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Ex-telecom minister Sukh Ram speaks to Pramod Kumar in an interview

2011-12-05T10:45:00.001+05:30

Arindam Chaudhuri bags Delhi team of i1 Super Series

The money recovered was not mine

It's generally held that politicians cling on to politics till their last breath. Ghani Khan Choudhury is an apt example. But you seemed to have called it a day long ago...
I have had an active career as a politician for 45 years and wanted to continue. But I was fed up with the accusations. If I had not been maligned, I could have worked as a communication minister for a few more years and would have taken telecommunications in this country to newer heights.

The accusations such as giving undue benefits to Himachal Futuristic Communications Limited as well as favouritism in allocating circles are still going on...
I was let down by petty politics. There were people inside the party who ambushed me. The Parliament was standstill for 13 days. However, after intervention of the Supreme Court, I got reprieve. I am positive that the Supreme Court will surely deliver justice to me. It is long deserved.

But CBI did recover 'unaccounted for' money from your houses in Delhi and Mandi...
The money CBI recovered was not mine. Since the matter is subjudice, I can not make further comments. The party had asked me to rent out a few rooms at my houses in Delhi and Mandi for their use. I was going to UK for my wife's treatment. I gave them permission to use the rooms. I had no idea what those rooms were used for. I am paying the price for that for the last 14 years.

People find similarities between you and Raja vis-a-vis 2G spectrum issue...
This is not done. This is uncalled for. I brought the information revolution to this country. I brought Internet and cellular services. I made the first mobile call to Jyoti Basu and today the common man is reaping the benefit. I introduced a few policy changes. I started the process of awarding the bid to the lowest bidder. Prior to that, contracts used to be split between all the bidders. Because of the change in policy, I managed to fill the coffer of this country with Rs 2200 crore in one year. Raja, on the other hand, has siphoned off money.

How do you feel when you see the party you belonged to reeling under the accusation of corruption. Even the PMO has come into the line of fire...
When I was the minister of state for planning and implementation, Manmohan Singh was deputy chairman of the Planning Commission. We have worked very closely for a couple of years. I am of the opinion that he is an honest man with a progressive vision. It is expected that the Opposition will level charges. He has been a successful Prime Minister. The accusations about him are baseless. If a particular minister is corrupt, the onus lies on that minister.

You are praising Manmohan Singh while his government has been unable to contain rising prices...
In the recently held AICC meeting, the core issue was corruption. I was a bit bewildered. I would have expected price rise to be the core issue. I get surprised and pained in equal measures when I hear ministers saying that they don't have the magic wand to contain the prices. How can somebody give such a reckless and irresponsible statement? When I was in charge of the ministry of agriculture and public distribution, I successfully managed to distribute grains to all the states even though the country was reeling under drought. I was praised for this at an international conference too. But I don't see ministers concerned doing so today. That is why the Prime Minister had to intervene.

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Sukh ram, pramod mahajan, arun shourie, dayanidhi maran, a. Raja...

2011-12-02T11:11:00.000+05:30

growth of corruption in the telecom sector has certainly kept pace with the fast growing subscriber base, feels Sutanu Guru. none of the corporate entities nor a single minister has been made to pay till now, he further points out

The more things change, the more they remain the same. I still remember the spring of 1996 when the name Raja had more traditional connotations. The cricket World Cup was on in the Indian sub-continent and fans were praying for Sachin Tendulkar to work his magic so that India could lift the Cup. The Central government - riddled, assaulted and besieged by scams and scandals - was paralysed and as lame duck as a duck can be lame. And of course, even as cricket fever was hotting up, Indian citizens were both horrified and titillated by a strange piece of news. Sukh Ram, who had presided over the first auction of mobile telephony services in India in 1995 as Union telecom minister till he was "reshuffled", was arrested for a 'telecom' scam. Forget the names of the other players involved; they really don't matter anymore. But guess what, the estimated loss to the exchequer was about Rs 1.7 crore. Yes, the money lost by the government was a paltry Rs 1.7 crore!

But you must remember, Sachin Tendulkar was then earning a pittance for endorsements compared to the upwards of Rs 100 crore he makes nowadays. And of course, like in 1996, India still adores its favourite cricketer as the nation hopes he will win the Cup for India. And yes, the cricket World Cup is back in the sub-continent. It is also spring and the season for the flowers to bloom. Of course, like 15 years back in 1996, it is also the season for scams and scandals to bloom in such a manner that the Central government appears more paralysed than a lame duck. The more things change, the more they remain the same. The only difference is what you and I can call the impact of 'inflation' while measuring the magnitude of the scams. In 1996, it was alleged that Sukh Ram was responsible for the State losing Rs 1.7 crore in revenue. In 2011, the CAG estimates that another former telecom minister A. Raja is probably responsible for the State to lose Rs 1.7 lakh crore — ten thousand times more than the loss in 1996. In a perverse way, you could use that to applaud the manner in which the Indian economy has grown in this era of crony capitalism masqeurading as liberal economic policies with a special emphasis on the aam aadmi.

In 1996, Sukh Ram was accused of changing rules and goalposts to favour companies close to him. In the 1995 auction of mobile phone services, a then unknown entity called Himachal Futuristic Communications Ltd (Sukh Ram belongs to Himachal Pradesh) had shocked India Inc. by bidding huge amounts for telecom circles. When it became clear that the company could not pay the license fee and stood to forfeit its bank guarantee, Sukh Ram allegedly changed policy in a way that a company could get only three circles. Himachal Futuristic is still a player in the business. It shot back into limelight last year when a group company Infotel successfully bid for 22 circles for Broadband Wireless Access (BWA). Intriguingly, Infotel sold its majority stake soon after to a company controlled by Mukesh Ambani. Of course, you are quite familiar with how Raja bent, broke and changed rules to suit the interests of corporate houses he favoured. But did you happen to know that his predecessor and another DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran (whose brother controls the Sun Network) handed out 27 licences during his tenure and that 14 of them went to Aircel? Didn't I say that the more things change, the more they remain the same?

Let us take the Sukh Ram - A.Raja comparison a bit further. Sukh Ram was arrested in February, 1996, and eventually convicted in 2009. He is out on bail as his appeal is pending in the Delhi High Court. He still vociferously defends his controversial track record (See Exclusive Interview). A. Raja too has been arrested recently. The question is that will another journalist interview Raja 15 years hence in 2026 while he enjoys bail and vociferously defends his controversial track record? The way our Indian 'demonocracy' (an apt term coined by my editor-in-chief) is, don't be surprised if that scenario actually turns out to be true.

I won't bore you with the gory details of the 2G scam and the unending brouhaha that goes on around it. It is enough to realise that Indian democracy is in urgent and dire need of serious efforts and reform. My colleague interviewed N. Vittal - who was telecom secretary when Sukh Ram was telecom minister - in his modest apartment in Chennai (See Exclusive Interview). The 73-year-old Vittal, who created history as the Chief Vigilance Commissioner by posting the names of bureaucrats accused of corruption on the official CVC Website, is clinical as usual when he assesses the state of the State: "I had multiple problems in my body a few years back. Many experts coordinated their diagnosis and treatments for my recovery. India as a body politic now suffers a multiple organ failure of governance. 2G represents this."

There are a few things about the telecom scam you should know which have been sidelined in the run-up to the arrest of A. Raja, the voyeuristic tattles resonating in the media thanks to the leak of the Radia tapes and the persistent threats of Opposition parties to paralyse working of Parliament if their demand for a JPC is not met. Most interesting is the manner in which the BJP is acting holier than thou. Since public memory is short, let me remind you of a few interesting things that happened to the telecom sector when the BJP-led NDA alliance was in power at the Centre. Jagmohan was the telecom minister and even as he was being eased out from the ministry, the government changed the licence fee regime to a new revenue sharing regime in 1999. This was a highly controversial move then though there are many who still agree that freeing the mobile operators from the burden of paying huge licence fees every year to the government enabled them to lower tarriffs and trigger the real telecom revolution. That may be so. But when the late Pramod Mahajan was the telecom minister, Reliance made a blatant back door entry into the telecom sector in a manner everybody acknowledges was unethical and almost certainly illegal. Essentially, Reliance launched de facto mobile phone services across India without paying a single Paisa as licence fee even as other operators like Bharti, Hutch, BPL and others had paid thousands of crores as licence fees. This 'free' backdoor entry enabled Reliance to launch that famous campaign that promised a mobile call at 40 Paisa per minute. Pramod Mahajan was replaced by the so-called incorruptible Arun Shourie as telecom minister. In his tenure, Reliance was not penalised for its sins. It was just asked to pay a licence fee and continue operating as if nothing had happened. Basically, whether it is the Congress or the BJP, you could say that each had its own set of favourites and each bent and broke rules whenever convenient.

Another interesting thing about the fascinating telecom sector is the manner in which established business houses have clawed back into the game after losing out completely in the early years of mobile telephony in India. For a few years after mobile services were launched in India, the big players were BPL, Bharti, Max, Usha and a few others. The Tatas, Birlas and Ambanis were not considered serious players. But look at the secenario now. Barring Vodafone (which is a multinational and which has allegedly defrauded the Indian exchequer to the tune of $2 billion in unpaid taxes) and Sunil Mittal of Bharti, the big boys of Indian telecom are Ratan Tata, Kumarmangalam Birla and Anil Ambani (with Mukesh Ambani expected to join that big league soon with a broadband wireless access network). So, in a way, the Empire of India Inc. is striking back as seen in the case of the telecom sector. Analysts used to say that liberal economic policies led to a blossoming of entrepreneurs who had no chance in the earler era of licence permit raj. Sadly, discretionary and arbitrary decisions by minister after minister holding portfolio after portfolio seem to be getting worse forms of the license permit raj back into the picture.

The last thing I would like to highlight in this sleazy saga is a lament that will soon be forgotten. There is little doubt that Indian telecom has been a success story. From zero in 1995 to 700 million subscribers in 2011 is no mean achievement. But even as this sector blossomed, the two state-owned entities of MTNL and BSNL seem to be in terminal decline. They are taking suicidal decisions that are inexplicable and meant only to benefit private sector players.

And of course, as mentioned earlier, the telecom sector and the 2G scam is just an example and a manifestation. Similar examples abound in virtually every sector in India. In the coming weeks, watch out for a TSI story on how crony capitalism ensured that private airlines benefitted immensely even as the state-owned Air India - like BSNL and MTNL - followed a suicidal path towards destruction and bankruptcy. And do remember that like telecom, aviation is also considered a success story in India!

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New directors with new touch capture the scene

2011-11-30T11:00:00.000+05:30

Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri Dean Business School IIPM

Kerala films: New Directions
Amid many crises in the Malayalam film industry, there are silver clouds on the “silver” screen. An energetic batch of new generation directors is busy giving Malayalam cinema a new direction. In 2010, more than 40 per cent of the films (37 out of 89) were directed by fresh, young directors, and the trend continues in 2011 also.

Vysakh, Thomson, Mamas, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Martin Prakkatt and Mohan Raghavan are some of the names to reckon with. “They try to break the ‘over-used’ pattern of the Malayalam films. They are tech savvy, have a grasp over world cinema and their approach is modern. This reflects in the content of their films,” says Rafeeq Ahamed, state award winner film lyricist and poet.

In both the commercial and the parallel cinema realms, the new entrants have embossed their mark. Mega stars like Mammootty, Mohanlal and super star Dileep are willing to work with them. The Mammotty starrer Pokkiriraja, directed by Vysakh, became a super hit in 2010. The blockbusters such as Karyasthan, Malarvadi Arts Club, Pappy Appachaa, and Best Actor were also the ventures of the new entrants. It will not be wrong to say that Dileep, after a series of flops, succeeded in re-capturing his status and market value through the films of new directors Thomson (Karyasthan) and Mamas (Pappy Appachaa).

The new directors made a drastic change in theme and the structure of the films. The old concepts of family stories gave way to new generation relationships and alienation of the city life. Chithrasoothram, the experimental film that was invited to many international film festivals, was directed by Vipin Vijay, a new face in the industry.

But the new entrants face some challenges also. It’s not easy for them to get screens since the cinema hall owners want to play safe most of the times and would go for only the so-called ‘hit makers’. “Most of the newcomers find it difficult to survive. Some commercially successful thrillers which are praised for novelty are just weak imitations of some well-known foreign movies,” says young director Varghese Antony.

Nevertheless, the commercial success of their films has convinced the theatre owners and they are now ready to accommodate their films too. The advent of multiplexes has also helped.

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Spriha Srivastava shares insights from the Delhi Race Course…

2011-11-27T10:59:00.000+05:30

Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri Dean Business School IIPM

Placed to win? Don't bet on it!
Thinking about The North Indian Derby (pronounced Dar-bee) horse racing in Delhi brought flashes from the scenes at the Polo Grounds I’d noticed in the newspapers – of the social elites decked in their designer best, brandishing their glamorous accessories; some hobnobbing with celebrities while others puffing away at cigars. Driven by the enthusiasm of actually experiencing one such mise en scène myself, I was at the Delhi Race Course for the so-called ‘World Cup’ of horse racing. Of course, the atmosphere at the race course was quite different from that at the polo matches.

In the narrow lane that leads to the gates of the racing ground, one is greeted by little children who enthusiastically sell pocket-sized booklets containing pertinent information and details about horses, that could serve as a prospective gambler’s guide. “I can tell you which horse will win today. Bet on dad’s horse,” said one of the kids while a buyer fished out some money from his wallet. These kids, bathed in dust and grease, are children of horse trainers, jockeys and stable caretakers who spend the entire day outside the gates of the race course. “I hear and learn about horse betting. I will grow up to become rich of betting,” muttered one of them and ran away to catch attention of another interested buyer.

On the other side of the gate , there was a small section with a circular track where horses were exhibited before the race. In the huge crowd gawking at the horses, turning pages of the booklet and making quick notes before placing the bet, were mostly youngsters and especially those who appeared to belong to the lower middle-class. I walked up to a man (somewhere in his mid- thirties) called Ved Prakash and tried asking about the race, and the brief conversation probed quite insightful. “Madam, winning bets is not a day’s job. It requires regular visits to understand the dynamics of betting. And this is a Derby race…very important race, madam. In this, stakes are high and people bet huge amounts,” he explained. On casually enquiring about his gains for the day, Ved Prakash smiled and said, “Arre madam, I bet safe amounts. I just placed Rs 500 today and won Rs 3,500. Today’s wage is taken care of!” Ved Praksh appeared to be one of those calculated risk-takers, but he and some others who I spoke to had numerous stories to share about people who’d lost jewellery, property etc and still borrowed money from people they knew at the race course, in the hope to win back all that they once owned.

At the stands lining the racing track is a clear demarcation of class. While the lower stands had people for whom the spoils would perhaps allow them to indulge in healthy meals for a few days, the upper stands had ones who looked like they may well be splurging on a whim. I met Daksh Oberoi, a suave young man, just short of 30, who owned horses and was probably the most recognised figure at the race course. His stable, located behind the race course, houses 43 horses. “Apart from Delhi, I own horses in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Mysore as well and I work in partnership with my friend, Sunil Kumar Verma” said Daksh whose passion for horses was a hand-me-down from his father.

In the olden times, horses were used by kings not only as a means to commute, but were passionately groomed and trained for warfare. This passion was given a purpose by the British who introduced horse racing such that it became a forum for princes and aristocrats to socialise. The likes of Daksh who invest their passion in horses is, unfortunately, a disappearing breed. “I started learning the business of horse racing from a very young age. I’d visit the race course with my father, go through the booklets where the entire history of the participating horses is listed, talk to people and get involved,” he reminisced. Daksh has yet not stepped into the league of breeders like the Poonawallas, Ramaswamy’s (Chettinad Stud Farms) or the Usha Stud Farms, since it requires behemoth amount of investment. Content with purchasing and owning horses, he fondly refers to them as ‘my kids’ and was honest enough to reveal that his ‘kids’ haven’t won him great fortunes yet, but they hadn’t left him out of business either. As he walked me towards the section which was abuzz with people discussing bets and where bookies were on their job, he suddenly stopped and pointed towards the roof. “Don’t these tin awnings upheld with those old rods remind you of a cremation ground?” And he laughed before adding, “It’s funny because this place is one!” He explained that there are some here who’re probably betting their last penny and there are others who’re rejoicing today, but will go back with empty pockets tomorrow. “There are countless number of those who’ve come down from riches to rags… Don’t bet if you don’t understand the game. It simply hurts to see that the thrill to watch your horse race and win has died down and instead, there are these people who’re here to enrich their future off an animal that means nothing to them,” he said. Daksh stated that the Derby race in Delhi scored way below the one at the Mahalaxmi Race Course in Mumbai, where the stakes go up to Rs 2.5 crore as against Rs 10 lakh in the capital city. One of his plans is to steadily raise the standard of the Delhi Race Course and promote
the passion for horses, and not the mere addiction of gambling on them.

Horse gambling, though legal, wouldn’t be called a fair game. If owners buy horses worth up to crores and then also spend money on feeding and training, there has to be a way to earn that back. And one can certainly not rely on something as uncertain as a win in a race. Heavy ‘negative gambling’ happens here where the owners, bookies as well as jockeys drain away a huge share. “Everyone knows it’s all fixed. Sab setting hai madam,” is what Ved Prakash revealed, with few others, including the guard, though it didn’t seem to dissuade them from coming here very frequently.

More than the prospect of depleting moolah, my concern went out to those severely addicted, most of them youngsters. 24-year-old Abhay Thakral shared that he’s a part of his father’s property business, and horse gambling is just a way to pass his time. “I come here every Tuesday. Today I won Rs 5000 and last week I won Rs 16,000. This gambling becomes so addictive that once they start understanding how to go about it, people only bet in lakhs. I’ve gone through huge losses as well, but if I lose, I want to win it back… and I do. It’s just my way to pass my time and earn that extra money!” As I took his leave, he enquired if I’d want to give it a shot. “I’ll tell you which horse to bet on in the next race. You’ll win. 100 per cent.” Tempted by his offer, I did place a very small amount at stake, and well, I lost. I shrugged it off, but couldn’t help wondering about situations where such losses equaled loss of day’s square meal. Then again, if I had won, I would’ve found myself in the range of yet another worthless addiction!

Horse d'oeuvres

Horse racing, also known as ‘The Sport of Kings’, dates back to about 4500 BC; the nomadic tribesmen of Central Asia were the first to start the practice of domesticating horses. Spreading across Central Asia and the Mediterranean, by 638 BC, horse racing became the most popular event in the ancient Greek Olympics. Back then, it was in the form of chariot and mounted horse racing. The modern form of horse racing, which exists today, was an initiative of the English knights who brought in Arab horses in the 12th century and then started the breeding and training of horses for speed and endurance. Currently, apart from India – where horse gambling is the only legal form of gambling – Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South America are some states where the sport of horse racing is passionately and professionally pursued.

On your marks, get set, listen up!

1. You would bump into a lot of people who’d happily give advice on which horse to lay stakes on. Do not listen to them. You might end up burning a hole in your pocket.

2. Start by doing a thorough research about the history of a horse’s lineage, the number of races it won etc. All this information is available in booklets distributed at race courses.

3. The best jockey might not definitely win races.

4. Low risk takers, keep distance from the race course!

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Davos summit is of frugal relevance to the common Indians

2011-11-24T11:57:00.000+05:30

India WEF summit: Honeymoon

The annual World Economic Forum summit has always been nothing more than honeymoon trips. This year was no exception. Over 400 Indian leaders from business, government, academia and civil society gathered in Davos, Switzerland for the five day summit (26-30 January, 2011) to find solutions to some common problems affecting the world at large. Irrespective, this has little relevance to common Indians and their miseries.

Davos has been a popular platform for business leaders. This year, over 2500 leaders from business, politics and international organisations participated to brainstorm, debate and discuss on the worst global challenges including overcoming recession and rise in inflation in emerging economies, under the theme “shared norms for the new reality.” Initially, the main objective of WEF was to bring European business leaders together. With increasing popularity, objectives broadened and it eventually became a platform for European and American business leaders to interact. As it attracted leaders from politics and academia, the issues covered in WEF expanded from business to economy and other global issues. But all this has never been an effective platform for solving serious problems. Leaders come with various views but hardly agree with each other.

India has attracted enough attention and participation of Indian leaders is ever increasing. India was represented by economic elites like Anand Mahindra and Mukesh Ambani this year. The irony is that while they had gone to share India's way of ‘inclusive growth’ with the global audience, this has actually been a failure domestically. The government has thoroughly failed to meet peoples’ expectation. A 100 million people are yet to be covered under government programmes. The government, whose 'national priority' is 'sustainable development,' has been struggling to curb inflation.

There is a stark disparity in education, particularly for girls. Inequality of income is widening too. Over 80 per cent of the total wealth increase was accumulated by the top 1 per cent rich in the US between 1980-2005. The top 100 wealthiest Indians control 25 per cent of India's GDP. India ranks second in the list of billionaires against trillion dollar economy with 55 billionaires from a $1.1 trillion economy, only after Russia, with 87 billionaires and a $1.3 trillion GDP. Billionaires are certainly not unwelcoming but their wealth creation, mainly from the nation’s land, resources, government contracts and licenses, is diluting the very essence of an egalitarian society.

Phew... Did the WEF summit discuss all this and find out a solution to it all? Rather than launch into a reprisal of our diatribe, we'll simply comment, "Come off it!" WEF was never intended to find real solutions; just real venues.

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Obama’s SOTU was more of an old song on loop

2011-11-21T10:55:00.000+05:30

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Obama : miles to go: A million broken promises
State of the Union a.k.a SOTU is a very popular annual address presented by American presidents to the nation. It can not only make or break a president's ratings' trend but also displays the vision and plans that a president has for his country. This would sound too clichéd, but it is an undeniable fact that Obama failed to fulfil the promises that he had made in his last two speeches. Starting from Guantanamo to withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, most of his promises are still awaiting
full materialisation.

In his State of the Union address this year, President Obama stressed on "we do big things," but at the same time failed to put forward any strong and doable policies to cut the deficit. In his address, he also spoke on how the economy is growing, simultaneously accepting the fact that US is gradually losing its “competitive edge” to China. Call it optimism or cynicism, Obama introduced a cap on annual domestic spending for the next five years which, according to him, would reduce the deficit by more than $400 billion over the next decade. What he forgot or cleverly bypassed was that he won’t be here (as his term will be over) to account for the changes.

Most of his speeches revolved around domestic policies which were similar to his plans that he had proposed in 2010. However, issues that dented his ratings like government spending, federal deficit and the federal debt were given no space in the entire speech. Ironically, every statement he makes now contradicts his previous statements. While addressing the joint session of Congress, he said, "I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits neither now nor in the future." In the same speech he also said, "In theory, the Health Care Reform (HCR) may need an additional $90-100 billion a year to provide coverage. There's a couple of times where I pushed people on the need of paying higher taxes to implement it." Moreover, in his first year term, he announced his inability to confront the long-term fiscal problems but managed to introduce HCR in his second year term. What came as a major surprise was the way he blatantly ignored the gun control issue. Despite the recent Arizona massacre that impelled concerns on gun control, Obama was undeterred.

However, knowing the tough job that Obama inherited from Bush, he has been quite cleverer than effective in his words and deeds. His speeches in the last two years have only seen a transition from “I will” to “I am trying” to “I may”. It’s gradually becoming prominent that his promises are more of a rhetoric. But it is high time for Obama to ensure that instead of doing mere lip-service, real work surfaces! Or perhaps Obama has already resigned himself to the fact that this will be his last term...

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RGV’s ‘zero-budget’ film plan does not impress many

2011-11-18T11:54:00.000+05:30

Andhra pradesh: entertainment: Much ado about nothing

Ram Gopal Varma aka RGV had been a trend setter in Tollywood with his debut film “Siva” (1989). He called the shots in the Telugu film industry— called Tollywood — before he moved to Mumbai. Some film critics had called his advent a renaissance in Tollywood which is considered to be the second biggest industry after Bollywood with annual investment of Rs. 400 crores.

Recently, Ram Gopal Varma’s announcement of making a “zero-budget” film created a little flutter among the movie buffs. “When low budget or zero budget films are referred to, Satyajit Ray’s Apu trilogy flashes in the mind. I thought Ram Gopal Varma is also venturing to produce a life-snap to comply with his artistic urge,” well-known film critic S.V. Challa told The Sunday Indian.

Notwithstanding the fact that of late Ram Gopal Varma has succeeded in only churning out mediocre films with little substance which have utterly failed to impress even the average movie-goers let alone the critics, Challa feels that RGV is indeed a master filmmaker and that if he pursues serious cinema, it would be an intellectual treat and visual feast to the Telugu audience.

But contrary to the expectations, Varma announced the name of his zero-budget film to be “Dhongala Mutha” (A gang of thieves). According to him, it is another (read run-of-the-mill) “highly entertaining” action thriller and it should be completed in just five days.

However, not many people are impressed with Varma’s announcement and perceive it as just RGV’s marketing trick. “RGV is making much ado about nothing and it is his another trick to create sensation. When big stars like Ravi Teja, Chaarme, Laxmi Manchu, Brahmanandam are the main cast, how can it be termed a zero-budget film?” wondered an office-bearer of the Indian Documentary Producers Association, on condition of anonymity, while talking to TSI.

Though he has weak linkage with Telugu land, noted film maker Shyam Benegal produced ‘Amaravathi Kathalu,’ famous short-stories in Telugu literature. “But how can one expect similar kind of literary depiction from mediocre and semi-literate RGV, who, for sure, has not even heard of literary giants including Gurazada Apparao, Gudipati Venkata Chalam, Viswanatha Satyanarayana,” he added.

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An attempt at restoring the lost biodiversity of Delhi

2011-11-15T10:52:00.000+05:30

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New Delhi: ecology: Restoring lost glory
If you are interested in seeing how the Yamuna banks were like a few hundred years ago or what species of birds were found in Delhi, just visit Yamuna Biodiversity Park (YBP) at Wazirabad in Delhi.

Many varieties of plants that have already become extinct from Delhi can be seen here. One such examples is Asthma Bel plant that is no longer found in the city. However, one can see it at the park. There are many varieties of plants which are found at 8000 ft, but have been brought to YBP. The seven-year-old biodiversity park now harbours a wide range of ecosystems of river basin which support more than 1200 plant species. These include finest wetlands besides a unique butterfly conservatory, a conservatory of fruit yielding plants, grasslands, tropical moist and dry deciduous forest communities, Acacia woodlands and a herbal garden.

Birds that have either become extinct from Delhi or are rare, such as Red Crested Pochard or ‘Lalsar’, can also be seen at the park. Faiyaz Khudsar, wildlife biologist and scientist-in-charge of Yamuna Biodiversity Park shares with TSI, “Coming of Lalsar at the park is not a common event. This bird indicates how effective and functional the ecosystem of the wetland is. It shows that the energy flow in the wetland is proper. This is very important for scientists like us. At present there are more than 3000 migratory birds at the park.”

The creation of wetlands serves three important purposes. Firstly, it adds to the diversity of habitats. Secondly, it performs the much-needed ecological functions of water purification, groundwater recharge, and storage of rainwater. And thirdly, it provides the soil for raising the ground level to avoid flooding in the post-monsoon period so that the development of terrestrial ecosystems and plant communities can go ahead unhindered.

Creating the park, however, has not been an easy task. The salt content in the soil was very high and it was a daunting task for the scientists to recreate the proper ecosystem of the wetland. Biologists used more than 160 varieties of grass to convert it into functional ecosystem. “When we got these 157 acres of land we understood that our task was not going to be easy,” says Khudsar.

In the second phase of the project 300 acres more land would be developed. After that it will be habitat of Sarus Crane and Pelicans. At present only one-third of the park is open for the visitors. Such kind of parks is very important from the point of view of urban biodiversity.

Long ago, the Yamuna riverbed was full of biodiversity. It ranged from the foothills of Shivalik mountain to Aravalli hills in the north. However, the biodiversity was lost due to rapid urbanisation. But a little of it has been recreated in the YBP.

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To expect ground-breaking changes in world diplomacy post Wikileaks is to expect too much

2011-11-12T12:45:00.000+05:30

Int’l relations: A post-Wikileaks world

After Wikileaks announced the release of 250,000 American diplomatic cables, classified as secret documents, the world in general and diplomatic corps in particular were left stunned. The US foreign department appeared to have lost its composure. The primary reason behind this was that these cables mostly dealt with the US and their allies. Many of the US allies also lost their face. People expressed surprise on how diplomacy is conducted.

Diplomacy and diplomatic behaviour do not always go by reason. The exchange of ideas with media, passing and expressing the stands and also the will to influence the policy of the others are the objectives that form the core of diplomatic practice. Some researchers define diplomacy as “practising power with other means”. Others see it as a game of bargaining between two parties or more. Moreover, the success of diplomacy and diplomats is measured by their impact in influencing and convincing others to accept, in part or totality, their policies.

So, Wikileaks did not uncover anything new about diplomacy or the diplomats’ behaviour. Diplomats have been employing such methods for their respective states’ interests for decades. The important thing to know here is that in diplomacy, honesty, truth and right actions are the capital of a diplomat. However, it does not mean that diplomats stick all the time to truth or right actions, but at the same time if the diplomat loses his capital, he would lose the trust of others as well. This would mean that he would be out of the diplomatic active circle, expired (in diplomatic jargon) and non-usable.

Many statements and opinion pieces have mentioned that diplomacy after Wikileaks will change forever or at least will look different. Mr Kevin Rudd, Australia’s minister of foreign affairs, is an example. We can conclude and understand from his stand on the published material related to him that the assumption of ground-breaking change in international diplomacy post-Wikileaks is not true. He has stressed that he would continue in his present role despite the face loss he suffered following the leaks. He even suggested that in the future too such revelations would keep on denting his public image, but this would never deter him from continuing to serve Australia’s interests. His boss, Australian PM Julia Gillard, came to his defence and maintained that “Rudd is a specialist in diplomacy and serves his country very well.”

Diplomatic norms as well as diplomatic behaviour will not change in any foreseeable future. Our world still needs this instrument to find solutions to the difficulties and problems that international relations face. Diplomacy is a key instrument in avoiding military conflict. It comes into play when one wants the conflict to end and sanity restored. International relations without diplomacy would mean that the world, a jungle, will loose sanity and its basic law will be determined by force and force alone.

Despite the above mentioned facts, post-Wikileaks one can clearly see a whiff of change in sections other than diplomacy. The most important is the role of the media, especially correspondents. Earlier, journalists were known for protecting sources. But due to the advent of new media like internet, anybody who lays his hand on some information, can print it without bothering to protect the identity of the messenger.

The second change is related to US diplomacy and their diplomatic behaviour. They would now be doubly cautious and will take extraordinary care to protect their diplomats and secrets. But it is impossible to stop such leakages in the future too. On the other hand, the US cannot change the essence and the basic rules of its diplomacy, because it needs this sort of instruments despite all the power at its disposal. The US wants to carry on with its complicated political influence in the external as much as in the internal political scene. However, many of its strategies and actions of different political actors now lay bare to allies and critics alike. In addition, the published cables show the real American perception and attitude towards its allies. They appeared, even in the best of circumstances, as mere lackeys of the Americans, devoid of any respect whatsoever. It is not for nothing that Americans want all those involved in the leaks prosecuted. They have gone all out against them.

This sort of war will not stop. It will continue between those who believe that it is a nation’s right to know about their leaders, and the others who believe in the necessity to determine the extent of public knowledge. Despite the motives behind those two ideas, no one can stop or end the confrontation between their respective believers.

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Akshay Kumar: Destiny Maketh This King

2011-10-11T10:00:00.002+05:30

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Akshay Kumar reveals that he is what he is today because on one important day he was at the right place, at the right time, in front of the right person. neha sarin in conversation with the tees maar khan.

You made it in this industry with no godfather or even a Khan for a surname. Do you consider this your destiny?

Yes, I do believe in destiny, and hard work along with it. I think 70 per cent is your destiny and 30 per cent is your hard work. It’s a very strange way of talking, but that's what I believe. I am talking from my own experiences in life; you have to be at the right place at the right time, in front of the right person.

I remember a small episode in my life, when I signed my first big modelling assignment. I was not into this film line then. So, I got this modelling assignment, and I was supposed to catch the evening 6 'o' clock flight and you won't believe it, I got up in the morning as usual at 4.30, and started my workout. Then I get a call around 5:45 early in the morning asking me, "Where are you?" I told him that I was exercising, and he said, "How unprofessional of you! You are supposed to be at the airport." Can you believe that I didn't realise that it was a 6 'o' clock early morning flight and not an evening flight! So, I didn't go there and I kept on begging them, asking them to give me another chance, but they didn't listen. I didn't know how to make them understand that it was all a misunderstanding. I lost that assignment, was completely disturbed, my mom and dad were the greatest parents, trying to console me and told me that everything is going to be okay. So, I took my photographs and as usual, I spent the day going from one studio to another studio. I was at Natraj Studio, and I met a man called Pramod Chakravarthy. He saw my photographs and decided to cast me. You won’t believe it, but the time I signed the movie, it was evening 6 'o' clock.

So, wouldn't you say that it was my destiny that I was not supposed to go for the modelling assignment in the morning? I sometimes think that if I had gone in the morning flight, I would have been a model somewhere and I wouldn't be in this line. So, it is your destiny that you are there at the right place. But don't forget your hard work, as it’s your hard work at the end of the day that pays off.

What pushed you to experiment with cinema and shift from being an action star to a comedy king?
It is important for me to give to the audiences what they want. A lot of people tell me that you are doing so many comedies, you should try some serious or some tragedy roles. I fail to understand it, because if you take a look at the last five years, the only films that have worked and have been super hits, have all been entertainers and comedies. People don't want to pay 10 pounds or Rs 250 to just go and cry in a theatre.

One day, I met Priyadarshan and he said, “I have a film called “Hera Pheri” and I want you to do it; it's a comedy.” I replied that that's great, but I have never tried my hand at it. Yet he said, "Join me". He made me realise that I have a funny bone.

You’ve always been media friendly, but do controversies, which are relentlessly fanned by the media, ever bother you? Like the recent controversy about Farah Khan casting you instead of SRK in “Tees Maar Khan”?
No, no! First of all, let me tell you that controversies are very far away from me. I am one of the luckiest people who are quite away from all these things. Secondly, this is not a controversy, it’s just being created and if someone comes to me and says that they want to direct a film and this is the story, if I love it, I will do it. And this is exactly what had happened. It’s December now and exactly a year back, she had come to me and I said yes! It’s exactly one year now and we are ready with the movie.

How did it feel to be awarded a Padma Shri?
I feel honoured to be presented an award by the President of India. It was a shocker! I was at my house when I got that call and after three days I was in Delhi being awarded. It was one of the biggest honours. I was really surprised. Later on, when I tried asking them, they told me that it was because I was the highest tax payer continuously for seven years.

Among the new generation of actors and actresses, who do you think could come closest to Akshay Kumar, the actor?
A lot of them could. Ranbir Kapoor is doing a great job, Imran Khan is there and there is this guy from “Band Baaja Baraat” (Ranveer Singh) who is also very good. New talent keeps on coming, and I think they will make it huge. All they need to do is stay focussed.

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Paradigm Shifts 3D/4D Flims: Dawn Of a New Dimension

2011-10-08T10:40:00.001+05:30

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"Chota Chetan" may have been years back, but a whole new generation of movie watchers in India is getting ready to embrace 3D; if only those glasses would stay on!

"Avatar" apparently was the most pirated movie (according to a file sharing blog) of 2010. Ironically, James Cameron had made the movie in 3D and sparked off a mad rush to release 3D movies in the hope that people would be forced to watch the film in the theatre for the complete experience. The technology is in a fairly nascent stage in India, seeing a revival only post “Avatar”, a quarter of a century after the Malayalam film “My Dear Kuttichathan” became the first Indian 3D film. With Hollywood pushing 3D as the next big revolution for reviving both creative and commercial fortunes, the Indian audience in the last couple of years have been fed some good fare – “Toy Story 3”, “How To Train Your Dragon”. And the wheel seems to have come full circle with “My Dear Kuttichathan” being released in digital 3D on December 24.

The upshot of such fervent activity has been increasing awareness and the willingness to experiment with the technology. But while on one hand, some critics rave about the experience 3D adds, some others remain staunchly against it (“It adds nothing essential to the moviegoing experience” wrote Roger Ebert in Newsweek earlier this year). The technology’s evolution will have a huge role to play in how mainstream it gets. Richard Corliss had written in Time magazine back in 2009, “Until we’re in the post-goggles stage of 3D, the format will be less a dominant form of movie watching than a theme park attraction.” Those of us who were fumbling for our glasses while watching “Avatar” here in India will surely concur. But despite the threats, one thing is for sure though – the third dimension is here to stay. Dippesh Jain, New Business Development Manager (Digital) at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment tells TSI, “One of the main reasons why only a few 3D films were available is because of lack of technology. Now with hardware and software being made available, the attempt is to bring 3D movies to every home.” And there might as well be a fourth dimension added to it in the future. If you happen to visit a Funmax cinema in Bangalore or Hyderabad you’ll not just be treated to 4D cinema; where you get to exercise all your senses – like smelling a flower or having water splashed on your face. Hollywood is yet to make full blown 4D movies but the day shouldn’t be too far off.

A technologically curious audience and willingness of home grown films to experiment with the format may well decide the future of 3D and 4D in India. And with gadgets (3D computer screens, phones and TV sets) that promise to transfer 3D right into your home, those pirated downloads of “Avatar” may have a screen worthy of them, after all!

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

2011-10-05T10:34:00.001+05:30

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Agriculture: Seeds of discontent

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

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

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

While the farmers will continue to buy and sell seeds traditionally and need not register, the branded seeds will have to go through multilevel tests. The brands that will conform to the standards set in the test can only be registered. The seeds for the types of crops that are annual and biannual will be registered for 10 years and those of multi-years use for 12 years.

In between these years, the seed can be tested only once to confirm the characters that it originally had. New standards have been set for labelling the seeds that will give details of the procedure through which these seeds can be utilised properly and optimally. For example, on the label of a particular wheat seed, it will be clearly mentioned that after watering it so many times, applying so much fertilizers and protecting it from weeds and pests, it will lead to so much yield.

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

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

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

The views expressed by the author are personal

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School Textbooks: Distortion of Facts

2011-10-02T10:31:00.001+05:30

IIPM ranks No 1 in International Exposure in the 'Third Mail Today B-School Survey'

De-Educate the Children
How countries distort facts in their school textbooks

Recently, a leading media house reported that even after four long decades since the 1971 Indo-Pak war, schools in Pakistan (for grades 9 and 10) still continue to teach their students conspiracy theories involving India, Russia and US, misrepresenting their role in creating Bangladesh, at the same time ignoring the issues related to Pakistan Army's violence (rapes and murder against the Mukti Bahini and the genocide of Bengalis) on people in the erstwhile East Pakistan. Apparently, the topic of "role of Hindu teachers" in the fall of East Pakistan is also covered.

This practice of using controversial and politically motivated syllabi is not only confined to Pakistan, but is rampant across the globe. As recent as in May 2010, students of Texas schools were being taught “how American ideals benefit the world but organisations such as the UN could be a threat to personal freedom.” Those schools also were deliberately ensuring that icons like Thomas Jefferson and their contributions were not included in the teachings. For the uninitiated, Jefferson was the first one to talk about the separation of church from the State. Even Japan draws up a similar tale. Government approved Japanese history secondary school textbooks do not mention anything about the deeds of the Empire of Japan during WWII. As per a Japanese textbook, “Japan liberated South East Asia from its western colonists when invaded during Second World War.” South Koreans have protested such statements in the past.

Likewise, four years back, the Texas based Vedic Foundation and the American 'Hindu Education Foundation' filed a complaint to California's Curriculum Commission about sixth grade history textbooks alleging that the portrayal of Indian history and Hinduism in the books was biased against Hinduism itself. The foundation demanded that the portrayal be revised according to the views of Hinduism and Indian history shared by most Hindus and Indians.

On the contrary, the action taken by a Saudi-funded Islamic school is an example for other nations to replicate. Three years back, a Saudi-funded Islamic school removed controversial passages from school textbooks, which allegedly branded other faiths as being "worthless".

History text books have been the most sought-after battleground. From distorting facts in order to give a better image of their nation and sidelining their brutality over people to tweaking the history for either degrading or upgrading a special class of society, education in modern era is being used as a tool for inducing customised perception among pupils.

However, with Internet, social networking sites and other knowledge portals, it’s really tough for these curriculum designers to hide the truth for long. Distortion of historical facts, done either deliberately or out of ignorance, results in adverse effects on society. If Germans were not to teach happenings in the Nazi era, Americans the Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Brits their atrocities in India, their own populace would not attain the intellectual maturity required for global interactions and leadership.

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Introspection on the 2010 journey reveals hidden lessons

2011-09-29T11:13:00.003+05:30

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Was 2010 different?

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

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

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

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

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The Importance of being Bant Singh

2011-09-26T10:11:00.001+05:30

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2011-09-23T14:39:00.005+05:30

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Assertion amid restrictions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Women Enjoy Equal Rights and Opportunities

2011-07-09T14:23:00.002+05:30

Women across the world enjoy greater opportunities and freedoms than ever before. It is a peaceful revolution underpinned by an extraordinary transformation of legal rights. Almost every country has signed international conventions signalling their commitment to outlawing discrimination against women. Nearly 140 national constitutions specifically guarantee gender equality.

But promising equality, of course, is not the same as delivering it on the ground. Despite real advances, there sadly remains an immense gap between these welcome legal guarantees and everyday life for women. It is a justice deficit which can be found in rich and poor countries alike and in every aspect of our societies.

It is not, however, only women who suffer from this failure of justice. We all do, whatever our gender. Without a doubt, women's strength, industry and wisdom are humanity's greatest untapped resource. It is potential we simply can't afford to continue to waste. It was this recognition that led to the formation of UN Women, which brings together all the UN gender equality agencies under my leadership. It was our recognition that addressing the justice gap was crucial to removing the barriers to equality which made it the subject of our first report - Progress of the World's Women: In Pursuit of Justice. But in many cases, women are denied a fair deal because of a failure, whether through lack of resources, will or cultural obstacles, to uphold the legal rights they have been granted. We discovered that women are three times less likely to report a sexual attack than a robbery. It is all too easy to understand why. A European study found on average only 14% of reported rapes ended in conviction. In other countries, the figure is even lower.

We found a similar failure, too, in the economic sphere. Despite 117 countries having equal pay laws, women in every sector and region continue to be paid between 10% to 30% less than men.

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It took her 24 years to prove her mettle against the powerful

2011-06-07T10:16:00.000+05:30

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“Better late than never” is an old adage. Seventy-six-years-old Mary Roy has won the landmark case on women’s property rights in India after 24 years of legal battle. For the mother of Booker Prize-winner Arundhati Roy, it was a fight for justice. However, she donated hard-won family share, near Aymenem in Kottayam district, worth Rs 1.8 crore to a charity. Mary Roy, a divorcee and a mother of two children had walked out on her marriage and settled down in her maternal house in Ootty. But, her misery took a new turn in 1965 when her brother asked her to move out of the house because a married woman was not supposed to enjoy her father’s property. Thus started her legal battle for the property rights for Christian women. Her father was no more at that time.

Her brother’s action was based on two laws — the Travancore Christian Succession Act 1916 and Cochin Succession Act 1921 — which restricted a Keralite Syrian Christian daughter’s property rights to one-fourth son’s share or Rs 5,000, whichever was less.

Mary approached the court and, after a 21-year battle, got the Supreme Court to scrap the two laws in 1986. The case shot into fame as “Mary Roy case” in the history of Indian jurisprudence. The judgment brought all Christians in the country under the Indian Succession Act which gives equal property rights to sons and daughters, enabling thousands of Keralite Christian women to regain their share of property which had been denied to them in the past. Only two Christian women dared to implead along with her, namely, Elikkutty and Mariakkutty; two social activist organisations like Women’s Forum for Social Action and Lawyers Collective also supported her.
Yet Mary Roy’s wait for her small piece of land prolonged to nearly a quarter century longer. She approached the Kottayam sub-court seeking implementation of the apex court order in the midst of her brother’s objections. She should have got the land after her mother’s death in 2000. But one of her brothers, who had sold a part of his share for Rs 5 crore, sought to prevent the partition by dragging her to Kerala High Court.

After the high court cleared the legal hurdles, the Principal Sub-judge ordered execution of the verdict and sent court officials to carry it out. Last week, she took the possession of the land, in the midst of a cheering crowd. “I am relieved that my long struggle for justice has yielded result. My battle was not for a piece of land alone but to ensure that women in this country enjoy the rights guaranteed by the Constitution,” Mary Roy said.

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Political Appointments may ruin PSEs, feel experts

2011-06-02T10:13:00.000+05:30

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“The Chairman of the Corporation should not be a political/private person. His appointment should be transparent. Corporation should be run strictly on a professional basis.”

The above guideline regarding appointment of chairpersons of civil supply corporations of all states is mentioned in the recommendations of Justice Wadhwa Committee constituted by the Supreme Court in 2008. But surprisingly, the Orissa government has chosen to ignore this guideline by nominating Mahesh Sahoo, a former MLA and a ruling party leader as the chairman of the Orissa State Civil Supplies Corporation (OSCSC).“How could the government overlook one part of the recommendation while implementing another on streamlining of the Public Distribution System?” wonders Chiraranjan Das, an advocate at Orissa High Court.

The recent announcement of appointment of chairpersons and chiefs of Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs), cooperative bodies and development trusts by the state government are not in accordance either with Wadhwa Commission recommendations or with the governance manual adopted by it. Interestingly, the list of persons to be appointed as chairpersons of the PSEs, mainly include political persons of ruling party, who had lost elections or were denied party ticket! The Corporate Governance Manual for PSUs (CGMP), which was accepted by the Orissa government in 2009 after due approval of the cabinet as the manual for organisation and management of state-owned corporations, is very categorical about the appointment of experts of the PSEs.

“How could the government ignore the guidelines adopted by it last year? This guideline, drafted by a professional body like Administrative Staff College of India, is meant to improve the accountability and transparency in the corporations. The government should not violate its policy,” says Basant Das, a senior political analyst.

Rehabilitation of partymen in corporations has landed the Orissa government in troubled waters as nominated persons are not experts in required field. A PIL has been filed in the Orissa High Court urging it to direct the government not to go ahead with its plan until disposal of the writ petition. Terming the yet-to-be-made appointments as “arbitrary” and “illegal”, the petitioner maintained that in case the decision is given effect to, it would be made in violation of the principles of the Orissa Public Enterprises Reform Programme as protected in the MoU signed by the state and the Union governments on public sector re-organisation.

At least 21 PSEs are identified as profit-making while nine are incurring losses and the remaining two are operating on no-profit-no-loss basis. on them. “The Naveen Patnaik government is giving the slogan of ‘good governance’, but no one will agree to these appointments as fare and honest. We will protest against this in the proper forum for the larger interest of the state,” reacts Sivananda Ray, VP of Congress.

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In an attempt to light up this Diwali for children suffering from cancer, and their families,

2011-05-29T15:07:00.000+05:30

'Can Kids' Kids Can' infused in them a healthy dose of optimism and cheer'

“I would like to share with you a painful and unforgettable moment of my life. February 14, 2009, is an unforgettable day in my life. I was studying in 8th standard. After the classes, as usual, I was playing. Suddenly, I could not breathe. I was literally panting and gasping. When my parents took me to Dr Naik, our family doctor, he advised me to go for an X-ray. I was admitted at KMC Hospital at Manipal. My lungs were filled with fluid. When the doctors examined me they told me a bitter truth, I had cancer, medically called rhabdomyosarcoma. I literally collapsed with the shock. My parents and near ones thought that it was the end of my life.” The audience – little boys and girls in caps and scarves, their mothers and fathers, volunteers of the NGO CanKids...KidsCan and students of Delhi Public School (DPS), Gurgaon – empathetically listened to Varalakshmi Shetty. “I experienced a lot of pain during my chemotherapy,” Varalakshmi continued. “When I began losing my beautiful hair, I could not accept the fact. Yet I continued the treatment. Now, I’m happy to say that my hair has begun to grow. Being a cancer patient I would like to say that whoever is identified as a cancer patient, please do not lose hope. I request you to not lose confidence. If one has confidence, one can win over any hardship, any sickness or any cancer. To this, I am a witness standing before you. I have resumed my studies; I’m happy to say I stand first in class.” The audience clapped on hearing of her achievement.

Varalakshmi was among the ten children who were awarded under CanKids…KidsCan 3rd National Childhood Cancer Scholarship Program, and honoured for their bravery and courage. Despite missing school for most of the year, a 9th standard student, Varalakshmi still scored 93 per cent. Another child, an eight-year-old girl (name withheld on request of parents) danced to the beat of Aap ka kya Hoga… (Dhanno) with unmatchable zest and exuberance, and if I had not known that this was a Diwali Utsav for cancer children, I could never have guessed that this child had been battling cancer for the last two years. She is almost cured now, her mother informed me. For the 800 odd people who assembled on 30th October at DPS, children like these were shining examples of how there is life after cancer. There were more reasons for children from Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and other cancer centres in Delhi to beam from ear to ear, what with many of them performing the Ramlila on stage, and then waiting to receive presents that they had wished for. “Normally, during the course of the year they do get a lot of stuff, but it’s often we who decide what to give to the children. This time we asked the children to make Wish Cards and then pray to Lord Ganesh,” said Poonam Bagai, President of CanKids…KidsCan. “We’ve got this little story too. Our mascots are Taklu and Takli, where Taklu is the little cancer boy and Takli is the little cancer girl; we’re trying to destigmatise hair loss. So Taklu and Takli go to Ganesh and ask for a pet and the Lord gives them Kekdu the crab. The children ask why Kekdu, and Ganesh says Kekdu is a symbol of your cancer, but as you get over your fear of the disease, so you will learn to have a victory over your disease. And that’s really the genesis of this Wish Card,” smiled Poonam.

Why such an initiative is especially commendable, is because hundreds of children suffering from cancer and their families witnessed before their eyes that cancer is beatable. When cancer is diagnosed, people usually believe that it is the end of the road for them, but that is not the case, especially when the patient is a child. “Childhood cancer is curable if treated properly and diagnosed on time. More than 70 per cent of cases can be treated successfully and cured,” shared Dr Gauri Kapoor, Head, Department of Paediatric Haematology/ Oncology & BMT at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre, Delhi. “Children have a lot of energy and they handle treatment much better than adults. God made their body in such a way that children have the best physical condition and they can tolerate the treatment very easily. Also, their bodies don’t already have heart disease, hypertension and other problems that come with age. All their organs are healthy. Cancer in children is highly curable,” asserts Dr Kapoor.

When a Varalakshmi or a Nisha Kukreja (17-year-old who was diagnosed with cancer when she was all of five; successfully battled cancer and has been pursuing her academics, and recently completed a course in Punjabi language and is also skilled in Hindi calligraphy) came up on stage, the parents present were shown a life after cancer for their children too. Manpreet Brar was present at the Diwali Utsav and reiterated the parents’ role in the child’s healing. “Parents, you are the reason why your children will survive cancer,” she said addressing the audience. “Through parents children get the strength. When the children see hope in their parent’s eyes, they too will believe that they can fight cancer and that they’re going to survive.” Optimism is what the doctor also prescribes for parents. “It is very essential to target the parents for counselling and keep them motivated. Their attitude is extremely important because the children don’t know anything other than their parents. If the parent is sad and crying, the child will also be sad and will cry. If the parent is happy, cheerful, looking forward positively, the child forgets that he has a disease. Positive attitude plays a very strong role in successfully overcoming cancer. A positive attitude has been scientifically proven to help overcome physical and medical conditions,” said Dr Kapoor. There are countless cases of cancer patients surviving and leading fulfilling lives even after the doctors gave up, just by staying positive and believing that they will live, and they will fight this disease. I wasn’t surprised when the mother of the 8-year-old girl, who had earlier danced to Dhanno, told me the secret of her daughter’s confidence, “Her father keeps her confidence high, he’s been very positive throughout, and that has helped them a lot.”

A huge drawback for the patients is that “only one in 10 children have access to proper cancer treatment in India,” informed Dr Kapoor. “There is a lack of capability in diagnosing and treating children with cancer. In the remote areas there is not enough awareness, even among the general practitioners in small towns and villages, there isn’t awareness that cancer is curable. They feel that as it is cancer, there is no point in treating the child further. There is a great deal of need to increase awareness even among doctors, as Oncology is a field which has come up only in the last few years in India,” said Dr Kapoor.

“The event today aims to deliver a message to all the children that you do get better, you can survive, and you will still do well and you can still achieve,” said Poonam Bagai. As the award-ceremony came to a close, the children danced to the song, All is well. Hopefully, both parents and children left the Diwali Utsav completely convinced of the lyrics.

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Policy makers need to Address Poor Voter turnout

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

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It was a moment of pride for India when the world saw 714 million electorates (higher than the combined electorates of the European Union and the US) voting to constitute the 15th Lok Sabha in 2009 in the largest democratic exercise undertaken in the world till date. However, there are reasons enough for policymakers, especially the Election Commission of India, to ponder over the fact that only 59.7 per cent of the electorates turned out to vote in the five phases of the election. The picture is similar even in the case of state Assembly elections. The nation is happy that the fourth phase of the Bihar Assembly elections has just concluded in spite of a reported Naxal attack. But, only 51 per cent of eligible voters has participated in the voting process till now. This is certainly not a sign of a full-fledged democracy.

Voter turnout varies in India due to various reasons. Different states have different voter turnouts. For example, in the last Lok Sabha election, voter turnout in the state of Andhra Pradesh, with a population of about 70 million, was recorded at over 68 per cent, which is above the national average. Orissa’s turnout stood at 62 per cent while in some parts of Uttar Pradesh, it was as low as 40 per cent. However, the lowest voter turnout was in the 1952 Lok Sabha election which recorded a 45.7 per cent turnout. And the highest ever was witnessed in the 1985 election when 64.1 per cent of the electorates participated in the polling process. Even the 2004 Lok Sabha election saw a voter turnout of 58.1 per cent. Voter turnout is also different for different economic classes. The average turnout among the middle and upper middle class is abysmally low at 40 per cent.

The trends in the Assembly elections are not too dissimilar either. Voter turnout in the state of Karnataka stood at 65 per cent for the 2004 Assembly election. Turnout in the 2008 Assembly election increased by just one per cent. West Bengal surprisingly saw a high turnout of 81.49 per cent in the 2006 Assembly election, followed by Arunachal Pradesh at 72 per cent in its last Assembly election. Similarly, the state of Assam saw a high voter turnout of 75.83 per cent in its 2006 Assembly election. Voter turnouts in Gujarat and Rajasthan have been quite poor.
In India, the world’s largest democracy, voter turnout remains low. Countries like Australia and Malta, where voting is mandatory, see voter turnouts of 95 per cent and 94 per cent respectively.

Surprisingly, states like Chile, Venezuela and Czech Republic have turnouts of over 80 per cent. This leaves enough scope for India to consider the issue more seriously. Change is a unanimous demand and voting is in fact a national responsibility. Then, what is the reason for this indifference? Perhaps, a lack
of incentives. While mandatory voting is one way, there can be other means that the Election Commission can cultivate to spread awareness. Rest of the brainstorming... politicians, the ball is in your court.

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Rampant commercialisation endangers human, flora and fauna

2011-05-23T13:20:00.000+05:30

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Eco-tourism as a travel option has picked up a fair amount of steam over the last decade. It accounts for between two and four per cent of worldwide tourism and is fast developing into a niche market. Travel companies are trying to tap a growing number of pro-environment travellers who are willing to spend a sizeable portion of their travel budget on protection of the environment. Even big hotel chains like JW Marriott are keeping up with the trend to make necessary changes in their marketing tactics to lure customers by projecting a more eco-friendly image. They advertise their commitment to use recycled toilet paper, water-saving showers and other changes. But strangely, something that was supposed to spread awareness about environmental protection is now over-exploited, ignoring the concerns of indigenous communities.

This holds true not just in the case of developing countries. The hypocrisy of eco-tourism is rampant even in the United States. A private company's venture into eco-tourism includes the Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming and Hawaii. They are renowned for turning small local operating units into world famous behemoths as they have done with amusement parks and real estate. But their maiden entry into eco-tourism can endanger rare species. For example, wildlife habitat can be disturbed by building of roads, hotels and other infrastructure.

The corporate entry into controlling national parks has its drawbacks as well. A case in point are the aboriginals of Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, where the Maasai ethnic group now demands a share of the huge profits that the eco-tourism corporations are making out of their ancestral land. The indigenous people of South Africa and Zimbabwe were asking for the return of national park lands to them. When their demands were turned down, they made an even more audacious demand for a stake in the tourism company that runs the parks.

The Communal Area Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE), an association of communities in Zimbabwe, showcased an ideal model to the world in the 1990s to run eco-tourism that can also be replicated elsewhere. Till date, the concept is mostly misused and tour conductors are the ones minting money. That's what prompted Richard Leakey, former head of Kenya Wildlife Service, to comment: “The word eco-friendly is being exploited in a way that is totally unjustified.”

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What I Would Say to Osama bin Laden

2011-04-29T11:01:00.000+05:30

After Irom Sharmila last year, Anna Hazare wins IIPM's 2011 Rabindranath Tagore Peace Prize of Rs. 1cr. To be handed over on 9th May

Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese monk in the Zen tradition, who worked tirelessly for peace during the Vietnam War, rebuilding villages destroyed by the hostilities. Following an anti-war lecture tour in the United States, he was not allowed back in his country and so he settled in France. In 1967, he was nominated by the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., for the Nobel Peace Prize. He is internationally known for his teaching and writing on mindfulness, and for his work related to "socially engaged Buddhism," a call to social action based on Buddhist principles

If you could speak to Osama bin Laden, what would you say to him?

If I were given the opportunity to be face to face with Osama bin Laden, the first thing I would do is listen. I would try to understand all of the suffering that had led him to violence. It might not be easy to listen in that way, so I would have to remain calm and lucid. I would need several friends with me, who are strong in the practice of deep listening, listening without reacting, without judging and blaming. In this way, an atmosphere of support would be created for this person and those connected so that they could share completely, trust that they are really being heard.

You personally experienced the devastation caused by the war fought in Vietnam and worked to end the hostilities there. What do you say to people who are grief-stricken and angry because they have lost loved ones in terrorist attacks?

I did lose my spiritual sons and daughters during the war when they were entering the fighting zone trying to save those under the bombs. Some were killed by war and some by murder due to the misunderstanding that they were supporting the other side. When I looked at the four slain corpses of my spiritual sons murdered in such a violent way, I suffered deeply.

I understand the suffering of those who have lost their loved ones. In situations of great loss and grief, I had to find my calm in order to restore my lucidity and my heart of understanding and compassion. With the practice of deep looking, I realised that if we respond to cruelty with cruelty, injustice and suffering will only increase.

When we learned of the bombing of Ben Tre village in Vietnam, where the pilots told the journalists that they had destroyed the village in order to save it, I was shocked, and [racked] with anger and grief. We practiced walking calmly and gently on the earth to bring back our calm mind and peaceful heart.

Although it is very challenging to maintain our openness in that moment, it is crucial that we do not respond in any way until we have calmness and clarity with which to see the reality of the situation. We knew that to respond with violence and hatred would only damage ourselves and those around us.

What is the "right action" to take with regard to responding to terrorist attacks? Should we seek justice through military action? Through judicial processes? Is military action and/or retaliation justified if it can prevent innocents from being killed?

All violence is injustice. The fire of hatred and violence cannot be extinguished by adding more hatred and violence to the fire. The only antidote to violence is compassion. And what is compassion made of? It is made of understanding. When there is no understanding, how can we feel compassion, how can we begin to relieve the great suffering that is there? So understanding is the very real foundation upon which we build our compassion.

To understand, we must find paths of communication so that we can listen to those who desperately are calling out for our understanding, because such an act of violence (9/11) is a desperate call for attention and for help.

There are people who want one thing only– revenge. In the Buddhist scriptures, the Buddha said that by using hatred to answer hatred, there will only be an escalation of hatred. But if we use compassion to embrace those who have harmed us, it will greatly diffuse the bomb in our hearts and in theirs.

The method of the Buddha is to look deeply to see the source of suffering; the source of the violence. If we have violence within ourselves, any action can make that violence explode. This energy of hatred and violence can be very great and when we see that in the other person, we feel sorry for them so that drop of compassion is born in our hearts and we feel so much happier and so much more at peace with ourselves.

Do you believe that evil exists? And, if so, would you consider terrorists as evil persons?

Evil exists. God exists also. Evil and God are two sides of ourselves. God is that great understanding, that great love within us. What is evil? It is when the face of God, the face of the Buddha within us gets hidden. It is up to us to choose whether the evil side becomes more prominent, or whether the side of God, and the Buddha shines out. Although the side of great ignorance, of evil, may manifest strongly at one time, it does not mean that God is not there.

It is said clearly in the Bible, "Forgive them for they know not what they do." This means that an act of evil is an act of great ignorance and misunderstanding. Perhaps many wrong perceptions are behind an act of evil; we have to see that ignorance and misunderstanding is the root of the evil. Every human being contains within him or her all the elements of great understanding, great compassion, and also ignorance, hatred, and violence.

Compassion is a very large part of Buddhism and Buddhist practice. But it seems impossible to muster compassion for terrorists. Is it realistic to think people can feel true compassion in the wake of an event like 9/11?

Without understanding, compassion is impossible. When you understand the suffering of others, you do not have to force yourself to feel the compassion... the door of your heart will just naturally open.

All of the hijackers involved in the 9/11 incident were so young and yet they sacrificed their lives for what? Why did they do that? What kind of deep suffering is there? It will require deep listening and deep looking to understand that.

To have compassion in this situation is to perform a great act of forgiveness. We can first embrace the suffering; we do not need to wait many years or decades to realize reconciliation and forgiveness. We need a wake up call now in order not to allow hatred to overwhelm our hearts.

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Irom Lady: In that frail body, given to 10 years of continuous fasting, is contained an enormous spirit- one that the state

2011-04-26T10:43:00.000+05:30

After Irom Sharmila last year, Anna Hazare wins IIPM's 2011 Rabindranath Tagore Peace Prize of Rs. 1cr. To be handed over on 9th May

its might and its army with all its 'special powers' can't dampen. TSI salutes Irom Sharmila chanu

What has been the most hopeful moment in these 10 years of fasting?

It was when the central government withdrew the Assam Rifles from our sacred Fort Kangla just after the brutal gang rape killing of Thangjam Manorama in 2004.

A bold step for a great cause demands sincerity, persistence with selfless effort and positive vision. Those who lack this indomitable spirit can hardly be a threat to the wrongdoers.

Fighting for a cause they believe in must be idealistic and divine, not meant to harm common, innocent people. They have no right to destroy anything if they can’t construct something beautiful in its place. Every fighter with a genuine cause should create a weapon of their own inner soul, not resort to violent power to conquer minds and hearts.

States reeling under armed conflict need to realize that any communal or national boundary is an artificial landmark that is perishable property like all of us mortals. People are fed up of all separatist movements. The democratic citizens of India need to inculcate righteousness in their deeds, speech and thought for everlasting peaceful co-existence.

On the birth anniversary of the Mahatma, it is good to remember that everybody is equal in the eyes of the Creator.

What is your message to the people of India on the occasion of Gandhi’s birthday?

What would you say is the way ahead for states like Manipur and Kashmir?

What would your advice be to armed insurgents fighting for their cause, like the Maoists, or the Taliban or groups like the al-Qaeda?

Why haven’t more people joined you in this epic fast?

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Alan Clements draws the contrast between Burma's benign and courageous apostle of peace

2011-04-23T10:31:00.000+05:30

that is Aung San Suu Kyi, and the despotic juggernaut she is up against

Burma is a system of prisons within a prison. The Commander of this resource-rich South East Asian nation is Than Shwe– a xenophobic, uneducated former postal clerk driven as much by fear and insecurity as stupidity and greed. Than Shwe is your vintage psychopath but without a trace of finesse. Over the past 20 years alone, Shwe has ordered more than 3,000 villages in the border areas ethnically cleansed. Within the numerous prisons and forced labour camps, unremitting torture is routine.

It is no mystery why Shwe is terrified of Aung San Suu Kyi. During her brief periods of freedom, when she travelled across the country, thousands of people would gather to catch a glimpse of their beloved leader and hear her dynamic speeches on the power of truth and non-violence. Shwe, on the other hand, is forced to travel in armoured vehicle surrounded by trucks of armed soldiers.

Further, with every soldier Than Shwe faces, he is forced to look into the eyes of General Aung San (Aung San Suu Kyi’s father, who negotiated Burma’s independence from Britain in 1947), and ultimately Aung San Suu Kyi herself. To be precise, it’s an epic battle between Aung San Suu Kyi’s love of freedom and Than Shwe’s fright of it.

The upcoming election (November 7) is Than Shwe’s hallucination and the world knows it. Not long ago, Aung San Suu Kyi called on all people in her country to "boycott" Shwe’s sham election. The whole country can stay home on November 7th and leave the ballot boxes empty. This is Aung San Suu Kyi’s style of non-violent activism. It is an example to us all to use the power of our conscience as our weapon of choice, not violence or a gun.

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Guru mantra: Renowned spiritual leader and humanitarian Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

2011-04-19T15:23:00.003+05:30

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Renowned spiritual leader and humanitarian, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, has touched millions of lives by way of his efforts in the areas of self development and conflict resolution. The smiling guru leaves no room for doubt on the power of peace and non-violence...

In the land of Buddha, Mahavira, Tailanga Swami and Ramakrishna in India, why do the common people still have to contend with various forms of oppression and
unhappiness?

Oppression is not due to following the precepts of these statements. It is, in fact, the failure to follow or even propagate the message of these men, the reluctance of the education system to incorporate spirituality, and the confused secularists who have found anti-spirituality to be the meaning of secularism.

The Gandhian method of peaceful and non-violent non-cooperation worked with the British, but do you think that the reaction to non-violence and the possibility of its success as a method is often subject to the culture of the oppressor? For instance, would it have worked with occupation forces like the Nazis?

Definitely. Some of these values are time-tested. Non-violence would certainly take a longer time with people who are not sensitive. Sensitive people would recognise it soon. We have the story of Angulimala in India, who was like an ancient Nazi. There are many such stories in the lives of hundreds of saints where they could influence dacoits to drop violence to become kind and loving, and turn jihadis into social workers. I do not think it is impossible. It (non-violence) takes time and requires persistence.

Violence tends to beget violence. Generations of Kashmiris or Palestinians or Chhattisgarh tribals (Naxals) who have suffered oppression and seen the murder of their near and dear ones will possibly have revenge on their minds. Wouldn’t it be difficult to convince them of the virtues of peace and non-violence?

In fact, not if it is the issue concerning oppression. We have done it in many cases, including a recent case of Ramendra alias Guruji. If violence is motivated through allurement of money or heavenly pleasures, then it is difficult, though not impossible.

In today’s era of fundamentalism and religious violence, religion is often seen to be the root of evil. As a man of God, what would you say to those disillusioned of faith and given to questioning it?

They are right to some extent, if that has been their experience. I would request them to see things from a broader perspective. Not all religious people are violent. In fact, religion helps people to survive with sanity in tiring times and the strength to move through difficult times. Atheists and communists are no less involved in violence. When people have shunned the values of a religion and held on to religion as an identity out of insecurity, then religion causes problems. I would say people should move on from divisive religious fundamentalism to unifying global spirituality.

In a country like India where corruption, religious and class differences, and vote-bank politics seem to have weakened the faith of its citizens, would you still say that the principles of Ahimsa and Satyagraha are relevant?

These principles are more relevant than ever before.

Saffron terror is a relatively recent trend mentioned in association with Hinduism. How can Swami Vivekananda's religion, and that of the Gita, rescue themselves from such elements?

If you really take the statistics of this so-called saffron terror, it is a fringe element. It is just a handful of people who are enraged, outraged and impatient, looking at the vote-bank politics and the terrorism that is being rained on India. It’s just a handful of people who came out as a result of this continuous reign of terror on the Indian citizens. The shadow of terrorism from one religion will definitely fall on the others too. By and large, Hindus are non-reactive. There are instances where there are such reactions, but they are miniscule compared to the others.

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TAMIL NADU ENVIRONMENT: Activists oppose plan to build hospital on national park land

2011-03-21T10:44:00.000+05:30

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Threat to greenery
Chennai's greenery is under attack yet again. This time, the onslaught has not come from an influential builder, but the government. It has endorsed MGR medical university vice chancellor's plan to build a 500 bed hospital in the land to be carved out of the 2.7 square kilometre Guindy national park.

Situated in the middle of Chennai, this iconic park houses some 400 endangered black bucks, 2,000 spotted deer, 24 jackals, 100 species of birds, 60 species of butterflies and spiders.

It is not for the first time that this park has been robbed of land. Originally it was a place of game reserve. A British citizen Gilbert Rodericks, who died in 1817, owned it. After his death, the East India Company bought the property in 1821 as a weekend retreat for the governor. In 1947, when India became Independent, Guindy Lodge, as it was known then, became Raj Bhavan where the governor resided. In 1958, about 600 acre was handed over to the forest department, and in 1977 it earned the status of a national park.

By then, however, the original area of the park had shrunk as large portions of land had been given out for construction of Mahatma Gandhi memorial (9.25 acre); cancer institute (9 acre); Rajaji memorial (2.5 acre) and Kamaraj memorial ( 6 acre). IIT-Madras and Guru Nanak Educational Society also got land. The famous cancer institute is located inside the city.

Interestingly, the wildlife warden of the national park, Karunapriya, is not aware of any such development. She says she hasn't heard about construction of the hospital inside the park. 'Many wild animals survive here. We have a healthy population of black buck.' Many wildlife activists are opposed to such a project.

Chennai-based wildlife filmmaker Shekhar Dattatri said: 'The construction of a hospital will increase vehicle traffic. Besides, the development will have a long-term impact on the fauna and flora. This green space which acts as lung of the city should be protected.' K.V.Sudhakar, member of Madras naturalist association told TSI: 'Guindy national park is the last green patch in Chennai. It seems that the hospital has been planned near the Raj Bhavan. But a hospital inside a park is insensitive as the medical waste disposal and intrusion by the human beings will definitely spoil the atmosphere.'

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HARYANA LAW & ORDER: Locals accuse cops of doing little to curb crime

2011-03-17T10:36:00.000+05:30

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The fort of chandi crumbles
Once known as a peaceful and safe city of India, Chandigarh is rocked by incidents of robbery, brawl, murder and rape. Newspapers unfailingly report about these horrendous incidents.

Recently, an MBA girl student was brutally murdered in sector-38 West around 9 PM in mysterious circumstances. Even after days, the city police are still groping in the dark. They have been unable to lay their hands on the accused. This is not a one-off incident. These incidents have become a common occurrence in the city.

It was not that the administration was a mere spectator to these incidents. PCR (police control room) teams were established to curb vehicle theft, robbery and other crimes. But it is another story that the employees of the PCR were least bothered to act. However, after getting the flak in public the police administration has realised their folly. Now it has launched a movement to monitor PCR teams.

Senior superintendent of police S.S. Srivastav said: 'We have recruited special employees to keep vigil on PCR posts. Actually we have got many complaints that even after getting calls for help, they didn't show up. Till date, the special employees have checked some 500 PCR points in city. We have rewarded some honest policemen for good performance at PCR points.'

There were also complaints that in cases of an accident, PCR staff had been wasting a lot of time in getting permission from the control room. In many cases, victim succumbed to death. Now this rule has been changed. Under the new rule they don't have to wait for a call from headquarters. Besides, taking victims to hospitals, they will also keep vigil on criminals in the city.

In another example of negligence, the PCR did not respond to the call of a local. The story unfolds like this: When a local called on 100 to lodge a complaint with the cops that his house was looted in his absence, there was no response. It was only in the afternoon that the police registered his complaint.

But now Srivastav has assured the locals of prompt response. He said: 'Those PCR jawans, who were careless, will be taken to task.' He said although PCR employees are showing good performance but these kind of checking is necessary. He said: 'PCR gypsies posted for security of city will not be used for other purposes. We have also gotten permission from the administration for getting five more gypsies in the area.' The locals are impressed by the new changes.

A city resident Gagandeep Dhillon said: 'It is good that now they have realised their mistake. It is the duty of the cops to make sure that the locals are safe. And that is why PCR services were introduced in the area. We hope that the new approach will help curb rising crimes in the city.'

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BARACK OBAMA: BORDER SECURITY BILL

2011-03-14T10:13:00.000+05:30

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Please, find better ways '
'to secure the borders than increasing visa charges!

After being passed by the US Congress, the much-touted Border Security Bill was signed by the President Barack Obama. The bill will strengthen security along the border with Mexico and address the ongoing problem of illegal immigration.

The $600-million bill will fund necessary law enforcement equipment and cover expenses of newly-recruited officials. But before the bill could come into effect, there were several protests and dissent across the globe. Since the bill will be funded through charging higher visa charges from foreign companies operating in the US, many Indian companies showed their agitation over it. Most of Indian IT companies have their operations in the US and they collectively apply for more than 50,000 visas every year. The sudden rise in application fee for H-1B and L-1 visas, by at least $2,000 for the next five years, would hit the operations of Indian IT companies to a very large extent, as Indian IT export industry earns over 50 per cent of its revenue from the US market. However, this is not for the first time that a move or statement by Obama will affect Indian IT or for that matter outsourcing business in India and sub-continent.'

Even in his first state of the union address, on January 27, 2010, Obama announced that the tax breaks that Indian companies get would be discontinued and said, 'It is time to finally slash the tax breaks for companies that ship our jobs overseas, and give those tax breaks to companies that create jobs right here in the USA'' On the same lines, this move of Obama will not only increase the operations cost of Indian firm but will also deter Indian investment in US.

The H-1B and L-1 visa application already costs around $2000-2500; and an increase of $2000 as filing and fraud prevention and detection fees will ensure more per capita cost on temporary skilled workers sent to the US for work from India and subcontinent. As per trade body NASSCOM, the impact on the Indian IT sector could be as high as $200-250 million per year.'

Further, the bill may not be acquiescent with WTO as the state department spokesman put it defensively, "We are reviewing a suggestion that this bill is not WTO-compliant. I am not aware that we've reached any final judgment, but we're not sure that necessarily any WTO issues are triggered."

Interestingly, a report titled 'Regaining America's Competitive Advantage: Making our Immigration System Work' made by the US Chamber of Commerce and a popular think-tank called American Council on International Personnel suggested that far from restricting foreign workers, the US should eliminate the cap on H1B visas and allow the market to determine the overseas workers entry into the country. The US President Barack Obama and his government definitely understand already that it is this capability (of the US) to absorb highly skilled foreign employees that is the prime reason behind America's competitiveness and its position as a top superpower. It's surprising that knowing all that very well, they would still allow such a move to curb the flow of skilled technicians and experts that could, in the long-run, dent America's intellectual capital and international business competitiveness.

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The Supreme Court on the issue of food wastage

2011-03-11T16:05:00.000+05:30

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INDIA FOOD WASTAGE: No more wastage please
The Supreme Court recently suggested the Centre to distribute food stock free to the needy instead of letting it rot in the public godowns. The apex court, in a written letter to the government, said: 'Don't allow food grain to be wasted, give it away to the hungry population.' This is the most recent instance of the Supreme Court showing concern over governmental apathy.

India is an iconic example when it comes to wastage of food grain. The public storage facility across the country is terrible. A reply to an RTI query revealed that over 1.3 million tonnes of food grain (which comprises 183,000 tonnes of wheat, 395,000 tonnes of rice, 22,000 tonnes of paddy and 110 tonnes of maize) was wasted in the godowns of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) in a span of 10 years from 1997 to 2007. It was enough to feed 10 million people for one year. Besides, the Centre had spent about Rs. 259 crore to clean away rotten food grain. India loses over Rs. 58,000 crore of food grain every year due to wastage. Even the government accepted recently that 61,000 tonnes of food grain had gotten spoilt in godowns because of little or no protection. High-yielding states like Punjab and Haryana were struggling to save 15.5 million tonnes of food grain kept open in tarpaulins. This at a time when over 200 million Indians go to bed without food. The country ranks 66th among 88 countries in 2008 on the Global Hunger Index. Currently, the Indian government distributes its food stock through the Public Distribution System to the poor. Unfortunately, widespread corruption has befuddled the PDS in our country. A research, jointly conducted by the Transparency International and Centre for Media Studies in 2005, revealed that about Rs 21,069 crore was paid as bribes by Indians to avail of any one of 11 public services. Over 1.5 crore households paid bribes in 2004. Sadly, researches have also shown that states with higher poverty paid more bribe in PDS. Households pay on an average Rs. 245 every year as bribe. This means that India's poor are paying Rs.358 crore annually as bribe.

While Mr. Pawar says the issue is exaggerated, it's high time that the Centre should take up the issue of inadequate public storage capacity seriously. India's storage capacity is 60 million tonnes while nationwide food production has increased to 228 million tonnes. China's food storage capacity is 150 million tonnes. Surprisingly, neither the FCI nor Food Ministry have revealed plans to improve the storage, although the Ministry of Agriculture did recently promise to implement world-class storage facilities. The government also passed the Food Security Bill recently. These are all signs of commitments. But will they be enough?

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TAMIL NADU AGRICULTURE: A Date with farming

2011-01-30T02:01:00.000+05:30

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A software engineer gives up his job in the US to grow dates

Before starting date farming in Tamil Nadu, Anbazhagan was a software engineer in California. But he left his job to grow dates in a place that was declared unfit for the cultivation of this fruit by scientists.

''In Tamil Nadu every agricultural scientist is convinced that dates cannot be grown as there is no desired climatic condition. A family I met showed me a date tree that was grown from a seed. It had no fruits. None knew that it was a male tree. In India, dates cultivation is done in Gujarat. Naveenbhai Sodhakar, a scientist from Gujarat, agreed to help me. He came to Tamil Nadu and encouraged me. I brought date seedlings that were grown in Dubai after being created in London by tissue culture. They are six month old seedlings," Anbazhagan said.

In 2007, he opened a date farm in Mullipadi, a village five kilometre from Dindigul town. He imported 616 seedlings, each costing Rs 3,500. He spent Rs 21 lakh for the seedlings alone. Upset with the expenditure, his father asked him to do some other business. But Anbazhagan persisted.

TSI visited the 12 acre farm managed by Anbazhagan and saw that all the seedlings have grown up to ten feet height. Most of them bear fruits which are spectacularly bright yellow in colour. ''These trees will live another 65 years. They will grow till 60-70 feet height. After three years, these trees will give 25-30 kilograms each. And after five years they will give 50 kilograms. We sell dates at Rs 300 per kilogram," said a beaming Anbazhagan who sells his dates in the name of his farm: TR and Sons. From an obscure software engineer, Anbazhagan has become an innovative farmer. Also, he has become a popular farmer.

''In India, many people are anaemic. Dates are essential food item now. And they come in 2,000 varieties. Bahri is one important variety which I am growing now," he said. Now his dream is to expand this farm into 200 acre. After reading about his success story, many of his friends in the US want to take a plunge in date farming in Tamil Nadu. Anbazhagan acquired basic knowledge of date farming from the farms in America.

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

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KARNATAKA EDUCATION: No more dropouts

2011-01-26T00:59:00.000+05:30

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Government to encourage students to continue education

The Karnataka government has drafted a plan to stem school dropouts. Under this visionary scheme to be implemented soon, teachers at all state government schools will be instructed to maintain individual education plans for each student they teach.

The main motive of this project is to encourage dropouts to join schools. The number of dropouts has soared in the state. Data available with the State education department shows that 59.61 per cent of students studying in 1 to 10th standard dropped out of schools during 2003-04. However, their numbers came down to 55. 67 per cent in 2004-05.

The districts located in the north eastern part of Karnataka reported the highest school dropout rates. According to 2001 census, 10.53 lakh students in the age group between 6 and 14 had dropped out of schools. The survey report of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) claimed that in the academic year 2009-10, about 1,08,542 children aged between 7 and 13 years gave up their studies. The state education department and scholars are alarmed by the high dropout rates. They want to bring this to an end and hence this scheme is being unrolled. However, some intellectuals are not happy with the way the government is tackling the whole issue.

The education expert and head of Karnataka Research and Development in primary education, Dr. S.N. Hunachagi, said: 'Dropout rate is alarmingly high. The government wants us to believe that it is decreasing, but that is not the case. The education department should unroll projects to address the issue. Till now the department has done no ground work. Most of the projects are only on papers. That is why results have been poor.'

However, some senior officials don't agree with Hunachagi. They argue that this time the government is serious in handling the issue. Teachers have also been asked to study students' socioeconomic background, including their cast, mother tongue, religion, family income and occupation, number of siblings' etc. But the full status of the project is hazy. 'Right now we are discussing the project. If anything concrete happens we will come out with details,' said K.R. Shashidhar, Commissioner for Public Instruction department.

It is yet not known whether teachers burdened with extra works like surveys and other departmental and governmental works as elections and census will be able to carry out this arduous task. Will they be able to maintain individual records of every student?

'It is not that much difficult to do as we are already maintaining records of every student. We know our students individually and sometimes we do meet their parents to discuss students' educational performances. Yes, we have to work hard and do overtime work to maintain and update each student's record. We may find it hard at the beginning but we will get used to it. If this project will help decrease the dropout rates we are ready to spend some more time on it,' says Ramaswamy, Head master, government lower primary school Chamadihalli, Karnataka.

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'I've been a target since 1992'

2011-01-22T16:56:00.000+05:30

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Communal tensions are on the rise in Kerala. A college professor in Muvattupuzha of Ernakulam district recently had his right wrist chopped off by religious zealots for preparing a question paper that had alleged defamatory references to the Prophet. As the Bangalore blast case sword hangs over Kerala People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader Abdul Nasser Madani, he tells TSI's T Satisan that he and his wife, Sufiya Madani, are victims of a conspiracy

Do you think the stand you took after your release from Coimbatore jail in 2007 was misplaced?

Not at all. I was never an extremist. I founded the Islamic Sevak Sangh (ISS) as a reaction to things that were happening in the country ' the Babri Masjid dispute, problems faced by Muslims and provocative speeches made by leaders like Uma Bharati. Naturally my speeches were hard-hitting. But I never amassed arms or explosives. Long incarceration gave me time for introspection. I came to the conclusion that Kerala has a particular atmosphere. During my imprisonment, Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, Gro Vasu and Mukundan C. Menon came to my aid much earlier than Muslim leaders. Democratic methods are always more desirable. This is the conclusion I came to. I still believe in everything I told TSI in 2007.

Do you intend to propagate the philosophy that you formulated in jail?

I recently organised a Rashtra Suraksha Sandesh Yatra from Kasargod to Thiruvananthapuram. I addressed more than 120 public meetings. I propagated the message of the Quran. I put forward my own ideas too. I said not a single Muslim youth should become an extremist because the Quran does not permit it. If you study the Quran and Islam, you can never be an extremist, you can never blaspheme another religion.

What about the disclosures of Nazeer about the Bangalore blasts?

Nazeer had come to see me after my release. He discussed his extremist line with me. I insisted his line was wrong. I shouted at him and sent him back. He has however stated I had nothing to do with his extremist activities. If the police are still after me, it is because of somebody's hidden agenda.

You are also accused of involvement in the Kalamassery bus burning...

I was in a Tamil Nadu jail and the vehicle belonged to Tamil Nadu. Naturally Tamil newspapers gave wide coverage to the incident. Neither me nor Sufiya is involved in it.

Do you think that the 'Ponnani policy' during the last Lok Sabha elections was wrong?

Not at all. It was the right stand under those circumstances. The Left stance against imperialism, the nuclear deal, Israel's atrocities in Gaza, the Union government's pro-Israel policy, IB's politically motivated game plans, etc. drew us to the Left Front. I still believe it was a right decision. But, at the same time, it unified our opponents. The Left Front lost Ponnani not because the PDP link. Congress, Muslim League and BJP joined hands there.

CPM's politburo has stated that the PDP connection was wrong.

That's a wrong conclusion. PDP was not with them when they fought by-elections for three Assembly seats and several wards of the local bodies. They lost. It is the Left that owes us an explanation. It was routed in the 2009 LS Sabha elections. They got more votes in Ponnani due to us. They are going to fight the 2011 assembly elections sans an alliance with us. Let us see how they fare.

So you have no relations with the Left Front after the Lok Sabha polls?

A: That's right.

Why are you always targeted?

I have been a target since 1992. Conspiracies have been afoot against me. There was an attempt on my life. I lost my leg in a bomb blast. It was masterminded by local RSS men. I think they were tools in somebody's hands. I was made an accused in the Coimbatore blast case. I spent 10 years in jail. I was released when my innocence was established. The Hyderabad Mecca Masjid blast, Malegaon blasts and Samjhauta Express blast took place around that time. Abhinav Bharat and other Hindu outfits were accused. Then the conspirators thought that some cases should come up against Muslims by way of a balancing act. But Nazeer was a lightweight. So I was made a scapegoat in the Bangalore case. The same thing had happened in the Coimbatore case. First Me, without a leg, jailed for 10 years. When I was jailed I weighed 110 kg. When I was released I was 48 kg. Did you approach the court for compensation?

Many people gave me that advice. But I did not heed it. Things will be different in the future. After Bangalore it could be Kashmir. I will go to court for compensation if this happens again.

Your workers are not protesting as aggressively as they once used to?

I do not want them to give in to sentimental outbursts. Some others may even misuse the situation. Therefore, we do not go in for strong protests. But last week Kollam town witnessed the 'Madani Neethi Nishedha Vedi' (Forum to address the denial of justice to Madani) rally. More than 19 Muslim organisations participated in it. BSP representatives also were there. Former Human Rights Commission chairman Dr Balaram addressed the rally too. A similar rally will take place in Kochi soon. And, lot of people are taking turns to fast in protest. The mother of a young PDP worker advised him not to return home if 'Ustad' (followers address Madani as 'Ustad') is arrested. Another worker's child is in an ICU. He says, he won't go back home even if his child dies. All fasting workers are Hindus. July 21 onwards road marches will take place throughout Kerala.

Are the human rights activists still active as they used to be?

Justice. V.R. Krishna Iyer issued a statement against the denial of justice in my case. B.R.P. Bhaskar and Bhasurendra Babu are also there. Gro Vasu and Dr. M.S. Jayaprakash fasted here. But the media did not highlight it much.

How will you face the Bangalore case?

Legally. I will not challenge the court as Thackeray did. There will not be any 'human wall'.

In 2007, you had envisaged a movement with Muslims and Dalits. But now you talk only about Muslims.

I am a Muslim and my activities create an impact among Muslims. But my welfare schemes benefit all. My ambulance service is free for all Dalits. But Muslims have to pay for the fuel.

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THE KARATE KID: KO!

2010-12-27T14:25:00.000+05:30

IIPM Prof Arindam Chaudhuri on Our Parliament and Parliamentarians' Work

TSI Five-O: Old wine in a new Chinese bottle!

We did not need a remake of 'The Karate Kid', but once you manage to get past that point, and view the film without comparing it with the original 80s hit film (despite the number of dialogues and scenes lifted straight from the original), you can get quite a kick from this film. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith's son Jaden plays Dre, who moves to a new country with his mother, and as he masters martial arts (kung-fu and not karate) to get the better of school bullies, Jaden packs quite a punch with his performance. Jackie Chan plays an introverted maintenance man (Mr Han) and kung-fu master, who rescues Jaden from getting beaten by the bullies and subsequently trains him for an open kung-fu tournament. The 12-year-old Jaden surprises us with his acting, with the way he sculpts his body, and how he delivers his punches and kicks so convincingly. From now on, Jaden cannot be addressed as just another star-kid, for he's a star himself!

Director Harald Zwart has included some of the much-loved moments from the original film, re-tailored to suit the new canvas. Tinkering with the old scenes might not go down well with the fans of the earlier film, who might find immense gaps in the style of teaching adopted by Mr Han as against that of Mr Miyagi, which though equally eccentric, aren't as ingenious or convincing. Also, with the children being much younger than the kids in the original film, it is a bit unnerving to see them exchanging blows with each other.

By setting it among the breathtaking locales of China, the filmmakers lend a fresh, new feel to the film. Jackie Chan gives a restrained performance; the fighting sequences are gripping and well choreographed. People young and old would find this remake to be quite entertaining and engaging. 'The Karate Kid' is poised to win the box office tournament too.

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

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The focus is on inclusive growth

2010-12-14T12:42:00.000+05:30

IIPM Prof Rajita Chaudhuri's Snaps

Tom Vadakkan
Secretary, All India India Congress Committee

UPA-II is breathing more comfortably without the Left as an ally. They had the habit of putting up obstacles on every issue. This time the main focus is on high growth rate of GDP and social reforms like education, equal rights to everybody, promotional schemes for the economically backward and minorities. The will to give equal power to women was clearly seen in the tabling of the Women's Reservation Bill and Right to Education. Also attempts have been made to control inflationary trends on food items and to ensure adequate supply of essential goods through PDS or other methods.

PM Manmohan Singh and home minister P. Chidambaram have always said that the Naxal problem is the main concern for the country. What the party and the government are saying is essentially the same thing, especially demanding focus on development while taking action to counter the Maoists. Both the Centre and state governments need to work in complete harmony to ensure peace. The blame game should be stopped.

In my view, UPA-II has completed its first year on a high note. Having said that, I want to make it clear that it does not mean that UPA-I did not perform well. If it had not performed well, it would never have returned to power. UPA-II got a clear mandate and now we don't have to abide by the tantrums of the Left. Clearly, the electorate voted for UPA's pro-people policies. The vote was also against such partners of ours, like the Left, who people saw as someone who is posing a hindrance in the path of development. Their opposition-for-the-sake-of-opposition sunk them completely. It is in that sense that UPA-II is performing well in comparison to its last tenure. The Manmohan Singh-led government has full power vested in it and they are free to take decisions as they wish. It was because of this that the government was able to focus on economic policies more pragmatically and managed to bring in better GDP growth rate although the world was reeling under recession. And that is not all. Nearly all the ministries and departments are performing well and showing great results. It was the government's political will that helped the Women's Reservation Bill sail through the Upper House despite widespread opposition. NREGA is a great success story and the government is committed to improving and expanding it further. The Right to Education Bill has been introduced and is under discussion. On his part, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has committed that the benefits of all the social programmes will reach each and every individual in even the remotest corners of the country.

As far as challenges are concerned, the government itself agrees that increase in food prices, rise in inflation, and the Naxal threat to internal security are major areas of concern. Economists are satisfied that GDP growth rate will cross 8 per cent next year as the government has taken essential steps. On his part, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has maintained that by the end of the year, prices will cool down. Another thing that is worth mentioning is the difference between WPI and actual retail prices. It shows that hoarding is rampant in states and the respective state governments are unable to enforce the relevant acts and laws effectively. State governments, on their part, should place their trust in the steps taken by the Centre and should not question its intent.

As far as the Naxal problem is concerned, both Manmohan Singh and Chidambaram have spoken on record that it is the biggest threat to the internal security of the country. Dr Singh, on his part, also made it clear during his Kashmir tour that he is willing to talk to people from all factions. The Congress as well as UPA partners agree on the modus operandi that needs to be followed while tackling the Maoist issue: economic development in the region coupled with strong-arm policing and policies. Overall, I can vouchsafe that UPA-II's start has been good and it is poised to do even better in the years ahead.

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

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Babies on sale!

2010-11-30T11:50:00.000+05:30

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

Illegal adoption routes are preferred by adoptive parents

Recently a couple of illegal adoption cases were exposed by various media houses in Bangalore and Mumbai. Adoption fundamentally was meant to provide a better living and growth environment for orphans. Historically, the process of adoption was given a very high social recognition. But then, the present form of adoption is all about a trade, which is getting murkier by the day. And no one is to be blamed other than the law of the land, which has acted as a catalyst to this trade. Adoption laws in India are not just laden with pointlessly prolonged and complex official processes, but surprisingly are different for different religion, in spite of Indian Constitution being secular in nature. These discriminatory and complex legal procedures have created an enabling environment for 'Baby mafia' to thrive.

Adoption laws in India, unlike elsewhere in the world, falls within the arena of personal laws and varies from religion to religion. On the one hand, where Hindu Personal Law provides scope for adoption, on the other, the Muslim law doesn�t encourage such practice. Christians, Parsis and Jews can only be legal guardians and not parents � however, this law is still under reconsideration. Moreover, Indian laws still do not permit couples above the age of 45 to adopt children. Also the supply of children for adoption, through legal route, is quite limited and scarce, and so the adoptive parents have to wait for years for their turn to come. If the adoptive parents hold a NRI status, then they have bigger problems as then they need to channelise their request through a recognised Central Adoption Resource Agency, which is again in short supply. The discriminatory and non-uniform law makes and the resultant asymmetries in the market forces the adoptive parents go through non-conventional channels. For that matter even if an adoptive parent successfully crosses all the above hurdles, the bigger predicament that appears in their route is the right of birth mother. According to the Supreme Court, the �birth� mother is given 60 days after surrendering the baby to the adoptive parents to get back the baby, if she changes her mind. In such a case, the adoptive parents are left with no choice, even after all paper work and monetary expenditures.

In case of illegal adoption, not only the adoptive parents get a choice of a baby, but can by pass long formal procedures. They not just escape the perils of long waiting list and age-bar but also the numerous visits to Central Adoption Resource Agency (in case of NRIs). The biggest relief the parents get from illegal routes is the call back right of birth mothers. Most of the time, non-Hindus resort to illegal adoption in order to call themselves as parents (officially) and just not be confined to guardian tag. Guardian tag not also raises issues like inheritance rights but also is seen as social taboo. But then these illegal routes don�t promise these children a safe home and equal rights (which is taken care of by legal procedures). There have been numerous cases where adoptive parents abandon these children after few months of adoption and also escape any legal action as well. Children adopted through such routes are also found being sold in flesh trade market and are sometime exported as slaves and bonded labourers to other countries.

In India, where there are tens of hundreds of children on streets without any care, it is imperative to streamline the adoption process and for that the adoption laws should be drafted with a singular objective and that is to provide home to every homeless child!

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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HOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD and MORE: Wind from the woods

2010-11-17T17:28:00.000+05:30

IIPM Prof Rajita Chaudhuri: The New Age Woman

Who’ll steal the show?

Starlets Deepika Padukone and Sonam Kapoor are seen as competitors by the audience. Where Ranbir and Sonam’s reel life chemistry in “Saawariya” failed them, Ranbir and Deepika’s real life chemistry became the talk of the town. While Deepika became an A-list actress with her very first film, Sonam is still struggling to establish her ground. And now, the two are once again up for another face-off in “I Hate Love Stories” and “Break Ke Baad”, where Sonam and Deepika (respectively) are paired opposite Imran Khan. Now, let’s wait and watch whose chemistry with Khan is more explosive this time around! Veering Vir

Stand-up comedian Vir Das has seriously taken the plunge into acting in films. He went through a gruelling nine-audition ordeal to land a role in Aamir Khan’s “Delhi Belly”. Not one to forget his first love, Vir also took time out between the shooting schedules of “Badmaash Company” and performed live shows in the US. Now, despite the appreciation that “Badmaash Company” garnered him, Vir is flooded with fan-mail calling him back to stand-up comedy! Let’s wait and see if Vir laughs-off the mails or stands up for his new passion. Set to prove a point!

The hot model-turned-actor, Arjun Rampal, is usually praised more for his looks than acting skills, despite working very hard on his films. His effort did pay off when his powerful acting was appreciated in “Om Shanti Om”, “The Last Lear” and “Rock On!!”, except his winning-streak was followed by a very forgettable flick “Fox”. The hunk will now be seen in “Rajneeti”, and in order to essay the role of a politician just right, he keenly observed young politicians like Rahul Gandhi, Sachin Pilot and Milind Deora. Hopefully, this time he will once again show us that he’s a National-Award-winning actor and not just a drop-dead gorgeous hunk! The girl of his dreams…

Cannes Film Festival did not only showcase films, but also became a platform to display some love! Spanish actor, Javier Bardem, openly spoke about his sweetheart, Penelope Cruz, upon receiving the Best Actor award, and the teary-eyed actress smiled and blew kisses at her beau. Together since 2007, the couple have never openly spoken about their relationship. After being showered with praises in public by her love, the Oscar winning actress definitely went back a winner from the Festival.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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REJITHA, JOINT COORDINATOR, SAKHI

2010-09-21T15:49:00.000+05:30

What strategies do you adopt to break through the clutter and ensure that people and authorities notice your efforts?
Consultations and meeting are called while formulating policies. Government officials and other prominent personalities are invited to these consultations. Further, our mass campaigns help us to take our work to public and authorities.

How do you ensure visibility?
We have has never adopted branding and advertising in a professional way for fund-raising. Sakhi’s fund-raising activities are mainly on personal contacts. For that we develop social and personal contacts through our activities. We also send our annual report to major decision-makers of the funding agencies

How has your organisation been instrumental in bringing changes at the grass root?
We have been instrumental in bringing about a positive change in women’s life in rural areas. Through our capacity building programmes we have been able to enhance the leadership qualities of elected women representatives of local self governments and impart life skills education to adolescents. We also provide support to women who face violence in their life and are also campaigning to fight against violence on women and girls.

What about celebrity endorsements?
Celebrities can really take your message to the masses. However, no celebrity is directly associated with Sakhi as of now.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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DEFINING MARKETING MOMENTS OF 2009

2010-08-10T16:07:00.000+05:30

Savreen Gadhoke and Surbhi Chawla present the sizzlers, the scorchers & the whimpers that rocked 2009

From Obama to Fevicol, from Bigg Boss to the Ambanis, we bring to you the most defining marketing moments of the year gone by

Sibling rivalry redefined: Nobody has perchance used media as a tool to win points in a corporate battle, as the Ambanis have done. In the gas pricing issue between brothers Mukesh & Anil, the latter launched a campaign against the former by giving front page ads in almost all national dailies accusing the Petroleum Ministry of interfering in a corporate dispute and favouring RIL!

When mascot became larger than the brand: Vodafone’s newly-created mascots, officially called, Zoozoos instantly created mass-hysteria promoting its VAS offerings. Zoozoos successfully triggered a hot debate on whether creativity in 30-sec spots is enough to make killer brands. Well, Zoozoos did manage to create at least one killer brand – they themselves.

Superstar employees: Intel launched ‘Sponsors of Tomorrow’ to give an insight of the company to its consumers. The ad campaign highlighted Intel’s people and their revolutionary inventions. The campaign took Intel’s employees to another level altogether by calling them ‘Intel Superstars’ with a tagline: “Our superstars are a little different from your superstars.”

Engaging with real consumers was never so personalised: A marketing trend pioneered by Frito Lay’s Kurkure gained momentum like never before. So, we had Maggi (which printed real-life stories of Maggi-lovers on the packs) and Dove (which made brand ambassadors out of the contestants of Dove Real Face Test Campaign) engaging with real consumers, thereby enhancing brand loyalty and equity. Even Google, through the Doodle 4 Google contest, engaged school kids.

Changing the rules of the game: The telecom price war was never as intense as in the latter half of 2009. ‘Pay per second’ suddenly became the hottest pricing strategy applied by almost all telcos and was extended to SMS and roaming plans as well. But the game changing pricing strategy was first initiated by Tata DoCoMo’s GSM that offered the ‘pay per second’ plan to its customers – a breakthrough move by a new entrant in the GSM space. Same with RCom’s GSM offering, which charged one paisa per SMS from its customers. What better than hitting the biggies where it hurts the most…

Landmark for the generic brand: The mazboot jod of Fevicol completed 50 years in 2009. And to celebrate this landmark, Ogilvy India conceptualised the Moonchwali campaign. A lot of buzz was created even before the launch of the campaign as teasers were launched in multiplexes and movie theatres. Insertions in dailies intimated to readers that the Moonchwali is coming soon.

New way to introduce a spot on TV: To create frenzy around the news that Bollywood’s star couple Abhi-Ash are coming together for the ad campaign of Lux soap, it was decided to launch the campaign in the Lux-sponsored reality show on Star Plus – Lux Perfect Bride. The participants (paired as couples) were made to play the blind-fold game that Abhi-Ash play in the ad and dance to the tune of the jingle. For the first time ever, an ad campaign was introduced by way of a reality show.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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EXPLOSION IN FOOD BRANDS

2010-06-28T15:12:00.000+05:30

In fact, the consistent increase in agricultural output, combined with India’s second largest in the world arable area, have worked to a large extent to support easing of raw material sourcing issues for RTE and RTC products, a big reason for global giants to enter India. A FICCI estimate this year says that the year 2009 has been a record year for India’s food retailing industry as at least 20 convenience food brands have entered the Rs.9,900 billion Indian agri-retail sector. Who all are we talking about here? Starting from global giants like Walmart, Hershey to Indian players like Capital Foods, Mother Dairy, Kohinoor Foods, the list seems to be growing by the month.

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries reports that the food processing industry in India grew at 14% ytd as on October 2009, irrespective of the economic recession. The convenience food market, in consequence, has seen incredible foreign direct investments of $143.80 million. As mentioned before, international biggies have not only resorted to the acquisition route but also at the same time have attempted to create sturdy sourcing hubs for their global food businesses. MTR Foods Ltd is a brilliant example of how an Indian convenience food brand was simply lapped up by a global behemoth for such reasons. The Norwegian branded food major Orkla SA acquired the Bangalore-based MTR Foods Ltd for $80 million to get a snapshot entry into the Indian market. At the same time, Orkla is now using MTR as the sourcing hub for its overseas food business. And as Hemendra Mathur, Managing Director of Small Enterprise Assistance Funds, tells us, in cases of foreign acquisitions like Dr.Oetker, Orkla or even the much known HUL acquiring Modern Food, the biggest advantage is the transfer of R&D technology to the Indian hub.

Therefore, supporting such efforts of foreign companies is the Indian government, which is actually encouraging foreign giants to enter India. Consider the ‘Vision 2015’ approach undertaken by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries and CII, which is driven by a mission of overseeing a ‘three-fold’ growth in the size of the processed food sector by increasing levels of processing of perishables from 6% to 20% of total production. Apparently, a huge focus is also being driven into plans and policies that go on to ensure that value addition in food production is raised from 20% to 35% overall, including packaging and branding.

But one critical aspect that is being forgotten by the Ministry is that many Indian companies, even larger ones, sometimes do not come up to global process and production benchmarks. For example, bullish on the lucrative exports market, not many know that the UK based Rotschild’s FieldFresh had tied up with the Bharti group much before Walmart had. Some members of that venture reveal to 4Ps B&M that Rotschild’s extremely demanding speed of sourcing was really hard for the Bharti group to match up to – and the obvious result, the members disclose, was that Bharti last year bid adieu to Rothschild and embraced Walmart.

At the same time is the case of North America’s leading chocolate and confectionery manufacturer, Hershey, which tied up two years ago with Godrej Beverages and Foods Ltd. Christened as Godrej Hershey Foods and Beverages Ltd, this JV in a time span of two years has not only grown by 20% but has become a major supplier to other players like HUL (for its Kissan brand). In a symbiotic relationship, the JV gives Godrej international technology to grow its food and beverage business and gives Hershey a platform to launch its brands in the attractively fast growing Indian confectionery market.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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MAD. AVENUE: NOT SO HOT ANYMORE?

2010-06-14T14:00:00.000+05:30

Marketing bigwigs globally have been favouring small, closely-knit agencies for their personal attention for sometime now

Watch Kenny Tomlin – his eyes fixed on a huge flat-screen monitor - in his mousy office housed in an equally nondescript business centre in Wal-Mart’s home town Arkansas and you may at first refuse to believe that he’s the CEO of an agency that is betting on bringing in $7.8 million as revenues for 2009. But Tomlin intends to do exactly that with his three-year-old digital agency, Rockfish. Tomlin’s start-up has stacked some big brands into its purse, including Wal-Mart, P&G, Tyson Foods and Hershey’s. During a year when many big agencies were choking on the recession storm that swept America, Tomlin’s lean and unique business model has kept Rockfish Interactive afloat and growing. So why have biggies like Wal-Mart (which usually works with large agencies like Martin Agency and R/GA), chosen Rockfish to conceive and implement their online marketing initiative? Suraya Bliss, Sr. Director for Communications at Wal-Mart Stores gave the answer to Adage in a recent interview. “They helped us address tough issues, and haven’t lost sight of creativity in the process,” says Bliss, adding that Rockfish helped Wal-Mart with “challenges on the back end as well.”

Bliss is not the only marketer harboring such radical sentiments. While the trend has only now begun catching on in India, big marketers in the US have been favouring small, closely-knit agencies that give them personal attention for sometime now. The fact that they also come 15-20% cheaper than the fancy agencies – with large overheads and swank offices – on Madison Avenue is just an added benefit tipping the scales for recession-hit marketers. And that (recession) is another cause and effect syndrome that is prompting a new craze for agency entrepreneurship in American ad-land. Prompted by layoffs, job insecurities or simply personal dissatisfaction at big agencies, these outfits mostly specialise in digital or social media.

But exceptions like P.J. Pereira and Andrew O’Dell are creating waves too. Both of them quit high-flying executive jobs with big agencies and launched their namesake multidisciplinary agency in San Francisco last year. In an interview, the pair told WSJ: “The problem with most existing ad agencies is that they either have a traditional focus or a digital orientation — and either way, marketers aren’t as well-served as they could be.” They pride themselves on their USP of hiring employees with unusual backgrounds rather than advertising experience, including a wine expert, a music producer, a shark wrestler and a Hollywood screenwriter – some of whom have already delivered award-winning works during the agency’s 18 months. Pereira’s strategy: To think outside the box, one must have people who’ve lived in different boxes! And it works because Pereira has a small team that functions in a casual ambience. Point is, global marketers are increasingly getting convinced by the logic of ‘small is big on delivery’ - Pereira O’Dell has already landed hi-flying clients like toymaker Lego, Pony and the University of Phoenix. The agency’s “strong growth, significant client wins and outstanding creative work” has already landed it the title of ‘Small Agency of the Year’ in AdAge’s first such awards.

Agency consultant Michael Gass believes that there has been a paradigm shift in the manner that small agencies acquire business. Breaking popular perception, he argues that now 80% decision makers find their agency and not the other way round. And if pull is hotter than push in ad-land now, then ‘delivery’ is bound to have more weight than candy floss dressings and plush office decors. Going by recent accolades, awards and new business wins, the small guys are certainly ‘pulling’ in the crowd with their cost effective deliveries, and above all, involved solutions for client problems.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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It’s a ‘Yes’ to retailing

2010-05-27T15:29:00.000+05:30

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Yes bank may have registered 20% growth in revenues till September 2009 when the entire banking industry was reeling under slowdown blues; it still lags way behind others when it comes to retail penetration. Rana Kapoor, CEO, Yes Bank is equally aware of this and has clearly crafted plans in place to turn this challenge into a lucrative opportunity. This was palpable when the company rolled out 50 outlets and unveiled its plans to add 50 more outlets by 2009-end. Yes Bank even rolled out a TVC showing a money plant growing. But there’s more to it as Rana Kapoor is sending the plant to all stakeholders of the company. As Kapoor points out, “We always believe in enhancing our stakeholders as they’re the ones who make us what we’re today.” But can a money plant convey the retail penetration of Yes Bank?! Well, sowing seeds could have been a better idea!

Angshuman Paul

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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OF POLITICAL INTEGRITY?

2010-05-07T17:09:00.001+05:30

Naveen Patnaik, CM, Orissa

For someone who was pals with Jacqueline Kennedy, David Bowe and others of the Hollywood swish set, and knew French better than Oriya when he joined state politics in 1997, Naveen Patnaik’s smooth transformation into a ruthless politician has stunned many. The icing on the cake came earlier this year when his Biju Janata Dal swept the state polls and that too after snapping ties with 11-year ally BJP. His success is easily explained by the manner in which Naveen has carefully crafted his image in the public eye. Watch him speaking easily with farmers under the scorching sun in his constituency – perhaps enumerating the benefits of his Rs.2/kg rice scheme – and you’ll forget the fact that this man has stayed away from his home state and politics for a better part of his life. A confirmed bachelor, Naveen’s mild mannerisms, battle against corruption and pro-poor agenda have made him the cynosure of all eyes. Known as the thinking politician, his clean image has wooed biggies like Arcelor-Mittal, POSCO, Tata and Vedanta into the state. No wonder, supporters hail him as India’s apostle for good governance!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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Spicing up things…

2010-04-09T16:40:00.001+05:30

IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy

At a time when most of the full-service carriers have gate crashed into the supposedly feasible low-cost model, SpiceJet has decided to go against the herd. Anish Srikrishna, Sr. VP, Marketing, SpiceJet, highlights the airlines’ differentiated positioning...

4Ps B&M: How important is it for SpiceJet to build a brand and what are the challenges related to it considering the current turmoil in the sector?
AS: SpiceJet was launched as a carrier that always aimed to provide safe, value-for-money, comfortable and hassle-free air travel to its travellers. The brand’s rapid growth over the first four years since it took off has been built on excellent customer experiences and positive word-of-mouth. But now that we are doing well and growing, it is important that we expand the brand’s reach and appeal to our prospective target audience. The challenge has been to connect with our audience and position the SpiceJet brand as one that offers more than others in the business.

4Ps B&M: When at a time most of the full-service carriers are moving into the low-cost and low-fare business model, how do you plan to differentiate your brand from the increasing competition?
AS: Almost all the airlines today are highlighting the ‘low-fare’ factor as a differentiator. However, we want to place ourselves differently and aim to position our brand as one which caters many services, apart from providing low fares to the customers. The idea is to develop a brand that delivers value beyond the price point. And to achieve that, we are not only providing a safe, modern and young fleet who deliver services in a more efficient and friendly manner with on-time service; but are also committed to listen to our customers so that we offer experiences that they value. All these positive experiences keep the brand alive and fresh in the minds of our travellers. Thus, such kind of positioning definitely cuts through the clutter in a sector that is driven by competitive pricing, which have threatened to commoditise the brands.

4Ps B&M: Is your latest ‘Get More When You Fly’ campaign in line to highlight the same?
AS: Our latest campaign definitely highlights SpiceJet’s unique value offerings for our fliers. When we say ‘Get more,’ we mean that we offer more intangible services to our customers like providing complimentary supervision for minors travelling alone, allowing web check-in without any extra cost, savings on return fares, waiver for sports kits and even selling hot tea and coffee in flight at 30,000 feet at a very reasonable price of Rs.20, et al.

4Ps B&M: What is the marketing mix adopted by SpiceJet to gain maximum reach for its marketing initiatives?
AS: We are looking at a 360-degree approach for our marketing initiatives so as to achieve maximum reach and communicate to all our travellers. For our latest campaign, we are looking at various Indian magazines, radio channels, print, outdoor, et al.

4Ps B&M: How much budget have you earmarked for your advertising and brand building initiatives?
AS: Well, I cannot give you an exact number but we nearly spend about 3-5% of our annual turnover on our advertising and brand building exercises.

Ratan Lal Bhagat

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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TATA TEA - AGENCY: MADISON MEDIA

2010-03-25T13:25:00.000+05:30

Exclusive In chat with Society Magazine - Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri

MISSION: Tata Tea wanted to connect with youth. So it re-crafted its communication from brand benefits to a cause driven impetus; from a brand of tea that wakes you up, to awaken the youth to support a social movement.

ACTION PLAN: For the launch of the campaign, Internet was used as the key action-driver and jaagore.com – an online voting registeration site was developed to simplify the otherwise cumbersome process of getting a voter ID card made.

LOLA GK: To get the youth to register on the site, Tata Tea partnered with Channel [V] to create a series of hard hitting spots – ‘Vote ya vaat’ anchored by young celebrities and politicians voicing their individual thoughts. VJ Lola travelled through the country to talk to youth on politics and elections – in her typical whacky style. Next, Channel [V]’s other VJs spoke to the audience about the myths related to voting and finally, short, focused messages from the Bollywood youth icons rounded off the Channel [V] campaign.

RESULT: The campaign reached out to four million youth in the age group of 18-24 years, playing a vital role in the ‘0.7 million new voter registration’ on jaagore.com.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

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The power of change

2010-03-04T12:21:00.000+05:30

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

He has not yet completed two months since he assumed the office of CEO of the world’s largest consumer products company, Procter & Gamble (P&G), but Robert McDonald (Bob, as he is fondly called) is all set to give a major growth push to the company. Bob, after surveying the market conditions, has launched a brand new marketing strategy to beat the slowdown blues and has kickstarted growth by promoting his ‘purpose-inspired-growth’ strategy that focuses on P&G’s culture and values. Bob hopes to integrate leadership and value-creation for stakeholders. And this, according to him, can be achieved by a radical change in the thinking of the employees by truly adopting the values of change. Now that’s what you call the power of change - a positive change, of course!

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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BSNL banking on WiMax...

2010-02-22T14:59:00.000+05:30

Following closely on the heels of MTNL, now BSNL too has invited global bids for its WiMax foray. It is expected that WiMax would help in providing the last mile connectivity for the wired broadband and help in increasing its reach. The broadband penetration in India currently stands at a mere 5% of the total population and one of the major obstacles in its growth is considered to be its reach. With the help of WiMax technology, BSNL hopes to address this problem and get more customers in its kitty. However, the problem with BSNL lies in its service delivery and not in terms of reach and pricing. As it is this public sector has the maximum reach in the country as far as broadband is considered and the prices are also competitive. But, most people who have been using its service complain that it is good till the time one does not encounter a problem as the time taken to solve complaints and the slackened attitude is what gets on the nerves of most customers. Analysts believe that the future of the landline connections lie in the hands of popularity of broadband and it would give BSNL a very good opportunity to rectify its churn rate, but for that the company would have to be serious about its customer grievance solving system, especially when the private companies like Bharti Airtel, RComm and Tata Teleservices are going gung ho about their wireless broadband. And if these services pick up because of the convenience and their better offerings, then there would be no way that BSNL will be able to catch up with them.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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A persistent customer connection and consistent quality performance has helped Tata Group to rise as a brand, finds Ratan Lal Bhagat

2010-02-17T11:16:00.000+05:30

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

In true sense history of India Inc. will always be incomplete without taking into account the legacy of over a century old Tata Group. The multinational conglomerate, since its inception in 1868, has crossed boundaries to establish its brand authority in markets across the globe. From steel to automobile, tea to telecom, the giant’s product portfolio is perhaps the most diversified in this country. Yet, it has been able to maintain an enviable consistency in meeting the needs of its versatile target audience making brand ‘Tata’ nothing less than an icon. The brand has not only withstood the test of time, but also has created a tag like the ‘pride-of-India’ in the minds of the consumers. And all of this has allowed brand Tata to grab the second rank in 4Ps B&M India’s 100 Most Valuable Brands 2009 list.

Going by the global standards, in the last fiscal, Brand Finance (an independent company focused on the management and valuation of brands) summed the brand value of Tata Group of companies at a whopping $11.4 billion. Brand Tata was ranked 57 among the top 100 global brands. So, what’s the secret of this success? Well, the group follows its brand building mantra – Leadership with trust – very religiously. But then, more than the mantra, it’s the strategically developed brand association with consumers that has done the trick. Avers Ronnie Talati, VP & Business Head, Fastrack to 4Ps B&M, “The brand Tata has evolved so much with time that today which ever segment the brand enters; it has its own trust and goodwill.”

Even today, almost all the campaigns coming from the stable of Tata Group are sticking to the same line. Be it Tata Tea’s Jago Re... or Voltas’ India ka dil, India ka AC or Tata Nano – The People’s car; they are all targeted at the aam admi with a sense of patriotism and trust, thus managing a better connection than many others. Supports Yashish Dahiya, CEO, Policybazar, “Tata Group has built on its rich heritage and added to the flavour of the current times. Apart from building on the traditional sectors, it is now championing the sunrise sectors like IT, hospitality and consumer products.” Certainly, owing to its rich legacy and thought provoking campaigns, the brand has been able to create a strong influence on the masses.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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Time to focus on Brand

2010-01-20T16:46:00.000+05:30

The impact of the economic slowdown seems to be finally moving away from the Indian pharmaceutical industry. And riding on the roll back, Lupin, India’s fifth largest drug maker in terms of sales, has just unveiled its ambitious growth plans. After a successful stint in India, Lupin is all set to capture the US market. The company is planning to launch new branded generic drugs every year in the US in specialised theurapatic areas. And why not? The US pharmaceuticals market has always been a priority market for this drug major. In fact, it contributed around 35% to Lupin’s consolidated revenues for the financial year ending March 31, 2009. However, Lupin, which is one of the fastest growing company and is also amongst the top ten players in the generic markets including US, Japan, India and South Africa, has made this strategic move to increase its revenues and at the same time shield itself from the fluctuations of prices in the unbranded generic segment. Considering the fact that a lot of patents are about to expire, the move certainly makes a lot of business sense. Moreover, the advantage of having branded generic version of the drugs is that even though the cost of the drug comes down, the company can still continue to benefit from the sales of the drug even after the patent expires. This strategy has in fact been followed by many branded drug companies across the globe. Last year, Merck & Co. had also adopted the same strategy when the patent for its blockbuster osteoporosis drug was due to expire. It went ahead with the route of having branded generic version for this drug. Similar was the case with drug major Pfizer, which started selling the branded generic version of its antidepressant, after it went off patent in the year 2006. All this shows the enormous potential that this segment has. Even the stock market has responded favourably to this decision of Lupin and its share prices have soared after this announcement. No doubt, the strategy will further strengthen its presence in US and will add on to its revenues, but then, with rising competition from its domestic counterparts, the company will certainly have to fight hard to make its presence felt in the branded generic segment in the US.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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Chaebols strike back

2010-01-15T12:49:00.000+05:30

One of the sectors worst hit due to the recessionary waves across the globe was the consumer electronics segment. With consumer spending declining in American and European markets, the consumer electronics companies were suffering with a tremendous drop in sales and exports. Korean Chaebols, LG and Samsung were grappling to find a way out of this and looking at ways to boost consumer sentiments and enticing them to spend. So it does not come as a big surprise that the two South Korean majors have managed to post a better-than-expected performance in the quarter-ended June 2009. Both companies have attributed the reasons for their healthy bottomlines to the bullish sales of TV and mobile phones and are forecasting that the quarter ending September 2009 too will yield healthy figures. LG has already announced that it expects its sales to increase by 10% in the coming quarter. One of the reasons for the strong growth numbers for these companies is that both had launched smartly priced touch phones, which did good business across the globe. LG has already displaced Motorola from its third position in the handset category and is looking aggressively to increase its market share. However, the overall market situation is still grim with Sony Ericsson posting a loss of $302 million for the same period. Market leader Nokia has also cut its outlook for the year ahead. A strong yen is keeping the profit margins of companies like Sony, Panasonic, Sharp and Toshiba under tremendous pressure. LG and Samsung did well in the last quarter as well. Sales of their flat screen TV and Liquid Crystal Display units also seem to be following an upward trend as consumers are expecting these products to offer latest technology at affordable prices. Analysts too are bullish in their expectations from LG and Samsung and are hinting that it could well be a sign that the two chaebols are entering into another growth phase.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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An out of this world experience...

2010-01-09T09:54:00.000+05:30

This is what most people expected from the Bandra-Worli sealink when it was showcased to the Mumbaikers last week. However, all those expectations seem to have been washed down the drain, in the early days itself. What’s more, it has started to give nightmares to its makers and even the government. One of the major reasons for the same is that this bridge over the sea has not achieved the kind of traffic it was supposed to get. A survey done by Mumbai Transformation Support Unit of the All India Institute of Local Self Government had shown that around 75,000 passenger car units were supposed to use the sealink on a daily basis, but till now only 32,000 are actually doing the same.

One of the reasons, why people are shying away from using this sealink is that it was build with an objective to reduce traffic congestions and the traveling time. As a matter of fact, in a report given to 4Ps B&M, HCC showed the kind of technology and planning that had gone in making the link and how it would reduce the traffic time for the Mumbaikars to just 7-8 minutes from 40 minutes between these two places. But, jams and chaos that are being caused on the link are actually ending up wasting more time standing on the bridge. Experts also believe that since the link does not cover the western shores, it’s not proving as useful as it was expected .

Moreover, as it’s built on a public private partnership (PPP) basis, it shows some of the biggest loopholes that are present in PPP projects. It’s not that there are any shortcomings in building this sealink, but the time, energy and cost that has been invested in its making has been more than expected. The deal was awarded to HCC way back in 2000, but the Bandra-Worli sealink has shown extensions both on the cost as well as time side. The project was expected to end in 2004, but it took five extra years to finish it and open up for public use. The cost of the project also surpassed its expected level of Rs.300 crore to reach a whopping Rs.1,600 crore.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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‘C’ FOR ‘CUSTOMISATION’

2009-10-21T11:33:00.000+05:30

M. JANAKIRAMAN, CEO, BHARATMATRIMONY GROUP

“The financial turmoil may have impacted the budget of middle class weddings, in India but the search for a good groom or bride continues. So our online matrimonial search per se is not affected. These are the times when people actually sit back and think of getting married,” says Murugavel Janakiraman, Founder and CEO, BharatMatrimony Group, the market leader among Indian marriage portals.

So does that mean the company did not adopt any strategy to deal with the changing economic environment? No way! Janakiraman not only depended heavily on his shrewd strategies to reap profits, but also went the R&D way to ensure ample service innovations for his portal. He adds, “We even spent 40% of our overall revenues on marketing last year. After all, we are in a business where we lose customers once in every three months.” The matrimony portal has also increased it’s online advertising spending by as much as 10% in the last year.

But that would perhaps be a strategy adopted by every intelligent fish in the market. What extra did Jankiraman do? Well, it’s customisation! The company has rolled out a host of services catering to the needs of individual target segment of consumers, including divorcees, widows and widowers. They not only popped up a sub-arm named Elite Matrimony (with fees as high as Rs.100,000 and catering specifically to celebrities and HNIs), but also ushered in the new concept of ‘Facial Search’, wherein the company uses face recognition technology to assist customers in hunting for spouses that resemble their favourite celebrities.

Says Jankiraman, “This value add helps us go beyond the normal search of caste, age and religion for our customers.” Oh and by the way, Aishwarya Rai look-alikes top the searches in their facial recognition service!

Neha Saraiya

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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Brewing up their mood 24X7

2009-08-28T13:58:00.000+05:30

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The mere aroma of coffee may give your day a fresh start, but to make it perfect, much more is needed. Ask the brew masters at Barista Lavazza who swear by sustained focus on service, says Savreen Gadhoke

A college crowd, chilling out and gorging smoked chicken sandwiches; a mother-daughter duo enjoying mango smoothies to beat the heat after a wholesome shopping experience; a lovey-dovey couple cuddled on the couch and indulging in tall glasses of sinful Swiss Mocha Frappes; an executive having a meeting with his client over a cup of Cappuccino. Well, that’s the no-pressure environment that Barista Lavazza brew masters try to create everyday. And where the aroma of coffee is so strong, how could the Head–Marketing and Product Development not start his day with a cup of pure platonic coffee. And that’s exactly what Vishal Kapoor does, a cup of Cappuccino – his favourite, before kick-starting his long day to ensure the best possible services at Barista Lavazza.

When 4Ps B&M caught up with Vishal Kapoor at a Barista Crème outlet, he was possibly trying to figure out a possible leakage in the outlet’s products, service and image, the three ingredients, which as per Vishal, have steadily glorified Barista Lavazza in India since it was launched in 2000. Not to mention, the products and services delivered to the customers are something that the honchos at Barista are always proud of. But then, they really know their most important point of service and value it the most. “The definition of service is different for every industry. For us, it is ‘something’ that happens in the store. It makes people come back again and again,” Vishal avers to 4Ps B&M.

A typical day at a Barista Lavazza outlet starts sharp at 7 in the morning with the store manager going through a 25-point check list and the brew masters preparing for the long day ahead. (All the store employees are proudly called ‘brew masters’ and educated and trained about every possible detail about the products, food and beverage preparation, promotional schemes on offer, et al). From greeting the guest as he enters the café, to escorting him to his table, bringing him the menu and taking his order, checking up with him during the meal, bringing the cheque and getting the feedback form filled, all these form an essential part of services offered to the guests. The feedback is then processed into a database. However, the well trained brew masters perhaps are one of the best things for Barista as owing to their training they resolve most of the complaints at the ground level itself. “Common complaints received are like coffee is not hot enough or a cool drink is perhaps not too chilled. Customers don’t want a senior personnel to come and resolve their problems and our store managers are trained well to handle their problems. We want our customers to take back a pleasant and enjoyable experience,” says Vishal.

Product innovation is also something that the coffee retailer lays a strong focus on. Menus are updated regularly and three to four times annualy in Barista Crème and Espresso Bars. Seasonal menus too are quite a hit with customers. “We’d launched a Valentine special menu for couples in the month of February, which was quite successful. And currently we are running the ‘Escape to Italy’ menu to beat the summer heat,” avers Vishal. Interestingly, to cater to the kids coming to Barista with their parents, the outlets have now introduced a kids menu.

They claim that consistency in service is another determinant that has enabled Barista Lavazza to maintain a standard quality of its products and services. To provide good service to guests, employee satisfaction is of utmost importance. And for this, Barista Lavazza has its own traditional yet successful method of internal promotions. A brew master, depending on his performance and product knowledge is promoted from one level to another and from Espresso Bars to Barista Crème.

Suddenly we realised we had held up Vishal for more time than what he normally takes for his breaks. But before he went back to his work we could not stop ourselves from asking him that how does he manage to ensure the smooth running of each and every Barista Lavazza outlet in the metro city. With a smile, he tells us, “by personal visit to stores every eight to ten days along with the Associate Store Manager or the Marketing Manager.” Vishal adds that as per him, there are no Sundays in retailing and Barista encourages all its executives to personally visit all stores. So what are the key things that you do at a store, we asked Vishal and he rattled off a never ending list. “Checking branding and marketing of the store, inquiring about the food and beverages served, resolving issues, going through feedbacks, listening to suggestions...” Just hearing his long list tired us out and we looked longingly at the cup of piping hot cappuccino that a brew master was bringing across to our table... Now that’s service, we decided selfishly :-)

Savreen Gadhoke

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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ADITYA AGARWAL, DIRECTOR, EMAMI

2009-08-10T13:11:00.000+05:30

Professor Arindam Chaudhuri’s Profile

1. Airtel’s ‘Express yourself’ ad campaign
2. Tata Tea’s ‘Jaago Re!’ campaign
3. ‘Lead India’ campaign launched by The Times of India
4. ‘What an idea, Sirjee’ campaign from Idea Cellular
5. Fevicol’s ‘Aisa jod lagaye, acche se accha na todh paaye’ ad campaign

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

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A diamond is forever

2009-07-27T15:57:00.000+05:30

Shahrukh khan is coming to IIPM - IIPM 4Ps Quiz

Brand: De Beers
Agency: HTA
A Diamond is Forever! These four words changed an industry, that hitherto only catered to a niche segment. The campaign, in fact pulled the heart strings of many buyers and the product saw a whopping 19% increase in sales when the campaign was launched in 1997. The campaign not only made HTA win the coveted “Gold Subhas Ghosal Trophy” for effective advertising for its client De Beers Consolidated Mines, but also helped it grab some accolades from the international Ad-Age magazine. In 2000, the magazine named the campaign’s tagline, ‘A diamond is forever,’ as the best advertising slogan of the twentieth century. Few things are really forever, and this campaign is surely one of them! Little wonder, that De Beers has retained this tagline till date.

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

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Divide and rule... happily ever after

2009-07-21T12:48:00.000+05:30

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When Subhash Chandra decided to demerge Zee Telefilms into four different companies in April 2006, hardly anyone realised its impact. But with decidedly smaller units and a separate management focus for each of them, the move paid off handsomely. Explains a media analyst, “Before the restructuring, Zee’s entertainment channels were getting all the attention. Now each business has got a focussed management team.” Who says school drop outs (yes, Mr. Chandra was one) don’t know management?

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

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It’s customer payback time, folks!

2009-07-07T11:05:00.000+05:30

IIPM Alumni Officially on Facebook

Unless Sprint-Nextel addresses the currently plummeting consumer confidence, downhill is where this merger is headed

‘And they live happily ever after’ is what all stakeholders of the companies want to hear post an M&A. Unfortunately, life post a merger often becomes more uphill than life before it.

The latest one to realise this is Sprint Nextel, which is facing a whopping $1.2 billion class-action lawsuit. One of the shareholders, Cora E. Bennett claims that Sprint’s decision to acquire Nextel Communications Inc. (for $35 billion) in 2005 was a disaster and Sprint Nextel has hidden information on the acquisition from shareholders and wrongly charged customers early termination fees. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

From the customer’s point of view, there were problems in Sprint Nextel’s network along with some issues with regard to quality of customer service. According to Jeff Kagan, “Sprint Nextel has been a successful number three company but over time, it lost focus. Customers who did need customer service often had trouble as they had to make several calls and talk with several people over time to get things done.”

All this combined has assisted this service provider to lose as many as 4.6 million subscribers in 2008 (a decrease of 8.4% yoy). Moreover, it has been losing customers from the valued post paid stream. In the last quarter of 2008, Sprint Nextel lost 1.3 million customers, out of which 1.1 million were post paid. Sprint Nextel’s loss has spelled gain for Verizon and AT&T, who have both added numbers in 2008. Additionally, revenue streams of Sprint Nextel for 2008 also witnessed an alarming decline of 11.2% yoy to reach $35.64 billion.

However, the company has assured that these factors have now been taken care of and they would soon see a turnaround. Data from Geezeo Main Street Spending Index (MSSI) for February states that the average monthly spending on Sprint increased by 1% while AT&T and T-Mobile witnessed a decline of 1%. But Wachovia’s Jennifer Fritzsche has lowered the ratings of the company from ‘Outperform’ to ‘Market Perform’, and has also warned shareholders that Sprint Nextel would continue to see more than forecasted churn (as much as 2.3% of subscriber base) from customers in the iDEN segment (walkie-talkie service). Even Bill Densmore of Fitch believes that, “Sprint Nextel will continue to experience challenges with stabilising the iDEN operating results going forward; given its niche appeal, weak business economy, and subscriber migration.”

The company’s competitive positioning remains weak due to customer perceptions. Moreover, it does not have deep pockets like AT&T to advertise which it needs to do especially at this stage. Sprint appears to have billing and customer service processes that are completely broken. Another problem is that Sprint Nextel focuses on advertising low prices and exceptional service – and is unable to consistently provide either. So the company requires to change its bad behavior and work on reversing the negative impressions. One silver lining is the forthcoming launch of Palm’s Pre-smart phone that would be available exclusively to customers of Sprint Nextel. But unless Sprint’s customers are satisfied, the company should really be worried with respect to the success of such initiatives. For that matter, so should Palm in this case!

Surbhi Chawla

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

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THE RISE OF ACTIVISM...

2009-06-17T14:32:00.000+05:30

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Investor activism was always there, Satyam witnessed what shareholder activism can do, and now DLF, to its peril, is feeling the heat of ‘buyer activism’ says Gyanendra Kumar Kashyap

When Ramesh, after a 15-year long and successful career in Europe, finally joined a company in India four years ago, he introduced a number of changes in his company’s modus operandi. He faced no hurdle in getting them cleared from the stakeholders then. But today, he is having difficulties in implementing new changes. Looking at the shareholders opposition, the first question that comes to his mind, “Is this the same India where I always took shareholders for granted?”

Welcome to a new era Mr. Ramesh and all those management personnel who never ever expected Indian shareholders to come forward and actively use what their rights are. Yes, ‘passive investors/shareholders’ are a passé now. The new breed of investors/shareholders/buyers are set to change the corporate dynamics with their measured yet pointed agitations. Many may consider this as an impact of the prevailing market dynamics (read: slowdown), but then don’t we know that in recession lies the seed of revival of both the market as well as corporate governance. And perhaps, the slowdown this time has taught the shareholders to be active rather than being passive and showing their discontent by just selling shares. They have understood, the hard way though, that passive discontent neither serves the purpose nor does it creates an impact on the management. Now when their investments are touching new lows on a daily basis, investors are ready to question a number of corporate decisions.

Peter Paul de Vries surely is an unheard name in the investor/shareholder/buyer activism domain in India. But as the head of the Dutch shareholders association, VEB; his success, in dragging ABN AMRO’s management to the court for bypassing shareholders while selling one of the bank’s most attractive assets, must have inspired many at Satyam, Subhiksha, Hiranandani Group et al. Though not new in the West, there have been rare instances in Indian context when investors/shareholders/customers have posed tough questions, let alone the concept of dissent. But times are finally changing and changing for the better. Thanks to investors like IL&FS, IFCI Sicom, ICICI Venture, Azim Premji’s trust, and Laxey Partners et al, for their activism, fraudulent nature of many promoters has been exposed. Had it not been for the institutional investors’ opposition, Satyam’s proposal to acquire Maytas Infra and Maytas Properties would have been cleared creating yet another classic case of ‘unnoticed’ corporate fraud. Similarly, ICICI Ventures, QVT Financials and Laxey Partners played the role of whistle-blowers for Subhiksha and Hiranandani Group, respectively.

But then, retail investors are still apprehensive in taking on the powerful management/promoters, owing to the complexities in regulations and the huge legal costs that come attached with such acts. However, for a change; what has taken the entire nation by surprise is the uprising of buyer activism, an off beat phenomenon till recent past. In the Indian domain, where buyers are unorganised and are meek to take on the promoters, buyer activism heralds the beginning of a paradigm shift. It certainly marks the beginning of the end of passive activism on the part of the buyers. Definitely, corporates who in their good times, rarely paid heed to buyers are all set to face the music of buyer activism.

OMR; oh, please don’t read it as Optical Mark Reader, we are referring here to Old Mahabalipuram Road (Chennai), the new hot seat of the uprising buyer activism. DLF, which is developing the Garden City Project in Chennai has been literally forced to dance to the tune of the falling market as well as the new enligtened buyers. It is a classic case of the paradigm shift that is slowly yet steadily gripping the market. Once during the good times DLF and the likes dictated the terms and as an antithesis, in times of market meltdown now the buyers are getting the things done their way. The builders who had been milking the buyers for too long with overnight double digit price rise have been literally forced to give in to the demands of the buyer.Market reports state that the DLF is willing to reduce the price of its apartment by as much 10-30% in Chennai and Bangalore and is repricing its Hyderabad project by slashing approximately 50%. But buyers argue that the new prices too are very high. However, analysts expect that this move from buyers and price cut from DLF may force many other developers to cut prices between 25-30%. Ashish Bhalla, MD, Millenium Spire, avers to 4Ps B&M, “It is an unprecedented event and has grabbed wide attention. What is noteworthy is the fact that forcing price cuts and threatening to exit cannot be considered as an aberration.”

Buyer activism may be a common phenomenon in the developed countries, but certainly, as buyers realise their power, with time the voice against their exploitation will only grow stronger and louder in India. DLF is just an eye-opener. So, Mr. Ramesh, the next time you prepare a proposal don’t even dare to underestimate any one be it the investors, shareholders or buyers.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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What were you thinking?!

2009-06-02T15:29:00.000+05:30

The Most Revolutionary Concept In Education PLANMAN CHE CENTRE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION, Supported by IIPM India’s Leading B-School

That brought us to the people conundrum of Ignitee. It all reached a Collinish tipping point during the time when Atul was roped in to becoming a board member around a year ago. That was the time when the agency went through ‘an internal structural change’ – well, read it as ‘many exits from the organisation’. Fighting fire with a washing machine, the agency on a double spin not only went into a critical recruitment drive and roped in well experienced and respected people directly from the ad fraternity – like S Dharmarajan (Vice President for online media), Ashok Karnik (Executive Creative Director) and Sandy Pinto (Senior Vice President for Business Development & Client Services) – but also promoted key personnel, like Harminder Kaur, who was promoted to the post of Chief Strategy Officer.

My issue was with the fact that till last year, the agency did not have even an HR department. That is not to say that an HR department is supremely necessary – as many excellent performing companies have specific staff who double up as HR personnel – especially in companies like Ignitee, where the gross staff base is just around 100 people (they do plan to hire 50 more in the next six months). The agency, to its brilliant credit, has even launched a new venture cell known as SPARK, which is a cell wherein employees can post their innovative business propositions; and if the jury likes their idea, the employees get a platform to jumpstart this venture from within the organisation’s aegis. There is no taking away the fact that such an orientation is only possible in agencies that are fanatically oriented towards taking care of their employees.

Notably, the agency is instrumental in introducing some of the largest brands to the digital medium; glowing examples being HDFC Bank, Satyam, DLF, Religare, Tata Corproate, Birla Sun Life Insurance, Yamaha, CNN, ICICI Prudential, ICICI Home Loans, ESPN, Jet Airways, Reliance Life Insurance, Tata Motors, Tata Indicom, NIIT and Microsoft. Even in the offline domain, the agency is making its own niche waves (as was seen in the Kids Zee commercial), though they still have their major revenues from the online space only – ‘Media’, ‘web development & creative dialogue’, and ‘search’ contribute 40%, 30% and 25% respectively to the overall revenues of the agency. And with the Incredible !ndia account, the recent Congress Rajasthan & Delhi internet campaigns, and Kerala tourism projects, Ignitee has solidified its stamp in the net space. Add to that Ignitee’s brilliant growth plans and new branches (Hyderabad and Dubai being the recent additions) and one starts questioning the extra ‘e’ in their splendiferous name less and less. Well, if Ekta Kapoor can get away with the extra ‘K’s, then what do I and Oscar Wild care about an extra ‘e’, forr ggod’s sakke!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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FOR THE NAMESAKE?

2009-05-22T14:59:00.000+05:30

The Most Revolutionary Concept In Education PLANMAN CHE CENTRE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION, Supported by IIPM India’s Leading B-School

Famous American philosopher Eric Hoffer once said, “It is often the failure who is the pioneer in new lands, new undertakings, and new forms of expression.” No matter how germane it may sound but it’s certainly not the pervasive truth. In fact, at times it’s the pioneer who eliminates the fear of failure, all by making way for others in an unfamiliar terrain. If not many, Pioneer India Electronics Pvt. Ltd. (PIEL), a subsidiary of Pioneer Corporation, Japan, is surely one that believes in testing waters when the tide is high.

After establishing a representative office in India in 2005 and collaborating with Autocop India the very next year, Pioneer has finally made a full-fledged entry into the Indian market. Much to an extent that the company is even eyeing a turnover of Rs.5 billion from its Indian operations by the end of 2010! But then the moot question is what makes them do so, particularly at a time when the Indian auto industry is being marred by shrinking sales and bleeding bottomlines? Isn’t it wrong timing? or, as many fear, is it just for the namesake? “I don’t think so! India is going to witness Commonwealth Games in 2010 and by that time the market would be at its peak. But yes, the initial six months or a year are a bit challenging because of the global turmoil,” counters Takashi Yoshida, MD, Pioneer India Electronics. In fact, by entering India, the company is even eying a respite from the global turmoil that has forced it to anticipate an operating loss of $178 million for the year ending March 2009. As Sumit Arora, Associate Director, Synovate India puts it, “Pioneer has made a perfect move and that too at the right time as the Japanese market is quite saturated. Moreover, the company also faces a fierce competition in their home market. Thus, moving to India is the right strategy for them currently.”

The company has already injected about Rs.160 million in the new subsidiary in India. It also plans to spend $3 million on its marketing activities in the country and has even roped in Shahid Kapur as its brand ambassador. “Pioneer has been in India for long but we still don’t have a brand image. As such we wanted to have a brand face that relates to the product,” reasons Yoshida. It seems that the company has certainly rolled its sleeves to capture every bit of the Rs.12 billion in-car entertainment market in India. But that’s not the only domain where the company is upbeat about growth, it is also riding piggyback on the consumer electronics category, which includes products like Plasma’s, DVD Players, Surround Sound Systems and Home Theaters components, et al.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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Six more... to fix more?!

2009-05-06T17:26:00.000+05:30

IIPM - Admission Procedure

Hero Honda is not the only ‘nail’ waiting to puncture Bajaj’s tyres... there are more; one being Yamaha, who merrily eroded Bajaj’s premium market pie with successful launches like R15 and FZ16 (a segment where Yamaha’s R15 and FZ16 competes against Bajaj’s Pulsar 220 & DTS-Si). With Hero Honda also planning a 350cc launch, the Karizma-Fi soon, this competition will only get tougher.

To up its financial performance, the company is also planning a comeback in the scooter market, as Sridhar adds, “We will be launching a gearless scooter with a 100-150cc capacity by 2010...” Who knows, Bajaj may find many takers for its scooters when the economy starts accelerating again, in 2009. Well, the future is yet to be seen. For now though, ‘hope’ and ‘confidence’ are not words to be missed in the Bajaj camp, as Sridhar claims, “We will perform way better than the industry in 2009!”

Yes, the launches are just symbolic of Bajaj’s short-term aggression; short term because TVS had also launched 7 new bikes with the same aggression at the end of 2007 under similar (sales) circumstances, but unfortunately for the company it didn’t really help shield off the recessionary effects [and TVS ended up recording a fall of 12.85% in monthly sales (y-o-y) during December 2008]. For Bajaj, the strategy to ensure real long-term sustainability would only be achieved enroute a strategy of distinctive segment branding, and therefore separating first, its executive and luxury segements bikes from the herd of sub-125cc vehicles available in the market, and secondly, branding its luxury bikes uniquely instead of overkilling the Pulsar brand name) are must do’s for Bajaj.

New launches are good, but for Bajaj, a strong branding strategy should be top on priority. New launches, lowered advertising rates and lowered advertising frequency by competitors (thanks to the slowdown)... et al, the time is just perfect to create a new premium brand for Bajaj... So what’s the hitch, Mr. Bajaj? Just advertise!

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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HUL’KING UP THE GLORY, YET AGAIN?!

2009-04-03T17:50:00.000+05:30

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IN A DIFFICULT MARKET CHARACTERISED BY RISING RAW MATERIAL COSTS AND DECLINING CONSUMER BASE, HUL HAS STORMED BACK

HUL has seen one of the best times in the year 2008, as the major has become the only FMCG company to have recorded a robust growth irrespective of the present economic turmoil. After years of sluggish growth, the MNC has started recording impressive growth figures and appears to be back in action.

For the third quarter ended September 08, HUL recorded a net sales increase of 20% to a very convincing Rs.4,02.78 billion. Additionally, FMCG sales from Indian market saw a hike by 22%. There’s more! The last two quarter results saw an average net sales growth of 20% and such positive results were expected to be carried forward. The top brass of HUL agree that Nitin Paranjpe and Harish Manwani, the present CEO and Chairman respectively, are the best leaders that HUL has had in the past two decades. The duo stumped market watchers, when for the third quarter, HUL recorded a whopping 34% increase in net profit, now at Rs.5.46 billion. Starting from price hike to penetration, the zealous CEO, resorted to all ‘P’s to sustain his company’s market share. The CEO’s strategy to increase prices, on account of increasing raw material costs, has been well received by both the internal team as well as trade pundits. On an average across 20 categories that HUL straddles, there has been a hike in prices for products between a mean of 1-28% yoy. According to Tushar Bhattacharya, a senior FMCG analyst at FICCI, the move “didn’t disturb the sales of HUL as most of the brands owned by HUL have a strong value proposition where consumer won’t mind spending more.” Interestingly, growth in the personal wash segment (with Lux and Lifebuoy leading category growth) was mostly price led.

Apparently, it is not only the price factor that has helped HUL move out of its earlier impasse. Another strategy that has helped the company stand at the heel of competitors has been continuous product line rationalisation in 2008. Initiatives in the shampoo (new Dove), skin (where Ponds gained momentum with new launches), laundry (with innovations like Rin matic) and several other categories benefited HUL immensely. Besides, the clear cut positioning of Axe-‘dark temptations’ in the deodorant category also helped HUL gain ground over relatively new competitors (read: ITC) in the market.

Comparatively speaking, however, this year even Godrej Consumer Products (GCPL) did a massive re-positioning exercise for its masculine brand Cinthol with Hirthik Roshan. To beat GCPL, HUL concentrated on its penetration strategy instead. Currently, Axe has presence in more than 15 states while GCPL’s Cinthol has a presence in just ten. Apart from urban centres, HUL’s omnipresence in rural India (displaying a strong 30% growth) across categories has also helped. Now that the suave management honchos at HUL have managed to save their mega-corporation from decline, there’s cause to pause and take stock. While competition is at its lethal best, consumers are increasingly getting tight pocketed. So will the ‘Fair & Lovely’ run last?

Angshuman Paul

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
1500-plus IIPM students placed across the country with 44 bagging international offers
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C’mon India, Teach India

2009-03-24T13:44:00.001+05:30

1500-plus IIPM students placed across the country with 44 bagging international offers

‘Each one teach one’ became passé as The Times of India group (after the success of its Lead India campaign) launched the ‘Teach India’ campaign in July, even as it pledged to form India’s largest classroom. The initiative required volunteers to take out two hours every week and teach under privileged children & illiterate adults to empower them with the sword of knowledge. The campaign achieved a record 10,000 volunteer sign-ups within the first three days of the launch. The initiative hit the right chord with the Indian youth, who till now were only concerned about social issues, but did not have an appropriate platform to express their concerns into actions.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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