A Publication of the Embassy of India, Washington, D.C. December 1, 2013 ■ Vol. 9 Issue 12 ■ www.indianembassy.org India Review Indian Orbiter on course to encounter Mars n Indian economy grows 4.8 percent in Q2 n Guru Nanak birth anniversary celebrated at White House n Bharat Ratna to scientist C.N.R. Rao PSLV-C25 Mars Orbiter Mission Spacecraft — Mangalyan, successfully launched from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, on November 5. Photo: IANS
Transcript
A Publication of the Embassy of India, Washington, D.C.
December 1, 2013
� Vol. 9 Issue 12 � www.indianembassy.org
India Review
Indian Orbiter on course to
encounter Mars
nn Indian economygrows 4.8 percent in Q2
nn Guru Nanak birthanniversary celebratedat White House
nn Bharat Ratna toscientist C.N.R.Rao
PSLV-C25 Mars Orbiter Mission Spacecraft — Mangalyan, successfully launched from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, on November 5. Photo: IANS
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The Indian Orbiter to Marszoomed out of the Earth’ssphere of influence onDecember 4 while cruising in
the Sun orbit on its 10-month-longvoyage to the Red Planet.“The Mars Orbiter has traversed
beyond the Earth’s sphere of influ-ence, which extends up to 925,000km in the interplanetary space at 1.14a.m.,” the state-run Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO) said.Exiting from the Earth’s sphere of
influence means the spacecraft is outof its gravitational pull and free tocruise in the 680-million km solarorbit to reach Mars in mid-September 2014.“Though the Sun’s gravity domi-
nates the solar system owing to itsmassive size, only very near to plan-ets, the planetary gravity becomes
stronger than that of Sun and isreferred as the sphere of influence,”the Indian space agency said.Orbits of Moon and artificial satel-
lites around fall inside the Earth’ssphere of influence. A day after escap-ing from Earth on December 1, thespacecraft crossed the Moon’s orbit thenext day, which is 385,000 km awayand became the farthest object of Indiain the interplanetary space.
PSLV-C25 Mars Orbiter Mission Spacecraft — Mangalyan, successfully launched from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, on November 5. Photo: IANS
Indian Orbiter on course toencounter Mars
India’s Mars Orbiter, on course to Red Planet, would catapult the country to become the first Asian nation and fourth in the world once it begins
orbiting Mars in 2014
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Scientists at the Indian telemetry,tracking and command network(ISTRAC) in Bangalore and theIndian Deep Space Network atBylalu, about 40 km from Bangalore,are monitoring the spacecraft’smovement in the Sun-synchronousorbit and checking its subsystems.The spacecraft will enter in mid-
September the Mars sphere of influ-ence, which is around 573,473 kmfrom its surface, in a hyperbolic tra-jectory.When the spacecraft is closest to
Mars, it will be captured into theMartian orbit through a crucialmaneuvre, which involves slowing itsvelocity (speed).Transition from the Earth’s final
orbit to solar orbit was programmedin line with the Sun’s gravity and lawsof the universe to ensure the Orbiter
reaches precisely on time to sling intothe Martian orbit in mid-September.The 1,337 kg Orbiter was launched
on November 5 from Sriharikotaspaceport off the Bay of Bengal,about 80km north east of Chennai,onboard a 350-ton rocket with fivescientific instruments — Mars ColorCamera, Methane Sensor, ThermalInfrared Imaging Spectrometer,Lyman Alpha Photometer, and Marsexospheric Neutral CompositionAnalyser.With the launch of Mangalyan —
as we call India’s first Mars Mission— India became the first Asian coun-try and fourth nation in the world toleap into the interplanetary spacewith its `4.5-billion exploratory mis-sion to Mars, about 400 million kmfrom Earth.So far, only Russia, U.S. and the
European Space Agency (ESA) haveundertaken such missions.
Delivered in space
One of the notable aspects of India’sMars mission is that the idea wasconceived and executed in 15 monthswith a shoe-string budget. “Whilepreliminary capability studies forplanetary missions were continuouslymade in ISRO since decades ago, theAdvisory Committee for SpaceScience (ADCOS) has taken up theformulation of the vision documentfor planetary exploration program ofISRO,” V. Adimurthy, Senior Advisor(Interplanetary Missions), said.He said the ADCOS had identified
missions to Mars as one importantcomponent of this vision. In August2010, the Mars Mission Study Team
Mars Orbiter Mission is India’s first interplanetary mission to planet Mars with an orbiter craft designed to orbit Mars in an elliptical orbit.
THE SPACECRAFT WILL ENTER IN MID-SEPTEMBER THE MARS SPHERE OF INFLUENCE,WHICH IS AROUND 573,473 KM FROM ITS SURFACE, IN A HYPERBOLIC TRAJECTORY
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was constituted with its 18 membersdrawn from all the major ISRO centers.The idea was to concretize the vision
identified by ADCOS into an integrat-ed and viable blueprint for the Marsmission. Adimurthy said the 18-mem-ber team was ably supported by hun-dreds of scientists and engineers acrossall the ISRO centers.“The study team’s report was sub-
mitted to ISRO Chairman in June2011,” Adimurthy said. The reportdetailed launch scenarios, ISRO’scapabilities for Mars mission, launchopportunities, spacecraft/orbiterdesign and configuration challenges,possible scientific experiments to aug-ment the current understanding ofMartian science, deep space networkchallenges were addressed, Adimurthyadded.While, several possible options for a
Mars mission were presented for con-sideration, detailed mission analysisresults for the 2013 launch opportuni-ty were highlighted, he added. Theexpert team discussed mission options
like fly-by, Orbiter and others.“It appeared that a fly-by, which
gives only a short time for scientificstudy, is not really attractive. But anOrbiter or a Lander would requirelarger transportation capability thatmay not be met by our established andreliable launch systems we now have,”Adimurthy said. The expert team dis-covered that if there is an elliptical orbitmission around Mars than the PSLV-XL version rocket could be used.The team was delighted that very
meaningful, though limited, scientificexperiments can be conceived for sucha mission, he said.“A mission like the 2013-14 oppor-
tunity to reach Mars is the most appro-priate with the energy optimality itoffers. Similarly, by a critical analysisof the other technological challengesand the solution options available to us,we come to the conclusion that we can,with a good degree of confidence,undertake this complex mission in2013,” he said. According toRadhakrishnan, the SpaceCommission gave its approval for the
mission in December 2011. PrimeMinister Dr. Manmohan Singhannounced the mission in August 2012after the approval from union cabinet.
Challenges & solutionsThough the decision was taken to go toMars, it was not all that easy for theIndian space scientists. They had toface and surmount the challenges inrespect of the rocket as well as buildingthe Orbiter.The lack of heavier rocket that can
put the Orbiter in Mars orbit straightwas one of the major challenges forISRO. It had to use its PSLV rocketand park the Orbiter in Earth orbit firstand then take it to Mars orbit.Though PSLV is considered as a reli-
able rocket, the Mars mission did pres-ent challenges for the ISRO’s rocketscientists.“The launch window is only five
minutes and the time available to takedecision on the mission is very short.The 28 minutes coasting (rocket mov-ing on its own momentum withoutengine power) time of the rocket
S. Arunan (centre), Project Director of ISRO’s Mars Orbiter Mission Spacecraft explaining details to Dr. K Radhakrishnan, Chairman ISRO (3rd from left); Dr. S.K.Shivakumar, Director, ISRO Satellite Centre (2nd from left) and V Koteswara Rao, Scientific Secretary, ISRO (1st from left) Photo: ISRO
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before the ignition of the fourth engineis also long. The overall launch dura-tion of 45 minutes is nearly double thatof normal PSLV launches,” S.Ramakrishnan, Director, VikramSarabhai Space Centre, and memberof Launch Authorisation Board, said.“As the flight duration is around 45minutes, a lot of thermal managementis required as the temperature in thespace will be low. The systems andequipments have to be protected,” said.P. Kunhikrishnan, Project Director,PSLV Program and mission Director. ISRO had to hire two ships from
Shipping Corporation of India to trackthe rocket from Pacific Ocean as rock-et will be beyond the visibility of theexisting tracking stations. While getting ready the launch pad
at Sriharikota was a challenge, on theother hand, the building of MarsOrbiter presented a different set ofchallenges for the ISRO officials begin-ning from its size, choice and size ofpayloads, the distance to be traveledand others. “Miniaturizing the components as
the orbiter does not provide muchspace and availability of componentswere challenging,” A.S. Kiran Kumar,Director, Satellite Application Centreand a distinguished scientist said.Kumar’s center was tasked with
building three of the payloads — MarsColor Camera, Methane Sensor andThermal Infrared ImagingSpectrometer. He said three versionsof all the instruments were built-con-cept, test and flight ready.“Methane sensor is a new configura-
tion and development for ISRO. Thisis built on concept of Fabry Perot-Etalon filters. There are very few com-ponent vendors,” Kumar said.According to him, the time interval atwhich the sensor would look at theMars surface to detect the presence of
methane was accordingly calibrated.While the time available to build andtest the payloads was short, Kumarsaid large number of components werealready available as ISRO was workingon several programs.“As real time communication
between ground stations and orbiter isnot possible lots of autonomy had to begiven to the spacecraft to take deci-sions on its own. The thermal systemshave to be designed as there is nearly50 percent difference in climatic tem-perature between Earth and Mars,” M.Annadurai, Programme Director forthe Mars mission, said. A new commu-nication system was built and theOrbiter was made largely autonomousto take decisions. “Restarting theOrbiter’s engine after 300 days,designing the solar power cells anddevelopment of a new navigation soft-ware were the other challenges,” S.Arunan, Project Director, MOM said.According to ISRO, the objectives of
Mars mission are two-fold — techno-logical and scientific. The technologi-cal objectives include design and real-
ization of Mars Orbiter with a capabil-ity to survive and perform Earth-boundmaneuvres, cruise phase of 300 days,Mars orbit insertion/capture, and on-orbit phase around Mars. It will alsoenable deep space communication,navigation, mission planning and man-agement and incorporate autonomousfeatures to handle contingency situa-tions. The scientific mission will be toexplore the Mars surface features,morphology, mineralogy and Martianatmosphere by indigenous scientificinstruments.Radhakrishnan said ISRO has sev-
eral inter-planetary missions on theanvil — Aditya Mission to exploreSun’s corona and another to asteroidVesta. In addition, ISRO plans anoth-er Moon Mission, Chandrayaan-2, in2016. But that does not mean thespace agency is spreading itself thinwith various missions nor it hasdiverted its attention.Reiterating that India is not in any
space race, Radhakrishnan said thespace agency is in race with itself.“Our space programmes are peopleand application centric. The spaceprograms have brought benefit tocommon people and the fact has beenrecognized globally,” he said.According to him, the Mars OrbiterMission will be the fitting tribute tothe visionaries of the Indian spaceprogram.
Scientists monitoring India’s Mars Orbiter at Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) SpacecraftControl Center in Bangalore.
THE SCIENTIFIC MISSION WILL EXPLORE THE MARS SURFACE FEATURES, MORPHOLOGY, MINERALOGY ANDMARTIAN ATMOSPHERE
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NEWSIndia-U.S.
President Barack Obamawished Indians “a HappyDiwali and Saal Mubarak”saying the festival reminded
Americans that the U.S. “is home tomany faiths and traditions, and thatour diversity makes us stronger”.That’s “why I’m proud that this
year Democrats and Republicans inCongress joined together for the first-ever celebration of Diwali on CapitolHill,” he said in a statement issued onNovember 1 on the observance ofDiwali.Over the last five years, President
Obama noted, his spouse “Michelleand I have been honored to have the
chance to observe this ancient holi-day, both at the White House and inIndia, and we wish all those celebrat-ing this weekend a Happy Diwali andSaal Mubarak.”
Diwali celebration at WhiteHouseU.S. First Lady Michelle Obama lit adiya (lamp) in the East room to startWhite House Diwali celebrationsafter trying out some Bollywooddance moves with some local stu-dents in the State Dining Room.“We’ve celebrated this holiday here
at the White House every year since(President) Barack (Obama) took
office. And there’s a reason why we’vedone that,” she said welcoming guestsincluding members of the Indian com-munity and Indian-American officialson November 5. “It was the first timethat we did Bollywood in the StateRoom here at the White House,” saidthe First Lady.“When we say that we want to
make the White House the ‘people’shouse,’ we mean all people. We meanthat we want to honor and embraceall of the many cultures and faith tra-ditions that make us who we are asAmericans. And Diwali is very muchone of those traditions,” she said.“It’s a time to come together with
President Barack Obamawishes Indians ‘Happy
Diwali and Saal Mubarak’
AS WE LIGHT THE DIYA— THE LAMP — WE RECOMMITOURSELVES TO THE TRIUMPH OF LIGHT OVER DARKNESS,OF GOOD OVER EVIL — U.S. FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA
U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama joins students for a Bollywood Dance Clinic in the State Dining Room ofthe White House on November 5. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
Following is President BarackObama’s message on the occasion:“For the Hindus, Jains, Sikhs andBuddhists celebrating Diwali thisweekend, the Festival of Lightsreaffirms the things in life thatmatter most.Dancing, celebration, and good
food remind us that life’s greatestjoys are the simple pleasures thatcome from spending time withpeople we love.Contemplation and prayer
remind us that people of all faithshave an obligation to perform seva,or service to others. And the flameof the diya, or lamp, reminds usthat light will ultimately triumphover darkness.Here in the United States,
Diwali also reminds us that ournation is home to many faiths andtraditions, and that our diversitymakes us stronger, which is whyI’m proud that this yearDemocrats and Republicans inCongress joined together for thefirst-ever celebration of Diwali onCapitol Hill.Over the last five years, Michelle
and I have been honored to havethe chance to observe this ancientholiday, both at the White Houseand in India, and we wish all thosecelebrating this weekend a HappyDiwali and Saal Mubarak.”
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friends and family, often with danc-ing and good food,” said MichelleObama noting Diwali is celebrated bymembers of some of the world’s old-est religions not just here in Americabut across the globe.“But Diwali is also a time for con-
templation and reflection. It’s a timefor us to think about our obligationsto our fellow human beings, particu-larly those who are less fortunatethan we are,” she said.“And as we light the diya — the
lamp — we recommit ourselves tothe triumph of light over darkness, ofgood over evil,” she said recalling theshooting tragedy at a Sikh Gurdwarain Oak Creek, Wisconsin last year“when an act of unthinkable violenceshook a community to its core.”“I am so proud and so honored to
be celebrating this beautiful holidayat the White House with all of you,”the First Lady told guests. “And Iwish you all and all your loved ones aHappy Diwali and Saal Mubarak.”President Obama has since 2009
kept up the tradition of White HouseDiwali celebrations started byPresident George W. Bush in 2003.
U.S. lawmakers celebrateDiwali with ‘diyas’ on the Hill U.S. lawmakers joined Indian-Americans for the first ever Diwalicelebrations on Capitol Hill after theU.S. Congress passed resolutionshonoring the Indian festival of lightsand celebrating the strong relation-ship between India and the U.S.The festivities on Capitol Hill on
October 29 were marked by about 25lawmakers, both Democrats andRepublicans, joining in the lighting oftraditional diyas or lamps amidschanting of Vedic mantras by aHindu priest. Lawmakers were wel-comed to the event with a red tilak onthe forehead and a jasmine garland.A Hindu priest presented them tradi-tional shawls.“I have come here to say Happy
Diwali,” said Nancy Pelosi, formerSpeaker and Leader of the DemocraticParty in the House.“United States owes a great debt of
gratitude to India,” she said, “becauseour civil rights movement was built onthe non-violent movement in India.”“This is a truly historic event,” said
Joe Crowley, Democrat Co-Chair ofthe Congressional Caucus on Indiaand Indian Americans, who organizedthe celebrations with his Republicancounterpart Peter Roskam. “You have the ability to bring togeth-
er people from both sides of the aisle inways that are powerful and signifi-cant,” said Roskam referring to the“incredible influence” of the Indiandiaspora.Starting his speech with “Jai
Hind”, Ed Royce, RepublicanChairman of the House ForeignAffairs Committee said their goalshould be to strengthen and deepenIndia-U.S. relationship.Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu
American member of the U.S. House,calling it a “celebration of righteous-ness”, said the diversity in theCongress was indicative of the specialnature of Diwali itself.Ami Bera, the only Indian
American member of the U.S.House, called it an “incredible cele-bration” and expressed hope therewould be more lawmakers from thediaspora at Diwali celebrations in thenot too distant a future.Separate bipartisan Diwali resolu-
tions adopted by the two chambers ofthe Congress honored “an importanttradition of Hindus, Sikhs, and Jainsin the flourishing Indian-Americancommunity in the United States aswell as those of our partners inIndia”.The Senate resolution, introduced
by Mark Warner and John Cornyn,Democratic and Republican Co-Chairs of the Senate India Caucus,supports a “strong relationshipbetween the people and governmentsof the U.S. and India”.The House resolution introduced
by Crowley and Peter Roskam,expressed deep respect for Indian-Americans and the Indian diasporaand appreciated the religious diversi-ty in both India and the U.S. andthroughout the world.
Sikh-Americans in their traditional Punjabidresses, colorful turbans and business
suits came to the White House to celebratethe birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, thefirst Sikh Guru.
Senior officials led by Melissa Rogers,Special Assistant to the President andExecutive Director of the White House Officeof Faith-based and NeighborhoodPartnerships, greeted the invitees to theevent on November 20.
Among them was Taranjit Singh Sandhu,India’s Charge d’Affaires, who conveyedPrime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s‘Gurpurb’ greetings to the audience.
Congressman Joe Crowley, Co-Chair ofthe House Caucus on India and IndianAmericans, and Gautam Raghavan, Advisor,White House Office of Public Engagement,also addressed the meeting.
President Barack Obama, on November15, had greeted “Sikh friends” around theworld on the birth anniversary of Sikhism’sfounder saying Sikh values of pluralism werealso “central to who we are as Americans.”
Statement by President Barack Obamaon the Anniversary of the Birth of GuruNanak Dev Ji“I want to extend my best wishes to all ourSikh friends, across the United States andaround the world, who this weekend areobserving the anniversary of the birth ofGuru Nanak Dev Ji, the first Sikh Guru.
This sacred time is an occasion to reflecton Guru Nanak’s timeless teachings and theprinciples that are at the heart of Sikhism,including the equality of all human beings,the pluralism we cherish in diverse societiesand the compassion we owe one another.
Here in the United States, we’re gratefulto the many Sikh Americans who give life tothese values and enrich our country everyday, reminding us that these shared princi-ples are not only at the heart of the Sikhfaith, they are central to who we are asAmericans.”
White House celebrates Guru
Nanak birth anniversary
Diwali celebrations at Embassy
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1. Counselor Shiv Ratan welcoming theguests at the Diwali celebrations hostedat the Embassy on November 8.
2. Ambassador Nirupama Rao, who gracedthe occasion by her brief visit, greetingthe gathering on the occasion of Diwali.
3. Charge d’Affaires Taranjit Singh Sandhu
addressing the gathering.4. Invocation song by children from Sri.
Venkateswara Lotus temple.5. Mark Brunner, Senior Advisor to Senator
Mark Warner making his remarks duringthe event.
EmbassyEVENTS
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Diwali function was celebrat-ed in the Embassy onNovember 8. About 100
members of the overseas Indiancommunity participated in the cele-bration. In a reflection of theimportance attached to India-U.S.relations, and to the Indian-American community and the cele-bration of Diwali, the United StatesSenate passed a unanimous resolu-tion “Recognizing the religious andhistorical significance of the festivalof Diwali” on November 4. TheResolution was sponsored by the
Co-Chair of Senate India Caucusand a steadfast champion of India-U.S. relations, Senator MarkWarner of Virginia. Mark Brunner,Senator Warner’s Senior Advisorpresented the Senate Resolution.Dr. B.N. Hebbar, Professor at
the George Washington Universitygave a speech on the significance ofDiwali. Arjun Jaipuri, a prominent Indian
Ghazal singer, songwriter andmusician presented bhajans/songsaccompanied on the Tabla byAbhijeet Panse.
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6. Mark Brunner, Senior Advisor to Senator Mark Warner presenting toCharge d’ Affaires Sandhu the “Senate Resolution on Diwali”. In areflection of the importance attached to the India-U.S. relations, andto the Indian-American community and the celebration of Diwali, theUnited States Senate passed a unanimous Resolution “Recognizingthe religious and historical significance of the festival of Diwali” onNovember 4. The Resolution was sponsored by the Co-Chair ofSenate India Caucus and a steadfast champion of India-U.S. relations,Senator Mark Warner of Virginia.
7. Dr. B.N. Hebbar, Professor, George Washington University speaking
on the significance of Diwali.8. Gautam Raghavan, Public Engagement Advisor, White House making
his remarks.9. Rendering of bhajans by Arjun Jaipuri, Founder and Director of
Welcome Theatre Group, accompanied by Abhijeet Panse on Tabla.10.Jeremy Woodrum, Legislative Director to Congressman Jim Crowley
speaking on the occasion.11.Vasanthi Aharam, President, United Hindu and Jain Temples propos-
ing the vote of thanks.12.Guests in attendance.
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‘An Evening To Cherish Ramayana, the Great India Epic’
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As part of the ‘PerformingIndia Series-11’, theEmbassy organized an event
to cherish and celebrateRamayana, the great Indian Epicat the Embassy, presenting a talkon ‘Performance of Ramayana in aGlobal Context’ and several danceand music performances by theartists of Shriram Bhartiya KalaKendra(SRKK), New Delhi, onNovember 9. Bharat Bhargava, a prominent
community member, spoke on‘The Inherent Meaning ofRamayana and its RelevanceToday’.
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1. Manjula Kumar, Project Director, Smithsonian Institution andPresident & Executive Director, Global Performing Arts welcomingthe guests and sharing her remarks at the event “An Evening ToCherish Ramayana, the Great India Epic”, hosted by the Embassy onNovember 9. The event was a curtain-raiser to “Ramayana: A DanceDrama” presentation in Washington, D.C. by Shriram Bhartiya KalaKendra on November 10.
2. Bhajan singer Sonia Dhingra rendering Rama Bhajan on the occasion.3. Bharat Bhargava speaking on ‘The Inherent Meaning of Ramayana and
its Relevance Today’.
4. Sharda Prasad Misra of Shriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra speaking on the‘Performance of Ramayana in a Global Context’.
5. Shashidharan Nair, Choreographer of “Ramayana: A Dance Drama”speaking on the occasion.
6.7,8. Dance and music presentation by Shashidharan Nair and the entiretroupe.
9. Counselor M. Sridharan and Manjula Kumar, Project Director,Smithsonian Institution and President & Executive Director, GlobalPerforming Arts with the artists.
10. Guests in attendance.
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The event was also a ‘curtain raiser’ tothe ‘Ramayana: A Dance Drama’ per-formed by the SRKK artists at SchlesingerConcert Hall and Art Center, Virginia,organized by the Global Performing Arts.Manjula Kumar, Project Director,Smithsonian Institution and President andExecutive Director, Global PerformingArts, also spoke on the occasion. At thebeginning of the event, Counselor M.Sridharan introduced the event to theguests elaborating on the historical back-ground of Ramayana and its continued sig-nificance and relevance to this day.
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EmbassyEVENTS
India after English: A Talk by Sharmila Sen
1. Counselor M. Sridharan welcoming theguests at a special event “India afterEnglish”, a Talk by Sharmila Sen, ExecutiveEditor-at-Large, Harvard University Press,hosted by the Embassy as part of its
“Reading India” series on November 25.2. Dr. Douglas Frame, Associate Director
Emeritus, Harvard University Center forHellenic Studies introducing Sharmila Sen tothe audience.
3. Sharmila Sen delivering the talk “India AfterEnglish”.
4,5. Interactive discussion session withSharmila Sen.
6. Guests in attendance.
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As part of its ‘Understanding India Series -9’, the Embassy, in association with the‘Center for Hellenic Studies, Washington
D.C.’, organized a Talk titled ‘India AfterEnglish’ by Sharmila Sen, the Editor-at-Largeat Harvard University Press, at the Embassy onNovember 25. Her Talk touched upon intro-duction of English text in the early 19th centuryin India, its effects on Indian languages, place ofEnglish in India today, and the place of IndianEnglish in the world and highlighted what con-versations does one miss if English is used as thesole channel to understand India. The Talk was followed by a ‘Q & A’ session
with Sen, which was coordinated by CounselorM. Sridharan. She interacted with the audienceand answered their question relating the subjectmatter of her talk. The Center for HellenicStudies was represented by Douglas Frame, itsAssociate Director and other functionaries. Theevent was attended by about 120 guests, includ-ing those from Indian and local media,Embassies and Universities and British Council.
India ReviewDecember 2013
An Exhibit of Textiles by Laura Kina and Shelly Jyoti
1. Charge d’Affaires Taranjit Singh Sandhu lighting the lamp to inaugurate“INDIGO: An Exhibit of Textiles” by Laura Kina and Shelly Jyoti at theGandhi Memorial Center, Bethesda, Maryland on November 16.Carrie Trybulec, Director, Gandhi Memorial Center is also seen.
2. Charge d’Affaires Sandhu addressing the guests.
3. Laura Kina addressing the gathering.4. Priyam Jyoti, daughter of Shelly Jyoti addressing the guests.5. Charge d’Affaires Sandhu viewing the exhibits.6. Exhibit of textiles by Laura Kina and Shelly Jyoti.7. Visitors at the exhibition.
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As part of ‘Beholding India Series - 7’, the Embassy in asso-ciation with ‘Gandhi Memorial Centre’ Bethesda, organ-ized a textile exhibition “INDIGO” by Shelly Jyoti and
Laura Kina at the Gandhi Memorial Centre’ Bethesda onNovember 16. Carrie Trybulec, Director of Gandhi MemorialCentre, welcomed the guests and the exhibition was inaugurat-ed by Charges d’Affaires Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhuwho also addressed the guests. Laura Kina is Associate Professorof Art, media and Design and Vincent De Paul Professor at DePaul University in Chicago and Shelly Jyoti is a New Delhi-basedfashion designer and independent curator. Exhibition was part-ly sponsored by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).About 150 visitors attended this inaugural function. The exhibi-tion will remain open to the public till end of January, 2014.
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ConsulateEVENTS
Consulate General of India in New York
Rajesh Paranjape lights up Diwali celebration with his classical music
The Consulate General ofIndia in New York celebrat-ed Diwali by organizing anIndian classical vocal music
concert of Rajesh Paranjape, arenowned Indian classical vocalist at the Consulate Ballroom onNovember 5 .After Consul Sugandh Rajaram wel-
comed the guests, Consul General
Ambassador Dnyaneshwar Mulayextended his Diwali greetings to thegathering.Rajesh Paranjape who is a disciple of
Shri Ram Deshpande and PanditYashwantbua Joshi, a doyen ofGwalior gharana, excels in Gwalior aswell as Jaipur and Agra style of gayaki.He has performed in several music fes-tivals across India and abroad.
During the concert, Paranjape per-formed an evening raaga (melody)followed by tarana (fast composi-tion), abhanga (devotional composi-tion) and ended the presentation withraaga Bhairavi. He was accompaniedon harmonium by Andrew Shantzwho is an accomplished pianist and ajazz musician. Anil Khare accompa-nied on Tabla.
Consulate General of India in Houston
Visit to Little Rock, Arkansas
1. From left, David Delie, President, Welspun Tubular LLC; P. Harish, ConsulGeneral; and Welspun Tubular LLC Senior Vice President, Commercialand Business Development, Rajesh Chokhani at Welspun Tubular LLCPlant, Little Rock, Arkansas on November13.
2. Consul General P. Harish with Dr. Joel E. Anderson, Chancellor, Universityof Arkansas at Little Rock on November 13.
3. Consul General P. Harish called on Mike Beebe, Governor of the State ofArkansas during his visit to Little Rock on November 13.
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Consulate General of India in Chicago
U.S.-India Business Forum in Chicagoland
T o educate and inform theinternational business com-munity and the Chambermembers in the Chicagoland
area on the latest developments of busi-ness, investment and opportunities ofdoing business with India, theConsulate General of India in Chicagoin partnership with the ChicagolandChamber of Commerce, IllinoisDepartment of Commerce &Economic Opportunity (DCEO) andEtihad Airways, organized a U.S. -India Business Forum on November 6. The event also explored how to
capitalize on the opportunities ofIndia’s domestic growth and con-sumption and its increasing inboundand outbound investments to gainmarket share. Consul General Dr. Ausaf Sayeed
was the keynote speaker at theForum. Ranjana Khan, DeputySecretary General of the Federationof Indian Chambers of Commerceand Industry (FICCI) and Ajit Pant,
Founder Member of US IndiaChamber of Commerce were theother speakers. Leading businessprofessionals of Chicagoland areaattended the event.
From left: Ranjana Khanna, Deputy Secretary General of the Federation of Indian Chambers ofCommerce and Industry (FICCI); Dr. Ajit Pant, Founder and Member, Board of Directors US IndiaChamber of Commerce, Midwest; Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, Consul General of India in Chicago; Michael J.Fieweger, Chair of Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce Global Connections Council, Partner of Baker& McKenzie LLP; and Denise E. Harvil, Vice President, Central USA, Etihad Airways.
With a view to discussing strate-gies to promote business
between India and the U.S. and con-necting smaller vendors to larger inter-national enterprises and vice versa,Consul General Dr. Ausaf Sayeedmet with members of US IndiaChamber of Commerce Midwest atthe Consulate premises on November11. US India Chamber of Commerceappraised Consul General on theirroadmap for the coming year.
Consul General presenting the keynote speech atUS-India Chamber of Commerce event.
Consul General atOak Creek Gurdwara
Consul General of India in ChicagoDr. Ausaf Sayeed inaugurated an
exhibition titled ‘The Sikhs — AHeritage of Valor and Devotion’ byrenowned photo artist SondeepShankar at the Oak Creek Gurdwara,where several innocent lives were lostin August 2012 shooting, onNovember 3. The week-long photoexhibition was sponsored by theIndian Council for Cultural Relations(ICCR) and co hosted by ConsulateGeneral of India, Chicago and OakCreek Gurdwara in Wisconsin.
Consul General Dr. Ausaf Sayeed at the OakCreek Gurdwara.
US India Chamber ofCommerce Meeting
Delegation from India meetsbusiness leaders of
automotive industry in Detroit
Consulate General of India,Chicago in association with law
firm MillerCanfield in Michiganarranged a breakfast meeting of busi-ness leaders of automotive industry inDetroit region with over a dozen auto-motive business delegates from India.Sector focus for the discussion wasautomotive components, engineeringand textile.
Vivekananda MemorialProgram for Museum
Excellence
An 11-member team comprising ofDirectors and Fellows visited Art
Institute of India, Chicago to partici-pate in the “Vivekananda MemorialProgram for Museum Excellence” thisyear. India had signed an MOU withprestigious Art Institute of Chicago for“Vivekananda Memorial Program forMuseum Excellence”.
India ReviewDecember 2013
16
NEWSEconomy
India opens women-focused bank
India on November 19opened its first women-focused bank called“Bharatiya Mahila Bank”
with a view to enhance bankingservices to the fairer sex nearlythree-fourths of whom currentlydon’t have bank accounts.
Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh inauguratedthe first bank at the Air Indiabuilding in Nariman Point,Mumbai. Another six brancheswere inaugurated through video-conferencing.
“The Bank will initially haveseven branches, which will go upto 25 by March 2014, and will focusequally on rural and urban areas,” thePrime Minister said in his inauguralspeech at the event.
“It will offer special products keep-ing in view the needs of women entre-
preneurs. It is a challenging task aheadfor those who have been given theresponsibility of beginning the opera-tions of this Bank and nurturing it inits initial years,” he said.
“But it is also a meaningful and ful-
filling endeavor which theyhave been entrusted with,” thePrime Minister added.
It will primarily servewomen but later deposits willalso be taken from men.
Usha Ananthasubramanian,who was Executive Directorof Punjab National Bank, isthe Chairperson of the bank.
The Government hadannounced about the open-ing of the bank in the annualbudget for 2013-14 fiscalpresented in February.
Addressing the openingsession, Finance Minister P.
Chidambaram said Bharatiya MahilaBank would be a universal bank andwould provide every banking serviceand facility that is provided by comparable public and private sectorbanks.
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh presents the new account kitto the first account holder, at the inauguration of the first branch ofBharatiya Mahila Bank Limited, in Mumbai on November 19.
India’s current account deficit declined to$5.2 billion in July-September quarter of
the current financial year as compared to$21 billion recorded in the correspondingquarter of last year, on the back of rise inexports and decline in gold imports,Government data showed on December 2.
As proportion of the country’s grossdomestic product (GDP), the currentaccount deficit during the quarter underreview is 1.2 percent, sharply down from 5 percent recorded in the correspondingquarter in 2012-13, according to datareleased by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
The current account deficit (CAD) wasrecorded at 4.9 percent of the country’sGDP in the April-June quarter of the currentfinancial year.
“The lower CAD was primarily onaccount of a decline in the trade deficit asmerchandise exports picked up and importsmoderated, particularly gold imports,” theRBI said.
India’s currentaccount deficit fallsto $5.2 billion in Q2
Indian economy grows 4.8 percent in Q2
Helped by the good perform-ance of the farm and someinfrastructure sectors,
India’s economic growth recoveredmarginally to 4.8 percent in the sec-ond quarter of the current financialyear from 4.4 percent recorded in theprevious quarter, Government datashowed on November 29.
According to data released by theCentral Statistics Office (CSO), theagriculture sector registered healthygrowth of 4.6 percent, while manu-facturing expanded at 1 percent inthe July-September quarter.
The country’s gross domesticproduct (GDP) growth for the firstsix months of the current financialyear stands at 4.6 percent.
This is the fourth consecutivequarter of economic growth below 5percent. The growth had slumped to4.4 percent in the April-June quarter.
The quarterly GDP at factor costat constant (2004-05) prices for thesecond quarter of 2013-14 is esti-
mated at `13.68 trillion against`13.05 trillion in the correspondingquarter of last year, translating into agrowth rate of 4.8 percent year-on-year, the CSO said.
The economic activities which registered significant growth in dur-ing the quarter under review includeagriculture, forestry and fishing at4.6 percent; electricity, gas andwater supply at 7.7 percent; con-struction at 4.3 percent; financing,insurance, real estate and businessservices at 10 percent and commu-nity, social and personal services at4.2 percent.
India ReviewDecember 2013
17
India’s biggest strength would beits demographic dividend,President Pranab Mukherjeesaid on November 19 and noted
that innovation was critical toenhance the country’s competitiveadvantage in an increasingly global-ized world.
Speaking at a function atRashtrapati Bhavan after receivingthird year’s “Report to the People” ofNational Innovation Council, thePresident said knowledge and inno-vation were the twin pillars on whichthe country will prosper in the 21st
century.“Innovation is crucial to enhance
competitiveness in an increasinglyglobalized world. In Indian context, itis critical,” the President said.
He said innovation should be usedto meet challenges in sectors such ashealth, education and housing.
Innovation should be applied “notonly to generate solutions but tomake development process moreinclusive”, he said. Noting thatIndia’s biggest strength is going to bedemographic dividend, the Presidentsaid innovation in education, skill
development and entrepreneurshipcould help the youth of the countryemerge as workforce for India andalso the world.
President Mukherjee said Indiashould use innovation as ladder tobecome a developed country andcalled upon all citizens to be part ofthe “innovation movement”.
‘Innovation critical to enhanceIndia’s competitive edge’
NEWSEconomy
Efforts on to give greater confidence to investors: FM
Finance Minister P. Chidambaramon November 21 made a strongpitch for investments from the
diaspora saying the government wastaking steps to stabilize the economyand give greater confidence toinvestors.
Addressing the second South Asiandiaspora convention in Singapore,Minister Chidambaram said theGovernment is mindful of the fact thatinvestment will determine economicgrowth and has taken a number ofsteps to boost confidence of domesticas well as foreign investors.
“We have taken a number of meas-ures to stabilize the economy and give
greater confidence to the investors,”the Finance Minister said.
“Last year, after I returned to theMinistry of Finance, I announced anew fiscal consolidation path under
which the fiscal deficit would be con-tained at 5.3 percent in 2012-13 andreduced every year until it reached 3percent in 2016-17,” MinisterChidambaram said adding that the tar-get was surpassed as the fiscal deficitwas contained at 4.9 percent.
He said for the current financial yearhe had “drawn a red line” at the origi-nal target of 4.8 percent and made itclear that the red line would not bebreached under any circumstances.
“The key to sustain a high growth rateis investment. Other factors are alsoimportant. The fiscal deficit must becontained below the widely-acceptednorm of 3 percent of GDP,” he said.
India is developing border infrastructurealong the neighboring countries to bring
the people closer by boosting trade andeconomy, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shindesaid in Tripura’s capital Agartala onNovember 17.
“India would build 13 international stan-dard ICPs (Integrated Check Posts) along theborders with Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepaland Myanmar to boost trade and economywith the neighboring countries,” MinisterShinde said after opening the ICP at Akhauranear Agartala on Bangladesh border.
He said: “Ties between India andBangladesh would never snap but strengthenin future. India-Bangladesh relationship isexemplary time-tested relationship. Theseties were initiated by Indira Gandhi (India’slate Prime Minister) and Sheikh MujiburRahman (founding father and then Presidentand Prime Minister of Bangladesh).”
The Home Minister said India was com-mitted to support Bangladesh so that thetwo friendly countries grow together for thebenefit of the people.
“With the building of ICPs, people-to-people contacts would be further strength-ened,” he said, adding the ICP along thePetrapole-Benapole check post in WestBengal would be ready by next year.
India building border infra:Home Minister Shinde
President Pranab Mukherjee addressing afterreceiving the third annual ‘Report to the People’of the National Innovation Council, at RashtrapatiBhavan, in New Delhi on November 19.
Finance Minister P. Chidambaram responding to theaudience in a special session at the South AsianDiaspora Convention 2013 in Singapore.
India ReviewDecember 2013
18
NEWSEconomy
India gets third Boeing maritime patrol aircraft
India has received its third P-8Imaritime patrol aircraft fromBoeing company, enhancingthe country’s long-range mar-
itime reconnaissance and anti-sub-marine warfare capabilities.The P-8I features open system
architecture, advanced sensor anddisplay technologies, and a world-wide base of suppliers, parts andsupport equipment, according toBoeing which is building eight ofthem for India.“The P-8I incorporates not only
India-unique design features, butalso India-built subsystems that aretailored to the country’s maritimepatrol requirements,” Boeing said ina statement on November 22.
The first P-8I was delivered to Indiain May and the second on November15. Based on Boeing’s Next-Generation 737 commercial airplane,the P-8I is the Indian Navy variant ofthe P-8A Poseidon that Boeing hasdeveloped for the U.S. Navy.
India most attractive investment
destination: EY
India has spurted ahead of China and theU.S. as the most attractive investment
destination, a survey by global profession-al services firm Ernst & Young (EY) says.
EY’s ninth bi-annual capital confidencebarometer, based on a survey of 1,600 sen-ior executives across more than 70 coun-tries, has ranked India as the most attrac-tive investment destination followed byBrazil, while China is at third place.
The top three investing countries intoIndia are the U.S., France and Japan.Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) from theU.S., France and Japan during the periodApril 2000 to August 2013 amounted to`536.73 billion, `177.18 billion and`718.7 billion, respectively.
“With sharp currency depreciation andopening up of FDI in various sectors, Indiahas become an attractive destination forforeign investors,” the EY report said.
Sectors with the highest level of possibledeals include automotive, technology, lifesciences and consumer products. Thereport said 38 percent of the respondentsfeel that M&As volumes in India are expect-ed to improve over the next 12 months.
New initiative on
biomass stoves launched
Anew initiative that will help reduce thecost of improved stove technologies to
rural customers through the sale of carboncredits was launched on November 26.
The initiative was developed under theClean Development Mechanism (CDM) ofthe United Nations FrameworksConvention on Climate Change.
“Increased use of clean and efficientcookstove is crucial to reduce the burden ofdisease from indoor air pollution as well toavoid the overuse of biomass resources,”said New and Renewable Energy MinisterFarooq Abdullah.
“Efficient cooking technologies have adirect tangible impact on the livelihoods ofthe poor, as they save time and money thatpreviously had to be spent on procuringcooking fuels,” he said.
Noted Indian business leaderRatan N. Tata has been elect-ed to the Board of Governors
of the East-West Centre, a U.S. thinktank promoting better relations andunderstanding among people of theU.S. and Asia Pacific.Tata, Chairman Emeritus of Tata
Sons, was returning to the boardafter serving several terms between1993 and 2004, the Hawaii-basedcenter announced on November 18.He takes the place of Tarun Das, for-mer Chief Mentor of Confederationof Indian Industry (CII).Tata was elected with Takeshi
Niinami, CEO of Japan’s Lawson,Inc. Both will serve three-year terms.Tata, who headed the Indian
industrial powerhouse the TataGroup until his retirement in 2012,chairs two of the largest private-sec-tor philanthropic trusts in India andis a member of the Indian PrimeMinister’s Council on Trade andIndustry. He also serves on the
Board of Trustees of CornellUniversity and the University ofSouthern California, as well as theBoard of Directors of Alcoa, amongnumerous other board positions.Established by the U.S. Congress
in 1960, the East West Centre servesas a resource for information andanalysis on critical issues of commonconcern, bringing people together toexchange views, build expertise, anddevelop policy options.
The third Boeing P-8I long-range maritime recon-naissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft forthe Indian Navy. Photo Credit: Boeing photo
Ratan Tata.
Ratan Tata elected to East-WestCentre board
India ReviewDecember 2013
19
A s part of a growing trend ofpolitical empowerment forthe three million-strongIndian American communi-
ty, five Indian-American candidatesscored victories in November 5 U.S.elections, with three of them becominglegislators in two states and two win-ning elections to local bodies.The most significant gains for the
Indian American community came inNew Jersey where Kolkata-born RajMukherji scored a victory in the 33rddistrict to join fellow DemocratUpendra Chivukula, who retained his17th district seat, in the state assembly.While Mukherji, 29, a former Jersey
City Deputy Mayor and currentChairman of the Jersey City HousingAuthority, is entering the state legisla-ture for the first time, India-bornChivukula, 63, has been a member of
the New Jersey assembly since 2002.In another notable victory by an
Indian-American, Democrat LathaMangipudi upset Pete Silva with an18-point margin to become NewHampshire’s state representativefrom Ward 8. In the local elections,
Democrat Sapana Shah won a berthon the Edison Municipal Council inNew Jersey, while Steve Rao retainedhis seat on the Morrisville, NorthCarolina City Council, remaining asthe only Indian-American on theCouncil. — IANS
Indian-Americans enhance political footprints in U.S.
NEWSDiaspora
All the President’s ‘Desi’ men and women
As Nisha Desai Biswal officiallybecame Washington’s firstIndian-American pointperson
for South and Central Asia last week,U.S. Secretary of State John Kerrymentioned that she is known as“somebody who speaks softly and car-ries a big stick”.“This week in Bangladesh, Nisha
showed how she never misses achance to speak up or stand up forAmerica’s values,” Secretary Kerrysaid, recalling her meetings with bothPrime Minister Sheikh Hasina andOpposition leader Khaleda Zia.He called Biswal’s story a “great
American” story “of a woman who lefta small town in India at age 6 to cometo America and now becomes one ofthe most important leaders in theDepartment of State as AssistantSecretary of State for South andCentral Asia”. But it’s now becoming an increas-
ingly common story as PresidentBarack Obama has turned to more andmore accomplished Indian-Americans
to take up key jobs from arts to scienceto commerce to diplomacy.President Barack Obama named
Vinai Thummalapally as the U.S.Ambassador to Belize. Son of a retiredscientist who worked for AndhraPradesh Forensic Sciences Laboratory,he is the first Indian AmericanAmbassador in U.S. history.In September, President Obama
nominated Puneet Talwar, a notedIndian-American Middle East policyspecialist to a key diplomatic post asthe Assistant Secretary of state forpolitical military affairs. In the Pentagon, the highest rank-
ing Indian American is Vikram J.Singh, Deputy Assistant Secretary ofDefense for South and SoutheastAsia. He serves as the principal advi-sor on development and implementa-tion of defense strategies and plansfor the region, including India. President Obama has more
Indian-Americans serving in hisadministration than any of his prede-cessors. — IANS
Nisha Desai Biswal: Assistant Secretary ofState for South and Central Asia.Atul Keshap: Deputy Assistant Secretary ofState.Dr. Vivek Hallegere Murthy: US SurgeonGeneral.Rajiv Shah: Administrator of the UnitedStates Agency for International Development(USAID).Puneet Talwar: Assistant Secretary of Statefor political military affairs.Vikram J. Singh: Deputy Assistant Secretaryof Defense for South and Southeast Asia.Sri Srinivasan: Judge of the US Court ofAppeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.Arun M. Kumar: Assistant Secretary andDirector General of the United States andForeign Commercial Service, InternationalTrade Administration, Department ofCommerce.Gargee Ghosh: Member of the President’sGlobal Development Council.Kal Penn: Member of the President’sCommittee on the Arts and Humanities.
From left, Raj Mukherji, Latha Mangipudi and Upendra Chivukula.
In high positions
India ReviewDecember 2013
20
ScienceNEWS
Basic science research getting its due: C.N.R. Rao
B asic science research is get-ting its due now, said emi-nent scientist C.N.R. Raoon being conferred the
nation’s highest civilian award BharatRatna by the Government onNovember 16.“I spoke to the Prime Minister
(Prime Minister Dr. ManmohanSingh) and thanked him for the honor.I feel basic science is getting its duenow,” Rao said.Expressing profound happiness for
being chosen for the prestigiousaward, Rao said more students shouldearnestly take up science research. “I credit my family and thousands of
my students for this award. I am alsohappy that batting maestro SachinTendulkar has also been conferredwith the award, Rao added.“India’s future is linked with science.
More investments will enable the youthto look at science as an important area
of work for a great future,” Rao said aday after he was conferred the coun-try’s highest civilian award.“In the last 8-10 years, India has
done a lot of good things in science.Five new institutes of science havebeen set up in Bhopal, Chandigarh,Kolkata, Pune andThiruvananthapuram. They are goingto be centers of excellence for futurescience. The government is also invest-ing about `100 billion in setting upmassive computer centers inBangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai andother cities as we are as good as theU.S. or China in computers,” Raopointed out.On technology overtaking science,
Rao said unlike in the olden days, tech-nology was developing faster thanmodern science and the time gapbetween research and innovation hasshortened, especially in nanotechnolo-gy where research was turning intotechnology in a year.Rao has served the country for many
decades and published over 1,600 sci-entific papers till date.
Indian scientist AnilRajvanshi gets Florida
varsity award
Distinguished Indian agricultural scien-tist Anil K. Rajvanshi has been selected
for the Distinguished Alumnus Award of theUniversity of Florida, one of America’s lead-
ing universities.Rajvanshi, Director
of the NimbkarAgricultural ResearchInstitute (NARI) atPhaltan, Maharashtra,is the first Indian toreceive the award.
This is the highestrecognition for the university alumni, formaking “a positive difference in their com-munities”.
Rajvanshi has been given this award forhis pioneering work in rural developmentdone at NARI since 1981. Rajvanshi willreceive the award from the UF President atthe commencement convocation on May 3next year in Gainesville, Florida.
Pioneering Indian astronomer welcomes
India’s telescope quest
Indian-origin astronomer in Texas,who was one of the first humans toglimpse the Universe’s most dis-
tant galaxy, is hopeful about the futureof science in India andabout India pitching in tobuild the world’s largesttelescope.“I am optimistic about
the future of science andeducation in India,” Goa-born Vithal Tilvi toldIANS, adding that invest-ing in these spheresalways reaped prosperity.A post-doctoral research
associate at Texas A&MUniversity, Tilvi also lauded the Indiangovernment’s initiative to invest, alongwith Canada, Japan, China and theU.S., in large facilities like the world’slargest optical and infra-red telescopethat spans 30 metres.
Tilvi was part of a team headed bynoted astronomer Steven Finkelsteinwhich sighted the new galaxyz8_GND_5296. They caught sight of
it in infra-red light, afterits light bounced off theorbiting Hubble Space tel-escope and a Hawaiianobservatory after travel-ling 13.1 billion years.The implications of thisdiscovery are huge, saysthe astronomer.“Apart from making a
world record as the most-distant galaxy in the uni-verse humankind has ever
seen, such galaxies give us a glimpse ofthe universe when it was young.Because light takes some finite amountof time to travel, we are seeing thisgalaxy as it was 13 billion years ago,”Tilvi said.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah withBharat Ratna awardee and eminent scientist CNRRao at his residence in Bangalore
Anil Rajvanshi
Vithal Tilvi
India ReviewDecember 2013
21
Want to combine wander-lust with a desire to sam-ple authentic Indiandishes in traditional
kitchens or scenic spots across thecountry? As a personal touch, youcould also shop for the ingredients insome of the vibrant and bustlingopen-air marketplaces that Indiaoffers. All this and more could beyours for a price — thanks to thegenre of culinary tourism. As gour-mands from Britain, the U.S.,Scandinavia, Europe and Africa troopinto India to experience its food cul-ture, tour groups and exclusive foodtravel consult-ants have comeup with specialpackages to offerthe best of thecountry’s foodregime.Whether it is
the age-oldMughlai fare ofold Delhi, rusticdishes of ruralRajasthan or the
quintessentially fishy affair in WestBengal, the Indian food-travel trailruns deep and promises to throw upsurprises.Mexico resident and global traveler
Katja Gaskell, Co-Founder of globe-totting.com, an online travel portalthat caters to families, has designed anine-day tour of Rajasthan for fami-lies that includes “a jeep safari andpicnic lunch in rural Rajasthan, aroyal dinner in a magnificent fort set-ting and cooking lessons with a localfamily where you’ll learn how to cre-ate your own Rajasthani meal”.“This nine-day holiday explores the
history and culture behind some ofthe region’s most celebrated dishesand will teach visitors that there’smore to Indian cuisine than simplychapattis and curries,” Gaskell said.While a fitting rural setting is the
draw for tourists from Britain, pick-ing out fish and exotic produce likeyam lures gastronomes to narrowtheir narrow alleys of southernKolkata’s Jadubabur Bazar or Lakemarket.Tailored for them is an offbeat
walking tour offered by CalcuttaWalks, a city-based walking tourcompany.In the “Bengali Cooking Lessons”
tour, enthusiasts can learn theart of making Bengalistaples like loochi(leavened round flourbread), chholar daal(Bengal gram curry),rice dishes, Bengalichicken curry or jhol(broth) and vegetarianitems like baingunbhaja (eggplant frit-ters).
Indian culinary tours beckon foreign foodies
CuisineOF INDIA
Whether it is the age-old Mughlai fare of old Delhi, ethereal dishes of ruralRajasthan or the fishy affair in West Bengal, the Indian food-travel trail runs
deep and offers innumerable surprises
India ReviewDecember 2013
22
The best director award wasgiven to Kaushik Ganguly forhis film Apur Panchali, asmart tribute to the Oscar
award-winning Indian director SatyajitRay, at the 44th International FilmFestival of India (IFFI) in Goa, whichcame to a close on November 30.A Portuguese film Beatriz’s War, set
in East Timor, won the prestigiousGolden Peacock award.Directed by Luigi Acquisto and Bety
Reis, the film was unanimously chosenby the jury for the award.The film deals with intimate relation-
ships between men and women againstin East Timor.Bengali film Meghe Dhaka Tara,
directed by Kamaleswar Mukherjeewon the Silver Peacock award. Thefilm is based on the life and works oflegendary Bengali film director RitwikGhatak. Alon Moni Aboutboul won the Best
Actor (male) award for his perform-ance in the film A Place in Heaven,where his performance as a cruel andsensitive character was applauded. The Best Actor (female) award was
won by Magdalena Boczarska for herintense, strong portrayal of a victimwho subtly turns an oppressor. The Special Jury Award was granted
to Onur Unlu, director of the filmThou Gilds’t The Even. Speaking on the occasion, Union
Minister for Information andBroadcasting Manish Tewari said that44th IFFI was a celebration of freedomof the human spirit, liberated from themores of conventionalism, imbuedwith the ability to dare and above all thepower of a ‘New Idea’. Talking aboutthe initiatives taken over the past oneyear, he said, the first and foremost isthe single window mechanism that theMinistry of Information andBroadcasting has put in place to allowand facilitate film makers from abroadto come and shoot in India in any part
of the country with convenience. Headded that the same mechanism hasbeen extended to domestic film pro-ducers also.Justin Chadwick’s film Mandela:
Long Walk to Freedom was the closingfilm of the festival. The film is based onanti-apartheid revolutionary NelsonMandela’s autobiographic book, LongWalk to Freedom. The film chronicleshis life from his childhood in a rural vil-lage to his emergence as the first dem-ocratically elected President of SouthAfrica.
CinemaNEWS
IFFI: Celebrating the best of world cinema
Governor of Goa Bharat Vir Wanchoo presenting the Golden Peacock award for best film to the EastTimor Film Beatriz’s War directed by Luigi Acqisto and Bety Reis.
Actor Ajay Devgn, who has partnered withBrillstein Entertainment Partners to launch a U.S.-
based production house Shivalaya Entertainment toback independent Films targeting a global audience,says he is excited to be part of the changing scenarioin the Hindi film industry.
The development and financing outfit will focus onindependent films which will aim for broad appeal.
“At one end, traditional films continue to entertainand make business sense. At the other, there is aresounding presence of some new forms and voicesmaking a mark in this ever expanding medium. I am
keen to be part of that growth, that change,” Ajaysaid in a statement.
“I am coming forth to support the independentfilm process where we can share important storiesthat need to be told — global stories that willresonate with international audiences,”added the actor, who has another produc-tion banner titled Ajay Devgn FilmsProductions. Shivalaya Entertainment,based in Los Angeles, has given the greensignal to its first film Parched, to be direct-ed by Leena Yadav.
‘Keen to be part of change in Indian cinema’
India ReviewDecember 2013
23
About 120 km from the city ofGwalior lies the small townof Shivpuri. To say that it is apicturesque place would be a
gross understatement. With its undu-lating hills, thick vegetation and richwildlife, this was the perfect summerresort capital of the Scindia rulers ofyore. Cut to the present and add somearchitectural marvels to it, and youhave all the ingredients to makeShivpuri a great holiday destination.Whether you take a train (the near-
est station is Jhansi or Gwalior), ortake a flight (to Gwalior), one has totake a road journey to eventually reachShivpuri. And what a journey that is!The landscape is like a soothing balmto the eyes — gorges, hills, and plateau(your Geography lesson comes to life!)and endless greenery, the momentumbroken momentarily by tiny streams. Ifit’s in the monsoon that you are travel-ling, the freshness of the landscape iseven more alluring.One of the must-visits of Shivpuri is
the Madhav National Park. Openthroughout the year, the terrain of this
156 sq.km. park is mixed, with hills,grassland, forests and lakes. The pre-dominant species in this park is thedeer, and of them the easily-sightedones are the graceful little chinkara,the Indian gazelle and the chital. Thenilgai is also easily spotted, as is theubiquitous langur. Among the otheranimals who have their habitat in thepark are the leopard, black buck, slothbear, and the four-horned antelope.“This park was earlier a part of the
hunting ground of the kings. Tigerswere bagged by royal shikaris(hunters). History says that herds ofelephants were captured by theMughal emperor Akbar. Now, ofcourse, the animals are protected,”Diwan Singh, a guide at the park, toldIANS.The park also has rich avifauna and
the artificial lake, Chandpata, is hometo a variety of birds like migratorygeese, cormorants, white breastedkingfishers and the likes.What’s more, a small but gushing
waterfall offers an opportunity for funand frolic for children in the park.
Travel &TOURISM
Summer capital of the erstwhile Scindia rulers, the splendid landscape, rich wildlifeand the architectural marvels make Shivpuri a wonderful holiday destination
SHIvpurI: A date with grandeur and greenery
AIR: The closest airport is Gwalior, 120 kmaway, which has regular flights from Delhiand Bhopal.RAIL: The nearest railheads are Jhansi(100 km) or Gwalior, on the Delhi-Chennaimain line. Shivpuri is a railway station onthe Dehradun-Ujjain route.ROAD: Shivpuri is well connected by busservices to and from Gwalior, Bhopal,Jhansi, Ujjain and Indore.WHERE TO STAY: Madhya PradeshTourism has a resort called Tourist Villagenestling close to the Madhav National Park,whose tariff is `2,000 onwards. There arealso budget hotels in Shivpuri which can bebooked online.
How to reach
Very close to the Madhav National Park (below) are the intricately embellishedmarble chhatris or cenotaphs erected by the Scindia rulers.
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