Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
www. Vol. 3 / No. 3 JUNE 2010
A Forum for Forward Thinking Indians Globally
TM
.com
BengalatCusp
Bangamela 2010NABC 2010and
Enticing Global Investors
Exclusive Interview:TMC Leader Partha Chatterjee
From that Bay to this
CONTENT
A Forum for Forward Thinking Indians Globally
www.newglobalindian.com
Editor-in-Chief
Managing Editor
Creative Consultant
Contact Nos. and Email ids:
Office Address
Publisher
Management Advisor
Editorial Consultants
Guest Editor
National Marketing Manager
Sub Editors
IT Consultant
Branding & Marketing
NGI media is a collaborative initiative of
' US based PR & Media company
and Delhi based 'ICONS Media Initiative Pvt. Ltd.'
iPremm Inc.' a
Kanchan Banerjee
Ujjwal K. Chowdhury
Milind Joshi
Haimanti Banerjee
R N Banerjee
Anand Mulloo (Mauritius)
Madan Lamsal (Nepal)
Amrita Mukherjee
Anand Singh
Deepti Chaudhari
Vinay Pagarani
Satyavir Singh
Mahesh Gupta
Krish Velmurugan
Vidisha Jha (Kolkata)
Waseem Azaz Khan (Mumbai)
Alok Acharya (Pune)
Balaji (Tamilnadu)
Indrani Sarkar (Hyderabad)
Arjya Patnaik (Orissa)
Archana Paswan (Delhi)
16173066609
91 9373311239
109 Gulliver Street, Milton, MA 02186, USA
This magazine is printed and published by
Haimanti Banerjee and copyright with respect to all
contents remains with iPremm Inc. and ICONS
Media Initiatives Pvt. Ltd.
Haimanti Banerjee
Ujjwal K Chowdhury
Milton (USA)
Ghaziabad(India)
First Floor, Sagar Plaza, Plot no.06, Sector 14,
Behind Wave Cinema, Ghaziabad(UP)
The views expressed in some of the articles orinterviews are of the writers or intervieweesthemselves and do not necessarily express NGI'sopinions and beliefs.
TM
JUNE '10 / 01
EDITORIAL
NGI DIARIES
PEOPLE
EVENTS
VOICES
REMINISCENCE
CITYSCAPE: KOLKATA
CULTURE
BUSINESS
HEALTHCARE
TRAVEL & TOURISM
VIEWPOINT
EDUCATION
EVENTS
2 / Emerging Bengal3 / Towards Responsible & Graceful Political Change in Bengal5 / Readers Write...
8 / From that Bay to this
10 / Chivukula: Charismatic Indian American Leader17 / Shahana Basu Kanodia
14 /16 /
18 / The Civilisational and Strategic Dialogue
22 / TMC Leader Partha Chatterjee26 / Tête-à-tête with Rahul Bose27 / Javed Shamim, Joint Commissioner,Kolkata Police
28 / Rabindranath Tagore30 / Jyoti Basu
32 / The Cultural Capital of India34 / Walking down the College Street36 / Metro Rail: Connecting Kolkatans
38 / Keeping Theatre alive40 / Scent of a Bengali Woman
42 / A flavourful Future44 / Profile: Rahul Todi, MD, Bengal Shrachi46 / Thinking Big
49 / Interview: Dr Alok Roy, MedicaSuperspeciality Hospital
24 / Interview: TVN Rao, MD, WBTDC Ltd50 / The Eastern Haven52 / A Pleasant Surprise
54 / Visions of a Better Bengal55 / Casual Education for serious Marxists
58 / Wanted: Real Qualification
60 / Enticing Global Investors62 / Free Lessons from the Downturn
Curtain raiser: Bangla Fests in faraway LandsTiECON East 2010 Empowers Attendees to
Rejuvenate Economy
INTERNATIONAL FOCUS: USA
STATE FOCUS: WEST BENGAL
FEATURES
EDITORIAL
Kanchan Banerjee
Editor-in-chiefEmail:[email protected]
The old and new are equally treasured by the people of
Bengal, though many may argue about the dearth of new
things Bengal can showcase to the world today. The old
Howrah Bridge and Howrah Station next to the Bhagirathi
(Ganga) river with boats and steamers crisscrossing
belong to the old era. The siren and horns of the water
vehicles as well as the trains and automotives resonate
with the pilgrims' chants on the ghats of Ganga. The new
Vidyasagar Bridge gives a modern look to the landscape of
this 300 year old city Kolkata which is the face of Bengal in
many ways.
Tatas left Bengal with Nano. Lately this was the biggest
news from Bengal, the most densely populated state in
India. People were sad and angry. There were protests,
violence and deaths. Many say this was the last blow to the
power centre of Bengal, the Marxist government of over 3
decades.
Soon after Calcutta renamed
itself to Kolkata, there is a
wind of change in the political
scene. Change is inevitable.
Each change comes with
losing some and getting some new. The empty unfinished
structures of Tata Nano project in Singur casts long
shadows of lost hopes and silent memories of the now
quiet battlefields of Nandigram and other villages. Bengal
is the birthplace of the Naxal movement which is
occupying the front page of the newspapers almost on a
daily basis. Though violence is unacceptable in a
democracy, sympathisers are not hard to find. The oldest
freedom fighter who gave life fighting the British, Smt
Matangini Hazara was from Midnapore, (literally the 'City
of the World') has become the hotbed of the Naxal
movement lately. The Gorkhaland movement has its ups
and downs, but still kicking. Some inhabitants of Kolkata
complain about the crowd, pollution and other problems;
others boast of the New Town and the euphoric growth of
the Real Estate developments in and around the city.
There are many successful Bengalis around the world. If a
proper environment, conducive to do business is created,
it will draw in many people to do something big, perhaps
more than the Gujarati or Bihari NRIs have done for their
states; after all aren't they supposed to be an emotional
people?
One can ask many questions to the current and
future leadership, such as: Are the Jute and other factories
which closed down for past few decades going to revive
soon again? Are the investors going to go back to the state
to build new things? Is Kolkata still going to be
overpopulated or rest of the state may have the fortune to
have one or more mega cities with modern infrastructure
to create new opportunities for millions and taking
pressure off Kolkata? Is the air quality going to be vastly
improved? Would the daily strikes become matters of
past? Would the exams be held on time in educational
institutes? Would the exodus of Bengali intelligentsia
stop? And finally, if change must come, would it cost any
blood or will it be a simply non-violent democratic
process, as most of India has been? In Indian democracy
there is no place for privileges for any special interest
group or community. One can only hope to have an
efficient non-partisan government to manage the affairs of
9 crore people.
It is obvious that an intelligent and forward thinking
group's tolerance cannot be infinite acceptance of the
status quo.
About 150 odd years ago Bengal gave birth to two of the
greatest souls of modern India: Rabindranath and
Vivekananda. Both were reformers and brought
revolution in each of their sphere of work. Till today,
Bengalis live on their fond memories. Bengali household
cannot pass a day without singing or reciting from Tagore.
Sri Chinmoy beautifully described the duo:
The world yearns for such
personalities to be born again.
“Vivekananda was a torrent of fire.
Tagore was a sea of beauty and delight.
Vivekananda was a Clarion-call.
Tagore was a soul-stirring Flute.”
Some inhabitants of Kolkata complainabout the crowd, pollution and other
problems; others boast of the New Townand the euphoric growth of the Real Estate
developments in and around the city.
Emerging Bengal
Change is inevitable
02 / JUNE '10
Bengal is up for change. And that has been in the offing
and due for long. No multi-party pluralist liberal
democratic largely capitalist system can and should have
the same ruling dispensation for such a long time. It has
been more than three decades in the case in West Bengal! It
is a case-study by itself, indeed.
But what we now need to debate is not whether the change
is happening. That is written on the wall. The debate
should be on what type of change, change to what new
ruling dispensation, and to what short-term, mid-term
and long-term impact.
On the one hand is the beleaguered Left Front led by its
sulking Chief Minister, and with a disillusioned Party. The
party and the leadership (not just the CM) must
understand the mood of the people, brace up to accept the
impending electoral defeat, not create further situation of
intransigency now, and not use the remaining loyalty of
police and armed cadre to further unleash terror in the
country-side. Acceptance of the changing political reality
will be graceful and in the long-term interests of the
CPI(M) since the main opposition is not yet proven as rulers. Sitting in the opposition itself will purge CPI(M) of
the myriad forces it now needs to distance itself from,
while failure of the new rulers (if it so happens as in the
case of Janata Party rule in Centre) will allow Left Front to
catapult to power again (as was
t h e c a s e i n I n d i r a - l e d
Congress).
But of much more significance
to the average Bengali on the
streets is the attitude and
preparedness of the main opposition, Trinamool Congress
and its effervescent leader Mamata Banerjee, to be the
responsible rulers of a state where two generations have
not seen any second set of rulers.
The promises made by TMC may be for the gallery:
turning Kolkata into London, creating tourism paradise in
the Bay of Bengal frontal areas, hill tourism of global
standards in North Bengal, plethora of SMEs and the
millions of small jobs they create, freedom of education
and training, and the like.
But what is now necessary is first a Status Paper as to
where does Bengal stand today in the light of whatever
data that can be generated with the help of organizations
like Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy and other
bodies. And, then, where can the Mamata led government
Acceptance of the changing political realitywill be graceful and in the long-terminterests of the CPI(M) since the mainopposition is not yet proven as rulers.
EDITORIAL
Towards Responsible & GracefulPolitical Change in Bengal
JUNE '10 / 03
take the state to, say in the first hundred days, in the first
two years, and then in the first tenure of five years.
Statements of Visions 2015 and 2020 for Bengal with clarity
on the way towards them shall be necessary to be created
and put before the public.
On the other hand, goons have started their shift of loyalty,
and so have the tainted police officers and bureaucrats,
and even a section of local opportunist CPM and Congress
leaders across Bengal today. Partly due to these same
forces does the CPI(M) stand discredited today. In the
hurry to crop short-term gains, locally, elements in TMC
may end up rehabilitating these same elements and
thereby ensuring the same type of poor governance and
brutalized polity that has been the hallmark of the current
government in the last few years. Some instances prove
this apprehension, and the TMC leadership knows it.
Do Mamata and her immediate next leadership have the
courage to say a big no to these elements? More
importantly, does a section of TMC leadership have the
desire even to say no, thank you, to these elements?
It is good that Jaago Bangla, a
daily by TMC, has been
launched with more than half a
million copies going around
the province daily, putting
forth the direction for the party cadre at all levels, very
much in the leftist tradition. There are talks of a television
news channel being launched with the blessings of the
effervescent Didi.
Also, the candidature in local self governing bodies shows
greater affinity of leadership towards long-standing
grassroots cadres. The positioning of Mamata among the
intelligentsia has already been strengthened during the
Nandigram agitation.
The tribals of the state under the siege of the Maoists and
the joint para-military forces now need the support and
succour from the next rulers of Bengal. They have for long
been taken for granted, and as I write this piece, many of
them are being arrested or killed and injured by these
forces being branded as Maoist sympathisers.
Congress will attempt to stay relevant in Bengal which in
effect means ensuring the limitations of TMC in future as
well. However, it is the time for Mamata and her ilk to
understand this, but still, come what may, stand firm on
their own feet knowing it well that a divided opposition
will not probably ensureTMC victory in Bengal in 2011
State Assembly polls. Mamata must personally ensure the
Mahajot to continue in the interests of the Change she is
talking about. Surely TMC must also carry along
honourably all its left allies, like the SUCI and some
smaller forces. Disgruntled left in favour of Mamata is a
real good advantage in Bengal.
There are reasons to be hopeful. Mamata has started her
series of actions to shed the dominant rebel-only image.
Meetings with Chambers of Commerce, entrepreneurs,
educationists, lawyers are being organized. Various
quarters have been asked to forward their vision of Bengal
a few years from now, and their expectations today.
The NGI Editorial board has also been requested by the
leader of the opposition in the Bengal assembly to create a
Bengal Tomorrow note putting forth all that the Bengali
intelligentsia and business community outside Bengal
would ideally want the new government to look at closely.
We are currently developing the same.
The candidature in local self governingbodies shows greater affinity of leadershiptowards long-standing grassroots cadres.
Prof Ujjwal K Chowdhury
Email: .ujjwalk [email protected]
Executive Director,
ISBM School of Communication
Pune, Kolkata, NOIDA, Bengaluru
04 / JUNE '10
T
T
I
I
I
T
I
he magazine covers a wide range of social issues as
well as the opinion about all kinds of NRIs'
experiences, benefits of living abroad, and hardships of
foreign life. My favourite is the part when New Global
Indian magazine explores and discusses the ways to
address issues our overseas NGIs experience. I am lucky
to relieve myself of the misconceptions and unrealistic
expectations, I earlier held.
he interviews of international delegates NGI
provides are existential in the views shared. It gives
a very clear picture of the topic in discussion. Besides, I
am really proud of the achievements and success stories
of Indian brothers in the foreign lands.
ou must consider the addition of stories on
universities and study courses abroad that may
relate to Indian students studying there. Coverage of
entertainment or other stage shows by Indian artists
would also be great to know. Sometimes, pictures
unrelated to the topic at hand in stories are seen, please
take note.
GI disseminates a plethora of information on
every issue. However, visually-appealing material
is not seen frequently enough though the layout is
adequately good. Larger pictures, lesser text content and
more white space is essential to please the reader's eye.
am glad to know that there is a magazine for NRIs. I
will inform my relatives based in UK to check this
out. I think there should be more focus on international
section.
liked the presentation of few stories. It's a good idea
to keep a particular state in focus. A reader would feel
nostalgic, after reading stories about his roots, culture
and city. Great idea, indeed.
think there should be more focus on the issues
concerning to NRIs. There are many websites and
magazines covering national issues and events are
accessible to the Indian Diaspora. But, there is barely
any publication or platform where NRI issues are
highlighted from across the world.
his is the first time I came across a magazine which
has more positive stories than hard-hitting and anti-
government stories. Amidst all the negative stories and
garrulous news channels, it would be bliss to read New
Global Indian
loved the feature story on the changing face of the
Oriya Cinema. Being Oriya, I am glad to know that
the regional film industry is rising.
hat I liked most about the New Global Indian is
that it has a very diverse content. Unlike other
magazines, NGI was refreshing and light. I would
suggest the editorial team to include a section
exclusively devoted to the culture of India.
Krutika Shah,
Abhay Shingade,
Bhavesh Ramani,
Farhan Shaikh,
Kishore Kumar,
Mriganka Chatterjee,
Sudhir Singh,
P Rajagopal,
Suchismita Swain,
Rahul Vishwakarma,
Entrepreneur, Mumbai
Sales Agent, Mumbai
Hospitality Professional, Mumbai
Advertising Professional, Mumbai
Senior Editor, Orissa
Financial Analyst, Bengaluru
Chief Technical Officer, New Delhi
IT Professional, Bengaluru
Student, Bengaluru
Software Engineer, Chennai
Y
NW
NGI is a platform which will help us boost
the blooming business of tourism. We hope
that the magazine will help us promote lesser
known destinations in Nepal.
- Sharat Singh Bhandari
Hon'ble Tourism Minister, Nepal
READERS WRITE...
New Global Indian magazine is a way to connect
all the NRI as well as a forum to build up a
good and healthy relationship between two
countries. I am so much impressed by the magazine
and a idea behind it that I will definitely write for the
magazine in future.
- Madhukar Shumshere J B Rana
Professor, South Asian Institute of Management Nepal
Former Finance Minister and Chief Economic Advisor
(State Minister) to Ministry of Finance, Nepal
Former Special Advisor (Assistant Minister) to Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, Nepal
JUNE '10 / 05
Web site:
In Collaboration ofandat University of West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago
Saraswati Mandiram, TrinidadCenter for Indic Studies, UMass Dartmouth
http://www.umassd.edu/indic/waves2010.cfm
For further information, contact Dr. Bal Ram Singh, General Chair ofWAVES 2010, at or at [email protected]
Welcome to the
Eighth International Conference on
“Vedic knowledge for Civilizational Harmony”
Potential Featured Guests
Among Featured Scholars
Prime MinisterHigh Commissioner of IndiaDr. Subramanian Swamy,
Douglas Allen,Jeffrey Armstrong,David Frawley,Nicholas Kazanas,Rajiv Malhotra,Rama Rao Pappu,Ramkrishna Puligandla,Aseem Shukla,Anantanand Rambachan,T. S. Rukmani,Shashi Tiwari,
of Trinidad & Tobagoin Trinidad & Tobago
President, Janata Party, India
University of MaineVedic Academy of Science and Arts
American Institute of Vedic StudiesOmilos Meleton
Infinity FoundationMiami University
University of ToledoHindu American Foundation
St. Olaf CollegeConcordia UniversityUniversity of Delhi
Sessions
The conference will consist of three tracks:
(i) Inaugural session(ii) Keynote sessions(iii) Plenary sessions;(iv) Symposia of academic scholars;(v) Sessions of practicing scholars(vi) Youth sessions(vii) Workshops on leadership, Ayurveda, and Vedic practices;(viii) A closing/valedictory session
Track A: Academic Symposium: Vedic knowledge forCivilizational HarmonyTrack B: Living Hinduism: Understanding Vedic PracticesTrack C: Youth Summit: Owning the DiscoursePreconference Workshop on Ayurveda jointly with AYUSH,Government of India, on August 3, 2010
“Vedic knowledge for Civilizational Harmony”
Welcome to the
Eighth International Conference on
August 4-7, 2010August 4-7, 2010
INTERNATIONALINTERNATIONAL
08 / JUNE '10
He used to call himself Sam Gosh. Rina masi-his mother,
who lived next door to my ancestral home in Ballygunge,
Calcutta would always reiterate “Shondeep Ghosh” while
introducing him. Sam, however, would perk his brow, let
go a quirky smile, tugging at
the hip pockets of his Louis
Vuitton jeans, would repeat
nonchalantly, “…but I prefer
Sam”. He would say that to
anybody and everybody. Also
to Partho dadu, who was about
82 years old that time. We tried to touch his feet whenever,
if not, then at least bow our head and keep our eyes down
in his presence. Talking to him with hands in pant pockets
was blasphemy! Who wants gang rebuttal from family
and all the make-believe extended ones in the locality! Not
Sam. He didn't seem to care much about elders. He didn't
seem to be caring about anything at all, barring his
appearance. Rini di, Jhuma di-all the senior eligible girls'
bandwagon would go cooing seeing him jog in his trunks
in the morning. His glowing skin, the smell of his foreign
deodorant, the texture of his designer ensembles, the
accent of his parlance…there was something intriguing
about him. He listened to Eminem that none of us ever
heard of and once he even tried to switch on a device that
later I came to know was his cell phone. It definitely looked
very different from the one I saw dad using. That black,
robust uncouth instrument weighing like a pile of bricks!
Sam's cousin Shona was my classmate so I was amongst
the privileged few to be able to gorge upon chocolates
filled with liquors, to savour the sweet smelling body mist
on my skin…to taste a slice of America in my drawing
room. Americathe land of opulence, and that of elegance
and where dreams come true. That was the year 1999.
Much water passed through Bay of Bengal since. My fetish
I was amongst the privileged few to be ableto gorge upon chocolates filled with liquors,to savour the sweet smelling body mist onmy skin&to taste a slice of America in my
drawing room.
Somanjana C Bhattacharya recounts her enchantment with the Land of Opportunities and her subsequentencounter with the dreamland, only to rediscover her own roots.
From that Bay to thisFrom that Bay to this
NGI DIARIES
JUNE '10 / 09
for designer outfits was satisfied to the brim within couple
of years. Forum-a state of the art mall with upbeat
multiplex rose from the rustic ruins of Elgin Road. The
depleted residence of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose
located opposite to it resembled the haunting edifice of the
bygone era, overshadowed by the wave of novelty, glitz
and gizmo; liberation and liberalisation and the new age
phenomenon called the Americanisation. Soon,
fluorescent billboards stirred the unrealised dreams from
the long forgotten contours of people's minds. Buy this.
Buy that. Be desirable. Chic. Live life as if you're going to
die tomorrow! The long, winding queue at the Mac D,
CCD, PVR pushed aside the few who still cared for an
endless chit chat session on the wooden benches at the
dingy tea stall round the corner, smelling of earth, hearth
and sweat. Suddenly, it was fad to hold hands in public. In
private, you could touch the infinite by eloping to another
time and space: the cyberspace.
Soon after, I left for Delhi and then for San Francisco Bay
Area in US. Finally, I was able to get a first hand experience
of the American way of life. What was that, you would
want to know. I found a lot of space: barren lands,
grasslands, highways that intersect in the horizon, deep
blue sea turning green in daylight, some concrete
structures reminding me of Salt Lake-sector 5 back home,
and a lot of spacious car parking lots. More space between
me and my neighbour. But the most striking aspect was
the passersby(s). People with diverse features, skin
colours, speaking different languages, coming from places
known and unknown, all together dreaming of a better
tomorrow. In the cacophony of multiplicity, I found a
familiar touch. It said Chaat House! Udupi Palace!
Khubsurat Beauty Parlour! Probashi Bengali Association!
It couldn't have gotten any better! There
I saw, a woman clad in saree holding her
daughter's arm, reaching for that
evergreen fresh coriander leaves, to be
put in next day's meal. I know her! I've
seen her all my life! Then I met this man
in grey beard, smiling eyes hovering on
Zee TV, praying for those eleven
cricketers in blue to cause a miracle once
and for all. I can't remember when was
the last time I visited a temple in
Calcutta, yet, the chaste atmosphere in
the spotless clean marble floored
Livermore temple promptly incited a
spiritual awakening in me. A sense of
belonging, a touch of coherence that was
so absent in my life till then. I discovered
something else too. A genuine pride in
my own kin. The dozen Indian names
on the cubicle doors in the ninth floor of
Oracle building warmed my heart like
“a thousand splendid suns”. Was I so naive, not to see the
splendour of my nascence till now?
I happened to chance upon Sam once, here, in San
Francisco. On during Durga Puja. I didn't
recognise him at first. How could I? He was clad in
sherwani, busy managing his tiny tot from making a mess
with flowers. “ (how are you) he asked me
in fluent Bengali…! His four year old daughter ran toward
us and upon getting introduced to me made an effort to
kneel down to touch my feet. Standing, in the confluence
of prime and senescence, I wandered through the
overwhelming state of revelation. Like touching an old
piece of thread smeared in
fragile antiquity, I embraced
the moment with cautious,
astute anticipation. Time stood
still while winds of change
resonated in utmost urgency…
“Bahu klesh kori, bahu poth ghuri, dekhithe gyechi porbat
mala, sindhu;
Dekha hoi nai shudhu chokkhu meleya, duar hoithe ek pa
feleya, ekti ghasher shisher opor ekti shishir bindu"
Rabindranath Tagore
"Much have I toiled, many roads have I travelled to see
mountain ranges and the ocean. Only I have not cast my
eyes to see, one step away from my door, one drop of dew
on one blade of grass"
Ashtami
Kamon achho”?
The author a social activist, communication and behavioural
trainer. She can be contacted at [email protected]
In the cacophony of multiplicity I found afamiliar touch. It said Chaat House! Udupi
Palace! Khubsurat Beauty Parlour!
PEOPLE
10 / JUNE '10
Although the Indian American community constitutes
only 1.5 per cent of American population, their
contributions have been quite significant and diverse.
From business to technology; from education to
healthcare have proved their mettle in all walks of
life. In fact, even in politics an area where immigrant
communities are usually cornered support of the Indian
community matters a lot for parties and leaders. And not
only Bobby Jindal (the first United States Governor of
Indian descent) there are other Indian Americans who
have walked down the political corridors of America over
the recent past.
One of these 'others' is Upendra J. Chivukula, who is
currently holding the position
of Deputy Speaker of New
Jersey General Assembly
(NJGA) after winning his fifth
consecutive bid for the seat in
November last year.
Like many Indian students head to America every year for
higher studies, Chivukula came to New York to pursue his
masters in Electrical Engineering at the City College in
1974. But he was disturbed with the ongoing racial
violence against the Asian community in the late 1980s.
“The Indian community was facing sporadic racial attacks
across the nation. The Dot Busters, an infamous racial
gang was targeting SouthAsians constantly. With minimal
participation of Indians in politics, the whole issue was on
backburner. In the wake of all these, I decided to join
politics to bolster the voice of Indian Americans,” shares
he.
And that's how began Chivukula's political journey. He
started with voter registration and political education of
the community. “I worked with various organizations and
state legislators to pass the landmark legislation to
identify bias incidents as a part of the police report,”
recounts 60-year old Democrat, who is also a member of
the Executive Board of National Council of State
Legislatures (NCSL).
Chivukula is an engineer by profession. His professional
background is a testament to his acumen in the field of
engineering. He has worked in different arms of AT&T
Bell Labs, the telecom and telephony giant. Chivukula
aptly compares politics with his profession. “In
engineering, one deals with science and mathematics to
solve problems. But, in politics, one addresses people's
issues which may involve emotions, and sometimes, there
are not any clear-cut solutions. As a legislator, I had to
deviate from logical remedy to compromise with most
effective ways of problem-solving,” he believes.
Chivukula has a long list of accomplishments in
policymaking and legislations. He majorly contributed in
drafting policies in the field of environment. “I was a key
member of greenhouse gas initiative legislation which
aimed to cap on trade auction for carbon dioxide
emissions, creating energy markets for solar and other
renewable form of energies,” shares Chivukula, who has
also been the former mayor of Franklin Township. Being
an expert on ecology, Chivukula expresses his concern
over the BP oil spill disaster issue. “I am saddened to see
the amount of damage this accident has wrecked on the
ecology. We are going to bear the brunt of this disaster for
years. I am also appalled at the negligence of the Mineral
Management Services (regulatory agency), which did not
nail BP during the permitting process; given the physical
limitations that human beings could not work one mile
below the surface. BP has let us down and we must hold BP
totally responsible,” he condemns. Talking about the
Desis
Beginning
Alter-ego
A Think-tank
Staying in elected office for a long timehas enabled me to help them. Naturally, my
recognition has gone up as well as myfundraising ability has also improved.
Chivukula: Charismatic Indian American LeaderIn a freewheeling chat with veteran American politician Upendra J. Chivukula, learns
about his vital role in empowering the Indian American community.Kanchan Banerjee
With Hilary Clinton, US Secretary of State
JUNE '10 / 11
Obama's move to send more troops in Afghanistan, he
argues “I don't think that India's security is a tacit
reason behind this move. The US is only trying to help
Pakistan with an aim to flush out Taliban for the
stability of the region.”
Chikuvala has incessantly
worked for the Indian
Diaspora in different
capacities and has always
tried to highlight issues
c o n c e r n i n g t h e
community. He feels he
has been quite fortunate to receive the support from
people coming from different parts of India. “Staying
in elected office for a long time has enabled me to help
them. Naturally, my recognition has gone up as well
as my fundraising ability has also improved,” he
adds. Talking about his plans in the near future he
reveals I am interested in running for US House of
Representatives in 2012.” When asked if he has any
message for young Indian Americans who are
aspiring to join politics, he conveys “In politics, a great
deal of patience is required to meet ones' endeavours.
Success requires a great deal of time and commitment.
One should not look for short cuts to the process
which may not work in all cases.”
A respected leader
“
In politics, a great deal of patience isrequired to meet ones' endeavours.
Success requires a great deal of time andcommitment. One should not look for shortcuts to the process which may not work in
all cases.
Upendra Chivukula is a former Mayor of Franklin Township. As an Assemblyman, he serves as the Chairman of
the Telecommunications and Utilities Committee, and a member of the Appropriations Committee. He is also a
member of the NJ Commission on Science and Technology, and Asian American Study Foundation. He is the
founder of the legislative caucus on Science and Technology as well as World Languages and International
Education.
At the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), Chivukula is a member of the Executive Committee, past
chair of Communications, Interstate Commerce, and Technology Committee and a member of the Agriculture,
Energy and Environment Committee, and Homeland Security, Immigration, and Military and Veterans Affairs Task
Forces.
Chivukula is a Leadership New Jersey Fellow, Flemming Institute Fellow and is also Fannie Mae Fellow. He
received leadership training John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and Darden School of
Management, University of Virginia.
He has served on many community organizations, such as Franklin Township Lions Club and Association of
Indians in America. He is the Past President of the Asian American Political Coalition. He has served on many
township boards.
An Electrical Engineer by profession, he is currently Technical Adviser at Web Team Corporation, Somerset, NJ.
Visit for more information.www.chivukulaforassembly.com
With Joe Biden, Vice President of the United States
12 '10/ JUNE
Established by Sir Dorab Tata in 1919, New India was
the first fully Indian owned insurance company in
India. There were nearly 150 insurance firms in India
including ones from France, the UK and America.
These were operated through managing agencies in
India largely held by Indian business houses.
New India was a pioneer among the Indian companies
on various fronts, right from insurance in 1946 to the
satellite insurance in 1980. The latest addition to the list
of firsts is the insurance of the INSAT 2E.
With a wide range of policies and the corporate belief
'Service Gateway to Growth', New India has become
one of the largest non-life insurance companies, not
only in India, but also theAfro-Asian region.
New India is a leading global insurance group, with
offices and branches throughout India and various
countries abroad. The company services the Indian
subcontinent with a network of 1,068 offices,
comprising 26 Regional Offices, 391 Divisional Offices
and 594 Branches. With approximately 19913
employees, New India has the largest number of
specialist and technically qualified personnel at all
levels of management who are empowered to
underwrite and settle claims of high magnitude.
New India has historically been a frontrunner in
several diverse fields of business and industrial
activity. They are the lead underwriters of India's Space
Programme, having insured several INSAT and other
Among the First
Gateway to GrowthNew India, a leading global insurance group, operates in as many as 27 countries including Mauritius.
finds out more about the multinational.Archana Paswan
DEVELOPMENT
JUNE '10 / 13
satellites. New India are pioneers in
Engineering Insurance, Financial Risks
Insurance and are now offering customized
Risk Management solutions to our corporate
clients in the Private and Public Sectors in
Power, Telecom, Petrochemicals, Steel and
Automobile Industries.
New India has been rated A - (Excellent) by
A.M. Best Co, making it the only Indian
Insurance Company to have been rated by an
International Rating Agency. Presently, the
company operates in as many as 27 countries
and is No. 1 in India in terms of market share.
New India's foreign operations started with
the establishment of an office in London, in
1920. An international presence was built up
by New India as a direct writing Company in
27 countries spanning five continents. It
increased its reach and capacity, for
reinsurance facilities for all classes of business.
Starting way back in the 1920s, NewIndia's UK
operations have now taken deep root. New India is
party to one of the widest reinsurance treaties in the UK
market. Through participation in Aviation and Marine
Hull underwriting, New India has, over a period of
time, strengthened its market presence. In 1980s with
the establishment of a full-fledged branch to
underwrite UK business, it has extended its UK
operations authorized by the Department of Trade and
Industry.
Direct facultative services are offered to Hong Kong,
Mainland China, Taiwan and South Korea. This Branch
also provides a business link to Indonesia, Malaysia,
South EastAsia and Indo-China.
The New India commenced its Japan operations, in
1950, and now operates through 8 branches in cities like
Tokyo, Osaka and Hiroshima. The Japanese operation
covers substantial amount of the Company's overseas
premium income.
With a small commencement in 1954, currently
Australia considers New India a prominent part of the
market. New India underwrites treaty reinsurance
business for all major territories in the South Pacific
including New Zealand.
New India Assurance was registered as a Company in
the year 1924. The first operations were started in 1935
by our Chief Agent. It was later converted into a Branch
Office since 1958. It is renowned for its large capacity of
acceptance of Direct and Reinsurance for all classes of
business.
New India's International Operations
United Kingdom
Hong Kong
Japan
Sydney
Mauritius
S. Vaideswaran, Chief Manager, New India assurence Co. Ltd, Mauritius
In the year marking the 150 Birth Anniversary of poet
laureate Rabindranath Tagore, two grand events will
celebrate the Bengali heritage and culture in the US. On
July 2-4, 2010, the city of Nashville, Tennessee will host a
grand gathering of NGIs.
The 12 Bangamela, to be
held at the Sheraton Music
City Hotel, is already
making waves amongst the
Global Bengali populace.
The word 'Bangamela' literally means a confluence of
Bengalis - people with roots in West Bengal and
Bangladesh - at a fair showcasing Bengal's artistic,
cultural and literary heritage.
From a humble beginning in Louisville, Kentucky in
1999, Bangamela has now become a household name
and a 'must attend' program in the lives of mid-
American Bengalis. The Mid America Bengali
Association (MABA) is the parent organisation of this
yearly event and a consistent co-sponsor for this
celebration, with participation from the host city. It is
also being supported in its endeavour, this, year by the
Times Of India, Kolkata.
th
th
MABA, this time. will not only sponsor the entire event,
but has also taken the added responsibility of playing the
host to the gala, with direct participation and help from the
Bengali population of Nashville and surrounding areas.
The venue for this grand endeavour has
been selected as Sheraton Music City Hotel
in Nashville.
Close on the heels of this event, the 30
NABC kicks off in New Jersey from July 9-
11, 2010. Kallol of New Jersey is hosting the
event at the Atlantic City Convention
Centre. Pioneering in the year 2000, Kallol of
NJ hosted the 20 NABC at the exact same
location. It attained remarkable glory and
heartfelt appreciations from the Bengali
Community residing in all parts of the
world.
The 2010 edition of the 30 NABC is slated to
display even more excellence and
splendour, believes the benevolent
organisation which has put together a very
highly ambitious plan for the show this
year.
The theme for Bangamela 2010 is '
', with a showcase for the
diversified cultural enrichment in this
region through programs, forums, and
various other activities to promote cultural
and business exchanges between North
America, India, and Bangladesh. Top artists
from West Bengal including sitar maestro
Shahid Parvez Khan, vocalist Pandit Ajoy
Chakraborty, Rabindra sangeet singer
Ashish Bhattacharjee alongwith young
th
th
th
Aa Mori
Bangla Bhasha
CURTAIN RAISER
14 / JUNE '10
Bangamela 2010 will showcase thediversified cultural enrichment and promotecultural and business exchanges between
North America, India, and Bangladesh.
Bangla Fests in faraway LandsDeepti Chaudhari discloses two major events - the 12 Bangamela in Nashville, Tenesse and the
30 North American Bengali Conference (NABC) in New Jersey that will give Global Bengalis plenty ofmemories to cherish.
thth
Sitar maestro Shahid Parvez Khan to perform at Bangamela 2010
popular singers will
meet talents from
Bangladesh, such as
the dance group
Nrityanchal of Shibli
Mohammad and
Shamim Ara Nipa,
a n d r e n o w n e d
Rabindra Sangeet
singerAditi Mohsin.
Not to be left behind,
NABC will host a
grand opening show
put together by
experimental dance
company Sapphire
Creations. Named
'Notuner Abhishek', it will be a 40-minute aesthetic tribute
to New Bengal. Music, dance and cultural groups of the
Bengali-genre from across the US will pay tribute to their
cultural roots. Joining them will be artists and performers
from all over the world, including Subha Kokuba
Chakraborty and her dance group from Japan, Bollywood
singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya and Bangladeshi flautist Bari
Siddique to name a few. Greg Ellis, one of the world's
greatest drummers, will combine forces with Bikram
Ghosh on this unique platform.
There will be special programmes during this event to
celebrate the 150 year of Rabindranath's birthday and the
100 year of the publication - Gitanjali. A TV news channel
of Kolkata, 24 Ghanta and another Bengali newspaper,
Sangbad Pratidin, are providing media support for
Bangamela 2010 in West Bengal and Bangladesh. The
famous poet, playwright, novelist and eminent research
scholar Ketaki Kushari Dyson will be leading a literary
seminar session. KKD is also a renowned translator of
Rabindranath Tagore's works in English. More performers
and celebrities from the fields of movie, music and literary
world from West Bengal, Bangladesh and Europe are lined
up to make the celebration special.
In addition, a lot of outstanding cultural groups from USA
will also be showcasing their talents in these three days. To
propagate the Indian
culture to the wider
American audience,
tickets the Sitar concert
o f U s t a d S h a h i d
Parvez Khan will be
made available to the
general public as well.
Also on the cards are
various competitions,
social activities and
programs for younger
members of the event.
N A B C 2 0 1 0 ,
meanwhile has other
tricks up its sleeves. On
S u n d a y, J u l y 1 0 ,
visitors will be treated to the exclusive, premiere and
simultaneous release in India and North America of the
Bengali film Ekti Tarar Khoje. Databazaar Media Ventures,
the US Gateway for Bengali Movies is behind this
e x t r a o r d i n a r y ve n t u r e .
Extending the representation
of Bengali culture beyond the
performing arts, the special
magazine Sahitya Sankalan
c a p t u r e s t h e c r e a t i v e
expressions of this culture in
form of essays, fictional writing and poetry in both Bengali
and English. Also on the cards are fun and culture
activities for the youth and seminars on hot, current topics.
With so many activities and such a magnanimous cultural
display lined up, the spirit of Bengal is surely coming alive
in the States next month. Not only for people of Bengali
heritage, these events promise a rich cultural experience to
every Global Indian. The fact that delegates from 21
different states in Mid America will be joining the 12
Bangamela in Nashville, Tennessee this year bears
testimony to the unique place these gatherings hold in the
Bengali heart.
th
th
th
For more information, please visit andwww.nabc2010.org
http://www.bangamela.org.
JUNE '10 / 15
NABC will host a grand opening show puttogether by experimental dance companySapphire Creations: a 40-minute aesthetic
tribute to the New Bengal.
Rituparna Sengupta and Abhijit Bhattacharya will visit New Jersey for NABC 2010
From left: Ashish Bhattacharjee, Shibli Mohammed with Shamim Apa Nira and Ajay Chakraborty will be added attractions at Bangamela 2010
EVENT
16 / JUNE '10
On May 27-28, 2010, TiE-Boston held its 12th Annual
TiECON East conference at The Westin Hotel in Waltham,
MA. The conference was a huge success with over 550
people choosing to kick off their Memorial Day weekend
by attending Boston's premier entrepreneurial
conference.
The theme, , was reflected in
every speaker, sponsor and attendee as they all came
together to engage in discussing and discovering how,
despite the widespread de-
leveraging taking place in the
w o r l d , i n n o va t i o n a n d
enterprise remain keys to
success.
The conference delivered on quality with panels across
Four Tracks: The Life Sciences track saw speakers address
breakthrough innovation in Diagnostics, Vaccines and
Telemedicine. Panelists included speakers from Matrivax,
Diagnostics for All, American Well Systems, among
others.
Clean Tech, now emerging as a critical industry, featured
speakers from Terawatt Ventures, GreenTech Media,
National Grid USA, among others, to address
opportunities in areas of sourcing, storage and
management of energy.
Importance of growing world-economies such as India
and China was reflected in the popularity of the India
track, which featured industry experts who discussed
emerging opportunities there. The panel on media and
entertainment industry attracted great speakers and a
good audience.
In the Technology track, panelists from Red Hat, Skyhook
Wireless, NBC Universal and other companies attracted
and kept the audience's attention as they discussed cloud,
mobile and media industries.
Delivering his keynote address, Bob Pozen of MFS
Investment Management spoke about the finance
industry and how all economic crises are cyclical,
including the current one. He added that in keeping with
the global nature of this crisis, the solution will have to be
global.
A keynote plenary discussion "The New Avatar"
enlightened the audience on the trends in the
entrepreneurial frontier in India. Spanning education,
entertainment and finance industries, the panelists from
Educomp, DEN and Spandana Sphoorty spoke about
their experiences as entrepreneurs.
Bart Riley, outlining the founding and success of A123
Systems, gave his perspective on the impact of innovation
and the energy revolution in the transportation and grid
industry.
Three new programs launched this year were well
received. Set in a classroom format, Entrepreneurship
boot camp, sponsored by Babson College, was well
attended by young startupers. ValueConnect facilitated
quality one-on-one networking sessions between
attendees and speakers of their choice. Innovation
Showcase, a high point at the conference, was styled in
TED and offered TiECON East attendees a preview of
exciting innovations. Witricity demonstrated their
wireless-power capabilities. Intuitive Automata featured
an endearing social robot that manages your weight-loss
regime. Holosonics tantalised the audience with the
promise of concurrent TV channels being watched by
family members in the same drawing room!
The afternoon healthcare keynote panel on "Disruptive
Innovation in Healthcare Technology” proved
interesting. Panelists from PatientsLikeMe,
Eliza Corp., Cisco and PatientKeeper offered
diverse perspectives on how information
technology is disrupting the business model
of healthcare industry and explored new areas
for innovation.
Ashraf Dahod, a pioneer in the telecom
industry, inspired the crowd by sharing his
experiences and challenges that he faced in his
Winning in a New Climate
A keynote plenary discussion "The NewAvatar" enlightened the audience on the
trends in the entrepreneurial frontier in India.
TiECON East 2010Empowers Attendees to Rejuvenate Economy
Attendees from various industries converged to Network, Innovate and Learn to be Winners in the NewClimate! reports.Kanchan Banerjee
JUNE '10 / 17
entrepreneurial trail as a founder of five successful
companies. Set in a Fireside chat format, the Co-founder
of Starent Networks was drawn into engaging
conversation by Sean Dalton of Highland Capital
Partners.
The evening also included the distribution of TyE-Global
25K Business Plan Competition awards for 2010. The
winning team was EnerLyze from TiE-Boston chapter
whose business idea was to develop a unique energy
demand management solution that would reduce
electricity costs by 40 per cent in residences.
"We were very delighted with the strong turnout at this
year's TiECON East. On behalf of TiE-Boston, we hope
that many others will join us at TiECON East in future as it
is a great opportunity to learn and network with thought
leaders and successful entrepreneurs," said Abhishek Jain,
TiECON East Chair.
On the lighter side, surprise-guest Sarah Palin's lookalike
Cecilia Thompson regaled the audience with familiar
Palinisms while, TiE-Boston's very own Charter Member,
Rajeev Aggarwal, lightened the mood further with his
comical punch lines, delivered with a poker face. The
conference concluded with casino games, dancing and
Indian music.
Bart Riley's comment, “Each time I attend TiECON East, I
am impressed by the capability and energy of the people I
meet and the quality of the event organised” captures the
mammoth effort and great team work needed to make the
conference a success year after year.
Innovative, in depth media coverage for the TIECON East
2010 event was provided by Moolex Media - a Moolex
business unit.
For more details visit http://events.moolex.com/tieconeast2010
The India Track at TiECON East 2010Conference was chaired by ShahanaBasu Kanodia, who also spoke on"Winning in a New Climate," at theConference. A prolific businesswoman,Shahana sets an example with herachievements in the business as wellas social spheres.
Shahana Basu Kanodia is a Partner at the Edwards Angell Palmer
& Dodge LLP's Business Law Department and the Chairman of
the South Asia Practice Group. Her practice areas include general
corporate matters with a focus on cross border business
transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures,
private equity and other strategic investments.
An alumnus of the Yale Law School, Shahana initiated her
practice with global law firms including the WilmerHale LLP,
Boston; Linklaters LLP, London; and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP,
New York. She has assisted myriad US and non-US acquirors,
sellers, private equity clients, target companies, financial
advisors and majority stockholders in a wide range of areas.
Shahana's work includes both domestic and cross-border
transactions.
In her career, she has received many awards and scholarships
including, amongst others, the Indian National Merit
Scholarship, the Cambridge-Nehru Scholarship, the prestigious
Percy Pemberton prize for the most distinguished first year
student in Trinity College, Cambridge University. Shahana was
also included in Strathmore's Who's Who Listing for
Professionals. Her merits as a woman of substance were
recognised through a nomination for India New England 2010
Woman of the Year, where she was one of the finalists.
Shahana's many social roles include: Executive Board Member,
Yale Law School Association and Steering Committee of the Yale
Law SchoolAssociation of Greater New England; participation in
Yale-India Initiatives; Member, Steering Committees,
International Law Section and the M&ACommittee of the Boston
Bar Association; Fellow, Cambridge Commonwealth Society in
England; former member, New England Finance and Steering
Committee for President Obama; Charter Member, The Indus
Entrepreneurs; Board Member, Community Dispute Settlement
Centre; Board Member, Children's Advocacy Centre, Suffolk
County; Advisory Board Member, The Loomba Foundation; and
Overseer, Peabody Essex Museum.
New Global Woman: Shahana Basu Kanodia
Trying to remove any doubts about the importance of
India in the US geo-political calculus, President Obama
broke the protocol and wisely attended the reception for
India's visiting foreign minister SM Krishna hosted by the
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Unlike the US-China
Strategic & Economic dialogue, where the US was trying
to balance China's military rise, this strategic dialogue
with India did not involve any peer competition, strategic
reassurance or strategic rivalry. Unlike the strategic
dialogue US had with Pakistan where the real dialogue
was between General Pervez Kayani and the US military
under closed doors with a
window dressing for the
world with Pakistan's civilian
masks; this dialogue was not
attended by General VK
Singh, India's Chief of Army
staff or the leaders of the USArmed Forces.
In reality, these were multidimensional talks between the
world's two largest democracies on 18 different subjects
ranging from world economy, climate change, clean
energy, health care, women's empowerment, higher
education, poverty reduction, counter-terrorism, high
technology, and of course on security issues including
Afghanistan. Keeping in view this multi-dimensional
range of dialogue, it would be really a misnomer to call
this special dialogue as merely “strategic”. It also creates
totally unnecessary but paranoid rumblings in both China
and Pakistan about the
n a t u r e o f I n d i a - U S
relationship if it is portrayed
as a strategic relationship
only.
Furthermore, there is a
realistic appraisal on both
the sides that the US and
India are not allies, just
partners. India does need
her own strategic autonomy
on the world stage and can
never become a “camp follower” of the US like Australia
or the UK. Nor would India agree to become a client state
of the US like Pakistan, Panama or Chile under General
Pinochet. The US policy establishment does realise this
important fact, albeit grudgingly, and respects India's
independent thinking now. The attempt on both sides is to
increase the areas of convergence in bilateral cooperation
and thinking while simultaneously reducing the areas of
bilateral divergence and consequently harmonise this
important bilateral relationship.
Since the nature of evolving partnership between these
two great nations is indeed of civilisational proportions, it
may be prudent to call this dialogue as “Civilisational and
Strategic Dialogue” (CSD) because the gamut of issues
involves saving this planet from global warming and the
overall survival of the whole human civilisation.
Civilisations go through cycles of ups and downs. While
India and China were the world leaders in science,
innovation and human advancement for several
thousands years, European nations and civilisations took
the ascendance in the post-renaissance phase. This role
had been taken up by the US in the 20th century. With a
newly re-emergent India becoming more self-confident
and self assertive and developing with a double digit
figure, India and US can take the joint leadership in
resolving civilisational conflicts and improving the lot of
human kind.
Those who intensely abhor diplomatic hyperbole may feel
more comfortable in characterising this special dialogue as
“Economic, Commercial & Strategic Dialogue” or ECSD.
In any case, the nature and the depth of this relationship
have not fully matured as yet. Ultimately, only the “Time”
will tell the reality and speak the truth. However, the word
“Strategic Dialogue” remains totally inadequate to
describe as far as what is happening in this bilateral
relationship which has been very aptly characterised as
US-India 3.0 by the Secretary of State Hillary.
Before the next round of this annual bilateral dialogue
takes place in New Delhi in year 2011, we need to change
the name from the terminologically inexact phrase
'Strategic Dialogue' to a more appropriate and factually
correct but indeed a mouthful epithet of 'Civilisational
and Strategic Dialogue' or CSD. We will indeed be wiser if
we change the name now rather than waiting for this
relationship to mature and then try to change the name.
Indeed, the names, like perceptions, do matter in
diplomacy.
The Broad
Mind
Dr Adityanjee is President, Council for Strategic Affairs, New
Delhi. This article has been reproduced from the blog
.
Furthermore, there is a realistic appraisalon both the sides that the US and India are
not allies, just partners.
The and Strategic DialogueCivilisationalIndia and the US just finished their first strategic dialogue at the Secretary of State and Foreign Minister level
from June 2nd to June 4th in Washington, DC. comments.Dr Adityanjee
EVENT
18 / JUNE '10
Keeping the world secure with a presence in over 27 countries
an
up
am
_cre
atio
ns@
red
iffma
il.co
m
With recognition & approval of the Medical Council of India.
1F, Raja S.C. Mullick RoadJadavpur, Kolkata- 700 032Phone: (033) 2429 8497Telefax: 91-33-2429 8496Website: www.thekpcgroup.com
STATE FOCUS
WEST BENGAL
The French bearded, suave, management educated
Leader of the Opposition and General Secretary of
Trinamool Congress (TMC) is full of scorn to the ruling
Left Front as he notes, “Come 2011 Assembly elections in
Bengal, the ruling leaders, who mocked at the first open
defiance of the government by the TMC leader Mamata
Banerjee in 2003, are now getting ready to sit in the
Opposition. The political wheel in the state has turned a
full cycle.”
The state has been on the throes of intense political battle
on the issue of industrialisation and land acquisition for
almost the full current tenure of the government. And,
rural and tribal discontent due to land alienation and
disruptive development has fuelled the spread of Maoist
organisation and violence in the country-side. “We do not
support violence to achieve
one's political objectives or
taking advantage of mass
poverty. To that extent, we are
opposed to Maoist tactics and
politics. But you cannot force
people out of their age-old
land and property and not
invite backlash.”
But then how do you solve the issue of land acquisition for
industrialisation? “Land should be taken through the
acceptance of those who sell, and by those who buy for
setting up industries. It cannot be acquired through
government coercion using draconian British time land
laws!”
The four year long National
President of National Institute of
Personnel Management, and a
former Group General Manager
o f A n d r e w Yu l e , Pa r t h a
Chatterjee, came full time into
politics from 2001. Having been
trained in UK on a British
Council scholarship, and having
received HR Award from various
p e r s o n n e l m a n a g e m e n t
organisations abroad, Chatterjee
focuses on the development-talk
more than the politicking so dear
t o t h e a v e r a g e B e n g a l i
intelligentsia.
“Our focus now in Kolkata is on
balancing environment and development creating
facilities which are necessary to attract people from
around the world, a la London. But, before we move on to
the bigger things in the city, the basics which the Left has
failed need to be ensured: drinking water to every part and
family in the city, effective education through municipal
schools, sewerage system upgraded combating water-
logging and implementing canal clearing for the ensuing
rainy season, and fully equipped health centres in each
ward,” notes Chatterjee. He cites the execution of Kolkata
Environment Improvement Project which was evolved
during the Left rule in the Corporation. The Kolkata
Corporation and the Salt Lake Municipality have gone
astoundingly to TMC in the just concluded local self
governing bodies elections in Bengal.
“The Corporation needs to transparent, efficient and
effective, with computerisation helping faster and hassle-
free services. Transportability needs to increase through
planning and rehabilitation of the affected people, while
special river-side and burning ghat beautification drive,
including burials, needs to be taken up under the Ganga
Action Plan,” says Chatterjee, a man with a long
administrative experience in the corporate world.
He also notes that the municipal act should be suitably
amended and a policy created to rebuild and rehabilitate
old buildings in Kolkata, maintaining their heritage value,
yet averting disaster.
Noting that even the state government itself has found
financial irregularities in the functioning of Left
Corporation earlier in Kolkata, Chatterjee puts on record
that there are critical audit observations which now would
be taken to their logical end through investigations, and
culprits punished.
VOICES
22 / JUNE '10
Our focus no w in Kolkata is on balancingenvironment and development creatingfacilities which are necessary to attract
people from around the world, a la London.
“We will realise the ever elusive dream of Sonar Bangla”Partha Chatterjee minces no words in getting back at the 34 year old Left Front government and leaves no dream untouched
while talking about the Kolkata he wants to help build, while talking to Prof Ujjwal K Chowdhury.
He strongly advocates rationalisation of taxes, re-
investigate and solve ownership issues of land and
controversies regarding allotment of land and flats in Salt
Lake and New Town. Vociferously opposing any new
taxes in the municipal bodies, he is in favour of
restructuring taxation otherwise, creating wealth and
thereby generate revenue for the local self governing
bodies to implement their development agenda.
Indeed, he is aware of the fact that the media and the
people will TMC for the state in 2011 polls partly on the
basis of their performance in pro-active governance in the
various municipal bodies they have just come to power,
especially in Kolkata and Salt Lake.
“For the elections of the state ahead, TMC will come out
with its vision of a new Bengal, which is development
oriented with one-window for all business clearances, and
which does not force an agenda on the people. Out of the
5548 MOUs signed for new industries over the last few
years of Left rule, only 23 per cent so far have got industrial
approval. What is the benefit to the economy then, other
than the hype of MOUs,” he questions.
The editor of the TMC organ and mouth-piece, Jaago
Bangla, which finds a million walls in Bengal every
morning, has taken up a series of training the new crop of
TMC leadership, as that of the newly elected local self
governing body representatives across the state.
“Bengal has no scarcity of multi-crop land, talented
people, rich culture, immense river-front, sea-front and
hillside tourism potentials, and developing infra-
structure. We need now the vision of corruption-free
participative development, and TMC with its slogan of
Maa Maati Maanush (development for the woman, nature
and people) will ensure this,” Chatterjee smiles and ends
on an ambitious note.
JUNE '10 / 23
INTERVIEW
24 / JUNE '10
How and to what extent tourism
has developed in West Bengal
over the period of last 10 years?
TVN Rao:What comprises the tourist mix:
international tourists or more of
Indians?
TVN Rao:
River tourism is an innovative approach taken by West
Bengal Tourism Development and is the first of its kind
in the country. Please share some aspects.
Tourism has always
been very rooted in the culture of
Bengal and people here love to
travel. Tourism has always been a
very important sector in the state of
West Bengal. In the last years, we
have witnessed 16 per cent percent
growth rate in tourism sector. It has
been recorded higher in every year
as compared to all India average in
this sector.
West Bengal has witnessed
tremendous growth in the last 4 to
5 years, this can be attributed to increase in budget
allocation for tourism and rigorous improvements in
policies. Also Government of
India is putting a lot of money
in ensuring infrastructure and
product development in the
state which has given a boost to
tourism industry not only in terms of arrivals but also in
terms of opening of new destinations. Chandan nagar,
Sunderban have witnessed growth in the number of
tourists as compared to previous years because
accessibility to these destinations
has improved.
Both. West Bengal stands
fifth in the country when it comes to
foreign arrivals and eighth when
we look at mix of international and
national tourists. Since last few
y e a r s h a v e s e e n m a j o r
developments happening across
the state, like construction of new
highways, it has become more
convenient for tourists to explore
destinations that were otherwise
not very heard of. In fact North Bengal has opened up
tremendously for exploration because of improved air
connectivity at Bagdogra. For example, Digha sees a huge
influx of foreign tourists because of development of
extensive roadways. Attributing to the factors mentioned,
last year West Bengal had 11 lakh international tourists
and 192 lakh Domestic arrivals.
River Tourism is one of the gems in thecrown. West Bengal Tourism Development
has taken initiative to launch 3 internationalstandard cruises on river Ganges.
TVN Rao, IFS, Managing Director of West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation Limited shares hisinsights and future projects for Incredible West Bengal with Interview excerpts…Vidisha Jha.
T ourism has always been very rootedin the culture of Bengal
JUNE '10 / 25
TVN Rao:
Which other aspects of tourism besides river tourism is
West Bengal Tourism Development focusing on?
TVN Rao:
How important is tourism
amongst all other sectors and
why?
TVN Rao:
River Tourism is one of the gems in the crown.
West Bengal Tourism Development has taken initiative to
launch 3 international standard cruises on river Ganges.
Approximately 25 crores have been invested to develop
infrastructure for river tourism. 8 to 9 crores have already
been spent in its development since last year. River Ganges
enters West Bengal through Farakka. From Farakka to its
merger in Bay of Bengal there are numerous interesting
places of historical importance. Banks of Ganges have
harbored most civilizations that took over India centuries
ago. Journey from Kolkata to Farakka encompasses a
glimpse of all these civilizations. Barrakpore which was
British army settlement once can be seen if one travels
upstream. Chandan nagar has a French colony. Towards
south, Sunderbans has the largest mangrove forest. So all
these can be promoted as heritage tourism, eco tourism,
water sports, forest tourism, and can be toured in matter of
few hours on a cruise on river Ganges. Infrastructural
developments have been planned for 11 destinations out
of which 2 have already been completed in Murshidabad
and Behrampur. There are 3 ships that have started sailing
and 3 more international cruises will be joining later this
year which is a terrific achievement because this is one of
its kind in India.
There are 3 to 4 circuits that we are
concentrating on when it comes to development of
tourism in the state. First, river tourism on which
exhaustive planning and finances have been put in.
Second, the province of Murshidabad has huge scope of
tourism development. It was the capital of most of the
Eastern states years ago when India was not independent.
Hence it is of historical importance and being in proximity
to Kolkata, we are planning to put it on the tourist
destination maps. West Bengal Tourism Development is
launching a 24 crore project in Murshidabad. Interesting
developments would also occur in Behrampur too. Also
we are looking at developing tourism towards the
gateway of North India in Jalpaiguri which is famous for
tea plantations. This project accounts for 21 crore
encompassing infrastructural developments and will be
soon open to explorers.
Tourism in West
Bengal is important because
there are many destinations
which haven't been explored and developed yet hold a
strong potential because of architectural or historical
marvels. For example, Bishnupur in Bankura district,
Maalda, Darjeeling are places which are still under
explored. West Bengal has very aggressive tourist policies.
Lots of subsidies are given to private hotels in the state,
heavy influx of tourists make it essential that tourism be an
important aspect to the earnings of the State.
In 2008, West Bengal Tourism Policy was relaunched
making it very aggressive when compared with other
States. Concepts like eco tourism, river tourism, forest
tourism have been brought in which were not known or
heard of earlier. Earlier the incentive policy of West Bengal
was not known, now it has come up sharply with
enormous support given to private industries. Our main
aim is to focus on infrastructure, destination development
and attract private investments for service sectors.
West Bengal stands fifth in the countrywhen it comes to foreign arrivals and
eighth when we look at mix of internationaland national tourists.
INTERVIEW
26 / JUNE '10
Rahul, let me congratulate you first on the success of The
Japanese Wife. We always tend to find you
experimenting with your characters and looks in every
films.
RB:
What goes on in your mind when you re-watch your
films?
RB:
As far as Japanese Wife, Antaheen are concerned, you
seem to be gradually strengthening your base as an actor
in the Bengali Film Industry, is this a conscious effort?
RB:
What is the significance of
awards and recognitions
to you?
R B :
From being a copywriter
in an ad agency to a film
actor, how had been the
journey?
RB:
With Pyar Ke Side Effects, Maan Gaye Mughal e- Azam,
we got a different shape of you, are you trying to come
off your angry look image?
RB:
You are yet to be seen in big banners at a time when it is
said that it is essential to have a big banner in kitty?
RB:
When you choose to be an actor, you are exposing
yourself to a million women fantasies and imaginations.
Does that female gaze bother you?
RB:
You are in Mumbai for a pretty long time now; do you
still retain the “Bangali ana” within you?
RB:
What makes you nostalgic about Kolkata?
RB:
Any 5 points that always give you a Home Connect
whenever you are in this City of Joy?
RB:
What are the forthcoming Bengali films of yours which
are in pipeline?
RB:
I never tried to deliberately experiment with the look
of the character. I certainly deliberately look for different
changes for roles.
A lot of things. Little bit of
shame at times of below par
scenes I have done. A little
regret for having gone lazy or
not questioning the director
enough. A little bit wisdom to
understand why I made
mistakes and finally a lit bit of
satisfaction for the stuff I have got it right.
Any strengthening of my base in Bengal is pure
chance. I am very fortunate that ever thing I have done has
been critically or commercially successful. I will always
continue to do Bengali
Cinema provided the
script is right.
A w a r d s a n d
recognitions are extremely
though not cri t ical ly
important to an actor. Any
actor who says awards
don't matter in lying. To be
recognized and admired
for your work is the dessert
after the main course.
Journey has been quiet
organic and smooth. I was
doing theatre while in ad
that resulted in my first film role in English. And things
went on from there.
I don't know if I have ever had angry look image. I
don't think I have a one kind of an image. Pyar Ke Side
Effects, Maan Gaye Mughal e- Azam are comedies. Fired,
Thakshak and Shaurya are thrillers. Mr & Mrs Iyer, Kuch
Love Jaise and Chameli are romantics. Rests are art house
movies.
No big banner will offer me the lead role. I believe it is
essential to have “big banners in kitty”, only if you want to
craft a career in main stream roles, that has never been my
priorities.
You must be joking. I don't believe even one woman
fantasies about me. But if she did and if she gazed at me it
wouldn't bother me, it would b wonderful!
I don't believe I had it. Mumbai is my home and has
been for 40years. Beside I am only half Bengali. My mother
was half Punjabi, half Maharashtrian.
I left Kolkata at the age of three. I have no memories of
the city. But I have grown to love it, its people, its pain, its
struggles, and its community spirit; be it in art or festivals.
I don't know about home connect, but Bengali food,
passion for sports, love for theatre and animated debate
are what I share in common with the city.
I am doing Africa with Aniruddha Roy Chaudhury.
This is third in his trilogy. Then I have Hindi films Kuch
Love Jaise. The multi-lingual film I Am, and bi-lingual
thriller Fired awaiting for release.
"I don't think I have any one kind of image.Pyar Ke Side Effects, Maan Gaye Mughal e-Azam are comedies. Fired, Thakshak andShaurya are thrillers. Mr & Mrs Iyer, KuchLove Jaise and Chameli are romantics."
“Any strengthening of my base in Bengal is pure chance”Rahul Bose speaks his heart out in an exclusive conversation with Swaha Chatterjee.
Kolkata - a city of contradictions. Decadent yet majestic,
outdated yet modern, a city of firsts and lasts, of bylanes
and flyovers, of the destitute and the opulent... The city
now is a symbol of vibrance and creativity with all the
modern amenities along with a leisurely life style and
enduring charm. Kolkata is now one of the fastest growing
metropolis in India and probably has the highest growth
rate in job generation. In addition to all, Kolkata has
consistently maintained a low crime record, thanks to the
Indian sequel of the Scotland Yard - Kolkata Police
Headquarters at Lalbazar.
Javed Shamim, Joint Commissioner, Kolkata Police speaks
about the law and order scenario of the city.
Law and order is under control, crime has considerably
reduced under several parameters, traffic conditions are
improving.
Kolkata is one of the rare cities which has not been the
target of terrorism, having said that we do not overlook the
prevention side of it. There are several key factors to it,
strict surveillance throughout the city. Intelligence inputs
and constantly trying to defuse any terror suspect. Special
task Force has been formed, and they have done quite an
commendable job. Combat Batallion is also in the pipeline.
But the credit does not go only to police and
administrative bodies, the people of Kolkata constantly
help us in thriving our mission of cracking any terror in the
city.
They also follow the law and order scenario of the city
like all of us, except one or two unprecedented instances,
Kolkata is by far the safest city as compared to its
counterparts. I would like to say them that Kolkata Police
is always on its toes to provide them safety, security in this
wonderful city of Kolkata.
Fortunately in this aspect Kolkata is the best. It has the
safest world record.
Abduction of women,
raping them in cabs
like other A or B Tier
cities is negligible
here. Local people
s h o u l d a l s o b e
commended for this,
social aspect and
psyche of the Bengali
mind plays a major
role in providing
safety to women in
Kolkata. However,
cases of heinous crime
like abduction, rape,
sexual abuse are
being dealt strictly. I would urge all not to hesitate to report
to police, in several cases we retain confidentiality and do
not even ask the name of the complainant. To report any
such case dial 033 22145000 round the clock.
This is perception of people. We work independently,
the testimony to which is the fact that two elections have
passed recently and the opposition have never
c o m p l a i n e d a b o u t o u r
functioning.
Police trainings are indeed rigorous, but at the time of
new entry. What is needed is sustaining the training
through years of service. We need sustainability of proper
training. Moreover, pot bellies persist due to certain other
factor - food habit.
We were never red in the first place. We followed the
rules and regulations set by the Constitution in parlance to
the Indian Penal Code, whether red, green, orange comes,
our functioning will be the same in accordance with law.
As the Jt. Commissioner of Police, what specific success
stories of Kolkata Police would you specify?
JS:
Constant threat to terrorism is pertinent everywhere, in
this perspective what measures Kolkata Police initiates
to ensure safety to fellow Kolkattans?
JS:
Non Resident Bengalis are looking closely at the gradual
development of law and order scenario, what message
would you like to convey to them?
JS:
What necessary measures are you taking to ensure safety
of working women on roads beyond 10 PM?
JS:
It is commonly said that the police is the psychophant of
the ruling party, how do you see this?
JS:
Do you think the police
training should be more
rigorous as pot bellies are
quite visible?
JS:
The red is turning to be green says the info-media, do
you think the police will also turn green? Or they will
remain red?
JS:
INTERVIEW
JUNE '10 / 27
Social aspect and psyc he of the Bengalimind plays a major role in providing safety
to women in Kolkata.
“Kolkata Police is always on its toes”Arnab Acharya converses with Javed Shamim, Joint Commissioner, Kolkata Police about law and order in the city, civicadministration and several other issues.
It has been 150 years since the birth of Rabindranath
Thakur (became popular as Tagore), a polymath being a
great poet, novelist, musician, and playwright at the same
time.
He was a patriot par excellence, though he expressed
strong views against the notion of 'nationalism', he
actively participated in the Swadeshi movement. He
wrote many patriotic songs which were inspiration to
many prominent freedom fighters during that time and
afterwards, and even was used in 1971 Bangladesh
liberation war.
He is the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in
Literature in 1913 He constantly refined and continued to
refine the consciousness of
people of India as well as
others around the world.
Shuman Sengupta, one of his
admirers has captured the
e s s e n c e o f t h e l i f e o f
Rabindranath in the following:
“Despite belonging to probably the most 'elite' family and
lineage of his time, Tagore used every fruitful moment of
his long creative life to understand, empathise with, and
defend the history, culture, and people of India. He had
deep-seated disdain and contempt for colonial rule and
rulers, although he had the highest regards for European
civilisation and culture.”
Bertrand Russell considered him as 'worthy of the highest
honour' and Ezra Pound, American poet, who was a major
figure of the Modernist movement in the first half of the
20th century in his tribute to Tagore said: “greater than any
of us.” Famous French scholar Romain Rolland
considered him as 'a
In 1915 Rabindranath was knighted by the British king
George V. He accepted it to prove that he was not a 'nigger'
(as Indians used to be called by the British) and was at par
with any Britisher. Later he renounced his knighthood in
1919 following the Amritsar massacre of 400 Indian
demonstrators by British troops.
Lot has been said about Rabindranath's thoughts on the
idea of Nationalism. According to the Webster's
dictionary, the meaning of the word Nationalism is:
'loyalty and devotion to a nation; especially : a sense of
national consciousness exalting one nation above all
others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its
culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations
or supranational groups.'
He felt that this notion of nationalism took birth in the
womb of the capitalist industrial revolution and it was an
“organisation of politics and commerce”, which brought
“harvests of wealth” or “carnivals of materialism”, by
allowing the tentacles of materialism to spread in the form
of greed, selfishness, power and prosperity but at the cost
of 'the moral man, the complete man… to make room for
the political and commercial man, the man of limited
purpose' He felt that it is 'the organised self-interest of a
people, where it is least human and least spiritual' by
hurting the moral balance of man by 'obscuring his human
side under the shadow of soul-less organisation'.
He never played the 'super-nation' sentiments, yet
presented India's unique historical role in the past and for
future in very clear terms. Tagore may have been against
the idea of the English word 'Nationalism' but he was
.
moral guide of the independent spirits of
Europe and India' .
REMINISCENCE
28 / JUNE '10
Tagore may have been against the idea ofthe English word 'Nationalism' but he was
definitely a staunch promoter andsupporter of Indian-ness and Indian nation.
Rabindranath's Vision for the World and IndiaHaimanti Banerjee remembers the Nobel laureate whose contribution to literature and thoughts resonates till date
in the Bengali and Indian identity.
definitely a staunch promoter and supporter of Indian-
ness and Indian nation. Nationalism in those days became
a dirty word because of Japan and German situations, that
is one thing but if love for one's country , its history,
heritage, ideals and people can also be a form of
nationalism then he was a great nationalist.
Though many point to his novel as
a clear opposition to the idea of'nationalism many of his
poems and writings appear to contradict that notion. Here
are some examples of his devotion for his motherland: 'O
Amar desher maati, tomar paey thekai matha" [Oh the soil
of my land, I bow down to your feet]. One cannot ignore
the fact that no matter how universal one is, charity begins
at home. His feelings about India and Bengal did not differ
from the age old tradition of India:
' (the mother and the
motherland are more sacred than heaven.)
Here is his description of Bharat in his famous poem
: '
(Oh my heart and
mind please awaken little by little at this shore of the ocean
of great humanity, in this sacred place of pilgrimage called
Bharat) - is one of the best. Another famous one is
('O the soil of my
country, on your feet I rest my head')
This was his ideal for Bharat, his motherland:
He had composed the music for himself
and sang in 1896 at the Calcutta Congress Session. He
said: ' ! These are the magic words which
will open the door of his iron safe, break through the walls
of his strong room, and confound the hearts of those who
are disloyal to its call to say .'
If one reads his poems in the compilation called
'Naibedya', will have no doubt about his faith and
conviction for the India of the ages.
One may think now that what he has said about
Nationalism and what he expressed about his motherland
appears to be contradictory. Is it possible that he knew
India's past and future roles in making of an advanced
civilisation and seeing the behaviour of certain 'Nations' of
his time, he felt that the new concepts of nationalism were
trampling down his vision of the world, espoused by India
since ages? He not only objected to the notion of ultra-
nationalism of other countries, but also he did not want to
mimic the West's ideologies and become one of them. He
warned: “We, in India, must make up our minds that we
cannot borrow other people's history, and that if we stifle
our own we are committing suicide. When you borrow
things that do not belong to
your life, they only serve to
crush your life… I believe that
it does India no good to
c o m p e t e w i t h We s t e r n
civilisation in its own field…
India is no beggar of the
West.”(Soares 106)
In the final judgment, through his efforts to articulate the
'ideals' of ancient India for the modern days, opposing
supremacist and separatist ideologies including rabid
nationalism of his time, he influenced the top political
leaders of India, including Gandhiji and Pandit Nehru. It
gave birth to a unique type of nationalism which is not
supremacist, but accommodating all, an all inclusive
vision as opposed to an exclusivist racist view of forces of
his time. His nationalism sought not just political liberty
for the Nation but equal rights for all its citizens. His
world-view was 'Unity in Diversity', as opposed to a
homogeneous race, or the melting pot of a supreme tribe.
His vision for a new world after the end of colonialism
expanded beyond the borders of India and he promoted
the idea to forge a new world with equal relations with all
the countries and the people of the world.
In 1905, when the partition of
Bengal was slated by the British,
Rabindranath spoke
out against it composing a highly inspiring poem:
(May the soil, the water and the air of Bengal
be hallowed ... ) Tagore himself led people on the streets,
singing the song and tying Rakhi on each other's wrists.
His heart's best outpouring for Bengal became immortal in
his song .. (Oh my
golden Bengal, I love you), is now the National Anthem of
Bangladesh.
The Home and the World
'Janani
Janmabhoomischa Swargadapi Gariasi
Bharat Tirtha Hey mor chitto punyo tirthey jago re dheere/ Ei
bharoter mohamanober shagoro tirey'
'O amar
desher maati, tomar pore thekai matha'
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by
narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the
dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening
thought and action--
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
Vande Mataram
it
Vande Mataram
Vande Mataram
Banglar
mati Banglar jal, Banglar bayu, banglar phal, punya houk, hey
Bhagaban…
Amar sonar Bangla, ami tomay bhalo basi
Since this issue is dedicated for Bengal, it is worth
reminding the readers of not only his tremendous love
and contributions to the Indian nation, but also his love for
Bengal was boundless.
was observed as a day of
mourning; there was a mass-scale fasting by the people
and no food was cooked on that day.
Thus he has the unique distinction to be the
writer and composer of National anthem of two countries.
JUNE '10 / 29
His vision for a new world after the end ofcolonialism expanded beyond the borders
of India and he promoted the idea to forge anew world with equal relations with all the
countries and the people of the world.
REMINISCENCE
30 / JUNE '10
“It is man and man alone, who creates history. Despite
many crest and thrusts, people will finally emerge
victorious and go in freedom in a classless society, free
from exploitation of any form.”- JYOTI BASU
An ardent believer of Marxism-Leninism, Jyoti Basu lived
with many controversies during his long and astute
political career. He had the
traits and tact of a charismatic
leader and administrator from
his youth. His seamless
endeavour in establishing an
imper i shab le par ty, h i s
political insight, and the years
of his work geared towards winning the hearts of the
proletariat, made him emerge as a distinguished and an
esteemed political figure. He is an icon for many, and most
respected communist leader in the country for the
dedication to the Party for which he worked until his final
years.
When communism was withering away from the world,
including from Russia and China, his work and
contribution created a unique communist era in India
within the framework of a democratic system. Many
think that a semi capitalistic system that China is
following today, was first introduced in India by Jyoti
Basu. Significantly, Jyoti Basu as a bureaucrat led from the
front. Although an advocate of Marxism-Leninism, he
was never assertive of the communist ideologies. He was
receptive to new ideas brought forth by party members
and accepted them with open arms. He had profound
conviction in himself and his ways, which is why
politicians and dignitaries from all quarters turned to him
for advice.
A committed administrator and an eternal political
figure, Jyotirindra Basu (Jyoti Basu) made history, being
the longest-serving Chief Minister for any Indian state
when he reigned inWest Bengal from 1977 to 2000.
He was born on July 8, 1914 in the city of Kolkata
(erstwhile Calcutta). The decisive years of his life started
when he flew to London to pursue Law, after graduating
in English Honours from Presidency College (under
University of Calcutta). Here he was familiarised with
politics and Marxism through the Communist Party of
Great Britain. Qualified as a Barrister at Middle Temple in
1940, the same year he returned to India, and soon after
became a member of Communist Party of India (CPI). In
1944, he heartily joined the Bengal Workers' Union, and
thereafter became the General Secretary when BD Rail
Road Workers' Union and BN Railway Workers' Union
united.
Basu put his first foot forward into the arena of politics, by
associating himself with Indian students in UK, inciting
them to fight for the cause of India's Independence.
Consequently, he joined the India League and London
Majlis, both institutions being communities of Indian
students abroad having the same agenda. Subsequently,
he expressed his desire to become a member of the
Communist Party of Great Britain, but was dissuaded, by
the then Secretary General Harry Pollitt, on grounds that it
was an illegal party in India, and joining it could prove
troublesome for him, Basu returned to India immediately.
In 1943, the first lawful conference of CPI took place,
where Basu was selected as the Provincial Committee
On June 21, 1977, Jyoti Basu presided asthe Chief Minister of West Bengal, and
retained 'the chair' for 23 years in a row.
Mugdha Kapoor remembers Jyoti Basu,the face of Communism in India for many a decade.
Remembering the Leader
JUNE '10 / 31
Organiser. In the fourth state conference of the Party, he
was elected to the Provincial Committee.
In 1946, Basu contested the Bengal Legislative Assembly
elections from the Railway Constituency that comprised
BN Railway, (except Assam), and attained the seat. He
continued as secretary of the West Bengal Provincial
Committee of the Party from 1953 to January 1961. He was
elated to the Central Committee of the Party in 1950; he
renounced in December but rejoined in April 1951. His
successes continued in the following years until he was
overthrown in the spontaneous ballot held in the year
1972. He formed the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
in 1964, and three years later in 1967 was assigned as the
Deputy Chief Minister under the reign of coalition
government in Bengal. On June 21, 1977, Jyoti Basu
presided as the Chief Minister of West Bengal, and
retained 'the chair' for consecutively 23 years in a row.
In 1996, his political vocation was at its pinnacle, for he was
predictably one of the strongest contenders for the post of
Prime Minister, but had to give it a miss because of his
Party's veto. Extremely disheartened at his Party's
pronouncement, he later referred to it as a 'historic
blunder'. Basu relinquished as Chief Minister of West
Bengal in 2000, due to reasons concerning his health.
The 18th convention of CPI (M), held in 2005, re-elected
Basu to its Politburo. On September 2006, Basu's petition
to permit his retirement owing to his age was rejected.
Until April 2008, he remained a member of the Politburo,
after which he continued as member of Central Committee
and was nominated as a Special Invitee to the Politburo.
In this tenure, he and his party were also accused of
betraying the cause of Indian Independence movement
and espousing 'world communism', instead of serving his
countrymen, bringing in politics of violence and 'bandh'
thus causing the fall of West Bengal's leadership in
industry and education in India. He had led five
successive Left Front governments, based on resolute
principles that he defended all through his life. An
enigmatic leader, and a pragmatic Marxist, Basu
continued not only to direct and assist the Left Front in its
actions, but also was an aide to the Prime Minister and
others luminaries who came to seek his knowledge of
politics. Therefore, he earned reverence not only as a
Communist but also as a national advisory.
On January 1, 2010, Jyoti Basu was admitted to AMRI
hospital, where he was diagnosed with pneumonia. At the
age of 95, he failed to combat his illness and after sixteen
days of being in distress, he died of multiple organ failure
on January 17, 2010. The masses looked up in awe at his
compelling persona, and did not miss the opportunity to
give his gift to the people even
after his death by donating his
body and eyes for research, as
he had vouched at an occasion
arranged by Ganadarpan and
S u s r u t E ye F o u n d a t i o n
Kolkata.
After his demise, eminent political figures led by the
President of India Pratibha Patil and the Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh, mourned the death of this political
legend. People of West Bengal came out in large numbers
to pay homage and exhibit their grief on losing their
'political role model'.
He will be remembered as one who lived his life serving
the people of West Bengal through his witty and
intelligent politics, and who contributed significantly to
help his party to take away the power of the rich and
entrenched upper class and allow the poor to exert their
political rights through democracy.
In 1996, his political vocation was at itspinnacle, for he was predictably one of thestrongest contenders for the post of PrimeMinister, but had to give it a miss because
of his Party's veto.
32 / JUNE '10
Kolkata is a land that boasts of revolutionary history,
melodious music, noted personalities that made the world
aware of an intellectual and enriching culture cozily
resting on the east coast of India. In 1690, Job Charnok, an
agent of the East India Company chose this place for a
British trade settlement because of the protected
geographical location that it offered. Surrounded by
Hoogly River on the west, a
creek to the north and by salt
lakes about two and a half
miles to the east, made it a
perfect base for Britishers. In
1772, the then Calcutta was
made the capital of British India and the 'city of joy'
enjoyed this status till 1912 when Delhi was declared as the
capital of India. In 1947, when India became independent,
Calcutta was included in the Indian part of Bengal, West
Bengal becoming the capital city of the state of West
Bengal.
The city wraps within itself diversified cultural heritage
and significance. Every street murmurs of literary and
artistic thoughts through 'Para' representing strong sense
of community amongst the Kolkatans or 'adda' or 'theatre'
culture which is unique to this land. The 'adda' culture is a
gateway to the rich and vibrant culture of this city and is an
intrinsic part of each 'para'. People from one particular
'para' indulge in informal yet intellectual discussions over
current issues or exchange of ideas at the tea shops or
porches late evening after work. Paras in North Kolkata
typically have more street life at late nights with respect to
those in South Kolkata.
Another tradition unique to Kolkata soil is 'Jatra' or folk-
theatres with epic four hour long plays featuring loud
music, harsh lighting and dramatic props played on giant
outdoor stages. The city has a tradition of theatres and
theatre groups churning out world renowned theatrics
personalities including Ajitesh Bondhopadhya, Utpal
Dutta, Rudraprasad Sengupta and Shambhu Mitra. Like
Mumbai is the capital for commercial films, Kolkata is for
art films. Satyajit Ray is a name beyond comparison and
many of his work in art cinema won him 'Lifetime
AchievementAward' at the Oscar. The city is also noted for
its appreciation of Indian classical music and the rich
literary tradition set by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay,
Rabindranath Tagore, Jibanananda Das, Kazi Nazrul
Islam, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Tarashankar
Bandopadhyay, Samaresh Basu , Sh i rshendu
Mukhopadhyay, Buddhadev Guha and Sunil
The 'adda' culture is a gateway to the richand vibrant culture of Kolkata and is an
intrinsic part of each 'para'.
The Cultural Capital of India
Vidisha Jha unravels the enigma of the erstwhile capital of India, which still holds a place of pride in thecultural fabric of the country.
The Cultural Capital of India
CITYSCAPE
JUNE '10 / 33
Gangopadhyay among others.
The twin cities of Kolkata (changed from Calcutta in the
year 2001), and Howrah, were separated by the River
Hooghly, and shared a common historical linkage towards
the eventual construction of the Rabindra Setu, more
commonly known as Howrah bridge. While Kolkata, from
a small sleeping hamlet of artisans and mercantile
community eventually developed as a commercial hub of
a modern metropolitan city, Howrah (virtually the store
house of raw material resources) became its industrial
satellite. The New Howrah Bridge, which in itself is a
structural marvel, is of immense heritage value. True to
Joseph Jonhert's observation, “The monuments are the
grappling irons that bind one generation to another”. The
Howrah Bridge stands strong since it was commissioned
in February 1943 when it was named 'Rabindra Setu'. It is
the fourth cantilever bridge in the world measuring 650
meters in length and is considered one of the technological
wonders of the world. The roadway beyond the towers is
supported on ground leaving anchor arm free from deck
loads and often it is said to be the 'Gateway of Kolkata'
being the oldest yet the busiest road of the city.
With the phenomenal increase in city traffic and to
partially release the pressures of the Rabinda Setu, the
largest cable stayed bridge (in Asia) over the River
Hooghly was constructed and christened as 'Vidyasagar
Setu' , after the country's greatest educationist-reformer
and freedom fighter, Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidya Sagar.
The Bridge was commissioned in the year 1992.
The city is flanked by colonial buildings representing the
Gothic, Baroque, Roman, Oriental and Indo Islamic
architecture and it only make it evident of the glorious
past that Kolkata must have witnessed harboring these
civilisations. The Indian Museum, established in 1841,
showcases a vast antique collection of art from ancient
Indian history. The Victoria memorial hall, one of the
famous tourist spots in the city depicts the British culture;
The National Library which is
one of the leading public
libraries in the country reveals
the indigenous culture.
The city of joy comes alive
during Durga Puja, the festival which gives a familiar tug
to every Bengali heart. This festival is celebrated during
October/November when Shakti or the
Divine Power is worshipped for 10 days
and is a time for Bengalis all over the
world to reconnect to their heart's
content with all the family and friends.
The spirit and the look of Kolkata during
Durga Puja is truly an unforgettable
experience.
Kolkata is a collage of English imperial
culture and traditional Bengali way of life
with an essence of elements of modern
metropolis, offering new and pristine
experience every time one visits the city.
From the visit to Mother Teresa's
Missionaries of Charity or Nirmal Hriday
to a ride in the tramline which is unique
only to this city, the delights and surprises
at each stage of the journey will only leave
one intrigued to find out more.
The New Howrah Bridge, which in itself is astructural marvel, is of immense heritage
value.
A view of Howrah bridge
As if in defiance to a changing world, the tram still runs on Kolkata roads
CITYSCAPE
34 / JUNE '10
If streets had faces like us humans, would they grow from
young to middle-aged to old? Would they perish like do
those who tread upon them?
In the hot middle of the year, after finally getting over the
business of climbing a seemingly-endless flight of stairs at
the Metro station, you find yourself at Central. But like
everything else, the place is not the same as it was an epoch
ago. The age and time I'm
speaking of, was a time when
my grandfather went to
college, sharing a rented room
with other young men on
Bhabani Datta Lane, or of the
relatively recent era when my
parents frequented the place.
This is Post-Colonialism Calcutta nay, Kolkata (somehow,
that name nomenclatured by the British has charms of its
own, which are not easy to ignore). In our desperation to
get rid of the 'Colonialism' tag, we have found a way. I say
'we', simply because, isn't it our collective responsibility, at
the end of the day? Well, the way is Non-Cooperation. The
Medical College once had marble stairs; decades of
meticulous neglect have performed a remarkable, almost-
reverse-alchemism, changing marble to something worse
than coarse stone and broken concrete. The Morgue is
fuller than the hospital wards, and there's the acid-odour
of urine and a lot of rotting smell to greet you.
I am taking you through the campus of the Medical
College, since this one's a short-cut, compared to coming
to College Street via Colootola Lane.
Before you come to College Street proper, and are lost in
the maze of myriad subjects Literature, Medicine,
Engineering, Geography, AIEEE, JEE, IIT-JEE, ICSE,
CBSE, NIOS, Madhyamik, you will need some
replenishment of energy… Yes, that's Calcutta University;
we shall come here presently. But first, let us cross this
road.
You can see on a yellow board: 'Surya Sen Street'. My
forefathers (no, they aren't T-rexes) knew it to be
Mirzapore Street. The street we are walking upon, is
wider, more congested than the street that I've heard of in
their stories. It is jam-packed with shops on the
pavements, pedestrians on the road, sharing survival
space with vehicles.
There are tiny shops selling everything from hairpains to
cell-phone covers and files. This surely wasn't the picture a
few decades back.
Anyone who has been to College Street knows the allure of
this century-old (sweetmeats shop). No,
they don't sell their notoriously-famous dhaakai-porota
anymore. But their kochoori-chholar daal are magnetic,
Protesting whom?
A slight detour
Putiram Modak
mishtir dokaan
The Medical College once had marblestairs; decades of meticulous neglect haveperformed a remarkable, almost-reverse-alchemism, changing marble to something
worse than coarse stone and brokenconcrete.
Walking down the College StreetArnab Acharya travels back in time to unveil the charms of one of the most walked-upon lanes in the city of Kolkata.
Though much has changed over the post-Independence decades, the Street still tells tales of alluring times.
Presidency College gate is the destination for many
Despite scorching heat, College Street is the place for book lovers
JUNE '10 / 35
enough to pull you there. Those, of course, who have seen
better days, find cause to complain about the deteriorating
quality, but not we. The chhaanaar pora captivates and
holds us in ecstasy.
You walk a bit more 'Kalika' famous through the ages for
its variety of telebhajas, mangshor chop, chingrir chop,
bhetkir chop, mochar chop, beguni, aloor chop each bite a
tram ride into el paradiso. Just as you are about to get
inspired by the Poetic Muse, and are on the verge of
composing a 'Paradise Re-regained', a man with an
umbrella, in his satanically maniac rush, pushes you,
leaving you to salvage your beguni from the apparent fall.
Round this off with a yummy, though not spitefully
healthy, glass of daaber shorbot from 'Paramount'.
Though fallen from past glory, the places I'm talking about
are visited and revisited with religious regularity by the
food-lovers of the city.
CU stands tall; no, it is not an imperialist educational
institute anymore. In fact, today's examinees, sitting for
their year-end graduation exams are
best described as gamblers. The
t r a n s p a r e n t o p a q u e n e s s o f
examinations is not an oxymoron
here, but a reality.
And to know, St Stephen's (oh, yes,
the hallowed college of Delhi, the best
in the nation) too was once under this
university, you feel a bit proud, curse
DU, then curse CU back again.
Calcutta University, shortened to CU,
is shortened in more aspects than just
name. The curriculum is dinosauric;
the extra-curriculum is politics.
Fair enough. No other comment shall be 'politically
correct'.
Presidency boasts of a 'rich and varied heritage' with the
likes of Netaji and Amartya Sen as alumni and Derozio
and others as teachers. The canteen contains more smoke
than food. Everyone is
smoking cigarettes (Health
Ministry be damned!), or
worse stuff than that. That's
liberalism. Liberalism is not
about getting rid of age-old
dogmas, it's not about looking
beneath the skin, it is not about a liberal mindset.
Liberalism is a wonderful . If you have
experienced the ecstasy that LSD gives, if you have been
on hashish or marijuana, or better home, bhang and siddhi
oh, you are such a liberalist!
Liberalism is about not
frowning, if you're spending
your free periods as well as
pass-subject periods in the
canteen , but frowning
ferociously if you're missing
a class or two a week, since
you've got a month-long
workshop to attend. It's the
very system that's botched.
There's no easy solution out
of it.
The entire College Street is lined with bookstalls that sell
more guide books than text books. It is a commercialised,
easy guide to Success Road. The houses on Bhabani Dutta
Lane that have seen centuries, are now dilapidated.
Bookstalls choke the street, and it smells terribly. It was a
residential area, once upon a time.
However, as you sit in the 'Coffee
House', waiting for your fish-
kabiraji and coffee to arrive
sometime in the next 1 hour 20
minutes, after which you have a
class with your HOD, and the ceiling
fans whirr from the ceiling where
the plaster is chipping off, you can't
help feeling like a part of history.
That's the old charm, the magic of
C o l l e g e S t r e e t : u n t o u c h e d ,
unhampered, even through the
generations …
Back to College Street
Hare School and Presidency College
A slice of history
shamiana
Those, of course, who have seen betterdays, find cause to complain about thedeteriorating quality, but not we. The
chhaanaar pora captivates and holds us inecstasy.
One of the many tiny bookshops lining College Street
Coffee House er shei adda ta aaj aar nei
Fresh lime water - a saviour during summers in Kokata
CITY SCAPE
36 / JUNE '10
The city of joy has grown into a sprawling metropolitan
complex and a principal centre for trade & commerce in
Eastern India. Kolkata was formed with the coalition of
three villages, namely, Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata
in 1690. The population has increased from 7 million to 14
million in the last three decades, alongwith the expansion
of the city and progressive industrialisation of the areas on
both sides of the Hooghly river.
The transport problem of Kolkata was an aggravating
concern post-independence. Dr B C Roy, the then Chief
Minister of West Bengal, came up with the idea in 1949, of
building an underground
railway for Kolkata. To soothe
the commuting Kolkatans, the
Metropolitan Transport Project
was set up in 1969. After an
extensive survey, the north-
south axis between Dum Dum & Tollygunge (total length:
16.45km+) was given priority. The project was sanctioned
by June 1, 1972 and the foundation stone laid by Smt.
Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, on
December 29, 1972. The construction initiated in 1973-74
and Calcutta Metro was realized on October 24, 1984. The
first phase was inaugrated with partial commercial service
covering a distance of 3.40km and 5 stations between
Esplanade and Bhawanipur. Other sections were opened
in phases over a period of 11 years between 1984 and 1995.
Eventually, the entire length from Dum Dum to
Tollygunge was thrown open to the public on September
27, 1995.
An extension of the metro rails beyond Tollygunge station
(now, Mahanayak Uttam Kumar) to New Garia is
currently in progress. This 8.7km project was first briefed
in 1999-2000, and is estimated to cost a whooping 1032
crores. The major part of this project will include the
construction on an elevated structure and the alignment,
which will run along Tolly's Nullah. Six stations will fall
enroute, thus bringing South 24 Paraganas District closer
to Kolkata's Central Business area and reduce enormous
pressure on other modes of transportation.
The Metro Railway Kolkata is introducing 13 new air-
conditioned rakes from Integral Coach Factory, Perambur
to further delight its commuters. Though an approval by
the RDSO (Research Design & Standard Organization) in
order to ply them in the city is yet to be acquired. These
rakes, two of which are expected to arrive by September,
2010, will run on a trial-basis within the coming months.
"Currently, 213 trains run every day in intervals of 6 min.
(during peak hours) and around 5 lakh people commute
by the Kolkata Metro Rails everyday after the extension to
Garia has been made," added R.N. Mahapatra, CPRO,
Kolkata Metro Railways. "The rates of the tickets will
fluctuate as the coaches will furnish added-comfort, direct
system of conversation between the passengers and the
driver, and air conditioned coaches with electronic door
systems. Also, improved microprocessor brakes will be
installed which will be jerk free with air spring
suspensions."
The First Metro of India
Good News for Kolkatans
Future Highlights
An extension of the metro rails beyondTollygunge station (now, Mahanayak Uttam
Kumar) to New Garia is currently inprogress.
Connecting KolkatansKartik Sinha Nikita Dhanukaand unentangle rail lines and plans of the mighty Kolkata Metro Railway Corporation (KMRC).
JUNE '10 / 37
The Metro Railway is coming up with many new projects
like:
Dum Dum to New Garia; length 25.23km; cost Rs. 2750
Crore; services in operation in 22.7km, balance 2.8km
to be commissioned.
Dum Dum to New Garia (via Sector V & Rajarhat);
length 32km; cost Rs. 3952 Crore; the project has been
sanctioned and is being executed by RVNL.
Joka to BBD Bag; length 16.75km; cost Rs. 2619 Crore;
sanctioned and executed by RVNL.
Noapara to Barasat (via Airport); length 18km; cost Rs.
2581.6 Crore; Tenders invited, awaiting sanction of
Estimate.
Dum Dum-Barrackpore-Dakshineshwar (via
Baranagar); length 19.7km; cost Rs. 2380 Crore;
sanctioned up to Noapara with Rlys, rest with RVNL.
With the end of the first decade of the 21 century, Metro
train projects are set to enter a new phase in Kolkata. The
Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC), a joint venture
between the West Bengal Government and the Union
Urban Development Ministry, is executing the Howrah -
Sector V corridor of the city's metro railway system. The
project comprises a 5.70km-long elevated section and an
8km-long underground segment, which together will
connect Kolkata's IT hub Salt Lake Sector V to Howrah
Maidan.
This East-West link (via Writer's Building) will be a part of
a 13.77km-long corridor and will be constructed at a cost of
Rs.4676.40 Crore in two phases in which 55 per cent of the
cost will be borne by the Centre and the West Bengal
Government; the remaining 45 per cent will be raised
through a debt from the Japanese Bank of International
Cooperation (JBIC). Afcons Infrastructure Ltd, the
infrastructure arm of Shapoorji Pallonji Group, in joint
venture with a Russian company named Transtonnel stroy
Ltd have bagged a Rs. 938 Crore project for design and
construction of the underground Metro segment from
Howrah Maidan station to Central Station. Part of the
project includes making a link, 20 meters below the
Hooghly River, designing and construction of three
underground stations and an approximate 3km of twin
bored tunnel, of which 520 meters is under the river.
Another underground section from Subhas Sarobar to
Central Metro station will be constructed by an Italian-
Thai Development Public Ltd Company (ITD
Cementation Ltd), at a cost of Rs. 909 Crore. The remaining
portion will be above the ground whose designing and
construction is under Gammon. Another, Simplex is
taking care of via-duct and elevated stations. Gammon has
s t a r t e d t h e
construction of the
elevated portion and
i s e x p e c t e d t o
complete by October,
2013. However, the
underground portion
which was expected to
c o m p l e t e b y
December 2014 has
now gotten delayed
by a year, according to
o u r s o u r c e s . F o r
c o n s t r u c t i n g t h e
elevated portion, trees
were cut down and the
environment of Bidhan Nagar (a planned locality) was
disturbed. Athough, the KMRC people have assured that
for every tree being cut, they are planting two in return in
the same locality so as to balance the eco-system.
Requires 1/5 of energy per passenger for every km as
compared to road-based transport system
Causes less noise, reduced air pollution, hence an eco-
friendly transport system
Occupies no road space if underground and only
about 2.60 mtrs. width of the road, if elevated
More reliable, comfortable and safer than road based
transport systems
Lesser time required to cover more distance
It is being planned to terminate intercity buses to city
outskirts. Taxi/shared rickshaws will be regulated on
certain roads to avoid congestion on road. Parking fees
will be effectuated on certain roads with public parking at
major metro stations. Feeder bus services will be provided
to most of the Metro stations. And to justify this, it was
informed that a shuttle bus
operation will be run all along
the corridors of B.B.D. Bag,
every 15 minutes on free-of-
cost basis. At last, the planning
of a common ticketing system
for existing N-S Metro,
proposed E-W Metro & feeder
buses has begun. The suggested fare structure for the E-W
corridor metro will start from Rs. 8 and will max to Rs. 16,
which will be definitely on the higher side as compared to
the N-S metro and the Govt. Bus Service where the fare
starts from Rs. 4. But the benefits of using KMRC is
undeniably crystal-clear.
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
The much awaited East-West corridor
Advantages of the Kolkata Metro Rail
Benefits for Kolkatans
st
th
The Kolkata Metro Railway Corporation(KMRC) people have assured that for every
tree being cut, they are planting two inreturn in the same locality so as to balance
the eco-system.
CULTURE
38 / JUNE '10
On October 2, 1972, on completion of
hundred years of Bengali stage, a band of
theatre loving youth had a view to
cultivate, learn, promote and of course to
uphold the true spirit of theatre. They
formed themselves into a drama unit
under the leadership of Sushanta
Bandyopadhyay in the name of Nat-
Ranga and thus became a part of the
group theatre movement of the time. It
was the golden era of the Group Theatre
movement with stalwarts like Shambhu
Mitra, Ajitesh Bandyopadhyay, Utpal
Dutta, Manoj Mitra, Badal Sarkar, Bibhash
Chakraborty and others at their very best
in this field. Nat-Ranga joined this
movement with the directorial guidance
of Sushanta Bandyopadhyay and marked
their presence through three one-act
plays: by Prabodh Chandra
G h o s h , b y A m a r
Gangopadhyay and by
Banaphool. Within a short span of time
these productions started adding feathers
to the cap of the organisation as numerous
awards came on its way from different
National and State level theatre competitions. Among
those the awards for the Best Production, Best Direction
and Best Acting for the play
in the Akhil Bharatiya
Laghu Natak Pratiyogita
organised at Allahabad by
Allahabad Natya Sangha
created a milestone in the
history of the organisation.
Then a number of productions came which were highly
appreciated and praised by the theatre lovers of the
country. Productions like by Tulsi Lahiri,
by Badal Sarkar, by Soumitra
Chattopadhyay, etc, received overwhelming appreciation.
With this solid theatre experience behind him, Sushanta
Bandyopadhyay, a follower of Sisir Bhadury's school of
acting and an associate of Habib Tanvir, took up the
challenge to stage two of the most acclaimed productions:
by Dinabandhu Mitra and
by Shirsendu Mukhopadhyay (dramatised by
Amar Gangopadhyay). These two productions rocked the
Bengali stage for a span of more than 5 years and are still
well talked about by the theatre critics of the country.
Numerous awards and appreciations by the press thus
made Nat-Ranga a distinct name in the Kolkata group
theatre scenario.
Expectation level of theatre lovers reached the peak with
those productions and subsequently experimental plays
like by Syed Mustafa Siraj (dramatised by Amar
Gangopadhyay), by Kallol Chakraborty, etc was
staged. Also other plays like by Manoj
Mitra, by Bibhuti Bhushan Mukhopadhyay,
by Manoj Chattopadhyay, by
Mukhosh
N i s h i r D a a k
Kabayah
Kabayah
Bhitti Kabi Kahini
Bidhi O Byatikrom
Sadhabar Ekadoshi Fazal Ali
Aaschay
Khadda
Dibanishi
Bekar Bidyalankar
Keyakunja
Ratikanto Daroga Graash
Nat-Ranga had the honour to host the firstever web magazine on Bengali theatrewhich was launched on the millennium
night.
Keeping Theatre aliveVidisha Jha gets behind the sets to know thethree decades old theatre group, whichcontinues to contribute to the Bengali stage.
JUNE '10 / 39
Shyamal Ghosh, etc, were staged in between.
Then a vital moment came in the history of the
organisation. It was a bold step in the world of Tagore's
plays. In the year 1989, Nat-Ranga staged by
Rabindranath Tagore. The colossal stagecraft with more
than 70 artists and technicians performing hand in hand,
lifted the spirit of the drama to great heights. Research
oriented scheming, with usage of music and appropriate
dialects, sound and light effects, highlighted the essence of
the great literary work of Tagore. Praises from the
audience and from the critics motivated the performance
in every subsequent re-run.
Meanwhile the directorial aspects were taken over by
Shyamal Ghosh, another member of the organisation since
the initial days and under his able guidance, productions
like by Kallol Chakraborty, by Amit
Maitra, by Kallol Chakraborty, by
the director himself were staged and were cordially
welcomed by the audience.
The year 1997 was a turning point in the history of Nat-
Ranga. A lot of new members joined the organisation and
with the directorial debut of Sohan Bandopadhyay,
was once again brought into the limelight with a lot
of new experimentations. Use of strategic colours in
experimental stagecraft, dress and make up and also the
usage of Rabindra Sangeet as background score gave it a
distinct edge on the group theatre scene. The next
production that took shape was .
Set on the current socio-political scenario this drama with
the language of satire won the heart of the theatre lovers
and was able to set a combination of good feeling and
social thoughts in the minds of the audience.
In addition to regular staging of productions, Nat-Ranga
has been a serious associate to lot of other theatre related
activities. Regular organisation and participation in
theatre workshops, exhibitions, publication of magazines
on theatre, etc have been a common exercise both by the
members individually and organisationally. Different
noted theatre personalities like, Bibhash Chakraborty,
Soumitra Basu, Dwijen Bandyopadhyay, Bratyo Basu,
Kaushik Sen, Soumitra Chattopadhyay, etc, contributed a
lot to these developmental activities of the organisation.
Members of Nat-Ranga had the proud privilege to enact
scenes from the plays like and
and the same were picturised and used in the short-film
directed by Jyotirmoy Roy
and produced by the Government of West Bengal.
Nat-Ranga had the honour to host the first ever web
m a g a z i n e o n B e n g a l i t h e a t r e a s
www.natukekolkata.com. It was launched on the
millennium night. Later the same was renamed as
www.natokerkolkata.com. Currently the web magazine
has been discontinued and the members of the
organisation are working on it to give a new and
contemporary look. The website is expected to be back on
air, very shortly.
Last five years have been extremely productive with
regard to the theatrical existence of the organisation. Four
blockbuster full length plays,
,
, and
(all written and directed by
Sohan Bandopadhyay) have
rocked the auditoriums across
the country creating extreme turbulence in the mind of the
audience. In addition to the same they have been regularly
staging two one-act plays, by Banaphool and
byAmar Gangopadhyay.
The years 2007 and 2008 have created milestones in the
history of the organisation. Two of the most successful and
well appreciated productions of recent times,
and were launched
successively in the last two years.
Nat-Ranga feels honoured to state that received
the renowned Dipendra Sengupta Smriti Puraskar for
being the best production for the year 2007 and Sohan
Bandopadhyay received the renowned Satyen Mitra
Smriti Puraskar for the best Bengali original script of the
year 2008 for our blockbuster production
.
Muktadhara
Dibanishi Hadish
Bhut-Adbhut Kolkata 300
Bhut-
Adbhut
Ganotantrer Naam Jabonika
Jamidar Darpan Neel Darpan
Swadhinota Sangramey Bangla
Ganotantrer Naam Jabonika
Dwidhakaal Megapode
Gulbaaj, The Man Of The Match
Kabayah
Nishir Daak
Megapode
Gulbaaj, the Man of the Match
Megapode
Gulbaaj, the Man
of the Match
Last five years….
Sadhabar Ekadoshi Fazal Ali Aaschayandrocked the Bengali stage for a span of
more than 5 years and are still well talkedabout by the theatre critics of the country
SOCIETY
40 / JUNE '10
Every woman holds an enigma of beauty beauty much
deeper than her skin, which lies deep in her mind.
Kolkata, the city of ethics and culture cannot be compared
to any state in India. The Kolkatan culture depicts the
authentic concept of 'Indian Women', defining their
impeccable beauty, devotion and immense power. In this
new age of changes, Kolkata has also witnessed mass
reformation, the contemporary Bengali women depicting
one of the major transformations.
Bengali women have forever been pictured as a subtle
woman of sublime beauty, draped in a white 'Dhakai'
saree with red border, her garlanded hair, vermillion on
her forehead and, of course, the conch-shell bangles.
That, however, was true 10-15 years ago. Women of then
had an unusually supportive approach towards each and
every thing. They were homely, secured and were
provided with the natural elements to grow. A tranquil
composure, grace, artistic sense and discipline were
intrinisic of a Bengali woman. Despite the lack of
educational facilities, they grew up with a sense of art and
natural instincts. The art of , preparation of
and offering on birthdays, etc
made them exquisitive and elegant.
, stated that they were ritualistic.
That, however, was true 10-15 years ago. Changing
Kolkata has altered this concept along with it too. Today,
wearing of the traditional attire is only an occasional
matter. The artistic essence of Bengali women is
perpetually decreasing. Cakes replaces
turns to Birthday parties and gifts, to
decorations and last but not the least, Bengali food to
sandwiches and chips. The reason behind these changes
occurring is the change in the line of thought by Bengali
women.
As the popular dancer Smt. Amala Shankar (91) quoted,
“When the British came to India, the upper class women
started adopting their ways and fashion. They wore
blouses with sarees that changed their appearance
slightly. In our time, when a bride was to be chosen, she
was first asked to walk in front of the groom's family. That
expressed the personality and regality of the woman. Her
beauty and dignity was determined by the way she
presented herself.”
These method are no more seen in the modern women.
They would rather go to a restaurant with the to-be-
groom, chat, dine and then make their decision. Recalling
'Alpona'
'payesh' 'ashirbaad' 'boron'
'Baro masher taero
porbon'
'payesh',
'ashirbaad' 'alpona'
Ayesha Khan unveils the transition fromthe conventional Bengali womanto her contemporary counterpart.
Scent ofa Bengali Woman
JUNE '10 / 41
a moment from her childhood, she
says, "Every woman is special. In the
village where I was born, even we used
to celebrate Mother's Day, but in a
completely different way. Any woman
whose name coincided with one's
mother's became a pseudo-mother,
irrespective of the caste, for one year."
Born in a small village of bengal in a
mud house, though, now considered as
'the citizen of the world', Smt Amala
Shankar is proud to be a 'woman'.
Women of the previous generations
were brought up with high moral
orders of life and taught to be humane
and compassionate. Back then, making
a career was no compulsion, rather
performing one's sole duties was
plenty. Nevertheless, the changed
notion of women today states that a daughter must do
what she wants in order to fulfill her dreams. Mamata
Shankar, daughter of Smt. Amala Shankar, a great dancer
and actress says , "I am not satisfied with the mall culture.
In Kolkata, several malls have come up, where you'd see
youngsters 'hanging out' day in and day out. Women -
forever attracted to dresses and jewellery - it is then that
the futile hunger for brands
grows.” Previously women
used to go to the 'bazaar' and
buy things, but today, in the
emerging mall and retail
market culture, they now desire
to go to malls even for minor
things and end up spending
doubly. She adds, “The vigor of
Bengali culture is descending.
Mothers today encourage their
children to go to parties with
friends, discotheques, night
outs and so on, without the
essential guidelines."
Transformation happens as a
whole, encompassing this. The
thinking and the ideas of the
Bengali Women also changed.
Mamata Shankar recollected, "I remember when we were
young, we went to restaurants on rare and very special
occasions. We used go with our whole family, dress up in
our best attires and feel good about it. Those incidents
were exceptional and unforgettable.” In today's changing
times, eating out is too commonplace for an occassion in a
Bengali woman's lifestyle.
Views on fashion have also changed. For Bengali women,
gold jewellery, traditional sarees and the conch-shell
bangles are best suited, but the conventional 'dhakai' saree
has been wrapped by designer sarees, kanjivaram to
chiffon or crape, gold jewellery to junk ones, 'aalta' in hand
by 'mehendi' and Conch-shell bangles to new plastic or
wooden bangles. They are now more attracted towards
brands and boutique wear.
Inspite of this gripping
transformation age, there are
but a few things that Bengali
women have kept alive, even
today. The rituals such as
performing several pujos, the
process of marriage, dressing
up in sarees during Durga
Pujas, and the vermillion on
their forehead, still persist.
The transition of Bengali
women has yet not been
accepted by the Bengali
Community. However, we
must embrace the fact that
change is inevitable, if not the
change itself.
BUSINESS
42 / JUNE '10
It all began with trading quality dry fruits and nuts from
West Bengal to foreign countries. But the dedication and
foresight of one Narayanji J Thacker led the business, to
what today runs as a thriving empire. In 1948, he laid the
foundation of the Thacker Group of Companies in
Kolkata, India. His four sons took over to reinforce the
endowed institution. The economy scale has hence never
seen a drop, owing to their motivated labour and able
management. In 1975, they took over , a premiere
food processing and canning
factory based in Europe.
Thacker's Dry Fruits & Nuts,
Thacker Dairy and Elmac
Foods, operating under the
aegis of the Thacker Group of
Companies, total a turnover of
over 300 crore INR. The organisation will soon be taken
into command by the third generation of the Thackers,
who are all geared up to further the vision of their
grandfather.
Homemade pickles and chutneys are a staple fare in
Indian homes and Indian women excel in making such
yummy delicacies. But for Indians living abroad, it's a
matter of concern where the right spices
and flavouring are not easily available.
Vinod N Thacker was entrusted the
command over Elmac, which began the
production of processed foods, pickles
and sauces. 'Offering the authentic
Indian taste,' Elmac utterly captured the
true taste of Indian recipes; tastes that
guaranteed to satisfy the most
discerning of palates. Today, kitchens
and dining tables, in all Indian homes
within the country and abroad, are
familiar with Elmac's wide range of
delicious processed foods. Proof
enough is the fact that, even today,
Elmac products are continually
exported to countries such as Australia,
France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands,
Sweden, the UK, the USAand others.
Elmac Foods developed an impressive
basket of products comprising mango chutney of 12
flavours, pickles of eight kinds, sauces of 22 different
varieties, and canned or bottled fruits and vegetables that
are mainly exported to some of the biggest players and
labels established overseas. About 300 containers are
shipped out every month for their buyers.
Elmac's delicacies were based on the average Indian
home's recipes. They were produced adopting high
quality control norms and modern technology under the
supervision of Sangeeta V. Thacker. Elmac Foods were
recognised by the Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
of the United Nations. All products manufactured under
the Food Products Order, 1955 (FPO) administered by the
1982 saw Thacker's take a giant leap, they stepped into the
dairy industry. Acting as the sole selling agent for the
Government of Maharashtra's Aarey Dairy Products
under the leadership of Dinesh and Narendra N. Thacker,
the Group gained invaluable experience. It adjusted the
Thacker's focal point at the Kolkata (then Calcutta); they
understood that the crisis there was not of the quantity of
milk, it had more to do with its quality. The city deserved
more from milk, in terms of pureness, freshness and
creaminess. The Thackers took notes and swiftly
enhanced the delivery of quality milk to the doorsteps of
Elmac
Ministry of Food Processing, Government of India.
Way to Ambrosia
Quality comes first
Whitening Thacker's Company
Strategic and technological changes weredeemed necessary with the changing
times. The West Bengal Government hasallotted 184 acres of land at Haringhata,
50 km from Kolkata.
Vinay Pagarani recreates the out-of-the-ordinary story of Thacker's Group of Companies, West Bengal withviews from the third generation of the Thacker family.
Riddhima with father Vinod N Thacker
Thacker's Dairy in operation
JUNE '10 / 43
every house in Kolkata. They came to be the first private
dairy in the state of West Bengal in 1995. Cold Rush ice-
creams, by their dairy division, soon hit the market.
Coupled with a highly-sophisticated, state-of-the-art
plant with Swedish energy and the process of
pasteurisation, followed by meticulous packaging and
sealing operations to ensure no adulteration, Thacker's
Farm Fresh Milk is kept away from the remotest
possibility of contamination.
Strategic and technological changes were deemed
necessary with the changing times. To enable backward
and forward integration, the group has lined up
investments of 200 crore INR, one-fifth of which has
already been ploughed. The West Bengal Government has
already allotted 184 acres of land at Haringhata, 50 km
from Kolkata.
The facility will be built in phases. Setting up procurement
centres (10 of 50 complete), automated dairy farms (in
progress) and spray dry plants (complete) form the
strategic transformations.
Bulk milk coolers, cattle sheds, direct milk-procurement
from farmers, and a skimmed milk powder plant, in order
to utilise the excess milk for the value-added products,
comprise the current objectives of the expansion project.
Cattle sheds will start with 200 cows per month, targeting
5000 in the integrated sheds, where all activities will be
managed through computer networking systems to
ensure hygienic conditions.
Six decades hence, the third generation of the Thacker
family today is ready to take charge of the Thacker Group.
The trio were sent to imbibe international education, they
returned after finishing their BA (Hons) Management
studies from Nottingham University in the UK. Armed
with the right precision and foresight, they have
formulated some fitting objectives for the future of the
Thacker Group.
When Nitish Thacker, eldest of the third generation, joined
forces, Britannia Dairy division had pulled out of India. As
a perceptive measure, the Thackers decided to launch
their own brand, utilising the available infrastructure. But
the dairy giant Amul set its sight on West Bengal and
entered state limits. The challenge Amul and other
prevalent brands posed was grave, “But we remained
composed. Gradually, our sales returned to 45,000 litres
per day. We are progressing energetically towards
mounting forward and backward integration in Bengal.
Once the procurement centres are installed, we can
maintain regular supplies from the local farmers in the
near-by villages.
Thereby, doing our
bit of community
s e r v i c e i n t h e
process.”
Mihir N. Thacker
aims to diversify
the establ ished
business of his
forefathers, “India
h a s b e g u n
accepting perhaps
even demanding
h i g h - q u a l i t y
products. We are
hence shifting our
focus near to our base. To create a marketplace here in
India for our long-exported Elmac Foods, we are also
looking forward to retail a range of frozen foods in
Maharashtra and Gujarat. Establishing resources to
expand the reach of our exports is also on the agenda.”
Mihir is currently pursuing Family Managed Business
(FMB) studies from S.P. Jain Institute of Management &
Research, a renowned management institute in Mumbai.
He added, "Cold Rush ice-cream sales have doubled in the
recent years. We are hoping to further gain the market
share, pretty soon."
Entering new markets and growing the existing
production capacity, came as well-thought proposals from
the young Thacker, Riddhima. She gathered, “Our
grandfather's vision was made tangible by our fathers. It's
our turn now to nurture their solid foundations.”
Currently working with Elmac Foods, UK to further its
potential, Riddhima is exploring markets in the UK and
abroad. When asked about the demand of
Indian foods abroad, she commented,
“Indian foods are much in demand not just
by the huge Asian population overseas,
anymore. Even the local population abroad
have expressed admiration for our country's
ethnic food. The market is growing; and we
intend to augment our capacity and sow
seeds in newer markets in the coming
months.”
Finding Indian food, especially with that
authentic Indian taste, abroad has been a
troublesome matter for every NGI. However,
with companies such as Elmac serving the
global Indians in their resident countries,
that divine Indian flavour will forever be
savoured and subsist by one and all.
Change for the better
A newfangled outlook
Mihir Thacker in foreground
Elmac Foods' merchandise
44 / JUNE '10
PROFILE
It is not rare that business would run in the family, but
what indeed is rare, is the confidence and the ideologies
that make Rahul Todi a visionary and an exceptional
business man with numerous awards under his umbrella
at a young age. A spectacular example of a man who has
always believed in dreaming big and executing his dream
with sheer honesty and brilliance began his journey from
Don Bosco School, Kolkata. Completing graduation and
post graduation studies in Australia, specialising in
International Business in marketing, Rahul knew his
vision was to create an identity that would go beyond the
conventional rules of entrepreneurship.
The 1000 crore Shrachi Group of Companies is involved in
businesses as diverse as agro-machinery, engineering, real
estate, information technology and medical services.
Shrachi Group was conceptualised by SK Todi, was
diversified and expanded under the dynamic leadership
of his sons Ravi Todi and Rahul Todi.
In 1998, Information Technology was becoming the
buzzword in India and Todi along with his two other
classmates ventured into this field to start a Kolkata based
IT company in Australia with a very small capital. By the
year 2000 the company had
grown substantially, and that's
when the real estate tycoon felt
the need to explore his
business skills beyond the
realms of his first business set
up. However, he still is an active member in the advisory
board and a stakeholder in the IT Company in Australia.
In late 2000, the West Bengal State Government and State
Housing Board felt a strong urge, a need for mass
affordable housing with high standards of life. Thus
Bengal Shrachi came into existence as a merger between a
public and a private enterprise, namely West Bengal
Housing Board and Shrachi Group, under the flagship of a
young visionary, Rahul Todi.
Early 2001 witnessed housing projects being launched by
Bengal Shrachi in Madhya Gram with the name Shrachi
Village and Green Wood Park in New Town, Rajarhat.
Todi recalls that ever since then it has been an enriching
and rewarding journey though the economic depression
did have its consequences but dynamism and evolution
being the driving factors of this enterprise, they recovered
without much losses.
In the last 2 years, the company has launched projects in
Burdwan, Durgapur, Jamshedpur, and Bhubaneswar
apart from Kolkata to attain a PAN east India presence and
projects to move at other geographical locations in
the future.
Sustainability still remains the key word for Todi and he
values the environment as much as his projects. “We do
not want to burden the environment and want to execute
responsible to the society projects since saving
environment is the need of the hour”, to elaborate further,
he states Synthesis Business Park will be the largest green
building of its kind.
Rahul also revealed his love for travelling, movies, theatre
and politics. His favourite travelling destinations are
Singapore and Australia, and most of Shrachi Housing
projects involve international architects from Singapore.
He takes pride that even in his absence the members of the
organisation ensure to deliver what he believes in
strongly, that is, honesty and commitment.
Although he hopes to act in a play one day, his passion for
theatre made him bring the concept of annual “theatre
festival” which involves recognising theatre groups from
district levels which otherwise would not have an
opportunity by giving 3 awards as a part of CSR activities
of Shrachi Housing. “I enjoy having a good time with
family and friends”, says Todi. Other CSR activities
involve those associated with the housing projects like
building school for girls in Burdwan, digging tube wells,
building roads, holding medical camps for villages
located around the projects.
“The tag line of the organisation holds true, we believe in
doing big and dreaming big”, Todi sums up when asked
about his business mantra. “It is what we leave behind for
our future generations is most important being in
any business.”
W e do not want to burden the environmentand want to execute responsible to the
society projects since saving environmentis the need of the hour.
Rahul Todi, Managing Director, Bengal Shrachi Housing DevelopmentLimited, is a young entrepreneur with a vision about taking real estatein Kolkata to the next level, discovers Vidisha Jha.
Built on deep FoundationsBuilt on deep Foundations
The Vedic Realty Group and SynergyGroup come together in a venture toprovide excellent biotechnologicalservices. Our tissue culture lab, Hi-techNurseries and allied Agri-Horticulture,training centers are spread over 30acres of well designed facility &managed by well experiencedprofessionals and technicians. We bringto you miracles of nature, tailored toman's advantage.
Facilities
Services
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
Research & Development LaboratoryCommercial Production LaboratoryPolyhouse and NethousesNurseriesSoil free pot plant production
Contract ProductionCustomized Product DevelopmentsVirus Indexing and CertificationsCustomized PackingConstant Monitoring Systems
VEDIC SYNERGY BIOTECHNOLOGIES LTD3 /4, Central Park, City Center, Durgapur 713216, West Bengal , IndiaTelefax : 0343 2548606 / 07 Mobile : 9903250801Email : [email protected] Web : www. bioflorapark.com
anupam_creations@
rediffmail.com
BUSINESS
46 / JUNE '10
Launch of an NIIT franchise centre in Kolkata marked the
inception of Synergy Group. With absolutely no
knowledge or formal training in business studies, Mr.
Antony defied all the rules that good businessmen are
born in B schools. The young technocrats ventured in this
field with mere few thousands of Indian currency notes
when the project was worth 9 lakh and Synergy Group
today has a 200 crore turnover. The interesting journey
that followed from May 30 1991, when banks were not as
investor savvy as they are today, Mr. Antony and his
colleagues with support from other sectors were able to
raise 4 lakh. Year 2000 saw 18
NIIT centres being brought
over by these 4 pillars of
Synergy Group.
NSHM was conceived in
December 1996 as National School for Hotel Management
with the first setup in Durgapur. Diversification was the
word which followed since then. Business studies,
Management and Technology, Pharmacy studies, Media
Studies and to be launched Engineering and Technology
institute, NSHM has emerged to be one of the top 10
institutes for Media and one of the most reputed institutes
for Hotel Management in the country. Lavassa near Pune
in western India will be harbouring 20 acre NSHM
campus. NSHM has plans of extending its education in
Bangalore and other parts of south India to acquire a PAN
India presence.
Other avenues of Synergy Group include agriculture and
biotechnology centre launched in 2004. Today the
turnover is 8 million plant tissue culture facility spread
over 32 acre farm land in Durgapur making it the largest of
its kind in eastern India. Other fascinating industry under
the umbrella of Synergy Group is the renewable energy
facility launched in 2006 manufacturing solar photoset
modules. They now plan to manufacture solar cells.
Another facet of Synergy Group involves their intensive
work in real estate in Durgapur where 50 acres have been
devoted towards developing real estate and the other 50
acre is being devoted towards building a comprehensive
health city with 750 bedded hospital, a medical,
paramedical, dental and nursing college to cater to the
needs of the ailing society. This is projected to take off in
2014.
Aiming at out-of-box thinking, Synergy Group intensified
its business expansion last year in food business
specifically onsite and offsite food catering under the
name Rosana. To throw some light on this, Medica
Hospital, a 500 bed hospital in Kolkata outsourced its food
business to Synergy Group which takes care of the meals
served to patients, doctors and the staff. Similarly IT giant
TCS in salt lake, Kolkata has outsourced its food business
to Synergy Group.
Futuristic thinking is what this organisation believes in
and thus, all the five sectors operate in a very niche area
delivering quality service to the consumers. True to the
belief of the organisation, “business beyond boundaries”,
the creators diversified to create businesses which are
futuristic and scalable to everyone for whom it means the
most.
However, the organisation never fails to mention the
enormous support it has received from its business
partners like Multiconn Group, SPS Group, and Money
Group. “And our association has only grown stronger
with time”, replied Mr. Antony when asked about
business alliances. With the current rate of growth, year
2020 would witness Synergy Group as a giant group at an
estimated annual turnover of 2000 crore.
With major expansions in the eastern part of the country,
Synergy Group has plans to dig their flags in the southern
part specifically Bangalore with projects dealing in food
and education business.
It began…
Towards growth
Lavassa near Pune in western India will beharbouring 20 acre NSHM campus. NSHM
has plans of extending its education inBangalore and other parts of south India to
acquire a PAN India presence.
Thinking BigSynergy group began its journey in 1991 under the guidance of 4 young technocrats. In 19 years the organisation expanded at
a magnanimous scale diversifying into 5 specialised sectors. Cecil Antony, one of the pioneers of Synergy Group shares theinside story with Vidisha Jha.
The man of vision: Cecil Antony
JUNE '10 / 47
When asked about the market share and the volume of
business generated, Mr. Antony proudly reveals that
NSHM is one of the finest schools in the country, with
strength of approximately 800 students, it ranks in the top
10 institutes for hotel management and media studies. He
adds, “It is difficult to quote the market share because
many parameters are decided by AICTE and universities
that award the degree but definitely we have achieved a
very strong leadership position especially in West
Bengal”.
Synergy Biotechnologies Limited is already positioned at
number one in eastern India and at seventh position when
compared to industries in the same sector. With not many
giant players in the country especially in West Bengal,
Synergy Group has etched a distinct height for itself which
w o u l d n o t j u s t i f y i t s
comparison of market share
w i t h s a m e s e c t o r
organisations.
“People behind the making of Synergy are my brother
Franci, Amitabh, Prashant and me along with a very
strong, dedicated and committed team of senior
management across each of the functions. Being a
people driven organisation I strongly believe that
intellectual capital is the key to long term success”,
says Antony when asked about the team behind the
success story of Synergy Group.
Human capital, infrastructure, strategic business
alliances, technological developments and access to
best working practices are few of the management
philosophies that team Synergy strongly values.
“Innovative practices and continuous improvements
generate robust businesses”, Antony ended the
conversation on a positive note.
Concluding notes
Inno vative practices and continuousimprovements generate robust
businesses.
HEALTHCARE
JUNE '10 / 49
Your journey has evolved from studying nuclear
cardiology from All India Institute of Medical Sciences
(AIIMS), New Delhi to becoming a reputed hospital
management specialist. What was the insight behind
such a major transition?
AR:
Have you been intensely involved in setting up health
care institutions overseas? Did it help in any way when it
came to health care entrepreneurship in India?
AR
You have been one of the pioneers in the
conceptualisation and implementation of telemedicine
in India. How far has this concept gained popularity
when more than half of India's population is still rural?
AR
What according to you are the
current lacunas in the health
care delivery system in India?
AR:
Yeshaswini Health Insurance
was an insurance scheme
launched by you in Karnataka, especially for the
farmers. What aspect of the insurance made it so popular
with the farmer population?
AR
India has a shortage when it comes to healthcare
unlike the hotel industry which has been mushrooming
like frogs in monsoons. Many chains of restaurants are
coming in but healthcare is not growing in the same
proportion. This is because healthcare industry has certain
barriers. It is manpower and knowledge intensive. Today,
knowledge is considered valuable unlike in primitive
times when money was given more value. Thus, a need
was felt to set up a healthcare institute driven by
knowledge intensive team to bring affordable specialised
treatments to the average income patients.
: I was involved in setting up the first cardiac centre in
Yemen, health care centre in Dhaka and also in Nepal. It
was then we realised that the elite class comprises of a very
small segment and the major chunk is comprised by the
average middle class households. Hence, in India, we
recognised the need for affordable health care centre
providing specialised and intensive treatments to this
major chunk of population. This became our vision when
it came to health care entrepreneurship in India.
: Telemedicine will succeed. There is no other option.
In this country, you might not get water but you would
always find internet access. The telephone wires have
gone to every corner of the country Internet access in our
country is not an issue, the issue is with logistics. Issue is to
put things at the right place for people to find it.
Telemedicine has not been a new concept. It just facilitates
the consultation process. I have tried to make it more
practical, sophisticated and a time saving procedure. In
villages, there is lack of specialised doctors who can give
expert advice; this obstacle is overcome by telemedicine.
Also it's a very convenient procedure for the patient
because it saves him on travelling, anxiety, time, money.
Current lacunas in health
care delivery system in India
entails infrastructure, that is, hospitals at right locations.
Issue here is not lack of expertise or availability of doctors.
In India, when major chunk is rural, cities like Kolkata and
Delhi cannot be taken as examples while talking about
loopholes in the health care system in India. People coming
to cities from the rural areas; do not know where to seek
medical help from. India has all the expertise and resources
when it comes to comparing it with that of developed
nations like USA and UK.
However, it doesn't have
enough delivery stations for
people to identify where they
need to seek treatment from.
: Yeshaswini Health Insurance is a very incomplete
scheme and its main focus group was farmers. It's a very
segmentative scheme and cannot be called a holistic
scheme. The scheme did not cover medical problem, cost
of medicines, diagnostics. This was applicable for surgery
and thus it turned out to be a very good scheme for the
farmers.
I focus mainly on bringing the best of the health care
knowledge to this country and its people.
In India, when major chunk is rural, citieslike Kolkata and Delhi cannot be taken asexamples while talking about loopholes in
the health care system in India.
All for affordable Healthcare!Dr Alok Roy, Chairman and Managing Director of Medica Superspeciality Hospital,shared his insights on various aspects for developing effective healthcare deliverysystem in India with Vidisha Jha.
India offers myriad exciting experiences to tourists.
Tourism industry in India is being utilised as a powerful
tool to facilitate international understanding and enable
building of broader cultural horizons. The Eastern and
North Eastern part of India have traditionally been one of
the treasure troves of natural beauty and heritage sites.
Each region outdoes the other when it comes to nature's
endowment, yet maintaining its own distinguished
culture and persona. From rivers to mystical mountains
and waterfalls, forests, lakes, the stretches of surf and
sand, the east welcomes visitors with every wondrous
sight. Along with the natural beauty, the eastern states
have a plethora of heritage sites churches, temples,
mosques, monasteries, palaces, forts etc. All these states
are blessed with rich cultural heritage, forestry that gives
hoards of natural places surrounded by wild life and flora
and fauna ideal for development of eco tourism.
West Bengal is aware of the richness of its stories and
heritage. The museums are a testimony to it. The East part
has it is the traveller's equivalent
of a dream destination. With extensive tour and travel
packages customised for East India, Travels and Rentals
brings West Bengal into the spotlight with new and exotic
locations.
Kalimpong at 41,000 ft in the North Bengal Himalayan
foothills, east of Darjeeling across the beautiful Teesta
Gorge is a small, relatively quiet Himalayan bazaar. But it
is rich in cultural and religious heritage. Kalimpong's
altitude and clement weather conditions combine to
produce 80 percent of India's flavoured gladioli, orchids
and roses. Home to Nepalese, Tibetan, Bhutanese and
Lepcha people, it's also one of West Bengal's established
school towns, a haven for retired people and a quiet hill
resort for holidaying. Visitors throng all year round, yet
Kalimpong manages to hold its own against the onslaught
of tourism. Ideal stay option at Kalimpong would be at
WBTDC's tourist bungalows Morgan House or Tashiding
Tourist Lodge. Bagdodra is the nearest airport connecting
Kalimpong to Kolkata and Jalpaiguri is the nearest
railhead.
Shantiniketan is a small town near Bolpur in the Birbhum
district of West Bengal, India, and approximately 180
kilometres north of Kolkata. Shantiniketan takes from its
name from two Bengali words: peace and
“Everything for Everyone”,
Shanti Niketan
Kalimpong
Shantiniketan
50 / JUNE '10
The Eastern HavenPlanning a tour of the enchanting state of Bengal?
tells you where to go and how.Vidisha Jha
Hut at Shantiniketan
abode, it means It is a tourist attraction also
because Rabindranath lived here and penned many of his
literary classics (namely Tagore songs, poems, novels etc.)
and his home is a place of historical importance. It was
made famous by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore,
whose vision became what is now a university town
(Visva-Bharati University) that attracts thousands of
visitors each year. There are tourist lodges and Tourist
cottages run by the West Bengal Tourism Development
Corporation apart from which Visva Bharati runs a
guesthouse as well. One can also find youth hostels at
Bolpur and Bakeswar along with quite a few private hotels
at Bolpur. Best time to visit Shantiniketan is from October
to March. It is well connected to Kolkata by road.
Located in the Ganga delta in West Bengal, spanning the
Hooghly in the west and Teulia River in the east,
Sunderbans was declared a National Park in 1984.
Sunderbans is home to the magnificent Royal Bengal tiger,
the park is home to more tigers than any other tiger
reserve. Situated on the lower end of the Gangetic West
Bengal, it is world's largest delta covered by mangrove
forest and vast saline mud flats. The sanctuary is
designated as a UNESCO World Heritage (Natural) site.
WBTDC has lodges and hotels in Sunderbans. Best time to
visit is from October to March.
Murshidabad was also the major trading town between
inland India and the port of Kolkata during the
time of Siraj-ud-daula, the nawab of Bengal. Today it's a
peaceful town with his great historic background on the
banks of the Ganges River.
The city offers a chance to see
the old historic places with
rural Bengali life, when
British Empire was took
place the first step to India.
The Hazarduari Place is the
classical-style Palace of a
Thousand Doors (real &
false), was built for the
nawabs in 1837 and now this
i s a U N E S C O Wo r l d
Heritage site.
Bishnupur (or Vishnupur) in the Bankura district is like a
breath of fresh air after Kolkata's heat and dust.
Another attraction is the embellished Dol Madol cannon,
constructed in 1742 by Raja Gopal Singh to keep the
Maratha troops at bay. Besides temples, Bishnupur is
known for its pottery, especially the lovable terracotta
horse called Bankura who is the mascot of Bankura
handicraft. Baluchari and tussar silk sarees, bell metal and
shell handicraft and the quaint circular playing cards
called ganijifa, are other specialties of Bishnupur that one
might want to shop for.
So if you are planning a breezy
little week away from the
drudgeries of daily routine, and
away from the much-exploited,
overcrowded tourism hot spots,
you know where to go next. West
Bengal, with its great mix of
music, food, natural beauty,
history and interesting people,
makes for a perfect holiday.
abode of peace.
Courtesy: Travels and Rentals,
Kolkata
Sunderbans
Murshidabad
Bishnupur
TRAVEL & TOURISM
JUNE '10 / 51
Travel partnersTravels and Rentals is a Travel Management Company with a track record of 20years of excellence in corporate travel services and being
one of the leading corporate travel companies in India. In addition to providing all travel related services under one roof in response to
the travel management needs of major organisations, ensuring quality service is the essence of Travels and Rentals.
With five offices spread across India and a network partnership with BCD Travels (which is the third largest consortium for corporate
travel globally), the travel service can be accessed from anywhere amongst the ten locations in India.
White Bengal Tiger
Bishnupur
TRAVEL & TOURISM
52 / JUNE '10
Bandel, a bustling small town of Hooghly district has been
a major junction of the Eastern Railway. Sounds of the
trains, engines, wagons and boggies in the railway yards
for change track, cleanup or repair keeps the city dweller
and travelers alike awake. Nearby Bandel thermal power
plant, one of the largest in the region spews smokes in the
air, shows off the importance of the town.
It was the kind of weather and time - high noon in East
India's summer - to find only mad dogs and the working
lot out in the sun. Well, we weren't in the sun, not as yet.
We were in the car, trying to be
engulfed by the little known
city of Bandel.
Today Bandel is nothing more
than a bustling small town, but
the place houses such little
gems of historical interest that it magically attracts the
curious travelling lot like us. The history dates back to the
Portuguese establishing the town of Bandel, they got
along a band of Augustinian Monks from Goa to preach
Christianity among the locals. In sync, the Bandel Church
was built in 1599 along the banks of the Hooghly River.
The original church was shortlived. In 1632 the Mughals
under Shah Jahan ransacked Bandel and razed the church
to the ground. 4 of the 5 priests were killed, and only
Father Juan Da Cruz survived. JDC was taken prisoner
and ordered to be executed, trampled to death by
elephants.
If legend is to be believed, one of the elephants, instead of
trampling JDC, picked him up and placed him on his back.
Then the elephant walked to Shah Jahan and kneeled
down as if asking for mercy! Impressed by this feat, Shah
Jahan ordered the prisoners to be freed. JDC was allowed
to go back and re-establish the church. Whatever the real
story, ultimately in 1660 the Bandel Church was rebuilt
over the site of the original church.
For my group of ardent travel lovers, this was the stuff of
dreams. Our imagination knew no bounds when we
planned this trip amidst the sweltering heat of july. Paper
maps were replaced by the GPS in our moblies, seriously
technology these days sure helps in travelling light and
enroute when we stopped to have tea the presence of an 8-
year-old who was wondering what these adults were up to
seemed pretty fancy.
Armed with such bravado (and little else!) we had set out
at 6 in the morning in our machine, we could have taken
the local train too, but wanted to explore the routes to this
little known city. On the highway to Bandel we got slightly
confused and ended up asking for directions, and then we
managed to reach chandannagar, and finally Bandel city.
We ran the machine for about a distance of 55 kms from
KoSlkata. We next travelled roughly around 43 kms from
the city of Bandel to get to the church.
We had no idea that amidst this small city, lost in its own
charm, we were to find such a majestic and peaceful
ambience around the Church. It is said that this church is
amongst the oldest in Asia. It stands upright in all its
grandeur amidst lush greenery. The Church was declared
a basilica in 1988 in front of which there's a mast presented
by the captain of a ship that faced a storm in the Bay of
Bengal. The church has three altars, a small organ and
several tombstones besides the statue of "One lady of
Happy Voyage" in the middle of it. Inside there are
beautiful paintings depicting scenes from the life of Jesus.
Once we had travelled the entire length and breadth of the
church, we decided to check out the oldest sun dial of Asia
at the Imambada. Its amazing how the ancient invention of
the early days matches precisely to the accurate
technology of the 21st century.
So with this our travel to the city of Bandel technically
came to an end, but the impact was so great on us that we
had definitely left a part of us somewhere in that holy land
with a promise to come back with every chance that we
get.
W e had no idea that amidst this small city,lost in its own charm, we were to find sucha majestic and peaceful ambience around
the Church.
Bandel: a Pleasant SurpriseSonya Gogna set out in a quest for the holy amidst the daily bustle of a small town, and was in for a surprise.
At the dawn of independence, West Bengal (WB) was in
very bad shape. Yet, even as late as 1960, WB had the
highest per capita real GDP of any state in India. It had 15.8
percent of the country's factories and contributed 24
percent each of national value-add and employment.
Between then and the next forty years, a gap opened up
that the state is still trying to bridge.
Today, WB is still
India's third largest
economy, producing
10 percent of its steel,
20 percent of its tea,
22 percent of its
l e a t h e r , a n d 1 3
percent of its total
polymer production,
with one of the
largest petrochemical
hubs in the country at Haldia. Even still, the state has
slipped to 10th position on per capita income, with 5.8
percent of the country's factories, and contributes 5
percent of national value add.
WB is blessed with a favorable strategic location,
availability of fertile farm-land, access to ports and
mineral wealth, and a huge talent pool. A shared vision
and collective effort of the Government, administration,
industry and the farm sector is what the state needs to
reach the commanding heights that it rightly deserves.
As an investment destination
for foreign capital, WB is given
low preference. Cumulative
FDI flown into WB from 2000
to 2007 amounted to INR 1,587 crore. The state is in a
situation where it probably has to look at a large dose of
equity funding for its developmental expenditure, and the
Left Front has taken note.
WB is currently experiencing significant economic
activity. The government is taking pro-active steps to make
the state an attractive investment opportunity and make it
a key part of India's growth story. The State is unique in
terms of the social, economic, political and demographic
factors. An interesting interplay of these factors affects the
investment scenario and hence deserves greater attention.
A number of improvement steps have already been taken
in the state. We think that even greater effort will be
needed from here on. The responsibility lies not just on the
government but also on the shoulders of other
stakeholders the industry, state officials, media,
politicians, intelligentsia and perhaps the NGIs. The world
is watching and we all have to deliver collectively to make
West Bengal a shining example to others.
Economy apprised
Impetus to investments
The state's GDP grew at a
CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 12.7 per cent
between 1999-2000 and 2007-08, to reach US$ 75.5 billion.
The labour laws of the state have been simplified so that
foreign companies can function smoothly in the state. The
IT companies in the state have been given special status
with help from West Bengal Electronics Industry
Development Corporation Limited (WEBEL) so that they
can improve the infrastructure. Regulatory measures that
are conductive to foreign investments have been
undertaken in the state. Facility of single window
clearance has been provided in the state via West Bengal
Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC). Social
infrastructure (educational and medical institutions) in
the state is strong, with a literacy rate of 68.6 per cent. Land
acquisition policies are being redefined so as to avoid
another case such as of Singur and Nandigram.
A 10,000 MW 3-phased Nuclear Power Plant project at
Haripur the single largest project in the history of Bengal
at INR 60,000 crore investments when completed is in
debates. While other states are vying hard to get the
project shifted to their home turf, WB has been resisting it,
mainly because lots of vested interests have come up
against this project. The impact of this project is obvious.
The current installed power generating capacity of WB is
around 7500 mw which is woefully short in terms of
projects on hand namely the steel projects together nearly
account for nearly another INR 60,000 crore. Once
implemented the demand for power would shoot up and
N-power is the best option.
Thus the Haripur project can be the catalyst to trigger
many industrial projects in the state. The Nuclear Power
Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) had selected five spots
across India for setting up nuclear power plants. On the
basis of stringent norms, in fact 45 guidelines and
criterion, Haripur was adjudged the best spot for setting
up n-plant in India.Any state would seize this opportunity
and pave way for the implementation of the project.
Nuclear is in
The road ahead
VIEWPOINT
54 / JUNE '10
West Bengal is still India's third largesteconomy, but has slipped to 10th position
on per capita income.
Visions of a Better Bengal Vinay Pagarani remarks on the state of West Bengal'seconomy and what must be done to take it further.
Education has now come to be a secondary priority in
West Bengal. Once the land of the intellectuals, the state is
now reluctant to face changes. The prominence of the
communist government can be called the key to such a
change in the state.
There was a time, some thirty years ago when the socialist
who called themselves communists (I still doubt how else
communism can be followed without actually living in a
commune) came with the idea of Marx to a land where the
humanitarians ruled. After the war of the Naxalbari was
over, the idea of bringing in an alternative brought in the
Communist Government. What the last two decades
showed was that though the war was over, the battle
remained. Lord Acton's view was “Power corrupts and
absolute power corrupts absolutely”. Marxism cannot
deny the exploitation of the greater intellectuals towards
the lesser intellectuals. So who remained the intellectuals
and supporters of communism now turned to look for the
loose ends.
Marxism was not indigenous to India. Just like the Indian
version of Chow Mein is now sold on the streets of
Kolkata, so is the Indianised version of Marxism selling at
the Alimuddin Street. Now we have to discuss who are the
customers? Well, the Bengali youth and not without
reason. We are not the Bangladeshis. We don't have Bangla
as a separate state language, let alone the national
language. But English was comfortably removed from the
Primary School syllabus; a link failure to the external
world. What a borrowed idea! Britishers detested all who
went abroad to study and on return never joined the
British administration. The reason was clear. The more
educated the commoners become, it becomes more
difficult to cheat them. Therefore the less Marxism the
Generation Y learns in English, the better chances remain
to educate them to the home-grown, adapted Marxism as
they grow from school to college.
Now comes the next level, the college level. With the
foundation in the vernacular, where the curriculum
revision is a distant dream at the secondary level, the
college-goers now turned 18 specialise as the best vote
banks for the ruling party, with an English education that
has impaired them to face the world. Awful
pronunciation, bad grammar and weird structured
sentences taught by some under-qualified teacher,
securely holding on to a job obtained through merit of
quota or being past cadre, does little help.
We generally consider Kolkata as Bengal. But the truth is
Kolkata doesn't even constitute ten percent of the whole
Bengal population. I am talking about the districts. We
have a Sector V in Kolkata that marks the globalised
India/world but the
mindset of the district
people hasn't changed.
Sister Kiran of St Agnes
Covent, Kharagpur says
“quality education needs
money.” To an extent it is
true since what we find is
t h e s t a t e - a i d e d
institutions subscribing to
vernacular language as
the medium of education.
We are often reminded
that i t was Bankim
Chandra Chattopadhyay
who commented that
'vernacular is the breast
m i l k f o r a n a t i o n ' .
Undeniably it is mentioned through this process that we
can attain self-reliance. The problem is, changed
perceptions of quality in the world aren't quite visible,
except for the grading system in the Secondary/ Higher
Secondary results. The inherent idea of Marxism that
qualitative changes bring about quantitative changes gets
falsified here.
Education is not all about
literacy. It is about the
modification of behaviour.
With SFI pioneering as the
students' pressure group, and
as an interest group as well, has distributed the ideas to
DYFI, CP, TMCP et al. In this competitive world of
students' politics now bunking classes, being irregular are
no more crimes and attendance easily become manageable
with an identity as a cadre. If that is what modified
behaviour is all about, we definitely need more of
Engineering and medical colleges, and B Ed colleges and
general colleges, that is on the rise, with more people who
understand the necessity of Coordination Committee and
rallies. We are after all trying to be self-reliant and these are
the methodologies! Let us hope to see the effect of
Diminishing Marginal Utility in his regard pretty soon.
Afterall, Marxism, they say is also largely about
Economics.
JUNE '10 / 55
Just like the Indian version of Chow Mein isnow sold on the streets of Kolkata, so is theIndianised version of Marxism selling at the
Alimuddin Street.
Casual Education for serious MarxistsOur guest editor probes into the current education scenario in West Bengal.Amrita Mitra Mukherjee
VIEWPOINT
EDUCATION
58 / JUNE '10
Indian students waited eagerly last week for the results of
entrance exams to the most sought-after engineering
schools, among them the famed Indian Institutes of
Technology. More than 450,000 students competed for
some 9,500 seats in what is perhaps the most competitive
exam in the world. This year's success stories included a
home-schooled 14-year-boy in Delhi and poor students
from rural areas in Bihar state. They are even more
remarkable because they triumphed over the state's
strangulating embrace of the education sector.
With one of the youngest workforces in the world, India's
economic potential is widely acknowledged. But the
transition to a knowledge-intensive economy requires
more skilled and competent employees. Barely 5 to 7 per
cent of the current workforce has had any formal training
in a skill, and 70 per cent may not even have completed
primary schooling. According
to estimates, only 10 per cent to
15 per cent of graduates are
employable, and just 12 per
cent of the 18-24 age group
enroll for any post-high-school
courses. Although 135 million children are enrolled at the
primary level today, about 15 million are in college, and
only 2.3 million will graduate this year.
India's biggest challenge is not unemployment, but
unemployability. A study by McKinsey and the National
Association of Software and Services Companies a few
years ago found that barely
25 per cent of engineering
graduates are employable.
Last year, another survey
by the Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce
and Industry and the
World Bank reported that
6 4 p e r c e n t o f t h e
e m p l o ye r s we r e n o t
satisfied with the skills of
the engineering graduates.
According to biotech
industry sources, barely
half of the 200,000 post
graduates in science are
employable.
New Delhi is making the
situation even worse with
its new Right to Education
Act, which came into effect
on April 1. The Act
requires the government to
educate children for free until age 14. The government
estimates this mandate requires additional 1.2 million
trained teachers in the next five years, tens of thousands of
new schools, and by 2020, another 700 universities and
35,000 new colleges. Foreign investment will be
encouraged at the margins. The government is also
engaged in creating a new national regulator for higher
education, which would create multiple new layers of
bureaucracy.
New Delhi's policies are highly flawed, starting with the
assumption that the private sector will not build schools
and invest in education. Yet surveys have found that 40 per
cent to 50 per cent of children from the slums of Delhi
attend private informal schools. In a country where 35 per
cent of the people are still officially illiterate, setting up
schools is completely tied up under a license and permit
raj. It requires 30-35 types of permissions to set up a school
even in Delhi.
Secondly, the government wants to attract investment. But
education is one area where for profit activity has been
completely prohibited. For instance, hardly any of the
thousands of coaching institutes preparing students for
admission to engineering and medical colleges would
meet the regulatory requirements and standards set by the
government to qualify as a school.
Thirdly, the regulatory environment has created a system
of patronage to favored organizations seeking to enter
higher education. In the past year, senior officials at
Getting real
To overcome the scarcity of skilled workers,Indian companies are already investing in
education in a big way.
Wanted:
Real Qualification
Barun Mitra takes a critical view of theeducation scenario in the country, citingpossible solutions for improvement.
JUNE '10 / 59
regulatory bodies in both the technical and medical
education have been accused of corruption. While they
maintain their innocence, the Central Bureau of
Investigation is said to be investigating more than 100
people across the country. Yet, rather than deregulate, the
present effort centralizes control even further.
Each year hundreds of organizations apply for permission
to start technical institutes, but many seem to have no
scruples about bribing the authorities to acquire the
necessary clearances. In one instance, a college in Uttar
Pradesh had an address where nothing stood except
farmland. Just last month, out of 150 self-financing
engineering colleges inspected in Tamil Nadu, 67 were
asked to improve their faculty and strengthen physical
infrastructure before they can admit any students this
session. It is not uncommon to find engineering colleges
rotating faculty, equipment, and students to hide the real
situation when inspectors call.
Last year, a local Kolkata newspaper estimated the various
rates of bribes to a technical education authority. To start a
technical or professional institute, the rate ranged from
$10,000 to $50,000, whereas deemed university status
would set you back $1-2 million.
To overcome the scarcity of skilled workers, Indian
companies are already investing in education in a big way.
Major companies have undertaken steps to engage with
faculty at many colleges and universities to help them
understand the needs of the industry, and adapt their
curriculum. Companies are
spending huge resources to
train the recruits. In 2008,
Infosys spent $5,000 on
retraining each of the
thousands it hired. Wipro
spends about 1 per cent of its
a n n u a l r e v e n u e s o n
retraining thousands of
fresh graduates it recruits.
The natural solution is for
c o m p a n i e s , b u s i n e s s
c h a m b e r s a n d e v e n
universities to define a base
set of skills they are looking
f o r a m o n g f i r s t - t i m e
employees. They could
create an independent body
to design and conduct the
test periodically among job
s e e k e r s . I t c o u l d b e
organized on the lines similar to the independent
standardized tests which are widely accepted by all major
colleges across the United States. Given the scale of private
education initiatives in India, if there are such
independent assessments linked to employment, a whole
host of service providers will
grow to prepare the students
accordingly.
Young Indians are seeking
r e l e v a n t e d u c a t i o n i n
unprecedented numbers, as
the hordes of students taking
the IIT entrance exams and enrolling in private coaching
schools demonstrate. From the "education reform"
initiated by the government, though, one cannot help
escape the feeling that the government is merely looking
to expand bureaucratic control and increase the scope of
political patronage.
Education is not primarily about any particular content or
skill set, but about the continuous capacity to seek new
knowledge and acquire new skills. Education can
empower only in an environment of freedom, where
students can choose from a range of educational providers
offering a diverse package of knowledge and skills. India
will enjoy demographic dividends only when education
becomes free from the clutches of the state, and the youth
are able to leverage their education in the competitive
economic environment.
Institutes galore
Corporate initiatives
The author is director of the Liberty Institute, an independent
think tank in New Delhi, and a columnist for
www.online.wsj.com
Education is not primarily about anyparticular content or skill set, but about the
continuous capacity to seek newknowledge and acquire new skills.
BJP senior leader Arun
Jaitely inaugurated the
event in the presence of M
Veerappa Moily, Union
Law minister. Karnataka
c h i e f m i n i s t e r B S
Yeddyurappa shared his
long-term vision in his
inaugural speech. ``The
Global Investors' Meet is a
big step forward in
realising the Vision 20:20
for Karnataka. We want to
double the investments
a n d e m p l o y m e n t
opportunities in the next
two to three years which
can multiply our revenues
d u e t o a c c e l e r a t e d
industrialisation across
the state,” he said. Highlighting salient features of
Karnataka, Yeddyurappa added that abundant natural
resources, highly talented human resource and
progressive-investor friendly policies on industry were
the State's hallmarks.
In 2000, the Global Investors' Summit was held for the first
time by the then Congress government, to highlight
Karnataka's potential as an investment destination. It
turned out to be a milestone event for the state economy, as
it attracted investments worth Rs.27, 000 crore. However,
the historical event revisited the country when Karnataka
government organised the GIM on June 3-4 at the Palace
Grounds in Bangalore, with an aim to spur the growth rate
of the state. Another source of inspiration was Gujarat,
which garnered massive investments last year from an
event. And as it is said, history repeats itself, the GIM yet
again succeeded to draw massive investments.
Yeddyurappa The event was postponed twice first time in
the backdrop of the economic downturn and second due
to devastating floods in Karnataka. But Yeddyurappa and
co. did not relent and it did finally materialise.
The GIM got immense mileage by the presence of few of
the richest men in the world L N Mittal, Azim Premji,
K u m a r M a n g a l a m B i r l a , S h a s h i R u i a , K r i s
Background
Giants at GIM
60 / JUNE '10
Enticing Global Investors
While the state government notched up 4 trillion of investment at the Global Investors Meet (GIM), Karnatakais poised to witness a new wave of development in the country, reports .Satyavir Singh
``Karnataka has set the trend and
economic agenda for other states,
which are also likely to benefit when
investors turn to look towards India”
- Arun Jaitley
``A new era of industrial revolution of
Karnataka has started”
- B S Yeddyurappa
Enticing Global Investors
L N Mittal with CM Yeddyurappa
Gopalkrishanan, Vijay Mallaya are few among them.
Everyone expressed their views on the landmark event. “It
has been a great experience dealing with the Karnataka
government. The attitude has been very positive,” stated
Mittal, who has proposed to set up a massive Rs 30,000
crore steel plant in Bellary. Kumar Mangalam Birla
asserted that his company had invested tremendously in
the state and will continue expanding business in the state.
Azim Premji, the chairman of Wipro had a piece of advice
for the state government. “Karnataka needs to give more
emphasis on the manufacturing industries like Tamil
Nadu and Gujarat. It needs to pull in more MNCs to
become part of their global chain. Like Tamil Nadu has
done with Nokia and Dell, it should also attract more
investments from the service industry,” suggests he.
According to Kris Gopalkrishnan, CEO, Infosys
Technologies, the timing of GIM's schedule was perfect, as
the global economy is running pretty smooth. Jaitley
praised the event and called it to be an indicator of
Karnataka's potential. ``Karnataka has set the trend and
economic agenda for other states, which are also likely to
benefit when investors turn to look towards India,”
remarked Jaitley while Moily promised all help and
assistance from the Centre for the State's pro-active stance.
Adding to Jaitley's remark, Mittal said “Karnataka is an
investment destination as it possesses educated and
skilled manpower.”
Moily inaugurated an exhibition themed
. The exhibition
showcased multiple advantages, incentives, tax reliefs
and industry-friendly policies of the state government,
including single-window clearance, land bank and other
facilities for speedy execution of projects. 98 stalls were on
display. Among them, 18 stalls belonged to different
departments of the government.
Every region of the state got their share of focus during
various seminars and presentations. For instance, Subodh
Kant Sahai, union Food Processing Industry minister,
shared vital facts about the infrastructure and resources
available for various industries in different parts of the
state. He urged the investors not to distinguish between
agricultural and food processing industry. He also
informed that containers for storage of agricultural and
horticultural produce as well as cold storages need big
infusion of investment to boost the agro-based sectors.
The event culminated with a valedictory address by the
Chief Minister. He articulated that the signing of MoUs or
the volume of investments generated was only a first step
in the long journey in the path of Karnataka's industrial
progress. ``A new era of industrial revolution of
Karnataka has started,” proclaims Yeddyurappa.
Showcasing advantage
Advantage
Karnataka - One State, Many Opportunities
EVENT
JUNE '10 / 61
With 361 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) signed for over 400
projects and a record investment of Rs 4 lakh crore, the meet was
undoubtedly proved to be a windfall for the state's economy. These
projects cover a diverse range of sectors including aerospace, textiles,
steel, cement, power, food processing, tourism, health and
infrastructure. It is also estimated that projects will create 6.5 lakh jobs
in the state. Around 18 industrial estates over an area ranging from 30
acres to 2,500 acres is needed to set up the proposed projects. Tourism
sector got a bonanza of Rs 20,000 crores to implement the pending
ideas like heli-tourism.
Top Proposals�
�
�
�
�
�
�
�
Arcelor Mittal struck a deal with the Karnataka Government,
wherein the steelmaker will invest Rs 30,000 crore to set up a 6
million tonnes per annum integrated steel plant, and a 750 MW
power plant, in Bellary district.
Essar Group will invest Rs 17,760 crore in another 6 million tons
per annum steel plant.
In addition, JSW Steel will expand its 10 MTPA plant to 16 MTPA
at an investment of Rs 15,132 crore.
Bhushan Steel too will invest Rs 27,928 crore in a 6 MTPA steel
plant with a 600 MW co gen project.
Bharat Forge will put in Rs 3,150 cr in two power plants, one gas
based and the other coal based.
Infosys Technologies proposed a Rs 2,250 crore software
development centre.
Wipro signed a MoU to build a Rs 537 crore software development
centre and employees residential facility in Bangalore.
IFCI infrastructure development proposed to establish financial
city.
“Karnataka needs to give more
emphasis on the manufacturing
industries … It needs to pull in
more MNCs to become part of
their global chain.”
- Azim Premji
“It has been a great experience
dealing with the Karnataka
government. The attitude has been
very positive”
- L N Mittal
Shining Prospects
Indians, within the country as well as abroad,
involuntarily witnessed the gravity, this massive by-
product of economic fallacies had in store for the world.
The economic recession had evidently engulfed the entire
globe. Undeniably, every living soul suffered the
repercussions in one way or the other, either as an
individual or as a company workforce. It may not have
had a direct impact on your scope of business or job, but
the knock-on effect of businesses dropping income had
engendered one and all.
It was perhaps the most complex problem with wide-
reaching ramifications, so much so that a search for
alternative sources of income had begun by not just
individuals but even large-
scale institutions. However, in
the race to make or save
money, the real revelation was
lost. That recession is actually
an excellent teacher of good
business.
For starters, prior to the
economic downturn, accountability was hardly a matter
of concern in organisations. Nevertheless, when the going
gets tough, the tough gets going. Today, almost every
organisation has enforced guidelines to keep a check on
economic activities and productivity has come into the
foreground.
During the culminating power session on Lessons from
the Recessionary Times', panellists, from the media world,
highlighted some interesting viewpoints. However, their
convictions may seem purposeful even for other
organisations beside those in the media.
Today, the media is coerced to create business for its
advertisers since the basic objective of any media agency is
to bring consumers to its advertisers. The latter has been
on their toes to ensure that this is accomplished.
In the aftermath of the recession, proliferation led to
fragmentation, which in turn, has widened the scope of
media agencies. Commoditisation in the TV market has
set more desperation and movement across the media
market. The need for Print and Radio to re-evolve from
their proposition has been called for. They have remained
discreet outside of their reach. A seamless integration
between print, radio, TV and digital media, which is
possible, must be explored.
Addicts of the GDP figures have corrected themselves. A
holistic view of the economy instead of merely studying
figures has to be put to be put in place.
For the marketing segment too, the downturn had
subliminal messages.
The media industry is too obsessed with only the major
four to six metros in India. We must look beyond to
expand our customer base. Also, CPRP, which is a way of
life in urban India, is not much of a concern in other cities.
Every media agency needs to highlight or create a core
brand service. There are some brands that believe in
'playing it safe' and don't explore new media. Media
agencies must push such believers to take more risks. This
will further widen the impact of their reach, which is the
need of the era.
Commoditisation of inventory too is essential so as to be
equipped to take on multiple challenges, instantaneously.
Most economics of media agencies are handled by Finance
Grads, who are usually looking for a bargain. However,
What did we learn?
Evolved Outlook
EVENT
62 / JUNE '10
It may not have had a direct impact on yourscope of business or job, but the knock-oneffect of businesses dropping income had
engendered one and all.
Vinay Pagarani recomposes the 'lessons from recessionary times' at the Exchange 4 Media Conclave, Mumbai.
Anurag Batra, Chairman & Editor-in-Chief, Exchange 4 Media
Free Lessons from the Downturn
agencies must note that lowest possible cost does not
necessarily derive the best value.
Tarun Rai recently moved from the agency world, he is
currently the CEO of Worldwide Media magazine. He
expressed that the media world is much bigger. The
recession taught us that there's always a more efficient
way to do business. He uses a business model where 50 per
cent of revenue comes from ads, another 50% from the
cover price and the rest is received as profits.
He claimed that downturn is not entirely over yet. But
organisations don't need to panic, a simple upgradation in
the business strategy, keeping the vision stable, is all that's
required.
Technology advancement is inevitable hence every agency
must regularly improve its technical know-how. The iPad,
for instance, has opened up a whole new level of
advertising.
The last decade wasn't a great time to start business and
those who did witness it, know that business does not
always go up.
As an organisation, we can only control cost if we are
living in an unresponsive environment. What we can
perhaps do is build our client's business and publicise
one's proficiency.
In the next ten years, however, Srinivasan K Swamy
opined that matured media agencies of the present era
might make it big in the future. New agencies too will
enter the scene but to a moderate level.
When asked, will outsourcing turn agencies around,
Swamy responded that most YouTube and iTunes content
is actually created by movie makers and others, who are
actually agency people. Outsourcing is generally imitated.
People are relating to short forms of entertainment. A 1:30
minute video receives more hits than a 5 minute video on
YouTube, which is great.
By the end of the
C o n c l a ve , A p u r va
Purohit gave more
perspective to the
discussion. She claimed
that the recession
taught us to run our
b u s i n e s s e s m o r e
effectively, to strategise
and plan for growth,
keeping cost in regular
check. Prior to the
downturn, a lot of
newbies were readily
employed with large
pay-packages, even
though they didn't
yield much. Ergo, no
freshers are given more
than a junior employee's salary and their track-records are
regularly scrutinised.
The world might have come out of the recession now but
we need to look for a more realistic business strategy. The
above might sound as fair instigators to begin with.
Agency v/s Media
JUNE '10 / 63
Lessons from the Recessionary TimesSeminar by Exchange 4 Media
Chaired by:
Panelists:
Anurag Batra, Chairman & Editor-in-Chief,Exchange 4 Media
Vikram Sakhuja, CEO, GroupM South Asia
Ashok Venkatramani, CEO, Media ContentCommunication Services
Tarun Rai, CEO, World Wide Media
Srinivasan K Swamy, President, AAAI
Suman Srivastava, CEO, Euro RSCG India
Apurva Purohit, CEO, Radio City
From left to right:
Vikram Sakhuja,
CEO, GroupM South Asia;
Ashok Venkatramani, CEO,
Media Content Communication Services;
Tarun Rai, CEO, World Wide Media;
Anurag Batra, Chairman &
Editor-in-Chief, Exchange 4 Media;
Srinivasan K Swamy, President, AAAI;
Suman Srivastava, CEO,
Euro RSCG India; and
Apurva Purohit, CEO, Radio City
