The Indian Economy - Page 33

Village fairs have always captivated Jatin Das. As a boy growing up in the eastern Indian state of Orissa, the artist, now 67 years old, would return home from bustling fairs with armfuls of brightly lacquered handcrafted toys. A doting grandmother often indulged him. So began his odyssey as a collector, recalls Mr. Das, now a renowned painter. While his artistic ambitions eventually led him to the prestigious Sir J.J. School of Art in Mumbai and subsequently to establish a home and studio in New Delhi, he still travels to Orissa at least six times a year to see family and friends and delights in purchasing all sorts of toys, terracotta objects, ceramics and other handicrafts by Indian artisans.

Few of his countrymen, he observes, share his regard for traditional crafts. Indians are systematically destroying their heirlooms, their treasures and their traditions, says Mr. Das, whose home state is famous for its temple carvings and bright cloth appliqu wall hangings. They are going for the plastic culture, the synthetic culture. They want to be modern in a vulgar way. Mr. Das has his own interpretation of modernism. Over the course of his career, his large oil canvases have featured muscular human figures limbs akimbo, devoid of any ornamentation that one might expect from a handicraft aficionado. The backgrounds remain abstract, with shifting fields of color and confident lines that define the composition. Such works first brought him acclaim in the 1960s and '70s, and they continue to win him admirers today. In his most recent solo show in India, Earth Bodies," held in May at the India Habitat Centre Visual Arts Gallery in New Delhi, his palette favored burnt sienna, dark green and maroon. Overseas, his work has been auctioned in recent years at Bonham's in London, Christie's in New York and Versailles Enchres Perrin-Royere-Lajeunesse in France. This month Mr. Das will reside at the Chelsea Arts Club in London, which has mounted an exhibition of his work that will run through August. And in September, the painter will travel to San Francisco to attend the opening of his show at the Artists Alley Gallery. The father of a 6-year-old son by his second wife, Bidisha Roy Das, Mr. Das has two adult children from his first marriage. Sporting a bushy white beard and a puff of thinning white hair, Mr. Das is older than many of the country's contemporary art stars who get so much attention these days. Yet some critics note the erotic vitality of his work from jutting hips, buoyant breasts and sometimes playful, coquettish poses. Such energy also comes across in his watercolors, drawings, murals and sculptures.

Collecting crafts can be a space-consuming hobby. To avoid an avalanche of clutter, and to make his treasures available to the public, the painter dispatched 300 boxes of his various collectibles ' toys, terracotta artifacts, handicrafts and fans ' to his latest pet project: the JD Centre of Art, a museum he founded to showcase his collection that is now under construction just outside of Orissa's capital, Bhubaneswar. Staffers at the center are still busy photographing and archiving the objects, which will be displayed when the galleries open in late 2010.

Of all the artifacts he's amassed, the collectible that remains closest to his heart is the pankha, a term for a hand-held fan derived from the Hindustani word for the feather of a bird, pankhi. Sourced from all over India, as well as many other countries, his collection numbers 6,500. Highlights have been displayed in Kuala Lumpur, Manila, London and Belgium over the past five years.

In recent months, Mr. Das has also wangled meetings with top city officials in New Delhi to discuss his longstanding proposal for a National Fan Museum in the nation's capital. Still pleading for funds, archival support, volunteers and other assistance for this grand project, Mr. Das concedes that it's all "madness of a kind." Yet he remains determined to arouse wider interest in the many-folded wonders of the pankha.

What is the essential appeal of a fan?

It creates air, which is energy-giving. It's cooling. It's cajoling. It has romance. The electric fan is monotonous.

Are certain fans more romantic than others?

Some fans are made of certain roots that are fragrant. You sprinkle some water on it, and then you fan, and then you get the fragrance. There is a lot of subtlety.

Twenty-seven years ago, a friend of mine presented me with a very beautiful fan. It was beaded, from Rajasthan. I took the fan and I said, "Let me stir the still air" ' and I thought immediately that this could be title of a book. I decided to build a collection. With me, many things happen like that. An idea comes, and then I smell it like a dog and I follow it. (He is still at work on the book manuscript.)

How big is your collection now?

What started as a random collection became a subject for systematic study, research and documentation. In addition to the 6,500 fans in storage next to my (New Delhi) studio, I have about 2,000 paintings and photographs of fans. I (have) made 10 documentary films on fan-making with my wife and daughter. I've got poems on fans. I became a member of The Fan Circle International in the U.K. an organization of fan collectors.

I have fans from Africa, China, Japan, Egypt, Korea and Southeast Asia. I also have a fan from Sweden, which they use for fanning the cold.

Which are your most treasured fans?

Sometimes a very simple fan can be very beautiful. One favorite is a two-rupee (about U.S. 4 cents) fan made from a waterborne grass in Haryana (a northern state that borders the city of New Delhi). I also have favorites that are worth 100,000 or 200,000 Indian rupees (about $2,050 to $4,100), with handles made of silver, ivory or lacquer. There are also pure silver and gold threaded fans from the (Indian) royal families.

In many cultures, there is something inherently hierarchical about the fan. You have the peon, and then you have the person who is sitting there, enjoying the breeze from the fan. What do you think?

Am I glorifying the aristocracy? No! I am celebrating the craft. I am talking about the poetry of the fan.

Within India, what is your modus operandi for acquiring a new fan?

Suppose you are staying in a hotel. You tell a driver or a cook that you are looking for a fan. They know where to look. Indian arts and crafts are known to poor and lower-middle-class people. The sophisticated and the educated do not know ' they are not connected to the cultural landscape of India. I find that very sad. When I go to a village, I go to a poor man's market, where vegetables and other things are sold. Then I get a fan there. Every summer the fans are still made, all over the country, in rural areas.

Who creates these fans?

Ninety-nine percent of the (Indian) fans (I own) are made by women. At the end of winter, in January/February, they collect the raw material. By early March, they make the fans and then sell them in the market. Some use bamboo, date palm, cane or palm leaf. They sell for two rupees, five rupees, 10 rupees normally they are very simple. Then she might add a little silk or a few feathers, and make her own craft out of it. That's the beauty of Indian tradition.

Don't you ever get tired of adding to your collection?

When I see something special, I can't resist.

The new owners of Mahindra Satyam, the scandal-plagued Indian technology company, face a management dilemma: When a company's beloved founder turns out to be a crook, how do you exorcise his ghost from the office? B. Ramalinga Raju revealed in January that he had cooked the books to the tune of $1 billion at the outsourcing and software firm then known as Satyam Computer Services Ltd. It shocked corporate India and devastated Satyam's 50,000 employees, many of whom viewed Mr. Raju as a father figure and memorized sections of the 250-page book, called The Satyam Way.

The scandal involving Satyam's founder shocked corporate India and devastated its 50,000 employees.

In May, Tech Mahindra, a joint venture of Mumbai and BT Group PLC of the U.K. took over the troubled company. Since then, Mahindra's executives have gone about the delicate act of trying to keep what was valuable from Mr. Raju's influence while convincing employees they can move beyond it. The question we are asking ourselves now is what do we want to keep and what do we want to let go? says Hari Thalapalli, who indoctrinated thousands in the Satyam Way over the years as the company's head of human resources. The new executives say they looked at other international companies damaged by scandals, for ideas on how to move forward. The founder's not replaceable you can't rewrite history, says Jo-Ellen Pozner, an assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business, who studies corporate misbehavior. Mr. Raju and his younger brother B. Rama Raju, Satyam's former managing director, are in jail awaiting trial on fraud and other offenses. Lawyers for the Raju brothers say they don't accept all the charges against them. Employees putting together a film to introduce the company to its new owners in June were among the first to deal with the struggle. It was hard to talk about the company without repeated photos and quotes of its disgraced founder. In the end, they cut the use of Mr. Raju down to two photos. You don't have to feel guilty, about Mr. Raju, Mr. Thalapalli told them. But you don't have to hero worship him. Mr. Raju built Satyam which means truth in Sanskrit into one of India's biggest software and outsourcing companies and one of the few with more than $1 billion in revenues. One legacy the company hasn't been able to deal with so far: The offices of Mr. Raju and his brother. Today they sit empty on the top floor of the company's Hyderabad headquarters. The penthouse has showers, bedrooms and a Japanese garden, but an expert in vastu India's version of feng shui has declared its design a disaster. Another blot left by Mr. Raju are the more than 8,000 employees who have been told to stay home with only 40% of their pay until there is more work. Mr. Raju hired thousands of employees he didn't need in hopes of hiding his inflated revenue figures. For the 40,000 employees that still have their jobs, the new management is trying to build a new corporate culture. The managers have scrapped the company's organizational structure, which was based around Mr. Raju's system of silos. Each division acted like a separate business, which motivated leaders but was also used to mask Mr. Raju's alleged fraud by preventing anyone but him from having a complete overview. You have to look at Raju as two characters. He was a thinker and a visionary, says C.P. Gurnani, the new chief executive officer of Mahindra Satyam. Then you have to think of Ramalinga Raju as a man who lacked basic discipline. That part of him cannot be part of the company. The new Mahindra Satyam Way will include more disclosure within the company. For example, each division will know the other's pricing, profits and overhead costs, and the company has added a new position of Chief Compliance Officer. During a leadership conference in June, Mr. Gurnani encouraged managers to debate and disagree. Previously corporate policy was more likely to be dictated from the top and accepted. People are slowly learning to live with multiple decision makers, says Padma Parthasarathy, who was sent to Satyam from the Mahindra Group two months ago to start the integration process. Softer parts of the corporate culture also are changing. Mahindra managers are more likely to end work on time and go out for a beer with colleagues the former culture was more formal, with colleagues calling each other sir, Mahindra managers now at Satyam say. In June, Mahindra Satyam held a talent show with skits, speeches and rock songs about the company's new identity. In another step to purge Mr. Raju from the culture, the name of Satyam is likely to be dropped from the company in the next year, says Mr. Gurnani, the new CEO.

Air India may get phased equity infusion

The government's financial restructuring plan for loss-making Air India may include a staggered infusion of equity, entailing an initial infusion of around Rs 13 billion, going up to around Rs 20 billion, depending on the company's need. The airline has made losses of Rs 50 billion on an equity capital of Rs 1.45crore.

Banks eye bigger slice education loan pie

Public sector lenders lead the pack in this low-risk business. When Shikha Mutreja went to a loan mela looking for an education loan to fund a master's programme at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, little did she know that she would have so much choice. Even Geebee Education, the consultant that had organised the mela, did not expect so many banks to come calling. Instead of eight banks that had confirmed participation, 13 turned up, leaving the organiser with the task of finding space for the extra few.

Fiat Tata look to bring Ferrari, Maserati here

Italian auto giant Fiat and Tata Motors are in talks for a joint marketing project to sell Ferraris and Maseratis in India. Mr Tata, who is also a Fiat director, told Italian daily La Stampa the two were studying further cooperation to add to existing projects such as a partnership to produce engines in India. We have various projects, to take the Nano to Latin America together, to share platforms for new cars, we have projects for (Fiat lorry unit) Iveco and marketing Ferraris and Maseratis, in India Mr Tata said. We are talking about a lot of things.

PSBs ramp up ad spends for a brand new image

Ever wondered what India's state-run banks were doing when the world slipped into its worst financial crisis in decades and some of the largest financial institutions collapsed? Building their brands aggressively and shedding their old stodgy images!

Naked girls plough fields in Bihar for rain

Farmers in Bihar have asked their unmarried daughters to plough parched fields naked in a bid to embarrass the weather gods to bring some badly needed monsoon rain. Witnesses said the naked girls ploughed the fields and chanted ancient hymns after sunset to invoke the gods. They said elderly village women helped the girls drag the ploughs.

Education may wean away youth like Kasab from terror: Clinton

The confession of lone surviving 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasab shows that he was a young man without much purpose in life, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said, pitching for good education and jobs to wean away the youth from blandishment of terrorist groups. Clinton, who just concluded a five-day visit to India and was here to attend the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum meeting, referred to the very dramatic trial of Kasab during an interview with The Nation, a partner of the Asia News Network.

 Shielding Taliban? Pak refuses to move troops from Indian border

After a beguiling interval when Pakistan seemed prepared to see its internal challenges as more serious than those on its eastern border, Islamabad has flatly refused to move troops from the Indian front in what looks like a bid to protect the Taliban from a US surge in Afghanistan.

Hindujas look to sell stake in power project

Hyderabad: The Hinduja group is in talks with prospective partners to sell up to 49% equity in a proposed power plant it intends to build near Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, a top executive said. There are a lot of companies that have shown keen interest in picking up stake in our power project, Prabal Banerjee, the group's chief financial officer, told. We are now in talks with two-three firms and hope to sell the stake to one or two of them in the next couple of months.

Hyundai signs 3 year wage deal with workers

Chennai: Car maker Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL), a wholly owned subsidiary of South Korean auto maker Hyundai Motor Co., on Thursday said it has signed a three-year wage settlement contract with its workers. The settlement comes two months after its workers in Chennai last staged protests demanding the right to organize a labour union, among other things. The Hyundai Motor India Employees' Union was formed in 2007 and has around 1,150 members but the workers said the company had not acknowledged its existence.

One of India's leading technology entrepreneurs warned that rising taxation in India threatens to undermine gains that the information technology industry could reap as the global recession prompts multinationals to outsource more.HCL Technologies Chairman Shiv Nadar speaks about the lasting impact of Satyam and how Indian companies stand to benefit in this economic downturn of the global recession on the IT industry. Shiv Nadar, founder and chairman of HCL Technologies Ltd., in the wake of the downturn large clients are reassessing which functions they need to keep in-house and what can be moved elsewhere. When the economy is hurting they are going back to say, What is our core, what is the purpose for which we exist? said Mr. Nadar, 64 years old. But he warned that the Indian government's increasing taxation of the industry threatens to curb its cost advantage and boost smaller-country competitors trying to challenge India's dominance. Since 1999, the Indian government has given the tech industry an income-tax holiday to foster growth. The holiday was scheduled to end this year until the government, in its new budget unveiled earlier this month, extended it for one year a move widely welcomed by the industry. Separately, however, the government last year introduced a new tax called the minimum alternative tax that, in effect, imposed a 10% tax on profits in cases where companies were paying no taxes under India's income tax regulations. In the recent budget, that tax rate was increased to 15%. Mr. Nadar said the increased burden would give countries an advantage. On the side there are a bunch of alternative countries that are waiting, he said. Mr. Nadar has been a pioneer in India's technology industry since 1976, when he founded Hindustan Computers Ltd. HCL Technologies has since grown into one of India's largest tech companies. In the quarter ended March 31, it reported net income of $43 million, down 50% from a year earlier. Revenue increased 18% to $564.4 million. India's technology industry, which has become a major driver of India's economic success over the past decade, hasn't escaped the downturn. Many big companies rely heavily on the global finance industry for clients, and the financial crisis has curtailed spending on new initiatives at many banks. A key question for the future is whether the industry can pick up enough new work, either from other industries looking to rationalize their operations or from existing clients outsourcing more functions to offset a prolonged financial-services slump. Mr. Nadar said he is optimistic.

 

HCL's Shiv Nadar, shown in 2005, warned that the Indian government's increasing taxation of the tech industry threatens to curb its cost advantage. Mr. Nadar said big, international clients would drive consolidation in India's IT industry by demanding that tech companies handle an ever-greater number of tasks. Technology companies that don't have those capabilities, or the geographic spread required by multinationals, either have to acquire them or be acquired. Big clients are saying, Look, we are not going to sit here and cut this into pieces of contracts for 10 different people, Mr. Nadar said. They are going to give it to one organization, and that one organization should have at least 70% to 80% of what the services are. Earlier this month, Mr. Nadar named his daughter, Roshni, 27 years old, as executive director and chief executive of HCL Corp., the holding company that controls HCL Technologies and another publicly listed company, HCL Infosystems Ltd., which focuses on the Indian market.

Continental Airlines Inc. Wednesday apologized to India's former president, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, for frisking him before he boarded a flight to New York.

 Former Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam smiles during a function in Bangalore, India.

The apology came a day after India's Bureau of Civil Aviation Security filed a complaint with the local police against the Houston-based carrier for wrongfully frisking Mr. Kalam on April 21, in contravention of bureau rules that exempt specified VIPs from such body checks.Continental said in a statement that it has formally apologized to the former president for any misunderstanding and/or inconvenience related to the security screening on April 21.

The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century pitched a swath of Asia into near-darkness after dawn, as millions watched the once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon Wednesday. A woman was killed in a stampede at the Ganges river in India, where devout Hindus had gathered for the eclipse. Millions of others, gripped by fear, shuttered themselves indoors. India abounds in superstitions and fables based on Hindu mythology, one of which says an eclipse is caused when a dragon-demon swallows the sun, while another myth is that sun rays during an eclipse can harm unborn children.

A total solar eclipse is seen in Varanasi, India, Wednesday.

Thick cloud cover over India obscured the sun when the eclipse began at dawn. But the clouds parted in several Indian cities minutes before the total eclipse took place before moving.

The eclipse caused when the moon moves directly between the sun and the earth, covering it completely to cast a shadow on earth lasted almost 4 minutes in India. In some parts of Asia it lasted as long as 6 minutes and 39 seconds.

Millions gathered to catch a glimpse of this century's longest total solar eclipse, as it traveled across Asia. .

It's a rare moment, I never thought I would see this in my life, said Abdullah Sayeed, a college student who traveled to Panchagarh town from the capital Dhaka to view it. e said cars in the town needed to use headlights as night darkness has fallen suddenly. People hugged each other and some blew whistles when the eclipse began, he said. One of the best views, shown live on several television channels, appeared to be in the Indian town of Varanasi, on the banks of the Ganges river, sacred to devout Hindus. Thousands of Hindus took a dip in keeping with the ancient belief that bathing in the river at Varanasi, especially on special occasions, cleanses one's sins. The eclipse was seen there for 3 minutes and 48 seconds. But the gathering was marred by tragedy when a 65-year-old woman was killed and six people injured in a stampede at one of the river's banks where about 2,500 people had gathered, said police spokesman Surendra Srivastava. He said it is not clear how the stampede started.

The eclipse visible only in Asia is the longest such eclipse since July 11, 1991, when a total eclipse lasting 6 minutes, 53 seconds was visible from Hawaii to South America. There will not be a longer eclipse than Wednesday's until 2132. A 10-member team of scientists from the premier Indian Institute of Astrophysics in Bangalore and the Indian air force filmed the eclipse from an aircraft. Scientists had said the Indian village of Taregna would have the clearest view, where thousands of scientists, nature enthusiasts and students gathered a day in advance. But thick clouds and overnight rains provided no spectacle, just a cloudy darkness. It was still a unique experience with morning turning into night for more than three minutes, said Amitabh Pande, a scientist with India's Science Popularization Association of Communicators and Educators, in Taregna. Still, the rain was welcomed by many in this agricultural area which has seen scant rainfall this monsoon season. It would have been nice to see the solar eclipse but the rain is far more important for us, said Ram Naresh Yadav, a farmer. Millions across India shunned the sight and stayed indoors. Even in regions where the eclipse was not visible, pregnant women were advised to stay behind curtains over a belief that the sun's invisible rays would harm the fetus and the baby would be born with disfigurations, birthmarks or a congenital defect.

Sadhus, or Hindu holy men, watch the solar eclipse through specially-designed viewing glasses in Allahabad, India, Wednesday, July 22, 2009

My mother and aunts have called and told me stay in a darkened room with the curtains closed, lie in bed and chant prayers, said Krati Jain, 24, who is expecting her first child, said in New Delhi. In the northern Indian state of Punjab, authorities ordered schools to begin an hour late to prevent children from venturing out and gazing at the sun. Others saw a business opportunity: one travel agency in India scheduled a charter flight to watch the eclipse by air, with seats facing the sun selling at a premium.

The Pakistani man captured during the terrorist attacks here in November told a special court he was guilty of taking part in the assault a statement that surprised even his lawyer. Sir, I plead guilty to my crime,said Mohammed Ajmal Kasab on Monday, a confession that drew gasps from the audience.

Mohammed Ajmal Kasab said Monday he is guilty of charges related to the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Above, Mr. Kasab is shown in police custody in February.

Mr. Kasab, 21 years old, is the only survivor of 10 suspected gunmen in the attacks, which killed more than 170 people. Mr. Kasab was charged in the special court in Mumbai with 12 crimes, including murder and waging war against India, and could face the death penalty, if convicted. He had pleaded not guilty in the trial, which began three months ago. Judge M.L. Tahiliyani immediately summoned prosecution and defense lawyers to confer privately about Mr. Kasab's statement. Both sides later said they hadn't expected the admission of guilt. It wasn't clear whether the admission will be accepted by the court. Everybody in the court was shocked the moment he said he accepts his crime, the public prosecutor, Ujjwal Nikam, told reporters. It was unexpected. Mr. Kasab's statement could put a quick end to the trial and strengthen India's claims that the attacks were plotted in Pakistan, as police say Mr. Kasab has told them in interrogations. Relations between Pakistan and India have been severely strained since the attacks, which Pakistani officials initially denied were plotted in that country or carried out by any of their nationals. Pakistan has since admitted the attacks partly were plotted there. Asked by the judge why he confessed now after consistently denying his role, Mr. Kasab said it was because the Pakistani government recently acknowledged he was a Pakistani citizen, dealing a blow to his defense.

 I was firing and Abu was hurling hand grenades at the railway station, Kasab told a special court in Mumbai. We both fired, me and Abu Ismail. We fired on the public. India has been hesitant about restarting peace talks with Pakistan that were aborted in the aftermath of the attacks, which have been linked by officials in both countries to a Pakistani Islamic militant outfit, Lashkar-e-Taiba. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has taken political heat for a joint statement put out Thursday after he met Pakistan's prime minister on the sidelines of a recent meeting in Egypt. The statement said neither country should link peace talks to progress in fighting terrorism, although Mr. Singh was quick to say Pakistan had to bring the Mumbai plotters to justice before there could be any moves toward a settlement. India has issued arrest warrants for more than 22 Pakistanis.Mr. Kasab was captured during the 60-hour siege of India's financial capital that began Nov. 26. Police say he admitted during multiple interrogations he was one of 10 gunmen trained in Pakistan who traveled together by sea on the terrorist mission. The assailants shot and killed people at Mumbai's top two five-star hotel complexes, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus train station, a Jewish center, a hospital and a restaurant. Police arrested Mr. Kasab in a shootout near Mumbai's Chowpatty Beach. His image had already been captured on a surveillance camera at the monumental colonial-era train station, where he and an accomplice allegedly opened fire with automatic rifles and threw hand grenades at commuters, killing 52 and wounding 109. Police say Mr. Kasab told them he and the other gunmen were trained by Lashkar-e-Taiba, a group that grew out of Pakistan's push for independence in India's contested region of Kashmir. Police say Mr. Kasab has told investigators he came from a poor family in Faridkot Village, a dusty enclave of mud and stone buildings inhabited mostly by farmers in the Punjab province of Pakistan. In a verbal statement in court, Mr. Kasab described his group's journey from Karachi on a boat to Mumbai. When they landed on Nov. 26, he and an accomplice allegedly started firing in the train station. He identified the accomplice in court as Abu Ismail, AP reported. I was firing and Abu was hurling hand grenades, Mr. Kasab said. We both fired, me and Abu Ismail. We fired on the public. Mr. Kasab said his confession wasn't coerced. There is no pressure on me. I am making the statement of my own will, he said, according to the AP.

In a remarkable spirit of preserving the dharmic traditions and our cultural heritage, Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists have made remarkable strides in establishing houses of worship in America. Now, to remain relevant to both their own communities and the larger mainstream, they are realizing the need to transform, mobilize talent and resources, and institutionalize the service, or seva, component. Seva is an integral part of dharmic culture and religious practice, our sadhana, from volunteering in soup kitchens and shelters, to assisting in health camps and disaster relief. In Livingston, N.J., the Interfaith Clergy Association, which promotes interfaith collaboration. Here,the important role secular and Judeo-Christian institutions play in community governance. Unfortunately, few dharmic institutions have the capacity to provide social services and do seva in a sustained manner. As we, the new Americans, mature and root ourselves further, transformations are needed to strengthen community governance. This transformation is in synch with the evolving dharmic culture which itself has undergone cycles of change through the ages. During the Vedic and subsequent eras before colonization, the multifaceted temples in India served as major centers for communal living through integrated worship, education and cultural exchange: prayers, devotional dance and drama, bhajans, yoga, bazaars. Today, there is fragmentation, a separation of philosophy and practice or rituals. Most Hindu temples in India are places for worship with limited community engagement. Congregational learning and seva take place in ashrams. In America, in transplanting traditions and creating a new Hindu American identity, we are becoming independent and blending current best practices pulled from East and West, then and now. In this age of instant communication, our modified practices as new Hindu Americans can have a global ripple effect.As  we strive to become integrated in all aspects of American life, we are addressing growing social service needs. Some great examples to build upon: The Ganesh Temple in New York has a culturally sensitive senior center. Sri Siva Vishnu Temple in Maryland regularly feeds 4,500 homeless. Bharatiya Temple in Detroit provides confidential referral services for family situations, basic health care referral for uninsured families, bereavement support. The Swaminarayan temples provide myriad services  earthquake and flood relief, blood drives, medical assistance. In fact, in response to President Obama's call for service, many segments of the Indian American community are coming together in the spirit of seva for a major national event. During the Aug. 1 weekend and throughout summer, temples are making a united effort to host health awareness programs and other service projects by leveraging the community's strengths in the light of the current economic reality. Through these outreach programs, temples are opening their doors to all the diverse South Asian and the mainstream community  to address contemporary social needs. Throughout the history of America, waves of immigrants have changed the cultural and religious composition. Migration brings its own sense of loss and of course gain. For the newly transplanted community, their faith-based institutions, traditions and culture provide comfort and a sense of security necessary to manage change. Yesterday's immigrants established churches and synagogues. Today's post-1965 dharmic immigrants are building temples and gurudwaras. Technical talent from India came for advanced studies, had families, settled and built such institutions. The Ganesh Temple, a first, was established in the 1970s. Today, Harvard's Pluralism Project records about 1,000 dharmic organizations, estimating 300-400 active temples and gurudwaras. Yesterday's new immigrants, too, addressed their social needs through faith-based institutions. Catholic Charities, the largest private network of social service organizations, was established nearly 100 years ago to resettle poor Catholic orphans in America. At its core are the Catholic principles, despite the variety of people of many faiths and none at all who make Catholic Charities a reality. Similarly, the National Council for Jewish Women strives to improve lives of women, children and families. In a dharmic environment we need to address issues similarly:

Economic crisis impact and poverty Social services and health care Senior citizen issues Women's empowerment, fatherhood and healthy families Children and youth Refugee resettlement and homelessness Immigration and civil rights Civic and political participation Discrimination based on color, religion, language
• Post 9/11 harassment

For New Americans, the point of reference for civic engagements is based on their traditions. the infrastructure needs of the Asian American Pacific Islander community in New Jersey for a White House initiative under the Clinton administration. the reality is South Asians do not know how to engage in the civic process and our community governance needs are not well understood. In the U.S., many faith-based institutions receive funding from the government to provide social services, but generally dharmic institutions are not recipients. Systemic changes require a comprehensive study of existing Hindu community needs and seva capacity in contemporary America. We also need to establish more local faith-oriented Seva Centers. Nurturing a broad coalition of these centers, as through Hindu American Seva Charities, will help accomplish common goals, leverage learning and reduce isolation. HASC is a collective initiative formed to mobilize talent and resources to address contemporary social needs collaboratively. Transformation in the sacred and secular landscape of America requires a mental paradigm shift to provide dharmic communities with access to services and to articulate concerns at all levels. We need public recognition of our issues and how to address them effectively. In fact, the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships is fostering innovative inclusionary ideas. HASC was developed with this Office's guidance. many are beginning to recognize what is needed today is an integrated effort from multiple sources. Interfaith collaboration will enhance integrated community governance. It is a mutual acculturation process; recognition of America's pluralism, enabling New Americans to integrate and contribute to an enhanced civic life.

At the biennial Vinexpo in Bordeaux last month, the world's largest wine expo where producers, importers and other members of the wine trade gather for a five-day bacchanal, it was almost funereal compared to the frenzy of past fairs. Here in India we haven't been spared. The world's fastest-growing wine market for the past five years came crashing down to earth in 2009 with sales falling for the first time since 2001. Local producers who jumped into the game expecting quick returns in a can't miss market with 25% annual growth are now sitting on full tanks of wine which they have to empty before the next harvest, when their contracted grapes come flooding in. Meanwhile the banks which were once so eager to lend are getting impatient and the dreaded Non-Performing Asset phrase is bandied around depressingly often, usually pertaining to small farmer-operated wineries that really never figured out how to make quality wine and had even less idea of how to market it. Grape growers who rushed to plant wine grapes without having contracts with wineries have been left high and dry in the just-concluded harvest, with the most unfortunate ones having to leave the fruit to rot on the vine. And no new wine vineyards were planted in the planting season in December 2008, compared to a frenzied 2,000 new acres annually from 2004 to 2007. But there's a bright spot to all this. The situation has led to ripe pickings for consumers, who are spoiled silly with special offers at their local wine stores in Mumbai"buy one, get one free being the most common mantra, giving them a peek into the once-unthinkable fast-growing Indian wine lake. New producers who once thought nothing of pricing their wines at 500 rupees-plus, even with zero market pedigree, have learned their lesson the hard way. Pricing is much more sober these days and more and more winemakers are realizing that the "sweet spot" is between 150 and 300 rupees, not the glorified 400-800 rupees that the market seemed to have accepted earlier. The hottest wine launch of 2009 is a sub-200 rupee quaff called Samara, which is flying off the shelves as consumers realize wine doesn't have to be expensive to be eminently drinkable. The Maharashtra government has also rushed to the rescue, announcing three major policy decisions that should make wine drinkers in the state very happy. First, local duty on imported wine has been slashed, and the effect will be most dramatic on higher-end wines and champagne. Second, out-of-state wines have to pay much lower registration fees, which were earlier stiflingly high and had led to retaliatory duties in Karnataka which hopefully will get rolled back. Finally, local producers will get a big VAT refund which will be a lifeline to those gasping for air. All in all, Maharashtra will regain its title as the wine-friendliest state. And other states aren't far behind; Karnataka just put in place a wine-friendly policy that slashed tax on local wine and unveiled a new cheaper wine bar license. So 2009 is a turning point, but mostly good things ahead. Most importantly, local producers have realized that simply fermenting grape juice and sticking a label on the bottle is not the same as making decent wine. Farmers who didn't know the first thing about wine and jumped onto the winery bandwagon are pulling out and new winery projects are on hold. Growers will also have to think hard before planting new vineyards on a whim. They'll have to plant varieties that the market might need in the future, and they'll have to use best quality, sustainable viticultural practices. That's the only way profitability will be sustained over the long term. At Sula there's emphasizing quality over quantity for years to growers, and now the lesson has hit home. Those who grow quality grapes will always find buyers even in the hard times The consumer will see more and more varietal wines like Chenin Blanc and Shiraz at prices below 300 rupees. Wines at prices above 500 rupees are likely to be of much better quality than in the past, and some of these Indian wines will win medals at world shows in the not-so-distant future. Apart from the usual suspects, exciting new varieties like Viognier, Riesling, Malbec and Grenache will tickle the palate, spoiling the consumer for choice. All in all, the Indian wine drinker is in for a great time in the years to come, so here's to that!

One of the main aims of the government is to create and implement sound public policies. How are they to do so? The basic principle here is specialized knowledge. Our government officials are not always, but basically trained administrators, prepared and qualified to take political decisions. However, not every issue that has to be dealt with is an administrative one. Just as even a high court judge is not qualified as a doctor to judge a DNA report, there are some issues that government officials, able as they are, do not have the necessary skills or knowledge to tackle. The government often has the idea, but not the know-how. A proposal in mind, but not the human resources to carry it out. These are voids that the government itself cannot often fill. What we need is an entity that can give some substance to this vacuum. What we need, therefore, is some sort of collaboration with the private sector. Bringing a private entrepreneur into politics seems to be something of an idea that is gaining momentum. Take the example of the appointment of former co-chairman of Infosys, Nandan Nilekani, to the Cabinet. It is one of those rare occasions where the Indian government has gone beyond the political sphere to fill a top post. This decision has met with varied reactions; there is enough praise for this refreshing change, and more than enough criticism. And why should this change be taking place at all? A private entrepreneur is able to fill in those deficits that weaken government policies or services. The government cannot, after all, hope to specialize in every sphere. The private sector comes in at this point, and helps to bring in strong managerial capacity, access to new technology, and imperative specialized skills that governments cannot afford to develop on their own. Further, with a post in the government, the entrepreneur now has the freedom, power, and resources that he or she needs to put his proposals into action. Some may question the need for an actual post in the government as in the case of Mr. Nilekani. Supporters of the move argue he needs it to have the authority to pursue a very complex task.That is  not to say that with the addition of the private sector to the government, every policy will meander into perfection but the only way we can hope to attain a true optimum level of these services is by the delegation to, and recruitment of, those skilled businessmen who individually specialize in every field that they can be required to. To quote Manish Sabharwal, chairman of TeamLease services, Getting the right person in the right job at the right time is half the battle For those looking at this superficially, the change takes a step away from the usual corruption" we associate with the government, and introduces a new, refreshing touch. At a deeper level, this change is a collaboration of two strong entities, a joint effort of the public and private. It is an engagement of professionals from fields where they stand out, where they outshine others; the best of the best. And, government or not, why shouldn't we have the crme de la crme handling our national affairs? Counter thought is The debate this week has its roots in the appointment of Nandan Nilekani as the chairman of National Authority for Unique Identity. In this capacity Mr. Nilekani will be functioning under the planning commission and will be enjoying cabinet powers. The interim budget allocated for this project currently stands at 100 crore rupees. However, this figure is likely to go up by about 200 crore rupees in the next budget. The project is aimed at addressing the widespread misappropriation of funds that affects subsidies and poverty alleviation programs in the country. Addressing illegal immigration as well as curbing the terrorist threat are also goals of this project. An inalienable fact of Indian politics is that it has been hampered, some will say seriously, by politicians who often sacrifice the country's well-being at the altar of vote-banks. Therefore, the induction of someone as accomplished and knowledgeable as Mr. Nilekani into the government is not only something that makes perfect sense but also something that should be lauded and encouraged. The problem with this sort of appointment is that it undermines the entire concept of democracy. As one minister said What is the use of having elections, if non-elected functionaries are going to run the show? The fact is that if, god forbid, Mr. Nilekani was to fail in his endevour and five years down the line we see that the National Identification program has failed and all the allotted tax-payers' money has been spent, who do we, as citizens of this country, turn to for answers? What action can we take against the non-elected technocrat? If it was a politician we could vote them out of power but what do we do if someone who we didn't vote for is in a position of such power and then fails to deliver?The fear of the ballot, the fear of elections, is intended to keep ministers working in the interest of the country. Yes, this is a utopian dream of sorts the fear of these elections seems to make political leaders turn more towards vote bank politics rather than working for national welfare. But at least the citizens of the country have some sort of control over the politicians they elect through the power of the ballot. Appointments like those of Mr. Nilekani serve only to by-pass the elections and in effect hand the real executive power of this country to unelected technocrats. induction of people who are knowledgeable and know how to run organizations efficiently, in short the appointment of technocrats, into the government is a bad thing. hese technocrats should be elected into the government rather than just be given high-powered posts. The nation admires a person like Prime Minister Manmohan Singh because he is a technocrat who has been democratically given charge of the government. The crucial difference between Mr. Singh and a Mr. Nilekani is simple, Mr. Singh is an elected member of parliament and is therefore directly responsible to the people of India and Mr. Nilekani is not.

morningstar inc. Inc., the U.S. mutual-fund research company, is launching in India as part of its push to expand globally. The Chicago-based firm on Wednesday will launch an India Web site, www.morningstar.in, that will provide tools to research 1,150 mutual funds and exchange-traded funds offered in India by 36 fund companies. The site contains data such as performance and fees for all mutual funds, and provides some commentary on a handful of funds. Morningstar is best known in the $10 trillion U.S. mutual-fund industry for its proprietary star-rating system, in which it assigns stars to funds based on their risk-adjusted returns relative to other funds that follow the same investment strategy. In India, it faces stiff competition from local research companies, most notably from New Delhi-based Value Research India Pvt. Ltd., which has been providing fund research and data since the early 1990s. Valueresearchonline.com already offers many of the tools and features that Morningstar India offers, including its own version of the star rating. Aditya Agarwal, Morningstar India Pvt. Ltd.'s managing director, said global companies that license Morningstar data in the U.S. and Europe for marketing and internal reporting would prefer to use Morningstar in India as well. That's the major edge that we have, he said. Morningstar's India Web site provides most of the data it offers on U.S. mutual funds, though it currently lacks in-depth commentary and analysis on most Indian funds. Mr. Agarwal said he hopes to change that over the next several months as he hires more analysts. He also plans to eventually offer stock research and data on insurance products. Separately, the value of assets managed by Indian mutual funds grew 2.8% in July from a month earlier, slowing from June's 5% expansion despite a rise of 8.1% in the Bombay Stock Market's benchmark Sensitive Index, according to the Association of Mutual Funds in India. Total assets under management rose to 6.90 trillion rupees ($145.8 billion) in July from 6.71 trillion rupees in June. It's quite surprising I doubt if these numbers reflect collections from the new funds that were launched last month, said Dhirendra Kumar, chief executive of Value Research, an independent provider of data on mutual funds.

Delhi govt drops plan on Wi-Fi for security reasons

Delhi Government's ambitious plan to provide Wi-Fi connectivity for high-speed wireless internet services in some of the favorite haunts in the capital ahead of the Commonwealth Games has been stalled due to security reasons. The move has come after it was felt that wireless fidelity (WiFi) was not a fool-proof mechanism in view of militants using it to carry out attacks in Mumbai and Ahmedabad last year.

India, China resume border talks amid rising tension

India and China began talks on Friday to resolve their long simmering border dispute, but hopes of any progress are expected to grind against a recent spike in geopolitical tensions as well as muscle flexing along the border. India's National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan and Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo resumed the talks after a year's gap, focusing on narrowing down differences along their Himalayan border. Twelve rounds of talks have been held.

26/11 Trial: Kasab pleads guilty, then backtracks

In a dramatic development, the lone captured gunmen in 26/11 Mumbai attack case, Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, told the special court that he wanted to plead guilty and accept all charges against him. However, an hour later after the court reconvened Kasab, after consulting his lawyer Abbas Kazmi, went back on his words informing Judge ML Tahaliyani that he did not wish to plead guilty.

FM to restart meetings with banks, CMs

The Centre is mulling to restart the practice of holding consultations with the representatives of banks along with Chief Ministers to discuss issues related to availability of credit for rural areas. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said he was planning to revive the practice of meeting representatives of banks along with chief ministers and finance ministers of states at least once a year to discuss related issues.

It's a case of Chinese whispers, says Bollywood actor Emraan Hashmi, now that the hype and hoopla surrounding his controversial search for a home is over. I wanted to draw attention to discrimination in general, but what ultimately came out of my quotes and interviews was that Muslims in the city are being wronged, says the star, who recently alleged that he wasn't sold a home in Mumbai's upmarket Pali Hill neighbourhood, because he is Muslim. It happens to other communities too. I just find it unfair that a law-abiding, tax-paying citizen cannot decide where he or she wants to live.Officials from the housing society did not respond to repeated requests for comment. But in other reports they have insisted that Hashmi's allegation is baseless, and claimed he was denied the house because proper procedures for acquiring the NOC had not been followed. Now, the owner of the home in Nibbana housing society says that he does not want to sell at all. While Hashmi may have given up on the home, he isn't backing down from the fight at large. I have filed a complaint with the State Minorities Commission, and hopefully the right steps will be taken, says the actor who believes that it is up to India's youth to make a difference. I took up this cause because I believe that if you want to change the country, you have to start at home. This practice of denying someone a home based on their religion has existed for so long, that people have started to accept it, but I won't, he asserted. The reactions to Hashmi's claim have been manifold. In a film industry where many of reigning largely dominated by Muslims, Hashmi got surprisingly little sympathy from his Bollywood brethren. India's reigning superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan came out to say that the fact that Muslim actors are at the top in India, is testament to the county's secular nature. A local politician even slammed Hashmi for making inflammatory remarks and instigating religious divide. And the blogger world in Pakistan is abuzz with this story, one of which is calling secular India myth But others from the Indian Islamic community assert that Hashmi's cry for change isn't a publicity ploy. Young urban Muslims like 26 year-old Anamara Baig looking to rent/buy a space in Mumbai are disoriented by the so-called cosmopolitan city. I knew that certain housing societies did not permit Muslims to live there, but I experienced it first-hand this week. My real estate options are already cut by 50% because of my religion, says the program reviewer for an NGO, adding, I love Mumbai city which is why I am more disappointed than angry.But this isn't the only community that has found housing society doors slammed shut. It is a known fact that several building complexes across Mumbai refuse buyers based on their caste, religion, dietary preferences and marital status. Hashmi is well aware of the reactions and debates that his allegation has spurred on, but he believes the ultimate outcome will be positive. I have got an overwhelming response to my stand against religious discrimination. Letters are pouring in and those with similar experiences, not just from Mumbai, are now talking about it publicly, he says. The Bollywood star has been made to wear the tag of serial kisser in the past owing to his choice of racy films but he refuses to wear one based on his religion. India has long had housing societies based on religion or ethnicity. As India becomes more urbanized and globalized, Indians will have to ponder whether such societies should continue.

Flip through television channels, and the small-screen landscape seems vastly changed from what it was even six months ago. Today, sex and sleaze have begun to creep into a traditionally familial domain, which until now was dominated by what are derogatorily referred to as saas-bahu soaps, many of which critics accuse of being regressive and stagnant. Ekta Kapoor, head of Balaji Productions, largely credited for facilitating the saas-bahu show trend in India, lashes out against the first accusation.I have shown marital rape, mercy killing, women in politics, date rape, and widows remarrying. These are all social issues of today what's regressive about them? she demanded. She does however, concede to the second criticism. The audience isn't willing to move away from the standard theme and format I do feel stagnant at times she says. But not all TV producers agree, introducing shows into mainstream TV that are significantly more risqu and scandalous than their predecessors. For instance, Siddharth Basu, former quiz master and maker of family hits like Kaun Banega Crorepati is now producing Sach Ka Samna, based on the American Moment of Truth, where contestants are asked 21 probing, personal questions, addressing everything from extra-marital affairs to lying to a spouse. Those whose answers pass polygraph tests win up to one crore rupees.

 

Activists from National Akali Dal, a regional Sikh political party, carry placards and pictures during a protest in New Delhi. The activists were protesting against what they said were nudity and vulgarity on reality television shows and said the shows must be stopped immediately.

The scintillating material of the show has earned a lawsuit – a viewer has filed a petition against the Sach Ka Samna in the Delhi High Court, alleging that the questions asked in the show are obscene and against Indian culture and ethos, but it also debuted as one of the top five programs on television. The Delhi High Court weighed in saying It is for the government to decide whether the program should be banned or not. It is not the function of the court. There are far more serious problems in this country which we have to settle. In Sony Television's Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao, celebrities are made to carry out difficult and sometimes repulsive tasks in order to survive. But more than the format, which is based on the British I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here, it's the over-exposed girls that are contributing to the show's TRP. One of the main attractions is Negar Khan, item girl and model whose claim to fame is a bikini malfunction while walking the ramp. Another contestant, Shweta Tiwari, has also made waves, allowing herself to be filmed wearing nothing but a bikini after playing the sari-clad, doting daughter-in-law in numerous sitcoms. But if television these days is transforming bahus into bomb-shells, it is also pulling off the opposite feat. Rakhi Sawant, the big screen's ultimate sleaze girl, was morphed into the ideal wife-to-be on Rakhi Ka Swayamvar, NDTV Imagine's just-concluded reality show, where 16 men wooed for the actress's hand in marriage. Sawant played the demure, bashful bride to hilt, bonding with the contestants' families and fasting for their good health. In the much publicised finale, she ended up with a Gujarati NRI. These trends may be contradictory, but they paint a true image of the nation's growing middle class, which is displaying a new cosmopolitan sensibility without losing its roots. In the BPO India, it makes complete sense that an audience which identifies with the bahu also appreciates the bikini-clad model, and can be equally engaged inreality shows about both atraditional swayamvar and the unraveling of a marriage.

South Korea and India completed Friday their three-and-a-half-year talks to reduce or eliminate tariffs by signing a comprehensive economic partnership agreement, or CEPA. The outcome of the bilateral talks, which started in early 2006, has been well flagged when both sides wrapped up their negotiations  this year in India. It is the first free trade agreement for South Korea with an emerging economy of scale. We've just laid out a long-term milestone to activate trade, investment and workforce exchange. The CEPA, which covers merchandise and service, investment and economic cooperation, is a de-facto free trade agreement. After the deal goes in effect at the start of next year, as targeted by both sides, India will trim or eliminate tariffs on 85% of its imports from South Korea within a decade, while South Korea will do the same for 90% of imports from India. India, which has the second-largest population in the world and is experiencing fast economic growth, is the sixth partner of South Korea for a trade agreement. For South Korea, the agreement with India will benefit its automobile part makers, steelmakers, machinery builders, petrochemical industry, and electronic goods makers. Trade between the two sides surged to $15.6 billion last year from $5.5 billion in 2004 while cumulative investment in India by South Korean firms totaled $2.2 billion as of March this year. The deal has yet to be approved by South Korea's Parliament.

 

ATMs empty as bank stir sparks higher withdrawals

A number of ATMs ran out of cash in the city. While ATMs of PSU banks that are on a two-day strike went dry early in the day, some ATMs of private banks too ran out of money as PSU bank customers made a beeline for them. ' It's a new situation for us,' said a banker. Now that all ATMs are linked and a customer from any bank can withdraw money from the ATM of any other bank, there was huge pressure on the ATMs of banks such as ICICI Bank

TCS to reinforce product-line to boost offering, ensure growth

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the country's largest software services firm by sales, will reinforce its product-line to boost its offering and ensure growth in the current economic environment. The company will come up with new packages for SMEs, develop products around cloud computing, engineering design and for the pharma industry too, CEO & MD S Ramadorai said. We are strengthening our product line-up to position the company for the future, Mr Ramadorai said. He was talking to reporters here on the sidelines of an event organised by Calcutta Management Association.

ArcelorMittal to use India, China as sourcing hub

ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel producer, plans to make India and China the sourcing hub for its greenfield projects equipment to bring down overall costs. Speaking on the sidelines of an event organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), ArcelorMittal Design & Engineering Centre CEO Pierre Jonette said: Our main objective is to bring down the total project cost by 20-22 per cent across all the green projects. We have internally decided to increase sourcing from local low cost destinations for most of our greenfield projects.

Enough evidence given on Hafiz Saeed, says India

India rubbished Pakistan's contention that it was not provided sufficient evidence about involvement of Jamaat-ud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed in Mumbai attacks even as it is seeking details about Islamabad's claim about banning outfits like JuD and Jaish-e-Mohammad. India sees the Pakistani claim about lack of evidence against Saeed as an attempt by Islamabad to build a firewall around the Jamaat-ud Dawa chief who is said to have proximity with the establishment, particularly the ISI.

BJP set for a youthful makeover

The 29-year-old Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is opting for a generational change in its organizational structure as it attempts a youthful makeover. The initiative, led by party patriarch L.K. Advani, is expected to gain momentum after a meeting of the top BJP leadership later this month. The BJP's top leadership is due to hold a three-day brainstorming session in Shimla, where the drive to groom a younger generation of leaders will be discussed.

Krishna takes up student attacks with Australia

Australia has vowed to take firm action against those responsible for the recent attacks on Indian students as External Affairs Minister S M Krishna became the first senior leader to visit Down Under to convey New Delhi's concerns in this regard. During his meeting with New South Wales (NSW) Premier Nathan Rees, Krishna, who is on a five-day visit to Australia, was assured that firm action will be taken against the perpetrators.

The Gangetic planes of eastern India, in a small town called Chandan Nagar about 25 miles from Calcutta. In the traditional spirit of celebrating the rains, an agrarian custom, we sing a Bengali song that goes like this in English Oh rain dear, pour at will I'll give you rice by the fill. Rice being a Bengali and Indian staple, it is the chosen food for offering to the Rain God in return for blessings in the form of water to make the shoots grow. Childhood rains were always a joyful event until the devastating floods they caused and realized why they say in English: Save it for a rainy day. This is also true in business. We forget that extremes happen and we should build our businesses around balance and proportion. When orders pour in from our rainmakers, business thrives. We take these excesses for granted until the turn of the seasons jolts companies with an inevitable drought, a dry spell. Managers then run around in a panic for resources, peering into tanks and ponds that are empty. Capital has dried up, liquidity has evaporated and customer attrition has increased while the rainmakers the sales folks blame the economic weather. Then companies start praying to the Shareholder God, the Bank God, the Customer God, national gods like the presidents of nations and our real gods, in solitude and slumber. A few get to sustain themselves with stimulus grants and survive but many die as institutions. The important lesson is that we all forget balance. In fact, it is the monsoon out there that teaches us the greatest lesson: too much, it's flood; too little, it's a drought. As we contemplate various issues related to the business climate, managers toil in their corporate gardens trying to control the damage. Somewhere, sometimes, green shoots are visible shoots that will one day grow to become tall, fruit-bearing trees if nurtured correctly. And that's when we need to remember to celebrate in proportion, too, with bonuses, pay hikes, costs, and leverage. Anything in excess is likely to damage our harvest. So monsoon time, juxtaposed between spring and winter, shows us the humility of the balance that needs to be remembered and practiced. This allows companies to store up resources for a rainy day and for the harvesting of excesses in a way that avoids floods or catastrophes. Every year, when the rain sets in, is magic as well as tragic. The romantic child on the one hand wants to dance in the rain. The pragmatic side on the other gets reminded of the devastation that results without rain or with an excess of it. Perhaps the mind can overtake the heart in echoing the monsoon logic a lesson of proportions for prosperity in business and life!

Sporadic monsoon rains are threatening to push up already high food prices in India, the federal government said, admitting for the first time that the below normal rains are weighing on the country's hopes for a quick economic rebound. Vegetable prices and lots of other prices have increased because of the monsoon rains, which have been erratic, [and] are having an overall impact on the economy, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told lawmakers in the upper house of parliament. Data released earlier showed Indian wholesale prices fell for the eighth straight week, but prices of farm products continued to head north. The wholesale price index the country's main gauge of inflation trends  shrank 1.58% in the week ended July 25, but prices of food articles rose 0.8% from the previous week, after having risen 1.2% in the week ended. The government will respond with adequate measures to counter spiraling inflation, Mr. Mukherjee said. We are sensitive to it, Mr. Mukherjee said. The government is responsible, the government is responsive and all appropriate measures will be taken. As demand for food grows in the world's second-most populous country, a demand-supply mismatch is bound to push prices higher. The June-September monsoon is critical for summer-sown crops, including oilseeds, rice, and sugarcane, as 60% of fields are rain fed. The deputy chairman of India's Planning Commission, the country's top economic policy think tank, also expressed concerns over the weak rains, adding that the summer-sown crop is unlikely to be encouraging and could put pressure on food prices. No doubt. It's not going to be a good kharif summer crop. There will be some negative impact, Montek Singh Ahluwalia said on the sidelines of a book release function. He said, however, that buffer stocks of food products remained robust, especially for rice, and this will help offset production shortfalls. according to an initial estimate, the annual monsoon rains are likely to be 25% below the 50-year average during June 1-Aug. 5. If rainfall remains sporadic through September, winter crop yields such as wheat could also be hurt. This is a challenge for a country where two-thirds of the 1.1 billion population live in villages and agriculture accounts for around 18% of gross domestic product. Sowing of the rice crop, a staple grain, fell about 28% 15.6 million hectares because of the below-average rainfall. The main rice crop is sown with the arrival of the monsoon rains. As India is one of the world's largest exporters of rice and sugar, the notable fall in output this year due to below-average rains is putting upward pressures on both domestic and global prices. Last month, the Reserve Bank of India raised its inflation projection to around 5% from 4% for the fiscal year, citing rising prices of food grains and the delayed monsoon.

 

Seven years ago, more than 50% of the power distributed by North Delhi Power Ltd. wasn't paid for by customers. Today, the company has cut that to 15%, signaling that one of India's biggest infrastructure problems can be solved, if tackled aggressively. Power theft by rich and poor customers as well as businesses has plagued India for decades, hindering foreign and domestic investment that could spark the increase in generating capacity the nation desperately needs.The experience of North Delhi Power, a joint venture between the Delhi government and Mumbai-based Tata Power Co. Ltd., shows that a broad and sustained effort can make a difference. A key challenge for power companies is reducing theft by India's poor. Many have come to view free electricity as a right, something that politicians have done little to counter in a bid to win votes. The main problem in arresting the theft is a lack of political will, said Vijay Kumar, who works with the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission. Sajida Siddiqui and her neighbors in New Seemapuri, an impoverished area of Delhi, say they don't pay for power they use at home because it is too expensive. Among their neighbors, a typical household power bill runs between 600 rupees ($13) and 700 rupees a month, while their household monthly income is between 3,000 rupees and 4,000 rupees. Tapping into the network by attaching wires to power lines, they use the electricity to run water heaters, refrigerators and other appliances. Manoj Edathikudy, who works with the Electricity Board in the South Indian state of Kerala, says, People are having that feeling that electricity is something they can take without paying That kind of mind-set has been developed over years. Turning some of these people into paying customers will help North Delhi Power hit its target of reducing losses of power due to theft and other reasons to 12% by the end of March, says Chief Executive Sunil Wadhwa. In addition to turning power thieves into paying customers, North Delhi Power has to keep an eye out for recidivists. We have to be very vigilant that those who were stealing in the past do not think our attention is off them, Mr. Wadhwa said. Sustenance at these levels is a challenge. North Delhi Power trains its staff to coax individuals to expose neighborhood power theft, and doles out rewards to those who report it. For large industrial customers, the utility introduced automated meter-reading, turning to wireless technology in a bid to curb the opportunity for customers to bribe meter readers. Backed by the Central Industrial Security Force, a government agency that is part of the police, North Delhi Power conducts occasional raids in neighborhoods where its intelligence indicates many residents may be stealing electricity. The company obtains information through individuals' reports of suspected theft as well as spot checks in areas where losses are high. To school its employees in antitheft tactics and other aspects of the business, North Delhi Power runs a training center in northwest Delhi. Employees learn how meters can be manipulated powerful magnets can deactivate the meter's mechanism how to safeguard against the practice. To keep thieves from tapping power directly from overhead lines, employees learn to replace wires with insulated cables. Utilities across India are sending employees to North Delhi Power's center to learn how to rein in losses. Bringing down aggregate technical and commercial losses in other words, making sure power is paid for is vital, Mr. Wadhwa, the CEO, says, noting that this, in a way, is basically the most critical operating lever for a company. For India as a whole, those technical and commercial losses which include power lost through inefficient transmission, as well as power unpaid for due to bills going astray are running at about 38%, said Sushilkumar Shinde, India's power minister. About 20% of all power is stolen, Mr. Shinde said, and the government is working to decrease that. Funding for a program to rein in the theft was more than doubled to $437 million in the recent budget. The government also aims to create awareness through training and public-information campaigns, Mr. Shinde said. It's a longstanding problem, he adds. Fixing it will take some years. The industry is bearing the brunt of the power theft. Lenders look to bankroll projects that will pay, said Praveen Chorghade, the North Delhi Power executive in charge of upgrading the company's metering and billing processes. Failure to collect revenues affects investment in the sector, he said.

 

THE 2 SIDES TO ALCHOL CONSUMPTION

Traditional Indian culture has always been governed by strict values and a strong sense of morality and principle. Though these rules were sometimes rigid, they were based on a foundation of honesty, dignity and integrity. People were proud of their strong sense of right and wrong, and believed in their own personal judgment. Lately, the shift from traditional Indian culture to a more westernized way of life has been drastic. A sudden and wide exposure to the lives of people in other countries, through media such as movies, television etc, has led to a sudden rise of the night club culture among today's youth. The younger generation of today frequents bars and clubs regularly and has taken to consuming large amounts of alcohol. This increased consumption is rapidly destroying Indian culture and society. Pubbing has become a way of life which is considered fashionable, and this has eroded traditional family values and widened the generation gap. The quintessential party goer blatantly lies about his whereabouts to his parents while he is busy drowning himself at the watering hole. Honesty, long considered a virtue, holds no relevance for the one who chooses to embrace a life filled with the heady excitement of alcohol. This is different from an occasional sip of the bubbly, a practice which has not had any lasting effect on Indian culture and is not likely to in the future. But it's a different story when alcohol is consumed in excess, as is considered the norm in night clubs: Dignity, self respect, honesty of purpose and other such core Indian values are being compromised by the ever-growing need to have a good time. Rising alcohol intake among Indian girls, considered a social stigma until recently, is even more problematic. Girls are often found, scantily clad, inebriated and exercising no discretion whatsoever in how they conduct themselves with obvious and dangerous implications for their personal safety. Then there is the issue of drinking and driving. Newspaper headlines scream out the fatalities caused by drivers who are not entirely in control of their senses. The cases of drunk-driving in India have increased sharply. Such irresponsible and reckless behaviour has caused many a tear to be shed by the affected families. This is not what India stood for. Sixty-two years since independence, we have the youngest population in the world. This is our biggest asset. India's youth has to realize the enormous responsibility bestowed upon them by their forefathers to build a great nation. Frittering away their lives in the caverns of smoke and booze rarely enriches the heritage and the culture that they have inherited. Thus, values, morals, judgment and many other core principles of Indian society are being compromised. Our youth is heading down a dangerous path and taking our culture with it. Alcohol consumption is starting to pose a serious threat to the lives of our new generation and to the social values held so closely by our ancestors.

No Harm Done=Counterpoint The first thing we need to do here is to understand the topic of debate. The legal age for buying alcohol in India is 21 18 or 25 in some states, so it makes sense to assume youth to be those aged a little above 21. However, every adult and child knows that the enforcement of the law is abysmal, and it is a matter of relative ease for underage citizens to procure alcohol from government-sponsored wine and beer shops. Therefore, the definition of youth here can be taken as any teenager who sees fit to drink.  Also, it is important to define Indian culture. India boasts of a 5,000-year-old civilization but it is a country with mind-boggling diversity which has had more than a few foreign rulers. The last of those, the British, shaped India as it is today. within India itself you will find scores of different beliefs and cultures, thus making it difficult to understand what exactly Indian culture is. But for all intents and purposes, it can be said that the common Indian mindset remains a conservative one, one that disapproves of the consumption of alcohol, cigarettes, etc. There is a contradiction here. There are indications that alcohol has been brewed in India since 150 B.C. and indeed the consumption and distillation of alcohol has been a part of most if not all traditional societies. So can it be argued that drinking is actually a part of Indian culture? It's difficult to say. It has largely been regarded as a sin, though a minor one. Still, surveys show that about one third of the overall Indian population drinks. The recently published book Indian Youth in a Transforming World: Attitudes and Perceptions tells us that as many as 64% of Indian youth finds drinking unacceptable. So it is unfair to say that the consumption of alcohol among youth is rampant. There is the odd BMW Case, a drunken hit and run, but one cannot base opinions of an entire generation on one-off incidents. Even though the laws are not adequately enforced and it is not difficult for adolescents to buy liquor, there are numerous anti-alcohol campaigns especially those against DUI and most parents would never allow their kids to have a drink before they are of the appropriate age. It should be kept in mind that many who consume alcohol in their youth give it up later as they mature. It's a process common to all generations. The most commonly cited reason for drinking among the young is social circles/peer pressure, etc. That suggests alcohol is chiefly a social pleasure, a disposable indulgence and not the great evil that it is sometimes made out to be. If there are negative effects, they stem not from the drinking but from the responsibility, or lack of it, of the drinker. So if you truly want to discourage the consumption of liquor among youth underage or legal and believe it harms Indian culture, enforce the law more diligently and come up with more comprehensive rules to discourage drinking. But given that it is social issue enjoyed responsibly by the minority of youth who approve of the practice, any real effect on Indian culture is highly improbable.

5 airports for Rs 63 crore: Anil Ambani lands a deal

The Anil Ambani led Reliance Airport Developers Ltd is on its way to picking up five airports in rural Maharashtra on a 95-year lease for a total of only Rs 63 crore from the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation. Government officials told that MIDC passed the proposal last week and recommended to the state that Yavatmal, Nanded, Latur, Osmanabad and Baramati airports be leased. MIDC officials said they could have got a higher price in a better economy but industries secretary A M Khan said the government was satisfied with the price it was getting.

Indians in Australia ask Krishna for 'immediate action'

Union External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Thursday met the Indian community in Australia to hear first-hand accounts of the problems faced by Indian students in that country. Indians in Sydney told the visiting minister that Australia is not a racist nation and that the Australian government should be encouraged to be more co-operative. They emphasized that immediate action by the Australian government in every case of racism is necessary

Reeda's family sue Jehangir, Ruby hospitals for negligence

The family of Reeda Shaikh, the 14-year-old school girl who became the first victim of Swine flu in India, on Thursday lodged criminal complaint against two private hospitals Jehangir and Ruby in Pune for alleged gross negligence that led to her death. The family had earlier said that when Reeda was admitted to Jehangir hospital, she was first treated for pneumonia and later, when her condition worsened the blood samples were sent to Ruby hospital instead of the government referral centre National Institute of Virology (NIV), nodal agency entrusted with H1N1 virus test.

Mizoram government bans Chinese food products

The Mizoram government has imposed a ban on food items like chocolates made in China alleging they were harmful for consumption. An official statement issued by the state health department warned the people not to eat Chinese food products.

Bank staff start strike, trading hit

Indian bank employees began a two-day strike for higher wages and pension, affecting cash transaction and foreign exchange trading volumes. Bank unions representing about 900,000 employees in state-run banks and old generation private sector banks went on strike after talks with Indian Banks' Association, the apex body representing bank management, failed.

Kerosene, domestic LPG prices lowest in India: Govt

Kerosene and domestic LPG prices in India are the lowest in South Asia, while the rates for petrol and diesel are comparable with its neighbors, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora said Thursday. In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, he said kerosene at Rs 9.22 per liter in Delhi is the cheapest cooking fuel in South Asia.

Pakistan starts Interpol search for Mumbai suspects

Pakistan has launched a global search for 13 suspects in last November's attack on Mumbai, the international police network Interpol said on Thursday. France-based Interpol said a global alert issued from Islamabad asked member countries to assist in locating the fugitives and immediately report any leads to Pakistan, which would seek their extradition if any are arrested. The Interpol statement did not name the suspects.

Prachanda's latest: India, US planned to attack China using Nepal

In a sensational claim, former Prime Minister and Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that the India-US axis wanted to launch anti-China activities, even a possible attack on China, using Nepali territory. I had to quit as Prime Minister as my party was opposed to letting our territory used against China, Prachanda said while addressing a training program of the Maoist cadres yesterday.

Satyam's Raju took Aussies for a ride too

Ramalinga Raju's multi-billion dollar Satyam fraud is not just giving sleepless nights to authorities in India and the US. It is now kicking up a storm Down Under as well, where the latest episode of the Satyam saga is unfolding in the Australian state of Victoria.

Raju had, last year, promised to invest Australian $75 million in setting up a IT hub at Deakin University's Waurn Pond campus on the outskirts of Geelong, Victoria state's second largest city located 75 kms from Melbourne. A move the Victorian government had hoped would transform Geelong from a decelerating car manufacturing hub into a Silicon Valley by creating 2000 jobs.

Source: Economic Times

Lankan co next for Bharti Airtel

Bharti Airtel plans to bid for Luxembourg-based Millicom's Sri Lankan mobile network, in a move that could make it the second largest mobile phone operator in the island nation. India's largest telecom operator will have to compete with an array of suitors. Bharti, which has a subscriber base of one million in Lanka, to treble its user base.

AAI to become a company, get listed

The Airports Authority of India AAI would be turned into a company by amending laws to enable the body raise funds from market for carrying out modernisation of a large number of major airports across the country, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said. We are looking at corporatising the AAI, turning it into a company from an authority which it is now.Our objective is to list AAI in the stock market.

RIL takes control of city gas distribution project in AP

Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) will pick up a 67 per cent stake in Krishna Godavari Gas Network Ltd (KGGNL), a joint venture promoted by the Andhra Pradesh government, for undertaking city gas distribution in the state. RIL has sought time to meet Chief Minister Rajasekhara Reddy to sign the shareholders' agreement to this effect, according to the state economic adviser, D Somayajulu.

No slowing down on reforms: RBI chief

India will not go slow on financial sector reforms but its future response will take into account the impact of the global financial crisis. There is speculation, apprehension that India may slow down on reforms. That is a mistake. We will not slow down on reforms but will recalibrate our response to reflect lessons learnt from the crisis" said the RBI Governor, Dr D. Subbarao.

India to amend Indo-Mauritius tax treaty

India is planning amendments to the Double Taxation Avoidance treaty with Mauritius to prevent its misuse for avoiding taxes. Amendments to the Indo-Mauritius DTAC Double taxation Avoidance Convention to prevent its misuse and enhance exchange of information, including banking information, are being pursued Minister of State for Finance S S Palanimanickam said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

2003 Mumbai blasts: Prosecution demands death sentence

A special POTA court on Tuesday deferred till August 6 its ruling on the quantum of sentence to be awarded to three convicts in the 2003 serial bomb blasts case after the prosecution demanded the death penalty saying the accused were responsible for killing 54 persons and injuring 244 others. Among the convicts, a married couple, Hanif Sayed Anees and his wife Fahmida, asked for lenient punishment while another convict Arshat Ansari said he was not guilty of the crime and the verdict was not acceptable to him.

Centre plans to offer financial aid to Naxals who surrender

In an effort to tackle the threat of Naxalism the government is working on a new policy which offers financial assistance to those who surrender. the Union Home Ministry is finalising a financial package for Naxalites who may want to come overground and talk to the government. The Home Ministry is likely to offer rupees 2,500 per month as a stipend and put in rupees three lakh as a fixed deposit for three years for those who give up arms.

Big spending proposed for fresh push to rural economy

In a move that could serve as a stimulus to the economy, the government has set ambitious targets for the second phase of its flagship development programme, Bharat Nirman. One of these involves doubling the number of low-cost houses that are to be constructed to 12 million, a move that will cascade into more demand for steel, cement and construction material.

Parliament passes landmark Right to Education Bill

Children would get the fundamental right to free and compulsory education with the passage of a bill, hailed as historic, by Parliament. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, 2008, seeks to provide education to children aged between 6 to 14 years.

Swine flu: Govt fears surge, announces fresh guidelines

India, which has 574 positive cases of H1N1 infection, expects the number to rocket over the next few months. The health ministry said that August marked the start of the country's six-month long seasonal influenza period during which time the deadly H1N1 influenza virus would spread faster among people.