PUNE Vol. 1 / Issue No.1 SEPTEMBER 2010 Price 50/- …newglobalindian.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/ngi_sept10.pdfcountries , must leave aside the thought process of the bygone era

TM

A Forum for Forward Thinking Indians Globally

NURTURING

SPIRITUAL

EQUALITY

MAHARASHTRA

CWG:The Games of Hope

NFIA:The Next Level

PUNEVol. 1 / Issue No.1

SEPTEMBER 2010Price 50/-

MAHARASHTRA

Foreign Minister ofTrinidad and Tobago Speaks

Exclusive interview:Asha Bhosle

EDITORIAL

CWG UPDATE

INDUSTRY

INTERVIEW

ORISSA

BIHAR

GOA

PHOTO FEATURE

Readers Write

2 / A tale of two cities3 / India: Coming of Age5 / New Global Indian EntrepreneurshipInitiative

6 / The Games of Hope

10 / Success mantra of Indian Americans11 / Tireless community leader12 / Teacher-cum-administrator per excellence13 / Aa ab laut chalen

14 / Vedic Wisdom for Civilizational Harmony16 / Unity in diversity19 / Unified Approach: Democracy in Trinidadand Tobago20 / Engaging Indians21 / Indian scientists meet on global cause22 / Raksha Bandhan: The great unifier24 / Down Under: Up, close & personal26 / Epar Bangla meets Opar Bangla

30 / Bathe life King Size

32 / Maharashtra Golden Process34 / Palkhi yatra transcends changing social mores36 / All the right moves38 / Reviving the culture in rhythm40 / Cool Comfort41 / Youth of the nation

42 / Toast to a musical odyssey

46 / Mesmerising Puri trail

50 / Bihar Shows the Way

56 / Paradise on earth59 / Destination Goa: Nothing personal, only business60 / Makeover bid for Goa61 / Mission sustainabledevelopment

62 / When Dusk Descends64 /

INTERNATIONAL SECTION

STATE FOCUS : MAHARASHTRA

CONTENT

SEPT '10 / 01

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EDITORIAL

02 '10/ SEPT

Kanchan Banerjee

Editor-in-chiefEmail:[email protected]


While celebrations of

Ganesh festival takes off

i n M u m b a i a n d

Mumbaikars embrace a

season of euphoria,

which is expressed in

million voices and in a

million ways, the United

Nations' representatives from 192 countries prepare to come

together in New York for hair-splitting discussions on various

world affairs in the annual GeneralAssembly meet.

The Big Apple wears a festive look, thanks to the mélange of attires

and potpourri of languages spoken by the delegates and heads of

states. Perhaps Ganapati and the United Nations have something in

common.

Although Mumbai and Los Angeles are official sister cities since

they are home to Bollywood and Hollywood, there is much more in

common between Mumbai and New York.

They are like two brothers, more so in the convergence of activities

on two famous venues of the megapolises -- the Dalal Street and the

Wall Street. If Mumbai is the financial hub of India, then New York

shares a similar status for the world at large.

Every up and down of the stock market in New York affects the

world economy. Similarly, the fate of investors at the Mumbai stock

exchange has had an impact in some of the biggest corporate houses

in India.

New York took the British colonial name to shed its Dutch past

`New Amsterdam', and Mumbai got rid of its colonial 'Bombay'

stigma only a few years ago.

The gigantic awe of the skyscrapers of Manhattan sometimes

makes us feel as if those are not a creation of mankind, but of some

aliens. Mumbai also boasts, perhaps, the tallest high rise in the

country. NYC, the largest city in the US, is home to over 8 million

people, and Mumbai accommodates more than 14 million, cutting

across all socio-economic barriers.

If the Mumbai's Marine drive is symbolic to the fast pace of life, the

FDR Drive along the Hudson River allows the visitors and residents

of New York a similar spirit that took a huge beating since the 9/11

strikes.

Mumbai, too, has seen the worst kind of terror attacks among all

cities in India, thanks to 26/11. The 9/11 ushered in an era in

terrorism, which struck with impunity outside the Indian sub-

continent.

For instance, there is conclusive evidence now that Pakistan-born

US national David Coleman Headley was a 26/11 mastermind who

travelled many times between New York and Mumbai with a

sinister plan to destroy many lives and symbols of modernity.

While Indian seers announced to the world the message of unity

and peace --- (the entire world is one big

family) -- the founding fathers of America envisioned a free and just

world. While the US repents the decimation of native Americans by

many of their forefathers, Martin Luther King's 'dream' has finally

been realised after a long struggle. Many of the social evils of India -

-- inarguably an ancient civilisation that had been accentuated due

to periodic invasions and colonisation -- are also being healed

slowly but certainly.

While horrible maladies like terrorism, poverty, discrimination and

injustices in the name of race, colour, creed and gender continue to

wither away at the foundation of our civilisation, religious dogmas,

authoritative and dictatorial forces still dominate much of the

world today.

So much so that the deceleration of the progress of the civilisation --

drenched in blood of crusades, jihads, slavery, revolutions and wars

-- seems to be unending. This is the key reason for Indians and

Americans, especially the policymakers and leaders of the two

countries , must leave aside the thought process of the bygone era

and come closer to help building a new world order of peace and

progress, where action should speak louder than words.

vasudhaiva kutumbakam

So much so that the deceleration of the progress of the civilisation --

drenched in blood of crusades, jihads, slavery, revolutions and wars

-- seems to be unending. This is the key reason for Indians and

Americans, especially the policymakers and leaders of the two

countries , must leave aside the thought process of the bygone era

and come closer to help

building a new world

order of peace and

progress, where action

should speak louder

than words. President

Obama’s India visit can

be very significant in

this light.

Amid this backdrop, a

g r o u p o f p e o p l e

prepares to celebrate

their achievements and

glory in a New York hotel. The NFIA, one of the oldest platforms of

Indian-Americans in the Land of Bounty, is rejoicing on its 30

anniversary. It's high time to raise a toast for all those who have

contributed so much to the world's oldest and

largest democracy.

th

A tale of two cities

SEPT '10 / 03

Author Nirad C Chaudhuri

d e d i c a t e d h i s ' T h e

Autobiography if an Unknown

Indian' to “the memory of the

British Empire in India…/

Because all that was good and

living within us/ Was made,

shaped and quickened/ By the

same British rule”.

Nothing can be further from truth

than this.

The richest 'nation' (though the

Western concept of nationhood

was not there then), one of the strongest civilizations with

five thousand years of history was plundered, ravaged;

people's confidence broken, history forgotten through five

hundred years of wars, conflicts, slavery, et al.

It is seen that civilizations, in a stage of decay, have

historically turned parochial and anti-universal, and

nothing can be a better example than Hitler's Germany.

However, the historic moment that we are today in is

about negating both of these: phase of decline, and getting

parochial. The best and the most beautiful of the past of

this nation need to be learnt and nurtured for knowledge

and national pride, people's confidence, and that takes

care of the obliterating history. Alongside, parochialism

has to be fought with a greater global role and better

standards of living domestically. On one hand the 30

million diaspora has a historic role, going beyond the

rhetoric. And, on the other, the 50% of the population

untouched by the 7 to 8% GDP growth-rate needs to be

brought within the ambit of

development.

And this is also important

because of India's famed

'demographic dividend', with

66% of population below 35

years of age, and the national

average age being just 25.5 years,

the youngest in the world. That

makes us the supplier of human

capit

al of

t h e

world of tomorrow, where

USA, UK, Germany, France,

Japan and Canada, all have

60% or more people above 35

years, and average age varying from 35 to 44 years.

But this population needs skills, and not the hallowed

degrees of no practical worth. This youth needs resources

to start entrepreneurship. The educated young men and

women need the education that is innovative and

application-based.

Who can do this best but you? You, the New Global

Indians, who have seen the world, those who fortunately

know what is best for the economy, what the right skills are

for the evolving knowledge economy.

There are very many reasons to cheer all around, within

the nation and outside.

The 400-years old East India Company, which

EDITORIAL


India's famed 'demographic dividend', with66% of population below 35 years of age,and the national average age being just25.5 years, the youngest in the world.

India: Coming of Age

Arun Netravali Amar Bose Vinod Dham Sanjay Jha

spearheaded the colonization of India, has been bought by

Indian businessman Sanjiv Mehta recently. Two centuries

old British financial firm Hitchens Harrison was bought

over by Religare's Malvinder-Shivinder Singh. Several

MNC brands have been bought over by Indian companies,

like Axon of UK, Derma of Singapore, Escada of Germany,

Hobi Kozmetik of Turkey, Jaguar- Land Rover of UK, ,

Megasari of Indonesia, Tetley of UK, Typhoo of UK,

Vladivar of UK, etc.

In top acquisitions by Indian

companies recently have been

Tata Steel taking over Corus,

Bharti Airtel acquiring Zain,

Hindalco taking up Novelis,

ONGC integrating Imperial

Energy within itself, Tata Motors taking JLR, Suzlon

acquiring REpower, and many more. Not to forget, United

Spirits taking over Whyte & Mackay!

Just five years ago, only five Indian companies were in the

top 500 of the world: Indian Oil, Reliance, Bharat

Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum, ONGC, and four of

them in the last 100 companies. Today, in 2010, 8

companies are in top 500, including SBI, Tata Steel and

Tata Motors, and 5 of them are in the top 400 companies of

the world. Tata and Reliance have been named as the 50

most innovative companies globally, while Mahindra and

Indian Hotels are among the top 25 global brands of

tomorrow.

Even, globally, the nine top Indian origin CEOs now come

among the highest paid and valued 100 professional CEOs

of the world (those who are not the promoters), Not just

the famous ones- Vikram Pandit (Citigroup), Indra Nooyi

(Pepsico), Sanjay Jha (Motorola), Shantanu Narayen

(Adobe Systems), but others such as Dinesh C Paliwal

(Harman International), , Surya Mahapatra (Quest

Diagnostics), Rajiv L Gupta (Rohm & Haas), Francisco D'

Souza (Cognizant Technology), Ramani Iyer (Hartford

Financial Services), and. Some of the Indian origin

visionaries who have hit it big time globally and many of

them now giving back to their nation include Amar Bose,

Arun Netravali, Bharat Desai, Gururaj Deshpande, Kawal

Rekhi, Pradeep Sandhu, Ram Shriram, Vinod Dham, and

Sam Pitroda. More than 20 of the top 100 Universities and

Institutes globally have today Indian origin Deans and

Directors, like Ajay Menon, Amartya Sen, Dinesh Bhugra,

Dipak Jain, Homi K Bhabha, Nitin Nohria, Michael Rao,

Subra Suresh, Vijay Kumar, Yash Gupta, Raj Reddy, et al.

This talent pool of the world has developed over decades

of exposure to top-notch education and institutions,

organizations and educational. But this is just the

proverbial tip of the iceberg. One which is evolving and

needs to partner in the next phase of growth in this

country. These men and women of learning, wealth,

network and experience need to lay the foundation of the

next road to progress, and mark a paradigm shift in India.

And, for that, skill-based learning and entrepreneurship-

based enterprise are two key drivers of growth. This is

never to forget that the nation has its own base of

thousands of years' long legacy of the system of

education, experiential learning, social integration of the

learners, family values to give a platform for the

performers to work from a strong base, community life,

etc.

Going beyond the hype around the power of the Indian

Diaspora around the globe, can we now proceed to

harness the youth, the nature, the legacy that we have in

abundance to create the next global leadership focused on

development, education, peace and democracy?

Gurukul

04 '10/ SEPT NGI KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE

Prof Ujjwal K Chowdhury

Email: .ujjwalk [email protected]

Executive Director,

ISBM School of Communication

Pune, Kolkata, NOIDA, Bengaluru

Today, in 2010, 8 companies are in top 500,including SBI, Tata Steel and Tata Motors,

and 5 of them are in the top 400 companiesof the world.

Guraraj Deshpande Indra Nooyi Ram Shriram Francisco D'Souza

Perhaps, it has been consigned to oblivion that Indian

merchants roamed the world, and were, inarguably, the

best for many centuries.

Prior to the advent of the East India Company, India had

the best ships in the world. But, as history reveals much of

the entrepreneurial activities were first stolen, and later

destroyed by the British. After Independence there was

tardy progress, thanks to the government policies to

empower this key sector.

The only silver ray of hope, however, has been the

emergence of successful entrepreneurs powered by the

economic liberlisation in the early 1990s.

India has a potential to create myriads of young

entrepreneurs that will help flourishing of a huge number

of enterprises. The sector is in dire need of reorientation,

efficiency, quality, marketing support and finance

management.

Time is ripe to harness this innate human strength to

revolutionise the spirit of entrepreneurship in India and

the world at large. A study shows that the India ranks

second (after Thailand) in TEA (Total Entrepreneurial

Activity) Index in terms of number of people involved in

entrepreneurial activities (India: 17, China 12 [global

average], USA 11 and Japan 2). It is not just the economic,

political and social structure of India that influences this

index, but more significantly many Indians are also

genetically and traditionally entrepreneurs.

Taking a cue from these facts, the NGI has been working

on its Global Entrepreneurship Development Project to

identify, train and support a large number of potential

young Indian entrepreneurs, who are capable yet lacking

proper resources and support to launch their own start-

ups.

In a bid to realise this long cherished dream, the NGI

Foundation is working with a team of experts to impart

training and also scouting for potential new business

concepts and models, which can be replicated in India.

A grand futuristic project on these lines will enable a large

number of young entrepreneurs with the following

tangible advantages. It will be a natural progression from

job dependency to self-sufficiency, joblessness to a stable

career, job creation for many, a positive impact on the

economy, eradication of poverty and social unrest.

Job creation will lead to a

quantum leap in direct

spending that will, invariably,

trigger a “ripple” effect in the

economy through business-to-

business transactions.

If such a project can be taken

up in a large scale, it will not only transform the economy

but also live up to the cherished dream of “Shining India”.

The project, though, requires a tremendous amount of

resources both human and financial, knowledge,

expertise and experience. The NGI believes that global

Indians would come forward in support of our initiatives

in a big way. It plans to organise a Global Business Summit

in New York in spring 2011.

The NGI, with the help of leaders from various sectors,

will chalk out practical means and future course of action

to create and support

millions of entrepreneurs

to inspire pioneering

innovations and game-

changing business ideas

and models to create a

greener, healthier and

happier earth.

This event will have three

distinct sections: A

Global CEO Summit and

VC Summit, a Global

Entrepreneurship Summit and a Global India Business

Summit, which will be attended by dozens of business

leaders and successful entrepreneurs, investors and VCs

to meet and guide many entrepreneurs and aspirants.

If you are interested in these projects, feel free to contact:

, or log onto

for more details.

[email protected]

www.ngifoundation.org

SEPT '10 / 05

The NGI will chalk out practical means andfuture course of action to create and

support millions of entrepreneurs to inspirepioneering innovations and game-changing

business ideas and models to create agreener, healthier and happier earth.


EDITORIAL

New Global Indian Entrepreneurship InitiativeIndia has a potential to create myriads of young entrepreneurs that will help flourishing of a huge number of

enterprises, writes Haimanti Banerjee.

Reams upon reams have been written about the

issues plaguing the Commonwealth Games.

Nothing however, can take away the memories

of the people who

w o u l d a t t e n d ,

support and play in

these games. They

would be exposed

to a city teeming

with timeless heritage, modern infrastructure

and a city full of people who are looking forward to the

games eagerly.

With less than 20

days to go as this

issue goes to print,

The Commonwealth

Games are more than

the statistics they

present- 17 Sports,

285 events, and over

8000 athletes and

officials . This in

addition to the 1 lakh

tourists expected to

come to India at the

time. A total of 11

v e n u e s a n d 4 2

t r a i n i n g v e n u e s

across Delhi have been refurbished, renovated or

newly built for the Games. The number of

flyovers, street-scaping projects and road

refurbishments need to be seen to be believed.

And unlike what detractors say, these facilities

will be used by Delhi residents and tourists for

decades to come.

The Games Village conjures up a vision of a series

of low-rise structures set up around an open area. Not this

time. The village is a set of high-rises, built by one of

India's top builders, with global technical partners, and

with fixtures that would give any top-of-the-line housing

complex a run for its money. For the first time, the village

would also have training facilities for athletes. Atotal of 34

residential towers, with 1,168 air-conditioned apartments

comprising 4,008 bedrooms, will house the guests. The

Main Dining Hall, with a seating capacity of 2,300, will

cater to their food requirements, dishing out

approximately 22,000 meals daily.

“Each apartment will have facilities, which are unheard of

in many of the Games Villages around the world,” said

Maneck Kotwal, Director, Games Village. “Special

thought has also gone into the food that will be provided

to the athletes. The comprehensive menu on offer will

contain dishes from all six zones of the Commonwealth, at

the same time designed to meet the cultural, religious and

The Games Village:

06 '10/ SEPT

The Commonwealth Games are more thanthe statistics they present- 17 Sports, 285

events, and over 8000 athletes and officialsand 1 lakh tourists expected to come.


The Games of Hope

CWG 2010 is much more than the infrastructure it will create. looks at the various facets of the mega event.Karan Rajpal

CWG Baton on a roller coaster ride.

CWG UPDATE

nutritional needs of the athletes.”

The Games Village will have a special building with

prayer rooms for all faiths. This will provide the athletes

space and option to pray and meditate. The Games Village

will also offer a taste of the rich cultural heritage of India.

Several cultural programmes have been lined up to

showcase Indian music and dance, while interactive live

craft demonstrations by artisans and handicraft stores will

promote Indian folk art and traditions.

A team of 88 paid staff and 460 volunteers will look after

Games village planning and operations during the Games.

The scope of work and issues involved are huge and

overwhelming, but Kotwal is not complaining. “It is a

great feeling to be able to do something for my country

and make a contribution in making the 2010

Commonwealth Games successful. I am an engineer and

an MBA. While I can do what my peers are doing, they

cannot do what I am doing right now.”

There's nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer,

goes the adage. The life blood of any sporting event is the

people involved. You may have the best of stadia and

facilities, but it ultimately boils down to the human angle.

This is where the volunteer force is important, and the

sound execution of the project depends on their

performance.

The Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010 have also lined up

22,000 volunteers to present the best of India for the

coming athletes, officials, spectators and visitors who will

be in the city for the Games. The Delhi United team - as the

volunteer programme is called -

has homemakers, married couples,

students, retired officers, senior

citizens - people united by the

common cause of making the

Commonwealth Games a success.

S.P.B. Menon, a Delhi State athlete

in her younger days, was prompt to

sign up for Delhi United. “I have

been an athlete since my childhood

days, and I am very enthusiastic for

the Commonwealth Games,” says

the 61-year-old. “As the Games are

being hosted by Delhi, being an

athlete and responsible citizen I feel

that they should be top priority and

all sports people should be part of

the Games with the same vigour,”

says Menon.

Age isn't a problem. Ved Sultania,

who has retired from service and is

self-employed now, is equally

enthusiastic. “As an Indian, I

am proud to serve the

country,” says the 64-year-old

Sultania. “We must come out

with our best effort. As a

volunteer, I am motivated

and trying to connect my

friends and other people

around. I have full faith in the

committee and proud that my

country is hosting the

Games.”

It isn't all fun and games for

the volunteers though. There

is a lot of intense training

involved. The training is

divided into three categories -

general, role specific and venue specific.

The Games have also given Delhi its new lifeline- the

Metro. With unbridled growth, Delhi was becoming akin

to many global metropolises. Now with the lifeline

throbbing, Delhi's populace can now travel in comfort,

and ensure they reach places in time. Many of the city's

major roads have been realigned or refurbished to make

Delhi's transport system multi-

modal in the true sense.

What is significant in this

context is that the Games today

is not just the prerogative and

responsibility of the Indian

Olympic Association and the CWG

Committee. It has become the larger

responsibility of the Union and the

Delhi government and the personal

involvement of the state Chief

Minister, Sheila Dixit, is seen every

day during the run-up to the

Games in the first half of October

2010. The Union Government

has put into action a high-

powered body to oversee the

preparations and report to the

Prime Minister daily.

The Games today is the responsibility

of every citizen of Delhi. Each Indian

needs to ensure that every sportsman

and visitor from overseas goes back

happy and more knowledgeable about

India as the curtains come down on the

Commonwealth Games 2010 of Delhi

in mid-October.

The Volunteers:

SEPT '10 / 07

The Delhi United team - 22,000 volunteers -has homemakers, married couples, students,

retired officers, senior citizens - peopleunited by the common cause of making the

Commonwealth Games a success.


Children with CWG Mascot 'Shera'

Delhi CM, Shiela Dikshit watering plants

INTERNATIONALINTERNATIONALIndia Day celebrations and launch of NGI August issue at Boston (USA)

India Day celebrations and launch of NGI August issue at New York (USA)

National Federation of

I n d i a n A m e r i c a n

Associations, NFIA is

c e l e b r a t i n g i t s 3 0

Anniversary in New York

on September 17 to 19,

2010, the largest umbrella

organization of more than

2 0 0 a s s o c i a t i o n s ,

representing over 2.7

million Indian Americans,

is commemorating its

milestone anniversary by

a g a t h e r i n g a n d

conference of its members

and guests. The theme of

this conference and 16

Biennial convention is “Indian Americans Celebrating

Success, Overcoming Challenges”

The program begins with a Welcome Reception at the

World Fair Marina, Queens, NY. Meera Shankar, the

Indian Ambassador to the U.S. will be the chief guest. The

conference will follow at the Crowne Plaza LaGuardia

H o t e l o n S a t u r d a y ,

September 18 . The main

focus will be to cover

c o n t e m p o r a r y i s s u e s

a f f e c t i n g t h e I n d i a n -

American community such

as education, business, jobs,

politics, immigration, and

security.

"This year marks the 30th

Anniversary of the formation

of NFIA - 30 years of

r e m a r k a b l e a n d

u n p r e c e d e n t e d

achievements by NFIA

members representing the

interests of over 2.7 million

Indian Americans from 200+ associations in the US,” said

Lal Motwani, Convention Convener of NFIA. "We

encourage everyone to be part of this wonderful event at

NFIA's 30th Anniversary Convention, to know about it, its

significance and how it matters to every one of us Indian

Americans, to feel connected, with a sense of belonging

and to participate fully," Motwani emphasized.

"This is a celebration of 30 years of achievements,

contributions and services by the Indian Americans

towards the progress of the American dream on all

frontiers of business, commerce, health, education and

social welfare." said Dr. Thomas Abraham, founding

president of NFIA and past Chairman of GOPIO (Global

Organization of People of Indian Origin) International.

“NFIAwill re-examine and re-evaluate its role during the

last 30 years with respect to goals and aspirations of the

2.7 million+ Indian Americans living in the US," said

Ritesh Agrawal, Regional Vice president of NFIA. “We

will focus on trends emerging over the next 10 years, to

draw out the next generation of Indian Americans,'

Agrawal continued.

t h

th

th

More details of the convention will be available at

h t t p : / / w w w. n f i a . n e t / o r c o n t a c t t h e E - m a i l

[email protected] .

Success mantra of Indian AmericansThis is a celebration of 30 years of achievements, contributions and services by the Indian Americans towards the progress of

the American dream on all frontiers of business, commerce, health, education and social welfare

10 / SEPT '10 NGI KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE

INTERNATIONAL

Mrs. Jayawantiben Mehta, Minister of State for Power, India, Felicitating NFIA

President Niraj Baxi in Mumbai, India, January 2003

Lal Motwani is a familiar and respected name in the Indian

community in the US, especially in the New York-New

Jersey area.

Though he was born in Sindh, he moved to India during

Partition, and later came to the US in 1977.

An architect by profession, who took to the calling while in

Lucknow in northern India, he has emerged as one of the

leading Indian American Community leaders in the New

York area, thanks to his hard work and dedication.

Over the last 33 years, he has established himself as an

architect, designer and elected to top posts in many

prestigious organisations. In fact, he has been associated

with over 20 different organisations.

He wanted to become an artist as early as in 1959. While he

was in High School, his artwork fetched him several

awards at various exhibitions. Later on, he changed his

track, and opted for architecture. He has been associated

with the National Federation of Indian American

Associations (NFIA) since inception, and has spent a lot of

time with the organisation along with the Global

Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO).

Asked about his main achievement in working with so

many organisations, especially with the NFIA, he said:

“My mission has been to bring a better understanding of

people and culture of India to mainstreamAmerica.”

No wonder, he is the first coordinator of the India Day

Parade in New York. He started a unique Diwali event on a

boat in 1985. Diwali was celebrated at the Port Authority,

Housing Authority and recently at the Metropolitan

Museum of Arts in New York due to his initiatives. He

was also instrumental in bringing Indian arts to America

by opening the Asian Art Gallery at the Metropolitan

Museum. He has coordinated and organised innumerable

conferences, seminars and other activities in the past.

He has lofty plans for the 30th anniversary of the NFIA as

well.

'Through this event we want to look back and see what the

NFIA done for the past 30 years. What we can do more to

help our community in future especially in the fields of

liberal arts, culture and politics,” he explained.

He also wants a lot more active participation by the

community members since he says, “the NFIA is the only

organisation, which welcomes people belonging to

dif ferent rel igions,

languages, regions,

b u s i n e s s e s a n d

professions. People

from all economic and

social strata are a part of

this . Anybody can

become a member.”

He now wants to focus

all his energy to bring

m o r e I n d i a n

organisations under the

NFIA, create better image for the Indian community in

mainstream America, and support greater involvement of

Indian-Americans in politics.

He is also an ardent believer in strong cooperation

between India and the US for a secure and progressive

world.

INTERNATIONAL

President -

Executive Vice-President -

Member of Multicultural Audience

Development Initiative -

International Coordinator -

Global Organization of People of

Indian Origin (GOPIO) New York

Sindhi Circle NYNJ&CT

National

Federation of Indian American Associations

(NFIA)

The Metropolitan

Museum of Art New York

Federation of

Indian Associations (FIA NYNJ&CT)

Governor's Award of Excellence

Sindhu Award: The highest award received by any Sindhi in the

US

Distinguished Service Award: Manager of the year NYC

Managerial Employees Association

Best Design: Bank of Baroda's Ladies Branch in Lucknow, India

Best Model: Gujarat Refinery Project in All India Agriculture Fair,

Ahmedabad, India

State of NJ Senate Citation for appreciation of leadership and

distinguished community services

NJ State Senate Citation for outstanding community services

City of NJ, Office of Mayor Certificate of appreciation for

community services

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

Awards

Honour

SEPT '10 / 11NGI KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE

Tireless community leader

Lal Motwani with

former President

Dr. Abdul Kalam

Lal Motwani has been a shining example of a tireless contributor in the fields of arts, culture and politics inmainstream America.

NFIA chairman Dr Rajen Anand came

to the United States in 1963. He has a

unique combination of experience of

university teaching, chairing two

academic departments as well as

heading a Federal agency. He has been

passionately involved in serving

students at the university, and also

working on public policy issues both at

the state and Federal levels for nearly

two decades. He has joined the Obama

administration on July 6, 2009, to serve

as the executive director, USDA,

Center for Nutrition Policy and

Promotion (CNPP).

Previously, he had served in the Clinton administration

(1995-2001) in the same position. The mission of the Center

is to improve the health of Americans by developing and

promoting dietary guidance that links scientific research

to the nutritional needs of consumers.

As a student at U C Davis, he was the president of

International Student Association (1966-1968) and also the

secretary of the India Association. He was conferred on the

Foreign Student Award twice

in 1967 and 1968 for his work

with international students.

After graduating from UC

Davis, CA, he taught at the

California State University, Long Beach from 1970 till he

joined the USDA. In Los Angeles, he came in contact with

Inder Singh, and the duo founded the Federation of Indo-

AmericanAssociation.

Over the years, he has served the organisation in various

roles like secretary (1984-`86), president (1986-`88) and

chairman (1988-`90). In 1982, he was elected as a member

of the California Democratic Party and served as chair of

the Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus in 1991-

`93 and served on the platform committee. He also

founded the Indo-American Political Association in

California, and worked with virtually every elected

political leader.

He also served as the founding chair of the Department of

Anatomy and Physiology (1985-`89) and chair of the

Department of Communicative Disorders (1990-`92).

DrAnand's research was in the field of energy metabolism,

especially in-utero studies on the effect of maternal

nutrition on the developing foetus. He is a member of the

American Association for Advancement of Science,

American Physiological Society, American Society for

Nutrition, Sigma Xi, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, and

many other scientific organisations. He has also served on

numerous national and university wide committees,

including the National Committee on Foreign Medical

Education and Accreditation, Academic Senate, Planning

and Educational Policy, College of Natural Sciences and

Mathematics Council etc. He chaired the Asian & Pacific

American Forum and was secretary of the California

FacultyAssociation.

Dr Anand has been honoured with several academic

awards, including the Outstanding Professor Award at the

Long Beach campus (for excellence in teaching, research

and community service). He was also twice recipient of the

Meritorious Performance & Professional Promise Award.

He is listed in a number of bibliographic volumes.

As a freelance journalist, Dr Anand has published over 350

news stories and articles in various newspapers and

magazines, in addition to his many scientific papers in

national and international journals.

On the role of the NFIAin the US he says, “Indian Diaspora

is a very diverse group of people and we tend to be

associated with our own religious and regional

organisation. That is the reason why we have a multitude

of organisation based on religion or our regional

affiliation. NFIA was formed to minimise the loyalty only

towards religion and regions in India and bring a sense of

unity among all Indian-Americans. The NFIA is truly a

secular organisation, and a very diverse group of people.

NFIAprotects their basic civil rights and preserves the best

of Indian culture in the United States.”

Asked about the scope to improve health care of masses in

India, he pointed out: “There is a lot of scope to work with

India to improve nutrition and prevent chronic diseases. I

have not been involved with India, for I have never been

approached to do anything there.”

In his message for the Global Indians, especially the

younger generation, he says: “Look beyond the borders

created by religion and regional affiliation and become

active in local issues. In selecting a career, follow your

passions, work hard to attain your personal goals. Do not

be afraid to reach out to tasks that might seem impossible.

If anyone can do a job, you are capable of doing it. Work

without expectations of any returns.”


INTERNATIONAL

“There is a lot of scope to work with India toimprove nutrition and prevent chronic

diseases.”

Teacher-cum-administrator par excellence

Dr Rajen S. Anand, chairman, NFIA

A multi-tasking role model has been the bridge between two greatest democraciesin the world

C K Patel, better known as “C K” among friends and an

ardent follower of the Gandhian philosophy, is currently

the president of NFIA. He is a rare Indian in the US, who

has not given up his Indian passport. Having lived the

American dream for three decades, he now yearns to go

back and serve mother India. In fact, he has lived more in

India than in the US since 1997. He owns vast tracts of

farmland in his native place -- Gandhinagar and

Sabarkantha districts in Gujarat --- where he works as a

socio-political leader.

C K came to Los Angeles as a student in 1974. However, he

ended up as a hotel builder-cum-operator, making

millions in the lucrative business. He owned and operated

the prestigious oceanfront Five Star Hilton Hotel at Dana

Point in California in 1992. The media has hailed his feat as

the first ever Hilton built by an Indian anywhere in the

world.

After being a hotel tycoon for many years, C K recently

formed Greenport Energy Park (GEP) LLC, for the

purchase of a 1,309-acre waterfront industrial park site,

which is located in the Greater San Francisco Bay Region

of California, less than 12 nautical miles from the world

famous Golden Gate Bridge. The GEP site enjoys 3.5 miles

of waterfront on the California Trade Corridor on the SF

Bay deep sea channel system, connecting shipping lines

into the central California's Sacramento and Stockton deep

sea ports as well as providing shipping and barging access

to the greater SF Bay region and the Pacific Ocean

International shipping. The Greenport Energy Park

development concept is for the GEP to become a world

class exhibit and model for the worldwide development of

green industrial parks.

In India, he set up the Sabarkantha Health and Research

Foundation to take care of basic health and education in

north Gujarat, and also associated with numerous

organisations for the uplift of the masses. For all his social

and community work in the area of health and education

in Gujarat, he has been decorated by many awards ---

"Glory of Gujarat Award", "Bharat Gaurav Ratna Award",

"Pride of Gujarat Award", "Girnar Award", "Patidar Ratna

Award", "Rotarary CentenaryAward" and many more.

C K organised a public function at the Gandhi Ashram in

Ahmedabad in September 2007 to honor Indian-origin

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, who came back to earth

in June 2007 after spending six months on-board of the

International Space Station.

He has planned a “World Peace Conference” in October

2010 at the Gandhi

A s h r a m i n

A h m e d a b a d .

“World peace can

only be achieved by

following Mahatma

G a n d h i ' s

philosophy of non-

violence,” he says

while explaining the

motto behind the

novel initiative.

He has also served as

past president and

c h a i r m a n o f

Federation of Indo-

A m e r i c a n o f

Southern California

(FIA). He was the

f o u n d e r a n d

chairman of the "Nav Gujarat Society", Southern

California, Hotel-Motel Association & Indo-US Chamber

of Commerce in the USA. C K has also served on the

chairman advisory board of the National Republican

Party. He has been a member of the Presidential Round

Table and also a recipient of the "Republican Presidential

Award".

He has been instrumental in

the installation of a life size

statue of Mahatma Gandhi at

Bellevue in Seattle in October

2009 during his tenure as a president of the NFIA. He is

also the brain behind the maiden installation of Gandhi's

statue in the US in Atlanta, which is placed right next to

that of Dr Martin Luther King.

For the historic Indo-US civil nuclear deal, C K played a

major role, mustering support both within the community

and the US Congress. He remains committed towards

strengthening the Indo-US relationship. He has held

several press conferences in Delhi, Bombay, Ahmedabad

to create awareness about the benefits of the nuclear deal.

To know more about C K Patel,

visit: http://chandukpatel.com/

SEPT '10 / 13

“World peace can only be achieved byfollowing Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of

non-violence.”


Aa ab laut chalenC K Patel has been there, and done that. Having made his fortune in the Land of Bounty, he is now recharging his batteries for

social work back home

INTERNATIONAL

C K Patel, president, NFIA

Amid chants of , , and others, with oblation in

sacrificial fire pit at the lawns of beautiful St. Augustine

Campus of University of West Indies in Port of Spain,

Trinidad, were sitting some of the highest academic,

scholars, and intellectuals to explore the meanings of these

ancient practices and to make sense of them for the modern

world.

The occasion was the 8th

b i e n n i a l I n t e r n a t i o n a l

Conference of the World

Association of Vedic Studies

held on August 4-7, 2010 that

was inaugurated by the Indian

High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Malay

Mishra, and was graced by the Foreign Minister of

Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Surajrattan Rambachan.

The conference was held along three tracks: Academic

Symposium on Vedic knowledge for Civilizational

Harmony, Deep dive into Understanding Vedic Practices,

and a Youth Summit. While all the tracks were well

attended Vedic Practices track attracted the most

participants.

The Vedic practice of Yajna was much discussed as a

journey of self-discovery and transformation and

explained in detail; the fire ceremony was performed by

Shri PVR Narasimha Rao on three days to the delight of the

attendees.

“Yajna is a fire ceremony that has deep macrocosmic

symbolism and has lessons for the modern man's quest for

environmental rejuvenation and balance in society,” said

Shekhar Shastri, the program chair for WAVES 2010.

Prof. K. Ramasubramanian of IIT, Mumbai commented,

“The Vedic practices present ways of appreciating the

intricate connections between all forms of material and

existence honoring and celebrating the mutual

interdependence between all participants in the cosmic

drama.”

Yogini Shambhavi demonstrated steps involved and

meanings derived in worshipping Kali in the Tantra

session. Ambassador CM Bhandari explained chitta as the

divine mirror that can be used to learn and lead peaceful

and healthy life through yoga and meditation.

A futuristic session was organized on Siksha - revitalizing

Vedic traditions, in which scholars discussed innovative

ideas for Vedic rejuvenation, essential building blocks:

Sanskrit and Samskara, Eastern wisdom and the West and

Super Accelerated Learning Theory (based on Vedic

learning system) models.

World famous Vedic Scholar and author of over 30 books,

Vamdev Shastry (Dr. David Frawley) remarked, “Just as

Yoga has been internalized and practiced by millions all

over the world, a logical, deeper and simplified

understanding of Puja and Yajna have the potential to

transform the lives of millions.”

The Vedic practice sessions brought to the fore the

continuing relevance of these practices, and need to learn

them in contemporary context with modern language and

terminologies. These sessions also provided first hand

experience to academic scholars, and helped them

understand the deeper meanings of Vedic practices, and in

the integration of theory and practice.

Participants shared their insights on the inner meanings in

the Vedic literature and discussed the future of Vedic

knowledge systems such as yoga and Ayurveda. Dr.

Surujrattan Rambachan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs,

Trinidad & Tobago who addressed the conference,

observed that there could be no clash of civilizations in a

global society when governed by the Vedic precept of

and that Ayurveda is an

affordable, accessible, and non-invasive medicine

system.”

Inaugurating the conference, the Indian High

Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago Mr. Malay Mishra

observed that “the Vedic message of '

' transcends time and place and that

listening to the Vedic scholars had created a new

enthusiasm to examine the current global issues in a

harmonious light.”

Agni Varuna

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam

service to people is

service to the supreme

14 / SEPT '10

“Just as Yoga has been internalized andpracticed by millions all over the world, a

logical, deeper and simplifiedunderstanding of Puja and Yajna have the

potential to transform the lives of millions.”


INTERNATIONAL

World Conference CelebratesVedic Wisdom for Civilizational Harmony

“This conference was a historic event in the celebration of

Vedic traditions and we are deeply touched by the warmth

and hospitality of the people of Trinidad and Tobago", said

Sashi Kejriwal, President,

WAVES.

Leading scientists, artists, and philosophers deliberated

on many deep issues at the beautiful St. Augustine

Campus of University of West Indies in Trinidad. “The

universal insights of the Vedas have much to guide and

inform us in this challenging global climate, especially in

building ethical, functioning democracies,” said Prof. Bal

Ram Singh, conference chair of WAVES 2010.

Prof. Subhash Kak, a leading scientist who was much in

the press a few years back for resolving Einstein's 'Twin

Paradox', addressed the conference on the topic of 'Vedic

Insights and the current World Crisis.' Prof. Kak said, “The

current crisis is a result of the view that consumption must

drive the growth of nations, but maybe there is a need to

concentrate on wellbeing instead. WAVES embraces all of

science and also other aspects that can potentially be

encompassed by science.”

According to Dr. Kalidas Shetty, a biotechnologist from

Boston, “science is always in search of integrative

paradigms that can interconnect different bodies of

knowledge - Vedic knowledge systems incorporate

multiple dimensions naturally with little intellectual or

social stress.” Dr. Shetty was a scientific advisor to US

Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Jeffrey Armstrong, a celebrated author and a popular yoga

teacher, talked about his new bestseller book 'Spiritual

teachings of the Avatar' which takes off from the recently

released 3-D movie, “Avatar”, and there were wonderful

musical performances by the Kanniks and several

Trinidad artists.

One of the high points of the conference was the Youth

Summit, where high-school and college students

interacted on important questions in a lively manner over

the four days. Many youth delegates from across the

world including the Hindu Students Council, USA and

Trinidad attended the event. The Youth Summit spanned

issues related to Hindu identity, relationships, family, and

social activism in the form of a series of conversations

between youth leaders and invited scholars. Dr. Vanita

Shastri, the youth track chair said, “WAVES seems to have

unleashed the latent curiosity of the youth to learn the

deeper significance of the Vedic practices, and the

inheritors of the future are ready to take charge.” Sohini

Sarkar, a student from Georgetown University said: “The

Youth Track of the WAVES Conference allowed students

from all over the US and Trinidad to form lasting

friendships while discussing pertinent topics that form

their understanding of Hinduism.”

Numerous Vedic scholars participated in the conference

including: David Frawley, T.S. Rukmani, Douglas Allen,

Sethuraman Rammohan, Oleg Perzashkevich,

Sampadananda Misra, Prof. TRN Rao, S. Kalyanaraman,

and K. Ramasubramanian.

“The content was superb and I salute the organizers for

their personal commitment and sacrifice,” remarked

noted legal expert and Vice Provost of the University of

Denver, Dr. Ved Nanda.

Dr. Dyer Narinesingh, the

Acting Principal of the

University of West Indies,

acknowledged that the success

of the WAVES 2010 had opened

up a new dialogue between the

people of Trinidad and Hindus

all over the world.

The conference was hosted by Saraswati Mandiram with

support from a number of Trinidad and Tobago

organizations, such as: the Sanatan Dharma Mahasabha

(SDMS), The National Council for Indian Culture (NCIC)

and the Vedic Mission, and many others. Pandit

Ramadheen Ramsamooj, the Conference Coordinator and

the architect of bringing WAVES to Trinidad and Tobago

expressed satisfaction with the conference. "We have

brought the Vedic knowledge to the shores of Trinidad

and Tobago to empower their tradition, and we have done

well in this endeavor", said Pandit Ramsamooj.

World Association of Vedic Studies (WAVES) is a

m u l t i d i s c i p l i n a r y, n o n -

religious, academic society. It

is a forum for all scholarly

activities and views on any

area of Vedic Studies variously

called as Indian Studies, South

Asian Studies or Indology.

For more information visit:

http://www1.umassd.edu/ind

ic/waves2010.cfm

SEPT '10 / 15

“WAVES seems to have unleashed the latentcuriosity of the youth to learn the deeper

significance of the Vedic practices, and theinheritors of the future are ready to take

charge.”


Malay Mishra, Balram Singh and Sashi Kejriwal

Dr Surujrattan Rambachan, Minister of Foreign Affairs,

Trinidad and Tobago, addressed the 8th International

WAVES conference delegates at the Indian Cultural Center

in Port of Spain on August 6. In his message, he

emphasised how important the Indian heritage is for the

modern world and that Trinidad and Tobago is a model

state of co-existence and harmony of various ethnic and

religious groups. Excerpts of the speech:

As many of you know,

Trinidad and Tobago is a

m u l t i c u l t u r a l s o c i e t y

encompassing many races and

religions. Significantly, over

41% of our populations are of

Indian origin, and many have

retained their religious,

s p i r i t u a l a n d c u l t u r a l

practices. Indeed, I believe,

that WAVES could not have selected a more appropriate

country to hold this conference. I urge you to engage the

local academic and spiritual community, and I assure you

that you may be pleasantly surprised how Hindus in this

country continue to maintain the ancient Vedic traditions.

I wish to quote some thoughts, which were shared with

me by my brother Professor Ananatananad Rambachan,

Professor of Religion at St Olaf College, Minnesota.

“Historically, Hinduism has embraced both religion and

culture and the disentanglement of one from the other is

quite difficult. The detachment of religion and culture,

however, is rapidly becoming a reality in the experience of

a new generation of Hindus born in the United States. The

traditionally pervasive influence of Hinduism is relegated

to fewer areas of life. How will the Hindu tradition

develop and thrive in a context in which it does not exert a

pervasive cultural influence? Will it be limited to

ritualistic practices in the home and temple? What will be

its public character, if any? These are vital questions that

challenge us today.

Arelevant and creative Hindu tradition cannot afford to be

a passive object of change, but must choose to become an

active participant in the debates and struggles that are

currently shaping public values. It will have to journey

into its wisdom teachings to retrieve those essential

insights that will guide its response to significant

contemporary issues and challenges. It will have to

actively seek out and establish partnerships and join in the

discussions that will determine the character of our nation.

It will have to shift from a mentality of complacency,

historically engendered by its numerical and cultural

dominance in the Indian sub-

continent, to one of youthful and

self-critical vigour. Hinduism must

increasingly embrace the fact that

religion is not only the private issue

of an individual's search for the

ult imate , but must also be

concerned with the values in the

public sphere, with justice in

economic, social and gender

relationships.

The unity of religion and culture, to

which I have already referred,

obviated the need for special

agencies for the transmission of the

tradition. It was correctly assumed

that a child would receive the

necessary religious exposure by the

mere fact of growing up in a

particular community. In a secular

16 '10/ SEPT

The theme of the WAVES conference thisyear “Vedic knowledge for CivilizationalHarmony” seems especially appropriateand topical as societies worldwide arecontinually challenged by critical socialissues from poverty to unemployment,

from crime to ethnic conflicts, from hungerto diseases such as HIV/AIDS.


INTERNATIONAL

Unity in diversityDr Surujrattan Rambachan emphasises on importance of Indian heritage for the modern world

Kanchan Bannerjee with FM Rambachan

society of competing cultural and religious choices, the

future of Hinduism can no longer be guaranteed by the

fact of birth. Increasing numbers of Hindus will be

Hindus by choice and will have to be reconverted or

converted to Hinduism. Hinduism will not have a future

unless it offers convincing arguments that demonstrate its

ability to satisfy the universal human need for fulfillment

in ways that are both individually and communally

meaningful.

Hindus are and will be increasingly challenged to

articulate and transmit their tradition in a manner that

places more emphasis on its doctrinal content and stance.

Hinduism will be challenged into a more explicit and self-

conscious reflection and articulation of its world-view.

There is a rich tradition of intellectual debate and

discussion in Hinduism and a concern for doctrinal clarity

and definition evinced in the commentaries of classical

luminaries such as Shankara and Ramanuja. The recovery

of this often-neglected tradition will serve Hinduism well

in its advent into the future.”

The theme of the WAVES conference this year “Vedic

knowledge for Civilizational Harmony” seems especially

appropriate and topical as societies worldwide are

continually challenged by critical social issues from

poverty to unemployment, from crime to ethnic conflicts,

from hunger to diseases such as HIV/AIDS. Trinidad and

Tobago, while facing a number of these ills, prides itself as

a model of stability, harmony, and social progress.

Many countries face internal conflicts for reasons as

diverse as regional and religious differences, ethnic

divisions and so on.

What are the reasons for this?

It may very well be an issue of human ambition, but could

also be as simple as human yearning for a voice, for

recognition, as well as to be treated as an equal in this

evolving, multicultural world.

There is the need for humankind to learn to live with and

value difference and diversity. The question is, “Can we?

Many international agencies such as the United Nations,

the Commonwealth (of which TT is the present Chair) and

the International Criminal Courts at The Hague have been

established to confront and provide internationally

r e c o g n i s e d s o l u t i o n s .

However, these agencies are

reactive, that is, they mobilise

and act subsequent to the

occurrence of conflict.

Yet, history has provided us

with lessons of the resilience and the power of the people

to engage and foster positive change. Some of these

examples are:

The rise in democracy in Russia

The destruction of the Berlin Wall

The end ofApartheid

And, closer home, the victory of the People's Partnership

in our recent elections

SEPT '10 / 17

Trinidad and Tobago, while facing a numberof these ills, prides itself as a model ofstability, harmony, and social progress.


Further, we have been fortunate to understand the

potential of the individuals such as Nelson Mandela and

Mahatma Gandhi to impact and inspire change in an entire

society.

Their teachings reflect that “all human beings are brothers

and sisters; no one is superior or inferior. And this theme

permeates every Vedic text.

Indeed, in the very last mantra of the Rig Veda the Divine

Poet emphasises unity and harmony of all of humanity

when it entreats us to:

“Let your aims be one, let your hearts be one, let your

minds be one, and let your unity go from strength to

strength.”

Interestingly patriotism has

traditionally resonated in the

messages of many of the

proponents of the Vedas.

Rabindranath Tagore, one of

the foremost exponents of

Vedanta to the Western World,

was fiercely patriotic and his

works reflect many references to the achievements and

successes of his homeland due to acts of bravery and

courage because of a love of country. Today we are

challenged to be patriotic, but to do so in the context of

global citizenship.

The Vedic teaching that can contribute to civilizational

harmony above all else is the recognition of the equal and

identical presence of the divine in all beings, the single

source of all life. This teaching requires of us relationships

with others that are loving, just and that are cognizant of

their dignity and value. It asks of me to be faithful to the

Mahabharata dictum, “Do nothing to others which, if done

to you would cause you pain.” Other traditions, I am sure,

find their own special ways of articulating the grounds of

our unity and the values that may be derived from it. The

grounds may not be shared, but it is enough if it moves us

to build relationships of trust, understanding and

friendship with others, enables us to value and respect

them in their difference, and if it helps to cooperate with

others to overcome human suffering and conflict.

From the Vedas comes the importance of (ethics),

which forms the essence of the objectives of this

conference. It implies regard for society, reverence for the

human personality, love for one's country, care for one's

physical well-being; love for one's kith and kin and

yearning for knowledge. It emphasises that our love for the

particular must also be within a broader vision of the

universal.

I daresay that these form the very objectives of every

government. And so whilst you discuss and debate the use

of Vedic knowledge to foster a more harmonious, peaceful

and progressive world, I am mindful that these

deliberations have political significance, both at national

and international level. It is certain that should you

develop a pathway for the achievement of such harmony,

that political implementation would be necessary to

achieve to deliver the outcomes.

We cannot ignore the implications and challenges of living

in religiously diverse societies. All of our religious

traditions, in addition to what they proclaim and teach

about individual human destiny and fulfillment, also

imagine and include a social vision of the ideal human

community characterised by justice, peace, prosperity and

freedom from violence, exploitation and fear. Any

religious tradition which is today concerned about the

social order and its transformation is challenged to reach

across historical borders and frontiers, find common

ground and values with people of other faiths and strive

together to confront and overcome the causes of human

suffering and conflict. Our hopes for just and peaceful

communities will only be realised together or not at all.

Inter-religious deliberations and action are not a luxury for

the starry-eyed among us, but have become a real and

practical necessity in our communities of diversity. In the

task of community building we must be ready to labour

with women and men of every faith and with those who

have none.

I leave you today with the famous Shanti Mantra (Hymn of

Peace) in the Yajur Veda.

“I pray for peace to pervade all the worlds; I pray for peace

in the sky and Earth; peace in waters; peace in herbs,

vegetation and forests; peace among all people and rulers

of the world; peace in entire universe; peace for everyone

everywhere. Peace, real peace. I pray for that very peace.”

Neethi

18 / SEPT '10

“I pray for peace to pervade all the worlds;I pray for peace in the sky and Earth; peacein waters; peace in herbs, vegetation and

forests; peace among all people and rulersof the world; peace in entire universe;

peace for everyone everywhere. Peace,real peace. I pray for that very peace.”


Pandit Ramadheen Ramsamooj with Dr. Suraj Rambachan

INTERNATIONAL

The Indo-Caribbean Council (ICC-

NY) has played a lead role in

planning for, rece iv ing and

welcoming the first female Prime

Minister of Trinidad & Tobago, the

honorable Kamla Persad-Bissessar at

Jamaica, Queens, New York. Dr.

Ashford Maharaj of TnT and a

member of the Committee for USA

for Kamla Persad-Bissessar chaired

an enthusiastic gathering of

members of the Caribbean Community who celebrated

the Prime Minister's recent win at the polls in Trinidad &

Tobago.

The PM and her entourage with several cabinet ministers

were welcomed with rhythmic tassa drums as guests of

honor at a formal dinner hosted after Indian classical

dance and music performances.

The evening's event was co-chaired by Prof. Saluja of the

Sikh community and editor in chief of “The Indian

Panorama” and Shri Ramesh Kalicharran, international

coordinator of the Indo-Caribbean Council and tour

director of “Kali Bharat Yatra”.

Two Trinidad-born writers had the opportunity and joy

of presenting their novels to the PM in person. Balkrishna

Naipaul, in smiles, gave the PM a copy of his 7th novel,

“The Mansion”. Jang Bhagirathee presented his “Chalo

Chinidad” after reading his poem written in honor of the

PM. Kanchan Banerjee, editor-in-chief of The New Global

Indian magazine, presented the current edition of the

magazine for release which focused on the Caribbean with

special place given to Trinidad and Tobago!

The evening's joyous atmosphere in an elegant décor at the

Quality Catering Hall climaxed with the presentation by

the General Secretary of The Indo-Caribbean Council, Shri

Roopnarain Persaud and a member of the Spiritual

Advisory Trust of the Council, Rev. Seopaul Singh, to the

PM. A prestigious plaque was presented to the PM with a

poetic verse by Shri Roopnarain Persaud.

It is both timely and appropriate for The Indo-Caribbean

Council to record its contribution to the People of Trinidad

and Tobago, in their need for a unified approach for better

governance. Noting the escalating crimes against

individuals (the believed organized kidnappings) in TnT,

The Council convened a meeting “The Trinidad Focus

Group”- to evaluate the situation and find a solution in

August, 2007. The “Trinidad Focus Group” requested that

Shri Roopnarain Persaud and Rev.

Seopaul Singh visit Trinidad and

Tobago with the specific and

singular political objective of

“uniting” the UNC and The COP.

They travelled to TnT in September

2007 with monetary assistance from

a TnT national and a Guyanese

national. This objective was met

under the caveat of The COP:

“Panday must go!”

Mr. Persaud made it clear to former Prime Minister Mr.

Basdeo Panday that he cannot be a burden on the

conscience and psyche of the Caribbean people by

refusing to have an inclusive government and not put the

interest of the people of Trinidad and Tobago first and

foremost. Mr. Panday replied with: “I have forty years

experience” in politics. Mr. Persaud noted to him,

however, that even with such “experience” he could not

get himself re-elected. “You have one year's experience

duplicated forty times,” Mr. Persaud informed him. There

was a deadlock at the meeting as the two faced each other.

Rev. Singh, a specialist at “conflict resolution” saved the

meeting and the day!

Meeting with both members of the UNC and The COP in

round-the-clock meetings the four-member delegation left

four strategies in place: Mr. Jack Warner must be the

Chairperson of the UNC; The COP is there to stay; If

Manning is to go, Panday must go; The UNC must release

its 'marginal' seats to The COP. With the implementation

of these strategies, The UNC and The COP won the

election with The Peoples' Partnership Government of

Trinidad and Tobago now in place and with Hon. Kamla

Persad-Bissessar as the Prime Minister. This is Democracy

functioning at its best and a great occasion to celebrate!


Unified Approach: Democracy in Trinidad and TobagoThe “Trinidad Focus Group” requested that and visit Trinidad and Tobago with

the specific and singular political objective of “uniting” the UNC and The COP.Shri Roopnarain Persaud Rev. Seopaul Singh

Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar

at the Launch NGI Caribbean issue

NGI has worked tirelessly over the last three years to

engage Indians the world over with their motherland.

While this dream was borne out of the need to address the

lack of networking opportunities available, now things are

a little different.

As a result of our endeavors, and changing economic

circumstances, the Indian

Government and Industry are

now coming forward to

engage the Indian Diaspora

across the globe. To ensure

that this remains more than a

pipe dream, the government has launched a number of

initiatives.

Set up in May 2007, the Overseas Indian Facilitation

Center (OIFC) is a not-for-profit public private initiative

between the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA)

and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

The OIFC has been set up with a clear four-fold mandate:

1. Promote overseas Indian investment into India and

facilitate business

partnerships

2. Establish and maintain

a diaspora knowledge

network

3. Assist states in India to

project investment opportunities

4. Provide advisory services to PIOs and NRIs.

Towards, this end, OIFC has assumed a facilitative role for

promoting investments in India. The Centre has created an

online business networking portal, to help bridge the

business and investment ties between India and its

diaspora. Among its other features, a 16X5 live chat

service, online asks an expert, customized FAQs,

information on State specific investment projects and

monthly e-newsletter is facilitated on the portal. The

interactive electronic platform is envisaged to serve as an

exclusive b2b networking platform, connecting the

Overseas Indian investors with a cross section of Indian

businesses, and small and medium enterprises in India.

The Centre regularly addresses a range of investment

centric queries with the help of a strong back-end support

of specialized industry experts and State Governments.

In its effort towards easing the whole process of doing

business in India and address the investment concerns of

the diaspora, the OIFC has put together an 'Investment

Tool-kit '- Asimple, practical and step by step guide for the

global investors wanting to invest in India.

Focused towards connecting the global Indian investors

with a host of business engagement opportunities in India,

OIFC conducts Investment and Interactive Meets globally;

in addition, Market Place Forums are held during Pravasi

Bharatiya Divas Conventions.

OIFCs endeavors to expand the

economic engagement of the Indian

diaspora with India.

For more information: Please visit:

www.oifc.in and www.globalink.in

OIFC conducts Investment and InteractiveMeets globally; in addition, Market PlaceForums are held during Pravasi Bharatiya

Divas Conventions.

Engaging Indians Karan Rajpal profilesthe Overseas IndianFacilitation Center.

OIFC Features�

�

�

�

�

A 16X5 live chat service,

Online ask an expert,

Customized FAQs,

Information on State specific investment projects

Monthly e-newsletter on the portal.


INTERNATIONAL


Global Indian Scientists and Technocrats (GIST)

forum is a unique knowledge exchange platform for

Indian scientists and technocrats spread within the

country and across the world. This forum also

involves the policymakers and opinion makers to

give a holistic approach for creating definitive path

towards sustainable development. Over 200,000

Indian scientists and technocrats work outside India

and they form a powerful and rich source of

intellectual wealth.

GIST forum not only intends to connect and bring

scientists together to find sustainable solutions for

the standing and awaiting problems of our society

but also to promote science for the well being of

humanity.

Freshwater is a finite renewable resource in India.

But, there is a big demand for it from both

consumptive (e.g. agriculture) and non-

consumptive (drinking, domestic, industry, and

energy) uses due to spurt in economic activity,

urbanization and industrialization. Naturally,

water gets attention in this convention and the

topics include: River Basin Hydrology and Climate

change; Water and Irrigated Agriculture; Water for

Energy; Water for Environment; and Water for

Drinking/Domestic and Industrial Use.

“GIST convention is a new initiative” said Jayant

Sahasrabudhe, National Organising Secretary for Vijnana

Bharati, a non-governmental organisation promoting

indigenous science and technology in India.

The first GIST convention is on “

” and it will be held at Pune, Maharastra, India

on 26 and 27 December 2010. This is jointly organised by

Vijnana Bharati and Maharashtra Education Society, Pune.

Dr Guna Magesan, a senior scientist with Scion (New

Zealand Forest Research Institute Ltd), Rotorua has been

invited to be one of the international coordinators for GIST

forum.

“We have pleasure in welcoming Dr Guna Mageson to the

GIST convention 2010 organising committee. His support

and contribution will make this convention more

meaningful” said Mr Shrikant Kulkarni, Secretary for

GIST Convention 2010.

“As he have very good and immense number of contacts in

Indian Science and Technology fraternity abroad, we seek

his help in spreading the word about GIST 2010

convention” he added.

Many Eminent scientists and technocrats have

appreciated the concept of GIST forum and are actively

promoting GIST 2010 convention. Reputed nuclear

scientist, Dr. Anil Kakodkar, ex Chairman Department of

A t o m i c E n e r g y, i s t h e

Chairman of Advisory Board

for GIST 2010. Dr. Madhavrao

C h i t a l e ( r e c i p i e n t o f

Stockholm Water Prize), and

the dignitaries like Dr.

Mashelkar, Dr. Madhav

Gadgil, Dr. Yashvant Waghmare, Dr. G.D.Yadav, Dr. Satish

Shenoy are on theAdvisory board.

Dr. Chandrakant Thatte is the chairperson of scientific

programme committee, while Dr. Vijay Bhatkar (national

president of Vijnana Bharati) is the chairman of

convention committee.

For more information regarding GIST convention, please

follow this link: http://gist2010.org/

Scientific &

Technological approaches for sustainable use of water

resources

Indian scientists meeton global cause

GIST is to find sustainable solutions for thestanding and awaiting problems of the

society and also to promote science for thewell being of humanity.

INTERNATIONAL

Dr Guna Magesan

Around 700 people celebrated the Hindu festival of

Raksha Bandhan at the Mahatma Gandhi Centre,

Auckland, on Sunday, 29August, 2010.

The programme was officially opened by the lighting of

the lamp by the leader of the Opposition, Phil Goff; Race

Relations Commissioner, Joris De Bres; His Worship, the

Mayor of North Shore City, Andrew Williams; His

Worship, the Mayor of Manukau city, Len Brown and

Vinod Kumar, President of the Hindu Council of New

Zealand, which was the host of Hindu Organisations,

Temples andAssociations (HOTA) Forum this year.

Mamta Bhikha, coordinator of the festival, welcomed the

guests. The specially invited guests described Raksha

Bandhan as the festival that sanctifies the

relationship between a brother and a sister;

and, in its broader meaning, the spiritual

concepts of universal fellowship and

veneration of womanhood. De Bres recalled

his presence at the third New Zealand Hindu

Conference, where the HOTA forum was

launched. He commended the Hindu Council

of New Zealand

for its stellar role

in organising the

event within such

a very short time.

The unveiling of

the HOTA ' ' was the highlight of

the formal ceremony. “ ” is a

carving that symbolises unity among various

communities, created by Tane Singh-Lagah

from Rotorua. Singh-Lagah, a carver in Maori

tradition, and as his name suggests is of mixed parentage --

Indian and Maori.

The Hindu Council of New Zealand passed the “

' to the New Zealand Hindu Temple Society, which

will the HOTAForum next year.

Vai Ravindran and Ilango Krishnamoorthy received the

“ and shared their vision of unity among

communities.

Each year, one of the HOTA Forum members will host the

HOTA Forum. The host will also convene a meeting in

February, where all the members will find an opportunity

to discuss strengths and opportunities for the Hindu

community on a unifying platform.

Ekta Shankh

Ekta shankh

Ekta

Shankh”

Ekta Shankh”,

22 / SEPT '10

“Ekta shankh” is a carving that symbolisesunity among various communities, created

by Tane Singh-Lagah from Rotorua.


Raksha Bandhan:The great unifier

In faraway New Zealand, the Hindus unveiled the HOTA “Ekta Shankh”on the occasion of the annual festival, writes Dr Guna Magesan

Hon Phil Goff (Leader of Opposition) lighting the lamp. Mr Joris De Bres, Race

Relations Commissioner (on the left) and Mr Vinod Kumar, President of Hindu

Council of New Zealand (on the right).

INTERNATIONAL

Hindu Council of New Zealand launched three websites

at the festival: Hindu Council of New Zealand

(http://hinducouncil.org.nz), Rotorua Deepawali Festival

(h t tp : / / ro toruadeepawal i .org) and Yogathon

(http://yogathon-nz.org).

The symbolism of Raksha Bandhan is the act of tying the

sanctified on the wrists of each other. True to the

spirit, the participants tied rakhi among themselves,

including family members, friends, and others in the

audience. The hands of Members of Parliament, Dr Rajen

Prasad and Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi; Deputy Mayor of

North Shore; Julia Parfitt; Deputy Mayor of Rodney

District; John Kirikiri, Vijaya Vaidyanath (CEO, Waitakere

City Council) and other prominent figures of the

community overflowed with rakhis.

Masters of ceremonies Nitika Sharma (secretary of the

Hindu Youth New Zealand) and Brana Ravichelavan (of

Sri Satya Sai Service Organisation and the

Coordinator of the open suitcase project) took

the audience through the day's cultural

programme. On show were specialised Kapa

Haka, Bharatnatyam, Bhangra, Chinese

dragon and Lion dances, South Indian folk

dance, Garba, Japanese drum beats, Punjabi

Giddha, vocal music, a sitar and table recital

as the soiree concluded with an energy-

packed modern dance.

Ranjna Patel (QSM, JP) spoke about the

remarkable journey of Indian women in

leadership roles in New Zealand, and

recounted her own experiences. Some key

leaders from the

I n d i a n

community were

i n v i t e d t o p r e s e n t t h e

p h o t o g r a p h o f t h e

M a h a l a k s h m i N a r a ya n i

Temple as a token of appreciation to each of the dance

groups that took part in the recitals. This shrine is located

in Vellore, India.

More than 400 gold and coppersmiths are said to have

worked for six years to craft this temple out of gold, and

some have called it the Hindu Golden Temple.

On behalf of the host and the organising committee,

Komal Shah read the vote of thanks, which included the

ANZ Bank for their unstinted support to the Raksha

Bandhan festival.

The HOTA forum, under the leadership of the New

Zealand Hindu Temple Society, looks forward to the

Raksha Bandhan celebrations inAuckland next year.

rakhi

SEPT '10 / 23

HOTA Forum members will find anopportunity to discuss strengths and

opportunities for the Hindu community on aunifying platform.


Hindu Council of New Zealand presents the 'Ekta Shankh' to New Zealand Hindu

Temple Society. Mr Tane Singh-Lagah, carver of Maori and Indian descent, in the centre.

Maori cultural performance South Indian Folk dance performance by young children

My first reaction on being told to visit Australia for an

official assignment was that of apprehension. Going by the

incidents of racial attacks on Indians in Australia over the

last few months, I was not very sure how safe it would be to

go Down Under.

But when your boss wants to

send you on an assignment,

you are usually left with no

other choice.

However, he seemed to have read my mind and when I

told him that my visa has arrived, he advised me to be a

“bit careful” there.

I felt a bit strange packing my woollens while sweating in

the sweltering Kolkata heat.

But Australia, for the uninitiated, is in the Southern

hemisphere, and the Big Chill is here to stay for a while.

The immigration check at the Brisbane airport, where I

landed after a long journey via Singapore, was quite

stringent but orderly. Australians seemed to be very fussy

about food and wooden products and everybody had to

declare in advance whether they were carrying any such

goods.

There were separate immigration counters for the natives

and neighbouring New Zealanders. While the rest lined

up at other counters.

After going through the usual security checks and

immigration clearance, an airport security official with a

sniffer dog in tow gave me the final nod to get an up, close

and personal feel of Oz.

I had to move to the Sunshine Coast, which is around an

hour's journey from the Brisbane airport.

Sunshine Coast is very much like our own Goa. It is a

favourite tourist destination, thanks to a number of sea

beaches.

It was getting late and David Nash, who came to pick me

at the airport, suggested we should have a bite on the way.

Accordingly, we stopped at a McDonald's outlet on the

highway. I found a number of hotels on both sides of the

highway, which run 24x7.

24 / SEPT '10

I just wondered why we could not havethese lines when we get to hear about

highway accidents with such unflinchingregularity!


Down Under:Up, close & perosnal

Awditi Ghosh, who went to the Land of Oz recently on an official trip, bursts a few myths

INTERNATIONAL

I found the girl at the McDonald's counter to be familiar.

And on asking I understood why. She is a Punjabi from

Bhatinda. Her father had settled down in Australia for

some business venture, and she is studying here. The girl

has taken up this job for her pocket expenses.

Nash told me that it's very common in Australia, where

students take up such odd jobs to meet their expenses. I

found that all through my stay in Australia, where at

almost all hotels I came across young boys and girls

serving food and taking orders.

I had to travel a lot throughout the Sunshine Coast for my

work. But it was a smooth ride, courtesy the wide roads.

Since there are no shops by roadsides where one can

ask for direction, so instead of huge billboards that we are

used to across India, the boards along Australian roads act

as one-stop information and guidance.

No wonder, most of cars have GPS (Global Positioning

System) which helps drivers to find their own way.

However, the most startling thing, which attracted me

most, was that honking is singularly absent inAustralia.

Being from a teeming metropoils in India, it was so

uncomfortable initially, but I observed if everybody

follows the basic road rules and have some patience and

faith in other drivers, there's really no need to blow the

horn.

Even at the middle of the night -- with no other traffic or

pedestrian crossing the roads --all cars come to a halt at

traffic signals and wait for the lights to turn green.

I found my driver Nash did not honk even when a car in

front was backing up. I asked him the reason which he

found a bit surprising and then perhaps after giving it a

thought he gave a very simple answer. “Well mate (that's

the typical way of address by the Australians), the driver

in front must be checking his back on

the rear view mirror. Why should I

honk then?”

It is not that the highways are never

clogged with bumper-to-bumper

traffic. I almost missed my flight while

returning after being struck in a huge

traffic snarl, which is no less than the

ones we are used to back home.

But, strangely, even then there was no

honking.

Except a very few, I did not even find

any vehicle jumping their queues as the

traffic moved at a snail's pace. In spite

of the traffic pressure, there was no

chaos or the great Indian road rages.

Nash told me almost daily

commuters face this problem

while entering big cities to

reach their workplaces in the

morning.

In a bid to reduce accidents on

the highways, most have

'audible lines' running on both

sides of the roads. They are

specially designed coloured

lines, which are sensitive to

touch and let out a vibrating

noise when they come in

contact with a vehicle's wheels.

“If, by chance, your vehicle

slides on to the sides, this

vibrating noise will bring you

back to your senses,” Nash

explained.

I just wondered why we could not have these lines when

we get to hear about highway accidents with such

unflinching regularity!

Australians are, basically, outdoor people. They prefer to

move out with their families on weekends. For instance,

camping is a very common outdoor activity in Australia.

There are specific grounds or parks for camping.

People bring their own tents or travel by their own

caravans and spend weekends or holidays on nature's lap.

Children, thus, get a chance to

learn and enjoy nature from a

very young age. They while

away their time angling in

nearby lakes, and take a bath in

the mountain spring.

I took an opportunity to go out on a

jungle trek. I saw one of my fellow

Australian trekker, putting his empty

beer bottle inside his jacket pocket. I

asked him why he did that. “Well this

is a jungle. We don't bring anything

here and also don't leave back

anything here, too,” he explained. If

you have the citizens thinking this

way, why will you want “protect the

forest policy”!

It's time to return home. By this time,

my initial apprehensions were over as

I have made so many new “mates” in

such a short span of time.

paan

SEPT '10 / 25

In a bid to reduce accidents on thehighways, most have 'audible lines' running

on both sides of the roads.


Acultural overdose helped lift the sagging spirits amid the

economic downturn. The nostalgic fever of Bengali culture

was the tour de resistance during many celebrations in two

cities in the US in July.

Atlantic City, a gambling

haven in New Jersey, hosted

the Banga Sammelan that was

organised by Kallol, a N. J.-

based Bengali organisation.

Nashville in Tennessee hosted

the other major event, Banga Mela, which was organised

by the MidAmerica BengaliAssociation.

Over the years, these events have become an integral part

of the global Bengalis' itinerary. And, when comes to the

Bengali diaspora, the national identities of West Bengal,

India, and Bangladesh, indeed, get blurred, much to the

delight of the community at large.

The get-togethers are a welcome confluence of divergent

Bengali traditions that come to the fore through the

cultural exchanges among the exponents of liberal arts.

While many just come to soak in the bonhomie.

It's an ideal platform for match making as well.

The list of celebrities, who graced this year's event is long

and distinguished.

Sitar maestro Shahid Parvez Khan, sarod maestro Ustad

26 '10/ SEPT

When comes to the Bengali diaspora, thenational identities of West Bengal, India,

and Bangladesh, indeed, get blurred, muchto the delight of the community at large.


INTERNATIONAL

Epar Bangla meets Opar Bangla

Sunil Ganguly, Sirshendu Mukherjee Shahid Parvez Khan

Kanchan Banerjee captures the vibrant spirit of Bengali culture at two annual international reunions

Aashish Khan, vocalist Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty,

Rabindra sangeet exponent Ashish Bhattacharjee, painter

Jahar Dasgupta, litterateurs Sunil Ganguly, Samaresh

Majumdar and Sirshendu Mukherjee and Bollywood

playback singer Abhijeet

Bhattacharya.

Bangladesh, too, had an

impressive line-up. Dance

group Nrityanchal of Shibli

Mohammad and Shamim Ara

Nipa, Rabindra Sangeet

exponent Aditi Mohsin. Subha

Kokuba Chakraborty and her

dance troupe from Japan and

f l a u t i s t B a r i S i d d i q u e

showcased the flavour of Opar

Bangla.

“We needed it desperately. This

gave us an opportunity to

escape the humdrum of life for

three days. A great relief from

the depressing economic

uncertainty,” said Amitabha

S e n w h i l e p r a i s i n g t h e

organisers for a successful

event:

Manas Ganguly had a different

t a k e o n t h e e v e n t .

“'Globalisation could be a

threat to ethnic cultures. But in

a way Bengali culture is

globalised thanks to this event'.

Jyoti Pal, a young Bengali born

i n t h e U S , t o o w a s

overwhelmed by the occasion

even though her command

over her mother tongue isn't

quite up to the scratch.

“The language and the culture

of Tagore is a wealth for all culture minded people around

the globe. I love Bengali culture

and that's the only reason why I

came here,” she explained.

Bengal i actress Rituparna

Sengupta, the reigning diva of

Tollywood, promised to be a part

of the extravaganza with

unflinching regularity --- “we

will come back again and again”.

Meanwhile, preparations have

begun in earnest for next year's

do. The 31st North American

Bengali NABC 2011 will be

organised by Sanskrit i of

Washington, D.C. at Baltimore

Convention Center in Baltimore,

Maryland, between July 1 and 3,

2011.


Aashish KhanAbhijeet Bari Siddique

Sahaj Ma and Utpal Faqir

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History of India Prayag?

Starting off as in a market that's highly unorganized,

how were you able to differentiate?

Do you think Indian Consumers are ready for the change

in lifestyle you offer?

Where do you see India Prayag as a brand in

the short term?

If there was one USP you have attached to your product,

what is it?

Fit it Forget it”

Your inspiration in life?

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

What has been your top priority during all these years?

How has the competition been from other brands?

Any Expansion plans?

We set up operations in

1986 in Sanitary Products

and soon with focused

Marketing strategies, India

Prayag became a trusted

Brand in the Market. India

Prayag has a history of

differentiating itself in

being the first company to introduce faucets and taps in

316 stainless steel, which have an edge over Brass faucets

and taps. We started with a few products within our

Product portfolio, which has now increased to 850

products and clearly proves our competence in the

Market.

Our strategy in terms of Marketing & Branding has been

Customer centric. We have always designed our

Communication strategies taking care of our target

segment and have been very particular that it should reach

the target audience in the required format. Our most

efficient Marketing tool has been customization-

providing products in the format as required by the

customers. Earlier we used to cater largely to Public sector

only but in due course of time we enhanced our product

portfolio to include residential

and commercial sectors as

well.

Indian consumers these days are very particular about

their lifestyle; they are more demanding in terms of

features & looks. The rising demand for our high-end

products like LED Showers proves that consumers desire

for a beautifully designed and perfectly placed Bathroom

product, which gives them a feeling of comfort and

relaxation.

Indian market in terms of our sector (Bath-

fittings) is highly unorganized and there is

huge opportunity for India Prayag to capture

the same, through its differentiating Marketing

strategies. Also, due to its unorganized nature India

Prayag has a possibility of capturing a considerable

Market share.

India Prayag products are perceived as Value for money,

our products have an advantage- “ .

My father has been the real source of inspiration as I am

taking his legacy forward. He has been my mentor

throughout my ups and downs; he taught me all the basic

lessons of being a successful leader.

India Prayag has already marked its presence in the top

ten companies of India who are into Bath-fittings Industry.

We are planning to jump the queue and evolve ourselves

as the top most company in India. Also, we are in the

process of expanding our base in European & South East

Asian Markets and strengthening our hold at the

International level.

India Prayag has always focused towards the delivery of

commitment & Performance of the product. Our prime

focus has always been the satisfaction of our customers, all

the deliverables as mentioned with the product should be

provided to the customer in the expected format.

90% of the players are in the unorganized segment, the

competition in this sector is not so fierce as compared to

other sectors which are organized and have several brands

competing for the same segment. India Prayag has

maintained its share and will keep increasing it through its

innovative Marketing strategies.

We are planning to set up a manufacturing unit for our

products in Bhiwadi (Rajasthan) spread over an area of

20000 square mt. and also planning to make an

investment of over 50cr. The company also

plans to open its own exclusive galleries for

products under name PRAYAG STUDIOS. One

has already been opened in COCHIN and there

are plans of opening 20 more by 2012 in almost

all the major cities of India.

30 / SEPT '10

We believe in trying to win over thecomplete trust of our customers.


INDUSTRY

Bathe life King SizeNitin Agarwal, Director, PRAYAG EXIM INDIA LTD unveils his mantra to

, how India Prayag has taken luxury bathing to the next levelArchana

Paswan

SEPT '10 / 07NGI KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGEMAHARASHTRA

STATE FOCUS

The proud Maratha believes that there is no place like the

Majestic Maharashtra. History, traditions, cultures,

cinema, business, personalities et al inhabit this splendid

state. A fusion of future and fantasy, Maharashtra is

endowed with bountiful diverse natural resources. It is

perhaps the only place where you can walk into clouds and

at the same time kiss the shores: the coast and the hills

abound.

This year Maharashtra is celebrating its Golden Jubilee

year. It has been a journey of labour and valour. To mark

this historical occasion, Maharashtra Government has

initiated several developmental projects in the state in

order to consolidate the earlier developments and to scale

further on the neglected areas of development. The global

nature of Maharashtra, the strategic location, excellent

infrastructure sound industrial policy, rich natural and

human resource, stable government etc. has been the

cynosure of global and Indian investors and has

transformed Maharashtra into the hub of industrial

activities. For the last couple of years, the industrialization

was concentrated in few of the important cities in the state.

Now government wants to extend this wonderful journey

into the fringes of the states. Several new programmes are

in progress to improve the facilities required to increase

industrialization in the remote areas .To facilitate

investments in these areas, government has instigated

numerous incentives to the encourage the investors during

this golden year.

For the development of tourism in the next coming years,

Ashok Chavan, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra has

declared 2011 as the Year of Tourism. Special programme

and initiatives are being undertaken by the government to

Tourism

On May 1, 2010 Maharashtra completed half a century of its existence as a province of India in the current form. Thecelebrations continue and so does the progress, finds Anand Singh.


MAHARASHTRA

promote Maharashtra as the top tourism destination in

India.

To promote tourism during this Golden Jubilee Year,

Tourism Development Corporation and Maharashtra

Economic Development Council has initiated

a year-long event to encourage

tourists to visit the state. During this festival, efforts will be

made to showcase the vast tourists' attractions in the state.

, beaches, shrines, hill stations, sanctuaries are in

abundance in the state. Providing a peek into the tourism

attractions of the state, Vithal Kamat, President, MEDC,

stated that "Maharashtra is a land abundant in natural

glory. Besides scenic beaches on the Konkan coast, the

towering Sahyadri ranges, wildlife reserves at Tadoba and

Pench, the state also offers potential to exploit unexplored

segments like adventure tourism, eco-tourism, wine

tourism and Bollywood tourism”.

The agriculture is another thrust area in the golden jubilee

agenda. According to Department of Agriculture,

Maharashtra has diverse agro climatic conditions suitable

for the cultivation of a wide range of crops and a

progressive farming community. The State has a large

urban population with high purchasing power. It is one of

the major horticulture States in India, with more than 13

lakh ha under different fruit crops. Maharashtra is a

pioneer and leader in the use of water saving technology

like drip and sprinkler irrigation, and accounts for 60

percent of the total area under drip irrigation in the

country.Almost all the area under grapes and more than 60

percent of the area under banana in the state has access to

drip irrigation. The State is the largest exporter of

Thompson seedless grapes, Alphonso mangoes, onions

and long stem cut.

Film industry in Maharashtra is another potentially

promising area. The Bollywood is world's largest film

industry and was named after the capital city of the Hindi

film Industry- Bombay. This industry matured over here in

Maharashtra, Mumbai over the years. Together with

Bollywood, the regional Marathi film industry is another

sunrise industry. The Government of Maharashtra is

inviting investors to explore the immense potential in this

regional film industry in the state.

Apart from these sectors the Government of Maharashtra

is taking several steps on rural infrastructure, rural

education, and forest conservation etc. These initiatives of

the government will undoubtedly provide impetus to the

development in the remote parts of Maharashtra; will

increase the forest cover and greenery. In fact the initiatives

and efforts undertaken during this Golden year will keep

the path of progress illuminated for years to come.

“Visit

Golden Maharashtra”,

The Caves

Agriculture

Film Industry

Highlights:

�

�

�

To promote tourism during this Golden Jubilee Year, Tourism

Development Corporation and Maharashtra Economic Development

Council has initiated a year-long event in

2011 to encourage tourists to visit the state.

Film industry in Maharashtra is another potentially promising area.

The Bollywood is world's largest film industry and was named after

the capital city of the Hindi film Industry- Bombay

Maharashtra has diverse agro-climatic conditions suitable for the

cultivation of a wide range of crops and a progressive farming

community. Food processing is another lucrative industry in the state.

“Visit Golden Maharashtra”,


Whether its modernisation, changing cultures or

following the Western trends, absolutely nothing has come

in the way of faith and popularity exhibited by the

incredible procession, which takes place every year.

T h i s h o l y p i l g r i m a g e i n

Maharashtra is referred to as

that is observed in the

Maharashtrian month of .

The pilgrimage lasts for around

three weeks, starting from Dehu

a n d A l a n d i n e a r P u n e t o

Pandharpur, which is around 450

km away. Year after year the

beautiful courtyard of the Sant

Tukaram temple at Dehu, fills up

with (pilgrims) who are all

set to leave on a marathon 21-day trek --- along with the

Tukaram palkhi (palanquin) -- to the centre of the

devotional sect (i.e. the Vithoba temple in Pandharpur).

Though the history of is not exactly known, it is

said to be held for thousands of years. Legend has it that

t h e p a r e n t s o f S a n t

Dnyaneshwar undertook the

first pilgrimage in the 13th

century. Sant Dnyaneshwar,

too, went the pilgrimage.

During the Holy trail, he came

in contact with common people and through his teachings

and spiritual songs he spread the glory of Lord Vitthal, an

incarnation of Lord Krishna. Sant Dnyaneshwar is

credited for breaking the Brahminical shackles and the

monopoly over Hindu scriptures. He translated,

especially the Bhagvat Gita, in lay man's language that led

to its immense popularity.

Sant Tukaram was another saint, who undertook the

Pandharpur w and spread the message of devotion

among the poor Maharashtrians in rural areas. In 1685, the

tradition was introduced by the youngest son of Sant

Tukaram. The tradition involves the carrying of the

silver s (footears) in a palanquin during the holy

pilgrimage from Dehu near Pune to Pandharpur.

Similarly, he also took the s of Saint Dnyaneshwar

fromAlandi in a palanquin.

Today, apart from two separate s (i.e. Sant Tukaram

Palkhi from Dehu near Pune and the Sant Dnyaneshwar

Palkhi from Alandi), nearly 40 other s embark on a

journey to the Vithoba temple in Pandharpur. About 250

groups, referred as s, join it from various places on the

way. It is estimated that about half-a-million people

participate in the Pandharpur Palki Yatra.

So, what makes the people embark on this enigmatic,

unbroken, traditional journey on foot, which cuts across

centuries and barriers of caste and creed, in spite of

asceticism and adversities? This incredible feeling of faith

and devotion can only be understood in the words of those

who venture on this enlightening pilgrimage. Govind

Gade (62), who is a blind farmer on his 26 , says, “It is

only with divine intervention and blessings of Vithoba that

I can gather strength and courage to reach Pandharpur.”

The attracts the young and old alike. Kunal Rane, 10,

who is already on his second , says, “After completing

I feel strong and closer to God.”

truly stands for communal harmony. Though Alia

Sheikh is on the wrong side of 70, she is amazingly unfazed

palkhi

waari

Ashadha

warkaris

palkhi yatra

aari

palkhi

palkhi

paduka

paduka

palkhi

palkhi

dindi

waari

yatra

waari

waari

Waari

The history

Keep the faith going

th

34 '10/ SEPT

This incredible feeling of faith and devotioncan only be understood in the words ofthose who venture on this enlightening

pilgrimage.


MAHARASHTRA

Palkhi yatra transcends changing social moresWhat makes pilgrims embark on enigmatic, unbroken, traditional journey by foot, wonders Gaurav Shimpi

by the arduous journey at her advanced

age. She is on her 13 . Alia says, "I

want to do this as long as there is

strength in my body and if God listens

to me I want to die in Pandharpur at the

feet of Vithoba.”

Vithoba is also referred to as Vithala,

Vithai or Pandurang by many

devotees.

Rojo John, a young student of

filmmaking, describes the pilgrimage as magical. “This

experience of interacting with different people,

understanding them, seeing how everyone is helping one

another is like learning a practical lesson in humanism. It

has certainly changed my insight to life, forever,” Rojo

says.

Many people also narrate tales of divine experiences

during the . Many feel that it takes unquestionable

faith in God, and the desire for salvation to complete .

The travel through many cities and villages before

reaching Pandharpur. Ganesh Khandwe says, “We're

welcomed at all places, some devotees also give us food

and place to rest and sleep at night.” Even the government

helps the pilgrims with various

facilities at different junctions,

such as vaccination drives.

“You won't find a single

unhappy soul through this

. Everybody is joyous, full

of energy and fun.” says

Bajrang Kale, who is on his 10

. All the pilgrims move

merrily from village to village

in groups , s ing ing and

chanting spiritual songs and

s.

When asked whether the number of people attending

is decreasing due to urbanisation, Tukaji Shirke, clad

in a traditional apparel and carrying a tanpura,

says, “No, not at all. In fact, there has been rise in

numbers.”

So yatra is certainly attracting more pilgrims, who

come to find solitude through this devotional journey, in

these increasingly stressful times. The which

perfectly unites people of all castes, creed, rich, poor,

young and old alike should be experienced by everyone at

least once to cherish memories for a lifetime.

th

th

waari

yatra

waari

warkaris

waari

waari

bhajan

waari

warkari

palkhi

palkhi yatra

A magical road to spirituality


In India when you say 'cinema' the first thing that comes to

your mind is Bollywood, Mumbai. Maharashtra and

cinema are related to each other since inception. Cinema

was born in Maharashtra. Dadasaheb Phalke- the first

pioneer and founder of Indian cinema, gave something

new to the Indian audience-the moving image.

History of Marathi cinema in many ways is the history of

Indian cinema. The first film in India was the silent film

Raja Harishchandra (1913), made by Dadasaheb Phalke

and his mainly marathi crew. International Film Festival of

India (IFFI) considers it as a part of Marathi cinema. In

1919, Baburao Mistry - popularly known as Baburao

Painter formed the Maharashtra Film Company with the

help of the Maharaja of Kolhapur and released the first

historical - Sairandhari (1920) with Balasheb Pawar,

Kamala Devi and Zunzarrao Pawar in main roles. He

made many silent films till 1930 then with the introduction

of sound, Maharashtra Film

Company was overpowered,

and gradually it declined.

With the introduction of

sound film industry took a new turn. Many production

house rose through the ranks. One such production house

was Prabhat Film Industry, and it produced the first

Marathi talkie film Ayodhyecha Raja and it released in

1932, just one year after the release of 'Alam Ara' the first

hindi talkie film. Prabhat Film Industry's 'Sant Tukaram'

was the first Indian film to win the Best Film Award at the

Venice film festival in 1935. In 1954, another

Marathi film won the first President's Gold Medal for

Cinema. The film was directed by Acharya P K Atre, and it

was an adaptation of the novel by Sane Guruji.

Marathi film reached its peak by this time. Many directors

joined the industry with new and different ideas to

entertain their audience. Directors such as V. Shantaram,

Master Vinayak, Bhalji Pendharkar, Acharya Atre were

followed by Raja Paranjpe, G. D. Madgulkar, Sudhir

Phadke. The 60s saw the emergence of directors like Anant

Mane who made Marathi films based on the folk art form

Tamasha. Then Datta Dharmadhikari and Raj Dutt made

family dramas. In the early 70s, Dada Kondke served the

audience with humour. He later went on to create satirical,

pun-ridden films often including social and political

commentary, many of which

became cult classics. This

period saw different genre in

films reaching their pinnacle.

The 80s saw two comedy

heroes catapult to stardom,

Ashok Saraf and Laxmikant

Berde.Around the mid 80s two

young actors, tried their luck

as a director: Mahesh Kothare

and Sachin Pi lgaonkar.

History

Introduction of Talkie

The Golden Era

Marathi Film in 80's

Shyamchi Aai

36 / SEPT '10

Marathi film industry underwent a totalmake over, the film are not only critically

acclaimed but also commerciallysuccessful.


All the right movesRashmi Singh gets Marathi cinema's different generations on one table.

All the right moves

MAHARASHTRA

Pilgaonkar directed Navri Mile

Navryala and around the same time

M a h e s h K o t h a r e d i r e c t e d

Dhumdhadaka. Pilgaonkar' s film was

a box-office hit while Mahesh Kothare's

film not only became a mega hit at the

box-office but it also became a trend-

setter and brought young audiences to

Marathi Cinema. Mahesh Kothare then

went on to make comedy films which

became major hits. He made the first

Marathi film shot on the anamorphic

format (Cinemascope) - Dhadakebaaz.

He brought a number of innovations in

the technical quality of Marathi films

and was also the first to bring Dolby Digital sound to

Marathi Cinema with the film Chimni Pakhara. He made

the first Marathi film with Digital Special Effects,

Pachadlela in 2004.

This was the period when theatre of Maharashtra earned

recognition at the national level, the cinema failed to make

a mark. A major reason was the proximity to the

production centre of Bollywood which encroached on the

identity of Marathi cinema. Other reasons include the

shortage of cinema halls for distribution due to poor

marketing, a vibrant theatre scene and the emergence of

private television.

Marathi film industry underwent a total make over, the

film are not only critically acclaimed but also

commercially successful. All this is possible due to the

director and writer who come up with the new storylines

and innovative concept and so the Marathi film today is

fresh and different. Even the bold subject is taken up

Marathi Cinema received critical acclaim in the year 2004

with the film ' bagging the Golden

Lotus National Award. It was also India's

official entry to the 77th Academy Awards

and it also won the President's medal for

best film, beating Bollywood's prolific

output with quality. Shwaas, after Shyamchi

aai (1950) is only Marathi film to win the

President's Medal.

The Maharashtra state government has

begun to issue

g r a n t s t o

Marathi f i lm.

After the success

o f " S h w a a s " ,

Indian media players like

Shringar Films and Zee Telefilms are exhibiting a re-

emerging interest in Marathi cinema. The growing

popularity of Marathi television (notably Zee Marathi and

ETV Marathi) has also helped to popularize older Marathi

cinema and promote the genre. Zee Talkies, a 24 hour

c h a n n e l d e d i c a t e d t o

Marathi movies has been

introduced.

In 2009, Marathi f i lm

,

depicting the struggle of

D a d a s a h e b P h a l k e i n

making

in 1913, India's first feature

film, directed by theatre-

veteran Paresh Mokashi was

selected as India's official

entry to Academy Award in

the Best Foreign Language

Film Category, making it the

second Marathi film, after

, to receive this

honour.

In the year 2009 released the

blockbuster musical movie

Natarang which got both commercial and critical acclaim

and has served as a path-breaking movie for Marathi

cinema in many ways.

Marathi Cinema today stands at interesting cross-roads,

where a rich history, a long tradition, and audience that

want today's dreams lined with yesterday's heritage.

What happens from here depends on people like Mahesh

Manjrekar, who have been making films that attempt to

straddle both critical and commercial success.

The recent MNS threat to cinema owners to give prime

time slots to Marathi movies may also, inadvertently, help

Marathi Cinema.

Decline of Marathi Film Industry

Rise of Marathi Film Industry

Shwaas'

Harishchandrachi factory

Raja Harishchandra

Shwaas

SEPT '10 / 37

The growing popularity of Marathi television(notably Zee Marathi and ETV Marathi) has

also helped to popularize older Marathicinema and promote the genre.


Maharashtra is known to be the state of color, vigor,

passion and fun. It derives these from the various folk

dances that are associated with the grounds of this state.

People here love to express their emotions through the

various folk music and dance forms since ages like

Tamasha, Koli, Lavani, Povada and Dhangari Raja.

Amongst these, Tamasha and Lavani are the most

renowned dance forms.

Tamasha is a Persian word

which means entertainment or

fun while in Hindi or Urdu it

means play or theatre. It is a

very influential dance form in

the Maharashtrian folk theatre.

If scholars are to be believed, Tamasha derives the routes

from the Sanskrit drama forms: 'Bhana and Prahsana'. It is

performed with instruments like Dholki,Tuntuni (a single

string instrument), Manjira (cymbals), Daf (a tambourine

like instrument with a single leather base), Halgi (smaller

daf), Kade (the metal triangle), Lejim (instrument with a

dangling sound), Harmonium and Ghunghroos (ankle

bells).

Tamasha can be traced back to the 16 century. A strong

influence of Ramayana and Mahabharata can be seen in

the acts performed. Ram Joshi, considered as the

originator of Tamasha, was well versed with the Sanskrit

puranas. It is believed that he used famous Sanskrit hymns

and songs for this particular dance form. Later, when he

collaborated with Moropaunt a well known contemporary

Marathi writer, Tamasha received a makeover with lavani

singing for the popularization ofAryas of Moropaunt.

Performed mainly by two Maharashtrian communities;

the Kolhatis and the Malhars, the costumes in Tamasha are

not special. They are decided according to the theme and

the characters of the performance, most of the time; the

dresses depict the different statures of the Maharashtrian

society. The three other forms of tamasha are the ballad

singing tradition of the pawda, the theatrical form called

Dasavatara (ten incarnation of Lord Vishnu)and the

38 / SEPT '10

Tamasha derives the routes from theSanskrit drama forms: 'Bhana and

Prahsana'.


Reviving the culture in rhythmKritika Ajmani learns about the most famous folk dance forms in Maharashtra

gavalana, used by the Vaishnavaties saint poets of

Marathi. The poet singers in lavani were called the shahirs

resulting in a strong notion amongst scholars that lavani

took birth from tamasha.

Derived from the Sanskrit word 'lavanya' meaning beauty,

lavani can be called the heart beat of the ever rejoicing

Pune. Be it festivals like the Ganesha Puja or a traditional

Maharashtrian wedding, lavani decorates every evening

with the colorful spirit of dance and music. Lavani is a mix

of traditional Maharashtrian song and dance performed

on the base beats of a drum like instrument called 'dholak'.

There are two categories of traditional Lavani: The

Nirguni Lavani (philosophical) and the Shringari Lavani

(sensual).

Originating from the Malwa, Lavani goes back to the time

of Marathas, particularly the Peshwas and their war

period in the 18 century when this unique mix of dance

and music was performed to lift up the spirits of the tired

soldiers. This dance is performed by Dhangars or

shepherds of Sholapur district of Maharashtra. The

inspiration behind their poetry is nature. These generally

contain the tales of Birth of their diety called Biruba

Meaningless chants are used in the songs to fill up the

empty gaps in the middle of the lines. The stage where this

art form is performed is called the 'Maanch'. More often

than not, this musical drama goes on for the entire night.

At the end of the Lavani performance, a replica of

Manmathas mount is burnt.

True to the essence, beautiful and elegant ladies swing on

the music in their traditional saree, 'nauveris' meaning

nine yards. While the male counterpart wears a Dhoti

(four meters long streach cloth), Angrakha (the Krishna

style indian salwar kameez), Pheta, and a colorful

handkerchief.

Presently the traditional folk dance and music forms are

taking a new turn by participating in the new age social

causes. Tamasha essentially ends on a high moral note

giving out the message that good defeats the bad. These

are actually very good sources of education for people.

Different rural social caused can be taken up to show

because these enter the rural parts of the state as well. A

p o w e r f u l t o o l o f

communication like this

should not be wasted. Rather it

should be used to create

awareness amongst the rural population for causes like

rain water harvesting. People not only would enjoy this

but will also connect to this kind of tool of communication.

It is very important to hold on to the cultural heritage as at

times these are the only mediums available for the urban

to communicate with the rural. This is the heritage that still

connects us to our roots.

Blurb 1:

.

MAHARASHTRA

SEPT '10 / 39

Originating from the Malwa, Lavani goesback to the time of Marathas.


Pune, the Oxford of the East is known for its rich heritage,

culture as well as the impact the youth have had on the

once pensioners' paradise. The city now can now boast of

itself as the youth capital of the country. One more aspect

of the city that has been making waves is the growing

importance of the fashion trends that come out of Pune.

One of the most pioneering trends which came out of Pune

was the ( ).

There is a thumb rule when it comes to dressing well

Never forget to notice what your feet are wearing before

you dare to venture out. On most occasions, the deadly

combo of ragtag snickers and dwindling socks are the

choice for guys to “step out” while their better halves turn

to their high heeled sandals. Yet there is one pair of

footwear which has won the hearts of the men from Mars

as well as the sirens from

Ve n u s - O s h o .

Osho are the epitome

of “sole comfort” and that is

just the starting point. They are cool in every sense of the

term and are the ideal footwear to step out on warm sunny

days. Not to mention they are eco-friendly and available in

a massive range of shapes and colours, which cover

everything from sober blue to neon green. They are also

feather light and most importantly very affordable. And

for all these reasons and more they are a hit with the

localites as well as the who have made Pune their

permanent or temporary home.

The Osho's are easily available throughout Pune; but the

biggest haunt of Osho's is Koregaon Park near Lane 1. It is

next to the famous Osho Ashram from where these

derive their name. There are in all around six to

seven stalls which spring up every day after the sun

decides to call it a day. Ramesh Sawant, who has been

selling Osho's for the last three years says, “There's never a

day when I don't sell less than 40 pairs, and they would

continue to gather loyal fans.” The stalls pack enough shoe

variety to confuse you to the bone. We are talking different

designs, different styles and a rainbow of coloursAs these

shops are perpetually flocked by foreigners, there is a very

good chance that you will find your favourite pair in the

right size even if you have unusually large feet (as

compared to the Indian standards). “Mostly college

students and westerners are Osho loyalists”, adds

Sawant.

The secret behind the uber soft comfort of this footwear is

its flat styling and the jute and bamboo material used in its

preparation. You can also opt for the low heel sandals

which are ideal if you want to don that laidback yet peppy

party look. So now that you are sold on the fashion and

comfort front, let's look at the financial side of this bargain.

One of the high points due to which the osho's have

become such a rage is the cheap/reasonable pricing. It's

not heavy on the pocket and delivers more than what is

expected. The cheap pricing is one of the major reasons the

college going youth swears by the Osho's. Sanjna Shetty,

final year media student agrees, “Why would I go for

footwear which costs me a bomb when I have on option of

osho chappals, which are stylish, cool, comfortable and at

the same time very reasonable.”

The Osho chappals will cost you anywhere between Rs.50

to Rs.300. While the open toe plastic strapped sandals can

be yours for Rs. 100, the more popular jute and

varieties are priced on the higher end. Having said that,

the amount you finally end up paying depends a lot on

your bargaining skills because they go a long way in

forcing the vendors to succumb to your request and accept

your price. It is also a good idea to make sure you pick the

right size and a flawless pair before you leave the store

because the vendors are not very keen on exchanging

bought goods after your little bargaining act.

So to conclude, if there is one thing which can personify

cheap, comfortable and cool fashion, the answer is the

osho .

Osho Chappals Mat Slippers

c h a p p a l s

chappals

firangs

chappals

chappal

chattai

chappals

40 / SEPT '10

Osho Chappals are ideal footwear for Indianweather and road conditions.


MAHARASHTRA

When it comes to feet, the Osho Chappalshave no 'mat'ch, says Rahul Gangwani

It changes colors with the wind,

makes faces to the world, gets high

on freedom. A place which gives

resonance to the journey called life.

Pune pulsates energy through

every nonresident punekar who's a

gypsy. The youth of the nation have

declared this city, a hub of

k n o w l e d g e & o p p o r t u n i t y.

According to Prity Bhawtankar, an

HR professional in Pune, “chances to change your life are

many in this city. It's no longer a matter of fate as we know

it.” The flow of prospects are so profound that one might

just snuggle up to the flow rather than struggle in the

metropolitan cities of India.

“Wada pav is Pune's answer to burgers. It represents Pune

in more ways than one”, says Shreeja .R. Nayar: a

graduation student. The city has students from all over

India and beyond.

With chocolate toast and Masala Dosa being served in the

same platter, its Cad B and Cad M (rich chocolate drinks),

that are Pune productions and a substitute to the

monotonous chocolate shakes. Each delicacy has made its

own Pune version to lure everyone in.

Coming to the fashion labels of the city: here the girls are

stylish and they know it. Living away from family

squeezes your budget and shopping in Pune without

holes in your pocket is easy. Knowledge of shopping

places and a bit of bargaining power is all you need to rock

it the Pune style.

Shamima, An airport ground staff says that she would

never leave the city for the companionship and freedom

the place gives her. If pollution and potholes come with it,

she will survive.

On the other hand Vikram Shetty a recruitment firm

owner who visits for business says, the potholes and

pollution are still the immovable parts of the negatives

compared to the non-existent traffic

sense of the residents. “People here

make a mockery out of the traffic rules

that are universally followed.” Even

then he likes to visit the city for its

historical significance & the cool climate

that is unique to the city.

The youth of Pune has issues with traffic

& might never resolve their conflicts

with their landlords but they have the conviction to raise

their voices against the evil. The candle march for German

bakery or the recent peace

march for J & K riots, Punekar

know not to take atrocities

with a mum face.

Another angle about Pune and

its rapid growth is its turning into the next Silicon Valley.

It has got the excellent weather which can be compared to

California. The financial hub of the country, Mumbai

being the closest to Pune has its advantages. Even with the

high tech facilities, excellent weather conditions and

proximity to Mumbai; it still has the small town

atmosphere intact to its culture. Even though it's the

educational hub of the country, the IIT and NIT have not

established in the city at all. The

poor city roads and loss of

infrastructure quality can be the

only obvious hindrance in the

process.

The most unique part of the city

is its spiritual connect. The

Osho ashram (the Rajneesh

dham ashram) has attracted

people from all over the country and the world. Women

are known as Ma and the men as swami. Osho believed

that love, laughter, meditation and awareness were the

great values of life. People from at least 100 countries are at

present staying in the ashram for reasons unique to

oneself. One can choose to do anything here from resting,

swimming, dancing, meditating and the list goes on. The

followers of his beliefs throng the city and the ashram all

around the year. His teachings are seen in every part of the

city and its residents.

People love the city for its freedom and free accessible

nature. The ready to work attitude in the morning which

ends with the wine & dance by the night. With its rich

culture and the different strides of cultures the city has

reached a different high in terms of diversity.

SEPT '10 / 41

Pune has become a city that enjoys timelessheritage and suffers unbridled modernity,

and makes the most of it.


Youth of the nation Sanjna Shetty reflects on thecontrasting faces of Pune

MAHARASHTRA

Asha you have passed a

generation in music industry. Who

all had been your inspiration?

H o w h a v e y o u

maintained your

voice for all these

years?

You have worked with a wide range of composers Salil

Chaudhary, Pancham , S D Burman to GenNext? What

is your take on the transition of music?

ji

da

My father started his own travelling

theatre company as a teenager, and managed

to excel in performing arts. He was a formidable

actor, musician, composer and great singer. He

learnt music and dance under the able

guidance of various tutors and also

experimented with different forms

of music and dance. He was ahead of

his times, thanks to his

revolutionary ideas.

He was an extremely generous

and simple man, always helping

those in need. In fact, he single-

handedly looked after his family; including

his siblings. He was one of India's earliest

filmmaker and a great patriot. He was my first

teacher and his style of music continues to be the

guiding force. Though I admired him very much,

I have an open mind to all forms and styles of

music. Though I am called a versatile artiste, I

think I have inherited that from my father. He is

the single most and greatest influence in my

musical and personal life.

'Riyaaz' or practice has helped me maintain my

voice. Vocal chords are a combination muscle and

tissue, and regular exercise is the only way you

can maintain their dexterity. Like the muscles in

other parts of your body, voice needs to be

exercised regularly, too. Also, I don't drink

alcohol, nor do I smoke or eat things that irritate

my voice such sour items. I used to love ice-cream

as a child but had to give it up very early in life as

it bothered my voice. The only treat that I allow

myself after a gruelling concert tour is a pot of ice-

cream at the end of the last gig. While my troupe of

musicians, singers, dancers drinks champagne, I am most

content with my vanilla ice-cream, which I actually melt a

little before having it. I don't remember the last time I had

ice water.

All music is composed of the same seven notes. There is no

eighth note. It's only a variation of these seven notes in

different forms that we listen to regularly. Each composer

42 / SEPT '10

The only treat that I allow myself after agruelling concert tour is a pot of ice-cream

at the end of the last gig.


Toast to a musical odysseyAsha Bhonsle, who turned 77 on September 8, pours her heart out in an intimate

conversation with and . Excerpts from the interviewArnab Acharya Swaha Chatterjee

Singing Diva: Asha Bhosle

INTERVIEW

had his own unique style of arranging these seven notes

and that was their signature style such as R D Burman, S D

Burman, O P Nayyar, Khayyam or A R Rehman school of

music. However, earlier composers did not have the

luxury of technology. Perhaps that's why their music came

from their hearts, and the tunes continue to haunt us even

in this day and age. Composers nowadays experiment

more with various sounds, which are nothing but a

byproduct of technological advancement. Perhaps, that's

why today's “intelligent” tunes emanate from the mind

not from the heart!

It's a difficult question to answer because like I said before,

each music director had something unique to offer.

Having said that, I believe that Rahul Dev Burman was the

most versatile of all the music directors I have worked

with because he could easily compose all kinds of tunes

from pure classical to

qawalis, to ghazals, to pop,

to jazz, to blues, etc. I found

that interesting and he also

managed to utilize the

potential of my voice

potential to its fullest. Every

song of his was a challenge

and that's why he remains

my favourite.

Times have changed. I

practiced many hours to perfect

myself. Maybe, today's youth

don't have that much time, as

t h e y h a v e m a n y o t h e r

diversions and interests in life.

It was not so in the old days. But

it's the environment we live in,

and I suppose we all have to go

with the flow. I suppose single-

minded devotion to their art is

grossly lacking today.

There are quite a few singers

today who are doing a good job

like Shreya Ghosal, Sunidhi

Chauhan, Shankar Mahadevan,

Shaan.

Reality shows give a platform

to budding artistes to exhibit

their talent. It's unfortunate

that most don't make it big in

the real world. But on the flip

side they do get their moment

of glory, and manage to earn a bit of money through

concerts, etc. for a brief span of time.

I have enjoyed different types and forms of music both

national and international. To try something new and

different is challenging. I don't like to do the same thing

over and over again. Creativity is an essential ingredient

for all artistes. The day the

zeal to create something new

ends, the artiste, is, well and

truly, dead.

Pursue and focus on your art

w i t h a s i n g l e - m i n d e d

devotion. Practice makes one

perfect. Be humble .You are

always a student, never a

master. Jai Hind!

Who is your favourite musician among the ones you

have worked with?

What do you see that lacks

in today's youth, who

aspire to take singing as a

profession?

Who are your favourites

among the present crop of

singers?

We have seen you appearing you on various reality

shows. What is your opinion on the potential of such

shows?

You have experimented with various forms of music.

Had it been a conscious effort?

Lastly, what's your message

to all those youths who plan

to take up music as their

vocation?

SEPT '10 / 43

Creativity is an essential ingredient for allartistes. The day the zeal to create

something new ends, the artiste, is, well andtruly, dead.


Jnam Samjha Karo: One of her stage performance

Hum Tum: With Musicsal maestro R D Burman

The adrenaline rush still runs high even

after reaching the Howrah station a couple

of hours earlier than the scheduled

departure as some try to swim the Ganges

and some run the busy Howrah Bridge to

catch the train. I helplessly wait while

attending calls after calls from members of

70-strong travel party, who kept on ordering me, to pull the

chain twice or thrice. But all's well in the end. Chanting

“Joy Jagannath” in unison sans pulling the chain we set

out for an amazing nine-hour sleepless journey.

Well, the first thing that comes to my mind when I think

about Puri is the sea. So restless, yet so rejuvenating. One

can spend hours sitting on the beach, and it wouldn't even

seem like a minute has passed.

It just reminded me that the

colour of our world is blue and

we require a mere one-third of

it. That strong and powerful roar of the nature exemplified

by a turbulent Bay of Bengal in all its fury can keep you

flabbergasted for a lifetime. The subtle breeze wafts

throughout the day. Though afternoons are extremely

sultry, dusk is simply breathtaking. The colours in the

evening sky makes you feel like you are in heaven.

A s t h e

e v e n i n g

draws closer,

t h e b e a c h

comes alive

with seafood stalls and souvenir vendors. Prawns, crabs,

bekti, pomfret can be all yours for a paltry Rs 25 a piece.

Mouthwatering seafood is also available along the

roadside dhabas at a highly affordable rate. There is, well

and truly, a grain of truth in the saying that Oriyas can cast

a spell of magic when it comes to cooking. The area near

the road is filled with stalls of sea shells, pearls, stones and

all the bounty that the sea has to offer. It's a year-round

carnival in Puri.

How can Puri be complete without the experience of j

? is made of thinly-rolled layers of flour dough,

fried and dipped in sugary syrup. Though the recipe might

sound very simple, the making, indeed, is an art. The

famous shop “Kakatua” is known for its succulent that

comes for Rs 80 a kg. Our group bought 100 kg of for

personal consumption.

G o u r m e t

Paradise

ibe

goja Goja

goja

goja

46 '10/ SEPT

Puri is a peek into India's glorious past. It isa happy blend of past and present.


ORISSA

Mesmerising Puri trail

Devasmita Halder captures the rich tapestry of ancientIndian culture during a recent trip to the temple town

Sound and fury of Sea

Damp squib

Architectural glory

The morning is an experience of a lifetime. It's better to set

out before dawn. The reflection of the rays of the sun in the

water is very scenic. But the main attraction is the place

beyond the lighthouse where the fishermen battle with the

waves to touch the shores. Because of the high waves, it is

really difficult to take a boat ashore. The boats are hardly

15 feet in length and around 4 feet in breadth - half of

which is covered with fishnets and three-four fishermen

manage to sit in the rest of the

vacant space. The fishermen

leave for the sea at night and

spend the entire night trying for

the catch.

They come home to roost only

at the crack of dawn. The

venture may be risky night in

and night out. But the rewards

are often not gratifying. Be that

as it may, they take to the sea as

hope springs eternal.

There is a wild life sanctuary

l o c a t e d o n t h e wa y t o

Bhubaneswar from Puri. I had

thought it be a very interesting

place, where we can spend

hours on end, ogling at the

beautiful creations of nature.

But, to my disappointment, I

found out that it was not all that

well maintained. I felt sad for

the caged animals. The only

thing worth at Rs 30 per person

was “The White Tiger and Lion

Safari”. We were fortunate

enough to spot a couple of

white tigers, and even two

lionesses and a lion.

Konarak, a 12 century sun temple, is located a couple of

hours drive from Puri. “Work of art” may not be an apt

phrase to describe the 10-storied structure. It defies all

reason how such architecture --- complete with all

intricate details -- was built around 800 years ago.

All that the architects had at their disposal at that point

in time was stones, weighing in tons, and hammer and

wedge to display their amazing control over the craft.

You feel proud to be an

I n d i a n a m i d s u c h a

breathtaking setting.

Lingaraj temple, too, is located

close to Konark. Thank to

security reasons, photography is not allowed inside the

premises. Lingaraj is an out of the-world experience.

Though not as massive as Konark, it makes up for its

artistic exuberance.

This 10 century structure has a compelling pull to it. One

dares to imagine how life would've been one thousand

years ago in that compound. People lived in those

structures and used the same

well, which is being used till

date. It was a culturally vibrant

era, whose legacy leaves all and

sundry speechless even after a

millennium has passed.

Udaygiri and Khandagiri, once

school of Buddhist monks, are

caves carved out of rocks in two

adjacent hills Kumari Parvat

and Kumar Parvat, which

abruptly rise from a vast barren

land. Altogether, there are 33

caves.

The government is constantly

carrying out extensive repair

work for maintenance for a

steady flow of tourists. These

magnificent caves are believed

to be built in the 2 century

during the reign of King

Kheravela of the Chedi dynasty.

The awe-inspiring sea apart,

Puri also boasts of a rich tapestry

of ethnic culture.

The Jagannath shrine is one of

the eight s for the Hindus

that attract millions all around

the year. “Bheem” stands guard

in the southern gate of the

th

th

nd

dham

SEPT '10 / 47

The main attraction is the place beyond thelighthouse where the fishermen battle with

the waves to touch the shores.


temple with two piercings in each of his ears. The temple is

neither as huge as Konark nor as intricately detailed as

Lingaraj.

But, there is an electrifying feel to it. The authorities have

strictly prohibited the use of any electronic gadgets within

the temple premises.

The centuries-old tradition of

using manpower to pull water

from five stories down to the

kitchen is still practiced daily.

There is an entry fee of a

nominal Rs 5 to get a sneak peek into the kitchen, where

is prepared every afternoon. The whole room is a

furnace, which has over 700 stoves burning

simultaneously. Each stove has a series of pots placed one

after the other in decreasing size. It is hard to fathom how

the pot on top gets enough heat.

The evenings are a divine experience as devotees chant

hymns and sing devotional prayers in the backdrop of

lamp-lit surroundings.

In Puri, people still follow a very simple life. The age-old

tradition of open-air cremation in wood is still a way of life

in the crematorium which loosely translates to

Gateway to Heaven.

In the morning, vendors carry “rasgulla, Puri and aloo

dum” wrapped in palm leaf on the beach. The taste is as

good as ever.

However, the most fascinating aspect is the way it is

carried. A vendor slings a stick over his shoulders, with

vessels made of cane hanging on each end of the stick,

strung together by jute ropes.

Puri is a peek into India's glorious past. It is a happy blend

of past and present, punctuated by the thrill of driving at a

breakneck speed on a 350cc motorcycle along the idyllic

coast. The motorcycles are available on rent on an hourly

basis.

Orissa is one the richest states in India as far as handicraft

and art work s concerned. Be it Sambalpuri art or saris

to the minute works in the p of Raghurajpur, the

ancient tradition reflect a myriad art form. For instance,

Pipli is well known for appliqué art that comes in a wide

range of products such as bags, wall decor, lampshades

etc.

The Rural Tourism Development Programme has exposed

small villages like Raghurajpur to not just the rest of India

but the world at large. No wonder, foreigners visit small

villages like Pipli and Raghurajpur and interact with the

artisans personally.

Dhokra, one of the dying arts of India, is still very much

prevalent in Orissa. The art form dates back to the era of

Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. It is made of copper, and has

a very contemporary feel. The sculptures are simple yet

very elegant. Just like Dhokra, Orissa, too, is famous for

stone artistry. Every major temple has stone carvings in it.

On our way to Konark, we could see numerous stores with

brilliant stone carvings. Stone artistry traces back a

millennium ago.

The journey to Orissa is incomplete without the experience

of of Raghurajpur, which is located around 12

km from Puri.

, done on various mediums such as palm leaves,

cloths, paper etc, depict the different avatars of Krishna

and other forms of gods and goddesses.

Puri is one-stop destination for souvenirs from pearls,

stones, shells to miniature Jagannath temples, and

. All of us tried to pick up unique pieces for a steal

before boarding the train. We ended up buying numerous

stone sculptures, pearls, sarees, and . And last but

certainly not the least; we bought a whole range of Hawaii

slippers as some of us had lost them on the beach.

bhog

Swargdwar,

kotki

atachitra

Pattachitra

Pattachitra

kotki

goja

kurta goja

Happy blend of old and new

Handicraft haven

Souvenir

48 / SEPT '10

Pipli is well known for appliqué art thatcomes in a wide range of products such as

bags, wall decor, lampshades etc.


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Bihar, known for its backwardness till recently, has

initiated various innovative programmes and decisions

which are not only being followed by other states but

have also been adopted by the central government.

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The following are a recap of the notable initiatives:

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50% posts in Panchayati raj Institutions and urban local

bodies reserved for women.

To i m p l e m e n t e f f e c t i ve a n d t r a n s p a r e n t

implementation of the Right to Information Act, a

telephone based “ call centre scheme

launched

Special Auxiliary Police (SAP) constituted by

recruiting ex-servicemen on contract.

Celebrating the birth anniversary of India's first

education minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad as

An independent Election Authority constituted to

conduct elections of cooperative institutions

(including PACS).

“ ” scheme implemented for skill enhancement

and economic empowerment of Muslim girls.

“ ” launched to

encourage adult female literacy

The state lobbied hard for declaring the Gangetic

Dolphin (locally known as as National Aquatic

Animal

The annual GSDP growth rate of the state in 2008-09 at

current prices was 24.33% and at constant prices was

16.59%.

The plan expenditure of the state increased from Rs

3,476 crore in 2004-05 to Rs 14,184 crore in 2009-10.

The tax revenue to the state increased from Rs.3,347

crore in 2004-05 to Rs 8274 crore in 2009-10.

State Promotion Investment Board approved 342

proposals, 47 units operationalised, 86 units being

operationalised. Total investment worth Rs 1,171

crore.

1,657 km of National Highways repaired and

upgraded from state funds.

Under “ ” 1,671 schemes

completed. Bihar State Bridge Construction

Corporation completed work on 619 bridges.

Compared to 384.6 km roads constructed in 2004-05,

3,474.77 km roads were built in 2009-10. From 2006-07

till date 23,606 km of roads has been constructed.

The turnover of Bihar State Bridge Construction

Corporation increased from Rs 42.62 crore in 2004-05

Jaankari

Shiksha Diwas

Hunar

Mukhyamantri Akshar Aanchal Yojana

sons

Mukhyamantri Setu Yojana

The figures speak for themselves when it comes to

development.


BIHAR

Bihar Shows the Way

to Rs 858 crore in 2009-10.

18,457 new primary schools opened. Altogether,

14,675 primary schools upgraded to middle schools.

2,15,145 elementary, 11,000 secondary and 500 higher

secondary teachers appointed.

The number of out of school children reduced from 25

lakh in 2006-07 to 7.70 lakh in 2010-11.

Under , 36,81,219

girls of all classes (6 to 8) benefitted.

Under , 13,60 lakh

girls enrolled in class 9 benefitted.

The number of institutional deliveries increased from

45,000 in 2005-06 to 12.46 lakh in 2009-10.

In 2004-05 the total immunization was 11% , which

increased to 53.8% in 2009-10.

In government hospitals 39 patients per month came

to OPDs in 2004-05; this increased to 5,000 patients in

2009-10.

Earlier, women's representation in panchayati raj

institutions was negligible. The state government

provided 50% reservation, consequently 54.73%

women elected in PRI's.

Foodgrain production increased from 85.49 lakh

tonnes in 2005-06 to 120.86 lakh tonnes in 2009-10.

Distribution of certified seeds at subsidized rates

increased from 6,200 quintals in 2006-07 to 4, 83,000

quintals in 2009-10.

Subsidy made available to farmers for modern

agricultural equipment increased from Rs 8.83 crore

in 2006-07 to Rs 95.85 crore in 2009-10.

Wheat procurement increased from 0.10 lakh tonnes

in 2005-06 to 4.97 lakh tonnes in 2009-10. Paddy

procurement increased from7.60 lakh tonnes in 2005-

06 to 10.10 lakh tonnes in 2009-10.

13,146 criminals were convicted in 2009 compared to

6,839 criminals convicted in 2006. From 2006 till date

more than 47,000 criminals have been convicted.

In a campaign against corruption in 2, 006, 66 arrests

made in 60 trap cases, whereas in 2, 009, 93 arrests

were made in 93 trap cases.

The number of foreign tourists coming to Bihar

increased from 94,000 in 2006 to 4.23 lakh in 2009.

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Mukhyamantri Balika Poshak Yojana

Mukhyamantri Balika Cycle Yojana


A reinforcement of Bihari identity:

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98 Years after the creation of the state of Bihar, the

foundation day, Bihar Divas” celebrated for the first

time on March 22.

A state level three-

d a y B i h a r D i va s

functions organised at

Gandhi Maidan ,

Patna.

Exhibition of the

historical heritage,

traditional dance and

music , handloom

handicrafts and Bihari

cuisine organised at

t h e s t a t e - l e v e l

function.

Participation of common people and

children secured through organising

Bihar divas functions in 22,000 middle

schools, 3,000 high schools, a total of

25,000 venues as well as all district

headquarters on a single day.

A “Handloom and Handicraft fair cum

Exhibition “ organised on the occasion of

Bihar divas at New Delhi's Pragati

Maidan from 22 March to 5 April 2010.

Cultural programmes organised at

Hamsadhwani Theatre at Pragati

Maidan during the same period.

“Bihar Divas” organised within the

country in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai

and outside the country in Canada, USA, UAE,

Bahrain, Qatar, Australia , New Zealand by Bihar

foundation chapters.

“Bihar Divas Souvenir” published documenting the

development from 1912 to 1942, leading to the creation

of the state.

Till recently Bihar was dependent on Central

government's projects. But now the situation has changed.

The state government is implementing more than 40

schemes on the strength of its own resources. Some of

these schemes are:

for girl students of

class 6 to 8.

for boys and girls of 3 to 5.

for girls of class 9.

for boys of class of 9.

for repair

of buildings, playgrounds and boundary walls of

schools.

,

to encourage minority students to go for higher

education.

to support

technical commercial education of disabled students.

for the

Mahadalit students of elementary schools.

for the educational

tours of middle school students.

for plugging bridge

related gaps in roads.

“


Mukhyamantri Poshak Yojana

Mukhyamantri Balika Cycle Yojana

Mukhyamantri Balak cycle Yojana

Mukhyamantri Samagra Vidyalaya Vikas Yojana

Mukhyamantri Alpsankhyak Vidyarthi Protsahan Yojana

Mukhyamantri Nishaktjan Shiksha Rin Yojana

Mukhyamantri Mahadalit Poshak Yojana

Mukhyamantri Bihar Darshan Yojana

Mukhyamantri Setu Nirman Yojana

State Resources Fuel Development


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for economic, social

and cultural empowerment of women.

to make

available good quality seeds to farmers.

to facilitate

horticulture development.

to provide financial

assistance to girls of poor families at the time of their

marriage.

for prevention of

female foeticide and encouragement of female births

and birth registration.

to provide artificial

limbs and implants to disabled.

for

eradicating begging and rehabilitating beggars

for integrated

developments of towns.

for providing all-

weather link roads to villages and tolas.

for developments of

various sports.

for financial

assistance for treatment of life threatening diseases.

for providing

transistors to mahadalits.

for making 40 lakh

women literate.

The responsibility for maintenance of National

Highways is that of Road Transport and National

Highways Ministry, Govt. of India. In spite of the state

government's efforts, adequate amount was not

allocated for this purpose. Consequently in Bihar's

interest, the state government allocated Rs.969.76

crore from its limited resources to maintain National

Highways, in a length of 24403 km. In spite of seven

reminders from the state government, this amount has

not been reimbursed by the Government of India.

The state government has undertaken multi-dimensional

initiatives for women and girl empowerment:

Bihar is the first state of the country to

provide 50%reservation to woman in panchayats and

urban local bodies under

Mukhyamantri Nari Shakti Yojana

Mukhyamantri Teevra Beej Vistar Yojana

Mukhyamantri Bagwani Mission Yojana

Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah Yojana

Mukhyamantri Kanya Suraksha Yojana

Muk yamantri Samarthya Yojana

Mukhyamantri Bhikshavriti Niravaran Yojana

Mukhyamantri Nagar Vikas Yojana

Mukhyamantri Gram Sadak Yojana

Mukhyamantri Khel Vikas Yojana

Mukhyamantri Chikitsa Sahayata Kosh

Mukhyamantri jeevan Drishti Yojana

Mukhyamantri Akshar Anchal Yojana50% reservation in panchayats & urban local bodies

election:

Bihar Panchayat Raj Act


2006

50%reservation for women in teacher recruitment :

Mukhyamantri kanya Suraksya Yojana:

“Children Career Balanced fund”

Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah Yojana:

Mukhyamantri Nari Shakti Yojana:

Lakshmi Bai Pension Yojana:

Mukhyamantri Alpsankhyak Vidyarthi Protsahan

Yojana:

. Altogether, 54.73% woman elected at various

levels of panchayats. Out of these 3,784 women were

elected as mukhiyas, 237 pramukhs, 18 zilla parishad

chairpersons, 568 zilla parishad members, 5,371

panchayat samiti members, 54,260 gram panchayat

members, 4,013 sarpanches and 54448.

In urban local bodies, 1465 women elected as

municipal councillors, 74 chief councillors and 25

deputy chief councillors.

Women become economically independent because of

50%reservation in teacher recruitment . Recruitment

of 62,000 women teachers led to increased enrollment

and retention of girl students.

The scheme

started to arrest the growing gender disparity. At the

time of girl's birth Rs 2,000 is invested in UTI s

. The bond

certificate provided can be encashed , when the girl

attains adulthood .Till date Rs 6,700 lakh spent in 4,752

lakh bonds.

To prevent

child marriages and encourage registration of

marriages, this scheme provides financial assistance

to poor families for the marriage of girls. In 2009-10 Rs

7.91 lakh distributed among 1, 57,256 beneficiaries.

For economic,

social and cultural empowerment of women, helpline

creche and self-help groups constituted. Altogether,

16,367 SHGs constituted in 176 blocks and 27 districts.

Bank accounts for 8,260 SHGs and credit linkage for

2,688 groups, 32 short stay homes and34 helplines

were operationalised.

Poor widows in the 18-

64 age group provided a monthly pension of Rs 200.

So far, 3.40 lakh widows have benefitted.

Ascheme has been introduced to provide Rs 10,000 for

self employment to Muslim women, who have been

abandoned by their husbands.

In 2009, 4,011 students, belonging to the

minority community, were provided incentive of Rs

10,000 each for passing the matriculation examination

in first division. Till date 22,131 minority students

provided Rs 2.21 crore.

Ahostel for minority girls constructed in Patna, and Rs

9 crore made available for construction of these

hostels.

Rs.2.84 crore provided for construction of 12 girls'

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residential hostels for backward caste girls.

: To encourage

parents to send their girls to schools. Under this

scheme, 36, 81,249 girls enrolled in class 6 to 8

provided Rs 700 per year for school uniforms.

To encourage

the retention of girls in primary classes and their

transition to high school, under this scheme 13.60 lakh

girls of class 9 provided cash grant for purchase of

bicycles .

in each school: “Meena Manch”, a girls'

club constituted in 21,238 schools for students from

class 6 to 8. The aim is to increase girls' enrolment and

retention in schools and create awareness against

social evils.

A scheme for skill enhancement of minority

girls, launched by Bihar Education Project in

collaboration with NIOS, benefitted 13,748 girls in

seven trades. In second phase of this

scheme, 50,000 girls (25, 000 from the

minority community and 25,000 SCs/STs

and OBCs) will benefit.

9,232 girls who successfully completed

the “Hunar” scheme provided Rs 2,500

each for purchase of tool kit under

“ ” scheme.

391 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas

(KGBV) sanctioned and 382 KGBVs

made functional. Benefit of group

insurance through LIC extended to 7,542

girls of these schools.

Under “ scheme, girls of

class 6 to 8 in 31 border area blocks of the

state imparted training in local

traditional handicrafts.

“

launched on 9 August 2009 to utilise 2 lakh

“ volunteers) to make 40 lakh women

literate. Altogether, Rs 52 crore earmarked for this

scheme.

250 project girls school up graded to +2

On the occasion of International Women's Day on

March 8, 2007,Kishori Mahotsav and in 2008 Umang

Mahotsav organised in Gandhi Maidan, Patna.

Thousands of girls and women participated.

Gender budgeting started in 2008-09.

For technical skill enhancement, three new

women ITI opened, two new women ITI sanctioned.

Anew women's battalion of BMP sanctioned.

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Mukhyamantri Balika Cycle Yojana:

Meena Manch

“Hunar”:

Aujar

Gyan Jyoti”

Mukhyamantri Akshar Anchal

Yojana”

Akshar Doot” (


The image of Goa across the globe is that of a nice

paradise for tourism and beaches. Beyond beaches and

tourism, what can and should be the focus areas of Goa in

the next five years?

We are very fortunate to have an excellent name around

the world, and especially in the last 10 years. When we

travel all over the world, we have experienced a lot of

importance being given to being a Goan, and we feel proud

about it. Goa is blessed. A lot of people say Kerala is God's

own country, even their tagline for promoting the state

harps on that. Be that as it may, Goa is paradise on earth.

The reason why Goa is popular is mainly for its natural

beaches. The tourism boom, too, has been largely

unplanned for all these years. So, when tourists started

visiting, the only thing that attracted them was the beaches

and consequently, 80% of the tourism is centered around

the beaches in the western part of the state. But now the

economic regional plan, which

the state government has

formulated, is powering

several key initiatives. The

Chamber, too, is playing an

active role to realise the lofty

goals. I had the opportunity of going through the plan,

and we have laid more stress on the hinterland tourism of

the state. We thought there was no point in concentrating

and overcrowding the coastal belt rather shift the tourists'

focus on the eastern part or the hinterland. Goa is

immensely beautiful. Around, 85% of the state either enjoy

forest cover or is used for agriculture. Of these, 55% of the

land is covered by forests. I have identified eco-tourism as

one of the potential areas of tourist attraction for the next

10 years. Tourists come to Goa to enjoy clean

surroundings. People come here for leisure, and we can

ensure they can have a good time by spending time in

sylvan surroundings.

Goa has an immense potential in adventure tourism. There

is scuba diving, coral reefs, a lot of unexplored islands,

which are ideal for exploration. Goa has a great musical

culture, unlike the rest of the country. Shigmo, which is

usually celebrated by the Hindus, is very popular in the

state. And after Portuguese and the carnivals, Goan

carnivals are one of the most famous. A lot can be done in

promoting the cultural tourism in f the state. Religious

tourism, too, holds the key. Goa is blessed with over 3,000

temples. There are famous places of worship like the Old

Jama Masjid, the Bom Jesus Church, which can be

promoted as a major tourist attraction. Heritage is another

area that can be developed. We lobbied successfully with

the government to protect and maintain the heritage

structures. During the prohibition, the government would

not allow anyone to touch the heritage structures. Last

year, the Government of India announced Goa as a

heritage site, and has given an income tax incentive if one

sets up a hotel. So in the future, we can find Goa is

emerging as a good entertainment and leisure destination,

56 '10/ SEPT

Goa is emerging as a good entertainmentand leisure destination, where the non-coastal or the 'Green' areas are coming

under increasing focus.


Paradise on earth

Mritunjay Kumar Ram Kumar Iyerand catch up with Nitin Kunkolienker, vice-chairman, Economic Development Council,Government of Goa, to know about the focus areas for one of the hottest tourist destinations in the world in the next five years.

GOA

where the non-coastal or the 'Green' areas of the state are

coming under increasing focus.

I'm sure every Goan is very proactive, and we won't allow

the degradation of the environment and at the same time,

we are going to make the best use of the environment so

that the state benefits from its forest cover without

compromising the ecology. Ultimately, the beauty of the

state lies in its ecology and we're very fortunate to have it.

Any development, which you undertake in the state, has

to be sustainable. You can't do something which is not

sustainable, and as a state, we might have made some

errors in the past. But development is a continuous

process, and there is no way you can have a vibrant society

and economy without the support of the trade and

commerce in the state, especially the industries. Today,

industries are the largest contributor to the state in terms

of employment; and if we look at the multiplied effect of

the employment, it is the industry, which has had the

largest impact.

Acquisition of land is necessary for development and I

believe that IDC has acquired the land which was

otherwise not suitable for cultivation and was completely

barren, so it required minimum deforestation. I must

congratulate the IDC for this. Goa is lucky to have

acquired land without impacting the ecology. But the sad

part is, the land which has been acquired is meant for the

economic prosperity and development of the state. It is

meant to create the economic value chain in the state. If

that is given to land sharks, then it will lead to shifting a

large amount of economic resource to a handful. Someone

can't just come to Goa buy land by catching hold of a

couple of people in the government. I think the citizens are

concerned about this and that is what the agitations were

meant for. I don't think a well-meaning Goan will ever

oppose the industry. There maybe a few, because the

vested interests have also multiplied with time. People

have started agitating for the sake of exploiting the money

from the entrepreneurs. The Chamber is strongly against

this, but at the same time the Government should also

have been a little careful in allotting the land to the

deserving or in a proportion to what they need for

development. Selling tracts of land in wholesale to just one

or two is what has triggered the issue. As an individual,

I'm quite opposed to this kind of massive land selling. It

not only disturbs the ecosystem of the state, but also kills

the economic chain of the state. It creates huge inequalities

in income: the rich will become richer while the poor

remain poor. Land is a scarce resource, one cannot

produce land, and so if one has land, they should use it in

such a way that it has the highest economic impact.

I'm glad that you have raised this issue and probably after

many years, someone has talked about it. From 1989

onwards, we could see many electronic companies

coming to Goa. We started with TATA. Zenith Computers

came in 1989. Philips, too, set up shop. Bharati Telecom

was one of the companies set up by the EDC. Goa

Electronics, BPL employees arrived, while Siemens came

in 1993. Many companies came to this state thinking that

they would do well and obviously the incentives of the

state were an attraction for them to engage in business

ventures.

But today, the situation of all these units is very bad due to

logistical hurdles. For example, the change in the tariff

policies of the Central Government has been a big

deterrent. And post-2004, when the duty levels were

brought down to zero, the manufacturing of electronic

goods became quite expensive. Today there are hardly

three-four players left in the state. There are no incentives

and normally incentives are given to subsidise the excess

cost of working over other states and the Goa government

has hardly done much for electronics. But it is one

industry, which has extremely high potential for

There have been a lot of issues connected to creating new

industries and acquiring lands. How can this be solved?

While it is important that industrialisation is necessary

for growth, development and employment, people's

concerns and environment protection are also very

important. What's your approach as a senior

professional and industrialist in the state to strike a fine

balance between the two?

In this whole debate of

i n d u s t r i a l i s a t i o n a n d

protection of environment,

t h e I T a n d T e l e c o m

convergence area comes as a

clean and Green area. How much has Goa achieved in

that. What are the possibilities in the next few years?

SEPT '10 / 57

Goa enjoys a strategic advantage as all fourbasic infrastructures are located within a

radius of only 8 km.


generating high rate of employment, and good

contribution to the state with minimum consumption of

resources. The electronic industry is one which requires

small land, less power and water while the economic

output to the state is quite high. Unfortunately, the

Government is not very sensitive. But we feel that there is a

huge potential. We are now making attempts to highlight

to the government about this particular sector and I'm sure

the present Chief Minister, Digambar Kamath, will do

something about it. We have always believed in the

Chamber. It is my own view that we need to give focus on

green and clean industries like the IT and Pharmaceutical,

which generate good employment and use limited

infrastructure and contributes good tax and non-tax

revenues to the state. I foresee Goa becoming a global hub.

There is a professional management group of the state of

which I am a member. We are working now towards

making Goa a logistics centre. We feel that Goa as a

strategic advantage as the South, West and North are high

consuming areas. We need to connect the infrastructure:

the ports, airports, railways and roads. Goa has all four

basic infrastructures within a radius of only eight km. But

the connectivity between them is very poor. The

Government has to become more proactive, and link the

four together. This will automatically work as an incentive

to the industries in the state. We need to look at the bigger

opportunities coming out of Goa as a logistics hub, which

can integrate with the industrial hub and allow Goa to get

clean, good industries. We are now lobbying with the

government to come up with a structured plan for the

infrastructure.

Goa has emerged as a huge tourism destination. It is a fact

that some of the world's best five-star hotels are located in

Goa. We have over 20 five star hotels, and that has got

substantial manpower. A large part of the manpower is

engaged in mining; mostly in the rural areas. Mining has

become the backbone of the rural economy. If we look at

the index of the population, we have 2, 20,000 people in the

age group between 10 and 20, and they are definitely going

to look forward to some opportunities in the state. At the

same time, the people in the age group of 50-60 are almost

1, 10,000, which makes a total of 3, 30,000 people. Now

some of these might retire over the next 10 years, but not

everybody will hang up their boots. On an average, close

to 2-3 lakh people are out of the state, of which 40,000-

50,000 might come back. But to tap this potential, we need

to create opportunities for close to 4 lakh people in the next

10 years. In the regional plan, we are also developing a

formula of MIZ (Micro Industrial Zones), wherein some of

the villages in the state could have a small industrial setup:

a Goan entrepreneur could get around 500 to 600 sq meters

of area and they could come up with an establishment of

their own. We also have close to 30 lakh tourists in Goa,

and as the quality of entertainment, infrastructure and life

in the state goes up, the quality of the tourists will also

improve. Goa need not be dependent on foreigners for

tourists. If we compare the amount of money the Goa

government spends on attracting foreigners, and the

consequent output by the foreigners, the government is

actually spending a lot more. It has been overhyped. The

fact of the matter is, Indian tourists spend more than

anyone else and we need to tap them. Goa has to penetrate

in rural and inland areas and even a small theme park

could make a major difference.

Goa as a state is developing: the state is planning on a new

airport, the railway is looking at double tracks, and the

Konkan belt is going to be developed. The reason I'm

saying this is because better infrastructure will have a

direct impact on the human resource. Goans need to align

themselves and study and be prepared for what is going to

happen in the next 10 years. As the infrastructure changes,

skilled manpower will be needed and the influx of people

from other states will deprive the locals of employment

opportunities if they are not ready. In the long run, this

will impact the demographics of the state as well and we

are not only concerned with the employment

opportunities, but with the demographic effects as well.

The locals are moving out of the state, but I feel that there is

huge potential for them in the state and IT and electronics

could be one of the driving forces behind this. Goans are

perceived as lazy, but it is not so at all. Goans are extremely

productive, but they are not laborious. The locals are able

to work and able to deliver when it comes to intellect, but

when it comes to unskilled labour, they aren't attracted to

it. We have to use this as a Unique Selling Point, not as a

negative factor. They only need a little bit of training and if

the government starts training and implementing

entrepreneurship development plans, the future looks

bright.

What's the status of human resource, and how can it be

developed?



GOA

A D Naik, managing director, Industrial

Development Corporation (IDC), Goa, is

working hard to realise his lofty plans. He

aims to set up more industries in the sunshine

state, which has captured the global

imagination as a hot spot tourist destination.

IDC has already set up 22 industrial centres

in various talukas, which claim to generate

around 34,000 employees in their 2,000 plus

units in the tiny state on the Konkan coast.

The government has proposed new

acquisition at various parts of state, and the

main focus will be the interior talukas for

their economic growth and development.

For instance, talukas like Pernem in north

Goa and Kepe, Sanguna, Canacona in the

south are still quite underdeveloped. Self-

help groups have been set up to develop

these back-of-beyond places.

The IDC is looking at several aspects like

environment, industry management, solid

waste management, sewage and sanitation, development

control rules and regulations, transport and road networks

to kick-start the economy.

Tourism and industries are backbone of the state economy.

Shortage of power, however, has been a big constraint.

Be that as it may, the government has come up with several

new investments policies for NRIs. While, three-four

industrial estates will be functional soon.

Why should an NRI invest in Goa? Well, the advantages

are not far to seek.

For instance, there is easy access to all requirements ---

natural harbor, ports, airport and rail ----within a radius of

30-40 km.

IDC has also suggested a road map for the optimum

utilisation of the IT sector.

Goa is not only famous for its picturesque beaches but also

for its exotic wildlife parks and sanctuaries for rare and

endangered flora and fauna.

The lush greenery of the forest offers natural environment

for animals, attracting many tourists round the year. Add

to that is the tranquil ambience that strikes big chord with

both domestic and foreign tourists alike.

Goa has also the largest English-speaking labour

population in the country, who is engaged in blue chip

companies like Bosch, Titan, and various export and

import firms.

The state government is also

working on the development

of Special Economic Zones

(SEZs). It has hinted at a

policy that aims to release land

earmarked for SEZ for which no notification has been

issued.

Significantly, of the 32 lakh sq m of land, which belongs to

the IDC, pencilled in for SEZs, a portion has already been

notified. But the state government has been pushed on

the back foot following a public outcry against SEZs. The

promoters of three notified SEZs have moved court,

challenging the IDC show cause notice that aims to

retrieve the land.

The Goa government has come up withseveral new investments policies for NRIs.While, three-four industrial estates will be

functional soon.

Nothing personal, only businessWhy should an NRI invest in Goa? Well, the advantages are not far to seek, explains Mritunjay Kumar

Destination Goa:

06 '10/ SEPT NGI KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE

GOA

Swapnil M Naik, Director, Department of Tourism,

Government of Goa, has ambitious plans up his sleeve.

He delineates the intrinsic advantages of the state.

Goa gets a large number of tourists between October and

May. In fact, tourism is concentrated only on a small

stretch of the coastal line. Beaches apart, there are

thousands of spots to explore. For instance, tourism

should be taken to the hinterland in a bid to make it

popular across the state.

It has to become an all-weather

industry, including monsoon,

which is considered to be a

lean season.

But this perception is certainly

not true. Goa is lush with greenery and attendant scenic

beauties like lakes, waterfalls. Bonderam, a harvest festival

is celebrated during monsoon. Plans are afoot to promote

Carnival and Shigmo in a bid to make the tourists take

keen interest in Goa's social mores. While, the peak season

(October-May) causes major stress to the resources, the

rest of the year is grossly under utilised.

Goa should be made accessible throughout the year as

every season has its own charm and appeal. Over last

couple of years or so, there is a consistent

change in advertisement and promotion

of Goa tourism to project the hinterland,

backwater tourism, wildlife sanctuaries,

which are not known to the other world.

There are three wildlife sanctuaries, two

bird sanctuaries, and bird watching sight

at Carambolim Lake along with heritage

monuments that dot all across old Goa.

New policies on diversification of

tourism are also being implemented.

The focus is not only on beaches but are

also expanding to hinterland.

The value additions are for all to see.

Multi-level parking, tourist information

centre, increase in the use of jetties will

improve river navigation system,

consequently leading to a greater

navigation of the water route.

Construction of jetties at various places

has already started to reduce the pressure

of road network, and it will be in use by

next year.

Last year, gruesome crimes and mischievous activities

took place in Goa that was hyped by the media. That

caused adverse publicities, hampering tourism in a big

way. The state government is now trying hard to salvage its

brand image of being idyllic tourist spot.

Additional security forces, ex-service man have been

deployed this year to overcome these threats.

Strong campaigning on TV and other media vehicles are

on to lure tourists.

Goa gets around 25 lakh tourists annually. Of these, 4-4.5

lakh are foreigners.

Infrastructure for tourism is gaining momentum this time.

There is a greater need to need to accelerate the knowledge

of locally trained manpower as far as human resources are

concerned. The government has sanctioned Rs 73 crore to

improve the infrastructure of Goa. There is one hotel

management and catering institute at Panjim, which deals

with high level of managers and officials. Another hotel

management institute is also coming which will be started

by next year.

60 / SEPT '10

Goa should be made accessible throughoutthe year as every season has its own

charm and appeal.


Mritunjay Kumar explains the theme of “Goa Next”, and how the sunshine state's tourism sector is trying to repackage it

Makeover bid for Goa

When the NGI team visited the Department of

Information & Publicity a wing of the Goa government ---

we had a fruitful discussion with director Menino Peres on

the future of the sunshine state.

The roadmap, he explained, is on the anvil.

“Of course, beaches in Goa are one of the prominent

attractions for tourism. But the government is now laying

emphasis on sustainable development in the state,” he

said.

Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat has formed the Goa

Development Council (GDC), under the able

chairmanship of eminent scientist Raghunath Mashelkar,

who will formulate and deliberate a comprehensive plan

for 20 years for sustainable development of the state.

“There is no point to rely on beaches and churches only.

We have started development programmes in small

villages. Our major area of concern is the villages, which is

still plagued by poverty and unemployment. We are

taking some initiative to eradicate these social ills. These

will help our youths to get employment, and there is no

need to leave the state in search for jobs,” Peres explained.

The director has an idea up his sleeve to repackage Goa as

a tourist hot spot. Plans are afoot to promote hinterland

tourism, handicraft, cottage and eco-friendly industries,

which will not affect the state's

natural beauty yet herald prosperity.

“Besides, the state government is

concentrating a lot on IT industries.

But we need big players like Wipro

and Infosys to make it a success. The

Chief Minister is planning to bring in

some IT companies. He has already

held talks with some IT honchos in

Bangalore to this effect.”

Goa, according to Peres, enjoys quite

a few head starts as compared to

other states in India.

“For instance, the state is far ahead in

intellectual human force, and sound

technical knowledge. There are two

engineering colleges, and another

one, BITS- Pillani, is about to open.

While a medical college and GIM -- an

exclusive business school --- is quite famous. Neither there

is any lack in technical and educated manpower. But

growing unemployment is the primary reason why

youths move out of the state in search for jobs,” he

reasoned.

Hope, however, springs

eternal.

“NRI Goans should look at

their state from a different

perspective. They should come

back to their native place, and

invest for its betterment. There

is a lot of scope for them to make a fortune in hospitality,

telecom and IT sectors,” he said.

The future, indeed, holds out a rosy picture.

“Goa Vision 2020, a comprehensive plan for the

development of Goa tourism, is a work in progress.

Raghunath Mashelkar is identifying the key areas of focus.

Goa will celebrate its 50 years of liberation in December.

Come next year, work will begin in earnest to make Goa

one the biggest tourist spots in the world,” he signed off.

SEPT '10 / 61

"Goa Vision 2020, a comprehensive plan forthe development of Goa tourism, is a work in

progress. Raghunath Mashelkar isidentifying the key areas of focus. Goa will

celebrate its 50 years of liberation inDecember.


Mission sustainable developmentThe sunshine state's future holds out a rosy picture, says Mritunjay Kumar

GOA


PHOTO FEATURE

By Debasish Aich

When Dusk Descends

Homecoming

An unknown local going back to

home after a days work. Taken at

Pushkar, Rajsthan, 2009

Gurukul

A gurukul (Sanskrit guru "teacher" or "master";

kul domain, from kula, "extended family") is in

India a type of school, residential in nature,

with shishyas living in proximity to the guru,

often within the same house. In a gurukul,

shishyas reside together as equals, irrespective

of their social standing, learn from the guru and

help the guru in his day-to-day life, including

the carrying out of mundane chores such as

washing clothes, cooking, etc.

Here in the photograph they are playing cricket

at the ghats beside the The Ganges.

Benaras, India, 2009

Evening At Mehrangarh

Mehrangarh Fort, located in Jodhpur city in Rajasthan

state is one of the largest forts in India. The fort is

situated on a lofty height, 400 feet (122 m) above the city,

and is enclosed by imposing thick walls. Inside its

boundaries there are several palaces, which are known

for their intricate carvings and sprawling courtyards.

A lady lighting the 'diya' in front of the god at

Mehrangarh in the evening, Jodhpur, India, 2009


Ganga Aarti

"Ganga Aarati" on the

The Ganges, Benaras,

India, 2009

The Musician

A street musician playing Saxophone in

the evening. Taken at Yale University,

USA, 2008

The Odd Nook

Locals enjoying the evening at the Terlingua

Ghost Town, New Mexico. Terlingua is one of

the last town on the US - Mexico border. 2008.

READERS WRITE...


Thanks for sending the e-version of the

magazine (Indo-Caribbean issue) . It is a very

comprehensive issue. The chart below

provides details of Colonial British Indian indentured

labor transportation by country

- Ashook RamsaranExecutive Vice President, GOPIO, International.

Indian indentured labour importing colonies

Mauritius 453,063

British Guiana 238,909

Trinidad 143,939

Jamaica 36,412

Grenada 3,200

St Lucia 4,350

Natal 152,184

St Kitts 337

St Vincent 2,472

Reunion 26,507

Surinam 34,304

Fiji\ 60,965

East Africa 32,000

Seychelles 6,315

Name of Colony Number of

Labourers Transported

Total 1,194,957

I think you have targeted a great niche market. I've certain

random observations about the product, which I'd like to share

with you. Your editorial should try to strike a chord with

preferences of NRI audience. For example, the articles could cover

the following areas: investment opportunities in India for NRIs, the

emergence of a strong Indian diaspora, an interview with a top notch

NRI, latest car launches, gizmos, food and drink to suit their palates.

Lastly, I feel the approach is too diffused since it offer s a bouquet of

topics --- from current affairs, educational material, travelogues to

even sports and leisure. Hence, it attempts to do too many things at

the same time.Anarrower focus could help.

- Pranav Nambiar, UK

Thank you so much for bringing up such a high quality

magazine. It brings tears in my eyes to see how you’ve

captured the spirit of the Indo-Caribbean people. We hope

you regularly cover our people in these countries.

Businessman, New York.

GI is one of the best magazines I’ve come across

covering the story of Indians around the world. Thank

you for covering Trinidad and Tobago so greatly and for

bringing the stories to people everywhere.

IT Professional Port of Spain,

Trinidad & Tobago

- Ramnarine Gosine,

- Revan Teelucksingh,

N

August 2010:

In the Content page – Correspondent Somanjana C. Bhattachrya’s name was misspelled (‘Shomanjana’)

In the article Shaapmochan (page 6) author Biplab Sengupta’s name was wrong (Biplab Dasgupta)

In the article Redefining education (page 26) the name of Delhi Chief Minister Mrs. Sheila Dixit’s name was misspelled (‘Shila Dikshhit)

In the article Back to Yoga (page 36) the name of author Haimanti Banerjee’s name was misspelled (‘Haimantee’).

July 2010 issue

We missed to acknowledge the contribution of Bina Mahavir, who helped to have several articles related to the Indo-Caribbean matters.

In the section page of Indo-Caribbean, Caribbean was misspelled (‘Carribean’).

Acknowledgments and Corrections

NGI Knowledge Exchange RNI TC No. MAH ENG 12553/13/1/2010 - TC Decl. No. SDM/Pune/SR/138/2010

Documents

PUNE Vol. 1 / Issue No.1 SEPTEMBER 2010 Price 50/- …newglobalindian.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/ngi_sept10.pdfcountries , must leave aside the thought process of the bygone era