of U.S. President George Bush for making the world a “safer” place. Each callous missile strike by the United States on Pakistani soil serves the cause of the Taliban militants as it feeds into the country-wide anti-Americanism.
But a small section of the country’s opinion-makers, barely audible over the babel, has also begun asking if anything will be resolved just by pulling out of the U.S.-led war. These voices are pointing out that the present situation is not just the result of the American war in Afghanistan, but a blowback of the policies of pre-9/11 Pakistan. Suicide bombings were unknown in Pakistan then, but plenty of militant groups were born and nurtured by a state apparatus that funded them and trained them to fight proxy wars in Kashmir and Afghanistan.
Writing in the The News, commentator Farrukh Saleem estimated that the Taliban and the jihadis, a once-vital leg of the country’s national security doctrine, had killed 10,267 Pakistanis in five years, 6,000 more than the total number of Pakistanis killed in the 1965 war with India.
“Our own proxies are hitting back at the very soul of Pakistan,” he wrote. “It’s neither about religion nor about tribal traditions. This is an active insurgency whereby our ex-proxies are struggling to suck the soul out of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and then hold physical terrain from where to effect their agenda… our national defence strategy has long been due for a major makeover. But, we have long been in a state of denial.”
In the same newspaper, Shafqat Mahmood, a one-time adviser to Benazir Bhutto, said: “Let us clear the cobwebs from our mind. There is the American angle and it complicates the situation mightily for us but we are fighting a home-grown terrorist minority… There is an enemy within. It must be fought with the combined will of the nation or little will remain of us.”
He made the important point that state support to militancy began under the Zia-ul Haq dictatorship without the people’s consent and was later quietly continued by an autonomously functioning Army. In private discussions, influential Pakistanis acknowledge that the first step in Pakistan’s road to recovery has to be a national discussion — in parliament or in an all-party conference — on the state’s three-decade-old jihad policy, a no-holds-barred appraisal of its costs, and its compatibility with what Pakistan wants to be and where it wants to go. It will be difficult — the elected government of the day must take the lead, the Pakistan Army must be on board, and opposition politicians, the media and other opinion-makers must be persuaded to join in. But then, this is what leaders are elected to do.
Some journalists — it first came up at a conference of women media professionals — have also begun to debate how language and the use of words affects the media’s message. The most widely used Urdu word askariyat pasand — literally those who like weapons — it is argued, does not convey any horror. Quite to the contrary, as I. A Rehman, a leading political commentator, wrote in the Dawn, ‘askar’ — arms — ‘askari’ and ‘askariat’ are sacred words and ordinary Pakistanis would not associate any wrong with them. Another columnist in the same paper pointed out that at least one television channel was even describing the Taliban as mazahmat kar, Urdu for resistance fighters.
As the debates rage about right and wrong, the government appears unsure — some would say divided — on whether it really wants to turn the page on the chapter of state-sponsored militancy. A Pakistani friend who recently returned from a trip to southern Punjab related how banned groups such as the Jaishe-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Toiba are regrouping, and canvassing in small towns and villages. Hafiz Saeed, the LeT chief, who also heads its legal front Jamat-ud-Dawa, addresses rallies — most recently in Karachi — at which he openly espouses jihad in Kashmir. The banned Sipah-e-Sahaba held a massive rally in the same city recently. When asked why the government was not doing anything to stop them, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s reply, just two days before the Marriott blast, was that a democratic government’s credentials would be called into question if it began banning “peaceful” rallies. Days after the Marriott attack, a police raid on a safe house of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi in Karachi ended with three would-be suicide bombers blowing themselves up, and the arrest of their leader.
When Mr. Zardari says he wants to “suck out the oxygen” from the Taliban and the Al Qaeda, no one doubts his sincerity. But the question being asked from New York to New Delhi, and also in Pakistan, is whether he has what it takes to rally the nation, his party and the entire state apparatus for the task ahead
India - Do not operationalise 123
Given the riders that accompanied the passage of the U.S.-India Nuclear Cooperation Agreement through Capitol Hill, there is no reason for the United Progressive Alliance government to feel euphoric about Wednesday evening’s 86-13 vote in the Senate. The 123 Agreement was always going to be subordinate to the Hyde Act and it was disingenuous of the government to argue the contrary. What made the text somewhat defensible was the balance of rights and obligations it co uld claim to strike within. That balance has been fatally disturbed by the White House and Congress entering reservations derogating from a number of its provisions. Those who argue that the bilateral deal is unaffected and that India cannot be bound by anything it does not sign miss the fundamental point: the U.S. has posted advance notice of its refusal to be bound by what it is about to sign. This means India must carry the burden of its obligations while being denied the clear rights the agreement gives it with respect to fuel supply commitments and the permanence of reprocessing consent rights. Implementation of the 123 was always going to be difficult given differing interpretations of the provisions on the termination of nuclear cooperation and implementation of ‘the right of return.’ But with the new issues opened up first by the Bush administration and then by Congress, it will be irresponsible on the part of the Indian government to operationalise the agreement — and use it as the basis to import 10,000 MWe worth of nuclear reactors from the U.S.
No doubt President George Bush will attempt to assuage Indian concerns by making a signing statement setting aside some of Congress’s riders. But the bare essence of what the American legislature has done is to incorporate what Mr. Bush conveyed to it last month. Will it be proper for New Delhi to sign an agreement whose basic provisions Washington says it has no intention of treating as a legal commitment? Even if the Indian government places on record its disagreement with the U.S. position, the 123 is destined to remain a dead letter for the foreseeable future. Satisfactory fuel supply arrangements can conceivably be struck with other countries but no U.S. reactor can be bought without permanent arrangements for reprocessing its spent fuel firmly in place. For India, the Nuclear Suppliers Group waiver seemed the high point of the drama because, in principle, it opened the doors of the world to it. But like a deviant son who appears in the closing stages to claim his inheritance, the 123 has become the plot spoiler. The UPA government must urgently take Parliament into confidence on what has happened. It must make it clear to the people of India and to the U.S. that bilateral nuclear commerce will not be possible given the refusal of Washington to accept the binding nature of the commitments it is entering into.
No doubt President George Bush will attempt to assuage Indian concerns by making a signing statement setting aside some of Congress’s riders. But the bare essence of what the American legislature has done is to incorporate what Mr. Bush conveyed to it last month. Will it be proper for New Delhi to sign an agreement whose basic provisions Washington says it has no intention of treating as a legal commitment? Even if the Indian government places on record its disagreement with the U.S. position, the 123 is destined to remain a dead letter for the foreseeable future. Satisfactory fuel supply arrangements can conceivably be struck with other countries but no U.S. reactor can be bought without permanent arrangements for reprocessing its spent fuel firmly in place. For India, the Nuclear Suppliers Group waiver seemed the high point of the drama because, in principle, it opened the doors of the world to it. But like a deviant son who appears in the closing stages to claim his inheritance, the 123 has become the plot spoiler. The UPA government must urgently take Parliament into confidence on what has happened. It must make it clear to the people of India and to the U.S. that bilateral nuclear commerce will not be possible given the refusal of Washington to accept the binding nature of the commitments it is entering into.
World - China;Graduates face a test in villages
Zhan Yan
It also helps to employ the nation’s rising tide of graduates
BEIJING: Wang He heads to the fields in the morning with the peasants. He knows how to work the crops: watering, fertilizing, weeding. But when he graduated from Beijing University of Agriculture two years ago, the law and politics major had dreamed of becoming a lawyer.
He’s an assistant to the head of Sanjie Village, Kangzhuang Township in Beijing’s Yanqing County, under the Chinese government scheme to employ 1,00,000 college graduates in villages over five years from 2008. The scheme aims to revitalise rural China by changing the grassroots cardre structure and boosting the government’s “new countryside” initiative. It also helps to employ the nation’s rising tide of graduates.
“Our strong point is our knowledge, but we also have our weakness — a lack of practical experience,” says Wang (26). Most villagers hope the graduates can bring new expertise to improve their living standards.
Mr. Wang introduced the “colourful sweet potato” with the help of his alma mater. The new species has bright yellow, white and purple flesh and is highly nutritious. It also costs more than the ordinary sweet potato.
Villagers previously planted corn and earned less than 1,000 yuan ($142.86) per mu (0.07 hectares), but the figure doubled after they planted the new sweet potato species.
Mr. Wang often works in the fields, but he knows he’s of little help. “Peasants are much more adept at farming, that’s their strong point. It’s pointless for graduates to focus on farm work. We should do something they want to do, but they cannot do.” He focuses on technology, marketing, publicity and connecting with the outside world. His routine work is chores, such as recording village meetings, issuing certificates and broadcasting notices.
He also applies his legal knowledge to mediate in conflicts between the villagers and help write legal papers.
Real life is different from what he learnt in books. “Mediating conflicts between neighbours needs more worldly wisdom than legal knowledge. Sometimes laws are useless here,” says Mr. Wang.
However, many graduates find it hard to adjust. “It’s hard to feel accepted,” says a graduate. “Families have often been here for generations and it’s really, really hard for them to accept an outsider.” On-line discussion about the scheme is abuzz with doubts such as whether graduates can change the villages or be changed by the villages. Can they merge into village life or will they remain semi-detached? Mr. Wang grew up in Beijing’s rural Miyun District and has few problems in getting on. “The connections grow daily. You must greet villagers warmly or chat with them to show respect.
An anonymous graduate tells how he started work with little idea of what to do. Village heads assigned him chores like typing or moving flowerpots. “The real world is quite different from what I have been taught. Some ugly behaviour just makes me sick.
“I feel the village is changing me, not I’m changing the village. I’m considering resigning.” Failing to fulfil the contract means losing the preferential treatment on insurance or further study. Young graduates are bringing new attitudes to villages. Hu Jiandang (24), a martial arts graduate from Beijing Sport University, is assistant to the head of Wangchang Village in Panggezhuang Township in Beijing’s Daxing District. He found an old couple, who made a living raising cattle, were isolated as their son had been in prison for almost 30 years for robbery.
“A family with such a son is often ostracised,” says Mr. Hu. On the old man’s birthday he bought a cake and took photos. “Locals tell me to stay away from them, but the couple were moved and felt warmth from the outside world. I believe my behaviour will help villagers accept them gradually.”
“Urban people might struggle to buy an apartment or a car, but the peasants struggle for basic necessities like food and clothes. A child can consume all their savings and put them into debt,” says Mr. Wang.
“But rural China is experiencing a golden period of growth with preferential policies from the government and promises of a bigger market.” Two years have seasoned Mr. Wang. “I was too idealistic and believed all the things I planned could come true, but now I’m more practical.” After three years in villages, the graduates enjoy priority in applying for public service posts and graduate study opportunities.
— Xinhua
It also helps to employ the nation’s rising tide of graduates
BEIJING: Wang He heads to the fields in the morning with the peasants. He knows how to work the crops: watering, fertilizing, weeding. But when he graduated from Beijing University of Agriculture two years ago, the law and politics major had dreamed of becoming a lawyer.
He’s an assistant to the head of Sanjie Village, Kangzhuang Township in Beijing’s Yanqing County, under the Chinese government scheme to employ 1,00,000 college graduates in villages over five years from 2008. The scheme aims to revitalise rural China by changing the grassroots cardre structure and boosting the government’s “new countryside” initiative. It also helps to employ the nation’s rising tide of graduates.
“Our strong point is our knowledge, but we also have our weakness — a lack of practical experience,” says Wang (26). Most villagers hope the graduates can bring new expertise to improve their living standards.
Mr. Wang introduced the “colourful sweet potato” with the help of his alma mater. The new species has bright yellow, white and purple flesh and is highly nutritious. It also costs more than the ordinary sweet potato.
Villagers previously planted corn and earned less than 1,000 yuan ($142.86) per mu (0.07 hectares), but the figure doubled after they planted the new sweet potato species.
Mr. Wang often works in the fields, but he knows he’s of little help. “Peasants are much more adept at farming, that’s their strong point. It’s pointless for graduates to focus on farm work. We should do something they want to do, but they cannot do.” He focuses on technology, marketing, publicity and connecting with the outside world. His routine work is chores, such as recording village meetings, issuing certificates and broadcasting notices.
He also applies his legal knowledge to mediate in conflicts between the villagers and help write legal papers.
Real life is different from what he learnt in books. “Mediating conflicts between neighbours needs more worldly wisdom than legal knowledge. Sometimes laws are useless here,” says Mr. Wang.
However, many graduates find it hard to adjust. “It’s hard to feel accepted,” says a graduate. “Families have often been here for generations and it’s really, really hard for them to accept an outsider.” On-line discussion about the scheme is abuzz with doubts such as whether graduates can change the villages or be changed by the villages. Can they merge into village life or will they remain semi-detached? Mr. Wang grew up in Beijing’s rural Miyun District and has few problems in getting on. “The connections grow daily. You must greet villagers warmly or chat with them to show respect.
An anonymous graduate tells how he started work with little idea of what to do. Village heads assigned him chores like typing or moving flowerpots. “The real world is quite different from what I have been taught. Some ugly behaviour just makes me sick.
“I feel the village is changing me, not I’m changing the village. I’m considering resigning.” Failing to fulfil the contract means losing the preferential treatment on insurance or further study. Young graduates are bringing new attitudes to villages. Hu Jiandang (24), a martial arts graduate from Beijing Sport University, is assistant to the head of Wangchang Village in Panggezhuang Township in Beijing’s Daxing District. He found an old couple, who made a living raising cattle, were isolated as their son had been in prison for almost 30 years for robbery.
“A family with such a son is often ostracised,” says Mr. Hu. On the old man’s birthday he bought a cake and took photos. “Locals tell me to stay away from them, but the couple were moved and felt warmth from the outside world. I believe my behaviour will help villagers accept them gradually.”
“Urban people might struggle to buy an apartment or a car, but the peasants struggle for basic necessities like food and clothes. A child can consume all their savings and put them into debt,” says Mr. Wang.
“But rural China is experiencing a golden period of growth with preferential policies from the government and promises of a bigger market.” Two years have seasoned Mr. Wang. “I was too idealistic and believed all the things I planned could come true, but now I’m more practical.” After three years in villages, the graduates enjoy priority in applying for public service posts and graduate study opportunities.
— Xinhua
World - Another census move in Sri Lanka
B. Muralidhar Reddy
Now, it’s for citizens of Eastern Province
Exercise to be carried out on October 5
COLOMBO: Unfazed by the criticism from several quarters over its September 21 directive to the citizens of five districts of Northern Province living in and around Colombo (Western Province) to “re-register” themselves with the police, Sri Lanka on Thursday announced that a similar census would be carried out on October 5 for such citizens of Eastern Province .
Police spokesman Ranjith Gunasekera told a news conference here those citizens from the east, residing in the Western Province since October 2, 2003, would have to register themselves at police stations in their areas.
Citizens from the districts of Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara would have to present themselves at the police stations along with the occupants in the house, national Identity Cards and other documents.
The September 21 registration took place a few days after Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa expressed alarm over what he termed as “unusual exodus” of 6,950 “outsiders” into the Western Province in August. He said in view of the ongoing war it posed a security threat.
The exercise was flayed by some political parties and NGOs as “racial profiling” and harassment of innocent citizens. However, the government insisted that the process was legal and unavoidable.
Defence Spokesperson and Minister Keheliya Rembukwella, who was present at the news conference, said it was the “right of the sovereign government” to undertake a survey of citizens anywhere.
Some political parties have argued that the “police census” amounted to violation of the Supreme Court verdict of May against the eviction of 300 odd citizens from north and east residing in lodges in and around Colombo. The apex court had held that citizens had the right to live in any part of the country.
The outcome of the survey was revealing and raised interesting questions. It showed that the number of people who have migrated since September 21, 2003 stands at 37,037. Of them, 2,242 were “new entries”. In all, 10,820 families were registered. The figure registered with the police, a cumulative number beginning with all those who have been living in and around Colombo since September 2003, would mean on an average 617.28 “outsiders” migrated to the western province on a monthly basis.
In other words, an average of 20.6 persons chose to travel down from north on a daily basis in the last five years. It is a tiny number considering the fact that in population terms the Western Province accounts for over 10 per cent of the 19 million citizens of Sri Lanka.
Now, it’s for citizens of Eastern Province
Exercise to be carried out on October 5
COLOMBO: Unfazed by the criticism from several quarters over its September 21 directive to the citizens of five districts of Northern Province living in and around Colombo (Western Province) to “re-register” themselves with the police, Sri Lanka on Thursday announced that a similar census would be carried out on October 5 for such citizens of Eastern Province .
Police spokesman Ranjith Gunasekera told a news conference here those citizens from the east, residing in the Western Province since October 2, 2003, would have to register themselves at police stations in their areas.
Citizens from the districts of Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara would have to present themselves at the police stations along with the occupants in the house, national Identity Cards and other documents.
The September 21 registration took place a few days after Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa expressed alarm over what he termed as “unusual exodus” of 6,950 “outsiders” into the Western Province in August. He said in view of the ongoing war it posed a security threat.
The exercise was flayed by some political parties and NGOs as “racial profiling” and harassment of innocent citizens. However, the government insisted that the process was legal and unavoidable.
Defence Spokesperson and Minister Keheliya Rembukwella, who was present at the news conference, said it was the “right of the sovereign government” to undertake a survey of citizens anywhere.
Some political parties have argued that the “police census” amounted to violation of the Supreme Court verdict of May against the eviction of 300 odd citizens from north and east residing in lodges in and around Colombo. The apex court had held that citizens had the right to live in any part of the country.
The outcome of the survey was revealing and raised interesting questions. It showed that the number of people who have migrated since September 21, 2003 stands at 37,037. Of them, 2,242 were “new entries”. In all, 10,820 families were registered. The figure registered with the police, a cumulative number beginning with all those who have been living in and around Colombo since September 2003, would mean on an average 617.28 “outsiders” migrated to the western province on a monthly basis.
In other words, an average of 20.6 persons chose to travel down from north on a daily basis in the last five years. It is a tiny number considering the fact that in population terms the Western Province accounts for over 10 per cent of the 19 million citizens of Sri Lanka.
Mktg - India;Bloggers trashing your company?Online reputation managers are here
Rajesh S Kurup & Nevin John Business Standard Mumbai, October 03, 2008 Chances
are that when you run a search for a company on the web, blogs with negative content will show up on the first page, if not as the first search option.For example, a Google search for "Airtel broadband + reviews" or "Tata broadband + reviews" throws up blogs that don't exactly praise these companies' services. This is the case with many other services like Dish TV and Tata Sky.Apart from the embarrassment, these “crazy blogs” — as companies term them — force India Inc to spend crores of rupees to repair the damage.Many companies now are choosing an easier option and contacting a host of online reputation management companies that clean up the negative content from the web. It's already a Rs 200 crore industry in India, and growing.Companies like eBrandz, Communicate2, Value Pitch and Id8lab, among others, are offering this service.Value Pitch CEO CH Venkataramana said companies will find it difficult to stop this practice themselves.“The guys who do it are faceless and nameless people — maybe from competition or disgruntled employees or even pranksters — trying to malign companies. On the net, these blogs have mini-newspaper status and crop up on every search, even after a decade,” he said.There are also “cribbing websites” like mouthshut.com, complaintboard.com and customercomplaint.com, while content of a defamatory nature are also put up on the web. “We call them cribbing websites because they only contain negative content,” Venkataramana added.But how do they do it? Most companies refused to divulge what they called "trade secrets", but Communicate 2 Managing Director Vivek Bhargava said the first thing is to identify the source and if possible to pull the site down with the creator’s permission. If not, these companies create more content to confuse the search engine, so that the crazy blog doesn’t come up on the first page.But these are basic steps; the rest involves much more complicated, specialised work.Although online reputation is a new sector in India, globally, this is part of the paid search industry – that is, firms getting paid for every search you do - that stands at around $18 billion.The problem is certainly huge. For example, an earlier campaign on the net alleging use of Sodium Laureth Sulfate (a chemical that allegedly causes cancer) had raised doubts about the reputation of shampoo brands like Clear, Fructis, Palmolive and O'real, said eBrandz, an online reputation management company, CEO Milind Mody.“Companies are spending crores of rupees to promote their brand and yet a single high-ranking negative blog can destroy their reputation,” Mody said. Rankings of blogs depend on the number of users visiting them. The higher the number of users, the higher the rankings.In India, a considerable amount of malicious content has also cropped up on the web on the issues between the Ambani brothers, the Wadia-Danone fight over the brands owned by Britannia, the tussle between Austral Coke and Gujarat NRE and the Bajaj family
are that when you run a search for a company on the web, blogs with negative content will show up on the first page, if not as the first search option.For example, a Google search for "Airtel broadband + reviews" or "Tata broadband + reviews" throws up blogs that don't exactly praise these companies' services. This is the case with many other services like Dish TV and Tata Sky.Apart from the embarrassment, these “crazy blogs” — as companies term them — force India Inc to spend crores of rupees to repair the damage.Many companies now are choosing an easier option and contacting a host of online reputation management companies that clean up the negative content from the web. It's already a Rs 200 crore industry in India, and growing.Companies like eBrandz, Communicate2, Value Pitch and Id8lab, among others, are offering this service.Value Pitch CEO CH Venkataramana said companies will find it difficult to stop this practice themselves.“The guys who do it are faceless and nameless people — maybe from competition or disgruntled employees or even pranksters — trying to malign companies. On the net, these blogs have mini-newspaper status and crop up on every search, even after a decade,” he said.There are also “cribbing websites” like mouthshut.com, complaintboard.com and customercomplaint.com, while content of a defamatory nature are also put up on the web. “We call them cribbing websites because they only contain negative content,” Venkataramana added.But how do they do it? Most companies refused to divulge what they called "trade secrets", but Communicate 2 Managing Director Vivek Bhargava said the first thing is to identify the source and if possible to pull the site down with the creator’s permission. If not, these companies create more content to confuse the search engine, so that the crazy blog doesn’t come up on the first page.But these are basic steps; the rest involves much more complicated, specialised work.Although online reputation is a new sector in India, globally, this is part of the paid search industry – that is, firms getting paid for every search you do - that stands at around $18 billion.The problem is certainly huge. For example, an earlier campaign on the net alleging use of Sodium Laureth Sulfate (a chemical that allegedly causes cancer) had raised doubts about the reputation of shampoo brands like Clear, Fructis, Palmolive and O'real, said eBrandz, an online reputation management company, CEO Milind Mody.“Companies are spending crores of rupees to promote their brand and yet a single high-ranking negative blog can destroy their reputation,” Mody said. Rankings of blogs depend on the number of users visiting them. The higher the number of users, the higher the rankings.In India, a considerable amount of malicious content has also cropped up on the web on the issues between the Ambani brothers, the Wadia-Danone fight over the brands owned by Britannia, the tussle between Austral Coke and Gujarat NRE and the Bajaj family
Mktg - India;Virgin Mobile woos youngsters with innovative outdoors
Rohit Nautiyal
Telecom as a category is one of the biggest spenders on outdoor today and also experiments with many innovations. Virgin Mobile, the youth focused mobile service launched in India in March, has launched an innovative outdoor campaign to promote its new Yo-Yo plan. The campaign comprises of large format billboards and bus and lift branding.Virgin Mobile’s Yo-Yo plan comes with an activation charge of Rs 28 per month. It is GPRC (get paid for receiving calls) activated. A subscriber making a call will be charged 10 paisa for outgoing calls to another subscriber, but will be paid back the amount if the same subscriber calls back, thereby making his outgoing call totally free. The campaign communicates the message, Keep calls between your friends free, in different ways. One of the innovative mechanised billboards has a cut out of a 10 paise coin, swinging like a pendulum between two friends, communicating that calls between two people in the plan will be free.
The second innovative billboard shows two friends playing volleyball, where the 'ball' between them is actually a 10 paise coin. The moving light technique on the billboard has been done in such a way that it seems as if the coin is moving from one person to the other. Another mechanised billboard shows a cut out of two men on either side of a see-saw, trying to strike a balance. The see-saw has a 10 paise coin in the centre – communicating that the money is changing hands between them. One billboard has an hourglass in a wheel, with two friends on either side of the wheel. Small 10 paise coins inside the hourglass move as the Ferris wheel rotates.Bus wraps and lift branding has also been used in the campaign. The buses have vinyl wrapping of the brand and a cut out of two friends on a call, with a connecting cord. Lift branding has been done in an engaging way. The outer side of the lift door carries the message ‘Earn 10p for incoming’, while inside the lift, a similar sign says, ‘Pay 10p for outgoing’.The campaign has been carried out in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Indore. It kicked off on September 1 and is expected to continue for another couple of weeks.
Rohit Malkani
Prasad NarasimhanBates 141 is the agency handling Virgin Mobile’s creatives. Rohit Malkani, creative director, Bates 141, explains how reciprocation is the core idea behind the campaign. “Friendship is all about give and take and this principle is what makes the Yo-Yo scheme work. The scheme is tailor-made for youngsters who like to be mad and inventive.”Prasad Narasimhan, chief marketing officer, Virgin Mobile India, tells afaqs!, “We use outdoor as a very strategic medium for our communication. The youth love to spend a lot of time out of home and we like to speak and connect with them at high youth footfall areas. Normal outdoors are being used to create a certain sense of visibility, while innovations in outdoor further help to drive more outstanding impact and capture the imagination of the youth.”He adds that various media on OOH are adapted to amplify the creative idea. In this case, it was about highlighting how reciprocation among friends can make calls between them free. The campaign has been executed by OOH specialist agency Poster Publicity, a unit of Group M's Kinetic Worldwide.Raj Mohanty, senior business director, Poster Publicity, shares that nowadays, brands rely heavily on outdoor campaigns to connect with the young target audience. He says, “Youngsters are mostly out of their homes for work or leisure. They are not interested in following television. Rather, visiting a pub or a mall will interest them. That is why brands choose to go for destination branding, which provides better exposure with the help of interactive media.”Virgin Mobile branded services are being offered to the Indian consumers by Tata Teleservices through a brand franchise. Virgin Mobile will provide Tata Teleservices with the experience and services in designing, marketing and servicing of Virgin Mobile branded products.
Telecom as a category is one of the biggest spenders on outdoor today and also experiments with many innovations. Virgin Mobile, the youth focused mobile service launched in India in March, has launched an innovative outdoor campaign to promote its new Yo-Yo plan. The campaign comprises of large format billboards and bus and lift branding.Virgin Mobile’s Yo-Yo plan comes with an activation charge of Rs 28 per month. It is GPRC (get paid for receiving calls) activated. A subscriber making a call will be charged 10 paisa for outgoing calls to another subscriber, but will be paid back the amount if the same subscriber calls back, thereby making his outgoing call totally free. The campaign communicates the message, Keep calls between your friends free, in different ways. One of the innovative mechanised billboards has a cut out of a 10 paise coin, swinging like a pendulum between two friends, communicating that calls between two people in the plan will be free.
The second innovative billboard shows two friends playing volleyball, where the 'ball' between them is actually a 10 paise coin. The moving light technique on the billboard has been done in such a way that it seems as if the coin is moving from one person to the other. Another mechanised billboard shows a cut out of two men on either side of a see-saw, trying to strike a balance. The see-saw has a 10 paise coin in the centre – communicating that the money is changing hands between them. One billboard has an hourglass in a wheel, with two friends on either side of the wheel. Small 10 paise coins inside the hourglass move as the Ferris wheel rotates.Bus wraps and lift branding has also been used in the campaign. The buses have vinyl wrapping of the brand and a cut out of two friends on a call, with a connecting cord. Lift branding has been done in an engaging way. The outer side of the lift door carries the message ‘Earn 10p for incoming’, while inside the lift, a similar sign says, ‘Pay 10p for outgoing’.The campaign has been carried out in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Indore. It kicked off on September 1 and is expected to continue for another couple of weeks.
Rohit Malkani
Prasad NarasimhanBates 141 is the agency handling Virgin Mobile’s creatives. Rohit Malkani, creative director, Bates 141, explains how reciprocation is the core idea behind the campaign. “Friendship is all about give and take and this principle is what makes the Yo-Yo scheme work. The scheme is tailor-made for youngsters who like to be mad and inventive.”Prasad Narasimhan, chief marketing officer, Virgin Mobile India, tells afaqs!, “We use outdoor as a very strategic medium for our communication. The youth love to spend a lot of time out of home and we like to speak and connect with them at high youth footfall areas. Normal outdoors are being used to create a certain sense of visibility, while innovations in outdoor further help to drive more outstanding impact and capture the imagination of the youth.”He adds that various media on OOH are adapted to amplify the creative idea. In this case, it was about highlighting how reciprocation among friends can make calls between them free. The campaign has been executed by OOH specialist agency Poster Publicity, a unit of Group M's Kinetic Worldwide.Raj Mohanty, senior business director, Poster Publicity, shares that nowadays, brands rely heavily on outdoor campaigns to connect with the young target audience. He says, “Youngsters are mostly out of their homes for work or leisure. They are not interested in following television. Rather, visiting a pub or a mall will interest them. That is why brands choose to go for destination branding, which provides better exposure with the help of interactive media.”Virgin Mobile branded services are being offered to the Indian consumers by Tata Teleservices through a brand franchise. Virgin Mobile will provide Tata Teleservices with the experience and services in designing, marketing and servicing of Virgin Mobile branded products.
World - Wary savers turn to Gold
Richard Wray
Tucked away beside the ornate entrance of the Savoy hotel in central London are the discreet premises of ATS Bullion. Over the last few days staff there have witnessed an unprecedented phenomenon: queues.
The customers are wary savers looking to build their own solution to the global financial crisis and the parlous state of the banking system. They are buying gold.
“There has been enormous demand,” said Sandra Conway, managing director at ATS one of the U.K.’s leading gold coin and bar merchants.
The world’s makers of gold bars and gold coins are running flat out to try to keep up with this surge in demand, but stocks are dwindling, especially of Krugerrands.
Named after Paul Kruger, who led the Boer resistance to the British at the turn of the 19th century, the coins were first minted in South Africa in 1967. Although it was illegal to import them into the U.K. during the 1970s and 1980s because of apartheid, they have become one of the most widely circulated gold coins in the world. But the GBP547 coins are becoming more scarce as investors snap them up.
As a result, the Rand Refinery is now operating seven days a week,
The U.S. Mint, responsible for ensuring an adequate supply of American coinage since 1792, has been forced to halt sales of its American Buffalo solid 24 carat gold coin because it was running out of supplies. It is also limiting the availability of its 22 carat American Eagle alternative.
Canny investors had also noticed that both one ounce coins cost less than an ounce of gold on the open market at the time, making them incredibly tempting to anyone looking to make a quick return. Having broken through the $1,000 barrier earlier in the year, the gold price has retreated slightly and is now trading at around $880 an ounce. The 2007 American Eagle one ounce coin, however, was going for $789.95 while the 2006 Buffalo coin cost $800 — offering the potential for an instant return of $80-$90. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008
Tucked away beside the ornate entrance of the Savoy hotel in central London are the discreet premises of ATS Bullion. Over the last few days staff there have witnessed an unprecedented phenomenon: queues.
The customers are wary savers looking to build their own solution to the global financial crisis and the parlous state of the banking system. They are buying gold.
“There has been enormous demand,” said Sandra Conway, managing director at ATS one of the U.K.’s leading gold coin and bar merchants.
The world’s makers of gold bars and gold coins are running flat out to try to keep up with this surge in demand, but stocks are dwindling, especially of Krugerrands.
Named after Paul Kruger, who led the Boer resistance to the British at the turn of the 19th century, the coins were first minted in South Africa in 1967. Although it was illegal to import them into the U.K. during the 1970s and 1980s because of apartheid, they have become one of the most widely circulated gold coins in the world. But the GBP547 coins are becoming more scarce as investors snap them up.
As a result, the Rand Refinery is now operating seven days a week,
The U.S. Mint, responsible for ensuring an adequate supply of American coinage since 1792, has been forced to halt sales of its American Buffalo solid 24 carat gold coin because it was running out of supplies. It is also limiting the availability of its 22 carat American Eagle alternative.
Canny investors had also noticed that both one ounce coins cost less than an ounce of gold on the open market at the time, making them incredibly tempting to anyone looking to make a quick return. Having broken through the $1,000 barrier earlier in the year, the gold price has retreated slightly and is now trading at around $880 an ounce. The 2007 American Eagle one ounce coin, however, was going for $789.95 while the 2006 Buffalo coin cost $800 — offering the potential for an instant return of $80-$90. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008
World - Medvedev:end of U.S. dominance
Vladimir Radyuhin
Call for role for outreach countries
Stress on collective responsibility
MOSCOW: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the global financial crisis tolled the death bell for the U.S. financial dominance and called for bringing onboard the “outreach” countries in implementing worldwide financial reforms.
“The time of domination by one economy and one currency has been consigned to the past once and for all,” Mr. Medvedev told a Russian-German development forum in St. Petersburg on Thursday. “The existing global mechanisms failed to maintain financial stability. We need new mechanisms of collective decision-making and collective responsibility,” he said. “It is imperative to enlist the participation of ‘outreach countries’, of all major economies, not just G8, in efforts to set up a new global financial architecture.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who attended the forum and held talks with Mr. Medvedev, agreed.
“We should draw lessons from the current crisis,” she said. “We need new mechanisms of international [financial] architecture.”The German Chancellor said she still believed Russia’s response to the Georgian attack against South Ossetia was “disproportionate”, but hinted at an early resumption of talks on a new partnership pact between the European Union and Russia.
She also said it was “too early” for Georgia and Ukraine to be given a roadmap for NATO membership.
Call for role for outreach countries
Stress on collective responsibility
MOSCOW: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the global financial crisis tolled the death bell for the U.S. financial dominance and called for bringing onboard the “outreach” countries in implementing worldwide financial reforms.
“The time of domination by one economy and one currency has been consigned to the past once and for all,” Mr. Medvedev told a Russian-German development forum in St. Petersburg on Thursday. “The existing global mechanisms failed to maintain financial stability. We need new mechanisms of collective decision-making and collective responsibility,” he said. “It is imperative to enlist the participation of ‘outreach countries’, of all major economies, not just G8, in efforts to set up a new global financial architecture.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who attended the forum and held talks with Mr. Medvedev, agreed.
“We should draw lessons from the current crisis,” she said. “We need new mechanisms of international [financial] architecture.”The German Chancellor said she still believed Russia’s response to the Georgian attack against South Ossetia was “disproportionate”, but hinted at an early resumption of talks on a new partnership pact between the European Union and Russia.
She also said it was “too early” for Georgia and Ukraine to be given a roadmap for NATO membership.
Health - Unlocking 'out-of-body' mysteries
In September, medical teams at 25 hospitals across the world revealed they were undertaking the largest study of its kind into Near-Death Experiences (NDE). Researchers want to know if there is any truth in the so-called “out-of-body” incidents reported by gravely ill people.
One of the hospitals taking part in the research is Morriston hospital in Swansea, where Dr. Penny Sartori has become a leading expert on the phenomenon. She gives her own personal insight into why the research is so important — and the impact it has had on her own life.
Her experience
I was caring for the man on the night shift prior to his death. He communicated to me how he was feeling and that he wanted to die. He looked into my eyes and the connection we made was something that profoundly affected me. I was very upset by the way the patient had died and became so depressed that I almost gave up nursing.
I looked for support by doing a nursing course that may give me a greater understanding of death but found that there were no suitable courses available. The only courses concerning death were palliative care courses which have a very different approach to caring for dying patients in intensive care units. So I read all that I could about death and came across NDEs. I was instantly intrigued because people who had undergone a NDE were saying that death is nothing to be afraid of and that it is a wonderful thing.
They described leaving their body and looking down from above then moving through darkness towards a bright light. Some report watching the whole of their life flash before their eyes in a matter of seconds.
Many meet deceased relatives who tell them that it is not their time and they have to go back, some may see a religious figure or a ‘Being of Light.’ Following the experience the person is usually profoundly transformed. My scientific training as a nurse told me that these experiences couldn’t possibly be more than an overactive imagination or some kind of wishful thinking or hallucination as the brain was shutting down as death approached.
The subject of NDEs becomes a very important aspect of the education of all healthcare professionals. This will ensure the best psychological aftercare of patients who have a NDE. As our technology is becoming more advanced so it seems most likely that the incidence of NDEs will increase. — © BBC News/Distributed by the New York Times Syndicate
One of the hospitals taking part in the research is Morriston hospital in Swansea, where Dr. Penny Sartori has become a leading expert on the phenomenon. She gives her own personal insight into why the research is so important — and the impact it has had on her own life.
Her experience
I was caring for the man on the night shift prior to his death. He communicated to me how he was feeling and that he wanted to die. He looked into my eyes and the connection we made was something that profoundly affected me. I was very upset by the way the patient had died and became so depressed that I almost gave up nursing.
I looked for support by doing a nursing course that may give me a greater understanding of death but found that there were no suitable courses available. The only courses concerning death were palliative care courses which have a very different approach to caring for dying patients in intensive care units. So I read all that I could about death and came across NDEs. I was instantly intrigued because people who had undergone a NDE were saying that death is nothing to be afraid of and that it is a wonderful thing.
They described leaving their body and looking down from above then moving through darkness towards a bright light. Some report watching the whole of their life flash before their eyes in a matter of seconds.
Many meet deceased relatives who tell them that it is not their time and they have to go back, some may see a religious figure or a ‘Being of Light.’ Following the experience the person is usually profoundly transformed. My scientific training as a nurse told me that these experiences couldn’t possibly be more than an overactive imagination or some kind of wishful thinking or hallucination as the brain was shutting down as death approached.
The subject of NDEs becomes a very important aspect of the education of all healthcare professionals. This will ensure the best psychological aftercare of patients who have a NDE. As our technology is becoming more advanced so it seems most likely that the incidence of NDEs will increase. — © BBC News/Distributed by the New York Times Syndicate
Lifestyle - People lie more by email,researchers say
Bobbie Johnson
It could pay to be sceptical next time you check your inbox, according to research which suggests that people are more likely to lie in an email than in other forms of communication.
But psychological tests conducted by business professors at Rutgers, Lehigh and DePaul universities in the U.S. found people are significantly more likely to lie in emails than in handwritten documents.
In the tests, 48 students were given $89 and told to split it with somebody they didn’t know . A total of 92 per cent of the students lied when dividing the money over email, while 64 per cent lied when asked to write by hand.
Emailers ended up handing over an average of $29 — keeping $60 for themselves — while pen-and-paper negotiators gave up $34 and kept $55 for their own pocket.
In a second test of 69 students, subjects were asked to split the money with somebody they knew. The incidence of lying was reduced but not entirely eliminated. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008
It could pay to be sceptical next time you check your inbox, according to research which suggests that people are more likely to lie in an email than in other forms of communication.
But psychological tests conducted by business professors at Rutgers, Lehigh and DePaul universities in the U.S. found people are significantly more likely to lie in emails than in handwritten documents.
In the tests, 48 students were given $89 and told to split it with somebody they didn’t know . A total of 92 per cent of the students lied when dividing the money over email, while 64 per cent lied when asked to write by hand.
Emailers ended up handing over an average of $29 — keeping $60 for themselves — while pen-and-paper negotiators gave up $34 and kept $55 for their own pocket.
In a second test of 69 students, subjects were asked to split the money with somebody they knew. The incidence of lying was reduced but not entirely eliminated. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008
Mktg - India;Piyush Pandey 'Speaks up' for Asian Paints yet again
Devina Joshi
Piyush Pandey, executive chairman and national creative director, O&M India, has never practised voice modulation or undergone voice training of any sort. Yet, if you’re from the ad industry and are watching TV in your living room, you might just wonder where you’ve heard that deep and mellow male voiceover (MVO) before. Pandey has given voiceovers for various Indian commercials, starting with Fevicol in 1999 (Lagao Lagao, Aur Zor Lagao), going on to SBI Life Insurance (Taaki Rishton Ke Beech Dooriyan Na Aayein, featuring an old couple), Asian Paints (Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai and Inviting Home series) and LG’s corporate campaign (when O&M had won the account).
Piyush PandeyHe has also dubbed for various radio commercials, including the one for SBI Life Insurance which won him the Radio Voice of the Year title at the Mirchi Kaan Awards 2006. All this and no training? “I do it for fun,” grins the adman. What is also interesting is that Pandey doesn’t take home the dues he earns by giving voiceovers; he asks the film maker in each case to donate his share to charity. “My voice is just a bonus and not meant for earning; I have another livelihood – advertising – for that,” he shrugs. A recent addition to his list is the latest corporate ad for Asian Paints. It has Pandey talking about how some homes are so welcoming that even people who don’t live there (but drop by often) almost feel at home. The film rekindles the Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai positioning, first established by Asian Paints nearly seven years ago. Since then, the company deviated briefly to the theme of Har Rang Kuch Kehta Hai. With the launch of this corporate campaign, the story has shifted back to the previous track.
Frames from the Asian Paints TVCIncidentally, Pandey had dubbed for the very first Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai film. Another one followed, in which he dubbed along with actor Tabu. The next film in the series had a father doing up the house with colours while his family was away, while the fourth in the series spoke of ‘laal rang’(the colour red) meaning different things to different people. The fifth corporate campaign was the Cutting Shutting commercial, while the sixth one featured a grandmother with her grandchildren in the Dadi-Chocolate Wall film. The new one is the seventh in this series. “We have always maintained that with Asian Paints, your home is a reflection of your personality,” says Amit Syngle, vice-president, sales and marketing, Asian Paints. “That emotion of home making is what we have tried to capture.” The film has shots of people sharing joy and laughter in a house that radiates warmth and love. Pandey’s voiceover is the thread that ties all the frames together (for the script of the film, click here). The film depicts Asian Paints homes as spaces where friends meet over endless cups of tea, where conversations flow all day long, where laughter is not measured, where gestures are laced with generosity and where colours are always bright and joyful. Abhijit Avasthi, executive creative director, South Asia, Ogilvy & Mather, says, “Some of our earlier campaigns were centred around the joy of doing up your house and on how you feel about your home. The new campaign talks about how others feel when they enter your home.”Avasthi, Shekhar Jha and Mahesh Gharat have worked on the ideation of this film, along with Pandey. The poetry in the ad, penned by Shekhar Jha, lends a lyrical touch to the film. Shot by Prasoon Pandey of Corcoise Films, the commercial has been shot in a graphical, still photography style (one can’t see faces in the film and no one looks into the camera). This has been done for two reasons: to show the spontaneity in the home, and to focus attention on the depth in the words. “There is genuine warmth in Piyush’s voice, which is why we knew he was perfect for the job,” smiles Avasthi. Pandey admits that the film involved some effort on his part. “A voice can change a lot over seven years, and the same was the case with mine,” he says. So, his brother Prasoon made him dub twice for this film to get the correct feel. So what does Piyush Pandey aim for when giving voiceovers? “Just clarity and a natural sense to it – the moment I try to get an artificial note in my voice, it messes things up,” he concludes.
Piyush Pandey, executive chairman and national creative director, O&M India, has never practised voice modulation or undergone voice training of any sort. Yet, if you’re from the ad industry and are watching TV in your living room, you might just wonder where you’ve heard that deep and mellow male voiceover (MVO) before. Pandey has given voiceovers for various Indian commercials, starting with Fevicol in 1999 (Lagao Lagao, Aur Zor Lagao), going on to SBI Life Insurance (Taaki Rishton Ke Beech Dooriyan Na Aayein, featuring an old couple), Asian Paints (Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai and Inviting Home series) and LG’s corporate campaign (when O&M had won the account).
Piyush PandeyHe has also dubbed for various radio commercials, including the one for SBI Life Insurance which won him the Radio Voice of the Year title at the Mirchi Kaan Awards 2006. All this and no training? “I do it for fun,” grins the adman. What is also interesting is that Pandey doesn’t take home the dues he earns by giving voiceovers; he asks the film maker in each case to donate his share to charity. “My voice is just a bonus and not meant for earning; I have another livelihood – advertising – for that,” he shrugs. A recent addition to his list is the latest corporate ad for Asian Paints. It has Pandey talking about how some homes are so welcoming that even people who don’t live there (but drop by often) almost feel at home. The film rekindles the Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai positioning, first established by Asian Paints nearly seven years ago. Since then, the company deviated briefly to the theme of Har Rang Kuch Kehta Hai. With the launch of this corporate campaign, the story has shifted back to the previous track.
Frames from the Asian Paints TVCIncidentally, Pandey had dubbed for the very first Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai film. Another one followed, in which he dubbed along with actor Tabu. The next film in the series had a father doing up the house with colours while his family was away, while the fourth in the series spoke of ‘laal rang’(the colour red) meaning different things to different people. The fifth corporate campaign was the Cutting Shutting commercial, while the sixth one featured a grandmother with her grandchildren in the Dadi-Chocolate Wall film. The new one is the seventh in this series. “We have always maintained that with Asian Paints, your home is a reflection of your personality,” says Amit Syngle, vice-president, sales and marketing, Asian Paints. “That emotion of home making is what we have tried to capture.” The film has shots of people sharing joy and laughter in a house that radiates warmth and love. Pandey’s voiceover is the thread that ties all the frames together (for the script of the film, click here). The film depicts Asian Paints homes as spaces where friends meet over endless cups of tea, where conversations flow all day long, where laughter is not measured, where gestures are laced with generosity and where colours are always bright and joyful. Abhijit Avasthi, executive creative director, South Asia, Ogilvy & Mather, says, “Some of our earlier campaigns were centred around the joy of doing up your house and on how you feel about your home. The new campaign talks about how others feel when they enter your home.”Avasthi, Shekhar Jha and Mahesh Gharat have worked on the ideation of this film, along with Pandey. The poetry in the ad, penned by Shekhar Jha, lends a lyrical touch to the film. Shot by Prasoon Pandey of Corcoise Films, the commercial has been shot in a graphical, still photography style (one can’t see faces in the film and no one looks into the camera). This has been done for two reasons: to show the spontaneity in the home, and to focus attention on the depth in the words. “There is genuine warmth in Piyush’s voice, which is why we knew he was perfect for the job,” smiles Avasthi. Pandey admits that the film involved some effort on his part. “A voice can change a lot over seven years, and the same was the case with mine,” he says. So, his brother Prasoon made him dub twice for this film to get the correct feel. So what does Piyush Pandey aim for when giving voiceovers? “Just clarity and a natural sense to it – the moment I try to get an artificial note in my voice, it messes things up,” he concludes.
Columnists - Rajdeep Sardesai;Face the Nation
Barack Obama and John McCain have just concluded round one of the US presidential debates. Sarah Palin is getting herself battle ready to face up to Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate Joe Biden. The presidential debate is a unique American democratic institution, an opportunity for the candidates to confront and challenge each other on personality and policy-related issues. The debate is the big moment of an election campaign, a gladiatorial-like television arena allows a nation to compare and contrast candidates. Debates don’t always make presidents, but they have led to the undoing of a few. history tells us that the “dark shadow” on Richard Nixon’s face during the presidential debate of 1960 was enough to make the younger, charismatic John Kennedy appear even more appealing to the electorate. So, if the US can do it, why can’t the world’s largest democracy experience a presidential-style debate, especially in this age of round-the-clock TV which thrives on studio chat?
A few months before the 2004 general elections, I wrote to then Prime minister AB Vajpayee and opposition leader Sonia Gandhi, inviting them to ‘The Big Fight’. This was meant to be the grand finale of our election programming. As it turned out, I was living in fantasy land. Both politicians sent gentle regret letters and we had to make do with English language TV’s favourite debating couple: the articulate lawyer-politicians: Kapil Sibal and Arun Jaitley. While Messrs Sibal and Jaitley were delightfully combative, they weren’t quite the casting coup we had been hoping to pull off.
Perhaps, one was expecting too much. Vajpayee was a pre-TV era politician: while his oratory may have drawn gasps of admiration in parliament or at a Ram Lila maidan, his eternal pauses weren’t quite suited for the cut-and-thrust of soundbite TV. As for Mrs Gandhi, in over a decade in public life, she has barely given three-and-a-half interviews, most of them choreographed, the questioning in most instances confined to the gentle and routine.
Our other prime ministerial aspirants are no different. Mayawati, for example, prefers barking at journalists at press conferences rather than opening herself to interrogation. LK Advani, perhaps because of his journalistic background, has always been more willing to answer tough questions, but not quite in the debate format. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appears terrifyingly camera-shy: in almost five years in office, he hasn’t given a proper interview (even the annual ‘meet the press’ appears to have been abandoned). The ‘Crown Prince’ Rahul Gandhi has been even more elusive: soundbites on his marital plans or the occasional statement on the Prevention of Terrorism Act (Pota) might grab headlines, but are hardly a substitute for political communication. Narendra Modi, like Advani, is a combative interviewee, but doesn’t seem to appreciate discomfiting questions. Sharad Pawar on TV is a cure for insomnia, while Mulayam Singh can be a monosyllabic disaster matched only by the mumbling H.D. Deve Gowda. Only Lalu Yadav can truly claim to be a natural, ‘made-for-TV’ neta, and even he now seems to have lost some of the ready wit that once gave him ‘star’ quality.
Why are so many of our top politicians uncomfortable with the idea of being questioned on TV? Partly it is a reflection of a feudal and non-transparent political system that doesn’t feel the necessity to explain policy choices in an open forum. Unfortunately, unlike in the US, TV appearances have little connection with political winnability in the Indian context. With caste and family identities defining success in polls, communication skills seem to matter less and less. It is no coincidence that some of the finest public speakers in Indian politics are in the Rajya Sabha and not in the Lok Sabha. Our political system doesn’t demand the kind of communication skills that have made Obama a front-runner for the US presidency. Indeed, even without his skillful TV manner, Obama would probably have lost to the more substantive, but less charming Hillary Clinton. Contrast that with a Mayawati who during last year’s UP election campaign was almost contemptuous of the media, especially TV, and yet scored a stunning victory in the elections. Her captive vote-bank didn’t need to see their Behenji on TV before deciding to vote for the Bahujan Samaj Party.
In a way, Indian electoral politics has defined the limits of the power of TV. While a spirited TV debate can energise a section of the urban middle-class audience, it cannot reach the wider electorate. Moreover, in a multi-lingual country, it is difficult to create a ‘national’ constituency through a strong TV presence. As TV gets localised, the nature and character of its content is also getting more regional, thereby limiting the scope of ‘national’ leaders emerging through TV.
And yet, while TV soundbites perhaps can’t get you votes, they can influence public opinion among the chattering classes. Much of the terror debate, for example, has played out in TV studios, where the shrill ‘Bring Back Pota’ campaign of the opposition has pushed the UPA government on the defensive. Television, in fact, tends to place a premium on strong, often extreme positions; moderate voices who try to hold onto a rapidly shrinking middle ground are quickly dismissed as wishy-washy and ineffectual. A soft-spoken home minister like Shivraj Patil, for example, only finds his seeming indecisiveness magnified on TV because he doesn’t come across as a firm speaker. On the other hand, an Omar Abdullah was almost ‘rediscovered’ as a politician because of his five minutes of fame during the trust vote debate.
Which is why politicians with an eye on the future would do well to hone their TV skills. It may not make them mass leaders but it would certainly give them a cutting edge in becoming opinion leaders.
Post-script: I do hope to persist with my efforts to create a presidential-style debate on Indian television. I intend to write to Mrs Gandhi, Mr Advani and Ms Mayawati to appear together on a televised show ahead of the next general elections. It’s unlikely to happen, but it may still be worth a shot. If they don’t agree, there’s always Messrs Sibal and Jaitley to turn to! Rajdeep Sardesai is Editor-in-Chief, IBN Network
A few months before the 2004 general elections, I wrote to then Prime minister AB Vajpayee and opposition leader Sonia Gandhi, inviting them to ‘The Big Fight’. This was meant to be the grand finale of our election programming. As it turned out, I was living in fantasy land. Both politicians sent gentle regret letters and we had to make do with English language TV’s favourite debating couple: the articulate lawyer-politicians: Kapil Sibal and Arun Jaitley. While Messrs Sibal and Jaitley were delightfully combative, they weren’t quite the casting coup we had been hoping to pull off.
Perhaps, one was expecting too much. Vajpayee was a pre-TV era politician: while his oratory may have drawn gasps of admiration in parliament or at a Ram Lila maidan, his eternal pauses weren’t quite suited for the cut-and-thrust of soundbite TV. As for Mrs Gandhi, in over a decade in public life, she has barely given three-and-a-half interviews, most of them choreographed, the questioning in most instances confined to the gentle and routine.
Our other prime ministerial aspirants are no different. Mayawati, for example, prefers barking at journalists at press conferences rather than opening herself to interrogation. LK Advani, perhaps because of his journalistic background, has always been more willing to answer tough questions, but not quite in the debate format. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appears terrifyingly camera-shy: in almost five years in office, he hasn’t given a proper interview (even the annual ‘meet the press’ appears to have been abandoned). The ‘Crown Prince’ Rahul Gandhi has been even more elusive: soundbites on his marital plans or the occasional statement on the Prevention of Terrorism Act (Pota) might grab headlines, but are hardly a substitute for political communication. Narendra Modi, like Advani, is a combative interviewee, but doesn’t seem to appreciate discomfiting questions. Sharad Pawar on TV is a cure for insomnia, while Mulayam Singh can be a monosyllabic disaster matched only by the mumbling H.D. Deve Gowda. Only Lalu Yadav can truly claim to be a natural, ‘made-for-TV’ neta, and even he now seems to have lost some of the ready wit that once gave him ‘star’ quality.
Why are so many of our top politicians uncomfortable with the idea of being questioned on TV? Partly it is a reflection of a feudal and non-transparent political system that doesn’t feel the necessity to explain policy choices in an open forum. Unfortunately, unlike in the US, TV appearances have little connection with political winnability in the Indian context. With caste and family identities defining success in polls, communication skills seem to matter less and less. It is no coincidence that some of the finest public speakers in Indian politics are in the Rajya Sabha and not in the Lok Sabha. Our political system doesn’t demand the kind of communication skills that have made Obama a front-runner for the US presidency. Indeed, even without his skillful TV manner, Obama would probably have lost to the more substantive, but less charming Hillary Clinton. Contrast that with a Mayawati who during last year’s UP election campaign was almost contemptuous of the media, especially TV, and yet scored a stunning victory in the elections. Her captive vote-bank didn’t need to see their Behenji on TV before deciding to vote for the Bahujan Samaj Party.
In a way, Indian electoral politics has defined the limits of the power of TV. While a spirited TV debate can energise a section of the urban middle-class audience, it cannot reach the wider electorate. Moreover, in a multi-lingual country, it is difficult to create a ‘national’ constituency through a strong TV presence. As TV gets localised, the nature and character of its content is also getting more regional, thereby limiting the scope of ‘national’ leaders emerging through TV.
And yet, while TV soundbites perhaps can’t get you votes, they can influence public opinion among the chattering classes. Much of the terror debate, for example, has played out in TV studios, where the shrill ‘Bring Back Pota’ campaign of the opposition has pushed the UPA government on the defensive. Television, in fact, tends to place a premium on strong, often extreme positions; moderate voices who try to hold onto a rapidly shrinking middle ground are quickly dismissed as wishy-washy and ineffectual. A soft-spoken home minister like Shivraj Patil, for example, only finds his seeming indecisiveness magnified on TV because he doesn’t come across as a firm speaker. On the other hand, an Omar Abdullah was almost ‘rediscovered’ as a politician because of his five minutes of fame during the trust vote debate.
Which is why politicians with an eye on the future would do well to hone their TV skills. It may not make them mass leaders but it would certainly give them a cutting edge in becoming opinion leaders.
Post-script: I do hope to persist with my efforts to create a presidential-style debate on Indian television. I intend to write to Mrs Gandhi, Mr Advani and Ms Mayawati to appear together on a televised show ahead of the next general elections. It’s unlikely to happen, but it may still be worth a shot. If they don’t agree, there’s always Messrs Sibal and Jaitley to turn to! Rajdeep Sardesai is Editor-in-Chief, IBN Network
World - Valley of Dollars
The markets are smiling. After all, with American taxpayers pumping in $1.8 trillion so far to provide a life-saving shot to the failing markets, investors couldn’t have asked for more. And who cares if all the investment banks in Wall Street have faded into history.
Three of America’s top five investment banks have disappeared. The remaining two — Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs — have now been converted into commercial banks. With ace investor Warren Buffet promising to invest $5 billion in the now-nationalised American International Group (AIG), investor sentiments are high.
In the week following the mayhem on Wall Street, central banks in Britain, the European Union, Japan, Switzerland, Canada, Russia and India have pumped in $600 billion in multiple rescue acts. Ironical, isn’t it? The private-sector giants are being rescued by the government’s treasury. In the past one year, the US treasury has already spent US $900 billion in bailouts.
Expressing urgency, US President George Bush offered another whopping sum — a $700 billion bailout package. It sure is the ‘mother of all bailout’ packages considering the proposed legislation making it clear that the measures are non-reviewable and cannot be challenged ‘in a court of law or any administrative agency’.
The political urgency with which the US government, and for that matter governments elsewhere, have come to the rescue of the financial system from getting worse exposes their double standards. The $600 billion, which was coughed up in just one week after the mayhem, could have wiped out hunger (the Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates 854 million people go to bed hungry every night) from the planet. The additional $900 billion that the US has spent in the past one year could have pulled out the world’s estimated 2 billion poor from poverty.
In short, $1.8 trillion (including the proposed $700 billion bailout package) that the Bush administration has provided in the past nine months could have wiped out the last traces of poverty, hunger, malnutrition and squalor from the Earth. Buffet sounds so hollow when he compares the collapse of the Wall Street with Pearl Harbour: “It is not like Pearl harbour where you could look at what happened with your own eyes and decide you had to do something that day. This is sort of an economic Pearl harbour we’re going through.” Buffet is probably not aware that the world is silently living through tens of Pearl Harbours every day. An estimated 2,042 people died in Pearl Harbour whereas the UN estimates 24,000 people dying each day in an endless wait for their next morsel of food.
And if the global leadership was honest enough, a similar urgency could be demonstrated in tackling poverty and hunger. There would have been no need for the United Nations to provide a cover–up for their collective guilt in the form of Millennium Development Goals.
Look at the market mantra: when the going is good, the government must step back and allow the bull a mad run. And when the collapse comes, the losses are picked up by the taxpayers, whose savings actually line the pockets of corrupt CEOs. The trillion dollar question that arises is: Why should the governments intervene? Aren’t the markets supposed to be self-regulatory and self-contained? And if not, does it not mean that capitalism is not the right model of economic growth?
In India, pressure is on to disinvest the public sector firms and nationalised banks. The arguments are same, you have often heard them. And when the private sector goes bust or the markets explode, it is invariably the governments that are expected to nationalise them.
If you think of it, the $85 billion bailout for AIG by the US government is the biggest nationalisation in history. Rescuing AIG was crucial because its failure posed a much bigger threat to the financial system. The $1.8 trillion that is being pumped in to write off the losses is in reality what will keep the markets alive. No wonder, Prof Nouriel Roubini of New York University’s Stern School of Business had once called it “privatisation of profit and socialisation of losses”.
Devinder Sharma is a New Delhi-based agricultural scientist and food policy analyst
Three of America’s top five investment banks have disappeared. The remaining two — Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs — have now been converted into commercial banks. With ace investor Warren Buffet promising to invest $5 billion in the now-nationalised American International Group (AIG), investor sentiments are high.
In the week following the mayhem on Wall Street, central banks in Britain, the European Union, Japan, Switzerland, Canada, Russia and India have pumped in $600 billion in multiple rescue acts. Ironical, isn’t it? The private-sector giants are being rescued by the government’s treasury. In the past one year, the US treasury has already spent US $900 billion in bailouts.
Expressing urgency, US President George Bush offered another whopping sum — a $700 billion bailout package. It sure is the ‘mother of all bailout’ packages considering the proposed legislation making it clear that the measures are non-reviewable and cannot be challenged ‘in a court of law or any administrative agency’.
The political urgency with which the US government, and for that matter governments elsewhere, have come to the rescue of the financial system from getting worse exposes their double standards. The $600 billion, which was coughed up in just one week after the mayhem, could have wiped out hunger (the Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates 854 million people go to bed hungry every night) from the planet. The additional $900 billion that the US has spent in the past one year could have pulled out the world’s estimated 2 billion poor from poverty.
In short, $1.8 trillion (including the proposed $700 billion bailout package) that the Bush administration has provided in the past nine months could have wiped out the last traces of poverty, hunger, malnutrition and squalor from the Earth. Buffet sounds so hollow when he compares the collapse of the Wall Street with Pearl Harbour: “It is not like Pearl harbour where you could look at what happened with your own eyes and decide you had to do something that day. This is sort of an economic Pearl harbour we’re going through.” Buffet is probably not aware that the world is silently living through tens of Pearl Harbours every day. An estimated 2,042 people died in Pearl Harbour whereas the UN estimates 24,000 people dying each day in an endless wait for their next morsel of food.
And if the global leadership was honest enough, a similar urgency could be demonstrated in tackling poverty and hunger. There would have been no need for the United Nations to provide a cover–up for their collective guilt in the form of Millennium Development Goals.
Look at the market mantra: when the going is good, the government must step back and allow the bull a mad run. And when the collapse comes, the losses are picked up by the taxpayers, whose savings actually line the pockets of corrupt CEOs. The trillion dollar question that arises is: Why should the governments intervene? Aren’t the markets supposed to be self-regulatory and self-contained? And if not, does it not mean that capitalism is not the right model of economic growth?
In India, pressure is on to disinvest the public sector firms and nationalised banks. The arguments are same, you have often heard them. And when the private sector goes bust or the markets explode, it is invariably the governments that are expected to nationalise them.
If you think of it, the $85 billion bailout for AIG by the US government is the biggest nationalisation in history. Rescuing AIG was crucial because its failure posed a much bigger threat to the financial system. The $1.8 trillion that is being pumped in to write off the losses is in reality what will keep the markets alive. No wonder, Prof Nouriel Roubini of New York University’s Stern School of Business had once called it “privatisation of profit and socialisation of losses”.
Devinder Sharma is a New Delhi-based agricultural scientist and food policy analyst
World - WHO launches on-line forum against alcohol consumption
With more than two million people dying from alcohol-related causes annually, the United Nations World Health Organisation (WHO) has launched a month-long online forum to give a voice to the public on how to curb harmful consumption.
The Internet discussion on alcohol control, which starts today, will continue till October 31.
"This web-based public hearing is broad and inclusive and will provide and opportunity for everyone, including the public, to present their views on effective strategies to reduce the burden resulting the harmful use of alcohol," said Ala Alwan, Assistant Director-General of WHO's No communicable Diseases and Mental Health Cluster.
Submissions to the on-line forum can be made to the WHO website in all of the six official UN languages, and will form the documentation to be discussed during upcoming separate meetings with alcohol industry representatives, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and Member States.
During the World Health Assembly in May, several nations have asked WHO to chalk out a global strategy to combat destructive use of alcohol.
Calling for the maximum participation in the hearing, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Director Benedetto Saraceno said that public views on the issue would help to resolve it.
"We are particularly interested in getting views on integrated approaches that can protect at-risk populations, young people and those affected by harmful drinking by others," he said.
The Internet discussion on alcohol control, which starts today, will continue till October 31.
"This web-based public hearing is broad and inclusive and will provide and opportunity for everyone, including the public, to present their views on effective strategies to reduce the burden resulting the harmful use of alcohol," said Ala Alwan, Assistant Director-General of WHO's No communicable Diseases and Mental Health Cluster.
Submissions to the on-line forum can be made to the WHO website in all of the six official UN languages, and will form the documentation to be discussed during upcoming separate meetings with alcohol industry representatives, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and Member States.
During the World Health Assembly in May, several nations have asked WHO to chalk out a global strategy to combat destructive use of alcohol.
Calling for the maximum participation in the hearing, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Director Benedetto Saraceno said that public views on the issue would help to resolve it.
"We are particularly interested in getting views on integrated approaches that can protect at-risk populations, young people and those affected by harmful drinking by others," he said.
Entertainment - India;Ayesha Takia to tie the knot in Jan,2009
Seems Ayesha Takia’s ultimatum is finally paying off. The Takia cutie who’s planning to tie the knot with beau Farhan Azmi in January 2009, has told all her nirmatas and nirdeshaks that they should wrap up their movies by the year end.. and not to expect any dates from her after the shaadi.
So rakhi-brother Nagesh Kukunoor is jetting off to South Africa later this month with Ayesha for 20 days. No, they are not on a recce for honeymooning locations. They are just in a hurry to seal Eight by Ten. Never mind that this shoot was initially set in Canada. The backdrop has changed after a disastrous first schedule there. What are cinematic liberties for?
The film’s hero Akshay Kumar will join them directly.. after he completes Kambakht Ishq in Venice. Fortunately for Kukunoor, Akki has been able to squeeze his film into his rush-rush schedule. Or the film would have been lost in the cans.Now that only leaves Boney Kapoor’s Wanted – Dead and Alive. The bechara nirmata is waiting for his hero Salman Khan to spare him some dates.. to shoot the two remaining songs in Greece.
Last heard, Kapoor was planning a trip to London, to beg at Sallu’s darbar.. before Ayesha goes on a non-cooperation movement.
So rakhi-brother Nagesh Kukunoor is jetting off to South Africa later this month with Ayesha for 20 days. No, they are not on a recce for honeymooning locations. They are just in a hurry to seal Eight by Ten. Never mind that this shoot was initially set in Canada. The backdrop has changed after a disastrous first schedule there. What are cinematic liberties for?
The film’s hero Akshay Kumar will join them directly.. after he completes Kambakht Ishq in Venice. Fortunately for Kukunoor, Akki has been able to squeeze his film into his rush-rush schedule. Or the film would have been lost in the cans.Now that only leaves Boney Kapoor’s Wanted – Dead and Alive. The bechara nirmata is waiting for his hero Salman Khan to spare him some dates.. to shoot the two remaining songs in Greece.
Last heard, Kapoor was planning a trip to London, to beg at Sallu’s darbar.. before Ayesha goes on a non-cooperation movement.
Lifestyle - High heels bad for health & wealth
Venkata Vemuri
High heels eventually leave women down at the heel, a new study says.
Spindly stilettos and towering wedges walk you ultimately to the podiatrist's parade of bunions, corns, bent toes, trapped nerves and disfigured feet.
Those who foot the bill annually in Britain alone add up to a few thousands, but the bills they foot are a bit high. Around 29 million pounds.
And mind you, free treatment through the National Health Service (NHS) means a lengthy waiting period. Private clinics are the only alternative for the impatient.
A study by shoe brand MBT claims nearly one in three foot operations on women are to straighten toes disfigured by ill-fitting shoes, mostly high heels.
The cost of each such non-NHS procedure is about 1,200 pounds.
If all patients opted for private treatment, these operations would cost a total of 10.4 million pounds a year.
One in five feet operations are to remove bunions, which is a structural deformity of the bones and the joint between the foot and big toe.
Based on the average cost of private treatment of about 4,000 pounds, this equates to 10.5 million pounds a year.
A further 3.3 million pounds a year would be spent on big toe joint replacement, 2.9 million pounds on operations for corns, 2 million pounds to remove trapped nerves, and 200,000 pounds to correct in-growing toe-nails, the study says.
Cosmetic surgery is also increasing in popularity with treatments including "plumping" in which a dermal filler is injected into the ball of the foot to make walking more comfortable.
The survey of 1,000 women aged 15 and above found those in Liverpool and Manchester were most likely to end up with foot injuries.
Nearly half of all women in the North-West of Britain said they wore high heels five days or more a week.
Forty-three percent of those in the South-East also chose heels five days a week.
Four in ten reported having an accident in their heels, with twisted ankles and tripping over the most common mishaps.
The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists explains that because stilettos force the wearer to raise their heel, the lower back bends to compensate.
This puts pressure on nerves in the back and can cause sciatica. Another common problem is damage to the Achilles tendon.
Sticking to heels no higher than one and a half inches can help, the study advises.
Foot expert Emma Supple told Daily Mail: "We need to mix and match our choice of footwear to allow our bodies time to recover. Heaven forbid that we ban heels from our wardrobes but we want to balance out our heel wearing days, protect our bodies from future damage and avoid injuries."
High heels eventually leave women down at the heel, a new study says.
Spindly stilettos and towering wedges walk you ultimately to the podiatrist's parade of bunions, corns, bent toes, trapped nerves and disfigured feet.
Those who foot the bill annually in Britain alone add up to a few thousands, but the bills they foot are a bit high. Around 29 million pounds.
And mind you, free treatment through the National Health Service (NHS) means a lengthy waiting period. Private clinics are the only alternative for the impatient.
A study by shoe brand MBT claims nearly one in three foot operations on women are to straighten toes disfigured by ill-fitting shoes, mostly high heels.
The cost of each such non-NHS procedure is about 1,200 pounds.
If all patients opted for private treatment, these operations would cost a total of 10.4 million pounds a year.
One in five feet operations are to remove bunions, which is a structural deformity of the bones and the joint between the foot and big toe.
Based on the average cost of private treatment of about 4,000 pounds, this equates to 10.5 million pounds a year.
A further 3.3 million pounds a year would be spent on big toe joint replacement, 2.9 million pounds on operations for corns, 2 million pounds to remove trapped nerves, and 200,000 pounds to correct in-growing toe-nails, the study says.
Cosmetic surgery is also increasing in popularity with treatments including "plumping" in which a dermal filler is injected into the ball of the foot to make walking more comfortable.
The survey of 1,000 women aged 15 and above found those in Liverpool and Manchester were most likely to end up with foot injuries.
Nearly half of all women in the North-West of Britain said they wore high heels five days or more a week.
Forty-three percent of those in the South-East also chose heels five days a week.
Four in ten reported having an accident in their heels, with twisted ankles and tripping over the most common mishaps.
The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists explains that because stilettos force the wearer to raise their heel, the lower back bends to compensate.
This puts pressure on nerves in the back and can cause sciatica. Another common problem is damage to the Achilles tendon.
Sticking to heels no higher than one and a half inches can help, the study advises.
Foot expert Emma Supple told Daily Mail: "We need to mix and match our choice of footwear to allow our bodies time to recover. Heaven forbid that we ban heels from our wardrobes but we want to balance out our heel wearing days, protect our bodies from future damage and avoid injuries."
Lifestyle - Share your wildest fantasies
When it comes to sharing your sexual fantasies, even the "closest" couples find it hard to communicate their "naughty acts" with each other.
Not many couples are able to act out their sexual fantasies as they often wonder - How to share their wild thoughts? What would their partner think about them? How would he/she react? Will they comply or not? Such questions and many others flood the minds of many sexually active adults who want to explore their wildest fantasies, reports Fox News . While sharing lewd, obscene, or sensuous scenes with your partner can pose to be a big problem, it also has an upside - not only can you divulge your sexual desires but could even get a sneak peek into your lover's fantasies as well. So if you want to spice things up by sharing it all, sex and relationship expert Dr. Yvonne Kristin Fulbright's guide will prove a saviour for you. And she says that before taking the plunge and sharing, you should first ask yourself the following questions:
1. What's my motivation? Why do you want to share this fantasy? What turns you on about sharing? Do you hope the sharing can be a form of foreplay or something more? Are you hoping that your fantasy will be fulfilled? Will it be advantageous to your relationship?
2. Will sharing diffuse my own pleasures? Many lovers like to have a few tricks up their sleeves in bed and their private fantasies are often what makes or breaks the sexual moment. Whether it’s getting through a sex act or working your way to orgasm, will sharing take away from how your fantasy benefits you now? Will you be able to enjoy having the cat out of the bag?
3. Am I in the right kind of relationship for sharing? Not every relationship can weather such intimate sharing. You need to be in a secure, trusting relationship. Your sexual union should be able to provide you with the support and safety needed to get over any nervousness and anxiety and to field any reactions. Lovers need to make each other feel accepted and emotionally safe. This includes being able to refuse a request to act out a fantasy without putting the other down.
4. Can my partner handle my fantasies? Some lovers can't handle hearing about certain sex acts, especially if they involve "who" you're fantasising about. Partners who are sex negative or uncomfortable with sexual intimacy in general are not going to be the best candidates for such sharing. So consider what your lover may be open to and which types of fantasies may cause more harm than good.
5. Am I ready to hear my partner's fantasies? Lovers tend to expect reciprocity when sharing fantasies. It's usually not a one-way conversation, so you have to consider how you might react to your partner's fantasies. Can you go there? How can you provide the same safety you’re hoping for? After the self-questioning comes the sharing part, so think long and hard about when to open up. And don't expose a fantasy after a hot romp, for it may not be received as well as one meant to arouse desire. Let your partner know that you want to share something and explain your reasons for wanting to share. Finally, remind your lover that your relationship means more than any fantasy.
Not many couples are able to act out their sexual fantasies as they often wonder - How to share their wild thoughts? What would their partner think about them? How would he/she react? Will they comply or not? Such questions and many others flood the minds of many sexually active adults who want to explore their wildest fantasies, reports Fox News . While sharing lewd, obscene, or sensuous scenes with your partner can pose to be a big problem, it also has an upside - not only can you divulge your sexual desires but could even get a sneak peek into your lover's fantasies as well. So if you want to spice things up by sharing it all, sex and relationship expert Dr. Yvonne Kristin Fulbright's guide will prove a saviour for you. And she says that before taking the plunge and sharing, you should first ask yourself the following questions:
1. What's my motivation? Why do you want to share this fantasy? What turns you on about sharing? Do you hope the sharing can be a form of foreplay or something more? Are you hoping that your fantasy will be fulfilled? Will it be advantageous to your relationship?
2. Will sharing diffuse my own pleasures? Many lovers like to have a few tricks up their sleeves in bed and their private fantasies are often what makes or breaks the sexual moment. Whether it’s getting through a sex act or working your way to orgasm, will sharing take away from how your fantasy benefits you now? Will you be able to enjoy having the cat out of the bag?
3. Am I in the right kind of relationship for sharing? Not every relationship can weather such intimate sharing. You need to be in a secure, trusting relationship. Your sexual union should be able to provide you with the support and safety needed to get over any nervousness and anxiety and to field any reactions. Lovers need to make each other feel accepted and emotionally safe. This includes being able to refuse a request to act out a fantasy without putting the other down.
4. Can my partner handle my fantasies? Some lovers can't handle hearing about certain sex acts, especially if they involve "who" you're fantasising about. Partners who are sex negative or uncomfortable with sexual intimacy in general are not going to be the best candidates for such sharing. So consider what your lover may be open to and which types of fantasies may cause more harm than good.
5. Am I ready to hear my partner's fantasies? Lovers tend to expect reciprocity when sharing fantasies. It's usually not a one-way conversation, so you have to consider how you might react to your partner's fantasies. Can you go there? How can you provide the same safety you’re hoping for? After the self-questioning comes the sharing part, so think long and hard about when to open up. And don't expose a fantasy after a hot romp, for it may not be received as well as one meant to arouse desire. Let your partner know that you want to share something and explain your reasons for wanting to share. Finally, remind your lover that your relationship means more than any fantasy.
Tech - PCs help spot breast cancer on X-rays
NEW YORK: A computer is as good as a second pair of eyes for helping a radiologist spot breast cancer on a mammogram, one of the largest and most rig
orous tests of computer-aided detection found. Like spell-checkers looking for mistakes, the computers flag suspicious areas on X-rays for a closer look by a radiologist. Mammograms are used to screen women for early signs of breast cancer but the tests aren’t perfect. In the US, the X-rays are read by a single radiologist and cancers are sometimes missed. Computer-aided detection, or CAD, was developed to help radiologists pick up more cancers. Approved a decade ago, these computer programs are now used for about a third of the nation's mammograms. But the value and accuracy of the technology has continued to be debated. British experts found that computer-aided detection spotted nearly the same number of cancers, 198 out of 227, compared to 199 for the two readers.
orous tests of computer-aided detection found. Like spell-checkers looking for mistakes, the computers flag suspicious areas on X-rays for a closer look by a radiologist. Mammograms are used to screen women for early signs of breast cancer but the tests aren’t perfect. In the US, the X-rays are read by a single radiologist and cancers are sometimes missed. Computer-aided detection, or CAD, was developed to help radiologists pick up more cancers. Approved a decade ago, these computer programs are now used for about a third of the nation's mammograms. But the value and accuracy of the technology has continued to be debated. British experts found that computer-aided detection spotted nearly the same number of cancers, 198 out of 227, compared to 199 for the two readers.
World - Was Jesus Christ a magician?
WASHINGTON: A team of scientists, led by a French archaeologist have discovered a bowl in Egypt, dating between the late 2nd century BC and the early 1st century AD, that is engraved with what they believe could be the world’s first known reference to Jesus Christ, reading "by Christ the magician". According to a report in Discovery News, if the word "Christ" refers to the Biblical Jesus Christ, as is speculated, then the discovery may provide evidence that Christianity and paganism at times intertwined in the ancient world. The full engraving on the bowl reads, "Dia Chrstou O Goistais", which has been interpreted by the excavation team to mean either, "by Christ the magician" or, "the magician by Christ". "It could very well be a reference to Jesus Christ, in that he was once the primary exponent of white magic," French marine archaeologist, co-founder of the Oxford Center of Maritime Archaeology, Franck Goddio, said. He and his colleagues found the object during an excavation of the underwater ruins of Alexandria’s ancient great harbor. The site also includes the now submerged island of Antirhodos, where Cleopatra’s palace may have been located. Both Goddio and Egyptologist David Fabre, a member of the European Institute of Submarine Archaeology, think a "magus" could have practiced fortune telling rituals using the bowl. The Book of Matthew refers to "wisemen," or Magi, believed to have been prevalent in the ancient world.
Mktg - Microsoft perks search with prizes
SAN FRANCISCO: In a bid to close the ever-widening gap with Google on Internet searches, Microsoft has started offering consumers redeemable points for using its search service. The programme was launched as new Web traffic figures showed that Google had extended its lead to 63 per cent of the US search market in August. Yahoo came in with a 19.6 per cent share, followed by Microsoft with an 8.3 per cent share. Microsoft hopes that its new SearchPerks programme will help counter the trend by giving consumers, who enroll in the programme, tickets for any searches they do using Microsoft's Live Search service. The virtual tickets can be redeemed for prizes, such as airline miles, music downloads and games for Microsoft's XBox video game system. The launch of SearchPerks followed the introduction in May of Live Search Cashback, a programme that pays cash rebates to customers who find and buy products using the software giant's search service. Microsoft said that tests showed that people were three times more likely to use Live Search when they were offered redeemable points than when they weren't. "People like to engage with us a lot more when they use SearchPerks," says Frederick Savoye, a senior director on Microsoft's search team. However the promotion will remain an experiment for now, limited to the first 250,000 users in the US that download a Web application that records how many searches they do daily on Google, Yahoo or Microsoft. To maintain privacy, the programme only tracks the number of searches and not the type of searches people do. SearchPerk users get one "ticket" for every search done on Microsoft, and can receive up to 25 tickets a day. The company has not yet determined how many points will be needed to claim prizes. The programme is currently available only for Internet Explorer 6 or higher.
Health - Reduce salt intake for healthy life
COIMBATORE: Three gram reduction in a person's dietary intake of salt would result in over a 20 per cent drop in deaths from stroke and over a 15 per cent fall in death from heart disease, according to a senior cardiologist here. As heart disease and stroke, the world's number one killer, causing 17.5 million deaths every year, eating half a teaspoon less of salt each day could save millions of lives, Dr.S Balaji of the private Sri Ramakrishna Hospital, said on "World Heart Day", organised on September 28. There are several factors which increased the risk of developing high blood pressure, including excessive consumption of salt, he said. “However, by adopting lifestyle changes hypertension is controllable,” Balaji said. Avoiding foods high in salt, refraining from adding salt and being aware of the salt content of food in restaurants and processed foods, could potentially reduce salt consumption by three grams a day, he suggested. High blood pressure or hypertension was the biggest single risk factor for heart disease and stroke and currently affected more than billion people worldwide, Balaji said. By 2025, it was estimated more than 1.5 million people, or nearly one in three adults over the age of 25, would have high blood pressure, he said.
India - English speaking beggars on prowl in Delhi Streets
NEW DELHI: They come to you dressed in rags but will take you by surprise with their perfect accent and mastery of the Queen's language as you walk through Connaught Place in the heart of the national capital. They are the modern English-speaking beggars who would not ask for money or food but will hit at your conscience by asking you to buy them medicines which they "badly need". While some pay few rupees to get away, many got cornered by the "emotional blackmail" and would actually agree to buy the medicine provided they do it themselves. And so, the beggars take their "unsuspecting victims" to the nearby chemist's shop from where they buy the medicines. Overwhelmed by the feel-good factor of having helped their fellowmen in need, the victims walk away with a clean conscience little did they know that they are duped. "That's exactly how I felt. But somehow, I suspect later that something was amiss. When inquired, I found out that the shopowner has a tie-up with the beggars. Their modus operandi -- the beggars brought back the medicine intact and get half the money of the cost price from the chemists," Ajit Dubey, a marketing executive and a victim of such a trap, said. "I spent Rs 270 to buy one fellow an inhaler but later the guards nearby said the beggar usually makes a fool of foreigners by his sob stories and many even take out money from the ATM to give him," Dubey said.
Sport - Cricket;Final Fling for Fab 5 says Border
Former Australia captain says selectors’ decision to go with experience could backfireMELBOURNE: : Former Australian captain Allan Border does not consider picking five players on the wrong side of 30 in the Indian squad to play against Australia a wise decision but said the selectors might be giving the seniors one last opportunity to perform and exit with a bang.“You look at that squad, you talk about Dad’s Army, the Australians, that’s a very, very old Indian side,” Border said referring to the inclusion of Anil Kumble, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman in the Indian 15-member squad. “They (the selectors) want all the experienced guys there, and their hard heads, and I’d say this will be the final fling for that group of players. I get the feeling that this is the final frontier for these guys.They want to play Australia for the last time in their own country, and go out with a bang. I think the selectors are saying ‘we’ll go with the hard heads one last time and we can’t be held accountable if we throw some young fellas in there and they get beaten ... if they’re unsuccessful, they’re quite justified in changing,” Border told Foxsports.Border said personally he would have preferred more youngsters in the team but would not outright criticise the selectors for picking the seniors.“The Indian selectors are just going with their tried-and-tested performers, particularly against Australia. India will need to move on with younger players shortly. You would have liked to have seen some more young names like Subramaniam Badrinath thrown in there with potential to make the starting line-up, but not to be. But, it’s hard to make a judgement on his selection...I’m always reluctant to hammer champions, even if they are aging a fraction, because they’re always likely to come up with something special. But my gut feel is I’d have liked to have seen some younger players in there,” said the legendary batsman who did not have the luxury to win a series in India.Ganguly has an average of 31.73 in 20 Tests against Australia with just one century but Border warned the Aussies not to take the former Indian captain lightly. “They’ve got these aging stars, is that a good or bad thing. If (Australia) get on top of them in the early exchanges, it could throw the whole thing into chaos, so I’d say Sourav’s selection is a good thing for the Australians. “But the reverse is also true because the aging stars might hold something special for one final fling, and they become difficult to play against. Particularly Sourav.“He’s been struggling for his best form but he has a liking for the Aussies and really taking the fight to them. His stats might not back that up, but he really likes the conflict of a series against Australia,” he said. Border feels that Australia will have to depend more on their pace attack if they want to win the series as the spin department has been an ‘Achilles heel’ for the visitors.“Australia’s strength is in the pace attack. If we have a potential problem, it’s in the spin-bowling ranks. Bryce McGain has already been ruled out ... throw Jason Krejza in there, off-spinner in India, even Shane Warne, one of the greatest ever, if he had an Achilles heel it was bowling in India.“It’s a tough ask, but Krejza’s a little bit different to most. He’s an attacking bowler, he gives the ball a real rip, and he might be just the difference we need. We’re also going to need Michael Clarke to bowl a few overs. That’ll be interesting to see how that pans out.”
Lifestyle - An extra-marital affair can kill you
LONDON: Men, beware! An extra-marital affair can do more than just killing your marriage -- it could kill you too, particularly if you are prone to bad headaches.
Researchers have found that the strain of juggling married life and a secret lover leads to stress and tension for the cheating partner, which can can lead to migraine pain that could cause ballooning in a blood vessel in the brain.
In their study, the researchers studied hundreds of patients across Italy who reported migraines and found that some of the worst affected were having affairs.
"What we found is that it was mostly men who suffered worst from this phenomenon, which is all to do with stress and hypertension (high blood pressure).
"It would appear that men have a more severe feeling of guilt when cheating which leads to increased stress and tension," lead researcher Lorenzo Pinessi said.
According to Pinessi, the President of the Italian Migraine Society, those who had headaches were more likely to develop migraines, and a small percentage went on to suffer fatal aneurysm.
His advice for frazzled adulterers was to "take a time-out from the affair and have a brain scan".
And, according to him, headache-prone cheats should "avoid the Karma Sutra and stick to simple sexual intercourse" to limit pressure on the heart.
"The sexual position chosen can also have affect as the more physical the more pressure on the heart -- it is probably best to avoid positions where the male is on his feet," Pinessi said.
Researchers have found that the strain of juggling married life and a secret lover leads to stress and tension for the cheating partner, which can can lead to migraine pain that could cause ballooning in a blood vessel in the brain.
In their study, the researchers studied hundreds of patients across Italy who reported migraines and found that some of the worst affected were having affairs.
"What we found is that it was mostly men who suffered worst from this phenomenon, which is all to do with stress and hypertension (high blood pressure).
"It would appear that men have a more severe feeling of guilt when cheating which leads to increased stress and tension," lead researcher Lorenzo Pinessi said.
According to Pinessi, the President of the Italian Migraine Society, those who had headaches were more likely to develop migraines, and a small percentage went on to suffer fatal aneurysm.
His advice for frazzled adulterers was to "take a time-out from the affair and have a brain scan".
And, according to him, headache-prone cheats should "avoid the Karma Sutra and stick to simple sexual intercourse" to limit pressure on the heart.
"The sexual position chosen can also have affect as the more physical the more pressure on the heart -- it is probably best to avoid positions where the male is on his feet," Pinessi said.
Oct 2, 2008
World - US Congress OKs India Nuclear Deal,sends to bush
By Susan Cornwell
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress on Wednesday approved a landmark deal ending a three-decade ban on U.S. nuclear trade with India, handing a victory to President George W. Bush on one of his top foreign policy priorities.
Final approval came as the Senate voted to ratify the deal, 86-13, sending the legislation to Bush to sign into law. The Senate's move came just ahead of an expected trip to India this weekend by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Bush said he looks forward to signing the bill into law.
"This legislation will strengthen our global nuclear nonproliferation efforts, protect the environment, create jobs, and assist India in meeting its growing energy needs in a responsible manner," Bush said in a statement.
The Bush administration says the pact will secure a strategic partnership with the world's largest democracy, help India meet its rising energy demand and open up a market worth billions.
But critics say the deal does grave damage to global efforts to contain the spread of nuclear weapons, by letting India import nuclear fuel and technology even though it has tested nuclear weapons and never signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
"The U.S.-Indian Agreement for Nuclear Cooperation is, nonetheless, a nonproliferation disaster," said Daryl Kimball, head of the Arms Control Association.
"Contrary to the counterfactual claims of proponents and apologists, it does not bring India into the "nonproliferation mainstream."
The ACA is a non-partisan Washington-based arms control policy organization.
India has a yawning energy deficit, and the accord opens up this market worth billions to American companies such as General Electric and Westinghouse Electric, a unit of Japan's Toshiba Corp.
Rice spent much of the past month in an all-out effort to persuade Congress to approve the pact, which the Bush administration says will transform the U.S.-India relationship. Bush wanted the deal approved before leaving office in January; Congress is expected to adjourn soon for elections.
The accord enjoys bipartisan support in Congress, where many lawmakers favored it as a way to create jobs in the U.S. civil nuclear industry while cultivating the small but affluent Indian-American community.
Critics said the deal was deeply unwise, overturning decades of U.S. policy of refusing to sell nuclear technology to nations lacking full safeguards against that technology's diversion into nuclear weapons programs.
IRAN CONCERNS
"Why are we rushing to pass this gravely flawed agreement?" demanded Sen. Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat, before the vote. There was nothing in it, he said, to prevent India from resuming nuclear testing. India, which first detonated a nuclear device in 1974, last tested in 1998.
The deal would also weaken U.S. efforts to deny Iran a nuclear weapon, Harkin said. He said Indian entities already had sold sensitive missile technologies to Iran, which the Bush administration suspects is pursuing a nuclear bomb.
But supporters said they expected India to move quickly to negotiate a new safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
"The benefits of this pact are designed to be a lasting incentive for India to abstain from further nuclear weapons tests and to cooperate closely with the United States in stopping proliferation," Indiana Republican Sen. Richard Lugar said.
Before approving the pact, the Senate rejected an amendment by Sen. Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico and Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, both Democrats, making clear that another Indian nuclear test would lead to termination of the deal.
Lugar argued the amendment was unnecessary, saying India had been warned repeatedly that the consequences of another test would be "dire": U.S. nuclear trade would be cut off.
The deal could open up around $27 billion in investments in 18-20 nuclear plants in India over the next 15 years, according to the Confederation of Indian Industry.
But there is global competition. France announced on Tuesday that it had signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with India, and Russia is already building two 1,000 megawatt reactors in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Local media say India's monopoly Nuclear Power Corp has tentatively picked four suppliers, including Westinghouse Electric and France's Areva, for planned new projects.
India is also reported to be negotiating with General Electric, Japan's Hitachi Ltd and Russia's atomic energy agency Rosatom.
World - US Senate approves $700bn bailout
By Daniel Trotta and Richard Cowan
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate approved a $700 billion bailout of the financial industry on Wednesday that political and financial leaders called crucial to averting economic catastrophe.
The bill is aimed at reinvigorating worldwide credit markets and interbank lending that had frozen up while overleveraged financial institutions staggered under the weight of failed mortgages.
Amid warnings that failure to act could plunge the country into a depression, more than 60 Senators voted in favor, exceeding the majority needed to send the measure to the House of Representatives, probably for a vote on Friday.
The House had rejected a similar measure on Monday, sending global markets into a tailspin, so congressional leaders added two sweeteners to the bill -- a tax cut and extended federal protection for bank deposits -- that could turn "no" voters into supporters.
Central bankers and pensioners worldwide were counting on the rescue plan to empower the U.S. Treasury to buy distressed assets from financial firms, clean up their balance sheets and jump-start lending.
The vote came amid early trade in Asian markets and the dollar climbed near a one-year peak against a basket of currencies while Japanese stocks extended losses.
The credit crisis also reverberated among European banks while recessionary signals mounted in the United States.
U.S. factory activity shrank in September to its lowest since the 2001 recession and major automakers reported plunging U.S. sales for September, led by a 34 percent slide at Ford Motor Co.
In Europe, France and Germany clashed over the idea of a U.S.-style financial rescue fund for Europe amid further signs of contagion from the global credit crisis.
Italy's UniCredit became the latest bank under scrutiny after backing away from its 2008 earnings targets.
The U.S. vote capped another whirlwind day in the markets in which shares of bellwether U.S. conglomerate General Electric Co plunged as much as 9 percent on concerns about future earnings until super-investor Warren Buffett took a $3 billion stake.
(Writing by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Gary Hill)
Health - Read your hands to know your diseases
Venkatta Vemuri
Do you have club fingers? Then it’s possible you may have lung cancer. A study in the latest issue of the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine reveals your hands can provide clues to hidden diseases you may have.
Researchers came to this conclusion after studying the palms of a woman tested positive for cancer.
A 74-year-old woman who was otherwise healthy sought medical help for hard lumps on her palms. These had spread and joined together, giving the palm a ‘wooden’ feeling, making movement painful.
Doctors could not find anything wrong, but she was tested for — and diagnosed with — ovarian cancer after they found that the lumps were a rare sign of the disease.
The study’s author, Graham Easton says fingers can provide essential clues on a patient’s well-being.
“In fact, doctors can often tell more about someone’s health by their hands than their face,” Easton, a family doctor in London, told the Daily Mail.
Here are some hand signals you should look for to keep a check on your health.
Club fingers: If the tips of your fingers are dome-shaped or look like small clubs, it could be a warning sign of serious diseases such as lung cancer, TB or mesothelioma.
Blue fingernails: They look blue as blood is not being pumped round the body properly. Called cyanosis, this condition can be a warning sign for a heart failure.
Two-tone nails: Nails that are a pale white on the bottom half, nearest the skin, but a brownish shade on the top half, could be a sign of kidney failure.
Sweaty palms: Hot and sweaty palms are a sign of hyperthyroidism. With an overactive thyroid, the body uses up more calories and generates more heat.
Beaded nails: If you have tiny beads on your nails that resemble candle wax dripping, it could be a sign of rheumatoid arthritis.
Bony lumps on fingers: Bony pea-sized lumps that are painful to the touch around the joints of the fingers can be a marker for osteoarthritis elsewhere in the body, such as hips or knees.
Fatty knuckles: Lumps of cholesterol deposits - known as tendon xanthoma — over the knuckles are one of the signs of a potentially fatal condition called familial hypercholesterolaemia. These are hard, yellowy bumps that protrude when you clench your fist.
Reddened palms: It’s a sign of liver cirrhosis. Called palmar erythema, the reddening usually affects the outer edge of the palm.
Lifestyle - Experience is best teacher for babies
Infants who used a plastic cane to get an out-of-reach toy were better able to understand the goal of another person's use of a similar tool than were infants who had previously only watched an adult use a cane to retrieve a toy.
"Only recently have there been studies showing that active, hands-on experience is a more effective way of learning than watching. This study indicates that there is a benefit to actual hands-on experience early in human development," said Jessica Sommerville, University of Washington (UW) assistant professor of psychology and co-author of the study.
In earlier work, Sommerville, who is affiliated with the UW's Institute of Learning and Brain Sciences, has shown that 10-month-old infants rarely use a tool such as a cane spontaneously.
To see if active, hands-on training provided greater understanding of another person's goals when using a tool, the UW researchers divided 51 infants - 26 boys and 25 girls - into three groups for the new study.
Those in one group, the training group, had an opportunity to use a red-striped and a green-striped cane to pull a rubber toy (such as a yellow duck and a purple hippopotamus) toward them on a table.
Then the infants were trained in how to use the crook of a cane to retrieve a toy. Finally, they were given two trials to see if they could pull the toy to them all by themselves.
A second group of infants, the observational group, went through the same procedure with one major difference. Instead of using the tools, the infants watched an adult mimic the babies in the first group learning how to use the cane to get a toy.
Finally the infants in those two groups, as well as those in the third, or baseline, group individually watched training trials in which a researcher seated behind a table used one cane to retrieve a toy and then picked up the toy, according to a UW release.
Then, out of sight of the babies, the location of the toy was switched in four test trials. In two of the trials, the crook of the same cane she had previously used was placed around a new toy. In the other two trials, the crook of a new cane was placed around the same toy as in the training trials. All of the babies were filmed during the test trials to see how long they watched each trial.
Sommerville said the experiment was designed to see if the infants would pay attention to a change in the experimenter's goal of getting a new toy rather than using a different tool. Infants in the observational and baseline groups spent equal amounts of time looking at the new cane and toys trials. But the trained group spent more time looking at the new toy trials, suggesting they understood that the adult was using the cane as a tool.
Even more striking was the fact that infants in the training group who were the most proficient at retrieving a toy - looking at the toy, purposefully pulling the cane to bring the toy to them and then quickly grasping the toy - were more likely to look at the new toy trials for a longer time.
These results were published in the current issue of the journal Developmental Psychology.
World - Canada opposition party accuses PM of Plagarism
A senior campaign staffer for the governing Conservative Party resigned on Tuesday after admitting he wrote a speech for Prime Minister Stephen Harper that plagiarised another leader's address urging support for the US-led war in Iraq.
The Opposition Liberals released transcripts of speeches delivered by then-Australian PM John Howard on March 18, 2003, and one by Harper two days later in Canadia’s Parliament when Harper was Opposition leader.
Liberal foreign affairs spokesman Bob Rae said nearly half of Harper’s speech was a word-for-word recitation of Howard’s. “How does a political leader in Canada’s Parliament —on such a crucial issue — end up giving the same speech as another country’s leader?”
Canada’s Liberal government at the time turned down Washington’s request to send forces to Iraq, while Australia sent troops.
Conservative campaign worker Owen Lippert resigned later taking responsibility for the speech. He said he worked in Harper’s office in 2003 and wrote the speech.
Rae said lines from Howard’s speech were also duplicated in a Wall Street Journal guest editorial under Harper’s byline. Rae said duplicated lines also appeared under Harper’s byline in the Toronto Star, National Post and Ottawa Citizen.
Liberal party leader Stephane Dion said, “Canadians want their country to speak with its own voice on the world stage... Stephen Harper should be expelled.”
Lifestyle - Changing world of higher education
Ramesh Thakur
For universities, the guiding slogan is “innovate or perish.”
Canada has invested much blood and treasure in Afghanistan in the heaviest commitment of combat forces since the Korean War in the 1950s. The roots of the commitment lie in the now forgotten Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the arming, training and financing of the mujahideen to drive the Soviets out of Afghanistan, the abandonment of the country after success in the strategic goal of defeating Moscow, and the capture of Afghanistan by a radical regime espousing anti-Wester n causes that led directly to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. On the other side, “success” in Afghanistan will be determined more in the streets of Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Islamabad than in the battlegrounds of Kandahar and Kabul. Nor can the destiny of Afghanistan be delinked from the Pakistan-India rivalry to the southeast or the events in Iran and Iraq to the west.
Just like security, Canada’s prosperity too will be determined first and foremost by what happens in the world beyond its borders than who forms the government in Ottawa after the elections in a couple of weeks. The current financial meltdown, the worst crisis since the Great Depression, highlights the truth of this only too dramatically.
Thus does the world impinge on Canada. Hence the need for Canadians to grasp the main cross-currents of world affairs.
The battle over shaping that world is more a contest of ideas than a conflict over territory or struggle over resources. In Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan, will secular democracies prevail over or succumb to radical Islamists spewing venom at Christians, Hindus and Jews alike, in the meantime killing more fellow-Muslims than non-Muslims through serial terror attacks? Should the ideology of unbridled market capitalism, fed by individual and corporate greed and unconcern for those who are pushed to the bottom of the heap, be allowed to continue unregulated, or will the Republican worldview be replaced by the Democrats’ instinct for reining in the market with modernized regulatory and surveillance instruments and social safety nets for the poor and the vulnerable?
Ideas impart vitality to a society. In the short term, groups may vanquish rivals through superior skills in warfare. The long-term success of civilisations and countries is due more often to the dynamism and vibrancy of ideas and their steady ascendancy over competing visions of the good life. A society in intellectual ferment is fertile ground for progress and advancement, provided the clash of ideas is given free play. Conversely, a society that is bereft of and represses new ideas is a society doomed to stagnation.
Universities are the marketplace of ideas. The process of transformation of large and complex societies creates social ferment, disorder, dislocation, volatility and sometimes even conflict. Universities often find themselves embattled because they are at the forefront of this struggle for social transformation.
Education and scholarship provide the terrain on which intellectually arid and stagnant societies encounter new worlds of ideas from foreign cultures. A university, as a repository of scholarship, is dedicated to teaching and research in the spirit of free and critical inquiry, tolerance of diversity and a commitment to resolution of difference of opinion through dialogue and debate. That is, to the acquisition, criticism and transmission of knowledge from one generation to the next and to being a centre of creative and innovative learning. University qualifications are the gateway to social mobility. The concomitant emphases on equitable and affordable access to quality education for all social classes and groups produced an explosion in the number of tertiary students.
In an information society and world, the comparative advantage of universities lies in their identity as custodians and managers of knowledge-based networks that give them a global mandate and reach. They are knowledge brokers with a global leveraging and networking capacity.
Owing to changes in the higher education sector, universities across the world are being forced to change from bureaucratic and risk-averse to agile and market-responsive institutions. Until the 17th-18th century, most of them were hierarchical, often governed by religious rules, subject to religious authority, and interested very largely in religious scholarship amidst an essentially feudal society. Buffeted by broader social changes, universities too have been transformed through:
Secularisation (of what is taught and how it is taught);
Democratisation (of access) and resulting expansion;
Consequences of expansion for maintaining balance between supply and demand, access and quality, resources and activities, teaching and research commitments (time, funds);
Internationalisation (of students, staff, curricula, campuses, best practice benchmarks, funding opportunities-cum-competition, etc);
“Commodification” – education as a for-profit activity and service export;
Changing student profile – where previously education and employment came together in the ideal of a career, today it is becoming commonplace to think of multiple careers and periodic skill enhancement, leading to demand for lifelong learning opportunities and modules;
Knowledge intensity – the amount of knowledge per graduating student has increased dramatically from one generation to the next;
Technology intensity in the acquisition and transmission of existing knowledge and creation of new knowledge; and
The declining relevance of distance in the provision and generation of knowledge.
Today’s students learn more per course of study than my generation ever did. Yet the shelf life of knowledge is also shorter than it used to be, which places a premium on critical analytical and problem-solving skills rather than acquired knowledge.
Any university must deal with increased demands for access to state-of-the-art scholarship for solving critical global problems; changing personal and occupational aspirations in different societies around the world; and a more competitive international marketplace. It must continue to be a leading contributor to scholarship, learning and capacity development; to access, widening participation and lifelong learning; to research and knowledge management and transfer; and to the development of workforce and skills base through professional development.
There is nothing to suggest that in the next decade there will be a significant lessening of the pace and scale of change in the university sector. All this may in turn suggest new “mix-and-match” modes of governance, operation, financing, internal structures, external relations, involving public-private partnerships in particular. The practical management import of the changes in the higher education sector is the premium it places on encouraging innovation, creativity, flexibility and entrepreneurship. In a recent speech in New Delhi, RIM co-CEO and higher education philanthropist Jim Balsillie noted that these are attributes usually associated with the private sector. Modern day universities are complex organisations operating in challenging and constantly evolving environments. As with business CEOs, one of the most critical challenges for university chief executives is change and risk management. If for professors the saying “publish or perish” still holds, for universities as for businesses the guiding slogan is “innovate or perish.”
For universities, the guiding slogan is “innovate or perish.”
Canada has invested much blood and treasure in Afghanistan in the heaviest commitment of combat forces since the Korean War in the 1950s. The roots of the commitment lie in the now forgotten Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the arming, training and financing of the mujahideen to drive the Soviets out of Afghanistan, the abandonment of the country after success in the strategic goal of defeating Moscow, and the capture of Afghanistan by a radical regime espousing anti-Wester n causes that led directly to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. On the other side, “success” in Afghanistan will be determined more in the streets of Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Islamabad than in the battlegrounds of Kandahar and Kabul. Nor can the destiny of Afghanistan be delinked from the Pakistan-India rivalry to the southeast or the events in Iran and Iraq to the west.
Just like security, Canada’s prosperity too will be determined first and foremost by what happens in the world beyond its borders than who forms the government in Ottawa after the elections in a couple of weeks. The current financial meltdown, the worst crisis since the Great Depression, highlights the truth of this only too dramatically.
Thus does the world impinge on Canada. Hence the need for Canadians to grasp the main cross-currents of world affairs.
The battle over shaping that world is more a contest of ideas than a conflict over territory or struggle over resources. In Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan, will secular democracies prevail over or succumb to radical Islamists spewing venom at Christians, Hindus and Jews alike, in the meantime killing more fellow-Muslims than non-Muslims through serial terror attacks? Should the ideology of unbridled market capitalism, fed by individual and corporate greed and unconcern for those who are pushed to the bottom of the heap, be allowed to continue unregulated, or will the Republican worldview be replaced by the Democrats’ instinct for reining in the market with modernized regulatory and surveillance instruments and social safety nets for the poor and the vulnerable?
Ideas impart vitality to a society. In the short term, groups may vanquish rivals through superior skills in warfare. The long-term success of civilisations and countries is due more often to the dynamism and vibrancy of ideas and their steady ascendancy over competing visions of the good life. A society in intellectual ferment is fertile ground for progress and advancement, provided the clash of ideas is given free play. Conversely, a society that is bereft of and represses new ideas is a society doomed to stagnation.
Universities are the marketplace of ideas. The process of transformation of large and complex societies creates social ferment, disorder, dislocation, volatility and sometimes even conflict. Universities often find themselves embattled because they are at the forefront of this struggle for social transformation.
Education and scholarship provide the terrain on which intellectually arid and stagnant societies encounter new worlds of ideas from foreign cultures. A university, as a repository of scholarship, is dedicated to teaching and research in the spirit of free and critical inquiry, tolerance of diversity and a commitment to resolution of difference of opinion through dialogue and debate. That is, to the acquisition, criticism and transmission of knowledge from one generation to the next and to being a centre of creative and innovative learning. University qualifications are the gateway to social mobility. The concomitant emphases on equitable and affordable access to quality education for all social classes and groups produced an explosion in the number of tertiary students.
In an information society and world, the comparative advantage of universities lies in their identity as custodians and managers of knowledge-based networks that give them a global mandate and reach. They are knowledge brokers with a global leveraging and networking capacity.
Owing to changes in the higher education sector, universities across the world are being forced to change from bureaucratic and risk-averse to agile and market-responsive institutions. Until the 17th-18th century, most of them were hierarchical, often governed by religious rules, subject to religious authority, and interested very largely in religious scholarship amidst an essentially feudal society. Buffeted by broader social changes, universities too have been transformed through:
Secularisation (of what is taught and how it is taught);
Democratisation (of access) and resulting expansion;
Consequences of expansion for maintaining balance between supply and demand, access and quality, resources and activities, teaching and research commitments (time, funds);
Internationalisation (of students, staff, curricula, campuses, best practice benchmarks, funding opportunities-cum-competition, etc);
“Commodification” – education as a for-profit activity and service export;
Changing student profile – where previously education and employment came together in the ideal of a career, today it is becoming commonplace to think of multiple careers and periodic skill enhancement, leading to demand for lifelong learning opportunities and modules;
Knowledge intensity – the amount of knowledge per graduating student has increased dramatically from one generation to the next;
Technology intensity in the acquisition and transmission of existing knowledge and creation of new knowledge; and
The declining relevance of distance in the provision and generation of knowledge.
Today’s students learn more per course of study than my generation ever did. Yet the shelf life of knowledge is also shorter than it used to be, which places a premium on critical analytical and problem-solving skills rather than acquired knowledge.
Any university must deal with increased demands for access to state-of-the-art scholarship for solving critical global problems; changing personal and occupational aspirations in different societies around the world; and a more competitive international marketplace. It must continue to be a leading contributor to scholarship, learning and capacity development; to access, widening participation and lifelong learning; to research and knowledge management and transfer; and to the development of workforce and skills base through professional development.
There is nothing to suggest that in the next decade there will be a significant lessening of the pace and scale of change in the university sector. All this may in turn suggest new “mix-and-match” modes of governance, operation, financing, internal structures, external relations, involving public-private partnerships in particular. The practical management import of the changes in the higher education sector is the premium it places on encouraging innovation, creativity, flexibility and entrepreneurship. In a recent speech in New Delhi, RIM co-CEO and higher education philanthropist Jim Balsillie noted that these are attributes usually associated with the private sector. Modern day universities are complex organisations operating in challenging and constantly evolving environments. As with business CEOs, one of the most critical challenges for university chief executives is change and risk management. If for professors the saying “publish or perish” still holds, for universities as for businesses the guiding slogan is “innovate or perish.”
World - A good day for Democracy ( G.Read)
What are we to make of the Congressional rejection of the Paulson proposal? The politics is simple: elections are a rare moment of accountability in our political process and all 435 members of the House of Representatives are up for re-election in a matter of weeks. The Bush administration has lost the confidence of the American people, and so has Wall Street.
Those who created the problem are now the doctors offering the prescriptions. A little while ago, we were told everything was fine. Then, less than six months ago, we were told that the economy was on the mend. Now we are told the patient needs a massive transfusion, but everyone can see that the patient is suffering from internal bleeding; in California, the number of foreclosures may already be outpacing voluntary sales. Yet nothing is being done to stem the haemorrhaging.
While the president says the economy faces the risk of economic meltdown, he threatens to veto a stimulus package which would create jobs — and he seems particularly adamant about a stimulus package that includes improved unemployment benefits. Traditionally, this is done when there is a threat of an economic downturn; if the downturn doesn’t materialise, it doesn’t cost anything. And while the administration and Wall Street promise this is just a temporary loan, not a bail-out, there was strong opposition to making the financial industry pay for any losses. Why would that be, if they are so sure that there won’t be losses?
The rescue bill left enormous discretion to an administration on the wane, an administration which has shown unparalleled incompetence, an administration which even tried to politicise the attorney general’s office. Americans worry that there will be political favourites among the recipients of the hundreds of billions of dollars; that treasury secretary Hank Paulson seemed tough on Lehman but reversed course when his old firm Goldman Sachs was at risk is hardly reassuring.
Corporate welfarismIf the administration really thought the problems were as severe as claimed, shouldn’t they have put forward a bill that was less outrageous? Did they really think that Americans would swallow giving them authority to spend $700b, without oversight or judicial review, in a bill of a few pages? Normally, if you think there is a crisis, you try to forge a compromise with those who see the world differently — workers who worry about the loss of jobs and homeowners who worry about the risk of foreclosure.
Americans have lost faith not only in the administration, but in its economic philosophy: a new corporate welfarism masquerading behind free market ideology; another version of trickle-down economics, where hundreds of billions to Wall Street that caused the problem was supposed to somehow trickle down to help ordinary Americans. Trickle-down hasn’t been working well in America over the past eight years.
The very assumption that the rescue plan has to help is suspect. After all, the IMF and U.S. treasury bail-outs for Wall Street 10 years ago in Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil, Russia and Argentina didn’t work for those countries, although it did enable Wall Street to get back most of its money. The taxpayers in these other poor countries picked up the tab for the financial markets’ mistakes. This time, it is American taxpayers who are being asked to pick up the tab. And that’s the difference. For all the rhetoric about democracy and good governance, the citizens in those countries didn’t really get a chance to vote on the bail-outs. Had they, most would have suffered the same fortune as Paulson’s.
There is, in fact, a widespread consensus among economists about what should be done. The economy is weak and would remain so even with a good rescue plan. That is why there is a need for a strong stimulus. The February stimulus package was badly designed and its anaemic effects offset by soaring oil and food prices. Given the enormous increase in the deficit during the past seven years (from $5.7 billion to over $9 trillion — and that doesn’t include the bills yet to be paid for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars) we have to be sure that we get the biggest bang for the buck. We need increased unemployment benefits and aid to states and localities, who otherwise will be forced to cut back on expenditures, depressing the economy further. We need more investment in both the public and private sectors.
The fundamental problem with the financial system is that there have been large losses. Loans were made to people who couldn’t repay. They were made on the basis of collateral whose value was inflated by a bubble. That bubble has burst and the collateral is now worth less than the loan. The experts believe real estate prices have still a way to fall. This is not a matter of market confidence. This is a matter of market reality. Paulson would have us believe otherwise, but the American people know better. The fact that he and Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke don’t seem to grasp these realities undermines confidence that they know what they are doing.
In environmental economics, there is a basic concept called the polluter pays principle. It is a matter of fairness, but also of efficiency. Wall Street has polluted our economy with toxic mortgages. It should now pay for the cleanup.
What is so sad about this whole debacle is that is was predictable. Predicatable and avoidable. Perhaps Paulson and the administration believed that they could bamboozle Americans into doing whatever they asked. But Americans had been bamboozled before — into signing a blank cheque for the Iraq war.
A sad day for Wall Street, but it may be a glorious day for democracy. Hopefully Congress will now devise a plan that is not based on trickle-down economics. A plan that identifies the real sources of the problem and does something about them — a real stimulus to the economy, a real programme to stem the flood of foreclosures and a transparent programme for filling the holes in bank balance sheets. A plan that assures U.S. taxpayers the costs will be borne by those who created the problem. Accountability means paying for the full consequences for one’s actions — and the financial system has much to account for. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008
(Joseph E. Stiglitz is university professor at Columbia University and recipient of the Nobel prize in 2001. He was chief economist at the World Bank at the time of the last global financial crisis.)
India - Protecting the snow leopard
As a big cat native to the icy trans-Himalayan ranges, the snow leopard is an elusive and intriguing species. Uncia uncia is a graceful golden-eyed animal with thick fur, padded paws that help it move noiselessly on rocky slopes, and a gloriously long tail that provides balance on the tricky terrain. Like the tiger, the snow leopard is a keystone carnivore species whose future is clouded by conflicts with people — in this case, high-altitude pastor al communities. Although these peaceable folk have historically co-existed with the snow leopard in a dozen range countries, the increase in livestock numbers in recent times has resulted in depredation and retaliatory killing of the animal. Poaching to supply markets for fur and body parts presents another challenge. Fortunately, in India, conservation initiatives for the snow leopard look quite promising. Communities have been encouraged, with excellent results, to work for its survival in places such as Spiti valley (Himachal Pradesh) and Ladakh.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests has taken the progressive step of drafting a Project Snow Leopard; this it has done on the strength of the technical expertise built up by the Nature Conservation Foundation, the International Snow Leopard Trust, the Wildlife Institute of India, and State forest authorities. The project aims to cover 128,757 square kilometres of habitat in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. The essential experience of tiger conservation holds true for the snow leopard. Success — as a decade-long experiment in Kibber, a part of the Spiti valley, demonstrates — will depend primarily on the revival of its main prey base, a variety of wild sheep and goats. Thanks to a pastoral tradition of leasing out land to graziers, conservationists received rights to a designated area in Kibber from the community and achieved the opposite outcome — a reduction in livestock grazing. The reduced pressure allowed prey species to multiply. A participatory insurance scheme of cash compensation for livestock lost to snow leopard attacks certainly helped. Communities in Ladakh have reduced their dependence on livestock by opting for sustainable home stay tourism. A comparable income-based approach using handicrafts has worked in Mongolia, which hosts a major snow leopard population. These are the working models Project Snow Leopard, drawing on the best scientific research on the species, can re-validate and help scale up. Conservation failure will of course result in what conservationist George Schaller calls a “sad compromise” — survival of the species in zoos.
World - Towards the Idea of a Hunger Free India (V.G.Read)
M.S. Swaminathan
| Achieving the goal of nutrition security for all Indians will need a fusion of political will and action, professional skill, and peoples’ participation. |
“To a people famishing and idle, the only acceptable form in which God can dare appear is work and promise of food as wages.” These were the words of Mahatma Gandhi when he was healing the wounds arising from the Hindu-Muslim divide at Naokhali in 1946. He thus stressed the symbiotic bonds among work, income and food security. Eradication of hunger and poverty is also the first among the U.N. Millennium Development Goals (MDG), which in my view represent a global common minimum programme for human security and well-being.
On September 25, a high-level meeting was held in New York under the leadership of the United Nations Secretary-General to consider the fate of the first MDG in the light of escalating food prices and vanishing global food reserves. The Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation pointed out at this meeting that far from achieving the goal of reducing hunger by half by 2015, some 75 million more were added to the hunger trap during 2007, principally due to the rise in food prices.
Nearly 30 million of the 75 million additions are from India. Recent data from the National Family Health Surveys indicate an unacceptable extent of malnutrition among children and pregnant women in particular, leading to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s plea during his address on August 15, 2008 that we should overcome the curse of malnutrition as soon as possible.
In 1981, Indira Gandhi suggested after meeting Vinoba Bhave at the Paunar Ashram in Wardha district that the district should be converted into a “Gandhi district,” since Gandhiji spent an important part of his life there. She asked me to chair a small group to prepare a blueprint to develop Wardha into “Gandhi district.”
Our first task was to develop a definition for a Gandhi district. We defined it as one where no one is below the poverty line and no one goes to bed hungry, not because of doles but because of opportunities for sustainable livelihoods. In other words, bread with human dignity was to be the hallmark of the proposed district.
At that time, over 80,000 families were below the poverty line and hence specific suggestions were given to raise all these families above the poverty level by creating opportunities for productive and remunerative work. Unfortunately, this plan to dedicate Wardha to Gandhiji is yet to be implemented. Even now, it will be worthwhile to update the report and transform Wardha into a hunger-free and poverty-free district dedicated to Gandhiji.
On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of India’s Independence in 2007, a broad-based Coalition for Sustainable Nutrition Security in India was formed at a meeting held at the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai. The coalition, comprising national and U.N. organisations as well as USAID prepared a report titled “Overcoming the Curse of Malnutrition: A Leadership Agenda for Action.” During a recent discussion on this report, the following five-point action plan emerged:
a) Institutional structures for public policy and coordinated action in nutrition
Overcoming malnutrition requires concurrent attention to food (macronutrients and micronutrients, clean drinking water) and non-food factors (such as sanitation, environmental hygiene, primary health care, nutrition, literacy and work and income security). Achieving the goal of nutrition security for all will need a fusion of political will and action, professional skill and peoples’ participation. Such a coalition of policy makers, professionals and citizens will have to start from the village and go up to the national level. The following consultative, policy oversight and monitoring structures are suggested.
• At the panchayat/ nagarpalika/ local body level
The council for freedom from hunger, established by gram sabhas/ local bodies, with one man and one woman from each village being trained as hunger fighters;
• State/ Union Territory level
• The State-level Committee on Nutrition Security, chaired by the Chief Minister, with all concerned Ministers and representatives of civil society organisations, the corporate sector and the mass media;
• National level
The Cabinet Committee for Nutrition Security, chaired by the Prime Minister.
A system for horizontal linkages among these three levels of action will have to be developed.
b) Learning for success: converting the unique into the universal
Nothing succeeds like success. Therefore it is important to learn from successful examples of the elimination of malnutrition, as for example, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Kerala has adopted a universal Public Distribution System (PDS). A unique combination of the ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) and the TINP (Tamil Nadu Integrated Nutrition Project) was launched in Tamil Nadu where TINP identified a community worker to concentrate on families with children in the 0-3 age group. From 1982, Tamil Nadu has been operating a universal noon-meal programme for school children, which now covers old age pensioners, destitutes, widows and pregnant women. Support is being extended to nursing mothers. Further, Tamil Nadu is providing rice to the poor at Re. 1 a kg from September 15, 2008. This will help reduce under-nutrition substantially. Various indicators of malnutrition show a downward trend in Tamil Nadu. For example, the incidence of severe malnutrition (Grades III and IV) among children aged 0-36 months declined from 12.3 per cent in 1983 to 0.3 per cent in 2000. It will be useful to replicate such effective measures to combat malnutrition in all States and adopt a universal PDS.
Successful programming experience and health and nutrition evidence show that breaking the curse of malnutrition will require focussing on two important target groups: children under two years of age and women, especially adolescent girls and pregnant and nursing women. The first two years of life represent the critical window of opportunity to break the inter-generational cycle of malnutrition. If this critical window of opportunity is missed, child malnutrition will continue to self-perpetuate and malnourished girl children will continue to grow to become malnourished women who give birth to low-birth-weight infants who are poorly fed in the first two years of life. Based on successful models, State governments can develop a ‘Hunger Free State’ strategy, with a life cycle approach to the delivery of nutrition support.
c) Action at the local level: community food and water security system
Community food and water security systems including grain, seed, fodder and water banks can be promoted by local bodies. The food basket should be widened so as to include a wide range of millets such as ragi, besides legumes, vegetables and tubers. The panchayat council for freedom from hunger should be assisted with the needed technological and credit support to establish grain, seed, fodder and water banks. Wherever hidden hunger from the deficiency of iron, folic acid, iodine, zinc and Vitamin A in the diet is endemic, food-cum-micronutrient supplementation and appropriate and effective fortification approaches (as for example, the use of iodine and iron fortified salt) can be adopted. Every panchayat or local council for freedom from hunger could invite a home science graduate in the area to serve as nutrition adviser.
d) Action at the State level: coordinating nutrition security initiatives
The State Level Committee on Nutrition Security chaired by the Chief Minister should facilitate the implementation of ongoing nutrition safety net programmes (national, bilateral and international) in a coordinated and mutually reinforcing manner, in order to generate synergy and maximise the benefits from the available resources. The National Horticulture Mission provides a unique opportunity to apply local level horticultural remedies to major nutritional maladies. Overcoming micronutrient malnutrition and intestinal infection load are urgent tasks. The State governments should launch a nutrition literacy movement and set up “media coalitions for nutrition security” to improve nutrition awareness. Such a media coalition should include representatives of the print media, audio and video channels, new media including the Internet, and traditional media such as folk dance, music, and street plays.
e) Action at the national level: mainstream nutrition in national missions
At the national level, the most urgent task relates to including nutrition outcome indicators and targets in all major missions in the field of agriculture and rural development. Programmes such as the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (Rs. 25,000 crore), the National Horticulture Mission (Rs. 20,000 crore) and the National Food Security Mission (Rs. 5,000 crore) should have a nutrition advisory board, so that cropping and farming systems are anchored on the principle of food-based nutrition security. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) sites, where mostly illiterate women and men work on unskilled jobs, should have a nutrition clinic operated by a knowledgeable person and a PDS facility. If food is not available at affordable prices at NREGA sites, most of the money earned will go towards purchasing staple foods at high cost and under-nutrition will persist.
As a concrete manifestation of the country’s commitment to achieving Gandhiji’s goal of food for all, I suggest that the following two steps may be considered, in addition to action at the government level:
• All MLAs and MPs who are provided with Rs. 1 crore to Rs. 2 crore a year respectively for local area development (under MPLADS) should set apart the funds to eliminate malnutrition from their constituencies based on the Gandhi district plan of assisting every family to earn their daily bread. This should be done until malnutrition is totally eradicated from the constituencies concerned.
• Corporate houses should allot funds available for corporate social responsibility to projects designed to eliminate hunger. Such projects could relate to enhancing the productivity and profitability of small scale farming and women’s self help groups, as well as to strengthening nutrition safety nets and eliminating leakages in the delivery system.
If the above steps are taken, we will be walking the talk. We cannot postpone any further the task of erasing the stigma and the shame associated with our country being home to the largest number of malnourished people in the world.
(Dr. M.S. Swaminathan is Chairman, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai, and a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha.)
India - Yet another Stampede
A stampede is a human-made crowd disaster. It can be prevented by simple measures that avert the build-up of critical crowd densities and the triggering of sudden and rapid group movement. Despite the disturbingly frequent occurrence of stampedes in temples, there is a lack of administrative will to establish stringent and comprehensive crowd control mechanisms. The tragedy at Chamunda Devi temple in Jodhpur, in which over 200 people died, bears a close similarity to other temple stampedes. Hilltop shrines have been especially prone to stampedes, with the victims trapped in the precipitous and narrow pathways leading up to them. The 146 people who died at the Naina Devi shrine in Himachal Pradesh in August were waiting to ascend the steep path to the temple. The stampede that claimed nearly 300 lives in 2005 at the Mandhardevi temple near Wai, Maharashtra, occurred after pilgrims slipped on the steep steps leading up to it. Rumours too have played their part in triggering temple stampedes. If the one in Naina Devi was set off by the rumour of a landslide, the one at Chamunda Devi may have been triggered by a false story about a bomb. As at Mandhardevi, many of the victims at Chamunda Devi slipped on steps wet with coconut water spilled from offerings to the deity.
It is about time serious lessons were learnt from the pattern of temple stampedes. It is vitally important to regulate pilgrim movement in all shrines that attract large numbers of people. Such regulation must include marking out clear entry and exit routes; placing checks on the momentum of the flow of people; installing effective public address systems to advise the pilgrims and calm them in situations of panic; and deploying enough police personnel to keep a watch on the movement of the crowd. Haj pilgrimages have been periodically marred by stampedes, with the last one killing 345 people in 2006. In response, the Saudi Arabian government introduced a slew of measures, including a quota system to keep worshippers at a manageable level. The Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu has an intelligent system of issuing yatra slips to limit the number of pilgrims who can visit on any given day. The Himachal Pradesh government has promised to introduce a similar scheme for Naina Devi. While crowd control mechanisms are important, the most effective protection against stampedes is ensuring that the crowd density is manageably low. This applies to all shrines but especially to those vulnerable to stampedes because of an overall lack of space or the steepness or narrowness of approaches and exits.
It is about time serious lessons were learnt from the pattern of temple stampedes. It is vitally important to regulate pilgrim movement in all shrines that attract large numbers of people. Such regulation must include marking out clear entry and exit routes; placing checks on the momentum of the flow of people; installing effective public address systems to advise the pilgrims and calm them in situations of panic; and deploying enough police personnel to keep a watch on the movement of the crowd. Haj pilgrimages have been periodically marred by stampedes, with the last one killing 345 people in 2006. In response, the Saudi Arabian government introduced a slew of measures, including a quota system to keep worshippers at a manageable level. The Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu has an intelligent system of issuing yatra slips to limit the number of pilgrims who can visit on any given day. The Himachal Pradesh government has promised to introduce a similar scheme for Naina Devi. While crowd control mechanisms are important, the most effective protection against stampedes is ensuring that the crowd density is manageably low. This applies to all shrines but especially to those vulnerable to stampedes because of an overall lack of space or the steepness or narrowness of approaches and exits.
India - New Insights into Indian Mujahideen Network
Praveen Swami
SIMI leaders provided the foundations for Ahmedabad operation
Most contentious part of network was a group of U.P. men centred around Atif Amin
NEW DELHI: India’s intelligence and police services now believe that the Indian Mujahideen is not a terror group, but a loose network of Islamist groups tied together by a common cause and ideological affiliation.
Based on a careful study of the mechanics of the July 26 serial bombings of Ahmedabad, investigators believe that the Indian Mujahideen is made up of three distinct elements: Students Islamic Movement of India volunteers, a group of Uttar Pradesh men with links to the Harkat ul-Jihad-e-Islami and the jihadist-linked crime cartel of jailed mafioso Aftab Ansari.
SIMI foundationsStudents Islamic Movement of India leaders — many of whom knew Ghauri and Husaini — provided the foundations for the Ahmedabad operation.
Key SIMI organiser Qayamuddin Kapadia, who has evaded arrest, led a team of Gujarat-based volunteers who provided the local knowledge critical for the success of the operation.
Many members of this ring, whose key members included Usman Agarbattiwala and Sajid Mansuri, were drawn to the jihad by personal experiences of the Gujarat communal pogrom of 2002. For example, Imran Ibrahim Sheikh was forced to drop out of school when his mother — the family’s sole earning member — was injured in the violence.
SIMI had begun preparing itself for participation in the Indian Mujahideen offensive in December 2007, when an estimated 50 cadre participated in a jihad training camp held near Aluva, Kerala. In January 2008, another camp was held on the Pavagadh hills near Halol.
Several follow-up meetings were held, involving Kapadia, Islamist ideologue Mufti Abdul Bashar Qasmi, and Mumbai-based bomb-maker Mohammad Subhan Qureshi — the man who helped to knit the diverse elements of the Indian Mujahideen network together.
Assault teamBut the most contentious part of the social network was a group of Uttar Pradesh men centred around Atif Amin — a Jamia Millia Islamia University student, who, the Delhi police say, commanded the most critical cell of the Indian Mujahideen.
Much of the police account emerged from the questioning of Mohammad Shakeel, who was pursuing a Master’s degree in economics, along with Jamia undergraduate Zia-ur-Rahman and New Delhi-based Sikkim Manipal University distance-learning student Saqib Nisar.
While the families and supporters of the three men insist they are innocent, the police claim they were key members of the Indian Mujahideen network.
According to the police, independent witnesses have confirmed that on August 11 the three men were aboard the Ashram Express from Delhi to Ahmedabad, where they and other members of Atif Amin’s team carried out a reconnaissance in preparation for the serial bombings.
Delhi police investigators say Amin at first told his group that the bombings were to be executed on July 19. However, three days before that day, he announced that the plan had been deferred, because the disassembled improvised explosive devices needed for the attacks were yet to arrive.
In fact, the police in Gujarat and Maharashtra now believe, the delay was most likely the outcome of problems faced by the Indian Mujahideen’s organised-crime affiliates in Mumbai.
Car bombsAftab Ansari’s key lieutenant Riaz Bhatkal, who is thought to have routed much of the finance for the Indian Mujahideen from Islamists in the Indian diaspora in West Asia, promised to provide three cars to be fitted with bombs. But Bhatkal-lined gangster Afzal Usmani was able to arrange for the theft of the three vehicles used as car bombs in Ahmedabad only on July 15. Usmani and his associates then drove the cars to Ahmedabad, where they were delivered to Amin early on July 17.
Later, Amin’s group assembled the bombs — manufactured at a still-unknown Indian Mujahideen factory that is believed to have been run near Mangalore in Karnataka — at a safe house in Ahmedabad’s Dani Limda area.
By this time, however, Shakeel had returned to Delhi, where he was scheduled to sit for an examination for his Master’s degree. He was, however, ordered to prepare a flat in New Delhi’s Jasola Vihar area, used by the Indian Mujahideen as a safe house, for the arrival of the 13-member assault team led by Amin which returned to the Capital on July 27.
With much of the Indian Mujahideen’s top leadership still at large, it is still unclear just who thought up its name — but investigators say it is likely that its inspiration lay in earlier efforts to build up an indigenous, pan-India jihadist network.
In the wake of the demolition of the Babri Masjid, the Mujahideen Islam e-Hind — or the Indian Mujahideen of Islam — led by Mohammad Tufail Husaini bombed a series of trains. Andhra Pradesh-based Mohammad Azam Ghauri, one of the co-founders of the Lashkar’s pan-India operations, later set up the Indian Muslim Mohammadi Mujahideen, which carried out several bombings in 1999.
World - Another US Strike in Pakistan?
Nirupama Subramanian
ISLAMABAD: Yet another missile strike by suspected U.S. drone in a Pakistani tribal region has killed at least six people.
The missile strike reportedly targeted the home of a militant commander near the North Waziristan town of Mir Ali late on Tuesday.
But the identities of the dead remain unclear. Many times in the past, such strikes have resulted in civilian casualties that in turn have increased anti-American sentiment in Pakistan.
The strike, the latest of several in September, came despite Pakistani assertions of its sovereignty and U.S. assurances that it respects Pakistani sentiments.
According to some reports, the missile strike came after shots were fired from the ground at the drones.
The strike came a day after the Pakistan Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani reshuffled his top Generals, naming Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha to head the controversial Inter-Services Intelligence.
Pakistani newspapers welcomed the change. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban has denied reports on Pakistani television channels that its leader Beithullah Mehsud has died.
The television channels, quoting government sources, said the 36-year-old Mehsud who is based in South Waziristan, died after falling into a coma as a result of his worsening diabetic condition.
But Maulvi Omar, a spokesman of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an umbrella group of militants that Mehsud heads, denied he had died.
He told BBC that Mehsud was “fit and well”.
ISLAMABAD: Yet another missile strike by suspected U.S. drone in a Pakistani tribal region has killed at least six people.
The missile strike reportedly targeted the home of a militant commander near the North Waziristan town of Mir Ali late on Tuesday.
But the identities of the dead remain unclear. Many times in the past, such strikes have resulted in civilian casualties that in turn have increased anti-American sentiment in Pakistan.
The strike, the latest of several in September, came despite Pakistani assertions of its sovereignty and U.S. assurances that it respects Pakistani sentiments.
According to some reports, the missile strike came after shots were fired from the ground at the drones.
The strike came a day after the Pakistan Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani reshuffled his top Generals, naming Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha to head the controversial Inter-Services Intelligence.
Pakistani newspapers welcomed the change. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban has denied reports on Pakistani television channels that its leader Beithullah Mehsud has died.
The television channels, quoting government sources, said the 36-year-old Mehsud who is based in South Waziristan, died after falling into a coma as a result of his worsening diabetic condition.
But Maulvi Omar, a spokesman of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an umbrella group of militants that Mehsud heads, denied he had died.
He told BBC that Mehsud was “fit and well”.
India - Nuclear tests will have serious consequences;Rice
Washington: Faced with killer amendments tabled by two Democrats in the U.S. Senate, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday that a nuclear test by India would result in the “most serious consequences,” including automatic cut-off of U.S. cooperation as well as a number of other sanctions.
As the Senate began a debate on the legislation that will approve the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, Ms. Rice wrote a letter, urging Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to go through with the process without amendments, saying the administration would prefer a “clean legislation.”
“I understand that some Senators have questions about the impact of an Indian nuclear test on this initiative. We believe the Indian government intends to uphold the continuation of the nuclear testing moratorium it affirmed to the United States in 2005 and reiterated to the broader international community as recently as September 5, 2008,” she said.
The Senate was originally expected to consider the Dorgan and Bingaman amendments pertaining to implications in the event of India conducting a nuclear test. But on the floor, while taking amendments, North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan said the two amendments would be merged. If adopted, it would ensure that the U.S. ceased nuclear cooperation with India in the event of its detonating a nuclear weapon.
Appreciating Mr. Reid’s consideration of the Bill “within such an extraordinary time frame,” Ms. Rice said they would not be asking for such exceptional action if they did not believe it was necessary to complete an initiative on which both the administration and Congress had worked very hard and on a thoroughly bi-partisan basis since 2005.
“Let me reassure you that an Indian test, as I have testified publicly, would result in most serious consequences. Existing U.S. law would require automatic cut-off of cooperation, as well as a number of other sanctions, if India were to test. After 60 continuous session days, the President could waive the termination of cooperation if he determined that the cut-off would be ‘seriously prejudicial’ to U.S. non-proliferation objectives or ‘otherwise jeopardise the common defence and security’,” Mr. Rice told Senator Reid.
She said encouraging India’s sustained commitment to its moratorium on nuclear testing would be important to the strategic partnership Washington sought to build with New Delhi. Congress and the administration had carefully addressed testing concerns in the Hyde Act, the U.S.-India 123 Agreement, and the testimony of administration officials, she said. — PTI
As the Senate began a debate on the legislation that will approve the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, Ms. Rice wrote a letter, urging Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to go through with the process without amendments, saying the administration would prefer a “clean legislation.”
“I understand that some Senators have questions about the impact of an Indian nuclear test on this initiative. We believe the Indian government intends to uphold the continuation of the nuclear testing moratorium it affirmed to the United States in 2005 and reiterated to the broader international community as recently as September 5, 2008,” she said.
The Senate was originally expected to consider the Dorgan and Bingaman amendments pertaining to implications in the event of India conducting a nuclear test. But on the floor, while taking amendments, North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan said the two amendments would be merged. If adopted, it would ensure that the U.S. ceased nuclear cooperation with India in the event of its detonating a nuclear weapon.
Appreciating Mr. Reid’s consideration of the Bill “within such an extraordinary time frame,” Ms. Rice said they would not be asking for such exceptional action if they did not believe it was necessary to complete an initiative on which both the administration and Congress had worked very hard and on a thoroughly bi-partisan basis since 2005.
“Let me reassure you that an Indian test, as I have testified publicly, would result in most serious consequences. Existing U.S. law would require automatic cut-off of cooperation, as well as a number of other sanctions, if India were to test. After 60 continuous session days, the President could waive the termination of cooperation if he determined that the cut-off would be ‘seriously prejudicial’ to U.S. non-proliferation objectives or ‘otherwise jeopardise the common defence and security’,” Mr. Rice told Senator Reid.
She said encouraging India’s sustained commitment to its moratorium on nuclear testing would be important to the strategic partnership Washington sought to build with New Delhi. Congress and the administration had carefully addressed testing concerns in the Hyde Act, the U.S.-India 123 Agreement, and the testimony of administration officials, she said. — PTI
India - Serial blasts in Agartala
Agartala (PTI): Terrorists struck Agartala for the first time as two persons were killed and 100 injured in a series of of five blasts at crowded markets and bus stands in a space of five minutes on Wednesday evening.
The low-intensity blasts took place at Agartala's main shopping area Maharaja Ganju Bazar, Gobind Ballah Pant market, busy Radhanagar bus stand, Agartala Motorstand and Abhay Nagar localities.
The first blast occured at Radhanagar bus stand at around 7.30pm and it was followed by the explosions in the other places in quick succession, police sources said.
An unidentified man was killed in the blast at G B Market while another person succumbed to injuries.
The condition of five of the injured was stated to be critical.
A live bomb was recovered at Agartala Motorstand while another exploded without causing any casualty as the place had by that time emptied of people.
Bomb squads and forensic experts examined the blast sites.
Police sources, quoting eyewitnesses, said two persons riding a motorcycle were seen moving suspiciously at Radhanagar bus stand and the blast took place there two to three minutes after they left the area.
Police sources suspect the involvement of Bangladesh-based terror group Hizbul Mujaheedin Islamia (HuJI) which has of late used Tripura as a transit route as the state shares a pourous 856-km border with the neighbouring country.
Three suspected HuJI members were arrested in Agartala in the last two months.
The low-intensity blasts took place at Agartala's main shopping area Maharaja Ganju Bazar, Gobind Ballah Pant market, busy Radhanagar bus stand, Agartala Motorstand and Abhay Nagar localities.
The first blast occured at Radhanagar bus stand at around 7.30pm and it was followed by the explosions in the other places in quick succession, police sources said.
An unidentified man was killed in the blast at G B Market while another person succumbed to injuries.
The condition of five of the injured was stated to be critical.
A live bomb was recovered at Agartala Motorstand while another exploded without causing any casualty as the place had by that time emptied of people.
Bomb squads and forensic experts examined the blast sites.
Police sources, quoting eyewitnesses, said two persons riding a motorcycle were seen moving suspiciously at Radhanagar bus stand and the blast took place there two to three minutes after they left the area.
Police sources suspect the involvement of Bangladesh-based terror group Hizbul Mujaheedin Islamia (HuJI) which has of late used Tripura as a transit route as the state shares a pourous 856-km border with the neighbouring country.
Three suspected HuJI members were arrested in Agartala in the last two months.
Sports Columnists - S.Dinakar;Tiger is back
Chennai: There has been yet another twist in the tale of the Tiger. Sourav Ganguly lives to fight another day. An engrossing career stretches further.
The new selection panel, headed by Krishnamachari Srikkanth, has handed Ganguly a lifeline. The speculations doing the rounds after Dada’s omission from the Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup match pointed to a possible end of his international journey.
In all fairness to Ganguly, he played a series-levelling knock, a priceless 87, on a turning track at Kanpur against the South Africans this year. That, incidentally, was India’s last home Test.
Subsequently, he failed against a potent spin combination in Sri Lanka. So did the others. There was a distinct belief that Ganguly was being singled out. Reflexes don’t dull overnight.
In a startling piece of statistics, Ganguly has scored more runs than any other Indian batsman since his famous comeback at the Wanderers against South Africa in the 2006-07 season.
During the period, Ganguly has made 1667 runs in 21 Tests at 45.05. The next highest is Sachin Tendulkar with 1408 runs. Ganguly has scored runs at home, coped well with the bounce and seam movement in South Africa, and the swing in England. He was comparatively less successful in Australia, yet there were combative half-centuries from his blade in Sydney and Melbourne.
Apart from his ability in the middle-order as a strokeful left-handed batsman who can disrupt the rhythm of an attack, Ganguly brings with him aggression and combative instinct. The Aussies know him well. He has worked on his stance that is more upright and balanced and has, consequently, tightened his game against the pacemen.
He had difficulties against two extraordinary spinners in Sri Lanka but then Australia has arrived here with arguably its weakest spin attack. While it is important to groom the younger cricketers — the inclusion of the committed S. Badrinath in the squad is a step in the right direction — accomplished senior and battle-scarred cricketers will be of immense value to the side in the high-profile series against Australia.
Bit of a surpriseThe rest of the squad for the first two Tests against Australia is on predictable lines. Perhaps, the inclusion of leg-spinner Amit Mishra ahead of Piyush Chawla is a bit of a surprise. However, the selectors seem to have been influenced by the fact that Mishra rips his leg-spinners harder. Mishra is a vastly improved bowler who, rightly, has the googly as the surprise weapon.
Chawla is not a mean bowler himself and an interesting competition is on the cards as the season unfolds. Mishra, though, is unlikely to figure in the first Test. Skipper Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh should form a familiar spin combination.
Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma and Munaf Patel are the finest pacemen in the land at the moment.
Ishant with his natural bounce and the ability to seam the ball into the right-hander and take it away from the southpaws is a distinct wicket-taking option. A two plus two (two pacemen and two spinners) attack is the likely option for India.
The return of the influential Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lend greater balance to the line-up. While Dhoni qualifies as a wicketkeeping-all-rounder, there is no all-rounder of the traditional variety in the squad. The selectors have put Rudra Pratap Singh’s credentials as a left-arm paceman ahead of Irfan Pathan’s prowess with the ball and the bat.
Back to Ganguly. Dada returns to a venue where he notched up a double hundred and a near century against Pakistan late last year. The Chinnaswamy Stadium awaits the Tiger
Entertainment - Britney to bid for own sex tape
Britney Spears is set to bid for her own sex tape. Ex-boyfriend Adnan Ghalib, 35, is said to be touting the alleged X-rated footage which reportedly features a naked Britney wearing a pink wig and engaged in various sex acts for £5 million to several adult websites.
The Womanizer singer is reportedly desperate to get hold of the tape, and is prepared to pay "whatever it costs" to protect her reputation and keep the tape out of the public eye.
A source told Britain's Daily Star newspaper: "Britney's lawyers have been working overtime. They've been told to do whatever it takes to stop the video making it onto the internet."
However, a source close to Britney has denied the sex tape exists outright, saying: "Ghalib's story is completely false."
The Womanizer singer is reportedly desperate to get hold of the tape, and is prepared to pay "whatever it costs" to protect her reputation and keep the tape out of the public eye.
A source told Britain's Daily Star newspaper: "Britney's lawyers have been working overtime. They've been told to do whatever it takes to stop the video making it onto the internet."
However, a source close to Britney has denied the sex tape exists outright, saying: "Ghalib's story is completely false."
Entertainment - Kate & Leo locks lips after 11 years
LONDON: After 11 year, "Titanic" stars Kate Winslet And Leonardo DiCaprio locked lips again in "Revolutionary Road".
Thesun.co.uk reports that Winslet was the envy of millions of girls after being cast as leading lady Rose to Leo's Jack in the 1997 blockbuster. Now they have reunited on screen to play lovers in Oscar-tipped film "Revolutionary Road". The film is directed by Winslet's husband Sam Mendes.
Their first kiss in "Titanic" was voted the best-ever movie embrace, so a sloppy kiss on the cheek was never going to do this time round.
Thesun.co.uk reports that Winslet was the envy of millions of girls after being cast as leading lady Rose to Leo's Jack in the 1997 blockbuster. Now they have reunited on screen to play lovers in Oscar-tipped film "Revolutionary Road". The film is directed by Winslet's husband Sam Mendes.
Their first kiss in "Titanic" was voted the best-ever movie embrace, so a sloppy kiss on the cheek was never going to do this time round.
Health - Heart stopping facts about India's Health
Sumitra Deb Roy
By 2015, there will be 100% rise in deaths due to cardiac ailment: WHO.
The rising graph of ailments in India is directly proportional to the rapidly changing traditional food habits, believe experts.
In about a decade’s time, India has earned the dubious distinction of being the capital for diabetes, hypertension and heart ailments. And, steadily even obesity is sneaking into the Indian households. Of all the ailments, the spurt in cardiovascular diseases has been the most steep and rapid. The prevalence of coronary artery disease has reached to 14% in contrast to 11% in 2003 and just 1% in 1960.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), mortality due to cardiovascular diseases has decreased by 60% in Japan and Finland, 50% in the US, and 25% in Canada and Australia. But, on the other hand, it is projected that by 2015, mortality due to cardiac ailments will increase by 100 per cent in India.
“Cardiac ailments are on a decline in the west due to their strong implementation of anti-smoking laws,” said Dr Anupa Siddhu, director, Lady Irwin College, New Delhi and former professor at AIIMS. “Even with community counselling, the population there has been briefed about the good effects of having law-fat non-vegetarian food,” she added.
Nutritionists believe that Indian households are adopting a western diet. “We do not believe in having pulses or whole cereals anymore and gradually moving towards refined food,” said cardiologist Dr HK Chopra. “Our diet lacks fruits and vegetables, which is bringing down the immunity massively,” he said.
With urbanisation setting in, family outings are gradually on the rise. “Earlier, while families barely ate out once a week, now it has become a regular affair,” said Siddhu. And, most of the sought-after foods like pizzas, burgers and samosas have a very high concentration of trans-fatty acids.
“Worldwide studies have shown that there is a strong connection between trans-fatty acids and coronary heart disease,” said Anoop Mishra, director and head, department of diabetes and metabolic heart diseases, Fortis. He added that even more concerning is the fact that processed food manufacturers do not list or label the trans-fat content accurately. Denmark witnessed a 20% decline in the mortality rate due to cardiac ailments after the country regulated the trans-fat content.
Experts suggest that the key remains in having more of vegetarian diet. “Dishes made out of hydrogenated fat, baked items, margarines, meat and even milk have trans-fat,” said Dr B Sivakumar, former deputy director, National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad.
Siddhu suggested that families should avoid non-vegetarian food at least thrice a week. “They should refrain from watching television and have at least one no-television day a week,” she said.
By 2015, there will be 100% rise in deaths due to cardiac ailment: WHO.
The rising graph of ailments in India is directly proportional to the rapidly changing traditional food habits, believe experts.
In about a decade’s time, India has earned the dubious distinction of being the capital for diabetes, hypertension and heart ailments. And, steadily even obesity is sneaking into the Indian households. Of all the ailments, the spurt in cardiovascular diseases has been the most steep and rapid. The prevalence of coronary artery disease has reached to 14% in contrast to 11% in 2003 and just 1% in 1960.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), mortality due to cardiovascular diseases has decreased by 60% in Japan and Finland, 50% in the US, and 25% in Canada and Australia. But, on the other hand, it is projected that by 2015, mortality due to cardiac ailments will increase by 100 per cent in India.
“Cardiac ailments are on a decline in the west due to their strong implementation of anti-smoking laws,” said Dr Anupa Siddhu, director, Lady Irwin College, New Delhi and former professor at AIIMS. “Even with community counselling, the population there has been briefed about the good effects of having law-fat non-vegetarian food,” she added.
Nutritionists believe that Indian households are adopting a western diet. “We do not believe in having pulses or whole cereals anymore and gradually moving towards refined food,” said cardiologist Dr HK Chopra. “Our diet lacks fruits and vegetables, which is bringing down the immunity massively,” he said.
With urbanisation setting in, family outings are gradually on the rise. “Earlier, while families barely ate out once a week, now it has become a regular affair,” said Siddhu. And, most of the sought-after foods like pizzas, burgers and samosas have a very high concentration of trans-fatty acids.
“Worldwide studies have shown that there is a strong connection between trans-fatty acids and coronary heart disease,” said Anoop Mishra, director and head, department of diabetes and metabolic heart diseases, Fortis. He added that even more concerning is the fact that processed food manufacturers do not list or label the trans-fat content accurately. Denmark witnessed a 20% decline in the mortality rate due to cardiac ailments after the country regulated the trans-fat content.
Experts suggest that the key remains in having more of vegetarian diet. “Dishes made out of hydrogenated fat, baked items, margarines, meat and even milk have trans-fat,” said Dr B Sivakumar, former deputy director, National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad.
Siddhu suggested that families should avoid non-vegetarian food at least thrice a week. “They should refrain from watching television and have at least one no-television day a week,” she said.
World - EU Airports to use 'naked' body scanners
LONDON: Two years from now when you enter any airport in the European Union (EU), you'll be surprised to find they no longer search you physically. Instead, they will be able to see a virtual, naked, three-dimensional image of your body on their television monitors.
Air passengers scanned by the new technology walk into a large booth where electromagnetic waves are beamed on to their body to create a virtual three-dimensional 'naked' image from reflected energy.
The graphic nature of the black and white body images the scanners generate is alarming for another reason: They also reveal the outlines of the genitalia. To top it all, the images will be stored for a long time for reasons of security.
According to a draft European Commission regulation, the new millimetre wave imaging scanners are to be used "individually or in combination, as a primary or secondary means and under defined conditions" to provide a "virtual strip search" of travellers, reports The Telegraph.
The new EU regulation, which will be binding on Britain, is intended to enter into force across the continent by the end of April 2010.
It is learnt that Britain has already tested it at Heathrow's Terminal 4, though on a voluntary basis. The trial has now been discontinued. The issue has already raised the hackles of opposition leaders and privacy groups.
Shadow home secretary Dominic Grieve has said the British government should not blindly enforce "what Brussels says" and instead the new scanners should be introduced only if British security requirements necessitate their presence.
The voices of privacy groups are shriller. The new scanning methods are an "undignified experience", they contend.
Tony Bunyan, the editor of Statewatch, fears that the technology could subject "people, including women, old people and children, to such a shameful and undignified experience".
"It would appear that this is yet another case of 'if it is technologically possible it should be used' without any consideration of proportionality, privacy and civil liberties," he added.
Paolo Costa, chairman of the European Parliament's Transport Committee, is concerned over the safety of the new technology and the privacy of passengers.
In a letter to the EU last week, Costa said: "What will the impact of the use of body scanners be on passenger health? What will the impact be on passenger privacy? How will the image data be held and how will it be destroyed?"
The EU is only following in the footsteps of the US, which has pioneered use of the scanners at New York and Los Angeles airports because the technology reveals the contours of the body, picking up hidden items, such as guns or knives, more effectively than standard physical "pat-down" checks.
Sport - Cricket;Gough can be part of IPL next year
LONDON: Former England spearhead Darren Gough can play in the Indian Premier League's (IPL) second season beginning next year.
Gough, who retired this summer from the first class cricket, was approached by the IPL official and will be meeting them next week.
"The IPL has always been an interest for me. I can still bowl, I've proved that this season, I still get a buzz from cricket and it would be nice to test myself at that level again,” Gough, 38, was quoted as saying in BBC Sport.
Gough - still the only man to take 200 wickets for England in one-day internationals - was only fit enough to appear in half of Yorkshire's Championship matches this summer.
Earlier this year he said he would only consider a short-term tilt at Twenty20 cricket in 2009 if he knew his body could cope with the stress.
He also said he was likeliest to make that return with Yorkshire rather than with one of the IPL sides.
But the bowler now feels that it's worth a try.
"The IPL would be a great buzz for me and I need cricket to be a buzz. It's something I know I could do.
"I would do the full IPL programme of six weeks but realistically it might be a short-term deal as a replacement for someone else. Every single cricketer wants to play in the IPL and there's not so many places available this year."
"I could have gone last year on a short-term deal. Now I'm retired it would be an ideal thing."
Sport - Q&A;Valentino Rossi
Valentino Rossi still wants to win more titles before he thinks about a career switch. He speaks to Dhananjay Khadilkar, about his record run and the possibility of joining Formula One
You went without a title for two years.
This is normal when you are very dominant and then things go wrong. However my team believed in me so this was the important thing.’
How does it feel to have overcome Giacomo Agostini’s record of 68 wins after your victory at Indianapolis?
Fantastic, but also strange because he’s such a hero. In my career I don’t worry about records but for sure this was very special.”
Mick Doohan considers you to be the best rider in GP history. Your comments…
This is a great thing to hear because Mick is a great rider, I don’t know that it’s true...it’s difficult to compare riders from different eras and to me Mike ‘the bike’ Hailwood will always be number one. But it’s very nice to hear!
Do you still want to keep winning Moto GP titles?
Yes I do, which is why I have signed with Yamaha for another two years. I want to end my career with them.
Having won almost everything in motorcycle racing, what is the next challenge for you? Are you switching over to Superbikes?
Definitely not, I want to end my two-wheeled career in Moto GP, the top championship, and hopefully with Yamaha.
It has been reported that go-karts were your first love. Most go-kart racers end up in Formula One. Are you keen to join Formula One?
No I already had that chance in 2006, I had a good offer but I decided to stay because I wasn’t finished with bikes. After bikes now... I don’t know, maybe rally.”
Do you think anyone will be able to break your record soon?
I hope mine will stay for at least another 30 years!
Which rider did you respect and fear the most?
I have had a lot of great ones. Biaggi, Gibernau, Capirossi and now Hayden, Pedrosa and Stoner. They’re all different.
You have also been one of the most colourful riders in motorcycling history…
I like to have fun! This is why I race, because i enjoy it, and i think the fans like to see me enjoy it and have fun. when I don’t enjoy anymore, I stop!”
You went without a title for two years.
This is normal when you are very dominant and then things go wrong. However my team believed in me so this was the important thing.’
How does it feel to have overcome Giacomo Agostini’s record of 68 wins after your victory at Indianapolis?
Fantastic, but also strange because he’s such a hero. In my career I don’t worry about records but for sure this was very special.”
Mick Doohan considers you to be the best rider in GP history. Your comments…
This is a great thing to hear because Mick is a great rider, I don’t know that it’s true...it’s difficult to compare riders from different eras and to me Mike ‘the bike’ Hailwood will always be number one. But it’s very nice to hear!
Do you still want to keep winning Moto GP titles?
Yes I do, which is why I have signed with Yamaha for another two years. I want to end my career with them.
Having won almost everything in motorcycle racing, what is the next challenge for you? Are you switching over to Superbikes?
Definitely not, I want to end my two-wheeled career in Moto GP, the top championship, and hopefully with Yamaha.
It has been reported that go-karts were your first love. Most go-kart racers end up in Formula One. Are you keen to join Formula One?
No I already had that chance in 2006, I had a good offer but I decided to stay because I wasn’t finished with bikes. After bikes now... I don’t know, maybe rally.”
Do you think anyone will be able to break your record soon?
I hope mine will stay for at least another 30 years!
Which rider did you respect and fear the most?
I have had a lot of great ones. Biaggi, Gibernau, Capirossi and now Hayden, Pedrosa and Stoner. They’re all different.
You have also been one of the most colourful riders in motorcycling history…
I like to have fun! This is why I race, because i enjoy it, and i think the fans like to see me enjoy it and have fun. when I don’t enjoy anymore, I stop!”
Lifestyle - 73% Indians happy with their sex life
Vineeta Pandey
NEW DELHI: People in the land of the Kamasutra are quite happy with their sex lives. A survey has revealed that 73% of Indian men and women are satisfied with their sex lives as compared to only 10% in Japan, 23% in China, 30% in Thailand and 52% in the Philippines.
However, the higher sexual satisfaction among Indians was linked to “lower expectations” from their partner. “If your sexual expectation is low, then you can be satisfied easily,” said one of the researchers of the survey and sexual health physician Dr Rosie King of Sydney Centre for Sexual and Relationship Therapy, Australia.
Sexual satisfaction was also strongly associated with overall physical health, love and romance. “In India, adults who are less satisfied with sex are also less likely to be satisfied with life,” said andrologist Dr Rupin Shah of Lilavati Hospital.
However, in India discussion about sexual experience was still a major concern among couples.
Sex plays a more important role for men than women. Indian men ranked sex as one of the top priorities in life, 7th out of 17 life priorities, women placed it at the 14th spot.
Family life emerged as the most important aspect of life for both Indian men and women. Other priorities were marriage, health, career, parenthood and financial well-being.
Problems with less than optimal erections were more common in 40-plus Indian men but one-third of men below the age of 40 also had such problem.
Better sex was associated with better relationships, better self-image, higher life satisfaction, and better overall physical and mental well-being. Men with sub-optimal erections were less satisfied with sex and their overall wellness while men with optimal erection had a more positive outlook and demonstrated greater levels of satisfaction in other aspects of life like family, health, parenting and financial well-being.
“A good erection is kind of magic wand,” said Dr Shah.
It was also found that men below 40 had a tendency to “overestimate their erectile adequacy.” During the survey only 46% women under-40 said that their partners had experienced optimal erections while 67% men in this age group reported optimal erections. There was a 27% gap between what women experienced and what men reported which lead the researchers to believe that Indian men “overestimate their erectile adequacy.”
The Asia Pacific Sexual Health and Overall Wellbeing (AP SHOW) survey was conducted by market research firm Harris Interactive and supported by pharmaceutical Pfizer that manufactures anti-impotency drug Viagra. The survey was conducted in 13 countries including India among 3,957 sexually active men and women between 25-74 years. About 400 Indians from Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Pune were interviewed during the research
Sport - Cricket;Ganguly is Back!
MUMBAI: Sourav Ganguly's Test career received fresh lease of life on Wednesday with the newly-appointed national selection panel naming him in India's 15-member squad for the first two Tests against Australia starting October 9.
Virtually ignoring the previous selection committee's stand on the elegant left-hander, the new team of selectors -- headed by former captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth -- included the 36-year-old Ganguly in the squad which also has Tamil Nadu batsman S Badrinath and Delhi leg-spinner Amit Mishra as the two new faces.
After being dropped from the Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup match, Ganguly's selection was a subject of intense speculation with rumours being rife that he might quit the game if omitted from the national side.
While Badrinath and Mishra got the selectors' nod, middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh was ignored yet again for the longer version of the game.
Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Kaarthick and Pragyan Ojha, who figured in the Indian squad during the last Test series against Sri Lanka, were omitted from the team announced by new secretary S Srinvisan through a press release.
Immediately after the team was announced, there was speculation that Ganguly had been given the opportunity for an "honourable exit" but it could not be immediately confirmed whether the BCCI indeed had such plans.
The team, to be led by Anil Kumble, has seven specialist batsmen, four pacemen, three spinners and a wicketkeeper in Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Sachin Tendulkar, who sat out of the recent tri-series against Sri Lanka because of an elbow injury, retained his place in the Test squad after being declared fit.
The selection of Ganguly reflects a new approach by the Srikkanth-led committee, which has banked on experience rather than grooming too many young players for the gruelling series against Australia.
The Irani Cup snub had put a question-mark on Ganguly's career and this probably would be the last chance for the feisty former India captain to prove his worth.
The Bengal stalwart, who made a spectacular entry into Tests with a debut ton at Lord's in 1996, made a storming return to the five-day game in South Africa in late 2006 after losing his place earlier that year due to a fall-out with the then coach Greg Chappell.
The classy left-hander amassed over 1100 runs with 239, his career-best score, against Pakistan in Bangalore in late 2007, at a fantastic average of 61.44 last year which compares favourably with his career average of 41.74 in 109 Tests.
The 28-year-old Badrinath was rewarded for his consistent performance in domestic cricket and India A engagements in recent times.
Badrinath has played only three ODIs and with a well-settled middle-order line-up, it appears extremely unlikely that he would get a chance to make his Test debut.
Badrinath has scored 4638 runs in 66 first class matches at an impressive average of 55.21.
Mishra's inclusion has come as a bit of a surprise as the Delhi leg-spinner has done nothing remarkable whenever he has been given an opportunity to play an international game.
The 25-year-old has played three ODIs, scalping three wickets, but in first-class cricket, he averages a decent 25.21 with 289 wickets in 75 matches.
Virender Sehwag and Delhi teammate Gautam Gambhir are the two specialist openers in the squad and the duo have been in good form in recent times, which prompted the selectors not to opt for a reserve opener.
The middle order has a settled look with Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Ganguly and Dhoni. But all these experienced batsmen will be under some pressure to perform particularly after their miserable show in the recent series against Sri Lanka.
Zaheer Khan will spearhead the pace bowling department which has Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel and R P Singh. All the four have performed well in recent matches.
Captain Kumble and Harbhbajan Singh will shoulder the spin bowling responsibility and will have to play a key role in home conditions if India wish to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The team: Anil Kumble (capt), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, R P Singh, S Badrinath, Amit
Mishra.
Sep 30, 2008
India - Defence Forces;Extreme Step
For matters to have reached a stage where the three defence chiefs should collectively decide not to implement a government pay order is surely serious. Fortunately, things got sorted out after Defence Minister A K Antony made it clear to the chiefs that they could not unilaterally decide on whether or not to implement the Cabinet order on the Sixth Pay Commission and that, if need be, his ministry would issue the necessary order. The chiefs over-stepped a line in what they did, and it is not a good precedent to have set. But, equally, it must be asked whether the government drove them to such misdemeanour, and (even more importantly) whether their strong feelings accurately reflect the degree of unhappiness that exists on the issue in the officer corps. At the end of the day, what maintains the relationship between the civilian and the uniformed officer is mutual respect and a feeling that the government is not going to ride roughshod over the defence forces’ genuine concerns, merely because civilians have the final say (which of course they do).
The three chiefs had made their views on the Sixth Pay Commission known to the government months ago; some adjustments were indeed made to what the Commission had recommended, but key issues were not addressed (or addressed through rejection). As the chiefs pointed out, and as has been well-known for some time, it was getting more and more difficult to recruit people to the forces — as is evident from the gap between the number of officer cadets recruited this year and the stipulated strength. There is little doubt that the services as a career have to be made more attractive, if the country’s defence capability is not to be impaired. Therefore, through a combination of incentives, status recognition and generous hardship allowances, some way should have been found to address the issues raised. It is inexplicable how, despite the strong signals that had been sent, the government chose to notify the Sixth Pay Commission without paying too much attention to whether the forces’ genuine grievances had been addressed. Perhaps the all-powerful IAS that runs the government felt that the forces would simply lump it.
The crux of the defence forces’ grievances has to do with the manner in which they have been downgraded in relation to the civil services. A lieutenant colonel who drew Rs 800 more than his civilian counterpart now draws Rs 11,000 less. Similarly, other bands have been created which put even higher-level officers at a disadvantage vis-a-vis their civilian counterparts. The forces had been demanding an integrated pay scale till the rank of major general, in order to reduce the feeling of stagnation. This was accepted in the Fourth Pay Commission, removed in the fifth, and has now been restored in the sixth (while introducing a similar facility for other services), but the way in which the scale has been fixed ensures that civilian employees draw higher salaries. The wonder of it all, if you go by the calculations submitted by the defence forces, is that the total cost of what they ask for is under Rs 250 crore. It is obvious that the issue is not the money, but a needless act of oneupmanship by the civil services. The group of ministers that has been constituted will have to make up now for past government insensitivity.
The three chiefs had made their views on the Sixth Pay Commission known to the government months ago; some adjustments were indeed made to what the Commission had recommended, but key issues were not addressed (or addressed through rejection). As the chiefs pointed out, and as has been well-known for some time, it was getting more and more difficult to recruit people to the forces — as is evident from the gap between the number of officer cadets recruited this year and the stipulated strength. There is little doubt that the services as a career have to be made more attractive, if the country’s defence capability is not to be impaired. Therefore, through a combination of incentives, status recognition and generous hardship allowances, some way should have been found to address the issues raised. It is inexplicable how, despite the strong signals that had been sent, the government chose to notify the Sixth Pay Commission without paying too much attention to whether the forces’ genuine grievances had been addressed. Perhaps the all-powerful IAS that runs the government felt that the forces would simply lump it.
The crux of the defence forces’ grievances has to do with the manner in which they have been downgraded in relation to the civil services. A lieutenant colonel who drew Rs 800 more than his civilian counterpart now draws Rs 11,000 less. Similarly, other bands have been created which put even higher-level officers at a disadvantage vis-a-vis their civilian counterparts. The forces had been demanding an integrated pay scale till the rank of major general, in order to reduce the feeling of stagnation. This was accepted in the Fourth Pay Commission, removed in the fifth, and has now been restored in the sixth (while introducing a similar facility for other services), but the way in which the scale has been fixed ensures that civilian employees draw higher salaries. The wonder of it all, if you go by the calculations submitted by the defence forces, is that the total cost of what they ask for is under Rs 250 crore. It is obvious that the issue is not the money, but a needless act of oneupmanship by the civil services. The group of ministers that has been constituted will have to make up now for past government insensitivity.
Govindraj Ethiraj
I think it was in Bangalore a few years ago when I had this sort of Eureka moment. Actually I didn’t discover or invent anything … while visiting the washroom at a family home, I noticed an LPG gas cylinder kept in a corner with a pipe leading to a rectangular box, which, in turn, had a pipe running to the shower. The gas from the LPG cylinder was being fed into a burner, which, in turn, provided instant hot water. The best part was that the burner fired up the moment you turned the tap on and flamed out as you turned the tap off.
Simple as it was, this was an energy-saving innovation. Remember, most of us still source hot water from menacing “geysers” affixed near the ceiling in or inside the attic above the bathroom. And which always look like they could send a few thousand volts surging through your body if you touch them.
Watching Reliance Industries chief Mukesh Ambani unveil his gas-based distributed energy model last week in Mumbai, I had a similar feeling. Was there a possibility that we might have a part solution today to the power and energy shortages of tomorrow?
The details will emerge in the coming months but here are the contours. As is well-known, Reliance has discovered gas in the Krishna-Godavari basin off the Andhra coast. As it stands today, the gas will be brought up to Hazira in Gujarat, where it will join the original HBL pipeline. The pipeline to do this is already up — though gas will start flowing only early next year. There will be other pipeline networks as well, going east, north and north-west as in the case of Hazira.
Now here is the interesting part. Ambani is proposing that the gas not only be distributed to large industries like power, steel, fertiliser plants and homes, but also in a big way to mid-sized consumers like residential colonies, shopping complexes and even small townships. This is the distributed power generation model, a subject of much academic and industrial interest globally.
Ambani is also proposing to extend the gas to run some 50 million two-wheelers as well. Though technically possible, it won’t take off until gas-fired two-wheeler engines are designed to deliver the same or similar power/torque outputs as what you get from conventional petrol engines. But that’s another story.
Today gas is already being piped into some 360,000 Mumbai homes by Mahanagar Gas, a joint venture between the public sector GAIL, BG Group (formerly British Gas) and the Maharashtra government. As far as I know, this gas only feeds cooking stoves. Mahanagar Gas (and Indraprashta Gas in Delhi, feeding 130,000 homes) also supply the compressed natural gas (CNG), which runs lakhs of cars and autorickshaws.
The exciting part, as I see it, is when consumers will set up their own mini-turbines and generate their own electricity, and thus migrate towards independence from the power grid, at least in theory. A Reliance official told me that they are already working on how to do this with some of the large malls where Reliance Retail outlets would come up in Delhi.
A diesel genset also bypasses the grid but involves barrels of diesel being carted to the location. Also, it’s usually in backup mode, though in parts of Delhi, it’s the primary source of power as well. “Many large Delhi malls run on polluting diesel generator sets where it costs almost Rs 19 per unit of electricity generated. We are saying that we will bring a steady supply of gas to you so that you can generate power far more cheaply and cut pollution,” the official said. This sounds workable to most people I have spoken to, who are in the know, that is. Whatever the final price of gas when it reaches that mall in Delhi, it ought to be cheaper than diesel. And less polluting too.
It’s already happening in various parts of the world, notably in Japan and South Korea. There is a Korean apartment complex, for instance, that is powered by micro-turbines manufactured by a company called Capstone. Capstone has also supplied micro-turbines for a biogas-powered project in Purulia, West Bengal! That’s gas being used to generate power. Gas is already replacing electricity in some cases, like the water heater in Bangalore that I mentioned earlier.
Ambani’s idea is to go even beyond creating a grid-beating system of mini- and micro-gas turbines. His team wants to popularise gas absorption chillers (already used industrially and in some places, domestically as well) by which you can use the same gas to run your air conditioners, as, I would imagine, you did to run the water heater.
He is also speaking of using backend R&D to find new solutions to energy problems and figure out whether gas can solve them. And perhaps, like he originally set out to do in Reliance Communications, involve entrepreneurs in the “last mile” of power generation and distributed energy management.
So what’s the flip side? Actually the biggest one is that there is very little gas to go around in India today. Running mini-turbines which would generate electricity would mean a continuous supply of gas at relatively high pressures and the distribution infrastructure to ensure that. It would also mean some reconfiguration, akin to fitting a CNG or LPG convertor kit to a car. This could add to costs.
Second, small gas turbines are not yet as efficient relative to the fuel they consume. For these sizes, diesel is considered more efficient. There is, of course, a merry debate on between experts on whether or not gas turbines actually make the grade. The good news is that hard scientific work is on. And Mukesh Ambani, among others, believes the solutions are around the corner.
Finally the cost of gas itself could be an issue. Logically it ought to be cheaper than diesel and, of course, less polluting. But in the case of Reliance Industries, the price of gas, among other things, is the subject matter of a court dispute. One way or the other, the gas will reach the consumer some day soon. And you might have the greatest satisfaction of literally paying your own electricity bill.
I think it was in Bangalore a few years ago when I had this sort of Eureka moment. Actually I didn’t discover or invent anything … while visiting the washroom at a family home, I noticed an LPG gas cylinder kept in a corner with a pipe leading to a rectangular box, which, in turn, had a pipe running to the shower. The gas from the LPG cylinder was being fed into a burner, which, in turn, provided instant hot water. The best part was that the burner fired up the moment you turned the tap on and flamed out as you turned the tap off.
Simple as it was, this was an energy-saving innovation. Remember, most of us still source hot water from menacing “geysers” affixed near the ceiling in or inside the attic above the bathroom. And which always look like they could send a few thousand volts surging through your body if you touch them.
Watching Reliance Industries chief Mukesh Ambani unveil his gas-based distributed energy model last week in Mumbai, I had a similar feeling. Was there a possibility that we might have a part solution today to the power and energy shortages of tomorrow?
The details will emerge in the coming months but here are the contours. As is well-known, Reliance has discovered gas in the Krishna-Godavari basin off the Andhra coast. As it stands today, the gas will be brought up to Hazira in Gujarat, where it will join the original HBL pipeline. The pipeline to do this is already up — though gas will start flowing only early next year. There will be other pipeline networks as well, going east, north and north-west as in the case of Hazira.
Now here is the interesting part. Ambani is proposing that the gas not only be distributed to large industries like power, steel, fertiliser plants and homes, but also in a big way to mid-sized consumers like residential colonies, shopping complexes and even small townships. This is the distributed power generation model, a subject of much academic and industrial interest globally.
Ambani is also proposing to extend the gas to run some 50 million two-wheelers as well. Though technically possible, it won’t take off until gas-fired two-wheeler engines are designed to deliver the same or similar power/torque outputs as what you get from conventional petrol engines. But that’s another story.
Today gas is already being piped into some 360,000 Mumbai homes by Mahanagar Gas, a joint venture between the public sector GAIL, BG Group (formerly British Gas) and the Maharashtra government. As far as I know, this gas only feeds cooking stoves. Mahanagar Gas (and Indraprashta Gas in Delhi, feeding 130,000 homes) also supply the compressed natural gas (CNG), which runs lakhs of cars and autorickshaws.
The exciting part, as I see it, is when consumers will set up their own mini-turbines and generate their own electricity, and thus migrate towards independence from the power grid, at least in theory. A Reliance official told me that they are already working on how to do this with some of the large malls where Reliance Retail outlets would come up in Delhi.
A diesel genset also bypasses the grid but involves barrels of diesel being carted to the location. Also, it’s usually in backup mode, though in parts of Delhi, it’s the primary source of power as well. “Many large Delhi malls run on polluting diesel generator sets where it costs almost Rs 19 per unit of electricity generated. We are saying that we will bring a steady supply of gas to you so that you can generate power far more cheaply and cut pollution,” the official said. This sounds workable to most people I have spoken to, who are in the know, that is. Whatever the final price of gas when it reaches that mall in Delhi, it ought to be cheaper than diesel. And less polluting too.
It’s already happening in various parts of the world, notably in Japan and South Korea. There is a Korean apartment complex, for instance, that is powered by micro-turbines manufactured by a company called Capstone. Capstone has also supplied micro-turbines for a biogas-powered project in Purulia, West Bengal! That’s gas being used to generate power. Gas is already replacing electricity in some cases, like the water heater in Bangalore that I mentioned earlier.
Ambani’s idea is to go even beyond creating a grid-beating system of mini- and micro-gas turbines. His team wants to popularise gas absorption chillers (already used industrially and in some places, domestically as well) by which you can use the same gas to run your air conditioners, as, I would imagine, you did to run the water heater.
He is also speaking of using backend R&D to find new solutions to energy problems and figure out whether gas can solve them. And perhaps, like he originally set out to do in Reliance Communications, involve entrepreneurs in the “last mile” of power generation and distributed energy management.
So what’s the flip side? Actually the biggest one is that there is very little gas to go around in India today. Running mini-turbines which would generate electricity would mean a continuous supply of gas at relatively high pressures and the distribution infrastructure to ensure that. It would also mean some reconfiguration, akin to fitting a CNG or LPG convertor kit to a car. This could add to costs.
Second, small gas turbines are not yet as efficient relative to the fuel they consume. For these sizes, diesel is considered more efficient. There is, of course, a merry debate on between experts on whether or not gas turbines actually make the grade. The good news is that hard scientific work is on. And Mukesh Ambani, among others, believes the solutions are around the corner.
Finally the cost of gas itself could be an issue. Logically it ought to be cheaper than diesel and, of course, less polluting. But in the case of Reliance Industries, the price of gas, among other things, is the subject matter of a court dispute. One way or the other, the gas will reach the consumer some day soon. And you might have the greatest satisfaction of literally paying your own electricity bill.
India - Crisis of Committees
A.K.Bhattacharya
No official in the ministry of petroleum and natural gas will like to admit this on record. But most of them will acknowledge in private that the political leadership at present is in no hurry to accept the recommendations of the B K Chaturvedi Committee, set up to examine what should be done to defuse the crisis that has gripped India’s oil sector in the wake of the sharp rise in international crude oil prices.
This, of course, is not a comment on the appropriateness of the Chaturvedi Committee’s recommendations. Many of the recommendations, particularly those relating to a phased aligning of domestic petroleum product prices with the international market rates, should have been accepted without any fuss. But with the inflation rate hovering around 12 per cent, even the bureaucrats in the petroleum and natural gas ministry realise that no government will have the courage to implement such a suggestion at present.
What has surprised them is that a committee, headed by a former cabinet secretary, did not foresee the impracticality of implementing a suggestion that would obviously pose an immediate political risk for the government. Those who have worked with Chaturvedi point out that he did understand that the government’s hands were tied as far as raising petroleum product prices now were concerned. Even while Chaturvedi was examining the oil-pricing issue, there were analysts’ reports that forecast a four percentage point rise in the inflation rate if domestic petroleum product prices were to be fully aligned with the international market rates.
So, Chaturvedi must have realised that his recommendations on price increases would not be implemented at least till the inflation rate declined to an acceptable level, which was unlikely in the next few months. But at the same time, he must have reasoned that he should not have excluded from his report a suggestion that he thought was correct. The point that is now being debated among bureaucrats is whether committees appointed to recommend strategies to tackle a crisis should only follow the text-book model on what should be done or should widen the scope by making suggestions that may not satisfy the purists, but may be politically acceptable, more practical and workable.
The irony, of course, is that even the suggestion that the petroleum and natural gas ministry thought was practical and workable has few takers in the government. Among the many suggestions on petroleum product prices, the Chaturvedi Committee had recommended dual pricing of diesel. The petroleum and natural gas ministry accepted the argument that introducing dual pricing of diesel at the retail level would be difficult to implement and lead to widespread diversion of low-priced diesel to those sections which are expected to pay a higher price for the fuel.
So, it modified the Chaturvedi Committee’s recommendation and suggested that dual pricing of diesel should be allowed only for bulk industrial users of the fuel. Initially, it fought hard to force the Indian Railways to pay a higher market-linked price for the diesel it consumes. But the proposal did not make any headway. Now, the petroleum and natural gas ministry is trying hard to force bulk industrial users like large industries to pay diesel at the market rate, which would be almost 65 per cent more than the prevailing subsidised price. The ministry argues that it would be able to reduce the oil companies’ under-recovery by Rs 9,000 crore a year.
The proposal is still under examination by the finance ministry. There is some hope that if the finance ministry does not clear the proposal, at least there will be some additional compensation in the form of more oil bonds during the year. But so far even the first installment of oil bonds worth Rs 28,000 crore has not yet been cleared. The oil companies have to wait till Parliament clears the proposal in its October session.
Similarly, the recent softening of the international crude oil prices has helped reduce the oil companies’ under-recoveries from the earlier estimate of Rs 218,000 crore to Rs 175,000 crore. But this amount is still huge and there is a gap that has to be met by the government’s oil bonds.
If recommendations by committees, set up to resolve a crisis, are allowed to gather dust in government cupboards, the very exercise of asking an expert or a retired bureaucrat to examine the problems and make suggestions loses credibility. Unless it is made mandatory to implement the recommendations of expert committees within a fixed time frame.
No official in the ministry of petroleum and natural gas will like to admit this on record. But most of them will acknowledge in private that the political leadership at present is in no hurry to accept the recommendations of the B K Chaturvedi Committee, set up to examine what should be done to defuse the crisis that has gripped India’s oil sector in the wake of the sharp rise in international crude oil prices.
This, of course, is not a comment on the appropriateness of the Chaturvedi Committee’s recommendations. Many of the recommendations, particularly those relating to a phased aligning of domestic petroleum product prices with the international market rates, should have been accepted without any fuss. But with the inflation rate hovering around 12 per cent, even the bureaucrats in the petroleum and natural gas ministry realise that no government will have the courage to implement such a suggestion at present.
What has surprised them is that a committee, headed by a former cabinet secretary, did not foresee the impracticality of implementing a suggestion that would obviously pose an immediate political risk for the government. Those who have worked with Chaturvedi point out that he did understand that the government’s hands were tied as far as raising petroleum product prices now were concerned. Even while Chaturvedi was examining the oil-pricing issue, there were analysts’ reports that forecast a four percentage point rise in the inflation rate if domestic petroleum product prices were to be fully aligned with the international market rates.
So, Chaturvedi must have realised that his recommendations on price increases would not be implemented at least till the inflation rate declined to an acceptable level, which was unlikely in the next few months. But at the same time, he must have reasoned that he should not have excluded from his report a suggestion that he thought was correct. The point that is now being debated among bureaucrats is whether committees appointed to recommend strategies to tackle a crisis should only follow the text-book model on what should be done or should widen the scope by making suggestions that may not satisfy the purists, but may be politically acceptable, more practical and workable.
The irony, of course, is that even the suggestion that the petroleum and natural gas ministry thought was practical and workable has few takers in the government. Among the many suggestions on petroleum product prices, the Chaturvedi Committee had recommended dual pricing of diesel. The petroleum and natural gas ministry accepted the argument that introducing dual pricing of diesel at the retail level would be difficult to implement and lead to widespread diversion of low-priced diesel to those sections which are expected to pay a higher price for the fuel.
So, it modified the Chaturvedi Committee’s recommendation and suggested that dual pricing of diesel should be allowed only for bulk industrial users of the fuel. Initially, it fought hard to force the Indian Railways to pay a higher market-linked price for the diesel it consumes. But the proposal did not make any headway. Now, the petroleum and natural gas ministry is trying hard to force bulk industrial users like large industries to pay diesel at the market rate, which would be almost 65 per cent more than the prevailing subsidised price. The ministry argues that it would be able to reduce the oil companies’ under-recovery by Rs 9,000 crore a year.
The proposal is still under examination by the finance ministry. There is some hope that if the finance ministry does not clear the proposal, at least there will be some additional compensation in the form of more oil bonds during the year. But so far even the first installment of oil bonds worth Rs 28,000 crore has not yet been cleared. The oil companies have to wait till Parliament clears the proposal in its October session.
Similarly, the recent softening of the international crude oil prices has helped reduce the oil companies’ under-recoveries from the earlier estimate of Rs 218,000 crore to Rs 175,000 crore. But this amount is still huge and there is a gap that has to be met by the government’s oil bonds.
If recommendations by committees, set up to resolve a crisis, are allowed to gather dust in government cupboards, the very exercise of asking an expert or a retired bureaucrat to examine the problems and make suggestions loses credibility. Unless it is made mandatory to implement the recommendations of expert committees within a fixed time frame.
Business - Worldwide financial shock hits Indian Hotels
Arun Kumar & Kalpana Pathak
After two years of roaring business, the hotel industry is checking in for tough times. The global financial turmoil and growing domestic terrorism in major cities have triggered a fresh round of cancellations by both business and leisure travellers.
“We are already facing cancellations of about 25 per cent of reservations and 10 to 20 per cent have been put on hold,” said Ajay Behl, general manager of Ramada Hotel, Jaipur, where a series of bombs exploded in the busy tourist areas earlier this year.
“I believe that the occupancy rate across the country has come down by more than 10 per cent and even average room rents have dropped by the same amount,” he added.
Early signs of the slowdown were visible in this year’s off-peak period (May to October) when hotels reported occupancies of 70 per cent against 75 per cent last year.
Some experts said the aggregate figure understated the problem. In the last six months, the occupancy rate across the industry fell 10 per cent, said Sushil Gupta, managing director of Asian Hotels, which runs hotels under the Hyatt brand.
That sharp drop in occupancies was the result of the impact of the US sub-prime crisis that began in September last year and growing domestic terrorism.
Now, it is clear that the busy season for hotels is going to be less busy. Companies in India are cutting back on travel as the global financial turmoil kicks in. And fewer foreign tourists are likely to visit India this year following this month’s bomb blasts in the capital. Foreign tourists typically account for 75 per cent of a hotel’s revenues.
“There have been indications of a softening of demand and yields in comparison to the same period last year,” agreed Deepak Haksar, chief operating officer, ITC Hotels, which runs the Welcomgroup chain of hotels.
Indeed, the average room rate has not increased for hotels in the major markets of Delhi and Mumbai despite the fact that there has been no significant addition of rooms.
The downturn in the industry is starkly evident in Bangalore, the city where demand has consistently outstripped supply. This year, tariffs in the IT city have already seen a 10 per cent drop.
Yogesh Kapur, senior vice-president, Enam Securities, predicts a 10 per cent drop in occupancy rates in the next six to 12 months, that will force hotels to cut tariffs as well.
“The hotel sector will start feeling the heat in the fourth quarter,” agreed Amitava Chakraborty, president and head of Religare Securities.
Evidence of the impending slowdown in this year’s busy season is already building in traditional tourist hotspots like Jaipur and Pushkar, which hosts world-famous annual cattle fair in November. Earlier, hotel rooms, especially five-star ones, in such locations were booked a year in advance and required full non-refundable pre-payment.
This year, several hotels are reporting rooms to let and agreeing to full refunds of advances.
The slowdown puts hotels in a bind because many have committed to major expansion plans on the back of buoyant growth in 2006-07 and 2007-08. Over the next two years, the industry will be adding 7,500 premium to mid-budget hotel rooms to the current availability of around 110,000 rooms.
Whether it is the Oberoi group, Taj, Leela Ventures or Asian Hotels, all have aggressive expansion plans with a combined capital outlay of around Rs 4,500 crore. International players like the Starwood Hotels, Hilton Hotels, Raffles Holdings and Shangri-La Asia have charted out aggressive plans for the Indian market.
Now, many hotel groups are going slow on their expansion plans. “With the current global meltdown, disbursement of funds to the Indian hospitality sector in the past 12 to 18 months has been on hold,” said Siddharth Thaker, executive director, HVS Hospitality Services.
Going by prognoses for the global economy in 2009, hotels in India are unlikely to see an upside much before 2010, when the Commonwealth Games, which are being hosted by Delhi, will boost demand in some pockets.
But observers think the slowdown is a short-term trend. “The long-term story remains intact as the Indian economy has the resilience and ability to overcome these challenges,” Haksar of ITC Hotels said.
After two years of roaring business, the hotel industry is checking in for tough times. The global financial turmoil and growing domestic terrorism in major cities have triggered a fresh round of cancellations by both business and leisure travellers.
“We are already facing cancellations of about 25 per cent of reservations and 10 to 20 per cent have been put on hold,” said Ajay Behl, general manager of Ramada Hotel, Jaipur, where a series of bombs exploded in the busy tourist areas earlier this year.
“I believe that the occupancy rate across the country has come down by more than 10 per cent and even average room rents have dropped by the same amount,” he added.
Early signs of the slowdown were visible in this year’s off-peak period (May to October) when hotels reported occupancies of 70 per cent against 75 per cent last year.
Some experts said the aggregate figure understated the problem. In the last six months, the occupancy rate across the industry fell 10 per cent, said Sushil Gupta, managing director of Asian Hotels, which runs hotels under the Hyatt brand.
That sharp drop in occupancies was the result of the impact of the US sub-prime crisis that began in September last year and growing domestic terrorism.
Now, it is clear that the busy season for hotels is going to be less busy. Companies in India are cutting back on travel as the global financial turmoil kicks in. And fewer foreign tourists are likely to visit India this year following this month’s bomb blasts in the capital. Foreign tourists typically account for 75 per cent of a hotel’s revenues.
“There have been indications of a softening of demand and yields in comparison to the same period last year,” agreed Deepak Haksar, chief operating officer, ITC Hotels, which runs the Welcomgroup chain of hotels.
Indeed, the average room rate has not increased for hotels in the major markets of Delhi and Mumbai despite the fact that there has been no significant addition of rooms.
The downturn in the industry is starkly evident in Bangalore, the city where demand has consistently outstripped supply. This year, tariffs in the IT city have already seen a 10 per cent drop.
Yogesh Kapur, senior vice-president, Enam Securities, predicts a 10 per cent drop in occupancy rates in the next six to 12 months, that will force hotels to cut tariffs as well.
“The hotel sector will start feeling the heat in the fourth quarter,” agreed Amitava Chakraborty, president and head of Religare Securities.
Evidence of the impending slowdown in this year’s busy season is already building in traditional tourist hotspots like Jaipur and Pushkar, which hosts world-famous annual cattle fair in November. Earlier, hotel rooms, especially five-star ones, in such locations were booked a year in advance and required full non-refundable pre-payment.
This year, several hotels are reporting rooms to let and agreeing to full refunds of advances.
The slowdown puts hotels in a bind because many have committed to major expansion plans on the back of buoyant growth in 2006-07 and 2007-08. Over the next two years, the industry will be adding 7,500 premium to mid-budget hotel rooms to the current availability of around 110,000 rooms.
Whether it is the Oberoi group, Taj, Leela Ventures or Asian Hotels, all have aggressive expansion plans with a combined capital outlay of around Rs 4,500 crore. International players like the Starwood Hotels, Hilton Hotels, Raffles Holdings and Shangri-La Asia have charted out aggressive plans for the Indian market.
Now, many hotel groups are going slow on their expansion plans. “With the current global meltdown, disbursement of funds to the Indian hospitality sector in the past 12 to 18 months has been on hold,” said Siddharth Thaker, executive director, HVS Hospitality Services.
Going by prognoses for the global economy in 2009, hotels in India are unlikely to see an upside much before 2010, when the Commonwealth Games, which are being hosted by Delhi, will boost demand in some pockets.
But observers think the slowdown is a short-term trend. “The long-term story remains intact as the Indian economy has the resilience and ability to overcome these challenges,” Haksar of ITC Hotels said.
Sport - Q&A ESS MD Manu Sawhney
Sibabrata Das
ESPN Star Sports has pumped in a whopping $2.25 billion to acquire the rights for ICC including the two World Cups, the Champions League T20, Cricket Australia and England and Wales Cricket board. The mix includes cricket across the three formats of T20, ODIs and Test matches.
The mark of aggression has spread to other sports including the Fifa World Cup soccer rights and the Olympics.
For over a year, Manu Sawhney has been shepherding this drive to crush competition and establish leadership position as a sports broadcaster by acquiring driver content rights over a longer period of time.
"This is the best in cricket that could be there in the market and places us in the position of matchless leadership not only in Asia but on a global scale," he says.
In an exclusive interview with Indiantelevision.com's Sibabrata Das, ESS managing director Sawhney elaborates on how the ESPN-Star joint venture company is gearing up to be not just a TV brand but also dominate in the digital new media space with its comprehensive content across sports, platforms and markets.
Excerpts:
The Indian Premier League was touted as the biggest prime time reality show on Indian television. Why didn't ESPN Star Sports buy into that hype?We wanted to first evaluate how the T20 format of the game would evolve as a product cycle. Remember, we were the first to recognise the power of this new format at the international level when we acquired the ICC rights which include the two World Cups.
With the IPL doing well, we have now bagged the Champions League T20. It will involve the best of the best where the top teams from various domestic leagues including the IPL, Australia, South Africa, England and others compete to win the title of Champions of Champions. The IPL also becomes a feeder league for this global tournament.
We recognise that various formats continue to get developed and broaden the appeal of the game across new markets and demographics, providing increasing number of platforms for leverage and exploitation.
Was the IPL miss a reason why ESS paid higher ($975 million) for the Champions League T20 when it could have got it at a much lower price with DIC's $751.3 million bid being the second in race?When we are in a bidding environment, we do not punt but go ahead with an amount which we believe adds value to our business. We thought $612 million for the BCCI rights was too high for us, but somebody else thought it made business sense. We make a bid thinking what value the property can bring to us, how prepared we are today to leverage it, and how well placed are we for the future to fully realise the potential.
Our investment in content follows this strategy and allows us to present a sound proposition to our partners. The acquisition of Champions League T20 has been done with this focused, planned and future oriented approach backed by a solid business plan, ensuring our profitability and long term growth.
As a property, CL T20 has all the necessary ingredients of a blockbuster property, not only on the national level but on a global scale.
After the inaugural edition this year in December, the tournament is to be scheduled right before the festive period featuring more top quality international teams and increased number of matches spread over a longer duration. This amplifies the opportunities around the property.
But aren't you also risking on the most expensive cricket property (calculated on a per game basis)?Tell me one property today which is available across the globe with all commercial rights - and that, too, for a period of 10 years! CL T20 is the only such property. This allows us multitude of opportunities to build, develop, customise, and fully realise immense value around the property. And it makes CL T20 most unique and premium as compared to any other domestic or international property currently around from the business perspective.
Even if we were to compare it with a property like IPL, we have tremendous advantages. The rights around IPL do not include title sponsorship, umpire sponsorship, stadium advertising, official sponsor, ticketing and licensing. These rights amount to sizeable contribution and are expected to grow manifold over the next 10 years as the CL T20 further develops as the most premium tournament.
The domestic nature of the tournament also limits IPL’s appeal internationally. This affects international syndication and other related rights. On the other hand, we have had significant success with the ICC on the international syndication front and today are better placed than anybody else to fully realise the value of this premium property in the global market.
Unlike others, we are not just a broadcast brand but today the most comprehensive sports content provider in the region and the biggest cricket content provider in the world. With our three strong TV brands (ESPN, Star Sports and Star Cricket), two robust mobile brands (mobileESPN and Star Sports Mobile) and the most comprehensive online offering in form of www.espnstar.com, we are better placed than anyone else to fully leverage and exploit multiple opportunities across platforms for building our business on the back of CL T20 across the region and globally.
Even in the ICC bid, ESS's winning punt was $1.1 billion while the second highest bidder with $900 million was way behind. Are we seeing a more aggressive ESS?We are today the biggest investor in the game of cricket in the world with the ICC, Cricket Australia, England and Wales Cricket board rights and the newly acquired CL T 20. This not only provides us with a good mix of all forms of cricket – the new age blistering Twenty20 format, the popular ODIs and the ever-green Test matches, but along with the ICC it also gives us a very strong lineup of top quality cricket with a World Cup every year for the next 10 years. This is the best that could be there in the market and places us in the position of matchless leadership not only in Asia but on a global scale.
While IPL has been a successful property, in ICC we have the pinnacle of international cricket while CL T20 gives us the very best of the international domestic competition. With the acquisition of CL T20, we have enhanced our driver content portfolio for cricket and our leadership position as a sports broadcaster not just for few years but a longer period of time.
Do you see the high rise in cost for cricket properties a function of competition or is it based on a realistic projection of business growth?The escalation in the rights cost is because of competition as well as growth in the market that you are able to reach. The T20 format, for instance, has expanded the demographic profile from a male skew to young and female audiences. The emergence of new platforms is also playing a part in defining the value in the marketplace.
ESS enjoyed high revenues from DTH operators as it was carried on the basic tier. But this year Tata Sky and the new DTH operators like Reliance ADAG's Big TV are not willing to put the three channels on that package. With MSOs (multi-system operators) also consolidating, do you see growth on subscription revenues being hit?There is a huge opportunity for sports broadcasters like us and platform providers to work together in building the subscriber base. In global markets, digital subscribers grow on the back of HD, interactivity and video-on-demand; the driver content is live sports. In India, the market is still in infancy. New technologies like DTH, IPTV and mobile are bringing in paradigm shifts. With the power that we have on content across sports, we see tremendous scope to increase our revenues.
With the ICC Champions Trophy, which was scheduled to be held in Pakistan in September, being deferred, will you be re-negotiating the bid amount with ICC?The ICC Champions Trophy is a showcase of game’s best elite players from the world’s top national cricketing sides. It was, therefore, important to ensure full and committed participation of the best teams from all qualified nations for ICC Champions Trophy to retain its premium status. Unfortunately, too much ambiguity existed for many months about the realistic possibility of the event being staged in Pakistan, which led to the current situation where the options available were very limited.
As the global broadcast and production partner of the ICC, ESS was fully committed to producing and broadcasting the ICC Champions Trophy in a truly engaging and entertaining manner for fans across the globe. Accordingly, all necessary broadcast arrangements were made by ESPN Star Sports as per plans agreed with ICC for covering the event in Pakistan.
The late decision to defer the tournament did come with its own set of difficulties for various organisations involved in the tournament, and this affected ESS’s business commercially too. Various questions have arisen as a result of this postponement, particularly issues relating to ensuring teams’ participation in the tournament when it is eventually played as well as the knock-on impact of the rescheduling on the overall cricket calendar.
It is expected from the ICC to decide on these critical matters in the near future. We will only be able to assess the overall impact on our business based upon the way in which these issues are resolved and after we are able to study the short and long term implications of ICC’s actions for ourselves. We reiterate our commitment to working with the ICC in evolving a mutually satisfying solution.
Isn't ESS's aggression spreading to other properties as well including the Fifa World Cup where ESS is said to have bid $40.5 million (up from around $8 million)?We have been aggressively mopping up content. In football, we have the exclusive television rights to broadcast Fifa’s stellar lineup of international football events including the 2010 World Cup for the Indian sub-continent. We have the exclusive rights to show over 275 international football games including the Fifa Confederations Cup. We have a multi-year exclusive agreement with The Football Association (The FA), for broadcast rights to The FA Cup, England Internationals and The FA Community Shield on multimedia platforms for the 2008/9 – 2011/12 seasons for 20 countries across the region. This, coupled with the existing partnership with Premier League with which ESS holds BPL rights for 22 countries in Asia through 2010 and rights of UEFA Champions League in key markets, places us as the single largest football content provider in the region.
In motorracing, we have renewed partnership with FIA for another 5 years across the region and for the first time, secured rights across various platforms and in many key markets acquired terrestrial rights as well. This flagship racing property along with other leading properties like A1, MotoGP and WRC, sets ESS apart from any other network or broadcaster in the region.
We have also renewed our partnership with Tennis Australia for another seven years, acquired French Open for India, and continue partnership with NBA and key Golf majors including Augusta Masters, The US Open and The Open, among others.
We have acquired the Olympic rights. The partnership with the International Olympic Committee will allow us to show the Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 Olympic Games for 22 countries across the Indian subcontinent and South East Asia. This is the first time that IOC has awarded the rights to one single pay-TV platform across the region.
Have your programming hours also gone up?In addition to the acquired content that we have the rights for, we produce over 3650 hours of original programming per year, which is probably the largest quantum of original programming around these sports.
To give you an idea, we produce over 1500 hours of original football content and over 1000 hours of cricket content. In addition, our flagship studio show, SportsCenter, offers the best round-up of sporting action around the globe with five localised editions in Asia on ESPN. And along with our entertainment-focused sports bulletin show Score Tonight on Star Sports, we produce over 1000 hours of original sports news programming every year. This lineup of content makes us the prime choice of over 310 million passionate sports fans and business partners and associates across Asia.
How important is the Indian market for ESS?It is a very important market for us and continues to contribute to the overall growth of our business in Asia. The media industry in India itself has seen rapid growth in the last few years. There is appetite for quality content and so are the opportunities to leverage and further build the business.
While cricket has been, for many years, the most popular sport in India, it still continues to grow. This popularity is growing beyond India playing cricket to other international cricket as well as growth of strong female TG for cricket. The dedicated 24x7 cricket channel, Star Cricket, quickly reached penetration levels of 90-95 per cent after its launch last year.India is also steadily developing into a multi-sports market. Other sports like soccer, motor sports, tennis, hockey and golf are increasingly becoming more popular and gaining viewership as well. With that in mind, and considering the huge viewership base, India will continue to be a key market for ESS.India offers a lot of potential in terms of ESS’s new media initiatives. ESS has invested in a focused manner in the Indian market. With our multi-platform capabilities on the back of some of the most premium content in the form of ICC, CL T20, Fifa and F1, ESS is better placed than ever today to fully exploit the opportunities from the emerging media scenario in India.
Do you see consolidation in the sports broadcasting space in India?India is no longer a low-cost media economy. As the market matures, there will be consolidation. There is, after all, a limited amount of driver content that is available. We hope to leverage our leadership position as and when such opportunities throw up. We are not just TV dependent but have grown our presence in the new digital media space. And we are not just an India product.
What have been your focus areas since you took charge as managing director of ESS one year back?My focus has been on four key areas. The content strategy is to build a sustainable and scalable business across sports, platforms and markets.
Besides continuing to acquire and develop the strongest, most comprehensive and relevant content, we have enhanced our multi-platform presence.
While television is the biggest format in which consumers want to watch sports, new media platforms are growing in importance. Growing ESS’s presence in the digital space is a key thrust area for the company and we have invested huge resources to provide a new improved platform.
We have launched the sharp new version of www.espnstar.com and are offering advertisers an expansive range of customised and creative advertising opportunities. The new Star Sports Mobile complements the mobileESPN offering through entertaining and engaging content with exclusive video highlights from Arsenal and Liverpool FC and Star Sports' original programmes.
Skyhawk is a new business management system that has been successfully integrated between internal systems across functions to provide competitive advantage and smoother operations.
We have also made significant investments in improving our business and operational processes through adoption of new technology over the last one year with an aim to scale up our operations more efficiently for future expansion. Our focus has also been on human resource development and I have worked towards creating project teams within the organisation spanning across departments and markets entrusted with an objective to scout for new ideas to help grow our business.
How has the last one year been for ESS?We have seen growth in bottomline and topline across the region. Our task is to take ESS to the next level in scalable business across sports and markets.
ESPN Star Sports has pumped in a whopping $2.25 billion to acquire the rights for ICC including the two World Cups, the Champions League T20, Cricket Australia and England and Wales Cricket board. The mix includes cricket across the three formats of T20, ODIs and Test matches.
The mark of aggression has spread to other sports including the Fifa World Cup soccer rights and the Olympics.
For over a year, Manu Sawhney has been shepherding this drive to crush competition and establish leadership position as a sports broadcaster by acquiring driver content rights over a longer period of time.
"This is the best in cricket that could be there in the market and places us in the position of matchless leadership not only in Asia but on a global scale," he says.
In an exclusive interview with Indiantelevision.com's Sibabrata Das, ESS managing director Sawhney elaborates on how the ESPN-Star joint venture company is gearing up to be not just a TV brand but also dominate in the digital new media space with its comprehensive content across sports, platforms and markets.
Excerpts:
The Indian Premier League was touted as the biggest prime time reality show on Indian television. Why didn't ESPN Star Sports buy into that hype?We wanted to first evaluate how the T20 format of the game would evolve as a product cycle. Remember, we were the first to recognise the power of this new format at the international level when we acquired the ICC rights which include the two World Cups.
With the IPL doing well, we have now bagged the Champions League T20. It will involve the best of the best where the top teams from various domestic leagues including the IPL, Australia, South Africa, England and others compete to win the title of Champions of Champions. The IPL also becomes a feeder league for this global tournament.
We recognise that various formats continue to get developed and broaden the appeal of the game across new markets and demographics, providing increasing number of platforms for leverage and exploitation.
Was the IPL miss a reason why ESS paid higher ($975 million) for the Champions League T20 when it could have got it at a much lower price with DIC's $751.3 million bid being the second in race?When we are in a bidding environment, we do not punt but go ahead with an amount which we believe adds value to our business. We thought $612 million for the BCCI rights was too high for us, but somebody else thought it made business sense. We make a bid thinking what value the property can bring to us, how prepared we are today to leverage it, and how well placed are we for the future to fully realise the potential.
Our investment in content follows this strategy and allows us to present a sound proposition to our partners. The acquisition of Champions League T20 has been done with this focused, planned and future oriented approach backed by a solid business plan, ensuring our profitability and long term growth.
As a property, CL T20 has all the necessary ingredients of a blockbuster property, not only on the national level but on a global scale.
After the inaugural edition this year in December, the tournament is to be scheduled right before the festive period featuring more top quality international teams and increased number of matches spread over a longer duration. This amplifies the opportunities around the property.
But aren't you also risking on the most expensive cricket property (calculated on a per game basis)?Tell me one property today which is available across the globe with all commercial rights - and that, too, for a period of 10 years! CL T20 is the only such property. This allows us multitude of opportunities to build, develop, customise, and fully realise immense value around the property. And it makes CL T20 most unique and premium as compared to any other domestic or international property currently around from the business perspective.
Even if we were to compare it with a property like IPL, we have tremendous advantages. The rights around IPL do not include title sponsorship, umpire sponsorship, stadium advertising, official sponsor, ticketing and licensing. These rights amount to sizeable contribution and are expected to grow manifold over the next 10 years as the CL T20 further develops as the most premium tournament.
The domestic nature of the tournament also limits IPL’s appeal internationally. This affects international syndication and other related rights. On the other hand, we have had significant success with the ICC on the international syndication front and today are better placed than anybody else to fully realise the value of this premium property in the global market.
Unlike others, we are not just a broadcast brand but today the most comprehensive sports content provider in the region and the biggest cricket content provider in the world. With our three strong TV brands (ESPN, Star Sports and Star Cricket), two robust mobile brands (mobileESPN and Star Sports Mobile) and the most comprehensive online offering in form of www.espnstar.com, we are better placed than anyone else to fully leverage and exploit multiple opportunities across platforms for building our business on the back of CL T20 across the region and globally.
Even in the ICC bid, ESS's winning punt was $1.1 billion while the second highest bidder with $900 million was way behind. Are we seeing a more aggressive ESS?We are today the biggest investor in the game of cricket in the world with the ICC, Cricket Australia, England and Wales Cricket board rights and the newly acquired CL T 20. This not only provides us with a good mix of all forms of cricket – the new age blistering Twenty20 format, the popular ODIs and the ever-green Test matches, but along with the ICC it also gives us a very strong lineup of top quality cricket with a World Cup every year for the next 10 years. This is the best that could be there in the market and places us in the position of matchless leadership not only in Asia but on a global scale.
While IPL has been a successful property, in ICC we have the pinnacle of international cricket while CL T20 gives us the very best of the international domestic competition. With the acquisition of CL T20, we have enhanced our driver content portfolio for cricket and our leadership position as a sports broadcaster not just for few years but a longer period of time.
Do you see the high rise in cost for cricket properties a function of competition or is it based on a realistic projection of business growth?The escalation in the rights cost is because of competition as well as growth in the market that you are able to reach. The T20 format, for instance, has expanded the demographic profile from a male skew to young and female audiences. The emergence of new platforms is also playing a part in defining the value in the marketplace.
ESS enjoyed high revenues from DTH operators as it was carried on the basic tier. But this year Tata Sky and the new DTH operators like Reliance ADAG's Big TV are not willing to put the three channels on that package. With MSOs (multi-system operators) also consolidating, do you see growth on subscription revenues being hit?There is a huge opportunity for sports broadcasters like us and platform providers to work together in building the subscriber base. In global markets, digital subscribers grow on the back of HD, interactivity and video-on-demand; the driver content is live sports. In India, the market is still in infancy. New technologies like DTH, IPTV and mobile are bringing in paradigm shifts. With the power that we have on content across sports, we see tremendous scope to increase our revenues.
With the ICC Champions Trophy, which was scheduled to be held in Pakistan in September, being deferred, will you be re-negotiating the bid amount with ICC?The ICC Champions Trophy is a showcase of game’s best elite players from the world’s top national cricketing sides. It was, therefore, important to ensure full and committed participation of the best teams from all qualified nations for ICC Champions Trophy to retain its premium status. Unfortunately, too much ambiguity existed for many months about the realistic possibility of the event being staged in Pakistan, which led to the current situation where the options available were very limited.
As the global broadcast and production partner of the ICC, ESS was fully committed to producing and broadcasting the ICC Champions Trophy in a truly engaging and entertaining manner for fans across the globe. Accordingly, all necessary broadcast arrangements were made by ESPN Star Sports as per plans agreed with ICC for covering the event in Pakistan.
The late decision to defer the tournament did come with its own set of difficulties for various organisations involved in the tournament, and this affected ESS’s business commercially too. Various questions have arisen as a result of this postponement, particularly issues relating to ensuring teams’ participation in the tournament when it is eventually played as well as the knock-on impact of the rescheduling on the overall cricket calendar.
It is expected from the ICC to decide on these critical matters in the near future. We will only be able to assess the overall impact on our business based upon the way in which these issues are resolved and after we are able to study the short and long term implications of ICC’s actions for ourselves. We reiterate our commitment to working with the ICC in evolving a mutually satisfying solution.
Isn't ESS's aggression spreading to other properties as well including the Fifa World Cup where ESS is said to have bid $40.5 million (up from around $8 million)?We have been aggressively mopping up content. In football, we have the exclusive television rights to broadcast Fifa’s stellar lineup of international football events including the 2010 World Cup for the Indian sub-continent. We have the exclusive rights to show over 275 international football games including the Fifa Confederations Cup. We have a multi-year exclusive agreement with The Football Association (The FA), for broadcast rights to The FA Cup, England Internationals and The FA Community Shield on multimedia platforms for the 2008/9 – 2011/12 seasons for 20 countries across the region. This, coupled with the existing partnership with Premier League with which ESS holds BPL rights for 22 countries in Asia through 2010 and rights of UEFA Champions League in key markets, places us as the single largest football content provider in the region.
In motorracing, we have renewed partnership with FIA for another 5 years across the region and for the first time, secured rights across various platforms and in many key markets acquired terrestrial rights as well. This flagship racing property along with other leading properties like A1, MotoGP and WRC, sets ESS apart from any other network or broadcaster in the region.
We have also renewed our partnership with Tennis Australia for another seven years, acquired French Open for India, and continue partnership with NBA and key Golf majors including Augusta Masters, The US Open and The Open, among others.
We have acquired the Olympic rights. The partnership with the International Olympic Committee will allow us to show the Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 Olympic Games for 22 countries across the Indian subcontinent and South East Asia. This is the first time that IOC has awarded the rights to one single pay-TV platform across the region.
Have your programming hours also gone up?In addition to the acquired content that we have the rights for, we produce over 3650 hours of original programming per year, which is probably the largest quantum of original programming around these sports.
To give you an idea, we produce over 1500 hours of original football content and over 1000 hours of cricket content. In addition, our flagship studio show, SportsCenter, offers the best round-up of sporting action around the globe with five localised editions in Asia on ESPN. And along with our entertainment-focused sports bulletin show Score Tonight on Star Sports, we produce over 1000 hours of original sports news programming every year. This lineup of content makes us the prime choice of over 310 million passionate sports fans and business partners and associates across Asia.
How important is the Indian market for ESS?It is a very important market for us and continues to contribute to the overall growth of our business in Asia. The media industry in India itself has seen rapid growth in the last few years. There is appetite for quality content and so are the opportunities to leverage and further build the business.
While cricket has been, for many years, the most popular sport in India, it still continues to grow. This popularity is growing beyond India playing cricket to other international cricket as well as growth of strong female TG for cricket. The dedicated 24x7 cricket channel, Star Cricket, quickly reached penetration levels of 90-95 per cent after its launch last year.India is also steadily developing into a multi-sports market. Other sports like soccer, motor sports, tennis, hockey and golf are increasingly becoming more popular and gaining viewership as well. With that in mind, and considering the huge viewership base, India will continue to be a key market for ESS.India offers a lot of potential in terms of ESS’s new media initiatives. ESS has invested in a focused manner in the Indian market. With our multi-platform capabilities on the back of some of the most premium content in the form of ICC, CL T20, Fifa and F1, ESS is better placed than ever today to fully exploit the opportunities from the emerging media scenario in India.
Do you see consolidation in the sports broadcasting space in India?India is no longer a low-cost media economy. As the market matures, there will be consolidation. There is, after all, a limited amount of driver content that is available. We hope to leverage our leadership position as and when such opportunities throw up. We are not just TV dependent but have grown our presence in the new digital media space. And we are not just an India product.
What have been your focus areas since you took charge as managing director of ESS one year back?My focus has been on four key areas. The content strategy is to build a sustainable and scalable business across sports, platforms and markets.
Besides continuing to acquire and develop the strongest, most comprehensive and relevant content, we have enhanced our multi-platform presence.
While television is the biggest format in which consumers want to watch sports, new media platforms are growing in importance. Growing ESS’s presence in the digital space is a key thrust area for the company and we have invested huge resources to provide a new improved platform.
We have launched the sharp new version of www.espnstar.com and are offering advertisers an expansive range of customised and creative advertising opportunities. The new Star Sports Mobile complements the mobileESPN offering through entertaining and engaging content with exclusive video highlights from Arsenal and Liverpool FC and Star Sports' original programmes.
Skyhawk is a new business management system that has been successfully integrated between internal systems across functions to provide competitive advantage and smoother operations.
We have also made significant investments in improving our business and operational processes through adoption of new technology over the last one year with an aim to scale up our operations more efficiently for future expansion. Our focus has also been on human resource development and I have worked towards creating project teams within the organisation spanning across departments and markets entrusted with an objective to scout for new ideas to help grow our business.
How has the last one year been for ESS?We have seen growth in bottomline and topline across the region. Our task is to take ESS to the next level in scalable business across sports and markets.
World - Amsterdam uses garbage to light up the city (G.Read)
Anil Sasi
Recently in Amsterdam The success of a waste-to-energy project in far-away Amsterdam could solve the most pressing problem of Indian cities and towns, which are grappling both with growing garbage pile-ups and power shortages.
Using solid garbage as fuel, the Amsterdam’s Waste and Energy Company, or AEB, generates 1 million MWh of electricity yearly, which is used to run the city’s trams and the metro network, its street lighting, and designated public buildings.
Besides, heat generated by waste incineration at the plant, estimated at around 300 giga joules a year, is piped directly to over 15,000 homes.
The utility — owned by the City of Amsterdam — handles close to 1.6 million tonnes of industrial and domestic waste annually. Besides power and heat, the AEB has been turning virtually all of the city’s waste into recycled-grade metal, gypsum, limestone and salts using processes that utilise some 30 in-house innovations.
While power from the plant, routed through local power utilities for distribution, costs higher than generation at a regular coal-fired power plant, a subsidy element plugs the difference. The AEB, as a utility, however, has been clocking profits on account of its comprehensive waste handling skills.
“We’re able to take 99 per cent of the city’s waste and incinerate it with virtually zero discharge,” Dr N.R. Pattavina of AEB told a group of visiting journalists invited by the City of Amsterdam.
How does it work? Hundreds of rubbish trucks converge on the AEB site, bringing in garbage collected from industry and households. After weighing, the garbage goes to the Waste-to-Energy Plant.
Here it’s discharged into a huge bunker, and then incinerated over grates round-the-clock. The heat released by the combustion converts the water in the connected boiler walls into steam, which drives turbines that generate electricity. Much of the resultant heat is piped directly to local homes and businesses.
The majority of the substances that do not burn are transformed into so-called bottom ash that find use in processes such as road construction, besides metal scrap recovery.
In the Netherlands, there are 11 waste-to-energy plants in operation currently; AEB sets the efficiency benchmark as it uses an extra turbine to recycle the spent steam.
With India’s urban population slated to rise from the current 330 million to about 600 million by 2030, and per capita income continuing to rise, the challenge is to manage municipal solid waste (MSW) in an environmentally and economically sustainable manner.
According to a recent Assocham study, about 40,000 million tonnes of solid waste and 5000 million cubic metres of liquid waste is generated every year in the urban areas which can be suitably recycled for power generation. About 1,500 MW of power could be generated from urban and municipal wastes and an additional 1,000 MW from industrial waste in the country by 2010, the study estimated.
Recently in Amsterdam The success of a waste-to-energy project in far-away Amsterdam could solve the most pressing problem of Indian cities and towns, which are grappling both with growing garbage pile-ups and power shortages.
Using solid garbage as fuel, the Amsterdam’s Waste and Energy Company, or AEB, generates 1 million MWh of electricity yearly, which is used to run the city’s trams and the metro network, its street lighting, and designated public buildings.
Besides, heat generated by waste incineration at the plant, estimated at around 300 giga joules a year, is piped directly to over 15,000 homes.
The utility — owned by the City of Amsterdam — handles close to 1.6 million tonnes of industrial and domestic waste annually. Besides power and heat, the AEB has been turning virtually all of the city’s waste into recycled-grade metal, gypsum, limestone and salts using processes that utilise some 30 in-house innovations.
While power from the plant, routed through local power utilities for distribution, costs higher than generation at a regular coal-fired power plant, a subsidy element plugs the difference. The AEB, as a utility, however, has been clocking profits on account of its comprehensive waste handling skills.
“We’re able to take 99 per cent of the city’s waste and incinerate it with virtually zero discharge,” Dr N.R. Pattavina of AEB told a group of visiting journalists invited by the City of Amsterdam.
How does it work? Hundreds of rubbish trucks converge on the AEB site, bringing in garbage collected from industry and households. After weighing, the garbage goes to the Waste-to-Energy Plant.
Here it’s discharged into a huge bunker, and then incinerated over grates round-the-clock. The heat released by the combustion converts the water in the connected boiler walls into steam, which drives turbines that generate electricity. Much of the resultant heat is piped directly to local homes and businesses.
The majority of the substances that do not burn are transformed into so-called bottom ash that find use in processes such as road construction, besides metal scrap recovery.
In the Netherlands, there are 11 waste-to-energy plants in operation currently; AEB sets the efficiency benchmark as it uses an extra turbine to recycle the spent steam.
With India’s urban population slated to rise from the current 330 million to about 600 million by 2030, and per capita income continuing to rise, the challenge is to manage municipal solid waste (MSW) in an environmentally and economically sustainable manner.
According to a recent Assocham study, about 40,000 million tonnes of solid waste and 5000 million cubic metres of liquid waste is generated every year in the urban areas which can be suitably recycled for power generation. About 1,500 MW of power could be generated from urban and municipal wastes and an additional 1,000 MW from industrial waste in the country by 2010, the study estimated.
HR - India;Different approach to recruitment
New Delhi: “Do some different shit.”
That’s what Raghu Ram, MTV’s creative head who sports a shaved head and bullies hapless candidates on the MTV Roadies reality show, is saying on business school campuses these days.
The “different shit” that Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd, a venture of US-based Viacom Inc. and Television Eighteen India Ltd, which owns MTV in the country, wants students to do is compete across 22 campuses to land the next big idea for MTV, a brand that prides itself on its irreverence.
The media and entertainment company, which owns three other television networks besides MTV, scouted for on-campus talent for the first time in the job placement season of March this year, and the contest is a direct fallout of that experience.
“When we realized students knew very little about the industry, we were foxed,” said Abhinav Chopra, who heads human resources at Viacom18.
The contest, said Chopra, is a way to make students research the growing media and entertainment business in India. At the same time, the company gets to use talented students to float new programmes.
While recruiters are using business school competitions to establish their brand on campuses, for students, business case competitions and quizzes—new as well as those that have been around for some time—now have a higher stake than before: a chance to get noticed by a recruiter.
Some contests have a pre-placement offer (PPO) or pre-placement interview (PPI) as a prize, instead of cash prizes used earlier.
Students such as Sourabh Hemvrum of the Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi, say this can be a big incentive. Hemvrum participated in a business competition earlier this month at Mumbai’s Tata Institute of Social Sciences. His team’s winning entry of an advertisement for the Kit Kat chocolate brand won him a PPI at Nestle India Ltd, a subsidiary of the world’s largest food-and-beverage company. It means Hemvrum, 25, is already assured of a shot at a job ahead of his batchmates.
Job placement season for 2009 gets formally inaugurated February-March next year, and given Wall Street’s meltdown, promises to be a tough one.
In these times, Hemvrum’s victory is not small. He says the PPI was an incentive when he put in a week of work designing a 30-second TV spot, and a print, Internet, SMS and on-ground campaign.
“Teams from other business schools were there as well: Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi; Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad; Management Development Institute, Gurgaon,” said Hemvrum.
Students on other campuses agree competitions are a rage. “The stakes have just been raised. Most companies offer PPO or PPI,” said Anindya Biswas, a 2009-batch student at IIM Indore.
The MTV contest, besides allowing winners to make a pilot programme with the network’s creative team in Mumbai, will also ensure they are interviewed when Viacom18 recruits in the final placement season next year. The winners will skip the rounds of group discussions and vetting of curricula vitae, or CVs.
Companies that regularly recruit on campuses say even when competitions do not lead to a direct job, they end up raising a winner’s profile, helping recruiters shift CVs.
“Most students who make it to the final rounds of the competition explicitly mention DconStruct in their resumes when they apply to us,” said Vinod Nair, managing partner of Diamond Management and Technology Consultants’ India practice, referring to his company’s business case competition launched this month at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, IIM Bangalore, and IIM Calcutta. (Diamond is among the consultants used by HT Media Ltd, the publisher of Mint.)
Diamond held its on-campus competition for the second straight year. It said the response has increased manifold. A hundred students participated in the comptetition at IIM Calcutta, a campus its competition tapped for the first time, which is almost one-fifth of the total students.
Recruiters such as Nair say competitions help them gauge capabilities across a batch. In line with these expectations, most companies make students work on real-time business cases.
The cars to financial services group Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd, in its first competition across 16 business schools, is encouraging students to form shadow boards of directors. The teams will suggest strategies for the sectors the company has been in for a long time—farm equipment—to those it has got into recently—media and Bollywood.
The Mahindra War Room contest has drawn 784 four-member teams from campuses that include the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies in Mumbai, Xavier Labour Relations Institute from Jamshedpur, and Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development from Pune, besides the six IIMs.
“(We want) India’s best and brightest B-school students to improve their strategic skills in Mahindra’s real-time business issues,” said Allen Sequeira, senior vice-president of human resources at the Mahindra group.
He says it is a bonus if in this process, the company ends up identifying employable talent, though that is not the intention of the contest.
“Would I not look at potential managers?” said Sequeira. “Yes, why not?”
That’s what Raghu Ram, MTV’s creative head who sports a shaved head and bullies hapless candidates on the MTV Roadies reality show, is saying on business school campuses these days.
The “different shit” that Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd, a venture of US-based Viacom Inc. and Television Eighteen India Ltd, which owns MTV in the country, wants students to do is compete across 22 campuses to land the next big idea for MTV, a brand that prides itself on its irreverence.
The media and entertainment company, which owns three other television networks besides MTV, scouted for on-campus talent for the first time in the job placement season of March this year, and the contest is a direct fallout of that experience.
“When we realized students knew very little about the industry, we were foxed,” said Abhinav Chopra, who heads human resources at Viacom18.
The contest, said Chopra, is a way to make students research the growing media and entertainment business in India. At the same time, the company gets to use talented students to float new programmes.
While recruiters are using business school competitions to establish their brand on campuses, for students, business case competitions and quizzes—new as well as those that have been around for some time—now have a higher stake than before: a chance to get noticed by a recruiter.
Some contests have a pre-placement offer (PPO) or pre-placement interview (PPI) as a prize, instead of cash prizes used earlier.
Students such as Sourabh Hemvrum of the Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi, say this can be a big incentive. Hemvrum participated in a business competition earlier this month at Mumbai’s Tata Institute of Social Sciences. His team’s winning entry of an advertisement for the Kit Kat chocolate brand won him a PPI at Nestle India Ltd, a subsidiary of the world’s largest food-and-beverage company. It means Hemvrum, 25, is already assured of a shot at a job ahead of his batchmates.
Job placement season for 2009 gets formally inaugurated February-March next year, and given Wall Street’s meltdown, promises to be a tough one.
In these times, Hemvrum’s victory is not small. He says the PPI was an incentive when he put in a week of work designing a 30-second TV spot, and a print, Internet, SMS and on-ground campaign.
“Teams from other business schools were there as well: Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi; Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad; Management Development Institute, Gurgaon,” said Hemvrum.
Students on other campuses agree competitions are a rage. “The stakes have just been raised. Most companies offer PPO or PPI,” said Anindya Biswas, a 2009-batch student at IIM Indore.
The MTV contest, besides allowing winners to make a pilot programme with the network’s creative team in Mumbai, will also ensure they are interviewed when Viacom18 recruits in the final placement season next year. The winners will skip the rounds of group discussions and vetting of curricula vitae, or CVs.
Companies that regularly recruit on campuses say even when competitions do not lead to a direct job, they end up raising a winner’s profile, helping recruiters shift CVs.
“Most students who make it to the final rounds of the competition explicitly mention DconStruct in their resumes when they apply to us,” said Vinod Nair, managing partner of Diamond Management and Technology Consultants’ India practice, referring to his company’s business case competition launched this month at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, IIM Bangalore, and IIM Calcutta. (Diamond is among the consultants used by HT Media Ltd, the publisher of Mint.)
Diamond held its on-campus competition for the second straight year. It said the response has increased manifold. A hundred students participated in the comptetition at IIM Calcutta, a campus its competition tapped for the first time, which is almost one-fifth of the total students.
Recruiters such as Nair say competitions help them gauge capabilities across a batch. In line with these expectations, most companies make students work on real-time business cases.
The cars to financial services group Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd, in its first competition across 16 business schools, is encouraging students to form shadow boards of directors. The teams will suggest strategies for the sectors the company has been in for a long time—farm equipment—to those it has got into recently—media and Bollywood.
The Mahindra War Room contest has drawn 784 four-member teams from campuses that include the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies in Mumbai, Xavier Labour Relations Institute from Jamshedpur, and Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development from Pune, besides the six IIMs.
“(We want) India’s best and brightest B-school students to improve their strategic skills in Mahindra’s real-time business issues,” said Allen Sequeira, senior vice-president of human resources at the Mahindra group.
He says it is a bonus if in this process, the company ends up identifying employable talent, though that is not the intention of the contest.
“Would I not look at potential managers?” said Sequeira. “Yes, why not?”
Business - India;Coca-Cola leads over Pepsi
Ratna Bushan
NEW DELHI: The Thunder still rules. More than three decades after it was launched, Thums Up remains India’s largest selling aerated drink. It was created by Ramesh Chauhan and is now owned by Coca-Cola. Market research data by AC Nielsen, which now tracks both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, shows that, thanks to Thums Up, Sprite, Limca and Fanta, Coca-Cola India has a huge lead over rival PepsiCo across all categories of drinks-colas, orange, clear lime and cloudy lemon. While Coca-Cola India’s consolidated share of carbonated soft drinks is 57.8%, PepsiCo follows at a distant second with 35.6% share. Though an apple-to-apple comparison between both rivals may not be fair in the cola segment because Coca-Cola has two brands against PepsiCo’s one, Coca-Cola overshadows its rival across all other carbonated soft drink (CSD) segments. Brand Pepsi with 13.1% market share is the only brand in the PepsiCo portfolio to cross the 10% market mark. In contrast, four Coca-Cola brands have market shares of over 10%. After Thums Up, Coca-Cola’s second biggest brand is the clear lime Sprite with a 12.2% share, followed by cloudy lemon drink Limca at 10.9% and orange-flavoured Fanta at 10%. Two of Coca-Cola’s best-selling brands-Thums Up and Limca-were acquired from Mr Chauhan. However, its own brand Coke ranks third in the cola ranking-with an 8.2% share. Understandably then, Thums Up enjoys one of the largest shares of Coca-Cola India’s marketing and ad budgets. This is a far cry from the strategy adopted by the company soon after it had acquired Mr Chauhan’s brands in 1993, when it was accused of neglecting Thums Up on both distribution and marketing, promoting its own cola brand instead. However, that was then. Now, it is widely believed that Akshay Kumar, who endorses Thums Up, is Coca-Cola India’s most expensive celebrity endorser-ahead of Aamir Khan and Hrithik Roshan, both of which endorse brand Coke. To leverage its strong carbonation flavour, Thums Up’s positioning as a macho drink with advertising almost always hinging on dare devilry has worked well for the brand. Thums Up’s key markets include Andhra Pradesh, WB and Karnataka. Sprite’s mainstay markets are Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore while Fanta is popular in the Southern states. Officials of neither Coca-Cola nor PepsiCo commented on this story. Both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are big advertising and marketing spenders. PepsiCo’s strongest brand after cola is Mirinda Orange at 8.9% against rival Fanta’s 10% share. The gap between Coca-Cola’s Sprite (12.2%) and PepsiCo’s 7 Up (at 5.8% share)-both clear lime brands-is wider. In the cloudy lemon segment, Coca-Cola’s Limca at 10.9% overshadows PepsiCo’s Mirinda cloudy lime, which barely manages a 0.4% share
NEW DELHI: The Thunder still rules. More than three decades after it was launched, Thums Up remains India’s largest selling aerated drink. It was created by Ramesh Chauhan and is now owned by Coca-Cola. Market research data by AC Nielsen, which now tracks both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, shows that, thanks to Thums Up, Sprite, Limca and Fanta, Coca-Cola India has a huge lead over rival PepsiCo across all categories of drinks-colas, orange, clear lime and cloudy lemon. While Coca-Cola India’s consolidated share of carbonated soft drinks is 57.8%, PepsiCo follows at a distant second with 35.6% share. Though an apple-to-apple comparison between both rivals may not be fair in the cola segment because Coca-Cola has two brands against PepsiCo’s one, Coca-Cola overshadows its rival across all other carbonated soft drink (CSD) segments. Brand Pepsi with 13.1% market share is the only brand in the PepsiCo portfolio to cross the 10% market mark. In contrast, four Coca-Cola brands have market shares of over 10%. After Thums Up, Coca-Cola’s second biggest brand is the clear lime Sprite with a 12.2% share, followed by cloudy lemon drink Limca at 10.9% and orange-flavoured Fanta at 10%. Two of Coca-Cola’s best-selling brands-Thums Up and Limca-were acquired from Mr Chauhan. However, its own brand Coke ranks third in the cola ranking-with an 8.2% share. Understandably then, Thums Up enjoys one of the largest shares of Coca-Cola India’s marketing and ad budgets. This is a far cry from the strategy adopted by the company soon after it had acquired Mr Chauhan’s brands in 1993, when it was accused of neglecting Thums Up on both distribution and marketing, promoting its own cola brand instead. However, that was then. Now, it is widely believed that Akshay Kumar, who endorses Thums Up, is Coca-Cola India’s most expensive celebrity endorser-ahead of Aamir Khan and Hrithik Roshan, both of which endorse brand Coke. To leverage its strong carbonation flavour, Thums Up’s positioning as a macho drink with advertising almost always hinging on dare devilry has worked well for the brand. Thums Up’s key markets include Andhra Pradesh, WB and Karnataka. Sprite’s mainstay markets are Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore while Fanta is popular in the Southern states. Officials of neither Coca-Cola nor PepsiCo commented on this story. Both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are big advertising and marketing spenders. PepsiCo’s strongest brand after cola is Mirinda Orange at 8.9% against rival Fanta’s 10% share. The gap between Coca-Cola’s Sprite (12.2%) and PepsiCo’s 7 Up (at 5.8% share)-both clear lime brands-is wider. In the cloudy lemon segment, Coca-Cola’s Limca at 10.9% overshadows PepsiCo’s Mirinda cloudy lime, which barely manages a 0.4% share
Lifestyle - Top 10 Ayurvedic Herbs to boost libido
Vaibhav Choudary
1. Ashwagandha (Indian ginseng, winter cherry, withinia somnifera) Ashwagandha is popularly known as Indian ginseng. It is an herb that's been used since centuries to treat impotence, premature ejaculation, infertility, and other erection disorders. It is an "adaptogenic" herb which nourishes nerves and improves nerve function as well that helps your body adapt to stress, one of the most common causes of sexual problems. Ashwagandha brings the body back to equilibrium by relaxing it when stressed and energizing it when fatigued. It has the ability to restore sexual drive, increase endurance and improve overall vitality, while promoting a Zen state of mind. Ashwagandha also strengthens the reproductive and respiratory system, while serving as a powerful Medhya Rasayana, which means that it enhances all aspects of an individual's mental prowess. All the parts of this plant are useful, but its roots are especially beneficial in the treatment of disorders of reproductive systems of men and women alike. Doctor’s say: Dr. Mani says "Ashwagandha can also be translated as the sweat of a horse indicating that one who takes it would have the strength and sexual vitality of the animal. It is a well-known adaptogen and balances vata and kapha. It is bitter and increases ojas (immunity). Ashwagandha is most easily digested when taken with ginger, warm milk, meals, honey or hot water."
2. Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus) Shatavari is known to be very effective in enhancing female fertility and is the best known female rejuvenative. It enhances fertility by nourishing the ovum as well as other female reproductive organs. Shatavari balances the female hormonal system, builds blood, prepares the womb for conception and prevents miscarriage. Dry membranes, such as those on the vaginal wall, are also brought into balance through the demulcent action of the herbs. Shatavari is beneficial in improving male fertility as well and can be used in cases of sexual debility, impotence, spermatorrhea, and inflammation of the sexual organs. Shatavari helps to relieve PMS symptoms, such as pain and controls blood loss during menstruation, besides regulating ovulation. Doctor’s say: Dr. Mani says "Shatavari is the best female reproductive system toner and is often used for infertility, threatened miscarriage, leukorrhoea and menopausal problems".
3. Shilajit (Shilajita Mumiyo; Mineral pitch, Mineral wax or Ozokerite) Shilajit is considered as the nectar or amrit of God given to mankind to live life youthfully and become immortal forever. Shilajit is widely used in the preparation of Ayurvedic medicines and is regarded as one of the most important ingredients in the Ayurvedic system of medicine. It works as an aphrodisiac, thereby helping the male sperm count and also helps in bettering the quality of sperms. It also helps in regulating sex hormones for proper functioning. It has been regarded as Indian Viagra as it is very helpful in enhancing an individual's sexual powers. Doctor’s say: Dr. Mani says, "Shilajit means something which has won over rocks. It is hot, bitter and reduces kapha, mostly, but is beneficial for vata and pitta as well. But finding original Shilajit is very difficult task and is very expensive too".
4. Garlic (Garlic, Softneck garlic, Harneck garlic, Rocambole ) Garlic has been given special importance in Ayurveda due to its immense curative properties. It is used to enhance libido in men and women. Being a sex rejuvenator, it can improve sexual activities that have been damaged due to accident or disease. Garlic is important for people who overindulge in sex to protect them from nervous exhaustion. Doctor’s advice : Dr Mani says, "Garlic is considered to be the mother of all adaptogenic herbs as it can even boost sex drive for men experiencing impotence"
Kavach beej (Cowhage, Mucana pruriens) Kavach beej (popularly known as cowhage) is considered as one of the best sex stimulant in the world and is a part of almost every herbal Viagra available round the globe. It helps in treating premature ejaculation by increasing male stamina. Kavach beej possesses medicinal value that helps curing the problems of impotency and is very beneficial in increasing and improving the male sperm count. It also helps in enhancing sexual vigor and ignites the desire to indulge in sexual affairs. Doctor’s say: Dr Mani says, "Kavach beej or Cowhage is one of the best sex stimulants this world has and helps in curing the problem of impotency
6. Salab mishri (Early purple orchid, Orchis mascula) Salab mishri is a terrestrial plant that is highly recommended in solving sexual problems. It is one of the best herbs that have a wonderful effect on our body. It not only increases sexual stamina, but also enhances the performance of the human body. It increases blood circulation to the penis and testes making them bigger and harder. Salab mishri or early purple orchid is also very helpful in increasing the sperm count besides improving the quality of sperms. Doctor’s advice: Dr Mani says, "Salab mishri is another frequently used herb with a remarkable ability to increase the sperm count. It is a useful remedy for premature ejaculation"
7. Atmagupta (Mucuna Pruriens, Velvet Bean) Atmagupta contains high levels of the world's most extensively researched amino acid (L-Dopa). L-Dopa crosses with the blood brain barrier to convert into Dopamine, which is a very powerful neurotransmitter. Dopamine stimulates the hypothalamus and pituitary glands to release growth hormones, increase testosterone levels, boost libido, and increase sperm count. Besides, having a powerful impact on the sex drive, Atmagupta enhances mental alertness, improves coordination, elevates energy levels, and promotes lean muscle growth. Doctor’s say: Dr Mani says, "Atmagupta is recognized as a natural herbal aphrodisiac and besides having a powerful impact on one's sex drive, Atmagupta increases mental alertness and improves coordination"
8. Gokshura (Tribulus Terrestris, Tribulus) Gokshura is a sex and mood enhancer that stimulates the production of the Luteinizing Hormone (LH) that increases sex drive and virility. When the LH levels are increased, the natural production of testosterone also increases. Laboratory studies have found that Gokshura increases sperm count after being taken for 30 days and can result in more than a 50% increase in testosterone levels. This herb also has a stimulating effect on the liver by helping to convert cholesterol and fats into hormones and energy. When this action is combined with the increase in the testosterone levels the action promotes protein synthesis, positive nitrogen balance as well as a faster recuperation and recovery from muscular stress. Gokshura has a tremendous positive impact on strength and stamina. Doctor’s say: Dr Mani says, "Gokshura is been used for thousands of years by healers to increase sperm production, sexual desire and performance in men and women."
9. Jaiphal (Myristica Fragrans , Nutmeg) Jaiphal acts as an aphrodisiac by stimulating the central nervous system and warming the loins. Being carminative in action it hastens the absorption of other herbs and enhances their effect. While increasing and maintaining sexual vigor, Jaiphal has a tranquilizing effect helping to avert premature ejaculation. Doctor’s say: Dr Mani says, "Jaiphal is widely used in Ayurvedic formulations and when mixed with honey and a half boiled egg it makes an excellent sex tonic. It is also an important ingredient of rich Indian food and is widely used to improve the natural aroma and flavor of food."
10. Shveta Mushali (Asparagus Adscendens) Shveta Mushali primarily acts on the shukradhatu as an aphrodisiac which promotes semen production and is also considered as a rejuvenator of sexual desire. As per Ayurvedic literature, 4,000 years ago Ashwini Kumars, prepared 'Chyawanprash' with one of the ingredients being Shveta Mushali for 'Chyavan Rishi' who married at the age of 80 years. Shveta Mushali is very useful in curing nervous disorders, dyspepsia, throat infections, bronchitis, and general debility. Doctor’s say: Dr Mani says, "Shveta Mushali stimulates liver functions to improve strength and stamina. It is the best known aphrodisiac that increases the sperm count and helps in bettering the quality of sperms."
1. Ashwagandha (Indian ginseng, winter cherry, withinia somnifera) Ashwagandha is popularly known as Indian ginseng. It is an herb that's been used since centuries to treat impotence, premature ejaculation, infertility, and other erection disorders. It is an "adaptogenic" herb which nourishes nerves and improves nerve function as well that helps your body adapt to stress, one of the most common causes of sexual problems. Ashwagandha brings the body back to equilibrium by relaxing it when stressed and energizing it when fatigued. It has the ability to restore sexual drive, increase endurance and improve overall vitality, while promoting a Zen state of mind. Ashwagandha also strengthens the reproductive and respiratory system, while serving as a powerful Medhya Rasayana, which means that it enhances all aspects of an individual's mental prowess. All the parts of this plant are useful, but its roots are especially beneficial in the treatment of disorders of reproductive systems of men and women alike. Doctor’s say: Dr. Mani says "Ashwagandha can also be translated as the sweat of a horse indicating that one who takes it would have the strength and sexual vitality of the animal. It is a well-known adaptogen and balances vata and kapha. It is bitter and increases ojas (immunity). Ashwagandha is most easily digested when taken with ginger, warm milk, meals, honey or hot water."
2. Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus) Shatavari is known to be very effective in enhancing female fertility and is the best known female rejuvenative. It enhances fertility by nourishing the ovum as well as other female reproductive organs. Shatavari balances the female hormonal system, builds blood, prepares the womb for conception and prevents miscarriage. Dry membranes, such as those on the vaginal wall, are also brought into balance through the demulcent action of the herbs. Shatavari is beneficial in improving male fertility as well and can be used in cases of sexual debility, impotence, spermatorrhea, and inflammation of the sexual organs. Shatavari helps to relieve PMS symptoms, such as pain and controls blood loss during menstruation, besides regulating ovulation. Doctor’s say: Dr. Mani says "Shatavari is the best female reproductive system toner and is often used for infertility, threatened miscarriage, leukorrhoea and menopausal problems".
3. Shilajit (Shilajita Mumiyo; Mineral pitch, Mineral wax or Ozokerite) Shilajit is considered as the nectar or amrit of God given to mankind to live life youthfully and become immortal forever. Shilajit is widely used in the preparation of Ayurvedic medicines and is regarded as one of the most important ingredients in the Ayurvedic system of medicine. It works as an aphrodisiac, thereby helping the male sperm count and also helps in bettering the quality of sperms. It also helps in regulating sex hormones for proper functioning. It has been regarded as Indian Viagra as it is very helpful in enhancing an individual's sexual powers. Doctor’s say: Dr. Mani says, "Shilajit means something which has won over rocks. It is hot, bitter and reduces kapha, mostly, but is beneficial for vata and pitta as well. But finding original Shilajit is very difficult task and is very expensive too".
4. Garlic (Garlic, Softneck garlic, Harneck garlic, Rocambole ) Garlic has been given special importance in Ayurveda due to its immense curative properties. It is used to enhance libido in men and women. Being a sex rejuvenator, it can improve sexual activities that have been damaged due to accident or disease. Garlic is important for people who overindulge in sex to protect them from nervous exhaustion. Doctor’s advice : Dr Mani says, "Garlic is considered to be the mother of all adaptogenic herbs as it can even boost sex drive for men experiencing impotence"
Kavach beej (Cowhage, Mucana pruriens) Kavach beej (popularly known as cowhage) is considered as one of the best sex stimulant in the world and is a part of almost every herbal Viagra available round the globe. It helps in treating premature ejaculation by increasing male stamina. Kavach beej possesses medicinal value that helps curing the problems of impotency and is very beneficial in increasing and improving the male sperm count. It also helps in enhancing sexual vigor and ignites the desire to indulge in sexual affairs. Doctor’s say: Dr Mani says, "Kavach beej or Cowhage is one of the best sex stimulants this world has and helps in curing the problem of impotency
6. Salab mishri (Early purple orchid, Orchis mascula) Salab mishri is a terrestrial plant that is highly recommended in solving sexual problems. It is one of the best herbs that have a wonderful effect on our body. It not only increases sexual stamina, but also enhances the performance of the human body. It increases blood circulation to the penis and testes making them bigger and harder. Salab mishri or early purple orchid is also very helpful in increasing the sperm count besides improving the quality of sperms. Doctor’s advice: Dr Mani says, "Salab mishri is another frequently used herb with a remarkable ability to increase the sperm count. It is a useful remedy for premature ejaculation"
7. Atmagupta (Mucuna Pruriens, Velvet Bean) Atmagupta contains high levels of the world's most extensively researched amino acid (L-Dopa). L-Dopa crosses with the blood brain barrier to convert into Dopamine, which is a very powerful neurotransmitter. Dopamine stimulates the hypothalamus and pituitary glands to release growth hormones, increase testosterone levels, boost libido, and increase sperm count. Besides, having a powerful impact on the sex drive, Atmagupta enhances mental alertness, improves coordination, elevates energy levels, and promotes lean muscle growth. Doctor’s say: Dr Mani says, "Atmagupta is recognized as a natural herbal aphrodisiac and besides having a powerful impact on one's sex drive, Atmagupta increases mental alertness and improves coordination"
8. Gokshura (Tribulus Terrestris, Tribulus) Gokshura is a sex and mood enhancer that stimulates the production of the Luteinizing Hormone (LH) that increases sex drive and virility. When the LH levels are increased, the natural production of testosterone also increases. Laboratory studies have found that Gokshura increases sperm count after being taken for 30 days and can result in more than a 50% increase in testosterone levels. This herb also has a stimulating effect on the liver by helping to convert cholesterol and fats into hormones and energy. When this action is combined with the increase in the testosterone levels the action promotes protein synthesis, positive nitrogen balance as well as a faster recuperation and recovery from muscular stress. Gokshura has a tremendous positive impact on strength and stamina. Doctor’s say: Dr Mani says, "Gokshura is been used for thousands of years by healers to increase sperm production, sexual desire and performance in men and women."
9. Jaiphal (Myristica Fragrans , Nutmeg) Jaiphal acts as an aphrodisiac by stimulating the central nervous system and warming the loins. Being carminative in action it hastens the absorption of other herbs and enhances their effect. While increasing and maintaining sexual vigor, Jaiphal has a tranquilizing effect helping to avert premature ejaculation. Doctor’s say: Dr Mani says, "Jaiphal is widely used in Ayurvedic formulations and when mixed with honey and a half boiled egg it makes an excellent sex tonic. It is also an important ingredient of rich Indian food and is widely used to improve the natural aroma and flavor of food."
10. Shveta Mushali (Asparagus Adscendens) Shveta Mushali primarily acts on the shukradhatu as an aphrodisiac which promotes semen production and is also considered as a rejuvenator of sexual desire. As per Ayurvedic literature, 4,000 years ago Ashwini Kumars, prepared 'Chyawanprash' with one of the ingredients being Shveta Mushali for 'Chyavan Rishi' who married at the age of 80 years. Shveta Mushali is very useful in curing nervous disorders, dyspepsia, throat infections, bronchitis, and general debility. Doctor’s say: Dr Mani says, "Shveta Mushali stimulates liver functions to improve strength and stamina. It is the best known aphrodisiac that increases the sperm count and helps in bettering the quality of sperms."
India - An old testament
The mindless and brazen attacks against Christians are not new. The difference is in the dimension. Today, at any excuse, Hindu fundamentalist organisations let loose their goons on the community with the police acting as mute spectators. In most cases, the reaction of the church and the community is nothing more than to provide the victims with aid and prayers.
When I visited Father Edward Sequeira of Orissa in the Holy Spirit Hospital, I also met Bishop Cheenath, in whose diocese the worst atrocities were committed last Christmas and were repeated this year. When I told him that the All India Catholic Union (AICU) was organising a massive fund-raising drive, he gently said. “Money is not our priority, George, although it is always welcome. What we need is an assurance that these atrocities will not be committed again.”
What could I say to him? Can any of the church leaders give him any assurance at all? And if not, why not? Here are a few reasons.
First, the Christian church is fragmented. I use the word ‘Christian’ to include all her denominations. There are thousands of churches all over India and there is no authority to unite and speak on their behalf. Even the well-organised Catholic church consists of three rites and a host of disparate organisations of the laity. Efforts to set up a body for broad consultation within the church have not borne fruit yet.
Second, the community is fragmented. Despite the tremendous activism of the laity, Christian lay organisations are unable to present a single front. They try to upstage each other, ride piggyback on others’ succes
When I visited Father Edward Sequeira of Orissa in the Holy Spirit Hospital, I also met Bishop Cheenath, in whose diocese the worst atrocities were committed last Christmas and were repeated this year. When I told him that the All India Catholic Union (AICU) was organising a massive fund-raising drive, he gently said. “Money is not our priority, George, although it is always welcome. What we need is an assurance that these atrocities will not be committed again.”
What could I say to him? Can any of the church leaders give him any assurance at all? And if not, why not? Here are a few reasons.
First, the Christian church is fragmented. I use the word ‘Christian’ to include all her denominations. There are thousands of churches all over India and there is no authority to unite and speak on their behalf. Even the well-organised Catholic church consists of three rites and a host of disparate organisations of the laity. Efforts to set up a body for broad consultation within the church have not borne fruit yet.
Second, the community is fragmented. Despite the tremendous activism of the laity, Christian lay organisations are unable to present a single front. They try to upstage each other, ride piggyback on others’ succes