www.thesouthasiantimes.info Vol. 4 | No. 37 | January 7-13, 2012 | 60 Cents The South Asian Times NEW YORK EDITION Excellence In Journalism See pages 6-15 for an exclusive interview with him and focus on Rotary movement. Man of the Year 2011 Kalyan Banerjee President, Rotary International It is a matter of pride for India and Indians everywhere that Kalyan Banerjee, a businessman from Vapi, Gujarat, is serving as the 2011-12 President of Ro- tary International. Having served this veritable ‘United Nations of non-profit organizations’ for four decades with distinction, he has become the third Indian to lead Rotary International in its 106 years of history at a time when due to Rotary’s persistent Polio Plus campaign since 1988, the world has come ‘this close’ to rooting out the crippling disease afflicting children.
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Vol. 4 | No. 37 | January 7-13, 2012 | 60 Cents
The South Asian TimesNEW YORK EDITION Excellence In Journalism
See pages 6-15 for an exclusive interview with him and focus on
Rotary movement.
Man of the Year 2011Kalyan BanerjeePresident, Rotary International
It is a matter of pride for India and Indians everywhere that
Kalyan Banerjee, a businessman from Vapi, Gujarat, is serving as the 2011-12 President of Ro-
tary International. Having served this veritable ‘United Nations of non-profit organizations’ for four decades with distinction, he has become the third Indian to lead Rotary International in its 106
years of history at a time when due to Rotary’s persistent Polio
Plus campaign since 1988, the world has come ‘this close’
to rooting out the crippling disease afflicting children.
The world in frames 34 Chalo Punjab Campaign 35 Annual Predictions 74 Spiritual Awareness 78
NEW YORK EDITION
The rise of the
fifth estate
Social Media,
Page 61
Will Obama be
re-elected
President?
Reign of the
bold, beautiful
and the tough
Bollywood,
Page 67
Top 50 Coolest
Desis of 2011
People,
Page 55
President Banerjee gets Rotary touse social media for growth
The South Asian Times Person of the Year 2011, Kalyan Banerjee,President (2011-12) of Rotary International, gave an exclusive
interview to this paper at Rotary Headquarter in Chicago.
By Parveen Chopra
ByChicago: Keenly aware that Rotary is seen as
an organization of the old people-- in the West at
least -- and losing members, RI President Kalyan
Banerjee is leading the organization to try to con-
nect with the youth again. Harnessing the social
media is part of the move to mend matters. The
legacy of his presidency he wants to leave is
“having raised Rotary to the 21st century level so
people come to Rotary."
In India, of course, Rotary is growing and
attracting young people.
Banerjee’s presidency is bound to give a further
impetus and standing to the movement there,
Continued on page 4
Vol.4 No.37 January 7-13, 2012 60 Cents Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info
How Jaipur prepared to host PBD-2012 Jaipur: Preparations were in full
swing in this Rajasthan capital for
the three-day Pravasi Bharatiya
Diwas (PBD) diaspora conclave
Jan 7-9.
PBD-2012 will see participation
of President Pratibha Patil, Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh, sever-
al union ministers and chief minis-
ters and some 1,300 NRIs from 54
countries across the globe.
At a high-level review meeting,
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok
Gehlot directed the officials to
expedite the pending works. He
wanted important monuments and
government buildings in the city
to be lit up during the PBD.
A control room has been opened
at the Birla Auditorium which will
operate round the clock for the
guests. He also asked police to
make arrangements for swift flow
of traffic during the event.
The beautification work of the
Rajasthan capital, known as the
Pink City globally, is in full throt-
tle.
Various bodies in the city,
Continued on page 4
PBD kicks off withfocus on inclusivegrowth and youth
Jaipur: India's annual conclave to
connect with its 30 million diaspora
in some 130 countries kicked off
Saturday in this Pink City, with the
focus this time on inclusive growth
and the youth.
The organizers, the Ministry of
Overseas Indian Affairs, were
expecting more than 1,300 dele-
gates from 54 countries to partici-
pate in the three-day event, called
the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD),
the 10th edition thus far hosted by
the Indian government.
"The main thrust of the event is
to find ways and means on how to
make the younger generation of
people of Indian origin understand
India. We will discuss this at length
at the meet," Minister of Overseas
Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi said.
Trinidad and Tobago Prime
Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar
will be the chief guest at the 10th
edition of the conclave with the
theme "Global Indian -- Inclusive
Growth".
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
will deliver the inaugural address
here Sunday, while President
Pratibha Patil will deliver the vale-
dictory address and also confer the
Pravasi Bhartiya Samman awards a
day after.
"The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is
celebrated every year to mark the
contribution of overseas Indian
community in development of
India. It is a pride, privilege for
Continued on page 4
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meeting his counterpart fromTrinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, at Rashtrapati
Bhavan in New Delhi Jan 6, 2012. Smt. Gursharan Kaur and Dr.Gregory Bissessar are also seen. Persad-Bissessar is chief guest
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4 Community
PBD StoryContinued from page 3Jaipur, the Pink City, to host this
convention," Rajasthan Chief
Minister Ashok Gehlot said.
"We eagerly look forward to wel-
coming the illustrious sons and
daughters of our great nation."
The Rajasthan government, this
year's co-hosts, said major efforts
have been made to beautify the city,
including the sprucing up of its
world famous monuments. The
state's handicraft emporium
Rajasthali has announced a 10-per-
cent discount for delegates.
Keynote speakers from the feder-
al government include Finance
Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Road
Transport Minister C.P. Joshi and
Environment Minister Jayanthi
Natarajan. Besides, Rajasthan
Governor Shivraj Patil will speak
about the message of Mahatma
Gandhi.
Also participating are a host of
chief ministers -- Goa's Digambar
Kamat, Gujarat's Narendra Modi,
Jharkand's Arjun Munda, Kerala's
Oommen Chandy and Madhya
Pradesh's Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The timing of the PBD has been
so chosen to mark the return of
Mahatma Gandhi, India's best-
known Pravasi and Father of the
Nation, from South Africa on
January 9, 1915.
PBD JaipurStoryContinued from page 3including the Jaipur Development
Authority (JDA) and Jaipur
Municipal Corporation (JMC), are
working day and night to make the
city look lavish and clean. A JMC
official said wall paintings and
lighting on government buildings
have been completed and few small
things will be finished by Friday.
Meanwhile, an official of the
Confederation of Indian Industry
(CII), the PBD's organizing partner,
said that sessions on issues like
water, solar energy and gender
issues will be organized from Jan 7
to Jan 9 at Birla Auditorium here.
Elaborate security arrangements
have been made keeping in view of
the visit of several VVIPs.
Manmohan Singh, Gehlot and
Overseas Indian Affairs Minister
Vayalar Ravi will address the inau-
gural session followed by the
keynote sessions by Finance
Minister Pranab Mukherjee,
Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna,
Planning Commission Deputy
Chairman Montek Singh
Ahluwalia.
Person of the year StoryContinued from page3prominent Indian Rotarians said,
adding that Banerjee's ascension is
matter of pride for all Indians and
India. Banerjee, a businessman
fromVapi in Gujarat, is a pioneer of
polio eradication. The global
PolioPlus campaign has made
Rotary very visible. In India no
case has been reported for almost a
year. “Today PolioPlus has taught
us to have a bigger impact in the
world,” Banerjee says.
He may be heading the biggest
service organizaion in the world,
but he tapped his inner core and
Indian ethos to come up with the
Rotary theme of 2011-11: 'Reach
Within to Embrace Humanity', pic-
tured into a beautiful logo by
artists.
The Editor picks a Pic
Cleanup bid for PBD washescolour off Hawa Mahal?
Investor /Funds
Available
Jaipur: An effort to clean the
famous Hawa Mahal ahead of the
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD)-
2012 here may have left the 18th
century 'Palace of Winds' with
colourless patches and also dam-
aged some of its outer surface,
archaeological sources said
Friday.
Apparently over-enthusiastic to
clean the city ahead of the PBD,
the civic authorities here washed
the pink coloured Hawa Mahal
using the fire brigade's water pres-
sure hoses, the sources said.
The action on the outer surface,
carried out to remove dust and
grime from the building, has left
several patches on the monument
with faded color and damaged
parts of it, the sources said.
Experts are saying the action
was unwarranted and the cleaning
was carried out without any care
and supervision.The city is being
cleaned ahead of the PBD being
organised here Jan 7-9. "During a
visit to tourist spots in the city a
couple of days ago, Rajasthan
Tourism Minister Bina Kak had
expressed dissatisfaction over the
sanitation work at Hawa Mahal.
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January 7-13, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
This photograph has intensity, emotion, drama and suspense about a calamitous event. You would haveseen it before. At the White House President Obama watches on live video the Navy Seals mission to fishout Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden from his hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan unfold along with VicePresident Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, alongsideother Security staff, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mike Mullen, National Security
Adviser Tom Donilon, and Counter-Terrorism chief John Brennan.
6
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
“WORD PEACE IS POSSIBLETHROUGH DEVELOPMENT”
-KALYAN BANERJEEBy Parveen Chopra
It was difficult to get an appointment
with Kalyan Banerjee due to the hectic
travel schedule a Rotary President has
to follow. But, through the good offices of
Past Dist Governor, Ravi Bhooplapur,
SATimes got an appointment recently.
Once we meet him in his chambers on the
top floor of the Rotary Headquarters in
Chicago, we are put at ease. He talks flu-
ently, simply, meaningfully. Excerpts from
the interview where he reflects on what
his presidency means for India, what he
intends to do to see Rotary grow, and what
Rotary can do to bring down hostilities
between cultures and countries:
How do you perceive Rotary as an
organization?
RI President Kalyan Banerjee: Rotary
is the world’s largest service organization
spread in 200 countries with 1.24 million
members. Diversity is very great and
because of our involvement in things like
polio it is becoming increasingly well-
known and people and groups are begin-
ning to seek Rotary partnership. Rotarians
are persons of influence and reach in
every community and they are the the
movers and shakers of society and so
when they get involved they are able to
connect with great depth. The Rotarians
are from various fields and vocations,
industrialists, lawyers, doctors, religious
people. Rotary is not a religious organiza-
tion but all religions are important, equally
significant, regardless of who you are.
In fact, we were the organization which
first took up the task of polio eradica-
tion, and were followed by UNICEF and
government organizations. Bill Gates has
given us $350 million dollars and contin-
ues to give. The time and effort Rotarians
have spent on immunizing children in
countries like India and Nigeria has been
immense. In India there is almost no polio
case for last 11 months.
Rotary has been involved in other
things like we give the largest number of
international scholarships every year—
peace scholarships—for people at six
selected universities, programs that
enhance peace. How to enhance peace?
One is through development. Second is
through discussions and meetings, associ-
ations rather than taking drastic action.
Third is through enhancing trade, com-
merce, promoting friendship and coopera-
tion. When people come together like
USA and China, a relationship is formed.
In America everything you come across is
made in China. When people come togeth-
er, one is a seller one is a customer, the
relationship is something different. Before
they do anything else they’d think of the
economic aspect of it. India and Pakistan
are also getting together in so many ways -
trade, sports. Pakistani children come to
Indian hospitals and Rotarian gets free
operations done for them and bear the
cost. I like to tell the story of a Pakistani
boy who said after the operation and
recovery that Pakistan gave him birth but
India gave me a new life. He said “India
Zindabad and Pakistan Zindabad”. Forces
of peace today are becoming stronger.
Human development is only possible
when there is peace. Look at it the other
way, if you do human development, hope-
fully peace will follow. That is what
Rotary is trying to do - human develop-
ment to promote peace.
What does it feel to be the President of
such an international organization like
Rotary?
RI President: Most of the time I don’t
think about it, if you think you can go
crazy. It is a great honor to be the
President and a responsibility. I hope and
pray that I measure up to the task and
leave with satisfaction having raised
Rotary to the next level, to the 21st centu-
ry level so that people come to Rotary as
the world’s most favored NGO, the most
sought after NGO, most reliable, depend-
able organization. It is, of course, an
ongoing process, and not a project that can
be finished in a year. We are doing polio
eradication, but take the problem of water,
that cannot be solved in a year. I am not
saying that everyone should be educated,
but I say at least start the process.
What does it mean for India and
Indians that you have become Rotary
President?
RI President: Rotarians in India are
happy, they are charged, highly motivated.
I am a president from India after 20 years.
In the lifetime of many Rotarians it would
the first time that an Indian is president.
So they are very happy. It is a matter of
pride.
The 2011-12 theme you gave—‘Reach
Within to Embrace Humanity’- for
Rotary has something to do with Indian
philosophy. So what Indian values or
ethos are you instilling in Rotary?
RI President: You cannot bring in any
particular ethos, one should not try. Let us
not forget that Rotary is an international
organization—different religions, different
cultures, different thought processes. But
basically you are right, it is an Indian
theme, an Indian philosophical theme, it
comes from our culture. But how it con-
nected with people I cannot really imag-
ine. As Gandhiji said you be the change
you want to see in the world. If you want
to reform the world, to love all, learn to
love yourself. You have to start with your
neighbors first. In English there is a say-
ing that it is easy to love the whole wide
world, it is only the fellow next door who
is a problem. Still narrow focus, start with
loving your family, and start with your-
self. One has to know what one’s goal in
life is and what has an individual done to
make your life meaningful, and life of oth-
ers happy. If you reach within yourself, if
you understand yourself better you are
better able to accept others, embrace oth-
ers in the sense that everyone then
becomes your brother.
From Indian culture and religion, any
particular people influenced you--
Gandhi, Vivekananda and whether you
follow any particular branch of religion
or philosophy?
RI President: We have been associated
with Ramakrishna Mission, and believe in
his teachings and from then on to Swami
Vivekananda. Same as Gandhi said, you
can make all the difference. The power of
the world comes from the individual and
the power of individual comes from your
your own mind.
You can be whatever you want to be.
That is what our philosophy says. I am a
god believing man, not a god fearing man.
One should live according to certain prin-
ciples and things work out.
I heard an Indian guru say that the
purpose of life is to serve others…
RI President: Yes, at the end of the day,
you really think, you are born, you grow
up, you live, you work, you die. Rotarians
make a lot of money, but why we are
Rotarians is because we get pleasure out
of giving the money, utilizing the money,
helping others. That is what makes Rotary
different. A person was asked what he was
worth and he said one million dollars.
“Only one million, but you are a billion-
aire.” he was told. He replied, “Sure I may
have a billion dollars but I donate only one
million and so that is my worth.”
Whatever time, money, effort you spend in
looking after others measures you, who
you are.
Continued on page 7
RI President-elect Kalyan Banerjee reveals the 2011-12 RI theme during the openingplenary session of the 2011 International Assembly, 17 January 2011,
San Diego, California, USA.
Bill Gates, a big donor to Rotary, greeting Kalyan Banerjee and others at the RI Convention on May 24, 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
7
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Continued from page 6
During your presidential term, which
initiatives you are taking to take Rotary
further?
RI President: You have to look at the next
generation of Rotary. Different kind of proj-
ects one can do of course. I tell people to do
whatever is suitable in your area. Some are
working for clean and safe water, in some
areas they are working for AIDS, for literacy.
Knowledge is very important for develop-
ment of a nation. Nani Palkhivala once said,
‘if a nation wants to be ignorant and free,
that never was and never will be’. A big flaw
in India is illiteracy, more than 40% illitera-
cy, and that is a lot of people. Rotary is try-
ing to work with the government in a country
like India, trying to provide public private
partnership to bring about literacy. That is a
way for us to move forward in such develop-
ing countries.
Rotary is considered to be an organization
of old people, particularly in America. In
India we have young Rotarians. In America
we tell the young people they may be very
busy but they can spar a couple of hours in a
day for social service. Change is taking place
and young people are coming to Rotary in
America. Connectivity, and connectivity in
family is important, which is missing here.
Mother Teresa said parents and children
don’t get along and in the home begins the
disruption of the peace of the world. If fami-
ly is not peaceful than how will a nation be
peaceful?
So Rotarians age is growing and num-
bers falling…
RI President: In this part of the world,
yes. Not in India. India and Asia are growing
because Asia is newly emerging part of the
world. If you don’t connect with younger
people today the tomorrow it will be too late.
They will not come back to you.
So how do you increase the member-
ship?
RI President: If Rotary does work…
Earlier we looked ourselves as a community
based organization. Today PolioPlus has
taught us that we can have a huge impact
through the world. So if you look at bigger
issues, instead of building a school in your
own community, communities can come
together to raise the education level. Then,
not only a community, the country changes.
So that is how we should think. We are the
most important people in a community, but if
important people in different communities
get together, all communities coming
together make a country and countries get-
ting together to make the world. That is what
the trend in Rotary is.
What can Rotary do to decrease the hos-
tility between the Muslim and non-
Muslim worlds?
RI President: Rotary does exist in many
Muslim countries like Pakistan, Malaysia,
Indonesia. But not in Middle East due to
their social structure. Change is happening
now. Rotary is now in Egypt, Dubai, Abu
Dhabi. We are trying to bring them all
together . Through the years lot of mistrust
came down because of political background.
Rotary is the best way to remove the mis-
trust. For one, if we can solve the water
problem in the Arab world, peace will pre-
vail there.
In China also Rotary has not made
headway, so what is the basic requirement
for Rotary to flourish?
RI President: Free economy, free think-
ing, freedom of speech, of association. Basic
freedoms are required.
Ideology-wise where does Rotary stand?
RI President: Doing good to others.
Peace. Peace through development and
progress in today’s world. Ideology is to help
people. Somebody has said, if people get
together, so too will nations. We are trying to
bring people together.
I believe a Rotary president has to trav-
el a lot.
RI President: In a given year, 50 to 60
countries.
How many languages you speak?
RI President: Not too many. Hindi,
Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali and of course
English.
Where in India was your upbringing?
RI President: I was born in Calcutta, stud-
ied in Gwalior and lived in Vapi, Gujarat.
What about your children?
RI President: I have one son who is chem-
ical engineer, married to a Thai girl in
Australia. He has two grandchildren.
Daughter is settled in Saudi Arabia and has
Canadian citizenship.
How do you manage your Rotary activi-
ties along with your company?
RI President: All my board members are
very co-operative. I am 69 and the company
is already being run by young generations.
We go to board meetings if we are useful in
getting some work done!.
How do you think India is faring in
terms of development and progress?
RI President: India has done well but in
last few years has got bogged down. We are
shooting ourselves in the foot. India needs to
be run by capable people. Technocrats
instead of bureaucrats. We damage ourselves
all the time. We should soar like an eagle
instead of flying like a pigeon.
In a speech once you pinpointed a cur-
rent problem - moral evasion?
RI President: Moral evasion… yes, we
should call a spade a spade, talk about what
is bothering one. People have problems but
how much time they can take out for others.
If you throw the dust out of the door and
close your door, the dust will come back
through the window. You have to reach far
out to keep cleanliness. If you help your
neighbor’s boat across the water then your
boat will also reach the shore. There are a lot
of things going on in India and that is why
Anna Hazare is coming out.
Which world leaders have influenced
you?
RI President: Albert Schweitzer, Gandhi,
who gave their life for humanity. Nelson
Mandela is another example who changed
South Africa. Mother Teresa gave up every-
thing to help the world.
You are a great orator and an inspiration
speaker…
I think you can reach out to people with
simple thoughts, if you live a simple life of
honesty and integrity. I read well. Economist,
India today, I stay connected with Indian
news papers, I read Gandhiji’s autobiogra-
phy.
RI President-elect Kalyan Banerjee calls to order the fourth plenary session on 18January during the 2011 International Assembly in San Diego, California, USA.
From left: Rotary General Secretary John Hewko, RI President Kalyan Banerjee, andRotary Foundation Trustee Chair Bill Boyd. .
John Osterlund, General manager,Rotary Foundation
Peter DeBerge, RI Deputy GeneralSecretary
BANERJEE’S VISON FORGENERATION NEXT
As we focus on our strategic plan
and Future Vision, I believe it
is time for us to move into a
future-forward mode — not just in the
next year but in the next decade and
beyond.
These are exciting times, changing
times, and times when we keep our
feet firmly on the ground, anchored
in our core values, but look beyond the
far horizon. And as our Generation
Next connects through Facebook,
Twitter, YouTube, and iPhones, I
believe the time has come to join
hands, urge them forward, and go
ahead developing our own Rotary
social network, as we hope to do in the
coming months.
Fulsome praise From roTariaN leaders
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
January 7-13, 20128
An album photo of Kalyan Banerjee with other Rotary leaders in India.
Kalyan Banerjee with wifeBinota in the President’s chambers on the top floor of the
Rotary Headquartersin Evanston, IL.
Official group photo of the 2011-12 Directors of the Board of Rotary International with Banerjee seated in the middle. Directors from India Shekhar Mehta and Y.P. Das are on extreme left and extreme right respectively.
Kalyan is like a younger brother to me. He is an outstanding person. Basically he a chemical engineer and how to work on chem-istry of people. His management and corpo-rate experience puts him in a class apart.
Rajendra Saboo, Rotary International President (1991-92)
Passionate, powerful, caring, sincere.
John Osterland, Rotary Foundation General Manager
I have known President Kalyan for many years. He has been committed to becoming the best communicator he can be, not only be-cause his leadership responsibilities demanded it, but also because he wanted it for himself. He responded to the demands of a new posi-tion whenever it came to him. He understood that to be an effective leader he has to be more in touch with who he is and how he wants to serve the community. This has reflected in his theme for Rotary International during the year 2011-12 which is ‘Reach Within to Em-brace Humanity.’ He has reached the pinnacle of Rotary because he knows that really im-portant things in life come through long-term commitment and the rewards are as much in the journey as in the destination.
Ashok Mahajan, Trustee,
Rotary Foundation
He has left a lasting impression on me for being compassionate, sincere, committed and above all humble. These qualities have taken him all the way to the top leadership position.
Y.P. Das, RI Director
President Kalyan has had humble begin-nings, and he still remains down to earth, without ego. I have known him since my Rotary days in India. He is a motivating fac-tor for me. I want to be like him. It is great to work with him. When we established two new clubs in Long Island, he flew down just for 12 hours to USA for the charter ceremony. I personally appreciate his energy, encour-agement and enthusiasm. It is great for our people to have him as the third president of the largest philanthropic, non-governmental organization in the world. He is a pioneer of polio eradication and thus a symbol of rec-ognition of Rotary in India. The credit for what he has achieved also goes to his fam-ily. He has enjoyed 100 percent support and commitment from his wife, Binota.
Ravi Bhooplapur, Past Governor,
Dist 7250
President Banerjee is an amazing personal-ity, fully devoted to the community service and has a tremendous capacity to travel and find time wherever Rotary needs him. After a full day of travel and Rotary activities, he still finds time to prepare his speech for the next event. His oratory is par excellence.
Sushil Gupta, Past RI Director
The very first impression Kalyan Banerjee left me with was that of a man with tremen-dous energy, great passion for Rotary and a diehard optimist. His grassroots approach towards service activities, his tenacity to-wards anything that he perceives, and of course the most importantly it is his humil-ity that has taken him to where he is.
Kalyan Banerjee’s becoming President is of course one of the significant events for the Rotary movement in India in recent times. This will give a major fillip to every aspect of Rotary in India. Rotary in India is passing through a golden period and I can say the best is yet to come.
Shekhar Mehta, RI Director
A higher profileKalyan Banerjee is chair of United
Phosphorus, Bangladesh, and a director of United Phosphorus Ltd., one of the largest manufacturers of agrochemicals in India, and Uniphos Agro Industries Ltd. Born in Kolkata in 1942, he earned a degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, in 1964.
He is a resident of Vapi, Gujarat, where he has contributed signifi-cantly to its development as one of the largest industrial estates in India, helping to provide infrastructure for health care and education.Banerjee has been a member of the Rotary Club of Vapi since 1972. He served as club president in 1975-76 and district governor in 1980-81. He began his international service to Rotary in 1995, with his appoint-ment to the RI Board of Directors. He has gone on to serve as general coordinator of the Poverty and Hun-ger Alleviation Task Force (1997-98), trustee of The Rotary Foundation (2001-05), and chair of the Southeast Asia PolioPlus Committee (2009-10). He has served on numerous other
committees, including the Interna-tional PolioPlus Committee (2008-09), Reach Out to Africa Ad-Hoc Executive Committee (2009-10), Leadership Development and Train-ing Committee (2009-10), Permanent Fund Committee for India (2008-09), and the Child Mortality Emphasis Coordinating Team (2008-09).
Banerjee is also active in many other organizations, including the Ameri-can Chemical Society, Indian Insti-tute of Chemical Engineers, and the Senate of the Vishva-Bharati Univer-sity. He has served twice as president of Vapi Industries Association and is a past chair of the Gujarat Council of the Confederation of Indian In-dustry. In addition, he is a trustee for the Jai Research Foundation.Kalyan Banerjee is married to Bino-ta, a social worker, and they have two children and four grandchildren.
International President,has reached the apogeeof a successful, full, ful-filled life. Yet, at the ageof 70, he is traveling theworld with vim and vigor,
directing a service organization that
has 1.2 million membersand 34,000 clubs in virtually every nation
of the world
2011-12 RI President, Kalyan Banerjee speaks at the "On to Bangkok Luncheon" during RI Convention, 25 May 2011, New Orleans, Louisiana. RI’s next annual convention
is at Bangkok, Thailand, May 6-9, 2012.
RI President Kalyan Banerjee and his wife, Binota, greet Pope Benedict XVI during theirvisit to Rome 12 October, 2011.
Kalyan Banerjee and wife Binota enjoyingthe Fellowship Dinner and Dance on 18
January at the 2011 InternationalAssembly in San Diego.
As RI President-Elect, Kalyan Banerjee flew down only for a few hours to charter twoSouth Asian dominated clubs in December 2009. The Hicksville South Club (Charter
President Kamlesh Mehta) and Jericho Sunrise Club (Charter President Vimi Sikka) tookoff with the efforts of Ravi Bhooplapur, past Dist. Governor 7250.
Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar, Kalyan Banerjee andspouse Binota, and RI President Ray Klinginsmith and spouse Judy greet Grand March
participants as they parade into the International Fellowship Dinner and Dance.International Assembly, 18 January 2011, San Diego, California.
Kalyan Banerjee andwife are joined by RIPast President RajendraSaboo and other seniorleaders from India andtheir spouses at theInternational FestivalTalent Night at theInternational Assemblyin San Diego in January2011.
Aide to the RI President-elect Julio Sorjús, RI President-elect Kalyan Banerjee,Moderator Monty Audenart, RI President Ray Klinginsmith, and Rotarian
Coordinator Duane Sterling conclude the flag ceremony during the Opening PlenarySession of the 2011 International Assembly, 17 January 2011, San Diego, California.
President, Kalyan Banerjeecalled on Indian Ambassador
to the US, Nirupama Rao inWashington DC in November
1. He was accompanied byhis wife, Binota, Kamlesh
Mehta,Charter President ofHicksville South Club, and
Ravi Bhooplapur, PastGovernor of District 7250.
11
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
IT ALL BEGAN INCHICAGO…
With humble beginnings as the world’s first service club,Rotary has grown into the world’s largest service organization.
Rotary founder Paul Harris’s original office has been recreated in a room at theRotary headquarters in Chicago.
National flags being displayed at a foyer in Rotary HQ.
Rotary International is a vol-
unteer organization of busi-
ness and professional lead-
ers who provide humanitarian
service, and help to build goodwill
and peace in the world. There are
approximately 1.2 million Rotary
club members belonging to 34,000
Rotary clubs in more than 200
countries and geographical areas.
Founded in Chicago in 1905,
Rotary celebrated 100 years of
service in 2005. The Rotary
Foundation has awarded more than
US$2.1 billion in grants, which are
administered at the local level by
Rotary clubs.
Rotary clubs exist to improve
communities through a range of
humanitarian, intercultural and
educational activities. Rotary also
encourages high ethical standards
in all vocations.
Rotary clubs address critical
issues at home and abroad by pro-
viding health care and medical
supplies, clean water, food, job
training, youth development, and
education to millions of people in
need. Examples of Rotary’s focus
areas include:
Polio Eradication - In 1985,
Rotary International created
PolioPlus – a program to immu-
nize all the world’s children
against polio. To date, Rotary has
contributed more than $1 billion
and countless volunteer hours to
the protection of more than two
billion children in 122 countries.
Rotary is currently working to
raise an additional $200 million
toward a $355 million challenge
grant from the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation. These efforts
are providing much needed polio
vaccine, operational support, med-
ical personnel, laboratory equip-
ment and educational materials for
health workers and parents. In
addition, Rotary has played a
major role in decisions by donor
governments to contribute over $6
billion to the effort. Rotary volun-
teers work in cooperation with
the national health ministries,
WHO, UNICEF, and the US
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
Peace effort: In an effort to edu-
cate tomorrow’s peacemakers and
ambassadors, up to 110 Rotary
World Peace Fellows are spon-
sored each year to study at one of
the eight universities for
International Studies in peace and
conflict resolution.
International Education: Rotary
is the world’s largest privately-
funded source of international
scholarships. Each year, about
1,000 university students receive
Rotary scholarships to study
abroad. Rotary clubs also coordi-
nate a high schoolage student
exchange program that has sent
nearly 8,000 students abroad for
three months to a year.
Humanitarian Projects: Rotary
clubs initiate thousands of humani-
tarian service projects every year.
These volunteerdriven projects
address the root causes of conflict,
such as hunger, poverty, disease
and illiteracy.
Literacy: Rotary clubs work to
improve literacy rates worldwide.
Water Management:
Recognizing the importance of
clean water, many Rotary clubs
help to install wells and develop
water treatment and distribution
systems to increase availability of
potable water.
It all started in Chicago where the
world's first service club, the Rotary
Club of Chicago, was formed on in
February 1905 by Paul P. Harris, an attor-
ney who wished to capture in a professional
club the same friendly spirit he had felt in
the small towns of his youth. The Rotary
name derived from the early practice of
rotating meetings among members' offices.
Rotary's popularity spread, and within a
decade, clubs were chartered from San
Francisco to New York to Winnipeg,
Canada. By 1921, Rotary clubs had been
formed on six continents. The organization
adopted the Rotary International name a
year later.
As Rotary grew, its mission expanded
beyond serving club members’ professional
and social interests. Rotarians began pool-
ing their resources and contributing their
talents to help serve communities in need.
The organization's dedication to this ideal is
best expressed in its motto: Service Above
Self.
By July 1925, Rotary had grown to more
than 2,000 clubs and an estimated 108,000
members. The organization's distinguished
reputation attracted presidents, prime min-
isters, and a host of other luminaries to its
ranks — among them author Thomas
Mann, diplomat Carlos P. Romulo, humani-
tarian Albert Schweitzer, and composer
Jean Sibelius.
In 1932, Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor creat-
ed The Four-Way Test, a code of ethics
adopted by Rotary 11 years later. The test
has been translated into more than 100 lan-
guages.
During World War II, many clubs were
forced to disband, while others stepped up
their service efforts to provide emergency
relief to victims of the war. In 1942, look-
ing ahead to the postwar era, Rotarians
called for a conference to promote interna-
tional educational and cultural exchanges.
This event inspired the founding of
UNESCO.
In 1945, 49 Rotary club members served
in 29 delegations to the UN Charter
Conference. Rotary still actively partici-
pates in UN conferences by sending
observers to major meetings and covering
the United Nations in its publications.
"Few there are who do not recognize the
good work which is done by Rotary clubs
throughout the free world," former Prime
Minister Winston Churchill of Great Britain
once declared.
As it approached the 21st century, Rotary
worked to meet society’s changing needs,
expanding its service efforts to address such
pressing issues as environmental degrada-
tion, illiteracy, world hunger, and children
at risk.
In 1989, the organization voted to admit
women into clubs worldwide. Today,
women are an integral part of Rotary's
membership.
After the collapse of the Berlin Wall and
the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Rotary
clubs were formed or re-established
throughout Central and Eastern Europe.
The first Russian Rotary club was chartered
in 1990, and the organization underwent a
growth spurt for the next several years.
More than a century after Paul Harris and
his colleagues chartered the club that even-
tually led to Rotary International, Rotarians
continue to take pride in their history. In
honor of that first club, Rotarians have pre-
served its original meeting place, Room 711
in Chicago’s Unity Building, by re-creating
the office as it existed in 1905. For several
years, the Paul Harris 711 Club maintained
the room as a shrine for visiting Rotarians.
In 1989, when the building was scheduled
to be demolished, the club carefully dis-
mantled the office and salvaged the interior,
including doors and radiators. In 1993, the
RI Board of Directors set aside a permanent
home for the restored Room 711 on the
16th floor of RI World Headquarters in
nearby Evanston.
Today, 1.2 million Rotarians belong to
over 32,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200
countries and geographical areas.
BUT WHAT DOES ROTARY DO?
Southeast Portland Rotary'smembers with other volunteerstraveled to the village of SantaClara in El Salvador to drill awell and bring fresh water to
the community for the first timein 2009.
The second largest member-ship of Rotary is in India.
India also is the third biggest contributor to Rotary
International. To top that, Rotarians there are coming
up with concrete suggestions on how to undertake mega community service projects, ready to lead the venerable organization which is losing appeal in western countries.
Nitish C. Laharry, who served as 1962-63 RI President and become the first Indian
Rotarian to rise to that venerable position, was a member of the Calcutta Rotary Club. Coincidentally, the Calcutta Club was the first Rotary chartered in India on 1 January 1920. Today, more than 3,000 clubs operate throughout the country, including the Rotary Club of Vapi, home to the 2011-12 RI Presi-dent Kalyan Banerjee.
R.J. Coombes is credited with starting In-dia’s first club. But a Canadian, James Wheeler Davidson is largely responsible for Rotary’s growth in the country. He was a member of the Rotary International committee that explored extending the organization into other countries, and traveled to India and charted two clubs in Calcutta, Lahore (now in Pakistan), Bombay and Delhi and Madras in the late 1920s.
Today, Rotary has grown to include more than 115,000 Indian Rotarians. In addition to Banerjee and Laharry, many Rotary lead-ers have called the country home, including 1991-92 RI President Rajendra K. Saboo and more than 10 RI directors.
Rotary’s world famous polio eradication campaign, initiated over 20 years ago, brought
added attention to India. The wild poliovirus (types 1 and 3) is endemic in only four coun-tries—one of them is India, the others being Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria.
“My country has benefited greatly from your support and I thank all of you,” said Ghulam Nabi Azad, India’s minister of health and family welfare, speaking to Ro-tary leaders and staff at RI headquarters in Chicago on 23 September, 2011. He cred-ited Rotary with “not only the mobilization of funds, but the active participation of Ro-tarians in the field with our operations” for helping India near the goal of polio eradica-tion. With just one case of polio reported in the last 11 months (as against over 500 cases worldwide), India is more determined than ever to ensure eradication of the disease.
“Rotary has invested heavily in surveil-lance in India over the last 12 months,” said Bruce Aylward, the WHO assistant direc-tor-general for polio eradication and related
The IndIa facTor In roTary’s growTh
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
January 7-13, 201212
Legendary Indian actor is one of promi-nent people all over the world who have
featured in ‘ThisClose’ campaign to highlight the fact that a final push – and funding – is required to eradicate polio
from the world once for all.
Continues on page 13
Continued from page 12
areas, at a September meeting of Rotary’s Inter-national PolioPlus Committee. “That’s the rea-son we can say with confidence that we think we’re getting close to zero [cases] in India.”
Even while membership numbers fall in the western world, and Rotarians’ average age rises, India, and in fact, Asia, is reporting
healthy growth. In the last five years the membership in India has grown by 35%, (the second largest in the world after America, and crossing Japan). The con-tributions to the Rotary Foundation have also grown substantially making it the third largest contributor in the world.
In 2004, Harshad R. Mehta, of the Ro-tary Club of Bombay Metropolitan, and his wife, Naina, became charter members of the Arch C. Klumph Society. Named after the founder of The Rotary Foundation, the society honors Major Donors who contrib-ute $250,000 or more. (Incidentally, New York based Ravi Bhooplapur, Past District Governor, is also a member of the Arch C. Klumph Society.) In 2006, the Mehtas made a $1 million gift to the Foundation, the first donors from their country to sur-pass that milestone of support.
They have also committed to giving $2 mil-lion over the next three years to Rotary’s $100 Million Challenge for polio eradication.
Harshad Mehta is chair of the United Arab Emirates operations of Rosy Blue, a family-owned international jewelry business. He be-lieves strongly in giving back locally and in the global community. Of the push to end polio, he says, “We must further strengthen our re-solve, as we are so close to the ultimate goal.”
Fellow Indian Rajashree Birla has con-tributed $300,000 to endow an Ambassa-dorial Scholarship and support the Annual Programs Fund. During her April induction into the Klumph Society at RI headquarters in Chicago, she made a surprise announce-ment of an additional $1 million commit-ment to Rotary’s challenge.
Rajashree and her late husband, Aditya Birla’s son, Kumar Mangalam Birla heads the Aditya Birla Group, a Fortune 500 com-pany. He feels a strong kinship with Rotary and its commitment to community service. “Rotarians symbolize a culture of giving and caring which is strikingly close to our group’s philosophy,” Birla says.
At Birla’s encouragement in last May, Usha Mittal, wife of Lakshmi Mittal, the steel magnate, generously responded with a $1 million contribution to the Rotary challenge.
Having seen and steered a massive proj-ect like PolioPlus, Rotarians in India are raring to go and coming up with concrete suggestions on how to undertake mega community service projects, and getting ready to lead the venerable organization which is losing appeal elsewhere.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
January 7-13, 201213
Mother Teresa, who attended the RI convention in SauPaulo, Brazil, in 1981, said, “If we really want to
love, if we reallywant to live, we must love until it hurts… No Rotarian
whose motto is ‘Serviceabove self’ should call himself a Rotarian if he
does not make time to serve,if we love we begin to serve.”
Nitish Lahrry, 1962-63 RI
President, was a member of the Calcutta Rotary,
the first club chartered in
India.
Ghulam Nabi Azad, India’s minister of health and family welfare, visited RI Headquar-ters in Chicago to discuss India’s progress toward polio eradication with Rotary
leaders. He is seen here with International PolioPlus Committee Chair Robert Scott, RI President Kalyan Banerjee and Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair William Boyd.
14
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
PROMINENT INDIAN ROTARIANS
They spoke to SATimes from India asserting that Kalyan Banerjee’s ascension in Rotary willfurther boost the thriving movement in the country. They also speculated on the chances of
a fourth Rotary International President coming from India within the next decade.
Rajendra SabooPast PresidentRotary International
Rajendra Saboo, who became the
second RI President from India 20
years ago, cautions that you do not aspire
for a position in Rotary, nor is there can-
vassing allowed or competing. “You con-
tinue with your dedicated service, and
opportunities come.” His own selection
as president of RI 20 years ago came as a
surprise to him. He took it as an opportu-
nity to come in touch with many more
people, touching humanity in fact.
He recalls how he came up with the
theme for Rotary in 1991-92. “People
started asking me, how can my position at
Rotary help India. Reflecting that one has
to go beyond one’s community and coun-
try, I came up with the theme: ‘Look
Beyond Yourself’.”
Compared to his term as President, the
Chandigarh based businessman says
Rotary’s visibility is much more now,
mainly because of the polio eradication
program.
“A somewhat slide back is the profile of
people becoming members now of what
was considered an elite club once,” Saboo
says, but refrains from judging it as good
or bad. “It has now become an organiza-
tion of the middle class and spread to
small places,” he adds.
Reflecting on the situation in India,
Saboo says that there has to be a linkage
between economic growth and ethical
standards, something that Rotary pro-
vides.
Now 77, he is still chairman of the board
of Saboo Business Group that he built, but
which is now run by his two sons as he
devotes time to his service and philan-
thropic activities.
Sushil GuptaPast RI Director
Kalyan Banerjee’s
ascension in
Rotary will definitely
encourage growth in
India in numbers as
well as contributions to
the Rotary Foundation,
asserts Sushil Gupta.
“It also improves the
public image of Rotary
in India and today,
after almost successful Polio Eradication, the Government of India
considers Rotary an important partner in health and development
related issues,” he elaborates.
Gupta argues that because Rotary is well-entrenched in India,
“there is a tremendous potential to grow because of our sheer num-
bers.” He does acknowledge the challenges of quality membership,
but rationalizes that this is a process and in times to come, Rotarians
in India will play a key role in the development of the nation.
Gupta is veteran of the hospitality industry. He is CMD of Asian
Hotels (West) owning Hyatt Regency in Mumbai. He served as
Director on the Board of Rotary Intl in the year 2003-2005 and is
currently Chairman, Rotary Intl. New Generations Committee. “I
am very involved in water, environmental and health issues,” he
adds.
Shekhar MehtaRl Director
ARotarian since
1985, he is a
member of Rotary
Club of Calcutta
Mahanagar, and was
Governor of District
3291. Shekhar
Mehta has led some of the biggest projects
not only in his District but also in other
Districts in India. He started the Shelter
Kit program which in just one year served
six disasters in India—distributing more
than 4,000 shelter kits at a cost of Rs.2
crore in eastern and southern states. He has
been International Trainer at Anaheim,
USA for two consecutive years. He was
the Representative of District 3290 (Now
3291) to the Council on Legislation at
Chicago in 2004.
Shekhar Mehta is a Chartered
Accountant, Cost Accountant and
Company Secretary. He is a builder head-
ing the Skyline Group of Companies. His
wife Rashi is a past president of the Inner
Wheel Club.
Y.P. DasRI Director
Asecond generation
Rotarian, YP Das says he
joined Rotary in 1971 at age 26.
He is a member of the Rotary
Club of Ambala and has served
in Rotary for almost four
decades in various capacities at
club, district and international level. Currently he serves on the
board of RI Directors. Is he aspiring to be RI President? “I will
continue to work for the community without any aspirations
for any position or recognition,” he says.
Rotary in India, Das reports, is “well entrenched and grow-
ing rapidly. In the last five years membership has grown by
35%, becoming the second largest in the world. India is also
the third largest contributor to the Rotary Foundation. Thus,
sooner or later global dominance will shift from the West to
Asia.”
After long gaps in between presidency coming to India
thrice so far, Das believes that the fourth Rotary President
from India would come in ten years or less. “Which means
that Rotary in India is gaining greater significance and recog-
nition throughout the Rotary world,” he says.
Das has a family business of automobile dealership. He has
two children and four grandchildren from his marriage.
Interviews by Parveen Chopra
Ashok MahajanTrustee, Rotary Foundation
Today, we are on the verge of eradicating
polio from India and probably from the
world. At this juncture, it was essential that a
person of the stature of Rtn. Kalyan Banerjee
led the organization because he has
been a crusader in fighting against polio,”
opines Ashok Mahajan, Trustee of Rotary
Foundation (2009-13), who is also a Member
of the International Polio Plus Committee.
He is sanguine about another Indian
Rotarian becoming the President in future.
“There are over 116,000 Rotarians in India. If
a person has found a way to tap into the needs
and desires of these Rotarians, see the vision
for Rotary from their perspective and help
them to connect with the future of Rotary in a
way that is meaningful to them, then that per-
son can also lead the Rotary world in the near
future.” Talking about Rotary in India,
Mahajan says, “A big movement like this
thrives on big ideas.
Rotary in India is refining its message and
defining its goals more precisely. Rotarians
are coming up with concrete suggestions on
how to undertake mega community service
projects. Rotary’s future in India and else-
where will depend on how it holds the imagi-
nation of those who want to serve.”
As a Director of Rotary International during
2007-2009 and as a Trustee now, “I know I
am up there as the leader of a lot of partners. I
am there as their representative. If the part-
ners think that they would be glad if I was the
leader at a given moment of time I will strive
to leave a legacy of progress,” he says about
his own dedication to the movement. His job
as Trustee is to motivate the District leaders
and grassroots Rotarians in his area to raise
funds for the Rotary Foundation.
Mahajan is an electrical engineer who set
up a manufacturing unit for micro switches.
Two together: Rajendra Saboo withKalyan Banerjee, Past and current
RI Presidents
President of India bestowing 'PadmaShri' on Sushil Gupta for his contribution
to social causes and tourism trade in India.
YP Das with President Banerjee
Mahajan helping Governor ofMaharashtra K. Sankaranarayanan
administer polio drops to a child at RajBhavan. Looking on is philanthropistRajashree Birla, chairperson of Aditya
Birla Group.
Ravi Bhooplapur, the first Indian American to rise to become Dist Governor in New York, speaks about his passion for Rotary, whose greatest contribution he
professes is to make us better people and great citizens. He also touches on the path to Presidentship in
Rotary International.
Becoming Rotarian at the age of 19 in India and continuing to render voluntary ser-
vice enthusiastically under the aegis of Rotary even after moving to America 15 years ago, Ravi Bhooplapur was bound to reach lead-ership positions in what he calls the ‘United Nations of non-government organizations’. He became the first Indian American in New York to become Dist Governor (Dist 7250). And he has become perhaps the youngest to receive Rotary’s all three top honors--the ‘Meritorious Service Award’, ‘Service Above Self’ (2005) and ‘Distinguished Service Award (2007).
Ravi is only 49 and at the speed he is going, and with Indians flying the Rotary flag high in recent years, he stands a fighting chance to be-come the first Indian American president of Ro-tary International. When asked to comment on his prospects, current President Kalyan Baner-jee said, “Yes, he is qualified to become Presi-dent, but there are others equally qualified. So it will all depend on opportunities and luck.”
On the subject, all Ravi says himself is, “Every Rotarian is qualified to become President of Rotary, but it is a platform to serve. For one, you dip into your own pocket for Rotary work. No money is paid for your travels, etc.” But he is a man who likes to give, not take. He has donated a few million in different ways to Rotary so far.
He explains the path to presidentship thus, “The next level in Rotary after you become a District Governor for a one year term is RI Di-rector—Directors are selected once in four years and serve a two-year term. Then there is Rotary Foundation, and you can be called on to serve as its Trustee for a 4-year term. A Selection Commit-tee of senior Rotary leaders picks the President.”
He concluded his own term as District Governor in 2010 with glory. “I was one of the top 10 district governors from the entire world recognized at the Montreal Confer-ence--we had achieved maximum member-ship growth—by 280 percent-- in our Dis-trict. Not resting on his laurels, he carries on, sits on many committees and has served as Chair of Future Rotary training leader. On being asked by Kalyan Banerjee to represent him he will travel to South Africa next year.
Talking about Rotary’s growth in India, Ravi finds a lot of energy there, which in his words, gives “Rotarians there an opportunity to do good, also a responsibility to get cor-rect perspective on doing good.” He finds In-dia making good use of Rotary Foundation funds to work on many projects. “India has also groomed leadership very well. There are excellent Rotarians of both kinds – those who are well off and can give money and others who are volunteer workers.
He finds the greatest contribution of Ro-tary is to make us better people and great citizens. “I became a Rotarian at age 18 and owe my all to Rotary. It has taught me how to work harmoniously with different people, companies and philosophies.
You interact with people of different vo-cations. All this helps in your own success in business and life.”
Ravi also appreciates Rotary because it is a no-frills organization, free of redtape, and
unlike many other charities, there is no ad-ministration cost. “No wonder a person of Bill Gates’ wealth and knowledge has chosen to partner with Rotary in many projects.”
‘I owe my all to RotaRy’TheSouthAsianTimes.info
January 7-13, 201215
A life of serviceRavi, Long Island-based President of the Xavier University School of Medi-cine (Aruba), has been active in the Rotary movement since 1980. In New York, he was the Centennial President of Rotary Club of Great Neck and a member of Gold Coast Lake Success. Initiating various community and phil-anthropic activities across the globe, he had received Rotary’s all three awards even before becoming District Governor. At his installation ceremony as Governor of Dist 7250, comprising Brooklyn, Queens and Nassau, in July 2009, Ravi said, “People have many ways to spend their time and money; I choose to spend both with Rotary. This is my passion, and I have always met wonderful people on this journey and have benefitted a lot.” Frank Devlyn, past RI President from Mexico, said, “Ravi is an outstand-ing Rotarian, that is why the district elected him.”A peripatetic, Ravi travels a lot in the course of his multifarious activities. He has attended 10 Rotary International Conventions by last count. As a speak-er, he has addressed members on the Rotary Foundation’s membership de-velopment and other motivational top-ics like ‘Philanthropy through Rotary’.Ravi sits on the board for numerous charities, hospitals and businesses. “I am a kind of disaster expert,” he quips. Be it tsunami in Asia, earthquakes in India or in Peru and Pakistan, or Hur-ricane Katrina in US, he instantly gets into action responding to the needs, raising funds and organizing material
assistance to alleviate the suffering of the victims. He is the founder and Chair-man of Gift of Life India that has been instrumental in saving 2,100 children by assisting them with lifesaving opera-tions and surgeries. He served for nine years as Treasurer at the Center for In-dia Studies at Stony Brook University. Ravi’s dream project was setting up a 90-bed natural therapies hospital in Ghataprabha, Karnataka in 2002.Ravi’s heart throbs for humanity every-where, not just in the country of his ori-gin. He has toiled to get funds and med-ical supplies and coordinate a medical mission to Angola, Ghana, Nicaragua, Panama. A burn unit in Nicaragua has provided plastic surgery to 200 children.The community Ravi lives in has needs too. He has worked on Anchor Project, for mentally challenged children on Long Beach. Overall, through Rotary matching grant program, under his lead-ership over 150 grants were completed worldwide in the past 25 years, and also accounted for many reverse grants for North Shore Forest Hill Hospital in Glen Cove, which aids a school for the physically challenged and buys medi-cines for the district Rotacare project.So inspiring has been his journey as a Rotarian that in 2005 Rotary Founda-tion (India) instituted a trophy in his name to be awarded to the best Rotary districts in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Ravi and wife Jaya Bhooplapur are 4th In-dians to be inducted into Rotary Hall of Fame Arch Klump Society in 2004. They live in Syosset, NY, and have two chil-dren-- Manali, who is studying medicine in India, and son Amogh is in school.
Ravi is the founder and Chairman of Gift of Life India that has been instrumental in saving 2,100 children by assisting them with lifesaving operations and surgeries.
Ravi Bhooplapur and his wife Jayasheela haveknown the Banerjees for many years.
A cancer detection mobile clinic
By Parveen Chopra
878_New York South Asia 10x2 inc.indd 1 10/15/10 11:19:34 AM
Congratulations toThe South Asian Times
Person of the Year
PresidentRotary International
Happy New YearWith best Compliments
fromAll the members of
Rotary Club
Jericho Sunrise
Rotary Club
Hicksville South
Kalyan Banerjee
President Kalyan Banerjee at installation of Rotary Club Hicksville South and Jericho Sunrise. Garden City Hotel, Dec 1, 2009
17
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Trinidad and Tobago PM chief guest at PBD 2012The great Indian diaspora is all set to join the Pink City of Jaipur from January 7-9 that is
ready to host over 1,500 delegates from 65 countries for the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas2012. The theme of PBD 2012 is 'Global Indian-Inclusive Growth.'
New Delhi: Kamla Persad-
Bissessar, the Indian-origin
prime minister of Trinidad and
Tobago in the Caribbean, is in
India on a state visit, where she
will meet President Pratibha
Patil and Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and also be
the chief guest at the Pravasi
Bharatiya Divas (PBD) pro-
gramme.
One of the highlights of the
trip would be Persad-
Bissessar's presence as chief
guest at the annual PBD event
in Jaipur.
Persad-Bissessar is the first
woman head of government
from the diaspora and the first
dignitary from Trinidad and
Tobago to be bestowed with
this honour.
Persad-Bissessar's forefathers
came to this twin-island
Caribbean nation between 1845
and 1917. They were among
the 147,000 Indians who came
from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar
to work on sugar plantations.
The PBD is an annual event
sponsored by the ministry of
overseas Indian affairs of the
Indian government and the
Confederation of Indian
Industry (CII). This time it is
also being sponsored by the
state government of Rajasthan.
The event aims to promote,
nurture and sustain a mutually
beneficial and symbolic rela-
tionship between India and its
diaspora.
The PBD is a prolific gather-
ing for overseas Indians of
global repute who are highly
successful in their respective
fields of business, trade, medi-
cine, science and technology.
Message from Vayalar Ravi,Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs
Message from Ashok Gehlot,Chief Minister, Rajasthan
It gives me immense pleasure
in extending you a very warm
personal invitation to visit
Jaipur on the occasion of
Pravasi Bhartiya Divas-2012.
The Pravasi Bhartiya Divas is
celebrated every year to mark
the contribution of Overseas
Indian Community in the devel-
opment of India. It is a pride
privilege for Jaipur, the Pink
City of India, to host this con-
vention in January, 2012.
The great Indian Diaspora
embodies the indomitable
Indian spirit of Karma, enterprise, harmony and love for the
land of their roots. Your enthusiastic participation in the
Pravasi Bhartiya Divas over the years and your eagerness to
connect with your motherland bespeaks of the emotional
bonds you so fondly share with the land of your origin.
The Pink City awaits to enchant you with its glorious her-
itage, colorful art and handicraft, traditional folk dances and
melodious folk music.
We eagerly look forward to welcome the illustrious sons and
daughters of our great nation.
The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas ( PBD) has emerged as the
flagship event of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs.
The PBD provides a platform that facilitates the overseas
Indian community with their skills, expertise and financial
resources to partner with us and place India on a higher
growth trajectory .
The 10th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention is being held
in Jaipur, from 7 to 9 January, 2012 with the over-arching
theme “Global Indian – Inclusive Growth”. The focus is to fur-
ther build a borderless platform and enable the global Indian
to provide impetus to the India growth story.
We are holding two pre-conference seminars on Social Entrepreneurship – Water; and Solar
Energy: Investment in R & D. Areas of focus, they create new opportunities for business to con-
tribute with sustainable solutions through know-how, new technologies and innovative products.
Investment opportunities in Rajasthan, the Partner State at PBD 2012, will be showcased.
Avenues to facilitate business will be explored and discussed. Apart from this, the other Indian
States will be present to promote themselves as business destinations and participate in an
Exhibition.
The PBD platform provides an opportunity to interact with Union Ministers of the Government of
India, Chief Ministers of States and Prominent Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) from other countries.
The prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards are conferred and a pot-pourri of cultural per-
formances complete the three-day mega event.
I urge you to participate and build bridges of communication and common interests. I especially
call on our young global Indians to participate with enthusiasm.
It gives me great pleasure to invite you to PBD 2012 and I look forward to meeting you there.
Persad-Bissessar's forefathers came to this twin-island Caribbeannation between 1845 and 1917.
Over 1,500 delegates to attend diaspora conclaveNew Delhi: Over 1,500 delegates from
across the globe are likely to participate
in India's annual diaspora conclave to be
held in Jaipur from January 7-9, 2012,
Vayalar Ravi, minister of overseas
Indian affairs and civil aviation, said.
"We are expecting more number of
participants in the PBD 2012. Over
1,500 delegates are likely to participate,"
Ravi said at a press conference here.
Ravi said the event would provide an
excellent opportunity to connect with
27-million strong Indian diaspora spread
over 150 countries across the world.
The Indian diaspora is the second
largest expatriate community in the
world after the Chinese. "The expatriate
community plays an important role in
the growth and development of the
country. Our aim is to encourage them to
play an even greater role," the minister
said.
The PBD 2012 will be organized by
the ministry of overseas Indian affairs in
partnership with government of
Rajasthan. The Confederation of Indian
Industry is the institutional partner of the
event.
"The event will help the people from
northern part of the country, especially
Rajasthan, to reconnect with diaspora
and go abroad and find jobs," Ravi said.
18
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
A confluence of the global Indian familyThe first Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was held from Jan 9-11 in 2003. The choice of the dateis significant as it was on this day that Mahatma Gandhi, himself a Pravasi Bharatiya in
South Africa for almost two decades, finally returned to India in 1915 to lead India's freedom struggle. A journey so far:
Artists performing at the inauguration of the Pravasi BhartiyaDiwas, in Hyderabad on January 7, 2006.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presenting the first OCI card toNRI Ms. N. Rai at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Hyderabad on
January 7, 2006.
Then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee inaugurating the first PBD in 2003.
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
(PBD) is an annual affair
that is organized by the
Government of India to recog-
nize the contributions of NRI's
and PIO's who have excelled in
their chosen fields.
While receiving the Report of
the HLC at a public function at
Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on
8th January 2002, Prime
Minister accepted the recom-
mendation and announced that
"Pravasi Bharatiya Divas"(PBD)
will be celebrated in India and
abroad on the ninth day of
January every year.
The choice of the date is sig-
nificant as it was on this day that
Mahatma Gandhi, himself a
Pravasi Bharatiya in South
Africa for almost two decades,
finally returned to India in 1915
to lead India's freedom struggle.
The event offers a platform
where all discusses issues con-
cerning the Indian Diaspora.
New Delhi Hotels takes you
through the History of Pravasi
Bharatiya Divas, India and
offers online information.
The Ministry of Overseas
Indian Affairs and FICCI spon-
sored the first Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas. The main highlight of the
first event was to create 'con-
sciousness of Global Indian
Family'.
The FIRST PBD was organ-
ized in New Delhi from January
9-11, 2003 in recognition and
appreciation of the constructive
economic, political and philan-
thropic role played by the Indian
Diaspora as well as the goodwill
demonstrated by it towards
India.
Overseas Indians are today
estimated to be over 20 million
spread across the world. This
biggest ever event should
emerge as the most prestigious
gathering of the Indian Diaspora.
The first PBD celebration
included an international con-
vention for three days, organized
in partnership with FICCI where
cream of the Indian community
from all over the globe were
present. Seven to eight breakout
sessions were held on a wide
number of topics like Economic
Development, International
Trade, Industrial Development
and Investment promotion, IT,
Biotechnology, Education,
Culture, Science & Technology,
Health and Tourism etc.
Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi
Shanker and Bharat Ratna Ustad
Bismillah Khan did the initial
invocation in the first event.
Ujjal Dosanjh, Sir Shridath
Surendranath Ramphal, Dr. Hari
N. Harilela, Manilal, Premchand
Chandaria, Dato Seri S.
Samyvellu, R. T. Hon’ble Sir
Anerood Jugnauth, Shri Kanaksi
Gokaldas Khimji, Prof. Fatima
Meer, Lord Navnit Dholakia,
and Rajat Gupta were conferred
with the Pravasi Bharatiya
Samman award.
The second Pravasi
Bharatiya Divas aimed at hav-
ing close interaction of the
Indian Diaspora with the Central
and State government to define
new policy initiatives for the
Diaspora and exploring business
opportunities in India within the
Diaspora.
PBD 2004 was designed to
take forward the collective task
initiated at PBD 2003 of bring-
ing together the Indian Diaspora
and leveraging the potential
offered by the Global Indian
Family.
Hon'ble Prime Minister, Shri
Atal Bihari Vajpayee inaugurat-
ed the three-day event at the
Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. A
rapt audience listened to a jugal-
bandi by renowned violinist
Dr.L Subramaniam and sarangi
player Ustad Sultan Khan fol-
lowed by an invocation of
togetherness from the
Upanishads rendered by Kavita
Krishnamurthy. H.E. Mr. Bharrat
Jagdeo, Hon'ble President of the
Republic of Guyana, was the
Chief Guest for PBD 2004
addressed the delegates.
This was followed by the
Pravasi Bharatiya Samman
Awards 2004 which were pre-
sented to 12 eminent persons of
Indian origin: the late Kalpana
Chawla (USA), Justice Ahmed
Moosa Ebrahim (Zimbabwe),
Mariam Chisti (Kuwait), Sukhi
Turner (New Zealand), Bharrat
Jagdeo (Trinidad & Tobago),
Fitz Remedios Santana De
Souza (Kenya), Narinder Singh
Kapany (USA), Dipak C. Jain
(USA), Mahendra P. Chaudhary
(Fiji), Lord Meghnad Desai
(UK), P Mohamed Ali (Oman)
and Shashi Tharoor (USA).
The third Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas was held in Mumbai and
attended by large number of
Indian political and business
leaders, professionals, scientists
and innovators from Indian
Diaspora. The third Pravasi
Bharatiya Divas provided a
unique networking opportunity
and also strengthened India's
relation with the Indian
Diaspora.
Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh inaugurated the third dias-
pora conclave on January 7. In
his inaugural address, he
announced that the government
had decided to give dual citizen-
ship to all overseas Indians who
had migrated from the country
after January 26, 1950. He said
the government would simplify
the procedure for registration of
People of Indian Origin for
granting them dual citizenship.
Despite tsunami disaster, the
third Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
elicited an enthusiastic response
from the participants. Over
1,500 overseas Indians from 60
countries turned out for the
event. The three-day event saw
the functionaries of the Central
Government, leaders of Indian
corporate and other fields inter-
act with the delegates on various
sectors of the economy like edu-
cation, health, tourism, science
and technology.
Addressing the delegates, then
Union Finance Minister P
Chidambaram urged the NRIs to
invest in sectors like agriculture,
irrigation, watershed programs,
rural health facilities, village
school, mid-day meal schemes,
computer education, textbooks,
rural roads and electrification
initiatives. He said the govern-
ment believed that the NRIs
were no more `non-resident
Indians` but they were `non-resi-
dent investors` for India.
President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya
Samman to 11 overseas Indians.
He asked the NRI/PIO delegates
to set up an Overseas Indian
Foundation with a seed capital
of $100 million to work towards
predicting earthquakes in the
region.
A group photographs of the NRI delegates with the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the inauguralceremony of the 6th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas-2008.
19
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) convention is the flagship event of the Ministry ofOverseas Indian Affairs organized every year since 2003 with a view to connect India toits vast Diaspora and bring their knowledge, expertise and skills on a common platform.
The 9th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas convention was held in New Delhi
from 7th to 9th January, 2011. The
Convention was organized in partnership with the
Ministry of Development of North Eastern
Region. The Confederation of Indian Industry
(CII) was the institutional partner. It was inaugu-
rated by the Prime Minister on 8th January, 2011
and the valedictory address was delivered by the
President on 9th January, 2011. The President also
conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award
on 15 distinguished PIOs/NRIs. Sir Anand
Satyanand, Governor General of New Zealand
was the Chief Guest.
The three day Convention saw a record partici-
pation of over 1,700 delegates. These included 14
Members of the Prime Minister ’s Global
Advisory Council and 3 PIO Ministers, besides
Union Ministers, Chief Ministers and other Indian
and PIO dignitaries.
The flagship event of the Ministry was widely
acclaimed as a grand success for its organizational
as well as substantive aspect, as also for the
choice of speakers and the topicality of the themes
chosen for deliberation at its various sessions. The
two preconference seminars of education and
healthcare drew enthusiastic participation of all
stakeholders and came in for appreciation from
several quarters.There was a separate and special
session on ‘Diapsora role models from the North
East-success stories’ since the focus of PBD 2011
were the North-Eastern States.
The Convention had four plenary sessions:
Engaging Young Overseas Indians; Opportunity
India: Interaction with Union Ministers;
Investment Opportunities in North-Eastern
Region; and Interaction with Chief Ministers on
Inclusive Growth; four specific sessions on
Information, Communication and Entertainment-
Branding the Global Indian, Strengthening
Cultural Bonds with the Global Indian, Gulf
Session and Philanthropy-Diaspora initiative, sep-
arate State sessions and the PBD Oration, Prof.
C.K. Prahalad Memorial Lecture on “Inclusive
Growth for the Bottom of the Pyramid” by Dr.
Gautam Ahuja from Michigan University, USA.
Connecting diaspora with Indian mainstream
2010: Road ahead for India-diaspora interaction
The 8th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas convention was held in New Delhi
from 7th to 9th January, 2010. The
Convention was organized in partnership with
the Government of NCT of Delhi.
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
was the institutional partner. It was inaugurated
by the Prime Minister on 08.01.2010 and the
valedictory address was delivered by the
President on 09.01.2010. The President also con-
ferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award on
14 distinguished PIOs/NRIs. Lord Khalid
Hameed CBE DL Hampstead was the Chief
Guest.
The two-day convention saw a record partici-
pation of over 1500 delegates. These included 16
Members of the Prime Minister ’s Global
Advisory Council and 8 PIO Ministers, besides
12 Union Ministers and 5 Chief Ministers and
other Indian and PIO dignitaries.
The Convention had three Plenary Sessions -
Diaspora: Role and Expectations, Diaspora:
Interests and Concerns & Skills Development;
six concurrent sessions - Returning to 9%
Growth: Diaspora Connect , Leveraging
Knowledge Networks: Global-Ink, Thousands of
Fireflies: Diaspora Philanthropy, Diaspora
Women in Cross-Cultural Environments, Indians
and the Gulf and Future of PBDs and the Road
Ahead as well as separate State Sessions.
2008: NRIs bat for women, urge gender equalityT
he 6th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas hosted over 1,500 NRIs in New
Delhi. It had five plenary and a similar
number of working sessions.
The Indian government promised to roll out sev-
eral schemes for the diaspora. The government
also took into consideration several considera-
tions made at the various plenary sessions and
promised to implement each of them. High up on
the agenda of the government at present was to
link the rural Indian woman with the NRIs.
This initiative was taken following a suggestion
at one of the sessions.
The Indian government will now set up a non-
profitable foundation, which will act as an entry
for funds by the NRIs.
Vayalar Ravi, minister for overseas Indian
affairs, said this is the most ambitious pro-
grammes of his ministry. Once the foundation is
instituted, the funds will roll in and will be uti-
lized for the betterment of the rural Indian
woman.
The Diaspora also suggested to the Indian gov-
ernment to ensure that there is gender equality in
the country.
The NRIs felt that there was a need for more
legal protection for women in the country and
India should sign the Hague convention. Ravi said
that talks are being held and there is a need to
amend the law to increase protection for women
in India.
Regarding business and trade, the suggestion
was to open more doors to invest in India. Several
President Patil with the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman awardees for 2009, at the 7th PravasiBharatiya Divas in Chennai.
The Indian President with the awardees of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, at the 9th PravasiBharatiya Divas-2011.
President Patil with the awardees of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman–2010.
Then President Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam giving away the Pravasi Bhartiya SammanAward for Rural Development to Mrs Pratima Kale from Philippines, in Hyderabad on
January 9, 2006.
The Indian President Pratibha Devisingh Patil with the Pravasi Bharatiya SammanAward winners at the valedictory session of the 6th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas-2008.
2003 Rajat Gupta (NY)
2004 Prof. Dipak C. Jain (IL)
Dr. Kalpana Chawla (TX)
Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany
Shashi Tharoor (NY)
2005 Prof Sunil Khilnani (PA)
Dr. Sam Pitroda (IL)
Prof. Jagdish Bhagwati (NY)
Manoj Night Shyamalan (PA)
Vijay Singh (FL)
2006 Dr. Sudhir Parikh (NJ)
Niranjan S. Shah (IL)
Fareed Zakaria (NY)
2007 Gopal Raju (NY)
Nirmal K. Sinha (OH)
Dr. P. Jayaraman (NY)
Dr. M. Anirudhan (IL)
2008 Dr. Thomas Abraham (CT)
Dr. Joy Cherian (DC)
2009 Prof. C.K. Prahalad (MI)
Prof. Sumit Ganguly (MI)
2010 Dr. Mani Lal Bhaumik (CA)
Ashok Kumar Mago (TX)
Upendra J. Chivukula (NJ)
2011 Ashook Kumar Ramsaran (NY)
Rajiv Shah (DC)
PBD Awardees from USA
The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA) isthe highest honor conferred on overseas
Indians. PBSA is conferred by the President of Indiaas a part of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD)Conventions organized annually since 2003 on aNon-Resident Indian, Person of Indian Origin or anorganization or institution established and run bythe Non-Resident Indians or Persons of IndianOrigin, who has made significant contribution inany one of the following fields:
(a) Better understanding abroad of India;
(b) Support to India’s causes and concerns in a tangible way;
(c) Building closer links between India, the overseas Indian
community and their country of residence;
(d) Social and humanitarian causes in India or abroad;
(e) Welfare of the local Indian community;
(f) Philanthropic and charitable work;
(g) Eminence in one’s field or outstanding work, which has
enhanced India’s prestige in the country of residence; or
(h) Eminence in skills which has enhanced India’s prestige in
that country (for non-professional workers).
22
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Jaipur: dreaming of a world class cityThe Rajasthan government wants to develop modern Jaipur, which is outside thewalled city, with skyscrapers, freeways, flyovers, metro rail network, multistoried apartments, international and domestic airports, sewerage and drainage system
and adequate source of its own drinking water.
By Prakash Bhandari/
SATimes
“Jaipur is an ancient city where
town planning has been a tradi-
tion. The Pink City is one of the
most planned cities of the world.
But the new buzz in Rajasthan is
to make it a world class city. It’s
the dream of Rahul Gandhi and
the Congress government under
Ashok Gehlot has started work-
ing towards that.
For starters, the city will see
the metro running by the year
2013. The first stage would cover
9 km. “We are determined to
raise Jaipur as a world class city
where there would be space for
everyone. The city’s historical
part would be preserved and con-
served and its pink feature would
remain intact.
But we want to develop mod-
ern Jaipur, which is outside the
walled city, as a city with sky-
scrapers, freeways, flyovers,
metro rail network, multistoried
apartments, international and
domestic airports, efficient road
system, sewerage and drainage
system and adequate source of its
own drinking water,” said
Rajasthan’s urban development
minister Shanti Kumar Dhariwal.
He said the building laws will be
changed to pave way for high
rise buildings as currently build-
ings are not permitted over the
height of 32 meters.
“We have a vision for vertical
growth as the population is rising
and Jaipur is becoming a big
business hub. The population
would touch 80 lakhs by the
year 2031 and unless we start
planning right now we would
have to face chaotic situation
with the growth of population,”
explained Dhariwal.
However, former city mayor
and currently a legislator Ashok
Parnami argues that rather than
making Jaipur a world class city
efforts should be made to make it
an ideal city first.
“Before conceptualizing Jaipur
as a world class city and making
it comparable with New York,
Tokyo and London, we shall
have to understand the potential
of Jaipur as an international mar-
ket. The cities of London, New
York and Tokyo developed as
they had all the attributes of a
major international business cen-
tre. The development of the city
and coming up of skyscrapers
was led by the inbuilt demand
and once the infrastructure was
created people started calling
them world class and other cities
started comparing themselves
with these three,” said Parnami.
Parnami added that first the
decision makers should try and
develop it as a city that has rea-
sonable infrastructure or a frac-
tion of the facilities that the big
global cities possess. It should
have all the basic infrastructure
that is affordable and should
have the potential to improve.
The town planners should insist
on well classified townships and
other related infrastructure that
the citizens could afford. In
recent times we have seen a num-
ber of haphazardly built malls
and markets. What was created
was much more than the demand.
As a result, there were no takers
and the rental market collapsed.
The dream should be to make
Jaipur as an ideal city and not a
world class city.
Rajasthan’s Urban Development Minister
Shanti Kumar Dhariwal.Transport Nagar flyover in Jaipur
Newly installed Musical Fountain in Jawahar Circle Garden in Jaipur
By Prakash Bhandari
The dream to hold the Pravasi
Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) conclave in
Rajasthan’s first convention center
remained a dream and the convention
would now be held at the Brij Mohan Birla
auditorium, which has a capacity of barely
1,200 while the guest list is of over 1,500
persons.
The state government had decided to
build the proposed international convention
centre at Pratap Nagar on Jaipur-Kota
national highway near the Jaipur airport.
This was to become a landmark complex
and the proposed complex was to come up
on 16 hectares of land under Public Private
Partnership model. But after accepting the
global bid where just one party responded,
the Rajasthan government decided to shelve
the project because of lack of interest
shown by bidders.
This centre would not only have served
as a conference venue, but also as a com-
plex that had provisions for hotels, exhibi-
tion space and a 5,000 capacity divisible
auditorium. First the government invited
the expression of interest and the Rajasthan
Housing Board was made the nodal agency
for the project. In fact, the government
itself woke up late and the idea was first
floated in the middle of 2010.
The company that would have been given
the task of building the center was expected
to pay the Rajasthan Housing Board a min-
imum of Rs 5 crore each year with an
increase of 15 percent every year. The lease
would be for 40 years.
But the lack of interest and the stringent
conditions laid down by the government
saw lukewarm response to the project as the
entrepreneurs did not see it as a feasible
project. The government eventually
dropped the plan.
Convention centre for PBDremained on paper
Just 10 days before the Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot with
some of his Cabinet colleagues and officials
took a bus and inspected various parts of the city
especially those that would come before the
eyes of the guests and the delegates. He looked
unconvinced by the cosmetic changes being
given by various agencies for the mega event.
Gehlot found fault with the color combination
and the concrete structures. The drive from
Sanganer Airport and hotels to the PBD venue
would not be bump-free despite some repair
work. Filth and garbage remains a problem.
Dera Sachha Sauda’s 20,000 volunteers came
two months ago and cleaned up the city. They
collected the garbage but the Jaipur Municipal
Corporation could not even clear that collected
garbage.The officials were surprised when the
CM pointed out poor preparations. “The PBD
should not be seen as an investment forum.
With communication explosion the corporates
know what is the best destination. The
Vasundhara Raje’s BJP government hosted an
investment summit and a picture was painted
that the state would get billions in investment.
Nothing happened. Thus we are taking PBD
only as an emotion connect. Let the delegates
feel that they should do something for the coun-
try of their origin,” Gehlot told the media.
Rajasthan is a big producer of oil and gas, but
as the production points of energy have been
already allotted and with Vedanta led by Anil
Agarwal taking up the stewardship of Cairn
India, there is nothing much to sell on oil and
gas front.
The solar energy, however, has been given
due importance in the economic agenda pre-
pared by the hosts. India is among top five desti-
nations worldwide for solar energy. An evolving
industry, this sector has gained considerable
momentum over the last two years given the
focus on developing clean energy sources.
Though India possesses a large solar energy
resource compared to other renewable
resources, its installed capacity share is just 0.23
per cent. Rajasthan, with its geographical loca-
tion, has been identified by experts as one of the
world’s major solar hubs.
CM not happy with mere cosmeticchanges for PBD
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot explaining to Union UrbanDevelopment Minister Kamla Nath the Jaipur Metro Rail project with
the helpof a model.
23
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
‘Quality delivery is my government’s endeavor’
While gearing up to host Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2012 in Jaipur, Rajasthan is also eagerto showcase a state firmly on the path to progress. An exclusive interview with the state
Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot, who has just completed three successful years in office.
By Prakash Bhandari
Rajasthan as a state believes
that forward movement is
possible on the basis of
quality paradigms and it would like
to have its own benchmark across
various fields in ensuring the deliv-
ery of services to the people of the
state like Haryana has done.
The state government is endeav-
oring for the not only effective
delivery of services to the masses
but qualitative also. Chief Minister
Ashok Gehlot is particularly keen
on proper delivery of services in
rural areas. He believes in Mahatma
Gandhi’s adage that the soul of the
country lives in the villages. The
Congress government under him is
committed to improve the life of
those Below Poverty Line (BPL)
and it has launched several schemes
related to health, education and
employment to serve the poorest of
the poor.
An exclusive interview the ChiefMinister gave to SATimes inJaipur in the last week of 2011:
The SATimes: You have
launched an affordable housing
scheme for the economically poor,
middle income group and low
income group in six towns. How is
the scheme progressing?
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot:
Our urban development department
has launched a new public-private
partnership (PPP) housing scheme
for affordable homes with the Avas
Vikas Ltd as the nodal agency. This
scheme aims to benefit the urban
poor.
TSAT: What is your own philos-
ophy on quality?
CM: Quality is the ability to
reach out for the best in anything
that we do; to aspire for a high
degree of cleanliness, for good
health, good education and a happy
and contented family life. On a
larger plane, in terms of
Government, quality would mean
providing services to the people
efficiently and promptly. For exam-
ple, if a person falls ill and gets to
the hospital and is treated immedi-
ately and recovers in good time,
that would mean good delivery of
service. There is variety of other
services that citizens require on a
day to day basis and my philosophy
is that we should be able to provide
these services efficiently, honestly
and in a time bound manner.
TSAT: Do you think the
Government has the capacity to
provide quality services?
CM: The Government is nothing
but a collection of people given the
responsibility, on behalf of the
state, of delivering services through
various departments. If you look at
the Rajasthan’s history you will
find that invariably services have
improved year after year. So, peo-
ple responsible for providing these
services are committed and aware
of their unique responsibility. But
sometimes the numbers are big and
facilities inadequate, then it gets
diluted. This problem is not unique
to Rajasthan but faced by govern-
ments the world over. How to man-
age between the resources available
and the services that people
demand? Here quality plays a vital
role in our ability to judiciously
identify sectors that can provide the
highest common good: like in edu-
cation, health, rural development,
infrastructure, farming, etc.
TSAT: Bihar and Delhi have
adopted laws to provide time bound
services to people.
CM: You do not require an Act or
a law to ensure speedy and time
bound delivery of services.
However, we have reiterated that
delivery of services to the people
has to be streamlined. Where these
are not available, we try to find the
reasons and improve the delivery
mechanism.
TSAT: Women’s welfare and
empowerment top the agenda of
your government.
CM: In Rajasthan women were
kept under veil and were deprived
of education for generations. It has
been our endeavor to improve the
lot of the women. It’s true that the
women are getting a lot of atten-
tion. Atrocities on women, cases
related to dowry, old age and prob-
lems of the war widows have been
grave. We have set up women con-
trolled police stations in five dis-
tricts and have launched special
housing schemes for war widows.
Women who own properties would
pay less in stamp duty on sale or
purchase of land. We have reserved
50% seats for women in local bod-
ies and panchayats.
TSAT: Has reservation for
women in panchayati raj institu-
tions (PRIs) led to empowerment of
rural women in Rajasthan?
CM: The reservation for women
extends to local bodies. Women are
empowered by urging them to
actively participate in development.
Reservation would make contesting
an election hassle free. I foresee a
qualitative improvement in services
with women coming in governance.
TSAT: How has the scheme
“Beti ek anmol rattan” helped save
the girl child?
CM: The declining sex ratio had
become a constant concern with the
social consequences thereof. A host
of interventions addressing the
female population are making a
palpable dent in restoring the gen-
der balance. Neglect of the girl
child in terms of nutrition, educa-
tion, health care and her overall
development is just one facet; a
more cruel practice is female infan-
ticide and female feticide. Our
endeavor has been to get the girl
child the same importance as a
male child. Several welfare meas-
ures like offering the girl child
incentives in education etc would
give good results.
TSAT: How is Support to
Training and Employment
Programme for Women (STEP)
working out?
CM: STEP is a program of
training for skill upgrades to poor
and asset less women in traditional
sectors like agriculture, animal hus-
bandry, dairying, handlooms,
handicrafts, khadi and village
industries. Financial assistance is
provided to women. Women dairy
projects are being encouraged in the
state as are Women Dairy
Cooperative Societies and we are
very satisfied by the results.
Women are happy with these bene-
fits which are reflected in higher
intake of quality food, improved
health conditions, better clothing,
enhanced savings and finally lead-
ing to increased status.
TSAT: Your Government has
started an award distribution
scheme for farmers to encourage
new and innovative practices in
agriculture. How has it benefited
the farmers?
CM: Yes, the awards will be
given at panchayat samiti, district
and state levels in March every
year. Two farmers would be select-
ed at each of these levels for prizes
worth Rs10,000 at panchayat sami-
tis, Rs 25,000 in districts and Rs
50,000 at the State level. The win-
ners will be selected on the basis of
initiatives resulting in high crop
yield and good quality of farm pro-
duce. We also propose to establish
an Arid Region Mission to promote
farming in areas facing drought and
water scarcity.
TSAT: What is the role of e-
Mitra in development?
CM: In this information age
access to the state government doc-
uments has been made easier and
affordable through e-Mitra. It is an
integrated project to facilitate the
urban and the rural masses with
maximum possible services related
to different state government
departments through Lokmitra-
Janmitra Centers. The Lokmitra is a
single stop, citizen friendly comput-
erized service delivery center so
that the citizens do not have to run
around various departments.
Lokmitra is basically an urban cen-
tric project with more thrust on util-
ity payments. The e-Mitra has
helped in better and qualitative
delivery.
TSAT: How has the Swasthya
Mitra succeeded in extending
healthcare services to far flung
areas?
CM: It’s again the use of technol-
ogy for better and qualitative deliv-
ery. Swasthya Mitra
(Telemedicine) is a network con-
necting 31 district hospitals and six
medical colleges and is under
implementation with ISRO’s sup-
port. This would pave the way for
specialized treatment from special-
ists at various district headquarters
and would be a pioneer effort in
healthcare sector.
Read CM Profile on page 24.
Chief Minister Ashok M Gehlot accompanies UPA ChairpersonSonia Gandhi giving a check of Rs 25,000 to a beneficiary in
Banswada dist under the Grameen BPL Awaas housing scheme.
Gehlot distributing school supplies to a girl in Badwali (Jaipur).
Jaipur Metro will be as good as in Delhi.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot
24
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Ashok Gehlot: A humanitarianguided by Gandhian ideals
When taking office in his first term as Rajasthan Chief Minister in 1998, Ashok Gehlotvowed that he would strive to wipe out the tears from the eyes of the
poorest of the poor. His commitment continues in his second term.
By Prakash Bhandari/SATimes
When taking office in his first term
as Rajasthan Chief Minister in
1998, Ashok Gehlot vowed that
he would endeavor to wipe out the tears
from the eyes of the poorest of the poor.
This pledge was reiterated in his second
innings also.
Right from his student days, Gehlot was
inspired the Gandhian philosophy. He was a
regular visitor to Jodhpur’s Gandhi Shanti
Pratishthan where he came in contact with a
true Gandhian, late Nemi Chand Bhavuk
who baptized him with the ideals and spirit
of Gandhism.
Gehlot worked in the refugee camps at
Bangaon and 24 Parganas districts of West
Bengal during the liberation war of
Bangladesh in 1971. He served the homeless
refugees and later rendered his services for
the development of slums and took part in
camps organized by Tarun Shanti Sena at
Sevagram, Wardha, Aurangabad, Indore etc.
His concern for the poor and the down-
trodden got reflected when as Chief Minister
he made the welfare of the poor, under-priv-
ileged and the disabled a major agenda of
his government.
Gehlot’s humanitarian face saw him
effecting several measures to benefit the dis-
abled and relaxation in the employment
rules in the state government. During the
“Prashashan Gaon Ki Ore” campaign, he
visited rural areas to resolve the grievances
of the poor and ordered the collection of
data on the disabled in the state, their num-
ber turned out to be 16 lakh. Following
which instructions went out to the state
coordination committee on disabled to
review the welfare schemes for the disabled
every six months.
In the state budget for the year 2010-11,
Gehlot, who also holds the finance portfolio,
made provision for disabled students to get
reimbursement of tuition fees above 11th
standard including for higher and technical
education. Recently, the Chief Minister
made an extraordinary humanitarian gesture
when after hearing about the plight of a des-
titute Muslim family of Sarmathura in
Dholpur district highlighted by a news chan-
nel, he ordered a rehabilitation package for
the family. Munna Khan’s two children,
aged 3 and 5, were blind by birth, while his
three other children had only because of
congenital problems.
Through the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund,
Rs 2.50 lakh has been granted for the family
and the Dholpur district collector asked to
help the family under welfare schemes.
The Below Poverty Line (BPL) individu-
als and families are the chief minister’s tar-
get group. Gehlot feels that they deserve
special treatment as they have been living in
poverty for centuries and under Independent
India all the efforts should be made for their
social, economic and educational uplift.
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi launched
the Mukhya Mantri BPL Awas Yojna in June
2011 from the tribal district of Banswara.
This ambitious rural housing scheme in the
next three years along with the Indira Awas
Yojna will benefit 10 lakh BPL families. The
state government would take a loan of Rs
3,400 crore to implement this unique
scheme.
Under the Mukhya Mantri Anna Suraksha
Yojna for the poor 36 lakh poor families
would get 25 kilos of wheat per month at the
rate of Rs 2 per kilo. The state government
would provide Rs 300 crore subsidy under
this scheme. Also the annual income ceiling
for families to be classified as living below
the poverty line has been raised to Rs.
40,000 from Rs 24,000.
Even the once rich and famous are not
immune from falling on hard times and
needing help. Hearing about the poor health
of Bollywood’s veteran character actor AK
Hangal of Sholay fame, Gehlot made Rs 2
lakh available from the Journalists and
Writers Welfare Fund for the 95-year-old
Hangal, who could get then get the specialist
treatment.
Gehlot admires those who perform their
duty with responsibility. He feels that all
disciplined state government employees
who lose their lives while performing their
duty should be treated as martyrs.
Numerous policemen who lost their lives
while in uniform have received accolades
from the Chief Minister apart from benefits
to their families.
Phool Mohammed, the station house offi-
cer of Sawai Madhopur, who was burnt alive
by an unruly mob over an incident, was
treated like a martyr and was given all the
benefits due to a martyr like cash incentive
of Rs 40 lakh to the family, a housing board
house and employment for a family member
in the government. The family of a consta-
ble of Jhunjhunu who lost his life while
fighting dacoits from Haryana was similarly
compensated. The superintendent of the
Jodhpur jail, who was killed by a convict,
was given Rs 10 lakh and other benefits by
Gehlot.
CM Gehlot handing over a tricycle to a disabled person to mark Mahatma Gandhi anniversary.
Gehlot launching e-stamping services under e-governance.
Ushering in equitable progressQuality Moves
� Aapni Yojna scheme of aridRajasthan - water and health committee in
every village responsible for fair distribu-
tion of water conservation, health educa-
tion, payment for services and sanitation.
� Prashashan Gaon Ke Sang campaigninitiated to offer solution to problems faced
by the people in villages.
� Work on Jaipur Metro begun.
� Rajasthan implements Continuousand Comprehensive Evolution (CCE) as a
� Special schemes to promote women’sparticipation in agriculture right from their
childhood by offering to incentives during
school, college and technical education.
� Women pursuing doctorate in agri-cultural studies will get an incentive of Rs
10,000 annually for three years.
� Akshat Yojna for unemployed gradu-ates provides for grant of allowances to
unemployed graduate students of the state
whose family income does not exceed Rs 1
lakh per year.
Quality Acts
� Bill for setting up women’s panel toprotect and promote the interest of women
against violence, deprivation and discrimi-
nation.
Quality Achievements
� Release of water policy for betterwater management.
� Water supply in drought affected21,000 villages through tankers.
� Initiatives on employment - one lakhjobs created. Of the 67,000 posts already
approved, 5,000 are of teachers.
� e-governance project in health sector.
� Women empowerment: reservation of
seats for women in panchyati raj institutions.
� Special housing schemes for women.
25
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Rajasthan has arrivedon world tourism map
Visitors now seek variety of tourism experiences as govt. shapes new projects
By Prakash Bhandari
Rajasthan has emerged as
one of the most popular
tourist destinations in
India for both domestic and for-
eign tourists. The number of
tourist arrivals in the state has
increased fourfold in the last
thirty years and according to an
estimate the state receives a mil-
lion foreign tourists and 10 mil-
lion domestic tourists each year.
The state is known for its
diversity in terms of natural
resources, cultural heritage, his-
torical as well as archaeological
wonders and rare wild life. The
forts and palaces, heritage
hotels, colorful fairs and festi-
vals, local art and handicrafts,
etc. has been a unique selling
proposition for tourists coming
to the state. The desert environ-
ment in the western parts of the
state is also a major attraction
particularly for the foreign
tourists.
Four decades ago tourism in
Rajasthan was a small industry
that was largely confined to the
elite foreign tourists and domes-
tic pilgrim traffic.
Tourist arrivals were restricted
to a few thousand tourists annu-
ally and were primarily recorded
in select places such as Jaipur,
the state capital, Udaipur and
Jodhpur (for foreign tourists)
and the pilgrim centers of
Ajmer, Pushkar and Nathdwara
(for domestic tourists). The
employment in the sector and
the sector’s contribution to the
state economy, as well as
employment potential were
limited.
However, over the last few
decades, due to the focused
efforts of Rajasthan Tourism,
various State Government agen-
cies, select entrepreneurs /indi-
viduals, tourism has grown from
an elite and pilgrim phenome-
non to a mass phenomenon put-
ting Rajasthan firmly on the for-
eign and domestic tourist map.
The industry today employs
over one lakh people directly
and over three lakh people indi-
rectly. Its contribution to the
state economy is estimated to be
over Rs 4000 Cr. presently.
Given the increasingly impor-
tant role that the sector plays in
the overall socioeconomic
development of the state, the
state government of Rajasthan
has accorded an industry status
to tourism.
As the nodal agency to pro-
mote tourism in the state, the
Department of Tourism (DoT),
Rajasthan has played a key role
in this growth along with the
DoT promoted Rajasthan
Tourism Development
Corporation (RTDC).
The main tourist cities
of Rajasthan namely,
Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur,
Jaisalmer, Bikaner and
Mount Abu have seen
marginal growth in total
tourist Traffic.
In particular, the Ajmer-
Pushkar circuit is experi-
encing high growth in
both foreign and domestic
tourists.
Also, the Alwar-Sariska
belt is regaining growth
after the introduction of
tigers in the jungle of
Sariska. Sariska which
boasted of a dozen tigers
suffered immensely at the
hands of the poachers who
killed all the tigers.
However a strong willed
initiative by the state forest
department saw the reintroduc-
tion of tigers in the Sariska jun-
gle. Growth in domestic tourism
is largely due to its increasing
popularity as a weekend gate-
way from Delhi.
Amongst the smaller tourist
destinations, Bundi (part of the
Hadoti circuit) has seen a multi-
fold increase in both domestic
and foreign traffic. “The tourism
experience sought from
Rajasthan is changing.
Traditionally the Rajasthan
tourism experience offered
palaces, forts, lakes and the
desert. It is still desired but the
focus is gradually shifting to
more varied tourism products
particularly eco-tourism with
focus on sanctuary tourism,
weekend tourism and confer-
ence tourism. For us domestic
tourists are also as important as
the foreign. The domestic
tourists come round the year,”
said tourism minister Bina Kak.
Rajasthan tourism thrives on
luxury trains and the increasing
craze for such trains has made
these trains as unique selling
proposition.
With the immense popularity
of the ‘Palace on wheels,’ the
Rajasthan tourism Development
Corporation Ltd.( RTDC), along
with the Indian Railways added
another feather in its cap by
rolling out ‘Royal Rajasthan on
Wheels,’ a yet another luxury
train that not only moves across
Rajasthan but also visits places
like Varanasi and Khajuraho.
‘Royal Rajasthan on Wheels’
includes luxuries at par-super
deluxe suites, saloons, cubical
showers, satellite TV, spa, gym.
The train has a capacity of car-
rying 82 passengers and 22
coaches. The very famous gold-
en triangle, Delhi- Jaipur-Agra,
is a pleasurable experience with
this train.
With a view to woo the
domestic tourists, the state gov-
ernment initiated a campaign
called ‘Rajasthan Calling.’ The
campaign journeyed through 19
cities of India and included
Bangalore, Chennai,
Chandigarh, Goa, Hyderabad,
Jammu, Kolkata, Ludhiana,
Mumbai, Patna, Pune, Ranchi,
Surat, Vadodara to name a few.
“The campaign not only
enlightened people about the
rich culture and heritage of the
royal state but also showcased a
glimpse of the beauty of
Rajasthan through the special
platter, dal bati churma, mirchi-
bada and kachoris and not to
forget the sweets, that the state
is famous for,” claimed Kak.
“Plans to introduce houseboats
in lakes, adventure tourism, hot
air ballooning, camel safari,
Sariska tiger reserve destination
project are soon to materialize.
Besides Rajasthan Tourism
Development Authority has
recently renovated and upgraded
many hotels by introducing new
furnishings, furniture, linen etc
to provide better facilities and
services to the guests. A few
more projects are in pipeline to
initiate the Ministry of Tourism,
Govt. of India, to grant mega
tourist projects- Jaipur, light and
sound show at Ranthambore,
development work at Bundi,
Shekhawati tourist circuit,”
added Kak.
The Alwar-Sariska belt is regaining growth after the reintroductionof tigers in Sariska jungle
Amongst smaller tourist destinations, Bundi has seen a multi-foldincrease in both domestic and foreign traffic
‘Royal Rajasthan on Wheels,’ a yetanother luxury train moves acrossRajasthan and goes all the way to
Varanasi and Khajuraho
Awards for the RajasthanTourism department
� BestDecorative Stall at
Indian international
travel mart,
Hyderabad 2008,
Ahmadabad Travel
and Tourism Fair-
2009, Surat Travel
and Tourism Fair-
2009, Goa India
Travel Mart-2009,
Pune India
International Travel
Mart-2009, Mumbai Travel and
Tourism Fair-2010.
� Received NationalTourism Award, an Award of
excellence in the ‘Best State’
category.
� Received Best PosterAward at ‘Annual Indian
Association of Tour Operators’
held at Bangalore.
� Received the ‘NationalAward’ under the ‘Best State’
category in the year 2010, for
its significant work in the field
of tourism between
2008-2009.
� Condé NastReaders Travel
Award- 2010’ for
being the favorite
Indian State.
� ReceivedBest Tourism
D e s t i n a t i o n
Awareness award at
India Travel Mart in
New Delhi in 2010.
� Received “IndiaInternational Travel Mart”,
“Best Decorative Stand”
awards in Hyderabad.
� Rajasthan Tourism wasawarded the ‘Best State Award’
in lieu of promoting the state in
the rest of India with colorful
programs and fairs.
� The state received theprestigious ‘National Tourism
Award’ on 28 March 2011 for
its strategy in promoting
tourism across various states.
Bina Kak, RajasthanTourism Minister
With more than 40,000 footfalls the ninth Jaipur Jewellery Show (JJS) has es-
tablished itself once again as a great annual event in the life of the Pink City. The number of participants is increasing but the organiz-ers of the JJS are fighting for space as the city does not have a proper exhibition centre with state-of-the-art facilities to host a show like JSS where security is a huge problem.
JSS is currently the number two jewellery show of the world and this show which is or-ganized with make-shift arrangement would grow in stature and size only if there is a proper exhibition centre.
Jaipur was known for creating traditional jewellery but over the years the jewellers of Jaipur have given value addition and now the gem city has become a major centre for producing diamond ,silver and other forms of jewellery. The large number of participants who displayed their wares stunned the visi-tors with their innovative designs.
The show’s brand ambassador Sonal Chauhan mingled with the visitors, wear-ing and admiring jewelleries. The honor-ary secretary of the JJS, Rajiv Jain said that being the brand ambassador, Sonal Chau-han’s presence during the show added life as more youth came to the show. She raised the level of the city.
The Rotary International president Kalyan Bannerji also surprised the host by visiting the fair. The retailers and buyers evinced keen interest in networking and trading. Visitors from all over the country as well as abroad were seen negotiating and buying jewellery available to suit all budgets.
The foreign visitors were showing more interest in traditional jewellery and gems. It is to be noted that from 451 booths set up over 80 stalls were of prestigious retailers.
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) also organized 4 workshops on top-ics - 7 Values Factors for Pearls, Looking Beyond 4C in Diamond, Common Gem Stone Treatment and Seven steps of Suc-cessful Sale. A number of retailers and visi-tors participated in the workshop.
The deputy high commissioner of Zam-bia, Andrew B. Branda went through the entire show and evinced keen interest in the traditional jewellery and studded gems. It is to be noted that the jewel-lers of Jaipur buy the emerald rough in huge quantity from Zambia. A del-egation from the Pakistan Institute
of Fashion & Designing went around the stalls and examined minutely the intricate designs of the gems and jewellery displayed at the show.
As a part of knowledge sharing ses-sions which are always a part of the JJS – two seminars were organized at the show entitled “Commercial gems Treatment Update” and “Diamond Sales Through Internet.”
Kashish Sachdeva, Instructor from Gem-ological Institute of America (GIA) said that treatment of commercial gem stones was a norm now. And that there were a va-riety of treatments available for gems.
The different kind of treatment for stones were dyeing, chemical bleaching, surface coating, impregnation, thermal enhance-ment, diffusion treating, clarity enhance-ment and beryl treatment.
GIA, incidentally, is the organization which introduced the concept of 4Cs –colour, clarity, cut and carat weight for gem stones.
In an interesting presentation, Prashant Bhojwani, Manager India, Rappaport, fo-cused on the importance of marketing and trading through the internet. He informed that if the sale of studded jewellery was going up by25-30% owing to internet marketing.
The internet, he said, provided competi-tive edge and maximized profits. It also helps you in buying in better places and one can interact with more customers.
Furthermore, it gives better market infor-mation both for Business 2 Business (B2B)
as well as Business 2 Consumer (B2C).
By Prakash Bhandari
Gold, glitter and diamonds in Pink City
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
January 7-13, 201226
(left) Models walk on the ramp; (right) JSS media chief Ajay Kala and organising committee member Mahaveer Sharma fixing the jewellery piece on the JSS brand ambassador Sonal Chauhan
The organising committee members of the JSS
Brand ambassador Sonal Chauhan
Jaipur Jewellery Show
Jaipur Jewellery Show
The JJS has contributed in more ways than one in terms of branding the city as G&J
destination. Today, the city of Jaipur has now emerged in its own right, as a city which pro-actively promotes gems and jewellery. And with the event being held right in the middle of the tourist season – suffice it to say that tour operators are vouching for the fact that tourists dovetail their visit with the JJS.
What could be a unique feature for the JJS as an event is the dynamic networking that takes place between Business to Business
This February in Helsinki, the capital of Finland, the world famous Jaipur Foot,
Jaipur Knee and Jaipur limb of Jaipur’s Bhag-wan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayta Samiti (BM-VSS) would be competing for a prestigious “world design impact prize“ of the Interna-tional Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID), a fraternity of industrial designers.
This award, in its inaugural year, aims to recognize, empower and stimulate socially responsible design projects and initiatives around the world. Significantly, Jaipur Foot is a strong contender for this coveted award.
BMVSS is known for creating an amalgam of Jaipur Foot Technology; special humane value system; patient centric management system and funding. Currently their 20,000 limbs are fitted every year. By now, more than 4,00,000 Jaipur Foot and Jaipur Limbs have been given by BMVSS. Toward further development of tech-nology, Jaipur Foot and limb underwent many changes under the aegis of BMVSS, working under leadership of DR Mehta, founder and currently the chairman of BMVSS.
Mehta signed an MOU with Stanford Uni-versity, which resulted in the development of Jaipur Knee. Impact of Jaipur Foot and Jaipur Limb is enormous in terms of its vast coverage all over India and the world particularly to the
(B2B) and Business to Consumers (B2C).Kundan Meena being the theme attract-
ed wide attention. With over 30,000 visi-tors comprising of retailers, stone dealers, manufacturers, exporters and consumers visiting the exposition –JJS 2011 emerged as an outstanding event.
The four-day jewellery show gave a new impetus and direction to the jewellery indus-try. During the show the exhibitors as well as the visitors were gratified. One reason was that affordable and likeable jewellery was available for the consumers. The dazzling display of the Kundan Meena products, sil-ver gold jewellery, diamond and other color
gemstones won the hearts of the visitors.This year, jewellers from two countries –Thailand and Germany participated in the event.
poor and marginalized patients and victims.Stanford University-BMVSS tie up re-
sulted in the development of four-bar link-age polycentric knee joint which according to Time magazine (Nov 23, 2009) is one of the 50-Best Inventions of the world for the year 2009. More than 2600 such knee joints have been provided free.
“The minute you start instituting a charge for your service, the most vulner-able populations are the first sector of so-ciety to be marginalized and it’s precisely this sector of society you wish to serve the most,” explained Mehta.
Mehta, a graduate of the Sloan School of Management at MIT in the US, heads the Jaipur Foot team. Their $45 ultramodern prosthetic is simply unmatched when com-pared to a similar $12,000 limb produced in the US. The beauty of the Jaipur Foot is its lightness and mobility, as those who wear it can run, climb trees and pedal bicycles. The Jaipur Knee is made of self-lubricating, oil-filled nylon and is both flexible and stable, even on irregular terrain. Comparable de-vices include a titanium replacement, which can cost $10,000 or more.
As an Indian civil servant for nearly 40 years, Mehta has been Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India and Chairman
Apart from them, exhibitors from Bangalore, Hyderabad, Surat, Junagarh, Mumbai, Kolhapur, Meerut and Delhi came to participate in the event.
M/s.Jewels Emporium and M/s Bir-dhichand Ghanshyamdas both from Jaipur were selected as the best and sec-ond best stalls respectively of JJS 2011.
The selections were done by a special panel. Many booths stood out for their creativity and ambience. One special fea-ture of the show was that as many as 68% of the total booths were designer stalls, and many participants spent lakhs of ru-pees on their designing and fabrication.
The Chairman of the Gems & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC),Rajiv Jain said that the council had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Tourism whereby the gems and jewellery segment will also be included in the Incredible India campaign.
During the evening the coffee table book on Kundan Meena jewellery entitled “When Jewellery Speaks: Celebrating the tradition-al of Kundan & Meenakari” was released by the Princess DiyaKumari of Jaipur. The book was commissioned by Jaipur Jewel-lery Show and is authored by Ms.Shemul Mehta Vyas - a faculty of NID, the eminent institute of India. On the occasion Princess Diya Kumari said that the book captures the living tradition of Kundan Minakari jewellery practised at many centres in India since centuries – with Jaipur in Rajasthan being one of the forerunners.
One special feature of the networking evening was an enthralling fashion show by the top models: Sonal Chauhan, Jesse Randhawa and Mugda Godse, among others. To melodious and throbbing mu-sic, Kundan Meena jewellery was dis-played by the models.
of the SEBI, the equivalent of Securities and Exchange Commission in the US.
Founded in 1975 with less than $10,000, Jaipur Foot is now operating with an an-nual budget of $3.5M, and funded by do-nations, government support and earned income. About 60% of the budget comes from donations, small or big, from India
Over the years, the JJS has become the hallmark for setting new trends. The Kundan Meena jewellery with a hallmark tag was in avid demand. 18 carat diamond jewellery in white gold also became a trendsetter this year; as did light weight jewellery with a heavy look. The studded gold jewellery was also in great demand. The rose-cut di-amond jewellery also seemed to be in fashion along with fusion jewellery.
and abroad. Roughly 30% of the budget is in the form of government grants.
With overhead costs hovering at just 4%, an extraordinary low percentage considering 20% in the non-profit sec-tor, Mehta has proven time and again that his organization spends each and every dollar mindful of its source.
Giving impetus to jewelery industry
Jaipur Foot provides mobility and dignity too
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
January 7-13, 201227
Theme 2012 Launch:
The new theme was
announced by the Convener
of the JJS, imal Chand
Surana amidst applause.
The theme is – “Diamond
Jewellery – Jaipur Adds
Colors to It.”
As per the practice,
the theme will continue
for two years.
The poster of the new
theme was also released
during the inaugural
function.
The JJS was a big crowd puller
BMVSS chief D.R. Mehta (left) watches two boys with prosthetics run during a camp for fitting limbs in war-torn Iraq.
The footfall in the JJS exceeded 40,000
By Prakash Bhandari
28
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Pioneer jeweler who is a rolemodel to community
By Prakash Bhandari
For two and a half centuries
the Surana family of Jaipur
has been pioneers in the
jewelry trade in India and the
firm Bhuramal Rajmal Surana is
a trusted name. Kamal Chand
Surana is the son of Rajmal and
he has inherited all the goodness
of his father.
Kamal Surana, after completing
his schooling from Jaipur’s St
Xavier’s School, and his practical
training in jewelry and colorstone
manufacturing, traveled outside
India. In 1964 he participated in
the New York’s world fair at
Flushing Meadows by establish-
ing a jewelry booth. The die was
cast and with this experience he
started expanding the family busi-
ness in America.
He moved to US and in 1968
established the first Indian office
with the formation of Far East
Gems Inc. In later years Surana
made frequent trips to Brazil,
Colombia, Africa, Israel and
Thailand. These trips were made
to procure rough emerald stocks,
which were sent to India for cut-
ting and polishing. He soon
became a leader of the color gem-
stone trade in US. In the mid 70’s
and 80’s a number of people from
India particularly from Jaipur fol-
lowed in his footsteps and all of
them received good support from
Surana.
Surana supplied gemstones to
clients like Tiffany, Cartier,
Arpels, Barnett Robinson, Harry
Winston and Oscar Heyman.
Surana, who is the President
and CEO of Surana Jewellers of
Jaipur, was honored in 2011 by
IDCA (Indian Diamond &
Colored Stone Association) with
the Pioneer Award.
Surana is known for his busi-
ness ethics and principles and is a
community leader and role model
to the Indian community. He con-
tributed immensely in co-spon-
soring the first Jain temple in
New York. In the year 2001 he
was honored by RANA
(Rajasthan Association of North
America) for his lifetime contri-
bution.
Kamal Surana lived in the US
for 35 years and raised his family,
but his heart lied in Jaipur. His
desire to return to his native town
brought him back. He set up
Surana Jewellers in Jaipur, a
national brand in India today.
Surana Jewellers gave a new
dimension to Kundan and
Meenakari and a large number of
people from all over the world
come to his showroom in Jaipur
to buy the beautiful jewelry that
he produces. Surana’s legacy and
experience enabled him to create
a new genre of jewelry that
appealed to everyone, no matter
what the occasion.
His wife Prem Kumari support-
ed him in all his endeavors. The
couple is celebrating the golden
jubilee of their wedding.
Kamal Chand Surana and Prem Kumari celebrated golden jubilee of their marriage in Jaipur.
Kamal Chand Surana came
from the gem city of Jaipur,
which boasts a great tradition of
lapidary art.
Jaipur is world’s biggest cen-
tre for cutting and polishing of
gemstones of all kinds. Surana
has been buying rough gem-
stones from various countries
particularly emerald.
One of his great collection
was a 437.77 carat piece of
emerald naturally shaped like
the letter ‘A’. This rare piece of
rock emerald was donated by
Kamal Chand, a Jain, to the
American Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals. The emerald was fea-
tured at the auction for Animals
at Sotheby’s in March 1993 and
was contributed to the
Smithsonian Museum’s national
gem and mineral collection.
By Prakash Bhandari
Bi r d h i c h a n d
Ghanshyamdas, one of
the oldest jewelry stores
in Jaipur started in 1942 in the
famous Johari Bazar has created
a brand. By designing and
developing jewelry for every
occasion, it has generated an
ever growing fan base of layout
and high rolling clientele global-
ly. Their showroom offers 22 kt.
gold, diamond, pearl, ruby and
colored gemstone jewelry as well
as gold, Polki and Kundan jew-
elry whereas the first floor dis-
plays exclusively diamond jewel-
ry. The Birdhichand
Ghanshyamdas tale begins with
beauty, elegance and imagina-
tion. The tradition has continued
since, with great creativity and
spirit, focusing on design and
promoting technical innovations.
Every Birdhichand
Ghanshyamdas jewelry item
stands for its design, quality of its
craftsmanship and emotions that
each creation is able to arouse in
the giver and recipient alike.
Every piece typifies the artistic
talent of craftsmen who skillfully
craft them, imparting their work
with passion, promoting creation,
selecting the best materials and
focusing on the details. Their
jewelry embodies the evolution
of taste through time, retaining
an unmistakable style that repre-
sents creation through the
achievement of unparalleled
results.
Be it exquisite creations such
as Adrishya, Noor or Hunar, all
have been perfected into a fine
art by Birdhichand
Ghanshyamdas.
Adrishya: The word means
invisible. Their golden jewelry
by that name is bedecked with
precious stones but without the
gold visible at all. In this collec-
tion, the poetry of nature remains
a constant theme. The fleeting
beauty of flowers and their
poignant romance are immortal-
ized in Adrishya as iridescent
motifs.
Hunar: Hunar means ‘talent’.
It’s a mesmerizing collection of
traditional Indian jewelry; appre-
ciated especially for innovative
uses of the popular Mughal and
Persian enameled Kundan jewel-
ry studded with table cut dia-
monds to create bold, vibrant
jewelry. This exquisite creation
goes well with the grand Indian
weddings and traditional occa-
sions.
Noor: It is a collection of con-
temporary diamond jewelry!
From solitaires to elaborate sets
studded with fine diamonds,
Noor symbolizes class and opu-
lence for the modern woman.
The name is still looking at the
future with passion, creativity
and commitment.
The Birdhichand
Ghanshyamdas brand enjoys suc-
cess all over a leading luxury
jewellery brand respecting the
highest artesian traditions and
elegance of an inimitable style.
Aranya : This is Birdhichand
Ghanshyamdas’ latest launch
named after nature/forest. It is a
sublime collection of jewelry that
respects environs. A range which
has been conceived with the
abundance of nature, crafted
scrupulously to redefine good
taste with a touch of grace.
Kamal Surana, seen here with his family, returned to Jaipur after 35years in New York and set up Surana Jewellers, today a brand.
Kamal Chand Surana
Perfected art and craft of jewelry At Jaipur based Birdhichand Ghanshyamdas Jewellers, every piece typifies the artistic talent of craftsmen who stamp their work
with passion and creativity, besides selecting the best materials and focusing on the details.
Aranya is inspired by nature,respect for environs.
Adrishya is sobedecked
with preciousstones that
gold is invisible.
Hunar isKundan
jewelry stud-ded with tablecut diamonds
29
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
A pioneer of gemstonebusiness in the US
By Prakash Bhandari
In 1964, Haridas Kotahwala, son of a
leading gemstone dealer of Jaipur in
Rajasthan, started traveling the world
in search of opportunities to expand his
business. He went to the Middle East,
Europe and finally New York, where he
had gone for the world trade fair and
found that he had reached his destination.
In 1968, Haridas opened one of the first
Indian owned gemstone and diamond
offices in US.
Haridas’ father late Gokuldas Kotahwala
came from a family of traditional jewelers.
Originally the family had an emerald man-
ufacturing and wholesale company but
with hard work, dedication, vision and
determination, the Kotahwala family grew
into a multinational organization spanning
three continents and over nine offices
throughout the world dealing in a com-
plete spectrum of gemstone and diamonds.
Haridas is the eldest of four brothers and
leads the family in the true sense of a
Hindu patriarch.
Currently, Haridas Kotahwala is guiding
his two sons Alok and Vishal, who man-
age a diversified jewelry, diamond and
colored stone operation Royal India USA
Inc, New York. They have manufacturing
operations in three countries and sell their
products to over 40 countries.
Haridas has brought an equal amount of
passion and dedication to serving his com-
munity. He regularly travels to Jaipur and
recently celebrated his 50th wedding
anniversary with Sharda Kotahwala at
Jaipur’s Hotel Marriot and this golden
evening was attended by the luminaries of
Jaipur and also from New York, Mumbai
and other places. On their respective 50th
wedding anniversaries, Haridas
Kotahwala & fellow jeweler, Kamal
Chand Surana, each donated 50 bicycles
and 50 comforters to Jaipur foot maker
Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Society.
In 1984, he became one of the founding
members and first vice president of the
Indian Diamond & Colored stone
Association (IDCA). He is the president of
the biggest body of the NRI Rajasthanis –
the Rajasthan Association of North
America (RANA).
“RANA is a social body committed to
the Rajasthanis and we have 350 mem-
bers. We are trying to bring together the
Rajasthanis spread all over North
America. We are trying to set up a
Rajasthan Bhavan in Massapequa in Long
Island at a cost of $2 million. This will
cover 40,000 square foot area and would
serve as our cultural center. The negotia-
tions to acquire a synagogue is on and
soon we will be able to finalize the deal,”
says Kotahwala.
He said RANA was established with six
community leaders with a
vision to preserve and promote culture,
values and heritage of Rajasthan and cre-
ate a special oasis in the Indian American
community.
Kotahwala has received many accolades
throughout his illustrious career and was
honored by RANA for his social achieve-
ments. In 2004 he was honored by World
Business Forum with proclamation from
New York Assembly and US Congress for
his dedication to his community. In 2008,
he received the Pioneer Award from the
IDCA for leading the Indian jewelers
community.
Haridas is also the chairman of Navika
Capital Group LLC, a real estate company
with investment of over $180 million.
This company is wholly owned and man-
aged by Indians in US.
A proud grandfather of seven grandchil-
dren, he continues to be proud of his fami-
ly and his extended family of the diamond
and colorstone community and the
Rajasthan community.
Haridas Kotahwala, chief of Royal IndiaUSA, Inc, in New York. He is also
President of RANA, which is on the vergeof raising a Rajasthan Bhavan in Long
Island.
Haridas, seen here with his children and grandchildren, is the eldest of four brothersand leads the family in the true sense of a Hindu patriarch.
Haridas recently celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary with wife, Sharda Kotahwalaat Jaipur’s Hotel Marriot and this golden evening was attended by the luminaries of
Jaipur and also bigwigs from New York, Mumbai and other places.
Haridas Kotahwala
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
30 Nostalgia
January 7-13, 2012
Long before any one of the current Miss World title winners, there were three princesses in India, who were considered some of the most
beautiful women. These were Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur, Princess of Berar Durru Shehvar and Princess Niloufer of Hyderabad.
The story of Princess Niloufer is curious and fascinating. She had lost her father when she was only two years old. When she was eight, the Turkish royal family was exiled. They moved to Nice in Southern France. With no income to live on, the entire royal family was dependent on the pension they received from the Nizam of Hyderabad. At that time, Time Magazine estimated the Nizam to be the richest man in the world.
Some years later, the daughter of the last Turkish Caliph, was proposed as a match to the Nizam’s elder son. During the discussions, the Nizam felt that the Turkish side was asking for a very high Mehr (dowry) and imposing dif-ficult conditions. In order to make the proposal go through, Princess Niloufer was proposed to be married to the Nizam’s younger son. Thus, in 1931, Hyderabad royal family got two Turkish brides: Durru Shehvar and Niloufer. At the time of the marriage, Princess Niloufer was only 15 years old.
A few weeks later, the two princesses, Durru Shehvar and Niloufer set sail for India. On the way, they were taught how to wear sarees and the expected etiquette in the presence of the Nizam. After their landing in Bombay, they boarded the private train of the Nizam. When it pulled up in Hyderabad station, Niloufer, she stepped off the train ever so lightly. All eyes were on her.
Niloufer moved in to the palatial Hill Fort with her husband. Her husband was a poet of Urdu. Almost every evening, he organized a mushaira. He lived a lavish lifestyle and doted on his wife, getting her painted and photographed. Life seemed to be quite comfortable and all was well in the Nizam’s kingdom.
From being a bride of Hyderabad Nizam’s son at 15 to leading a glamorous public life in the West, her story is curious and fascinating
Niloufer with her friend Begum Aga Khan at the Ascot Derby
Princess Niloufer shown getting off a train
Durru Shehvar, Princess of Berar; she was Niloufer’s cousin and married to her brother-in-lawPrincess Niloufer
Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur considered one of the most
beautiful women in the world
The life and times of Princess Niloufer The life and times of Princess Niloufer
Princess Niloufer with husband Muazzam Jah, the younger son of Nizam of Hyderabad
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Nostalgia 31
January 7-13, 2012
As the years rolled by, Durru Shehvar gave birth to a son, Mukarram Jah. When several years passed and still Niloufer had not conceived, she consulted various doctors in Europe and was planning to go to America for a medical visit. During this time, one of her maids died during childbirth. At that time, there was no spe-cialized hospital for children and mothers. Niloufer’s resolve to build such a hospital materialized in the form of the current Niloufer Hospital in Hyderabad.
The absence of children made her private life empty. On the other hand, her public life became very glittering. She was invited to several functions and took the lead for women’s advancement. During the Second World War, she obtained training as a nurse and helped in relief efforts. Her beauty and her active public life received mention in the press and frequently on cover pages of magazines. She was judged one of the 10 most beautiful women in the world and was offered several roles in films.
Princess Niloufer’s style attracted the public and caught the attention of the media wherever she went. She had sarees especially crafted by Mad-havdas, a designer from Bombay. In later years, when she shifted to wearing European style clothes when travelling abroad, she still managed to cut a fine figure. One of her European dresses formed the topic of discussion in the New York Times.
In 1947, when India became independent, Prin-cess Niloufer was in a peculiar position. Hyderabad had yet to decide on joining the Indian Union.
The Nizam dilly-dallied, sometimes wanting to become independent and sometimes desiring to join India. Ultimately, Hyderabad was added to the Indian Union, when the Indian Army conducted an operation called the “Police Action”. The Nizam was retained as the Head of the State, though he had become just a shadow of his former self.
Princess Niloufer heard the news of Hyderabad’s extinction when travelling abroad in France. She de-cided never to return to India again. Sometime later, her marriage came to an end. She continued to live in Paris, with her mother, in an apartment. Since she was only 36, she attracted a lot of attention. Among her friends were Ali Khan (Aga Khan’s son), the Duke of Windsor, Princess Sita of Baroda, film stars such as Maurice Chevalier and Olivia de Havilland. She was offered yet another role in a Hollywood film (“Moulin Rouge”) but she turned it down again.
In 1961,Princess Niloufer visited the United States. She was the Guest of Honor at the Impe-rial Ball, held at the Plaza Hotel. During her brief visit, she received extensive coverage in the press. An exhibition of Princess Niloufer’s sarees was held at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York city. They can be viewed at http://www3.fitnyc.edu/museum/Exoticism/intro.htm Princess Niloufer died in Paris in 1989. Her mother’s grave was opened, and both mother and daughter were united again.
Hyderabad and calling him the Richest in the World.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
January 7-13, 201232
From man-made disasters to nature’s fury, from landslide victories to political uncertainties, from seven-billionth joy to winning Rs 5 crore on KBC - here is a rewind of events that India witnessed during 2011.
When pictures told the story
The Yuvraj joins headlines: The skeptics were many but the peripatetic Con-gress general secretary set out to prove them
wrong as he crisscrossed the country in 2011,
sometimes to mobilise youth into joining poli-tics, other times walking
into village homes to hear the problems of people
and share a meal. Rahul Gandhi’s litmus test lies only months away when Uttar Pradesh and other
states go to the polls.
The Himalayan Quake: A 6.8 magnitude quake rattled the North-East with Sikkimas its epicenter on September 18.
The tiny north-eastern State was worst-hit. The quake severely damaged Sikkim’s infrastructure and the Kanchen-
junga Conservation Area besides leaving scores dead.
Historic win in West Bengal elections: The Trinamool Congress won an absolute majority in assembly polls and brought down the curtain on the 34-year uninterrupted rule of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM)
led Left Front. The state got its first woman chief minister in Mamata Banerjee.
Slapgate left politicians shocked: The trend started off by an Iraqi journalist last year seems to continue. Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar became the latest victim of public fury, when a delhi-based lorry driver, Harvinder Singh,
assaulted him (seen in a TV grab after the attack) during a function in New Delhi.
The six that won us World Cup: He led the Indian team to the World Cup win in 2011, ending India’s 28-year-old
wait for a second world title. Immediately after the World Cup, the Chennai Super Kings under the
captainship of Dhoni became the first Indian Premier League (IPL) team to win back-to-back titles.
Meet the crorepati from Bihar:
He was the everyday man who went from becoming
a computer operator earning Rs.6,000 in
Motihari, Bihar, to winning Rs.5 crore
on the TV show “Kaun Banega Crorepati”.
The sensational turn-around in fortunes
made the 27-year-old an instant celebrity.
The world’s seven-billionth baby:
Nargis, a girl born in Mal village in Uttar
Pradesh on October 31, was welcomed as the
world’s seven billionth baby - an honor she
shared with a girl child born in the Philippines
and a boy in Russia.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
January 7-13, 201234
From Middle-East uprising to Japan’s worst nightmare, from dictatorship coming to an end to pulling out troops from war-ravaged Iraq,
here is a slide show of a tumultuous 2011.
The World in Frames
A nightmare for Japan: A deadly earthquake and tsunami hit north eastern
coast of Japan’s main island of Honshu on
March 11, 2011. The disaster in Japan left more than 15,000 dead. The Japanese govern-ment estimates the de-
struction cost the country upwards of $300-billion.
US pulls out of Iraq: According to arecent CBS poll, 77 percent of the American electorate approves of
President Barack Obama’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2011. Two in three
Americans say the Iraq war was not worth the cost.
Remembering Steve Jobs: A man lighting candles to pay tribute to Steve Jobs outside an Apple store in Beijing,
China. The Apple founder Steve Jobs created markets and product categories. He changed how we consume informa-tion and entertainment. He redefined leadership at Apple.
A fall of dictatorship: Muammar Gaddafi’s 40-year rule ended after rebel forces seized Tripoli on August 23. The 69-year-old leader was on the run when he was captured
and killed in his hometown of Sirte on Octber 20.
A tribute to Kim Jong-II: People offering their condolences in front of a portrait of the late North
Korean leader Kim Jong-Il in Jagang Province. Kim built an uclear arsenal, which culminated in North Korea’s first nuclear test explosion in 2006. Another test
took place in 2009. Kim Jong’s son has taken over.
Mubarak’s turn to bite the dust:
Hosni Mubarak’s three-decade rule ended unceremoniously when he was forced to quit in
February after an 18-day unrest that left around
400 people dead. Mubarak is currently
facing a trial on charges of ordering use of force
against protesters.
Mission Possible: US gets Laden:
The hideout house of slain Al-Qaeda leader
Osama bin Laden in Ab-bottabad. One of the most important events that put Pakistan in the dock in front of the whole world was the May 2 killing of bin Laden. The Al Qaeda
founder was gunned down in a unilateral
operation by US commandos at his
hideout at Abbottabad.
I welcome you all to the launch of “Chalo Punjab” Campaign!
When I met our party President respected Mrs. Sonia Gandhi last month, she advised us to work unitedly to get NRIs votes & support for elections in Punjab. I took her advice to heart! I am mighty pleased and thankful to God, in short span of two weeks, I have been able to mobilize NRIs from every group, every religion, every caste and every region of United States to join us in Chalo Punjab campaign.
Punjab. With help of my team we have been pretty successful toward achieving that goal.
We all are thankful to Mrs. Sonia Gandhi who after renunciation, chose Dr. Manmohan Singh, a Punjabi , for the highest position in India. Punjabis are prominent in political, social and economic areas. With an estimated US-based one Million Punjabi population, we are an ethnic group to reckon with! We have the potential to create change through our collective voice and active participation. Through NRI support my vision is to make Punjab the best state in India. I invite you to join the crusade against corruption and participate in the development of Punjab.
Join us in Chalo Punjab Campaign and make a difference!!
Hon. Sonia GandhiPresident, Indian National Congress party
Dr. Manmohan SinghPrime Minister, Govt. Of India
Dr. Karan SinghChairman, Foreign Affairs Department, AICC
with all our efforts and resources to bring the most progressive
party of India back in power in our home state, Punjab.
So I appeal to all of you, my fellow Punjabis, my friends and fam-
ily, let us make this endeavor a success! Together, let us “Chalo
Punjab!!”
Phuman SinghPresident, East Coast, PECC, USA
AdvertorialA
36
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Advertorial 38 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
JOIN CHALO PUNJAB
GROUP TO INDIA AND ENJOY FOLLOWING BENEFITS- Under Chalo Punjab Campaign you and a companion Pay ONLY $875* each on direct flight by Air India when you travel with CHALO PUNJAB GROUP
“India Program as Planned by NRI cell Punjab Pradesh Congress” - Honorable DR. Karan Singh Ji will flag off the cavalcade to Punjab from AICC headquarters IN DELHI. Many congress leaders will attend the flag off of the “NRI Kafila”- A group photo “parliament style” of all attendees will be organized with congress leaders. this will be presented to honorees as a framed memento. - Chalo Punjab group will be TAKEN TO PUNJAB IN LUXURY VOLVO BUSES as NRI Kafila. The Volvo Buses will be dressed up with banners of
“NRI’s for Congress”. - When the “NRI Kafila” reaches Karnal (Haryana) it will be received by the Haryana Chief Minister Shri Bhupinder Singh Hooda subject to his schedule. At the Venue some traditional folk entertainment will be organized along with snacks. - Once the “NRI Kafila” reaches Jalandhar (Punjab), all the participating NRI’s will be given a grand welcome with Bhangra / Gidda and garlands and received by prominent Congress leaders of Punjab.- NRI Kafila will attend Proposed NRI Sammelan at Jalandhar TO BE ATTENDED by Capt. Amarinder Singh ji and other leaders. - Enjoy the trip while serve your motherland and Punjab by supporting the best party .... The Congress Party!
*Subject to approval from Air India
Advertorial 39 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Greetings! On behalf of the
Punjab Election Committee,
it is a great pleasure for me to
introduce you to Chalo Punjab.
Chalo Punjab is geared towards
highlighting the potential and
achievement of Punjabi leaders
and to encourage them further.
Chalo Punjab is also designed
to garner NRIs’ support for
development and progress in
Punjab. The mission is to utilize
a myriad of resources to help
the state of Punjab prosper.
Though outside of Punjab, we
have aspired to encourage the
local Punjabi community to
connect with our Punjabi roots.
Mr. Shudh Parkash Singh, the
chief coordinator of the Punjab
Election Campaign Committee,
USA, has been instrumental
in managing several of our
efforts to support Congress
leaders in Punjab, India. It is his
leadership that has provided
direction and enabled us to
pursue all our campaigning
efforts. I am thankful for his
support and for having me on
his committee.
The Indian National Congress
has gained effectiveness and
influence under the leadership
of our Prime Minister, Dr.
Manmohan Singh and Mrs.
Sonia Gandhi, President of the
Indian National Congress Party.
Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, who was
voted as the leader of the party
and was expected to take on
the Prime Minister position,
has been the backbone of the
Congress Party. She has lead
the electoral campaign of the
Congress Party in 2004 to get
much success. It is under her
vision and leadership that has
allowed the Punjab Election
Committee, here in the US,
to push for greater political
campaigning. Dr. Manmohan
Singh, who gracefully took on
the position of Prime Minister,
has demonstrated dynamic
leadership. His leadership has
taken India to greater heights
of national and international
success. Today, India is
undoubtedly referred to as a
potential land of opportunities
and a dynamic economy.
Lavika Bhagat SinghGeneral Secretary, PECC, USA
Advertorial 42 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
The Raj and Rajeshwari Founda-
tion was created in 2000 by Dr.
Rajesh K. Singh, who after his re-
tirement and with the support of
his wife of 56 years: Rajeshwari
Devi Singh, decided to devote
his life to improve the quality of
life of those in dire straits in and
around the village of his birth in
Uttar Pradesh, India.
The dream of Dr. Singh was
materialized in 2001 with the
establishment of the Raj and
Rajeshwari Foundation as a non-
governmental organization to
both provide medical assistance
and bear witness publicly to the
plight of the people it assists.
A private nonprofit association,
RRF is an organization seeking to
uplift the lives of the poor and
destitute in rural India, where
the benefits of globalization and
modernization have not yet ar-
rived.
Diagnosing and treating people
in need of medical care are the
Raj & Rajeshwari Foundation’s
primary activity. Dr. Rajesh Singh
along with experienced staff
coordinate the work, provide
support and training where nec-
essary, and ensure that there is
a sufficient supply of drugs and
medical materials. Additionally,
the foundation has set up special
programs to address particular
diseases when necessary, such as
Diarrhea, Dysentery, Tuberculosis,
Filaria, Cholera, Typhoid, Malaria,
HIV and Aids.
The Raj and Rajeshwari Foun-
dation is an independent inter-
national medical humanitarian
organization that delivers aid
to people affected by exclusion
from health care, by reason of
poverty and lack of infrastruc-
ture in an around Dist. Gonda in
Uttar Pradesh, India. Currently
the foundation is ably supported
by Dr. Singh’s sons - Harendra
Singh, Dr. Jitendra Singh and his
son in law - Dr. J.P. Singh.
RRF provides health care, rehabil-
itation and runs a 16 bed hospi-
tal, performs surgery, carries out
vaccination campaigns, operates
feeding centers for malnourished
people and offers mental health
care.
“It is a mammoth task and no
single organization or individual
can tackle these problems in
rural and poverty stricken areas
in the world. However, RRF has
made humble beginnings and
the hope is that others will fol-
low.”- Dr. R. Singh.
Medical Missions
The need and the opportunity
surrounding Medical Missions to
the Raj and Rajeshwari Hospital
are equal in intensity. While the
needs of the patients can never
be fully satisfied, the opportunity
that volunteering presents in
experience cannot be calculated.
On a daily basis Dr. Singh treat’s
patients for pathologies that are
no longer treated in the West-
ern Hemisphere on a normal
basis. Such patients suffer from
Typhoid, Malaria, and Leprosy
to name a few. For Doctors,
Nurses and the Press who wish
to volunteer time at the hospital,
all room and board are included
in the most hospitable of accom-
modations. In addition, the cost
of airfare is 100% Tax Deductable
thanks to the Raj and Rajesh-
wari Foundation being included
under section 501(c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code.
For more information, please
contact 516-470-1824 or visit the
foundation’s web page: www.
rajrajfoundation.org
Rajesh K. SinghM. D., FACS, FRCS (Canada)
HONOREES
Dr. Singh with his son Harendra Singh and his family.
Advertorial 43 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Kanwal Sra was born in Mumbai,
India. After his family moved to
the United States in the mid 70s,
he completed his education in
New York and graduated from
New York University in 1986 with
a Bachelors degree in Accounting.
He passed his Certified Public
Accountant exam soon after
graduation.
During his last year of college,
he worked for the New York
City Department of Finance
performing audits on a wide
variety of large, medium, and small
sized businesses for the City of
New York. After graduating, he
joined Manufacturer’s Hanover
Trust in the Management Training
Program for the Audit Department
where he performed audits of all
divisions of the bank.
Following this, he gained
extensive experience on Wall
Street and the Securities Industry
during the next six years, first by
working for Shearson Lehman’s
Audit and then for Spicer and
Oppenheim CPAs, a mid sized
CPA firm that provided auditing
accounting and tax services to
the small and midsized Broker
and Dealers of stocks and bonds,
Investment Partnerships and
High Net Worth Individuals. For
three years, he also worked as the
Controller of Prudential Global
Funding, a subsidiary of Prudential
Insurance Company. He then
joined Ernst & Young LLP CPAs
as a Senior Manager for two years
where he managed accounting,
auditing and management
consulting projects.
In 1995, he set up SRA &
Associates LLP to provide tax,
financial, management consulting,
accounting and auditing services
to a diverse group of companies
specializing in the construction
industry. In 2000, Kanwal started
System One Financial Services
LLC with the goal of assisting
clients in every aspect of their
financial lives including financial
planning, investment management,
retirement planning, Business
Succession /Continuation
Planning, Risk Management and
Employer-Sponsored Financial
Education Programs. He is the
Founder and Chief Executive
Officer of Taxosphere, a New York
Based company that provides tax
preparation services to Individuals
and businesses throughout the
United States. Taxosphere has over
60 branches in over twenty two
states.
In 2003, Kanwal traveled to India
and started OSI Info Solutions
India Pvt Ltd to provide back
office processing in accounting,
taxes, financial and medical
billing in Chandigarh for US based
clients. In 2005, he launched
Phoenix Buildcon Pvt Ltd in
Punjab as a township developer
builder and started one of the first
mega projects in Jalandhar during
Captain Amarinder Singh’s last
government in Punjab to build a
township in 100 acres for NRIs
from USA, Canada and England.
At present, he is a member of the
American Institute of Certified
Public Accountants, New York
State Society of Certified Public
Accountants, National Society
of Tax Professional, and
National Association of Tax
Practitioners.
While still attending NYU,
Kanwal also became
involved with community
services. He was the
treasurer of the Sikh
Cultural Society at the
Richmond Hill Gurudwara
and helped develop,
automate and implement
financial systems to ensure
transparent, efficient
and timely reporting of
the Gurudwara financial
statements. In addition, he
also helped in setting up
health camps in Queens.
Kanwal has also been the
Founder and Chairman of
the Board of the Punjab
& Sindh Federal Credit
Union, which provided
banking services to the
Indian community in the New
York area and was established by
him in 1995.
He also set up a non-profit,
Crystal Foundation with a
vision is to provide education
and healthcare to underserved
population in India through
collaboration in order to kindle
‘stronger minds and healthier
bodies’. In 2003, he started the
Crystal Foundation in India to
provide health and education
to the underserved community
with the establishment of the
first health clinic in Thada village
near Jalandhar. In 2010, Crystal
Foundation launched the ‘Adopt a
Village’ campaign and successfully
conducted health camps as part
of this campaign. In addition,
it supported the education on
more than 50 children from the
underserved slum community
near Delhi. Currently, he is
involved in setting up chapters of
Crystal Foundation in other states.
In additional to managing his
various businesses in US and
India, since 2011, Kanwal has
also been anchoring a TV show
‘Money Matters’ on the Jus
Punjabi Channel to help educate
and answer financial and tax
related questions for Punjabis all
over North America. In Jan 2012,
he launched the Money Matters
show on ITV Channel, which is
aired throughout the Tri State area.
Kanwal is married and has three
beautiful daughters.
Kanwal Sra CPA
KSRA CPA PCCERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS & FINANCIAL PLANNERS
K. SRA CPA P.C. provides a broad range of consulting services to high net worth individuals, private practitioners, small businesses, corporations and other organizations requiring specialized professional expertise in the following major areas:
Profit planning, budgeting and operational planning Profit sharing and Pension Plans Business valuations General Accounting Services Tax Services Personal Financial Planning Management Advisory Services
Kanwal Sra with his wife Avneet and daughters Sehar and Sahel.
HONOREES
Advertorial 44 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Dr. Kiranpreet S. Parmar is currently
an attending physician at Staten Island
University Hospital, New York City. He is
involved in setting up medical specialty
practices as well as surgical centers in New
York. Dr. Parmar was born in Chandigarh
and spent his first nine years there. He
arrived in America in 1974 and returned
to India for his medical education where
he developed a strong bond and love for
the country of India and its people. Dr.
Parmar returned to the United States to
complete his studies in the field of Internal
Medicine. In 1998 he was elected chief
resident at Staten Island University Hospital.
Upon completion of his internal medicine
program, he attended the University of
Texas to specialize in gastroenterology. He
became Chief Fellow of gastroenterology
as well as an interventional fellow in 2001.
Dr. Parmar also completed a subspecialty of
gastroenterology, in the field of endoscopic
ultrasound and was the only fellow chosen
to attend advance training in Paris, France.
Since his training, Dr. Parmar has returned
to his homeland on many occasions and
has set up an operating theater in his native
village of Baddon. He has also donated
land for the future construction of a grade
school in Punjab. In 2009, he became a
board member of the Crystal Foundation,
an organization that promotes primary
medical care in India. Dr. Parmar hopes to
develop more free medical clinics for the
under privileged in rural India. His ultimate
goal is to set up a state of the art medical
university, which would provide physicians
for clinics in rural India.
Dr. Kiranpreet S. ParmarPhysician
Congratulations to Dr. Kiranpreet S. Parmar
for being honored for his achievements
by Friends & Family
HONOREES
JASWINDER SINGH JOHAL and DESH DEEPAK BHARDWAJ, after emigrating from Punjab India, started working as helpers in a grocery store in Jackson Heights. With their hard work and honesty they now own 7 super markets under the brand name APNA BAZAR in the tri state area. They just opened America’s biggest Indian food Super Market in Hicksville.They contribute a lot towards charity and provide a lot of sponsorships to social and community events.Their friendship has become an exemplary story in our
community. For 30 years they have been working together cordially despite being from two different religions. Deepak is Hindu and Jaswinder is a Sikh.They have been given a very prominent award for their friendship from the highest religious body of Sikhs called “SGPC” in India.They have become and remain a symbol of unity for both religions.
Desh Deepak Bhardwaj & Jaswinder Singh JohalApna Bazar
Teammates carrying Tendulkar on shoulders after World Cup win.
Lost in the Year
Sathya Sai Baba, Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor,
Jagjit Singh,Bhupen Hazarika.
Announcement of the Year
Obama announcing Osama kill.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
January 7-13, 201248
The year of social activismFrom Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the notorious Reddy Brothers and Vijay Mallya, there were some people who stayed in the headlines - and in our collective consciousness - for rea-sons right or wrong. SATimes takes a look at 10 people/events that mattered the most in 2011.
Like before, the roller coaster Sino-Indian relations witnessed their share of highs and lows. India and China tried their best to overcome the South China Sea muddle and in a statesman like spir-it, PM Manmohan Singh reiterated in Bali that there was enough space for both India and China to flourish. Bilateral relationship was also strained by the postponement of talks between the two countries because the schedule clashed with the international Bud-dhist congregation addressed by the Dalai Lama. In the end, India’s firm responses to bilateral issues and China’s appreciation of the Indian position gave a positive momentum to their relations.
The year winds down on a dismal note for the prime minister with corruption and the economy continuing to be the millstones around his neck. Anna Hazare was breath-ing down his neck for a stronger anti-graft law and senior ministers like P. Chidam-baram were also alleged to be involved in corruption. The rupee slumped to reach 54 to the dollar and growth slowed down to 6.9 percent for Q2. Questions arose again on his ability to govern. With Congress president Sonia Gandhi unwell in the key weeks of the Anna agitation, he battled al-legations of being a non-performer.
The King of Good Times hit a bad patch as his Kingfisher Airlines was forced to close down its no-frills Kingfisher Red brand and owed big bucks to fuel suppli-ers and airport managements. The flam-boyant Vijay Mallya, a Rajya Sabha MP, was also in the news as owner of the F1 team Force India, a part stake of which he sold to Sahara India group.
During 2011, ISRO launched eight satel-lites using its own rocket PSLV and one communication satellite GSAT-8 through Ariane 5 from Kourou, French Guiana. India’s most successful rocket, the PSLV has successfully launched 52 satellites out of the 53 it carried over half a century and has been a major revenue earner for ISRO. For stock market inves-
tors in India, 2011 was the second worst in 14 years -- second only to the disastrous 2008. Investors’ wealth, as measured in terms of market capitalization of all the companies listed on the BSE, has been eroded by Rs 19,11,122 crore in 2011. Considering there are 19.7 million demat account holders in India, the aver-age loss per stock market investor was Rs 9.70 lakh.
Rollerocoaster Sino-India ties
Manmohan SinghBAd yeAR For
Investors
Indian space missions
The year belonged to the diminutive man who led an unparalleled movement against corruption with two hunger strikes that brought Lokpal into the lexicon and forced the government vir-tually to its knees. Bring-ing back a certain old age idealism, the 73-year-old Gandhian from Maharashtra was dismissed by some as anachronistic but realpolitik saw him and his team battle for their version of the Lok-pal bill, isolating the Con-gress as other parties rallied around to their cause. For his fight against graft and also for gaffes, like backing the slap attack on agricul-ture minister Sharad Pawar, Hazare stayed in the head-lines through the year. Thou-sands took to the streets in support, waving the tricolor and the now famous ‘I am Anna’ caps and T-shirts.
The once powerful Union communications minister
form the DMK party became a metaphor for corrup-tion in 2011, the first of 14 people to be arrested in the multi-crore 2G spectrum allocation scam. After his ar-rest Feb 2, DMK MP Kanimozhi as well as corporate honchos like Sanjay Chandra of Unitech and influen-tial officials like former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura found themselves in Tihar Jail in Delhi.
Anna Hazare
Vijay Mallya
The notoriously rich Brothers Reddy have manipulated Karnataka politics by proxy from their bastion in the iron ore-rich district of Bellary. G. Janardhana, G. Karunakara and G. Somashekara, two of whom were ministers, are now feeling sidelined by their former BJP patrons and are believed to be close to floating a new party. Janardhana is directing power games from Hyderabad jail where he is held since Sep 5 over the multi-crore illegal mining scam.
The chief minister of Jammu & Kashmir was in the news through the year for his stance on the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), his relentless tweeting on a range of issues from Anna Hazare to Dev Anand and also for being the rare politician to declare upfront that there was indeed trouble in his marriage but people should leave him alone.
Reddy Brothers
A. Raja
defense modernizationIndia’s quest to modernize its armed forc-es into a lean, mean fighting machine con-tinued in 2011, with a few critical dealsmaterializing and several others facing time over-runs. India finalized the purchase of some important military equipment, such as 10 Boeing C-17 Globe-master III heavylift cargo planes from the US and the upgrade of 51 Mirage-2000 combat planes initially by the French manufacturer and later in India.These apart, India got the delivery of six Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules medium-lift cargo planes from the US and entered into an agreement with Russia for licensed production of 42 more Sukhoi SU-30 MKI combat jets at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) facility in India.
Omar Abdullah
Top 10 newsmakers - India
49
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Supreme Court spared neitherholy cows, nor corrupt
It was a year of judicial activism as the Supreme Court was in 2011 called on to adjudicateon a wide swathe of issues ranging from governance, to graft, to police high-handedness.
Transparent governance remained
centric to the decisions of the
Supreme Court, which quashed the
appointment of then central vigilance
commission P.J. Thomas as 'non-est',
meaning not existing in law.
Unhappy over the central government's
probe into black money, the apex court
June 4 set up a special investigation team
headed by former apex court judge B.P.
Jeevan Reddy to investigate the stashing
away of the ill-gotten money in tax heav-
ens abroad.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati
received a setback when the apex court
July 6 quashed the acquisition of land in
and around Greater Noida for constructing
residential complexes.
The Planning Commission sparked a
public outcry when in September it told
the apex court that the poverty line in
urban and rural areas was Rs.32 per capita
per day and Rs.26 per capita per day,
respectively.
Faced with public outcry over its obser-
vation in Australian missionary Graham
Staines' killing, the apex court Jan 25
recalled its judgment upholding the life
sentence of Dara Singh and his associate
and expunged a controversial portion of
the verdict related to alleged conversion of
tribals.
Apex court judges cautioned law
enforcement agencies against using exces-
sive force. It took suo motu cognizance
June 6 of Delhi Police action past mid-
night on June 4 for evicting yoga guru
Baba Ramdev and his followers from
Ramlila ground in Delhi.
Delhi Police evicted yoga guru BabaRamdev and his followers from Ramlila
Ground in Delhi.
A. Raja:
The former communications min-
ister was the first high profile arrest
of the year. Held for alleged
involvement in the 2G spectrum
scam Feb 2, the DMK MP is still in
Tihar Jail.
Suresh Kalmadi:
The Lok Sabha MP and former
Commonwealth Games (CWG)
Organizing Committee (OC) chief
was arrested April 25 in connection
with alleged irregularities in the
contracts awarded for the 2010
mega event.
Amar Singh:
The Rajya Sabha MP and former
Samajwadi Party leader was arrest-
ed for alleged involvement in the
2008 cash-for-votes
scandal.
Sukh Ram:
The former telecom minister was
awarded five years' imprisonment
by a Delhi court in a 1996 corrup-
tion case Nov 19. He was arrested
and taken to Tihar jail.
B.S. Yeddyurappa:
BJP's first chief minister in south-
ern India was arrested in two graft
and illegal land deal cases. He was
in jail for 21 days.
Mahipal Maderna:
The sacked Rajasthan water
resources minister was arrested by the
CBI for the disappearance of nurse
Bhanwari Devi, who allegedly fea-
tures in a CD showing Maderna in a
compromising position with her and
went missing.
Jailhouse rock for the high and mighty
Pt Bhimsen Joshi (1922-2011)
In what was described as the
sun setting on Indian classical
music, the iconic Hindustani
music vocalist passed away at
his hometown Pune on January
24 at the age of 88.
Dev Anand (1923-2011)
Bollywood's very own
Peter Pan finally said say-
onara on Dec 4 this year at
the age of 88, an actor who
epitomised the suave lover
romancing his way through
generations of heroines -- from Nalini Jaywant to
Zeenat Aman.
Mansur Ali Khan
Pataudi (1941-2011)
India's cricket legend
Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi,
who personified style on
and off the cricket field,
died on September 22 when
he was just 70.
Shammi Kapoor (1930-
2011)
Hindi cinema's
"Junglee", "Professor" and
"Bluff Master" who jolted
audiences out of their
lethargy with his romantic
war cry of "Yahoo", which
is said to have inspired
even Yahoo! co-founder
Jerry Yang, died after a
long illness on Aug 14.
Jagjit Singh (1941-2011)
Indian ghazal king Jagjit
Singh's way of celebrating
his 70th year was unique -
he was aiming to com-
plete 70 concerts by the
end of the year.His con-
certs were a delight, espe-
cially when he broke into
pleasant Punjabi numbers
like "Saun da mahina".
Bhupen Hazarika (1926-2011)
A golden voice of Indian music
fell silent when legendary
singer-composer Bhupen
Hazarika died in Mumbai,
plunging millions of fans across
the country, especially those in
eastern India, into gloom.
M.F. Husain (1915-2011)
It was a virtual exile for the
country's best known artist, who
left home in 2006 after being
hounded and threatened by
rightwing activists for his paint-
ings of goddesses. He yearned to get back. Alas, that
was never to be.
Sathya Sai Baba (1926-2011)
He was widely revered as god and attracted a follow-
ing of millions of people, who flocked from across the
world to his home in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh,
which went from obscurity to global fame.
Arjun Singh (1930-2011)
Arjun Singh was a wily politician who badly wanted
to be prime minister at one time, but who saw his
ambitions thwarted by the widow of Rajiv Gandhi, the
man to whom he remained loyal through his life.
People we'll missThey entertained, educated and enlivened our lives with their talent and sheer
brilliance. As another year draws to a close, it is time to remember theirmagic and say adieu once again to some of those who left us in 2011.
50
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
India's democracy is alive and well < Looking back, looking forward >
2011 was the worst year for the Congress-led UPA government in the last sevenyears that it has been in power. But it ended on a better note.
By Amulya Ganguli
There is reason to hope that
India will fare better in
2012. For one, much of the
political storms have blown over -
scams, Anna Hazare, et al. They
may not have dissipated complete-
ly, but their initial debilitating
impact has lessened.
For another, the country has been
fortunate that it hasn't faced any
major Pakistan-inspired terrorist
attack in the recent past. Perhaps,
Islamabad's own mounting prob-
lems have induced a rethink. What
is more, even the Maoist insur-
gency is far less threatening today
than in the time when scores of
security personnel were being
killed in ambushes. The edge
seems to have been taken off,
therefore, of two grave challenges
to the Indian state - one external
and the other internal.
There is little doubt that if the
economy can recover its earlier 8 to
9 % growth rate and there is not so
much dispiriting talk by business-
men of investing abroad, India will
be back on track. All that will
remain is for the country, and the
government, to mull over why the
situation went so badly wrong, for
2011 was undoubtedly the worse
year for the government in the last
seven years that the Congress-led
UPA has been in power.
Ironically, what went wrong were
the two factors which were earlier
hailed as the defining features of a
new era of politics. One was the
assumption that the country had
entered a period when coalitions
will be the order of the day. The
other was the belief that the neat
division of authority between
Manmohan Singh and Sonia
Gandhi with the prime minister
running the government and the
Congress president looking after
the party had finally solved the
crippling diarchy which other
prime ministers had faced.
It is strange that the negativism
of this previously acclaimed dual
authority complicated coalitional
politics because of the excessive
leeway given by the prime minister
to a cabinet colleague A. Raja pre-
sumably because the Congress
president did not want the DMK
withdrawing support, as the Left
did in 2008.
As Manmohan Singh explained
after Raja's incarceration under
orders from the Supreme Court, the
reason the government dilly-dallied
about bringing him to book was the
fear of another election at the
national level.
Yet, when the assembly elections
were finally held in Tamil Nadu,
both the Congress and the DMK
received a severe drubbing because
the electorate was not amused by
the patent compromise with
malfeasance.
Unfortunately, the same hesitan-
cy to act against a troublesome ally
was evident in the government's
retreat on allowing foreign invest-
ment in the retail sector following
opposition from Mamata Banerjee.
She has threatened to hold up sev-
eral other reforms as well, such as
the one on pension funds, because
she is aware of the special status
she has acquired in the political
field by triumphantly ending Left's
three-decade-old rule in West
Bengal. But, she may be undermin-
ing her own position by outdoing
the comrades in her quest to be the
heroine of socialism.
As in the cases of Raja and
Mamata, the government didn't
seem to know how to assert itself
when it came to dealing with Anna
Hazare till his "flop show" in
Mumbai signaled the fizzling out
of his anti-corruption campaign.
But the reason why the government
had been at its wits’ end earlier in
dealing with him - oscillating
between either inviting him to
jointly frame the Lokpal bill with
ministers, or arresting him, or hail-
ing him as a crusader after releas-
ing him - was that there was appar-
ently no one in the government or
the party with acute political
instincts or wide popular appeal
like Indira Gandhi before the
Emergency or Rajiv Gandhi before
the Bofors scandal.
Curiously, Manmohan Singh's
personal integrity could have
helped him counter Anna's simple-
minded, rabble-rousing tactics
much earlier. But the prime minis-
ter is seen as someone who is
remote-controlled by Sonia
Gandhi. This impression of Singh's
helplessness has been strengthened
by his failure to push through the
economic reforms.
But all is not lost. The Lokpal bill
has passed through the Lok Sabha,
though not in the form which the
Congress may have wanted. Other
important bills are on the anvil.
Rahul Gandhi's support for FDI in
retail suggests that reforms will be
back on track. There is reason for
the country, therefore, to look for-
ward to a better tomorrow.
A main reason for hope, howev-
er, was the manner in which parlia-
ment met till late at night to consid-
er the Lokpal bill while, at the
same time, the attempt by Anna's
supporters to pressurize the house
by organizing a rally in Mumbai
failed.
The contrast between an animat-
ed Lok Sabha and the emptiness of
the meeting site in Mumbai con-
firmed that for all its flaws, Indian
democracy remains alive and well.
Amulya Ganguli is a politicalanalyst.
Much of the political storms have blown over - scams, Anna Hazare, et al.
By Subhash Chopra
Cynics and Doubting
Thomases notwithstanding,
India is well set for a
vibrant future. Stargazing is
always a risky business, but it is
part of human nature to look
ahead for better or worse. I, for
one, bet on a more dynamic India
in the next few years.
My optimism is posited on four
pillars of better governance as
symbolized by the arrest and actual
imprisonment of corrupt politi-
cians of various parties, steady
growth of national economy
amidst global downturn, better
relations with neighboring coun-
tries, and most importantly the dis-
cernible decline in the rate of
population growth across the entire
country.
The nation’s resolve to root out
corruption by all stake holders
from the ruling coalition, which is
determined to get measures like
Lokpal (ombudsman) passed, to
opponents jumping on the Anna
Hazare bandwagon augurs well for
a sturdy future.
The fear of punishment for
crime, if not the fear of God, has
been put into the hearts of minis-
ters and politicians of all parties
for the first time since independ-
ence with exemplary jail terms
during 2011. Nobody is above the
law of the land. Earlier, the
deviants could flout the law with-
out shame or fear of punishment
and some of them, like Lalu Prasad
Yadav, could even rule a state
through a wife as proxy while
himself lodged luxuriously in jail.
No longer so. Thanks largely to the
Right to Information Act passed by
the much pilloried Congress gov-
ernment of Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and party pres-
ident Sonia Gandhi.
The likes of Kalmadis, Rajas,
Kanimozhis, Reddys and
Yeddyurappas can no longer act
their follies without impunity.
They can’t go scot free any
longer on the pretext of waiting
for the judgement of the final
court of appeal, usually the
Supreme Court. Prima facie evi-
dence and the first few court hear-
ings are enough now for a place in
jail, as is the case with other com-
moners. No special treatment for
political animals. These precedents
have created a new climate which
promises better governance
through new institutional authori-
ties of a central Lokpal and state
Lok Ayuktas (ombudsmen).
The second pillar of optimism
undoubtedly is India’s steady rise
as an industrial power, whose
foundations were laid in the first
couple of decades of independence
when modern India’s new ‘tem-
ples’ like hydropower dams, steel
plants, national physical, chemical
and atomic energy laboratories and
centers were established by our
dedicated scientists and planners
in the socialist polity led by the
visionary first Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru. Manmohan
Singh , despite private sector
votaries, has not scrapped the
socialist infrastructure bequeathed
to the nation. He has further built
upon it according to the require-
ments of the time. The command-
ing heights of the economy still
remain with the state in the origi-
nal matrix of mixed economy
which offers plenty of space to the
private sector.
Manmohan Singh rightly accel-
erated the opening up of the
Indian economy with his IMF-
style dose of liberalization, allow-
ing foreign competition which in
turn has made Indian private sector
more efficient and competitive. All
for the good. However, the IMF-
style did not take into account the
element of wealth distribution and
the needs of the ‘Aam Admi’.
Therein comes the role of Sonia
Gandhi with far reaching
schemes like National Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme
(NREGS), later renamed after
Mahatma Gandhi.
The handling of the poverty
issue and the role the national
advisory council headed by the
Congress president strikes the
right balance between the govern-
ment and party’s new flagship
programs like the Food Security
Bill covering 75 percent rural pop-
ulation and 50 per cent urban pop-
ulation ensuring supply of basic
rice, wheat and coarse cereals at
Rs 3, 2 and 1 per Kg.
Continued on page 51
Kanimozhi, MP andKarunanidhi’s daughter accusedin the 2G scam, entering Tihar
jail in Delhi: The fear of punish-ment for corruption has been putinto the hearts of ministers and
politicians of all parties.
My optimism stems from four trends: combating corruption, steady growth of economy,better ties with neighboring countries and slowing population growth in UP-Bihar.
India positive in tough times
51
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Seasoned Diplomat who took Indiato new heights at UN
Ambassador Puri
Hardeep Singh Puri has been India’s Permanent Representative to the UN during its term as a non-permanent member of theSecurity Council and has built momentum for the nation to gain a long-deserved permanent seat. He spoke to SATimes on
India’s future in glowing terms and on taking a break next year from his long, distinguished diplomatic career.
By Ashok Ojha/SATimes
India’s Permanent Representative to the
United Nations, Ambassador Hardeep
Singh Puri is a seasoned diplomat
whose career spanned more than three
decades during which he served on various
international bodies, such as the GATT,
WTO and a handful of Indian missions
around the world. “After working for 38
years at various ‘hot spots’ around the
world without a break, I look forward to a
well deserved break next year”,
Ambassador Puri pointed out to SATimes
during a telephone interview he granted
within hours of landing in New York after a
long plane ride from New Delhi.
Displaying a high level of confidence for
achieving desired results, Ambassador Puri
painted an imposing picture of India five
years from now: “I see an India emerged as
the third largest power in the world, dedi-
cated to the principles of the Father of the
Nation [Mahatma Gandhi] and leading the
world towards peace and prosperity.”
Puri’s confidence and positive outlook on
India’s future stems from complicated tasks
he has been completing for the benefit of
member nations of various world bodies.
With extensive experience dealing with
various divisions in India’s Ministry of
External Affairs Puri proved to be the right
person at the right moments to represent
India as a non-permanent member of the
UN Security Council for a year long term
during which his priority has been to accel-
erate the process of negotiations with other
nations to achieve the cherished goal of
permanent membership for India.
“It has been a long process spanning more
than 16 years since the open ended working
group began its negotiations. It was not a
mean achievement in October 2011 when
India gained 187 votes in its favor in the
General Assembly leading to its non-per-
manent membership of the Security
Council for the year 2011-12.”
Puri is more than confident that India will
finish its term as a permanent member by
the end of the year 2012. “Today we are at a
crucial stage when the final rounds of nego-
tiations are due to begin in the fourth week
of January and expected to complete in
March.”
Puri also took over as the chair of
Counter-Terrorism Committee of the
Security Council on January 4, 2011.
Within one year of India’s election as the
Chair of the committee a zero tolerance
policy has been adopted with support of all
members. Puri is not only leading measures
against terrorist activities around the world,
he is also deeply engaged in protecting
interests of trading nations who fell victims
to sea pirates on trading routes in the Indian
Ocean. “The world body is engaged in tack-
ling issues on multiple fronts with a singu-
lar goal of making this world safer”, he
commented. Under his leadership the CTC
is tasked with monitoring the implementa-
tion of UN resolutions requesting States to
take measures intended to prevent and
counter terrorist activities at home and
around the world.
Ambassador Puri believes that a lot has
been done in containing international ter-
rorism. “It is a continuous work for achiev-
ing world peace and security. A lot has to be
done in this area.” He remains a powerful
voice on behalf of India in the Security
Council when India decided to abstain from
voting on the resolution on Libya. “We
have been proved right”, he said, “We did
our part in Sudan, however, a lot of efforts
are needed to bring peace for the new
nation of South Sudan.”
A great supporter of South-South cooper-
ation, Puri envisions growing role for coun-
tries like India and China to increase coop-
eration with less developed nations. He
pointed out that trade among these nations
have grown manifold in recent past. South-
South flows registered an increase of 63
percent between 2006 and 2008.
He terms India’s achievement as the suc-
cess of the entire Indian diplomatic com-
munity, who are the driving force behind
India’s growing influence among the inter-
national community. A great supporter of
India’s national language, Puri advocates a
planned approach to introduce Hindi as an
operational language at the United Nations.
“Hindi has the potential and strength of
becoming one of the official languages of
the world body. It must be pushed aligned
with modalities.”
Where will Ambassador Puri be seen in
2013? “It all depends on my responsibilities
and nature of work I will be involved in”,
he smiles.
(Hardeep Puri profile picture by Jay Mandal)
Continued from page 50
Along with the Right to Education, such measures go a fair
way towards equitable distribution of national wealth to
counter the excesses of privatisation besetting the western
world. On foreign relations, improvement in ties with
neighboring countries has steadily become the cornerstone of
the country’s broader international relations. Relations with
Bangladesh and Bhutan are in pink condition and getting
steadily better with Nepal and Myanmar. The Look East pol-
icy is also on course.
The long and patient engagement with China is paying off
with two-way trade expanding virtually by leaps and
bounds. Efforts for a similar breakthrough with Pakistan
have remained a constant objective despite frequent derail-
ment, sabotage, wars and warlike happenings. Fortunately
all parties -- the Congress, the BJP, the Left and other major
parties in or out of power at the Centre or states are united
for better relations with Pakistan, with the sole condition of
tangible results for an end to terrorist violence from across
the border. The likely grant of MFN trade status to India by
Pakistan, a belated but symbolic gesture, and Pakistan soft-
ening its opposition to India’s presence at international con-
ferences on Afghanistan as made clear by foreign minister
Hina Rabbani Khar recently in Turkey are all pointers in the
right direction.
By far the best signal of India’s forward march comes on
the population score, the mother of all problems, including
corruption. Almost coinciding with the arrival of the sev-
enth billion baby in our crowded world, the 2011 report of
the Registrar General of India and Census Commission, C
Chandramauli, tells us that now is India’s best chance of
reducing population and sustaining that reduction.
Releasing the commission’s report recently, he pointed out
that current trends in population reduction were promising
and if sustained, they could prevent us from crossing China’s
population by 2030. “A revision of 2030 is very much possi-
ble provided we sustain our gains. For the first time in three
censuses, our most populated states showed a decline of 4%
in population growth rate in 2011. Decadal growth rate of
population also declined for the first time ever to 17.64%. It
had been otherwise rising. Uttar Pradesh, which had been
growing in excess of 25% in three censuses, grew at 20% in
2011. This was true of other populous states. If we sustain
these levels, we can surprise ourselves.”
Census 2011 trends showed that the population growth in
UP dropped from 26 to 20% between two decades; in Bihar
from 29 to 25%; in MP from 24 to 20% and in Rajasthan
from 28 to 21%.
Most southern states have already steadied their population
growth to replacement levels and the news that UP , Bihar,
Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are perceptibly moving in
that direction is indeed a reason to celebrate since popula-
tion explosion –- a near four-fold rise since independence –
has been our biggest bane which has been eating away,
almost nullifying, the stupendous economic and social
progress made by the country.
Forget the doubters. Now is the time to vote for India.
The author is a senior journalist who divides his time
between Delhi and London.
Ambassador Puri was The South Asian Times Man of the Year last year.
52
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Will Obama be re-elected President?Obama may look vulnerable now, but if the economy does show improvement
in the coming months, his chances to win a second term will brighten.
By Lalit K. Jha
Ahead of the start of the cru-
cial primaries season
beginning January 3 from
Iowa, former Massachusetts
Governor Mitt Romney appears to
be the frontrunner among the
seven Republican presidential
aspirants, the others being Newt
Gingrich, Ron Paul, Michele
Bachmann, Rick Santorum, Rick
Perry and Jon Huntsman.
Yet, as he seeks Republican
presidential nomination for the
second time, it is going to be a
tough fight for Romney, going by
the opinion polls, news reports and
opinion pieces in mainstream
American media.
For weeks, Romney faced a spir-
ited challenge from Newt
Gingrich, the former Speaker of
the US House of Representatives.
But ahead of the Iowa Caucus,
Gingrich is fast losing the momen-
tum. Latest opinion polls showed
Romney neck-in-neck with the
Texas Rep. Ron Paul, with former
Pennsylvania Senator Rick
Santorum also surging.
The Texas Governor, Rick Perry,
supported by Bobby Jindal, the
Indian American Governor of
Louisiana, is trailing yet consid-
ered to be a dark horse. Not to for-
get Minnesota Rep Michele
Bachmann, who till a few months
ago was considered to be posing a
challenge to Romney being the
inevitable GOP nominee.
Jon Huntsman, the former Utah
Governor, who served two years as
the US Ambassador to China
under the Obama Administration,
is fighting hard to stay in the race
but keeps appearing at the bottom
of opinion polls. Huntsman, who
has an adopted daughter from
India, has not given up hope
though, and awaits lady luck to
improve his chances in the New
Year.
And that brings us back to
Romney, 64, who has a habit of
sloughing off challenges. When
Herman Cain was being talked
about as the chief rival to Romney,
sex scandal hit and the former
Godfather’s Pizza chief had to
withdraw his candidature. When
Gingrich came up from behind,
Romney received a boost to his
Continued on page 54
By Ashok Ojha/SATimes
As the year 2011 came to an
end and the sun rose over
the skies of 2012,
President Barack Obama got busy
preparing for the fierce battle
ahead with the Republicans and
whosoever emerges their presiden-
tial nominee for the November
election. His main challenge is to
regain the support of middle class
Americans who voted for him in
2008 n but have moved away as a
result of uncertain economic tides
adversely affecting the country.
The middle class has been truly
struggling for survival in an econ-
omy that Obama couldn’t revive in
the first three years of his tenure.
To win a second term in office, he
has to quickly devise strategies to
regain confidence of middle
America and of Independent vot-
ers. Obama’s White House has to
strive to maintain a balance of
power with his opponents on
Capitol Hill, ruled by the
Republicans since 2010.
Obama entered the Oval Office
at a time when America was
already facing the worst recession
in over two decades. The country
was on verge of collapse when he
decided to infuse three trillion dol-
lars in big industries, such as auto
and insurance, a decision that was
vehemently opposed by
Republicans. Obama persisted on
his path to make financial market
change its ways. He waged war
against big bonuses for Wall Street
executives but couldn’t block the
tax credit policies initiated during
the Bush Administration. Obama
agreed to extend the expiring Bush
era tax cuts for the rich for another
two years. This step was seen as
an outright surrender by his sup-
porters. For Obama’s advisors,
however, this compromise was
necessary to win over his oppo-
nents who could be pressed to
favor the extension of unemploy-
ment aid and extending the pay
roll tax cut.
Obama got involved in a perni-
cious struggle in 2011 with the
Republicans in US Congress fol-
lowing GOP taking control of the
House of Representatives after a
surprise win in the mid-term elec-
tion of 2010. The President made
so many compromises last year
that his Democrat supporters
began to worry if he was the same
man who posed a defiant image
during his 2008 presidential cam-
paign. His opponents were bent
upon flexing their muscles to push
into a corner the man they have
loved to hate. Obama’s influence
was considerably curtailed and so
was his prospect to win the White
House in 2012.
But by the year-end, Obama put
checks on his propensity to com-
promise – finally shelving his
promise to be a bipartisan presi-
dent. Standing for the common
man facing economic hardships,
he challenged the Congress to vote
for extending the pay roll tax cut
bill to help 160 million workers
and several million jobless
Americans. The bill was passed by
the Senate a week before the
Christmas holidays, but the House
Republicans decided to block it. In
no mood to compromise this time,
Obama asked the lawmakers not to
go on Christmas vacation without
voting to pass the bill. The
Republicans realized that blocking
the bill meant unpopularity for
them and a much needed victory
for President Obama. Succumbing
to pressure of public opinion,
Republicans approved the bill that
Obama signed a day before the
Christmas weekend. He won a tac-
tical victory to end the year. Under
the deal, the employee’s share of
the Social Security payroll tax will
stay at 4.2 percent of wages till
February 29, 2012. The unemploy-
ment insurance benefits will also
continue until February. In addi-
tion, Medicare payment rate to
doctors will not change.
The latest victory of Obama’s
tax cut bill reflects his clarity of
policy, that the economy has to be
sustainable enough to create jobs,
enabling people to spend and
employers to hire. The lesson of
2011 is that the President can res-
urrect his likeable personality if he
stood for his ideals undeterred
against the forces out to destroy
him.
Democrats are now celebrating
the rare victory that has come
Obama’s way. His approval rating
has improved as have his
prospects of winning the 2012
presidential race, helped along by
the fact that the Republicans have
not yet coalesced around one can-
didate.ed. On November 6, 2012
people across the country will cast
their votes for the next president.
Analysts believe that the incum-
bent president has to find a re-
election narrative just like he did
in his first presidential campaign.
His slogan for health care reform
was universally liked by the voters
then. He fulfilled that promise
when he persuaded the Congress
to pass the bill that is set to come
in effect in 2014. This time, how-
ever, Obama lacks a story line to
project his strength as contrasted
with whoever emerges as the
Republican nominee.
During 2011 when Obama’s
approval ratings were in freefall,
political pundits projected 2012 as
the year of Republican triumph.
His Affordable Health Care Act to
benefit 40 million Americans who
lived without health insurance,
withdrawing US forces from Iraq
as he’d promised, and eliminating
Osama bin Laden were high
points, but the Republicans played
all tricks to discredit him. The
healthcare bill has been challenged
in courts. Rumors questioning his
citizenship were floated again and
Obama’s family name remained a
topic of debate for months. Many
conservatives termed him as a rad-
ical socialist who was undermin-
ing American security.
Fact is, Obama took huge risks
for protecting US interests. Those
risks paid dividends. He approved
the assault on Osama bin Laden’s
compound in Pakistan that was a
spectacular success. He was able
to convince NATO to take a lead
in overthrowing Muammar
Qaddafi thus keeping US forces
away from another theater of war.
Fittingly, the President received
compliments for these tactical
moves.
So what fate awaits Obama in
2012? Who will be his rival in the
November election? Will it be
Rick Perry, a conservative true
believer, or Mitt Romney who
implemented a healthcare bill in
Massachusetts identical to
Obama’s bill? What about Newt
Gingrich who saw a surprising
upsurge in his popularity in recent
weeks? Can we say for sure that
any of these candidates will prove
to be a better president than
Obama? How will Obama prove
that he is better than a Romney or
a Gingrich? He was opposed to the
policies of George W. Bush. The
Republicans are opposed to
Obama’s economic policies. His
intervention to lift the economy
made him unpopular with many
who saw it as increasing the size
of government instead of decreas-
ing it. Health of the economy may
play a decisive role. If the econo-
my does show improvement in
coming months, Obama’s chances
will brighten.
The still uncertain state of the
economy might have made Obama
a vulnerable incumbent, but no
one can dispute that he withstood
difficult times while demonstrat-
ing strong determination to lead
America.
President Obama will have to come up with a new narrative to winback confidence of middle America.
The nomination is still wide open. But all aspirants for the GOP presidential ticket have pilloriedthe incumbent Obama and whoever emerges the candidate is bound to give him a tough fight.
Romney leads the Republican field - for now
Into the heart of US Affairs
Mitt Romney was front runnerdays before the crucial Iowacaucuses, but Rick Perry or
Newt Gingrich can still pip himto the post.
By Ashok Ojha/SATimes
Nikki Haley, the Indian American
Governor of South Carolina, has
drawn the applause of conserva-
tives for her achievements. Even though
her ethnicity was raked up as an issue in
the run up to her election as first woman
Governor, Haley was elected in 2010
with the strong backing of the Tea Party
and support from Sarah Palin. She was
backed by Mitt Romney in her cam-
paign. Recently Haley endorsed Mitt
Romney for nomination as the GOP
presidential candidate for 2012 primary.
A strong critic of President Obama’s
policies, Haley is determined to become
the darling of Republicans. She hailed
Romney as the right person to get
America back on track.
During her one-year tenure, Haley
made a number of landmark decisions
that reflect her stand against undocu-
mented immigrants. South Carolina is
one of five states that passed laws
requiring some form of ID to be shown
by voters at polling stations. The law
makes it a crime in South Carolina to
not carry official identification, like a
driver’s license or immigration docu-
ments. Businesses in South Carolina are
required to check the citizenship status
of employees and job applicants using
the federal E-verify database.
The Justice Department blocked the
implementation of South Carolina’s
voter ID law, the first voter ID law to be
rejected by the federal government in
nearly 20 years. Democrats contended
that such laws were actually designed to
cut minority votes which traditionally go
to Democrat candidates. Department of
Justice and civil rights groups looked at
these anti-immigrant bills as violations
to the supremacy clause because the fed-
eral government holds the constitutional
right to create and enforce immigration
laws.
The questions being asked in the
Indian community is, whether Nikki
Haley has forgotten her roots as an
immigrant? Liberal politicians and com-
mon folk are surprised that Haley, the
daughter of Indian immigrants, took a
hard-line stand on immigration issues.
During her poll campaign she praised
Arizona’s immigration policies and later
became an architect of an Illegal
Immigration Enforcement Unit with
harsh provisions to be enforced by the
police.
Originally named Nimrata Randhawa,
whose parents emigrated from India,
Haley indicated that her heritage helped
her get beyond race. Married to a White
American, Nikki Haley is a Republican
who has been attacked by Democrats in
the past for listing her race as ‘White’ on
her voter registration form, which
though was not a deterrent for her Indian
American donors and supporters. The
Indian American community, whose
allegiance is widely divided between the
Democrats and Republicans, has consid-
ered it a matter of great pride for a com-
munity to see one of its own rise to the
level of Governor. She has been the sec-
ond, after Bobby Jindal did the unthink-
able and became Governor in Louisiana
in 2008 and was a shoo-in for his second
term. The fact that more and more
Indian Americans are leaning towards
the Republican Party was also obvious
when a cross-section of influential com-
munity folks attended a fund raising
event for Nikki Haley in New Jersey.
The population of Indian Americans in
USA exceeds 2.5 million. As increasing
number of second generation Indians vie
for political positions, their presence in
both Democratic and Republican parties
augurs well for the community.
Prominent members of the Indian
community around the country felt
proud when Haley was sworn as
Governor in South Carolina. She is con-
sidered as an inspiration for the younger
generation to join the political main-
stream in the country. She is the new
face of the conservative Republican
Party supported by a cross section of the
Indian community which is growing in
influence.
“You don't wear your race or ethnicity
on your sleeve, but you haven't shied
away from it either”, she once said
reminding her audience that one always
speaks of his or her immigrant roots and
the hard work parents put in including
the values they inculcated. Converting to
Christianity was, however, one of her
acts that she doesn’t like to talk much
about.
Haley was declared ‘Person of the
Year 2010’ by India Abroad at an event
in New year where hundreds of Indian
Americans celebrated her journey to the
corridors of power. She has acknowl-
edged that Indians in USA have worked
hard enough to be in a position to give
back to society. The community is most
educated and prosperous, a fact she feels
proud of. On their part, influential
Indian Americans never shy away from
supporting powerful politicians, irre-
spective of their roots or origin or party
affiliation. Nikki Haley has to be seen as
not opposing the immigrants’ cause in a
country made great by waves of immi-
grants.
Nikki Haley of South Carolina, first female Indian American governor.
54
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
How proud are Indian Americans of Nikki Haley?Into the heart of US Affairs
Otherwise proud of her ascendancy in politics, Indian Americans -- not unlike liberal politicians -- are surprised that Haley, the daughter of Indian
immigrants, took a hard-line stand on immigration issues.
Continued from page 52campaign with the South Carolina
Governor, Indian American Nikki
Haley endorsing him. Even former
President George H.W. Bush came
out in his support. Haley, a rising
star of the Republican Party, has a
wide nationwide appeal especially
among the Tea Party activists.
Romney received another shot in
the arm when his prime rival
Gingrich failed to appear on the
Virginia ballot of March 6, for want
of sufficient signatures. Perry too
has missed the bus in Virginia.
According to the latest Gallup
Poll, Romney was leading Gingrich
nationwide by four points, and
CNN / Opinion Research saw the
two running neck and neck. A few
days ahead of the crucial Iowa
Caucus, an NBC News-Marxist
poll showed Romney and Ron Paul
in the lead, Gingrich’s number slid-
ing and Santorum and Perry surg-
ing.
Only time would tell who among
these seven candidates finally
clinches the Republican nomina-
tion, but Romney campaign,
encouraged by the latest opinion
polls, has already started attacking
the Democratic incumbent Barack
Obama, who created history when
he was sworn in as the first non-
White President of the United
States. Riding on his mesmerizing
slogan of “Yes We Can” and an
anti-Bush wave, he notched a land-
slide victory against the
Republican nominee, Senator John
McCain.
Obama does not seem to be as
comfortably placed as he was when
he assumed office in January 200.
High unemployment rate and
implacable economic crisis even
after three years of his rule have
dented his popularity and image.
But opinion polls still suggest that
he has an edge over the leading
Republican presidential aspirants.
“Americans have slightly more
confidence in President Obama and
the Democrats in Congress (41 per-
cent) than in the Republicans in
Congress (34 percent) when it
comes to the looming debate on
what the government should do
about a more permanent extension
of payroll tax cuts and unemploy-
ment benefits,” Gallup said.
Romney, sensing victory at the
end of the rigorous primaries sea-
son, has this week released a new
TV advertisement attacking the US
President.
“We still believe in an America
that brings out the best in all of us –
that challenges each of us to be bet-
ter and bigger than ourselves,”
Romney said. “It’s time for this
pessimistic president to step aside
and let American optimism that
built this greatest nation on Earth
build a greater future for our chil-
dren,” Romney said in his cam-
paign advertisement.
Finding Obama vulnerable, other
Republican aspirants too have been
attacking him. That includes
Gingrich who incidentally blamed
the negative campaign against him
by his Republican rivals for a drop
in his popularity ratings.
“When President Obama prom-
ised 'change,' most that voted for
him did not realize that the change
he was promising was European
style socialism. We have seen the
results of his indulgence. The dam-
age wrought in just three short
years has set us on a path to perma-
nent economic malaise,”
Gingrich’s campaign manager
Michael Krull said on the New
Year eve.
Gail Gitcho, Romney communi-
cations director, said in the same
vein, “Exactly four years ago in
Iowa, Barack Obama promised he
would change Washington, end the
gridlock, and repair the country.
Today, in the midst of a jobs crisis
and an economy that is failing mil-
lions of Americans, it is clear that
the President has not kept that
promise. We agree with Candidate
Obama – we simply can’t afford
four more years of the same argu-
ments with the same lack of
results.”
Like her rivals, Bachmann went
on a 10-day Iowa tour and had this
to say. "I've met thousands of
Iowans across this great state, and
each stop confirmed why I am in
this race – to stand up for
Americans who are tired of
President Obama's liberal policies,
who are tired of Washington rheto-
ric and who want real change not
promises for their families,"
Bachmann said. "I understand
their concerns and I will bring their
voices to the White House," she
promised.
So, whoever emerges the GOP
challenge to Obama is certain to
give him a tough fight.
55
Top 50 Coolest Desis of 2011
By Hiral Dholakia-Dave
What a year, what a year! A
struggling economy, Osama's
killing, Madoff and
Rajaratnam's arrests, loss of the iconic
Steve Jobs, a crumbling Eurozone - as if
hurricane Irene wasn't enough to make
the world around us go topsy-turvy!
Yet the quest for all that is better never
stops. From cleaning the corrupt system
to charting unknown territories there are
those who are setting a precedent and
raising the bar. Year after year we have
presented the list of the best and the
brightest Desis who went on to rock the
mainstream. Old habits die hard and here
we are at it again!!
To our pleasant surprise, the highlight
of our list this year turns out to be a
record number of women aboard from a
variety of fields, and, the 74 year young
Anna Hazare... representing the two so-
called weaker sections of society who
have emerged as big time achievers. A
lady commander of a US warship, a DJ
who had the White House rock to
bhangra beats, a face of a global cosmet-
ic house, a former Marine Corps veteran,
a beauty goddess, a key Obama fundrais-
er, a business school dean - this is how
diverse and impactful it became.
Read on and get inspired!1. Anna Hazare
Location: India
Who is He: Social Activist
Why is He Cool: He
is the face of India's
fight against corrup-
tion. This 74 years
young man had the
guts to take on the sys-
tem.
He led a hunger strike
in April this year for implementation of
the Jan Lokpal bill, the anti-corruption
bill drfted by his team of crusaders that
demands establishment of a stronger
ombudsman than envisioned by the gov-
ernment.
The mass movement he created is
rumored to have partly inspired the
Occupy Wall Street protests.
What's Next: He is now fighting for
the passage of the Lokpal Bill in the par-
liament before the end of the Winter
Session.
Cool Fun Fact: Apart from being an
activist most of his life, this social do-
gooder was conferred the Padma
Bhushan by the government of India for
his efforts to turn around a once impov-
erished, drought prone village of Ralegan
Siddhi, in Ahmednagar district of
Maharashtra into a model village of
development. We wish Anna the best in
the coming years and hope his efforts do
not go in vain. Let us all follow his lead.
2. Shahid KhanLocation: Urbana, IL
Who is He: Businessman and sports
buff
Why is He Cool: He's buying NFL's
Jacksonville Jaguars
reportedly for $760
million! Our guess is
he's the first Desi to
own an NFL team.
Isn't that cool enough?
What's Next: We
hope to see Mr. Khan
in the owner's box watch-
ing his Jaguars in action.
Cool Fun Fact: Khan, 60, a native of
Pakistan, is owner of auto parts maker
Flex-N-Gate. Incorporated in 1956 to
produce stock racks for pick-up trucks it
today makes bumpers, pedals, grills,
hinges and other auto parts for Chrysler,
Ford, Honda, BMW and other carmak-
ers. It employs more than 10,000 associ-
ates in 48 states, with annual sales of $3
billion. Way to go Pakistani-American
businessman, talk about the American
dream!
3. Preet Bharara Location: New York
Who is He: US Attorney for Southern
District of New York,
an office that is con-
sidered perhaps the
most prestigious feder-
al prosecutor's post
outside Washington.
Why is He Cool: As
the chief federal prose-
cutor in Manhattan,
Bharara led a widespread crackdown
against Raj Rajaratnam and Co. in the
largest insider trading case on Wall Street
and the prosecution of Bernard L.
Madoff for his multibillion-dollar Ponzi
scheme.
What's Next: Big Daddy is on the
prowl bad guys. You've been warned!
Cool Fun Fact: He is also known as
"The Sheriff of Wall Street" for his
crackdown on white collar crimes. His
budget is $50 million but the office has
been able to generate a return of $800
million for the U.S. Treasury. This guy
should've been heading the Super
Committee!
4. Freida Pinto Location: Los Angeles
Who is She: Actress
Why is She Cool: She gave us two box
office hits this year.
Rise of the Planet of
the Apes opposite
James Franco and
Immortals in which
she played the oracle
priestess Phaedra.
Quite an achievement
for someone who started
just three years back.
What's Next: In December, her one
more movie is set to release titled Black
Gold, which is directed by Jean-Jacques
Annaud. She plays Princess Lallah and
stars Tahar Rahim, Mark Strong and
Antonio Banderas.
Cool Fun Fact: She just moved into a
$1.5 million rental home in Santa
Monica with boyfriend Dev Patel. They
met on the sets of academy winner
Slumdog Millionaire in 2008 - remember
that movie?
5. Salman Khan Location: California
Who is He: Founder, Khan Academy, a
not-for-profit org which
provides world-class
education online for
free.
Why is He Cool: In
2004, Salman, a
Harvard and MIT
alumni and a hedge
fund analyst, began post-
ing math tutorials on YouTube. Since, he
has posted more than 2700 video tutori-
als, which are viewed nearly 100,000
times around the world each day. It is the
most-used educational video repository
on the Internet with over 86,568,911 mil-
lion lessons delivered to-date.
What's Next: Khan academy has
received generous support from people
such as Reed Hastings, founder, Netflix,
Scott Cook, co-founder, Intuit, Google,
Bill Gates and the most recent influx of
cash came as a $5 million donation from
the O'Sullivan Foundation. The fund will
be diverted in hiring more teachers and
expanding the subjects it teaches, on
"crowdsourcing," or collecting teaching
ideas from people all over the world and
on testing other ways of teaching, mean-
ing offline, in a classroom
Cool Fun Fact: Bill Gates claims to
use the Khan Academy Exercise
Software to teach his own children.
6. Amir Khan Location: Bolton, UK
Who is He: A Boxer
Why is He Cool: Amir Khan won
British Boxing Board of
Control's "Britain
Boxer of the Year"
award for his 2011
successes over Paul
McCloskey and high-
profile American Zab
Judah.
What's Next: He's already on his quest
to be rated the world's leading boxer at
any weight. Many of boxing's most influ-
ential figures believe the 25-year-old
from Bolton has the talent and charisma
to be viewed by Americans in the same
bracket as Floyd Mayweather and
Manny Pacquiao.
Cool Fun Fact: And who do you think
has the ability to crack up this 2004
Silver Medal Olympian? Our very own
Russell Peters! Amir enjoys Russell's
DVDs and watches them when not into
his rigorous training.
7. Mindy KalingLocation: Los Angeles
Who is She: Actress, comedian, writer
and producer
Why is She Cool: Mindy signed a
seven figure deal with
NBC on being promot-
ed as Executive
Producer of hit sitcom
"The Office." And
she's out with her new
book 'Is Everyone
Hanging Out Without
Me? (And Other Concerns).' Big deal, it
sure is.
What's Next: We heard that much as
she wants to have her own TV show and
get married, Mindy aspires to have a
fashion line and a network of her own
and be like a combination of Oprah and
Gwen Stefani. We say Amen!
Cool Fun Fact: Mindy started out on
The Office as a producer and was pro-
moted to a co-executive producer in
2008. During that time, she was respon-
sible for penning some of the show's
most memorable episodes, most notably
Jim and Pam's Emmy nominated wed-
ding ep "Niagara" (co-written by fellow
EP Greg Daniels).
8. Aziz Ansari Location: New York
Who is He: Comedian
Why is He Cool: His brand of comedy
got one more major
thumbs up when he
was dubbed "The
Funniest Man Under
30" and featured on
the back cover of the
September issue of
Rolling Stone maga-
zine. He was called "leader of comedy's
new wave" and we couldn't agree more.
He also starred in the film "30 Minutes
or Less."
What's Next: He is featuring in the
next "Ice Age" film lending voice to a
prehistoric rabbit, which is part of a
pirate gang. I'm laughing already!
Cool Fun Fact: He's appeared in
"Funny People," "Get Him to the Greek"
and stars in "Parks and Recreation" on
NBC. Way to go brown guy!
9.Tarsem Singh Dhandwar Location: London &
Los Angeles
Who is He: Director
Why is He Cool:
His visually-stunning
epic 3D adventure
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
DesiClub.com is a portal showcasing South Asian content and providing services to the South Asiandemographic in North America. Its annual Top 50 Coolest Desis list puts a light on the top movers
and shakers from the community in the US, the subcontinent or elsewhere.
"Immortals" opened to a record estimat-
ed haul of $32.2 million in 3,112 loca-
tions in North America and $38 million
internationally in 35 countries.
What's Next: The first official trailer
of his upcoming enchanted, reimagining
of the classic Snow White fairy tale
MIRROR MIRROR, starring Oscar win-
ner Julia Roberts, Lily Collins (The
Blind Side), Armie Hammer (The Social
Network), Sean Bean (Game of Thrones,
The Lord of the Rings) and Nathan Lane
(The Lion King, The Birdcage), has pre-
miered in theaters nationwide. It releases
in theaters across North America this
coming spring on March 16, 2012.
Cool Fun Fact: Tarsem attended Hans
Raj College, Delhi and is a graduate of
the Art Center College of Design,
California.
10. Shah Rukh KhanLocation: Mumbai
Who is He: Actor, producer, marketing
maestro
Why is He Cool: India's first most
expensive sci fi movie
Ra.One didn't exactly
set the box-office on
fire on the first day but
much as we say that
hats off to the super-
star for pulling off the
most ubiquitous, over-
the-top promotional campaign in the his-
tory of Indian cinema. The marketing
blitzkrieg that he unleashed with tie-ins
worth millions is bound to see the movie
rake in profits in the long run despite a
weak storyline.
What's Next: He's the King Khan.
Wonder what else can get any bigger for
him than this? Surprise us Mr. Khan.
Cool Fun Fact: Within 24 hours of
being launched, the Ra.One social online
game was the most downloaded game in
India. It was also the most downloaded
game in Sri Lanka, Pakistan and
Malaysia.
11. Subhash Chandra Location: Mumbai
Who is He: Media baron, ZEE TV
Founder
Why is He Cool: He
has been honored with
2011 International
Emmy Directorate
award for his contribu-
tion to India's televi-
sion industry. He is the
first Indian recipient of the award.
What's Next: The award puts India's
media industry on the map and raises the
profile of India with regards to its media
and content. And Zee sure leads the
bunch. The bar has been raised!
Cool Fun Fact: Chandra's Essel group
launched India's first satellite television
channel, Zee, in the early 90s, a develop-
ment that sparked a revolution in India's
television industry.
12. Vinod Khosla Location: California
Who is He: A venture capitalist and
do-gooder
Why is He Cool: He
pledged half of his for-
tune to charity either
during his lifetime or
after death. As per
Forbes, Khosla's net
worth was USD 1.4 bil-
lion in March this year.
What's Next: Khosla is keenly inter-
ested in funding technologies that can be
widely adopted in fast-growing India and
China, what he regularly refers to as the
"Chindia test." Entrepreneurs, are you
listening?
Cool Fun Fact: 56-year-old Khosla is
Silicon Valley's most prominent "green"
venture capitalist and a dominant person-
ality in the cleantech community. A co-
founder of Sun Microsystems, Khosla
was a general partner at VC firm Kleiner
Perkins Caufield & Byers before striking
out on his own with Khosla Ventures in
2004.
13. Salil MehtaLocation: New York
Who is He: COO and CFO of
NBCUniversal's Entertainment & Digital
Why is He Cool: He was appointed
Chief Operating Officer
and Chief Financial
Officer of
N B C U n i v e r s a l ' s
Entertainment &
Digital Networks and
Integrated Media divi-
sion in April 2011.
What's Next: In this role, Mehta is
responsible for leading NBCU's global
business strategy and corporate develop-
ment activities, including identifying
industry trends and investment opportu-
nities and continuing to shift the compa-
ny's portfolio toward high-growth areas.
He also has executive responsibility for
the company's Digital Media team.
Cool Fun Fact: His promotion comes
as evidence that the exec, who joined
NBCU from ESPN in 2008, is a rising
star who is held in regard by the top
brass at Comcast Corp. He also serves on
the Board of the Make-A-Wish
Foundation of America.
14. Vikram Pandit Location: New York
Who is He: Citigroup CEO
Why is He Cool: He
came aboard in 2007
when the financial cri-
sis began, chose a $1
pay packet in 2010 and
turned around the for-
tunes of the bank
which was on its brink
despite two government bailouts.
What's Next: Given the state of eco-
nomic affairs, Pandit still has a long way
ahead. We wish him good luck.
Cool Fun Fact: At Citi, Pandit has
made Responsible Finance a priority.
From innovative foreclosure prevention
programs that have kept more than
1,000,000 Americans in their homes to a
new, disciplined approach to risk man-
agement, Responsible Finance is being
engrained throughout Citi's practices and
culture.
15. Siddhartha MukherjeeLocation: New York
Who is He: Oncologist and award win-
ning science writer
Why is He Cool: His book 'The
Emperor of All
Maladies: A Biography
of Cancer' won the
prestigious 2011
Pulitzer prize in the
general non-fiction
category.
What's Next:
Another book. Medical backdrop.
Another bestseller, we hope.
Cool Fun Fact: The book has been
listed 75th among Time magazine's "All-
Time 100 Best Nonfiction Books."
16. Bela Bajaria Location: Los Angeles
Who is She: Executive Vice President,
Universal Television
Why is She Cool: She is one of only a
few female executives
of Indian descent
working in
Hollywood. In August,
she took her new posi-
tion at Universal
Television, NBC's sis-
ter studio. She's ranked
42nd in The Hollywood Reporter's 2011
Women in Entertainment Power 100 list.
What's Next: Since taking over,
Bajaria has assembled a team, rebranded
the studio and sold shows at all of the
broadcast networks.
Cool Fun Fact: She's a super mom
too. The mother of three spends whatever
downtime she has away from work with
her writer husband and family: doing
math with her 10-year-old daughter,
Rami; playing soccer with 8-year-old
Sofia; immersing herself in the world of
superheroes with her 4-year-old son,
Enzo; and assisting her mother, who runs
a nonprofit domestic violence shelter in
Los Angeles.
17. Jay DabhiLocation: New York
Who is He: Deejay
Why is He Cool:
Along with deejaying
around the world, run-
ning a dance music
label and producing
some awesome music,
he's grabbed a main-
stream 92.3 NowFM
radio slot.
What's Next: We can expect only the
best from someone dubbed as "America's
#1 South Asian DJ"!
Cool Fun Fact: Queens native Jay
Dabhi (a.k.a. Lil' Jay) began deejaying at
the age of 14 and acquired his nickname
from the days when he stood atop milk
crates to reach the turntables.
18. Melanie Kannokada Location: Los Angeles
Who is She: A self confessed engi-
neering geek turned
actress, model, veejay,
do-gooder and former
Miss India America
Why is She Cool:
Melanie is the chosen
face of international
brands such as Bare
Escentuals, NesCafe, Herbal Essences,
Crocs, Verizon, LG and Glamour
Magazine. And you definitely spotted
her in the Bud Light commercial aired
during the NFL season.
What's Next: Within weeks of her
move to LA she grabbed some noticeable
guest roles on TV, her debut film
'Bicycle Bride' won the best feature film
award at the South Appalachian Film
Festival and she was nominated Best
Actress, her second film Love Lies and
Seeta is set for a summer release and she
hosts Sony's international TV series In
the Qube aired in over 60 countries! Do
we need to say anything more? This desi
lass is all set for a long haul, we bet!
Cool Fun Fact: She's a registered bone
marrow donor and along with few col-
lege colleagues is involved in building a
hospital to serve over 100,000 villagers
in rural Jharkhand, India. Melanie also
graced the cover of our 2008 swimsuit
calendar.
19. Sohail MohammedLocation: New Jersey
Who is He: Superior Court Judge,
New Jersey
Why is He Cool: He
is the first Indian-
American and the sec-
ond Muslim to
become a state
Superior Court judge
in New Jersey.
What's Next: Even more prominent
appointments and headlines, hopefully.
Cool Fun Fact: Trained as an engineer
he served as a jury foreman and stuck
around after the trial for a long talk with
Judge Robert J. Passero. That conversa-
tion led him to pursue a career in law and
to obtain a degree at Seton Hall
University and go on to a career as an
immigration lawyer. Talk about a career
change!
20. Anshu JainLocation: London
Who is He: The
head of Deutsche
Bank's investment
banking division
Why is He Cool: In
56
Top 50 Coolest Desis of 2011
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
May 2012 he will assume duties as the
Co-CEO of the bank. Deutsche Bank is
the fourth largest investment bank in the
world and Germany's largest.
What's Next: In all probability he may
be the only one leading it at some point
in the future. Now how better can it get?
Cool Fun Fact: The investment bank-
ing business suffered heavy losses tied to
subprime mortgages, pushing Deutsche
Bank into the red in 2008. Jain revamped
the division, returning it to profits the
very next year. This led to his induction
into the expanded management board.
He was made sole head in 2010 of the
corporate and investment bank, business-
es that account for most of Deutsche
Bank's revenues and profits.
21. Shefali Razdan Duggal Location: San Francisco
Who is She: Political Activist
Why is She Cool: She's among the top
fundraisers for
President Obama's re-
election campaign.
Shefali has raised
between $50,000 -
$100,000.
What's Next: A
White House appoint-
ment after the 2012 re-election of the
Prez, we hope.
Cool Fun Fact: She was actively
involved in Kamala Harris's campaign,
previously worked with Senator Hillary
Clinton's Presidential campaign and was
also Executive Director of Indus Women
Leaders, a national South Asian women's
organization.
22. Anu BhagwatiLocation: New York
Who is She: Executive Director,
Service Women's Action Network
(SWAN)
Why is She Cool: Through SWAN, a
human rights watchdog,
she joined in support
of a lawsuit filed
against Secretary of
Defense Robert Gates
and former Secretary
of Defense Donald
Rumsfeld, for failure
to make measurable
progress and marked improvement to the
Pentagon's record of tolerating sexual
abuse and rape. She's fighting for the
cause of challenges faced by women in
the military, including Military Sexual
Trauma, equal opportunity violations, the
changing roles of women in combat, the
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and the
VA health care and benefits system.
What's Next: Expect more ground-
breaking work from this daughter of
illustrious parents - Dr. Jagdish and
Padma Bhagwati.
Cool Fun Fact: Anu is a Marine Corps
veteran who left the service at the rank of
Captain in 2004. She was the second
woman to complete the Marine Corps
Martial Arts Program instructor trainer
school, earning a black belt in close com-
bat techniques. Look out!
23. DJ Rekha Location: New York
Who is She: Musician, Disc Jockey,
Producer, Curator and Activist
Why is She Cool: For having the
White House rock to
Bhangra beats. In
April, she was on the
celebrity guest list at
the White House
Easter Eggroll event.
Later in the year she
rocked the East Room
party to celebrate Asian
American Pacific Islander Heritage
month. The invitation is seen as recogni-
tion of years of hard work during which
Rekha has helped popularize "bhangra"
and Indian culture in the United States.
What's Next: On 11.11.2011 she
launched her record label Beat Bazaar
Music with Bobby Friction, Geko Jones,
Eddie Stats, Raje Shwari, Ami Dang, and
Zuzuka Poderosa - all performing. Here's
wishing a smashing success to Rekha for
2012!
Cool Fun Fact: This is what the Prez
had to say about our desi girl, "I want to
thank DJ Rekha who's been spinning a
little East Room Bhangra for everybody
mixing a hip-hop beat with the sounds of
her heritage; making a uniquely
American sound that may not have been
heard in the White House before." That's
for sure! This isn't Rekha's first time on
this list and we're pretty sure it won't be
the last.
24. Floyd Cardoz Location: New York
Who is He: Chef
Why is He Cool: He defeated the likes
of Traci Des Jardins
and Mary Sue
Milliken for first
place in the third sea-
son of Top Chef
Masters, won the
$100,000 prize with a
simple upma dish!
Also, the Mumbai
born Master Chef
donated his winnings
to the Young Scientists
Cancer Research Fund at New York's
Mount Sinai School of Medicine in
memory of his father who died of cancer.
What's Next: Cardoz will head anoth-
er Danny Meyer production, North End
American Grill in Battery Park City,
New York.
Cool Fun Fact: By winning, Cardoz
joined the ranks of better-known chefs
Rick Bayless of Frontera Grill in
Chicago and Marcus Samuelsson of Red
Rooster and formerly Aquavit, both in
New York, who won second and third
seasons respectively.
25. Sunidhi Chauhan Location: Mumbai
Who is She: Playback singer
Why is She Cool: She was part of an
international album
titled Euphoria where
she crooned a love
duet titled 'Heartbeat'
with none other than
Latino pop star
Enrique Iglesias for
the album.
What's Next: She has
sung more than 2000 songs! Been nomi-
nated for 14 Filmfare Awards, won 3 of
them, won two Star Screen Awards, two
IIFA Awards and one Zee Cine Award.
And now with this international collabo-
ration there is no stopping this
Bollywood singer known for her seduc-
tive voice.
Cool Fun Fact: She was the first
choice for the song for her versatility and
oomph factor.
26. Poorna Jagannathan Location: Mumbai
Who is She: Actress
27. RDB Location: Canada & UK
Who are They: RDB (an acronym for
Rhythm, Dhol, Bass) are a Punjabi DJ
production team consisting of three indi-
viduals, Kuly, Manj and Surj.
28. Mannie Sadhra aka Kalikwest Location: Northern California
Who is He: Entrepreneur, Social
Media King, KaliKwest Media Group
(CEO)
29. Vikas Khanna Location: New York & Mumbai
Who is He: Michelin-star Chef and
Restaurateur
30. Bikram Singh Location: New York
Who is He: Punjabi hip hop star
31. Prabal Gurung Location: New York
Who is He: Fashion designer
32. Jai KhannaLocation: Los Angeles
Who is He: Talent manager at
Brillstein Entertainment Partners (BEP).
33. Commander Shanti Sethi Location: Silicon Valley
Who is She: US Navy officer
34. Sri Srinivasan Location: Washington DC
Who is He: Principal Deputy Solicitor
General
35. Pratima Dharm Location: Washington DC
Who is She: Captain in the US Army
and chaplain on the medical staff at
Walter Reed Army Medical Centre
36. Eboo Patel Location: Chicago
Who is He: Founder, Interfaith Youth
Core
37. Rakhi Mehra Location: New Delhi
Who is She: Social entrepreneur
38. Shalini Vadhera Location: California
Who is She: Beauty expert
39. Naeem Khan Location: New York
Who is He: Fashion designer
40. Vini Nathan Location: Alabama
Who is She: Dean, College of
Architecture, Design and Construction at
Auburn University
41. Upinder Singh Randhawa Location: Birmingham
Who is He: Radio and TV presenter
42. Ammar Malik Location: Virginia & New York
Who is He: Songwriter, Singer
43. Neeli Bendapudi Location: Lawrence, Kansas
Who is She: A scholar of business
practices and professor of marketing
44. Arun Majumdar Location: Washington DC
Who is He: The "green czar", materi-
als scientist, engineer
45. Isha H Jain Location: New York
Who is She: Senior at Harvard
University
46. Ameya Pawar Location: Chicago
Who is He: Alderman of 47th ward
47. Lt. Col. Harjit Singh Sajjan Location: Vancouver
Who is He: Commanding Officer,
British Columbia Regiment
48. Sai "Psychuck" Manapragada Location: San Francisco
Who is He: Music Composer,
Keyboardist and Singer
49. Charanams Location: Queens, New York
Who is He: Carnatic Jazz music band
50. Sukanya Roy Location: Pennsylvania
Who is She: An 8th grader at Abington
Heights Middle School won the 2011
Scripps National Spelling Bee
This feature is courtesy DesiClub.
(For detailed list visit www.DesiClub.com )
57
Top 50 Coolest Desis of 2011
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
58
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
The good, the bad and the criminalTop 10 Community Stories
Former Pakistan envoy to US Husain
Haqqani was sacked for allegedly
authoring a memo seeking Washington's
help to prevent a coup in May. The scandal
came to light in October when Pakistani-
American businessman Mansoor Ijaz
claimed that he had delivered the memo to
then US chiefs of staff Admiral Mike
Mullen at Haqqani's behest. The memo
also sought the American help to reign in
the country's powerful military establish-
ment. Ijaz also claimed that Haqqani had
authored the memo on President Asif Ali
orders. Zardari and Haqqani both denied
their involvement. Pakistan's Supreme
Court recently constituted a three-member
judicial commission to probe the matter
that threatens to implicate Zardari.
Pak American businessmanwho triggered
Memogate
Eminent NY based attorney Ravi
Batra was named to New York
State’s ethics committee. The committee
acts as an independent corruption moni-
tor. Batra is the only Indian-American to
be appointed to the powerful 14-member
Joint Commission on Public Ethics
(JCOP). He also represented NY Consul
General Prabhu Dayal when his maid
filed allegations against him and defend-
ed 18-year-old daughter of Indian diplo-
mat Debashish Biswas’s Kritikka who
was charged of "cyber bullying" and
wrongfully accused of sending obscene
and anti-Semitic e-mails to her teacher.
Most recently The Law Firm of Ravi
Batra, P.C., represented In Touch
Concepts in the nationwide Verizon mas-
ter-agent class action lawsuit
Ravi Batraappointed to
ethics committee
Kashmiri separatist leader
Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai,
accused of being an ISI agent
and trying to influence
American policy on Kashmir
pleaded guilty on federal
charges of spying for the
Pakistani spy agency. Fai also
acknowledged receiving at
least $3.5 million from the
Pakistani spy agency through
clandestine routes and causing
revenue losses of between
$200,000 to 400,000 to the US
government.
He conceded receiving talk-
ing points from ISI regarding
what to say and write. He
agreed that he received direc-
tions from ISI with regard to
which specific individuals to
invite for KAC conferences
Ghulam Nabi Fai pled guiltyto charges of spying for ISI
Indian-American bil-
lionaire Amar Bose,
founder of the iconic
Bose Corporation,
gave his Alma mater
MIT a majority of the stock of his audio
equipment maker company, a gift that
fulfilled his "long-held desire" to sup-
port education at the prestigious insti-
tute. Massachusetts-based Bose Corp
will continue to remain a private and
independent company and MIT cannot
sell its Bose shares. "Dr.Amar Bose has
given to MIT (where he also taught) the
majority of the stock of Bose
Corporation in the form of non-voting
shares," the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology said in a statement.
Amar Bose gave majority
of company stock to
Alma mater MITThe famed John F Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts transformed into a veri-
table showcase of Indian culture with The
maximum India festival, from March 1-20
and had nearly 70 performances, exhibitions
and other events, featuring some 500 artistes.
It included a number of dance, music and
theater performances, art and traditional
crafts exhibitions, panel discussions on litera-
ture and cinema, and a feast of exquisite
Indian cuisine. The Indian Council for
Cultural Relations flew eight troupes from
different parts of India, and the Embassy of
India in Washington were co-sponsors of the
festival. One of the highlights of maximum
India was the world premiere of an orchestral
composition by Zakir Hussain, paying tribute
to India. Other the notable performers includ-
ed many of the revered figures in Indian clas-
sical music and dance, such as vocalists
Rajan and Sajan Mishra, violin maestro L.
Subramaniam, mandolin great U. Srinivas,
renowned dancers Madhavi Mudgal, Alarmel
Valli and Shantala Shivalingappa. The festi-
val, which cost $7 million, had been in the
works for three years
Maximum India Festival celebrates Indian
art, culture in Washington
Indian-American Biochemist
Har Gobind Khorana, who
received the Nobel Prize for
research he conducted while at
the University of Wisconsin-
Madison, died Nov. 9 in
Concord, Mass. at age 89. The
work that he did in Wisconsin
from 1960 to 1970 continues to
propel new scientific discoveries
and major advances.
Nobel winner
biochemist
Har Gobind
Khorana passed
awayManhattan Boro Pres declared May 7th
as "Tagore Day in Manhattan” on the
occasion of Nobel Laureate Gurudev
Rabindranath Tagore's 150th birthday. The
event held at Time Square – Broadway
between 43rd and 44th streets had actress
and filmmaker Aparna Sen to receive the
key to Manhattan by Boro Pres Stringer.
The event also featured world premiere of
American singers singing Tagore songs in
English, followed by Bengali chorus with a
dance rendition simultaneously.
Tagore’s 150thbirthdaycelebrated
at Times Square
Hundreds of Indian Americans from New York
to Los Angeles to Seattle kept up the tempo
in support of Indian social activist Anna Hazare's
crusade against corruption in India with fasts,
silent marches and candlelight vigils. NRIs and
Indian expatriates converged at New York's iconic
Times Square , other groups held meetings in Los
Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. It was a silent
solidarity expressed for Anna under the tag of
"NYC 4 Anna" at the New York rally organized by
a team of volunteers who didn't know each other
till the last day via Twitter, Facebook and other
social media tools. The groups collected signa-
tures for a petition to be submitted to the Indian
government and United Progressive Alliance
chairperson Sonia Gandhi
Indians in US backed Hazare with fasts, candlelight vigils
US federal authorities filed a lawsuit against a
marine services company based in Alabama for
alleged demeaning treatment of 500 Indian employees,
who were forced to live in "substandard" accommoda-
tions and given "unwholesome" food. The lawsuit filed
by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
(EEOC) against Signal International said that these
Indian workers, brought into the country by a separate
entity which is not part of the case, were forced to live
in substandard, unsanitary accommodations. For this,
they were charged an inordinate amount, given
unwholesome food, demeaned by being referred to by
numbers instead of their names, and at least two of them
were retaliated against for complaining about the sub-
standard conditions and discrimination, the EEOC said
US files suit againstAlabama company for
'abusing' Indian workers
Raj Rajaratnam, former
head of the Galleon hedge
fund group was sentenced in
October to 11 years in prison,
ordered to forfeit $53.8 mil-
lion in illegal gains and fined
$10 million. The fines and
monetary sanctions imposed
on him in the criminal and
civil cases total almost $157
million. After getting the
longest prison sentence ever
for insider trading, the hedge
fund tycoon was ordered to
pay a record $92.8 million
penalty in a related civil case.
The fine imposed was the
largest the Securities and
Exchange Commission has
ever assessed against an indi-
vidual
Raj Rajaratnam sentenced toprison for insider trading
South Asians hogged the limelight for lots of reasons, right or wrong --from gettingbehind the bars for frauds, impacting on events back home in India and Pakistan, and
celebrating our own culture and helping an alma mater.
60
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Violence, deaths and some hopefor South Asia
From Osama's killing to NATO attack on Pakistan post that resulted in a new low in India, from SriLankan 'war crimes' to Hillary Clinton in Myanmar, South Asia was abuzz with news. Here is a look:
Relations between Pakistan
and the US, key allies in the
decade-old war on terror,
teetered from one crisis to the next
almost since the beginning of the
year, prompting Prime Minister
Yousuf Raza Gilani to order the
framing of new "terms of engage-
ment" for the US and NATO forces
in Afghanistan.
The biggest international story of
the year was the killing of Osama
Bin Laden in his hideout in
Abbottabad in Pakistan on May 2.
From here began the era of a new
low in US-Pakistan ties.
Coming close on the heels of a
serious diplomatic row between the
US and Pakistan over the issue of
Raymond Davis, an alleged CIA
operative, killing three men in the
busy streets of Pakistan's second
biggest city Lahore in late January,
Pakistan brought frequent - and
hugely unwelcome - spotlight to
the South Asian region during the
year.
In a spat that could spell serious
trouble for the fragile democracy of
the nation, President Asif Ali
Zardari is alleged to have sought
US assistance to quell a possible
military coup in the aftermath of
Osama's killing.
Called the 'Memogate Scandal',
for the unsigned memo - allegedly
crafted by former ambassador to
the US Hussain Haqqani - that was
used to convey the Pakistani
request to the US administration,
the matter has taken the scalp of
Haqqani and dragged both Zardari
and chiefs of military and
Pakistan's secret service agency
Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) to
nation's supreme court.
Any hope that the US military
would temper its aggressive
approach towards Pakistan as a
matter of courtesy or tactical need
in Afghanistan was again laid to
rest this week when the Pentagon
insisted that it respected all "rules
of engagement" and "international
law of conflict" during the border
spat in which NATO forces killed
24 Pakistani soldiers on November
26. Washington came close to cast-
ing the incident an act of war. "You
misbehaved and provoked us and
we shot you. If you do that again,
the response will be the same"
might well be the summation of the
US investigation report into the
incident. Pakistan blasted off the
probe report.
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal
grappled with the aftermath of
armed conflicts of recent history.
A tribunal, headed by Nizamul
Haque Nasim and known as
'International Crimes Tribunal', was
formed in March 2010. The tribu-
nal began its first trial in October
this year when it charged Delwar
Hossain Sayedee, a top authority of
Jamaat-e-Islami and allegedly one
of the leaders of a pro-Pakistan
mercenary group, with involvement
in the killing of more than 50 peo-
ple, torching villages and forcibly
converting Hindus to Islam.
In another case involving war in
the SAARC region, the Lessons
Learnt and Reconciliation
Commission (LLRC) of Sri Lanka
submitted its final report to the gov-
ernment on November 20.
Established by President
Mahinda Rajapaksa to look into
alleged war crimes committed dur-
ing the final days of the 26-year-old
civil war in Sri Lanka that ended
with the defeat of the rebel
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) in May 2009, the LLRC -
expectedly - exonerated the Sri
Lankan government of any wrong-
doings between 21 February 2002
to 19 May 2009.
The commission is not recog-
nized by most of the international
rights groups because of its failure
to satisfy the fairness and trans-
parency criteria. But the Sri Lankan
government said the LLRC report
is impartial and objective, and
would be presented verbatim at the
next session of the United Nations
Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
in March 2012.
Up north in the Himalayas, the
erstwhile monarchy and the
presently constitution-less fledgling
democracy of Nepal struggled, for
another year, to draft a new consti-
tution and pave the way for a stable
democracy.
On November 28, members of
parliament extended the Nepalese
parliament's term for a fourth and
final time to allow the drafting of a
new constitution that adheres to a
peace accord brokered between
political parties and the Maoist
rebels, after the civil war ended in
2006.
Despite commanding widespread
respect for his financial acumen
and clean image, Nepal's newly-
elected Maoist Prime Minister
Baburam Bhattarai is facing daunt-
ing challenges as he assumed office
this year after being sworn in by
President Ram Baran Yadav. India
unveiled a $250 million line of
credit for Kathmandu and signed a
crucial investment pact when he
visited New Delhi.
Pak soldiers march among the rows of coffins during a funeral forthe 24 servicemen killed in NATO attack.
The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC)of Sri Lanka to solve war crime cases is in controversy.
Pak soldiers march among the rows of coffins during a funeral forthe 24 servicemen killed in NATO attack.
Osama bin Laden watches self on TV at his Abbottabad house.
Pakistan Ambassador to the USHusain Haqqani resigned after
the Memogate scandal.
"Trust, but verify." Prime
Minister Manmohan
Singh's watchword on re-
engaging Pakistan found trac-
tion in 2011 and saw the trou-
bled post-26/11 ties turning a
corner, with the leaders of both
countries resolving to write "a
new chapter" in bilateral rela-
tions.
Pakistan's decision to grant
Most Favoured Nation (MFN)
status to India also bodes well
for the relationship and has
opened a new way to deepen
peace stakes through greater
mutual trade and investment. A
team from Pakistan is expected
to visit India soon to record
statements of judicial officials
connected to the Mumbai terror
attack.
India-Pak ties: A year ofbuilding trust
The emerging civil society
in Myanmar (earlier
Burma), confirmed by
the freeing of Nobel Laureate
Aung San Suu Kyi and later by
a visit by US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton this year, is one
of the positive news stories of
2011.
Aside from encouraging
Myanmar's political reforms,
Clinton's mission was driven by
the desire to patch up with a
country that has long been a
missing link in its broader
engagement in East and
Southeast Asia, where the U.S.
has actively sought to counter
China's rise.
Hillary Clinton in Myanmar
US Secretary of State HillaryClinton with Aung San Suu Kyi.
In Libya, Egypt and Tunisia a war concluded as fast as the revolution spread overpower-
ing the despotic regimes more effectively in just a few months than the bloody military adventure that lasted nearly a decade. From Zuccotti Park in Wall Street to Melbourne 99 percenters are disenchanted by economic in-equality, unemployment and greed. In India, aam admi (citizen) became disillusioned by the government’s manoeuvring of the Lokpal (anti-corruption) Bill.
A unifying force is present in all the above uprisings and the protests and that is the penetration of social media. The year 2011 saw political paroxysms afflicting numerous pockets of the world wielded majorly by so-cial networking. The year 2011 also saw pow-er returning back to people from tyrant gov-ernments. In countries like Morocco, social media has even become the fifth estate since traditional media has failed to play its role.
So is this a new phenomenon? Well social media has been around since a decade but what changed in 2011 is that it has moved in being an agent of social change, by empower-ing its users to becoming social mobilizer and most importantly communicating freely.
The role of social networking tools in po-litical uprising spurned many debates espe-cially in the wake of Egypt’s unrest. Political commentators were amazed to see how sim-ple web 2.0 tools could gather critical masses that eventually topple the governments.
The trigger for the massive uprising was the YouTube video of a Tunisian vegetable seller who burned himself to death in Decem-ber 2010 in protest at his treatment by police. Within seconds the shaky video went viral with pro democracy rebellions venting out anger on social networking sites.
The uprising in Tunisia swiftly spread to Egypt where Hosni Mubarak’s three decade rule came to an end unceremoniously after an 18 day unrest, again triggered by the social media. Libya was not far behind. The pro-democracy fever pitched to highest levels in this country ending the 40 year rule of Muammar Gaddafi.
A recent study at communications department at the University of Washington concluded that Arab spring was really a social media revolu-tion. The researchers mentioned that social me-dia carried a cascade of messages about free-dom and democracy across North Africa and the Middle East and helped raise expectations for the success of political uprising. People with pro-democracy views built extensive social net-works and organized political actions.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
January 7-13, 201261
The rise of the fifth estateSocial media emerged as the unifying force that led to downfall of dictators
and mass movement against corruption in 2011
Social Media
The web space where people could practice free speech was a unique advan-tage over the traditional me-dia which was controlled by the despotic government.
According to the study, videos featuring protest and political commentary went viral with the top 23 receiving nearly five and a half million views.
Analysts even suggest that government efforts to crack down on social me-dia may have incited more public activism, especially in Egypt.
The social movement in North Africa and Middle
East was in lot many ways different than the Indian protest that started in April 2011. Firstly the movement in Middle East had no one leader to drive the cause like in India- the anti-corruption move-ment was led by Hazare and his team. Secondly the protest in India was not to topple the government but work with the state to bring anti-corruption law.
However there were similarities be-tween the two protests and one of them and perhaps the most important similar-ity was the use of social networking tools to empower and mobilize.
A diminutive septuagenarian Gandhian, a former soldier with a seventh grade edu-cation, a mere community organizer virtu-ally unknown to many Indians before early 2011, Anna Hazare is today the face of the anti-graft fight in India. In what seemed as a one man fight against the system, took its shape into being a new age ‘uprising.’ Social media has played a major role in making Hazare the phenomenon that he has become.
By day two of his fast unto death in April 2011, political commentators wasted no time in drawing fierce parallels with Tahrir Square, and other pro-democracy revolutions in the Middle- East. Television channels began to play up the protests and the following morn-ing saw social media platforms abuzz with chatter. The 74 year old crusader amassed tremendous support for his campaign against corruption on popular networking platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, You-Tube, and many micro blogging websites.
Within hours, citizens donned the hats of cyber activists created over a 100 fan-pages on Facebook and tagged profile badges on their walls in support of the campaign. Protesters on ground zero- Jan-tar Mantar in Delhi even posted amateur videos of the protest that soon became viral on other social networking sites. Twitter too kept trending the hashtags #annahazare in support of the cause. Pe-titions, cause applications, missed call campaigns, were just a few other plat-forms for support. With growing televi-sion fatigue, this medium soon became a source of information for many- posting photos of themselves at rallies, sharing news articles with friends; circulating petitions became a common activity. The usage was such that Facebook’s recent report released showed Anna Hazare and the Janlokpal bill were mentioned the most in status updates in 2011 in India. A simple auto search on Anna Hazare on Google reveals 61,700,000 results.
So, was social media the driving force in bringing the entire nation on streets? It could well be the classic case of which came first chicken or the egg. Many so-cial media analysts admit that tweet-ing and updating status may have not themselves forced change but they have become one of the most potent tools around to gather support and push the armchair activists out on the ground.
There are many who believe this new medium has delivered a whole new genera-tion of politically conscious, opinionated youngsters. Political opinions traditionally have made for a showdown with the gen-eration Y however it is not the case in 2011 as politically engaged users are not shy of airing their views and sharing news online. These sites have not just empowered the aam admi (common man) but also set a platform for flattened communication pro-cess with everyone having an almost equal opportunity to be heard in the online world. The use of social media in the year 2011 was not limited to Hazare’s anti-graft move-ment. Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar slapgate scandal going viral on youtube and facebook and #idiotkapilsibal
(in response to the government’s efforts to tighten the reins on social networking sites) proclaimed in-numerable updates, tweets and retweets too. Netizens in India accused Indian gov-ernment in trying to force internet com-panies to pre-screen content because of the online leverage that the anti-corrup-tion movement lead by Anna Hazare gar-nered. And even as the anti-corruption campaign enters its
third and the most decisive phase; online support has not plummeted even a bit.
Whether or not social media could bring serious changes in the authoritative Chi-nese regime is yet to be seen however the proliferation of new media has definitely shaken the state undermining its traditional information monopoly. Even though the Chinese netizens did not overtly challenge the state’s legitimacy as in the case of Egypt and to some extent even India but held the government more accountable especially in the case of the high speed rail crash. It became a sensation in the Chinese microb-logging world. An outpour of criticisms at government’s handling of the incident and the larger issue of crony capitalism forced the Chinese state to undertake a compre-hensive safety evaluation and even sack the rail minister. The tyrant government even pledged more transparency.
Despite the overwhelming capacity to con-trol the system, the instantaneity and reach of social media has definitely made life very difficult for governments not accustomed to responding to the demands of the people.
This could be the prime reason why censorship has suddenly become a new ‘Like’ with many of the world leaders be it pro democratic or anti. Egyptian, Chi-nese and now Indian government’s move to shutdown or least screen the content on internet has given some credence to the fact that social media has made its way as a powerful tool to empower, educate and organize the netizens for social causes.
By Jinal Shah/SATimes
Protests against the reign of Hosni Mubarak
The Arab Spring
People took to streets in Libya leading to downfall of Muammar Gaddafi
India’s fight against corruption led by Anna Hazare
It feels like just yesterday when seeming-ly the entire world was abuzz with what
was then considered “rapid” advancements in computer and internet technology. Just 14 years ago, free-trial offers of the newest versions of America Online, for example, would find their way to millions of mailboxes en route to reaping the potential of an ever-growing and ripe market. Six or seven steps would assist the entire dial-up process and clog the phone line while that one online ses-sion would be so awe-inspiring to render it all worthwhile. This would slowly become the leading way that people get their news and search any topic of interest.
Today, the internet is not only available everywhere and landlines not sacrificed—but millions of people are connected through it. From friends interacting with one another to reading actual thoughts and words of a world-famous celebrity or politician and being able to respond to it, this is the wide array of pos-sibility known as social media. Social media is everywhere, here to stay and has revolu-tionized the world as we know it.
Let’s consider just the tip of the iceberg. In one situation, friends attend a party together and memorable pictures are taken. Within sec-onds, those pictures can be uploaded on Fa-cebook by the same cellphone that took them and other friends can begin discussing them, sparking conversation among people no matter who they are and how far apart they are.
A whole new aspect of social media is being thrust into the limelight, now
getting even more personal. The com-pany behind this innovative approach is Bubbleblog, also known as Bubbly, the voice-blogging service that claims “it’s like Twitter with a voice.”
Users, known as bubblers, can not only follow their favorite celebrities as on Twitter, but can have those updates and messages read to them—in their own authentic voices on their mobile phones.
The service was introduced in India in 2010 and has expanded to Indonesia, Ja-pan and the Philippines. More than 100 million bubblers have exchanged over a billion voice-messages. The creative part about the service is that, while one-to-one voice messages are common, one-to-many voice messages are not.
That is Bubbly’s take on the market, which has taken off well since its intro-duction.
While one of the aspects holding Bub-bly back from expanding as quickly as Twitter did is that users cannot filter through unwanted content through a re-cording as readily as they can in written forms, it is still gaining about 100,000 new users each week.
The number one bubbler in India is Amitabh Bachchan, followed in the top five by Lara Dutta, John Abraham, Ra-mayana and Neetu Chandra.
Bubbly subscribers pay a monthly fee to hear their favorite stars and celebri-ties and ultimately develop even more of a personal connection to them.
This may be the next big wave in so-cial media, which is becoming more and more revolutionary everyday.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
January 7-13, 201262
Social Media
In another situation, a man witnesses a random dance by a group of trained profes-sionals in Times Square and records it. He uploads the video on YouTube and it instant-ly becomes a viral hit. People in different towns and countries now have access to it and also can discuss how they feel about it.
In yet another situation, imagine a politi-cian in a political debate saying something out of line. It becomes blown up by the media but the politician takes to Twitter to address the issue himself and clarify what he means. These are true words, unfiltered and available to all, again no matter where they are online.
In a final example, consider a rallying group of individuals protesting against a certain cause. Because they want their voic-es heard, they choose to express their views on Blogspot, a blogging website. Instantly, they garner supporters or attract dissenters to their blog, but bottom line is that they have been able to interact with others about a certain cause.
In a classic display of the power of so-cial media, now-retired famous basketball star Shaquille O’Neal made a bold offer to his fans during the last week of December. On the set of his “Inside the NBA” show, he told viewers that he would give $1000 to anyone who got a particular tattoo. As proof, he told viewers to “tweet me the pics,” which meant posting the pictures of the tattoos on his Twitter page. This was a great way to reach out to his fans and a gesture that certainly would not have been possible with such ease years ago.
These are just some of the ways that social media have been able to connect the world. We now linked virtually in so many ways with so much available at our very fingertips.
The world of social media goes far beyond the most popular ones, such as Facebook and Twitter. It includes and is most certainly not limited to community discussions, videos, blogging, games, applications and file-shar-ing. This has become a lifestyle and everyday more and more people are becoming connect-ed by different aspects of social media.
Let’s take a look at two recent newswor-thy examples of the impact of social media in today’s society.
The Occupy World Street movement in New York’s financial district on Wall
Street began in September of the past year. These were protests rooted against wealth inequality, greed, corruption, high unem-ployment, as well as other social-finan-cial related problems. The movement was spearheaded by the use of social media and put into physical effect using peace-ful protesting methods such as march-ing, picketing and civil disobedience.
In a July blog, the Canadian-based group Adbusters proposed and advocat-ed the reasons for OWS, which stands as the origin for the group assembly. As the protests went into effect two months lat-er, a Facebook page was created posting links of demonstration videos on You-Tube. Just five days after demonstra-tions began, 125 OWS-related Facebook
were created and Twitter was abuzz with OWS tags in its users’ postings.
A major reason OWS protesters targeted Wall Street was because they believe it played a central role in the 2008 economic crisis which essentially began the Great Re-cession. Their slogan, “we are the 99%” is in reference to the unequal distribution of wealth for the wealthy 1%, whose income has more than doubled in the last 30 years. The richest 1% of the country’s wealthiest ac-count for 34.6% of the entire nation’s wealth.
When the protests first commenced, most of the members of the movement were young adults because social net-works were the predominant method used to spread word of purpose. As it can be seen, social media has been the driving force behind this huge move-ment that was a huge story of 2011.
By Vikas Girdhar
A market revolutionizes social life and
world we live in
Occupy Wall Street movement takes world by storm
Voice microblogging — next social media trend?
25 million hits on YouTube. More than one million shares on Facebook.
Trending on Twitter in India all the time. All this within a span of weeks! Who could imag-ine a simple Tamil-English song shot in a stu-dio with four people can become viral over-night? The instant global hit and ‘best song of 2011’ by CNN - ‘Why this Kolaveri di’ has finally exposed us to the power unleashed of the social media in Bollywood.
From the reigning 69- year-old superstar Am-itabh Bachchan to the latest youngest four-year-old singer Neevan Nigam (singer Sonu Nigam’s son), social media has become a platform for Bollywood to freely engage with their audiences.
While the Big B expressed his emotions so beautifully about the latest addition in his fam-ily (Aishwarya-Abhishek’s daughter) through his famous blog bigb.bigadda.com, Sonu Nigam’s son Neevan has already been termed as the ‘new Gen’ singing superstar with his
Leaders are those people in the world who tend to make others follow by helping
them with their charismatic, technocratic, or business skills. Thought leadership -- now in business lexicon-- enables other people to get enlightened by the help of innovative and radically different approach toward do-ing business. This approach is different from traditional top-down leadership for making a cutting edge breakthrough. Thought lead-ership can be directed upwards as well as downwards or sideways, but has nothing to do with position or managing people.
Thought leadership has a variety of styles and changes from person to person. These leaders have proven skills and portfolio to speak about their business and best practices in business.
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
January 7-13, 201263
Social Media
By Neeru Saluja
By Namit Narain
When Bollywood Tweets and Kolaveri di goes viral
Social enabled Thought Leadership
milk version of the kolaveri song.The growth of Bollywood and social
media is phenomenal. Most of the film industry is on Twitter engaging passion-ately with their fans.
Facebook has numerous fan pages dedi-cated to Bollywood movies and actors. Not only do the filmmakers and actors chat, tweet and share pictures but also use it as it as marketing tool. Social networking has become an attractive publicity platform for the tinsel town and it costs hardly anything. Renowned directors have resorted to the latest medium to take suggestions for ti-tles, posters, cast and even funds for their upcoming films. After all, they are meant for people to let them express their opin-ion, finally resorting to the basic rule of marketing – engage with the consumer for customer satisfaction.
Social media has become the most ef-fective and instant communication rage. Who needs to check their favourite Indian newspaper online to read a review of the latest film, just log in to your Facebook account and one of your friends would have definitely reviewed the film. The recent news of the demise of evergreen
Today Social Media is enabling Thought Leadership to get into a different paradigm where these leaders get a totally new and vibrant platform to speak about something which they are expert at. TED, a global platform of conference, is a good exam-ple of this kind of a leadership. TED has made a tremendous effort in spreading the content by the help of social media chan-nels such as YouTube. It is a simple tool to build reputation as a leading expert in a particular field. There are blogs and Twit-ter channels for such individual thought leaders to spread their values and make their own reputation.
Most of the companies have their own blogs where they keep on engaging the audience to tell them about their expertise in the field of their services and products.
romantic actor Dev Anand spread like wild fire on Facebook with all pay-ing their condolences and sharing their memories of the black and white era. A platform for the elder generation to express their thoughts, and the younger generation to gasp what a legend he was. No doubt the globe has shrunk into a tiny world with FaceYouTwit (shorter version of Facebook, You Tube and Twitter).
Thought leadership cannot be monop-olized. It has nothing to do with hier-archy. It changes how people think and take actions. Implementation is a sepa-rate phase, which is dealt by skilled managers. To be a thought leader, one need to immerse oneself in a profes-sional domain and search for new things to say that add value to an organization, community, or society. After giving a lot of thought and talking to plenty of industry thought leaders, the following to my mind are some of the character-istics in being a thought leader.
Shining conversation and interest:
Thought leadership means literally leading thoughts. Your content should amuse, entertain, excite, and generate curiosity among your audience.
Utilizing available resources:
Thought leadership is again about be-ing smart. How clever you are to use the existing channels and how creative you are to use them. Always think of a way to utilize the programs, partners, products, services, supporters, customers, busi-nesses, co-workers, and friends that you already have or can easily access.
Being willing to take the risks:
Social media evolves every day and ev-ery second of life. A practice that works one day may not work the next day. It is important for marketers to continue try-ing new and innovative things. As a mar-keter you may fall short of your expecta-tions and ideas once in a while, but your chances of stumbling upon something remarkable are that much greater.
And Bollywood is no far behind in lap-ping up the latest craze. It’s a revolution-ary process, if you hit the potluck, you can become an overnight sensation. In a ‘star mania’ nation like India, social me-dia is there to stay. Year 2011 will be the year of social media making ‘Kolaveri di’ a national anthem. So don’t forget to run the race in 2012 if you want to become a part of the latest rage.
Promoting active engagement:
Social media is not about lectures, preaching, publicity stunt, or just broad-casting. Your audience will listen if you listen to them and take a keen interest in what your followers say. You should keep your eye and ears open and then respond. Voice your opinions, but be interested in opinions of your audience as well.
Think outside the box:
If your campaigns are the same as ev-eryone else’s, previous ones, or of your competitors, audiences have no reason to engage. To get the credibility, do something different to involve your audience. Partici-pating in strategy sessions, brainstorming, and researching are great ways to help you create unique and effective marketing strat-egies and to impact your audience.
Integration:
Integrate your products and services with thought leadership by setting up good examples.
So how do you position your company as a thought leader in this new world of media options? Well, the answer is sim-ple: first be a thought leader and have sufficient expertise to speak about your field of play. You cannot spread the word out just by pretending that social media doesn’t apply to your industry. That day is gone. Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter may not yet matter to your customers, but I assure you, some form of social does, for example YouTube, podcasting, or blog-ging. As an industry expert, one needs to find out which forms of social are being used. Then develop a plan to own those spaces, or at least actively participate in them by engaging your audience.
South Indian actor Dhanush’s song ‘Kolaveri di’ became a social media sensation overnight
Social media evolves every day and every second of life. A practice that works one day may not work the next day. It is important for marketers to continue trying new and innovative things.
64
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
A tumultous economic year Year of steep losses, volatility for Indian equities
Business Top 10 by Vikas Girdhar
Indian equity markets, a favourite among
foreign investors just a year ago, present-
ed one of the worst performances among
emerging economies during 2011, resulting
in a key index shedding a fourth of its valu-
ation when the year drew to a close.
The 30-share sensitive index (Sensex) of
the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which
stood at 20,389.07 points as on Dec 30 last
year, lost a whopping 4,934.15 points dur-
ing the year to close at 15,454.92, with a
loss of 24.20 percent.
At the National Stock Exchange (NSE)
the story was similar with the S&P CNX
Nifty ending the year 2011 at 4,624.30
points, against 6,134.50 points at the close
of 2010, with a loss of 1,510.20 points, or
24.1 percent.At the BSE, the Sensex had
gained 17.43 percent in 2010 and 81.03
percent in 2009, in what was its best per-
formance since 1999, after losing 52.45
percent the year before, when it logged the
third worst performances among indices in
emerging markets.
Value of the rupee decreased by a
total of 18.79 per cent in 2011,
bringing the overall rate to 53.10/11
against the U.S. dollar. The last bit of
activity to close out the calendar year
was a loss of 3 paise.
Forex dealers declared that the reason
the rupee did not fall further than it did
was the sluggish standing the dollar held
overseas at the end of 2011. Much of the
reason for the rupee’s fall was attributed
to the euro debt crisis. Others included
investors’ preference for the dollar, espe-
cially because it is a safer bet, put con-
siderable pressure on the rupee.
This is the first annual loss for the
rupee since 2008. The decline is expect-
ed to continue through at least mid-2012
because the debt crisis in Europe is
unlikely to end any time before that.
The rupee also fell against the pound
sterling, euro and Japanese yen
Rupee falls
against dollar
Food price index through December
17 rose 0.42 per cent, which is the
slowest rise since April 2006.
For the ninth straight week, food infla-
tion rates in India showed a promising
decrease thanks to improved supplies
and the arrivals of new crops. The prices
of vegetables, potatoes and onions fell
by up to 11 per cent.
Latest rates fell to 14.37 per cent,
down from 15.24 per cent the previous
week. The Reserve Bank of India
expects food inflation rates to drop to
around 7 per cent by March, a vast
improvement from the 9.11 per cent
showing this past November.
There is widespread belief that the
decrease in inflation will allow the RBI
to soften its stance of high interest rates.
At last review earlier in December, rates
had been kept constant.
Rates are expected to actually decrease
anywhere between the months of April
through June. Analysts predict that the
RBI will cut rates by 25 basis points by
then.
Latest food inflationrates in India lowest
in six years
In September, a survey
showed that the U.S. had
fallen to fifth place on a list
ranking the world’s most com-
petitive economies.
The World Economic Forum
announced the results of the
survey, which can be attributed
to U.S. deficits and majorly
decreasing public faith in gov-
ernment. This spells bad news
for an Obama administration
already struggling to boost the
economy and lower the unem-
ployment rate of over 9 per
cent. The U.S. was one spot
better last year, at number four,
which was two years removed
from being at the top spot of
the list in 2008. While the
Forum did praise the U.S. for
productivity, state-of-the-art
universities and companies,
and a flexible labor market, it
did harp on the most obvious
flaws in the U.S. economy.
U.S. falls to fifth inglobal competitiveness
Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee
announced in early December that
the government in India has decided
to suspend foreign direct investment
in retail. At an all-party meeting, the
government proposed to put on hold
the Cabinet decision to allow 51 per
cent FDI in multi-brand retail and got
the approval of the opposition.
The suspension of that Cabinet
decision figures to stay in effect until
an agreement is reached among the
various stakeholders.
Disappointed industry bodies and
political experts see the move as
regressive because it would have
made way for international supermar-
kets and department stores.
While it is uncertain how long the
suspension will last, there is wide-
spread belief that it may continue for
several months.
FDI in retail on hold as Indian
government gives in On December 19,
AT&T decided to ter-
minate its bid for the $39
billion takeover of T-Mobile USA, citing that
it was unable to combat the opposition of the
Obama administration to form the biggest
cellphone service provider of the nation. The
end of this deal means that AT&T will now
have to go back to the drawing board for
other solutions on growth for the national
operator. T-Mobile, on the other hand, faces
quite an uncertain future, as it is currently the
weakest of the four major cellphone service
providers and must recover from the broken
deal’s effects. In the end, the consumers seem
to have benefitted the most from the deal that
never happened. If the acquisition had actual-
ly gone through, they would have faced
steeper prices and less improvement in over-
all service and market-changing assets. The
takeover would have created a duopoly of
AT&T and Verizon because they would be
the service-providers of three-quarters of the
market between them.
On December 27, Sears Holdings
announced that it will shut up to 120
locations after disappointing results this holi-
day season. The retailer, which operates Sears
and Kmart, expects earnings to fall by more
than 50 per cent in the fourth quarter, a figure
much worse than expected. The sharp drop in
sales this season has attributed to an equal
reflection for its shares. Since Sears’ peak in
2007, shares fell from $192 to just $46 this
December. On Tuesday, the stock closed at
$33.28 after falling 27 per cent.
While competitors
such as Macy’s, Target
and Home Depot have
all enjoyed profitable
revenues, Sears has
fallen not only in the standings of department
stores but also from the minds of many con-
sumers. Since most of Sears’ consumer-base is
the working class, experts point to the reces-
sion and unemployment rate as the main rea-
son why many are simply not investing in
major appliances at this time.
Sears & Kmart to shut 120 stores
In May,
I n t e r n a t i o n a l
Monetary Fund
Chief Dominique
S t r a u s s - K h a n
resigned from his
post following a sex
scandal. Allegations
were made against
Strauss-Khan that claimed he
sexually assaulted and raped a
hotel maid. He was released on
$1 million bail in New York.
Immediately following his
bail posting, he was to remain
confined in a New York
apartment under guard.
However, as the case
began to take more
shape, it became clear
that the maid’s testimo-
ny was inconsistent and
her credibility was in
question, especially in
light of such serious claims.
Strauss-Khan was dismissed
of all charges just two months
after facing decades of prison
time for the felony alleged
against him.
IMF Chief steps down after scandal
Analysts are
p r e d i c t i n g
that the price of oil
per barrel will
remain at $100 to
$120 through
2012. A major factor in the
determination of this prediction
is Iran’s vow to close the Strait
of Hormuz, which would
essentially cut off about a fifth
of the world’s oil supply. Iran
remains firm on its threat if
Western powers interfere
with its exportation of
petroleum.
The overall average
price of gasoline per gal-
lon in the U.S. has been
lowered to $3.24 for regular
unleaded. Much of this can be
attributed to more of the popu-
lation buying fuel-efficient cars
and driving less, which essen-
tially means people buying less
gas and weakening demand.
Oil prices predicted to stay
relatively same through next year
The debit cr is is in
Europe worsened
through 2011. The crisis,
which surfaced f irst in
Greece in October of 2009,
is said to have started
because the country took
advantage of a strong euro
and very low interest rates.
In the Spring of 2010, the
European Union and
International Monetary
Fund devised a bailout plan
that gave Greece $163 bil-
lion but that did very little
to help the debt in its cur-
rent state. The crisis contin-
ued very well into 2011,
also claiming Ireland and
Portugal in its path. As a
result, the three countries
fell into recession and had
their governments collapse,
while Spain’s unemploy-
ment rate rose over
20 per cent.
European debt crisis worsens in 2011
AT&T ends bid for T-Mobile takeover
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
January 7-13, 201266
A great year for Indian sports2011 was a standout year for Indian sports, and not just because of the cricket World
Cup triumph. Let’s look back at the year that was for the Indian sport lovers.
India entered the big league of boxing with Transtadia tak-ing up a franchise in World Series of Boxing. Thirteen Indi-ans including Akhil Kumar are part of Mumbai outfit, that is named Mumbai Fighters. The team also has four overseas recruit in Patrick Gallagher, Marko Calic, Paul Gene Koo-nand Trent Rawlings. Haryana boxer Vikas Krishan secured India`s second medal in the World Championships when he won a bronze in the 69 kg category at the 2011 edition in Baku, Azerbaijan. Vijender Singh is the first Indian to win a medal at the world meet. He won abronze in 2009.
India`s badminton star Saina Nehwal had a mixed year but she ended it on a high by becoming the first Indian play-er to reach the singles final of the BWF World Superseries Finals. The Hydera-badi shuttler finished runners-up toWorld Champion Wang Yihan at the tournament in Liuzhou, China after beating the likes of Denmark`s Tine Baun and and former World No.1 Wang Xin in earlier rounds.
After a rewarding 2010, athletics slumped to a low this year, turning out to be the country’s dirtiest sport with seven top athletes, including three Com-monwealth and Asian Games goldmedalists, getting involved in one of India’s biggest doping scandals. Asian Games doublegold-medalist Ashwini Akkunji and her 4x400m relay teammates Sini Jose and Man-deep Kaur were among the dope offenders, after be-ing caught for using banned steroids in May and June.
Kochi Tuskers Kerala wasterminated from the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). This decision was taken at the BCCI Annual General Meeting who suspended the team due to non-payment of dues.
The continuous rise in theperformance of archers has given India hope of an Olym-pic medal inLondon. One of the biggest achievement for Indian archery came this year when the recurve trio of Deepika Kumari, Chekrovolu Swuroand Laishram Bombayala Devi finished runners-up in the WorldChampionships in Turin, Italy. Kumari went on to win her secondindi-vidual gold in World Youth Archery.
Tennis player Ro-hana Bopanna might have made his mind to team up with vet-eran Mahesh Bhu-pathi for 2012 but he, along with with long time Pakistani doubles partner Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, did enough to add another feather in their caps. The erst-while Indo-Pak Ex-press won their maiden ATP Masters by win-ning the Paris event in November. They split soon after winning three titles in the year.
It wasn’t just cricket mak-ing news this year. India also placed its name on the Formula One calendar by having its first ever F1 race on October 30. The event was a grand success, nearly 1,00,000 people turning up at the spectacular Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida to cheer the home team and also to look at the racing gods of the world.
First Formula One event held in India
In the great league of boxing
Mixed bag for Saina Nehwal
GOOd year For
Bopanna
Kochi Tuskers Kerala suspended
Team India wrapped the year by a fantastic 4-1 win over West Indies. With young batsman Manoj Ti-wary scoring an astonish-ing century, an almost sec-ond string India registered a 34-run victory in the fi-nal one-day international in Chennai.
After a humiliating defeat against England this summer, India showed no mercy and whitewashed the English team when they toured India. The re-venge of the cleansweep administered in England little more than a month ago was achieved in the sti-fling heat of Kolkata when India won the series 5-0.
India beat West
Indies 4-1
doping scandal
hits athletes
archery in limelight again
Injury hit Team India’s shameful defeat during the India Tour of England 2011 was primarily be-cause key players like Yuvraj Singh, Virender Se-hwag, Zaheer Khan and Gautam Gambhir were not available for the entire series. India experienced a whitewash in both the Test and the ODI series in England losing the top Test spot to the hosts.
and then, the lows…
India’s revenge against england
India’s bril-liant limited overs team brought home the cricket World Cup after 28 years. Led-by Ma-hendra Singh Dhoni, India won the World Cup for the firsttime since 1983 with a six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in Mumbai.
India won the ICC Cricket
World Cup 2011
Roh
ana
Bop
anna
67
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
The bold, the beautiful andthe tough reign
Bollywood Flashback
By Jinal Shah/SATimes
The year 2011 was a year of the
bold and the beautiful, year of
many dirty pictures, and of power-
packed action films. But, above all, it was
the year of numerous box office hits.
While quite a few big budget films con-
tinued to disappoint, small budget films
with fresh faces and new concepts made
it big. Here is a snapshot of the year in
the life of the second biggest movie
industry in the world that raked in Rs
2,600 crore from films, music and TV
rights in 2011.
It was the return of the
time-tested ‘dhishum
dhishum’ formula from
the 70’s and the 80’s on big
screen and it was instantly
clicked with the audiences.
With their power packed
punches and aerial fights in
Bodyguard, Singham, Ready
and Force, Bollywood hunks
wooed the movie buffs.
Dubbed the most successful
star in 2011, Salman Khan
gave back to back block-
busters in Bodyguard and
Ready.
Action coupled with song and
dance and even comedy
worked flawlessly as crowd
puller in Bodyguard. Ready
grossed Rs 100 crore in less
than a fortnight.
Another movie that crossed
the 100 crore mark was Ajay
Devgan starrer Singham.
With a spectacular display
of his daredevil stunts and
over the top action sequences,
Ajay Devgan returned to his
roots after having fun with
comedies.
The year ended with a bang
when Shah Rukh Khan starrer
Don 2 collected a cool Rs 54
crore in its opening weekend.
It has been released in Telugu
and Tamil versions also
besides Hindi and did well
overseas also.
Thoda action, thoda Jackson
This was the year of
remakes too and there
were many Southern
imports including one of the
highest grossers, Salman Khan
and Asin starrer ‘Ready’. The
Hindi remake of the Telugu film
of the same The southern con-
nection name became a sleeper
hit with Salman’s fans. Even
Singham, that gave reason for
Ajay’s fans to cheer their
favorite action hero after eight
long years, was a south import
for script and the leading lady.
The remake was based on the
superhit film Suriya.
John Abraham and Genelia D’
Souza starrer Force, an action
thriller, was a remake of
Gautham Menon’s successful
2003 Tamil film Kaakha
Kaakha. The film based on a
dutiful cop who chases a dread-
ed gangster did moderately on
box office.
The southern
connection
Ajay Devgan in Singham
This was also the year of
item boys – whether it is
the ace actor and perfec-
tionist Aamir Khan shaking his
booty and perfecting the Mithun-
da pelvic thrust in Delhi Belly or
Ranbir Kapoor joining the band-
wagon with feisty kids in Tai tai
phis number for Chillar Party.
More and more male actors with
their chiseled body and incredible
dancing skills are slowly con-
quering the item songs turf and if
rumors are to be believed,
Randeep Hooda is also trying his
luck as the next IT boy. Item boys
are surely here to stay for the
female gaze.
Bootylicious boys
It was the voluptuous Vidya
Balan who was a surprise
package in The Dirty Picture.
A low budget film, inspired by the
life and death of a racy 1980’s B
movie star (Silk Smitha, a sui-
cide), it had an extraordinary run
at the box office. Balan’s sensu-
ous look, deep cleavage, red sari,
double entendres, and simply put
her bold antics made her the
queen of tinsel town. Shedding
inhibitions, she has traveled a
long way from being ‘sati savitri’
in Parineeta to ‘I am too sexy for
you’ in The Dirty Picture, perhaps
representing the transformation of
women in Indian society.
Restricted strictly to the vamps
in Indian films earlier, the ‘sexy’
and ‘bold’ titles are slowly drift-
ing to the ‘ideal’ heroines too.
Mouthing expletives, savoring
desi liquor, smoking pot, showing
off middle finger - till now avoid-
ed by filmmakers or underplayed
on screen - are becoming accepted
ways of expression and
Bollywood beauties are coming
out of the closet and doing just
that.
Be it Rani Mukerji’s flamboyant
use of expletives in No one killed
Jessica or Nargis Fakhri gulping
the illicit liquor in Rockstar or
Sonam Kapoor flashing the mid-
dle finger in Players, girls are
surely coming of age.
This year Bollywood grew
bigger and bolder. Not just
action, there was sex and
some taboo topics that got a thumbs
up from audiences who showed
their whole new appetite for this
genre. Aamir Khan’s production,
Delhi Belly was one of them. An
experimental movie replete with
cuss words, raunchy scenes, witty
dialogues, it was shot primarily in
English to appeal to urban audi-
ences who hailed this free will adult
comedy as they identified with the
un-kempt, debt ridden characters of
Imran Khan, Kunal Roy Kapoor
and Vir Das in the movie.Shaitan
and No One Killed Jessica, freely
dabbled in taboo topics from sex to
drug abuse to murder. These didn’t
do well on box office, but were
liked by critics.
Vidya Balan in The Dirty Picture was a surprise package
The bold and the beautiful
Psst! Dirty pictures
Heroes now do item numbers too: Ranbir Kapoor in Chillar Party.
Big budget films continued
to flounder at the box
office despite the backing
of Bollywood biggies. Small and
medium budget films kept the
cash registrars moving with smart
publicity on social media and
with fresh faces and story lines.
Big ticket movies like Ra.One
were a letdown despite the mar-
keting blitzkrieg.
The Shah Rukh Khan film did-
n’t live up to expectations, mak-
ing around 1.2 billion rupees in
net box office collections, just a
notch higher than its official
budget. At the same time, movies
like Pyar Ka Punchnama was a
surprise hit with the audiences.
Movies like Chalo Dilli, Chillar
Party and Bheja Fry 2 were not
just critically acclaimed, these
films also made an impact.
However, there were exceptions
like the big budget Zindagi Na
Milegi Dobara with Bollywood A
listers ensemble cast that met suc-
cess at the box office.
Big ticket, small wonders
Small budget films like Chalo Dilli made an impact
68
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Top 5 trends on and off screen
Bollywood Flashback
Rajnikanth doesn’t wear a watch, he
decides what time it is. Rajnikanth
knows Victoria’s secret or When
Rajnikanth logs on to Facebook, the site
updates its status message! And if that’s not
enough, dare to chase Rajni on Google. It
won’t be wrong to say that Rajnikanth jokes
evolved a whole new pop culture phenome-
non. After the release of his film Robot last
year, the frenzy of his fans across the globe
soared to such levels of insanity that his
jokes are now auto-suggested on Google
search. There are whole websites dedicated
to his jokes. His jokes were all you would
hear and share on Facebook, Twitter, SMS
inboxes and at dinner table conversations.
Rajnikanth jokes
It was baby boom in the tinsel town
this year. With gorgeous
Aishwarya Rai giving birth to a
baby girl – referred to as ‘Beti B’ -
news of other Bollywood beauties
expecting their first child trickled in.
Known for her perfect body, Lara
Dutta is basking in the glow of her
pregnancy and so is Shilpa Shetty.
Married to businessman Raj Kundra
in 2009, Shetty, in her second week of
pregnancy, shared her joy on Twitter.
Earlier this year she suffered a miscar-
riage and hence did not reveal the
news until everything was stable.
Recently married Celina Jaitley is also
said to be pregnant with her first
child.Konkona Sen, the dusky actress
who posed for a magazine cover earli-
er this year showing off her nude baby
bump in a green top, gave birth to a
baby boy. There were some quiet
arrivals too - Aamir Khan and Kiran
Rao’s baby boy was born through IVF
surrogacy.
Haute Mommy
Konkona Sen proudly showed her baby bumpon a magazine cover.
69
January 7-13, 2012
TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Bollywood Flashback
The glitz and glamour of
Bollywood pulled
Hollywood biggies to visit
India. The year 2011 saw a parade
of stars from the West including
singer Akon, who crooned the
popular Chamak Chalo number in
Ra.One, and Kylie Minogue, the
chiggy wiggy girl in Blue.
Growing awareness of Bollywood
in the global pop culture has led to
more and more partnerships
between entertainment businesses
across the oceans. Pop sensation
Lady Gaga visited India for the
first time for the inaugural F1
event. She recently twitted “!@#$
Hollywood, it’s all about
Bollywood.” Also, the Waka
Waka girl Shakira rocked the Lake
City of Udaipur with her perform-
ance at the 80th birthday bash of
real estate tycoon K.P. Singh. This
was her second visit to India. Both
singing superstars expressed their
willingness to work in Bollywood.
The year past also saw quite a
few desi actors showcasing their
talents in Hollywood: Anil
Kapoor in the much anticipated
Tom Cruise starrer Mission
Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol;
Freida Pinto of the Slumdog
Millionaire fame reached a new
high for Indian stars in Hollywood
in the spectacular 3-D action
adventure Immortals directed by
Indian origin director Tarsem
Singh.
West meets East, and thefavor is returned
Akon sang Chamak Chalo in SRK-Kareena starrer Ra.One
The year that was saw two distinct
trends in Bollywood fashion on
screen. One, of sizzling red sari with
plunging blouse and Kareena Kapoor (Bebo)
and Nargis Fakhri look in Bodyguard and
Rockstar respectively of straight lined kurta
teamed with salwars and patialas. The other
was just casual jeans and Tees carried well
by Katrina Kaif, Bebo again in Mere Brother
Ki Dulhan and Golmal 3 respectively. Off-
screen, Bollywood’s fashionistas stuck to
saris and floor length Anarkalis at film pro-
motions and even parties! Ahead in the game
were the sensuous Vidya Balan and
Bachchan Bahu Aishwarya Rai.
Newcomer Nargis Fakhri in Rockstarteamed kurtas with salwars and patialas
Of plunging necklinesand floor length
Anarkalis
Twitting is trending
Even as Hollywood stars are quitting
tweeting, our desi pin-ups are in no
mood to surrender. The year 2011
saw almost all celebs trending on social
networking sites like Facebook and
Twitter. Thanks to the use of a combina-
tion of social media tools, audiences get a
sneak peak at the movies as well as the
lives of actors well before the movie hits
the theaters. It is almost a mouthpiece of
the actor.
Not long ago, television broke the news
about film stars. Now it is the stars break-
ing news to television. Junior AB’s tweet
of the new arrival in the Bachchan family
and gone viral Kolavari Di with 20 mil-
lion hits are just a few examples how
social media is an integral part of the
growing pop culture.
As New Year’s resolutions go, Brenda
had a very strange one indeed.
Unlike many of her friends, she did-
n’t need to lose weight, not even a few
pounds. She didn’t need to floss her teeth
more often or read more self-help books or
make a greater effort to stay awake in
church. She didn’t have any serious addic-
tions she needed to quit: she didn’t smoke,
didn’t drink, didn’t manage a farm on
Facebook. But she did want to quit some-
thing –- and that’s what her resolution was
all about. She wanted to quit calling her hus-
band a moron.
Brenda and Ron had been married for 20
years, and Brenda couldn’t remember a time
when Ron hadn’t given her a reason to call
him a moron –- or at least think he was one.
She loved him, of course –- loved him as
much as she loved Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.
But that didn’t change the fact that she often
wondered if his mother had dropped him on
his head when he was a baby.
Poor Ron had actually gotten used to it -–
being called a moron. It started on their wed-
ding night –- at least that’s what he thought
when he heard her screaming, “More Ron!
More Ron!” He immediately stopped what
he was doing and tried something else: turn-
ing on the TV. And soon they were in a state
of bliss, watching an episode of
“Baywatch.”
Two weeks later, Brenda called him a
moron for real. It was one of those nights
when she returned home late from her job at
the pharmacy. He had offered to make din-
ner for her, but had left the frozen pizza in
the oven for too long. “Sorry, I was distract-
ed by the football game,” he said. “It’s a
good thing the plastic wrapping didn’t melt.”
Brenda didn’t want to call him a moron,
but as she stared at the plastic stuck to the
melted cheese, she couldn’t think of a more
appropriate term. And she soon found her-
self using it with regularity. There was the
time that Ron took her bottle of Pantene Pro-
V from the bathroom and used it to shampoo
the living room carpet. There was the time
he brought the wrong baby home from the
daycare and wondered why it kept asking for
“Mami” and “Papi.” And there was the time
he put laundry detergent in the automatic
dishwasher, just so he could throw in a few
dishcloths.
Ron was so used to being called a moron
that it hardly even bothered him anymore.
She might as well have been saying “honey”
or “sweetheart.” It had almost become a spe-
cial thing between them. No one else could
call him a moron and get away with it.
But Brenda often felt guilty about it. After
all, he wasn’t really a moron. That’s what
Brenda’s mom said. “He’s not a moron,” she
said. “He’s just a man. Men don’t always use
their brains. They use it for football and fix-
ing the car but then they shut it off. They
give it a break. That’s why they need
women.”
It was true: Ron did need Brenda. And she
certainly needed him. That’s why their mar-
riage had lasted so long. Sure, Ron didn’t
always use his brain but he was a good hus-
band in all the important ways. He didn’t
cheat on her or hit her or even raise his voice
at her –- unless she walked in front of the
TV during the football game.
Brenda was determined not to call him a
moron anymore. It was her only New Year’s
resolution and it lasted all the way until 9
a.m. on New Year’s Day. Brenda awoke to
find Ron making breakfast for her. He had
already made the eggs, hash browns and
sausages, and was working on the pancakes.
There he was, standing in front of the
stove, wearing an apron, whistling happily
as he tried to flip the pancakes with the fly
swatter.
“You’re such a moron,” Brenda said.
“How much did you drink last night, any-
way?”
Then, realizing all the trouble he had gone
through, she put her arm around him and
added, “Did I call you a moron? I was using
the acronym MORON. It stands for ‘Man of
Remarkably Outstanding Nature.’”
Melvin Durai is a Winnipeg-based writerand humorist. Born in India and raised inZambia, he has lived in North America since1982. Through the Internet, his column isread by thousands of people in more than 90countries.
70 Humor
The New Year's Resolution
Humor with Melvin Durai
January 7-13, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Happy New Year!With best wishes from
"Life insurance is an assurance to your loved ones of living thesame life they lived with you".
New Year: Celebrating the vast diversity of IndiaBy Prakash Bhandari
For years now, the New Year Eve has
become a new source of freshness for
every Indian.
The New Year is celebrated in great spirit
with partygoers hitting the hot party spots
right before midnight to bid farewell to the
old year and ring in the new year in style.
Despite some sporadic unruly scenes on
the streets on the New Year eve in the past, it
is now the most awaited festive occasion
across the length and breadth of the country.
The New Year Carnival in India is one
occasion that unfurls the real allure of the
country where tradition and culture blend
with convention and rituals.
Once a craze among the metropolitan
crowd, the New Year celebrations are now
part and parcel of Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities
where grand parties, celebrity shows and
concerts are being held right from Christmas
till New Year eve.
Owing to the vast cultural and ethnic diver-
sity of India, New Year's Day is celebrated in
different times of the year at different places.
In Tamil Nadu, January 14 is celebrated as
the New Year. However, Tamils in Sri Lanka
and in other diaspora communities world-
wide continue to observe the New Year in
mid-April.
Yugadi or Ugadi is the New Year's Day for
the people of the Deccan region of India. It
falls on a different day every year because
the Hindu calendar is a lunisolar calendar.
The Saka calendar begins with the month of
Chaitra (March–April) and Ugadi marks the
first day of the new year. Chaitra is the first
month in Panchanga, the Indian calendar.
While the people of Karnataka and Andhra
Pradesh use the term Yugadi/Ugadi for this
festival, Maharashtrians term the same festi-
val, observed on the same day, as Gudi
Padwa,
Sindhis celebrate the same day as their
New Year day Cheti Chand. The New Year's
Day in the Sikh Nanakshahi calendar is
March 14.
Manipuris also celebrate their New Year
(Sajibu Cheiraoba) on the same day. It is
observed as Baisakhi in Punjab and
Puthandu in Tamil Nadu. However, it is not
celebrated on the same day as Yugadi in
Tamil Nadu because the Tamils follow a
solar calendar.
Vishu in Kerala is similar to the New Year
festivals observed elsewhere in India. The
Kutchi people of Gujarat celebrate Kutchi
New Year on Ashadi Beej -- that is 2nd day
of Shukla paksha of Aashaadha month of
Hindu calendar.
The Marwari New Year is celebrated on
the day of Diwali, which is the last day
Krishna Paksha of Ashvin month and also
the last day of the Ashvin month of Hindu
calendar.
The Gujarati New Year is celebrated the
day after the festival of Diwali (which occurs
in mid-fall – either October or November,
depending on the Lunar calendar).
In a nutshell, New Year in India is not just
the parties, dance shows and celebrity shows
limited to the eve of December 31 but
describes the vast cultural and ethnic diversi-
ty of our country.
* Punjabi/Sikh New Year is celebrated
on April 14.
* Nepali New Year is celebrated on April
12–15.
* Assamese New Year is celebrated on
April 14-15.
* Bengali New Year is celebrated on the
April 14-15.
* Oriya New Year is celebrated on April
14.
* Manipuri New Year is celebrated on
April 14.
Dates toremember
78 Spiritual Awareness
January 7-13, 2012 TheSouthAsianTimes.info
The holiday season is a festive time of year in which we celebrate the joy and
warmth of Christmas, Chanukah, and Kwanzaa with our loved ones. We put
aside the stresses of life to enjoy family, friendship, and fun. During this sea-
son, we also express gratitude to God for all the gifts we have received. While out-
wardly, we may share in gift giving with others, we also acknowledge the spiritual
gifts we receive from the Lord.
This time of gratitude renews us. Whereas most of the year we are distressed about
not having everything we want, at this holiday season we realize how much we have
been given by God. For those on the spiritual path, we can also reflect on the tremen-
dous grace bestowed on by our spiritual Masters. Even though we may have passed
through some difficult times, whether physically, emotionally, mentally, or financially,
we realize that through the grace that the Masters showered on us, we have survived
these times, and at the level of the soul, we are filled with Light, love, and happiness.
Like a candy may have a sweet, soft filling inside an outer crust, the soul within lives
in a state of sweetness no matter how hard our outer life may be. Through meditation
and receptivity to the Master's grace, we can taste the delicious nectar of the Light and Sound of God within. Just as a parent gives a crying child a
candy to distract his or her attention from pain, so does the inner Light and Sound give us something soothing and enjoyable to keep our attention
from the outer pains of life.
As we enjoy the outer desserts and the gift giving of the holiday season, let us also enjoy the inner desserts and spiritual gifts that the Lord has so
elegantly wrapped up for us and placed within the depths of our soul. v/.-
We are also celebrating the New Year. The gratitude we experience during the holidays culminates in the New Year, a time of resolution. Having
reflected on what we received from God and our spiritual Masters, we can now think about what we can do to put these gifts into action to make a
brighter year ahead. Can we convert those gifts into something to make our lives and the lives of others better? We can reflect on what steps we can
take to improve ourselves so that we can make greater strides in our mundane and our spiritual lives. Among the resolutions we make, we can con-
sider whether we can put in more time for our meditation.
Can we be more diligent in our introspection to improve our ethical life? Just as we received love and help from God and our spiritual Master, can
we also have those gifts flow out from us to help those around us through selfless service? Let us take some time to consider how to take steps that
will bring us closer to our spiritual goal of oneness with God.
I pray that this holiday season and the New Year shower you with an abundance of spiritual gifts. May each of you enjoy the delicious sweet nec-
tar of the Light and Sound within. During this holiday season and in the New Year ahead, may you all be blessed with divine love and the bliss of
