Rajita Chaudhuri: Author of 'Orangutan as your Brand ambassadors'

The situation calls for president’s rule and early elections

2011-10-19T10:33:00.000+05:30

Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri Dean Business School IIPM

DR. MALAY CHAUDHURI, Chief Consulting Editor, The Sunday Indian

Looking at the television pictures of Khejuri, a block under the district of east Midnapore, West Bengal (situated next to Nandigram, made famous by the killing of 14 people in 14 March 2007), I can't help asking myself the question: Am I living in India or in some distant part of Africa, where killings happen every now and then, propelled by ex-colonial powers for neo-colonial interests of their own? It has been written in all leading papers of West Bengal that truckloads of people enter villages in Khejuri armed with weapons, primitive as well as modern, backed by ‘harmads’ (CPM goons hired by the party for specific purposes, brought from neighbouring states or districts). They are supported by the local police either actively or by remaining passive allowing them to destroy, burn down houses, kill people who oppose them. It is written in CPM's paper Ganashakti that these people actually lived in Khejuri before the Lok Sabha elections of 09.

In that election, Trinamool candidates won the majority of the seats and a Trinamool party member became the MP of Khejuri. In the post-election scenario, many cadres and active supporters of CPM were evicted from their respective villages as they had participated in various shenanigans organised by the "party" amounting to politico-social tyranny of villagers (for example, not allowing labourers to work in the fields of those boycotted by the party for one reason or the other). Apparently, these displaced persons are now returning to their respective villages, but led by CPM ‘cadres’ and ‘harmads’. Displaced villagers should of course come back to their houses, supported and guided by the local police to protect them from the onslaught of those who drove them away. These displaced people cannot however come back with the support of party cadres or harmads and that too with weapons of all kinds. What happened in the villages of Khejuri is a sort of a civil war. If this happens and continues to happen in different areas of West Bengal villages, then it certainly calls for intervention by the central government, which should consider imposing President's rule, if necessary, and setting up the stage for the upcoming elections, which is the root cause of the rise in the killings. When the local police cannot impose the rule of law, the Centre has the duty to uphold the Constitutional rights of the citizens. It seems various political calculations to perpetuate present administration at the Centre have prevented the Central government from imposing law and order in one or the other part of the country, throwing the citizens of those parts to wolves of various hues – sometimes Stalinists of West Bengal, sometimes semi-communal political forces in Mumbai and elsewhere.

If 60,000 central reserve forces can peacefully organise voting that is free of rigging in a state like Bihar now, and even in Bengal a year and a half back organising elections in five phases, it seems that a maximum of three lakh central reserve force will be required to maintain law and order in a state of the size of West Bengal or Bihar. Assuming an expenditure of Rs 2,50,000 per annum per person on wages and weapons, it will cost only Rs.7,500 crore per annum, which is only a little more than one per cent of central government's annual budget. This expenditure is a must and most necessary if rule of law is to be maintained whenever one part of India goes outside the purview of civilised democratic norms.

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How Marxists are creating killing fields in Bengal of the type never seen before in india... And why the centre must immediately call for elections.

2011-10-16T10:49:00.000+05:30

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"Horror was the onset of Sanguinary Convulsions," said Winston Churchill while commenting of the Great Kolkata Riots before Independence. Today’s Bengal reminds one of Churchill's words. And it is the Marxists who are giving credence to his one-liner. The violence let loose all over state for the past many months, especially in the districts of south Bengal where the main state Opposition has established a strong foothold, can only be compared with that witnessed by the state in the early 70s.

In all probability, the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Front will lose the electoral battle in the forthcoming Assembly election in the coming summer. And, the dispensation and its leading partner can't seem to accept such an inglorious defeat with dignity after an uninterrupted rule of 34 years. As a last-ditch attempt, the Stalinist forces are trying to terrorise people into submission. The famous statement of Edvard Radzinsky on Joseph Stalin comes to mind: “Terror is the quickest way to new society”.

CPI(M) claims to have democratised the power structure to the grassroots level through the panchayat system. While this is true to some extent, the Stalinist party has spread two other things at the same time – corruption and armed cadres. While organised corruption has helped the party to amass huge wealth in terms of real estate, armed party cadres have helped to keep people’s mouths shut. In one way or the other, this has been admitted even by senior CPI(M) leaders themselves. Only a few days back, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, while addressing a party rally in the North 24 Parganas, called on his party cadres to keep distance from these two evils. One can remember the erstwhile chief minister Jyoti Basu openly admitting that Badshah Alam, who attacked Mamata Banerjee and fractured her head, was a CPM man. Only a year back, the then chief secretary, admitted that huge tracts of land were being grabbed in Rajarhat by the power of guns (in hands of CPI(M) cadres). Daylight action in Nandigram on March 14, 2007 by “chappal-wearing police” has established this fact beyond any doubt even in courts of law. The situation prompted the then Governor of the state and Mahatma’s grandson, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, to describe it as one of ‘cold horror’.

The recent spurt in violence started with a failed attack on Khejuri-Nandigram from Shunia Char (reclaimed land on river) on November 24, 2010. About 200 armed men (Harmads) entered Kamarda village and started hurling bombs. They burnt Trinamool Congress party offices and started indiscriminately firing in the air. Their motive was to terrorise Trinamool supporters and gain control over their lost ground. But spontaneous and united opposition from villagers forced them to flee. The villagers were led by chief of TMC youth wing and local MP Subhendu Adhikari. Armed cadres tried again and again. But they had to retreat each time leaving several people injured in the process. Both side used bombs and firearms. The attacks have taken place despite the MP and MLAs writing in advance to the police, the chief minister and the chief secretary apprehending such attacks.

Just after the chief minister's war cry at a party rally, “Hoi Bampantha, noi mrityu (Either Leftism or death),” trouble erupted in Raina and Mangalkot of Burdwan district. Purnima Majhi’s face is today unrecognisable after Harmads charged bombs on her face in Mangalkot. Her only offence was to stumble upon a group of bomb-makers in the middle of the night while she was on her way to the paddy field to relieve herself. Two other Trinamool activists, Hasmat Mollah and Kajal Mallick, succumbed to CPI(M) attacks. Since the Lok Sabha polls, in Burdwan district alone, about 26 Trinamool workers have been killed in political violence. Close on the heels of the Mangalkot incident, armed CPI(M) cadres attacked as many as three villages in the Khanakul, Arambagh and Purshura areas of Hooghly to ‘liberate these villages’ from Opposition hold. Trinamool activists had to flee in face of the waves of attacks surrounding their villages. Interestingly, in all the cases, the state police played either the role of a mute spectator or that of passive protector of the Harmad goons. The vernacular press carried reports of political clashes in Nadia, Murshidabad, North and South 24-Parganas. Trinamool Congress cadres were targeted at Sashan in North 24 Parganas, some of them died.

In Birbhum district, the CPI(M)-backed Harmads not only targeted Trinamool activists but also supporters of Left Front ally RSP. The RSP has bitter relations with CPI(M) in South 24-Parganas too where a kin of a RSP minister was killed along with few more RSP activists and their houses were burnt during the last Panchayat elections. Similarly, another Left Front partner, CPI, is facing Harmad attacks in parts of Hooghly and East Medinipur districts. The Arambagh-Purshura-Khanakul area saw pitched battles between CPI and CPI(M), some CPI supporters fell to Harmad attacks.

What is beyond the realms of rationality is that senior leaders of the Stalinist party are themselves making provocative statements in public and inciting cadres. While the chief minister – who after the Red bloodshed in Nandigram had said that the people got “paid back in their own coin” – uttered “either Leftism or deaths”, state secretariat member of the party Gautam Deb, who is minister in-charge of public health engineering, challenged the Opposition several times in the open. Land and land reforms minister Abdur Rezzak Mollah is calling upon “black-haired well-built youths of villages” to manage polling booths during the forthcoming election. Addressing a rally, he said the party could return to power if these youths guaranteed at least 20 Assembly segments where the Left Front were likely to be defeated.

This, according to several commentators, is not only heating up the already charged atmosphere but also instigating youths to be more aggressive. The students’ wing of CPI(M), which is already facing routs in half of the colleges which they were used to grabbing without any contest, are getting engaged in verbal duels and beyond with rival students' bodies. The other side, the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad and Chhatra Parishad (NSUI’s state wing) are being dragged into the turmoil too. A student of Andul Jagajjanani College in Howrah has lost his life. Another student of Ashutosh College has lost one eye and is now undergoing treatment in Hyderabad. About 50 cases of students’ clashes over union elections have been reported. In many cases, clashes took place when senior party leaders were present. Professor Rajat Majumder says, “Whom do you blame when the hands of the politicians are blood-stained? They can try to wash those but will not be successful.”

“Now, the situation has become such that even government staff are not being spared,” says Dhruba Sen, leader of a Left-wing state government employees’ organisation. “The BDO of Itahar was manhandled by CPI(M) leaders. The injured BDO filed an FIR with the police and seven CPM leaders were arrested. Their offence was non-bailable but on the very next day, they got bail. And now the policemen are saying they did this for the BDO’s safety. The BDO rejoined duty and soon requested the district magistrate to transfer him somewhere else as he felt insecure in Itahar.”

Let's turn our attention to Lalgarh or the greater Jungle Mahal area where Harmads from several adjoining districts are active in the open and are being allegedly shielded by the police. A report few months back listed 52 camps and counted presence of 1620 Harmads in 7 blocks of Jhargram. A latest unofficial report claim about 90 Harmad camps (86 according to Union home minister P. Chidambaram) and more than 2,500 armed CPI(M) Harmads. Eminent novelist Jaya Mitra questions: “This is the CPI(M)'s version of the Salwa Judum. Salwa Judum has been banned by the Supreme Court but the CPI(M)'s Red Brigade continue to operate with impunity.” Local scribes of different newspapers claim that more than 100 people were killed by the CPI(M) in less than a decade before the Lalgarh revolt. And after the Joint Force entered the scene, killings have increased manifold, they hold. Now, CPI(M) and Maoists both are killing villagers. There was only a brief let up while the Police Santras Birodhi Janasadharaner Committee (Peoples’ Committee against Police Atrocities) was controlling the area.

Sources in the Union Home ministry say that as the joint paramilitary forces are in action, the Union home ministry has to keep a watch on the situation there. Central Intelligence agencies are reporting directly to Delhi on a daily basis. Governor M.K. Narayanan, an ex-IB sleuth and a former National Security Advisor, is also reportedly keeping eyes on developments. Being reported from several sources, Chidambaram wrote to Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on December 21: “In an apparent effort to regain lost ground, a sizable number of armed cadres were recruited, trained and deployed in West Midnapore district. There is evidence to show that Harmad camps are mostly located in CPI(M) party offices and houses of local CPI(M) cadres. It is a matter of grave concern that these cadres have been provided with firearms...”

The Union home minister also mentioned, “Besides, in the run up to the elections, there has been a perceptible increase in clashes between supporters of the CPI(M) and the TMC (Trinamool Congress). According to our figures, up to December 15, 2010, TMC cadres who have been killed and injured number 96 and 1,237 respectively. Likewise, CPI(M) cadres, who have been killed and injured number 65 and 773 respectively. And Congress cadres who have been killed and injured number 15 and 221 respectively. These numbers present an alarming picture and point to a virtual collapse of law and order in parts of West Bengal.” He also raised the vital question which has been raised by the state Opposition over a year: What is the need of Joint Forces in Jungle Mahal if CPI(M) deploys armed cadres to maintain law and order?

An angered and cornered chief minister sent out more of a political and less of an administrator’s reply where he contradicted figures of Trinamool. Conspicuously, the chief minister remained silent on the issue of CPI(M)’s armed camps but objected to the use of the language ‘Harmad’. Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee also contradicts the casualty figures of her party, “I have the list of names of 246 party workers who have been killed since the parliamentary elections,” says the railway minister.

To get a proper picture, casualty figures among Maoists, Police Santras Birodhi Janasadharaner Committee (PCPA) and security forces also should be taken into account. Official figures say about 328 Maoists & PCPA supporters and 27 Jawans have lost their lives up to December 26 this year. In fact, West Bengal stands second to Chhattisgarh in inflicting damage on Maoists. Rights activists and intellectuals claim that most of those killed as ‘Maoists’ are innocent villagers. “CPI(M) is branding those non-CPI(M) youths as ‘Maoists’ to gain their political mileage,” says Prof. Sumit Chakraborty, convenor of the Lalgarh Mancha. The reason behind such violence is not too hard to find. The area returns 44 legislators to the state assembly. Majority of these seats elected CPI(M) and its allies even in the last polls. However, the result may turn against the ruling front this time if a free and fair election is held. Looking at the state of lawlessness in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee's call for early and immediate election seems more plausible today in light of the Union home minister P. Chidambaram's latest missive to Writer's Building.

While the political parties fight their never-ending bloody battles in quest for power, the Maoists continue their policy of annihilation and the State continues to militarily combat ‘Leftist Extremism.’ Only, the innocents become the victims of the game. Their blood flows. Their houses burn in the fire of revenge. Their children bear the burnt throughout their lives. May be Nabarun Bhattacharya’s famous poem of the 70s can help restore sanity: “Ei Mrityu Upatyaka Amar Desh Na / Ei Raktasnato Kasaikhana Amar Desh Na (This Valley of Death Is Not My Country / I Disown This Blood-Drenched Slaughterhouse As My Nation).”

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The new draft of the Seeds Bill has enough loopholes which can be exploited by multi-nationals

2011-10-13T11:43:00.000+05:30

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Seeds of discontent

The third draft of the Seeds Bill has been presented in the Parliament for consideration. The bill was first drafted in 2004. Prior to this, after much criticism and protest from several farmer groups, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture (PSCA) had made a few amendments in the draft and had presented the new bill for consideration in 2008. However, it did not come to fruition as the 14th Lok Sabha was dissolved. Now its third draft is under deliberations. Sadly, this new draft too has ignored several recommendations by the PSCA. It appears that the Agriculture Ministry is unwilling to temper with the clauses which are in the interest of multinational seed firms.

When in 2004 the draft of Seeds Bill was being made to replace the old Seeds Act of 1996, the impression was given that the new bill would open the way for importing good quality high yield seeds. Slyly, a clause was inserted which allowed seeds to be exported too. The entire game plan was to utilise the cheap Indian labour for producing seeds in India and to export them, and then again import the same on much higher price. To make all this process hassle free for multinationals, the government had planned to recognise and permit any Seeds Standard Authority to carry it. It was to be done under the pretext of the recommendations by the PSCA.

The present bill has included horticulture, lumbering, medicinal plants etc under agriculture only. So any kind of seed or plant product that is manufactured for the market will need to be registered. For registration, the bill has the provision to set up a National Seeds Committee. The president and other members of the committee will mostly be drawn from among government employees. There will be token representation of farmers too, but in reality, bureaucrats will dominate the committee. Although agriculture is a state subject, the seeds committees of the states will only have advisory roles.

While the farmers will continue to buy and sell seeds traditionally and need not register, the branded seeds will have to go through multilevel tests. The brands that will conform to the standards set in the test can only be registered. The seeds for the types of crops that are annual and biannual will be registered for 10 years and those of multi-years use for 12 years.
In between these years, the seed can be tested only once to confirm the characters that it originally had. New standards have been set for labelling the seeds that will give details of the procedure through which these seeds can be utilised properly and optimally. For example, on the label of a particular wheat seed, it will be clearly mentioned that after watering it so many times, applying so much fertilizers and protecting it from weeds and pests, it will lead to so much yield.

The seed examiners will have the duty to enforce and implement all the laws and provisions of the Seeds Bill 2010. They will have the right to raid and confiscate the premises and stock of a particular seeds seller, with permission from the District Magistrate, if the particular seller is caught selling unregistered, adulterated seeds, or seeds that do not conform to the set standards. However, these are ideal situations. The reality is, every state in this country has sellers selling adulterated and sub-standard seeds, right under the nose of government officials. Nobody cares about complaints from the farmers and compensation to them in case of bad quality seeds is almost unheard of.

The biggest problem in this bill is the lack of transparency in the entire registration process. There is no provision under which one can know the name of the person who has developed a particular seed, the place where it has been developed or the current ownership of a particular variety. Numerous cases have come up where poor farmers are duped and the ownership is fraudulently taken away by someone else and a third person starts producing and selling it. For example, Bikaner Narma, a particular variety of cotton was developed by a farmer in Bikaner, Rajasthan, but was later used by somebody else for commercial purposes. Similarly, Mahico, the country’s biggest seed firm, started by selling sawani bhindi, a variety of ladyfinger grown by Pusa Institute. Mahico bought the seeds from Pusa and kept on producing and selling them year after year without giving Pusa the royalty or license fees. Today they have their own scientists, laboratories and other infrastructure and have partners like Monsento, and virtually rule the Indian seeds business.

The onus now lies on the Indian parliamentarians to take steps which are in the interests of the farmers. The MPs need to amend all the anti-farmer clauses before passing the bill. That’s the only way the exploiter multi-nationals and their bureaucrat henchmen can be stumped in their own game.

The views expressed by the author are personal

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Introspection on the 2010 journey reveals hidden lessons

2011-10-10T10:40:00.000+05:30

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Was 2010 different?

Alice Bloch, a UK-based author, once said “We say we waste time, but that is impossible. We waste ourselves.” It is applicable to a nation as much as in the case of an individual. This is the 51st week of 2010 and our last issue of the year – this makes it all the more important for us to look back and introspect the rocky road that India traversed with high expectations and promises.

Revisiting the victories: Firstly, India secured the non-permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) after a gap of 19 years with an overwhelming majority. This was not a victory in the literal sense, as Japan is already serving as a non-permanent member, Kazakhstan withdrew itself and there were several weak contenders. However, India can use this win as a platform for strengthening diplomatic ties with other important nations as well as usher in the much needed reforms in the UNSC. Moreover, it can also clear some UN developmental loans. The second positive lesson was in snatching the 2nd position in medal tally in the 2010 Commonwealth Games with 101 medals. It boosted the confidence levels of Indian athletes and sports associations. Thirdly, India securing the top rank in test cricket was the icing on the cake. Indian history rarely has had such celebrations to boast of in one go. And most importantly, leaders of the world's most influential nations including US President Obama, French President Sarkozy, British PM David Cameron, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Russian President Medvedev have visited India in the same year. India's increasing pace of growth has finally managed to create a magnetic field attracting the who's who of the world.

And now the dark side: With 8.5 per cent expected growth rate, inflation remained an omnipresent problem. Both the general inflation rate of 10.16 per cent and food inflation of 16.49 per cent during June remained to be the highest among G20 nations. This continues to be a matter of great concern. But the biggest shocks of the year were the numerous corruption cases. From the Rs.1.76 lakh crore 2G scam, to the mammoth irregularities in the Commonwealth Games, 2010 proved to be the biggest shame year for the nation.

India also continues to rank first in terms of murders. The death in road accidents, sexual harassment, domestic violence, cyber-crime, crime against women too are on a rise. Separatist movements remained unstoppable and unresolved – Kashmir remains a burning example. More than 23 days of Parliamentary logjam cost the nation a whopping Rs.146 crore. The maximum number of citizens (above 250 million) in India's history remain undernourished. We have more poor and illiterate today (around 500 million) than ever in our history. India houses a third of the globe's poor people. Atrocious and abominable are the only words reserved for such an achievement by our successive governments. May 2011 be better...

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The Importance of being Bant Singh

2011-10-07T12:37:00.000+05:30

IIPM Excom Prof Rajita Chaudhuri

The past decade has seen an upsurge of Dalit resistance in Punjab and the struggle of Bant Singh has brought fresh hope for exposing the ‘hidden apartheid’ in the state. Nirupama Dutt travels to his village of Burj Jhabbar in the cotton belt of Punjab to know the man and the movement

Film actor Ajay Devgan presents his story on a popular television channel. Musicians like Chris Mcguiness and Taru Dalmia travel to do a music project with him. Recording companies from Mumbai want to bring out his album. He is also slated to participate in the Jaipur Literature Festival in January 2011.

Who after all is Bant Singh? He was just another leader of agrarian workers who also sang revolutionary songs and struggled to make ends meet for his wife and eight children in the past decade. What happened to make him a heroic symbol of Dalit resistance in Punjab? Bant was born in a Mazhabi Sikh family. Mazhabis were former ‘untouchables’ who were inducted into the fold by the Gurus as Sikhism rejected the Hindu caste hierarchy. Yet the malaise of caste was to permeate the fabric of Sikh society with the hierarchical shift as the Jats were the landlords and the Dalits the agrarian labourers.

Bant could hold his own as he was politically aware, choosing not to work as an attached labourer. He instead sold cosmetics and toys besides rearing hens and pigs. He continued to be politically active, organising labour, helping them come out of never-ending debts through court cases and demanding fair wages. As vice-president of Mazdoor Mukti Morcha, a wing of the All India Agricultural Labour Association (AIALA), he irked landlords who were used to undisputed serfdom. He sent all his children to school and did not allow them to work in the Jat fields.

The turning point came in 2002 when his minor daughter Baljit Kaur, a student of Class IX, was gang-raped. He did not let it pass as is the custom because the rape of a Dalit girl by a Jat boy is common. Bant decided to fight for justice and three persons, including a woman accomplice, were sentenced to life imprisonment. “I was offered money to withdraw the case but I did not want to compromise on the honour of my daughter. We struggled for justice and got it.” However, he had to pay a heavy price for taking on the Jats. He was physically attacked several times. Then on the evening of January 5, 2006, seven Jat boys brutally beat him up with iron roads. His arms and legs were pounded to pulp. He lay for several hours in the fields till he was taken to Mansa Civil Hospital where the doctors were indifferent to him. After 36 hours, once gangrene had set in, they said they could not treat him. Bant’s comrades raised money and moved him to the PGIMS in Chandigarh.

The doctors had to amputate his two arms and a leg. When Bant was given this news, he said bravely: “I still have a tongue and I will continue to sing against oppression”. Indeed, he did surprise the doctors as well as the patients by singing out loud and clear the revolutionary songs of Punjabi poet, late Sant Ram Udasi, from his bed. Two months later, he came out of the hospital to address a public rally in Chandigarh. In different hospitals for over two years, he continued to sing.

His great courage brought attention to his spirit of resistance. The media came to him, the police upgraded the case to Section 308 of the IPC and the accused were arrested. Relevant sections under the SC/ST Act were added to the case. The attack on Bant was aimed at terrorising him and all other Dalit labourers but the outrage was such that thousands of them started coming to the rallies held in his support all over Punjab. His courage and songs gave hope to others. The culprits were jailed for seven years.

Sanjay Kak, who was asked by Bant’s comrades to make a film on the man, says: “I had not gone to make a film but it was Bant who made it by the sincerity of his emotions and the angst against the oppression of centuries.” The seven-minute film called Bant Can Still Sing is counted among one of the most eloquent films made by Kak. When I got to meet Bant at his home in Burj Jhabbar, I found him resting on a charpai under a kikar tree in his courtyard. He was quick to greet me with a broad smile. Raising his amputated arm, he hailed me with a Laal Salaam. Soon he was singing inspiring songs and telling me about his campaigns for farm labourers. “They wanted to silence me but I have been able to give out the message far louder than before,” he says. The strength to fight back, he says, came from his ideals, Guru Gobind Singh and Shaheed Bhagat Singh. True, the Dalits had been terrorised when Bant was beaten to pulp but now the Jats too are wary about the excesses for there could be other Bants who will fight back. This is what makes him the hero of Dalit resistance in Punjab.

A Laal Salaam indeed to this man who has turned the tide after centuries and about whom journalist Amit Sengupta says: “In a tangential sense, the ideology of upper caste domination has been pushed to the wall by Bant Singh’s sacrifice and valour. He has become a revolutionary icon, a catalyst for change, a protector of human and fundamental rights, a symbol of defiance against archaic symbols of feudalism and slavery, a physical reality of a dream which is not so impossible.”

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The local media in Kashmir is expanding at a staggering pace though the sailing has not been smooth for local journalists and media organisations

2011-10-04T12:22:00.002+05:30

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Assertion amid restrictions

Till the late 1980s, J&K had such less newspapers and magazines that they could be counted on the fingers of one hand. Of these, only Aftab and Srinagar Times, both Urdu dailies, were popular among the masses. When insurgency erupted in the Valley, people needed their daily fix of news. They were eager to remain abreast of developments around them.

State-run Doordarshan and Radio Kashmir were the only accessible sources of news but excessive government control on these media institutions undermined their credibility. People turned to international media, primarily BBC, to get a clear picture of the situation in Kashmir. The then correspondent of BBC World Service, Yusuf Jameel, became a household name in the Valley. Every household would tune into the early morning and evening BBC bulletins.

“People would trust every word the BBC would broadcast. It was too demanding. I could hardly afford any off-the-mark coverage. But my reporting things as they were won me more foes than friends,” recalls Jameel.

Now, two decades later, more than a hundred newspapers, including 25 English dailies, hit the stalls every morning in Srinagar. There are 81weeklies, both offset and litho printed, and 12 monthly and fortnightly English and Urdu news magazines too being published from the Valley alone. About 80 dailies and 132 periodicals are published from Jammu.

The buck does not stop there. According to officials, hundreds of applications for new registrations are pending in the offices concerned in both Jammu and Srinagar. Almost every second month sees the launch of new publications. Most of these newspapers, priced at two to three rupees, survive mainly on government advertisements.
The growing literacy rate, which at present hovers a little above 65 per cent in J&K, has also widened the readership base during the last two decades. At the same time, new technologies like the Internet, networked computers and other hardware and software applications have also helped in producing newspapers in large number with better print quality. Apart from that, more than 20 cable news channels have been launched across the state in the past few years. All of the news channels — more than a dozen — are off the air in the Valley though after the state authorities announced a temporary ban on them four months ago.

GK Communications, with two of its largest circulated daily newspapers, Greater Kashmir (English) and Kashmir Uzma (Urdu) is considered to be one of the biggest media organisations in the state. Both of its newspapers are simultaneously published from Jammu and Srinagar. GK also has a vibrant online edition, which has a large number of visitors across the globe. Similarly, Kashmir Media Group (KMG), which publishes Rising Kashmir (English), Buland Kashmir (Urdu) and Sangarmal (Kashmiri), is also taking shape as a large media group in the Valley. English papers such as Greater Kashmir, Rising Kashmir and Kashmir Times and Urdu language ones like Kashmir Uzma, Srinagar Times, Aftab and Buland are being extensively read.

Mass communication graduates from Kashmir University are being hired by local newspapers on good wages. “Kashmir University’s mass communication department was established in 1985. Since then, we have produced more than 600 journalists and most of them are well placed in local, national and international media organisations,” informs Nasir Mirza, a senior lecturer.

However, it has not been easy for media organisations and journalists to survive in an atmosphere of hostility and conflict. During the last 20 years, more than a dozen mediapersons have been killed in the line of duty.

Apart from such tragedies, Kashmiri journalists have seen the worst kind of aggression by security forces. This summer more than two dozen mediapersons were ruthlessly beaten up by police and security forces at different times while they were performing their duty. Srinagar-based newspapers have frequently been forced to stop publication by the government. During the civil unrest earlier this year, beating up and harassment of newspaper staff and repeated cancellation of curfew passes made their operations impossible. The newspapers have been stopped for an estimated total of thirty days since June this year.

The channel operators believe that they were targetted only for showing the facts. “The channels were screening only what was happening around. People were being killed and injured by the security forces. How could we have not reported such things?” asks Sanam Aijaz, managing director, J.K. channel.

The popularity of social networking sites has also increased during the last few years, especially among the youth. Many Kashmiris, including those living abroad, have created groups on facebook and Twitter to express their political opinions. During the recent unrest, tech-savvy youngsters used these sites to vent their anger. This attracted the attention of security agencies. Police arrested many young boys for posting “objectionable” remarks on Internet.

But the local media in Kashmir lacks in quality. “During past two decades the Kashmir media has grown enormously but quality is missing,” says Pervez Majeed, a correspondent with Delhi-based news magazine Sahara Time. “The conflict provided a breeding ground for non-professionals who are pursuing varied interests and are indulging in activities which can't be called journalism,” he rues.

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International: Karachi undergoing Metamorphosis

2011-08-29T16:32:00.000+05:30

IIPM Mumbai Campus

The glittering city of dreams that once Karachi was, is now writhing in the clutches of mafia which also weild considerable political influence, laments Shahid Husain

Karachi is undergoing metamorphosis. The “city of lights” of yesteryears has been brutalised and target killings have become the order of the day. With an estimated population of 18 million, the megalopolis of Karachi is now controlled by mafia.

There was a time when burqa-clad women with all their jewellery would return from marriages late in the night all alone without any fear, and children would play in lanes till 2 am and the doors would remain open for them. The boundary walls of bungalows were also not more than four feet high and one could have a glimpse of the lawns inside while walking on the pavements. Then things started changing. But these changes have a history. As the capital of Pakistan, Karachi witnessed a great upheaval in 1953 when students staging peaceful demonstration demanding better education facilities were fired at. Seven students and a passerby had lost their lives. However, the establishment was forced to accept the students' demands.

In fact, the 1953 movement led by left-wing Democratic Students Federation (DSF) was a turning point in Pakistan’s chequered history. The establishment decided to shift the capital to Islamabad.

Again in 1964, it was Karachi and Dhaka from where the opposition leader Fatima Jinnah won the elections despite notorious “Basic Democracy” system in which only 80,000 BD members were allowed to cast their votes in presidential elections.

The democratic upsurge of 1968-69 that forced military dictator General Ayub Khan to announce that he would not take part in next elections shook the corridors of power. There was a euphoria in the air and students, industrial workers, teachers, doctors, lawyers and intellectuals and writers felt as if a revolution was in
the making.

However, another military dictator General Yahya Khan staged a coup and took hold of the reins of power. Perhaps it was in 1968-69 that the civil and military establishment decided to break the will of Karachiites. The break-away of eastern wing in 1971 and establishment of Bangladesh as an independent state too weakened the democratic movement in the financial hub of Pakistan because the politically conscious leadership of Pakistan’s eastern wing always gave a lead to the rest of Pakistan, including Karachi.

Thus began a process of de-politicising of Karachiites. Ethnicity and parochialism was deliberately promoted by the government. Political activists were disillusioned. What they thought was a revolution was only a mirage.

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto who reached the corridors of power through catchy slogans of "Islamic socialism" and roti, kapra aur makaan (bread, cloth and housing) stated publicly that he had done more to halt communism than the Americans and his "socialism" was like that of Germany. In fact, Bhutto used fascist methodology to woo the masses and promoted jingoism. On the top of that it was Bhutto who succumbed to the pressures of mullahs and declared the minority Ahmedi community as non-Muslims and banned liquor although he himself was a heavy alcoholic. Ban on liquor paved the way for deadly drugs, including heroin and drug mafia came to the fore with a big bang. While the affluent had an easy access to liquor, the downtrodden in slum areas such as Lyari started consuming heroin. Drug and arms mafia penetrated in Pakistan and gangsters started playing a vital role.

The brutalisation of society reached its peak when the democratically-elected government of Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was overthrown in July 1977 by despot General Zia-ul-Haq and Bhutto was sent to gallows. In the wake of previous Afghan War, drug and arms culture was introduced in Karachi. The drug mafia entered Lyari that happened to be the most vibrant area of yesteryears, both politically and culturally.
Gradually the land mafia, transport mafia and drug mafia became so powerful that political activism retreated and was replaced by the guns. With the increasing activities of drug mafia and bureaucratic capital, the social fabric of Pakistan society in general and Karachi in particular deteriorated and sectarian killings became the order of the day. Class contradictions also came into existence and were quiet sharpened. On one hand, there were limousines worth tens of millions of rupees plying on the streets of Karachi, on the other, there were hordes of jobless youth roaming directionless on the streets of Karachi.

With the migration of large number of people to Karachi in search of jobs, the demography of the largest city of Pakistan started changing drastically. No wonder Karachi now harbours the biggest Pushtoon population in Pakistan. As a matter of fact, had it not been for the philanthropists in Karachi, tens of thousands of people would have died of hunger. Social workers such as Abdul Sattar Edhi are not only feeding millions of people in Karachi, they are also running the world’s largest ambulance service in the private sector.

But sadly enough, the fate of Karachi is decided by the land mafia whose agents have entered almost every political party. The powerful mafia can trigger gang wars and ethnic tension in any part of the city. Clifton, Hawkesbay and Sandspit beaches that once provided solace are now eyed by the notorious land mafia. Similarly, several heritage buildings too are in danger because the greedy want to build sky scrapers in their place.

However, there is a silver lining! Despite threats the civil society and the intelligentsia in the financial hub of Pakistan is adamant to resist mafias and save beaches and expose the vested interests. Nobody knows how many years it would take to undo the wrongs of General Zia-ul-Haq, but one could still find an oasis in Karachi in the midst of anarchy, lawlessness and chaos.

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Prof. P. N. Sharma persuaded The Dalai Lama to abandon his plans of leaving Dharamshala

2011-08-26T12:30:00.000+05:30

IIPM Mumbai Campus

Tibetan diary: Tale of a close encounter

It was almost 40 years back that I had my first audience with His Holiness. He had known about my books and writings. He asked me if I knew Sanskrit. I said I did. Then he asked his secretary to bring a book and asked me to translate the same into English. It was one of the most famous 9th Century classics. In due course of time, I translated the book. Earlier, I had written a book on Tibet – its religion, culture and history. I presented a copy to His Holiness and he obliged me with a small foreword. After it was published, we became closer. In a meeting sometime later, he gave me another book, a 10th Century classic. The book had three chapters and he asked me, “Do you think those three chapters were written in three different time periods or at one go?” I was puzzled but guessed that since the three chapters dealt with the same subject and there were repetitions of certain arguments, they must have been written at different time periods. He agreed with me and I was elated. Later, he nominated me to the governing body of the prestigious Library of Tibetan Works and Archives.

There was yet another occasion I recall, a seminar where scholars from Varanasi and Sarnath had come. They wanted to have an audience with His Holiness. We sent a message, and instead of us having to travel to McLeod Ganj, he offered to come and meet us. When he came, he asked me to take the next seat. He held my right hand, raised it and said, “Look, this man helped us, Tibetans, through great difficulty without any selfish motive.” He was referring to the incident when I was able to convince him to stay back in Dharamshala.

Back then, some Tibetan youth had a fight with the Gaddi tribesmen and a Gaddi was killed. The Tibetan was acquitted of the murder charge, but the incident incited the Gaddi community and soon there started major violence against the Tibetan people. They beat up the lamas and broke window panes. His Holiness was then in California. When he came back to India, a lot of journalists, Indian and foreign, had thronged to McLeod Ganj. One of my friends, Naoroji, who is no more, rang me up and informed that His Holiness had decided to leave Dharamshala and settle somewhere in Faridabad near Delhi. I was worried throughout the night and called a meeting with a few people in the morning to appeal to His Holiness not to leave Dharamshala. Naoroji, myself and another friend of mine went to meet His Holiness at 3.30 pm and sent a word through his security in-charge, who happened to know me, for an audience with him. He, however, conveyed that His Holiness was busy and would not be able to meet us. I then told the chief of security that we would sit in dharna and not budge until we got an audience. At about 5.30 pm, we received a message that His Holiness would meet us at 5.45 pm.

As usual with His Holiness, whenever you have an appointment with him, he will be waiting to receive you at the doorstep. As we crossed the threshold, he looked into my eyes and said, “So, we are being kicked out.” That was awful. I said, “That’s not true” and asked him if we could sit down and talk. We spoke for about half an hour. His Holiness was really shocked about what had happened in his absence. The talk was so emotional that I started crying. Finally when all of us got up, he embraced me tightly and said, “No, I will not go.” The next day I gathered a big crowd of about 1,000 people and took them to McLeod Ganj to seek the blessings of His Holiness. This was supposed to be a show of solidarity with him. The mood was one of joy and peace.
His Holiness never shows anger. We may abuse China and revile against the Chinese but he will never do the same. His Holiness likes frank people. He has a great sense of humour. The most impressive thing about him is when he laughs, if you are not looking at him, you would think it’s a six year old. His presence conquers you. You feel absolutely at peace with yourself and the world. He is the greatest living human being on this earth.

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Festivals sans jumbos likely to lose their charm

2011-08-23T10:28:00.000+05:30

IIPM Mumbai Campus

Kerala Elephant: Tuskers Unshackled

Elephants are part and parcel of Kerala's cultural life. Festivals sans caparisoned elephants are unimaginable. Thrissur Pooram, the famous annual cultural event is famous for the grand gala show of 30 decorated elephants. The temples show off their grandeur by arraying elephants in festivals. The greater the number of elephants on such occasions, the better. People too take pride in owning elephants.

But the Union Government's recent decision to declare elephants as the national heritage animal is going to change all that. Once the law comes into effect, elephants won't be allowed to be used as beasts of burden in the forest where the tuskers move heavy logs of woods. Neither can they be deployed for entertainment such as in circus, demonstrations and at receptions. It also means that during temple festivals, percussion instruments like chenda and ensemble panchavadyam (playing of five instruments) will lose its charm in the absence of the decorated elephants. While the environmentalists are all praise for Environment and Forests Minister Jayaram Ramesh, elephant fans are worried about the law's fallout. The Mahesh Rengarajan Committee report rules out deploying of elephants during festivals and celebrations. Kerala State Festival Protection Committee is spearheading the protest against the report. They lined up elephants in a temple near Thrikkariyoor, off Kochi, and marched them to the District Forest Officer’s office as a token of protest.

Later, Leader of Opposition Oommen Chandy met Jayaram Ramesh and requested to relax the festival regulations. Jayaram Ramesh assured him that the move will not affect festivals.

Uttar Pradesh Overcrowded Jails: Prisons in U.P. burst at the seams

2011-08-20T11:25:00.000+05:30

IIPM Mumbai Campus

Those having completed their term still languishing in jails

Prisoners who have long completed their terms but have not been released as yet form a considerable chunk of the total prisoners in Uttar Pradesh's jails. This is one of the reasons behind overcrowding of the state's jails, reveals an RTI query filed by Lucknow based activist Urvashi Sharma.

Sharma, on October 4, 2009, had asked for the following information: A list of all the jails in UP with their designated capacity and the actual number of prisoners housed in each jail; jail-wise lists of the names of all convicts who are serving time in spite of having completed their terms; and details of the steps taken by the state government in the last five years to scrutinise the status of all the prisoners in UP jails, apart from certain other details.

The reply from the Jail Administration and Reforms Services was enough to give Sharma a shock as she came to know that against the designated capacity of 42,176 inmates, UP’s 62 jails actually had 83,805 prisoners. According to a National Crimes Record Bureau (NCRB) report on prisons, 2008, the state's jails have 191.6 per cent occupancy, second only to Chattisgarh where the jail occupancy is 215.2 per cent. According to the report, only 32 per cent of all the inmates in India's jails are convicts while a whopping 67 per cent of them are undertrials. There is just one jail official per eight inmates.

Two appeals and a rejoinder later, Sharma received information from only two jails— Meerut and Ghaziabad— that two prisoners, one male and one female, were languishing in Ghaziabad jail even after completion of their terms. As for the query about the scrutiny of the prisoners the response was “Nil”. “It is indeed ironical that the department meant to bring reforms in jails has not even scrutinised the status of the prisoners during the last five years. I am writing to the CM and the Governor to take action and ensure that either the department should prove worthy of its name or it should drop the words ‘administration and reforms’ from its name,” says Sharma.
Earlier this year, Law Minister Veerappa Moily launched a drive for the speedy conclusion of the cases of undertrials and to ensure their release. Till July this year, UP had topped the list in that mission by releasing 52,843 undertrials and settling the cases of 4,203 more. But certainly more steps are needed in this direction.

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Tamilnadu Containing HIV: Needles Of Danger

2011-08-17T12:23:00.000+05:30

IIPM Mumbai Campus

State Aids control society has a challenge in tackling IDUs

Although Tamilnadu has shown a decline in the number of HIV-affected persons (in 2001 the prevalence rate was one per cent that has come down to 0.23 per cent in the state), the challenges are not over as yet.

The growing number of intravenous drug users (IDUs) is a matter of concern for Tamilnadu Aids Control Society (TANSAC). Talking to TSI, Amutha, project director of TANSAC points out that the spreading of HIV through the needles is faster than through other modes. Indian Market Research Bureau has identified around 400 intravenous drug users in Tamilnadu and found that 96 (92 in Chennai and four in Madurai) of them were infected with HIV. According to estimates, the actual figure may be higher than that.
“We are taking immediate steps to contain this number. Apart from creating awareness regarding the spread of HIV among the people, we make the identified IDUs undergo regular medical check ups. Most of the drug users are youths. They usually take drugs in groups. Often they share a single needle which increases the chances of the transmission of HIV from an infected person to a healthy one. This way it spreads very rapidly,” says Amutha. As these persons carry out these activities in the dark or at secluded places, and since many of them keep moving from one place to another, it is not easy to identify and treat them, she adds. Most of the IDUs are college students, construction workers and migrant labourers.

“Some NGOs have been entrusted with the task of identifying the IDUs. These NGOs have been given certain targets in numbers. Once the victims are identified, we take them into our control and treat them,” says Vendher Vendan, joint director, Target Intervention, TANSAC. There are four core groups which are given priority and are regularly monitored by TANSAC to control the spreading of HIV. They are, female sex workers, IDUs, homosexuals and migrant truckers.

Rakesh, who contracted HIV through intravenous drug usage, tells TSI, “I started using drug injections for fun, but after some days it became a regular habit. A friend of mine was HIV positive. Ignorant of his health status, I shared a needle with him and ended up as HIV positive.” It should also be noted that not only HIV, many other diseases also spread through sharing needles and syringes which can be very dangerous.

TANSAC has also started a new project of fixing up automatic condom vending machines. The machines are especially installed near liquor shops and in red light areas. Nearly 1000 automatic condom vending machines have already been fixed near liquor shops in the capital city, according to officials. As World AIDS Day is observed on December 1, TANSAC has fixed an ambitious target for itself— that by 2012 there should be no new HIV patient in the state.

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Global warming brings investment opportunities for investors

2011-08-14T11:20:00.000+05:30

IIPM Mumbai Campus

Opportunities Global Warming: Bright side of warming

There is a growing tussle going on – especially in the US on whether global warming is actually a fact or a myth – and how adversely it can affect an economy. A host of cynics in the US have discarded warming as sham propaganda by scientists, political leaders with their own vested interests, activist groups and other recipients of funds to leverage on this supposed hoax! The critics comment that the proposed regulations to control warming can slow down a country’s economic growth – terribly so, especially if it is a developing country which needs to grow fast and catch up with the developed ones. However, on a closer look, it seems that global warming, despite criticism, offers new avenues of lucrative investment options. Renewable energy is an example. Solar energy for instance, is a high growth investment option; which is growing globally at 33 per cent annually. In 2009, in spite of downward trend in most economies, a total of 80GW of renewable energy and 32 GW of solar energy was set up worldwide; while total investment (in clean energy) was $162 billion. China leads the table surpassing United States as the leading investor in renewable energy with a production of 37 GW. The private investors are increasingly participating in this venture; especially in Oceania and Asia with an investment of $40.8 billion overtaking US with $32.3 billion in 2009.

Insurance industry too is set to gain from the global warming dynamics. The clean energy products are increasingly being covered by insurance companies and leading the pack is Munich Re – the world’s largest insurer who covers products like wind farms and solar panels – giving guarantees for their performance, failing which, compensation is provided to the investor! Another insurance firm called Travelers is covering green cars in 41 states in US at discount of 10%; while Allianz has published a testimony where they have described in detail the contribution of Insurance firms to mitigate the ills of global warming.

Even banks and funding institutes who lend money to finance projects are now falling on to carbon credits as a new means of investment. The Chinese government recently has shown keen interest in trading carbon credits and has raised a fund of $100 million for that. Dealings in carbon credits are happening in thick across the world; a notable example is Lanxass, a German company, which has put in $9.67 million in an Indian fuel company to access post-2012 credits; while a French company has amassed €60 million for gaining carbon credits after 2012. Even Al Gore, who is seen as a stooge of global warming advocates and is often accused by corporations and media of spreading lies in favour of climate change, is a partner in two funding companies specifically trading carbon credits. Interestingly, championing for climate change has earned him $100 million through the hedge fund companies!

In agriculture too, GM crops are being produced that are touted as ‘environment ready’ by big firms like Monsanto, which mint big money. If we really needed to dig holes and fill them up to get the world out of recession, global warming is showing new options!

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Can India trust China when it comes to border disputes?

2011-08-11T10:17:00.000+05:30

IIPM Mumbai Campus

Self-introspection: India, China at war in 2011?

Anything between India and China creates massive media sensation. It did so when defence expert, Bharat Verma, editor of the Indian Defence Review said in 2009 that “China will launch an attack on India before 2012. There are multiple reasons for a desperate Beijing to teach India the final lesson, thereby ensuring Chinese supremacy in Asia in this century.” Later in the same year, India's Air Force Chief stressed that “India faces a greater threat from China than Pakistan because New Delhi knows little about Beijing's combat capabilities.” In this year too, opposition leaders in the Parliament have expressed they are wary against possible Chinese aggression. Chinese state-run media may have completely denied such allegations, but reports and actions from both the sides of India and China in strengthening the military establishment along the borders indicate that they're not silent about their slow progress and are making their border issue one of their priorities.

A Pentagon report presented to the US Congress during August, 2010 indicated that China has deployed new sophisticated ‘longer range CSS-5 missiles’ along the 4057 km long border with India. It has also developed contingency plans. China is continuously developing and upgrading the massive roads and rail infrastructure along the border. This infrastructural development will not only facilitate economic development in western China but also support the Chinese army in military operations.
India too does not seem to be silent. There have been some recent Indian military movements at our borders. India is sending more troops to the North-East. The Defence Ministry officials confirmed that two fresh infantry mountain divisions, with 1,260 officers and 35,011 soldiers, will be in operation by 2011. 56 new divisions are in place in Nagaland. The battalion of Arunachal and Sikkim Scouts too will be operational by 2011.

With growing economic inter-dependencies, there is less possibility of war between India and China but tension remains high on the 4,057 km long border they share. China continues to claim part of Arunachal and Aksai Chin region. It also tried to block India’s $2.9 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank. There were also 270 recorded border violations and 2,300 cases of 'aggressive border patrolling' by Chinese soldiers in Indian territory during 2008. Moreover, the last sixty years of history show that China has been on an aggressive expansion spree while India has only managed to face losses. Thus, India should not take China lightly, like it did in 1962. Things may have changed since then, but not the aggressive interests!

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The best saffron in the world comes from Kashmir

2011-08-08T16:03:00.001+05:30

IIPM Mumbai Campus

Political unrest apart, a slew of malpractices now threaten this premium spice. Haroon Reshi reports from Srinagar

A couple of weeks ago, Kurt Achin, the South Asia Bureau Chief of Voice of America, was in the Valley for some professional engagements. Before his departure for Delhi, he went to visit the floating market at the renowned Dal Lake in Srinagar in a Shikara (Water Taxi). On the way, the boatman offered him Kashmiri saffron for sale. Kurt purchased some for twenty dollars. Later, at the guest house a waiter informed the journalist that he has been cheated, for the boatman had foisted off fake saffron in the name of one of the most exclusive and expensive spices in the world. In the evening Kurt’s Facebook wall read: “Like a rube, I just spent about 12 bucks on fake saffron. Not the end of the world, but who likes being swindled?”

Early this year, the police held four persons for selling fake saffron to visitors in the Valley. They also recovered thirty five kilograms of saffron-like coloured material in their possession (worth about Rs 10 crore, if it had been original). It was revealed that the tip of corn fiber and the fiber of marigold flower is used to make fake saffron.

Such incidents have brought bad name to Kashmir, where farmers have been cultivating the world’s best quality saffron for the last thousand years. “This is unfortunate that some miscreants are defaming and ruining our industry which is already losing ground due to several other reasons,” Abdul Majid Wani, General Secretary, Saffron Growers Association told TSI. “Now our association has decided to open sales counters at every tourist spot in the Valley, so that visitors can buy pure and guaranteed saffron without being cheated,” Wani added.

Apart from the sale of fake saffron in and outside the state, drought, pollution and official corruption are other major threats to this Rs 400 crore domestic industry. Official figures prove that the production of saffron is reducing by the year owing to decline in agriculture acreage and poor harvests. “We had 5500 hectares of saffron land in 1996 and now there are only 4000 hectares left. Residential and commercial buildings are being constructed on agricultural land despite an official ban on it,” points out Prof. Firdous Ahmad Nehvi, a scientist at the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), Srinagar. “Similarly the production of the crop has dipped from four kg per hectare to two kg thanks to poor rains in the past few years, and lack of scientific irrigation facilities,” Nehvi added.

Mid-October to mid-November is flowering time for the saffron crop, when farmers spend their days in the fields collecting saffron flowers and slicing off the stigmas to get to this premium spice. According to official figures, more than sixteen thousand farm families from 226 villages in four districts (Srinagar, Budgam, Pulwama and Kashtiwar) of the state are directly affiliated with saffron cultivation. Most of the saffron growers, however, are not happy because of the price slide: rates have fallen from Rs 2.7 to 3 lakh per kg to Rs 1.5 to 2 lakh.

Traders say that the biggest hit has come from smuggling of Iranian saffron, which is exported from India after relabeling with the Kashmiri brand. Iran contributes 70
per cent of saffron production of the world but it is scientifically proven that Kashmir grows superior quality of saffron, and the rates are thus higher. “We grow better quality of saffron than Iran. We have a huge demand in the domestic market too, which explains why others sell their stuff in the name of Kashmir,” says Mehraj-u-Din, a farmer of Pampore, the central saffron producing area “Our problem is that our production rate is lower than that of Iran and Spain. They yield five to eight kg of crop per hectare because they don’t have to depend on rains for irrigation, and have access to plentiful scientific production facilities. To add to our woes, our crops have been affected by corm rot in the last few years,” Mehraj said.

Referring to Zafran (Urdu for saffron) Colony, a residential district in Pampore, Mehraj said that the land where the houses stood were originally earmarked for the cultivation of zafran. “This could be possible only with official corruption,” he laments. Less productivity, falling prices, and nature’s bugbears like poor rainfall and crop disease have caused many farmers to quit saffron production in the Valley. “This trade has lost its glory and has become less profitable. Even tomato cultivation turns out to be more profitable and less laborious than this,” Ayaz Lone, a former grower, who sold all his saffron agriculture land last year, told TSI.

In a last ditch attempt to salvage the industry, the government has announced a National Saffron Mission. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced a Rs 375 crore project, to support drip irrigation, research, mechanization, processing and marketing of Indian zafran. Though experts like Professor Nehvi are heartened by the news, many still worry about the future of the saffron industry. A senior official told TSI that the civil unrest in the valley is a major factor for its dismal show. As part of efforts to boost saffron trade, the Saffron Growers Association has asked for customs duty on imported saffron to ensure that it is imported only through legal channels; they’ve also recommended exempting saffron from sales tax. It’s the least that can be done toward the preservation of a national treasure.

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Rains ruin farmers' dreams

2011-06-28T11:06:00.000+05:30

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After the deluge, paddy shortage stares the state

Kuttanad is the rice bowl of Kerala. The paddy fields in this vast area of 75,000 hectare feed thousands of Keralites. Kuttanad and Palakkad areas produce rice to meet the majority of the total demand of rice which is about 14 lakh tonnes. The rest comes from adjacent states like Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

To meet the demand, farmers of Kuttanad decided to cultivate the supplementary (second time) cultivation just after the main cultivation of this year's season. Earlier, there was two time paddy cultivation in some areas, but this practice was stopped after heavy losses in the agricultural field. However, after the success of paddy cultivation last season, farmers decided to try their luck. And more than 25,000 hectares of paddy field was prepared for supplementary cultivation.

The unusual rain during the initial period helped the farmers, and the experts projected an unexpected crop of 30 quintal per acre. Usually, farmers get only 20 quintal of paddy per acre. But the harvest season saw rains wreaking havoc and spoiling the farmers’ dreams. With rivers flooded with water, the Kuttanad paddy fields are deluged. Further, the power cut-offs hampered the pumping out of excess water which added to their woes. Heavy rain caused hurdles in reaping paddy. The net result is the heavy loss for the Kuttanad farmers and big loss for the rice procurement system of the state.

The heavy damage in paddy fields due to deluge and spate has a cascading effect on the next seasonal cultivation too. As per the agricultural calendar of Kuttanad, the time to start sowing for seasonal cultivation is already over. Now, it is already three weeks late; and it will take at least two more weeks to start sowing in normal course. This will lead to a late harvest. Sadly, this will cause another blow to paddy cultivation and lead to another heavy shortage of rice in the state, experts opine.

Since the demand and supply ratio is not so hopeful, the state government is implementing a project to control the price of rice in the market by supplying rice at low prices. But for how long can this continue? Certainly not for ever. At present the price of quality rice in the open market is Rs 30 per kilogram. But farmers and rice merchants predict a steep hike in the prices soon. The state government, with the help of the central government, is funding several agricultural schemes to cultivate more rice through the projects like those started by Dr. Swaminathan.

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CPM forced to reconsider as many as 150 candidates

2011-06-25T11:03:00.000+05:30

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Mamata Woos Industry

Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee's activities to dent the traditional vote banks of the Left are in full swing. At the same time she is out to woo the industry too. Banerjee recently toured three districts— Bankura, Purulia and Burdwan— in two days and managed to pull huge crowds. Just after the whirlwind tour, she visited Kakdwip at the extreme south to console the bereaved families of a recent boat-capsize accident, and the next evening she saw the cream of West Bengal’s industry and commerce at a specially organised meet.

The meet, organised by Mamata Benerjee’s trusted lieutenant Partha Chatterjee at 27, Ballygunj Place, saw the presence of industry big shots like Harsh Neotia, Sanjiv Goenka, Sanjoy Budhia, AV Lodha, Rahul Todi, Prasun Mukherjee and Sandipan Chakraborty. Tata Motors' Sandipan Chakraborty later admitted that he was not in a mood to attend the dinner, but could not avoid Mamata Banerjee’s personal request. Nascom chief Suparna Moitra said, “She was behaving like an elder sister. Gifted us a copy of Tagore’s Gitanjali and a signed greeting card. We are really happy.” And the next day, she met top intellectuals and cultural personalities; and again single-handedly managed the show.

Her rally at Bankura was held at the bank of Gandheshwari River one day after Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s rally. And the people's turnover at Mamata's rally was about four times of that of the CM's rally. The CPM had bagged all the seats of Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum and Burdwan districts sans one — the Birbhum seat where TMC candidate Tollywood actress Shatabdi Roy won. Bagging almost all the 44 seats in the last Assembly election, the CPM still hopes to bag most of the seats with the help of joint forces. TMC and Pradesh Congress leaders have been exposing such designs. Echoing their concern, Hapan Murmu of Panchmura, Bankura, said, “We have been voting for CPM till the last Lok Sabha polls. But CPM cadres are torturing us, killing our youths. Now we will vote against them, we need change.”

While Mamata was on her whirlwind tour, the CPM top brass was busy discussing the situation in a close door meet at the party headquarters. Judging the unacceptability of most of the MLAs, the CPM has asked its district bodies to change the candidates for as many as 150 seats out of 294. Under pressure from the partners, the party is ready to concede 24 more seats to them, just to save the Front from Mamata-led opposition’s onslaught.

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Two child kidnapping incidents in a week shake parents

2011-06-22T10:42:00.001+05:30

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Abductions rock Tamil Nadu

While Tamil Nadu was reeling under the shock of the incident where two siblings were abducted — one of whom was raped and later killed — another incident of abduction of a Chennai schoolboy came to light. Although in the second case the boy was released after his family paid the ransom, the two incidents have changed the lives of school-going children. The schools have been instructed to be more vigilant.

In Coimbatore, on October 29, 10-year-old school girl Muskan Jain and her seven-year-old brother Hrithik Jain were reported missing. They were children of a textile merchant. The children were waiting for their van to school when Mohana Krishnan came in another vehicle and told them that he was their substitute driver for the day since the regular driver P Renjith Kumar was not on duty. The children got in. Two days later, their bodies were fished out of the Tirumurthy Dam, 77 km from Coimbatore. It was found during the postmortem that the girl was raped before she was killed.Mohana was shot dead by the police in an encounter early on November 9 as he tried to flee from the police custody after snatching a sub-inspector's revolver.

Just as this gruesome incident ended in Coimbatore, another incident of abduction was reported from Chennai. Keerthivasan, a class nine student of a private school was abducted for ransom. His father Ramesh is a businessman. When Keerthivasan boarded the car that had come to take him home from the school, two persons approached and attacked the driver. Then they took away the car along with the boy. As the incident was reported to the police, a big hunt was launched.

Meanwhile, the call for ransom came. It was negotiated to one crore. The money was taken and the boy was released. “We did not like to take a risk with the boy's life. We did not know the exact strength of the abductors. So, though we had enough strength to launch a massive search operation in the area where they were hiding, we played a waiting game” said T Rajendran, commissioner of police, Chennai city.

The schools and parents have been instructed to be more vigilant about the drivers who they employ to drop their wards to schools. “We have instructed the schools to pick up the students by school buses. If a student does not turn up, schools should send message to their parents immediately. And more importantly, we have told the schools to allow the buses inside the school premises to drop the students instead of dropping or picking up them up outside,”says Sylendra Babu while speaking to TSI. “Parents should get their students admitted to the schools near their homes. Preferably, they should drop their children to the school themselves,” adds Babu.

“Impart life skills like swimming and running to children,” stresses C Sylendra Babu, commissioner of police, Coimbatore. Perhaps the students who were abducted and pushed into a canal, could have survived had they known swimming.

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Countries pump in monetary assistance for political objectives

2011-06-19T10:37:00.000+05:30

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Business of global aid

The World Bank acknowledges that “during the Cold War years, aid was politically motivated.” Surprisingly, in spite of being the world's second largest economy, China gets more than $2.5 billion a year as foreign aid. What is more surprising is that even as recently as 2007-08, a more needy nation like Ethiopia got merely $1.6 billion, while Iraq got $9.462 billion and Afghanistan $3.475 billion.

Aid is clearly used for political favour. Most of the time, developmental aid is given to countries for ally formation and buying votes in forums like the UN Security Council. As per a paper by Kuziemko and Werker, US foreign aid increases when countries serve on the UNSC. Ten temporary members of the UNSC were more likely to receive IMF assistance [than others]. Being frontrunners in such moves, America’s primary purpose of economic assistance has always been to promote US policy objectives. According to Hans Joachim Morgenthau (leading international politics expert), “The transfer of money and services from one government to another performs the function of a price paid for political services rendered or to be rendered.”

With so much developmental and humanitarian aid coming in from various nations, rampant duplication of work is reducing the effectiveness and efficiency of the whole concept. According to a UN investigation report, around 50 per cent of the UN World Food Programme in Somalia has been stolen. A large pie out of $2.5 billion relief fund for Haiti was siphoned off by locals as well as UN officials. As per Gerbert van der Aa, a historian and noted journalist, out of the total money that Netherlands donates as humanitarian aid, only 33 per cent is effectively used while another 33 per cent simply fails to reach [the beneficiary]; and there is no clear evidence whether the remaining 33 per cent is used effectively or not.

Until the US invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan in 2001, Israel and Egypt were the leading recipients of US aid (more than 30 per cent) but after invasion, things got reversed. Among the top 15 recipients of US foreign aid, only four (Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda) are among the 'least developed' while none of the world’s poorest countries make it to the list. Strom Thacker of Boston University opines that IMF loans “more often to countries that move toward the US position in UN General Assembly roll-call votes.” According to UNFAO Director-General Jacques Diouf, “Food aid is mostly donated on condition that it should be purchased and processed in and shipped from donor countries, even if adequate supplies are available in the region where it is needed.” Aid is generally disbursed for lobbying, domestic interest or international diplomacy. Foreign aid rarely promotes economic development. Instead, it reduces the urge to adopt innovative technologies to address problems. Rather than pumping aid, the West should relax trade barriers and restrictions, and encourage imports from the developing countries. But that’s a boring premise we’ve been chaffing since ages..

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Bad record of maintenance induces dependence on PPP initiatives

2011-06-15T10:33:00.001+05:30

Stadiums... Post CWG?

According to a Delhi based NGO, Hazards Center, the total cost of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) was Rs.55,398 crore; this eclipses even the cost of Beijing Olympics! For records, Delhi hosted the most costly CWG till date, surpassing Melbourne in 2006 whose approximate expenditure was $1.1 billion. There is a lot of apprehension regarding the maintenance of the world class stadiums like Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and National Stadium post the CWG. The government, after lot of deliberations, has come out with a plan called “legacy planning” where it will involve private partners. According to the plan, the government will retain the ownership of the stadiums; and private players – who will be responsible for maintenance of the stadiums – can use them for sporting events. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has included five stadiums in this mode.

The total cost of upgrading the stadiums stands at a staggering Rs.4459 crores; these include Indira Gandhi Stadium at Rs.669 crores and Dr. Karni Singh stadium at Rs.149 crores! Remarkably, building an entire new state-of-the-art Lal Bahadur Stadium in Hyderabad cost less than one-sixth of the amount spent on renovating the Delhi based Indira Gandhi stadium! The list of expenses also included the facelift that the entire city of Delhi got for CWG. The total cost apparently has been Rs.41,212 crores, meant specifically for a facelift during the games. It include Rs.16,887 crores for Delhi Metro phase 2, new DTC buses worth Rs.1,800 crores, new power plants for the CWG with an accumulated cost of Rs.12,000 crores, and Delhi’s sewage and drainage renovation with an outlay of Rs.4000 crores. However, one wonders whether the same ‘kind’ of fund allocation would continue now that the games are is over – or would the state of infrastructure return to the ill maintained, unkempt form, which is a norm for public sector operations.

Coming back to the stadiums – in spite of the advantages of Private-Public-Partnership (PPP), there are certain issues about the usage of the stadiums if given to private hands! In the past, world class stadiums have often been used for non-sporting events like entertainment concerts, marriage parties, et al. Fortunately, the government has prepared a list of activities that will not be allowed on these grounds/venues so that private programs do not misuse the costly infrastructure.

The importance of PPP is particularly significant in India because of the fact that preserving our infrastructure is not really the strong suit of our governments. For instance, the Government has miserably failed to maintain the stadiums built for Asian Games in 1982 primarily because of poor planning and sheer ignorance of the importance of the issue. SAI is hopeful that private players' participation can be more effective in maintaining the stadiums, while they will get the branding and sponsorship rights on any event that takes place in the stadiums. The track records of PPP initiatives substantiate that PPP has wonderfully refurbished tainted image of many social and infrastructural initiatives. Can something similar be expected in this case too? For that, one would have to wait and see the private parties that get the contracts – well, not every group in this country has as high ethics as the Tatas..

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For The Love of Ranbir Kapoor

2011-06-12T10:04:00.002+05:30

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He's a true blue romantic Kapoor boy who's made instant impact on Bollywood, whether it be as Samar Pratap Singh in 'Rajneeti' or Harpreet Singh Bedi in 'Rocket Singh'. Ranbir Kapoor talks about his love for everything from fans' adoration to chocolates with Subhash K Jha

How do you handle all the female attention?
I love women. My favourite person in the world is my mother. Through her I’ve come to respect women a lot. My closest friends are girls. I like hanging around with them. My closest friend Ayesha is a girl.

And is there someone more special?
I don’t have a girlfriend at the moment.

So, is that a blessing for your career?
Not at all. It isn’t as if I’ve made a conscious effort to be single. And I don’t think love would come in the way of my career. There’s no greater feeling than to love and be loved back. I’d love to be in a relationship. But I’m not. I’m not looking for it. But if love happens I’d be really happy.

Do you love the love of your fans?
I’ve a disease. I want everyone to love me. And it’s not just fans. I make a sincere effort to win everyone’s love.

Which is the most exciting experience you’ve had with fans so far?
Every city has brought its own excitement. I’ve enjoyed the interaction with the female fans because they really seem to like me. And signing pictures and autographs feels nice. I’ve been practising for years!

Appellations like rock star are being already applied to you…
Can’t say, I don’t enjoy the thought. I certainly don’t get embarrassed by such adulation. In fact, I enjoy it.

Is it a burden being warm and nice to fans all the time?
I enjoy interacting with people. I’m basically a people’s person. But I’m at a rather critical juncture in my life. If I am friendly then people say I’m putting on an act. If I am guarded, they say I’m already behaving like a star. It’s a Catch 22 situation. I just have to make sure I behave normally, be myself. The more I meet people, the more I want to live up to their expectations. The pre-release audience is a great confidence booster.

Who according to you are the prettiest heroines?
Madhuri Dixit and Sonam (Kapoor).

Your favourite films?
“Sri 420”, “Life Is Beautiful” and Bhansali’s “Devdas”. In fact, after seeing Devdas I developed a yearning to work with Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

Are you a foodie? What is your favourite food?
I’m a major foodie. All of the Kapoors are. My favourite is the paya cooked by my Daadi!

Your favourite memory of your grandfather?
I remember I was 4 or 5. He had a box of toffees. And he’d give me one if I kissed him or did salaam to him.

Going forward, what kind of films would you like to do?
I’m open to every genre, from comedy to action to suspense. My friends say that I’ve a great sense of humour. So, a comedy is nice. Hopefully I’ll be part of good cinema, always.

Your dream date?
Madhuri Dixit. I’d like to take her to dinner then a special show of “Saawariya”.
Anything that you’d like to change about yourself?
I’m always unsure about myself. I want to be more confident.

How do you like to chill out?
I love to lay on my bed….alone. Play video games. Play with my X- Box. I Love watching movies.

Do you like driving?
I love driving. It’s therapeutic. Often I tell my driver to stay back and I take off for unknown destinations.

5. points someone

1.Do you like to collect anything?
I love collecting caps.

2.Your passion?
Football. I can spend hours on the field kicking the ball. I’d love to do a film like Goal.

3.What do you hate?
Negativity

4.Love?
Chocolates.

5.Fear?
My father’s disapproval.

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India: Debate on goods and services tax

2011-06-09T10:00:00.000+05:30

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A uniform tax policy

The irony with the nation called India is that it often has to compromise with national interests for political gain. Even the current debate surrounding the uniform tax policy which is garnering enough attention these days is not an exception. The current FM Pranab Mukherjee envisioned a uniform tax policy by proposing the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST). If applicable, it can simplify India's present rigid tax system. However, it is marred by debates, surprisingly not on how it will benefit India but on who among Centre and states gain more.

GST is tax over final goods and services which are ready for consumption. The most important feature of it is its simplicity to calculate. GST is expected to be the biggest reform in India's history of taxation. This will replace multiple taxations, including VATs imposed by the states, and two major central taxes – Central Excise and Service tax. People currently pay between 22 per cent and 24 per cent of their income, taking all central and state taxes together. But if GST becomes applicable, tax burden on the people will apparently come down signficantly. The Kelkar Committee, which advises the government on defence acquisitions, suggested that GST should be about 20 per cent. Experts believe that this in reality varies between 14 per cent to 16 per cent in those countries that have already implemented GST.
Mukherjee aimed to introduce it by April 1, 2011. Unfortunately, that can’t be met as he has failed to introduce it in the monsoon session. This is because some states are reluctant with the federalist format of the GST proposal. Tax is a big source of revenue for the states. The average tax revenue of states contributes around 6.7 per cent to the GDP. Karnataka generates 11 per cent of GDP through taxes. The speculation is that the current format of GST would grossly disbalance the Centre-state relation giving more power to the Centre; this is already a major concern for states as they feel that they anyway have little say over the policy formation in New Delhi. Karnataka and Gujarat supported GST but Tamil Nadu and MP opposed the GST implementation. Appeals from the states are not entirely irrelevant as development at the state level can only invite investments and prosperity. Centre did agree to propose dual GST where both the Centre and the state will charge different rates through mutual acceptance.

Interestingly, 140 nations across the world adopted GST as a part of their uniform tax policy. France had introduced it as early as in 1954. And we are still debating on whether to adopt it or not! India can learn from Brazil and Canada and in the way they have adopted the double tax bracket under GST. The Empowered Committee of the State Finance Ministers are supposed to meet in October to discuss it further. It’s time we realise the urgency of reforms and of adopting GST, not only for its simplicity but also keeping in mind the socio-economic objectives; we have to think beyond mere political interest.

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Remembering Gandhi: Barun Das Gupta recounts the compassion of the Mahatma that he witnessed first hand

2011-05-29T11:24:00.000+05:30

My memories of Bapu (Mahatma Gandhi)

My earliest memory of Bapu goes back to when I was just a kid. It was 1939. He was staying at the Khadi Pratisthan Ashram at Sodepur near Kolkata. The ashram, for promoting Gandhiji’s constructive work programme, had been founded by my father Kshitish Chandra and my uncle Satish Chandra who was known as the “Bengal Gandhi” in those days.

The room in which Bapu was living had two other adjacent rooms – all three opening on to a long verandah, at the end of which was a bathroom. In the room next to his, Subhas Chandra Bose and Jawaharlal Nehru were talking face to face – Subhas babu (not yet “Netaji”) with his face to the door and Panditji with his back to the door. Bapu came out and walking along the verandah went to the bathroom. While passing, he noticed the two engrossed in discussion. While coming back, he stopped at the door of their room and found them still talking animatedly. Then he said something in English. Panditji turned back and then all three of them broke into a broad, beaming smile. The memory of the three smiling faces was etched on my mind for ever. An old ashram inmate who was there later told me that Bapu had said: “You my old enemies, follow me everywhere!”

The next I saw him was in 1945. He came and stayed in the ashram from December 1, 1945, to January 22, 1946, with two visits to Midnapur and Guwahati in between. On January 2 he told a gathering of Congress workers that he did not believe Subhas Babu was dead. (The news of his death in a plane crash had dismayed the entire nation.)
Bapu used to take morning and evening walks every day and I often became one of his “walking sticks”. During those days I was a witness to the amazing self-control this frail old man had. He used to reply to his letters during and after his lunch. His steno was Parashuram. I often found while dictating a letter, he would stop in the middle of a sentence and tell Parashuram, “I am going to sleep for five minutes.” In seconds he would start snoring. He would wake up after five minutes – almost to the second– and without even asking Parashuram where he had left his half-finished sentence, he would start dictating from where he had ended.

There was a memorable incident during his 1945 visit. The ashram was infested with snakes. Once during his morning walk, we noticed a snake crawling towards the path. We asked Bapu to stop and let the snake pass. He did not stop, saying, “The snake would do us no harm.” Indeed, it did not. It stopped about a yard from the path and let us pass. Then it began to crawl again and crossed the path.

His caring concern for those whose presence was usually not noticed and often dismissed from mind was touching. The day he left Sodepur for Madras on January 22, 1946, I was down with measles and running high fever. The special train for him was waiting at Sodepur station. All his associates who were usually referred to as “Gandhi party” had left for the station and so had the ashram inmates. Only my father was with his sick child.

Shortly before five Bapu emerged from his room with Dhirendra Chatterjee (Abha Gandhi’s elder brother) and started walking briskly towards the station. Halfway, he suddenly stopped and said “I have completely forgotten Babua.” (my nickname). And he started walking back. Chatterjee asked: “Where are you going?” Bapu replied: “How can I go without taking leave from the bed-ridden child?” Chatterjee protested: “But you will get late.” Unperturbed, Bapu said, “Let me be late for the child.”

He came to our cottage, tenderly passed his hand on my face swollen with measles rashes and said, “Main ab bhag ja raha hoon (I am running away now)”. As he came out of the room, my cousin sister, standing with a carbolic soap, a mug of water and a napkin, gently told him to wash his hands because he had touched me. With a mischievous smile on his face, he passed both his hands on my sister’s face and said: “Let you have the infection.” Nothing happened of course. This was Bapu. He remembered whom all else had forgotten.

The views expressed by the author are personal

Normal life affected in Kolkata

2011-05-26T11:20:00.000+05:30

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West Bengal: Cease work

The Left might be losing its grip over West Bengal but one of the legacies of the Leftist rule— work strikes— shows no sign of losing steam. Kolkata was in the grip of two massive strikes during the week. The junior doctors' strike which began on Saturday at the premier SSKM Hospital, soon spread to other government hospitals. The doctors stopped working after relatives of a patient who died there assaulted some doctors.

The doctors finally called off their strike on Tuesday evening after they were assured adequate security by Kolkata Police Commissioner. But it was not before long negotiations and hectic parleys that saw deadlines set by the government ending without any positive outcome. Among the many assurances given to the striking doctors by the police is the installation of CCTVs in all wards of the five hospitals. “The number of security personnel deployed in the hospitals will be increased and an officer-in-charge will be appointed in the police outposts of each of the five hospitals,” said Joint CP Jawed Shamim.
While junior doctors at SSKM are pleading for better infrastructure to end patient-doctor clashes, their counterparts at CNMC are concerned about security.During the strike, some of the doctors also picked a squabble with media persons at SSKM Hospital late on Sunday. The striking doctors did not want media persons to cover the inconvenience faced by patients because of the strike. A child patient was brought to the hospital late at night but there was no doctor in attendance. Some TV journalists at the spot started covering the child's plight which resulted in a heated verbal exchange between the two sides. The doctors soon came to blows and the scuffle reportedly left a few journalists injured. Earlier in the day, hundreds of patients were either refused treatment or not attended to at SSKM and Calcutta National Medical College due to cease work by junior doctors.

On the other side, about 1700 employees of the Calcutta High Court were on strike demanding pay hike in accordance with the new pay commission. The strike entered day 7 on Wednesday. State Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta said that the state government had increased the salary of the High Court employees by 40 per cent in 2008.
Meanwhile, hundreds of accused persons lodged in various jails are at the receiving end due to the ongoing impasse in the High Court. Many of them were not released even after they were granted bail in the last few days.

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Tiger, tiger burning bright: Will another tiger reserve serve the actual purpose

2011-05-22T10:17:00.000+05:30

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The dense forest region has always proved to be advantageous for the state of Karnataka. Although illegal trade of forest products has also flourished in the region, the forests have blessed the state with pleasant weather throughout the year. Recently Karnataka has also got the nod from the Central Government to declare Biligiri Ranganatha Temple Sanctuary as a tiger reserve forest, raising the total number of tiger reserves in the state to five. Nagarahole tiger reserve, Bandipur tiger reserve, Dandeli-Anshi tiger reserve and Bhadra tiger reserve are the four other reserve forests in the state. These forests, apart from being the tiger reserves, are also blessed with spectacular natural beauty and hence have been an asset for the state tourism department.

When an invigorated drive is on throughout the country to protect tigers in the backdrop of the recent tiger survey, it is indeed a matter of pride for the state to house the as many as five tiger reserve forests. But the question is: Are tigers actually safe in these reserve forests? Perhaps they are to an extent but continuous big cat deaths show that the animals are not completely safe and secure even here. Bannerghatta National Park which is situated on the outskirts of Bangalore, has witnessed the death of two lions, a tiger, two tiger cubs and that of a sloth bear within a week. Apart from these, many animals kept in the closures have also suffered serious stomach infection. Though the reason cited for the death of the lions and the tiger was “old age”, the cubs died of stomach infection caused by E-Coli and Salmonella Bacteria, according to the medical reports. According to the director, veterinarian service, Bannerghatta Biological Park, Dr. DB Chittiappa, the cause for the infection could be contaminated water or food.

Biligiri Ranganatha Temple Sanctuary or BR Hills, which is not very far from the bustling Bangalore, is also a hot tourist spot. In the absence of proper protective measures, the “reserved” forests are reserved just in name. “Human activity bothers the animals. The animals at Bannerghatta were unfortunate victims of poor waste management. The quality of food given to the animals should be good and it should be regularly monitored. Proper ventilation is also very important for the animals kept in closures. Here the animals do not get natural food; instead they get either poultry or beef,” said well-known environmentalist and former Indian Forest Service official Dr. AN Yellappa Reddy. But he is happy with the decision to declare BR hills a tiger reserve. “It is indeed a good decision to declare BR Hills a tiger reserve forest. As most of the people who inhabit this region are tribals, they know how to deal with animals. So I hope that won’t be a threat for the tigers,” he said.

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Punjab: Inter-caste marriages

2011-05-17T10:14:00.000+05:30

Marry outside, be state guest!

The Punjab Government has come up with a plan to deal with the contentious issue of honour killings. It has announced that the civil administration would provide shelter and security to people marrying outside their caste. The state government has issued an advertisement in the newspapers to this effect. “As per the orders issued by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the government has taken the decision to provide security and shelter to these couples. For this purpose, government rest houses and Red Cross Bhawans in each district will be used. We have made a list of these places. Youth hostels and Private hotels will also be used for this wherever needed,” Punjab Home Secretary, AR Talwar told reporters. Interestingly, the name of one gurdwara in Hoshiarpur district is also included in this list. In areas where there is no government building that can be used for this purpose, the government will accommodate these couples in private hotels and bear the whole expense.

Some people believe that the new government policy would undermine the security of these couples. “These couples hide out of their families' fear. By announcing the list of shelters, the government has put their lives in danger,” feels a student leader of Punjab University. Upneet Mangat, a lecturer at Centre for Human Rights and Duties Studies, Punjab University Chandigarh, observes, “The issue of honour killing is a social problem. Government providing shelter and security to these couples is not a permanent solution of this problem.” Ironically, on one side the government census includes caste column that aims at identifying a person through their caste, on the other side the government is going to provide security and shelter to people marrying outside their caste. While some people are happy with the government's move, others feel that inter-caste marriages go against social values and the government should not interfere in these matters.

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Taliban was not only willing to hand over Bin Laden to the US but also warned the latter of an impending terrorist attack

2011-05-13T09:57:00.000+05:30

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Documents suggest that in the years leading to 9/11

The US administration documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and released by Washington based National Security Archive shed some additional light on talks with the Taliban preceding the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. It also underlines the constant Taliban offer to hand over Osama bin Laden; and the activity of Pakistan before and after the attacks.

As present-day US plan of action increasingly follows policies to conciliate or “flip” the Taliban, the document highlights Washington’s complete refusal to negotiate with Taliban immediately after 9/11. For example, on September 13, 2001, the then US Ambassador to Pakistan Wendy Chamberlin brusquely told President Pervez Musharraf that there was “absolutely no inclination in Washington to enter into a dialogue with the Taliban” and that the time for dialogue was “finished as of September 11.” However, Pakistan's approach was more holistic and did not correspond to the American knee-jerk reaction. The then ISI chief N Mahmoud Ahmed told the ambassador not to act in anger. The real victory, he said, would come in negotiations and that if the Taliban were eliminated, Afghanistan would “revert to warlordism.”

There are some interesting inputs on Osama as well. When asked about apprehending Laden, Mahmoud said it was “better for the Afghans to do it. We could avoid the fallout.” He in fact travelled to Afghanistan twice, on September 17, aboard an American plane, and again on September 24, 2001 to talk over the gravity of situation with Taliban leader Mullah Omar. However, the US was hell bent on action. Chamberlin categorically let Mahmoud known that while his meetings were all right, but they “could not delay military planning.”

Subsequent papers underscore the value of the bilateral bond to leaders in both Pakistan and the US. An interesting memo categorized seven demands handed over to Mahmoud by US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage just 48 hours after the attack. President Musharraf sent a cable a day after accepting all the demands “unconditionally”. However, the documents also reveal fundamental disagreements and distrust vis-a-vis Taliban.

For example, an ISI official told visiting US Congressmen that “Pakistan will always support the Taliban”. This “policy cannot change”, he continued, because “it would prompt rebellion across the Northwest Frontier Provinces, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, and indeed on both sides of the Pashtun-dominated Pak-Afghan border.”
It is now common knowledge that the US had been asking the Taliban to hand over Laden since 1999. These discussions stopped only a week before the 9/11 attack. However, the US was so adamant on its stand that Laden be tried by the Department of Justice— and not in a third country as Taliban suggested— that Taliban refused to hand him over. Officials described it as a missed opportunity. The former CIA station chief Milt Bearden said, “We never heard what they were trying to say. We had no common language. Ours was, ‘Give up bin Laden.’ They were saying, ‘Do something to help us give him up'.” Bearden added, “I have no doubts Taliban wanted to get rid of him. He was a pain in the neck but this never clickedwith us”. The US thought it was “unreasonable” on Taliban's part to ask for evidence indicting Laden.

Taliban, on its part, even cautioned the US that Laden was planning a big attack on American soil. In fact, former Taliban foreign minister Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil maintained that his repeated warnings, delivered because of apprehensions that the US would respond by waging war against Afghanistan, had been dismissed. US officials admitted to this fact but said that warnings were dismissed because they were “hearing a lot of that kind of stuff”.

Declining the Taliban's offer to have Laden handed over shows that the US rather followed the policy of regime change well before the 9/11 happened. India was considered to have joined Russia, the USA and Iran in a conjunct front against Taliban, which enclosed aid for Northern Alliance, including “information and logistic support” from Washington. Former Pakistani Foreign Secretary Niaz Naik claimed that he had been informed by senior US officials as early as in July 2001 that military action would be taken against the Taliban by the middle of October. Readies had already been coordinated with Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Russia. Naik also said that “it was doubtful that Washington would drop its plan even if Bin Laden were to be surrendered immediately by the Taliban.”

Pakistan was repeatedly asking the US “to maintain open channels to the Taliban.” ISI officials negated that their aid for the Taliban enclosed military assist. When interjected why Pakistan supports the Taliban, a senior ISI functionary said, “We don’t support but interact with the Taliban”. When asked further as to why Pakistan continued to give the Taliban international diplomatic support and to press the USG (United States Government) to engage with the Taliban, the Pakistanis reiterated that the Taliban were the effective rulers of about 90 per cent of Afghanistan, that they enjoyed significant popular support because they had ended the banditry and anarchy that once bedeviled the country, and that the instant success of the opium poppy production ban underscored “the reality and effectiveness of Taliban authority.” On the contrary, if it wasn’t for “external support” for the Northern Alliance, it “would collapse in a matter of days.”

The US war against Afghanistan began on October 7, and the Taliban again repeated offers to discuss handing over bin Laden. Taliban Deputy Prime Minister Haji Abdul Kabir declared, “If the Taliban is given evidence that Osama bin Laden is involved and the US stopped its bombing, we would be ready to hand him over to a third country”. President George W Bush spurned the offer as “non-negotiable”, adding, “There’s no need to discuss innocence or guilt. We know he’s guilty.” Refusing to furnish evidence of Laden’s guilt, Bush ingeminated the US ultimatum: “If they want us to stop our military operations, they’ve just got to meet my conditions. When I said no negotiations, I meant no negotiations.”

Then in the preceding months, Taliban went as far as to drop the demand for evidence and proposed to extradite Laden to a third country. Muttawakil apparently met with officials from the CIA and ISI to suggest the offer, which was once again turned down by Washington.

It was then that Taliban decided to abandon the idea of reconciliation. US jointly. Muttawakil famously said, “We don't want war but let the US also understand that we are a sovereign nation and not just another of its provinces.” The next day, Kabul was bombed for the first time.

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Lobbying: Global arms trade

2011-05-09T10:59:00.000+05:30

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The whole business of arms trade is no more a scoop. Names like Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, General Dynamics, Dassault Aviation, Finmeccanica, Boeing, Rosoboronexport and Northrop Grumman feature prominently in the list of arms traders. Going by the conservative estimations, the global arms trade market is worth over $50 billion annually, out of which the US controls around 40 per cent. However, given the recent economic meltdown, the arms sale saw a fall of 8.5 per cent and the US share dropped to $22.6 billion. But then, it was not tough for these countries and companies to find clients, in spite of the global economic problems. Most of the arms are pushed to those countries who top the chart when it comes to poverty and political instability. Even a country like Iraq, which is still trying to stand up, has announced its plans to purchase arms worth $13 billion from the US; juxtapose this with the country’s GDP of $84.7 billion (2008).

What may be interesting is the way these companies pushed the arms to conflict zones and especially to the US allies through lobbying with the US government. But what is more interesting is the way these companies use their profits. As per the lobbying disclosure report released in 2009, Northrop Grumman (in 2008) doubled its lobbying budget to $20.6 million; Boeing increased it to $16.6 million (up from $10 million) and Lockheed-Martin (the front runner when it comes to contracts from the Pentagon) hiked its lobbying budget by a monstrous 54 per cent. So much so that the excessive lobbying made the US government ignore the whole idea of closing F-22 production, which, as per defence experts, will be of no use to the US in any possible war in future. Moreover, the government was actually worried about those 95,000 employees, working in the plant after the closure – especially at a time where Obama’s government is leaving no stone unturned to improve the employment statistics.

The plants are so strategically located that in case of plans by the government to close down production facilities, these companies can urge the local Congress member to resist and defend. On the same lines, Northrop Grumman took the help of 383 congressional districts to save its B-2 Stealth bomber plant. Most of these companies blackmail the government in the name of job loss and local unemployment that would eventually effect the US economy. On the contrary, various studies show that increase in the military expenditure has an inverse effect not only on the economy but also on employment. These companies are trying to keep their production facilities running at the cost of development in Third World countries. Firstly, these companies push inferior products to conflict zones and poor countries. Secondly, they use profits for lobbying with client countries. Thirdly, they lobby even with domestic governments so that they can keep their plants running. In spite of efforts by several NGOs, the UN arms trade treaty has still not been enforced. Arms trade not only dents the economy of the host country but fuel the conflicts across the world. In 2012, during the UN conference on arm trade, one hopes that the US would back the treaty, if not for the world, then at least for its own economy. After all, unaccountable global arms trade can only endanger the whole globe.

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It's about respect: Maa Durga Puja

2011-05-03T14:46:00.004+05:30

Anu Gulmohar speaks to new-age eco-warriors, who are hoping to mend old ways and pave the way for more affectionate and considerate goodbyes to Maa Durga'

Some five years ago, on the joyous occasion of Vijay Dashmi, once the throngs of devotees had bid adieu to Maa Durga, Ashok Bose stood at the banks of the river, repulsed and remorseful at the scene before him. Every year, environmentalists cry hoarse about the appalling state of the Ganga after the immersion of the idols and how the river struggles to cope with the oblations offered to the Goddess. But not many devotees stop to look back at its sordid state. Of those that do, even lesser conjure the courage to not turn their back to it again, and instead take on the responsibility to clean-up the river and the practices that harm the environment.

"For ten days we pray to the idol. We decorate it with beautiful costumes, flowers, offer prayers from morning till night. On Vijay Dashmi people go with a lot of enthusiasm for the immersion, and till that point it feels very good. But as we make our way back, we see the same idols strewn around, the flowers stuffed inside plastic bags don’t go with the river waters and reach Maa Durga like we’d like to believe, but instead, they lie in the water like heaps of rubbish. Similar is the fate of the costumes, toxic paints and thermacol," shares Ashok Bose, President of Dakshin Palli Durga Puja Samiti, CR Park, New Delhi. And so five years ago, he returned home and looked-up on the Internet for the possible solutions for the problem. "I realised that the government has spent lakhs and crore for this cause, but nothing changes because we ourselves don’t wish for things to change," expressed Bose.

What are the basic evils that people in all their innocent ignorance committing? The devout have been trying to make their idols bigger, grander, brighter, and in that pursuit, they’ve opted for materials, which are not bio-degradable, such as plastic, cement and plaster of Paris. They have moved toward paints, which when immersed in water release carcinogenic metals like mercury, chromium and lead. Not only are they lethal for the aquatic life, they also mix with the drinking water that you and I could eventually be consuming. And thus the rallying call of the environmentalists to use natural materials that dissolve and don’t pollute the water. Says environment activist Vandana Shiva, "The need is to go back to natural paints, the way we used to do it without all these lethal toxic paints. The clay images have absolutely zero impact, the silt comes from the rivers, goes back to the rivers."

"The idol the Dakshin Palli Durga Puja Samiti has made this time is without costume, without artificial jewellery, without thermocol and plastics. Everything has been made using mud – jewellery, hair, everything," shared Bose. Their previous year’s idol too was made in adherence to similar environment-friendly measures, and it went on to win Sahara Samay NCR’s Best Pratima Award. This year they’re collaborating with Berger Paints and using their new non-toxic paints for their idol. "Breath Easy is an acrylic emulsion, made with very low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) content. We have used pigments, which are free of lead and all carcinogenic metals. The paint provides sheen, and from a 45-degree angle the paints reflect light," says Rajesh Sahay, Regional Manager, Berger Paints.

The Bengal Environment Department and the Pollution Control Board this year introduced such lead-free paints to the idol-makers, and distributed paint worth Rs 1 lakh to 60 artists at Kumartuli, Kolkata’s idol-making centre. Like the Dakshin Palli Durga Puja Samiti, other puja committees too are trying to be more caring to the environment. Kolkata’s Milan Park Durga Puja committee, Delhi’s Mela Ground Committee, Chittaranjan Park Kali Mandir Society are among those choosing idols made and painted with eco-friendly products. Kolkata’s Sreerampur Durga Puja Committee is planning to plant 100 trees and raise awareness of solar power. Another decision being taken by most committees is to not pollute the Ganga by throwing the plastic bags carrying tonnes of flowers, but instead to put them in earthen pots and bury them.

The drum beat of the dhaki is symbolic of the Durga Puja festivities, and equally emblematic are the white feathers decorating the drums. Little thought is given to the fact that for the trimmings of just one drum, roughly four birds are killed. An estimated 4,000 open-bill storks and egrets are killed across Midnapore, Murshidabad and Malda region alone every year. Says Anu Ganguly of PETA India, "De-feathering is extremely painful, since the birds’ feathers are firmly held in follicles, the wall of which is richly supplied with sensory fibres and nerves. As a Calcuttan, the beats of the dhaki no longer symbolise the rhythm of the festive season and the spirit of Durga Puja to me. The resonating beats would certainly lose their magic for many if people could hear the screams of the birds tortured to ‘decorate’ the instruments."

Much is being done to save the sanctity of this festival and for keeping its image from being tarnished any further. The government has actively been sending instructions to the Puja committees for making the puja a more environment-conscious do. But better guidance is the need of the hour. "Awareness needs to be spread about what being eco-friendly entails. Just like there is a meeting with the police, fire department, MCD, there should be a compulsory workshop for all puja committees in which it’s explained about what exactly is eco-friendly. If a workshop is done and terms and conditions are explained in detail, and perhaps a certificate is given upon meeting 90-100 per cent of the requirements, a sea-change would be noticed," suggests Ashok Bose.

"We need to turn every festival into a celebration of nature!" says Vandana Shiva, and with every year more and more people are finding resonance in this thought. In the coming years be prepared for the all-natural face of Durga Puja, all thanks to people such as Ashok Bose.

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....UNTIL DISASTER STRUCK

2011-03-28T10:44:00.000+05:30

IIPM Proves Its Mettle Once Again...

In the aftermath of the massive disaster in Leh, there is no place for complacence in the efforts to restore normalcy and sanity to the land that many escaped to looking for the same. Every helping hand will count.

While the immediate need is rescue and relief, the long term challenges are intimidating and growing by the hour. Speaking over the phone to TSI, Miss Shazia Kawos of the Leh-based Red Cross Society highlighted the rescue efforts and the challenges Leh-Ladakh faces. 3000 liters of fresh water is being pumped out every hour, she says, from two water purification units arranged for by Red Cross in Choglamsar. But do victims in remote villages, those most violently affected, have access to the basic amenities like water and shelter?

The answer is: not yet.

The main issue is therefore, shortage of manpower. The Indian Army and Air Force had been engaged immediately to penetrate the affected areas for aid and rescue, but even their numbers are falling short in the race against time.

As Miss Kawos points out, Red Cross and various other NGOs are involved in collecting and airlifting gumboots and kitchen sets from Delhi (special mention to the airlines for their contribution), but again the pressing challenge is dispatching them to the remotest areas.

Simultaneously, efforts are being made by the J&K administration and other organisations to identify and indemnify the victims. A number of help lines have been established to solely focus on tracking the missing and informing the families. With winters just around the corner, rescue and rehabilitation is further going to be an uphill task. Tents and camps will do little to protect from the extreme weather if there aren't sufficient blankets and mattresses.

As citizen volunteers, there are many ways to contribute. Those living close to Leh could directly get in touch with Red Cross. Others could help with contributions of warm clothing. You could send your donations to donations@savethechildren.in. Organisations like Give India and Oxfam India are accessible through their websites: www.giveindia.org & www.oxfamindia.org respectively. There are also the PM & CM relief funds to turn to.

Let us, in this hour of crisis, chip in for the sake of humanity.

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BLISS AT EVERY TURN....

2011-03-24T10:42:00.000+05:30

IIPM in sync with the best of the business world.....

As the Leh tragedy makes headlines, I, like many others I know, find the heart rending images of the disaster looming large over memories of visuals and vistas that had stunned us in refreshing and happier ways. A fortnight spent in the magical bliss of the Himalayan town a few years back is something to cherish now, more than ever. My intimacy with Leh began without the highly-recommended drive or the snow. My very first memory is that of slowly de-boarding the plane in a dazed state, held agape by the breathtaking landscape. The Leh airport situated at a majestic 3,250m overlooks an overwhelming carpet of stark-brown terrain, delicately bordered by soaring golden mountains.

We ' a few dozen of us ' were there on a mission: to organise the building of a monastery in the village of Ladakh for the locals. Fortunately, I could afford to spend a couple of sunny days in Leh before drifting into the wilderness of Ladakh.

Leh is almost a shy town, serene except for the ubiquitous commotion of tourists. It is a common sight to spot foreigners (Germans and Israelis particularly) on their bikes waiting to get a dose of the mountain roads. Street food is restricted to North-east Indian cuisine; the town does throw some surprises in the form of Gesmo Restaurant and II Forno for the '5-course' aficionados.

After spending two lazy days in the beautiful town, I reached an anonymous spot in the mountains of Ladakh, laced with colourful tents and a half-built monastery ' it was the construction site. Bang in the middle of nowhere, it was to be my home for the next week.

The week passed by sooner than I'd wanted; the stress of manual labour of the day was washed away every night by the sight of the glimmering sky embroidered with a billion stars so bright and clear that one was compelled to question the reality of the moment. Nights in the mountains of Ladakh are divine experiences that shine the brightest in the memories' hall of fame.

It was customary for campers to visit the homes of locals. The indigenous people of Ladakh are the warmest you'd meet anywhere. A cup of salted butter tea ' a warm, thick, vapid liquid derived from yak butter ' was religiously offered to every guest, irrespective of their preferences! And the sincere hospitality is such that you fear offending them by refusing it.

Beyond the butter-tea, they escort you to the nearest monastery (Gompa, they call it). As young children clad in the traditional red Buddhist robes welcome visitors, an ineffable bond is forged across cultures and borders.

After an exhilarating trek in the mountains, it was finally my moment to be introduced to the Pangong Lake. A water body that looked unacquainted with the dimensions of space and time. A blue cocoon formed of the union of the sky and the mountains.

Paradise was the least of praise I could offer.

I remember driving back from Pangong to the airport with the feeling that the place had lifted me. There was also pain, in a wistful way, but nothing like what I feel now as I wince at the pristine landscape disfigured by flash floods and mudslides'

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NARESH SIROHI, NATIONAL GENERAL SECRETARY, BJP KISAN MORCHA

2011-03-20T10:47:00.000+05:30

IIPM Proves Its Mettle Once Again...

Farmers' woes Whose land is it anyway?
A holistic land acquisition policy to protect farmers from penury has been long overdue

A scramble to grab the land of farmers is on around the entire country. Industrialists and the powers-that-be have joined hands in this conspiracy of acquiring land at a negligible price. On the land holdings on which depend the future of farmers, hawks and alligators have trained their eyes.

I will begin with an example. In 1996, land for Sector 62 in Noida was acquired from the villages of Bahlaulpur, Navaada and Rasoolpur. You must be aware that today this sector is among the most developed institutional areas of the country and the cost of even one square metre is in lakhs of rupees. At that time the rate of land was fixed at Rs 69 per square metre. The farmers protested against the low price. I went to meet the then CEO of the Noida Authority, Ravi Mathur, as a representative of the farmers. During the discussion, I asked the IAS officer about the rate per metre of the cloth of the coat he was wearing. The answer: Rs 700 per metre. I asked him if the rate of the fertile land should be less than even the cost of the cloth for his coat. The coat, I argued, would not be worn for more than four-five years, but the land they were going to acquire would support several generations of farmers. Anyway, Mr Mathur accepted our proposal and raised the rate of compensation from Rs 69 to Rs 360 per square metre. He also ordered that 10 per cent of the land be given to the farmers.

India lacks a proper law on land acquisition and the government has no clear policy. The laws appled today were made by the British in 1894 with an aim to grab the maximum land in India. According to this law, the government can acquire land in the public interest to build schools and hospitals. If the land is acquired with this aim it is good, but if it is acquired and then given to an industrialist at throwaway prices, who make crores out of it, it is clearly unjustified.

But this is what's happening. Land is being acquired in the name of public interest and given to businessmen and builders. Take the case of Noida-Agra Expressway for which the BSP government of Uttar Pradesh is acquiring land from the farmers and plans to make a toll road and develop townships and commercial complexes on either side of the road. The company making the road will earn huge profits from the toll-tax and the builders will make money from the complexes. And what about the farmers, the original owners of the land? Well, a paltry compensation that will probably not suffice even to meet the needs of the present generation, let alone the coming ones! Farmers are always cheated. When the government acquires land, it pays compensation as per agricultural land prices. But as soon as this agricultural land is converted into commercial or residential land, its rates increase manifold. Thus the government should compensate the farmers as per the expected rate of the commercial land after the conversion. Besides, farmers should be assured jobs and given plots and shares according to the ratio of their land. Also, the farmers should get the right to bargain for their land so that he is able decide to whom and at what rate he should sell his land instead letting it be acquired under coercion. Around 30 per cent of profits of the project should got to the farmer who owned the land. The government acquired land large scale during the 1970s and 1980s in the vicinity of Delhi to establish industries. Land acquired at throwaway prices is being given to hotels and shopping malls. Is that justified? I know many farmers on whose land big industries have come up but their children are jobless or daily wage workers.

There is the 'pagdi' tradition in the case of shops in our country. The condition is that whenever the tenant will lease it to a new person he will pay a part of the raised rent and also a portion of the pagdi to the shop owner. The same should be followed here also. If the industrialist sells the land to someone else or uses it to build a mall or a hotel, a portion of the increased price should go to the farmer. I would like to dispel this notion that farmers are getting rich. Only a small number of farmers have become crorepatis as a result of the compensation they have received. In most cases of land acquisition, farmers have been devastated. The gap between acquisition and payment of compensation is many years. Once the land is acquired, the farmer becomes jobless and he takes loans from the moneylender. When he gets the compensation, it goes into paying interest to the moneylender. The principal is repaid when he gets a plot mucn later. Yes, some farmers who got the compensation and their plot simultaneously to prosper a little. But their number is negligible. If we have to save our farmers, we will have to formulate a holistic policy. It is also important to save our farmland for the cause of food security.

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PUNJAB RELIGION: Ring Tone Controversy

2011-03-17T16:03:00.000+05:30

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SGPC Chief objects to the use of 'gurbani' as Ring Tone

The president of Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), Avtar Singh Makkar, has objected to the use of 'gurbani' as ring tone that are extremely popular among the Sikhs. He said its use is against the scriptures.

Makkar's comment has triggered a heated debate with some Sikhs questioning his wisdom. Last week, addressing a gathering, Makkar warned cellular companies from using word 'Gana' (song) for Gurbani.

The SGPC chief said word 'Gana' cannot be used for Shabad (religious song). He said that he had warned cellular companies to stop this earlier but they did not bother. Makkar said: 'If cellular companies do not take serious note of this warning then we will take strict action against them.'

An official from a cellular company, on the condition of anonymity, said: 'We don't have any intention to disrespect any religion. It is a prerecorded message and it is used for every kind of musical ring tone be it Shabad, Bhajan, song, prayers etc.'

S. Daljit Singh, editor, Amritsar Times, said he agrees with Makkar on this issue. 'Cellular companies should pay attention towards this issue.

May be they do not have wrong intention but since this issue is in the news now, they should change their prerecorded message. It is not an issue of Sikh, but applies to other religions too. They should pay respect to every religion. It is a matter of sentiments.'

However, a senior research fellow of Panjab University, Upneet Mangat, said: 'I think if a ring tone takes the religious message to the youth. This should be viewed positively.' There are mixed reactions on this issue.

Many people say the SGPC chief is just squabbling over trifles. There are many other challenges, being faced by the Sikh religion. Dr. HS Randhawa, Retd. Professor, Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana said: 'The Shiromani committee has an annual budget of billions. Also it has a separate budget for promotion of religion. Besides, there are many issues related to the Sikh religion that are yet to be solved. Sikh leaders should pay attention towards these issues like education, curb social evils like caste and intolerance. Ring tone is not a big issue. May be companies are not aware about this.' The Shiromani committee has an annual budget of Rs. 508 crore for the year 2010-11, from which Rs. 46 crore was earmarked for religious activities.

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INDIA MOILY'S MISSION TO RELEASE UNDERTRIALS: Justice at the doorstep

2011-02-14T10:12:00.001+05:30

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The Law Minister is on a mission to bring smiles to 10 lakh families

Veerappa Moily, the current Cabinet Minister for Law, Justice and Company Affairs, feels he can bring smiles to 10 lakh families. He has set a target to release 2 lakh undertrials by the end of July, 2010. So, considering a family of five, 2 lakh undertrials cases will make a whopping 10 lakh Indians happy. He is determined to keep his deadline which he had set on January 26, 2010.

India has 1,276 jails that house 3.5 lakh prisoners, even though the capacity of these prisons is merely 2.5 lakh ' 70 per cent of the inmates are undertrials, and again, 70 per cent of the undertrials are booked for petty crimes. Thus, an overall figure of 1.7 lakh will be freed by the end of this year. The breakup of the above figure, according to National Crime Records Bureau, suggests 12.58 per cent are because of petty thefts, 11.52 per cent are charged with attempt to murder and 0.11 per cent is because of eve teasing. For this, our jurisprudence throws weight much more on investigating authorities and police rather than on the rights and rehabilitation of those who are undertrials! Apart from their degree of crimes, the more unfortunate fact is that one-third of the convicts are illiterate and not many of them are properly educated either! Moreover, the archaic laws that are causing undertrials to languish in prisons for years without proper trial, were created by British during their days of colonial rule as a tool for the detention of the natives. Such laws must be revised and reformed immediately, as it is totally outdated and counterproductive!

Moily is serious it seems, as he developed a comprehensive plan to implement his mission; and even wrote to ex-Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan and judges of the high courts to dispose off the cases through fast track courts. Uttar Pradesh took the lead by releasing over 52,843 undertrials and settling the cases of 4,203 more. Other states that have performed well include Andhra Pradesh (9,116), Delhi (8,701), Orissa (8,566), Maharashtra (7,252), Punjab (3,219), Gujarat (3,101), Haryana (2,169), Kerala (2,334) and Karnataka (1,081). West Bengal and Tamil Nadu are the pits, releasing 287 and 608 prisoners respectively.

In spite of success of the endeavour, which Moily described as 'a silent revolution in the judiciary... bringing out good results,' the question that still lingers is about the future when the jails will get overcrowded again because of delayed justice! The reason attributed to such fallacy is the lack of coordination among the parties involved viz. police, prosecuting authorities, and judiciary, as they move in isolation without being accountable to anyone. However, to overcome the hurdles of the justice delivery system, a new goal has been set by the Law Ministry ''The National Mission for delivery of Justice' ' which aims to reduce pendency within the next three years and to provide world class judicial infrastructure and technology to speed up trials. However, it has to be implemented properly to make people believe the claim. Until then, like always, bringing smiles to the 10 lakh Indians will remain a mere lip-service than reality.

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AFRICAN SUMMIT UNITY: Changes Africa should see!

2011-02-10T13:02:00.001+05:30

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Africa concluded the 15th AU Summit. A lot more needs to be done
Africa is in the news again. This time not because of the FIFA World Cup, but because Uganda hosted the 15th African Union Summit. The summit is highly significant ' not only for Africa but also for the world for peace ' for the simple reason that unrest in one continent can destabilise the whole world. Perhaps this is one bottleneck of globalisation. However, out of the 66 targeted during the summit only 49 heads of state and governments arrived to attend the summit. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on a war- crimes issue, didn't attend it in spite of being invited by Uganda's President.

The theme of the summit was "Maternal, Infant and Child Health and Development in Africa" but the significance of the summit primarily lies in the issue of African unity. The debate of a unified Africa is old but looking at Africa's efforts, the issue needs some attention. The truth is that the African Union may not be like the European Union in the foreseeable future, but then they certainly need to realise the importance of unity for mutual growth and prosperity.

Apparently, there are three primary impediments to unite Africa. Firstly, the foreign interventions. The crazy drive for Africa of countries like the US, the UK, China and other European nations is certainly noteworthy to mention. They are definitely not pouring a lot of money without any reason. And it's going to get worse as the US Department of Justice is expected to launch a new Kleptarchy Asset Recovery Initiative aimed at curbing large scale foreign official corruption and aiding recovering of stolen funds. It's not beyond imagination to foresee how foreign intervention will get dirtier and will have a deadly impact on the region. However, against the populist view, foreign aid has never been a solution for Africa. Poverty in Africa has literally gone up from 11 per cent to a staggering 66 per cent between 1970 and 1998 despite foreign aid flows increasing manifolds and which were at its peak during the same period.

Secondly, inefficient management of its vast natural resources is the other problem. Africa is a continent with 54 countries and about a billion population. It has 9.49 per cent and 8.22 per cent of world's oil and natural gas reserves with over 117.481 billion barrels of oil and a whopping 14.58 trillion cubic metres of natural gas stocks as of 2007. But the mismanagement in handling natural resources made it a curse than blessing. Over 6.9 million people have died since 1998 in civil wars due to coltan, a dull black metallic ore in Congo alone.

Thirdly, the resurgence of non state elements has become a threat to peace. The most recent and horrifying serial bomb blasts in Uganda by Al-Shabab which took the lives of over 70 people because they were watching football is a classic example of it. Uganda's President rightly focused upon issues like turning rich, natural resources into wealth, to be not too dependent on foreign aid and redefine Africa's role in the international arena. It will be a distant dream until others realise it. Middle East is a failure, when it comes to uniting the region. It was suffering from similar problems. Africa is undergoing the same transition now. It has to ensure that it corrects the mistakes that Mid-East made.

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Minority report: As the Catholic Church opposes quotas in minority institutions,

2011-02-07T12:04:00.007+05:30

resentment is brewing within the community.

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By virtue of their scope and nature, minority institutions should serve the interests of the needy and deserving from within the communities in whose name they exist. But if a decision of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI), made public on July 6, is a pointer, the raison d''tre of these schools and colleges could face severe dilution.

NCMEI has categorically said that reserving a quota for minority community students in these institutions would not be a good idea. The statement is worded thus: 'Identifying criteria of a minority educational institution based on bulk or majority of admission to a minority community or on the basis of ratio of admission of students belonging to minority community fixed by the State Government would be unreasonable, impractical and unworkable'' The decision of the Commission, though it is bound by constitutional provisions, could pave the way for further commercialisation of education in the name of minorities.

Though the decision is equally applicable to other minorities such as Sikhs, Muslims and Parsis, the Catholic church is probably the happiest. The church had opposed NCMEI's reported move to fix a quota for minority students in these educational institutions to help them maintain their minority status. The church had even registered its protest to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
It is not difficult to understand why the Catholic church upped the ante against NCMEI simply on the basis of a newspaper report. PN Benjamin, member of the Karnataka Minority Commission, while talking to TSI, says: 'The church does not want to lose its grip on the government. They utilise all the resources of the government and take many benefits in the name of minorities but do not act in the best interests of the minorities.'

When TSI contacted MSA Siddiqui, chairman, NCMEI, he explained: 'I never issued any order regarding fixing a cap or quota. Newspapers misquoted me and I suddenly found myself caught in a maelstrom of criticism.' Minority report The church, on its part, is now drawing flak from several quarters. Human rights activist Joseph Gathia says: 'The church has become autocratic. It wants constitutional rights but does not want to fulfil its duties. If it derives benefits in the name of minorities, its first responsibility is towards that community.'

Anand Bernard, retired member of the Madhya Pradesh Minority Commission, is even more vocal against the attitude of the church. He says: 'The church earns huge profits through these schools. In Madhya Pradesh alone, the income is estimated to be around Rs 600 crore. This money should be spent on the welfare of the minorities. There are world class educational institutions such as XLRI, St Stephen's, Christian Medical College, Vellore, etc. Why doesn't the church allow candidates within their own community to be admitted to these colleges? The church lacks transparency. Do they have elected bodies similar to the SGPC or the Waqf Board?'

The NCMEI volte-face hasn't, however, sparked a similar debate among Muslims and Sikhs. But in Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia there is growing resentment among students as the perception is that these institutions have not really served the purpose that they were designed for. Mohd Illiyas Malik, convenor of the Jamia Minority Status Coordination Committee, says, 'Muslim students are not getting full benefit. The situation will improve only when the university is granted minority status. In professional courses, the number of Muslims is minimal.' This certainly isn't the end of the conflict, especially within the Christian community. Disgruntlement is brewing in the community as the church continues to insist that minority institutions should retain their 'open' character. That clearly, and understandably, appears to be the minority view among Christian activists at this juncture.

With inputs from Nadeem Ahmad Minority report 'Support the deserving'

R L Francis, Dalit Christian leader

Why do you oppose the NCMEI decision?
It will result in more commercialisation of these education. Missionary schools will turn into teaching shops.

Why is the church against fixing a quota for minorities?
If quota is fixed how will they be able to oblige bureaucrats and politicians?

Their purpose is not to take care of the welfare of the community but to maintain their clout. Whenever someone tries to tame the church, he has to pay. Take the example of the EMS Namboodiripad government, which was also the first democratically elected Communist government in the world. It was sacked by Jawaharlal Nehru as the church feared the Communist government would take control of their institutions.

What is wrong if the church establishes schools that benefit other communities as well?
St Thomas School, Ghaziabad, has 1500 students. Only 50 of these students are Christians. About 15 per cent urban Christians and 40 per cent rural Christians are uneducated. The church should help them.

Do you have support from inside the community?
No. What can be expected from people like Rev. Walson Thampu? He talks about Dalit Christian rights when he is part of the Rangnath Mishra Commission but tries to block the entry of Dalit Christians when he becomes principal of St Stephen's. Minority report 'Can't compromise quality'

Babu Joseph, Spokesperson, Catholic Bishop Conference of India

Why are you opposing quota for your own community?
This is against Article 30(1) of the Constitution. The Christian population in India is just 2 per cent of the whole, and these are scattered all over the country. Wherever they are they have a right to preserve their religion and culture.

Why do you charge such high fees?
Take the example of St Columba's of Delhi. Its fee is still way below other schools of the same category. Similar is the situation with other institutions.

You have world class institutions. Why don't you give admission to poor Christians?
We cannot compromise with quality. Allegations of high capitation fees are simply misplaced.

The Waqf Board and Tirupati Balaji management committee are elected bodies. Why does the church oppose transparency?
Most of these institutions are registered under Trust Act or Societies Act. The church does not fall in this category.

Do you file income tax returns? Do you have audited balance sheets of income and expenses?
Yes, we have.

Why are they not in the public domain?
These are in the public domain and the balance sheets are open to scrutiny.

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Aamir Khan is actively looking for attention again

2011-01-25T17:36:00.007+05:30

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Best Manager
Aamir Khan is actively looking for attention again. Well, you guessed it right ' his next movie, 'Peepli Live', is nearing its release. While the Twitter account activation must have been another gimmick to gain public attention around the movie's release date, the hullabaloo over low payment caused by the singers of the song "Mehangai Daayan Khaye Jaat Hai" of the movie seems definitely uninvited. Well, the actor surely knows how to hush such issues since he has immediately 'invited' the singers to Mumbai to resolve the issue.

Hell for Mel
While the 'Braveheart' star, Mel Gibson has been washing his dirty linen in public for long now, the leaking of a recent recorded tape of his domestic altercations is causing trouble, and not just domestic ones. Mel is facing accusations of being a racist since he has been heard as saying to a former lover Oksana Grigorieva, "If you get raped by a pack of n------ it will be all your fault". But to Mel's relief, long-time friend, Whoopi Goldberg, has been heard saying, 'You can say he's being a bonehead, but I can't sit and say that he's a racist having spent time with him in my house with my kids." Well, if not lovers, Mel sure knows how to keep friends!

No bare 'mountains'!
Ashley Judd has earned accolades not only for her movies but also for her extensive involvement in social and political activities. But this one-time student of Anthropology, has offended many on several occasions. Recently, the Appalachian region's coal companies and workers got back to her for commenting against their coal mining work. They've used a topless picture of hers from a 2006 magazine cover, in which she is covering her breasts with her hands, with a tagline that says ' 'Ashley makes a living removing her top, why can't coal miners?' Ashley remains unmoved, and still thinks that exposing nature to various dangers may not be the best way of earning a living.

Kareena's Pole star
Kareena Kapoor has always idolised Kajol, and what better opportunity can she get to fit into Kajol's shoes than to promote the much-awaited Karan Johar movie, 'We Are Family', instead of the 35-year-old expecting mama. While Kajol is being pampered to the hilt by her real family, she has happily allowed Kareena to grab all the limelight for the movie. Well, this trait of selflessness in Kajol could easily be credited to motherhood!

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MICHAEL LEARNS TO ROCK (MLTR)

2011-01-09T11:01:00.004+05:30

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MLTR: You took our heart away...
It is the Danish soft rock band with whom India learnt to rock. Michael Learns to Rock (MLTR) were in India for a tour last week and Indians came out and showed their love in this three-city tour. The Delhi leg of the tour took TSI's Anu Gulmohar to the F Bar & Lounge where the three member band ' Jascha Richter, Kare Wanscher and Lentz ' performed a medley of their old and new songs. From 18-year-olds to 48-year-olds, everyone sang out loud along with the band and at times it seemed more like a karaoke event instead of a concert! As the band performed classics like 'Sleeping Child', 'The Actor', and 'Paint my Love', the people in the crowd screamed 'Ecto! Ecto!' hoping that they would go on for Eternity.

Is it surprising to you that songs from Michael Learns to Rock (MLTR), a Scandinavian band, have been loved so much by Indians?

Yes, it is surprising that songs written and composed in Denmark connect so well with people at any end of the world!

Most people who follow your music would remember by heart most of the lyrics of your songs. Has there been a conscious effort in keeping the lyrics so soulful and beautiful?

There has been a deliberate attempt from our side that the lyrics should be emotional and not too difficult to understand. English is our second language too. We've ensured that the lyrics stay simple.

The life of a rockstar or a rock band is usually riddled with scandals. How have you all managed the fame and pressures associated with it and steered clear of the dark side of being a highly successful music act?

Our music reflects how we are. We focus on communicating through our music and stay a bit away from media. We prefer not using commerciality to earn credibility.

It's great to see MLTR making music even after 20 long years. With your latest album being titled 'Eternity', is its title a hint of your intent to make music till eternity?

Yes, the title is kind of spiritual, which is what we like about it. With the title "Eternity" we're trying to convey that there are limitless things that connect us all together.

In which ways has the band and its music evolved in the past 20 years?

It's been some 19-20 years since we've been together. When we played at our first concert we'd been together for only three months and could hardly even play together! The initial years were tough; it was difficult to travel so much. We got better with time, and have evolved a lot since then.

Most bands break-up after a few years. How has the journey been after S'ren Madsen left your group? How difficult was it to regroup and continue after he left?

It was very tough when he left. S'ren had two main roles in the band ' one he was a good friend, he was very outgoing and social and added a lot to the chemistry within the band, and two, he was a great singer. We can't replace that. It took us a year to find the spirit to get back together after he left.

It's the third time you're visiting India. How do you like our country?

We like India; we always have ever since our first visit to this country. India is a very spiritual place. People are very open and polite and relaxed. The food here is fantastic. Indian people are very special.

Have you ever considered collaborating with Indian artists?

Yes, we have. We are very open to ideas for collaborating with artists from any country.

Have you begun work on your next album? What more can we hope to expect from MLTR in the coming years?

Yes, we have started recording the next album. It will be a very classic, very inspired album. The songs for the album have already been written.

Arindam Chaudhuri GIDF Planman Consulting Business & Economy 4Ps Business & Marketing The Sunday Indian The Human Factor The Daily Indian Kkoooljobs.com Amaze, New Delhi IIPM Old Brochure IIPM 4Ps Quiz Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Alternative Budget For IIPM Students

GUEST COLUMN: Innovate or Perish

2011-01-06T10:57:00.002+05:30

Prof Rajita Chaudhuri follow some off-beat trends like organizing make up sessions

If private educational institutions perform well, the government should be forthcoming in recognising and aiding them

G. Viswanathan

Chancellor, VIT University

The Government of India's education policy is three-pronged. It's about expansion, excellence and inclusion. Currently, access to higher education is only restricted to around 11 per cent of our country's people whereas the world average is 27 per cent. So we have a long way to go before we catch up with the rest of the world. To achieve this, the government's spending on education should be increased. Even though the Education Commission had recommended six per cent of the GDP to be spent on education (that too 50 years ago), only four per cent is actually spent.

The government is concentrating on school education. No doubt it is much needed but higher education is necessary to maintain the country's economic growth. Economic equality can only be a reality when the middle and the lower middle class reap the benefits of higher education. However, this cannot be achieved by the government alone. The private sector, too, would have to participate. Liberalisation and privatisation should apply to the education sector as well so that expansion takes place. But unless we take care of the tuition fee of students coming from weaker sections of society, they may not be able to join the institutions, especially the private ones, even if seats are available. Some kind of financial assistance is desperately needed for them apart from the bank loans. Even getting bank loans is not that easy for them. This model is available in China. I am told by Chinese students in my institution that their education is funded by the Chinese Government. Such a model is worth considering in our country as well.

Now, since we are liberal in permitting engineering colleges, the number of seats has gone up to 10 lakhs in India. This is a very unique situation. Such expansion should take place in other sectors as well such as medical education where there is a dire need for expansion. Our students, who are mostly going out of the country, are studying medicine in many East European countries. The cost of medical education there is comparatively cheaper than in India. It is high time that our students get enough seats in our country. As for quality, it will take some time. For a college, it usually takes about ten years. For a university, it requires 20-25 years to develop full-fledged teaching, research and other capabilities that include dispensation of social responsibilities. The present Union government wants to expand the reach of education and improve its quality. But the way it is implemented goes against private initiatives in the education sector. We can bring about quality only if there is competition between the government and private institutions.

We are also expecting foreign universities to land in India. If they are here, we'll have to compete with them. We have an acute shortage of teachers in our country. This holds more true for engineering and medical colleges. So we have to offer extra benefits to teachers. We should have more scholarships for those going for Master's degree if they give an undertaking that they will take up teaching. Only then will we be able to tackle the shortage of teachers.

I would make a request to the industry, especially the senior executives, to come and share their experiences with students and teachers. It will go a long way in improving the practical knowledge of students in engineering colleges. Another thing I would suggest is that the teachers must go to industries at least for a short period every year to brush up their theoretical knowledge with some practical knowhow.

If you ask me what I learnt from my experience in building VIT as a reputed institute in India, I would just say 'patience'. Certainly, we need the blessings of and the cooperation from the state and the Central governments. At present, there are rules and regulations which can punish an institute if it violates them. But if an institute performs well, there is nobody to recognise it. It is high time that the government recognised them so that many institutes can compete and quality goes upward. And, perhaps the cost of education would also go down due to increased competition. Since there is no competition, the cost of medical education is very high. As far as VIT is concerned, we were under the University of Madras for 16 years. We didn't have any major problem. But the curriculum was not revised during that period. We had to teach subjects from outside the syllabus which we called 'augmentation programme', because it was useful to them in the industry. Students would study certain things under that programme but would not have to write the examination.

Once I wrote to the university for introducing the credit system. They sat on the application for about two years and then replied, asking us to wait for better times!

In 1999, I applied for autonomous status and went to the university. They said that we didn't have permanent approval from AICTE. So, we were asked to go and get that first. The AICTE in those days was giving temporary approval and the university was giving temporary affiliation. Then I went to the AICTE. There I was told to go to the University of Madras and get permanent affiliation first! This game went on for two years. Finally, I withdrew my application for autonomy and applied for the deemed university status and got it. Now, we are into our tenth year as a deemed university.

I have visited many foreign universities and find that there is no problem of finance. It's largely because the former students and big business houses and industries around the particular city contribute a lot. They donate very liberally to educational institutions. This is happening in a big way in the US. So the universities there allocate enough funds for research. There are lot of scholarships to avail too. That is why they attract large number of students from all over the world.

It would be a good idea if our universities have collaborations with them. I also suggest that when the foreign universities come here, they should have a local partner here so that even if they leave, there would not be a complete void.

Bringing too many restrictions on the functioning of universities, particularly the private ones, will hamper their growth. It will eventually affect the growth of education and too many restrictions will also increase corruption. Fifty years ago, Dr Radhakrishnan Commission suggested that governments should not interfere in the autonomy of universities. It should be applicable both for private and government universities.

This year 1,52, 000 students wrote entrance examination for our university for the 3,000 engineering seats. This shows the faith that parents and students have in us. When we look at the West, all the best universities have more than 25,000 students and yet they maintain quality. MIT has 30,000 students yet they maintain the number one status in the world. I want MIT as the role model for VIT.

In Tamil Nadu, we have more than 450 engineering colleges. If somebody wanted to start a new engineering college, they should concentrate on specialised courses instead of the routine ones. In this age, one has to innovate or perish.

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Prof Rajita Chaudhuri on 'REINVENT and REJOICE'

2011-01-03T12:50:00.004+05:30

Rajita Chaudhuri: The New Age Woman

The key to successful reinvention is consistent investment and focus on innovation. The one company that dared to challenge and even defeat the biggies is Samsung. Whoever thought that this Korean company could defeat Japanese electronic giants – but Samsung did just that. Consistent investment in innovation has helped it beat giants like Sony; and now, Apple too is feeling threatened by it.

It is innovation that has transformed HP from an under performing printer-reliant giant to the world’s largest tech company. Huawei Technologies managed to become the #2 telecom-equipment provider and to beat big competitors like Nokia Siemens through constant product updates. The biggest innovator of the decade award definitely goes to Facebook. It is gobbling up competitors and making the whole world its consumer. By constantly innovating, it’s ensured that no one will come even remotely close to it.

Success makes us comfortable. No matter how impressive, we cannot rest on past laurels. The key is to identify when a successful idea has reached its full potential and is ready to be discarded or reinvented or rejuvenated. Leaders who reinvent themselves are the ones who reinvent their companies too. IBM was famous for its big mainframe computing systems. Today, the company has a large services component, responsible for its growth and profitability.

The decade started with the burst of the dot-com bubble in the year 2000. Thousands and thousands lost all their money, hundreds of companies closed down. Then in 2004, Tim O’Reilly and John Batelle held the first Web 2.0 conference and shocased to the world the immense benefits of “the web as a platform.” This resulted in a plethora of social media sites being created, which changed our world forever. The internet was reinvented and rejuvenated. Like never before. Today, it’s the internet & the social networking sites that are turning our world around.

Failures are a part of life and the strong reinvent and take failures in their stride. However, the players who leave the maximum impact are the ones who don’t take success for granted. They genuinely believe that it is only constant change that will give them sustained success.

It’s time to reinvent as the New Year approaches. It’s time to think deep, to really feel the urge to live your life. So, all that you have wanted to do but never did – go ahead, do it! Start with yourself; give up one bad habit. Stop smoking, give up on junk food, eat less and reinvent yourself. You deserve it. As you start reinventing yourself, you will not hesitate to reinvent your team, your leadership style, your marketing campaign and your brand.

Let’s end the New Year in truly believing in the power of reinvention, for that will help us to keep our New Year resolutions.
This article is sourced from PR-CANADA.net, click here to read compelete article.

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IIPM Prof Rajita Chaudhuri's Snaps

Rebecca West to Allen w. Dulles

2010-12-29T15:41:00.005+05:30

IIPM Prof Rajita Chaudhuri: The New Age Woman

English journalist, novelist, and critic, perhaps best-known for her reports on the Nuremberg trials, Rebecca West started her career as a columnist for the suffragist weekly the Freewoman in the 1910s. Kenneth Tynan described her in 1954 as "the best journalist alive". The following letter was written to Allen W. Dulles, an American diplomat and author of several books on foreign affairs. He was an early head of the Central Intelligence Agency (1953'1961). West's mixed review of his 'bland' book The Craft of Intelligence is being discussed here.

February 22, 1964

My dear Allen

My review has now gone to the Sunday Telegraph and I hope it won't displease you. I enjoyed the book very much, though I was puzzled by the way that you don't seem to have been posted on English cases with perfect accuracy. Houghton`2` did not attract the attention of any security organisation by his extravagance and his investments in real estate or anything else. He is said to have been detected in the course of a dragnet investigation into the possible writers of an anti-Semitic anonymous letter; an alternative version being that a defector drew attention to the presence of a spy in his area on his level. Vassall's extravagance was not noticed, and a good part of the Tribunal was taken up by frenzied attempts of our Attorney-General (a moron of the first water)`3` to prove that our security organizations should not and did not notice it.

I have a strong suspicion that you have read the Vassall Report and not the volume of evidence etc published by His Majesty's Stationery Office. The two don't jibe too well. Radcliffe`4` is an over-rated talent and he fell down over this, and the Law Officers of the Crown were pitiable. I think someone had a hope that if they slapped down the press over the Vassall affair it would be muzzled over the Profumo case. It wasn't, and the whole thing just goes to show that one can't be too clever.

I have the oddest recollection, and an unpleasant one, of Mildred Harnack Fish.`5` She turned up with an introduction from an English writer now dead, at my flat in Orchard Court, and gravely told me that Hitler adored my books. She was empowered to tell me so, and bore the message gladly, because she and her husband were trying to civilise the Nazi state by working for it in the cultural sphere. She went on to say that every book I had written would be published in a beautiful German translation if I would only sign a declaration that I had no Jewish blood in me. At which I asked her to go. She went on, telling me the advantages I would secure if I did this little, little thing, even telling me that if I didn't people might think I had Jewish blood. I explained that I certainly hadn't, but that I would rather die than do such a thing as sign a declaration to curry favour with Hitler, and I threw her out of the front door, and as I did so, I made the uncharitable remark, 'I hope Hitler does to you the worst thing he ever did to a Jew.'

In 1949 I was in Hamburg with Henry and Dorothy Thompson and someone brought a book of anti-Nazi martyrs to the hotel, and I opened it at a page where there was the blond and vague face of Mildred Harnack Fish beside text which showed that Hitler had done that very thing. I felt considerable remorse, until an ex-Communist said to me, 'Let me suggest to you, dear Rebecca, that she was not merely disguising her real convictions when she came to England on this mission. She was also engaged in a typical Communist attempt to tie bricks round the necks of all conspicuous anti-Communists.'

Not a nice story, but this is not a nice age.

All good wishes, and may we Meet some time soon,

Yours ever,
RW

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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KARNATAKA PROTEST: A promise not kept

2010-12-20T15:34:00.003+05:30

Prof Rajita Chaudhuri follow some off-beat trends like organizing make up sessions

Six years gone & STF men who killed Veerappan get nothing

When the elusive forest brigand Veerappan was shot dead by the joint Special Task Forces (STFs) of both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on October 18, 2004, the then government had promised to reward the cops involved in this operation.

Dharam Singh, who was the Chief Minister of Karnataka at that time, had announced various incentives, including cash rewards and promotions to all the 754 Karnataka STF personnel involved in the operation. Also, he had promised to gift residential plots to brave officers at their respective district headquarters.

Now, almost six years after that incident it looks that the operation has been forgotten. The STF has been renamed Anti-Naxal Squad (ANS) and redeployed in the dense jungles of Western Ghatts. Different governments came and went, but nobody made an effort to fulfil the promise despite repeated reminders and pleas by potential beneficiaries.

Upset with the attitude of the government, some personnel resorted to legal battle. B.Venkappa Rai and D.R.Jayaswamy of Mysore, N. Jagannathan, B.K. Bhaskar and Ningappa of Bangalore filed a case in the court against the state government. Finally, the court ordered the state to sanction the plots to the petitioners. But the government didn't act. And when it continued to ignore the court order, the petitioners filed Contempt of Court petition against the state government. This time, the government acted and sanctioned residential plots to all the above petitioners. But the government can get into trouble if the rest of the personnel also approach the court. In such a situation, the government might find it difficult to provide the plots to all of them.

Therefore, it immediately swung into action and issued an order on May 17, 2010, (HD92 POP 2010). It stated that instead of giving plots to the personnel the government would give them money that is cost of the plots (Rs 510 per square-foot). Some officials said Rs 20 crore is going to be allotted for this purpose. They said the government reneged on its early promise because there is shortage of plots in urban centres across the state.

According to the promise, the personnel holding post of inspector and lower level were supposed to get 30/40 plots and those above the inspector level 60/40 plots. Some activists said the recent offer was nothing but an eyewash, for none could get a plot with the price the government has fixed as the land value has risen in the urban centres, particularly in metropolises like Bangalore. The government is trying to wash its hand off the whole issue.

Moreover, even if one goes by the price per-square-foot fixed by the government, the total amount needed is around Rs 46 crore. But, as per the order, only Rs 20 crore is going to be allocated. Is it another eyewash?

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RAAJNEETI: Plot politics

2010-12-14T16:11:00.002+05:30

Prof Rajita Chaudhuri follow some off-beat trends like organizing make up sessions

TSI Five-O: A gripping political ensemble tale
Every time you catch Samar Pratap (Ranbir Kapoor) with his smart phone in 'Raajneeti', he is seen playing chess on it. It's a most apt image that Prakash Jha weaves into his epic political saga because all the twist and turns appear like a well planned chess move ' some you'll anticipate and some will catch you blind-sided. It is not, as pre-release speculation would have you believe, a film based on the first family in Indian politics. But it is the story of a political family and the turmoil it goes through when a power struggle ensues as the party leader suffers a stroke. He appoints his younger brother at the party helm but there are Gen-Next kids ' the son (Arjun Rampal), the nephew (Manoj Bajpai) and the daughter-in-law (Katrina Kaif) ' who are also staking their claim to power. There's the outsider as well (Ajay Devgn) and pulling all the strings merrily in the background is the schemer, (Nana Patekar) trying to keep everything from falling brutally apart.

Shades of Mahabharata and 'The Godfather' converge to create a hue of a saga of succession battles and the twists they spawn. The performances are all top notch. Ranbir defies his age to deliver a top class performance, Manoj Bajpai shines as the desperate son who sees his position fade away, and Nana Patekar is understated as you have never seen him before. This combined with a good background score and well-planned sprawling shots lay the canvas wide for Jha to showcase his brand of filmmaking. Some of the plot points are a bit of stretch (politicians settling feuds themselves in a shootout, 'Wild Wild West' style? I don't think so) but 'Raajneeti', with some sharp dialogues and a well-laid-out storyline is a satisfying watch.

It does not answer any questions about politicians and their ilk but as a chronicle of the murky visage that is politics and how the hunger for power transforms seemingly ordinary people into doing extraordinary things, 'Raajneeti' has got to be on your watchlist.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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2010-12-03T10:53:00.009+05:30

Prof Rajita Chaudhuri on 'THEY ARE COMING TO GET YOU – NOT ALIENS SILLY'

She is involved in training and development activities of the institute and heads a large team compromising both men and women.

Prof. Rajita Chaudhuri
Dean - Center for Enterprise
Management

Prof. Rajita Chaudhuri syas, "During the past few years I have trained thousands of senior executives and have consulted companies in India and abroad; one thing that has been universal is that employees expect a woman boss to play a more nurturing role. They may take a rough and tumble from a male boss but with a woman boss the issue of an ego clash shows up more frequently. It may take some more time before the surveys show up more encouraging trends but the reality is that today it's easier to be a woman boss as the roles are getting very transparent. I have incorporated many things from my personal experience. When I became a mom I wanted to work but had no time. So in my office I introduced flexi hours for new moms. I also felt that dads should share the responsibility of kids too. So every fortnight, dads get an off to spend time with their family. I also realised that women have better self esteem when they look and feel beautiful. So we conduct regular workshops in our office on dressing and make-up. This is an offbeat trend but being a woman boss you tend to bring these little nuances into the workplace there were doubts that I being a wife to a famous person (Rajita is married to Professor Arindam Chaudhuri) has made things easy for me. But with time all these notions were dispelled. I maintain a very goal oriented yet approachable stand for all my employees. There are moments of ego clashes in the office but I always try to keep a cool head and think of it as a generic problem and not a gender based issue.”

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Rough cut: Cinema under siege

2010-11-22T16:25:00.003+05:30

IIPM Prof Rajita Chaudhuri: The New Age Woman

In an open letter, Iran’s most admired director asserts the right of independent filmmakers

Abbas Kiarostami
Iranian filmmaker and global ambassador

I am not sure whom I am writing to, but I do know why I’m writing it. I believe that under the circumstances it is important because two Iranian filmmakers, both of whom are vital to the Iranian wave of independent cinema, have been jailed. As a filmmaker of the same independent cinema, it has been years since I lost hope of screening my films in my country. By making my low-budget and personal films, it has also been years since I lost all hope of receiving any kind of aid or assistance from the Ministry of Guidance and Islamic Culture, the custodian of Iranian cinema.

In order to make a living, I have turned to photography and use that income to make short and low-budget films. I don’t even object to their illegal reproduction and distribution because that is my only means of communicating with my own people.

Even if we choose to disregard the fact that for years now, the cinema administrators of the country, who constitute the main cultural body of the government, have differentiated between their own filmmakers and independent filmmakers, I am still of the opinion that they are oblivious of Iranian independent cinema. Filmmaking is not a crime. It is our sole means of making a living and thus not a choice, but a vital necessity.

I have found my own solutions to the problem. Independent of the conventional and customary support granted to the cinematic community at large, I make my own short and independent films with hopes of gaining some credit for the people I love and a name for the country I come from. Sometimes, that calls for the making of films beyond the borders of my country, which is ultimately not out of personal choice or taste.

However, others, like Jafar Panahi, have for years tried to summon official government support, exploring the same frustrating path, only to be confronted with the same closed doors. He too has for years held hopes of obtaining public screenings for his films and receiving official aid and assistance from the relevant governmental bodies. He still believes that based on the merit of his cinema and the acclaim they have brought the country, he can seek legal solutions to the problem. The Ministry of Guidance and Islamic Culture is directly responsible for what is happening to Panahi and his like. Any wrongdoing on his part, if there is any at all, is a direct result of the mismanagement of officials at the cinema department of the ministry and its inadequate policies which leaves no choice for a filmmaker other than to resort to means that jeopardise his situation as a filmmaker. He too makes a living through cinema. For him, too, filmmaking is a vital necessity. He needs to make himself heard and has the right to expect cinematic officials to facilitate the process, rather than become the major obstacles themselves. Perhaps officials at the ministry can not at present be of help in solving Panahi’s dilemma but they need to know that they are and have been responsible all these years, for the horrible consequences and unpleasant and anti-cultural reflections of such policies in the world media.

I may not be an advocate of Panahi’s radical and sensational methods but I do know that the cause for his plight is not a result of choice but a compulsion. He is paying for the conduct of officials who have for years closed all doors on him, leaving open small passages and dead ends. Panahi’s problem will eventually be solved but there are numerous young people who have chosen the art of cinema as their means of expression and careers.

This is where the duty of the government and the Ministry of Guidance and Islamic Culture, as the government’s main cultural body, becomes even more critical, for they face a large group of Iranian youth who aim to work independently and away from complicated official procedures and existing prejudices.

Jafar Panahi and Mahmoud Rasoulof are two filmmakers of the Iranian independent cinema, a cinema that for the past quarter of a century has served as an essential cultural element in expanding the name of this country across the globe. They belong to an expanded world culture, and are a part of international cinematic culture. I wish for their immediate release from prison knowing that the impossible is possible. My heartfelt wish is that artists no longer be imprisoned in this country because of their art and that the independent and young Iranian cinema no longer faces obstacles, lack of support, attention and prejudice.

This is your responsibility and the ultimate meaning of your existence.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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A Pakistani in America

2010-10-21T14:32:00.002+05:30

IIPM B-School Detail

As Shahid Husain makes a trip to America tinged with hope and apprehension, he brings a pleasing grab bag of a jumble of funny encounters, strange sights and what not

A couple of months ago, I mailed one of my political analyses published in The Sunday Indian to my FB friend Amy Lavenson to get her opinion about it. Interestingly, she invited me to deliver a “community lecture” in Olympia, WA. It was unbelievable! Always shy to face the audience, I thought she must be joking. Nevertheless, I asked her to send me a scanned invitation so that I could make it a part of my application for the US visa. The copy she mailed me said that she would bear the internal expenses. Now the question was who would bear the external expenses, that is, the air fare and boarding and lodging cost. That issue was also resolved when a college mate of mine said he would bear the cost. He too mailed me a scanned letter. My editor at The News, Talat Aslam, was kind enough to give me a recommendation letter.

Though unsure about getting the visa, I took an application form from the American Express and tried my level best to fill it in the stipulated time frame but failed. Repeated efforts bore no result. The US visa application is so cumbersome and detailed that I thought I would never be able to fill it properly. It’s loaded with minor details and silly questions such as “Are you a terrorist?” and so on. I sought help from a fellow journalist, named Maqbool, to fill it but he too failed. It took almost a fortnight to ultimately fill it with the help of a very fast typist at The Herald.

Having applied for the US visa online, I waited for an interview at the US Embassy in Islamabad. That meant an expenditure of another Rs 20,000 or so to go the Capital. I was short of money as usual and didn’t want to borrow from friends. Amazingly, I received a call that I would be interviewed at the US Consulate in Karachi. But an employee at the American Express was adamant that it was a computer error and that I would have to go to the US Embassy in Islamabad. However, I stuck to my guns.

I was pretty sure I would not get a US visa despite the fact that I have travelled to the UK and several other countries and always returned on time. I never had an urge to slip away or seek political asylum. Finally, I received a call from the American Express that I would be interviewed in Karachi. I was asked to reach the consulate at 9.30 am.

In the meanwhile, I rang Elizabeth O. Colton, Public Affairs Officer at the Consulate General of the USA, and told her that I had been invited by a couple of US colleges to deliver a lecture. She told me frankly that nobody could influence the visa officer and that all she could do was to write a line that she knew me.

My interview at the US consulate was brief. Finger prints were taken and then the visa officer, a man with stern looks, called me in.

“Why are you going to the US?” he asked me. “I have been invited by Amy Levinson to deliver a lecture,” said I.

“So you are going to Columbia, New York?” he asked. “No I am going to Olympia, Washington,” said I. “Sorry, I have some hearing problem,” he said, adding, “My sister graduated from Columbia, New York.”

“Is your wife accompanying you?” he asked. “No!” said I. “Where were you born?” he asked another question. “I was born in Karachi” was my reply. He paused for a moment and then handed me a coupon and told me I would receive a call from The American Express in a couple of days to collect my passport. “Have a nice trip!” said he.

Excited, I had informed almost all the friends that I was going to America to deliver a lecture. I received an e-mail from Dr. Ehtisham, a retired surgeon in the US, asking me to stay with him. He informed me that his house was merely two miles away from the Niagara Falls. Another friend who lives in New York invited me to stay with him. My old friend Zulekha Yusuf, who lives in Virginia, asked me to visit her home and said that she would organise a meeting of Pakistani Americans so that I could deliver a talk to them. She also wrote a very provocative message on FB saying, “What do you think of yourself?” I replied that I was a journalist with an experience of 36 years and recognised in India as well as Pakistan, and no more an activist of National Students Federation (NSF) whom anybody could use.

Interestingly, while I was chatting with an old friend who had sent me a letter saying he would bear my travelling and boarding cost, I was shocked when he said he knew Mir Khalil-ur-Rahman and Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman while I didn’t. I said I never wished to know big businessmen. He also asked me whether I was a member of the Communist Party of Pakistan. I said I was a group member during my student days and it was written on FB that I was a Marxist. I flatly told him I didn’t need his ticket. “What to do now?” I thought. “How to bear the travelling cost?” I decided to sell a piece of land that I owned at throwaway price.

During all these days, I wrote a hypothesis on relationship between Nature and Man, and showed it to well-known psychiatrist Prof. S. Haroon Ahmed and to my classmate at the University of Karachi, Dr. Kaneez Fatima-Shad who is now an eminent scientist and professor of molecular medicine and drug research at Dr. Punjwani Centre for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research at the University of Karachi. Both approved it.

I will elaborate it in 4-chapters, 100 pages book after I get a break. I am also likely to present the hypothesis at John Hopkins University.

My wife Nasreen Fatima, an ex-computer programmer and now a house wife, said she had heard visitors were passed naked through a machine. I said I didn’t care if the Americans passed visitors through the screening machine naked since it’s too hot these days and I felt angry due to perspiration. She said “Aap to ajeeb batein karte hein (You talk strangely)”. I asked her if she wanted to go to America. “Bhar mein jaye America. Mein to kabhi nahin jaongi (To Hell with America. I would never go there),” was her reply.

My friend Imran Ayub who works for the Dawn newspaper said, “Shahid bhai just leave your clothes near the screening machine and run on the airport naked and we will get a juicy news item in the New York Times reading ‘a naked Muslim terrorist arrested at JFK Airport’, and we will lift the story.”

Shahid Husain

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS

2010-09-21T12:40:00.006+05:30

Brands and companies that wish to succeed in the emerging rural market need to employ strategies which allow them to be a part of the consumer’s daily life...

India is fast becoming an emerging market with an estimated 150 million strong middle-class consumers. Stretching across the length and breadth of the subcontinent it has long fascinated domestic as well as multinational corporations around the globe. In fact, now the dream is blazing brighter than ever as the Indian rural market is displaying a marked inclination towards consumerism, outpacing the urban market in its ever increasing demand for an array of products and services.

The basic surge in the demand for consumer products is not anymore confined to the people with high levels of income. Even those who appear to be less privileged buy and use such products. Significantly, most of the purchases are made from the households’ own income. Higher purchases schemes and loan account for only around 10% of the rural buying. As a result, like all other mediums of communication, activation and experiential marketing has also seen a massive surge in opportunities in the emerging Indian rural market, as brands now have to increasingly rely on consumer – brand experience to capture mind share against extremely strong local products.

In a market where life revolves around deep rooted community values, joint families and social customs, a pertinent question pops up: Does one size fits all or does one needs to make specific strategies to target emerging Indian consumer? Our emerging consumer is not the savvy “I know it all” of the metro as yet. Yes, as in almost all other media for activation too – it’s different strokes for different folks!

For marketers in the last decade, making space in this emerging consumer market has been fairly simple. The famous video on wheels road shows, the branded smaller trucks, and the likes have done endless rounds, season after season for almost every product. However, in the last few years India has truly evolved with the TV, movies with their endorsements and even the electronic medium has seeped into the rural fabric. They know their brands and have opinions. So, is the ‘song and dance’ or the ‘show them a movie at night’ is really all it will take now?

The time is ripe for focused and relevant messaging and activations that build relationships. To appreciate and understand the emerging consumer’s decision making process one needs to understand the culture of ‘emerging India.’ The social structure of this TG is built around the immediate family, local business community, regular meetings at mandirs, community participation in festivals, et al. Hence, this impacts the entry points to consumer’s life where his purchase decisions are heavily influenced by someone close/trusted like family members, friends or even local dealers/agents, and of course if the product drives aspiration. Interestingly, rural youth is slowly evolving as the ‘opinion leader’ in influencing brand and product decision in a market that was swayed by village elders for centuries. When building a brand in rural India, word-of-mouth is a huge motivator. Initiatives like participation at community events such as annual melas, haats and street theater, continue to generate awareness and influence buying decisions.

Comparatively evolved involvement with schools, sponsoring sports teams or clubs, adopting associations, and building associations with panchayats create a positive word-of-mouth. A plan which activates word-of-mouth goes a long way in forging a longer lasting relationship. A case in point is Dabur Chyawanprash with the objective to reach out to mothers through kids to make them aware of the importance of Chyawanprash in their children’s everyday life. A unique concept of ‘Androoni Shakti Choonauti’ for the kids was conceptualised promoting the brand across schools. Post an interactive session and a product audio visual, letters were sent to mothers including a slogan contest and discount coupon. In fact, in select markets over a lakh students translating roughly into the same numbers of households were contacted. With a 50% response the brand was not only able to build a significant relationship with the consumers but also add on to the numbers. Certainly activating emerging India is all about having different strokes for different folks!

Ambika Sharma is the National Head of Jagran Solutions, which in 2009 won 23 awards at the 10th PMAA event at Singapore

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Environment or Envy?

2010-07-30T12:52:00.001+05:30

With world leaders gung ho about COP15 on climate change; global warming has caught the imagination of Indian media. Corporates too are happy to dabble in this green marketing game and ‘green meetings’ are the buzz words in India Inc.’s corridor of power. Not to be left behind, the hospitality industry is also turning on its green charm. Big star hotels like Ecotel, Orchid, ITC Royal Gardenia and Renaissance are gearing up with various new concepts to lure customers. The idea is to provide corporates with everything which is eco-friendly including the scrumptious delicacies on the menu. So the average menu has begun reading like a dream for the size zero aficionados viz. fresh, organic and local delicacies that in turn translate into lower carbon foot prints. An independent hospitality industry analyst explains the rationale behind these overtures, “The expenditure incurred on such meetings is at least twice that of a conventional meeting which is a key reason for hotels to dabble in this. It also increases employment and creates a ripple effect for the hotel business.” Presently, green meetings contribute just 1-2% to overall hotel revenues, but the same has the potential to reach 8-10% levels by 2012. Is that your saliva turning green?

Neha Saraiya

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Help yourself, please!

2010-06-21T16:24:00.001+05:30

The persistent turmoil in the aviation sector coupled with the mounting losses quarter after quarter (all thanks to the increasing input costs) have left Indian aviators high and dry. Moreover, all the major players, which include Kingfisher Airlines, Jet Airways and Air India, are also over burdened with huge debts mounting over them. While, Kingfisher Airlines has a debt of about Rs.90 billion, Jet Airways has a massive burden of about Rs.150 billion on its back. Well, the less we talk about Air India’s financial standing, the better it is! All these financial obstacles have forced the domestic players to urge the Civil Aviation Ministry to relax the FDI investment cap from the current 49%. However, a pertinent question that arises is, will this proposed increase in foreign investment in the sector actually solve all the problems of the airlines? “Airlines need to ensure that they match capacity with demand. There are currently too many airlines, with too many seats, chasing too few passengers. This will require more effective management as well as consolidation in the form of mergers and market exits,” suggests Binit Somaia, Regional Director, CAPA. Surely, apart from foreign investment, the airlines should also look at route rationalisation and cost cutting as effective measures to overcome the crunch. Somaia also highlights the role of the government in pulling the players out of the quicksand as he says: “The government’s key role is to provide a regulatory framework that provides certainty to investors, which is currently missing in the aviation sector.” Thus, it is not only the financial support that is required, but also the various aforesaid measures that must be adopted by the bleeding airlines to help themselves.

Ratan Lal Bhagat

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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The brand was in deep financial trouble till just about three years ago.

2010-06-02T16:24:00.002+05:30

Today, a new management, cash infusion and a fresh communication, are striving to bring back brand OCM. The Amritsar-based textile manufacturer, which missed out on its big chance is now back with a vengeance demanding its due. By Angshuman Paul

The 36 acre OCM Estate runs parallel to the Grand Trunk Road in Amritsar and its serene outer facade almost transports you to the time-honoured colonial era. But walk inside the sprawling premises and you would perhaps be almost startled at the sudden flurry of activity that will surround you. It is this perceptual dichotomy that captures the past, present and future essence of this worsted suiting producer more than anything else. For a brand that had almost disappeared from public life over the past few years, the zest and energy at the OCM Estate these days is almost tangible. Spanking new billboards and hoardings have mushroomed across the complex featuring the new goals for OCM’s managers; men and women walk about with a definite purpose and a swing in their steps; someone is talking animatedly into the phone about the recent boost in OCM’s institutional sales figures, while somebody else is showing off a PPT of the recently concluded OCM Dealer’s Conference in Dubai to an audience of premium dealers shortlisted to take forward OCM’s new retail ambition of opening exclusive brand outlets across India and even Europe... WL Ross, the US-based private equity fund management company, which acquired the loss-making OCM from the S. K. Birla Group for $37 million in 2007, is seemingly leaving no stone unturned to not just get brand OCM back on its feet, but to perhaps, even surpass its past glory many times over.

To understand the changes in OCM’s present, it’s important to appreciate the brand’s past. Originally intended to manufacture carpets (OCM actually stands for Oriental Carpet Manufacturing), OCM was started by a group of British merchants from the East India Company and has changed ownership thrice ever since. The first was when India’s oldest business family intervened and the S. K. Birla Group acquired OCM with an intention of manufacturing suiting materials. Under the Birlas, the brand name shrunk to its acronym OCM and emerged as a textile behemoth, with an annual production capacity of 8.4 million metres.

But losses were heavy and three years ago, when WL Ross & Co. bought the ailing company, fresh funds injected were first used to repay OCM’s mounting debts. Analysts say that though OCM was sick financially, it had created a huge brand value as a tweed suitings producer. Likewise, the first big investment that Ross made in OCM was of Rs.75 million for re-engineering OCM’s brand image in the Indian market.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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THIS IS NO HERD MENTALITY

2010-05-21T15:40:00.002+05:30

Success depends a lot on how you approach your target audience

After data management, product customisation and segmentation & targeting comes the turn of reaching the target audience using the right channels. When private sector bank, ICICI Bank decided to enter rural India with the aim to give loans for buying cattle to small farmers, they faced a lot of resistance, as farmers were more comfortable with local lenders and sahukars than with a bank. Another major deterrent was the extensive paperwork involved in getting a loan. To overcome this stiff resistance, ICICI launched a unique high impact rural marketing campaign called the Kamdhenu Cattle Loan Campaign. Through this joint campaign by ICICI Bank’s Rural and Microbanking and Agri Business Group (RMAG) and ICICI Lombard General Insurance, farmers were approached and were shown a short film on how availing a cattle loan is easy and not a cumbersome process. Avers Pranav Prasad, Head–Rural & Agriculture Business Group, ICICI Lombard General Insurance, “Kamdhenu was aimed at creating awareness among rural consumers about hedging their economic loss in the event of injury to the cattle due to illness or other perils.” Spread over a period of 150 days across five states and 48 districts, the campaign generated the requisite awareness. Post campaign, awareness levels about cattle loan increased by over 20% amongst the TG.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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There’s a critic!

2010-04-26T15:37:00.004+05:30

IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy

Diptarup Chakraborty,
Principal Analyst, Gartner

This campaign by Yahoo is basically to attract and capture new users that are coming onto the Internet. I don’t think that this is to arrest people that are already using Yahoo! and its services. Talking about the logic behind the campaign, yes, it will help improve the brand value of Yahoo! but the critical fact is that I don’t think Yahoo! will exist over the next two years.

The brand has lost a lot of value and weight in the recent past, and this campaign only appears to be increasing the brand value of Yahoo! to make it more appealing and attractive to potential bidders. Questions are also being raised on why Yahoo! chose to invest in rebranding, instead of investing more on R&D and innovation. The reason is that innovation is a long-term process while branding exercises produce returns within a relatively shorter time period. Also, innovation is much more a risky deal compared to branding exercises. This therefore, justifies Yahoo’s act! Talking about how competition may react to this latest branding strategy by Yahoo!, I don’t think they will react at all. They are definitely stronger than Yahoo! is and two years down the line, I simply see this online war being a two-player game between Google and Microsoft. So this rebranding strategy may not be worth the time and money spent...

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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LOOKING AHEAD...

2010-04-08T12:41:00.004+05:30

Who says an old horse can’t learn new tricks? Godrej, the business house that has been around for over 112 years, is learning them fast... indeed, very fast!

Last year, when we first visited the sprawling 20,000 acre Godrej campus in Mumbai, it looked like a sylvan oasis of tranquility, untouched amidst the bustling madness of Mumbai. However, only few knew that behind this serenity lay a turbulent sea, where this 112-yearold business house was fighting a high tide of calculated metamorphosis.

In fact, it was in 2007 that Adi Godrej and his senior management team realised that the brand pedigree of Godrej was not enough to tackle aggressive rivals and newcomers. The top management of this $2.8 billion conglomerate knew that the time had come to drill into the collective psyche of the 23,000 strong Godrej ‘family’, that it requires change. The ubiquitous result was the corporate logo change in 2008, followed by a slew of other marketing and organisational changes that promised to take brand Godrej to a much wider, urban and younger audience. Nobody is saying whether the slowdown precipitated matters or whether the sweeping brand repositioning is Godrej’s way of preparing itself for the future? Chairman Adi Godrej told this magazine, “Our survey showed that the perception about Godrej products required change. They needed to be connected more with today’s young Indians.” Leading from the front is Tanya Dubash, the 30-year-old daughter of Adi Godrej and Director & President – Marketing at Godrej. Starting from 360-degree advertising to changes in HR strategies, she is using all tactics to bring about a change in the positioning of the brand Godrej. Not only Tanya, even the other three young members of the family (Nisa Godrej, Navroze Godrej & Pirojsha Godrej) are seriously lending a helping hand.

No doubt, with FMCG products contributing most to the group’s profit, Godrej has all reasons to re-structure these cash-cows to maintain a steady flow of revenues in the future. But here’s why market watchers point towards the slowdown as the big catalyst. Though FMCG might be recession proof, Godrej’s other ventures like durables, appliances and furniture, et al (target audience for which are young couples in metros), have perhaps been affected by the slowdown and surely require an image makeover. “We are creating a platform that will enable synergy in distribution and supply chain management for various business,” elaborates Kamal Nandi, VP, Sales & Marketing, Godrej Appliances. After all, the times, they say, are changing... even for the Godrej Group!

Angshuman Paul

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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A 20-year itch?

2010-03-25T12:30:00.001+05:30

The recent bbdo and pizza hut split has left many in the global ad-frat bewildered, given that the parting of ways came after 20 long years. But this has not been the first such occurrence and if anything client-agency relations have become more fractious with time. In fact, the last few years have really been harsh on them. While the account of Magnum Ice creams (handled by McCann Erickson) moved to Lowe Lintas, Cornetto (under Heart brand) was shifted to DDB. Similarly, Unilever’s popular deo brand Axe, which was earlier handled by Lowe, finally fell into BBH’s palette. So what is it that makes clients to shop for a step agency? Notably, it’s not always a wrecked relationship between the two (as perceived by many!), instead there are a number of factors that are responsible for this habitude. “Pizza Hut always has had multiple agencies on its board, which include O&M, JWT, et al. So it’s not exactly an account shift,” avers Ajay Jhala, CEO, BBDO India. Moreover, even a change in management at client’s organisation (or even the agency!) can lead to an account movement. As Jhala further adds, “Sometimes a sudden upheaval in the market can also prove to be major reason for the break up between the two”. It’s time that agencies catch up with the clients’ changing needs or else one could see some more break-ups, for sure!

Neha Saraiya

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Biding adieu to the good ol’ Devil!

2010-03-04T12:31:00.001+05:30

IIPM 3-year full-time Integrated (MBA BBA) Programme

It’s been turning many eyes green for more than two decades now. But, the electronics & home appliances maker Onida has finally bid adieu to the Devil. Sriram Krishnamurthy, Vice President, Marketing & Services, Onida, reasons the sad demise...

4Ps B&M: Although Onida wanted to adopt a renewed positioning, but was it really important to drop the Devil considering that it had high recall and was instrumental in the growth of Onida, especially in the television category?
SK: Envy has lost relevance as an emotional driver of durables purchase, which has become a necessity and is no more a luxury. And, consequently the Devil loses its meaning as a representation of Envy. Therefore, we decided to move away from using the Devil as our mascot.

4Ps B&M: From ‘Neighbour’s Envy, Owner’s Pride’ to ‘Tumko Dekha To Yeh Design Aaya,” how has Onida’s communication strategy evolved?
SK: “Neighbour’s Envy” was a breakthrough campaign in the 80s and 90s and it really boosted our share in the television market. Our new campaign, “Tumko Dekha To Yeh Design Aaya” is not just a tagline or a communication strategy, but our intention to make it a reflection of our organisational culture – one of continuous customer-centered innovations.

4Ps B&M: Going forward, what is your advertising and marketing plan?
SK: We intend to re-establish ourselves as a multi-category durables brand with a strong customer-centered promise of thoughtfulness. Towards this, we plan to double our current spending of about Rs.500 million on advertising and promotions outlay to Rs.1 billion in this financial year. The ratio between various media/months is not fixed and will be re-allocated on a dynamic basis.

4Ps B&M: What does your media mix look like?
SK: Our campaign will run extensively over television. Apart from that, we are also devising a comprehensive 360-degree campaign covering all media verticals – radio, cinema, print, outdoor and digital media. We will also launche point-of-sale merchandise.

4Ps B&M: So, Onida is all set on the ‘Promotion’ front. But, what new is happening with the product considering that Onida KY Thunder Series was the last blockbuster product from the stable?
SK: All our four campaign ads – across categories – today reflect strong new innovative product propositions. However, technology is a commodity nowadays and therefore we will need continuous innovativeness to stay ahead in the consumers’ minds.

4Ps B&M: And what’s Onida’s exact positioning?
SK: Our positioning is not based on price but on ‘Thoughtful Innovations’. All Onida products represent exceptional value to customers – great quality at the right price points.

4Ps B&M: Can you elaborate on your retail strategy?
SK: We are currently working through multi-brand retail outlets. We are working on a plan for some exclusive Onida retail outlets so that customers can get to experience the entire Onida product range which is difficult to achieve in multi-brand outlet formats.

Savreen Gadhoke

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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FROM 2-MINUTES TO 25 YEARS…

2010-02-19T16:30:00.000+05:30

IIPM 3-year full-time Integrated (MBA BBA) Programme

...the journey has been quite delicious for a phenomenon that has entangled young and old alike in its twirling noodles, says Savreen Gadhoke

“Mummy bhook lagi hai… Bas beta 2 minute!” The popular jingle coined in 1984 seems as relevant today as it was 25 years back. In fact, it starts resonating in our head once we hear the word – Maggi. But then, the start of this journey wasn’t all that smooth. When Maggi was launched in 1984 (first convenience food to be launched in India), the foremost concern among Nestlé honchos was with regards to the promotion and positioning of this instant noodle product in the Indian market – a category which hitherto had no strong footing on the desi soil and a market that never believed in packaged food. But, charged with the challenge to create a new food habit across age groups, the ‘2-minute’ jingle was composed and well, the rest is history. In fact, it has quietly slipped into the lives of millions of consumers with unique associations and fond memories – a favourite tiffin, a treat for hostelers or delight for the newly weds. Reckoned as a convenience food with ‘Taste bhi, health bhi,’ Maggi has indeed come a long way since its foray.

And in 2009, when Maggi initiated the celebrations to mark the completion of its 25 years in India by launching the “Me & meri Maggi” campaign, there were many who even went nostalgic. The campaign, created and conceptualised by Publicis India, traverses down the memory lane and captures real memories of consumers attached with Maggi. Even the packaging of Maggi carries pictures of commoners showcasing their bond with Maggi, for instance, “Meri hamesha hamesha ka saath Maggi.” The campaign is certainly based on the strength of this unique emotional bond that consumers have developed and continue to associate with Maggi. Says Emmanuel Upputuru (who worked on the commercial), “Indians have grown up having Maggi. Such is its popularity that even elders enjoy it as much as youngster. Through this commercial, we wanted to capture the moments shared by all with Maggi.”

With the insight that today’s young generation is continuously on-the-go and copes with a busy lifestyle, and need products that offer taste, nutrition and convenience, Maggi introduced ‘Maggi Cuppa Mania’ as a trendy ally of the multitasking generation. It also launched – Maggi Bhuna Masala – a ready-made cooking paste of Tomato and Onion (with and without Garlic). Says Shivani Hegde, GM Foods “…We worked closely with the Nestle R&D Centre in Singapore, who have used their technological know-how and our knowledge of culinary art in India to develop an innovative product that does not have any added preservatives and contains low levels of oil.” The launch of this product has further made inroads for Maggi to become an integral part of everyday cooking in India.

Harping over the ‘value for money’ quotient as its core strength, Maggi maintained the price point of Maggi 2-Minute Noodles at Rs.10 and Chotu Maggi at Rs.5 all year round (despite rise in prices of key input materials). In its endeavour to make Maggi Tomato Ketchup affordable to many more families, Maggi also launched Maggi Pichkoo, an easy to handle, squeezable pack of Maggi Ketchup priced at Rs.12.

Today, Maggi stands generic to its category. With continuous innovation and renovation of its product portfolio based on strong consumer insights, Maggi has become an integral part of millions of Indians. But certainly not in 2 minutes, they say!

Ambika Sharma
National Head, Jagran Solutions
“Maggi is like a pal that gives you a comfortable space. It’s a companion in odd hour. And no doubt, it carries a few characteristics of a contemporary mom too. In fact, the category of processed food would have maintained a far distance from consumers had Maggi not existed. I won’t even hesitate to say that millions of Indians can go on a hunger-strike for Maggi.”

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

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Most Premium Brands

2010-02-11T17:19:00.000+05:30

• BMW-7 Series • Omega • Mercedes Benz- AMG • Tag Heuer • Mont Blanc

There is always an aura of mystery surrounding premium brands. With the global economic climate seeing one of its worse times, luxury consumers have gravitated toward quality, by purchasing fewer but better things that deliver on a promise that endures over a lifetime. Be it BMW-7 Series or a Tag Heuer, consumers are going out to buy products that represent genuine value. There has been a decisive shift from conspicuous to discerning consumption as customer fatigue has set in with mass marketed premium products.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

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We value a lot of intricacy!

2010-01-19T16:29:00.000+05:30

“People decorate home with all kinds of products like marble, precious metals, crystal, et al. In fact, homes are now becoming more luxurious and the concept of luxury home is getting more and more popular by each day. Further, it’s no more a concept limited to super riches in India as middle and upper middle class are also adopting it quickly. People are now spending more in making their home look beautiful. But, the main idea is that we do a lot of research before, like in the case of Lakshmi we did research for three years on ornaments, colour of sari, et al. For Radha Krishna our Italian guys lived in Vrindavan for almost a year to get the perfect thing. We value a lot of intricacy and when we finally announce the piece it is consulted with the people for whom it matters or from the people who has the knowledge about it. Moreover, before we launch an Indian piece we take care that nobody’s emotions are hurt and create a piece that is loved and liked by all. Moreover, whenever Lladro family (the brand Lladro is a family name and there are four members who are running it) is in India we organise our signature event. In fact, whichever product you buy that day, it can be personalised for you and the family member signs it for you as well. No doubt, luxury market for home is expanding in India as today luxury is not just restricted to rich individuals, but it’s also for the middle class. There is certainly a huge potential in that class.”

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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CZARS FROM THE WEST...

2010-01-14T16:03:00.000+05:30

Foreign banks making their presence felt in India is no news. They started doing that more than a century ago. Policy hurdles, however, have kept their ambitions at bay. But of late, they are managing to give nightmares to their desi counterparts...

They came, and they conquered. This has been the case of all invaders, be it Alexander the Great, Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babar or for that matter the British East Indian Company, who had come from the west to this land of golden opportunities. But certainly, that’s not the case with the banking giants from the west, who thought that they can have a fair share of the abundant opportunities present in Indian banking arena. So far the journey has been a bumpy ride for them, considering the government protection to the domestic banks for long and denial of a level playing field. However, since liberalisation in the early 1990s, a few of them have managed to put up a show worth taking a note.

Bearing in mind their restricted operational freedom, here in our survey we have evaluated them separately from the domestic banks. Furthermore, as availability of data of the India operations of the foreign banks are a constraint, we have considered their financial performance for the financial year 2007-08. This also provides for an allowance to these banks’ India operations, which might have suffered from a spill over effect of the banks’ miseries during FY 2008-09 due to the financial meltdown in the west.

Talking about the foreign banks, which have succeeded in making a mark in India, there are two names which just can’t be ignored, Citibank and Standard Chartered Bank. While Citibank is way ahead of Standard Chartered Bank in terms of financial performance, the latter certainly has an edge over the global prodigy when it comes to the Indian consumers’ perception; may be it has something to do with a century and half presence of the bank in the country or the country’s nexus with the incorporation of the bank (Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China opened its branches in Bombay and Calcutta in1958 and later merged with Standard Bank of British South Africa to create Standard Chartered Bank). But going by the scale and operations, Citibank has certainly created a magic by surpassing not only Standard Chartered Bank, but also few other banks, which has been in India for around a century or more like HSBC Bank and ABN AMRO Bank. As per the survey, HSBC Bank India stands second among the foreign banks in India in terms of profitability, growth, strength and size and quality of earnings.

In the league of new entrants, it seems as if the one that is fast catching up with the veterans is Barclays Bank. One may consider that its growth looks big on account of its low base, but then one must not ignore the fact that earning the first million is the toughest task. Moreover, in terms of consumer perception this bank is comfortably ahead of its competitors like Deutsche Bank, Bank of America and BNP Paribas. But then, it’s just the beginning, not only for Barclays Bank, but also for all the foreign banks present in India. With the regulators gradually relaxing their restrictions, these foreign banks must get prepared to prove their worth rather than just blaming lack of a level playing field for everything.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
1 lakh copies sold in less than 10 days of Arindam Chaudhuri’s “Discover The Diamond In you”
IIPM fights meltdown, places 2300 students By Education Mail Bureau
Delhi/ NCR B- Schools get better By Swati Sharma
Events at IIPM
Detail of all IIPM branches
IIPM set to beat economic slowdown
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON