We

Online edition available at wethestate.com and wethestate.blogspot.in

Vol-02. Issue-5. Bhopal. Monday Page-12. Price-`5/-

he State

OCTOBER 28 TO NOVEMBER 03, 2013

POSTAL REGD. MP/BHOPAL/4-323/2013-15 RNI NO. MPENG\2012\46415

Polls to see direct confrontaVidya Balan, Farhan Akhtar unveil tion between Rahul and Modi?

first trailer of Shaadi Ke Side Effects

to election campaign
T
he aggressive mood of Rahul Gandhis speeches in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh has added a new dimension to the election campaign. Active in politics for 10 years now, the impression of Rahul as a softspoken, laidback and hesitant politician has endured. His reclusiveness was tolerated when the UPA-II government and its Prime Minister the going was good. But things changed when failed to address the rising tide of public anger against corruption, crimes against women, or ty campaign that was missing in 2009. the surging inflation. For BJP Narendra Modis The onus was squarely on Rahul to meet this candidature has created a buzz around the parchallenge. With Sonia Gandhi recovering from an undisclosed ailment and PM Manmohan tion campaign, Rahuls choices were limited: manding that the ordinance sparing convicted sense now. A clear shift in his campaign strateShahdol and Rajasthans Churu, shed the diffidence or fade out in due course. His uncharacteristic assertiveness while delegislators be torn up, confusing then, makes gy has been visible since. In Madhya Pradeshs strained his vocal chords to deliver highpitched speeches. With the new-found aggression, softened by repeated references to his familys sacrifices, Rahul has left no one in doubt that this time he is leading from the and father Rajivs and grandmother Indiras strike a chord with todays young voters. front. But the references to Sonias struggles martyrdom, were superfluous and will hardly freshing departure. Rahul stayed focussed on with confidence, brandishing the food security However, his speech at Sagar marked a reRahul Singh not a viable option to spearhead an elecsuch allegations.

Rahul adds a new dimension

legislation, and accused the BJP of snobbery . But later at Indore, Rahuls and Congress unease with urban, middle-class voters was evident. His rambling speech had a passing mention of Rajiv, a vague pledge to alleviate Indores infrastructure woes, and a confused efMuzaffarnagar. Divulging intelligence alerts at strategic junctures is the governments job. If fort at blaming the BJP for communal riots in Rahul had knowledge of ISI feelers to aggrieved Muslim youth, a public rally was scarcely the occasion to reveal it. He won no friends in the Muslim community either. Muslim leaders were quick to respond that Rahul nity but the community will not be misled by was trying to woo voters of minority commu-

How WE look it !

the message without the customary reminder of his pedigree. He courted the rural voters

. . . C ar t o o n b y K G O JH A

kgo jha @red iff mail. com

BHOPAL October 28 to November 03, 2013

Capital

WE THE STATE

Rahul leaves rural people disappointed

INDORE ongress yuvraj Rahul Gandhi left the people of rural areas of Malwa and Nimar region disappointed as his speech was only focused on Indore and he didnt speak a word about them and their region. Majority of the people in the mammoth crowd present to listen Rahul Gandhi had come from the rural areas. People from the rural areas had come only to get a glimpse of Rahul to comparing him with Rajiv Gandhi. In his speech, the Congress vice president only spoke about making Indore as a commercial city and its comparison with Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai. The people from Nimar region were waiting that the Congress leader will speak about their region and its development but in vain. Maniklal Yadav, a resident of Behrampur in Khargone district said that he had come to hear the speech of Gandhi and its his first chance to see him as well. I am very sad as Gandhi did not mention us in his speech. We had come from a far region but disappointed, Yadav said. Similarly, Ramesh Bhilala, a resident of Kushalgarh, also expressed the same view. Turnout from the urban areas was very and only the supporters of the as-

piring candidates took part on behalf of city people. Only a handful of women turnout to hear the Congress vice president. Supporters of the aspiring candidates had also not let any stone unturned to shine their leaders before the senior Congress leaders. They also shouted slogans in their support. Supporters of two or more aspiring candidates from the same assembly

had also come face to face many times and showed their strength to each other. The aspiring candidates also served the supporters well and also received them at the entry gate and entered the venue along with the supporters only . Rahul Gandhis speech left most of the senior Congress leaders high and dry as he neither targeted the BJP-led state government nor Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauahan on any ac-

count. Rather, most of his speech was focused on development and an urge to the voters to give Congress a chance to show its mettle. However, in their respective speeches, senior leaders of Congress including Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, state Congress president Kantilal Bhuria and Union minister Kamal Nath left no stone unturned in accusing BJP of several shortcomings and misleading people especially youth. Most of the Congress senior leaders of the state had their fingers crossed about him dragging BJP into the issues of corruption, and biased politics. Rather than targeting any of the state government policies or the chief minister, Rahul discussed development and requested voters to give his party a chance. Only at one place did Rahul mention that government should lend its ears to the cry of the public. The senior Congress leaders had come to inspect the venue and its preparations but they did not notice the mistake on the dais which was aptly caught by the national media. The banner pasted on the main dais, on which Gandhi and other leaders were giving speeches, had written Indore Cosangress Committee instead of Indore Congress Committee. The sign of Congress, Hand was also printed in reverse colours.

Poll panel seeks report Row over bogus voters in Rohanis constituency on Rahuls speech
BHOPAL he office of the chief electoral officer (CEO), Madhya Pradesh has sought a report from collector, Indore on the statement made by Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi pertaining to the communal violence in Muzaffarnagar while addressing a rally recently. BJP state president Narendra Singh Tomar had made a complaint to the election commission of India (ECI) demanding action against Rahul Gandhi for soliciting votes on religious grounds and violating the model code of conduct. Sources at the office of the CEO said that once the report from the collector, Indore reaches them, it would be forwarded to the election commission of India. Meanwhile, the video recording and other evidence collected from the rally in Indore has been sent to the ECI already . Rahul Gandhi had said that ISI of Pakistan was approaching 10-15 victims of riots in Muzaffarnagar who had lost their near and dead ones to exploit them for communal ends.

RAJNATH HITS BACK AT CONGRESS

eanwhile, BJP national president Rajnath Singh hit back at Congress and sought to know from Union Government the course of action it is likely to initiate after remarks by Rahul Gandhi on ISI activities in the aftermath of Muzaffarnagar riots. Whether or not the Union Government was aware of any such move by ISI and if answer is in affirmation then what action has it initiated, quizzed Singh. His remarks came in response to media query on Rahul's earlier statement that consequence of Muzaffarnagar riots have snowballed to dizzying height and to such an extent that even ISI was trying to exploit the situation by roping over Muslim youths in riot hit area. Singh slammed the congress, Samajwadi Party and BSP for hypocrisy and its communal character. The (Congress, SP and BSP) so-called secular political parties attempt spreading communal passion and hatred during election time. On the contrary BJP is true secular party with human centric approach in its philosophy leaning, said Rajnath.

Bhopal: The row over bogus voters in assembly Speaker Ishwar Das Rohanis constituency in Jabalpur is unlikely to subside soon. Now chief electoral officer of Madhya Pradesh Jaideep Govind will hear the complaints in this regard. District returning officer of Jabalpur has already deleted over 15,000 duplicate names of voters from Cant Areas electoral rolls following objection by local Congress leaders who moved a PIL in this regard in High Court. Over 35,000 bogus voters were reportedly to be in the electoral rolls in the said constituency where Congress leaders conducted survey to find out the actual figure, creating controversy . Official sources said most of the names, which were found duplicate, were removed through software. CEO of MP and district collector both checked the voters list in detail. Now the officials said, CEO Govind will make final hearing in this regard, before publication of electoral rolls finally that is on October 28. Election office has asked Bhopal collector Nishant Varwade to remove duplicate names of voters from electoral rolls after Bhopal DCC president PC Sharma raised the matter. Sharma said no proper check was carried out in electoral rolls. There is unprecedented rise in number of voters in some constituencies in Bhopal district. The DCC leader also filed a complaint against Bhopal Municipal Corporation for launching e- building permission system amid the model code of conduct being effective for Assembly polls. He said BMC decided to launch new system on the order of urban administration and development minister and mayor. Election commission permitted MPs and MLAs to take benefit of services being provided by the state or Centre to them. Railway coupons or other facilities, which are being given to them, as individual would continue, the EC said.

BHOPAL October 28 to November 03, 2013

Editorial

WE THE STATE

ASTROLOGY
30-10-2013- Wednesday - Kartik Mah Krishnapaksh-Ekadashi Positive directions - North and East Bad time - 12:55 pm to 2:24 pm Good time - 6:44 am to 8:41 am and 2:24 pm to 5:30 pm 31-10-2013-Thursday - Kartik Mah Krishnapaksh-Dwadashi Positive directions - East and South Bad time - 2:24 pm to 3:54 pm Good time - 6:44 am to 7:12 am and 10:08 am to 2:24 pm and 3:54 pm to 5:30 pm 01-11-2013- Friday - Kartik Mah Krishnapaksh-Tryodashi (Dhanteras) Positive directions - East and South Bad time - 10:08 am to 12:55 pm Good time - 6:24 am to 10:41 am and 12:55 pm to 2:24 pm and 3:54 pm to 5:30 pm 02-11-2013- Saturday - Kartik Mah Krishnapaksh-Chaturdashi Positive directions - West and South Bad time - 8:41 am to 10:08 am Good time - 7:12 am to 8:41 am and 12:55 pm to 3:54 pm 03-11-2013- Sunday - Kartik Mah Krishnapaksh-Amavasya (Mahalakshmi Poojan) Positive directions - West and South Bad time - 3:54 pm to 5:30 pm Good time - 7:12 am to 12:55 pm and 2:24 pm to 3:54 pm 04-11-2013- Monday - Kartik Mah Shuklapaksh-Ekam (Annkoot) Positive directions- West and North Bad time - 7:12 am to 8:41 am Good time - 6:44 am to 7:12 am and 8:41 am to 10:08 am and 2:24 pm to 5:30 pm 05-11-2013- Tuesday - Kartik Mah Shuklapaksh -Dwitiya (Bhai Dooj) Positive directions- West and North Bad time - 2:24 pm to 3:54 pm Good time - 8:41 am to 2:24 pm By AACHARYA SARVESH E-Mail: acharya.sarvesh@yahoo.com Mobile: 9826609192

Polls to see direct confrontation

between Rahul and Modi?

SPECIAL TIPS FOR DEEPAWALI POOJAN-LAKSHMI POOJAN

Perform Lakshmi poojan facing West direction. Good time(s) to perform Pooja 5:30 P.M. to 8:27 P.M. Godhuli Pradosh Velaa. 6:33 P.M. to 8:27 P.M. Sthir Sangyak Vrishabh Lagna 01:01 A.M. to 3:16 A.M. Midnight Sthir Sinh Lagna If possible wear red color clothes while performing pooja. Use kalaawa(laal moli) for making baati of deepak to be lightened for pooja. Buy a small silver box on Dhanteras and fill it with Naagkeshar and honey, then keep the box in Lakshmi Poojan. After two days cover the box with a red cloth and put it inside your locker(tijori). If possible perform a havan in Sinh lagna 01:01 A.M. to 3:16 A.M. For havan use kamal gatta (Lotus stem) and ghee while chanting Shree Sukta and Kanakdharaa Shtrot or alternatively count beads(malaa japna) of kamal gatta malaa at least for 11 to 101 round and while doing so keep facing West direction. After Mahalakshmi poojan, chant any Saraswati mantra at least 108 times.

Even if the Congress did not initially want it, there is every possibility that next years general election will see a direct confrontation between Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi. The reason for the Congresss earlier disinclination to field the heir apparent in a straight fight was never wholly clear unless Rahul was deemed too diffident just as there is no plausible explanation about why the perception has changed even if there hasnt been any formal announcement. However, it was apparently Rahuls forceful intervention in compelling the government to withdraw the ordinance on convicted legislators, which seems to have changed the contours of the battlefield. From this standpoint, it was Rahul himself who appears to have decided that there is no point in remaining in the background any longer. It is possible that Modis energetic campaigning has made the Congress vice-president change his mind. He probably realised that the Congress was leaving the field open to the challenger from Gujarat by not taking him on more purposefully . Arguably, the Congress discovered that it did not have anyone who could match Modis combative approach. It couldnt be either the soft-spoken prime minister or Sonia Gandhi with her deadpan reading from a script. To make an impact, it has to be someone who can revv up the audience with his voice and rhetoric. Rahul meets these requirements to a large extent. Not only is he a fluent speaker with a command over the vocabulary , but he also exudes a sense of confidence and, above all, sincerity . He may still be somewhat woolly in his thinking, as when he

said that poverty is a state of the mind or that Dalits will have to acquire the escape velocity required on the surface of Jupiter to rise above their present lowly condition. Even then, what comes through is an earnestness suggestive of a willingness to grapple with the countrys myriad problems. What is more, he apparently wants to do so in his own way, with or without the inputs of experts. As much was clear from his trashing of the ordinance when the experts would have advised him to act with circumspection as, indeed, his mother did. Yet, as he reportedly told the prime minister even while apologising for his conduct, he could not be expected to defend the indefensible. It is not impossible that more such instances of his sincerity as, for instance, on the inclusion of political parties under the Right to Information Act against the governments wishes, will enable Rahul to put his stamp on the campaign. He may be criticised for suddenly finding his voice after 10 years of silence. But, if he can crack the Congresss crusty, cynical mould, he will be emerging in a new light, which will deflect Modis single-minded focus on the Congresss corruption and subservience to the dynasty . Not that these points will go away . But, a serious attempt by Rahul to reset his partys wavering moral compass will do a world of good to his own image and that of the Congress. It will also compel Modi and the BJP to rethink their tactics, which have been based till now on the public anger and disillusionment with the Congresss habitual cynicism, of which the most blatant example was the crude attempt to protect crooks in politics. Modi and the BJP may make fun

of Rahul at last listening to his inner voice, especially when his mother has been complicit in the Congresss crony capitalism and minority appeasement, as when Salman Khurshid promised reservations for the backward castes among the Muslims, knowing full well that the proposal ran afoul of the Constitution. But, notwithstanding such criticism, Rahuls detractors will not find it easy to deny that he is on the right track, even if belatedly . As for Congressmen, their volteface on the ordinance after Rahuls castigation was an indication, if any was needed, that their supine cowardice would make them follow the dynasty unquestioningly . It isnt only their lack of spine which will make them Rahuls obedient foot-soldiers, but also the realisation that all may not be lost as yet, and that it is just possible that the pitch for honesty by the young prince will enable the party to cross the electoral hump. Devoted as the Congressmen are to their own well-being, they will not hesitate to root for probity in public life if that is the price they will have to pay for another stint in power. This admiration for honesty will be a new line for them, considering that they seem to have been banking till now on the possibility that Modi will be hobbled by his divisive image, his critics in the BJP and the absence of any saffron influence in southern and eastern India. But, irrespective of whether Rahul can throw a lifeline to the Congress, it is strange that a 128year-old party is so dependent on a single family for survival. (Share your views at editor @wethestate .com)

BHOPAL October 28 to November 03, 2013

Politics

WE THE STATE

Social media: Cong files complaint against BJP

INDORE
hile the Election Commission of India (ECI) is drafting a circular on political parties and social media, the Congress has filed a complaint against the BJP alleging violation of Model Code of Conduct on social networking websites. Despite the fact that Model Code of Conduct is in force for the November 28 Assembly elections in the State, the ruling party is campaigning on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp, Congress state spokesperson Narendra Saluja said in his

complaint to the ECI. He said that the BJP on Friday prepared an App for Chief Minster Shivraj Singh Chauhan and running his pho-

tographs, and giving information regarding various schemes introduced by him. Madhya Pradesh Anthem is also on the App.

The anthem was prepared by the Government for which it had paid also. Its not a BJPs property, he said demanding strict action from the ECI. The Congress even said that the BJP should be directed to discontinue the App. We even demanded action against the Modi- Run, Saluja said. The Congress spokesperson also accused the BJP of putting his party senior leaders in poor light by uploading some misleading photographs of them. The photographs have been uploaded to tarnish the image of Congress leaders, he said and sought the ECIs intervention into the matter.

CM in dilemma, under pressure to deny tickets to minister

deny ticket to these Ministers in the coming Assembly polls but the Chief Minister is reluctant to sack them. Chauhan has been told that re-nominating these dozen Ministers who said to have performed below par would seriously undermine BJP position in Assembly polls where a somewhat resurgent Congress under Jyotiraditya Scindia is trying to stage a comeback. The anti-incumbency against over a dozen Ministers, is posing threat to the dreams of the BJP to make a hat trick by winning the Assembly elections scheduled on November 25. Besides these Ministers, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan is enjoying clean image. There had been some problems with the alleged involvement of Chauhan's family members, but even the main opposition in the State Assembly time and again endorsed publicly that Chief Minister has good image. In Madhya Pradesh, while his ministers are in trouble in their own constituencies, Shivraj Singh Chauhan is riding on pro-incumbency wave. There are at least half a dozen Ministers who are facing enquiries against them. Following the anti-incumbency factor, 11 ministers of the BJP Government are seeking tickets by changing their present constituencies. The ruling BJP is almost ready with the first list of its candidate, but it is keeping the list on the hold as several incumbents might be dropped to refurbish the part's sagging image in some constituencies. Some sitting MLAs could be shifted to other seats. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, State BJP chief Narendra Singh Tomar and organisational general secretary Arvind Menon have drawn up a list which would be presented before the state election committee during a two-day session early next week. This could leave the party's central leadership with very little time to finalise the names.

Candidates fate may be decided by a slim margin

BHOPAL: A minor swing of votes will be crucial to decide the fate of candidates in 21 out of 230 Assembly constituencies in Madhya Pradesh where elections are scheduled to be held on November 25. This is because the victory margin in the 2008 Assembly election was low in these seats. Even a small swing in the votes could change the fate of a candidate on these seats. Last time, the most interesting case was in Dhar constituency, where Neena Verma, wife of senior BJP leader and former MP Vikram Verma, was declared elected by a margin of just one vote. However, the result was challenged in court by Bal Mukund Gautam, who finished second. He waged a long legal battle and was declared a winner. There are a number of big names who scraped through with quite small victory margins. Madhya Pradesh Minister Jayant Malaiya defeated Chandrabhan of Congress in Damoh seat by only 130 votes. Sajjan Singh Verma (Congress), who is now a Lok Sabha member, got elected from the Sonkutch constituency defeating Phoolchand Verma of the BJP by only 191 votes. Congress won the Junnardeo seat from Chhindwara district by a small margin when its nominee, Tejil Saryan, defeated Nathan Singh Kavreti of the BJP by just 194 votes. Former State Chief Minister Kailash Joshis son Deepak Joshi was elected from Haatpipaliya, where he defeated his Congress opponent Rajendra Singh Baghel by 220 votes. In Kolaras of Shivpuri district, BJPs Devendra Jain defeated Ram Singh by 239 votes. Ashwin Joshi of the Congress won from Indore-3 seat after defeating Gopi Krishna Nema of the BJP by 402 votes. Shivmangal Singh Tomar of BJP won by 256 votes from Dimni in Morena district against Ravinder Singh Tomar of BSP. Former State Assembly Speaker Sriniwas Tiwari lost to Rajkumar Urmaliya (BSP) from Sirmour by 309 votes. In Panna, Shrikant Dubey of Congress defeated former state minister Kusum Mehdele (BJP) by only 42 votes. Dr Vijay Laxmi Sadho, who is now a Rajya Sabha member, won from Maheshwar seat over Rajkumar Mev by 673 votes. Besides, in Jatara, Harishankar Khati of BJP defeated Dinesh Ahirwar of the Bharatiya Janashakti by 847 votes.

hief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan is faced with dilemma with regard to a dozen Ministers in his council of Ministers. Chauhan is under pressure to

4 parties in touch with me to offer ticket: BJP leader

RAIPUR State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Vice President Sachchidanand Upasane, who has been denied ticket this time round to contest Assembly polls from Raipur (North), has said that atleast four political parties are currently in touch with him for offering hima ticket to contest polls. There are four political parties which are in touch with me right now to offer a poll ticket. I have sought time with Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh and central party leadership in New Delhi for reconsidering my name for a party ticket, a distraught Upasane told The Pioneer when contacted. This is against party principles. I have worked very hard campaigning for the party in all the Raipurs constituencies at least four months before polls dates were announced. If party colleague Srichand Sundarani was to be offered a ticket from Raipur North, atleast an talks are already underway in New Delhi, he said. In the 2008 Assembly polls, Congress candidate Kuldeep Singh Juneja defeated Upasane by a margin of 1,436 votes from the Raipur (North) constituency. This time round, Upasane while confident of being given a ticket had started campaigning well in advance in Raipur city to prepare for the polls. Meanwhile, the supporters of Upasane have threatened to resign from their respective posts if the party leadership does not change its decision on denying a ticket to their leader. The supporters of the BJP leader stated that nearly 70 per cent of them supported Upasanes name when party surveyors were doing their survey for recommending candidates to the senior leaders of the party to be considered as potential candidates for Assembly polls.

alternative seat should have been considered for me to contest polls, he said. Upasane said that he harboured no reservations about party colleague Srichand Sundarani offered a ticket to woo Sindhi community votes but an alternative seat should have been earmarked for me to contest poll, he said. I am already in touch with the partys central leadership and have not lost hope. The

BHOPAL October 28 to November 03, 2013

Feature

WE THE STATE

How an Indian Strangers Blood Saved a Young Pakistani in Delhi

ended up in India, oddly, because I could not get to Pakistan. I had lived half my life in Pakistan. Both of my parents are Pakistani, with family roots in and around the city of Lahore as far as either one could see. But I am a citizen of America. I was born in the United States and had spent the other half of my life living in this country. I was a few hours drive from New York when the planes struck in September 2001. Months later, I saw on a college notice board that the American Fulbright program was inviting American applicants to travel and study in countries with large Muslim populations. And so I immediately decided to apply. But I quickly found that there wasnt an opportunity to go to Pakistan it was deemed too dangerous. One day as I looked at a map, pondering where to go, my eyes settled on the mammoth country along Pakistans eastern border. It was so opaque to me that it might as well have been a blank space on the map. I did know that in that country of a billion people there were nearly as many Muslims as there were in Pakistan. And so I sent in my application listing the city 300 miles east of Lahore, as my preferred location: Delhi. I arrived in India in the fall of 2004, at a time when relations between the two South Asian nuclear powers had never been warmer. Pakistan and India had fought four wars, one in nearly every decade since the two countries became independent in 1947, but in the months before my arrival, Pakistan and India inaugurated a bus and a train line connecting Lahore and Delhi. Islamabad and Delhi opened up a nuclear hotline, to expedite the exchange of quick and frank information in case of any misunderstanding regarding the countries nuclear weapons. Most important, the two countries had started playing cricket against each other for the first time since the tit-for-tat nuclear weapons tests of 1998. Still, it was virtually unheard of for a Pakistani civilian to be living in India, or vice versa. A tiny fraction of people from either country would ever get a visa to travel across the border, and even those who did could stay for only a few days at a time. For both Pakistanis and Indians, the neighbor was always like an itch in a phantom limb that could never be scratched. The technicality of my being an American enabled me to spend a full year in In-

dia. Here was an opportunity like none other, and I could not wait to plunge right into it. Looking back, it was that attitude that probably got me in trouble in the first place. It took me only three days to find an apartment. It was a small studio in the leafy neighborhood of Vasant Vihar, near a block of foreign embassies, and I signed a lease on the spot. My landlord was a towering but jovial Punjabi Sikh man with gray eyes who wore a magnificent blue turban. He didnt budge much on the price, but he insisted that he had given me a good deal because his grandfather, like mine, was from Lahore. Early the next morning, I left my apartment to meet a group of local outdoor adventurers for a rock-climbing trip. I had picked up rock climbing years ago, exploring the wilderness of the American Southwest. If passion for cricket was my Pakistani badge, this thrilling and deeply personal adventure sport was my American one. I thought I was going out for the day and so I packed a banana and a water bottle. Little did I know that morning that I would not return to my apartment for almost two weeks. It was just before noon when I fell off a tall rock face and came crashing to the ground. Caa-rrrack. It sounded like a thick branch snapping off a tree. At first, it didnt seem like a noise that could have possibly come from a human body. It did not hurt either. But as soon as I tried to stand up, my left leg gave way, and I collapsed to the ground. Thats when I saw that my leg was dangling at a right angle halfway up the shin. Then I saw the rhythmic spurts of blood sprouting through my track pants. The bone had torn right through the skin. I felt a numbing current run up my body and I began to scream, very loudly. My memories from the next several hours register only in flashes.

The horrified faces of the people I had met only hours before crowded into my vision as I lay on my back. I panicked when I realized that I had not learned the name of a single person yet. Someone wrapped my leg in a dirty insulation pad and I was hauled to and laid out in the backseat of a van. The smell of sweaty climbing shoes stuffed my nostrils and mixed with the metallic taste in my mouth. A woman wearing a parka peered over my face and apologized for the traffic we were apparently stuck in. It was the beginning of Diwali, the most important annual Hindu religious holiday, she explained. Delhi was experiencing some of its worst traffic jams of the year. When I came to, it was very dark and quiet. My mouth felt like it was lined with thick paper and I had barely enough strength to open my eyes. I saw my left leg suspended in the air, wrapped up in white bandages, lifted off a hospital bed by a wire. Paani, I called out for water, using the word common to Urdu and Hindi. A nurse briskly approached my bedside in the dark and poured water into my mouth with a pipette. Is it over? I asked in Urdu. You need to rest, go back to sleep, the young female voice instructed me in strongly Indian-accented English. The doctor who had operated on me walked in the next morning and introduced himself pleasantly as Dr. Dey. I fired all the questions I had been pondering in the hours I had lain there awake and alone. Will I walk again? Will I walk with a limp? How long will I have to stay in bed? He told me that I was bedridden for at least eight weeks. It was a long surgery, six hours in total. I had lost many ounces of blood in the hour I was stuck in traffic. I had lost a small piece of my tibia and now had a pound of metal rods and screws inside my leg holding it together. I would have to stay in the hospital for about 10 days. He didnt answer my other questions. Youre very weak right now and you need time to recover, he said in English. Then scanning the empty room he asked, Dont you have anyone coming for you? I did not tell him that my family was in Pakistan. I grew weaker with every passing day. I had noticed that the doctors had started to whisper outside the door to my private room. On day five, Dr. Dey burst in, dressed in a white coat, studying a clipboard of notes, and without

missing a beat declared, We need to get blood in you. He explained that my hemoglobin had dipped below the point where my system could lift it up again on its own. I had hit a slippery slope. I dont need it, Dr. Dey, I lied. I feel better today. He repeated himself, this time looking straight at me. Within minutes, a tall rickety rack was carted over by my bedside and a needle was inserted into my forearm. I traced with my flailing eyeball the stream of ruby-colored blood up to a plump plastic pouch. It sat there, resolutely dripping, one drop at a time, and I felt a chill crawl over me. It was the first time someone elses blood had run through my body. I began to shiver and a nurse walked over and placed a blanket over my chest. It was normal to feel cold, she whispered. I didnt respond. My heart did not even have the energy to race, and I closed my eyes. In that moment I began imagining, like a movie, a story my mother had told me about her life as a young teenager in Lahore: It was the war of 1965 between India and Pakistan. The fighting on the border was intense. Hundreds were being killed every day , and my mother, only 16 years old at the time, had snuck out to the Mayo Hospital without telling her parents. She wanted to donate blood for the soldiers, but the nurse on duty told her that to do so, she had to be at least 18 years old. But my mother pleaded with her, begging to take her blood. It was needed badly on the battlefield and so, eventually, the nurse gave in. My mother had watched with satisfaction as the soft plastic pouch full of her deep purple blood was carted off to another room to be spilled elsewhere on the land. I opened my eyes now, to see myself in India receiving the blood of an Indian. (Source N e w Y o r k T i m e s )

BHOPAL October 28 to November 03, 2013

Region

WE THE STATE

Mewar: Epicentre of politics in Rajasthan

SANGEETA SHARMA E-mail: sangeeta.dsharma@gmail.com

ewar has always been the epicentre of politics in Rajasthan. Whenever the state has been looking for a king, the region has played the role of a kingmaker. Mohan Lal Sukhadiya, Heeralal Devpura, Haridev Joshi and Shiv Charan Mathur, all former chief ministers of Rajasthan, hail from Udaipur division. In the last two elections as well Mewar was responsible for the politics that led to the formation of the BJP and Congress governments in state. A close look at the political history of Udaipur division and the state shows that gaining majority in this region is a prerequisite to form a government. Prior to 2003

elections, when Vasundhara Raje was declared the BJP chief, the first thing she did was to pay obeisance at the Tripura Sundari Temple, a move which is believed to have created a wave in BJPs favour. The party won 22 out of 28 seats from this region and BJP formed a government in Rajasthan that year. During the elections, Congress was left with only six Assembly seats. There was a reversal of fortunes in the 2008 elections in Mewar. Congress president Sonia Gandhi started the campaigning in state from Mewar, then. Mewar rewarded the party with 22 seats. However, anti-incumbency was also a major factor in the hammering of BJP candidates in Mewar this time. Having pocketed the major chunk of seats in this division, the Congress went on to form the government under chief minis-

ter Ashok Gehlot. With history threatening to repeat itself, both Congress and BJP are believed to be leaving no stone unturned to bag the maximum seats in Mewar. Both parties are undoubtedly seeking an entry to the political corridors of Jaipur via Udaipur. While BJP state head Vasundhara Raje kicked off partys statewide Swaraj Sankalp Yatra from Mewar, Congress also roped in the Gandhi scion and partys V-P to whip up support in tribal belt of this region like Salumber and Udaipur. To counter the Congress offensive, RSS organised a Virat Hindu Sammelan in Beneshwar, Wagad region, to woo the tribal electorate that abounds here. The BJP is expected to make similar effort to bring the voters to its fold with its Adivasi Sammelan, where its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi will address a rally in Udaipur on October 29. Though majority of voters here are tribals, both the Congress and BJP do not have a prominent tribal leader in the region. Congress has been bestowed with leaders like Dr Girija Vyas and CP Joshi representing the region at Centre and BJP has comfortably accommodated personalities like Kiran Maheshwari and leader of

the Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria. But none of them are tribals. While Congress does flaunt Raghuveer Meena and Tarachand Bhagora, and BJP, Mahavir Bhagora, these MPs lack a stronghold over the tribal region. None of these names are competent enough to sway the voters off their feet. This is the reason why both the parties are pulling out all plugs to gather support. Sensing a big void in the region, tribal leader Kirori Lal Meena has already started campaigning in the region. Though Kirori Lal may not be able to sway voters in large numbers in his favour, he is sure to eat into BJPs and Congress vote banks. While the Third Front is also increasing its activities in the region, their success in the region is questionable because history goes against their claims. Out of the 28 seats in the region, BJP won 22 in the 2003 elections, while there was a complete reversal of the situation in 2008 as Congress won the same number of seats to romp back to power. Though Congress has initiated various schemes for the tribals and its workers are enthusiastic about the outcome of these flagship schemes, slow implementation and anti-incumbency factor are a big concern for the party. BJP, on the other hand, has various reasons to be happy, including the influence its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi holds over the region.

BHOPAL October 28 to November 03, 2013

Glamour

WE THE STATE

icromax has announced that they have singed up Hollywood star Hugh Jackman as its brand ambassador. Micromax has also teased their upcoming smartphone, the Canvas Turbo in a video, which would be launched soon. He will also be seen endorsing Canvas series of smartphones for Micromax. The Micromax Canvas Turbo is rumored to pack a 1080p full HD display and powered by a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor. Shubhodip Pal, Chief Marketing Officer, Micromax said in a press release announcing the association, We are very excited to welcome Hugh Jackman in the Micromax family as he truly embodies the aspirational, reinventing and fearless persona of the brand Micromax. As we look to expand our footprint across the globe in various international markets, the association with the Hugh Jackman is an ideal partnership for us to connect with audiences as he is the leading name in the entertainment industry in the world. Talking about the association with Micromax, Hugh Jackman said, I am extremely thrilled and honored to be part of the Micromax family . I am a huge lover of India as it is one of the most exciting countries in the world and we also share our love for cricket. Phones are genuinely time saving devices that can help you live a better life while juggling around with different situations. The new Canvas phone from Micromax is a leap in innovation with great sense of fun and amazing features that helps me balance my work with all the different roles that I play in my everyday life. The first observation is that the investment made in Jackman will be leveraged in countries other than India, in some way answering the question, why not sign on an Indian celebrity? In India, Micromax is clearly one of the leading manufacturers of mobile phones and the Made in India tag does them little harm. Micromax came in as a price warrior, occupying a sweet spot between the clearly international players such as Samsung, Nokia, LG, Apple and the Chinese brands. In terms of country of origin preferences, one would imagine that India was below the American, European and Korean brands but ahead of the Chinese. As long as Micromaxs ambitions were limited to India, they used Indian cricket and Bollywood celebrities including Dhoni, Akshay Kumar and Kalki Koechlin. The use of such celebrities allowed them to rise to the top of the Indian brands in the space. Out of India, though, there are problems with the Made in India brand. While India may be known for yoga, ayurveda, IT and so on, there is certainly no positive ruboff for brands from India in the tech product space. On the contrary, Indian products will be thought of as cheap, unreliable and inferior. What Micromax is attempting to do by signing on Hugh Jackman is to gloss over their Indian roots. It is most unlikely that Micromax will highlight the fact that the brand is Indian. The communication will focus, in all likelihood, on Jackman, an Australian star, plugging the phone effusively . Jackmans signing will also benefit the brand in India, as his images would make the brand less Indian and more International and move (to some extent) the clearly Indian brand closer to the American, European and Korean competition, further away from the Chinese. This is not the first time that a Hollywood star has been used in communication in India. Visa did it years ago with Richard Gere, but that campaign ran not only in India, but across the Asia Pacific market. Cricketers including Vivian Richards, Brian Lara, Steve Waugh, Brett Lee have been used to market Indian brands to Indians. But no brand has used an international celebrity in the manner that Micromax is doing to suppress the fact that the brand is from India. If this works for Micromax, there are many Indian brands with global ambitions that could take a cue from this strategy .

Micromax ropes in Priyanka Chopra Loves To Look Picture Perfect! Hugh Jackman as its A brand ambassador M
ctress Priyanka Chopra is a style diva in the Bollywood industry. People love the way she looks and dresses. PC is one such female star, who looks fab at any point of the day . Explaining about her perfect looks, Priyanka said that she is quite conscious about the way she looks or dresses up. When a leading daily asked how do celebrities manage to look fresh, even after a long fight, to which Priyanka Chopra said that it's due to the photographers, who stand outside the airport to take snaps of the celebs. The actress said that she wears lipstick, even at 3 am in the morning before getting out the flight, since she knows there would be photographers outside the aiport to click her She further said that she has been very particular about how she looks. "It's not that today being an actress, I am concerned about how I look. I liked to be well-turned-out even when I was in school. My dad hated it if I looked like a jhalli. It was a rule in our family for all the women, to be presentable and well-turned-out," Priyanka told the daily . "My mother and I were never allowed to walk out in our nighties. So when I walk out of an aircraft, I make my hair and wear my jacket. And I do that not only in India, but also when I land abroad as there are people all over to look at you", she added.

Vidya Balan, Farhan Akhtar

unveil first trailer of Shaadi Ke Side Effects
ctress Vidya Balan and actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar, who are sharing screen space for the first time, unveiled the first trailer of their film Shaadi Ke Side Effects on Monday . "It was wonderful to be part of the film and to work with Farhan. He is also a fellow Capricorn. There are many Capricons in the film. I had a great time and I must say Farhan's comic timing is amazing," Vidya said. Shaadi Ke Side Effects, a sequel to Pyaar Ke Side Effects, presents the story of a husband and wife (played by Farhan and Vidya) and how they deal with life's complexities. When Farhan, who is married to popular hair expert Adhuna, was asked whether he had ever lied to his off-screen wife, he said: "I would like to avoid your question. I think it's a philosophy which works for some people but, in personal life it doesn't work for me." The movie, which will release on February 14, is directed by Saket Chaudhary .

BHOPAL October 28 to November 03, 2013

Must Read

WE THE STATE

The onion and India: A many layered relationship

hy not the potato? A shortage of that tuber caused a devastating famine in Ireland. So its not a vegetable devoid of political symbolism. When the French opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq, an irate US Congressman wanted Americas beloved French fries to be renamed Freedom fries. But in India, its onions that have emerged as the political bellwether. Its onions that traders hoard. Instead of tea leaves our pundits are reading onion skins as a bunch of states go to the polls next month. The mango person might soon be replaced by the onion person in political commentary . Perhaps the onions association with tears provides headline writers with a lot of grist for their mill. Whatever the reason, theres something about onions. What makes it odder is the fact that onions are rarely the star performer in our dishes. Unlike the French we dont have an iconic onion soup. We do have the batterfried pyaaji but then you can batterfry just about anything and people would devour them. Onions are the food equivalent of a feisty, over-thetop Amjad Khan in Sholay essential to the action but certainly no hero like Amitabh Bachchan or Dharmendra! writes Lavina Melwani. Yeh pyaaz mujhe de de thakur. Sometimes its not even as showy as Gabbar Singh. The pyaaz can, in a tomatoonion gravy base kind of way , be a sol-

id omnipresent AK Hangal-type character artiste. If our ongoing and recurring onion crisis has any lessons beyond predicting elections its to remind us to cherish the character artiste, the one taken for granted. If you took the Hangals and Iftekhars and Asranis out of our films, Bollywood would implode. Likewise with the onion. Its hard to imagine civilization without onions, said the famous chef Julia Child. Civilization is different from life. It is difficult to conceive of life without the aloo. Its easier to live without onions. Many Indians have done so for centuries for a variety of religious reasons but for the rest of us, it would mean a far less flavourful life. At the railway station not far from my house, the roadside chow seller likes to chop onions with theatrical flourish. Lately hes been making do with shredding papaya. Its not quite the same. At the Prema Vilas restaurant, I order a tomatoonion-cheese uttapam without thinking. The waiter comes back to say sheepishly that will be an extra eight rupees. These days my mother announces with great fanfare whenever the dinner entree has been cooked without onions. Firstpost columnist Rajyasree Sen devoted an entire blog on India Real Time to a three-dish menu to suit these expensive onion times. The daily cooking shows on television have theme weeks

desserts one week, hilsa recipes another week. As onion prices hit Rs 100 a kilo a week-without-onions theme must be in the offing. Our onion-crisis is forcing us to understand something that lies at the root of the word itself. As Josh Spiro points out in The Wilder Voice , (t)he word onion comes from the Latin uniothat, meaning oneness or unity, because an onion, like a union, is destroyed as it is gradually taken apart. More than its tears, its its layers that give the onion its symbolic value and affects us on so many levels. As it becomes a luxury item, it threatens our national unity as traders in Bengal blame suppliers in Karnataka while Bhopal at Rs 100 a kg looks suspiciously at Chandigarh at Rs 50. Now there is even talk of importing onions. The horror of it! We might have to risk sweet Vidalia onions in our dal! Writers have actually cottoned on to the symbolism of onions for a long time. University of California Berkeley linguistics professor Thera Marie Crane has carefully put together a compendium of onions in literature. The most famous perhaps is The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky . In it Grushenka tells Alyosha a story she had learned from her cook about a very wicked woman who had not a single good deed to her name. As she was plunged into a lake of fire her guardian angel remembered one. She had once pulled up an onion in her

garden and given it to a beggar woman. God said, You take that onion then, hold it out to her in the lake, and let her take hold and be pulled out. And if you can pull her out of the lake, let her come to Paradise, but if the onion breaks, then the woman must stay where she is. As the guardian angel pulled her up gingerly , other sinners caught hold of her and tried to climb out of the lake with her. The woman kicked them off saying Its my onion, not yours. As soon as she said that the onion broke and she plummeted into the lake of fire. Thats a story politicians would do well to remember come electoral season. Sheila Dikshit is worried about onions hitting a century as she gears up for the polls. She should be more worried whether in the final reckoning, she can go to the electorate with more good deeds in her kitty than giving away onions at a discount. But for us ordinary people, the small A aam aadmi, the onion is teaching us to count and relish the small luxuries. On my birthday this year, friends and relatives asked what specialties were being cooked at home. The stars were not the usual ones biryanis, fish fries, kheer. We are having dishes with onions, I replied. Like a do-piaza? wondered a friend. No, no, I said hastily . Nothing that extravagant. I mean its just a birthday . We dont have to go completely overboard. (Source Firstpost)

BHOPAL October 28 to November 03, 2013

Commerce

WE THE STATE

Indian HIV /AIDS patients can have life insurance cover

he Insuranc e Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) has asked insurers to provide life insurance cover to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) from April 1, 2014. However, the insurers said that the lack of proper data about the ailment will be a hurdle determining premiums of the product. In the draft guidelines last week, the regulator said that the board-approved underwriting policy should be kept in place by all insurance companies. It said that a PLHA cannot be denied a life insurance cover, if they satisfy the eligibility criteria mentioned in board-approved underwriting policy .

Pricing the risk is a major concern for the life insurance companies. While, they have been asked by the regulator that the mortality study conducted by the Institute of Actuaries of India with the support of the working group constituted by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) could be referred for pricing, which insures dont find viable. The regulator also said that the insurance companies can also take the standard underwriting guidelines for life insurance products framed by the Life Insurance Council into consideration. The biggest concern was that PLHA conditions are still not completely curable, said a senior official from the industry, adding, On one hand, while we are finding it difficult to price conditions such as cancer, a product for PLHA would become unaffordable for the masses. Further, the guidelines said the board-approved

underwriting policy should provide clear guidelines on PLHA and clearly indicate all possible risks to be considered for underwriting, along with the eligibility criteria to consider such proposals in terms of medical and non-medical parameters. The policy should also specify all the risks that would be deferred and denied/declined, it added. The regulator, on the health insurance segment, said that if an insured is HIV negative at the time of signing the policy, and later found to be HIV positive during the policy term, the insurance company cant reject/deny any claim, on such grounds.

Indias Central Bank Program Brings in Billions

ndians living abroad are putting up billions of their hard-earned dollars to help bring confidence back to India and its rupee. The Reserve Bank of India has been trying to increase the countrys foreign exchange reserves by making it cheaper for Indian banks to borrow abroad and helping them set up attractive deposit programs for the world-wide web of non-resident Indians. In early Septembernot long after the rupee hit an all-time low against the dollar the RBI said it would start subsidizing some of the cost of hedging against currency risk in foreign currency deposits and loans. The program has raised $10 billion since it was started in early September, according to an RBI announcement Wednesday . Foreign exchange reserves are a rainy-day fund central banks use to bolster their currencies. When local currencies are sliding in times of stress, central banks dump their dollars and buy their own currencies. Foreign reserves is a key parameter used to assess a countrys resilience against heavy capital outflows, such as those seen this summer after the U.S. Federal Reserve

hinted it will end its easy-money policy . When the rupee hit a record low of 68.80 to the dollar on Aug. 28, Indias foreign exchange reserves stood at $275 billion. That was enough to cover just seven months of imports, the lowest ratio of reserves to imports in 15 years. Since then, reserves have risen to almost $280 billion, mainly due to the RBIs incentive program. The RBIs program works like this: Indian banks accept deposits denominated in foreign currency from Indians living overseas. The money is then changed into rupees. The overseas Indians eventually have to be paid back in dollars when the deposits mature, so Indian banks risk losing money if the rupee depreciates. Under the RBIs initiatives, banks that collect deposits with maturities of longer than three years can hedge against that currency risk through the central bank for just 3.5% per year. Thats well below the regular market rate of around 6.5%, said Gyan Harlalka, managing director and head of India markets at The Royal Bank of Scotland N.V . in Mumbai. The scheme works for the country by

increasing foreign exchange reserves, it works for the banks by giving them cheaper funds and it works for depositors by giving them an attractive rate of interest, Mr. Harlalka says. He expects the program to raise more than $15 billion before it ends on Nov. 30. The interest rate on the NRI deposits, around 4% at some banks, is so attractive that some international banks have even been offering loans to non-resident Indians for the deposits. Since the interest on the loans is low-

er than the interest on the deposits, the depositors can pay off the loans and still make money . However that lower rate to hedge risk comes at a cost to the central bank. The RBI has to shell out around $250 million of its own money for every $10 billion raised through the program, said RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan in a news conference last month. That is a small price to pay, he said, if the initiative succeeds at arresting the rupees scary decline against the dollar. (Source WSJ)

10

BHOPAL October 28 to November 03, 2013

World

WE THE STATE

No consent given by govt for drone strikes: Pakistan tells UN

UNITED NATIONS akistan has strongly denied a UN report that members of its government had given consent to controversial drone strikes in the country and demanded an end to such attacks which incite hatred. Pakistans Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Masood Khan told a UN general assembly rights committee debate yesterday that all drones strikes in his country are a chilling reminder that reprisal strikes by terrorists are around the corner. They put all Pakistanis at risk. The psychological impact of the use of drones on the relatives of civilians killed in an inhumane manner incites sentiment and hatred and radicalises more people, he said adding that drone strikes are counter-

productive. Khans remarks came as Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism Ben Emmerson submitted his interim report on the use of remotely piloted aircraft in counter-terrorism operations to the General Assembly . In the report, Emmerson said there is strong evidence to suggest that between June 2004 and June 2008 drone strikes in Pakistans lawless Federally Administered Tribal Areas were conducted with the active consent and approval of senior members of the Pakistani military and intelligence service, and with at least the acquiescence and, in some instances, the active approval of senior government figures. Khan rebutted Emmersons claim saying, let

me also state authoritatively that no explicit or implicit consent, approval or acquiescence has been given by the Government of Pakistan for the drone strikes. He said use of drones violates Pakistans sovereignty and territorial integrity. In the asymmetric terrorist war, the well established humanitarian principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution must be observed. This is not being done. There is also obvious geographical disjunction between the location of drone strikes and primary battlefieldIt is not justifiable to launch strikes in the context of non-international armed conflict in the context of Pakistan-Afghanistan border area, he added. Khan said there is no grey area in the use of armed drones when they kill innocent men, women and

children. Killing unarmed, innocent civilians is a clear breach of international law. We call for the immediate cessation of drone attacks inside the territorial borders of Pakistan, he said. Khan further said that Pakistan does not agree with the Special Rapporteur that while the fact that civilians have been killed or injured does not necessarily point to a violation of international humanitarian law, it undoubtedly raises issues of accountability and transparency. We believe that civilian casualties as a result of the drone strikes do violate international humanitarian law, as well as international law and human rights law. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had urged the US to end drone strikes during his meeting this week with US President Barack Obama in Washington.

Iran hangs 16 in reprisal for Pakistan border killings

TEHRAN

Activists post video of woman in Saudi Arabia driving a car, defying ultraconservative kingdom
Riyadh: Activists have posted a video of a woman in Saudi Arabia driving a car,

ran hanged 16 rebels of an unspecified armed group on Saturday in retaliation for the death of 14 border guards in clashes near the frontier with Pakistan, a semiofficial news agency reported. The executions took place hours after the rebels ambushed the border guards near the town of Saravan in southeast Iran, Fars agency quoted local judicial official Mohammad Marzieh as saying. State TV said that rebels had crossed the border from Pakistan and fled back there after the clash. Drug smugglers have occasionally ambushed Iranian troops in the mountainous area, which lies astride a major transit route linking Afghanistan to Europe and the Persian Gulf. Ethnic Baluch armed groups also operate there, but recently have been much less active. The report provided few other details of the hangings. It did not mention a trial, suggesting the prisoners may already have been convicted and sentenced to death, and their executions moved up after the ambush. The state news agency IRNA had earlier described the attackers as bandits, and said authorities were investigating whether the attackers were drug smugglers or an armed opposition group. An

Iran official meanwhile said that authorities would probe claims by the daughter of detained opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi that she was bitten and hit by a female guard during an argument that broke out after she was allowed to visit her parents. IRNA quoted an unnamed security official as saying that the Intelligence Ministry, which supervises the detentions of the elder Mousavi and his wife, will investigate any failures or fault by the guard. However, the official said Mousavis daughter was at fault in the incident, claiming that she insulted and attacked the guard. The opposition

Kaleme website on Friday recounted the allegations by Nargess Mousavi: that she was abused by the guard, who demanded that she and her sister consent to a strip search after visiting her parents, who have been under house arrest since early 2011. Nargess Mousavi claims the guard struck her in the head and bit her on the wrist after she refused to be searched. The elder Mousavis and fellow opposition figure Mahdi Karroubi were placed under house arrest after leading protests in 2009 over the disputed re-election of then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

as their campaign urging women in the ultraconservative kingdom to defy a ban on getting behind the wheel kicks off. A video posted Saturday on the official Arabic YouTube account of the driving campaign shows a woman identified as May Al Sawyan driving in Riyadh. She wears sunglasses and her hair is covered by the traditional black headscarf worn by Saudi women, but her face is otherwise visible. In the run-up to the campaign, police warned that anyone disturbing public order would be dealt with forcefully . Ultraconservative clerics and have also warned against defying the countrys driving ban on women. The campaign for women to drive is a rare show of defiance in the kingdom.

11

BHOPAL October 28 to November 03, 2013

Sports

WE THE STATE

India to start ICC World T20 2014 campaign against Pakistan

Rahul Dravid: The guy who

relished overshadowed conditions
A
s the old Malayalam adage goes what is born out of fire will not wither away in the sun. Hiking into dried up and grimy battlefields under the scorching sun in the sub continent has been a routine walk in the park for all legendary batsmen India had produced till date. The imaginary line, Tropic of Cancer runs through the heart of India, and rightly so they were born out of fire. No visitor from the West, the East, the North or Down Under could wither us away . They, eventually, had to bit the red dust. Well, if they triumphed to spoil our legacy once a while, blame it on the sun that failed to reach its zenith at the Tropic of Cancer. The Warriors of Sun-Light but lost the sheen during their sojourns to meadows of the West. Clouds up above are heavy and dark. Cold breeze twirls the air with dampness. The red ball waggles around and zip past the warriors willow untamed. Embarrassment gives way to numbness. Fire wont help, they realised. The pantheon of cricket Lords described it as overcast conditions. The brashness and belligerence of the warriors welded under the sun was found rusty, hence none of them savoured the overcast or overshadowed conditions of the West, in particular. One among them, who was presumably inducted late into the Indian squad, however possessed in his blood the natural remedy to cure the cold feet. The guy who relished overshadowed conditions, Rahul Dravid. Rahul Dravid characterised the gentleness of a breeze that blew across the cricket field than the chillness of it biting hard at your arthritic ligaments. In the early mornings of Test cricket, when the dressing room is as foggy as the weather outside off incapacitated regiment with little left in the kit, he strolls down to endure the first few hours of whirlwind created by swinging and swaying red ball around the middle and off stump. Only then, his co-sergeants ever indulged in the croons of little morning birds, which had perched upon the surrounding trees wishing a good day . Dravids predilection for overcast conditions has to be seen as innate. He excelled in alien conditions though he was overshadowed many an occasion. A mesmerising debut just fell short off as brilliant a debut as his fellow mate Gangulys. His valiant efforts to successfully stack up more runs than any batsmen in the 1999 World Cup held in England was flushed down with the sewage of teams failure to cross the threshold of the

he Indian team will open its campaign in next years World Twenty20 Championships against arch-foes Pakistan when the event is staged in Bangladesh from 16 March to 6 April. As many as 60 tournament matches (35 mens and 25 womens) will be played across Chittagong, Dhaka and Sylhet in the 22-day tournament. As in the past, the womens semifinals and final will be held on the same day as the mens semifinals and final, and at the same venue, the ICC said in a statement. The format for the mens event in next years tournament has been changed following an increase in teams from 12 to 16. As the teams seeding are based on the T20I Team Rankings as on October 8, 2012, the top eight sides following the conclusion of last ICC World Twenty20 will play directly in the Super 10 stage and India is one such side. Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, which finished outside the top eight, will participate in the first round that will be held from 16-21 March. The first round of the mens event will include eight sides that will be divided into two groups of four teams each, with the tabletoppers progressing to the Super 10 stage. In the first round, Group A will feature host Bangladesh alongside three teams that will qualify from the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier UAE 2013, to be staged from November 15 to 30. Group B will include Zimbabwe, which will be joined by another three teams from the upcoming qualifiers. As such, the two groups will be finalised on November 30. The Super 10 stage will start with an evening match between former champions India and Pakistan in Dhaka on March 21. Defending champions West Indies will launch their title defence against India in an evening match on Sunday March 23. Earlier on the same day, Pakistan will lock horns with Australia, looking for the only global title that has eluded them to date. If Bangladesh reach the Super 10 stage, they will play all their matches in Dhaka, facing the West Indies on March 25, India on March 28, Pakistan on March 30 and Australia on April 1. The prize money for the mens event will be $3 million, with the winner receiving $1.1 million and the losing finalist collecting $550,000. The ICC Womens World Twenty20 2014 has been increased from eight to 10 teams after a recent Board decision. The first round matches of the womens event will take place in Sylhet from March 23 to April 2, with the top two sides from each Group progressing to the semifinals. Defending champions Australia will kick-off their campaign on Sunday March 23 when they will take on New Zealand. This game will be followed by the match between South Africa and Pakistan, who, along with Sri Lanka, qualified for the Bangladesh event after having reached the final of the qualifying tournament held in Dublin in August. Hosts Bangladesh will make their maiden appearance on the world stage on March 26 when they will play last years semifinalists West Indies. 2009 champions England will start their campaign on March 24 against the West Indies. The prize money for the womens event will be $180,000, with the winner collecting $65,000 and the losing finalist getting $25,000. The two groups of the mens Super 10 stage are: Group 1: Sri Lanka, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Group B Qualifier 1 (Q1B) Group 2:- West Indies, India, Pakistan, Australia, Group A Qualifier 1 (Q1A) The womens groups are: Group A: Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, Ireland Group B: England, West Indies, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh.

knockout stage. When Ganguly molested Sri Lanka at Taunton, Dravid galloped to another chivalrous ODI ton. However, the molestation found headlines over chivalry. Another remarkable instance was, when Sachin scored his highest one day score against New Zealand in Hyderabad, the other end was gallantly guarded by Dravid. Dravid co-authored the historic win along with VVS Laxman at Eden Gardens against the mighty Australians. His innings was as special as Laxmans very- very special innings. Time and again he was eclipsed and overshadowed by his teammates. His countrymen honoured him the medal of unsung hero. Probably, he was gifted to shine bright amidst the dark and mysterious shadows. When the country idolised the Little Master, Dravid was content and happy about the role of second fiddle he had to play, and that he was a master at it. He once said, The talk is always about Sachin and in some ways it suits me as I get away quietly scoring a lot of runs. His mysticism with murky shadows enabled him to don a golden halo during many such overshadowed conditions. He went unmentioned but he was never forgotten and desecrated. His presence was felt. He was like a crescent of sun glowing behind the greyish clouds of ambiguity . As long as he was there, there was hope. Hope to preserve the tribes pride, its legacy. He was a true Warrior of Light. Dravid is a refined personality fine tuned with qualities of civility and elegance. He is an avid reader and a continuous learner. Although he picked books to take his mind off the game initially, his habit of reading shaped him into a rare breed of a sportsman, who is no non-sense, eventually. Reading makes a man complete. So was he. His thoughts spread

so vast, his perspectives so estimable. Former Indian coach John Wright in his book Indian Summers mentions of the debacle the team confronted when Dravid abruptly declared Indian innings against Pakistan at Multan. Sachin Tendulkar was batting on 194; hence there was a hot potato in their hands. Before the situation got worse, when Tendulkar felt let down, Dravid had the audacity to chat over the matter with the little master. Had it not been Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, the issue would have snowballed and created a rift in the team. Wright, rightly said Dravid, like his batting is a combination of steeliness and serenity. He envisions the bigger picture of an issue. Nothing fazes him, nothing overcasts his head. He stands tall, head straight just as he would face Alan Donald on a Durban turf. Dravids latest fame to glory too sprouted out off overcast conditions within his IPL franchise, Rajasthan Royals. A man of integrity and self-respect was least deterred when a few of his trusted teammates betrayed him. For a cricketer who played the game with dignity above anything else, loyalty of team members is not too much of an asking. The reputation of his franchise was overshadowed by corruption, dishonesty and infidelity . Dravids equanimity power-played all adversities. He found opportunities in overcast conditions. He majestically led his team to the coveted platform of Champions League grand finale. As he left the field for one final time, the cricketing fraternity felt the gentleness of a breeze that blew across the cricket field than the chillness of it biting hard at your arthritic ligaments. He simply relished the overshadowed conditions.

Pune Warriors terminated by BCCI from IPL over default payments

Chennai: The BCCI today terminated Pune Warriors from the IPL after the Sahara-owned franchise defaulted on its payments and refused to furnish the bank guarantee for the next season. The decision was taken at the Cricket Boards all-powerful working committee meeting here, a top BCCI official told PTI. The Pune Warriors have been on collision course with the BCCI after the Board encashed its bank guarantee due to non-payment of franchise fee. The Sahara group announced its pull-out from the IPL after that even though that is yet to be formally conveyed to the BCCI, which in turn wanted the team to furnish a bank guarantee of Rs 170.2 crore to remain a part of the league next year. The BCCI, after reportedly reminding Sahara about the payment several time, has now terminated it from the IPL. IPL governing council members were also present in todays meeting where the Board issued a 30-day termination notice to Pune Warriors. Sahara has been demanding the completion of the arbitration proceedings on the issue of franchise fee, which, it feels, should be lowered since the BCCI did not deliver on its promised number of IPL matches for the team. The arbitration process has not yet started because of the differences between BCCI and Sahara over the judges to be appointed for it. Pune, bought by Sahara for USD 370 million (approx Rs 1702 crore) in 2010, was the most expensive franchise on the IPL roster and its termination would cause substantial financial loss to the BCCI.

12

BHOPAL October 28 to November 03, 2013

Nation

WE THE STATE

Part of Asarams ashram burnt down in Gujarat village

Asaram, but are no longer his supporters after the allegations of sexual assault resurfaced against him and his son Narayan Sai. Surat Police had recently registered complaints filed by two sisters one against Asaram and another against his son Narayan Sai of rape, sexual assault, illegal confinement and other charges. The complaint against Asaram was transferred to Chandkheda police station in Ahmedabad as the incident took place in his ashram here. The case is going on in Gandhinagar court as Chandkheda area falls in Gandhinagar district. The elder of the two sisters, in her complaint, had accused Asaram of sexual assault between 1997 and 2006 during the time she had been living in his Ashram on the outskirts of Ahmedabad city . The younger sister had filed a complaint against Sai, accusing him of repeated sexual assault between 2002 and 2005 when she was living in their Surat Ashram. The whereabouts of Sai are not known. Both Asaram and Sai had filed petitions in the Gujarat High Court seeking quashing of sexual assault complaints against them. Sai has already filed for anticipatory bail in a court in Surat. Earlier, Asaram was arrested by Jodhpur police in a sexual assault case filed against him by a school girl studying in his ashram. The two sisters had come forward to register case against Asaram and Sai after family of the brave schoolgirl registered a case against the senior. His son Sai is absconding after sexual assault case was filed against him by younger sister.

VALSAD (GUJARAT)

portion of self-styled godman Asaram Bapus ashram was recently burnt down in Pariya village at Pardi taluka here by a group of ex-followers, who are upset after allegations of sexual assault surfaced against him. According to the police, some people who had provided land to Asaram Bapu for building his ashram in this remote tribal area burnt down a part of the structure. They had earlier donated land to

A mystifying treasure
I

hunt grips nation

hunt from the sidelines. Security in the village has been tightened, with policemen keeping vigil round-the-clock. The media is also present in full force, replete with its outside broadcast vans and in-your-face cameras. Residents of Daundia Khera who had left for the cities in search of greener pastures, are returning, lured by the possibility of better jobs in the village. They believe in the Swami, who has demanded that if the treasure is found, 20 per cent of it must be used for the development of Daundia Khera the village chief has already sent a list of employable candidates to the Prime Minister while the Government can keep the rest. Of course, such distribution of wealth (if found) will be easier said than done. For one, the debate over the state's right to temple booty will be re-ignited. Also, there will be competing claims between the State Government and the Centre. The temple authorities' whoever they may be no temple board or trust exists at the moment but that may come soon enough will also claim ownership, and so will Rao Ram Baksh Singh's descendants, who can be expected to mushroom all over the place. In some ways, the sleepy Daundia Khera has already hit the attention jackpot.

f you had not heard of Daundia Khera until recently, it would have been perfectly fine. However, if you have still not heard of Daundia Khera, it means you have missed the biggest news story unfolding in the country . For all you know, this nondescript village in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao district could possibly hold the key to replenishing India's economic deficits! If a local seer is to be believed, several thousand tonnes of gold lie buried around the Shiva temple at Daundia Khera. The story goes that the 19th century king, Rao Ram Baksh Singh, visited Swami Shobhan Sarkar in the seer's dreams and told him about the treasure that he had hidden while fleeing the British during the First War of Independence in 1857. The Raja was eventually hanged and his wealth all but forgotten until now, that is. The Swami, after consulting his dead gurus, contacted the Government and amazingly even managed to convince the authorities to investigate. Equally astonishingly, a preliminary examination by the Archaeological Survey of India found that there might indeed be some sort of treasure buried about 20 feet under the temple. And so, starting this Friday, an ASI team has begun digging in Daundia Khera.

The tiny village is clearly enjoying its Peepli Live moment. Irrespective of whether the gold is found the Swami has warned that if the Government touches the treasure without the permission of his gurus, the wealth will

vanish the legend of Daundia Khera has already spread far and wide. Though the excavation site has been cordoned and is currently off limits to the public, hundreds have descended upon the tiny place to view the treasure

Owned Printed and Published by M.M.Baig. Printed at lucky, 267, Pragati Nagar, Shahanshah Garden, Bhopal (MP) and published from H.No.101, A-SECTOR INDRAPURI BHEL, WARD NO.63 DIST BHOPAL-462021, M.P. Tele/FAX 0755-4292545,Mob.09425029901 email-editor@wethestate.com RNI No. MPENG\2012\46415 Editor: M.M. BAIG -Responsible for selection of News & Articles under PRB Act, Subject to Bhopal jurisdiction