L

ast wook, Mamata Banor|oo organisod a mammoth

politioal rally at tho Brigado Parado Ground in Kolkata.
From all aooounts, tho orowd was biggor than anything
witnossod in rooont yoars: ostimatos rangod rom sovon
lakhs to 12 lakh pooplo. Tho rally had a largor politioal
signiioanoo too. t suggostod that tho Trinamool Congross
(ATC) would try to maximiso its haul rom Wost Bongal
and lovorago that with whiohovor politioal ormation is
olosost to tho 272 mark in tho noxt Lok Sabha. Hor
stratogy is not dissimilar to tho ono boing pursuod by
Tamil Nadu Chio Ministor J Jayalalithaa.
Mamata's rally and tho unvoiling o hor stratogy or tho
Lok Sabha polls was a ma|or politioal dovolopmont and
oortainly muoh moro signiioant than tho Nitish Kumar-lod
initiativo to orgo a Fodoral Front o thoso who woro at ono
timo or othor assooiatod with tho old Janata Dal. Whoroas
Mamata and Jayalalithaa look liko winnors in thoir homo
tur o Wost Bongal and Tamil Nadu, tho trio o Nitish
Kumar-Mulayam Singh Yadav-HD Dovo Gowda givo tho
improssion o boing a olub o tho lot-bohind. ndood,
givon its illusory naturo and waning ortunos tho Lot
partios oould |ust as woll havo |oinod this ormation.
Tho irony is that tho audaoious movo o Mamata to
sook a groator rolo in tho politios o tho Contro was baroly
notiood by a modia that oalls itsol "national". Jawaharlal
Nohru's storootypo o Kolkata boing a "oity o
prooossions" still plays a rolo in shaping tho minds o tho
so-oallod opinion-makors. Maybo it wouldn't havo boon
tho oaso i tho Lot was still dominant in what was onoo
rogardod as tho Pod Fort. Thanks to tho intollootual
patronago aooordod by tho Congross Establishmont to
anything that romotoly smolt
"progrossivo", tho Lot
oould morrily punoh abovo
its woight. ts olootoral
insigniioanoo (oxoopt in tho
poriod 2004-09) was always
osot by its stratogio rolo in
tho opinion-making industry.
Tho Lot booamo tho
oortiying authority or
dotormining good or ovil.
Tho Lot's disdain or a
gutsy stroot-ightor who
oustod thom rom Wost
Bongal is woll known and
undorstandablo. Howovor,
tho Lot's olout in tho
oorridors o powor and
sooial inluonoo has
diminishod oonsidorably
ovor sinoo Prakash Karat
oootod tho rupturo with tho
Congross ovor tho ndo-US
nuoloar doal. tho
signiioanoo o Mamata,
Jayalalithaa or or that
mattor Navoon Patnaik is
insuioiontly undorstood in
tho "national" modia it is booauso Kolkata, Chonnai and
Bhubanoswar aro outsido tho imaginod world o tho
dominant intollootual olito whioh is inoapablo o thinking
boyond tho Hindi-spoaking bolt.
n tho old days this usod to bo maniostod in tho
oxaggoratod prooooupation with tho likoly voting pattorns
o tho votors o Uttar Pradosh. Countloss oolumn inohos
thoso woro pro-Tv days woro dovotod to dissooting tho
intrioaoios o oasto allianoos, partioularly tho AJGAP or
MAJGAP phonomonon. Tho moro sol-proossodly
'onlightonod' o tho politioal pundits branohod out into a
anatioal obsossion with whioh way tho Muslims o UP
would voto. Wo would bo sub|ootod to roams o narrativo
about tho lost world o a oommunity whioh onoo rulod
ndia but ruod tho aot that it was now struggling to mako
itsol hoard in tho Ganga bolt.
Today, tho rosidual ooots o this bogus romantioism
aro still in plaoo but in tho main it has boon ovorwholmod
by a urthor narrowing o horizons. Far rom boing
oonoornod with tho 542 Lok Sabha soats, tho orthooming
olootions havo boon roduood to ono quostion: how will tho
Aam Aadmi Party do in 2014? tho opinion polls aro any
guido it sooms that AAP is likoly to bo a aotor in about 20
Lok Sabha, mainly in tho National Capital Pogion. n othor
plaoos thoy might play tho rolo o spoilor. Tho point is that
thoso 20 soats aro woll bolow tho 42 soats whoro Mamata
is a big playor or tho 39 soats in Tamil Nadu whoro tho
oharm Jayalalithaa oould work. But yot, AAP has hoggod
tho modia spaoo, outpaoing tho rogional partios by many
milos. s it only booauso AAP is uniquo or is it booauso it
is a doorstop Hindi-spoaking phonomonon? a smooth-
talking Yogondra Yadav was rom tho 'provinoos' would
tho modia havo oarod or him?
This obsossion with what is in sight has provod a
doublo-odgod sword. Tho boautiul pooplo who havo
lookod to tho various oommittoos sot up by AAP
(porusing tho lists is vory instruotivo) may havo boon
ombarrassod by tho anti-Arioan tirado lot looso by a lout
masquorading as a pooplo's roprosontativo. But by
upholding his right to sproad pro|udioo and hato, by
mooting proposals to koop Dolhi Univorsity only or 'looals'
and by ovon ondorsing Khap Panohayats, tho AAP
oroatod tho oonditions whoroby somo shopkoopors in
Dolhi's La|pat Nagar olt that thrashing a studont rom
Arunaohal Pradosh was all right? Ator all, liko tho Arioans
in Khirkoo villago o Dolhi, this young studont too
was 'dioront'.
n tho guiso o protost and nownoss, tho AAP is
inlioting somo o tho most rogrossivo sooial attitudos on
Dolhi and aooording it tho logitimaoy o a politioal party.
And yot, tho opinion-makors aro oithor silont or quiotly
approving. s it booauso a movomont run by oommon
rionds in Dolhi and lot's havo no doubts that AAP is
phonomonally woll-oonnootod is moro important than a
10 lakh rally in Kolkata?
As tho propriotor o a largo modia group onoo
romarkod whilo turning down a story on Manipur: "Who
oaros?" Thoso ontrustod with manuaoturing opinon
oortainly don't givo a damn.
AAP modia gimmiok
stoals Didi's thundor
USUALACA>31BA
SwAFAh 0AS0uFTA
AAP is likely to be a
factor in about 20 LS
seats which are well
below the 42 seats
where Mamata is a
big player or the 39
seats in Tamil Nadu
where the charm
Jayalalithaa could
work. But yet, AAP
has hogged the
media space,
outpacing the
regional parties
Fh8 Q hEw 0ELh
I
n a major development in the
VVIP helicopter deal scam,
Italian prosecutors have alleged
in a court in Italy that middle-
man Christian Michel had told
AgustaWestland officials to
target the closest advisers to
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi
to bag the C3,600-crore deal for
supplying 12 choppers to IAF.
Italian prosecutors pro-
duced a note sent in 2008 by
Michel a British consultant
who has so far evaded the
authorities to Peter Hulett,
the then head of Agustas India
office looking after govern-
ment sales, instructing him to
advise the British High
Commissioner in India to tar-
get people close to Sonia
Gandhi. Agusta is the UK-
based subsidiary of Italian con-
glomerate Finmeccanica.
Media reports from Italy
said the note written on March
15, 2008 was produced in the
court last month and it men-
tioned the names of Sonias
advisers as Manmohan Singh,
Pranab Mukherjee, Oscar
Fernandes, Ahmed Patel,
Veerappa Moily, MK Narayanan
and Vinay Singh. Italy also
informed the CBI team, which
visited Rome last month, about
the note, reports said.
The note said: As Mrs
Gandhi is the driving force
behind the VIP, she will not fly
any more in the Mi-8. Mrs
Gandhi and her closest advis-
ers are the people the High
Commissioner should target.
To ferry the VVIPs, the IAF
uses Russian-made Mi-8 heli-
copters which are in the last
phase of their operational life.
This note is part of sever-
al documents seized by the
Italian investigators from the
office of Switzerland-based
middleman Guido Haschke.
He was arrested a few months
back and extradited from
Switzerland to Italy to face
charges of paying over 51 mil-
lion Euros (C360 crore) as a
bribe to bag the contract which
was inked in 2010.
Media reports further said
that while producing this doc-
ument in the court, Italian
authorities also asked Haschke
if the reference to an abbrevi-
ation AP in a budget sheet of
the middlemen referred to
Sonias key aide Ahmed Patel.
Reports also said the pros-
ecutors produced a photo-
graph of Sonia Gandhi and
Ahmed Patel during the ques-
tioning of Haschke and the
middleman said he only recog-
nised the Congress president
from the picture.
Turn to Page 4
k1E8h kMk Q hEw 0ELh
D
elhi has a 10-day lifeline to
escape the electricity crisis,
which was otherwise looming
large. The National Thermal
Power Corporation (NTPC)
on Saturday showed mercy to
citizens of Delhi by giving 10
days to BSES Rajdhani and
BSES Yamuna Power Limited
(BYPL), two of the three dis-
tributing companies to make
payment of dues.
The NTPC has given elec-
tricity supply suspension notice
to BSES Rajdhani and BYPL
from February 11. This could
lead to lengthy power outages in
West, South and East Delhi
which these discoms cater to.
The notice comes a day after
NTPC turned down the request
made by Delhi Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal to extend time
limit from 30 days to 90 days to
these two discoms. The NTPC
says it is due more than C150
crore till the month of December
by the BSES. From Saturday,
power prices were increased in
Delhi by 6 per cent to 8 per cent.
Meanwhile, several parts of East
Delhi faced four to five hours of
outages on Saturday.
The electricity supply sus-
pension notice issued to BSES
Rajdhani and BYPL for non-
maintenance of Letter of Credit
as per provisions of Central
Electricity Regulatory Comm-
ission (CERC), which is needed
to get supply of power from
NTPC stations. The two dis-
coms get around 1,261MW
electricity from NTPC stations.
BSES Rajdhani distributes
power to over 18.5 lakh cus-
tomers in South and West Delhi,
including Alakananda, Vasant
Kunj, Saket, Nehru Place,
Nizamuddin, Sarita Vihar, Hauz
Khas, RK Puram, Janakpuri,
Punjabi Bagh, Tagore Garden,
Vikas Puri, Palam and Dwarka
while BYPL caters to over 10
crore consumers in East and
North East Delhi . The threat of
lengthy power cuts comes in the
midst of the exam season. I usu-
ally study at night. Now if there
are power cuts, how will I man-
age? My career depends on how
well I do in these exams, said
Jane Singh, who is readying for
her Class 12 Boards.
Turn to Page 4
Fh8 Q hEw 0ELh
A
day after Arvind Kejriwal
stirred the hornets nest by
publicly coming out with a list
of politicians who he accused
were corrupt, the Delhi Chief
Minister on Saturday faced the
prospect of being dragged into
a protracted legal battle as a
number of those named by him
served him with legal notices
asking him to apologise or
face action.
BJPs Nitin Gadkari and
Ananth Kumar sent legal
notices to the AAP leader for
levelling motivated, baseless
and malicious allegations
without any evidence. Gadkari
has immediately threatened
legal action if Kejriwal did not
withdraw his allegation.
Kumar said the Delhi CM
has not provided any evidence
to support his claim and, there-
fore, he should apologise with-
in three days unconditionally.
BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu
said it was cheap publicity and
questioned the moral right of
Kejriwal in including BJP pres-
ident Rajnath Singh and senior
leader Nitin Gadkari in it.
From the Congress camp,
Union Minister Kapil Sibal led
the charge setting a two-day
ultimatum to Kejriwal to prove
his allegations or resign. I was
surprised that a person who is
holding the post of CM has lev-
elled an allegation against me.
His intentions appear to be
malafide, otherwise he would not
have levelled such baseless alle-
gations. I am surprised that he
dubbed me as corrupt.
Turn to Page 4
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Fh8 Q hEw 0ELh
I
n the run up to the general
elections, a new block of non-
BJP, non-Congress parties is set
to make a formal appearance on
Day One of the Parliament ses-
sion. Though refusing to be
called the Third Front, the new
grouping looks to start off with
queering the pitch for the
Congress given the ruling dis-
pensations plan to push through
a slew of legislations in the
forthcoming Parliament ses-
sion. Thereafter, it intends to
take the partnership past the
general election, when it could
call the shots in the event of a
fractured mandate.
In Patna, Bihar Chief
Minister Nitish Kumar on
Saturday revealed that leaders
of likeminded parties will be
meeting in Delhi on February
5 to discuss the issue of giving
a shape to formation of a new
block. He said Left Front is tak-
ing initiative for formation of
this new block and JD(U) is
extending support to it.
Though Nitish did not
identify the parties, CPI(M)
General Secretary Prakash
Karat was forthcoming on the
new formation in the offing. He
said that about 10 non-
Congress, non-BJP parties are
willing to come together for the
upcoming Lok Sabha elections
to provide a viable alternative.
The AIADMK, JD(U), JD(S),
BJD, Samajwadi Party and the
Left are likely to be part of the
non-Congress, non-BJP coali-
tion. Together, I think, comes to
10 parties. There will be one or
two more, he told reporters in
Hyderabad. But he dismissed
that there is a talk about a Third
Front. He said that a concrete
shape would be given to the
block depending on the results
of the elections wherein the par-
ties will cooperate. However,
prior to that the new block has
it all lined up for the Parliament
session, wherein the
Government is planning to get
a number of legislations passed.
Karat revealed, Some of
these parties are going to meet
and announce on February 5,
on the first day of Parliament,
their common approach as far
as the Parliament session is
concerned. For example, UPA
wants to push through many
legislations. We dont think it is
advisable because normally the
convention is that the last ses-
sion is only for a vote-on-
account. But they want to bring
in many other issues. On all
those matters, these parties will
announce a common stand.
The proposed coalition of
parties is also expected to pre-
sent a set of alternative policies.
What Narendra Modi has put
out is a more extreme version of
the neo-liberal policies being
pursued by the UPA
Government. We will present
our alternative policies and
agenda, he said, even as he dis-
missed AAP saying it isnt grow-
ing anywhere else except Delhi.
In Lucknow, in line with
the new blocks plan of action,
SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav
exhorted his party workers to
work towards forming a
Government in Delhi even as
he said the parties of the new
combination will work in a
more coordinated manner
unlike in 1996.
Turn to Page 4
8TkII EFTE Q hEw 0ELh
A
round 2,000 students from
North-Eastern States
protested in front of Lajpat
Nagar police station in South
Delhi on Saturday against the
brutal attack on Nido Tania, the
19-year-old son of an
Arunachal Pradesh MLA, by
three people, including two
shopkeepers. Tania succumbed
to injuries on Thursday.
The protesters pacified after
an assurance of speedy investi-
gation by the Delhi Police. Earlier
students from Arunachal
Pradesh had threatened to hold
an indefinite protest. The Delhi
Police has accepted our demands
and assured that investigation
will be speeded up, so we have
called off our protest. We are also
meeting Arvind Kejriwal to dis-
cuss the matter, said JT Tagam,
former president of Arunachal
Pradesh students union.
Meanwhile, initial autopsy
report has revealed that Tania
had swelling in lungs and brain.
Though the exact cause of his
death has not been ascertained,
sources said, He may have
died due to multiple causes.
Investigators are waiting for the
viscera report to ascertain the
exact cause of death and they
have requested Forensic Science
Laboratory (FSL) of the CBI to
expedite the report process.
Although the Delhi Police
has registered a case of murder
and a case under the SC/ST
Act, the three detained accused
have not been arrested yet.
Taking note of the seriousness
of the incident, the Home
Ministry has sought a report
from the Delhi Police.
A large number of students
from N-E States protested near
Lajpat Nagar police station
demanding justice for Tania
and suspension of ASI Pritam
Singh, who handled the case
earlier. Scores of protesters
held placards and raised slo-
gans against discrimination.
They stopped their protest
after a written assurance by
DCP (South East) P
Karunakaran that action will be
taken against the guilty.
Delhi BJP leader Dr
Harshvardhan, who met
protesting students, told The
Pioneer that it was a shocking
incident. Robin Hibu, Joint
Commissioner of police
(Training), who is also the
coordinator of the North-East
Residents Cell, said, First of all
justice will be done and Im
with you all. I know Nido
from his childhood and he is
my family friend.
Turn to Page 4
Related report on P3
Fh8 Q hEw 0ELh/0EhRA0uh
N
early 42 years since he start-
ed his political career as a
gram pradhan, Harish Rawats
long-cherished dream finally
came true on Saturday as he was
sworn in as the eighth Chief
Minister of Uttarakhand on
Saturday.
Rawat was administered
the oath of office by Governor
Aziz Qureshi at Raj Bhawan
along with a 11-member
Cabinet all of whom were
Ministers in the Vijay
Bahuguna Government.
Rawat, who had missed out
being Chief Minister after
Congress victory in Uttara-
khand in 2012, however, still had
had some anxious moments
before being elected the Cong-
ress Legislature Party leader as
a number of MLAs supporting
Bahuguna delayed their partic-
ipation in the meeting.
Turn to Page 4
Protest rally in tanagar
khF 8hkMk Q 0uwAhAT
I
tanagar witnessed a huge
rally on Saturday as tempers
began to fray over the racial
and fatal attack on 19-year-old
student Nido Tania at Lajpat
Nagar market in the national
Capital on Wednesday.
Hundreds of agitators,
under the banner of Nyshi
Elite Society, took to the streets
demanding justice for the vic-
tim and safety and security for
the people from the N-E
region in the national Capital.
This is not the first inci-
dent. People, particularly stu-
dents from N-E, are always
looked down upon in New
Delhi and other Indian States.
This is not justified, said
Andrew Naiding, a student of
Rajiv Gandhi University in
Arunachal Pradesh, who took
part in the rally.
In November 15, 2009,
Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh had assured us in writ-
ing that steps would be taken
to ensure safety of the people,
particularly the student com-
munity of the region.
Turn to Page 4
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A0MK, J0(u),
J0(S), BJ0, SF
and Lel in lhe
nonuFAh0A
coalilion
Bihar Chie Minisler
hilish Kumar said
Lel Fronl is laking
inilialive or
ormalion o lhis
new "block" and
J0(u) is exlending
suorl lo il
B+|]i|W+i|i| |ip u|| ulJ l|i|J ||u||!
8IF0 Ives
0ItImat0m t0 88F8
The electricity
supply suspension
notice issued to
BSES Rajdhani
and BYPL for
non-maintenance of
Letter of Credit as
per provisions of
Central Electricity
Regulatory
Commission, which
is needed to get
supply of power from
NTPC stations
Sworn in as eighlh
Chie Minisler o
lhe hill Slale
Chrislian Michel
asked oicials lo
'largel' uFA
chie's advisers,
invesligalors lell
lalian courl
Power lay: 10
oays rerieve
for !elliites
0sta 4eaI hr0ker
aames 80aIa aI4es
lalian roseculors roduced a nole senl in 2OO8 by
Michel lo Feler hulell, lhe lhen head o Agusla's ndia
oice looking aler governmenl sales, inslrucling him lo
advise lhe Brilish high Commissioner in ndia lo "largel"
eole close lo Sonia 0andhi
The nole menlioned lhe names o Sonia's advisers as
Manmohan Singh, Franab Mukherjee, 0scar Fernandes,
Ahmed Falel, veeraa Moily, MK harayanan and
vinay Singh
This nole is arl o several documenls sei/ed by lhe
lalian invesligalors rom lhe oice o Swil/erlandbased
middleman 0uido haschke
haschke was arresled a ew monlhs back and
exlradiled rom Swil/erland lo laly lo ace charges o
aying over 51 million Euros (C8GO crore) as a bribe lo
bag lhe conlracl which was inked in 2O1O
MONKEY BUSNESS
Harisl Rawat gets lis
oue as !`llano CM
N-E outrage pours out on Capital street
Arunaclal loy
lao swelling in
lungs ano lrain
Published From
DELH LUCKNOW BHOPAL
BHUBANESWAR RANCH
RAPUR CHANDGARH
DEHRADUN
`Lale Cily VoI. 24 Issue 82
`Air Surcharge Exlra i Alicable
EsIabIished 1B64
Rhl ho. 53400/91, RE00. ho. 0L C}05/1219/20122014
www.dailypioneer.com
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MMuhTY: uS
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Shuh RhET0RC, 00h'T hJuRE
REFuTAT0h: SC wARhS Ju00ES
@ThoDailyPionoor aoobook.oom/dailypionoor
F0II0W 0s 0a:
NEW DELH SUNDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2014 films & tv 02
Director's Cut - Vasantkunj: One By Two: 11:00 am,
3:15 pm, 6:00 pm, 10:15 pm, Jai Ho: 10:15 am, 2:30 pm,
6:45 pm, (3d) I, Frankenstein (Uninterrupted): 10:15
am, 3:00 pm, 5:15 pm, 9:30 pm, 12 Year A Slave
(Uninterrupted): 1:40 pm, 4:40 pm, 7:50 pm, Oscar
Movie Festival: 7:30 pm, The Wolf Of Wall Street
(Uninterrupted): 10:55 pm, (3d) Frozen
(Uninterrupted): 12:30 pm, American Hustle
(Uninterrupted): 10:45 pm, Dedh Ishqiya: 11:45 am
PVRAnupam- Saket: One By Two: 9:10 am, 2:15 pm,
5:15 pm, 8:15 pm, 11:15 pm, Jai Ho: 9:00 am, 10:00 am,
1:10 pm, 4:20 pm, 7:30 pm, Jai Ho: 10:40 pm, (3d) I,
Frankenstein: 9:00 am, 12:15 pm, 5:00 pm, 10:45 pm,
12 Years A Slave: 11:15 am, 3:20 pm, 9:45 pm, Oscar
Movie Festival: 7:15 pm, (3d) Frozen: 2:30 pm, Dedh
Ishqiya: 12:10 pm, The Wolf Of Wall Street: 6:15 pm
PVRSelect CityWalk: One ByTwo: 10:00 am, 1:00 pm,
4:00 pm, 7:00 pm, 9:55 pm, Jai Ho: 10:00 am, 1:15 pm,
4:30 pm, 7:45 pm, 10:55 pm, (3d) I, Frankenstein: 1:25
pm, 6:00 pm, 11:30 pm, 12Years ASlave: 10:00 am, 7:10
pm, Oscar Movie Festival: 8:15 pm, DedhIshqiya: 1:00
pm, AmericanHustle: 4:10 pm, TheWolf Of Wall Street:
10:10 pm, Mandela: LongWalkToFreedom: 10:15 am,
(3d) Frozen: 3:40 pm
PVRSelect CityWalk- GoldClass: (3d) I, Frankenstein:
10:00 am, 8:15 pm, One By Two: 11:15 am, 2:15 pm,
12 Years A Slave: 5:15 pm, 10:30 pm, American
Hustle: 9:55 pm, Jai Ho: 12:15 pm, 3:30 pm, 6:45 pm
PVRPriya: One ByTwo: 10:00 am, 4:10 pm, 10:15 pm,
Jai Ho: 1:00 pm, 7:10 pm
PVRRivoli: Jai Ho: 10:00 am, 4:05 pm, 10:15 pm, One
By Two: 1:05 pm, 7:10 pm
PVRPlaza: One ByTwo: 10:00 am, 4:05 pm, 10:10 pm,
Jai Ho: 1:00 pm, 7:05 pm
PVR 3C's: One By Two: 10:00 am, 4:10 pm, 10:15 pm,
Jai Ho: 1:00 pm, 7:10 pm
PVRNaraina: One ByTwo: 9:15 am, 10:15 am, 1:15 pm,
4:15 pm, 7:15 pm, One By Two: 10:15 pm, Jai Ho: 9:00
am, 10:00 am, 1:10 pm, 3:20 pm, 4:20 pm, 6:30 pm, 7:30
pm, 10:40 pm, Heart Attack (Telugu): 12:10 pm, (3d)
I, Frankenstein: 12:15 pm, 2:30 pm, 7:15 pm, 9:30 pm,
(3d) Frozen: 4:45 pm, TheWolf Of Wall Street: 9:40 pm
PVR Vikaspuri: One By Two: 9:40 am, 12:40 pm, 3:40
pm, 6:40 pm, 9:35 pm, Jai Ho, 10:00 am, 12:00 pm, 1:10
pm, 3:10 pm, 6:20 pm, 7:30 pm, 9:30 pm, 10:40 pm,
Dedh Ishqiya: 4:20 pm
PVR Prashant Vihar: One By Two: 9:40 am, 1:30 pm,
4:00 pm, 6:00 pm, 7:50 pm, One ByTwo: 10:20 pm, Jai
Ho: 10:20 am, 11:40 am, 12:50 pm, 4:40 pm, 7:10 pm,
9:10 pm, 10:55 pm, Dedh Ishqiya: 2:50 pm
PVRAmbience GoldClass - Gurgaon: Jai Ho: 11:40 am,
2:50 pm, 6:00 pm, 9:10 pm, One ByTwo: 11:15 am, 2:15
pm, American Hustle: 5:15 pm, (3d) I, Frankenstein:
8:15 pm, 12 Years A Slave: 10:30 pm
F80I8FM
Fl8 I008 0I
THEATRE
Mare Gaye Gulfam a play directed by Shyam
Kumar at Little Theatre Group (LTG)
Auditorium, LTG Auditorium, Copernicus
Marg , Delhi from 7 pm onwards. Ticket are
available at the venue and priced between C150
and C300
1Z IF88 8lF
*Ia: 0hIWeteI FjI0f0r, 8ra4 FItt,
MIchaeI Fasshea4er, 8eae4Ict
00mherhatch
8ate4: 8/10
I
t is stark, it is moving and it is
hugely discomforting. But Twelve
Years A Slave is a masterpiece in a
uniquely nagging way. Encasing
Americas darkest part of history when
slavery made a mockery of human
dignity and ripped apart basic
sensitivity, it makes it all the more
painful to know that its based on a real
story written by the slave who was
once a free Negro living happily with
his wife and two children in New York.
Duped by two White tricksters into
taking up an assignment in
Washington DC, he is abducted,
tortured, sold and taken to Louisiana
as slave Blaat, a runaway from
Georgia.
Its a more than stunning
performance by Chiwetel Ejiofor who
plays Blaat. His eyes draw you into the
deepest of emotions which churn
inside you as you go through his
agonising journey and incredible
freedom after 12 years of sub-human
existence under masters who found
biblical right in torturing and
08F 8I Iw0
*Ia: hhay 0e0I, FreetI 0esaI,
0arshaa 1arIWaIa
8ate4: 5.5/10
I
t is super slow and some would
even call it a kill of your precious
time. But for Abhay Deol fans, this
one is one out of the box performance
by him in a romantic comedy in which
the hero and his leading lady meet
only once and thats in the end.
I am pakau, may have become a
bored to death Ajay Sharmas life that
sucks, both for the audiences too.
There is very little to draw sustenance
from this one. No much to choose
from a dreadfully boring but well
meaning loser and dreadlocked dancer
who can only dance as successfully as
she can take away the bottle from her
single mother.
The modernity is all there as are
the profanities, which, incidentally,
flow into your disgusted system in a
gaseous form all the way from Deols
backside, but still he is good as always.
How relevant is his film is a matter of
debate, not going his way at all.
Perhaps, it could have done well
had there been more drama, more
pace and more of a story to take home.
Its really, really slim as slim as
Abhays real-life live-in partners waist
which is the only part of the film that
moves beautifully.
I F88kF88IFI8
*Ia: ar0a Fckhart, Iv0aae
8trah0vskI, MIraa4a 0tt0,
MIraa4a 0tt0, 8III 8Ihy
8ate4: 5/10
T
hey made him human but could
not give him a soul. The same
can be said about this film too
which lacks in soul. As underworld
movies go, this one too comes with
all the relevant special effects, the
dark tones, the almost ethereal
churches rising into the horizon with
their stunning stained glass paintings,
the gargoils and, of course, the
demonic demons. But the story
barely scratches the tip of viability,
involvement and viewer engagement.
Aaron Eckhart who plays
Frankenstein comes to you all 200
years old, seething, revengeful and
yet clueless about a whole lot of
things, including how to take the
movie forward on his stitched up
shoulders, body and face. He roams
the dark alleys, barges into the
demon territory, gets abducted and
imprisoned by the gargoil queen and
amid all this there is a war raging to.
Not to mention a bit of mumbo-
jumbo about an electrical
physiologist trying to create artificial
life in a lab run by a demon prince in
camouflage of a human science
entrepreneur. Of course there are
scores of bodies in his den awaiting
the doctors success to become
demons in human bodies, without
souls.
The film, on a week when theres
a masterpiece in the name of 12 Years
As A Slave, should do much less
business logically. But then monster
movies are screams which many want
to savour.
Printed and pubIished by Chandan Mitra for and on behaIf of CMYK Printech Ltd., 2nd FIoor, Link House, 3 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New DeIhi-110 002, and printed at Jagran Prakashan Ltd, D 210,211 Sector-63, Noida (U.P.). Editor: Chandan Mitra. AIR SURCHARGE of C 2.00 East: CaIcutta, North: Leh West: Mumbai & Ahmedabad
South: BangaIore & Chennai. CentraI : Khajuraho, DeIhi TeIephones: EPABX-40754100, 23755271-74, 9871234271. Lucknow Office: 4th FIoor, Sahara Shopping Centre, Faizabad Road, Lucknow-226 016. TeIephones: 0522-2346443, 2346444, 2346445.
Altlougl every ossille care ano caution las leen talen to avoio errors or omissions, tlis ullication is leing solo on tle conoition ano unoerstanoing tlat information given in tlis ullication is merely for reference ano must not le talen as laving autlority of or linoing in any way on tle writers, eoitors, ullislers, ano rinters ano sellers
wlo oo not owe any resonsilility for any oamage or loss to any erson, a urclaser of tlis ullication or not for tle result of any action talen on tle lasis of tlis worl. All oisutes are sulject to tle exclusive jurisoiction of cometent court ano forums in !elli/New !elli only.
stark, hr0taI & tr0e masterIece
subjugating Negros. A gripping
display of quiet resolve and pitiable
reconciliation to his plight holds this
very disturbing film together, directed
brilliantly by Steve McQeen. The
soulful background score by Hans
Zimmer is another high point of this
movie showcasing the lowest of low
time in human history.
Critics in America have called this
essential cinema and some even say
such films could be sexed up to take
White audiences into a guilt trip. For
people like us, far removed from the
harsh realities of pre-Civil War
America, it is a very brutal film which
makes you cringe and still gape as
Black women are routinely stripped,
beaten, raped and lashed till the flesh
comes out of their bones. It is hard to
believe that America was so monstrous
in its past. Your head hangs in shame
as slave Blaat, and his big teary eyes
almost accuse you of being a silent
spectator of such monstrosity among
humans howsoever far removed you
may be in geography and history to his
painful, agonising life.
Oscars for this one are not enough
appreciation for the brilliantly
portrayed truth behind this crime
against humanity that is conveniently
consigned to history now.
80w IIMF
Ilk wII I6lF8I8
Julio glesias who has been
wooing audiences or more lhan
45 years, al 7O, is slill irmly
holding lhe mic. 0n loday's
edilion o Ta|k Asia, Chh's
Monila Rajal, al 1 m, calches
u wilh lhe man known as lhe
Lalin Lover. n a rank
conversalion, glesias lalks aboul
his colorul career and lime as a
roessional oolballer. The singer
also recalls lhe devaslaling
accidenl lhal became ivolal in
changing lhe course o his lie.
ll F8I8F
Aclress Foonam 0hillon, who
lays a lradilional 0ujarali
molherinlaw on Sony
Enlerlainmenl Television's iclion
show kk |ayi Fc|c|aan has
been gelling a lol o raises.
Twiller accounl o lhe aclress lells
us lhal aler lhe launch o lhe
serial, Foonam has received an
arecialion call rom lhe senior
BJF leader LK Advani and his
amily or her brillianl
erormance. Twiller also
menlions lhal lhe soa is one o
lhe amily's avourile shows.
080F lF88088
0cmcJy 0ircus kc Ma|a|a|i will
see Abhay 0eol and Freeli 0esai
sweal il oul on slage as lhey gel
dancing lessons rom Krushna
and Bharli loday, al 1O m only
on Sony Enlerlainmenl Television.
wTh MEEhAKSh RA0
A slow loser
!emon
mumlo-jumlo
'P||| |u||i|iu| |uW
Aler bagging awards or lhe avourile bela, jodi
and mosl il aclor in 2O18, 0aulam Rode aka
Saras o Saraswalichandra lells SAh0EETA
YA0Av lhal his 18 years o hard work has inally
aid o. he lalks aboul his biggesl challenge &
why he reers noniclion lo iclion shows
QThe biggest challenge for
you on Saraswatichandra?
There are some intense
scenes when Saras misses his
dead mother. It requires a lot
of mental preparation to get
into the act and bring out the
essence of an emotional scene.
The mood and pace that was
required was quite stressful at
times. It does take a toll on
your health.
QSaras is a very emotional
character. Did you need
glycerin for tears or was it
natural?
There were times when I
didnt require the glycerin
because by living the character
and imagining the pain that
Saras goes through
automatically sets the mood .
You have to live the character
for that moment. But since we
have time constrain, I use
glycerin once in a while.
QHow does it feel to finally
get recognition after 13
years?
It feels great. It took me 12
years to come i nto the
limelight. I never imagined
that I would become TVs
top actor one day. I
entered the industry
when I had no idea
about acti ng. My
mantra of never
turni ng down any
work and belief in
myself has finally paid
off. The good part is
that even after
13 years, Im
still learning.
I dont take
any breaks. I
live for work.
QYou al so
host TV
shows. Are
y o u
comfortable
doing it?
A f t e r
h o s t i n g
Indias Got
Tal ent and
Nach Baliye
for three
years, Ive
become very
comf or t abl e
now. But Im an actor first and
while hosting a show, I think
of mysel f as an actor
performing live on stage.
QHow do you manage
hosting a show and working
as a lead?
Its very hectic. After 13
hours of shoot, I hit the gym
to keep physically fit.
Sometimes Im mentally
drained, but I never let that
affect me. Only people who
know me well catch on that I
am tired.
QWhich is more hectic
hosting a show or daily soap?
Fiction is less stressful than
non-fiction. Whether on stage
or backstage, we have to be on
our toes all the time. We have
to look for interesting links to
connect with the celebrities,
contestants with the audience.
In a fiction show, you need to
get into the skin of the
character. As a host you have to
be conscious all the time and
constantly keep a check on
things which is a challenge
QWhat advise for newcomers
in the industry?
Newcomers need to think
sensibly in deciding about
how they want their career
to move forward. They
have to bel ieve in
themselves. Once they
realise their potential and
aspirations, then they
should never give up.
QWhat about
working in
Bollywood?
Im very
c onf i de nt
that I will fit
i n
Bollywood
but not
o v e r -
confident. I
have been
thinking of
o p e n i n g
myself to
working in
f i l m s .
However, I
wi l l thi nk
about it
once Nach
Baliye ends.
H
e wooed the audience
by essaying the role of
a swanky superstar of
the film industry who had
millions of fans and every
actress wanting to romance
him. The pain of losing his
father due to suicide at an early
age meant that he had to
struggle as a teenager even
though he was a spoilt brat. But
with connections in the
industry, he touched stardom.
Meet RK aka Vivian DSena of
MadhubalaEk Ishq, Ek
Junoon. The show that went on
air May 28, 2012 on Colors was
an instant hit with the viewers
due to its Mills&Boon romance
and not the usual kitsch where
boy meets girl and they fall in
love.
The 487 episodes that have
been aired till January 31, 2014
have seen many ups and
downs. There were frequent
experiments with the storyline
but these failed to catch the
imagination of the viewers. So
much so that the Television
Viewership in Thousands fell to
an all time low of 1.8 in
December end. The producers
of the show had no option and
the soap is all set to take a 20
year leap.
This will be quite
shocking for some
Madhubala... fans who might
choose to not see it post-leap.
This is because RK and
Madhubala share a great on-
screen chemistry. However, we
cant say that post-leap will not
be good. It is quite likely that
the new storyline is good. It
could mean that people who
have not been watching the
show may start doing so now.
Take for example, Qubool Hai,
the main protagonist was
replaced. Though a lot of fans
were not happy, the shows
ratings seem to be holding
steady. Same happened
with Pavitra Rishta,
Bade Achhe Lagte Hain
and many other
shows, says Anil
Wanvari, the founder
& CEO of
IndianTelevision.com.
According to Abhinav
Shukla, the producer of
Madhubala, the leap will be
a natural progression which
will present a fresh storyline
and the inclusion of new
characters. Though RK
refused to be the part of
the show post-leap saying
that he is not fit to play the
role of a father at this age,
his role will come to an
end on a sad note.
Vivian, who issued
a statement to the
media about his decision to
quit the show reportedly said:
I was obviously surprised but
then I am a practical person so
I thought about it and realised
that it was a good decision
taken for the betterment of the
show. The chemistry between
RK and Madhubala was
amazing but then it had been
exploited from all possible
angles so a leap was planned.
After the leap, with my image
of a superstar it was not
possible for me to play a father
to a 25-year-old since the
audience would not have
accepted it since in real life I
myself am 25 years. So it was
a mutual decision between
taken between me, the
producers and the channel.
We had been trying
multiple things to pull the
viewership bar up by
introducing RKs death,
Madhus foray in the acting
front, Babu and KRK track etc,
but these were not working as
per our expectations. Thus,
we thought that this is the right
time to take a leap and revamp
the show with the new
characters and storyline,
Shukla tells you.
Recently, the high point on
the show was Madhubala
pregnancy and delivery of a
baby girl that was wrapped up
in two episodes. So, the
promos that are being shown is
how there is a big celebration
in the house everybody is
happily celebrating the birth of
the baby. Madhus mother-in-
law Radha Kulbhushan (Shama
Deshpande) takes the baby for
a walk. As soon as she reaches
the main gate, there is a bomb
blast. One can infer that RK
will die his exit from the
show. But does this mean that
Drashti Dhami will quit the
show as well?
Grapevine has it that while
Dhamis role of Madhubala
will also come to an end, she
will continue to be the part of
the show and play the
daughters role opposite
Karanvir Bohra. Whether
Drashti will still continue with
the show or not is still a
surprise. We are still in the
process of finalising the post 20
years leap story. Of course
Vivian decided to bid adieu to
the show as he didnt want to
play the role of a father, Shukla
tells you.
However, Madhubala... is
not the only show that has
taken big leap. And unlike
Vivian DSena who refused to
play a father, there have been
many actors who have happily
flowed with the transformation
and experimented with their
role.
Ankita Lokhande
continued in Pavitra Rishta. In
Parichay, everyone played the
role of a father, mother etc.
Sometimes, an actor doesnt
want to age when they are
young. Sometimes they
feel the new track is not
appealing enough. In
case of Madhubala...,
only time will tell
whether this show will
be able to spread the
same magic or not. It
all depends on how it is
treated. If it does not
find many takers for this
new storyline, then they
have the option to bring
back RK and Madhubala, at
a later stage. Or even take the
show off air, Wanvari
concludes.
0'8eaa m0ves 0a
The romos o Madhubala.Ek shq, Ek Junoon on Colors
show lhal lhere is a bomb blasl in lhe house and one can
iner lhal lhe lead rolagonisl layed by vivaan 0'Sena
dies. The social media is abound wilh how lhe soa is nol
going lo be lhe same anymore wilhoul him. Commenls
like 'nol going lo walch lhe show anymore' are lrending.
Fans on FB have aid a lribule lo RK by dedicaling songs
and saying lhey will never orgel him. his ollowers
however, can lake hearl, lhere is a bu// lhal he has been
aroached by Ekla Kaoor lo lay lhe lead in her new
show. SAh0EETA YA0Av brings you a reorl
Madhubala...
Ek shq Ek Junoon
has been the topic of
conversation for all his
fans from the time he has
announced that he is quitting
the soap. Comments like
'Vivaan please please come
back to the show' to 'we
love you Vivian D'Sena' to
' love RK in
Madhubala...,' are
being posted
daily
TELLYTALE
NEW DELH SUNDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2014
townhall 0S
8TkII EFTE Q hEw 0ELh
S
traight from the Ripleys
vault. Delhi Police had not
yet conducted a medical exam-
ination on 19-year-old Nido
Tania, son of Arunachal
Pradesh Congress MLA Nido
Pavitra. After the fracas, Nido,
accompanied by a lone friend
was joined by two other
friends. A call to the police con-
trol room was made at 1.55 pm.
Following this, a PCR van
arrived and by then the call was
transferred to the Lajpat Nagar
police station from where con-
stable Harinder was dispatched.
In the meantime, the PCR van
brought accused Farman and
the aggrieved Nido to the police
station where both of them gave
in writing that they had reached
a compromise and the matter
need not be probed further. The
investigation officer ASI Pritam
Singh asked Nido to show him
the spot where the incident
occurred but he did not send
any person for a medical exam.
This has put a question mark on
the functioning of Delhi Police.
Taking note of the police
approach, students from the
North-Eastern States demand-
ed justice for Nido Tanias mur-
der, called off their protest on
Saturday after Delhi Police
assured them of speedy action.
At a joint meeting of the North-
East students organisation and
Delhi Police at the Lajpat Nagar
police station at 3 pm on
Saturday, the organisation
raised demands such as imme-
diate action against the
assailants, action against police-
men who brought the deceased
again to the spot for inquiry in
front of whom the victim was
beaten again, to stop discrim-
ination against North-East stu-
dents, to include cultural her-
itage and unique identity of
North-East India in the
NCERT/CBSE syllabi, expe-
dite all pending cases under
police investigation and submit
to the court for judicial verdict
at the earliest, immediate for-
mation of special team of inves-
tigation, who will appraise the
progress of investigation to the
North-East representatives.
The memorandum has been
signed by the DCP assuring
that Delhi Police is committed to
providing security to all citizens
of Delhi, especially to students
from the North-East. Especially
in cases in which the victim
belongs to the North-Eastern
community, will be sent to judi-
cial verdict as soon as possible.
Delhi Police has already regis-
tered a case of murder and rel-
evant sections of SC/ST Act. The
chemical analysis report of vis-
cera is being expedited from
CFSL and all the culprits
involved in the offence will be
arrested in due course of inves-
tigation as per law, states the
memorandum. Later on
Saturday evening, students of
North-East held a candle march
in memory of Tania.
The incident occurred on
Wednesday afternoon when
Nido along with his friend
had approached the worker of
Rajasthan Paneer Bhandar in
Block A of Lajpat Nagar to seek
directions to a friends house
when the shopowner Farman
allegedly used racial slur over
the colour of his hair and
ridiculed Nido. Nido banged
his fist on the shop counter
which shattered the glass trig-
gering a scuffle between
Farman and Nido. However,
within minutes, the two sides
reached a compromise and the
matter was settled. Nido also
paid C7,500 in damages.
8TkII EFTE Q hEw 0ELh
C
riticising the Delhi
Government for its failure
to check power tariff hike, the
Delhi BJP on Saturday protest-
ed in the national Capital and
demanded an immediate roll-
back while Congress which is
supporting the AAP
Government from outside, held
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal
responsible for the recent power
tariff hikes. The Opposition BJP
has launched Bijli Andolan in
the city and asked five questions
to Kejriwal on power failure.
Accusing Arvind Kejriwal
of being hand-in-glove with
power distribution companies,
former Power Minister Haroon
Yusuf and senior Congress
leader Mukesh Sharma alleged
that the Chief Minister was
fully responsible for power tar-
iff hike and had betrayed the
trust of the people.
Demanding roll back of
the hike, Yusuf claimed that
Kejriwal knew in advance
that tariff was to be hiked by the
discoms as there is a process by
which DERC formally informs
the Chief Secretary and Power
Secretary 8-10 days before hik-
ing rates. We refute Kejriwals
claim that he didnt know about
power companies raising tariff.
Power distribution companies,
in a letter to the Government,
had explained the difficulties
they were facing and warned
that there would be power cuts
lasting 8-10 hours, Yusuf said.
If power tariff is not
reduced by half without subsidy,
Congress workers will come out
on the streets and launch a series
of protest against the AAP
Government. Students exam
are about to come. If power cuts
continue, how will our children
prepare for exams? The party
cannot bear this, Yusuf said.
The former Power Minister
also alleged that such a situation
was being created deliberately so
that power tariff could be hiked
in future. Sharma said that they
are now asking the Delhi CM
whether he would sit on
dharna outside DERC office like
he had sat on dharna outside
Rail Bhavan demanding sus-
pension of some police per-
sonnel. Sharma said the previ-
ous Congress-led Government
had provided 24-hour power
supply to the residents in its
tenure. Party leaders demand-
ed rollback of the tariff hike.
On the other hand, Delhi
BJP claimed that AAP failed to
ensure lower power tariff,
unscheduled power cuts haunt-
ing city BJP will hold protest
marches in every part of the city
over power tariff hike and irreg-
ular power supply. A large
number of BJP workers, includ-
ing legislators, councillors and
the party office bearers gathered
at Bhajanpura to launch the agi-
tation. The party is demanding
immediate rollback of the hike
in recent power tariff and unin-
terrupted power supply across
the city, said Goel.
He said that the discoms
have threatened 10-hour long
power cuts in Trans-Yamuna
area, so the party decided to
launch its Bijli Andolan from
this area itself.
8TkII EFTE Q hEw 0ELh
A
juvenile was the brain
behind the sensational
daylight heist in which around
C8 crore were looted in Lajpat
Nagar area on Tuesday. The 17-
year-old youth, who was the
insider in the case along with
the three henchmen, identified
as Gulzar alias Bhola, Tilak
alias Tinku and Praveen, all res-
idents of Chhatarpur in south
Delhi, have been apprehended
by the police. Efforts are on to
nab their other five to six asso-
ciates who too have been iden-
tified by the police. According
to police, the juvenile worked as
an office boy at businessman
Rajesh Kalras office and was
aware that a large amount of cash
would be transported by his boss
and his partner Rajesh Ahuja
between Chandni Chowk,
Greater Kailash and Kalkaji.
Police said that the juvenile
was present in the Honda City
car on Tuesday when it was
robbed by the assailants with
the cash and was relaying live
updates to the robbers about
the movement of the car
through text messages. Police
have recovered part of the
looted amount of around C1.2
crore from several places on
their instance. Around two
dozen police teams are raiding
places revealed by those already
apprehended to recover the
robbed cash and to nab their
remaining associates. We
always believed that an insid-
er played a key role in the
biggest heist in the national
capital. All those present in the
car at the time of loot were
under scanner and they were
questioned in detail and their
backgrounds were checked. As
soon as the juvenile broke
down, the case was cracked, a
senior police official said.
The youth, who lives in
Madangir shared information
with his relative Ajay who has
been involved in street crime in
the area about the large amount
of cash and planned to loot the
cash. Ajay further roped in
Shakti Naidu, who is juveniles
maternal uncle and has been
involved in a number of crimes.
He was also arrested in a bank
robbery case in 2002. Naidu
further roped in members of
Pradeep Kalara gang and start-
ed to plan the mega heist. The
gang first robbed a Hyundai
Verna on January 21 and then
a WagonR on January 24 for
the purpose, the officer added.
On the information pro-
vided by the juvenile, the gang
followed Kalras car on January
24 to do a reconnaissance. They
studied the route taken by the
car and then planned the entire
heist in detail including inter-
ception point and escape routes.
The juvenile tipped off the gang
on January 27 that a huge
amount of money will be trans-
ported the next day. On the day
of the robbery January 28
the entire gang followed the
Honda City car which had the
cash, in three cars WagonR,
Verna and Volkswagen Jetta
which apparently belonged to
Naidu. The WagonR intercept-
ed Honda City near Lajpat
Nagar Metro station while the
Verna came from behind. The
armed robbers came out of the
car and asked Rakesh Kumar,
manager of Rajesh Kalra, driver
Subodh, Baijnath and the juve-
nile to alight from the Honda
City at gunpoint, the
officer added.
Police said that the accused
then fled from the spot in the
Honda City which had the cash
and the Hyundai Verna leaving
behind the WagonR on the spot
while Shakti followed them in
the Jetta. They took the Honda
City near Sewa Nagar railway
crossing close to Barapullah fly-
over, transferred the cash in the
Jetta car and fled from the spot
leaving behind the Honda City.
The other group abandoned
the Verna around a kilometre
away from the crime scene in
Jangpura. All of them assembled
at a place in Mahipalpur and dis-
tributed the money among them
and then fled in different direc-
tions in buses and taxis. Gulzar
alias Bhola, Tilak alias Tinku and
Praveen had fled to Shimla in a
taxi. They were arrested on
Friday evening by the Special
Cell of Delhi Police in
Chandigarh when they were
returning from Shimla with the
help of Chandigarh Police, a
police officer added.
8TkII EFTE Q hEw 0ELh
I
n a bid to give relief to small
traders in the national
Capital, the Arvind Kejriwal
Government on Saturday
decided to simplify the Value
Added Tax (VAT) payment
procedures for traders while
announcing a series of initia-
tives for the business commu-
nity. Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal made the announce-
ments while interacting with
various traders and markets
organisations of the city at
Delhi Secretariat here. The
Government is working on a
process to simplify the VAT
procedure by putting effective
and user friendly systems in
place. This will help the traders
in paying their tax regularly
and without any hassle and will
also help the Government in
increasing its revenue without
causing any inconvenience to
traders, said Kejriwal. The
Government has also decided
to scrap Audit Report 1 (AR1)
which was mandatory for
traders with an annual turnover
exceeding C10 crore to file.
A Government official said
this separate procedure pre-
scribed during the previous
Government by the VAT author-
ities was causing unnecessary
hardships for traders. This
report was not only lengthy
running into several pages, but
also cumbersome to file, the
official said. Besides that, the
Government also raised the
ceiling limit of composition
scheme from C50 lakh to C1
crore for availing a simplified
VAT procedure by small dealers.
This means that traders
with a turnover of C1 crore will
now be eligible to get the ben-
efit of a simplified procedure for
calculating the VAT on goods
sold by them. The simplified
procedure allows small traders
to pay one per cent tax on their
turnover, explained the official.
The Chief Minister also
assured the traders that the
Government would consider
raising the ceiling to exempt
small traders from VAT regis-
tration. Currently, traders with
a turnover less than C20 lakh do
not need to register with VAT
authorities. He also said the
Government intends to reduce
human interface between VAT
authorities and traders.
The Government plans to
discourage random inspections
by VAT inspectors to markets
and trading organisations, said
the Delhi CM.
8TkII EFTE Q hEw 0ELh
S
enior officers of Delhi
Police were on Saturday
directed by a city court, hear-
ing a 1984 anti-Sikh riots
case, to place before it the
statutory rules governing
destruction of official records
of the investigating agency.
The courts directions came
while hearing an application
seeking prosecution of four
Delhi Police officers, includ-
ing the then ACP, for destroy-
ing the records and files of
Nangloi case in 1992. The
court was hearing the riot
case which was registered in
1991 with regard to the killing
of four persons.
I further direct the DCP
(West)/DCP (Legal) to place
before this court the statuto-
ry rules governing destruc-
tion of official records of
Del hi Pol i ce rel ati ng to
Roznamcha A&B, including
PPP Vihar, road certificate,
NCR books, filled inquests,
untraced and cancelled files
and all kinds of Kalandras. I
am also informed that some
office orders/standing orders
are also being issued from
time to time as to how the
destructi on of record is
required to be conducted. I
therefore, direct that in case
if there were any officer
orders/standing orders issued
by the Police Department
during the period 1991-1992
so governing the destruction
of records, the same be also
placed before this court on
the next date, Additional
Sessions Judge Kamini Lau
said and sent the copy of the
order to t he Deput y
Commi ssi oner of Pol i ce
(West)/DCP (Legal )
for compliance. He alleged in
the plea that these four offi-
cials were responsible for
destroyi ng t he rel evant
records relating to 1984 anti-
Sikh riots of Nangloi Police
Station which they did delib-
erately to save the accused in
the present case despite lodg-
ing of the present FIR on
August 28, 1991. In the riot
case registered at Nangloi
police station, accused Satpal
Gupta, Dalel Singh, Ram Pal
Singh and Karan Singh are
faci ng tri al whi l e two
others, Prem Chand and Ram
Niwas died during the pen-
dency of the case.
The State through the
prosecution is in fact seeking
to put these police officers in
the dock by charging them
with a deliberate destruction
of relevant records of Nangloi
PS relating to anti-Sikh riots
which they claim has been
done on Feb 5, 1992 in order
to save the accused persons
despite registration of FIR
on August 28, 1991. Under
no circumstances any charge
as prayed for by the special
public prosecutor be invoked
without this court first sum-
moning the said persons as
accused which can only be
done under Section 319
CrPC, the court observed.
8TkII EFTE Q hEw 0ELh
D
elhiites woke up to a
foggy morning with a
cl oud cover. The f og,
however, cleared as the day
progressed but overcast
conditions remained. A cold
breeze whi ch bi l l owed
through the city throughout
the day, added to the chill.
The weat hermen have
predicted a partly cloudy sky
on Sunday with moderate to
dense fog in the national
Capital. As many as 50 trains
were running late due to fog
in Delhi Saturday. The Met
office said visibility was 600
metres at 8.30 am, said an
of f i ci al of t he Indi a
Meteorological Department
(IMD). Accordi ng t o
Northern Railway, 50 trains
were running late.
Saturday witnessed a
chilly day with the maximum
temperature two notches
below average at 19.6C.
The Met office forecast a
cloudy Sunday. The days
minimum temperature set-
tled three notches above the
seasons average at 11.1C.
The maximum temperature
is likely to hover around
21C. Humidity at 8.30 am
was 88 per cent.
Fri days mi ni mum
temperature sett l ed two
notches above the seasons
average at 10C, while the
maximum temperature was
settled a notch below the
seasons average at 21.1C.
The day will become
cl oudy Sunday wi t h
moderat e f og i n t he
morni ng, an IMD
official said.
8TkII EFTE Q hEw 0ELh
A
55-year-old woman, wife of
a jeweller, was allegedly
robbed and stabbed by four
assailants after barging into her
home in South Delhis Saket area
on Saturday evening. Prelim-
inary investigation revealed that
the four assailants had come to
the victims house, posing as
courier boys and currently vic-
tim is battling for her life in a pri-
vate hospital.
Police said that the victim
has been identified as Pushpa
Goyal, whose husband, KC
Goyal, runs a jewellery business
in Ashram. The incident took
place around 4 pm and at the
time of the incident, Pushpa
Goyal was sitting in drawing
room and her son Sunil and
daughter-in-law, Pooja were in
the first floor, police said.
Investigation revealed that
the incident occurred when one
of the assailants first reached the
house and knocked at the door
posing as a courier boy. Victim
opened the door and before she
could question him further,
three other assailants barged
inside the home and they start-
ed ransacking after making her
hostage, the officer added. The
accused stabbed her when she
tried to raise an alarm and after
hearing the screaming of victims
son, the assailants decamped
with cash amounting to several
lakhs and jewellery, police offi-
cer said. The victims son later
informed the police after
making a call to the PCR at
4.27 pm and after receiving the
PCR call, police immediately
reached at the spot.
8TkII EFTE Q hEw 0ELh
F
amily of a 13-year-old boy
alleged that medical negli-
gence of National Heart Institute
has caused his death on Saturday.
The family said that the hospi-
tal authority did not take action
at right time due to poor eco-
nomic condition of the family,
which had come from Bihar to
Delhi for medical treatment.
According to family mem-
bers, the boy, Nirmal Kumar,
had breathing problem and he
was diagnosed by the AIIMS
Hospital in September last year.
The hospital gave date of
surgery in Year 2017 and the
family moved to National Heart
Institute in East of Kailash.
The family blamed that the hos-
pital authority admitted and
discharged the boy several
times and avoided surgery
despite several requests of the
family members.
On Friday evening, the con-
dition of the boy deteriorated
and he became unconscious.
He was immediately rushed to
the hospital where he was admit-
ted and discharged in a span of
90 minutes. When the boy could
not gain consciousness, the fam-
ily moved to LNJP Hospital on
Saturday morning where he was
declared brought dead. The fam-
ily then lodged a complaint in
Hauz Rani police station
demanding stern action against
the hospital authority. They also
demanded post-mortem exam-
ination by medical board and the
Delhi Police later approached the
Delhi Government for forming
a board for this purpose.
8TkII EFTE Q hEw 0ELh
J
ust over a month after taking
over as the Chief Minister,
Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday
shifted to his new house locat-
ed at Tilak Lane. The address of
his new ground floor house is
C-II/23 at Tilak Lane, near the
Patiala House Court. It is a cor-
ner flat with three bedrooms,
two servant quarters and a
common garage. With shifting
his base from Kaushambi to
New Delhi, the Uttar Pradesh
Police on Saturday is all set to
withdraw the Z category pro-
tection provided to him.
At present, 30 police per-
sonnel are deployed for round-
the-clock protection for
Kejriwal, who has refused to
take security as part of Aam
Aadmi Partys promise to end
VIP culture. Besides, two police
vehicles guard the Delhi Chief
Minister when he is on the
move in Ghaziabad.
Senior Superintendent of
Police Dharmendra Singh said
that as per rule, if a minister or
a VVIP lived in their jurisdic-
tion, they were bound to pro-
vide security to them.
As the Delhi Chief
Minister has shifted his base
from Kaushambi to New Delhi,
we would inform the state
government, which had
ordered to provide him Z cat-
egory protection. After getting
Governments directive in this
regard, we would proceed
accordingly, Singh said.
Spread over almost 1,600
square feet, a three room flat at
Tilak Lane has a lawn in front
of the house, as specially
demanded by the Chief
Minister. With Kejriwal shift-
ing to his new house, the secu-
rity in the area has been
enhanced with large number of
police personnel deployed in
and around his house. Even the
roads that lead to his house
have been barricaded. Till now
the family lived in an Indian
Revenue Services flat allotted
to Kejriwals wife in
Kaushambi, Ghaziabad.
A fresh search was initiat-
ed on January 10 when
Secretary of the Ministry of
Urban Development Sudhir
Krishna had met Kejriwal at
his office to discuss the issue
of his house, after Kejriwal
refused to move into the two
adjacent five-bedroom duplex
flats on Bhagwan Das Road
allotted to him earlier follow-
ing a controversy.
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Court seeks
prosecution of
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officers, including
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nation 04
NEW DELH SUNDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2014
FIhEE hEW8 8EVI6E Q
Suh0AR0ARh / K0RAFuT
T
he Jharkhand Police on
Saturday arrested five
Maoists, including three women,
and a top cadre from the
Saranda forest area along the
Odisha-Jharkhand border.
Acting on specific intelli-
gence input, a joint team of
Jharkhand and Sundargarh
police launched a combing oper-
ation in the Saranda forest and
succeeded in arresting the
Maoists including top cadre
identified as Bikram of Podahata.
The police also seized 12
rifles, several live cartridges and
explosives from their possession.
In another incident, the
Koraput police arrested senior
Maoist cadre T Anil Kumar
alias Chandu from an undis-
closed spot. He will be pro-
duced before a court.
Earlier, on Friday, the
Maoists had threatened to
launch retaliatory action if
Chandu, a most wanted cadre
who they suspected was being
held captive by the Odisha
police, was not produced in
court immediately.
Sources said Chandu, a
native of Prakasham district in
Andhra Pradesh, had gone to a
place in Nabarangpur district on
January 24 and went missing for
a week now.
Meanwhile, acting on the
intelligence inputs about the
presence of some Maoist lead-
ers along the Dhenkanal-
Keonjhar-Jajpur border areas
during the observance of the
Saheed Diwas in the
Gobaraghati area in Jajpur dis-
trict last month, police forces of
the three districts and Special
Operation Group (SOG) and
District Voluntary Force (DVF)
have intensified combing oper-
ations in the area.
According to sources, a
group of Maoist cadres had
assembled at a place under the
Kankadahada police station on
January 29. Acting on the infor-
mation, a police team from
Kankadahada has undertaken a
combing operation in Rekuti,
Bahadapal, Baiganapal,
Ekulasekula, Koi, Kalaspur,
Kandharakateni and Kaina Sahi
which are located in forest zones.
The Jajpur police have also
started combing operation in the
Aradhapal, Chingudipal,
Khuntapasi and Ragada areas
while the Keonjhar police have
begun combing operations in
the Telkoi, Kaliahata, Rama-
chandrapur and Kerang areas.
According to sources, a
large group of Maoist cadres
from Andhra Pradesh and
Chhattisgarh along with their
Odisha counterparts had
arrived in the border zone of
the three districts to observe
the Saheed Diwas in memory
of 14 tribals who were killed in
police firing during a demon-
stration at Kalinganagar on
January 2, 2006.
Raipur: Security forces have apprehended a suspected Naxalite
along with some arms and ammunition from the Bijapur dis-
trict of Chhattisgarh.
According to sources, a squad of CRPF and State police were
out for an anti-Naxal operation in the Takilod-Donga area of
Bhairamgarh when an alleged Maoist identified as Markam
Bomra was apprehended.
Bomra is said to be the commander of a local Naxal group
operating in the area, the sources added.
A local gun called bharmar and ammunition of the .303
rifle were seized during the operation. PTI
5 Ma0Ists heI4 40rIa 04Isha 0eratI0a
haxal arresled in Chhallisgarh
Kurmi body sooks
CM post or Savita
kVhI8h 8Ihhk Q RAhCh
A
mid the rising wave of sym-
pathy for Savita Mahto from
political parties across
Jharkhand, Kurmi Vikas
Morcha, an association of Kurmi
community, considered to be
most significant in terms of
number of voters in the demog-
raphy of Jharkhand, has raised
demand of Chief Ministers post
for the widow of former Deputy
Chief Minister and senior
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader
late Sudhir Mahato.
Our demand has come after
sensing the mood among the
community members. We asked
our representative in 15 districts
to read sentiments of the com-
munity members. So we will not
tolerate the insult that she (Savita)
has been subjected to, said pres-
ident of Kurmi Vikas Morcha,
Sheetal Ohdaar. The front will
enforce chakka jam on February
5 if the demand is not met.
Notably, the JMM had
declared Savita Mahto as their
candidate for Rajya Sabha elec-
tions however the party buckled
under pressure from coalition
partners- the Congress and
Rashtriya Janta Dal- and retract-
ed from its stand on the last day
for the nominations for RS polls.
Significantly, the purported
insult to Savita Mahato has kept
the community on boil as the
Kurmi Vikas Morcha is likely to
bring everything to a standstill
after the last rites of Sudhir
Mahato gets over to make their
voice heard. The association
disapproved of talks of top post
in a Board/Corporation for the
widow. The last rites will get over
on February 5.
We demand Shibu Soren to
make the incumbent CM resign
immediately and honour Savita
Mahto by making her CM,
maintained Ohdaar adding
Post in board or corporation
will not offset the insult that she
faced after JMM retracted from
its promise of ticket to Rajya
Sabha. Interestingly, the Kurmi
association is attempting to woo
JMM MLAs -- Mathura Mahto,
Vidyut Baran Mahto and
Jagannath Mahto -- to remain
firm on their decision to resign
as JMM MLAs. We have asked
them to stay on their stand.
Entire community is with them,
pointed out Ohdaar.
widow o exdy
CM o J'khand
was droed
rom RS race
Ranchi: A special CBI court on
Saturday allowed the prosecu-
tions application for attach-
ment of properties belonging to
Sita Soren and her father B N
Manjhi. The order was initi-
ated after Jharkhand High
Court recently vacated its stay
on the previous order of CBI
court related to horse trading
case in 2012 RS elections. Sita
Soren is said to be absconding
after HC vacated its stay.PNS
Fh8 Q Lu0hAhA
T
erming the SAD-BJP
alliance as true secularists
of the country, Punjab Chief
Minister Parkash Singh Badal
on Saturday exhorted the
Muslim community not to get
swayed away with the mali-
cious propaganda of Congress
regarding BJPs prime ministe-
rial candidate Narendra Modi.
Sensing their inevitable
defeat, Congress is leaving no
stone unturned to create fear in
the minds of minorities regard-
ing Modi, which is totally
wrong, said Badal, addressing
a public gathering after laying
down the foundation stone of
Islamia Public School here.
Accusing the Congress of
always pursuing the policy of
Divide and Rule for fulfilling its
vested political interests and dis-
torting the image of Modi, the
Punjab Chief Minister said this
was a part of this strategy.
Impressing upon the com-
munity to vote for making
Modi as the Prime Minister of
the nation, Badal said only a
seasoned politician and able
administrator like Gujarat
Chief Minister could lead the
nation efficiently. He said if
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi
was elected to the coveted post
of the Prime Minister then only
God could save the country
from the ensuing disaster.
Badal said SAD had been
votary of communal harmony
and peace in the country and
once the NDA Government
assumes power in Centre, they
would ensure that the all round
development of Muslim com-
munity was ensured in true lat-
ter and spirit. He said that the
community has supported the
SAD through thick and thin,
adding the party was commit-
ted to safeguarding the interests
of the community at any cost.
Badal also urged the Muslim
community to attend the
upcoming rally of Gujarat
Chief Minister in huge num-
bers so as to clear the mist
about the popularity of Modi
amongst the minorities.
He also announced that the
State Government would soon
make the necessary amend-
ments in the rules to make a rep-
resentative of the community as
the Vice Chairman of Punjab
Minorities Commission.
!o not le swayeo ly Cong
roaganoa: Baoal to Muslims
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8TkII EFTE Q
0REATER h00A
W
ith the arrest of four gang members
of alleged gangster Sundar Bhati,
the Noida Police claimed to have cracked
the murder case of 31-year-old Jai
Bhagwan Dujana. According to the
police, his murder was a result of a gang-
war as the deceased was the brother of
another alleged gangster Anil Dujana. On
January 24, the youngest brother of
alleged gangster Anil Dujana was gunned
down while he was sleeping outside his
house in Dujana in Greater Noida.
Police had registered a FIR against eight
persons at Bisrakh police station and
raided various hideouts of the gang.
Finally after a week, four members
of Sundar Bhati gang were arrested
from Ghangola village in Greater Noida.
The police have recovered two guns from
their possession. Those arrested have
been identified as Dinesh, Sahdev Singh,
Tirath Singh and Sheru.
All of them have confessed their
involvement in the murder and weapon
used in crime was also recovered. Sahdev
and Tirath are brothers of Sundar Bhati
while other two are relatives. Sundar
Bhati is still at large and soon he will be
arrested. But during the investigation it
was not found that Bhati came and
attacked Dujana, said Anup Kumar,
superintendent of the police.
He had gone to sleep in a room out-
side the house. When he did not return
the next morning, his father Chatur
Singh went to check him and found him
dead. Around 12 bullets were shot at him.
hoida murder is oul, our held
8TkII EFTE Q hEw 0ELh
A
South African woman has
been arrested at IGI Airport
on Saturday for allegedly trying
to smuggle out of the country a
party drug worth about C13
crore in the international mar-
ket. The accused had come to
Indira Gandhi International
Airport to board a flight to
Johannesburg via Nairobi on
Tuesday. Police said that she was
intercepted by customs offi-
cials and on examination of her
baggage, 16 kilo Methaqualone
was found in it, the official said.
Methaqualone, a controlled
substance under the Narcotic
Drugs and Psychotropic
Substances (NDPS) Act, is a
sedative used for medical pur-
poses. However, it is common-
ly abused as party drug. The
value of the seized goods in the
international market is C12.80
crore, the official said, adding
that the passenger was arrested
and is being interrogated.
In a separate incident,
thirty persons were today
detained at IGI airport here
for allegedly trying to smug-
gle into the country gold
worth about C3crore by hiding
it in their rectum. Acting on
an i nput, of f i ci al s of
Di rectorate of Revenue
Intelligence (DRI) and Air
Intelligence Unit of customs in
a joint operation intercepted
30 passengers belonging to
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and
other places after their arrival
here from Singapore, official
sources said.
After examination of their
baggage, nothing objection-
able was found. However, in
their personal check, officials
found gold hidden in their
rectum, they said. Each of
them was carrying 400 gm of
gold. The total quantity of gold
was about 12 kilo, worth about
C3 crore, the sources said.
From Page 1
However, nothing happened even after
the assurance. The students from the region
are always subjected to harassment in New
Delhi, Mumbai and other places only because
of their Mongoloid features, adviser of the
North East Students Organisation (NESO),
Samujjal Bhattacharyya said.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is a five
time Rajya Sabha MP from Assam. This is
2014-five years have passed since the assurance
of the Prime Minister. We want to ask the PM
what has he done in the last nine years to secure
the students from Assam and other parts of the
region in New Delhi? asked Bhattacharyya.
We are talking to our counterparts in all the
Northeastern States and we are not going to
leave the issue unless the concerned States take
necessary steps to stop such atrocities on the
students of the region, he said.
Meanwhile, Nidos body arrived in the
Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International
airport, from where it was flown to Ziro by
an helicopter.
From Page 1
Once we had ruled Delhi,
but the Government didnt last
then because leaders of vari-
ous parties could not work in
tandem. We have to ensure
that this time the Government
works, he said, kicking off the
partys cycl e yatra i n
Uttar Pradesh.
Last time you had come
on cycles to form Government
in the State which has been
achieved... This time around,
I am confident that you will
have an important role to
play in the Government for-
mation at the Centre, Yadav
told partymen.
From Page 1
Slamming power distribu-
tion firms for announcing power
cuts on the plea of fund pauci-
ty, Kejriwal said the truth about
their financial condition will be
revealed in the CAG report on
discoms. They (power compa-
nies) are saying that they dont
have money, so where has their
money gone? The CAG is try-
ing to find their money and the
truth will come out in the CAGs
report. After CAGs report, we
would get to know whether
they are really facing a financial
crunch or not, Kejriwal said.
The Chief Minister had ear-
lier accused BSES discoms of
trying to blackmail the
Government by threatening
power cuts up to 10 hours a day,
and warned them of stringent
measures, including possible
cancellation of licences.
In spite of our repeated
follow-up and meeting with
senior officials of BSES
Rajdhani and BYPL, the com-
pany has not been able to give
any letter of credit for the full
value within seven days, which
is a breach of PPA (power
purchase agreement) provi-
sions, the notice said. The
CERC empowers generation
companies to regulate power
supply in case letters
of credit, which are assur-
ances of payment, are not
maintained. In the event of a
default in payment or non-
enhancement of letter of cred-
it, the NTPC can give BSES
Rajdhani 90 days to rectify the
situation, during which supply
of power will remain suspend-
ed, the company said. The last
letter of credit was encashed on
Friday leaving a shortfall of Rs
271.61 crore in the case of BSES
Rajdhani while shortfall of let-
ter of credit in the case of BYPL
is 168.29 crore, the notice said.
The CERC (Regulation of
Power Supply) Regulations,
2010, also provide for regulation
of power supply in case of non-
maintenance of the required let-
ter of credit or other agreed
payment security mechanism
(PSM), the notice said.
The notice said that going
by past record, BSES Rajdhani
has not been able to reinstate let-
ters of credit within seven days,
as envisaged in the PPA, NTPC
said. Last month, BSES Rajdhani
re-instituted the letter of credit
on January 29, against the due
date of January 7, NTPC said,
adding that currently there is no
letter of credit available.
Since BSES Rajdhani has
not been able to provide the
requisite payment security
mechanism, notice for regula-
tion of power supply for 90
days starting February 11 has
been issued to BSES Rajdhani,
the notice said.
From Page 1
I give him two days to hand me the proof of
my corruption otherwise he should resign from
his position, Sibal said.
Sibal said if Kejriwal is able to prove his alle-
gations, then he would not only step down as a
Minister but also quit politics.
Union Shipping Minister GK Vasan also
threatened to file a defamation case against
Kejriwal for making allegations of corruption
against him even as Congress MP Avtar Singh
Bhadana sent legal notices to him. Bhadana
slammed Kejriwal for calling names without
evidence.
His lawyer Surat Singh said Kejriwal had
made false and frivolous allegations in his bid
to project himself.
Undeterred, the AAP went on to add the
names of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and
BJPs Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra
Modi too in the list. The names of Sonia and
Modi were added as they led and protected cor-
rupt politicians and corrupt politics, senior AAP
leader Gopal Rai said.
From Page 1
Following the meeting
though, Rawat emerged the
clear winner paving the way for
him to do what he always
wished to - play a role in the
politics of the State.
The AICC General
Secretary Janardan Dwivedi
set aside all speculations by
making a formal announce-
ment that the party president
Sonia Gandhi approved Rawats
name.
It was Rawats zeal to be
active in State politics that had
led him to even revolt against
the Congress after he was over-
looked for the CMs post in
2012. The party appointed
Bahuguna due to his proximi-
ty to 10 Janpath. Rawat was
then pacified with a Cabinet
portfolio in UPA-II.
Rawat was made MoS
Labour and Employment in
2009 and later MoS for
Agriculture and Food
Processing Industries. In July
2011, he was made MoS for
Parliamentary Affairs.
Born in a Rajput family on
April 27, 1947 in Almora,
Rawat, who has a degree in law,
has been regarded as a hard-
working leader and remained
active in national politics too
due to undisputed leadership
image from the Hill State.
After remaining a trade
unionist for long and then a
member of Indian Youth
Congress for several years,
Rawat shot into fame by defeat-
ing BJP veteran Murli Manohar
Joshi in 1980. In 1977, Rawat
became a Youth Congress dis-
trict president due to his prox-
imity with Sanjay Gandhi, who
was calling the shots within the
party then.
Ahead of the Lok Sabha
elections, Rawats appointment
is sure to infuse fresh energy
into the party in the State, polit-
ical pundits feel. More so, after
Bahugunas image took a severe
beating due to his handling of
relief operations following the
flash floods.
It was against this backdrop
that Bahuguna was asked by
the party high command to
step down in a bid to salvage
the partys prospect in the
Hill State.
From Page 1
The Defence Ministry had
cancelled the contract with
Agusta in January for alleged-
ly violating the integrity pact
which bars hiring a middle-
man or agent and paying
bribes or commission. The
company had delivered three
hel i copters and t he
Government put the delivery
of remaining nine helicopters
on hold in March last year
af ter It al y st arted
investigations into the scam
and India handed over the
case to the CBI.
As a follow up action, the
Defence Ministry last month
also recovered bank guarantee
worth over Rs 200 crore paid
by Agusta into an Indian
bank. Efforts are now on to
recover the remaining part of
the guarantee deposited in
Italian banks as Agusta has
gone to court asking it to
restrain India from doing so.
The Defence Ministry has
also cancelled the permission
given to Finmeccanica for
taking part in the forthcom-
ing four-day international
defence exhibition Def Expo
starting here on February 6.
This action was taken as part
of the ministrys policy not to
allow those firms facing cor-
ruption charges or blacklisted
to take part in defence exhi-
bitions in India. About 25
such companies, therefore,
will not be able to take part
t hi s year. The Defence
Ministry wil l return the
money paid by the Italian
conglomerate for booking
space in the Def Expo.
Harisl Rawat gets lis
oue as !`llano CM
0sta 4eaI hr0ker...
Power lay...
Protest rally in... |+J| |||+|| l+l...
B+|]i|W+i|i|
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From Page 1
We have registered a case of mur-
der under section 302 of the IPC and
the SC/ST Act. We are awaiting the vis-
cera report and the DCP has spoken to
the CBI CSFL lab and has requested that
the process of obtaining the viscera
report be expedited and obtained with-
in a week. Three persons are being
interrogated and more arrests are like-
ly soon. We will make this a foolproof
case so that justice is done to our depart-
ed brother. Action will be taken against
police officers if they are found guilty.
The police have seized some CCTV
footages from Lajpat Nagar market and
a mobile video clipping of Tanias own
cell phone, in both of which the victim
is seen laughing after he had a scuf-
fle with Paneer Bhandhar shopkeeper
Farhan, his brother Akram and friend
Wasim over the colour of his hair.
After scanning the CCTV footage,
it has been learnt that Nido is seen
laughing along with his friends at 7 pm
after he left the police station, the
police sources said, adding that inves-
tigators are now investigating what hap-
pened after he went to his friends house
in Green Park.
Tania can be seen mocking at the
ASI investigating the case for not
wearing the helmet, police sources
added. After seizing the crucial tech-
nical evidence, the Delhi police are
planning to use this video clipping
and market CCTV footage as evi-
dence in court showing that Tania was
in fine condition when he left the
police station.
N-E outrage pours out on...
8hkMIIk kI8hhk Q LuCKh0w
I
n a bid to determine whether the killing in Badahpur area of
Najibabad on Januray 26 was made by the stray tigress of
Moradabad, the Forest Department has sent scat samples of the
animal from the killing area to the Wildlife Institute of India
Dehradun. The Conservator Moradabad Kamlesh Kumar, while
talking to The Pioneer on Saturday, said that these samples will
be matched with those of the previous scat samples of the tigress
to confirm that it is the same beast on the prowl.
The conservator said they will be receiving the report on
Monday which will end all the speculations.
The Forest Department has been in a state of speculation since
the last killing on January 26 as to whether the deceased was the
sixth victim attacked by the stray tigress of Moradabad or by a
different tiger. The stray tigress of Moradabad last had its prey
in Uttar Pradesh on January 10. The next killing was reported
in the Kalagarh area, Uttarakhand in January 14.
The Conservator Moradabad said, "We have sent the scat sam-
ples to the Wildlife Institute of India which will match the pre-
vious samples to confirm that the killing in the Badahpur area
was made by the tigress. We will receive the report on Monday.
If it confirms the presence of the tigress we will focus on Badahpur,
Kaudia and Sahupur to trace it," he said.
The Forest department is also coordinating with the
Kalagarh forest officials to install 12 camera traps on the
Kandi road between Bijnore and Uttrakhand where several
tigers are sighted.
|u|| p| |J +| +|pl |u
u||i|| '|ill| |i| p||
I, Uma Mehra W/o Shyam
Sunder Manoharlal Mehra
R/o C-121, Sector-61, Noida
(U.P.) have changed my
name to Uma Shyam
Sunder Mehra for all pur-
poses.
PD(5823)A
I, Dilip Kumar Mishra S/o
Sh. Tara Kant Mishra R/o
59-B, Pocket-A5, Sector-71,
Noida (U.P.) have changed
my name to Dilip Mishra
for all purposes.
PD(5822)A
I, Kavish Sanghi S/o Vijay
Sanghi R/o F.No. 32, Kailash
Appartments, Pilot No. 45,
Patpargunj, Delhi-92, have
changed my name from
Nipun Kumar to Kavish
Sanghi for all future pur-
poses.
PD(5821)C
CHANGE OF NAME
landmark 05
NEW DELH SUNDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2014
Fh8 Q hEw 0ELh
N
oted social activist Aruna
Roy has said that despite
its great potential and promise,
the UPAs ambitious flagship
programme MNREGA is fac-
ing a crisis of imple-
mentation. In a letter
to Congress presi-
dent Sonia Gandhi
on the eve of 9th
MNREGA diwas,
Roy said, An unam-
biguous commit-
ment should be
made to the people
of the country to
deliver the entitlements as
promised under the Act.
Even as people ask for
work, the falling figures of
employment provided, is a
proof of the lack of adminis-
trative and political will.
Disturbing reports are coming
from different States and dis-
tricts facing a cash crunch and
their consequent refusal to
implement it as a true demand
based programme, said Roy, a
former member of the Sonia
Gandhi-headed National
Advisory Council
(NAC) said.
While crores of
people have benefit-
ed from this scheme
and useful assets have
been created, its
i mpl e me nt at i on
remains, unfortu-
nately suspect, she
said. Roy said that
channelling MNREGA funds
to the poorest, landless labour-
ers will only benefit the econ-
omy in the long run and this
understanding seems to have
got lost in the anti-poor
rhetoric that sees this expen-
diture as a waste.
FTI Q hY0ERABA0
A
ndhra Pradesh Chief
Minister N Kiran Kumar
Reddy, his Cabinet colleagues
and Congress MLAs from
coast al Andhra and
Rayalaseema regions will
meet Presi dent Pranab
Mukherjee in New Delhi next
week to request him not to
recommend the AP Reorga-
nisation Bill to Parliament.
We have sought the
Presi dents appoi ntment
either for February 4 or 5. We
will request him not to rec-
ommend t he AP
Reorgani sat i on Bi l l to
Parliament as it has been
rej ected by t he St ate
Legislature, State Endo-
wments Minister C Ramacha-
ndraiah said on Saturday.
The Centre is firm on
tabling the Telangana Bill in
the Parliament session begin-
ning February 5.
The Chief Minister met
some Mi ni sters, MLCs
and MLAs at his Camp Office
on Saturday afternoon and
discussed the future course of
action to stop the proposed
bifurcation of the State.
The State Legislature on
Januar y 30 rej ected t he
Andhra Pradesh
Reorganisation Bill, referred
to it by the President for its
views, and requested him not
to recommend it for intro-
duction in Parliament.
Fh8 Q hEw 0ELh
W
arning judges to shun
heroism and rhetoric
while deciding cases against per-
sons holding high office, the
Supreme Court in a recent judg-
ment held that reputation of any
person is a valuable right under
Constitution and judiciary
should eschew the tendency to
pass observations against any
person without reason.
The court was hearing a
petition filed by former
Haryana Chief Minister Om
Prakash Chautala who, when he
was in office, was criticised by
a judge of Punjab and Haryana
High Court in a judgment
where he was not a party. The
case related to suspension of an
Assistant Registrar of
Cooperative Societies in
Haryana. At a Press conference,
Chautala on February 4, 2001
announced the officers sus-
pension on an oral complaint
received against him.
Setting aside the disparag-
ing remarks made by the HC
judge against Chautala, the apex
court bench of Justices AR
Dave and Dipak Misra said,
When a court deals with a mat-
ter that has something likely to
affect a persons reputation, the
normative principles of law are
to be cautiously and carefully
adhered to. The advertence has
to be sans emotion and sans
populist perception and
absolutely in accord with the
doctrine of audi alteram partem
(hear the other side too) before
anything adverse is said.
The court found the HC
judge to have erred on two
counts. One, the person against
whom remarks were made was
not present before court.
Secondly, there was no occasion
for the court to pass such caus-
tic remarks against the Chief
Minister, which was not the
dispute in the proceedings.
Justice Misra, who wrote
the judgment for the bench,
said, A judge should abandon
his passion. He must constant-
ly remind himself that he has a
singular master duty to truth
and such truth is to be arrived
at within the legal parameters.
No heroism, no rhetoric.
The decision making
process expected a judge to
apply restraint, ostracize per-
ceptual subjectivity, make ones
emotions subservient to ones
reasoning and think dispas-
sionately, which are the qualities
a judge must possess, according
to the apex court. Also, the
Court held, when caustic
observations are made which
are not necessary as an integral
part of adjudication, it affects
the persons reputation a
cherished right under Article 21
(right to life and personal lib-
erty) of the Constitution.
MhIT kkhhkI Q JAMMu
E
merging out of his self
imposed hibernation,
Jammu and Kashmir Chief
Minister Omar Abdullah on
Saturday lifted the veil of
uncertainty by announcing cre-
ation of 659 new administrative
units in the State.
With this announcement,
the capricious alliance partners
also heaved a sigh of relief as
they were on verge of splitting
the alliance over the con-
tentious issue.
To soothe the frayed nerves
of the Congressmen in the
State, Omar also reiterated the
commitment of his
Government to strengthen the
existing Panchayati Raj Act in
the State and bring it at par
with the Central act in the
forthcoming budget session.
The historic decision, as
termed by Omar Abdullah,
was taken by the State Cabinet
after the Cabinet sub commit-
tee, headed by Deputy Chief
Minister Tara Chand, submit-
ted its report proposing setting
up of 46 sub-divisions, 135
Tehsils, 177 community devel-
opment blocks and 301
Niabats. The Cabinet sub-com-
mittee also recommended
making all 4,098 panchayats in
the State co-terminus with
Patwar Halqas.
The Mushtaq Ganai
Committee set up by the State
Government had reportedly
recommended 23 sub-divisions,
57 Tehsils, 63 CD blocks, 79
Niabats and 733 patwar halqas.
The Cabinet sub-committee
almost doubled the total num-
ber of administrative units in
order to strike a balance and ful-
fill the aspirations of people
belonging to all three regions of
the State. The creation of these
new units entails huge financial
implications for a State facing
acute resource crunch.
Announcing the decision
after the Cabinet meeting,
Omar Abdullah addressed the
media at his official residence
and said that creation of these
new administrative units will
go a long way to address the
peoples demand for a more
responsive Government.
Omar said the State Cabinet
has directed finance and rev-
enue departments to prepare a
roadmap for implementing
these new units to benefit the
people. Senior members of his
Council of Ministers were also
present with him.
The Chief Minister also put
to rest all speculations centering
future engagement with the
alliance partner. He said the
coalition is strong and is work-
ing well. On the question of
entering into any pre-poll
alliance with the Congress, Omar
said the final decision would be
taken by the high commands of
both the parties at the right time.
When asked whether he
had actually offered to resign
from the post over this issue,
Omar said, What I would
have done or wouldnt have
done is a matter of speculation.
It is now a hypothetical ques-
tion. Omar, however, claimed
the State Government has iden-
tified elements creating hurdles
in the creation of new admin-
istrative units.
V 1kYkk1 Q K0Ch
A
group of CPI(M) leaders
led by Politburo member
Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on
Saturday visited the killers of
rebel Marxist l eader TP
Chandrasekharan of
Onchiyam, Kozhikode at the
Cent ral Pri son at
Viyyur, Thrissur, exposing
the alleged hypocrisy in the
partys own repeated claim
that it had nothing to do
with the persons convicted
for the murder.
Kodiyeri, also Deputy
Opposition leader in the
Kerala Assembly, visited the
rebel-killers following com-
plaints that some of them
had undergone torture inside
the Viyyur jail to where they
were transferred from the
Cent ral Pri son i n
Kannur on Thursday.
Kodiyeri demanded a high-
level investigation into the
allegation of torture of the
convicts at the prison.
Nine of the total 12 peo-
ple convicted for the murder
of Chandrasekharan were
transferred to the jail in
Viyyur following reports that
they were getting outside help
in the Kannur prison.
Four of them complained
about torture by the jail offi-
cials but medical examina-
tions at the Government
Medical College Hospital in
Thrissur proved their claim to
be false.
Despite the general belief
that CPI(M) was behind the
killing of the rebel leader, the
party has been maintaining
that the seven members of the
killer gang first seven
accused in the case who
had hacked the rebel to
death had no connection with
the party.
But Saturdays visit by
Kodiyeri to the jail has rein-
forced t he general
suspicion about the links
between them.
The court had said the
killers were instruments in
the hands of some other
forces. Kodiyeris visit has
proved that the force men-
tioned by the judge was the
CPI(M), said KK Rama,
Chandrasekharans widow.
Kodiyeri took this risk of
exposing himself and the
party because they fear that
the Politburo itself would be
trouble if the killers spoke the
truth, she said.
Interestingly, the visit by
Kodiyeri, accompanied by the
CPI(M)s district secretaries
of Kannur and Thrissur and
some party MLAs, to the
convicts has come at a time
when the Congress-led State
Government is seriously con-
sidering Ramas demand for a
CBI investigation into the
conspi racy behi nd t he
Chandrasekharan murder,
allegedly hatched by top
CPI(M) leadership.
The visit (by Kodiyeri
and others) to the jail has
given the people an opportu-
nity to understand the truth
(of the rebel-killing), said
State Home Minister Ramesh
Chennithala in Kochi.
It is up to the people to
decide whether this is a good
precedent. As far as the com-
plaint of torture is concerned,
I have instructed the DGP,
Prisons to inquire into it,
Chennithala said.
However, a visibly agitat-
ed Kodiyeri asked whether
the torture was part of a pro-
gramme drawn up by the
Home Minister to kill the
convicts as the Government
was disappointed by the
courts refusal to award them
death penalty. He alleged that
the torture was similar to the
persecution techniques the
police had practiced during
Emergency.
A speci al court i n
Kozhikode had on January 22
convicted 12 accused in the
case, including the seven
members of the killer gang
and three prominent CPI(M)
leaders.
The CPI(M) leaders were
convicted for conspiracy. The
court had on January 28
awarded life imprisonment
to 11 of them, including the
seven killers and the three
CPI(M) leaders.
The CPI(M) had then
made clear that it would wage
a legal war to protect the
CPI(M) leaders as it was con-
vinced of their innocence
but had claimed that it had
nothing to do with the killers.
However, Saturdays visit
by Kodiyeri to the prison
has in some ways proved
that this claim need not be
sincere.
Marxi st rebel
Chandrasekharan (51), also
leader of the RMP he had
floated in 2008 along with his
associates after quitting the
CPI(M), was hacked to death
by the killer gang on the
night of May 4, 2012 in his
village, Onchiyam.
Even CPI(M) leaders like
VS Achuthanandan believe
that the murder was carried
out with the knowledge top
party leadership.
EEFkk k FETI Q hEw 0ELh
A
nxious to expedite the first
list of Lok Sabha candi-
dates, the BJP is expected to hold
the meeting of Central Election
Committee (CEC) next week.
According to sources, the CEC
may meet on Monday and take
a final decision on the candidates
before releasing it. Lok Sabha
candidates from smaller States
could find place in the first list.
Besides party president
Rajnath Singh and Gujarat Chief
Minister Narendra Modi, all
key leaders like LK Advani,
Murli Manohar Joshi, Nitin
Gadkari, Sushma Swaraj, Arun
Jaitley, M Venkaiah Naidu,
Ananth Kumar, Shahnawaz
Hussain, and Gopinath Munde
are CEC members. Ramlalji,
the General Secretary (organi-
sation) is also part of the impor-
tant body that will take a final call
on the list.
Uttar Pradesh is on a pri-
ority list as the party is hoping
a major haul of seats there, said
a senior Central party leader
from UP and hoped that the
party leadership would firm up
selection of most of the candi-
dates before the Election
Commission announces poll
schedule by the end of this
month or early next month.
With a strong focus on UP
with 80 Lok Sabha seats, Modis
rally in Meerut (West UP), on
Sunday has caught wide atten-
tion with some indication that
the former Mumbai Police
Commissioner Satyapal Singh
may also join him on the dais.
However, the party refused to
give a confirmation.
Singh has tendered his res-
ignation and expressed interest
to contest the Lok Sabha poll
from UP or Maharashtra with
some reports suggesting that he
could be pitted against RLD
leader and Union
Civil Aviation Minister Ajit
Singh from Baghpat.
The recent communal riots
in Muzaffarnagar in Western
UP have triggered a consider-
able electoral churning in the
region, particularly on account
of the alleged mishandling of
law and order by the Samajwadi
Party-led State Government.
Observers have not ruled out
alienation of Jat-Muslim voters
from the ruling SP. The BJP,
which has successfully wooed
Jat votes in rural Delhi in the
recent Assembly polls, is hope-
ful that Jats in the West UP may
also move towards it.
The RLD has over the years
lost its dominant standing in
West UP, fast turning an electoral
segment of diminishing returns
for the party. Several oppor-
tunistic alliances struck by the
party in last one decade have also
reduced its credibility in this part
of the State.
While UP being one of the
priority States, the BJP leadership
is expanding and intensifying its
campaign in south and east and
the North-East. BJPs prime
ministerial candidate Modi and
Singh would together address
public meetings in Kolkata on
February 5 and
Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala
on February 9.
The BJP president would
address a public rally in Imphal
in Manipur in the morning of
February 8 and the same day will
proceed to Guwahati Assam,
and down south in Chennai to
attend two other meetings,
according to the schedule pro-
vided by the party. While in
Assam, the BJP is vying with the
idea of having Asom Gana
Parishad (AGP) as its alliance
partner (though a section of
State BJP opposes it), it has
already struck alliance with
Vaikos MDMK and is inching
forward to clinch a deal with
PMK of Dr S Ramadoss having
a strong support base with the
backward Vanniyars.
k6hkhk 1YTI Q hEw 0ELh
S
et up in 2007, the 763 Nutritional
Rehabilitation Centres across the
country with an aim to provide essen-
tial services to fight malnourishment
among children under five are yet to go
a long way in making their impact. Data
speaks just 35,000 out of around 1.28
lakh severe acute malnutrition (SAM)
children admitted across the centres
were discharged, ie declared healthy, in
2012-13, according to the figures avail-
able from the Union Health Ministry.
In other words, the other 65,000
malnourished kids continued to strug-
gle with their life mostly because of
lack of trained healthcare profes-
sionals, guided supervision and basic
amenities like clean water, cooking
equipment, couselling kits, etc in
many Centres.
Thus, lakhs of children could not
avail such facilities. According to an esti-
mate, there are around 81 lakhs esti-
mated severe acute malnutrition (SAM)
children under five.
Similarly, in the first half of 2013-
14, 7,3254 SAM children were admit-
ted, says the statistics.
The NRCs have been set up by the
State Governments health departments
in collaboration with the Centre since
2007 to treat cases of SAM through
medical and nutritional interventions.
However, the data shows that not
much attention has been paid to
ensure that number of NRCs are
increased to reach out to the needy or
they are well-equipped to deal the
problem that kills/maims million of
children every year in the country.
For instance, in Bihar, there are
just 38 NRCs, whereas it has 12.3 lakh
SAM children. Uttar Pradesh has 22
Centres for around similar number of
intended beneficiaries. In 2012-13, the
two bigger States admitted 17,769 kids
(Bihar) and 7,952 (Uttar Pradesh)
The performance of States like
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Gujarat and Jharkhand too has not
been encouraging.
Malnourished children under the
age of five years identified from health
facilities and Aaganwadi workers are
referred to NRCs, a senior official from
the Ministry said admitting that a lot
was yet to be done to cover maximum
number of beneficiaries.
His concerns have been reflected in
a study published in last years
September edition of Indian Pediatrics
on the functioning of 12 NRCs in Uttar
Pradesh. The study majorly reflects the
status of most of the Centres in the
country, the official said.
POLLCAULDPONBOLNG
Marxists`
'lyocrisy`
comes to fore?
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I0 0FM Iea4er vIsIts reheIkIIIers Ia jaII
Kodiyeri visited
the rebel-killers
following
complaints that
some of them
had undergone
torture inside
the Viyyur jail
a4hra 0M,
MIaIsters, Mls
t0 meet Fret 0a
F 8III Iss0e
J&K Cabinot approvos 659
now administrativo units
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Slun rletoric, oon`t injure
reutation: SCwarns juoges
8evea yrs 0a, 'effectIve' a0trItI0aaI ceatres stIII a far cry
CM Omar vows to
strengthen existing
Panchayat Raj Act
MNPEGA aoing orisis o
implomontation: Aruna Poy
81F hasteas 0II IIst, says 0F t0 rI0rIty
Modi, Rajnalh Singh
lo address ublic
meels in Kolkala,
Trivandrum logelher
With a strong oous on UP with 80 LS soats,
Modi's rally in Moorut on Sunday has oaught wido
attontion with somo indioation that tho ormor
Mumbai Polioo ohio Satyapal Singh may also |oin
him on tho dais. Howovor, tho party rousod to givo
a oonirmation to this ooot
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CHAUTALA'SPLEA
nation 06
NEW DELH SUNDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2014
kE8T Vk8kI Q BAh0AL0RE
C
ongress president Sonia Gandhi has
created one more controversy in her
speech in Gulbarga while attacking the
BJP and its prime ministerial candidate
Narendra Modi. In her address she
accused them of induliging in divisive pol-
itics by sowing seeds of poison (zeher ki
kheti) and instigating violence.
She said, This is an area which was
the karmabhoomi of Sufi saints and a sym-
bol of composite culture of the country.
I firmly believe that you will not allow
those who sow the seeds of poison, who
dont believe in secular credentials and
who play the politics of instigating vio-
lence to succeed.
In an apparent reference to Modi,
Gandhi said, Those who are busy beat-
ing their own drums continuously, I want
to ask you whether they will do good to
the nation. No, not at all. Their only aim
is to capture power and to achieve it they
will resort to all sorts of conspiracies. You
have to wary of these people and under-
stand their intentions.
...It is necessary for the people to be
cautious about the Opposition parties
plans to gain power by any means and
hatching conspiracies, Gandhi said.
The BJP reacted sharply to Gandhis
remarks, with party spokesperson Rajiv
Pratap Rudy saying that the Congress will
meet in 2014 the same fate as the drub-
bing it got in 2007 in Gujarat after her
maut ka saudagar (merchant of death)
remarks against Narendra Modi.
Cu| Will || +| J|u||i|
i| u| i| 2JJ i| u|+|+| +|||
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MkYk8h8hkh Q FAhAJ
R
emember Hasiba Amin, the
now-familiar young, curly-
haired, bespectacled girl who wants
youngsters to join the Congress
because it believes in yuva josh
and not kattar soch?
Amin, president of Goa NSUI,
is the face of the Congress first of
many television commercials
beamed nationwide aimed at lash-
ing out at the BJP, had in 2012
backed a Congress Minister
accused of links to the drug mafia.
Amin, then as now, was a student
of the Nationalist Students Union of
India (NSUI) at a Press conference
held in February, 2012, had even
demanded the suspension of anoth-
er young student leader Sunil
Kawthankar, who had filed a police
complaint naming then Home
Minister in the Congress-led Govern-
ment, Ravi Naik and several police
officers as part of drug mafia nexus.
The State NSUI has written to
the national NSUI team recom-
mending that Kawthankar be
expelled from the organisation.
There has been huge pressure from
all sides that he be expelled, Amin,
had told a Press conference held at
the partys State headquarters.
He should be taking up stu-
dents issues, but he has completely
tarnished the NSUI name in Goa by
making baseless allegations (against
Congress Ministers), Amin had
further said, after Kawthankar filed
a police complaint alleging that
Congress home Minister Ravi Naik
and several police officers were
linked to drug trade.
Kawthankar was later attacked
by a group of unidentified people,
for his public comments and com-
plains against the Home Minister.
However once the Government
changed, Kawthankars complaints
were validated by a legislative com-
mittee report, which indicted Naik
as well as several police officers
including the Director General of
Police Kishen Kumar of being
patronising the drug mafia in Goa.
When contacted for comment
Hasiba Amin told The Pioneer that
she was not at liberty to make any
comment on the television cam-
paign and that only the Congress
central media cell and its in-charge
Ajay Maken were authorised for
comment on the issue.
In her response to some of the
flak aimed at her on Facebook and
Twitter Amin, on Thursday posted
this on both social networking sites:
Disgusted with the campaign against
me. Not a bit of it is true. Think of
the girls in your family before you
falsely spoil the image of a girl.
81F s0WIa see4s
0f 0Is0a: 80aIa
Fh8 Q ThRuvAhAhThAFuRAM
A
Plus-Two girl student with partial
visual impairment was raped in
an autorikshaw by its driver in Keralas
capital city, Thiruvananthapuram, in
broad daylight on Friday. The autorik-
shaw driver, Harishankar (48) hailing
from Kalady in Thiruvananthapuram
district, has been arrested.
The partially blind girl had
boarded an autorikshaw from
Thampanoor at 11.30 am on Friday
to go to Mahila Mandiram, an
orphanage for women, at East Fort.
However, the driver took the vehicle
in a different direction after realising
that the girl with partial blindness was
not recognising the route.
Harishankar took the autorik-
shaw to a deserted place near the
Government Medical College
Hospital and raped her. His plan was
to take her to some lodge after that
but it got obstructed as the girl
developed physical fatigue and he was
forced to buy her water from a shop.
An elderly woman at the shop got
suspicious and the girl informed her
about her ordeal. Harishankar man-
aged to escape the scene amidst this.
However, the police tracked the
autorikshaw using witness accounts
and footage from the CCTV.
Th khhkThk Q MuMBA
I
n what may lead to a break-
through in the Esther Anuhya
murder case, the investigators
on Saturday detained a middle-
aged man, whose description
matches with a man seen walk-
ing along with the victim
woman captured on the CCTV
footage at the Lokmanya Tilak
Terminus (LTT) in Mumbai on
January 5.
The Mumbai crime branch
sleuths and Government
Railway police, who are joint-
ly investigating the murder of
23-year-old software engineer
Esther Anuhya, zeroed in on
the suspect in Hyderabad. The
investigators are questioning
the detained person.
Sources said that the sus-
pect, whom the visiting investi-
gating team detained in
Hyderabad, resembled a middle-
aged man in the age group of
38-40 years, who is well-built,
bald and had a mustache. The
man in question was seen, on
the captured CCTV footage at
the LTT, dragging the victim
womans trolley bag, while she
was talking on the phone.
The CCTV footage has
facilitated the investigators to
reconstruct the events at the
between 4.55 am and 5.15 am
at LTT on January 5. Initially,
the police detained four auto
drivers plying at the railway ter-
minus for questioning, but their
call records revealed that they
were never present at Bhandup.
However, the victim
womans father has denied
knowing the man in the
footage. The investigators are
now questioning Anuhyas
friends and colleagues to ascer-
tain the identity of the man
captured on the CCTV footage.
Anuhyas post-mortem
report showed there were sev-
eral marks on her body indi-
cating that she was beaten up.
The report also showed injuries
on her private parts.
Employed with Tata
Consultancy Services (TCS),
Anuhya a native of
Machilipattnam in Andhra
Pradesh had disappeared from
LTT on January 5.
hkYkh kVE Q 0Ah0hh0AR
B
JPs prime ministerial can-
didate Narendra Modi
urged BJP cadre in Gujarat to
connect at least one lakh
youngsters in each Lok Sabha
constituency with the partys
ideology during the State BJP
executive meeting in
Gandhinagar.
The Gujarat Chief Minister
also insisted the party workers
to utilise social media in order
to connect maximum number
of people with the party. Modi
said that the party worker
would require keeping in live
contact with prominent people
of different strata of the soci-
ety to connect them with the
saffron brigades ideology.
Congress is in the despair
condition due to misrule and
misadministration by UPA
Government. In this situation,
even if, Congress think-tank
would try to propagate wrong
information, they would not be
able to win upcoming Lok
Sabha elections, he said adding
that on the other hand, a pos-
itive atmosphere has been cre-
ated for the BJP in entire coun-
try. Modi urged BJP workers to
capitalise on the favorable cir-
cumstances with hard and pur-
poseful work to spread the
developmental messages of BJP
in every home.
Gujarat BJP in-charge Om
Mathur said that in order to
achieve target of 272 plus seats
in the Lok Sabha elections all
the workers would require to
work for the victory of all 26
seats in Gujarat. Meanwhile
during the meeting, various
elections related programs for
the month of February was
chalked out that include visit of
BJP workers in each and every
house of Gujarat. During 21 to
28 February, BJP cadres will
unfurl BJP flags on their
respective houses. On February
20, Narendra Modi will address
a huge rally of youngsters in
Ahmedabad.
Th khhkThk Q MuMBA
I
n what will provide some relief to a
section of harried suburban Railway
commuters in the coming days, Indias
first monorail train service rolled out in
north central-eastern Mumbai on
Saturday, with Maharashtra Chief
Minister Prithviraj Chavan, his Cabinet
colleagues and several mediapersons
taking the inaugural ride.
The monorail will be thrown open
to public in the first phase 8.93 km
stretch of network from Wadala to
Chembur in north central-eastern
Mumbai, on Sunday. There are in all be
seven stations on the Phase-I route of the
monorail corridor. They are: Chembur,
VN Purav/RC Marg Junction, Fertiliser
Township, Bharat Petroleum, Mysore
Colony, Bhakti Park and Wadala depot.
To begin with, the monorail services
will run for eight hours between 7 am
and 3 pm. One train has 4 coaches and
can carry 560 passengers. From March
onwards, monorail services will be in
operation for a total of 19 hours in a day.
All coaches of the monorail trains
are air-conditioned. The monorail
trains will run at 80 km per hour while
the average speed would be 65 km per
hour. The trains would cover the 8.93
km distance in flat 15 minutes.
The authorities plan to increase the
number of coaches in a monorail from the
current four to six in the coming months.
In initiative undertaken in confor-
mity with the objectives of National
Urban Transport Policy (NUTP), the
monorail will act as a feeder to high
capacity Mass Rapid Transit Systems
like suburban and metro services and
will add to the public transportation
network in the metropolis.
Apart from easing the major park-
ing woes of vehicle users in central
Mumbai, the monorail service will
reduce the burden on the main and har-
bor services on the suburban Central
Railway network to an extent.
ndia's first monorail rolls out in Mumbai
Cu|| p|iJ|| Su|i+ +|J|i, +lu| Wi|| |+||+|+|+ C| SiJJ+|+|+i+| +|J u|iu| |i|i|| |+lli|+||u|
||+|, i|+uu|+| || ESlC |upi|+l i| ul|+|+, |+||+|+|+ u| S+|u|J+] Pll
Congross 'yuva |osh' baokod
drug maia aoousod in 2012
FartIaIIy hIIa4 IrI rae4 Ia a0t0
As the construction work of the new swanky
building of BJP headquarters on the outskirt
of Gandhinagar completed, most of the State-
level operation of the saffron brigade will start
at Kamalam Bhavan from February 10. On the
day, as many as 10,000 BJP workers will be con-
gregate over a strategic meeting over the lunch.
Criticising the Central Governments failure to
tackle abduction and killing of Indian fisher-
men by Pakistani Marine security guard,
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said that
the Centres apathy in dealing with the sensi-
tive issues is cause of concern.
I have received a letter from 12-year-old
girl Bhavika, who had lost her father recently,
said Modi adding that Bhavika was in search
of justice, since her father- a fisherman- had
been caught in Pakistan, and died in the jail.
Bhavika wants to know how her father died.
She is in search of justice. I urge the Prime
Minister to bring her fathers dead body back,
he said, while addressing a function at Somnath
Temple premises on Saturday.
Gu|arat BJP HQ to bo
unotional rom Fob 10
Mooi criticises Centre
over fislermen`s issue
Ono suspoot
dotainod in
Hydorabad
MUMBA TECHE
MURDER
Connect youtl witl B]P`s ioeology: NaMo
world 07
NEW DELH SUNDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2014
GLOBE
h F8hE8 I I6k
ETh T 8YIk TkIk8
8erIin: The uniled halions'
secrelarygeneral ressed lhe uS
and Russia lo hel ensure lhal
eace lalks aimed al slemming
Syria's civil war can soon
resume, while Russia's oreign
minisler said lhal il is "very
diicull" lo ush Syrian Fresidenl
Bashar Assad's 0overnmenl lo
make concessions.
EYFT 1IhkI8T8 6IkIM
6kET IIE h EIIkT
6airo: An Egylian jihadisl grou
said lhal il ired a rockel al lhe
Red Sea resorl o Eilal which was
inlerceled by sraeli air deen
ces, ils second in a orlnighl.
M8I TIkI k1hE
hTII IE8kY 4
6airo: 0usled Fresidenl Moham
med Morsi's lrial on charges o
inciling lhe killing o anligover
nmenl roleslers in 2O12 was on
Salurday adjourned lill February
4, even as his lawyer claimed he
was slill Egyl's oicial ruler.
IhIkh hEI I 8EIIIh
II Ih 8kI kk8Ik
ubai: An ndian nalional was
arresled wilh 144 bollles o
homemade liquor on lhe slreels
o lhe Saudi Arabian cailal
Riyadh, according lo a media
reorl on Salurday.
8E8Ik: 1,000 EVk6kTE
IM 8hWhIT 6k8
8eIgrade: Rescuers, army and
olice have evacualed aboul
1,OOO eole rom cars and
buses slranded in dee snow in
norlhern Serbia, bul several
hundred eole slill remain
sluck, lhe 0overnmenl said.
MkhkTMk E8 IITkI
WITh WE8 FTkI
Iondon: A colourul new web
orlal on lhe lie and leachings o
Mahalma 0andhi, aimed al
oularising him among children
around lhe world, has been
launched in London. The Youlh 4
0andhi Foundalion's "search
organdhi.n" is a global inilialive
lo build an inleraclive online
children's 0andhi communily.
TROTTNG TROTTNG
FTI Q BAh0K0K
E
xplosions and shots rang
out in the Thai capital on
Saturday during clashes
between Opposition activists
and Government supporters,
leaving seven persons injured
on the eve of controversial
snap polls that have polarised
the country.
The political rivals clashed
with pistols and assault rifles
despite tight security arrange-
ments to thwart the
Oppositions attempts to scut-
tle the polling, including the
deployment of over 2,00,000
security personnel.
Some 150 soldiers were
deployed to assist police in han-
dling clashes at Lak Si area in
Bangkok, where pro-govern-
ment red shirts marched to
an office surrounded by oppo-
sition activists to block the dis-
tribution of ballots in a last
ditch bid to derail the polls.
Two explosions, which
police said were caused by
Molotov cocktails, were heard
before the firing began. The fir-
ing continued for nearly an
hour and left six Thais, includ-
ing a reporter, and American
photojournalist James
Nachtwey injured, the emer-
gency services said.
People caught up in the
violence sought refuge in a
nearby mall and a covered
pedestrian bridge, while others
were seen hiding behind vehi-
cles, Bangkok Post reported.
Journalists wear light-
green armbands for safety but
the anti-government Peoples
Democrati c Reform
Committee (PDRC) has
adopted similar bands. The
Thai Journalists Association
asked PDRC to change its
colour so that reporters are not
targeted.
Amid rising concern over
the violence, authorities decid-
ed to provide extra security to
key Government and political
figures, including embattled
premier Yingluck Shinawatra,
for the polling.
Police and army personnel
will secure more than 93,000
polling stations nationwide. A
total of 49 million voters are eli-
gible to exercise their franchise
in the snap polls called by
Yingluck to end months of
political unrest.
The outcome of the poll is
expected to be inconclusive as
protesters blocked candidate
registration in some districts
last month. Speculation is rife
that the army might intervene
if the election leads to political
limbo.
Several polling stations in
the south are yet to receive bal-
lots. There are no candidates
for 28 constituencies in eight
southern provinces.
kIF Q wAShh0T0h
T
he United States warned
has China against any move
to declare a new air defence
zone over parts of the South
China Sea including disputed
islands. The Asahi Shimbun
daily of Japan reported that
Chinese air force officials have
drafted proposals for the next
Air Defence Identification
Zone (ADIZ) that could place
the Paracel Islands at its core.
Any such move would be
seen as a provocative and uni-
lateral act that would raise
tensions and call into serious
question Chinas commitment
to diplomatically managing
territorial disputes, State
Department deputy spokes-
woman Marie Harf on Friday
told reporters.
She stressed, however, that
the reports were unconfirmed
at this time. Beijing claims the
South China Sea almost in its
entirety, even areas a long way
from its shoreline.
Late last year, it caused a
storm when it abruptly
declared an ADIZ above the
East China Sea, including
islands at the heart of a sover-
eignty row with Tokyo.
Weve made very clear
that parties must refrain from
announcing an ADIZ or any
other administrative regula-
tion restraining activity of oth-
ers in disputed territories, and
we would of course urge China
not to do so, Harf added.
China last year unilateral-
ly declared an Air Defence
Identification Zone in the East
China Sea, asking foreign
planes to identify themselves.
I am not aware that the
Chinese have established a
new ADIZ in South China
Sea. If they were to, our posi-
tion on ADIZ is very clear. I do
not think our position is going
to change. We do not recognise
the one that was recently estab-
lished, Pentagon spokesman
Army Col Steven Warren
told reporters.
Washington: BJPs prime min-
isterial candidate Narendra
Modi was free to apply for an
American visa and a decision
on it would be made on the
process that is in place, accord-
ing to a senior US official.
We said he (Modi) is free
to apply for a visa, and well
make a decision based on the
process that we have in place
here, State Department Deputy
Spokesperson Marie Harf told
reporters at her daily news
conference on Friday.
In 2005, the State
Department had revoked a
visa that Modi had for travel-
ling to the US in the wake of
the 2002 riots in Gujarat.
The US has repeatedly said
there is no change in its long-
standing visa policy relating to
Modi but he is free to apply for
a visa and await a review like
any other applicant. When
asked about comments made by
Congress vice-president Rahul
Gandhi in a recent interview on
1984 riots, Harf said, I havent
seen those comments. PTI
Dhaka: The fundamentalist
Jamaat-e-Islami on Saturday
called a nationwide general
strike in Bangladesh on
Monday to protest the death
sentence given to its chief
along with ULFA leader Paresh
Barua in an arms smuggling
case.
The Government is con-
spiring to kill Jamaat-e-Islamis
Ameer (chief) Motiur Rahman
Nizami in a planned way (and)
to implement the plan, it
arranged the farce of a trial with
false and fabricated allegations,
Jamaat said in a statement.
A special tribunal in the
southeastern port city of
Chittagong handed down the
death penalty on Thursday to
Nizami, who was industries
minister in a previous BNP-led
coalition government, Barua
and 12 others for involvement
in Bangladeshs biggest ever
weapon haul in 2004.
The Jamaats announce-
ment triggered fears of fresh
political violence in the coun-
try, which witnessed a pro-
longed spell of strikes and
blockades enforced by an
opposition alliance of which
the Jamaat is a member. PTI
8 k1kFkIkh Q
wAShh0T0h
U
S prosecutors, armed with
a determination from the
State Department, have assert-
ed in a New York court that
Indian diplomat Devyani
Khobragade does not enjoy
diplomatic immunity and
would continue to face crimi-
nal charges of visa fraud and
making false statements.
In court papers, filed in
response to Khobragades plea
that the charges against her
should be dismissed as she
enjoys diplomatic immunity,
US Attorney Preet Bhararas
office has argued that as a con-
sular official, Khobragades
immunity from prosecution
was restricted to official acts,
and not in relation to her hir-
ing of a domestic worker.
Having left the United
States and returned to India,
the defendant currently has no
diplomatic or consular status in
the United States, and the con-
sular level immunity that she
did have at the relevant time
does not give her immunity for
the charges in this case, crimes
arising out of non-official acts,
Bhararas office said.
Khobragades lawyer Daniel
Arshack had on January 14
moved the court seeking dis-
missal of the indictment and
termination of any open arrest
warrants or requests for her
extradition. Arshack had argued
that the diplomatic immunity
granted to Khobragade by the
State Department, following
her transfer to Indias Permanent
Mission to the United Nations,
entitled her to absolute immu-
nity from US prosecution, even
for her purported actions
earlier.
The State Department,
which gave her the immunity
on January 8, determined that
the immunity granted to
Khobragade was not valid once
she left the United States for
India a day later. In what was
a deal aimed at resolving the
month-long diplomatic spat
between the two countries on
this issue, the State Department
had accorded her full immu-
nity, but then asked her to leave
the country.
In the court papers,
Bhararas office said, The
defendant currently enjoys no
diplomatic status and at the
time of her arrest the defen-
dants position as a consular
official gave her immunity
from prosecution for official
acts only. It did not extend to
the crimes charged in the
indictment, private acts taken
in relation to the employment
of a domestic worker and a visa
application submitted to the US
government in connection with
that employment.
Using strong language,
Bhararas office described
Khobragades motion for dis-
missal of charges as an attempt
to concoct a theory of immu-
nity by using a UN accredita-
tion that she had for a brief
time during Prime Minister
Manmohan Singhs visit to
New York for the annual ses-
sion of the General Assembly
last year. This assertion that the
UN card gave her immunity
was convoluted and baseless,
the US Attorney argued.
Khobragades lawyer is
expected to reply next week to
the prosecutions opposition
to the motion.
kF Q MEChAhSBuR0 (uS)
A
motorcycle-loving mans
family has fulfilled his
dying wish to be buried
astride his beloved Harley
Davidson encased in a see-
through casket.
But it wasnt easy. The pro-
ject required an extra-large
cemetery plot to accommodate
a Plexiglas casket for Billy
Standley and his hulking cus-
tom-painted 1967 Electra Glide
cruiser.
Five embalmers worked to
prepare his body with a metal
back brace and straps to ensure
hell never lose his seat.
Standleys family said hed
been talking about it for years
and liked to take people to the
garage to show off the unusu-
al casket his two sons had
built for him.
He told people he didnt
just want to ride off to heaven,
he wanted the world to see him
do it in the big see-through
box.
He was a quirky man,
daughter Dorothy Brown said.
But when it comes to us kids,
he loved us, he raised us well
and, of course, we wanted to
help him.
The Dayton Daily News
reported that Standley, of
Mechanicsburg, west of
Columbus, died of lung cancer
Sunday at age 82. He was
buried on Friday.
Newspaper photos of the
prepared casket showed
Standley with his eyes closed
astride the big bike. He was
dressed in black leathers, a
white helmet and glasses, his
gloved hands grasping the han-
dlebars.
Standley told his family his
motorcycle helped him retain
his sense of adventure after he
settled down to raise four chil-
dren, which was quite a com-
promise for the man who made
his start at 13 as ranch hand
and rodeo rider.
He started the project him-
self, buying three extra burial
plots next to his wife, Lorna.
His sons, Pete and Roy, fash-
ioned the casket out of
Plexiglas, reinforcing the bot-
tom with wood and steel rods
to handle the extra weight.
kF Q MuhCh (0ERMAhY)
W
hile acknowledging unsa-
vory elements among
Ukraines street protesters, US
Secretary of State John Kerry on
Saturday said the former Soviet
State should be free to align with
Europe if it wishes and not feel
coerced by more powerful
neighbours like Russia.
Nowhere is the fight for a
democratic, European future
more important today than in
Ukraine, Kerry told the
Munich Security Conference.
While there are unsavory
elements in the streets in any
chaotic situation, the vast
majority of Ukrainians want to
live freely in a safe, prosperous
country.
Kerry was meeting later
today with members of the
Ukrainian Opposition. They
are fighting for the right to
associate with partners who
will help them realise their
aspirations and they have
decided that means their
futures do not have to lie with
one country alone and certainly
not coerced, he said. The
United States and EU stand
with the people of Ukraine in
that fight.
The crisis in Ukraine
began after President Victor
Yanukovych backed out of an
agreement to deepen ties with
the European Union in favour
of getting closer to Russia.
Protests quickly came to
encompass a wide array of dis-
content over corruption,
heavy-handed police and other
grievances.
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Rome: Italy has criticised
Indias handling of the case of
two of its marines accused of
killing two Indian fisherman as
contradictory and discon-
certing ahead of a hearing of
the case in Indias
Supreme Court.
Italian President Giorgio
Napolitano said in a statement
that the case had been managed
in contradictory, disconcerting
ways by the Indian authorities.
He said he would back
efforts by Premier Enrico Letta
to raise awareness among Italys
international partners about
the marines, who could face the
death penalty if convicted
under an anti-terror law.
The head of State will
continue and intensify the con-
tacts established on this issue
with the heads of state of
friendly nations, having already
encountered attention and
understanding about this
painful case from them,
Napolitano was quoted as say-
ing by ANSA news agency in
the statement issued on Friday.
PTI
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New York: Devyani Khobragades lawyer on Saturday
rejected US prosecutor Preet Bhararas assertion that the Indian
diplomat does not have immunity from prosecution and
should face charges of visa fraud, saying the court will decide
such issues.
India-born Bharara filed a memorandum in a federal court
on Friday opposing 39-year-old Khobragades motion to dis-
miss the indictment against her. He submitted a declaration
by the State Department which concludes that the diplomat
does not enjoy immunity from prosecution for the crimes in
the indictment.
Responding to Bhararas motion, Khobragades attorney
Daniel Arshack told PTI that the US Attorney is again wrong
on the facts and the law. The court will decide these issues,
he said. Arshack has time till February 7 to file his reply to
the governments motion.
Meanwhile, Indian-American attorney Ravi Batra said US
federal law states that Khobragades consular status-based
immunity, limited to official acts, does not legally prevent arrest
from occurring and charges being levelled. PTI
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vIsa 0IIcy 0a
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free t0 aIy: 08
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Kerry sees treno
of Governments
tramling riglts
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Bangladesh arms haul case:
Jamaat calls nationwide strike
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moneywise 08 NEW DELH SUNDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2014
Fh8 Q hEw 0ELh
S
ituation of the country's
automobile industry con-
tinues to worsen as leading car
makers reported decline in
domestic sales during January.
Maruti Suzuki India, Hyundai
Motor India, Toyota Kirloskar
Motor and Tata Motors, all
saw a fall in domestic sales as
the customers continued to
buy Ford's Eco Sport and
Honda's Amaze. Now with
Reserve Bank again hiking the
repo rates, industry leaders
expressed concerns that going
ahead the situation would
worsen.
Riding on the success of
their new launches, Ford India
and Honda Cars India posted
double digit growth during
the month. Two wheeler mak-
ers Honda Motorcycle &
Scooter India (HMSI) also
registered a growth in double
digits while Yamaha Motor
Indi a and TVS Motor
Company posted single digit
growth last month, as per the
details released by automobile
companies on Saturday.
The country's largest car
maker Maruti Suzuki India,
sai d its domesti c sal es
declined 6.3 per cent during
the month to 96,569 units as
against 1,03,026 units in
January, 2013. The sales of
company's mini segment cars,
including M800, Alto, A-Star
and WagonR, slipped 17 per
cent to 38,565 units during the
period under review. Sales of
its utility vehicles, including
Gypsy, Grand Vitara and
Ertiga, also fell 21.9 per cent
to 4,763 units last month,
thus affecting the company's
performance.
Hyundai Motor India Ltd
reported a 2.6 per cent slide in
domestic sales at 33,405 units
during the month from 34,302
units i n Januar y 2013.
Mahi ndra & Mahi ndra' s
domestic sales stood at 40,324
units as against 47,841 in the
same month previous year,
down 15.71 per cent year-on-
year.
"The first month of 2014
did not witness any improve-
ment in the overall industry
performance and the situation
remains subdued," M&M
Chief Executive (Automotive
Division) Pravin Shah said.
The recent repo rate hike will
in coming months escalate the
rate of interest on car loan
impacting customer senti-
ment, he added. "We hope the
upcoming Auto Expo which
will showcase new products
and technology will provide a
trigger in giving a much need-
ed boost to the auto industry
and the overall sentiment,"
Shah said.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor
(TKM) reported 18.14 per
cent fall in its domestic sales
at 10,910 units in January
2014. "The market continues
to be sluggish and the market
sentiments remain low," TKM
Senior Vice- President (Sales
and Marketing), N Raja said.
Likewise, Tata Motors report-
ed a 34 per cent drop in total
vehicle sales to 40,481 units in
January.
On the other hand, Honda
Cars India Ltd posted nearly
three-fold rise in its domestic
sal es at 15, 714 units i n
January, 2014. The company,
riding on the success of
Honda City and the Honda
Amaze, posted highest-ever
monthly sales in January.
Commenting on the sale fig-
ures, Honda Car India's Vice
President (Marketing and
Sales) Jnaneswar Sen said.
"We have received an over-
whelming response to the all
new Honda City, and the
Honda Amaze continues to do
strong sales."
Similarly, Ford India also
posted a 10.62 per cent rise in
domestic sales at 6,706 units
in January as against 6,062
units in the same month of the
previous year. "Ford has ush-
ered in the new year on a note
of growth and commitment,"
Ford India Executive Director
(Marketing, Sales and Service)
Vinay Piparsania said.
Two-wheel er maker
HMSI reported a 49.69 per
cent growt h i n sal es at
3,44,750 units for January,
2014 as against a total sales of
2,30,294 units in the same
month last year. Yamaha
Motor India's domestic sales
grew by 6.5 per cent to 31,721
units last month. TVS Motor
Company's domestic two-
wheeler sales rose to 1,56,138
units in January 2014 from
1,54,107 units in the same
month last year.
Mar0tI, y0a4aI's 1aa0ary saIes 4I as market remaIas s0h40e4
New launcles lel usl Honoa ano !oro sales
8. k1kFkIkh Q
wAShh0T0h
T
aking the stand that its
controversial downgrade
of Indias aviation safety has
nothing to do with the recent
diplomatic spat over the
Devyani Khobragade issue, the
United States has said that it
will work with New Delhi on
steps for early restoration of its
Category 1 rating.
This absolutely had noth-
ing to do with the ongoing case
of Dr (Devyani) Khobragade,
State Department spokesper-
son Marie Harf told reporters,
maintaining that the down-
grade to Category 2 rating was
a regulatory decision taken by
the US Federal Aviation
Authority (FAA).
Its my understanding
that this was all made inside a
regulatory framework that has
very specific criteria countries
have to meet under ICAO
(International Civil Aviation
Organisation) standards that
were all party to. These arent
our standards, Harf said.
While noting that it was
for the FAA to comment on
how the situation had come to
such a pass, Harf sought to
assure that the US was com-
mitted to working with India to
help it get back its Category 1
rating.
Both the US and India are
fully committed to restoring
India to a Category 1 rating as
soon as possible. There is cur-
rently an FAA team in India, in
part to discuss how to go about
doing just that, Harf said,
adding the two countries
remain fully committed to
cooperation in civil aviation.
In reply to questions, Harf
said the process of consulta-
tions and discussions with
India over the issue began
many months ago. The assess-
ment was conducted in New
Delhi in September. The assess-
ment team returned to India on
December 11 for follow-up
discussion.
Our understanding is that
while India has indeed made
significant progress, a deter-
mination was made that it was
not enough to meet the ICAO
standards, hence the step that
we saw today, she said.
I dont know how much
leeway we have in those, she
said, when asked if the FAA
decision could not have been
deferred since the two coun-
tries were just about trying to
repair their diplomatic relations
after the month-long spat over
the Devyani episode.
Ia4Ia's avIatI0a 40Wara4e
0areIate4 t0 4II0matIc r0W: 08
Says it will worl witl noia on
stes to restore to rating
Fh8 Q hEw 0ELh
W
ith spectrum auction
scheduled to start from
February 3, Department of
Telecommunications yet again
made minor changes in the
notice inviting application
(NIA). As per the latest
amendment, DoT on Saturday
reduced the 'Spectrum put to
Auction' and block size in
few circles of the 1800 mega
hertz (MHz) band.
As per the amendment
issued on Saturday, DoT
trimmed off almost 17.8 MHz
of spectrum from the upcom-
ing 1800 MHz auction. These
deductions were made in the
circles of Delhi, Bihar, Kolkata,
Mumbai, Jammu & Kashmir,
North East, Orissa, Rajasthan,
Uttar Pradesh (East) and West
Bengal.
As per the original NIA
issued on December 12, 2013,
for Delhi circle 22.8 MHz of
spectrum in 114 blocks was
kept on auction which now
has been reduced to 21 MHz
and 105 blocks. Similarly
Kolkata circle now will have 25
MHz and 125 blocks in place
of 26.8 MHz spectrum and
134 blocks.
For Mumbai circle, earli-
er, 25.2 MHz in 126 blocks was
on auction which now will be
23.40 MHz in 117 blocks.
Minor reductions have also
been done in Bihar, Jammu &
Kashmir, North East, Orissa,
Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh
(East) and West Bengal circles.
00I re40ces sectr0m f0r a0ctI0a Ia s0me cIrcIes
Fh8 Q hEw 0ELh
C
risis-hit commodity exchange MCX has got a new head in Manoj
Vaish, who on Saturday was named as its Managing Director
and CEO.The country's leading commodity exchange, which is under
the regulatory glare following troubles at the promoter group,
informed in a BSE filing that Forward Markets Commission (FMC)
has conveyed its approval to the appointment of Manoj Vaish as
MD and CEO of the company. Accordingly, Vaish has joined the
company with effect from February 1, 2014.
Vaish replaces Shreekant Javalgekar, who stepped down as the
MD and CEO of MCX following the Rs 5,600-crore scam at its sis-
ter concern National Spot Exchange (NSEL), co-promoted by MCX
promoter Financial Technologies India Ltd (FTIL), in late July 2013.
The new incumbent was the Managing Director of NSDL
Database Management before joining the MCX. He was an exec-
utive director of the BSE between 1998 and 2004 and CEO of finan-
cial services research firm Dun & Bradsheet. Meanwhile MCX has
been given 10 days to submit a time-bound action plan to com-
ply with regulator FMC's order that directed the bourse to ensure
its promoter FTIL cuts stake to two per cent or below from 26
per cent.
Maa0j aIsh takes chare
as M0 & 0F0 0f M0I
Nurse: Where have you come from?
Caswir Akuma: Madagascar.
Nurse: What? Does it really exist? Is that where
animals live?
Caswir Akuma runs a shop called Afro
Needs in INA Market, New Delhi
I
n 2009, when Akuma was admitted to the Sir
Ganga Ram Hospital for an open heart surgery,
medics couldnt stop staring at him as if he was
from the zoo. When he told them where he
came from even doctors looked puzzled. They
thought Madagascar existed only in the movies. They
thought that the place belonged to Alex, The Lion
and his friends.
Today, at my shop there are hundreds of Indians
impatiently waiting to buy the okra soup pre-mix
packet. The soup made out of lentils and lady fin-
gers is staple food of Nigerians but Delhiwallahs have
taken a liking to this non-spicy treat, Akuma who
lives in a South Extension B- Block barsati, tells you.
He was diagnosed with a serious heart ailment in
2009 and was advised to fly to New Delhi for a cheap
surgery.
The operation was successful and affordable. In
his country, he says, medical facilities are virtually
non-existent. If a person suffers from cancer he just
gives up. Very few have heard of chemotherapy so
people die young. Since his was a special case of pro-
longed treatment, he is here on a 10-year medical
visa. Im hoping to get a visa extension after apply-
ing to relevant authorities, Akuma who manages to
sell African essentials worth C20,000, says. He owes
it all to his Parsi friend who rented out his shop to
him for a meagre sum.
In INA and Kotla Mubarakpur area there are
many 2x2 sq feet kiosks where these tourists make
a living. Almost 60 per cent are illegal outlets which
operate clandestinely and the owners live on a visa
that has long expired. Weary of the police who combs
these area regularly, many part-time shop-owners tell
you that they know how to get out of a situation,
much like the illegal tenants living in official
accommodation sub-let by Government servants.
Are you lonely in India? Want an African com-
panion? Come register with us. So reads a signboard
on the first floor of the Kotla Mubarakpur Market.
The shop in the basement sells furniture and mod-
ern lightings and the first floor is said to be a com-
munity-gathering-cum grocery shop for Nigerians
and others from the African continent.
Jitendra, a salesman in the lightings and fittings
shop, whispers that the door to that shop opens only
after 8pm (other shops in the vicinity are shut by
7pm). Koi aata jaataa nahin hai but iska malik
Toyota car chalata hai, the shopkeeper tells you.
Although the outlets belong to the same owner,
Shantilal Sharma, the occupants in the basement have
little idea about the goings-on on the floors above.
These Black-only pockets arent restricted to posh
parts of South Delhi alone. Kamla Nagar in North
Delhi also boasts of many colonies where Blacks live.
Most of them prefer to live where the activities are
minimal. Some housing societies have given out
strict instructions that people from the African con-
tinent shouldnt be allowed to rent out houses in their
colony. It is insulting but we are used to such remarks.
The problem is that not many of us are used to the
language. Our culture is also different. We work in
the mornings and party hard at night. May be, peo-
ple dont like the way we party and make noise,
Akuma says, adding that many bars in the city dont
grant him access. Many times, if I want to enter a
bar, Im asked for my passport. They dont check any
details but they still want to see my passport, he
reveals.
Akuma says he is aware that the general per-
ception about Blacks is that they engage in nefari-
ous activities. I dont deny that Black can create quite
some ruckus while partying. African women dont
dress like Indians do but that doesnt make them all
prostitutes, he says, pointing out how peeved he is
about the restrictions on Black residents in places like
Dwarka and Khirki Village.
But there is a reason why such curbs have been
employed by Resident Welfare Associations. Talk to
residents and the common perception is that Blacks
are surreptitious, dont maintain hygiene standards
and they have a propensity to get involved in petty
fights. Allegations of women running prostitution
rackets are abound too.
Take a stroll in the Khirki Extension post 8 pm
and you understand from where these opinions are
coming drunk men and women abusing each
other, children as young as nine years smoking and
snorting and unkempt youngsters loitering in and
around the Select City Walk mall is a common sight.
Then there are African women fully made up and
wearing small and tight clothes, signalling to pass-
ing cars. Village elders swear that ever since houses
started getting rented to these foreigners for huge
money, sex rackets have emerged as never before.
Go to J, K and E blocks of Khirki Extension and
you will find citizens from all parts of Africa resid-
ing there. On popular demand, some basements have
even been converted into make-do Churches by these
Africans. Surabhi Trivedi, owner of the Affinity
Media Consultancy and Public Relations firm who
has been staying here for more than five years with
her sister, says that in the past two years, the num-
ber of Blacks has peaked. Some of these women dress
vulgarly, show their cleavage and wait for cars to pick
them up. Sometimes there is a drug deal that hap-
pens in full public view, she says.
Adjacent to Khirki Extension is the Khirki Village
where there is a no-rent to Blacks notice. This area
was basically agricultural land which spread across
more than 100 acres. The culture of Khirki village
started changing in 1962 when the Government pur-
chased the land from the Sainis and Chauhans and
it was sold for just C2 a yard. From 1962 to 2005,
there was no construction. It was only after Robert
Vadra and Rahul Gandhi visited this area that the
Government decided to do something here, claims
Sandeep Saini, president of the Jan Kalyan Morcha
and a long-time resident of Khirki Village.
DP Singh, a retired professor and a landlord tells
you that with the rapid development of the area with
malls and hospitals, the influx of foreign tourists and
students has increased manifold.
Now, all the land has been sold off and converted
into five-floor buildings where students and out-
station employees live. Some buildings have been ille-
gally constructed and occupied forcefully, Singh says,
adding that incidents of crime involving foreign
nationals have also risen in the past three years.
On August 12, 2013, Sunil Taneja, a resident of
J4/80 Khirki Extension, was beaten up by a Nigerian
who lived at Dheer House. Taneja had objected to
the latters drunken brawls.
On October 27, 2013, more than 20 residents of
the J-3 and J-4 blocks of Khirki Extension filed com-
plaints stating that the Nigerians and Kenyans, espe-
cially residents of J4/65A were indulging in illegal
activities such as selling drugs to schoolchildren in
the locality. Another complaint was filed on
November 20, 2013 stating that apart from drugs,
nudity was becoming an issue too.
In another case, the residents of Vikas Samiti, E-
12/10, Hauz Rani, filed a complaint requesting the
cops to seal a bar and stop what they claimed was a
prostitution ring being operated.
According to Deepak Chauhan, after the raid
conducted by Aam Aadmi Party Law Minister
Somnath Bharti on January 15, around 95 per cent
of these foreigners shifted to Deoli Extension, a fact
confirmed by the owner of the restaurant Lemon Sole
who said he was surprised when he started getting
bulk home-delivery orders from that area.
With no help from the police, people of this area
are left wondering if they have to take things on their
hands. When SHO Vijay Pal Yadav approached a
group of Black women for inquiry, one of the girls
beat him up, Saini informs.
As trouble brews, one wonders why there has
been a sudden influx of people from Africa to India?
It would be wrong to say that there has been a sud-
den rise in the Black population in New Delhi. It all
depends on international ties and exchange pro-
grammes, Joint secretary (foreigners) of Ministry of
Home Affairs, V Vumlunmang says. KS Dhatwalia,
ADG (media) also maintains that this is not a notice-
able a trend. They come wherever they find cheap
living. Education is cheap in India and so are med-
ical facilities. When I was in Chandigarh, there were
a lot of Africans there and now you see them in Delhi,
Goa, Bhopal and other places too, Dhatwalia
points out. Although he argues that there is no trend
as such, an FRRO officer in Goa says that for the last
10 years, the Black population has risen significantly.
Registered African population in Goa alone is
over 7,000 which include tourists, people who have
come on medical visas and students. Medical
tourism has picked up, he says. The officer tells you
that Nigerians and Kenyans make for more than 70
per cent of the Black population in Goa.
In Delhi, the trend is no different. Apart from
popular African nations there are many people from
relatively unknown nations like Swathe and
Madagascar.
India has opened new horizons for many of us.
Education was a distant dream for many people but
in India the fee is affordable, Mbaya Christopher,
president of African Students Association in India
(ASAI), tells you. Ask him if everyone complies with
visa rules and regulations and there is an awkward
silence.
Students normally get a visa for a year but that
varies. To sustain themselves they get involved in
part-time jobs which pay well. Most of them get a
visa extension. Some even marry local citizens to
make India their permanent home. There are a few
who overstay because they are not aware of visa
norms. Then there is a section which engages in
nefarious activities. But you cant blame or taint the
entire Black population because one per cent is bad,
Christopher says.
Apart from managing student activities, he man-
ages the community of small-time Black business-
men in New Delhi which boasts of 580 members with
proper shops and some hole-in-the-wall kiosks.
People from Zimbabwe and Congo have set up
salons in South Delhi while Nigerians have shops in
INA. We have some presence in North and East Delhi
too, he says.
While people from the African continent thrive
in the Capital and other States in the country, law-
makers and officials have their job cut out to ensure
that they have their documents in order. As for the
locals, there is an urgent need to change their mind-
set regarding nationals from other countries.
special 09 NEW DELH SUNDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2014
n lhe asl decade, lhere has been a sleady inlow o Aricans and lhere is no denying lhal lhere is a cullure clash brewing
among lhe locals and lhese "visilors" who have homed in on conservalive urban villages like Khirki Exlension. Allegalions
againsl lhem are many, ranging rom illegal dalliances wilh drugs and roslilulion, nol lo menlion slaying on wilhoul a valid
visa. 0EEBAShREE M0hAhTY and SAh0EETA YA0Av examine lhe enlire issue and lell you how lhere mighl be some grey
in Black here bul nol all can be ainled wilh lhe same brush
The grey in Black
Q18 dedicaled ages or Arican halionals in ndia wilh
a whoing 1.2 lakh regislered sludenls only rom
higeria, Congo, hamibia, Algeria, Kenya, Zambia,
Zimbabwe, Angola and Rwanda
QAccording lo oicial igures o 2O18 lhere are 1O,OOO
higerians, 1,5OO Zambians, 5,OOO Zimbabweans and 21
Kenyans in hew 0elhi - and lhe numbers are only
increasing
QThe mosl concenlraled Black ockels in hew 0elhi
are Khirki Exlension, Mohammadur, Kolla Mubrakur
and Soulh Exlension B Block
QAler 0elhi, lhere has been a noliceable increase in lhe
Black oulalion in 0oa, Kerala, hyderabad and
Chandigarh
Q28 Arican communilies anndia wilh more lhan
seven secial clubs in hew 0elhi
QThe Reublic o Congo Club in Mohammadur
Exlension in Soulh 0elhi boasls o 2OO members,
moslly businessmen
QThere are 17 Arican sludenls ursuing Fh0 in
Fhilosohy, Elhics, nlernalional Relalions and world
Folilical Syslems in Jawaharlal hehru universily
QTwo Folilical Science sludenls rom Zimbabwe and
one rom higeria are ursuing Fh0 in 0elhi universily
QThere are lhree dedicaled reslauranls lhal serve
Arican delicacies in Soulh 0elhi. A and 0 Aro Sho in
Sakel and Manny's Square in Sadarjung are lhe mosl
oular one which serve Aro cuisine.
Students normally get a
visa for a year but that
varies. To sustain
themselves they get
involved in part-time jobs
which pay well. Some
manage a visa extension
while others get married to
local citizens to make ndia
their permanent home.
There are a few who
overstay because they are
not aware of visa norms.
Then there is a section
which engages in nefarious
activities. But can you
blame or taint the entire
Black population because
one per cent is bad?
Pui|| |u | |u|J
sport 10
NEW DELH SUNDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2014
IhIkh kFFIE8 WIh 4 MEkI8
New Delhi: ndian men's reeslyle wreslling leam
rounded o a suerb camaign in lhe 0ave Schull/
Memorial nlernalional lournamenl, winning our
medals, including a gold by Fraveen Rana, al Colorado
Srings in lhe uSA. The ndian reeslyle wresllers
slarled lheir 2O14 season on a resounding nole by
roducing besl erormance ever in lhe chamionshi.
Rana won his gold medal in 74kg calegory, while Amil
Kumar 0ahiya's silver medal came in 57kg. Sandee
Tomar and Bajrang also ul on imressive show,
winning bron/e in 57kg and G1kg, reseclively. ndian
gralers will now be seen comeling in lhe 0reco
Roman slyle. This was lhe irsl lime lhal lhe gralers
comeled in lhe higher weighl calegories in lhe
lournamenl aler lhe new weighl addilion or lhe FLA
comelilions, world Cus and 0olden 0rand Frix
chamionshis. FLA had lweaked lhe 18 weighl
divisions in 0eneva lasl 0ecember, and lhe rule
changes and comelilion ormal came inlo eecl rom
January 1, 2O14.
6I6kET k8TkIIk 8kT8 I 866I
Melbourne: Crickel Auslralia Chairman wally
Edwards has come oul in slrong suorl o lhe BCC
receiving a lion's share o world crickel revenue, saying
lhal ndia deserves a air comensalion or
conlribuling 8O er cenl o lhe revenue by "hiring oul"
ils leam. " lhink whal we have negolialed is more lhan
air. They (ndia) are conlribuling lowards 8O er cenl
o lhe money and lhey're laking aboul 2O er cenl or
hiring lheir leam or lhe CC. They are hiring lheir leam
oul and eole need lo undersland lhal is worlhy o
comensalion," he said. "The realily is everybody
1OG nalions gels more money in lhe new deal.
hobody is going backwards assuming we gel lhe righl
number when we go lo lender, and guess whal, i il
ends u lhe same number we've had or lhe lasl eighl
years, ndia don'l gel any more money lhan anyone
else. l's nol as i we have deserled lhe resl o lhem.
we wanl world crickel lo lhrive, nol go backwards," he
was quoled as saying in lhe 5yJncy Mcrnin |cra|J.
8I6 EIE E6I8Ih h I66 EVkMF
Colombo: 0osed lo lhe CC's slruclural overhaul
which would cede execulive decisionmaking lo ndia,
Auslralia and England, Sri Lanka Crickel has aoinled
a subcommillee lo deliberale on lhe roosed revam
aler ils execulive commillee meeling ended wilhoul a
conclusion. The commillee would be reconvened on
Monday. SLC sources said a majorily in lhe SLC are
lhose who are oosed lo lhe lan o allowing lhe big
lhree - ndia, Auslralia and England - lo dominale
lhe world governing body. A source said Chairman
Jayanlha 0harmadasa eels under ressure rom lhe
'Big Three' lo give lhe nod lo lhe original lan aler lhe
SLC had laken a decision lo requesl lhe CC lo deer
lhe roosals.
khkh 8IIE8 8h6k EIEkT
Zurich: Former world chamion viswanalhan Anand
slruggled wilh his orm or lhe second conseculive day
loday as he suered a shock deeal al lhe hands o
0randmasler hikaru hakamura o uniled Slales in lhe
second round o Zurich Chess Challenge here. having
losl lo Levon Aronian o Armenia in lhe irsl round, lhis
lurned oul lo be a double blow or Anand who now
inds himsel al lhe lasl sol in lhe highesl calegory
evenl. world chamion Magnus Carlsen o horway
layed oul a draw wilh Aronian while Fabiano Caruana
o laly hung on lo gel his draw wilh Boris 0eland o
srael in lhe olher games o lhis sixlayer roundrobin
lournamenl. wilh lhree rounds in Classical and ive
rounds in raid chess slill remaining, Carlsen, Aronian
and hakamura share lhe lead on lhree oinls under lhe
secial scoring syslem lhal gives lwo oinls or a win
in Classical and one in lhe raid ormal. wilh lwo
draws in lwo games, Caruana is in ourlh sol on lwo
oinls while 0eland now has one oinl. Anand is yel
lo oen his accounl.
khII Ih6hE8 6I8E T TF 8FT
Dubai: viral Kohli's individual brilliance during ndia's
disaslrous show in lhe losl 00 series againsl hew
Zealand has heled lhe young balsman inch closer lo
lhe lo sol in lhe lalesl CC rankings issued on
Salurday. ndia were drubbed O4 in lhe series which
concluded yeslerday bul Kohli, laced second in lhe
rankings righl now, slood oul by conlribuling 2O1 runs
in lhe ivemalch aair. Thal erormance elched him
11 ralings oinls in lhe CC lisl, laking his overall lally
lo 87O, jusl lwo oinls behind numberone ranked AB
de villiers. Skier Mahendra Singh 0honi is lhe nesl
besllaced ndian balsman al sixlh in lhe lisl, ollowed
by Shikhar 0hawan, who slied a rung lo 11lh aler
an indierenl ouling againsl hew Zealand. n lhe
bowling charls, Ravindra Jadeja is lhe highesllaced
ndian al ninlh sol, which is a loss o lhree osilions.
8FkIh E Z00BWIhhIh 6k6h IE8
Madrid: Luis Aragones, lhe coach o Sain's 2OO8
Euroean Chamionshiwinning side, died loday al
lhe age o 75, lhe Sanish Foolball Federalion (RFEF)
announced. "The RFEF is sorry lo announce lhe dealh
o Luis Aragones," read a slalemenl on lheir websile.
"The RFEF wanls lo exress ils ain and conslernalion
al lhe dealh o a man who was a layer and coach al a
number o Sanish clubs and around lhe world, and
lhe Sanish nalional leam coach al lhe beginning o ils
mosl glorious era o success al inlernalional level." As
well as lhe Sanish nalional side, Aragones managed
1O dierenl clubs during a 85year coaching career. he
is mosl ondly remembered al Allelico Madrid, wilh
whom he won La Liga in 1O7G/77 and lhree Coa del
Rey lilles across lhree sells in charge.
kkMkI kE8TE I MI88EhkVIh
Lahore: Fakislan crickeler umar Akmal was on
Salurday arresled or allegedly lhrashing a lraic
warden and learing his uniorm aler he was sloed
or violaling a signal, here. Folice said lhe crickeler had
a aceo wilh lraic warden Zeshan al 0ulberg's
Firdous markel area here. umar, 28, lhe youngesl o
lhe Akmal brolhers, was challaned or lhe oence by
lhe warden, which led lo lhe argumenl. "he (umar)
caughl him by lhe neck and also lore his (lraic
warden's) uniorm," Tariq A/i/, SSF 0ulberg slalion,
lold reorlers. Akmal was laken lo lhe olice slalion
and case under seclions 18G, 27O and 858 o Fakislan
Fenal Code (or obslrucling in lhe oicial work, learing
olice uniorm, and misbehaving and hurling lhreals)
was regislered againsl him.
'TIE'8 VI8IT WIII hkVE hE IMFk6T'
Dubai: Shiv Kaur, who could be one o lhe lucky ew
lo gel a chance lo lay wilh Tiger woods on his rivale
visil lo ndia, eels lhe world's ho. 1 goler's coming lo
lhe counlry would make a huge imacl. Tiger is
scheduled lo visil lhe 0elhi 0ol Club (00C) on February
4 and lay wilh Fawan Munjal, lhe CE0 and Managing
0ireclor o hero MoloCor. "wilhoul doubl, Tiger's visil
lo ndia is going lo make a huge imacl and lhere is a
big bu// already nol only in 0elhi bul lhe whole
counlry," Kaur, who is a roducl o 00C, said aler
shooling a lhird round 7O in 0ubai. Fh8lkgenries
8I86lF8
FTI Q hY0ERABA0
K
edar Jadhav continued his
glorious form in the Ranji
Trophy with a sparkling
century as Karnataka maintained
their upperhand despite a spirit-
ed fightback by Maharashtra on
the penultimate day of their Ranji
Trophy final, here on Saturday.
Karnataka finished their first
innings on 515 taking a sizeable
210 run first innings lead. In
reply, Maharashtra were 272 for
six in their second essay courtesy
112 by Jadhav and his 118-run
partnership for the third wicket
with Ankit Bawne (61).
Maharashtra now lead by 62
runs with four wickets in hand.
R Vinay Kumar was the most
successful Karnataka bowler
grabbing four for 84 although he
was taken to the task by the
Maharashtra batsmen.
This is Yadavs sixth first-class
century and he is all set to end
this edition of Ranji Trophy with
1223 runs at a staggering average
of 87.35 and a strike-rate of
80.30.
In Saturdays knock, which
was his 10th first-class century, he
faced 135 balls hitting 10 bound-
aries in the process.
At stumps, Skipper Rohit
Motwani (3 batting) and Shrikant
Mundhe (3 batting) will expect to
take the lead closer to 150 if
Maharashtra are thinking of mak-
ing a match of it and pull off what
looks like an improbable win as
of now.
However, no one can take
away the credit of the manner in
which they dominated the pro-
ceedings on the fourth day.
Karnataka today added 41
runs more courtesy their captain
Vinays 28 as they took their lead
past 200 runs mark.
Knowing, they can only stay
in the contest with a positive
intent, Vijay Zol (31), Bawne
and Yadav played their natural
game as Maharashtra scored their
runs at four per over.
Jadhavs batting was excep-
tional against the slow bowlers as
he repeatedly used his feet to
good effect. He was watchful for
the first 30 balls of his innings and
went on to attack once Robin
Uthappa was brought into the
attack.
The pint-sized batsman gave
Uthappa the charge to hit a one-
bounce four over long-on.
He gave the same treatment
to Sreenath Aravind and against
leggie Shreyash Gopal, he danced
down the track to hit him inside
out over extra cover.
Bawne, on the otherhand,
punished the occasional loose
deliveries and rotated the strike
well.
The best part about Jadhavs
innings was his ability to hit
boundaries on both sides of the
square. When Vinay pitched it
around his pads, he whipped it
towards fine leg for a boundary
while he unleashed a crashing cut
shot when Mithun gave width
outside off-stump.
He swept part-time leg-spin-
ner Amit Verma, who was trying
to contain the run flow pitching
it on the leg stumps line.
His century came off 118
balls when he got a couple sweep-
ing Verma.
En route his century, Jadhav
lost a reliable partner in Bawne,
who was out for 61 having struck
four boundaries in his 115-ball
knock. He was out as he tried to
give Gopal the charge in his bid
to score quickly and was stumped
by Gautam.
Sangram Atitkars poor shot
selection a slog sweep off
Gopal saw Maharashtra getting
reduced to 174 for four from a rel-
atively comfortable 172 for two.
Jadhav, however, found a
solid partner in Chirag Khurana
(37) as the duo added 88 runs for
the fifth wicket before skipper
Vinay struck twin blows at the fag
end of the day with couple of juicy
full-tosses.
Khurana would be cursing
himself as he mistimed a full-toss
from Vinay with the leading edge
being taken Uthappa in the cover
region.
In his very next over, it was
Yadavs turn to hit another full
toss straight to Uthappa. While
Khuranas was skier, this one
came flat at the former India
opener.
Brief Scores
Maharashtra: 305 and 272/6
(Kedar Jadhav 112, Ankit Bawne
61; R Vinay Kumar 4/84, Shreyas
Gopal 2/37) lead Karnataka: 515
(R Vinay Kumar 28; Shrikant
Mundhe 3/90) by 62 runs at
stumps on Day 4.
WE kE 90 FE 6EhT
Thh: VIhkY kMk
Despite a spirited fightback
by Maharashtra on the penulti-
mate day of their Ranji Trophy
final, Karnataka captain R Vinay
Kumar expressed confidence of
his team taking the rest of the four
wickets of their opponents early
on Sunday and claim the title.
I would say we are 90 per
cent through. There is 10 per cent
we have to put efforts to get four
early wickets tomorrow morning
and try to finish, Vinay Kumar
told reporters after the end of the
fourth days play.
Vinay Kumar expressed hap-
piness over taking 300 first class
wickets.
I am feeling great. I would
like to thank everyone who sup-
ported me, especially my coach
and my family members, he
said.
Jadhav said he was disap-
pointed that his team lost four
wickets in the final session today.
Obviously, when we play a
five-day game you have to play
every session well. We did not
play first two days well, it is
costing us. Let us hope we do
something special tomorrow,
he said.
Fh8 Q hEw 0ELh
D
efending champions Ranchi
Rhinos eked out a close 2-1 win
over Uttar Pradesh Wizards toconsol-
idate their position in the points table
of the Hero Hockey India League
(HHIL) at the Dhyan Chand Stadium
in Lucknow on Saturday.
The Rhinos were by far the better
side on display as they dominated the
match from the start to finish. The vis-
itors had the better share of ball pos-
session, enjoying 56 per cent of the
possession as against Wizards 44
percent.
The Rhinos outplayed the Wizards
in terms of circle penetration as well as
they made in roads into the hosts cir-
cle 21 times as compared to their oppo-
nents nine attempts.
To sum up it was a close contest
between the two finest teams of the
tournament, but it was the Rhinos who
utilized the chances that came their way.
The Rhinos took the lead through
star English drag-flicker Ashley Jackson
who converted a penalty corner in the
18th minute.
The Wizards had their chances in
the match but the forward line led by
HHIL 2014s expensive player,
Ramandeep Singh failed to cash in on
the opportunities.
Another Englishman Barry
Middleton (26th minute) doubled the
Rhinos lead with a field goal in the sec-
ond quarter as the visitors went into the
halfway break with a comfortable 2-0
advantage.
At the change of ends, the Wizards
adopted an aggressive approach and
created a few bright openings but the
Rhinos defense led by cap-
tain Moritz Furste stood
like a rock to thwart any
danger to their citadel.
The Wizards, however,
managed to pull one back
in the 50 minute when Edward
Ockenden scored from a field effort to
raise the hope of the home fans in the
entertaining match which was wit-
nessed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister
Akhilesh Yadav.
But that was all the home team can
manage as the visitors fell back and
defended their citadel with precision to
register their second win the six-team
franchise event.
The Rhinos and Wizards are
presently tied at the third position i the
standings with 11 points from three
matches each.
Uttar Pradesh Wizards
will next face Jaypee Punjab
Warriors here on Sunday,
while the Ranchi Rhinos will
face Dabur Mumbai
Magicians in their home
ground on February 4.
Speaking on the performance by
the team Coach Gregg Clark, Ranchi
Rhinos said it was an important game
today as in the first match against Uttar
Pradesh Warriors we did not deliver as
per expectations. Our next game is
against Dabur Mumbai Magicians and
they look like a difficult team to play
against and we have to be extra care-
ful against them.
Speaking on the teams perfor-
mance, Coach, Roelant Oltmans said
we started very well but somewhere we
lost the momentum as the game pro-
gressed. Our next match is against
Jaypee Punjab Warriors and we will pre-
pare accordingly. We will work on our
strategy and techniques accordingly.
Ikh6E8 8EkT MM8kI Z1
HILs debutant side registered their
first-ever victory as they defeated
Dabur Mumbai Magicians 2-1 in a
match at the Kalinga stadium in
Bhubaneswar.
Lucas Villa and Aran Zalewski
scored for the hosts before half-time
Glenn Turner pulled one back for
Mumbai.
Glenn Simpson played the ball to
Ryan Archibald, who passed it to Villa,
who was lurking in front of the cage.
Villa tappedf the ball in to draw the first
blood.
Zalewskis shot was blocked by PR
Sreejesh from the left and it rebound-
ed near to the Australian and this time
he slammed the ball in to draw a big
roar of support from local fans in the
26th minute.
For Mumbai, Gurjinder Singh
missed out on couple of short corners
as hosts custodian Harjot Singh, was
brilliant throughout the match.
With this loss, Mumbai are in
trouble with three back-to-back defeats.
The MK Kaushik-coached side need to
pull of their socks for the rest of the
matches. They next play Ranchi Rhinos
in Ranchi on coming Tuesday
Todays matches
Kalinga Lancers vs Del hi
Waveriders in Bhubaneswar
UP Wizards vs Jaypee Punjab
Warriors in Lucknow.
FTI Q whAh0ARE (hEw ZEALAh0)
T
he Indian batting frailties against short-
pitched bowling stood exposed in the ODI
series and New Zealand coach Mike Hesson
on said the Kiwis will continue with the tac-
tic even in the upcoming Test series starting
February 6. Yes, if conditions allow, then
absolutely, we will deploy it (short-pitched
bowling), agreed Hesson.
It is the ability to push guys back and then
bowl their natural length, the ability to do that
and obviously presenting the seam so that we
can find the outside edge. That is the sort of
formula that we have had for a while, he said.
I think we showed that at the Basin
Reserve the last time we played, and the way
we forced the West
Indies back and got
them out, that is
something that we
will look to con-
tinue against India
as well, he added.
As India pre-
pare to start the
Test leg of their
tour with a two-
day tour game
here, Hesson said
the Black Caps cer-
tainly have a spring
in their step post
the ODI triumph.
There is defi-
nitely some confi-
dence within the
group that we can
compete with these
guys and India are a good side. But we know
it is a different format. We will have a few new
faces but we will certainly take some confi-
dence into the series after the ODI series win,
said Hesson.
Even in our wildest dreams we didnt
think we would win 4-0 against such a qual-
ity side. It all went very well as planned but
you need quality players to have executed
those plans. Players understanding their
roles and training for those roles specifically
and going out under pressure and being able
to execute those plans was the key to our suc-
cess, he added.
India were soundly out-classed in all
departments throughout the series, while tying
one game in Auckland. The Men in Blue are
yet to win a game on the tour.
Even after the tie, we played pretty well.
You have to give credit to the way R Ashwin
and Ravindra Jadeja played that day. But we
never felt there was a shift in momentum and
we always felt we were playing pretty good
cricket, he explained.
Then, we backed it up in Hamilton on a
tough wicket for us against a sub-continent side
and that was exceptional. Some people con-
sidered it to be a dead rubber (the last game
in Wellington) but we certainly didnt. We pre-
pared well for it and were focused today, said
the happy coach after the white-wash.
Even so, India will be hoping for a chance
as they have reinforcements coming in, as
Cheteshwar Pujara, Murali Vijay, Zaheer
Khan, Umesh Yadav and Wriddhiman Saha
join the squad.
It was a turning point for them in South
Africa earlier and Hesson is wary of the threat
these new players pose in the longer format.
FTI Q h00RE
S
omdev Devvarman tamed Ti Chen after a gru-
elling contest while Rohan Bopanna combined
with Saketh Myneni to win the doubles rubber to
give India an unassailable 3-0 lead in the Davis
Cup Asia/Oceania Group I tie against Chinese
Taipei here on Saturday.
Somdev needed just eight minutes to complete
the unfinished business as he beat Chen 6-7 (4),
7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-2, 9-7 in the second singles, which
could not be completed on Friday due to bad light.
Beginning the day at tied 7-7 in the fifth set,
Somdev played attacking tennis, served well, hit
the ball hard, found the lines and was able to pin
Chen on the baseline to set up easy put away vol-
leys.
This was exactly what Chen was doing to
Somdev yesterday. The change in tactics was
rewarding for the Indian as he broke Chen in the
16th game, albeit, after squandering two more
match points. He had missed four chances yes-
terday to close the match.
Finally, Somdev clinched the issue on his sev-
enth match point when Chen hit one wide. Overall,
the contest lasted four hours and 40 minutes over
two days.
It was the third meeting between Somdev and
Chen. The Indian had beaten Chen in an away
Davis Cup tie in 2009 and then at the Asian Games
the next year.
Later, Bopanna and debutant Myneni brushed
aside the challenge of Hsien-Yin Peng and Tsing
Hua Yang 6-0, 6-7(3), 6-3, 7-6 (2) in two hours
and 21 minutes to render tomorrows reverse sin-
gles inconsequential.
Originally Hsin-Han Lee was nominated to
play with Peng but Taipei had to play their num-
ber one player Yang, after Lee was laid low by a
leg injury.
India would now travel to Korea for the sec-
ond round tie in April and if they win that, the
team will compete in the play-offs to re-enter the
elite 16-nation World Group.
It is possible that the captain would change
nomination for the two dead rubbers, to be played
on Sunday. Bopanna, who touched a career-high
doubles rank of world number three last year,
showed his class and experience as he clearly was
the most dominant player of all four.
He held his serves with ease, fired 18 aces and
served at an intimidating pace, which was too hot
to handle for Yang and Peng.
At times, Peng and Yang could not even see
where the ball landed as it past them before they
could think of a suitable return shot.
Bopanna also returned well and was excellent
at the net. Myneni at times hit stunning winners
and complimented his senior colleague well.
The Indians began with a bang as they bageled
the visitors in the opening set in just 16 minutes,
not letting them win a single game.
Scores 112 lo hel Maharashlra lead by G2 runs wilh 4 wickels in hand in Ranji inal
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sport 11 NEW DELH SUNDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2014
6hkTSh0w
Hockey
N
adeem Iqbal is like any other
sportsperson in the country
who has escaped the glare. He wants
to talk about his sport, about the
extreme effort that goes into his dis-
cipline skiing cross country but
at the same time giving one-line
answers to the queries put forward.
He seems a little shy and perhaps
doesnt know how to explain his art
in depth but a Thank you sir, aapne
hum se baat kari' in the end, tells you
about a simpler world in Gulmarg,
Jammu and Kashmir, where he is
practicing for the upcoming Winter
Games in Sochi, Russia from the 7th
to the 24th of February.
He is one of the three Indians,
along with Shiva Keshavan and
Himanshu Thakur, who make up the
Indian contingent for the Winter
Olympics 2014.
"I have not been told about my
schedule by Roshan Lal sir (Roshan
Lal Thakur, secretary general of
Indian Winter Games Association).
Right now I am just practicing," he
told Sunday Pioneer from Gulmarg.
There are many variants in ski-
ing at the Games. In cross-country
racing you have many events like the
biathlon, classic skiing and freestyle
events. We do not have facilities in
India, like we do not have a track for
the classic event so we participate in
freestyle cross-country. Here also
we have many categories like 1.5 and
5km sprint and other long distance
events like 10, 15, 20, 30, 40 and above
40 km cross-country. I have qualified
for the 15km race," the 30-year-old
havaldar of the 1 Jammu and
Kashmir Light Infantry of the Indian
Army added.
Whenever an athlete is heading
oversees and especially for a world
event, pertinent questions arise. Is he
going to bring a medal home or is he
going for just the experience? How
has preparation been? In a niche sport
like his, do we have a future?
Colonel SP Malik, who is officer
in-charge of the High Altitude
Warfare School of the Indian Army,
seems to have some of the answers.
"You would appreciate that from
April to November we do not have
snow in the country, we only have it
from December to April. And,
Nadeem qualified in December last
year so it's virtually without practice.
He has a lot of potential but he can
do well provided he gets practice and
time for practice but unfortunately we
do not have the facilities in India. But
despite all that he has qualified
which is a great achievement,"
Colonel Malik told Sunday Pioneer
about the difficulties his ward has
been facing. "Expectations are always
there but if we compare with the
Europeans one has to keep in mind
that for the entire year, he has been
out of practice while the Europeans
have been practicing almost through-
out the year. Despite all this, we are
expecting a good performance from
him. Good would mean that he gets
a position," the Colonel added.
Iqbal himself echoed the emotion
that the overhead conditions were
somewhat hampered. "Sochi would
be difficult because I've not been able
to practice properly this time as snow
fell very late and in India we do not
have artificial snow," the skier
explained.
Iqbal is following up the 2014
Games after a commendable fourth
position in the freestyle event at the
2011 Asian Games in Kazakhstan.
So, how did the sport start for
him? How did he end up taking up
a sport which is a niche one, has min-
imal fan-following and just about
something that is sustainable in
terms of infrastructure?
"Hum fauj mein aaye aur isme
interest le liya, hame achcha lagaa bas.
(I joined the Indian army and devel-
oped interest in the sport, I liked it),"
was as simple an answer as can be. In
2003, the skier who hails from Rajouri
in Jammu was commissioned by the
Indian Army. His mother is a house-
wife and he has two sisters and a
brother. Unfortunately the skier lost
his father way back in 1986.
As Iqbal heads to Sochi, he'll be
up against all odds just like the
requirements of his discipline. He
would need all the luck.
8 h T F I T 6 h E
MY8TEY
T
o play or not to play is
the dilemma that Indian
batsmen face, especially
outside the sub-continent.
With two bouncers allowed in
an over and assistance from
the pitch, pacers speed
notwithstanding like to use
the short ball generously. In
Tests where there is no pres-
sure of the mounting run-rate,
leaving the ball alone is a safe
option for the batsmen but the
problem comes when they
have limited number of balls
to chase down or set up a tar-
get. In that case, leaving the
short ball all the time is not an
option.
The inability of Indian
batsmen, who grew up playing
on the featherbeds, to handle
the rising deliveries also
encourages the opponents to
plan their strategy around the
short ball. New Zealand did
the same, so did South Africa
prior to that.
As Dhoni pointed out,
you cannot have bowlers
bowl short to you always,
mastering the shot is an area
where our batsmen need to
improve. And improve quick-
ly as World Cup is just one
year away and it will take
place in New Zealand and
Australia where pitches assist
pace and bounce.
Fk6E8
Ishant Sharma has been
playing international cricket
for around six and a half years
now but its hard to spot that
experience in the results. At a
time when he should be lead-
ing the attack, he is fighting to
keep his place in the side, at
least in ODIs. I dont think
Ishant is suitable for one-day-
ers. He hasnt done well in
ODIs. He may have bowled
well here and there but over-
all he has been very inconsis-
tent. Bowling in Tests and
ODIs is completely different.
You should play those players
who are in form and are suit-
able to that days situation,
former Indi an captai n
Mohammad Azharuddin said.
Mohammed Shami had
impressed one and all with his
genuine pace and control both
at home and in South Africa
but in New Zealand he has
regularly erred in his line and
length giving the opposition
batsmen easy opportunities
to score. There is no doubt
about his talent and ability and
Shami looks good to carry on
till the World Cup next year
but consistency is required.
Varun Aaron, who is on
the comeback trail, is quick
like Shami but it seems he only
knows how to run in and
bowl fast. Thinking is surely
not his cup of tea. As for now,
only Bhuvaneshwar Kumar
looks dependable. He doesnt
have the pace but he knows his
areas and more than taking
wickets, he has helped con-
taining the batsmen.
Apart from these three,
India have tried many others,
including, Umesh Yadav,
Ashok Dinda, R Vinay Kumar,
Mohit Sharma and Jaydev
Unadkat, in last one year but
there is still no certainty
regarding the fast bowlers
who can help India defend
their world title.
FEhIh F8IEM
With six century stands
and two 50-plus partnerships
in 17 matches, Rohit Sharma
and Shikhar Dhawan were in
such a prime form up until
November last year that they
together looked invincible.
But after that, their best
association in the next 10
innings has been 64.
That has severely affected
Indias performance. Since
then India havent only lost
seven games but also the No.
1 ODI ranking.
This simple fact underlines
the importance of the opening
pair for a team that relies
heavily on good starts to make
an impact in the 50-over game.
Rohit and Shikhar are
going through tough times at
the moment but they remain
vital for Indias bid to defend
their World Cup title and
need to be given longer rope.
MIIEE hT
IIIh
In the last two series, the
openers failed to provide good
starts and the responsibility to
score fell on middle-order.
Apart from Virat Kohli and
MS Dhoni, no other batsmen
contributed. Most disappoint-
ing has been No. 4 and 6 posi-
tions where Ajinkya Rahane
and Suresh Raina batted.
While Rahanes failure can
be attributed to lack of over-
seas exposure, Raina second
most experienced player in the
side after Dhoni has no
such cushion to defend him-
self. Dhoni tried Ambati
Rayudu in the last two match-
es. He is talented and has a lot
of first class experience but is
he the one who can solve
Indias middle-order problem
remains to be seen.
Dhoni should bat up the
order. If he bats at four, he will
have more time and being a
senior and captain he can
guide the other batsmen,
Azharuddin said.
wi|| i|pu| ||u|
||i||+|+| Si|| 1++|+
l was suosed lo be a rehearsal, a rearalory lour or lhe 5Oover world Cu nexl year lo be held in hew Zealand and Auslralia bul lhe
crushing 4O loss al lhe hands o Kiwis in lhe ivemalch 00 series has ul a queslion mark on ndian leam's chances o deending lheir
lille. The loss has comlelely exosed lhe shorlcomings o lhe currenl squad bul lhe good lhing is lhal ndia slill have more lhan one year
lo lake correclive measures. AMT ChAu0hARY looks al lhe our major roblems lhal ndian leam ace
QHow does it feel to be back in India
for the HIL again?
It's always nice to come back to
India. Every time while I play here, this
ground (Major Dhyan Chand National
Stadium) brings back some nice mem-
ories. I remember Luke Doerner scor-
ing in the final against Germany in the
World Cup final in 2010. Also, Australia
won the Commonwealth gold here in
the same year. This ground is very spe-
cial for me.
QHow would you analyse your teams
(JPW) performance so far?
I think the most important thing is
we are continuously improving. In the
first game against Delhi, we were good
in patches, but not very good. In the sec-
ond match against Mumbai, we were
consistent and got some penalty corners
and in the game against Kalinga Lancers,
we scored four from as many corners
and overall seven goals. Again in the
game against Delhi at their home, we did
quite well to win it. So, we are doing well.
Q Has the team solved the problems
which had surfaced in the inaugural
edition?
Last year we were quite bad in our
penalty corner attack and we have
improved that definitely. We have
worked on our few key defensive areas
as well. We want to keep improving as
the tournament progresses.
Q Does having seven Australians in
the team help building a base?
We are gelling together well. We are
having a good time off the field as well.
I think with the Australians and the
Indians, two Argentines and the Dutch
guy, everything is going well this year.
Last year, there were some problems.
Q Also, Barry Dancer is a former
Australian head coach? How does he
help in the teams cause?
We have developed a good rela-
tionship with him. He has got the trust
of the Indians as well and everyone is
working together quite nicely. It seems
like a nice, compact unit. In the future
we will face challenges but so far, we are
going along well as a team.
Q At 34, what are the targets you still
have in mind?
I want to keep playing some good
hockey. I enjoy the team atmosphere
here with Punjab as well as with the
Australian team. Hopefully, we will get
some success with Punjab Warriors.
Also, I want to play well for my coun-
try and hope to do well in the World
Cup and CWG later in the year and may
be the 2016 Rio Olympics as well.
QHow will you describe your journey
from the days in Australian Institute
of Sport to being one of the best hock-
ey players in the world?
Its been a journey I have never
thought I would achieve as a kid. I grew
up aspiring to play for Australian hock-
ey team and now to have played over 300
games and won everything that is to win
gives me a lot of pride. Importantly, I am
personally satisfied that I have reached the
level, which I had never thought.
Q You have started coaching online
through dwyeronline.com? So, is there
any plan to coach?
I want to coach on the field.
Coaching is something that I want to
do after my playing days get over.
800w 0F w08l0 0MFI088
Satisfieo witl tle level lave reacleo: !wyer
Skiing to tho top o tho world
Army man hkEEM I8kI is one o lhe lhree members o lhe ndian conlingenl bound or winler 0ames in
Sochi in Russia rom lhe 7lh o February. The skier soke lo KRShhARAJ Sh0h JASAhA
8WIIh WE8
MIXE 8k 8kTTIh
8WIE M VE8 WkT8 E6h
Mohammed Shami 8 72 2O G.O5
shanl Sharma 4 82 G G.12
Ravindra Jadeja 8 7O 5 5.42
varon Aaron 8 28.1 4 7.O8
Bhuvneshwar Kumar G 58 4 5.7O
Ravichandran Ashwin 8 72 2 5.5O
umesh Yadav 2 15 1 G.8O
Mohil Sharma 1 1O O 8.2O
8kT8Mkh M I h8 kV h.8 100 60
MS 0honi 8 7 85G 5O.88 7O` 4
viral Kohli 8 7 822 4G.OO 128 1 2
Ravindra Jadeja 8 7 2OO 4O.OO GG` 2
Rohil Sharma 8 7 182 2G.OO 7O 1
Suresh Raina G 5 184 2G.8O 8G
Ravichandran 8 7 128 18.28 G5 1
Shikhar 0hawan 7 G O8 15.5O 82 G8.88
Ajinkya Rahane G G 5O O.88 8G
Ambali Rayudu 2 2 57 28.5O 87
Sochi would be
difficult because 've
not been able to
practice properly this
time as snow fell
very late and in ndia
we do not have
artificial snow
Hum fauj men aaye
aur sme (skng]
nterest e ya, hame
achcha agaa bas. {
joined the ndian
army and developed
interest in the sport,
liked it]
NADEEM OBAL
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0hE0AYERS. hE hASh'T 00hE wELL h
00S. hE MAY hAvE B0wLE0 wELL hERE
Ah0 ThERE BuT 0vERALL hE hAS BEEh
vERY hC0hSSTEhT. B0wLh0 h TEST Ah0
0hE0AY ARE C0MFLETELY 0FFEREhT. Y0u
Sh0uL0 FLAY Th0SE FLAYERS wh0 ARE h
F0RM Ah0 ARE SuTABLE T0 ThAT 0AY'S
STuAT0h
IME IhIkh 6kFTkIh
MhkMMk kZhkIh
Fivelime Fh Flayer o lhe year Jamie 0wyer is in ndia and his assignmenl is lo lead hL leam Jayee Funjab warriors lo viclory. 0ne
o lhe grealesl layers o modern hockey, lhe 84yearold lalks lo ABhShEK FuR0hT aboul his leam's chances, his ulure and more
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||uli| |u |i|J |u|| +||u+J +| || |u||| AP
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Talktime
0$/.,7 6,1*+
After churning out hits like Gur Nal Ishq Mitha, Tootak Tootak
Tootiyan, Kurri Garam Jayee, Dekh li vilyait and many more,
MALKIT SINGH has launched a sufi religious album titled Sikh
Hon Da Maan. He speaks with SANGEETA YADAV about the
advent of free downloads, his return in the industry and folk music
which is slowly losing its charm
QTell us about your new solo album Sikh Hon Da Maan?
This is my 24th solo album which has nine religious songs
and one sufi number. The best thing about this album is that
we have shot the videos of all the songs at one go. It also has
English subtitles so that everyone understands the lyrics.
Through this album I want to spread a meaningful message
about our religion.
QWhy did you come up with a religious album?
There is an urgent need for todays youngsters to know and
respect our religion and culture. I have performed in 54 coun-
tries and all they pine for is Indian folk music with Indian instru-
ments. Even Indians in our country are not all that into remix-
es, hip hop and rap songs. They miss good meaningful folk music
which has become redundant. What sells in Bollywood is ding
chik, ding chik songs but thats not what everyone desires to hear.
QWith the advent of online downloads how difficult is it to
make revenue in the music industry?
Usually the budget of religious albums is less than a com-
mercial album or even a Bollywood track. When a singer, music
director or producer invests their money in creating music, they
expect that to make at least 10 to 15 per cent profit. In worst
case scenario they expect to recover the money invested. But
nowadays that is not happening. There is no guarantee of get-
ting any return on the investment in the music industry. It is
unfortunate but that is the real scenario.
QYour take on the copyright issue?
Im one of the members of Performing Rights Company
of London. They keep a record on all media platforms like radio,
TV, songs etc. They make sure that even a tune which is used
in a platform has to be under royalty contract and license. Not
just India, but the overall music scene in the world has been
affected due to the rampant illegal downloads of music. When
you purchase a CD its your way of showing your love and respect
towards the artist. But now no one buys CDs anymore. This is
because people can easily download songs online.
QYou bagged an award from Queen Elizabeth for being the
member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
We used to do shows for the Queen for charity purposes.
I strongly believe that earning money should not be the only
motive behind your profession. I believe in giving back to the
society. We should be of some help to others as well. The Award
was conferred to us for the various charitable performances we
had done.
QWhat do you have to say about the latest trend in the Punjabi
music genre?
I like songs that reflect Indias folk culture and tradition.
Every state of India has its own kind of music but very few peo-
ple are working to promote it. People are crazy for peppy songs.
Its very difficult to get credit in Bollywood, unless you are a
big name. Popular singers get promoted but new artists face a
lot of problem in carving a niche for themselves. But I am happy
that Mika Singh and Honey Singh have been showered with a
lot of praise. They have done well for themselves.
backpack 12 NEW DELH SUNDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2014
Folk music is
losing its charm
QWhat exactly is a mentalist?
He is someone who doesnt only use
magic tricks but also has a great knowl-
edge about the psychology of human
nature. Instead of sawing women in half
or making wild animals appear from big
boxes, a mentalist tries to enter our most
sacred place our mind. The audience
will experience incredible mind reading
and witness crazy thought manipulations
and some will be enabled to do miracles
themselves.
QIs it really possible to read peoples
minds?
Just by looking at somebodys fore-
head one cannot get an insight into his
mind. Its more like a communication
process so the person has to concentrate
or at least answer my questions so I can
provoke certain reactions.
QCan you explain what mental magic
is and how does it work?
Mental magic is a mixture of psy-
chology, suggestion and magic. It has
nothing to do with supernatural powers
though it seems like that. However, our
mind has much more potential than we
are aware of. If you train and use some
of those hidden potentials you can do
things that seem like miracles. Moreover
if you have studied the psychology of
human nature and know certain ways
how people behave, it is quiet easy to
detect a lie or predict a future behaviour.
Our body is constantly screaming out
information so if you think your secret
thoughts are safe within your head as
long as you keep your mouth shut, you
are wrong!
QYou have said that it is possible to
transfer the knowledge you have and
use it in daily life. How?
To know how you and others func-
tion gives you a great toolbox also for
your everyday life. You may be able to
establish an emphatic connection with
others, foresee future actions or even
manipulate them. However a very inter-
esting aspect is that you will be able to
trick and manipulate yourself this way
you can create great motivation, cure a
phobia or change an unloved behaviour
of yourself. Here is very easy but very
practical tip everybody can try right way:
Smile! Yes make a very big exaggerated
smile on your face and freeze it. Now try
to feel bad. You will discover it is
impossible as long as your smile is on.
QWhy is it easy for mentalists/magi-
cians to amaze and shock people?
Because we know so much about the
human mind that it is easy for us to pre-
dict our audience reactions. Moreover we
do things that seem impossible. Its like
making a dream come true.
QHow can one person with the power
of suggestion and subconscious influ-
ence those around us?
We are constantly influenced by oth-
ers or even by our environment. Even the
music which is played in a shopping mall
is designed to get us in a spending mood.
Our subconscious mind is always open
to suggestions and if somebody is able
to pass the critical control mechanisms
of our conscious mind, he can plant a
suggestion in our subconscious mind.
QYou have won the Best mentalist of
the world in 2009. How does that feel?
It was a pleasure. Especially if you
created an effect yourself and have
worked on it for several years this is the
greatest compliment you can get.
QHow does one become a mentalist?
I was always fascinated by the art of
mentalism because it has such a huge
impact on the audience. This is because
the idea of somebody being able to look
inside your head or even manipulating
your thoughts is both exciting but also
frightening. Thats why I concentrated on
that field of magic. I started to study psy-
chology and read books.
QIf someone wanted to become a
mentalist how should he go about it?
I would recommend to first start
with classical magic. Learn the basics of
human perception and when you have
mastered this you may concentrate on
the field of mentalism with all its psy-
chological aspects.
QTell us about the show in Delhi? Is this
the first time you are performing in
India?
I performed in India a few years ago
and it was great fun and a huge success.
However I have never been in New Delhi
so far and I am thankful to Ashvin
Gidwani Production for bringing me
down here and I am also looking forward
to see the city.
Do pyar karen wale, ek jahaz, ek ice-
berg aur ek Phatto...
Ab saare logon ko je patai thha ki
Titanic bachneko na hai. Ab ssab aadmi
soch raha ghar jamein kaise. Humara
launda Jaak aur Chhapariya intizaar kar
rahein hai ki kahin na kahin se madat
to ayegi. Humara launda Jaak ne ek night
cab jo chalien hain phone kar di.
Cabwala bolo kahan, Jaak bolo Titanic
mein. Hamari jaan bacha le. Night cab
bolo main night mein nahin chalata
Humara launda to nahin milee night cab.
So, allbez remember keep a Phatto
with you.
T
his is only one of the few Phatto
limericks that listeners who tune
into Radio Mirch 98.3 get to
hear. The brain behind these two min-
utes humourous sparklers is RJ Naved
who has been with the station since
2004. There is an interesting story
around how it all started.
A few months back, the 38-year-old
RJ was sitting at the music console in
the recording room and playing songs
which were on the loop when a song
from the movie Titanic came up.
Wondering who had put the song in the
loop that was playing in the background,
Naved started talking to himself in a
style that was a mix of Hindi and
Haryanvi. As luck would have it, his
friend who has a similar style of speak-
ing and accent called that instance. An
idea took root and the rest, as they say,
is history.
Akash Banerjee, AVP programming
head, Radio Mirch, Delhi tells you that
the best part about Phatto and its Titanic
connection is that Naved has never seen
the movie. All that he has seen are a few
trailers from the movie now and then.
But he still gets his listeners to laugh at
his style and narration.
Naved tells you that it is the style
and lehza that he uses which makes
Phatto so good. I get 500 calls during
my show from 5 pm to 9 pm
everyday. Of these around 450 calls are
about how they love the limericks. It is
as if people have forgotten about me. I
love it that people are able to associate
Phatto with my show, RJ Naved tells
you.
He says that another reason why
people laugh at the jokes is because he
has given a twist to a Hollywood movie
with English actors who have no con-
nect with what he has to say about Jaak,
Chhapariya, Bade Captaan, Irshaad
mechanic and various other characters
that keep popping up. Imagine an
unsinkable ship like Titanic and me talk-
ing about Irshaad mechanic who tells
Jaak that I love you too, or Bade
Captaan who is on a month-long leave
aboard the ship or how Jaak is haggling
with a locksmith over C150 while the
ship is sinking. Its funny. People who
have seen the film are able to identify
with it. The end result is a big laugh. In
fact, some people call to tell me that now
they dont cry when they are watching
the movie. They suddenly remember a
Phatto joke and instead of tears, they
burst out laughing, Naved says.
For those who dont know what
Phatto jokes are, here is a little back-
grounder. It is about a lakdi ki naav with
Jaak (Leonardo DiCaprio) and
Chhapariya (Kate Winslet) and the
wooden plank (phatto) on which Kate
found herself in the last scene in the
movie. From here stems the story
between do pyar karne wale... and
words like chhaapar, chhapar, ghrup,
batashe, boondi and ja ku bolo (usko
bola).
The RJ takes inspiration from what
happens around him and the mails that
he has started receiving from his fans.
People come up with their own version
of Phatto and mail it to me. Once in a
while I pick up a line here and there. We
have had business houses calling want-
ing to buy Phatto. But it is too soon. I
want to work on this more and see if the
same can be replicated with another
movie. For now I come up with seven
creatives a week which are played 16
times during the day, Naved says
adding that the timings keep changing.
The popularity of Phatto which is
going in for Season 2 can be gauged
from the fact that people call the RJ and
request him to wish their loved ones in
Jaak style. Even corporates invite him
to spend 15 minutes narrating Phatto
jokes. If this is not enough, Phatto has
now been caricaturised.
And from all the Phatto jokes that
he has been telling, which is his
favourite? There are so many that make
me laugh and starts to narrate a few lines
Jab Titanic doob ro thha to ek ek
kar ke log gir ro thhey. Aah... chhaap.
Aah... chhaap. AahAree je chhap ki
awaaz kahan ho? To pato chalo ki ja ko
handle pakad lo haiAb Chhapariya
phatto par hai aur Chhota Bheem
ayao. Chhapariya bolo ja ko bacha lo
Chhota Bheem bolo je to bada kaam
hai... So, allbez remember
Meet Phatto
the aeW Wave
Any joke on Tilanic will nol be in good lasle bul lhose who lune in lo Radio
Mirch double u wilh laughler lislening lo lhe limericks based on il called
Fhallo by RJ hAvE0. l is lhe narralion lhal makes lhese rerecorded
sarklers so oular wilh his lisleners, haved lells ShALh SAKSEhA
Magician Nicolai !rieoricl seals witl SHALN
SAKSINA alout lis exeriences in tlis fielo ano lis
lans to erform in tle Caital on !elruary 6, 2014
Klilaoi quotient
l's lime or some aclion on lelly wilh lhe launch o Fear Faclor:
Khalron Ke Khiladi 5. SAh0EETA YA0Av seaks wilh some
conleslanls lo know whal makes lhem real lie khiladis
'm a real
khatarnak khiladi
and will prove to be
a huge challenge
for everyone. The
boldest action
sequence have
done was firing a real gun
in Game, the movie. am
very straightforward and
have a game plan ready
GAUHAR KHAN
My biggest strength
is my will power.
am going to
prepare myself and
plan according to
each given task.
t's going to be a life
changing experience for me
and am hoping that
perform well. KKK watch
out for me
POOJA GOR
The question about facing fear and conquering
it is exciting. t's going to be a big challenge.
've worked in extreme conditions. 've faced
death twice ~ n Ladhak where was trekking
suddenly collapsed due to lack of oxygen
and was rescued by the army. Then met with
an accident during the shooting of a film
NKTN DHEER
Montalist takos ovor
go mad when it
comes to
adventure but 'm
also an accident
prone person.
informed my
parents after signing the
contract. What makes me a
Khiladi is the inbuilt fighter
in me to handle stress and
adapt in any situation
SALMAN YUSUF KHAN
Gauhar is the reason
why agreed to do
KKK. was
sceptical about it
but now am
excited. f there
are insect eating
tasks will quit
the show
KUSHAL
TONDON
Youngost ndian
aotor in Hollywood
Fh8 Q hEW EIhI
W
hile recently a lot
of Indi an-
American actors are
making big waves in
Hol lywood; here is
nine-year-old boy won-
der whos working with
some of the biggest
names in the industry
becomi ng i ncreasi ngl y
famous by the day. Rohan
Chand is the newest and the
youngest ever Indian origin
actor to have made a mark
in Hollywood; after making
his debut at the age of six in
Jack and Jill with Adam
Sandler. He was also there in
Bad Words with Jason
Bateman. Rohan will now be
seen with Mark Wahlberg in
the upcoming war film Lone
Survivor.
Sources revealed that
Rohan has quite an integral
role in the film as his char-
acter along with his father
are the one who save Mark
Wahlberg from the Afghan
army and nurse him back to
health. Interestingly, hell
also be seen speaking in
Hindu/Urdu for the film.
While Lone Survivor will
be his biggest film, later
this year hell be seen in a
untitled Hollywood film
produced by Oprah Winfrey
and Steven Spielberg which
stars Juhi Chawla and Om
Puri alongside him. Lone
Survivor is all set to releas-
es on February 7, 2014.
wilh oelic ermanence, classical romance and drama giving way lo shorllerm
graliicalion, lhe dialogue wriler, as bemoaned by lhe legendary SalimJaved duo in a
recenl inlerview, no longer enjoys lhe ride o lace he once enjoyed in hindi cinema
U
dti hoon aake banke vimaan/ Ready
rakhna love ka samaan/ Milke
rahoongi/ Chahe Baa le le jaan,
says the feisty and defiant Leela to
her lover Ram in Sanjay Leela
Bhansalis Goliyon Ki Raasleela
Ram-Leela, an adaptation of
Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet.
Jitni tu garam hai/ Utna tera bistar naram hai, says the
amorous lover, Ram. Ram-Leela went on to hit the box
office collections of C100 crore, signifying the audiences
acceptance of these lusty, crudely poetic lovers.
Contrast this with the timeless classic, Mughal-e-
Azam in 1960: Kaneez to kab ki
mar chooki/ Ab janaaze ko
rukhsat ki ijaazat dijiye. A
memorable, rebellious exchange
between Anarkali and the
lovers father, Akbar, who allows
Anarkali to spend one last night
with Salim on the
understanding that she will be
led to her death at sunrise.
Mughal-e-Azam went on to stay
the highest grossing film for 15
years. The films screenplay by
K Asif and Aman (Zeenat
Amans father) was further
dramatised by a team of brilliant writers: Wajahat Mirza,
Kamaal Amrohi and Ehsaan Rizvi. The writers mastery
over Urdus poetic expression is present in every line.
Today, leave alone historic lore or poetic Urdu,
romance and love are expressed over cheesy smses, as
evident in Ram-Leela, and love borders on lust. The
debut writer duo, Garima-Siddharth, attribute this kind
of language to the small town setting of Gujarat and the
kind of characters the film has. The sms poetry sounds
the way it does because Ram is Romeo, a poet at heart
but he is also a tapori who runs a video parlour; from
him you dont expect great poetry. Dialogue comes from
the set-up and the character, and these two lives in a
rustic gun market place in Gujarat in the sms era.
However, opinion on this kind of writing is divided
among both older and contemporary writers. Javed
Siddiqui, a renowned writer of over 90 films ranging
from Satyajit Rays classic Shatranj Ke Khiladi to
commercial hits like Baazigar and Dilwale Dulhaniya
Le Jaayenge, has his own reservations. So does Juhi
Chaturvedi, the award-winning writer of Vicky Donor.
Commenting on Ram-Leelas lines like Angoor hai
green, kele ka rang peela hai, keh do saari duniya se,
Ram ki Leela hai, she says, I think this is lame writing.
It evokes short-term reactions and quick bursts of
laughter in two hours, but will it be remembered in the
next five years? A director who has maturity will never
go in for such short-term gratification.
Siddiqui elaborates, It reflects the directors
sensibilities. Any sensitive writer and director should
know that romance is a sensitive genre and their work is
changing the sanctity of love. We should keep in mind
what todays generation is learning from such cinema.
In what we called classical romance, the focus was on
respecting feelings. Today, a news report says that a girl
rejected her boyfriend and so he raped her as well as got
his friends to gang-rape her. Can that sort of scenario be
justified as love? We have to be responsible about what
we are leaving behind for the youngsters.
Niranjan Iyengar, who has a more diverse style of
writing as seen in films like Wake Up Sid, Kal Ho Na
Ho, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, D-Day and Fashion,
believes that the success of Ram-Leela lies in its
dialogues which worked with the young. He says, It
does connect with the audience. The idea of language
has changed with the advent of cell phones, Internet
and the multicultural pot that is India. Just like in
music, earlier Dhrupad was considered the purest
form, then Khayal became pure and today Thumri is
considered semi-classical. Likewise language keeps
evolving differently. Today, Hinglish is the accepted
dialect. It may be blasphemy to you and me but it
exists. To survive, one has to adapt. Technicians have
to evolve or they fall by the wayside.
It has become a matter of debate whether the
audience dictates the language of cinema or vice versa.
Garima-Siddharth strongly defend Ram-Leelas
treatment. Today young lovers want to be with each
other, and then take it forward. Like Bhansali once
mentioned, young lovers today dont look at the moon
and the stars, they are randy people. And since we were
adapting Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet, the text itself is
full of double meanings. It is as lusty and vulgar as it can
get and thats what is beautiful about it. The films success
proves its acceptance from audiences, they say.
While it is too early to decide if Ram-Leela stands the
test of time, the biggest blockbuster on romance since the
1990s remains Aditya Chopras Dilwale Dulhaniya Le
Jaayenge. Chopra went on to win a Filmfare award for
Best Dialogue, along with Javed Siddiqui, amongst
numerous other awards. DDLJ was also the longest
running film in Indian cinema after Sholay. The films
success was attributed to its central theme of the purity of
a woman being reflective of Indian values. In a scene
when Simran (Kajol) wakes up in Rajs (Shah Rukh
Khan) bed and is concerned if anything happened
between them the night before, he says: Main ek
Hindustani hoon, aur main jaanta hoon ki ek Hindustani
ladki ki izzat kya hoti hai.
Siddiqui, who wrote the dialogues for DDLJ along
with Aditya Chopra, is one of the few writers from an
Urdu literature background. As he himself says, There
are only three such writers in the industry today Javed
Akhtar, Gulzar and me. None of us is writing much
nowadays. Once Gulzar told me that he doesnt write
anymore because todays cinema does not interest him.
Now that writers like Rahi Masoom Raza
(Mahabharat), Rajinder Singh Bedi (Madhumati,
Abhimaan), Abrar Alvi (Pyaasa, Sahib, Biwi aur
Ghulam, Kaagaz ke Phool), Wajahat Mirza (Mughal-e-
Azam) are no more, gone are the days of the 60s
when every line was poetry. Or the 70s and 80s when
films were full of dramatic exchanges, thanks to the
celebrated writer duo, Salim-Javed. Sample the
legendary Gabbar Singhs lines in Sholay Kitne
aadmi the or even a heated exchange between
brothers that culminated in the famous Mere paas
maa hai line in Deewar. These are deeply etched in
the Indian cinegoers mind even today. Seeing the
popularity of Sholays dialogues, for the first time in
the history of cinema, a separate record album with
dialogues was released.
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zamccn par mat utariyca, mai|c |c jaycnc.
iaIogues: Kamal Amrohi
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Kitnc aaJmi t||c?
iaIogues: SalimJaved
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Kaun kam|akt| |ai jc |arJas|t karnc kc |iyc pccta
|ai. Main tc| pccta |ccn kc |as saans |c sakccn.
iaIogues: Rajinder Singh Bedi
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iaIogues: SalimJaved
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Mcam|c k|us| |ua.
iaIogues: SalimJaved
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na|in mi|ta. Mi|tc |ai tc sirf taarcck|.
iaIogues: 0ili Shukla
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5aara s|c|cr muj|c Lcin kc naamsc jaanta |ai.
iaIogues: Jainendra Jain
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5a|im tuj|c marnc na|i Jca aur |um, Anarka|i,
tuj|c jccnc na|i Jcnc.
iaIogues: Amanullah Khan, wajahal Mir/a
000 I1978)
Lcn kc pakaJna mus|ki| |i na|i, namumkin |ai.
iaIogues: SalimJaved
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|arrcn par patt|ar na|i p|cnka kartc.
iaIogues: Akhlarulman >> Z
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Now Dolhi, Fobruary 2, 2014

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Now Dolhi, Fobruary 2, 2014
N
ot red, nor green and definitely
not black Macaus Christmas
colours were all white and more
white this time round. So fixated
were the locals out here that they
didn't mind putting in 12 hours of work daily
to make snow out of thermocol balls to deco-
rate steps, streets, cottages and even trees.
Snowy-Xmas is the dream, college goers tell
you as they kept pasting thermocol on the
steps to their portuguese homes. It looks tiring
but the Macanese were hell-bent that 2013 got
to end on a bright, white note!
But the white doesnt in any way take
away from the night view of the peninsula
which is a sight to die for. A commanding
swathe of the Hong Kong-Macau Bridge on
the River Pearl, glitzy hotels, casinos, sky-
scrapers... everything deems fit to be a part of
a giant halogen Legoland. But it is the handi-
work of the locals who have spent sleepless
nights to ensure that tourism picks up steam.
For travellers who have given this small
peninsula a skip because it resembled a
wannabe Vegas in some way, a visit during
the festivities is a must. The simplicity of the
people around coupled with some decent
purchases and awesome pork chops could
make one a fan of Macau in just one visit. Its
convenient location (just 75 minutes away
from Hong Kong on a ferry) makes it an
ideal go-to destination. Macau tourism has
peaked in the last decade. Modern casinos
and some top concept resorts are hugely
responsible for this. We are doing everything
possible to make the town the next Vegas in
China. Our tractions are mostly from Asia
and we are concentrating on these tourists
but we would also like to woo the European
people, Edward Tracy, president and CEO of
Sands China Ltd, says.
In his part of the town, sleep goes out of
the window, literally! You have to gamble,
party, eat, shop and then repeat. One cannot
have a shut eye even. People dont visit Macau
to spend a month. They are here only for a
weekend trip so, never sleep, is Tracys advice.
A special administrative region (SAR) of
China since 1999, Macau refers to shrines
dedicated to Mazu, a sacred sea goddess wor-
shiped by the Macanese. Legend has it that
when the Portuguese first came here in the
mid-16th century, one of their officers asked a
fisherman the name of the land. The man
misunderstood the query and shot back
Magao (the name of A-Ma Temple). The
moniker stuck and later it became the official
Portuguese name for the land. For nearly 400
years after that, the Portuguese ruled Macau
till it was officially handed over to China on
December 20, 1999, ending 329 years of
Portuguese rule.
Macaus historical blend is represented
everywhere. The fusion of sorts in European
culture with the Oriental is apparent as one
walks down Senado Square. The architecture
reeks of strong Portuguese influences. There
is a happy marriage between traditional
cuisines from China and Portugal. Art, the-
atre, dance, all facets of Macanese life are
permeated with these twin cultures. It is this
blend that endows this city with its own
unique charm. The city has two faces one
which is the fortresses, churches and food of
its former colonial masters, Portugal. And
then theres the eastern avatar of Las Vegas.
Also thrown in are some US-influenced casi-
nos run by Wynn Resorts, MGM and the
Las Vegas Sands Cotai Strip.
A tour of old Macau, along with its slew of
28 World Heritage Sites, is a treat to savour.
But it is Senado Square that is the place to
explore. One walk at the square and a night
visit at the Cotai strip and you have seen all
that Macau has to offer some old world
charm and some modern ambience. Dont let
that confuse you, a tour guide adds.
The Square has been Macaus urban epi-
centre for centuries and is the most popular
venue for public events and celebrations.
Surrounded by neo-classical buildings painted
in soft Portuguese colours, the square best
depicts Macaus multicultural ethos. The
squares businesses now cater to the throngs of
tourists who wish to buy branded clothes and
electronics. It also leads you to two most pop-
ular sight-seeing places in the peninsula. The
tallest tower in Southeast Asia called the
Macau tower as also the Ruins of St Cathedral.
The 10th tallest free-standing tower in the
world (standing 338 meters at its highest
point) offers an observation deck with
panoramic views, restaurants, theaters, shop-
ping malls and the thrilling Skywalk X, a
thrilling walking tour around the outer rim at
a height of 233 meters above ground.
While Macanese can do the walk blind-
folded, tourists could find the task daunting.
Although the tour guide will emphatically
tell you that the accidents are at a bare mini-
mum. Only two people have been hurt so
far while attempting such a perilious walk,
the guide says.
Considered Macaus most famous land-
mark, the ruins of the 16th-century cathedral
features a spectacular faade with intricate
carvings by Japanese monks. Any guide you
hire will tell you that it is a bad omen to not
visit the church while you are in Macau.
Whether you go to the church or visit
the A-Ma Temple, there are only two things
that people out here pray for. They want to
win in the casino and also want to be lucky
in love. Other things are quite taken for
granted, he tells you, while explaning how
the Cotai Strip was a barren land in 2011.
Today, Sands Cotai Central is the latest major
development by the Sands China Ltd group,
from owners of the iconic VenetianMacau
across the street. Part of Cotai Strip Resorts,
bringing a bit of the Vegas strip to Macau,
Sands Cotai Central is the pathway to fun,
fortune and adventure. Similar to other
major hotels in this area, the Sands Cotai
includes three individual hotels, including
the largest Holiday Inn hotel in the world,
award-winning luxury accommodations at
Conrad Macao Cotai Central, Sheraton
Macau in Fall 2012. There are also around 20
restaurants and a large food court that is
operated by a famous Singaporean company.
There are over 100 shops with cutting-edge
retailers like Zara, Juicy Couture etc.
At Cotai we are regularly bringing in
themes which we think will attract more
tourists. In 2013, our offering was to the entire
family. The hotels were the exclusive home to
DreamWorks Experience, which debuted
summer 2013. A real family crowd pleaser is
the free daily All Star Parade, featuring
DreamWorks characters that dance/march
around Sands Cotai Central at 4 pm daily; a
signature character breakfast called
Shrekfast at the Holiday Inn Macau Cotai
Central (non-guests can buy walk-in tickets)
and lots of opportunities to meet and greet
Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and more of the gang
from DreamWorks. Another new attraction is
the Bridge of the Stars, which conveniently
connects Sands Cotai Central to its sister
properties at the Venetian Macao and Four
Seasons, just across the street.
Its fun to gaze at the photos and hand-
prints of celebrities, who have stopped by the
Cotai Strip Resorts. Indian celebrities like
Shahid Kapoor and Shah Rukh Khan are top
favourites at this facility. They breathe new
life to the town whenever Indian stars are
here. We love the colours and the entire sho-
sha that Bollywood actors carry with them.
We have also hosted some television personal-
ities, the manager at Holiday Inn in Macau,
says. He adds that the Ice World with the
Dreamworks gang was a huge crowd puller in
2013. But last year it was not SRK who burnt
the stage on fire but 14 Grammy Awards win-
ner Alicia Keys who performed for two hours
to a rapt audience and David Beckham who
also made an appearance.
If entertainment is not on your list then
head to the Venetian Casino to try some luck.
It is the largest in Macau with 550,000 sq ft of
floor space and is probably the busiest with
over 3,400 slot machines and 800 casino table.
So, this year, its definitely Macau calling!
O
riginally called Kodaimalenadu, Kodagu or Coorg is one of
the smallest districts in the south-western part of
Karnataka covering an area of 4,104 sq km. Driving
down from Bangalore to Coorg, all I could think was how the
green on the land took on various shades once washed by rain.
The land here is blessed with the bounty of water reserves, just as
it is blessed with the beautiful landscapes and natural reserves.
Kauvery has been really kind to the region.
Geographically speaking, almost the entire Kodagu district
comes under the Western Ghats, which is supposed to be one of
the 34 environmentally undisturbed ecosystems of the world, har-
bouring a rich biodiversity in its flora and fauna. The other way to
get to this place is via Mangalore, up the Ghats. It is said to be a
much shorter journey than an almost eight-hour drive that my
tour planners had chosen for me. My only consolation was that
the other is supposed to be a very treacherous route.
860Lk0 0f Ik0I
The land is known for its monsoon-fed coffee estates, shade
grown under imported silver oak trees, giant rosewood, wild
fig and jackfruit trees. Paddy fields lie at the base of misty
mountains that are also famed for spice cultivations. Coorgs
pepper is considered the best in the world. Referred to as black
treasure, it is said the traders from all over the world would
travel up the Malabar coast along the famed Spice Route to
carry out trade with the locals.
The air was fragrant with wet mud and green paddy. I sniffed in
hope to catch a whiff of an odd spice. But I gave up soon, well aware
of my nosing limitations. My nose is not exactly that discerning to
pick any aroma of green cardamom, pepper, cloves, kokum or any
other spice that the area is so famous for growing. My eyes, however,
sighted vanilla growing with abandon, the vines winding their way
up the silver oak and other tall trees that are planted to give shade to
the wildly growing coffee plantations. We stopped a number of times
at the various coffee shops selling arabica and robusta varieties. This
is pure coffee. Unlike the ones sold by various multinational chains,
all that is residue, said the enterprising salesman at one of the coffee
shops. His disdain for the city-bred lot quite obvious.
hL FLkI0k LL
I woke up in the middle of the night to my room swaying to the
winds and raging thunder. My room was actually a small all-wood
cottage that stood on the stilts over dense coffee plantations.
Outside, the rain was lashing against the French windows and I
could not make out a thing in the pitch of the dark. The continuous
chirp of crickets was the only indicator that it was really cold out
there. Everything about the night dared me to open my window.
Playing by instinct, I resisted. Spread over 170 acres on the eastern
slopes of Kabbinakad, Tamara Coorg is an old family-owned plan-
tation that has been recently converted into a luxury nature retreat.
Tamara stands for Lotus in three south Indian languages Tamil,
Malayalam and Telugu. It also means spice in Sanskrit, said
Sarafaraz Soudagar, the marketing head of the estate and my guide
for the trip. Very apt, I thought to myself. The luxury of space and
the presence of natural resources like waterfalls and streams are
highlighted by immense outdoor possibilities and breathtaking
views of the plantations.
06kI8L0 00
It rained incessantly that night and was still pouring when our little
group gathered for the organised tour of the coffee plantation early
next morning. Dont let that deter you, said the plantation manager,
who is also a naturalist, as he handed me a raincoat, a pair of gum-
boots and extra polythene bag that I might require to stash any valu-
ables (like my cellphone) that I did not want to get wet. I was glad I
had left my camera behind. There was no way I could have taken
pictures in such a heavy downpour. As we trooped down the uneven
pathway, our guide issued a casual warning: Watch out for the
leeches, by the way. This is their homing ground too. Now that was
something that had not struck me. For someone who is used to
trekking in moisture-laden areas, I had been schooled to carry some
salt. Here, I was left unprepared. The coffee berries were still green.
We had to peer hard to be able to identify the other species of plants
and spices as the rain challenged our vision. Less than 15 minutes
down the line, our enthusiasm fizzled out. We headed back.
On a clearer day, this destination would have been perfect for
bird watching. The area is considered the best place to spot several
species of birds, including some that have Coorg as their origin
Malabar Trogons, Nilgiri Laughing-Thrushes, Great Black
Woodpeckers and Malabar Whistling-Thrushes. Other varieties of
birds include Yellow Browed Bulbuls, Pacific Swallows,
Grasshopper Warblers, Orphean Warblers and Yellow Billed
Babblers. Great Pied Hornbills, Nilgiri Wood Pigeons, Wynaad
and Grey-Breasted Laughing Thrushes, Blue-Winged Parakeets,
Grey-Headed Bulbuls, White-Bellied Treepies, the Nilgiri and
White-Bellied Blue Flycatchers, Black Eagle and Ceylon
Frogmouths comprise the rest of the species of birds that hail
from the Kodagu district. Apart from normal birds, Coorg also
has several species of Owls including Short Eared and Oriental
Scops Owls which can often be seen after nightfall.
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Did I know that coffee was good for my skin? I was asked. I
shook my head in the negative, earning myself an invite for a cof-
fee spa. At the Elevation Spa, guided by an Ayurveda expert, the
therapist rubbed and scrubbed my body with ground pure coffee.
Because of the caffeine, a coffee spa is said to be the best choice
for improving blood circulation and reducing the appearance of
cellulite and varicose veins. Caffeine, being a natural anti-oxi-
dant, prevents premature ageing and draws out toxins from the
body. The aroma from the coffee also works as an anti-depressant
and combats any feeling of nausea, she said.
An hour later, I stepped out of the spa refreshed and smelling
beautifully of the brew. I knew I was going to sleep well that night.
And I did. Outside, the weather gods continues to play their music
as nature swayed to their tunes. Would it have been better if there
was no rain? A niggling voice quizzed inside my head. The answer
came readily. Definitely different. In a month from now the berries
would turn red and ripe to be picked.
Coorg is a destination one must visit in February when the air
is laden with the heavy fragrance of snow white coffee blossoms.
Ah! Now that would make for a pretty sight!
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MACAU CALLNG
H
owever over the years, after Salim-
Javeds last film together, Mr India, the
era of dramatic dialogues suddenly
came to a standstill. With Ram Gopal
Varmas underworld-based films like Satya
and Company, writers like Anurag Kashyap
and Jaideep Sahni came to the forefront.
However, Kamlesh Pandey, who has written
numerous hits including Laawaris, Dil,
Tezaab, Khalnayak, Rang De Basanti, feels
that Anurags work has been disappointing
post-Satya. He is hopeful of Jaideep Sahni
and Rajat Aroras work.
Salman Khans Wanted and his popular line
in it, Ek baar maine commitment kar di...
brought back memories of a Mithun-starrer
film. His itne ched karenge... in Dabangg was
voted the best line by viewers in 2011. Pandey
comes down heavily on films like Dabangg and
remakes of the 80s cinema and calls their one-
liners do kaudi ki line. He says, If people
continue to work for money and fame, we will
be subjected to the same story like Dabangg or
Rowdy Rathore or the film like Dhoom. The day
films stop being a dhanda, that day we will see
better films. Todays films use do kaudi ki line
like thappar se dar nahin lagta sahib or
entertainment, entertainment, entertainment.
Rajat Arora, who is known to have
brought back the trend of dialogue-baazi
with his work in Once Upon a Time in
Mumbaai (OUATIM) and The Dirty Picture,
believes that such lines are deliberately used to
cater to the public as every action flick is the
same and it is punch lines like these which set
them apart. Talking about OUATIM, he says,
We wanted to make sure that the film is
reflective of the 1970s and every line has a
punch in it. In The Dirty Picture, we tried to
be naughty, not vulgar. It was probably the
first time a female character was seen as well
as accepted saying lines like Mujhe jo chahiye,
uska mazaa sirf raat ko aata hai.
Siddiqui believes that films like Dabangg
are a passing phase. At one time Kader Khan
would write double-meaning dialogues which
were a huge success initially but got rejected
later. Talking about contemporary writing, he
says: I can only hope that the new writers will
apply what renowned writer Waris Alvi once
said, Dus kilo padhiye aur dus gram likhiye
(read 10 kilos and write 10 grams).
Charudutt Acharya, who has written the
dialogues of Dum Maro Dum, Taxi Nau Do
Gyarah, Bluffmaster and debuts as a director
this year with his film, Sonali Cable, says:
Many young writers and directors are folks
whose primary lingo of speech and thought is
English. Several dialogues have become clichd,
those thoughts have become clichd too. So its
considered almost comic to use them. Call it
the metrosexual lingo or the urban Indian
lingo. Garima-Siddharth believe that one
doesnt have to have a great literary Hindi or
Urdu background to write as the writing
depends on the character and his world. Even
Gulzar has written lyrics like Bidi jalaile
because it connects with the audience, they say.
Delhi Belly, the adult comedy in 2011
brought in a hardcore usage of four letter
words with its unapologetic style of humour
and a smattering of English. Shake that
biscuit, baby, shake it for me was the mildest
line used. The infamous Bhaag DK Bose
song, along with Akshat Vermas writing, gave
rise to a trend with more films aping the
same. Comedies in the same genre came and
went without too much success.
Movies which represented the rustic
hinterland, like Ishqiya and Gangs of
Wasseypur (GOW), Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster,
brought in both shock value and realism.
Us harami ko mitana hai hamein, goli nahin
marenge, keh ke lenge uski this and far
stronger use of expletives fetched GOW a
Filmfare award for the best dialogues.
Jaideep Sahni, acclaimed writer of Chak De
India, welcomes this change. Some stories and
environments may have characters who have a
rough language, and spraying their dialogue
with fake moral perfume may completely
destroy both the character and the story. On
the other hand, there will always be a few
people who will interpret this as an
opportunity to use abusive language as an
attraction in their film. These are two
completely different things, and it will be
wrong to sacrifice the authencity of the first for
the nuisance value of the second.
However, Pandey disapproves and says
that he has stopped watching films for this
very reason. If I have to hear gaalis, why
should I not go to the streets instead? Why
watch a film for that? Today a films
achievement is that it has abusive language, not
just in dialogues but also in lyrics, says
Pandey. Siddiqui cautions, Films using
abusive language are okay if the story is about
a rowdy character but we must remember that
a five-year-old child is watching.
Arora has a practical approach. He thinks
that such language may not draw more
audiences and it is important that everyone
should watch the film. A certain kind of
language may provide some shock value
initially but after a point, what? he asks.
What makes a dialogue memorable and
why dont we have that any more? If a dialogue
survives the test of time and not only applies to
characters but also to larger universal truths, it
is a great dialogue. Like Gulzars zindagi badi
honi chahiye, lambi nahin, says Iyengar.
The legacy of films like Mughal-e-Azam,
Mother India, Anand, Aandhi, Guide, Jaane Bhi
Do Yaaron, Sholay, Deewar, etc, has left behind
a huge vacuum for memorable lines or scenes.
Can that ever be filled again? Arora laughs,
No one can be Salim-Javed. Dont compare us
mortals with the gods of writing.
While Garima-Siddharth believe Ram-
Leela may have brought back the good old
times of powerful dialogues, Sahni looks at it
in a balanced, hopeful manner. He says, Only
when there is a place for storytellers of all
kinds, of different tastes and sensibilities in our
industry and our audiences hearts, we will be
the growing and vibrant film culture we
deserve to be. This will reflect in a diversity of
dialogue styles also from loud to subtle.
But Pandey is cynical. Every year we
make at least 800 films, so we have made
roughly 8,000 films in the last 10 years. I asked
the students at a FICCI masterclass to name
one film they remember. None had an answer.
Despite doing business worth crores, our films
have actually become poor. They make big
businesses because they release in 4,000
screens and tickets are priced at C300. Jeete hue
ghode se kaun behas kare? This is the biggest
slap to our audience and film writers, says he.
So whats the future of dialogues? Is the
immortality of the line over? Pandey isnt all
hopeful. When I saw Dil Chahta Hai, I
thought here was a new voice, ek naya sikka in
Farhan (Akhtar). But after Don, I am still
waiting to know what happened to that voice.
The older lot like Gulzar, Kundan Shah, Salim-
Javed should start writing again and show us
what a good script is.
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HDDENSOULS
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Now Dolhi, Fobruary 2, 2014
I
have started judging myself everyday in the
evening to see how happy I have been. I give
myself a score ranging from 0 to 100. A score of
zero indicates that I have been very miserable all day,
and a score of 100 signifies that I have had a blissful
day. This exercise helps me bring in effective changes
in my attitude. I am discovering that to be happy, I
must be motivated. Without an impetus, I may tend
to be laidback. Dont we accept misery readily? This
outlook needs to be reversed. To be happy, we will
have to see the constructive side of things, and there
are always two sides in any situation, however good
or bad that may be. For example, an athlete goes into
a race without much preparation and loses. If he
now learns his lesson, he will be better off in the
future. If be learn right lessons from our mistakes,
we will become selective in what we do, and try to
avoid what could bring us misery. We will perceive
adversities as challenges, rather than misfortune.We
will also try to make good use of our spare time
which will bring inner satisfaction. We will have
enduring perspectives instead of seeking temporary
benefits which may be compromising our future.
Peace of both physical health and the mind is
paramount, without which there is no possibility of
happiness. A quality of equanimity has to be incul-
cated, that is, neither to get too excited in good times
nor to get depressed in bad times. The range of reac-
tion needs to be narrowed. Detachment is a must.
There must be quality entertainment, without
which life will be a drab affair. Everyone must have a
good routine and admirable hobbies. There must be
financial independence, because money makes it
possible to obtain ones material needs. One must be
successful because failures dent the mood. There
must also be abundance of goodwill for individuals,
which makes one feel good. Similarly, one must curb
ones desires, especially of the material kind. This
will help one feel satisfied with what one has
achieved. Company of good persons enhances happi-
ness. One must inhabit in a friendly ambience. One
must be free from sins which spoil everything. Last
but not least, there must be a good connection with
God, without which lasting happiness is a dream. By
assessing ourselves on the happiness index, we will
be reminded everyday about the need to be happy.
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T
eens who eal oor
breakasls are more
likely lo develo melabolic
syndrome - a grou o
heallh roblems lhal can
increase lhe risk o hearl
allack, slroke, and dia
beles - in adullhood, a
new sludy has warned.
Researchers rom umea
universily in Sweden
ound lhal adolescenls
who ale oor breakasls
dislayed a higher inci
dence o melabolic syn
drome 27 years laler,
comared wilh lhose who
ale more subslanlial
breakasls. Melabolic syn
drome encomasses
abdominal obesily, high
levels o harmul lriglyc
erides, low levels o ro
leclive h0L (high 0ensily
Liorolein), high blood
ressure and high asling
blood glucose levels.
T
he world heallh
0rganisalion eslimales
lhal 15 million babies are
born remalure every year,
which means lhey are born
beore 87 weeks. Bul new
research suggesls lhal risks
are higher lhan reviously
lhoughl or relerm babies
lo develo childhood aslh
ma, comared wilh lheir
ulllerm counlerarls.
Fublishing lheir resulls in
FLU5 McJicinc, lhe
researchers sludied dala on
more lhan 1.5 million chil
dren. They used inormalion
on alienls born since lhe
1OOOs rom 8O sludies,
which came rom six conli
nenls. The majorily o lhe
sludies came rom Euroe.
Frelerm babies olen
encounler brealhing rob
lems because lheir lungs
are immalure, lhe aulhors
nole. They drew rom revi
ous research on relerm
children born belween lhe
1OGOs and 1O8Os, which
showed lhal many o lhem
develoed aslhma.
B
reasl cancer survivors,
who meel lhe exercise
regimen recommendalions
o 2.5 hours o moderale
inlensily hysical aclivily
er week, suicienlly lower
lheir risk o morlalily. hew
research rom lhe uS
0earlmenl o Energy's
Lawrence Berkeley halional
Laboralory suggesls lhal
exceeding lhe recommen
dalions may rovide grealer
roleclion, and lhal running
may be beller lhan walking.
The sludy ollowed O8G
breasl cancer survivors. Al
leasl 81 o lhe 714 walkers
and 18 o lhe 272 runners
died rom breasl cancer
over nine years. when
analysed logelher, lheir risk
or breasl cancer morlalily
decreased an average o 24
er cenl er melabolic
equivalenl (MET) hours er
day o exercise, where one
MET hour equals a lillle
less lhan a mile o brisk
walking or aboul lwolhird
o a mile o running.
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FLM0L
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L
ife is filled with many
challenges and sometimes
under pressure, people crack.
They feel they can no longer
face all the problems, or that
they have the worst job or health
problems; they feel no one could be
plagued with as many physical
problems as they have. At some time
in our lives, we feel that no one could
have things as bad as we have.
There is a folk tale about a wise
man who lived in a forest. People
would travel far and wide to seek
him out for answers to their
problems. One day, a woman came to
him for advice. He said, My dear,
what can I do for you?
She said, I live in a small hut
with my husband and two children.
The hut is barely large enough for the
four of us. I wanted a bigger house
but my husband is not doing well at
work and cannot afford anything
larger. My husbands father lost his
job and along with his wife, moved in
with us. We were already crowded,
but now with six of us living together
in that small space, it is unbearable. I
cannot take it anymore. I feel like
screaming!
The wise man thought for a
moment and asked, Do you have a
cow? The woman said, Yes, we do.
He said, I advise you to bring the
cow into the hut to live with you for
a week and then come back to see
me. The woman was puzzled. She
thought that since he was a wise
man, there must be some magic in
bringing the cow into the house, so
she did what he said.
The next week was horrible. It
was so crowded in the house that
every time the cow turned around,
all the six family members had to
change their seats. When they tried
to sleep, the smell was intolerable,
and it would moo throughout the
night, waking them all up.
After the week passed, the woman
returned to the wise man and began
shouting at him, What have you
done? I came to you to make things
better and now I am more miserable
than before. And its all your fault.
He thought for a moment and
asked, Do you have any chicken?
Yes, she said. Take them into
the hut with you for a week. She did
not understand how this would help,
but was persuaded by his reputed
wisdom. When she returned home,
she collected all the chickens from
the backyard and moved them into
the house. For the next week, the
chickens were flying around the hut,
landing on everything and making a
mess of the place.
After a week, she returned and
cried, in tears, You must be crazy.
Your advice is terrible. It is
impossible to live in the hut now. The
cow turns around and knocks into
us. The chickens fly all around the
hut. My in-laws are always choking
from the smell and complaining
about how bad it is living with us.
The children find chicken feathers
falling into their food. My husband is
constantly blaming me.
The man said, My dear, go home
and try one more thing. Take the cow
and the chickens out of your hut.
Then, come back to me in a week.
The woman was fed up of his
advices but thought she would give it
one last chance. She returned home
and pulled the cow out of the house.
She took the chickens out and
returned them to the backyard. A
week later, she returned to him.
How are things now? he asked.
Thank you so much! You are truly
wise. Since I removed the cow and
chickens from the hut, I feel so much
happier. Things have become so
peaceful. The wise man smiled. The
woman returned home and lived
happily with her husband, her
children and her in-laws.
This story illustrates that we are
often unhappy with our situation
until we find that things could always
be worse. We think our job is
horrible, until we lose it and find that
life is harder without an income. We
think our health is bad until we
spend time in a hospital and find
people in worse conditions. We hold
grudges against family members until
we find ourselves lonely and realise
how difficult life is without them. We
always feel that the grass is greener
on the other side.
Next time we think things are
going bad, or assume that God is not
listening to our prayers, we should sit
back, take a deep breath, and relax.
We should give God a chance to let
things happen and observe patiently.
We will find that He has worked
things out and left the best for the
end. We would find that if God had
listened to our complaints and let us
do things our way, things may not
have been in our best interest at all.
Happiness is a state of mind. If
we would realise that we are living
according to what God wishes for us,
and that God is giving us what is best
for us, we would always be happy and
content. On the spiritual path, one of
the lessons we need to learn is
accepting the will of the Lord. Life
would be so much easier if we accept
that God knows what is best for us.
l| W|i|| i + pi|i|u+l |+||
Jle success tlat marreo salotage
F
our years ago, when I, a poor,
unknown, friendless sannyasin
was going to America without
any friends there, I called on the
leader of the Theosophical Society
for a letter of introduction to some-
body there. He asked me, Will you
join my Society? No I replied.
Then, I am sorry, I cannot do any-
thing for you, he answered. I
reached America through the help
of a few friends from Madras, sev-
eral months before the Parliament
of Religions began. The money I
had with me was little, and it was
soon spent. Winter approached,
and I had only thin summer
clothes. I did not know what to do
in that cold, dreary climate, for if I
went to beg in the streets, I would
have been sent to jail. This came to
be known to the Theosophists, and
one of them wrote, Now the devil
is going to die; God bless us all. I
saw some Theosophists in the
Parliament of Religions, and I
wanted to talk and mix with them.
I remember the looks of scorn
which were on their faces. After I
had got name and fame at the
Parliament of Religions, then came
tremendous work for me; but at
every turn the Theosophists tried
to cry me down. They were
advised not to come and hear my
lectures, for thereby they would
lose all sympathy of the Society,
because the laws of the esoteric
section declare that any man who
joins that esoteric section should
receive instruction from Kuthumi
and Moria, of course through their
visible representativesMr. Judge
and Mrs. Besantso that, to join
the esoteric section means to sur-
render ones independence.
Certainly I could not do any such
thing, nor could I call any man a
Hindu who did any such thing.
They joined the other opposi-
tionthe Christian missionaries.
They blackened my character from
city to city and tried to oust me
from every house. I am sorry to say
that one of my own countrymen
took part against me in this. He is
the leader of a reform party in
India. I read in the organ of the
social reformers that I am chal-
lenged as to what right a Shudra
has to become a sannyasin. To
which I reply: I trace my descent to
one at whose feet every Brahmin
lays flowers and whose descendants
are the purest of Kshatriyas. If you
believe in your mythology or your
Paurnika scriptures, let these so-
called reformers know that my
caste, apart from other services in
the past, ruled half of India for cen-
turies. If my caste is left out of con-
sideration, what will there be left of
the present-day civilisation of
India? In Bengal alone, my blood
has furnished them with their
greatest philosopher, poet, histori-
an, archaeologist, religious preach-
er; my blood has furnished India
with the greatest of her modern sci-
entists. But I am not at all hurt if
they call me a Shudra. It will be a
little reparation for the tyranny of
my ancestors over the poor. If I am
a Pariah, I will be all the more glad,
for I am the disciple of a man,
whothe Brahmin of Brahmins
wanted to cleanse the house of a
Pariah. The Pariah would not allow
him. This man woke up in the dead
of night, entered the house of the
Pariah surreptitiously, cleansed his
latrine, and with his long hair
wiped the place, and that he did
day after day. I bear the feet of that
man on my head; he is my hero;
that heros life I will try to imitate.
By being the servant of all, a Hindu
seeks to uplift himself.
E/|p| ||u| SW+|i Vi1|+|+|J+
Jiuu|
ndex of
happiness
hainess can be ursued by an
assessmenl o daily lie which is
ull o molivalional calalysls
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Fh0 FE0FLE h w0RSE
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SwAM vvEKAhAh0A narrales lhe launls and lurbulence he was subjecled lo in America and how he look lhem in his slride
hainess is a slale o mind. SAhT RAJh0ER Sh0h suggesls lhal lie
would be so much easier i we accel lhal 0od knows whal is besl or us
N
othing can be more ironical
than the fact that more
than six-and-a-half decades
after Independence from British
colonial rule, India still honours its
war heroes soldiers who have
sacrificed their lives in defence of
their motherland by placing
wreathes at a memorial that was
added on to a relic of the British
Raj. The Amar Jawan Jyoti at India
Gate in New Delhi was and
remains an after-thought rather
than a true National War Memori-
al to honour the memory of more
than 20,000 soldiers who have died
on duty. No less ironical is the fact
that India Gate, an imposing mon-
ument on the central vista in the
heart of the national capital, was
built by our colonial rulers to hon-
our Indian soldiers who died in
World War I. Independent Indias
rulers never thought it fit to erect a
monument equally, if not more,
grand, to honour the memory of
our soldiers, airmen and sailors
who died since 1947.
Instead, the easy and lazy
route was chosen to install the
Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate.
Wreaths are placed there in the
most desultory manner. We per-
functorily salute the Unknown
Soldier but fail to remember the
soldiers who died battling Indias
enemies. Each of them had a
name, a face, a regimental identity.
All that, and more, is obliterated
by our half-hearted gesture. What
remains is a sense of bitterness
among the loved ones left behind
by our men in uniform.
It is not that there has never
been a proposal for a National War
Memorial. Indeed, this proposal
has been made time and again but
governments have dragged their
feet. Even when an effort has been
made to revive the proposal, there
has been dogged resistance by the
bureaucracy and the Delhi Urban
Arts Commission which instinc-
tively rejects anything that may
alter the colonial vista as conceived
and executed by Lutyens. A half-
hearted political leadership has
done little to overcome that resis-
tance. The last time we heard
about the proposal was two years
ago when Defence Minister AK
Antony said hurdles in the way of
building a National War Memorial
had been removed. Since then
there has been total silence.
The absence of a National War
Memorial rankles deeply with
those who gave their sons to fight
and die for the nation. More
important, it has resulted in a
poor appreciation of their sacrifice
among generations of Indians. We
are no doubt proud of our Armed
Forces, but that by itself is insuffi-
cient. As a nation we owe an
immeasurable debt of gratitude to
our men and women in uniform.
A National War Memorial to hon-
our the martyrdom and perpetu-
ate the memory of the bravest
among them would be a small
token of acknowledging that debt
of gratitude. Yet, we have failed to
do so as a result, there is a gap-
ing hole in our collective memory
as a nation, a blot on our collec-
tive conscience as a people.
BJPs prime ministerial candi-
date Narendra Modi was referring
to this gaping hole in our collec-
tive memory, this blot on our col-
lective conscience, when he elo-
quently spoke about how we have
failed to honour our soldiers by
not building a National War
Memorial. There is no country in
the world where there is not a war
memorial. India has fought several
wars, thousands of our soldiers
have been martyred, but there is
no memorial to honour their sac-
rifice, Modi said at the event to
mark the 51st anniversary of Lata
Mangeshkars soul-searing song
Aye mere watan ke logon. More
than a lakh people, among them
thousands of war veterans and
hundreds of families of martyred
soldiers, who attended that event
in Mumbai, endorsed Modis view
by applauding him for saying what
few if any politicians have said
from a public platform till now.
True to their creed, Modis
critics have been prompt to twist
and turn that statement and mock
at him. Modi does not know that
there is a war memorial called
Amar Jawan Jyoti, said some. Oth-
ers crudely reminded him about
the war memorial at Kutch he
inaugurated. Then there were
some who spoke of the various
war memorials in the States. Given
their jaundiced vision, Modis crit-
ics missed out on the stones and
boulders, small pillars, occasional-
ly white-washed and inscribed
with names like Major Shaitan
Singh, that dot our side of Indias
border with Pakistan and China.
They are memorials too, immor-
talising the valour of our martyred
soldiers at the spot where they fell,
fighting till the end.
But are the scattered memori-
als in the States, the stark monu-
ments to Major Shaitan Singh and
thousands of others, the Amar
Jawan Jyoti dwarfed by the majes-
tic India Gate, the street corner
testimonials written on rusting tin
plates, the roundabouts named
after our bravehearts, enough? Is
that all we owe to our Armed
Forces? Is that sufficient to incul-
cate a sense of gratitude among
the masses, to teach our children
to be upright and patriotic, to
showcase the bravery of our sol-
diers for the world to see?
It is downright silly and plain
stupid to mock at Modi for raising
an issue that has been long fester-
ing, causing agony and pain
among our soldiers, airmen and
sailors: The absence of a National
War Memorial. It is silly to remind
him of the scattered memorials
he inevitably visits each of them
whenever he is in their vicinity. It
is stupid to mock at him for get-
ting his GK wrong because Amar
Jawan Jyoti is at best an apology
for a National War Memorial, list-
ed as the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier in tourist pamphlets.
Modi believes in enshrining
the memory of each martyred sol-
dier collectively at a single memor-
ial. It is in the fitness of things that
such a memorial should be built in
New Delhi, in a large and open
space, far more grand than any
other memorial, yet sombre and
dignified. The US has the Arling-
ton National Cemetery and the
Vietnam War Memorial to honour
its soldiers. Similar memorials
exist in other countries. In fact, a
memorial in Colombo honours the
soldiers of the Indian Peace-Keep-
ing Force who died in Sri Lanka,
the names of each one of them
etched in stone forever. Sadly,
those names are not known and
heard of in India.
The National War Memorial
which Modi envisages will similarly
enshrine the memory of our heroes,
the names of each soldier, airman
and sailor who has died fighting for
India since independence etched in
stone so that future generations do
not forget them. Their memory will
become a source of inspiration and
strength; it will rally round every
Indian whenever the nation faces a
crisis. India awaits a National War
Memorial. Modi has let it be known
that this wait shall be over when he
becomes Prime Minister. His critics
can eat crow.
(The writer is a Delhi-based
senior journalist)
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Reader response to
Swapan Dasguptas column,
Usual Suspects, published on
January 26:
Messiah Modi: Traditional
Hindus consider Narendra
Modi to be their messiah,
who alone can establish an
honourable position for their
faith. Hindus are getting
pushed out of the main-
stream by the Congress dis-
pensation because of the
partys pseudo-secularism.
TR Krishnamoorthy
Dont be over-confident: The
BJP must start a door-to-door
campaign in all constituencies
where it has a chance of win-
ning. This is the most effec-
tive way to get votes. The
opportunity to defeat the
Congress mustnt be lost.
Pradip Bhattacharya
Governance paradigm:The
BJP has declared Integral
Humanism as its core philos-
ophy, but it does little to bring
it in the national discourse.
Also, there is a lot of talk
about good governance. But
the question is: Good gover-
nance in which paradigm?
Ajaey Sharma
Actionable ideas: Narendra
Modis economic plans refer
to actionable items and they
show us how he hopes to
realise Integral Humanism.
But the philosophy is too
esoteric for ordinary minds
and will turn people away if
it is repeated too often.
Kayar Raghavan
Rebel appeal: The opinion
polls are underestimating the
Aam Aadmi Party. A nega-
tive campaign (or rebellion)
is always more appealing.
counterview
00 M00I' 80008. I0 I00I8
0I k00l0tI80 000Il8IIN
Reader response to
Kanchan Guptas column,
Coffee Break, published on
January 26:
Stuck in the Socialist closet:
Narendra Modis speech was
like that of AB Vajpayees, but
it should have been more like
that of C Rajagopalacharis
a direct assault on the licence-
permit raj, stressing on sup-
ply-side reforms and freeing
movement of goods. Mr
Modi seems to be Right of
Centre, but he needs to come
out of the Socialist closet.
mp
Strong Centre: The problem
is not centralisation but frag-
mentation. A healthy Union
Government unifies the
nation. An unhealthy one
controls the nation.
Vikram Venkatesh
In favour of federalism:
Who said centralisation is an
issue? Nehruvian arrogance
is the problem. Cooperative
federalism is the answer. One
Prime Minister and a team of
Chief Ministers dedicated to
nation-building are needed.
Ashutosh Dube
Little substance: Political
debate is indeed designed to
distract the masses rather
than engage them on issues
that may be bland but are of
importance. This is because
the media is sold out.
Nilan
Focus on States: We need to
focus on the States. With
dynasts in New Delhi, the
Centres role has been over-
stated. It should be limited to
a few issues such as national
infrastructure, foreign rela-
tions and defence.
Jitendra Desai
00 WIII 08t0 I0
08I I00Il W0l0
Reader response to
Rajesh Singhs column,
Plain Talk, published on
January 26:
Damaged institutions: There
is need for the BJP to flesh out
how it will improve matters.
The lethargy of the countrys
damaged institutions poses a
challenge to policy-makers. It
will take a super-human effort
to revive them.
Black money, thanks to
these failed institutions, is
now beyond Indian laws and
reach. The new Government
will inherit a bankrupt trea-
sury and a divided society,
besides failed institutions.
Sardindukurup
March to power: There is no
doubt that Narendra Modi
will be the next Prime
Minister. We also understand
the caveat that the article
ended with, knowing that the
Congress can resort to any
trick to halt Modis march to
the Centre. But then, as they
say, if the winds themselves
protect a glowing wick from
being doused, what else can
extinguish it?
SportyDude
Expiry stamp on Congress
rule: It is high time that the
people of the country put an
expiry stamp on not just the
Congresss products, but also
on those from outside the
party among social rights
activists and the media
who have been behaving like
court jesters.
These sycophants have
not been able to digest the
fact that the days of lies and
propaganda which they pur-
sued all these years are now
coming to an end.
Udayaravi
PLANTALK
RAJESh Sh0h
Mooi romises noia its
National War Memorial
w
e are lold lhal lhe union 0overnmenl will soon be iling a eli
lion beore lhe Sureme Courl lo seek a review o lhe aex
courl's recenl ruling lhal a delay in lhe disosal o mercy eli
lions o dealh row convicls is a ground or lhe commulalion o lheir
senlence lo lie lerm. This is indeed unny. Like an inel lumber, lhe
0overnmenl does nol nolice lhe massive leakage in ils backyard bul is
delermined lo lug seeage miles away. l ails lo realise lhal lhe issue
o delays would nol have arisen i il had deall wilh mercy leas wilhin a
reasonable eriod o lime - al leasl reasonable enough or lhe courls
nol lo have had lhe chance lo aull lhe Cenlre.
The 0overnmenl can by all means roceed wilh lhe review eli
lion, bul whal real urose will lhal serve? s il going lo argue lhal il
can sil on mercy leas o dealh row convicls or years, and even
decades, and hang lhese convicls when il exeriences a sudden rush
o desire lo do so? 0r will lhe 0overnmenl jusliy such delays as being
arl o a cumbersome execulive rocess? Since one cannol underesli
male lhe ingenuily o a nela or a babu, as lhey can come u wilh
unimaginable exlanalions lo cover u lheir deecls, one musl be re
ared or really original grounds lhal lhey could resenl lo lhe
Sureme Courl when lhey seek lhe review. The Cenlre may even ass
lhe buck and oinl oul lhal lhe Fresidenl, who decides on mercy leas,
cannol be direcled lo haslen lhe rocess.
l is also ossible lhal lhe 0overnmenl will seek lo enlangle lhe
courl in lhe meaning o lhe lerm, "inordinale delay", which lhe lhree
judge Bench headed by Chie Juslice F Salhasivam has used as lhe
baseline lo converl dealh senlences lo lie behind rison. Beore we
come lo lhis, lwo oinls musl be made clear. The irsl is lhal lhe
0overnmenl musl eslablish a mechanism which binds il lo a lime
rame or sending ils recommendalions on lhe mercy elilions lhal lhe
Fresidenl orwards lo lhem. we have seen inslances where lhe union
0overnmenl has sal on such elilions or monlhs, ailing lo send lhem
back lo lhe Fresidenl wilh ils remark o eilher uholding lhe dealh
lerm or avouring commulalion lo lielerm. 0 course, lhere have been
inslances where lhe Fresidenl has held on lo mercy leas or ages,
saying neilher yes nor no. lhe execulive shows lhe resolve, lhere is
no reason why lhe Fresidenl would nol be roml enough. Any delay
beyond lhe maximum ermilled limerame should be considered as
an unreasonable or inordinale, and lhe 0overnmenl musl be made
answerable or lhe lase.
The second oinl is lhal lhe
recommendalions o lhe
0overnmenl eilher way should
be made available lo lhe eole
al large, so lhal lhere is lrans
arency in decisions lhal have lo
do wilh lhe lie and dealh o a
erson. Aler all, when courls
senlence an accused lo dealh,
lhey give elaborale reasoning or
lheir decision, and il is in lhe
ublic domain. why should lhen
lhe recommendalion o lhe
0overnmenl or lhe reasoning o
lhe Fresidenl while dealing wilh
mercy leas be secrelive, and
diicull or near imossible lo
access even lhrough lhe Righl lo
normalion Acl? l is ossible
lhal lhe Cenlre, while dealing
wilh a mercy lea lhe Fresidenl
has orwarded il, relurns lhe ile
wilh a oneline recommendalion.
l is also ossible lhal lhe
Fresidenl, in inally acceling or
rejecling lhe lea, gives no rea
son or his decision. Lel lhe eo
le be in lhe know, anyway.
we may now relurn lo lhe
sliery maller o 'inordinale
delays'. whal delay is really
'inordinale' and whal is a 'rea
sonable' one, nobody seems lo
know. ho deinilion exisls or
lhal, and lhere are only rece
denls lhal one can use as a
guide or comass. The Sureme
Courl, incidenlally, was exlreme
ly helul by oering hinls on lhe
maller when il ruled on January
21 lhal such delays can be a il
ground or commuling dealh
senlences. The courl oinled oul
lo a case where a lwojudge
Bench had ruled lhal a delay o lwo years in execulion o lhe senlence
aler a verdicl o lhe lrial courl enlilles lhe convicl lo lead or lie. 0
course, a laler verdicl o a lhreejudge Bench concluded lhal a lwoyear
rule "could nol be laid down in cases o delay". This only led lo urlher
conusion on whal can be considered a reasonable delay.
The Sureme Courl also drew lhe allenlion o lhe warring arlies
lo lhe acl lhal unlil 1O8O, mercy leas were disosed o in 15 days
lo 11 monlhs' lime; belween 1O8O and 1O88, lhe lime laken averaged
our years; belween 1O8O and 1OO7 il came down lo an average o
jusl ive monlhs. Since lhen, however, lenglhy delays have become
lhe norm - some cases o mercy leas have laken a decade and
more lo be decided uon. while lhe aex courl did nol on January
21, suggesl any deadline lo lhe 0overnmenl, il said, "we believe lhal
mercy elilions under Arlicle 72/1G1 can be disosed o al a much
asler ace lhan whal is adoled now, i lhe due rocess rescribed
by law is ollowed in verbalim."
0 course lhe seed o disosals can be much asler. The queslion
is: 0oes lhe 0overnmenl wanl il lhal way? Like lhe discrelionary quo
las o earlier decades, which allowed lhe nelas lo conlrol lhe dislribu
lion o amenilies such as lelehones and gas cylinders, lo lhe common
cili/ens, and gave lhe regime ils mai-|aap image, il aears lhal lhe
olilical syslem o lhe day wanls lo relain ils discrelion over lhe ale o
dealh row convicls. l wanls lhe ower lo decide - arbilrarily, i lhal
be - al a lime o ils own choosing and nol according lo whal is rea
sonable in lhe siril o air juslice.
lhe 0overnmenl does nol show lhe desire lo bind ilsel lo a
limerame and lhus kee lhe doors oen or mercy lo be granled lo
convicls who have been deservedly senlenced lo dealh, il can mean
one anolher lhing: l wanls lo use ils discrelionary ower lo delay or
dubious and olilical uroses. Aler all, dealh row risoners who are
deserving o mercy on humane consideralions such as highly advanced
age or lerminal illness or severe menlal illheallh, are easily idenliiable
and can be deall wilh romlly. The olhers are eole convicled eilher
or lerrorism or olher orms o killing. They have been given lhe dealh
senlence because lheir crimes had been ound lo be in lhe 'raresl o
rare' calegory.
wilh lhe highesl courl uholding lhe senlence, such convicls
should nol escae lhe noose simly because lhe 0overnmenl o lhe
day aves lhe way or lheir evenlual release by exloiling ha/y laws.
The National War
Memorial which
Modi envisages
will enshrine the
memory of our
heroes, the
names of each
soldier, airman
and sailor who
has died fighting
for ndia since
independence,
etched in stone
so that future
generations do
not forget them
sunday
magazino
jitit
Now Dolhi, Fobruary 2, 2014
F E E D B A C K
ndeendenl ndia's rulers never lhoughl il il lo erecl a monumenl equally, i nol more, grand
lhan lhal al ndia 0ale, lo honour lhe memory o our soldiers who died since 1O47
Like the
discretionary quota
of earlier decades,
which allowed the
netas to control the
distribution of
amenities such as
telephones, to
common citizens,
and gave the
regime its ma-baap
image, it appears
that the political
system wants to
retain discretion
over the fate of
death row convicts
ThE 00vERhMEhT MAY SEEK T0 EhTAh0LE
ThE AFEX C0uRT h ThE MEAhh0 0F
"h0R0hATE 0ELAY", whCh ThE C0uRT
hAS uSE0 AS ThE BASELhE T0 C0hvERT
0EATh SEhTEhCES T0 LFE BEhh0 FRS0h
COFFEEBREAK
KAhChAh 0uFTA
sunday
magazino
lJ||lt l
ThE 0FFEREhCE BETwEEh A SuCCESSFuL
FERS0h Ah0 0ThERS S h0T A LACK 0F
STREh0Th, h0T A LACK 0F Kh0wLE00E, BuT
RAThER A LACK 0F wLL.
- vhCE L0MBAR0
Now Dolhi, Fobruary 2, 2014
I
n all the three surveys recently conducted
by media agencies, the BJP has turned out
to be the most favoured party. These
surveys also indicate the fall of the Cong-
ress and regional parties. Consequently, the
Congress, the Left and almost all the regional
parties are now reconsidering their views on pre-
poll alliances. The Congress has already taken
the initiative by supporting an RJD candidate for
the Rajya Sabha elections from Jharkhand. It
intends to ally with the RJD in Bihar, JMM in
Jharkhand, NCP in Maharashtra, and TRS in the
Telangana region. In Kerala, there is already an
alliance with three or four parties, whereas in
Tamil Nadu the Congress is trying to coax the
DMK. In Assam, its alliance with the Bodoland
Peoples Front will remain as usual. Similarly, the
Left is trying to bring all the parties except the
one led by Mamata Banerjee on one platform.
81F'8 8I F8IEM
W
hile the Congress is set to transfer its senior
leaders to the Rajya Sabha to concentrate
on the coming Lok Sabha elections as well as to
pave the way for the youth leaders, the BJP is
finding it tough to do so. Party veterans like LK
Advani and MM Joshi are miffed at the alleged
RSS suggestion that leaders above the age of 75
should not fight elections. Currently, in the party,
Shanta Kumar is likely to contest from Kangra in
Himachal Pradesh, while Kalyan Singh, Lalji
Tandon and Ramapati Tripathi are willing to
fight from Uttar Pradesh. In Jharkhand, Karia
Munda and Yashwant Sinha are already working
hard in their respective constituencies.
Wh WIII EFIk6E II?
T
he Congresss decision to send Digvijay
Singh to the Rajya Sabha has surprised
many. So has the move to send Madhusudan
Mistry. Singh has been nominated from Madhya
Pradesh, while Mistry will contest from Gujarat.
The turn of events is surprising, keeping in
mind the enthusiasm with which the two
leaders wanted to contest the Lok Sabha
elections this year. Mistry wanted to fight from
the Banaskantha seat in Gujarat, while Singh
had three seats in mind Raigarh, Indore or
Sagar. It is being speculated that Rahul Gandhi
desperately wants them in Parliament and,
therefore, does not intend to take the risk of
losing them in the Lok Sabha polls.
Party sources say that this decision has been
taken following the drubbing the Congress got in
the recent Assembly elections in Rajasthan,
Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
They expect the party to do no better in these
States in the coming general elections. The
decision to send them to the Rajya Sabha,
however, has raised another question: Who will
replace them in the Lok Sabha polls? The fact is
that in these four States, Congress MPs dont
want to fight the election. It will be interesting to
see whether Digvijay Singh allows his brother,
Lakshman Singh, to contest from Raigarh or not.
kME T kVI 8IkME
I
n the Congress, the State president and
leaders of the State election committee are
still unsure about the names of the candidates.
Party vice-president Rahul Gandhi wants the
person who recommends any name for the
ticket to take responsibility for victory as well as
defeat of the same, much to the discomfort of
the leaders of the State Congress. They are
equally distressed by the fact that most State
Congress leaders have been unceremoniously
shifted after the recent Assembly elections.
Moreover, Rahul didnt turn up for the
meeting of the election committee in Uttar
Pradesh and it was held under Madhusudan
Mistry. In that meeting the leaders authorised
Sonia Gandhi and Rahul to take the decision on
the distribution of tickets. Three names for each
seat have been sent by the State Congress and the
decision will be taken on any one of them in the
screening committee meeting. Leaders of the
State Congress are of the view that the chairman
of the screening committee must take the
responsibility to decide the final names. If they
dont agree, then the matter should go to the
central leadership. Such is the discomfort that
even State presidents and big leaders are not
recommending names for the Lok Sabha election.
1kIkM'8 IIEMMk
R
ural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh
was reportedly ready to resign soon after the
Parliament session got over to look after the
election management; it was said that he would
take the responsibility of the war room. How-
ever, his opponents believe that he should
participate in the Lok Sabha elections, especially
when non-political figures like Nandan Nilekani
are up for it. They argue that he is from
Chikmagalur (from where Indira Gandhi had
won) and that this time the Congress is likely to
do well in Karnataka. Interestingly, Ramesh is a
Rajya Sabha member from Andhra Pradesh and
has never worked in Karnataka.
6hE88 TkkE8 IT Ek8Y
T
he BJP has turned the battle for Uttar
Pradesh into a matter of life and death. Party
leaders acknowledge that the Delhi throne can
only be achieved via Uttar Pradesh. Which is
why the BJPs prime ministerial candidate
Narendra Modi has already addressed several
rallies in the State, and the in-charge general
secretary Amit Shah is trying to strengthen the
partys base with the coordination of the RSS and
BJP cadre. The Samajwadi Party and the BSP
have also tightened their belt.
On the other hand, the Congress seems to be
complacent despite pre-poll surveys indicating
that the party would win only four seats in the
State. Two rallies of Rahul Gandhi were
organised but people just didnt turn up. For the
past few months it is being said that State
president Nirmal Khatri would be changed, but
there is no decision yet. Rahul often goes to Uttar
Pradesh but never comes out of Amethi; likewise,
critics say that Sonia only goes to Rae Bareli.
Ih 8Ek6h I 6khIkTE8
F
or the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress
and the BJP are seeking candidates with a
sound reputation. Nandan Nilekani is likely to
join the Congress soon and will fight from the
South Bangalore seat. The Congress also aspires
to put Planning Commission member Narendra
Jadhav from any seat in Maharashtra. On the
other hand, the BJP has Satyapal Singh, former
Mumbai Police Commissioner, in its wish-list
for Uttar Pradeshs Baghpat seat. Also, one
should not forget the likes of Kiran Bedi, VK
Singh and RK Singh.
sunday
gupshup
hAR ShAhKAR vYAS
The Congress has
already laken lhe
inilialive by suorling
an RJ0 candidale or
lhe Rajya Sabha
eleclions rom
Jharkhand. l inlends
lo ally wilh lhe RJ0
in Bihar, JMM in
Jharkhand, hCF in
Maharashlra, and TRS
in lhe Telangana
region. n Kerala, lhe
Congress is already in
alliance wilh lhree or
our arlies
I
n our school days,
Dalit students enjoyed
scholarships and were
paid in coins symbolically.
Starting from the sixth
standard, in a class of, say,
50 Dalit students, a dozen
got scholarships. At the
sixth standard, the scholar-
ship amount could be as
lows as C12 a month.
The centrally-sponsored
Post-Matric Scholarship
(PMS) has been one of the
greatest Government
schemes that have helped
millions of Dalits enter col-
leges and universities.
Starting from the 11th stan-
dard, the PMS rate was any-
where from C28 to C56 or
so. All Dalit children with
low parental income were
entitled to it.
The meagre payment
that they got was insuffi-
cient to fund their educa-
tion. Most often, they were
paid in kind but the same
wasnt sufficient to feed
families as that could not be
converted into currency.
The PMS came at a
price though. Dalits in
northern India and
Maharashtra were described
as sarkari damad (the
Governments son-in-law).
The LPG cylinders
launched in the 1960s were
available to the elite and
middle class urbanites.
Imagine how much subsi-
dies the upper castes con-
sumed. Today, the LPG
companies lose C762.70 on
each cylinder that goes on
the subsidised rate. Has
anyone called the upper
castes the Governments
son-in-law?
The middle class locali-
ties all over India are faced
with the terrible problem of
car and bike parking.
Maruti 800 or Maruti Alto
has disappeared from mid-
dle class localities. They are
being replaced by bigger,
better cars. The box TVs
too have vanished.
Yet, Indias elite and
middle classes want sub-
sidised electricity, LPG,
petrol and diesel.
Let me revert back to
my childhood once again.
There were many upper
caste families that could not
afford regular servants who
were often Dalits. Since
women wore purdah and
would not work outside
their homes, the task of
cleaning cow dung fell on
the shoulders of the men.
Those men were then
mocked by their neighbours
and relatives.
Physical work by upper
caste men was more than a
sacrilege. If an upper caste
man touched the handle of
the plough even by mistake,
he was supposed to undergo
a purification ceremony.
So, if an upper caste
landlord wished to oversee
the work on his farmland, a
cot was taken to the farm-
land so that the landlord
could stand on the cot and
supervise the work. Women
relished plucking leaves of
grams to eat them raw with
green sauce. If an upper
caste woman ventured out
to pluck those leaves, the
neighbourhood would
despise her for down-scal-
ing the prestige of the entire
community.
For centuries, the upper
castes are not known for
any productive labour.
They are, in fact, known for
overeating and social anar-
chy that they have practised
without any productive
labour. A caste system came
into being and the upper
caste people not only
appropriated the wealth of
this country, but also
owned Dalits and the lower
castes. Since they con-
trolled the large sum of the
Indian population, they
lived on the toil of the peo-
ple they owned.
This old habit works
into the memory bank of
the upper castes! For
instance, the AAPs elec-
tricity promise had gal-
vanised Delhis middle
classes. In all societies, the
middle class acts as a role
model for all and sets stan-
dards for the society.
Ideally, the families owning
two cars, two ACs and two
TV sets should have gath-
ered at the Jantar Mantar
asking the State to scrap
subsidies for the rich. They
should have asked the state
to use the money in
expanding infrastructure to
build India as a modern
nation. Unfortunately, the
very opposite is happening.
This is not surprising given
the countrys past.
DALTDARY
ChAh0RABhAh FRASA0
l|| || lu||, +||| +ll
Congross roworks
allianoo ormula
why is lhere so much clamour or subsidies? The answer is simle: The
uer and educaled classes are never known or any roduclive labour
O
ver the last two years of the Arab Spring, the
West Asia-North Africa region has been witness-
ing an inter-play between the various strands of
Islamism and national and regional political scenarios in
an environment of robust competition and even conflict.
While the various conflicts between the Islamists and
secular/liberal elements in different countries have
received considerable international attention, the princi-
pal competition at present is between the different
streams of political Islam.
Over the last century Islamism has manifested
itself in three broad strands: The quietist Salafism of the
Wahhabiya in Saudi Arabia; the activist tradition of the
Muslim Brotherhood that has evolved over the last 20
years in Egypt, with influence in other countries as well;
and the radical strand mainly represented by A1 Qaeda
and its affiliate outfits. None of these strands of Islamism
are monolithic, nor are any of their organisational struc-
tures or even belief-systems cast in stone.
At present, all of them are witnessing considerable
internal debate and dissent as Islamists seek, for the first
time in recent history, to take responsibility for democrat-
ic governance after their long experience of oppositional
politics. Since this is an entirely novel situation, both for
the countries concerned and the parties competing for
political advantage, the scenario in each of the countries is
one of considerable domestic discord as the principal pro-
tagonists seek to re-define (or reaffirm) their vision, agen-
da and institutions so that they resonate with the require-
ments of governance and the aspirations of their citizens
for a modern and successful political and economic order
that respects their strong religious moorings. Obviously,
governance is not made any easier by pressures on the
mainstream parties, such as the Muslim Brotherhood and
A1-Nahda, from the more hardline Salafi groups (and
their external patrons) and, beyond them, the radicals
linked to a resurgent Al Qaeda.
In Saudi Arabia, the Al-Saud-Wahhabiya order is
under pressure both from the aspirations of its nationals
who are seeking political and economic reform and its
own activist Salafists, the Sahwa, who, in alliance with lib-
eral elements, Islamist and non-Islamist, are advocating
radical changes, possibly even a constitutional monarchy.
In response to these domestic aspirations, the Kingdom
has embarked on a massive programme of national recon-
struction and welfare in the hope that this will dilute, if
not nullify, agitations for political reform.
The Kingdom has rejected the possibility of radical
political change not only at
home but in every other
member-country of the Gulf
Cooperation Council as
well. Thus, the popular agi-
tation for reform in Bahrain
has been stigmatised as a
product of Irans interfer-
ence and a part of its larger
design for Persian/Shia
hegemony across West Asia.
Saudi Arabia is therefore
confronting Iran in different
theatres in the region, but
particularly in Syria in the
hope that regime change
there will deliver a body-
blow to Irans strategic out-
reach to the Mediterranean
by severing its links with its
staunch Alawite ally and the
Hezbollah, its powerful militant arm in Lebanon. This
Saudi-Iranian confrontation has now also acquired a
sharp sectarian character, with efforts across West Asia to
mobilise a Sunni axis to confront the Shia crescent led
by the Islamic Republic.
Separate from these competitions, within or between
organised state entities, we are also witnessing the prolifera-
tion of A1 Qaeda-affiliated entities that are taking advan-
tage of the absence of an effective central authority and
security apparatus in failed or failing states to mobilise local
support and embark on a campaign of violence against
strategic targets that include government entities and
Western individuals and institutions. These entities now
have a strong presence in Yemen, Somalia, Libya and
Northwest Africa, while their militias play a lead role in the
Syrian conflict. Al Qaeda, following the removal of Arab
tyrants and the electoral successes of Islamist groups in the
wake of the Arab Spring, senses an opportunity for the fur-
therance of its own agenda, over the long-term, to realise
the caliphate based on the shariah, commencing with
small liberated enclaves in former state entities and finally
by capturing the entire state and even the global ummah.
Thus, in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, almost
every country in West Asia and North Africa is under
pressure to reform, with domestic and regional politics
being marked by contentions between the various strands
of Islamism and the sectarian divide that dates back to
the early days of Islam. At the same time, the recent
emergence of the National Salvation Front in Egypt and
the Nida Tunis in Tunisia, both of which seek to unite
diverse non-Islamist elements in a formidable electoral
alliance, suggests that in coming years Islamists may have
to compete not only with their ideological cousins but
also with entities outside the Islamist discourse.
While staking their claims to influence and power in
the public sphere, all Islamists base their assertions on cer-
tain aspects of pristine Islam, particularly the Quran and
the Sunna, as also Islamic law as practised over the cen-
turies in Islamic domains. This harking back to the past
has yielded a variety of modern-day expressions due to
the different texts and scholars that had been selected for
study and emulation, and the meanings relevant to con-
temporary times that have been drawn from these works
by modern scholars who see them as inspirational sources.
This effort is further complicated by the fact that much of
the present-day discourse evolved when the Islamists were
in opposition and were involved in a life-and-death strug-
gle with tyrannical regimes which had been ruthless in
responding to their challenge. Obviously, now that
Islamist parties have got the unprecedented responsibility
of governing, they will necessarily have to review their
earlier discourse and imbue it with fresh ideas
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A
former teacher was detained in
Russias Urals after being accused
of stabbing an acquaintance to death
in a dispute about literary genres,
investigators said Wednesday.
The 67-year-old vic-
tim insisted that the
only real literature is
prose, the Sverdlovsk
Regions branch of the
Investigative Committee
said. The victims assertion
outraged the 53-year-old sus-
pect, who favored poetry, and
the dispute ended with the ex-
teacher stabbing his friend to
death, investigators said.
Both of the men were pur-
portedly drunk at the time.
The incident took place last
week, but the suspect fled the
scene and was not tracked down
until days later.
The man, whose name has
been withheld, was placed under
arrest and charged with murder,
punishable with up to 15 years
in prison. (RIA)
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H
aving an unusual personality
structure could be the secret to
making other people laugh, scientists
said on Thursday after research
showed that comedians have high
levels of psychotic personality
traits. In a study in the British
Journal of Psychiatry, researchers
analysed comedians from
Australia, Britain and the United
States and found they scored sig-
nificantly higher on four types of
psychotic characteristics com-
pared to a control group of peo-
ple who had non-creative jobs.
The traits included a tendency
towards impulsive or anti-social
behaviour, and a tendency to avoid
intimacy. The creative elements
needed to produce humor are strik-
ingly similar to those characterising
the cognitive style of people with
psychosis both schizophrenia
and bipolar disorder, said
Gordon Claridge of the
University of Oxfords
department of experimental
psychology. (Reuters)
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A
New Jersey woman whose cat disap-
peared during a hurricane said she
spotted the feline on Facebook alive and
well more than two years later.
Jeana Hoffman said her cat, Sid, dis-
appeared from her Blackwood home dur-
ing Hurricane Irene in August 2011, and
she feared he would never be seen again
when more than two years passed without
any sign of the lost black-and-white cat,
the Philadelphia Inquirer reported
Monday. However, Hoffman said she
identified Sid from his distinctive marks
in a picture shared Wednesday on the
Facebook page of the Animal Welfare
Association in Voorhees.
The picture led Hoffman to Linda
Rosenson Coe, 55, of nearby Cherry Hill,
who had taken Sid in after he had been
found in a neighbors back yard during
the hurricane. Hoffman visited Coes
home and verified that the cat, who had
been re-dubbed Ansel Catems after black-
and-white photographer Ansel Adams,
was the same feline that disappeared in
2011. Hes very quirky. The way he
would walk, the way he would play, she
said. Its the same boy.
Hoffman said she decided to let Ansel
Catems stay with his new family.
It was really the right thing to do,
Hoffman said. Taking him away would
have confused him, and it would have
been hard for their family, and they are
great people. (UPI)
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A
n employee of a McDonalds restau-
rant in Pittsburgh was charged
Wednesday with selling heroin in Happy
Meals to customers using the coded
request Id like to order a toy.
Allegheny County authorities made
the arrest after an informant told them
that an employee was selling the drug at a
Mc Donalds in the East Liberty section of
the city. Customers looking for heroin
were instructed to go through the drive-
thru and say, Id like to order a toy, said
Mike Manko, spokesman for District
Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. The cus-
tomer would then drive to the window,
hand over the money and get a Happy
Meal box containing heroin in exchange,
Manko said. Undercover agents set up a
drug buy and arrested Shania
Dennis, 26, of East Pitts-
burgh. Dennis
denied wrongdoing to
reporters as she was being
led away in handcuffs.
Authorities said they
found 10 bags of heroin
in a Happy Meal box
and recovered anoth-
er 50 bags from the
suspect. Another
McDonalds employ-
ee was arrested this
month for selling
heroin out of a
restaurant in near-
by Murrysville.
Authorities
said the heroin
recovered
Wednesday does
not appear to be related
to the fentanyl-laced
heroin blamed for 22
overdose deaths in south-
western Pennsylvania.
(Huffington Post)
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A
uthorities in Britain said a 76-year-
old woman with the record of a
heroin addict went on a four-year
theft spree because she was bored.
June Humphreys, 76, a Crewe,
England, great-grandmother,
pleaded guilty in a North
Staffordshire courtroom to
shoplifting charges stemming
from her four-year spree of
small thefts of items including
candy, baby clothes and a breast
pump from various stores, the
Mirror reported on Wednesday.
Probation officer Darren
Vernon said Humphreys under-
went treatment for breast cancer
and osteoarthritis during her
shoplifting spree. Vernon said,
She knows it is wrong, she
says she is bored. She
lives alone. She has
seven children but the
only one she has contact
with lives above her.
Humphreys was sen-
tenced to one
month in jail. (UPI)
sunday
magazino
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MLTARY RuLER FERvEZ MuShARRAF SAYS A
FAKSTAh C0uRT hEARh0 hS h0h TREAS0h
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O
n the dusty road outside
Dharavi, Indias biggest
slum, where children run
barefoot through piles of
rubbish and families sleep
under canvas sheets, a smart black car is
parked. Through tinted windows,
reclining on the beige leather seat, a
smiling woman waves to the cameras
jostling for position outside. She
smooths down her navy twinset, runs
her manicured nails through her blow-
dried hair, and thrusts open the door.
Thus began the reinvention of Valrie
Trierweiler, former first lady of France, as
she visited the slum during a two-day trip
to India with the charity group, Action
Against Hunger. It marked her first public
appearance since President Franois
Hollande announced their split on
Saturday, after news of his affair with
actress Julie Gayet sparked an interna-
tional media frenzy.
Trierweiler, 48, who began her rela-
tionship with President Hollande in
2005, looked none the worse for the
events of the past month. Instead, as she
toured the slum with her bodyguard, she
was photographed smiling and speaking
freely to reporters, telling them: Dont
worry about me; I have time to think
about the future. Later, at a briefing by
the pool of her five-star hotel, she pro-
vided salacious details about low
blows, backstabbings and betrayals.
During her visit, Trierweiler
launched a foundation to fight child-
hood malnutrition, a cause that she said
catch(es) my heart. Her generosity
must, of course, be praised; but so, too,
must the PR value of her trip, days after
her unceremonious ejection from the
Elyse Palace.
Indeed, Patrick Biancone, her chief
of staff, has dropped hints that she
believes she is destined to follow in the
footsteps of another great ambassador:
Diana, Princess of Wales. She has not
gone back to being a simple citizen, he
told reporters in India.
Trierweiler joins a long line of
celebrity activists Bob Geldof, Bono,
Sting, Angelina Jolie who have used
their fame to raise the profile of a cause.
But her new role is not without its risks.
In finding herself compared to the
Peoples Princess, whose charitable work
with HIV and Aids patients in Africa has
raised more than 100 million, she must
tread a careful line or she risks further
damage to her reputation.
Though Trierweilers visit to India
had been organised long ago, James
Herring, co-founder of Taylor Herring
PR, says going ahead with the trip was a
surprising decision. It seems rather
hasty; a knee-jerk reaction, he warns.
Cynics might even see this as a tactical
snub against the other woman. While
Gayet is out and about on the red carpet,
Trierweiler is on the other side of the
world doing something meaningful. Id
advise her to take some time, reflect and
deal with the turbulent couple of weeks.
Fellow celebrities who have forged a
career in the third sector particularly
those trying to salvage their reputation or
re-enter the spotlight after an absence
have met with mixed results.
Some, like George Clooney, who set
up his own charity to highlight human
rights atrocities in the Darfur region of
Sudan, have been praised for their
actions. Clooney, who has visited the
area and spoken to victims of rape and
torture, has given much-needed money
and publicity to the cause. Joanna
Lumley, who became the face of the
Justice for Gurkhas campaign in 2008,
achieved similar success, with the Home
Office acceding to the veterans
demands for permission to settle in
Britain the following year.
Others, such as Jolie have managed to
turn around public perceptions of their
activism. Critics initially accused her of
indulging in too many photo ops and fail-
ing to make a real difference, but 10 years
later, her campaign continues. To date,
Jolie has built 10 schools in Cambodia,
funded education programmes for chil-
dren affected by disasters, and been
appointed as Special Envoy to the UN
High Commission for Refugees.
If your support for a charity is gen-
uine, you can be an amazing help, says
David Read, managing director of Neon
Management, whose clients include
Pamela Anderson and Martine
McCutcheon.
Geri Halliwell, the former Spice
Girl, was a UN Population Fund repre-
sentative in the Noughties, but critics
said her work seemed mostly to com-
prise footage for her BBC documentary,
Geris World Walkabout. David
Arquette, the American actor and ex-
husband of Friends star Courtney Cox,
spent two days sitting in a plastic box
atop Madison Square Garden in order
to raise awareness of world hunger.
Both were accused of taking part in
headline-grabbing stunts.
Lauren Lunn-Farrow, director of PR
agency Lunn Farrow Media, says it is
usually obvious whether a celebrity is
fully engaged in the cause theyre claim-
ing to support. When Geri left the
Spice Girls and wanted to reinvent her-
self as a serious celebrity, she put on a
pencil skirt, put a scarf round her neck
and went to the UN, she says. Im not
saying she didnt care about everything
she was representing, but you could tell
that she hadnt done enough research.
In my view, doing something like that is
career suicide.
Lindsay Lohan, the American actress,
has done no favours with her voluntary
work: she soured her relationship with
animal activists PETA after wearing fur.
Similarly, the causes championed by
Naomi Campbell, who has spoken out
against racism in fashion and poverty in
Brazil, werent helped when the model
pleaded guilty to assault in 2008.
Its a long way from the vision of the
original celebrity activist, Audrey
Hepburn, who supported Unicef
throughout her career in the fifties. The
Third World is a term I dont like very
much, because were all one world, said
the film star, who spent her retirement
working for Unicef projects in Africa. I
want people to know that the largest part
of humanity is suffering.
The recent rise in charitable celebri-
ties, however, is linked to the UNs
Goodwill Ambassador scheme, which
recruits high-profile figures to draw
attention to its mission. Among the
names on its extensive list are Annie
Lennox and Naomi Watts (campaigning
against HIV and Aids), David Beckham
and Vanessa Redgrave (Unicef) and
Nicole Kidman (gender equality).
Some words of wisdom, then, for the
former first lady as she returns to Paris.
Doing a Diana requires more far
more than one tour around a slum.
The months ahead will be hard. Be com-
mitted and informed. Above all, learn
from those who have gone before you.
l| +il] ll|+p|
D
eep in Tunisias Sahara desert
is an otherworldly planet
familiar to Star Wars fans:
Tatooine, the twin-mooned child-
hood home of Darth Vader. Once a
pilgrimage site for aficionados of the
cult sci-fi film, the dune-swept land-
scape that provided the backdrop for
almost every Star Wars movie, among
many others, has been out of reach
since the Tunisian uprising, which
kickstarted the Arab Spring three
years ago. Now, as the North African
country inches towards a successful
transition to democracy, many hope
that will change.
We have a new government and
were full of hope, said Taieb Jallouli,
the set director who oversaw the Star
Wars shoots in the country, speaking
as Tunisias parliament passed a long-
awaited new constitution. Seen as the
final step towards establishing a
democracy after an uprising that top-
pled the autocratic ruler Zine el-
Abidine Ben Ali, it could be help lure
back film fans and desert adventure
tourists, whose numbers plummeted
during the turbulence of the uprising.
(Star Wars director) George
Lucas always said he loved the light in
Tunisias southern desert. We hope
old directors and a wave of young,
new ones will come back now theres
stability, said Jallouli, who was also
artistic director for The English
Patient and Indiana Jones and the
Raiders of the Lost Ark, which were
both partially filmed in Tunisia.
F
rom Edward Scissorhands
gothic pallor to Jack Sparrows
guyliner-friendly swashbuck-
ling, his rose-tinted Mad Hatter to
his dazzle-painted Tonto, Johnny
Depp has always been partial to a
bit of greasepaint. And now all
those hours in the makeup chair
have been rewarded, with the
Distinguished Artisan award from
the Make-Up Artists and Hair
Stylists Guild.
This is a new awards category
from the industry body, which cele-
brates an actor who has made par-
ticularly artistic collaborations with
hair and makeup specialists. The
award will be presented by Joel
Harlow, the Oscar-winning make-
up artist who worked with Depp on
The Lone Ranger and the Pirates of
the Caribbean movies as well as the
forthcoming Transcendence.
The awards take place on 15
February at Paramount studios, and
its nominations include a mix of
Oscar favourites and curveballs
with tonsorial innovation. The Paul
Potts biopic One Chance gets nomi-
nations in both Best Contemporary
Hair Styling and Best
Contemporary Make-up, while the
aforementioned Lone Ranger also
gets two nominations.
A
vengers director Joss Whedon
has revealed an unexpected
source of inspiration for his
blockbuster comic book saga: classic
mob trilogy The Godfather. Whedon
said he was drawing on The
Godfather: Part II for The Avengers:
Age of Ultron, the forthcoming
sequel to 2012s $1.5bn-earning
superhero ensemble.
The model Im always trying to
build from, or my guiding star, is
The Godfather: Part II, where a ton
has happened in between and its a
very different movie [from Part I,
but you dont need any informa-
tion, Whedon told French website
AlloCin. Its there in the film
about whats happened since, whats
different, and why is this a different
film; why is it a different kind of
structure, and why is it darker. Its
all there, youre in the vernacular of
the first movie and youre just ready
to pick up in this new place, and
hopefully thats what will happen
with my movie.
The creator of Buffy the Vampire
Slayer and Firefly said he was also
being careful to at least nod to
events that might have taken place in
other Marvel Studios films since his
last stint behind the camera. The
events of Captain America: The
Winter Soldier will definitely affect
the world of Avengers 2, said
Whedon. But at the end of the day,
I have to make my movie assuming
that people will only have seen the
first one, or possibly not even seen
the first one. I cant assume that
everybody went to see Thor: The
Dark World, Captain America and
Iron Man 3 in between. I have to go
from one movie to the next and be
true to whats happened (in the pre-
vious movies), but not be slavish to
it.The Avengers: Age of Ultron is due
in cinemas for May 2015 and will see
superheroes Iron Man, Thor,
Captain America and the Hulk take
on the titular robotic villain, who
will be voiced by James Spader.
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T
he book, An Astronauts Guide
to Life on Earth, by Chris
Hadfield is exactly what it
promises to be. I wish this book
was there 10 years ago. Soon after
the dreadful disaster of Columbia I
had to face a large number of ques-
tions from youngsters, especially
girls, wanting to know how to be an
astronaut. This book would have
served handy to me as an answer to
their questions. Not only does the
book tell you about how to be an
astronaut and how to live life, but
also educates you about the total
working life of an astronaut: Pre-
flight, in-flight and post-flight
through a vivid description.
To make my process of reviewing
easier, I decided to make notes while
reading the book. But, before I
realised I was too engrossed in the
flow of the content that note-making
was long forgotten. In simple words, I
believe this is a well-written manual
in which the instructions are flanked
nicely on either side by words sooth-
ing ones eyes. Since it is written by an
astronaut, it had the element of space
travel but I think the guide is for
whatever you want it to be to help
you achieve the best a mountain
climber, a diver, a player, a scientist, a
finance wizard or even a politician.
The base line of Col Chris
Hadfields guide is be prepared
and be humble. Every page of the
book has at least one line that one
would like to underline to be
remembered. Indeed, one might
consider over 284 guidelines is a big
number but when you read that an
astronauts go-through-checklist is
longer than this, with a shorter time
span and dependent on their memo-
ry, I think this appears to be relative-
ly insignificant a number.
The crux of the book is, in the
authors words, Be ready. Work
hard. Enjoy it. He writes further, If
youve got the time, use it to get
ready. What else could you possibly
have to do thats more important?
Yes, maybe youll learn how to do a
few things youll never wind up
actually needing to do, but thats a
much better problem to have than
needing to do something and hav-
ing no clue where to start. It fits
every situation. Doesnt it?
The book begins with the men-
tion of what many of us in their 50s
have vivid memory of the Apollo
11 landing on the Moon. Chris,
then aged nine, saw the event on the
television and dreamt that someday
he would be in space too. He
embarks on this journey knowing
very well that he may not reach the
destination he has in mind.
He was a Canadian and knew
very well that his chances of leaving
Earth were only two per cent strong
as that is the percentage of money
Canada puts into the NASAs space
programme. He grew up in a time
when Canadian astronauts simply
didnt exist. But he does bring glory
to his nation. He remains a Canadian.
Reading this book was like lis-
tening to Chris unfolding his life
story, probably at a bonfire in the
background under a relaxed atmos-
phere. Each time I picked up the
book, my mind was refreshed with
the pleasure of listening to his narra-
tion of an event punctuated by other
supporting stories.
In the last chapter, before he talks
about his life on Earth after spending
weeks in space, he narrates a story of
how his friend Russ Wilson throws a
black snake, which had found its way
under Chriss seat at the cockpit, out
of the window of the twin-engine
Beechcraft Baron which they were
flying at 200 miles per hours 11,000 ft
above ground. And then he narrates,
Coming back to Earth from space, I
felt as though I was being rudely
flung down from the heavens... In
most lines of work theres a steady,
linear ascent up a well-defined career,
but astronauts continuously move up
and down, rotating through different
roles and rank. This is something to
be kept in mind if one is aspiring to
be an astronaut.
The author talks about many of
his friends and the good time he
had with them, what he learned
from them. He had more than 700
friends on his guest list to watch his
first flight.
He is not remotely negative
about any of them, though he does
acknowledge that he worked with
some difficult people, too. He
talks about one particular abrasive
astronaut who regularly swore at
him. He soon figured out that the
trick to working well with him was
to understand that the problem
was his, not mine. He devotes just
one page for this. He says rightly:
Its a plus if you view criticism as
potentially helpful advice rather
than a personal attack.
I am not sure if the three-part
book with 13 chapters was inten-
tional or it just happened and
never changed to 12 or 14. On that
passing thought, I would conclude
by telling my readers to grab hold
of this book not just for those
who are intrigued with space but
for all those who would like to
live their dreams.
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A lumlle sace travel
K
ashmir is a blot on the
post-Independence his-
tory of India. It is an
example of everything
that is wrong with our
political, strategic and civilisational
understanding of our nationhood
as the Kashmir issue is associated
with all aspects of what defines a
nation-state. The Indian polity has
subsequently realised that
Jawaharlal Nehru made a self-goal
and that regaining the ceded
ground in Kashmir is very difficult.
The focus, therefore, has been to
ensure that the status quo is main-
tained in the State at any cost.
Still, we need to get to the root
cause of this blunder that has
exposed Indian civilisation to the
interference and exploitation of the
international community, particu-
larly the West, which has been
using the Kashmir issue to ques-
tion Indias existence as a single
geopolitical entity. This has paved
the way for Pakistan (which covets
Kashmir) and China (for geopoliti-
cal reasons) to exploit the Kashmir
issue to their liking.
In Jammu and Kashmir: The
Blunder and Way Out, Bhim Singh
examines the genesis of the issue
from the time India was undergoing
the travails of Partition and was in
complete chaos. The administration
was undergoing simultaneous transi-
tion and the national leadership was
not in full control of the affairs of the
country. The leadership in Pakistan
was in a far more comfortable situa-
tion and chose (or was encouraged)
to exploit the chaos in India and the
unique political situation that had
been created in Kashmir through the
machinations of Lord Mountbatten
who remained in independent India
as its first Governor General. Thus,
Pakistan moved its forces to forcibly
annex Kashmir; the events that fol-
lowed are well documented.
To this day, Indians remain dis-
mayed and confused that we could
not turn the tide in our favour
despite having gained the upper
hand in the battlefield. Bhim Singh
endeavours to plot this sad episode
chronologically in 47 brief chapters
(numbered as successive blunders)
that detail with documentary evi-
dence the charges he levels against
the then leadership of India. As a
descendant of the legendary
Zorawar Singh who played a sterling
role in carving out Indias northern
frontier, a politician from the belea-
guered State, and a dynamic uncon-
ventional thinker, Bhim Singh is
well-placed to document the story.
His political views have often found
him on the wrong side of the estab-
lishment in Srinagar and he has
been imprisoned an impressive 54
times by the power of the day!
The author mentions a meeting
with Lord Mountbatten in 1970 in
the UK. He asked the former
Viceroy on why he did not do any-
thing to improve the future relation-
ship between India and Britain; the
last Viceroy just smiled. When asked
how he could justify the two armies
(India and Pakistan) of which Lord
Mountbatten was the Commander-
in-Chief going to war, the latter said
that the two armies never fought in
1947! Mountbatten was flabbergast-
ed when Bhim Singh asked how he
made a unilateral ceasefire declara-
tion without giving Gen KM
Cariappa the 24 hours he had
sought to liberate the area.
The ceasefire, Mountbatten
would have us believe, was the work
of the two Prime Ministers of India
and Kashmir; both were Kashmiri
(Nehru and Sheikh Abdullah). How
could they lose their majority by
holding a hostile Punjabi Dogra
camp within Kashmir? The last
Viceroy did not allow Bhim Singh to
speak anymore. He added, Remem-
ber, you being a Dogra shall find
more magnetic closeness in Azad
Kashmir than in Central Kashmir.
This last sentence betrays the
deep understanding Mountbatten
had about the cultural and ethnic
diversity of Kashmir, which unfor-
tunately cannot be said about Nehru
who was at the helm of affairs in
India. This small conversation
proves how the 1947 war in
Kashmir was micro-managed by the
British. The Nehru-Patel rift over
Kashmir is well-known, and by now
the nation knows whose under-
standing proved correct.
Unfortunately, the Indian intelli-
gentsia has been under the control
of the Congress for decades; it has
never cared or dared to question the
basic premises of the Kashmir issue.
Bhim Singh has filled this gap.
In the introduction, the author
enlists the major blunders committed
by national and regional leaders in
Kashmir over the past century which
have escaped the scrutiny of histori-
ans and analysts: The treaty of Amri-
tsar, 1846, made the Dogras political-
ly subservient to the Kashmiris; the
Ordinance on State Subject by
Maharaja Hari Singh (1927); the
Congresss alliance with the National
Conference in the 1940s; the
Instrument of Accession and Lord
Mountbattens letter to the Maharaja
which was illegal after the acceptance
of the Instrument of Accession;
Nehrus unsolicited declaration on
plebiscite at the Lal Chowk in 1947;
the unilateral declaration of ceasefire
on January 1, 1948. And so on.
With his vast experience and
understanding of the political psy-
chology of the State, the author has
also suggested some possible ways
out of the maze. One fairly compre-
hensive idea he has posed to end the
deadlock in Kashmir is: Each region
enjoys a unique cultural, social, lin-
guistic and geographical identity.
Each identity has to be honoured in
accordance with the mandate of the
Constitution and aspiration of its
people. Each region aspires to grow
in freedom, peace and democracy.
This unnatural union must come to
an end amicably and democratically.
Singh advocates reorganisation
of the State into two separate states
of Jammu and Kashmir, with one
Governor and one Chief Justice.
This can be done by amending
Article 370 of the Constitution by a
Presidential Order without seeking
a vote in Parliament. Each Assembly
will be vested with powers to legis-
late on the State and Concurrent
List. Hill Councils are already func-
tional in Ladakh and Kargil.
Scheduled Tribe status should be
granted to the ethnic Pahari popula-
tion, and reservation given to the
Kashmiri Pandits in the legislative
Assembly to harmonise the ethnic
group in the polity of State.
The Kashmir issue has its origins
in the short-sightedness of the
Indian leadership and, therefore, the
solution will have to be found by us.
Bhim Singh has suggested some
solutions, which are worthy of seri-
ous consideration. The book is a
must for everyone who wants to
understand the problem.
sunday
magazino
l|s i
0REAT BRTAh C0uL0 hAvE LvE0 wTh A
0ERMAh vCT0RY h w0RL0 wAR , ACC0R0h0
T0 hST0RAh hALL FER0uS0h, wh0 0ESCRBE0
ThE 1O14 hTERvEhT0h AS 'ThE B00EST
ERR0R h M00ERh hST0RY'
Now Dolhi, Fobruary 2, 2014
R
eading a book on negotiating that flat-out states, and
periodically repeats, that aggression in the negotiat-
ing process will mean getting less, about 75 per cent
less actually, initially seems like a paean to superhu-
man reasonableness. It also seems at variation to the
prevalent world of power-play which works to a winner-takes-
all approach. But what seems to make the effort worthwhile is
how collaboration tends to increase the size of the pie. The lone-
wolf may catch the prey, the book argues, but the team-wolf can
hunt down the bigger prey. Besides, the brute force advantage is
not available to most of us, either as individuals, as part of a col-
lective, or even as citizenry of many nations.
To illustrate this from the other end of the spectrum, Stuart
Diamond cites America with its $20 trillion plus in GDP and
the strongest military in the world, which still cannot ensure
long-term compliance using force alone. In fact, America has
lost enough protracted wars such as the one in Vietnam. And
the US/NATO attacks on both Iraq and Afghanistan in recent
times have been far from unqualified successes. Besides, con-
quest, or at an individual level rank aggression, is invariably an
unpredictable and expensive business.
So Diamond advises us to be strongly goal-oriented
instead. If there are many decision-makers, for example, in a
corporation, they should harmonise their goals so that objec-
tives are not in conflict with each other. It is not as important
to focus on who is right because it, a value-judgement, can
often be contentious. And, very interestingly, Diamond advises
us to be deliberately gradual and incremental in our efforts.
He uses a baseball analogy on how a player can improve his
batting averages by hitting an extra ball in one game in nine,
but how this can mean much better status and monetary
rewards for him. Swiftness, along with attempting to push
through boldly towards our objectives in one fell swoop, tends
to retard if not obviate the cooperation of others, and frightens
them off and away from the perceived risk.
This book, Getting More, is
primarily aimed at the individ-
ual, and outlines the negotiating
techniques that result in better
outcomes in all sorts of situations
including purchases, inter-per-
sonal relationships, job inter-
views, office negotiations and so
on. Diamond lays the greatest
emphasis on eliciting people-to-
people cooperation, and advises
this is best obtained by making
personal connections between
people. In other words, the sub-
stance of any argument is not
going to carry the day but good-
will when sparked will. He draws
a pyramid in which the content
or substantive issues under dis-
cussion gets just eight per cent,
the processes 37 per cent, and the
people-to-people cooperation 55 per cent. This, and another
four-quadrant analytical model, more management-oriented,
shows Diamonds basic approach to negotiation.
Diamond does outline cultural differences among people
around the world, but emphasises a common humanity that
can be relied upon to resolve differences. Other tools are con-
textualising, what Diamond calls Framing, and using already
stated corporate or personal Standards, as a reference point
to achieve correct balance and perspective in any negotiation.
How a question is framed or reframed can greatly improve
clarity and acceptability. Getting More is finely detailed, romp-
ing through many everyday negotiations between parent and
child, partners, dates, arranging a holiday, making a commit-
ment, etc, as well as union and business negotiations and the
like. Diamond is sometimes described as the worlds best
negotiator. And the more he writes about is not always mon-
etary in nature. It can take in a world of intangibles and
unequal values that matter to the protagonists.
Diamond stresses the need to reduce the amount of emo-
tion that enters into a negotiation because, in his opinion, it
prevents clear thinking. Sometimes it is best to do this by
assuaging the feelings of the other so that calm returns to the
discussions. On matters of Trust and Ethics, the stumbling
blocks in the most well-intentioned negotiations, Diamond
has less room to manouevre. He tends to work around these
issues, with their potential to derail the process. The sugges-
tion is that mirroring and being sympathetic towards the self-
interest of the other usually ends up serving ones own inter-
ests too. But, this assertion does not seem quite as convincing
as many other things Diamond writes.
Diamond, the author of this book and two others, plus
over 2,000 articles in newspapers and magazines, teaches a
course on negotiating at Wharton Business School and has
consulted/advised extensively on the subject in more than 40
countries, some under the aegis of the United Nations. He
has also taught the subject at other colleges such as
Columbia, NYU, USC Berkeley, Oxford and Penn Law
School. Diamond also holds a Law Degree from Harvard, an
MBA from Wharton. He was also a Pulitzer Prize winning
journalist with The New York Times.
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wilhin lhe narralive o sace lravel, lhe book is an eeclive selhel guide, says ARvh0 FARAhJFYE
The book sludies lhe aully slralegies o lhe olily lhal comromised
Kashmir and how lo reorganise lhe Slale, wriles R0hT SRvASTAvA
1MM0 80
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8hIm 8Iah
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The book oullines lhe negolialing
lechniques lhal resull in beller
oulcomes in all sorls o silualions,
says 0AuTAM MuKhERJEE
You need lo lake care o your arlner and make
him/her eel comorlable in your comany. You
mighl ind someone lhis week being loo
secrelive or your lasle. n exisling relalions, you
will ind roblems in ulilling whal your arlner
mighl demand. l's beller lo kee quiel and slay
away lo avoid unleasanl silualions. Make
eorls lo be hale and hearly and lhal will give
you good resulls. Your grand lans are meanl lo
be ollowed or a beller and rogressive lie.
0ood slamina and erecl heallh will be
exerienced lhis week. You are a osilive,
crealive and grounded erson. This is lhe lime
when you can give your besl and can do lhings
crealively lo achieve your goals.
Iurky day Tuesday
Iurky number 7, 5
Iurky roIour Lighl green
8IF8 March 21-April 20
Your relalions may creale lrouble and you will
eel ruslraled. unheallhy mind or inlenlion o
your dear ones may hurl your eelings.
Exlramarilal relalions may heal u lhe
silualion or bring humilialion. You're nol
ready lo make romises. you're indulging in
relalions oulside your amily, il is lime lo
lhink aboul il. Those who are looking or a lie
arlner or love relalion, lhis is nol lhe correcl
lime. Resllessness mighl orce you lo make a
wrong choice. You are highly ercelive and
inluilive. Conlrol your emolions and
ambilions. Avoid cerlain lhings like lravel,
aggression and any kind o argumenls. 0el
your BF and sugar level lesled.
Iurky day Friday
Iurky number 8, 2
Iurky roIour 0ark brown
I0808 April 21-May 21
You are exaggeraling lhe imrovemenls you
wanl lo make in your lie. You have lhe energy lo
erorm well in your work and reach lhe ladder
o success and achieve whalever you wanl lo.
You need lo socialise and reconnecl wilh lhe
eole around you. And lrusl me, lhis will rove
quile rewarding. Those who are connecled lo
commodily business will earn enough lhis week.
Lovers will ind a new meaning and lhings will
move on lo anolher level. you are looking or
love, lhen you mighl meel your soul male lhis
week. You're a lrue and a dedicaled erson, bolh
ersonally or roessionally. Your mind and
hearl are aligned and balanced. The week is
yours! 0ive il your besl.
Iurky day Sunday
Iurky number 8, 2
Iurky roIour 0range
6FMI8I May 22-June 21
You mighl send a luxurious lime wilh old
riends and dear ones. Some o you may visil
your nearanddear ones i you slay ar rom
lhem. For eole who are looking or a lie
arlner or soul male, lhis is lhe lime lo ulill
your wish. 0eal wilh lhings logically; use your
mind more lhan your hearl. hew lechniques lo
communicale or an easy manner will hel
make your case; a riendshi mighl soon lurn
inlo a relalionshi. Those who are asiring or
sludies or job asecls in a oreign land may
have reasons lo smile lhis week. You are
recise and ready lo erorm any lask in a
more eicienl manners lhan olhers. l's lime
or you lo erorm well in all lhe asecls.
Iurky day Thursday
Iurky number 1, O
Iurky roIour Lighl yellow
080F8 June 22-July 22
The week will bring new oorlunilies which
will hel you grow inancially. You have lo be
resenlable and enlhusiaslic al lhis lime. Al lhe
same lime your generosily will be rewarded.
nveslmenl in buying/selling, lollery, share and
slock markels will be ruilul. There could be
challenges, allegalions and your souse mighl
be demanding. There may be a lendency lo
conuse anlasy wilh realily and have overly
romanlic emolions or someone who is oul o
reach. You mighl sel your mind and hearl on
someone who is unavailable lo recirocale your
love. Clear away all illusions and live in realily.
you show imalience and unreasonable
demands, you mighl ace diicully in love.
Iurky day Salurday
Iurky number 8, 2
Iurky roIour Red
I860 Aug 24-Sept 23
The week is smoolh in lerms o relalions;
lhings will be easy going. Feole around you
will eel relaxed wilh your good behaviour
lowards lhem. There will be harmony in your
amily. Romance and new excilemenls are in
lhe air loo. Those who are single will ind lhe
arlner o lheir choice and will lan lo send
some good lime logelher. A marriage dale
could be ixed lhis week. Your lie will be quile
enjoyable esecially i you can relax. Some
diseases may creale lrouble or you and will
make you eel worried aboul lhe silualion
around you. You are very sensilive; kee
yoursel sae rom any kind o ineclion. Slay
away rom ollulion and roadside ood.
Iurky day wednesday
Iurky number O, 7
Iurky roIour Black
lI88 Sept 24-Oct 23
Your dynamic ersonalily will make an
imression on olhers. You are romanlic;
you admire and areciale your souse wilh
sweel words lo make your relalion more
delighlul. 0lher relalions are very suorlive
in your lie. This is a rewarding week in lerms
o your roession. you are in a arlnershi
business, lhere are air chances lhal you will
work or selless molives. hew under
slandings could be develoed. You will be lhe
leader and eole will ollow you. They will
resecl your oinions. Those who are in a job
have reasons lo be roud aler achieving
success in an imorlanl rojecl. This will
mark a sleing slone in your career.
Iurky day Monday
Iurky number 1, 7
Iurky roIour Royal blue
8008FI0 Oct 24-Nov 22
Your slalus in sociely will be enhanced.
Relalives will areciale your endeavours. A
hay and roserous amily is in lhe oing.
Children will make you roud. Celebralion,
enjoymenls will ill lhe environmenl wilh
laughler and hainess. You are emolional
and senlimenlal, and gel worried aboul
small issues. Fhysically, you will remain
heallhy bul menlal lension will make you sick.
Al limes you are an unsocial erson. You
wanl lo slay alone in your own world. You
should visil a counsellor or a healer who
could disel your ignorance. Medilalion and
olher ycic raclices will hel you be a more
balanced erson.
Iurky day wednesday
Iurky number 4, O
Iurky roIour 0ark green
008I08 Jan 21-Feb 19
The week is nol good in lerms o
relalionshis. Feole looking or a arlner
mighl gel inlo a wrong choice. n an exisling
relalionshi you may lend lo ind laws in
each olher. You need lo generale ailh in your
arlner. Flan a lri lo some exolic lace or
resenl a nice gil, a bouquel o roses lo
reresh your love lie. This is lhe lime when
your inlelligence, wisdom and exerience will
lay you rich dividends. You will ind success
in your career. Fromolion in slalus will make
you eel conidenl and welleslablished. you
are inlo business, your ideas and views will
be resecled and ollowed by everyone. You
are a leader in your eer grou.
Iurky day Monday
Iurky number 1, 7
Iurky roIour while
FI80F8 Feb 20-March 20
You have genuine aeclion or your loved ones.
Time lies on a hay nole, leaving you
rejuvenaled and rejoiced. You will receive
warmlh and aeclion, and you loo are generous
sreading lhe same. There could be a hay
reunion as well. There may be celebralions o
child birlh and marriages al home. You need lo
make conslanl eorls lo slay heallhy and
shining lhis week. You will eslablish your
slrenglh and could be a molivalor or olhers.
Ful your mind, body and soul in order and in
conlrol o yoursel. Balancing is lhe key lo good
heallh. Creale your own schedule in which you
lake care o your heallh and wellbeing. Avoid
junk ood and have heallhy rouline ood.
Iurky day Tuesday
Iurky number 8, O
Iurky roIour 0olden
0F8I0088 Dec 24-Jan 20
unexecled changes and behaviour o eole
al worklace mighl aslonish you. ho maller
whal your goals are, your analylical aroach
will hel you. Your eiciency will increase and
lhe oulcome will be good. Leaders know how
lo gel lhe work done. Those who're looking
or love in lheir lives can grab lhe
oorlunily. l mighl haen lhal you will
meel your soul male al your worklace ilsel.
A work arlner could be your lie arlner and
you will eel emolionally allached. For
married coules, lhe news o regnancy will
bring ulillmenl. 0on'l gel loo exciled and
be normal and relaxed. 0on'l allow your mind
lo rule over your hearl.
Iurky day Monday
Iurky number 5, 4
Iurky roIour Baby ink
lF0 July 23-August 23
You should eel olimislic and ubeal aboul
your relalionshis. you are currenlly in a
commilled relalionshi, il may be elevaled lo
an allogelher dierenl level. you are looking
or love, il is a osilive lime lo meel eole;
somelhing new and romising could slarl. You
will be very hay; jusl remain osilive and
commilled. Your killing inslincl lo gel work
done will be enlerrising lhis week. An
excellenl suorl will be lhere when you have
somewhal o a ledious work lo gel
accomlished. To make you busier and also
beneil you inancially, a new rojecl could be
assigned. You will eel secure inancially and
money will come rom more sources lhan one.
Iurky day Monday
Iurky number 8, G
Iurky roIour 0rey
86III8I08 Nov 23-Dec 23
YOURE339AHEAD
MA0hu K0TYA
T
oday, as I write this piece, it is
Mauni Amavasya, a day assigned
to self-reflecting in silence so as to
rediscover oneself at regular periodic
intervals. Also, it clears the baggage of
imprints of inlaid inconsequential and
negative thoughts bred by the wandering
and fragile mind. With the scope of
vision and intellect, thus expanded, one
is geared up to get into fresh learning
lessons without any preconditioning,
commencing on Saraswati Puja five days
hereafter. Only then shall our mind, dri-
ven by perception will be able to go
beyond the thin dividing line clouding
the truth and seeming realities.
Remember, in this ever-expanding
and continually changing universe,
learning has to be a continuous process.
For, in the first place, not enough has
been comprehended yet about the com-
plex dynamics of life with all its enormi-
ty and diversity. Second, the dynamics of
every emerging moment keep varying,
confronting us with fresh challenges and
offering newer opportunities. And we
are to remain alert enough to live with
the callings of every emerging moment
overriding all our limitations.
At the height of his glory, Albert
Einstein was once asked: How do you
feel about yourself? He replied,
Standing by the side of a vast ocean of
knowledge, I just have a drop of it.
Only an enlightened person such as
Einstein could openly admit his limita-
tions in all humility. On the contrary,
the egos of the less evolved but proved
lucky in some fields speak loud. They
would be dying to blurt out their
instinctive fanciful ideas in a bid to
prove themselves to be the conscience-
keepers of the nation, not realising
their implications in practical terms.
So, the one-liner tweet from a known
singer Stuck between the moron
and murderer... What now, India!
duly re-tweeted by our over-spirited,
youthful Chief Minister, did not come
as a surprise. It was only to discourage
such intellectual misdemeanours that
the learned masters of yore tried to
explain the process of step-by-step
learning through the following verse:
Janmana jayate shudrah, samskarat
dwija uchayate, vedpathi bhavet viprah,
brahma janati iti brahmanah.
The above verse implies that by
birth, we are all ignorant and unaware.
A lesson in civic mannerism amounts
to being born twice. Exposure to learn-
ing arms us with knowledge in ones
field of study. It is only those who
comprehend the complex dynamics of
life in holistic terms deserve to be
called wise. They qualify to be the con-
science-keepers.
Our learned masters did also sug-
gest how to gain wisdom through the
symbolism of Goddess Saraswati.
Accordingly, they assigned a date with
Her, every fifth lunar day in the bright
fortnight of Hindu month of Magh. The
Mother is shown attired in spotless
white, flowing in a water body with a
shining lotus around, and mounted on
spotless goose (hamsa). White symbol-
ises purity, free from any preconceived
limitations of mind. Goose is the only
species of the kind that consumes pure
milk, leaving aside water if anything is
mixed with it. It implies that truth can
be ascertained only when the subject in
hand is explored with an objective and
open mind, as the symbolic goose does
with diluted milk. And truth alone
shines unaffected by external influences,
as the beautiful lotus remains untainted
by the muck below the water body from
where it grows, and does not hold even
a drop of water over its petals. A rosary
in hand implies that it is only through
repeated self-reflections that acquired
knowledge and knowledge stored in a
book in her other hand could turn into
intellect to spontaneously find reflec-
tions in our usual conduct. The
plumage of peacock, her carrier in the
air, look so beautiful through a change
in body-chemistry because of digesting
the venom of a poisonous snake. It
implies that the beauty of wisdom can
be enjoyed only if one could digest the
pains associated with the learning
process. The Veena, the stringed musi-
cal instrument, resonates pleasing tunes
through the harmony and symphony of
assorted notes. Similarly, we too need to
remain in harmony with all and sundry
by being in a mutually giving mode, to
ensure peace and prosperity, individual-
ly and collectively.
Let us take a pledge on the solemn
occasion of Saraswati Puja to keep
our learning process continuously on
with an open mind, and try to pro-
gressively evolve.
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Learn with open mind
Only those who
comprehend the
complex dynamics
of life in holistic
terms deserve to be
called wise. They
qualify to be the
conscience-keepers
sunday
magazino
lJ|l \
EvERY CREATuRE S BETTER ALvE ThAh
0EA0, MEh Ah0 M00SE Ah0 FhE TREES, Ah0
hE wh0 uh0ERSTAh0S T AR0hT wLL RAThER
FRESERvE TS LFE ThAh 0ESTR0Y T.
- hEhRY 0Av0 Th0REAu
Now Dolhi, Fobruary 2, 2014