Epaper Delhi English Edition 09-06-2013

L
ast wook, sont a twittor mossago rom Jana town

whioh was visiting ator 25 yoars. "Thoro aro moro
sandbags and polioo piokots in south Dolhi", obsorvod,
"than thoro aro in Jana town."
This torso mossago basod ontiroly on my obsorvation
provokod howls o protost. various individuals rospondod
donounoing mo as "anti-Tamil" and a stoogo o Sri Lankan
Prosidont Pa|apaksha, tho latost whipping boy o tho mor-
ally indignant. t is ontiroly possiblo that a brio 24-hour visit
to a town whoro it was onoo oommon to ind gun-totting
mombors o various para-military aotions walking with a
swaggor, doos not qualiy mo to pass |udgmont on tho tot-
ality o tho situation in Sri Lanka's Northorn Provinoo.
Yot, it would bo air to say that tho Jana roturnod to
was a vory dioront plaoo rom tho war-torn but sloopy
town that oxistod in tho lato-1980s. What onoountorod
was a mid-sizod town with good roads and lots o now
buildings, bustling with aotivity. Tho Nallur tomplo lookod
as grand as ovor and tho Jana library whoso burning in
tho 1990s had oroatod so muoh tonsion was a pioturo o
old-world soronity. Tho stadium namod ator Alrod
Durriapah, whoso murdor was among tho irst o tho LTTE's
'hits' soomod woll maintainod and thoro is ovon an ndian
Consulato in plaoo in a oaroully ronovatod bungalow. Yos,
thoro woro tho oooasional signs o tho bittor war that had
ondod baroly our yoars ago; but anyono who didn't know
that this town was onoo in tho rontlino o ono o tho most
ugly oivil wars o all timos would novor havo guossod.
This is not to say that ovorything is hunky dory. At a
gathoring o mombors o Jana oivil sooioty, thoro woro
voioos raisod against tho aoquisition o "Tamil lands" by tho
Sri Lankan army in its soourity zono ad|oining tho airport.
Thoro woro oomplaints about "Sinhala oolonisation" o
aroas in tho southorn rogions o tho Northorn Provinoo. And
in Colombo, MPs bolonging to tho Tamil National Allianoo
prosontod us (a ivo-mombor toam invitod by tho
Bandaranaiko Contro or ntornational Studios) with a woll-
writton aooount o Tamil griovanoos. ts loador, tho 80-yoar-
old Pa|avardayam Sampanthan, who rosomblos a ma|ostio
Poman sonator both in appoaranoo and oloquonoo spoko
about tho Sri Lankan Govornmont's undorlying dosiro to
mako tho Tamil pooplo "oxtinot" rom tho Northorn and
Eastorn Provinoos.
Yot, at a lunoh hostod by businossmon o ndian origin
in Colombo, askod a Chottiar businossman how many
Tamils thoro aro in tho oapital oity. "About 30 por oont o
tho oity" ho ropliod. "And do you oontrol 60 por oont o tho
businoss?" askod smilingly. "Only 60 por oont", ho
rotortod with a tingo o disappointmont. "t's moro liko 70
por oont" ho said with a hoarty laugh. Cloarly, tho noblo
Sampanthan's thoory o Tamils boing an ondangorod
brood in Sri Lanka doosn't havo too many takors south o
tho Elophant Pass.
Tho 'Tamil problom' that providos livolihood to tho
global human rights industry and provokos indignation in
somo oirolos in ndia sooms ossontially a Jana problom,
and should bo ronamod as suoh. At tho hoart o tho
problom is tho torm dovolution whioh was rooommondod to
tho Sri Lankan Govornmont as a possiblo solution to tho
problom by tho Lossons Loarnt and Pooonoiliation
Commission (LLPC) sot up by Prosidont Pa|apaksha in
tho atormath o his amous military viotory ovor tho
murdorous LTTE.
For ndia, whioh still takos a noodlossly gratuitous
intorost in tho intornal aairs o a sovoroign noighbour,
'dovolution' basioally moans implomontation o tho 13th
amondmont whioh ormod a part o tho ombarrassmont
oallod tho ndo-Sri Lanka Aooord signod by Pa|iv Gandhi
and JP Jayawardono in 1987. This amondmont promisod
two things: tho morgor o tho Northorn and Eastorn
Provinoos, tho so-oallod Tamil homolands, and tho
ormation o Provinoial Counoils, akin to ndia's Stato
Govornmonts.
But two probloms havo arison. First, tho morgor o tho
Northorn and Eastorn Provinoos was sot asido by tho Sri
Lankan Supromo Court on prooodural grounds.
Sampanthan oalls it a "dishonost |udgmont" but tho do-
morgor is now a roality. Sooondly, it would soom that apart
rom tho Northorn and Eastorn Provinoos, tho Sinhala aroas
aron't torribly onthusod by tho idoa o Provinoial Counoils.
Yot, olootions to tho Provinoial Counoils havo boon hold in
all provinoos barring tho Northorn Provinoo. At ono timo it
soomod that tho Govornmont was having sooond thoughts
about holding Provinoial Counoil olootions in tho Northorn
Provinoo but Prosidont Pa|apaksha has oatogorioally
announood that tho domooratio oxoroiso will bo undortakon
in Soptombor. Tho TNA, whioh is oortain to win tho olootion,
now says that tho powors o tho Provinoial Counoils aro
inadoquato. t wants tho looal Govornmont to oontrol land
and tho polioo. Tho Govornmont may oonoodo tho irst
point but thoro is no way it will rolax its oontrol ovor all
aspoots o soourity in tho North.
Who oan blamo Colombo or its roluotanoo? t's |ust
our yoars sinoo tho LTTE was dooimatod and it's |ust too
oarly or tho Contral Govornmont to lot down its guard. t is
not that thoro is a dosiro to militariso tho provinoo. Tho Sri
Lankan Army is prosont in largo numbors in tho Northorn
Provinoo but it oporatos woll bolow tho radar. Logistioally,
tho army wants to insulato itsol in tho soourity zonos, build
stratogioally looatod oantonmonts and oporato as a rapid
rosponso oroo |ust in oaso insurgonoy rosuraoos.
doally, tho TNA should havo no problom with this
arrangomont booauso its mombors woro also murdorously
targotod by tho LTTE. Moroovor, it has doolarod, porhaps
undor ndian prossuro, that it is oommittod to tho torritorial
intogrity o Sri Lanka. t may still boliovo in omotional
soparatism but it has ormally ab|urod politioal soparatism
and abandonod tho orstwhilo TULF's oall or 'sol-
dotormination'.
At tho samo timo, its aotions suggost that it wants to
koop tonsions and tho othnio oonliot alivo. t doosn't mako
sonso until you roaliso that Tamil soparatist politios dorivos
its main impotus not rom tho ordinary pooplo o Jana who
aro dosporato or a broathor but by tho Tamil diaspora, tho
onos who bankroll tho soomingly rospootablo, 'modorato'
politioians. With a viow o tho island that is rozon in timo, it
is tho diaspora that is proving to bo tho biggost
impodimont to Sri Lanka gotting ovor its troublod history.
Sri Lankan diaspora
powors Tamil politios
USUALSUSPECTS
SwAFAh 0AS0uFTA
kMk TTkM Q FAhAJ
T
he leadership issue is giving
labour pangs to the BJP in
its Goa conclave. Its choicest
baby, Narendra Modi, may
emerge clearly. Or perhaps,
the party is pregnant with an
idea whose time has not come.
By the looks of it, the stage is
set for Modis national avatar,
but the pace of churning with-
in the party fold has left lead-
ers befuddled.
The BJP is still grappling
with the question with no prag-
matic solution in the sight.
The party is left with three
options: Clearly project Modi as
the PM-candidate, make him
incharge of campaign panel
for national elections or keep
the decision in abeyance till a
suitable time is found. As evi-
denced in Goa, to choose from
among any of these options is
easier said than done.
The first two options will be
seen as Modis clear cut pro-
jection as partys face for 2014
elections. There is a deep con-
cern that these two propositions
could queer the pitch for the
NDA. The third choice is equal-
ly difficult to deal with, given
the groundswell of support for
Modi among BJPs rank and file.
BJP president Rajnath Singh is
clearly in a cleft stick.
Speculation is running wild
between the climax of Modi
being drafted incharge of the
BJP and the anti-climax of
party coming a cropper on the
leadership issue. Top party
leaders will burn midnight oil
on Saturday to come to grip
with the elusive finale. Sunday
(the last day of executive meet-
ing) is being viewed as a day of
hope for the rank and file, a top
BJP leader said.
Even BJP chief Rajnath
Singh generated hope at the
meeting. When you return
home on Sunday; you will be
energised, happy and enthused,
Singh told members of BJP
National Executive in his open-
ing address at the meeting on
Saturday, though party spokes-
men remained tight-lipped on
the kind of decision that will
energise party workers.
Sources told The Pioneer
that an informal meeting of
members of the Parliamentary
Board will take place later in
the night to settle the issue.
Singh has already started the
deliberations (on Modis
national role) with three Chief
Ministers and leaders of the
RSS whose joint general secre-
tary Suresh Soni landed here on
Saturday. Soni is incharge of
BJP affairs in the RSS.
Sources claimed a section
of the RSS want the BJP to take
the call on the leadership issues
for once and all, instead of dis-
cussing whether or not Modi
should head the campaign
committee for national polls.
They feel the tug of war with-
in the BJP would not stop
until this leadership issue is set-
tled, sources claimed.
Apparently, Singh also spoke to
senior JD(U) leaders to gauge
their mood on BJPs Modi
plan. Bihar Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar is a known Modi
baiter and Singhs telephone
calls to JD(U) leaders trig-
gered speculation that some-
thing big could happen on
Sunday and the BJP chief was
testing the waters as to what
could this lead up to.
Still, uppermost on the
minds of party leaders is the
question whether the BJP can
give short shrift to its veteran LK
Advani, who skipped the meet-
ing for the first time in partys
33-year-old history. Advani,
apparently, is not amenable to
Modi being given the charge of
the campaign committee for
national elections. That Advani
loyalists like Jaswant Singh,
Yashwant Sinha, Shatrughan
Sinha, Uma Bharti and others
also skipped the meet escalated
the speculation that ailing
veteran was not happy with
BJPs Panaji plans.
Sources claimed top BJP
leaders were trying to per-
suade Advani to give his bless-
ings to whatever decision that
will be taken at the Goa meet.
Related reports on P6, 7
FTI Q MuMBA
N
early five days after
Bollywood actress Jiah
Khan was found hanging at her
residence, her family claims to
have found a six-page note, in
which Jiah mentioned about
her troubled love affair with the
son of actor couple Aditya
Pancholi and Zarina Wahab
before committing suicide,
police said on Saturday.
Jiahs family preferred to
retain the original doubting
police action, but have agreed
to give a notarised copy to the
investigators, a police officer at
Juhu police station said.
The gist of the note, which
is yet to be received by the
police, reveals the strained
relationship between the actress
and Suraj Pancholi.
We would seek legal
experts opinion and an appro-
priate action would be initiat-
ed if required. As of now, we do
not want to jump into any con-
clusion, the officer said and
refused to comment if the note
named Suraj. Police will also
take the help of handwriting
experts to find out whether
the letter was indeed written
by Jiah.
According to reports, the
note says, You have cheated
me. I trusted the relation. You
didnt care about the relation.
By the time you will be
reading this letter, probably
by then I wont be there in
this world.
khI kTTk Q hEw 0ELh
F
or long, the severe deficit of
officers has been a cause of
major worry for the Army.
But since 2012, things have
started showing signs of
improvement with the Army
witnessing a net increase of
1,000 officers in its ranks and
the deficit coming down from
22 per cent to 20 per cent. This
year, so far, over 650 officers
have already made the cut.
Battling with the perennial
shortage of more than 9,000
officers, the Army now wants to
sustain the momentum of
increased intake and has pro-
posed a slew of measures to the
Government including more
salary, study leave for preparing
for Civil Services examinations,
grant of ex-servicemen status
and eligibility for Employees
Contributory Health Scheme
(ECHS) to Short Service
Commission (SSC) officers.
The Army feels that these
measures will attract more
young men and women to opt
for the service thereby wiping
out the deficit of officers by
2018, officials said here on
Saturday. A move is also on to
relax norms for jawans aspiring
to become Permanent
Commission officers.
Turn to Page 6
Army lans lucrative stes
to reverse officers` slortage
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Q BJF is lel wilh lhree
olions: Clearly rojecl Modi
as lhe FMcandidale, make
him incharge o camaign
anel or nalional eleclions, or
kee lhe decision in abeyance
lill a suilable lime is ound
Q The irsl lwo olions will
be seen as Modi's clearcul
rojeclion as arly's ace or
2O14 eleclions
Q Bul lhere is a dee concern
lhal lhese lwo roosilions
could queer lhe ilch or lhe
h0A
Q The lhird choice is equally
diicull lo deal wilh, given lhe
groundswell o suorl or
Modi among BJF's rank and
ile
Q To arly leaders are
execled lo burn midnighl oil
on Salurday lo come lo gri
wilh lhe elusive inale
EXE6TIVE E6I8Ih
When you
return home on
Sunday; you will
be energised,
happy and
enthused
RAJNATH SNGH
will u+ p|u1 lu|] |u|
u|+|+| C| ||i |i| |uu!
Fh8 Q FAhAJ
L
ady luck has always smiled on Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi in Goa. The rain-swept coastal city is flushed
with the hope this time around too. If it works out so, it will
act as launching pad for him. If Modi is launched off Goa coast,
it will be historic.
Exactly 11 years ago, this city saw Modi coming out
unscathed from a similar BJP meet in April where an attempt
was made to dislodge him as Gujarat Chief Minister in the after-
math of the 2002 post-Godhra riots.
After BJP patriarch Atal Bihari Vajpayees famous Rajdharma
swipe at Modi, the pressure was so intense on him that Modi
himself was ready to put in his papers. But, veteran LK Advani
proved a sheet anchor to keep him afloat. Then, Advani with
the help of his loyalists put foot down to see to it that Modi
remains firmly in the saddle.
Now when Modi is gearing up for the most important role
in his political life, the Chief Minister is still in need of the bless-
ings of his one-time mentor. Though, Advani is little indis-
posed, frantic efforts are on to secure his blessings.
Published From
DELH LUCKNOW BHOPAL
BHUBANESWAR RANCH
RAPUR CHANDGARH
DEHRADUN
`Lale Cily VoI. 28 Issue 158
`Air Surcharge Exlra i Alicable
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W
hat can one say, except
exaggeration, thou art
Yamla, Pagla, Diwana! Out of
sync, terribly misplaced and the
worst from the Deols is here
along with its mish-mash
characters to jolt you into
lunacy not the one that
makes you laugh, but the one
that makes you cry, especially if
you feel for the good old
Dharmendra who has been so
short-shrifted by director
Sangeeth Siwan that even the
orangutan gets to do better
things than him in the movie.
Why the good old, now
London-based Sunny Deol,
who is known to have literally
chased away two-bit producers
from exploiting Dharmendras
weakness for the liquid diet in
real life, would allow him to
drink himself to death in the
film and come out as real as he
can get, defies all explanations.
At least, in real life, he is not
reduced to drinking with an
orangutan in YPD2, he is so
unemployed that this is all he
does. No one should have been
allowed to do such a slight to
this yesteryear great, especially
not when more than half his
family was in the film, with the
film.
Thats about Dharmendra.
Sunny himself comes and goes
out of the frame too many
times to make an impact. This,
despite his screams evoking a
virtual nuclear explosion, his
dhai kilo ka haath throwing up
all things that come in his way,
his groovy eyes and his screen
presence. You could
call him a small
blob of sanity in
this insane picture.
As for the
youngest of the
Deols, Bobby does
his best to be the
big Q (read
question mark) in
the film and despite
his good looks, is
underworked.
Now the main thing, and
thats the humour. Well, it is
loony but not in the way that
would tickle you. It irritates
you by being just too foolish to
be tolerable. Except for one or
two jokes that catch your
attention and your funny
bone there is pretty much
nothing in the movie that does
not insult your intelligence,
even if you had the smartness
to have left your brain behind.
This is the worst the
Deols could do to. Why,
perhaps Einstien-Vinci
orangutan is working on
the answer. Perhaps,
dude Joginder
Armstrong is still
malling around with
the gravity of the
blunder. Perhaps, the
sumos are still wrestling
to get to the bottom of it.
Perhaps, the story-writer
has stopped taking revenge
on himself and the
audience who will sit
through this one only
because, in India, apne toh
apne hotey hain!
I
t would be unwarranted
indulgence towards M Night
Shyamalan to suggest that he
should have had the sixth sense
to not make After Earth. The
direct, more candid suggestion
would be to ask where the heck
did his common sense vanish
while he was attempting to
mount the most inane, stuck-up
spatial sci-fi in a long-long while.
After Earth fails to show
pretty much anything that makes
for a sustainable film its
emotions are wrongly
undertoned, action is missing in
action, adventure is as flat as
Katirna Kaif s stomach (without
the same allure of course) and its
pace seems to have been heavily
drugged to unexplained
paralysis
like
the one the otherwise happening
Will Smith suffers in most of the
movie.
As he gets hurt in a crash-
landing on demonised,
uninhabitable Earth where killer
fauna rule the domain, he also
keeps drugging himself to escape
the manual bypass he does on
her broken leg. Why Shyamalan
would make even this look like
bored stupor from the movie
escapes all explanations sane
or otherwise. And then to debut
his son Jaden Smith in such a
commanding role in such a
messy, unhappening movie could
be the dad and lads biggest
career mistake.
Shyamalan, in short, needs to
stick to ghosts spirits who
visit your homes and
minds and emotions
in simple human
movies. Thats his
wonder. This one
is his blunder.
NEW DELH SUNDAY JUNE 9, 2013 general 02
Altlougl every ossille care ano caution las leen talen
to avoio errors or omissions, tlis ullication is leing solo
on tle conoition ano unoerstanoing tlat information given
in tlis ullication is merely for reference ano must not le
talen as laving autlority of or linoing in any way on tle
writers, eoitors, ullislers, ano rinters ano sellers wlo oo
not owe any resonsilility for any oamage or loss to any
erson, a urclaser of tlis ullication or not for tle result
of any action talen on tle lasis of tlis worl. All oisutes
are sulject to tle exclusive jurisoiction of cometent court
ano forums in !elli/New !elli only.
AFTEP EAPTh [NeW Pe|ease): PVR Sa|el, C|l] wa||, V||aspur|,
Prasarl V|ar, 0T Sa|el, Sa||rar, Vasarl Kurj}, Sp|ce ho|da}
YAHLAFA0LAEEwAN-2 [NeW Pe|ease): 0o|ca, Aroa, R|lz,
Aa|as, 0agar, Suprere, Ka|arard|r, Seo|e, Suraj, Sapra, L|oerl],
Sarral, PVR P|aza, R|vo||, Pr|]a, Sa|el, C|l] wa||, hara|ra,
V||aspur|, Prasarl V|ar, E0V, Vaagur, 0pu|erl, V2K Ro|r|,
P|larPura}, 03S Ro|r|}, C|rerax Tagore 0arder}, Vov|e T|re
Rajagarder, P|lar Pura}, Sal]ar Pale| hagar, Jara|pur|,
heru P|ace}, 0T Sa|el, Sa||rar, Vasarl Kurj}, Fur Vol| hagar,
P|lar Pura, Lajpal hagar Kar|ardoora}, 8|g 0deor, ho|da,
Va|sa||, Kausaro|, 0.ho|da}, wave Rajagarder, ho|da,
Kausaro|}, SRS C|reras, V4u, SV wor|d, 0a|ax|e, Slarx
Va|sa||}, VVX, Jars|pra, Sp|ce ho|da}, Vov|e Pa|ace, Vov|e
Vag|c, Caudar] 0.8ad}, Vov|e wor|d & S||ver C|l] 0az|aoad},
lrox & 0 C|reras Far|daoad}, Pa]a| 0urgaor}, hee|ar & PV
Far|daoad}.
FP|ThV| KA$APAVNA$h [After Earth) [NeW Pe|ease) [h|nd|):
S||verc|l] 0az|aoad}
YEh JAwAAN| hA| EEwAN|: 0e||le, S|e|a, V|sa|, Ao|se|
C|rep|ex, 3 C's, 8alra 0||lz, Eros 0re, 8alra, Aroa, Sarral, L|oerl],
Rega|, PVRP|aza, R|vo||, Pr|]a, Sa|el, C|l] wa||, hara|ra, V||aspur|,
Prasarl V|ar, E0V, Vaagur, 0pu|erl, V2K Ro|r|, P|larPura},
03S Ro|r|}, C|rerax, Fur Vol| hagar, P|larPura, Lajpal hagar,
Kar|ardoora}, 0T Sa|el, Sa||rar, Vasarl Kurj}, Sal]ar Pale|
hagar, Jara| Pur|, heru P|ace}, Vov|e T|re Rajagarder, P|lar
Pura}, 8|g 0deor, ho|da, Va|sa||, Kausaro|, 0.ho|da}, wave
Rajagarder, ho|da, Kausaro|}, Sp|ce ho|da}, V4u, SV wor|d,
SRS C|reras, VVX, Jars|pra, 0a|ax|e, Slarx Va|sa||}, Vov|e
Pa|ace, Vov|e Vag|c, Caudar] 0.8ad}, Vov|e wor|d & S||ver
C|l] 0az|aoad}, lrox & 0C|reras Far|daoad}, Pa]a| 0urgaor},
hee|ar Far|daoad}.
AA$h|0u|-2: 0T Sa|el, Vasarl Kurj}, Fur P|lar Pura, Luxr|
hagar}, Vov|e T|re Rajagarder, P|lar Pura}, V2K P|lar Pura},
PVR E0V, PVR 0urgaor}, Sp|ce ho|da}, 8|g Va|sa||}, VVX,
0a|ax|e, Slarx Va|sa||}, wave ho|da, Kausaro|}, SRS Ad|l]a},
03S Ro|r|}.
PAFTAPKAJuN00N[Fast 8Fur|ous) [h|nd|): Fur Luxr| hagar,
Kar|ardoora}, 03S Ro|r|}, V2K Ro|r|, P|lar Pura}, PVR
V||aspur|, Prasarl V|ar, E0V, Vov|e wor|d & S||ver C|l] 0.8ad}.
KA|L huH $E 0hAAT [8ho[pur|): lars Azadpur}
0hEETAh [The FoWer of one): Vol|
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oordarshan
AH
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$tar $ports
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l/|s : Ser|l|ra| 2: lrd|a vs.
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l/|s : Ser|l|ra| 1: Erg|ard vs.
Auslra||a
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2013 : 0ua||l]|rg
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Fulure
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l/|s : warr up Valc 4: lrd|a
vs. Auslra||a
11:00 Legerds ol w|ro|edor : 8jorr
8org
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vs. Auslra||a
03:00 Legerds ol w|ro|edor : 8jorr
8org
04:00 S8K Supero||e wor|d
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08:00 Fll 2013 Ver's loc|e]
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lrd|a vs. 8arg|ades
08:30 ATP 1000 Vaslers 2013 :
F|ra|: Sor] 0per Terr|s
V|ar|
11:30 lCC Cr|c|el 300
FH
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8rp Par|oas 0per lrd|ar
we||s
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wor|d League l/|s : Rourd 2 :
Russ|a vs. lrd|a
02:00 uEFA Europa League
2012/13 : F|ra|: 8erl|ca vs.
Ce|sea
04:00 wwE: hXT
05:00 wwE: Superslars
00:00 Fll 2013 Ver's loc|e]
wor|d League l/|s : Rourd 2:
lrd|a vs. 8arg|ades
00:30 ATP 1000 Vaslers 2013 l/|s :
8rp Par|oas 0per lrd|ar
we||s
07:30 lCC Cr|c|el 300
Tour 2013 l/|s
08:30 uEFA Carp|ors League
2012/13 : F|ra|: 8oruss|a
0orlrurd vs. 8a]err Vur|c
10:30 wwE: hXT
11:30 uEFA Europa League
2012/13 : F|ra|: 8erl|ca vs.
Ce|sea
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AH
05:00 Caugl |r le Acl
00:00 Creal|ve V|s|or
07:00 F|gl Sc|erce
08:00 Caugl |r le Acl
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11:00 Vega Faclor|es
FH
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01:00 Vegaslruclures
02:00 Co|d 8|ood
05:00 8rea|oul
00:00 Vosl Araz|rg Vorerls
07:00 V] Ford V] Erdeavour
08:00 Vosl Araz|rg Vorerls
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00:00 Te|esopp|rg
08:00 0evor Ke 0ev... Vaadev
10:00 lur he L| la|...Sapal :
SuperCops vs Superv|||a|rs
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12:00 Ajao Prer K| 0azao Kaar|
03:00 8esl ol Savdaar lrd|a: lrd|a
F|gls 8ac| : 100 F|gloac|s
08:00 Savdar lrd|a lrd|a F|gls
8ac| : 100 F|gloac|s
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SuperCops vs Superv|||a|rs
10:00 Savdar lrd|a lrd|a F|gls
8ac| : up F|gls 8ac|
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NTV |nd|a
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00:00 Kaoar lrd|a
07:30 heWs h0TV lrd|a
08:30 Ke| lrd|a
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11:30 lrd|a |s alle
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01:30 Za||a lrd|a Ka
02:30 C|rera lrd|a
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07:30 Ke| lrd|a
08:00 lur Log
09:30 Rallaar
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11:30 Ce|| 0uru
0o|ors
AH
05:00 lsc|or
05:30 8ar|: lsq 0a Ka|ra a|
00:00 Te|eorards
07:00 hara]ar SeWa Sarslar Trusl
07:30 lore Sop 18
08:00 Sars|aar: 0aroar Apror K|
10:00 Suraj: Te R|s|rg Slar
10:30 T8C
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10:00 Sa|lar: A Cr|r|ra| V|rd
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00:47 10,000 8C
09:00 Sao||r Soccer
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12:00 uFC w|red : 200: werdur vs.
0os Sarlos
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lre|ard vs. Faroe ls|ards
03:00 lrlerral|ora| R|va|r|es :
Erg|ard vs.Argerl|ra
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AH
04:00 F|||er
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08:00 Poc|elraar
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09:00 0arru
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04:00 Sa|lar
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05:00 8aoa Rardev Ka Yog
00:00 0are Sure Arsure
00:30 Te|esopp|rg
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80a, aat0re, m0sIc, aeWs, 40c0meatarIes aa4 feat0res
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FESTIVAL
Indulge in one of its kind wine
paired menu. New Zealand
Wine festival at ConneXions,
Crown Plaza, Gurgaon from
June 1 to 10. It is an all-day event
FOOD
Pizza Mania get more than
just pizzas at Amsterdam.
Kitchen & Bar, DLF South
Court Mall, Saket, New Delhi
from 11.30 am to 12.30 pm.
Meal for two: C1500 plus taxes
EVENT
Meet Chota Bheem and his
friends, Jaggu, Kalia and Chutki
on June 8 and 9 at DLF
Promenade Mall, Vasant Kunj,
New Delhi in an all-day event
from 10 am
MOVIE
Watch The Scorpion King, an
action film at 11 pm on Star
Movies starring Dwayne
Johnson, Steven Brand, Kelly
Hu and others
Printed and pubIished by Chandan Mitra for and on behaIf of CMYK Printech Ltd., 2nd FIoor, Link House, 3 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New DeIhi-110 002, and printed at Jagran Prakashan Ltd, D 210,211 Sector-63, Noida (U.P.). Editor: Chandan Mitra. AIR SURCHARGE of C 2.00 East: CaIcutta, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, North Leh West:
Mumbai & Ahmedabad South: Hyderabad, BangaIore & Chennai. CentraI : Khajuraho, DeIhi TeIephones: Board No. 40754100/ 9871234271. Lucknow Office: 4th FIoor, Sahara Shopping Centre, Faizabad Road, Lucknow-226 016. TeIephones: 0522-2346443, 2346444, 2346445.
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A
young boy learns that he has
extraordinary powers and is not of
this Earth. As a young man, he
journeys to discover where he came from
and what he was sent here to do. But the
hero in him must emerge if he is to save
the world from annihilation and become
the symbol of hope for all mankind.
A child, sent to Earth from a dying
planet, is adopted by a couple in rural
Kansas. Posing as a journalist, he uses his
extraordinary powers to protect his new
home from an insidious evil.
In the pantheon of superheroes,
Superman is the most recognised and
revered character of all time. Clark
Kent/Kal-El is a young 20-something
journalist who feels alienated by powers
beyond his imagination. Transported years
ago to Earth from Krypton, a highly
advanced, distant planet, Clark struggles
with the ultimate question Why am I
here? Shaped by the values of his adoptive
parents Martha and Jonathan Kent, Clark
discovers having extraordinary abilities
means making difficult decisions. When
the world is in dire need of stability, an even
greater threat emerges. Clark must become
a man of steel, to protect the people he
loves and shine as the worlds beacon of
hope.
After Iartl wlat? Notling!
O
n a week when two big
movies bomb all over
your patience limit, this one
saves the evening. Yes, it does
take some time to grow on
you, but once the unlikely
thriller gets going, it is really
what it deals with magic.
Eisenberg, who once
played Mark Zuckerberg to
perfection, is a master
magician here who, along
with three others, does an
amazing show in Vegas,
staging bank robberies as far
away as in Paris live and
and from that stage.
Though the role of
Morgan Freeman is not too
fleshed out, the suspense
holds on till the last and thats
what gives you that edge on
your seat. Its a pacey movie
which gives you no time to
think or catch what the FBI
deems the most innovative
heists in the world.
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8ate4: 5.5/10
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FIseaher, Mark
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Some magical heisls
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t: 0I 0Iaemas &
0thers, 8ate4: 3/10
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T
he worlds most loved
characters Mi ckey
Mouse along with Minnie
Mouse, Donald Duck and
Goofy gave a mindblowing
performance in the Capital
recently at the Disney Magic
event. They are now going to
meet and greet their fans in
Mumbai, Bangal ore and
Chennai and give Mickeys
friends a unique Disney expe-
rience for the entire family.
IIcket t0
8Iaja arty
N
ick pulls out all stops to
ensure children have an
entertaining summer holiday.
With the brand new home-
grown hilarious chase comedy
Pakdam Pakdai and new sea-
son of Motu Patlu. The young
ones will be entertained like
never before. Thats not all!
Kids also get a chance to party
with Ninja Hattori by partici-
pating in Chocolate Horlicks
Presents Nick Party with Ninja
Contest.
Tune in to Nick on
Monday to Friday, 6 pm to 7
pm and win invites to a party
with Ninja Hattori.
small screen 0S
NEW DELH SUNDAY JUNE 9, 2013
TELLYTALE
QHow did you bag Mahamangas role?
Ive worked with Ekta Kapoor before
in Kasamh Se and Bairi Piya, so we share
a good rapport. Ekta offered me this role
and I didnt even have to audition for it. I
am overwhelmed and nervous.
Since I was not good in History in
school, Ive a scant knowledge about that
era. The only condition I put before Ekta
was that she should narrate the script to
me because her narration style irons
away all doubts. It was Ektas confidence
in me that has given me the courage to take
up this role.
QWhat challenges did you face while
shooting?
It was a huge challenge from day one.
The role is completely different from the
ones that Ive played so far. So, yes, I had
adjustment issues to begin with. But, grad-
ually, everything eased out.
QIla Arun played the same role in the
2008 Jodha Akbar. Did you face perfor-
mance anxiety about this at any time?
There is no question of comparison
with Ila Arun who is a senior and very tal-
ented artist. I respect Ilaji and cant even
think of comparing myself with her. Each
actor brings in his/her own individuality
to the role and Im hoping the audience will
be supportive of me.
QHow did you prepare for this role
Urdu language and traditional attire etc?
Im learning something new everyday.
Its a process and Im enjoying the little dis-
coveries coming my way. Ekta is a great
mentor and always there to guide actors
whenever they feel stuck. The role
demands a good command over Urdu. I
had a lot of problems getting my diction
right but Naved Aslam, who plays
Behraam Khan in the serial, was of great
help. He would literally give me Urdu
tuitions.
Its the first time that I have played
a burqa-clad traditional Muslim
woman. The going isnt easy but Im
enjoying it.
QDo you ever fear getting stereo-
typed?
Ive played mostly negative
characters, but that doesnt stop me
from taking up other kinds of roles.
I sign up for a project only once Im
completely sure I want to be a part
of it. Im open to do all sorts of roles
and offers have been generous.
QYou are a trained Kathak dancer.
Never pursued that line?
Im a trained Kathak dancer but def-
initely not a professional performer. I
dont even know all the variations of this
dance form. I learnt Kathak when I was
a child and fell in love with it. There are
many more talented actors on the small
screen who are greater dancers. I dont see
myself towering over them.
QWhich one do you consider to be your
best performance?
Every role has given me an opportu-
nity to excel in different areas. Im only
concerned about putting my best foot for-
ward. I leave the rest to God.
QWith whom would you like to work in
the film industry?
Each one of them if that is possible.
Bollywood is a talent house of legends. Ive
worked with Ajay Devgn and would love
to work with him again.
Rohit Shetty is one of the most gen-
uine and down-to-earth persons Ive
come across. Ill be on seventh
heaven if I get to work with
Devgn in a Shetty film again.
Like everyone else, I too would
love to share screen space with
Big B. Ranbir Kapoor is cute. I
would love to play his leading
lady some day.
QTell us more about you as a
person?
Im a naughty and fun-loving
person who takes life as it comes. Im
an out and out extrovert who makes
friends at the drop of a hat. Prachi Desai
is my best friend.
QWhat do you prefer? TV or film indus-
try?
It isnt about TV or films. Its about the
work youre doing and the time youre will-
ing to give. Im an opportunist so Ill
choose whichever medium gives me max-
imum exposure and presents plumb pro-
jects.
C
onsidered to be Comedy
Ka Rajnikath, Suresh
Menon put on his dancing
shoes for Colors Jhalak
Dikhhala Jaas Season 6 with
a lot of verve. His Fuferman
act in the premier round had
the judges in splits, but
Sureshs funny jabs didnt
quite give him audience
votes.
I was expecting an evic-
tion soon as I dont know
dancing but was surprised to
be the first to be chucked out.
Having said that, my objec-
tive was to entertain the
audience and to familiar
myself with dancing. These
two weeks are unforgettable.
Im happy I got to know how
much dance I am capable of.
To get acquainted with danc-
ing was my sole purpose,
Menon tells you.
An ardent fan of dance
reality shows, when Menon
got the Jhalak offer, he went
for it. I enjoy watching
dance shows and I wanted to
explore one myself. Thats
why I said yes to Jhalak. I
know Pappu cant dance but
I thought of giving it a try
once. Ive been part of small
competitions but only for
fun. I was never a serious
contender for a dance show
before this, he says.
Though practice was
hard, shoots were fun. My
Fuferman act cheered up
many on the show. I had a lot
of fun with my co-contes-
tants. I believe in making
people around me laugh. I
cant sit quietly because I love
to chat up people and put
them at ease, Menon adds.
Along with Menon, his
choreographers journey
ended too. But he says the
time spent with Suchitra was
a learning experience as she
worked on him endlessly.
Suchitra is a wonderful
choreographer and dancer. I
salute the efforts she made to
make me dance. Last season,
she partnered cricketer
Sanath Jayasuriya who was
the second contestant to be
evicted. But non-dancers
dont scare this hardworking
woman. I wish that in next
season she gets a participant
who has some dancing in
him, Menon says.
In Season 6, Menon finds
lots of strong participants but
he would vote for Karanvir
Bohra as the best.
I see potential in every
contestant but Lauren and
Karanvir Bohra appear ener-
getic and vibrant, Menon,
who worked in media mar-
keting before venturing into
the entertainment industry,
tells you.
So whats this about film-
maker Karan Johar hating
him? He is an intelligent
director who has a different
perspective on how comedy
should be done. But Im
somebody who can laugh at
myself and I love mimicking
others (which Johar is
against). I never had any
problem being on the show
with him as judge. We talked
off-screen and I even told
him I wanted to work with
him, Menon clarifies.
Though Menon loves the
work of most comedians,
Johny Lever is his all-time
favourite. Kapil Sharma,
Siddharth Yadav and Purvi
Joshi are doing a great job. In
fact, I find Manish Paul an
amazing comedian too. His
sense of humour is outstand-
ing. We had a blast in Jhalak,
Menon says.
Ashwini Kalsekar is
ecslalic lo be
Mahamanga in Ekla
Kaoor's Jodha Akbar on
Zee Tv. l has been a
challenge or her lo gel
her body language and
diclion righl or lhe role
bul Kalsekar says her
exerience will come in
handy. She is nol
araid o being
comared wilh la
Arun who layed
Mahamanga in lhe
2OO8 ilm as "each
aclor brings in her
individualily lo lhe
role". S0h MShRA
chals u lhe mulli
lalenled aclress who has
done many negalive
roles on Tv
'll be on seventh
heaven if get to work
with Devgn in a Shetty
film again. Like
everyone else, too
would love to share
screen space with Big
B. Ranbir Kapoor is
cute. would love to
play his leading lady
some day
ThE R0LE 0EMAh0S A
0000 C0MMAh0 0vER
uR0u. hA0 A L0T 0F
FR0BLEMS 0ETTh0 MY
0CT0h R0hT BuT
hAvE0 ASLAM, wh0
FLAYS BEhRAAM KhAh
h ThE SERAL, wAS 0F
0REAT hELF. hE w0uL0
LTERALLY 0vE ME
uR0u TuT0hS
'm a0t scare4 t0
et stere0tye4'
' lnew Pau can`t oance`
Slandu comedian SuRESh MEh0h knew lhe eviclion was coming bul he did
nol execl lo be lhe irsl one lo go rom Jhalak.... he lells S0h MShRA how
dancing has never been his orle bul il was a un exerience being on lhe show
EXFECTE0 ThAT
'LL BE EvCTE0
S00h AS 'M A
h0h0AhCER.
whATEvER
EXFEREhCE0 h
ThESE Tw0 wEEKS
S uhF0R0ETTABLE.
00 FEEL BA0 BuT
'M hAFFY ThAT
00T T0 Kh0w h0w
MuCh 0AhCE
ThERE S h ME
have done a lot of
negative roles but this
is the first time have
attempted to play a
burqa-clad traditional
Muslim woman. t
wasn't easy
townhall 04
8TkII EFTE Q hEw 0ELh
D
elhi Sikh Gurdwara
Management Committee
(DSGMC) has decided to go
ahead with the memorial con-
struction to commemorate
those killed during the 1984
anti-Sikh riots as planned. The
memorial has been planned in
the same complex, adjacent to
Parliament House.
DSGMC president Manjit
Singh GK on Saturday
announced that there will be no
change in the schedule for
foundation laying ceremony
of 1984 Sikh genocide memo-
rial on Gurdwara Rakabganj
Sahib complex. "There is no
violation of any building
norms. So the Delhi
Government or any other
authority in Delhi has no right
to raise objection to our peace-
ful endeavour. We are not
going to construct any building
in Gurdwara Rakabganj Sahib.
A memorial is a memorial. It
can be a pillar or a platform to
perpetuate the memory of
those lost their lives in anti-
Sikh riots in 1984 that followed
after the assassination of then
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi,"
said Manjit Singh GK, adding
that they are not going to
derive any political mileage.
"The main objective behind
this memorial is to provide a
place for the bereaved families
and pay respect to their dead,"
he said. The memorial, accord-
ing to him, would be dedicat-
ed to the Sikh Panth before the
completion of 30 years of the
carnage and would be would be
symbol of peace, humanity,
humility and compassion.
Manjit Singh GK was
reacting to the objection to the
memorial raised by New Delhi
Municipal Council (NDMC)
on June 7 by pasting a notice on
the gate of the Gurdwara com-
plex. In the notice it was said
that any illegal construction
was not permitted inside the
gurdwara complex. It also
raised objection on three feet
wide and four feet high wall
constructed for foundation
stone ceremony.
Speaking on the issue
DSGMC general secretary
Manjinder Singh Sirsa said
that DSGMC would make no
violation and would stick to the
byelaws. "We have already
announced that height of the
memorial would not be more
than 22 feet, norms fixed in the
area due to security reasons,"
adds Sirsa.
kk8hhk hk1khI Q hEw 0ELh
A
mid anxiety over race for admission to
top Delhi University colleges and
courses of their choice, some admission
seekers are looking forward to studying at
DU colleges with excitement. They feel the
environment is diverse and student-friend-
ly. Some also feel that it is the perfect place
to study given the world class faculties.
According to QS World University
Rankings 2012, Delhi University's English
Department is one of the best
in the world. It ranks
among the top hun-
dred along with other
reputed educational
institutions like St
A n d r e w ' s
U n i v e r s i t y ,
Pennsylvania State
University or University
of Sussex and is considered
better than several other universities, includ-
ing Nottingham University, Purdue
University and University of Liverpool.
"Though I am hoping to get admission
in a north campus college, in case I do not,
I would be content in studying in any other
college of Delhi University," said Himani
Kapoor from Chandigarh. Economics
and Commerce are other courses, which
not only attract students across the coun-
try, but from abroad as well. Apart from
neighbouring countries Nepal,
Afghanistan, Tibet, Sri Lanka and China,
a large number of students from Vietnam,
Thailand, Mauritius, Uzbekistan,
Kazakhstan, France, Germany, Canada and
even United States apply to Delhi
University, under the category of foreign
students for various graduate and post
graduate courses.
Ayushi Sarkar from KIIT International
School, who secured a 93.5 per cent in her
board exams said, "The interesting thing
about Delhi University is its exposure. It
gives the students an opportunity to excel.
I can fully harness my potential here. From
here I can take my life wherever I want, be
it in the field of sports or education. It is
always an honour studying in DU." Apart
from its influential academic environment,
the university also draws students for its
best dramatics clubs and societies.
Neha Verma, an aspirant from Uttar
Pradesh, who wants to pursue Economic
Honours said, "I would like to hone my
debating and acting skills too. As per what
I have heard from my seniors, the colleges
provide ample opportunities throughout
the year to display hidden talents. I am so
excited that I am soon going to be part of
one of the top universities of the country.
khF VEMk Q h00A
N
oida Authority's decision to cut
down nearly six dozen trees
inside the Noida Stadium for rede-
veloping the facility has annoyed the
residents of nearby sectors. They
have alleged the authority for
destroying green belt area of the sta-
dium in the name of redevelop-
ment. As most part of the stadium
falls under green area, residents of
Sector 10, 11, 12, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25
and others, especially senior citizens
come to the stadium for morning
and evening walk.
The matter came to light a few
days ago when the morning walk-
ers noticed a red mark on 67 trees.
While contacting the stadium man-
agement, it was revealed that Noida
Authority had ordered to cut these
well-grown trees, marked with red
colour, for building cricket infra-
structure. Against the move of the
Noida Authority, a delegation of
local residents approached the dis-
trict administration, the pollution
department as well as the forest
department. The delegation also
warned to move National Green
Tribunal (NGT), if Noida Authority
does not take its decision back.
According to the local people,
when the construction work
resumed one year ago, the then
CEO of Noida authority had
assured them to protect over 125
large plants coming on the site of
cricket stadium. "As we had earli-
er assured by the competent author-
ity, we were totally shocked with the
recent decision that has put the
future of these trees in a limbo. It
is also painful that the District
Forest Department had given per-
mission to Noida Authority without
observing the ground reality. The
officials' argument to plant nearly
350 trees, instead of the existing
trees, is totally baseless as the sta-
dium is already facing space crunch
due to newly constructed cycle
track and other infrastructures,"
said Manoj Kumar, an environ-
mental activist living in Sector 12.
"Though we have been granted
permission from the forest depart-
ment on certain conditions, we are
also considering issues raised by the
residents in this regard and if
required we will take every possi-
ble step to protect the existing
trees," said PK Agarwal, Additional
CEO of Noida Authority.
khF VEMk Q h00A
O
n the line of Delhi Traffic Police, to ease con-
gestion on city roads caused by movement of
heavy vehicles, Noida Traffic Police has planned to
restrict entry of such vehicles during the peak hours
from July. The Traffic Department has started sur-
veying various routes for this purpose and the final
report will be sent to Noida Authority for approval.
Initially, the law enforcement agency is likely
to restrict entry on three key routes of Noida: from
DND Flyway to Noida, Film City to Sector 60 and
Sector 37 to Sector 71. The ban on entry will be
imposed between 8 am and 11 am in the morning
and between 5.30 pm and 10 pm in the evening.
The restriction will not imply on Noida-Greater
Noida Expressway.
A senior official of Noida Traffic Police,
"Timing of 'no entry' of heavy vehicles to the city,
has been decided keeping the restriction in Delhi
in mind so that traffic in Noida will not be affect-
ed." Delhi Traffic Police do not allow entry of heavy
vehicles from 7 am to 11 am and 5 pm to 10 pm
from DND Flyway, while 7.30 pm to 10.30 from
Chilla Regulator and Kalindi Bridge. As the traf-
fic load on various roads has registered manifold
increase in last few years, smooth vehicular move-
ment has become a tough task these days. With the
recent move, we will be able to manage a hassle-
free traffic in and around the city, said MP Singh,
SP (Traffic), Gautam Budh Nagar.
A
am Aadmi Party (AAP) on
Saturday came out with its
second list of 44 candidates for
10 more constituencies in Delhi
Assembly elections scheduled
later this year.
To increase its credibility,
the profiles and forms of these
44 shortlisted candidates have
been uploaded on AAPs web-
site to give people an opportu-
nity to clear their doubts, if any,
regarding the selection.
Party volunteer Gopal Rai
has applied from Babarpur
Constituency and Vinod
Kumar Binny councillor from
East Delhis Kichdipur area has
also applied for party ticket
from Laxmi Nagar. Binny had
recently joined the party and
started holding Mohalla Sabhas.
The party has selected
common people from different
walks of life. Musharraf Khan,
a daily wage earner, is one of
the shortlisted candidates from
Rajouri Garden Assembly.
8Ikhk 8EhFTk QhEw 0ELh
D
espite several communiqu
to State Transport Authority
(STA) by the Delhi Metro Rail
Corporation (DMRC), the issue
of imposing penalty on ticketless
travellers on Metro feeder buses
has not been settled yet.
Consequently passengers have
been travelling without tickets,
thus, causing huge loss to the
Metro authority. DMRC has
shot two letters to STA between
January to May.
In their last letter which
was sent in April, DMRC had
urged the STA to impose the
penalty as there has been an
increase in the number of tick-
etless passengers. Sources said
that significant part of the
money was also pocketed by
the conductors as they are in
connivance, hence the
Corporation also wants the
conductors be fined.
Till now, in all DTC buses,
the ticketless passengers have
been imposed a penalty of Rs
200, but in the absence of any
provision, number of ticketless
passengers remain scot-free.
The number is increasing over
time. According to an estimate
collected from the STA, near-
ly 15 passengers per day trav-
el in Metro feeder buses. Right
now, there are around 250
low-floor, non-air conditioned
feeder buses plying at various
routes under the DMRC.
'wIII 0 ahea4 WIth mem0rIaI'
0elhi 0ovl or any olher aulhorily
has no righl lo raise objeclion lo
our eaceul endeavour: 0S0MC
Asirants leaming witl excitement
O
nline registrations for admission to Delhi University soared to 82,000 on the fourth
day, remarkably higher than the registrations on day one. A technical glitch had
hampered online admissions on Wednesday because of which the number of appli-
cations received was merely 5,500. As soon as the maintenance team of the univer-
sity addressed the issue, the number of applications took a leap.
The authority admitted to have faced a technical error which had caused major
inconvenience to online applicants. The online registration website was either run-
ning slow or hanging frequently on the first day.
0ay 4: 8Z,000 0aIIae reIstratI0as
S|uJ|| u| uu| +||| u||i||i| |u|| u| S+|u|J+] R+||+| i||i | Piu||
Transport dopt apathy
oosts DMPC doar
|uiJ+ |u |||i| |+1]
1|il |||] Ju|i|
p+| |uu| ||u| 1ul]
80I4a resI4eats Irke4 at a0th0rIty's
4ecIsI0a t0 c0t 40Wa sta4I0m trees
Piu|| p|u|u
1984 ANT-SKH ROTS
AAP uu| Wi|| 2|J
li| u| +|JiJ+|
|u| || |u|
A||l] +|
INDIAN ORDNANCE FACTORIES
AMMUNITION FACTORY KHADKI, PUNE-411 003
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA, MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
E-TENDER NOTICE
Sl. TENDER NOMENCLATURE QUANTITY EMD
No. ENQUIRY NO. OF MATERIAL AMOUNT
1 20130144 RUBBER SLUGS FOR CARTG 152039 Nos Rs. 32,000/-
dtd: 14.05.2013 12 BORE ANTIRIOT TO DRG with 50%
O.D. 23.07.2013 NO AFK/SK-2675 SHEET option
NO. 1 DATED 23.9.99
4) TIME & LAST DATE OF RECEIPT OF QUOTATIONS IN E-PORTAL:
1400 HRS ON AT 23.07.2013 WWW.OFBEPROC.GOV.IN
5) TIME & DATE & PLACE OF OPENING OF TECHNICAL BID IN
E-PORTAL: 1430 HRS ON23.07.2013 AT WWW.OFBEPROC.GOV.IN
NOTE: Detailed descriptions, credentials required, eligibility criteria,
terms & conditions etc. are available on Govt. website www.ten-
ders.gov.in & on www.ofbeproc.gov.in.
This procurement action is in 2 bid system, i.e. technical bid & price
bid and for new source development hence established suppliers may
not quote for above items. Firms having One Source Devp. Order also
need not apply. Please note that VRRF should be enclosed with
technical bid and capacity verification fees should reach AFK on or
before 1400 hrs. on at 23.07.2013. Please note that technical bid will
be rejected if fees and VRRF not received within stipulated time and
date and no correspondence will be made in this regards.
For any clarification please contact at Ammunition Factory, Khadki, Pune
30 - Fax - 020-258 13205, Tel No- 020-25810554 Ext-2018.
davp 10201/11/0526/1314
Phone: 020 25813855/25922000 Fax: 020 25813205/25821875 E-mail: alk.ofb.nic.in
landmark 05
MkhEhE 8Ihh MkhkI Q
hEw 0ELh
T
he Delhi Police has started
interrogating Mumbai's big
time bookie Ramesh Vyas (52),
who has been brought to Delhi
on production remand. Police
sources said that Vyas, a resi-
dent of Napean Sea Road, was
operating as a facilitator for cel-
lular conversations between
bookies in Pakistan, Dubai
and from Jaipur, Del hi,
Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
For connecting all these
calls between the bookies of
these places, he earned Rs 1.2
lakh per day. He also controls
D-Company's operations in
South India and was arrested in
2005, while his associate Feroz,
who is absconding, was arrest-
ed in 2012, for allegedly betting
during IPL matches. Vyas was
arrested on May 12 by Mumbai
Police on the charges of run-
ning a well entrenched betting
syndicate.
"Vyas was operating by
using Pakistani numbers and
was directly in touch with four
bookies of Delhi. Bookies from
Pakistan and Dubai have been
putting on huge stakes on the
ongoing IPL matches and were
betting on every IPL match on
minute to minute basis. The
sleuths of Special Cell had
intercepted his call with
Ashwini Aggarwal alias Tinku
Mandi, when Vyas was con-
necting his call to a Pakistani
number," a source said. After
the arrest of Vyas along with
two associates,
police had seized 92
cell phones and 30
lines directly linked to
Pakistani contacts from their
possession.
After the sustained inter-
rogation of Vyas, a South
Mumbai-based property deal-
er and also a sweet manufac-
turer told the investigators that
initially he used to run his own
property dealing business, but
in 2005 he indulged in betting
and with the help of Shoban
Mehta alias
S h o b a n
Kalachowki,
a well-known bookie, he
started operating the illegal
telephone exchange in South
Mumbai, to run his betting
network.
Several calls were made to
Dubai and Pakistan from his
illegal telephone exchange. "In
2005, the crime branch of
Mumbai Police had busted his
illegal telephone exchange and
arrested him. Investigators had
recovered a conferencing
machine, power supply unit,
phone, internet terminal box,
net-to-phone devices and
account books. His arrest had
led to the arrest of top bookie
Mehta. However, within some
months, he got bail and was
back in the betting racket," the
sources added.
"Vyas also told the inves-
tigators that he never dis-
closed to his parties that phone
lines connected by him were
from Pakistan and Dubai.
Before the start of any IPL
match, he would first make a
call to one bookie abroad and
later connect him on confer-
ence call with another bookie
in India. He was getting Rs
4,000 for connecting per call
between all the bookies of
Pakistan, Dubai and India," the
sources added.
k1E8h kMk Q hEw 0ELh
T
he Delhi Government has
embarked upon a novel
idea of counting trees across
the city. Being termed as the
tree census, the exercise is a
first-of-its kind in Delhi, and is
expected to help the city
Government in preparing and
implementing schemes to
increase tree cover in the city.
Delhi Parks and Garden
Society (DPGS) has roped in five
RWAs and as many schools for
its pilot project, before it is
introduced across the city. The
counting of trees is expected to
begin by next week in five areas
Rohini, Dwarka, Mayur
Vihar, Chittaranjan Park and
Paschim Vihar.
It would be pertinent to
mention that Mumbai is the
first city to conduct a tree cen-
sus in the country and so,
Delhi would be the second city.
The Delhi Government has
been working on this project
for the past two years.
Sources in the Government
said 19 years after bringing in
the enforcement of Tree
Preservation Act in 1994, a tree
census is all set to start by next
week in Delhi in a bid to curb
the declining number of trees
in residential colonies. The
Government has asked Nerolac
paint to provide eco-friendly
paints for counting trees in
Delhi. The counting would
start with the help RWAs and
members of DPGS, who have
been given special training for
this purpose, said a source.
The residents of Sarvodaya
Enclave in South Delhi have
recently conducted a tree sur-
vey with the help of home-
makers, children and environ-
mentalists and it was found that
it had 4,011 residents, 1,583
vehicles and 1,122 trees, several
of which were in danger of
dying due to rampant con-
struction and unnecessary
pruning. A total of 787 trees
along the roads were num-
bered. The survey was con-
ducted between 2011 and 2012.
Similarly, a survey by an NGO
also revealed that Samachar
Apartment has 265 cars against
139 full-grown trees, and this
number is expected to rise
due to large scale of plantation.
The DPGS has claimed to
have prepared an action plan.
Data compiled in the process has
shown that there are 414 species
of trees of 270 genres in the
Capital. Delhi's total green cover
is 19.97 per cent. It is notewor-
thy that according to the State of
the World's Cities, a report
released by UN Habitat last year,
ranked Delhi at 58 in the world
green index among 95 cities.
In Delhi, where land is
scarce, the green cover is often
compromised for development
projects, such as the expansion
of the Metro, flyover or BRT.
S
ome respite in sight from the
scorching heat for Delhiites
as the city is likely to get light
showers in the next three days.
The Met department predicted
light rain and thunderstorm
with a dip in temperature in the
middle of this week.
However, with no signs of
rain on Sunday, the maximum
temperature is expected to hover
around 43 degrees Celsius and
the minimum 30 degree. Later
in the day, the city is likely to be
enveloped in a dust storm, pre-
dicts the Met department.
The day will remain part-
ly cloudy with no rain but dust
storm is likely to hit some parts
of the city within the next 24
hours, an India Meteorological
Department (IMD) official said.
Monday is likely to be pleas-
ant, but the temperature will
remain the same as that on
Sunday. Denying advancement
of monsoon in Delhi, the weath-
er department said that the
city will mostly remain dusty
and windy with only slight rain
in some parts this month.
A senior Met official
admitted to advancement in
South-West monsoon in a few
States. It is expected to hit
Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra
Pradesh and parts of Jharkhand
within next three days. "While
heavy showers are expected in
the Eastern, Central and
North-Western parts of the
country during the second half
of the week, Delhi will experi-
ence only a minor dip in tem-
perature," added the official.
The maximum tempera-
ture on Saturday settled at 41.2
degrees Celsius, while the min-
imum was 29.1 degrees Celsius.
8TkII EFTE Q
0REATER h00A
N
utan Singh Tewatia, wife of
farmer leader Manvir
Singh Tewatia who hit head-
lines during the clash between
the police and Bhatta-Parsaul
farmers in 2011, attempted
suicide on Saturday.
Nutan allegedly tried hang-
ing herself at her Greater Noida
home. She has been admitted
in the ICU of a city hospital and
is in a critical condition, police
said. No case has been regis-
tered with this regard so far.
According to the police,
they received information
about the incident around 6.15
am. The victim was rushed to
the hospital by relatives and
doctors have put her on a ven-
tilator. "She is not in a condi-
tion to talk and her family
members were not clear about
the sequence of events which
led to the suicide attempt," said
Brijesh Kumar Singh,
Superintendent of Police
(Rural), Greater Noida. "We are
conducting a detailed investi-
gation into the case," Kumar
added.
It may be recalled that
Nutan's husband Manveer
Singh Tewatia had been
released from Dasna jail after
two years on June 5, 2013. He
had been lodged in jail since
July 22, 2011, for abducting
Government officials and
killing a policeman.
The police had booked
Tewatia in 22 cases including a
case of murder.
A
27-year-old chef of a restaurant reportedly
died of suspected suffocation inside the
restaurant in Connaught Place (CP). A case of
negligence has been registered against uniden-
tified persons and further investigation is on.
A New Delhi district police official said that
the deceased, identified as Shyamudin, alias
Mukesh, a native of Nepal, was working in a
restaurant for the last three months. He was
found unconscious on the kitchen floor on June
6 evening by another chef of the restaurant,
Kishor Kumar. He immediately informed the
management of the restaurant, who in turn
informed the local police, the police official said.
The victim was taken to Ram Manohar
Lohia Hospital, but later died there. Preliminary
investigation revealed that the restaurant, situ-
ated in F-block of CP, has two floors but their
restaurant was operational only on the first floor,
while their kitchen was operational in both the
floors. After reaching the spot, the investigators
suspected gas leakage and found that there were
no exhaust fans inside the kitchen. There were
fixed windows and two deep freezers, the offi-
cer added.
After scanning the CCTV footage installed
in the kitchen, it emerged that the victim
Shyamudin was working inside the kitchen, but
suddenly fell unconscious. "Police had shifted
the body to Lady Hardinge Hospital for post-
mortem, which was conducted on Saturday.
Now, we are waiting for his autopsy report to
ascertain the cause of death and currently, a case
under Sections 287 and 304 of IPC was regis-
tered against unidentified person at Connaught
Place Police station," the officer added.
Sp tFIxe4!
A
city court on Saturday
allowed the Delhi Police
to quiz al l eged bookie
Ramesh Vyas. Metropolitan
Magistrate Namrita
Aggarwal sent Vyas to the
custody of Delhi Police
Special Cell till June 18 after
the investigators said the
accused needed to be
quizzed so that his role and
the magnitude of the betting
and fixing syndicate can be
ascertained.
Vyas, who has recently
been granted bail by a
Mumbai local court, was
handed to Delhi Police in
pursuance of a production
warrant issued against him by
a city court.
The investigators told
before the court that they
wanted to know about the
role of other members of the
alleged betting syndicate,
including Vyas's associate
Feroz, who is on the run.
However, the sources in
Crime Branch of Mumbai
Police claimed that Vyas and
Feroz, are rivals.
yas aette4 C1.Zl/4 hy aetW0rkIa
Dolhi Polioo gots
oustody till Juno 18
R+|| V]+ |i| p|uJuJ +| + |u||+i uu|| |il p|u|u
!irst-of-its-lino attemt to
count !elli`s green caital
Iree ceas0s t0
start aext Week
U The counling o lree is
execled lo begin by nexl
week in ive areas - Rohini,
0warka, Mayur vihar,
Chillaranjan Fark and
Faschim vihar
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slarl 1O years aler bringing
in lhe Enorcemenl o Tree
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has roed in ive RwAs and
as many schools or lhe irsl
leg o lhe census
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nation 06
V 1kYkk1 Q K0Ch
D
espite the 20-day-long multi-
level discussions among Central
and State leaders, the Congress in
Kerala is set to miss the June 10
deadline it had set for a crucial
reshuffle of the party-led UDF
Cabinet, thanks to an unprecedent-
ed escalation in the war between fac-
tions led by Chief Minister Oommen
Chandy and State Congress presi-
dent Ramesh Chennithala.
The plan was to bring in a balance
of communities to the Cabinet to paci-
fy certain major majority communi-
ty organisations before the start of the
State Assemblys Monsoon Session
starting Monday but the national
leadership, which failed to establish a
ceasefire between the warring factions,
has now decided to postpone the
reshuffle till the Session is over.
National president Sonia Gandhi
and Congress Working Committee
member AK Antony, who met the
other day, came to a decision that
reshuffling the Congress posts in the
Kerala Cabinet in haste would cause
more harm than good at this junc-
ture. This decision became necessary
after Antony refused to directly
intervene in the Kerala issue.
On Saturday, Madhusudan
Mistry, Congress general secretary
incharge of Kerala affairs, indirectly
confirmed to newsmen the decision
to postpone the Cabinet reshuffle by
saying, The organisational issues in
Kerala will be settled at the appro-
priate time. Despite repeated queries,
Mistry was unable to explain by when
this appropriate time could be.
He also said that the State leaders,
including Chennithala and Chandy,
had been given strict instruction to
restrain themselves from making
public statements on issues concern-
ing the organisation. Sources said that
Sonia Gandhi did not want Congress
leaders to wash their dirty linen in
public just when the party was prepar-
ing for the Lok Sabha election.
The Congress high command
understands that the issue has now
become highly sensitive for the two
Kerala leaders as both of them are
considering this as a question of
pride, said a Congress source in
Delhi. Therefore, it will be difficult
for the high command to take a deci-
sion without hurting the pride of
either of them, he added.
Though both the I group led by
Chennithala and A group of Chandy
are relieved that they could now sus-
pend their war for some time, group-
neutral Congress leaders are worried
that the inability of the party to carry
out a simple task of a minor
Cabinet reshuffle could hurt its
credibility in the eyes of the people.
Till now, we have been jeering at
the CPI(M) for its divisionism. But the
Congress leadership must realise that
this group standoff in our party has
already affected the entire UDF and has
caused an administrative standstill. It
is a cause of concern during the run
up to the general election, said a senior
Congress leader from Alappuzha.
The proposal to reshuffle the
Congress-led positions in the Kerala
Cabinet was mooted around May 18,
the day Chennithalas month-long
Kerala Yatra concluded, in order to
put an end to the majority commu-
nities complaint that the Cabinet did
not have community equilibrium
and that the Government was being
controlled by the minorities.
The idea was to keep the major-
ity communities, especially Hindu
upper caste Nairs outfit NSS, happy
by inducting Chennithala, a promi-
nent Nair, into the Cabinet.
Chennithala also was not against the
proposal as he knew he could not
continue for long as State party
chief, a position he held for eight
years, as PCC chiefs could not hold
office for more than two terms.
However, the reshuffle efforts got
derailed following the rejection of the
I groups demand for the post of
Deputy Chief Minister for
Chennithala by the high command
and that of the Home Minister by
Chandy himself and his A group.
With this, Chennithala and his I
group decided that he should not join
the Cabinet unless the high com-
mand instructed otherwise.
IafIhtIa 4efers keraIa
0ahIaet resh0ffIe Iaa
STATE LEA0ERS,
hCLu0h0 ChEhhThALA
Ah0 ChAh0Y,
hA0 BEEh
0vEh STRCT
hSTRuCT0h
T0 RESTRAh
ThEMSELvES
FR0M MAKh0
FuBLC
STATEMEhTS
0h SSuES C0hCERhh0
ThE 0R0AhSAT0h
SONA GANDH DD
NOT WANT CONGRESS
LEADERS TO WASH
THER DRTY LNEN N
PUBLC JUST WHEN
THE PARTY WAS
PREPARNG FOR
THE LS ELECTON
hEEk1 kMk Q FAThA
T
hough Bihar Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar has vehe-
mently rejected the allegations
that the JD(U) candidate and
State Education Minister PK
Shahi faced any sort of back-
stabbing or cool response from
NDA workers in Maharajganj
by-election, State JD(U) leaders
are considering to take strong
action against those found
guilty of working against the
interest of the party candidate.
Shahi, himself, has accused
local NDA leaders for not
extending their full cooperation
and even backstabbing him in
by-election, ultimately resulting
in his defeat.
The RJD candidate from
Maharajganj constituency,
Prabhunath Singh who defeat-
ed Shahi by a margin of over
1.37 lakh also claimed that he
received the support of both
JD(U) and BJP workers.
He said that several local
NDA leaders and workers of
Maharajganj supported him
in the bypoll as he has a long
and personal relationship
with them.
Rising above their party
lines, they supported me in the
by-election, the newly elected
MP claimed.
The chairman of JD(U)
disciplinary committee
Gyanendra Singh Gyanu told
The Pioneer that he has not
received any written complaint
from either Shahi or anyone
else that JD(U) workers extend-
ed their support to Prabhunath
Singh in the by-election.
Gyanu said that he had
himself sensed that some local
NDA leaders were not fully
supporting Shahi in the bypoll.
Prabhunath Singh, who
has represented Maharajganj
Lok Sabha constituency on
three occasions, on JD(U) tick-
et still commands considerable
support base among the JD(U)
rank, a source claimed.
BJP MLA from Sonpur,
Vinay Kumar was not present
on the occasion when Shahi
filed nomination papers. He
also remained away from cam-
paigning for Shahi, despite a
large number of State
Ministers, MPs and MLAs
camped at Maharajganj for
mobilising support for Shahi,
sources added.
Singh has also claimed that
State Legislative Council
Deputy Chairman Saleem
Parvez has worked in his favour
in the by-election.
Parvez, however, has
strongly refuted the allega-
tions, stating that he never
indulged in any such anti-
party activity and on the other
hand claimed that he would
expose all such JD(U) leaders
and workers who spoilt the vic-
tory chances of Shahi. He also
said, he would take up the mat-
ter with Nitish Kumar too.
Al l t hese i ssues wi l l
remain shrouded in the mys-
tery until an official position
is taken by the JD(U) and
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar
clarifies the situation.
Fh8 Q MuMBA
A
city sessions court will pronounce
its ruling on Monday on the
admissibility of Bollywood actor
Salman Khans revision application
challenging the Magistrate courts
order invoking the charge of culpable
homicide not amounting to murder
against him in the much-discussed
2002 hit-and-run case.
After the actors senior lawyer
Ashok Mudargi and the prosecution
concluded their respective arguments
for and against the actors revision
application on May 8, Sessions Judge
UB Hejib had scheduled June 10 as the
date for delivering the verdict on
Salmans appeal.
In his appeal, the actor
has challenged the Bandra
Magistrate courts order
enhancing the charge
against him from causing
death due to negligence to
culpable homicide not
amounting to murder in
the hit-and-run case.
The actor was not pre-
sent in the court at the pre-
vious hearing, as he had
been exempted from mak-
ing a personal appearance
in the earlier hearing held
on April 29. The actor had
sought exemption from
personal appearance in the
court on the ground that
he would be out of town
owing to some professional engagement.
As he concluded his arguments but-
tressing the stand taken by the actor in
his revision application filed before the
Sessions Court on March 6, Salmans
lawyer Mudargi had reiterated that
Magistrate Vasant Patils order was
erroneous, bad in law and contrary to
evidence on record.
In an 80-odd page revision applica-
tion filed before a session court - to
which the Bandra Magistrate commit-
ted the 2002 hit-and-run case for a trial,
Salman stated that Magistrate Vasant
Patil had failed to appreciate that he had
neither intention (to kill anyone) nor
knowledge of the fact that the alleged act
of driving rashly and negligently would
lead to the death of a person.
In the September 28, 2002 hit-and-
run incident, Salman allegedly in a
drunken state drove his Land Cruiser
recklessly near his Bandra residence on
September 28, 2002, killing a pavement
dweller and injuring four others, who
were asleep.
Salman was initially charged under
Section 304 (II) of IPC for culpable
homicide not amounting to murder.
However, nearly nine-and-half
years after the Bombay High Court
dropped the charge filed
against the actor under
Section 304 (II) of IPC
which attracts a maxi-
mum punishment of 10
years imprisonment, the
Bandra court on January
31, 2013 allowed the pros-
ecution to revive the
charge of culpable homi-
cide not amounting to
murder for allegedly
killing a pavement dweller
and injuring four others in
the hit-and-run case.
Incidentally, the
Magistrates court passed
the order enhancing charge
against the actor and com-
mitting the case trial to a
sessions court, while it was
trying Salman for a lesser charge of caus-
ing death by negligence (Section 304 A
IPC), which provides for a maximum
punishment of two years in jail.
The trial in the hit-and-run case
began in 2006 and the prosecution has
so far examined 15 witnesses. However,
two witnesses, Ravindra Patil, the
actors former police bodyguard and
Ramasray Pandey, turned hostile, dur-
ing the trial. In fact, Patil died of acute
bilateral tuberculosis, at a city civic TB
Hospital on October 3, 2007.
FIhEE hEW8 8EVI6E Q
hY0ERABA0
E
nding months long sus-
pense, Andhra Pradesh
Assembly Speaker N Manohar
on Saturday disqualified 15
members of the ruling
Congress and main Opposition
Telugu Desam Party.
The disqualification came
after a prolonged hearing into
the complaints of the two par-
ties against the MLAs who
had violated their whips and
voted in favour of no trust
motion moved by Telangana
Rashtra Samiti (TRS) against
the N Kiran Kumar Reddy
Government in March last.
But the main grouse of the
two parties against the MLAs
was their defection to the YSR
Congress of YS Jaganmohan
Reddy. Those disqualified
includes 9 MLAS of Congress
and six of the TDP.
Nine Congress MLAs
include Sujjaykrishna Ranga
Rao (Bobbili, Vizianagaram),
Alla Naani (Eluru, West
Godavari), Peddireddy
Ramachandra Reddy
(Punganur, Chittoor), G Ravi
Kumar (Addanki, Prakasham),
Jogi Ramesh (Pedana,
Krishna), D Chandrashekhar
Reddy, (Kakinada, East
Godavari), Shivaprasad Reddy
(Darsi, Prakasham), M Rajesh
Kumar (Chintalapudi, West
Godavari), Perni Naani
(Machlipatanam, Krishna).
Disqualified TDP MLAs
include P Sai Raj (Ichchapuram,
Srikakulam), Parveen Kumar
Reddy (Tambalapally,
Chittoor), Amarnath Reddy,
(Palmaneru, Chittoor),
Balanagi Reddy (Mantralayam,
Kurnool ), T Vanitha,
(Gopalapuram,West Godavari),
Kodali Naani (Gudivada,
Krishna ). The suspension has
come just couple of days before
the resumption of Budget
Session of State Assembly.
The MLAs had openly
admitted wrongdoing and
dared their parties to take
action against them and urged
the Speaker to disqualify them
immediately. The MLAs as
well as the beneficiary party
YSRCP were keen for an
early disqualification to pave
the way for by-elections. But
now that less than one year is
left for the next Assembly elec-
tions, it will not be mandatory
for the Election Commission to
conduct the by-elections.
Still, complaint against
four other MLAs is pending
wit h t he Speaker. They
include Venugopala Chary,
Harishwar Reddy and G
Kaml akar (al l f rom
Telangana) and Rama Kotaiah
from Andhra. The three
TDP rebel s are f rom
Tel angana and they had
switched their loyalties to the
TRS as they were unhappy
wit h t he part y l i ne on
Telangana statehood issue.
Despite the disqualifica-
tion of 15 MLAs, there was no
threat to the Kiran Kumar
Reddy Government as the
overall strength of the 295-
member Assembly has also
come down to 271. While the
half-way mark is 136, the
Congress has 146 members
and the scattered Opposition
is no position to throw a
challenge to the Government.
15 Mls axe4, a0 threat t0 F 60vt
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From Page 1
Army Chief General
Bikram Singh is pushing for
steps like giving two months
extra salary to those SSC offi-
cers leaving the Army after five
years and four months salary to
those going out after 10 years.
Besides, the Army is in
favour of granting two years
professional enhancement
training leave to SSC officers
prior to their release from ser-
vice; relaxation like granting
leave for preparing for UPSC
Civil Services examination;
and ex-servicemen status.
Explaining the rationale
for these proposals, officials
said though SSC officers per-
form the same duties as
Permanent Commission col-
leagues, they do not enjoy
perks and facilities entitled to
Permanent Commission offi-
cers. This leads to disillusion-
ment and if the Government
gives its nod to these measures,
then the Army hopes to attract
more youth, they said.
At present, SSC officers
serve up to 14 years while
Permanent Commission offi-
cers have to put in a stint of
20 years before they become
eligible for full pension and
other benefits like full med-
i cal cover for sel f and
family. However, SSC officers,
so far, are not entitled to
medical benefits and the
Army has urged the Defence
Mi ni str y to okay ECHS
facility to these officers.
Highlighting the impor-
tance of reduction in shortage
of officers this year, they said
the Army is short of officers at
the level where actual combat
takes place and steps like open-
ing a new Officers Training
Academy (OTA) at Gaya is
now showing results.
Thi s academy, whi ch
became functional in 2011,
trains 350 SSC officers every
year besides OTA, Chennai
which also grooms the same
number of officers. Moreover,
1,300 cadets pass out as
Permanent Commi ssi on
of f i cers ever y year
f rom Indi an Mi l it ar y
Academy(IMA), Dehradun.
A batch of 631 officers from
IMA were commissioned and 37
from OTA, Gaya on Saturday
with IAF chief Air Chief Marshal
NAK Browne and Army Chief
General Bikram Singh taking
the salute at Dehradun and
Gaya respectively.
Af ter t he f i rst batch
passed out from Gaya after a
years training last year, the
Army recorded a dip of two
per cent which in numbers
mean 470 more officers com-
prising one per cent.
In actual terms, now the
annual intake is 2,000 officers
every year and net increase
coming to 1,000 officers as the
same number of officers retire
every year, officials said. The
Army aims to maintain the
t wo per cent t rend t i l l
2018. They also informed
that the authorised officer
strength is 47,000.
rmy Iaas I0cratIve stes...
FTI Q JAFuR
A
senior official, during a sur-
prise inspection, on Friday
found CCTV cameras installed
near bathrooms of a girls hos-
tel in the city area of Bharatpur
district, prompting authorities to
conduct an inquiry.
The cameras were installed
in such a manner that activities
inside the bathrooms can be
captured easily by moving their
direction, DM, Bharatpur,
Neeraj K Pawan, said.
It was not clear immedi-
ately whether any objectionable
video was captured or misused.
Pawan said he received
some complaints about the
hostel, following which he con-
ducted a surprise visit of the
three-storey hostel building
run by a young couple in the
city area. The building has one
bathroom in each storey.
Hostel owner Pankaj
used to operate the CCTV
cameras. He denied capturing
any video of the bathroom
and claimed that the device
was used for the monitoring of
corridors only, he said.
The local police, later, unin-
stalled the camera devices and
started the thorough probe of
the laptop of the hostel owner.
Fh8 Q FAhAJ/RAFuR
C
hhattisgarh Chief Minister
Raman Singh on Saturday
won standing ovation of their
party bosses as one after anoth-
er Central leaders of BJP laud-
ed his efforts for deftly tackling
the Maoist insurgency which
reached its zenith in the State
with gory attack on the
Congress convoy in which the
States Opposition partys lead-
ership was virtually wiped out.
On the first day of the BJP
national working committee
meet in Goa on Saturday, top
leadership of the BJP including
its national president Rajnath
Singh, Leader of Opposition in
the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj,
Leader of Opposition in the
Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley,
Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi,
Madhya Pradesh
Chief Minister
Shivraj Singh
Chouhan and oth-
ers supported the
steps taken by the
Ch h a t t i s g a r h
Government and
expressed their sol-
idarity with
Raman Singh in
this critical period.
T e r m i n g
Naxalism and ter-
rorism as two faces
of the same coin,
Raman Singh said
that Maoist insurgency was
the biggest danger for democ-
racy of India and informed the
gathering about the steps taken
by the State Government to
curb it. He said that Maoist
insurgency was not the prob-
lem of Chhattisgarh alone but
the entire country as a number
of States are feeling its heat.
Raising the demand once
again for framing a national
policy on this issue, Singh said
that the Chhattisgarh
Government was trying to
solve this menace by strength-
ening public security as well as
implementing development
projects as we want to free the
populace from the clutches of
rebels through peaceful devel-
opment and better security
arrangements. He requested
the Union Government to
chart out a unified action plan
in cooperation of affected States
to give final blow
to this scourge.
CM Raman
Singh said in the
BJP working com-
mittee meet that
despite being an
adolescent State,
Chhattisgarh is
fighting the
biggest fight of the
country against
Maoist insurgency.
Maoists always
oppose democrat-
ic norms under-
mining the fact
that democracy
and development are comple-
mentary to each others.
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CHEF
MNSTER
SEEKS
NATONAL
POLCY,
ACTON
PLAN TO
TACKLE
MAOST,
AGAN
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f00a4 IastaIIe4
aear hathr00ms
0f IrIs' h0steI
Fh8 Q BhuBAhESwAR
N
on-banking financial insti-
tution Astha Internationals
State chief Subhransu Lenka,
who was maintaining a lavish
lifestyle by riding luxury cars
and visiting his home by hiring
helicopter, was sent to jail on
Saturday for illegal money cir-
culation and duping thousands
of investors in the State.
Lenka was arrested by the
Economic Offence
Wing (EOW) of the
Crime Branch on
Friday night from the
city on the basis of the
complaints of
investors who had
alleged that the com-
pany cheated them of
around C500 crore.
A special team
of the Crime Branch
interrogated Lenka
for the fraud case. An
investigation is on to
nab the other culprits,
said Crime Branch
official sources.
Crime Branch DIG
Rajesh Kumar said that the
investors of the company had
l odged a compl ai nt on
Thursday at the EOW office
here against the companys
State head. The CB is trying
to get information from
Lenka regarding companys
investment, property and
other persons involved in the
fraud case, he said.
Astha International and
Astha Goat Farming India
Private Limited were having
several offices in the State,
including in Bhubaneswar,
Brahmapur and Baleswar,
which were doing money cir-
culation by launching several
schemes, informed
the DIG.
The DIG said
the company was
offering interest at
high rate to the
investors on fixed
deposits. Hoping
hefty returns,
investors were deposit-
ing money, he added.
The companys Surat
branch also cheated
the Odia investors.
The Gujarat police
had arrested a few
officials of the
company after they
received complaints
on illegal money cir-
cul ation. Earl ier,
investors had lodged a com-
plaint at Baidyanathpur police
station at Brahmapur city
against the company.
A||+ S|+| |i| |+ilJ
|Al|lAl|E
|AVlS|
|l|ESlY|E |
l||llE|
||EY
]!(!) to cracl wli on 'laclstallers`
M81681 l0k 88 8IF0ll
State Education
Minister PK Shahi
himself, has
accused local
NDA leaders
for not extending
their full
cooperation
and even
backstabbing him
in by-election,
ultimately
resulting in
his defeat
A|J||+ P|+J| A||l] Sp+|| | |+|u|+|
nation 07
MkYk8h8hkh Q FAhAJ
B
JP president Rajnath Singh
promised a happy ending
to party workers and office-
bearers attending the three-day
party conclave in Goa, even as
the partys National Executive via
resolutions heavily criticised the
manner in which the Congress
undermined the interests of
India, both vis-a-vis internal
security and external relations.
In his inaugural address to
the National Executive Meet
here, Rajnath Singh said every-
one will go home happy, ener-
gised and enthusiastic, the
media was informed by party
spokesperson Prakash Javadekar.
He also urged the BJP
cadre to strive for a decisive vic-
tory in the next elections.
In his inaugural speech to
the National Executive, the BJP
president began by expressing
regret over the attack on the
Congress convoy in
Chhattisgarh. Talking about the
issue of terrorism and Maoism,
Singh said the issue had aggra-
vated due to the misguided poli-
cies of the Central Government.
Unless there is an integrat-
ed approach, there will be no
permanent solution to both
(Naxalism and terrorism) prob-
lems. If even after ruling for 56
years out of the 66 years since
Independence, the resource rich
areas are under the influence of
Naxalism, the policies of the
Congress are directly responsi-
ble for it, Singh said.
The biggest problem is
that the Congress and Left par-
ties have made huge mistakes by
protecting people who believe
in an extremist ideology and
violent activities, he added.
Attacking the Congress,
the BJP chief blamed the rul-
ing party of being habitual of
making false promises.
Making false promises is
not something exclusive to this
UPA led by Manmohan Singh
but it has been the DNA of all
Congress Governments in the
past as well, he said.
The BJP president then
went ahead to say if his party
gets 10 years in power, it would
change the face of the nation.
But I would like to assure
the people of our great nation, if
we are given a chance to rule for
at least 10 years, we will make so
much difference that the need for
any populist measure like Bharat
Nirman or Food Security Bill will
be reduced to a naught, he said.
He also promised the for-
mation of Telangana State, if
the party comes to power.
Singh also took up the
issue of Tibet and recent self-
immolations, saying India
should not remain insensitive
to the atrocities being com-
mitted on Tibetans monks.
In past few months hun-
dreds of Buddhist monks have
committed self-immolation in
protest against the violation
of human rights by
China in Tibet... India cannot
remain insensitive to the atroc-
ities being committed on the
Buddhist monks in Tibet as we
share a long history of cultural
affinity with this region, he said.
Addressing media later,
party spokesperson Nirmala
Sitharaman quoting BJP reso-
lutions accused the Congress of
misleading the country on the
Maoist issue. She said that while
the Congress-led UPA was giv-
ing Maoists an easy hand, it was
also accusing State Governments
of committing human rights vio-
lations. The partys resolution on
internal security, she said, con-
demned the manner in which
the safety of the countrymen
was compromised.
The fight against Maoists
has been badly handled, she
said, claiming that the response
of the party in the wake of the
recent Chhattisgarh massacre,
was shockingly inadequate
and bordering on mischief .
She said the BJP had evolved
a long-term and multi-pronged
plan to handle the Maoist crisis.
The resolution, she said,
also condemned the manner in
which the Congress was trying
to bring the colour of religion to
the issue of terror by tampering
investigations in such a way
that a particular religion was tar-
geted only in order to bolster it
secular credentials.
hEEk1 kMk Q FAThA
A
s the BJP is taking its own
time in anointing Narendra
Modi as the campaign com-
mittee chief, its alliance partner
JD(U) has made it clear that it
has no objection to appoint-
ment of the Gujarat CM as the
poll campaign chief as it is an
internal matter of the BJP.
The JD(U)s assurance
might help cool down the heat
generated after BJP general sec-
retary Rajiv Pratap Rudys strong
advocacy for taking the help of
BJPs top leadership including
Narendra Modi for improving
victory chances of NDA candi-
dates in the 2014 LS polls.
The JD(U) needs help of
Narendra Modi as much as
the BJP for improving their
respective positions in the
election, Rudy had remarked
last Thursday.
State JD(U) president
Vashisht Narayan Singh told
The Pioneer that his party does
not find any valid reason to raise
objection to the appointment of
Modi as chief of the election
committee as a political party
enjoys the freedom to take
decision on its internal matters.
When asked whether his
party will oppose election cam-
paigning by Modi, he said that
it is up to the BJP how it wants
to use its leaders but the JD(U)
will take any decisions on such
matters when an appropriate
time will come for it.
On PM nominee for the
next general elections, Singh said
that his party had made its
position very clear on the issue
of the Prime Ministerial candi-
date for the 2014 Lok Sabha elec-
tions and now the party does not
want to enter into a debate with
any party on a daily basis.
He said that the JD(U) has
also given a deadline to the BJP
to declare its PM nominee and
hence his party cannot do
much beyond it.
A close confidant of Nitish
Kumar and JD(U) MLC
Deveshchandra Thakur told
The Pioneer that his party has no
problem if Modi is appointed as
the chief of the BJP election
campaign committee as the BJP
has the prerogative of taking
calls on its internal matters.
81F 8II08l FIF00IIF MFFII86
NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said he had
chosen to stay away from the partys National Executive meet-
ing in Goa not because of NaMonia, which has
emerged as a euphemism to refer to a group
of BJP leaders, including senior party leaders
LK Advani and Jaswant Singh, who have
reported sick and skipped the partys meeting,
in view of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra
Modi being made the partys poll campaign com-
mittee chief. I dont have NaMonia. I am in perfect health. But
there could be other reasons for not going to Goa because of
which I have not gone there, Sinha told reporters. PNS
81F'8 E8ITIh h
8kk8hk & 8Wk8hIMkh
Congressled uFA is
comleling ils lenure lacing al
high risks our inlernal and
exlernal securily. 0ur nalional
slalure and reslige is badly
eroded. 0ur ishermen are being
calured and killed in soulhern
seas, our soldiers are beheaded
and mulilaled on our horlhern
borders, our boundaries are
violaled al will umleen limes on
ndoChina borders. The lalesl
being, lhe incursion by Chinese
lroos almosl 1O km inside ndian
Terrilory and holding ils osilion
or nearly a monlh. ndia is being
dishonoured, lrivialised and ils
legilimale aulhorily queslioned.
0ur 0overnmenl al lhe Cenlre, al
besl is only oering laliludes lo
ils cili/ens.
ThEkT T IhTEhkI
8E6ITY
BJF condemns lhe barbaric
allack carried oul by haxals on
lhe convoy o Congress leaders in
Chhallisgarh on May 25, 2O18.
Maoism is nol a oneSlale issue.
BJF demands lhal lhere has lo be
a uniied slralegy lo deal wilh lhe
haxal menace wilh conslanl
consullalion and cooeralion o
lhe Cenlre wilh lhe haxalaecled
Slales. There has lo be
aroriale slrenglhening o
securily aaralus, crealion o
Secial Forces like '0rey hound'
and a concerled and lime bound
aclion lan in lace. BJF will
suorl such a comrehensive
lane lo combal Maoisl menace.
BJF demands lhal lhe Cenlre
0overnmenl should lake
immediale sle lo slo lhe low
o und lo lhe haxals.
IhVkIh 8E6IkI8M T
6MMhkII8E I868E
h TE
home Minisler Sushilkumar
Shinde has soughl inormalion
aboul how many Muslims are
languishing in jails on lerror
charges. The Assembly in Kerala
unanimously has resolved in
avour o lhe Coimbalore bomb
blasl accused Abdul hasser
Madani. The blasl killed GO eole
while il largeled LK Advani. The
BJF condemns lhese allemls lo
communalise lerrorism. l is in
lhe nalional inleresl lo lreal lerror
as lerror and musl be deall wilh
ull resolve.
IhIkh IEIh FII6Y
h k IIT
0ue lo a lack o olilical
direclion, lhe ndian Foreign
Folicy is on a dril. l is unable
lo eeclively meel lhe challenges
aced by lhe counlry. The relalions
wilh lhe SAARC counlries had
never been as low as il is now.
The goodwill lhal we had in
Maldives is all bul losl. heal may
have nol draled a Conslilulion yel
or ilsel, bul il seems lo wanl
nolhing rom ndia. Sri Lanka has
nol ulilled ils romise o
devolulion o ower as yel. There
were more lhan 4OO incursions by
China inlo our lerrilory. The recenl
incursion in lhe 0aulal Beg 0ldie
seclor in Ladakh was bra/en. The
BJF will nol ermil any
comromise on ndia's securily.
any such silualion may arise, il
shall acl as may be warranled in
lhe nalional inleresl.
Fh8 Q hEw 0ELh
T
he Congress on Saturday
rejected BJP president
Rajnath Singhs demand for
Prime Minister Manmohan
Singhs resignation, saying
that UPA does not face any
credibility crisis which has
proved by the Karnataka
Assembly polls where the
party emerged victorious
while the BJP was decimated.
Launching a counter offen-
sive, Congress spokesperson
Renuka Chowdhury expressed
shock and astonishment over
the demonstrations by rowdy
elements outside the house of
senior BJP leader LK Advani to
forcibly get the consent of vet-
eran BJP leader for Gujarat
Chief Minister Narendra Modis
elevation as the Election
Campaign Committee head.
Today, what is happening
outside Advanis residence
should frighten all of us. If a
man who is virtually the archi-
tect of that political party is
now faced with that kind of
rowdyism, then the nation
stands warned that what is
going to come to them. That
terrify us, she said adding
that the incident clearly
exposed what kind of treatment
BJP leaders and workers mete
out to their elders in the party.
The country has seen the
trailer. The full movie is yet to
be seen. They are not even
maintaining dignity of their
own senior most leaders, his
age or experience or even the
situation. And the nation
remembers these things,
Chowdhury said
She said that senior
Ministers like Advani, Yashwant
Sinha, Jaswant Singh skipping
the BJP meeting in Goa has
proved that the BJP is a divided
house and there is no unity in the
party. She charged the BJP with
not contributing positively to any
policy decision be it related
Food Security Bill or removing
malnutrition. The BJP has always
had a destructive approach
resulting in demand for resig-
nation of PM, but there is no
question of his resignation as
Karnataka poll results have
proved it is for the BJP to answer
a lot on the issue of corruption.
Renuka said that the
Congress is not concerned over
Modis elevation as he is not
even being projected as PM
candidate but just the Election
Campaign Committee head.
Cong rejecls
BJF chie's
demand or
FM resignalion
JD{U] cool to Modi as
poll campaign head
B1P p|iJ|| R+||+|| Si|| Wi|| p+||] l+J| A|u| 1+i|l] (|) +|J Su||+ SW+|+| +| || i|+uu|+|iu| u| || p+||] |+|iu|+l
E/u|i1 ||i| i| P+|+|i, u+ u| S+|u|J+] Pll
8TkII EFTE Q
hEw 0ELh
B
JP veteran leader LK
Advani on Saturday faced
protests by a group vouching
support for Narendra Modi, as
the former chose to skip partys
National Executive Meeting in
Goa, where the Gujarat Chief
Minister is expected to be
given a larger role.
While the BJP was quick
to condemn the incidents
saying the protesters have
nothing to do with the party,
Congress latched on to it
reminding people of the
treatment meted out to
senior leaders within the
Opposition party. A handful
of protesters holding a ban-
ner Narendra Modis Army
shouted pro-Modi slogans
outsi de Advanis 30-
Prithviraj Road residence
on Saturday afternoon.
' am nol suering rom haMonia'
Modi suorlers
rolesl oulside
Advani's house
V+|i|| |+|+]+| Si||
Goa meet ris aart
Congress claims
on internal security,
external relations
TENDER NOTICE
1. On behalf of the President of India, sealed tenders
in two bid system (Technical Bid and Cost Bid) are hereby
invited from OEM and their authorized
dealer/distributors/retailers agents for supply of Spare parts
of M & M Bolero. The stores have to be delivered directly at No
1 Wksp AR, Dimapur, (Nagaland), No 2 Wksp AR, Silchar , No
3 Wksp AR, Jorhat, (Assam) No 4 Workshop Assam Rifles,
Keithelmanbi( Manipur) . Tender papers alongwith list of items,
Terms and Condition or any further information can be
obtained from our website www.assamrifles. gov.in.
2. Tenderers are requested to submit documents and
earnest money as mentioned in schedule attached to our
tender notice No IV .15011/EME-CP//MV/M & M
Bolero/2013-14 dated 05 Jun 2013. The last date for
acceptance of tender bid is 03 Jul 2013 upto 1400 hrs and will
be opened on the same day at 1430 hrs.
DIRECTORATE GENERAL ASSAM RIFLES SHILLONG -793011
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IV .15011/EME-CP//MV/M & M Bolero/2013-14
Dated Shillong, the __ 05 Jun 2013
Sd/-
(Sanjive Sirohi )
Colonel (EME)
for DG Assam Rifles
Friends of the hill people
$66$0 5,)/(6
DIRECTORATE GENERAL ASSAM RIFLES,
SHILLONG -793011
TENDER NOTICE
1. On behalf of the President of India, sealed
tenders in two bid system (Technical Bid and Cost Bid)
are hereby invited from OEM and their authorized
dealer/distributors/retailers agents for supply of Spare
parts of Maruti Gypsy. The stores have to be delivered
directly at No 1 Wksp AR, Dimapur, (Nagaland), No 2
Wksp AR, Silchar , No 3 Wksp AR, Jorhat, (Assam) No
4 Workshop Assam Rifles, Keithelmanbi( Manipur) .
Tender papers alongwith list of items, Terms and
Condition or any further information can be obtained
from our website www.assamrifles. gov.in.
2. Tenderers are requested to submit documents
and earnest money as mentioned in schedule attached
to our tender notice No IV .15011/EME-CP//MV/MG
413/2013-14 dated 05 Jun 2013. The last date for
acceptance of tender bid is 04 Jul 2013 upto 1400 hrs
and will be opened on the same day at 1430 hrs.
DIRECTORATE GENERAL ASSAM RIFLES SHILLONG -793011
IV .15011/EME-CP//MV/MG 413/2013-14
Dated Shillong, the __ 05 Jun 2013
Sd/-
(Sanjive Sirohi )
Colonel (EME)
for DG Assam Rifles
$66$0 5,)/(6
DIRECTORATE GENERAL
ASSAM RIFLES, SHILLONG -793011
OPEN TENDER NOTICE
1. Sealed tenders are hereby invited in two bid system
by Director General Assam Rifles from registered transporters
with RTO on behalf of the President of India Union for 09
buses of 34 seats each in up and down convoy between
Minuthong and Dimapur for conveyance of troops between
Transit Camp Dimapur and Transit Camp Minuthong for the fy
2013-14, as per terms and conditions mentioned in this
Directorate tender notice No. I.11016/CHT-14/2013-14/036
dated 05 Jun 2013, which is available on Assam Rifles website
www.assamrifles.gov.in.
2. The tender will be received in two bid sytem
(Technical bid and Cost bid) at Headquarters Directorate
General Assam Rifles, Shillong-793010 upto 1500 hours on
03 Jul 2013 and technical bid tender will be opened at 1530
hours on the same day.
DIRECTORATE GENERAL ASSAM RIFLES
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I.11016/Q(CHT)-14/2013-14/036 Dated 05 Jun 2013
Sd/-
(Arun Kumar)
Commandant
Commandant (Q)
for DG Assam Rifles
On behalf of the President of India
$66$0 5,)/(6
GOVT OF INDIA, MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS
MAHANIDESHALAYA ASSAM RIFLES
DIRECTORATE GENERAL ASSAM RIFLES : SHILLONG-10
Tender Notice No. IV.18081/2013-14/ORD/M&E/Water Cooler
Dated, Shillong : 05 Jun 2013
TENDER NOTICE
1. Sealed tenders are hereby invited in Two Bid
System i.e Technical and Cost bid on behalf of The
President of Indian of Union from Manufacturing Firms and
their Authorised Dealer/Distributors for supply of Water
Cooler qty 145 Nos.
2. Tender papers with complete sets of Terms &
Conditions and details specifications can be down loaded
from our web site www.assamrifles.gov.in.
3. Pre Bid conference.
(a) The pre bid conference with the
prospective bidders will be held on 18 Jun 2013 at 1530 hrs
at Tender Room, HQ DGAR, Laitkor Shillong-793010 for
clarification of any technical details pertaining to the tender
notice.
4. Bid Security / EMD. The tender should be
accompanied by Earnest Money for a sum of Rs.
3,10,000/- (Rupees Three Lakhs Ten Thousand Only) in
respect of Vendor not registered with DGS&D/NSIC to be
submitted duly pledged in favour of Director General
Assam Rifles, Shillong - 10.
5. Tenders will be received upto 1100 02 Jul 2013
and will be opened at 1130 hours on the same day.
For and on behalf of The President of India
Tele No. : (0364) 2705090 (Col Prov)
(0364) 2705093 (SO-1 ORD)
Fax No. : (0364) 2230146
$66$05,)/(6
MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS
DIRECTORATE GENERAL ASSAM RIFLES :
SHILLONG - 793010
310/Engr/MRR/NIT/2012-13/20 Dated : 23 May 2012
NOTICE INVITING TENDER
1. Separate applications are invited from Assam Rifles approved contractors and enlisted
contractors working with other Central Govt Departments/ Organizations meeting
eligibility criteria for selection of contractor for issue of tender for the following works.
The application shall be addressed to the Deputy Inspector General of HQ 23 Sector
Assam Rifles, C/O 99 APO:-
Ser Name of works Approx cost Earnest Tender
No of work money Fee
(in Lacs) Rs.
(a) Provn of bituminous road, culvert and 19.88 40,000/- 500/-
road side drain at BOP Tuipang of 40 AR
(Now 28 AR).
2. Earnest money should be deposited along with tender documents.
3. The last date for receipt of application is upto 24 Jun 2013.
4. Tender will be issued to suitable applicants wef 26 Jun 2013 hrs after submission of
pre-paid challan of Rs. 1000/- (Rupees one thousand only) in Government treasury as
tender fee under account 2055 Police, Assam Rifles, Pay and Accounts Office (MHA),
Laitumkhrah main Road, Shillong - 03.
5. The department reserves the right to reject or accept any tender including the lowest
tender paper or application without any assigning any reason.
6. For any queries/details required by the tenderer the under undersigned may be
contacted to on any day from 0830 hrs to 1330 hrs except on Sunday and holidays.
7. Tender paper will be received upto 1200 hrs on 17 Jul 2013 and will be opened on the
same day at 1230hrs at Engr branch, HQ MR Range Assam Rifles, Khatla (Aizawl),
Mizoram which is available on Assam Rifles website www.assamrifles.gov.in.
Sd/-
(EG Muthuraj)
Lt Col
SO1 (Wks)
for Commander
$66$0 5,)/(6
OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY INSPECTOR GENERAL ASSAM RIFLES,
HEADQUARTERS 23 SECTOR ASSAM RIFLES, C/O 99 APO
Rajnath promises 'happy ending'
moneywise 08 NEW DELH SUNDAY JUNE 9, 2013
NFOCUS
FITI 8k1k1 QhEw 0ELh
W
hile it is comforting for
many to hear from the RBI
governor that there is no prop-
erty bubble ready to burst in
India , there are several econo-
mists who caution on the con-
trary. Most realty experts are
afraid that it is a danger in the
making. Property bubble, char-
acterised by rapid increase in val-
uation of real estate until it
reaches unsustainable levels and
then collapse, is simmering in
India .
Till very recently, for a mid-
dle class Indian, investing in gold
or property was always the best
bet. More so, when on an aver-
age, values for both shot up four
times in the last decade.
However, now there are increas-
ing signs that the dream run that
real estate has enjoyed could
come to a halt. Just, as what hap-
pened with the yellow metal
price charts. Real estate analysts
already point to slowing sales
and rising inventories both in big
cities and in small towns.
Over the past decade, such
bubbles have been reported
from various countries including
the US , Britain , Singapore , the
Netherlands , Canada and
Germany among others. All
these nations faced real estate
bubble which was followed by
critical price falls, taking prop-
erty valuations below the mort-
gage value.
So, the question is, could
2013 be the year when real estate
begins to crack? Analysts say
that the bubble started building
up in 2002 continuing till 2009,
when prices started appreciating.
However since 2010, the prices
are growing in a way where it is
becoming exceedingly expen-
sive, primarily because of two
reasons. First being the far-
fetched claims of overbooking
by developers, thereby creating
a false shortage and secondly, the
short span of possession of
property which ranges from six
to 12 months. With every
change of hand, the profit keeps
increasing.
According to experts, the
entire real estate sector can gain
transparency and be saved from
the bubble burst simply by
strictly tracking short-term pur-
chase and sale. Analysts suggest
that policymakers should look at
providing a system to track sale
and purchase and to document
and publish details of buy and
sale, with details of previous
owners, if any, apart from pro-
viding details of fair value, build-
ings age and the number of such
houses or flats on sale in an area.
While, presently RBI tracks
the housing price index, experts
suggest that there should be a
regulator for this, which can also
track and develop a financial
ratio about valuation of property.
This would prevent the rates
from being unrealistic and astro-
nomical.
Real estate plays an impor-
tant role in the Indian economy,
as it is the second largest
employer after agriculture. The
size of the Indian real estate
market is expected to touch US
dollar 180 billion by 2020.
Policymakers need to tackle
the lack of transparency which
is marring the growth prospects
of the sector.
Proerty lullle
gets ligger
Fh8 Q hEw 0ELh/K0LKATA
S
tanding Conference of
Public Enterprises
(SCOPE), the apex body pub-
lic sector undertakings (PSU),
is mulling setting up an inde-
pendent training institute for
member PSUs.
"There have been good
suggestions for an academic
training institute for entry level
and middle level management
employees of public sector
enterprises and we will look
into it," SCOPE and Steel
Authority chairman C S Verma
said on Saturday.
He was addressing the
media after meeting eastern
region SCOPE members after
a gap of seven years, marking
the revival of the eastern chap-
ter.
The institute could also be
used as a knowledge plaform
for sharing technology, among
others, especially for smaller
PSEs.
Verma said that there has
to be a level playing field.
Smaller PSUs were struggling
with issues pertaining to indus-
try, HR, market and technolo-
gy.
Of the 220 operating cen-
tral PSUS in the country, 35
were located in the eastern
region.
The latest total combined
turnover of the PSUs of the east
was Rs 1,22,117 crore while 12
were in loss with the total loss
at Rs 1429 crore.
Verma said SCOPE would
support PSEs of the eastern
region using possible means.
800FF m0IIs
traIaIa
IastIt0te f0r
memher F8Fs
Fh8 Q hEw 0ELh
L
ess than a month after being sacked as iGate's
CEO, Phaneesh Murthy has ceased to be the
company's board member foll-
wing the decision of its man-
agement.
Murthy, who was sacked on
May 20 this year as iGate's chief
executive for not disclosing a
relationship with a subordinate,
ceased to be its board member
effective June 7.
"A majority of the share-
holders of iGATE Corporation
removed Phaneesh Murthy for
' cause' from the Board of
Directors by written consent in lieu of a meet-
ing. Murthy's removal is effective June 7,
2013," iGate said in a filing to the US Securities
and Exchange Commission (SEC) .
No positions were held by Murthy on any
committee of the Board of Directors at the time
of his removal, it added.
"Murthy's removal was not due to a dis-
agreement with the company on any matter
relating to the company's
operations or
practices."Rather, the share-
holders determined that it
was in the best interests of the
company to remove Murthy
from the Board of Directors
for 'cause' because he engaged
in conduct detrimental to
the company, including with-
out limitation, violating com-
pany policy and breaching his
duty of good faith in his
dealings with the Board of the Directors," it said.
The filing further added. "as a result of this
conduct, Murthy was previously terminated as
the Chief Executive Officer and President of the
company on May 20, 2013."
Fhaaeesh M0rthy rem0ve4 fr0m I6ate's h0ar4
kF QhEw Y0RK
K
etchup maker H J Heinz
Co began a new chapter on
Saturday.
The company, which also
makes baked beans, vinegar
and Classico pasta sauce, said
that it completed its acquisition
by Warren Buffett's Berkshire
Hathaway and 3G Capital, the
Brazilian investment firm that
also owns Burger King.
With the completion of
the deal, 3G is shifting one of
its partners from the helm of
Burger King to head Heinz.
Bernardo Hees, 43, is taking
the reins from William
Johnson, who was the seventh
CEO of the 144-year-old com-
pany for the past 15 years.
Johnson walks away with a
golden parachute of $56 mil-
lion, in addition to the $156.7
million in vested stock and
deferred compensation he
accrued over his career.
Back in Miami, 3G is
crowning another one of its
partners to head Burger King.
Daniel Schwartz, 32, had been
serving as chief operating offi-
cer of the fast-food chain
known for its Whopper sand-
wich.
3G is known for its aggres-
sive cost-cutting at the com-
panies it takes over, suggesting
Heinz could be in store for big
changes.
At Burger King, for exam-
ple, Hees did away with exec-
utive offices at the corporate
headquarters in favor of open
spaces. He sat at a desk right
outside the elevators on the
seventh floor, in front of big
board that was updated with
daily sales reports from around
the world.
Hees also oversaw the
revamping of the chain's menu
to make it more like that of its
more successful rival,
McDonald's Corp. The moves
laid the groundwork for 3G
taking Burger King public
again last spring, a move that
helped the firm more than
recoup its investment based on
the chain's opening share price.
3G, which still owns a
majority stake in Burger King,
has stressed that it remains
committed to the chain's over-
haul and growth.
In announcing the Heinz
deal earlier this year, Berkshire
had said that it would act as a
financing partner while 3G
would run the company. In
addition to Hees' appointment,
3G partner Paul Basilio was
named chief financial officer of
Heinz.Shares of Heinz will
stop trading after the stock
market closes.
36 sh0ffIes 0F0s 0a
c0mIetI0a 0f eIat 4eaI
hEW EIhI: Fortis Healthcare on Saturday said it has raised $ 55 million (nearly C313 crore)
through allotment of 550 foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCBs) to the International
Finance Corporation.The company has alloted FCCBs of $1,00,000 each to International
Finance Corporation (IFC) on a preferential basis, at an issue price of $1,00,000 per FCCB,
aggregating to $55 million, Fortis Healthcare said in a filing to BSE. FTI
ITI8 hEkITh6kE kI8E8 $66 Mh 8Y I668 kIITMEhT T II6
GOVT. OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
INDIAN ORDNANCE FACTORIES
ORDNANCE FACTORY DUM DUM
JESSORE ROAD, KOLKATA-700028
[Website : ordnancedumdum.gov.in]
(email: ofdc.ofb@nic.in)
[Phone (033) 2559-3100/4700/5232, Fax: (033) 2551-2136]
e-Tender Notice
The General Manager, Ordnance Factory Dum Dum, on behalf of President of India,
invites quotation through e-procurement portal under two bid systems (i) Technical Bid
with commercial terms and conditions, (ii) Prie Bid for supply of the following items.
2. This is an OPEN TENDER ENQUIRY for procurement of stores and services. Printed
copy of the Tender documents will not be issued. Any manual document submitted
other than through online mode will not be entertained. New as well as established
vendors of these items registered with OFDC or other Ordnance Factories coming
under control of Ordnance Factory Board are eligible to participate against this OTE.
3. The details regarding participation in this OTE for bidding through electronic mode,
system requirement, instructioh, specific terms and conditions, drawing etc. are
available on the following website: https://ofbeproc.gov.in
4. New vendors not registered for c-procurement should Class-Ill Digital Signature
Certificate with Token. The with details of certifying authorities are available on
www.cca.gov.in. It is mandatory for all the Firms to get enrolled on the e-procurement
portal (https://ofbeproc.gov.in) for participating in the e-tenders.
5. The Items with quantity and Tender Enquiry No.
Sl. T.E. No. Item Quantity Delivery Schedule
No.
01. 130088M1OT EXPANDED POLYPROPLYNE 55 g/L 1008 Kg. Within 2 months
IN BLACK COLOUR.
02. 130089M1OT HDPE TO GRADE HOSTALEN GD 7255 44868 Kg. Within 2 months
DYED GREEN TO BS 381C NO.285
03. 130090M1OT EXPANDED POLYPROPLYNE 60 g/L IN 2584 Kg. Within 2 months
BLACK COLOUR.
04. 130091M1OT PLUNGER IN FINISHED COND. TO DRG. 213 Nos. 50 Nos. per month
PT. NO. CM-6846 DC.36782-A.DT-08/09/01.
05. 130092M1OT BRASS STRIP IS:410-67 TO SIZE 25.40 237 Kg. Within 1 month
MM WIDE X 0.6350 MM (24 BO) THICK.
06. 130093M1OT APC NO.7 TO SPECN.JSS:8030-19:2003 75 Kg. Within 1 month
DC.NO. 3790-ME
07. 130094M1OT HEAD TO DRG.PT.NO.IUX-843 [DC.36264-A 70 Nos. Within 2 months
DT.29-03-97 IN SEMI FINISED CONDITION
08. 130095M1OT MILD STEEL ELECTRODE TO SIZE 1.6MM 6622 Mtr. Within 2 months
DIA.X350MM LONG
09. 130099M1OT PAINT FINISHING CHLORINATED RUBBER 6890 Ltr. Within 4 months
TYPE SPRAYING TO SPECN. DEF STAN @25% per month
80-72/1, COLOUR DEEP BRONZE GREEN
(NO-224JTO IS:5.
10. 130111M1OT STUD ASSY.DET NO-40 TO DRO.NO. 8300 Nos. 2000 Nos. per
ARDE-2121 IN FINISHED CONDITION. month
11. 130112M1OT PAINT PRIMING CHLORINATED RUBBER 1657 Ltr. Within 2 months
TYPE SPRAYING TO SPECN. DEF. STAN-
80-72/1,COLOUR RED OXIDE(NO44QTO IS:5.
12. 130113M1OT COLLAR DET NO-17 TO DRG.NO.ARDE-2121 630 Nos. Within 3 months
IN FINISHED CONDITION.
13. 130103M2OT TRANSPORTATION OF DEFENCE STORES 47 Trips As and when
FROM O.F. DUM DUM TO O.F.KHAMARIA, required within 24
JABALPUR (MP) BY ROAD TRANSPORT IN hours of demand
FULL LOAD OF STD 9 MT TRUCK
14. 130104M2OT TRANSPORTATION OF DEFENCE STORES 17 Trips As and when
FROM O.F. DUMDUM TO A.F. KIRKEE/ required within 24
DEHU ROAD (MAHARASTRA) BY ROAD hours of demand
TRANSPORT IN FULL LOAD OF STD.
9MT TRUCK
15. 130105M2OT TRANSPORTATION OF DEFENCE STORE 29 Trips As and when
FROM O.F.DUMDUM TO O.F.BOLANGIR required within 24
(QRRISA) BY ROAD TRANSPORT IN FULL hours of demand
LOAD STD. 9MT TRUCK
16. 130106M2OT TRANSPORTATION OF DEFENCE-STORES 54 Trips As and when
FROM O.F.DUMDUM TO A.F.AMLA DEPOT. required within 24
(MP) BY ROAD TRANSPORT IN FULL hours of demand
LOAD OF STD. 9MT TRUCK
17. 130106M2OT TRASPORTATION OF DEFENCE STORE 10 Trips As and when
FROM O.F.DUMDUM TO O.F.CHANDA required within 24
(MAHARASTRA) BY ROAD TRASPORT IN hours of demand
FULL LOAD TRUCK (9 TONS)
18. 130107M2OT TRANSPORTATION OF DEFENCES 3 Trips As and when
STORES FROM O.F.DUMDUM TO SAF, required within 24
KANPUR BY ROAD TRANSPORT IN FULL hours of demand
LOAD OF STD. 9MT TRUCK
19. 130109M4OT INSERT 3mm CODE GSFP 3.12-IC 328. 1641 Nos. Within 2 months
MAJCE-ISCAR
20. 130110M2OT AIR SUPPLY EQUIPMENT FOR CNC MACHINES, 7 Nos. Within 1 month
MODEL NO: SS1 5090HN, MAKE:ELGI.
21. 130114M30T OXYGEN GAS. PURITY-99.999%. 1671 As and when
Cu. Mtr. required within 24
hours of demand
22. 1301 15M30T HELLIUMGAS.PURITY-99.996% (4.6) TO BE 174 As and when
USED FOR LASER CUTTING MACHINE. Cu. Mtr. required within 24
hours of demand
23. 130116M30T NITROGEN GAS.PURETY-99.996 % (4.6) TO 591 As and when
BE USED FOR LASER CUTTING MACHINE. Cu. Mtr. required within 24
hours of demand
24. 130116M30T PERIODICAL CALIBRATION OF SHOP FLOOR 1 Whole As per requirement
FLOOR GAUGES. (AS PER SCOPE OF WORK) Job
6. The closing date and time for bid submission and tender opening are given., below:
Closing Date and Time : 28-06-2013 (14.00 Hrs)
Technical Bid Opening Date & Time : 28-06-2013 (14.00 Hrs)
7. The quantity and items may be varied / changed at the time of placement of order.
Corrigendum if any will be hosted in the website only. General Manager reserves the
right to modify/cancel the procurement process of the above items at any time during
the tendering action.
8. The contact numbers for seeking clarification regarding TEs are given below:
S.C. Yadav, Works Manager Ph. : (033) 2569-4015
Sunita Mansukhani, Jt. General Manager Ph. : (033) 2569-4006
S.K. Yadav, Addi. General Manager Ph. : (033) 2569-4002
In case you are not satisfied with the response, you may contact The General
Manager, Ordnance Dum Dum, Ph.: (033) 2569-4001
davp 10201/11/0619/1314
world 09 NEW DELH SUNDAY JUNE 9, 2013
GLOBE
TROTTNG TROTTNG
3 8 TF8 kIIIE Ih
kIhkh 'Ih8IE kTTk6k'
kabuI: A man wearing Aghan
uniorm shol dead lhree uS
soldiers on Salurday in lhe easl
o lhe counlry, oicials said, in
lhe lalesl aarenl examle o
an 'insider allack'. The slrike
came on lhe same day lhal one
lalian soldier was killed and
lhree olhers were wounded
when a grenade was lhrown inlo
lheir armored vehicle in lhe
weslern rovince o Farah.
8 hE 8TIkE8 Ih Fkk
M8T 8TF: 8hkII
IsIamabad: Fakislan's Frime
Minisler hawa/ Shari said he is
ready lo acililale lhe wilhdrawal
o oreign lroos rom
neighbouring Aghanislan bul
uS drone slrikes in his counlry
'musl slo' as lhey are a
violalion o sovereignly.
Shari made lhe remarks during
a meeling wilh visiling 0erman
Foreign Minisler 0uido
weslerwelle.
8IIh 8kII 8ET
8kII T 688 Fk6III6
saka: A blind sailor and his
arlner sel sail loday on a
small yachl rom 0saka
harbour lo cross lhe Faciic
0cean in whal lhe organiser
calls lhe world's irsl such
alleml by such a air.
Milsuhiro wamolo, 4G, who
has aclively arlicialed in
yachl races or lhe visually
imaired in and oul o Jaan,
and newscasler Jiro Shinbo, 57,
will call al waki, Fukushima
Freeclure, beore heading or
San 0iego where lhey lan lo
arrive in Augusl.
hkk8kkI T 8IkM
VT h hkE 8E
hagasaki: The hagasaki cily
0overnmenl will condemn lhe
Cenlral 0overnmenl in ils
annual ceremony in Augusl or
nol joining a grou o counlries
endorsing a slalemenl againsl
lhe use o nuclear weaons, ils
dral message said on
Salurday. n lhe message lo be
read on Augusl O or lhe G8lh
anniversary o lhe 1O45 alomic
bombing o lhe cily, Mayor
Tomihisa Taue will say Tokyo's
slance "even looked as i il was
jusliying lhe use o nuclear
weaons," according lo lhe
dral.
'Mk8TEMIh' I II
EIh kIIIIh8 hk88E
Yenagoa: higeria's mililary said
lhey had arresled lhe
"maslermind" o an Aril allack
lhal killed 11 olicemen and
raised ears o worsening len
sion in a crucial oil region.
Jackson Fabouwei was resenl
ed lo journalisls in lhe oil hub o
Yenagoa and backed revious
reorls lhal lhe shoolings were
linked lo a disule over
0overnmenl aymenls lo exoil
rebels."he was arresled on lhe
Glh o June. Through sound
inlelligence galhering eorls,"
Colonel Farouk Yahaya o lhe
mililary's Joinl Task Force said.
Th8k h8 1Ih
FTE8T8 Ih TkEY
IsIanbuI: Thousands o angry
Turks look lo lhe slreels on
Salurday lo join mass anli
0overnmenl rolesls, deying
Frime Minisler Rece Tayyi
Erdogan's call lo end lhe worsl
civil unresl o his decadelong
rule. From lhe early morning,
roleslers began arriving in
slanbul's Taksim Square wilh
ood and blankels lo sellle in
or a weekend o demonslra
lions, adding lo lhe lenl cily.
8 k1kFkIkh Q
wAShh0T0h
M
ounting a strong defence
of his Governments
sweeping surveil lance of
phone and Internet commu-
nications, President Barack
Obama has asked fellow-
Ameri cans to accept
this modest encroachment
on privacy as a tradeoff to
protect the nati on f rom
terrorist plots.
You cant have 100 percent
security and also then have 100
percent privacy and zero incon-
venience, Obama said in
response to the furore triggered
by media revelations about the
unprecedented sweep of
phone calls and web traffic,
adding: Were going to have
make some choices as a soci-
ety. But Obama asserted that
nobody is listening to the
phone calls, asserting that safe-
guards were in place.
All that the sweep of phone
calls involves is that the intel-
ligence community would be
looking at phone numbers and
durations of calls.
As for the mining of
Internet data, which targets
people across the world, he
confined himself to assuring
the US citizens and residents
that this surveillance activity
does not involve reading their
mails, except for ones relating
to federal court action or crim-
inal investigation.
I think on balance, we
have established a process and
a procedure that the American
people should feel comfortable
about, Obama said, without
addressing the concerns trig-
gered by web users in the
world outside. Answering
reporters questions during a
visit to California, Obama said
both the surveillance pro-
grammes have been autho-
rized by the US Congress by
broad bipartisan majorities
since 2006.
When it comes to
telephone calls, nobody is lis-
tening to your telephone calls.
Thats not what this
programme i s about,
he said, adding: What the
intelligence community is
doing is looking at phone
numbers and durations of
calls. They are not looking at
peoples names, and theyre not
looking at content.
But by sifting through
this so-called metadata, they
may identify potential leads
with respect to folks who
might engage in terrorism.
If t hese fol ks i f t he
intelligence community then
actually wants to listen to a
phone call, theyve got to go
back to a federal judge, just
like they would in a criminal
investigation.
He stressed that this
programme is fully overseen
not just by Congress,
but by the FISA Court that has
been set up to make sure that
it is being carried out in
accordance with the
Constitution and the rule of
law without any abuse by
executive branch or
Government in general.
FTI Q LAh0RE
M
easles has claimed the
lives of 10 more children
in Pakistans Punjab province
over the past two days, taking
the toll in an outbreak of the
disease to 148.
Three to five children have
been dying of measles every
day since the outbreak in the
province a month ago.
According to a spokesman
of the Health Department, the
death toll in Lahore alone is 80.
Since Thursday, three
children succumbed to
the disease in Lahore,
two each in Faisalabad and
Hafizabad districts, and one
each in Toba Tek Singh, Mandi
Bahauddin and Gujranwala.
At least 195 more cases of
measles were reported in
Punjab, including 19 in Lahore
yesterday, the spokesman said.
The failure to launch an
immunisation campaign
against measles and the failure
to purchase the vaccine were
said to be the main reasons for
the outbreak. After assuming
charge, Punjab Chief Minister
Shahbaz Sharif held a meeting
yesterday to review the out-
break and approved an action
plan to protect children against
the disease and called for a
vigorous campaign against the
disease on a war footing.
All out steps will be taken
on an emergency basis to save
children and I will personally
review the situation every week
while the Chief Secretary will
hold a meeting every day,
Sharif said. Sharif also direct-
ed officials to speed up the
process of buying vaccines
without waiting for support
from international donors.
Measles claims 14S
cliloren in Palistan
kIF Q CAR0
A
n Egyptian court in the
retrial of fallen dictator
Hosni Mubarak for alleged
complicity in the killings of
protesters barred lawyers in
civil cases from the proceedings
at a brief session on Saturday.
Presiding judge Mahmoud
al-Rashidi adjourned the court
to Monday, shortly after
opening the second hearing
in Mubaraks retrial, a
criminal case.
Mubarak, 85, watched the
proceedings while sitting up on
a stretcher inside the defen-
dants cage, shared with seven
of his former security
commanders and his two sons.
His original trial led to a life
sentence for Mubarak and
his interior minister Habib al-
Adly, and acquittals for six
police commanders.
But an appeals court
ordered a retrial, citing proce-
dural errors. Rashidi on
Saturday barred lawyers filing
civil suits against Mubarak and
his co-defendants from attend-
ing hearings in the retrial.
Those filing civil suits had
been allowed to attend the
first trial. One of the main
lawyers filing civil suits, Sameh
Ashur, told AFP Rashidis rul-
ing would not have a major
impact on the proceedings.
But the decision angered the
lawyers in the makeshift court
in a police academy lecture hall
outside Cairo. The people
demand the cleansing of the
judiciary, they chanted.
Mubaraks lawyer Farid al-
Deeb appeared visibly satisfied
with the ruling. He had
demanded the same of the
judge in Mubaraks first trial.
Before adjourning the session,
Rashidi said the court would
examine a request to jail three
out of six police commanders
on trial with Mubarak for their
alleged involvement in the
deaths of protesters during the
early 2011 uprising.
The three police comman-
ders have not been remanded
in custody but attend every
hearing. All of the defendants
have pleaded not guilty to the
charges against them.
0bama deends surveillance,
lerms il 'lradeo' or securily
kIF Q RA0
T
hree car bombs, including
two blasts by suicide attack-
ers, killed 15 people in Iraq on
Saturday, the latest in a spike in
violence that has sparked fears
of all-out sectarian war.
The suicide car bombs
struck a police checkpoint near
Ramadi, killing at least five
policemen and wounding eight
others, officials said. In north
of Baghdad, a parked vehicle
rigged with explosives deto-
nated in the restive town of
Muqdadiyah, killing 10 Iranian
pilgrims and left 30 hurt.
Tehran: ran condemned a deadly
allack lhe day beore in neighbouring
raq, in which al leasl 14 ranian Shia
ilgrims were killed, lhe oicial RhA
news agency said. "ran condemns
lhis indiscriminale acl, which is
conlrary lo slamic and human
values," il ciled Foreign Minislry
sokesman Abbas Araqchi said. 14
ilgrims rom ran were killed and 45
wounded on Salurday when a
vehicle rigged wilh exlosives
delonaled in lhe reslive lown o
Muqdadiyah norlh o Baghdad. AFF
8ITkIh k668E I 8FYIh h 6ITIZEh8
Iondon: The Brilish 0overnmenl is under increasing ressure lo order
an inquiry inlo claims lhal lhe counlry's securily services were coverlly
galhering a mass o ersonal dala rom some o lhe world's largesl
nlernel irms lhrough a uS sy rogramme.
Brilain's eavesdroing cenlre - 0overnmenl Communicalions
headquarlers (0Ch0) - will reorl lo lhe Farliamenl's nlelligence and
Securily Commillee Commillee (SC) by Monday over claims il secrelly
galhered inlelligence. Brilish ndian MF Keilh va/ described lhe
allegalions regarding lhe governmenl's Chellenhambased eleclronic
lislening osl as "chilling". "The mosl chilling asecl is lhal ordinary
American cili/ens and olenlially Brilish cili/ens loo were aarenlly
unaware lhal lheir hone and online inleraclions could be walched. am
aslonished by lhese revelalions, which could involve lhe dala o
lhousands o Brilons. According lo lhe reorl in lhe '0uardian'
newsaer, lhe 0Ch0 may have direclly requesled malerial rom lhe uS
halional Securily Agency's Frism rogramme, which can search huge
slores o inlernel dala or inormalion on individuals. ?C8
FTI Q SLAMABA0
I
nterior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan will be the
new Pakistan Governments point man for dealing
with law and order problems and a Taliban insurgency
while Power Minister Khwaja Asif has been entrusted
the tasking of addressing a crippling energy crisis.
Khan, a hawk considered close to the military and
a political heavweight from the
Rawalpindi region, was allocated the
Interior Ministry hours after 25
members of Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif s council of ministers were
sworn in yesterday. Asif, a former
banker, has been allocated the cru-
cial water and power portfolio at a
time when cities and towns across
Pakistan are coping with power cuts
of up to 20 hours a day.
According to a notification
issued by the Cabinet Division,
Zahid Hamid was allocated the law and justice portfo-
lio, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi petroleum and natural
resources, Abdul Qadir Baloch states and frontier
regions, Ishaq Dar finance and revenue, Khwaja Saad
Rafiq railways, Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi industries and
production, Birjees Tahir Kashmir and Gilgit affairs,
Pervez Rashid information and broadcasting, Kamran
Michael ports and shipping and Sadaruddin Rashidi
overseas Pakistanis affairs.
Nisar Klan to le Pal
Govt`s oint man for
oealing witl Jalilan
8 k1kFkIkh Q
wAShh0T0h
H
olding their first summit
meeting at Rancho Mirage
in Southern California,
President Barack Obama and
his Chinese counterpart Xi
Jinping vowed to work for a
new model of cooperation
even as their parleys were
dominated by American con-
cerns over cybersecurity, posed
by China-based hackers.
Obama said the United
States welcomes the continuing
peaceful rise of China as a
world power, commenting that
a peaceful and stable and pros-
perous China is not only good
for Chinese but also good for the
world and for the United States.
But at the same time,
Obama let it be known that
Beijing should play by the
same rules as other nations on
free and fair trade, besides
addressing issues such as cyber-
security and protection of intel-
lectual property rights.
As two of the largest
economies in the world, were
going to have a healthy eco-
nomic competition, but we also
have a whole range of challenges
on which we have to cooperate,
from a nuclear North Korea
or North Koreas nuclear and
missile programs to prolif-
eration, to issues like climate
change, he said.
Obama also made it clear
that in his dealings with China,
he would continue to emphasize
the importance of human rights.
President Xi has spoken of
a nation and a people that are
committed to continuous self-
improvement and progress,
and history shows that uphold-
ing universal rights are ulti-
mately a key to success and
prosperity and justice for all
nations, he said.
Xi noted that the summit
talks were about charting the
future of US-China relations.
The two sides must work
together to build a new model
of major country relationship
based on mutual respect and
win-win cooperation for the
benefit of the Chinese and
American peoples, and people
elsewhere in the world, he said.
As expected, Obama
brought up the cybersecurity
issue prominently, given the
backdrop of recent incidents in
which Chinese hackers
targeted US military secrets
and businesses in a big way.
Xi, for his part, did not quite
appreciate the American media
accounts painting Beijing as
the villain. During a joint media
appearance after Friday
evenings talks, he took the
stand that China had its own
major concerns on this subject,
but asserted it was firm about
upholding cyberscecurity.
The Chinese leader went on
to say that the application of
new technology is a double-
edged sword, commenting:
On the one hand, it will drive
progress in ensuring better
material and cultural life for the
people. On the other hand, it
might create some problems for
regulators and it might infringe
upon the rights of states, enter-
prises, societies and individuals.
Xi said he and President
Obama have reached impor-
tant consensus after holding
an in-depth, sincere and
candid discussion on the
domestic and foreign policies of
China and the United States, on
our joint work to build a new
model of major country
relationship, and our interna-
tional and regional issues of
mutual interest.
0lIF088I 80MMII
!S for Clina`s
'eaceful rise`,
raises concerns
over cyler security
0hama, II caII f0r aeW
m04eI 0f c00eratI0a
Fh8 Q wAShh0T0h
Y
et another American shoot-
ing rampage, this time in
California, has left five people
dead, including the gunman,
who shot dead four people in
the streets of Santa Monica and
injured five others. Two of the
victims were believed to be the
gunmans father and brother.
Police were still to iden-
tify the heavily-armed gun-
man, who was said to be 25 to
30 years old. There was no
immediate word about the
victims or about the cause of
the rampage through this
southern California town on
a day when President Barack
Obama was visiting the State
for a Democratic party event,
followed by a summit meeting
with Chinese President Xi
Jinping. Some reports said the
gunman had mental issues,
as has been noticed in a num-
ber of mass shootings in
recent times.
Dressed in black and
carrying an assault rifle, the
gunman fired at people, cars,
a public bus and buildings
before being shot and killed
by the police at the Santa
Moni ca Col l ege Library.
Initially, the police said six
people had been gunned
down. The figure was revised
to four later. One of the five
injured persons was said to be
in critical condition.
5 lilleo in California
slooting ramage
Three raq car
bombs kill 15
k6TE88 kE8TE I
8EhIh FI8h8
IETTE T 8 FEZ
WashingIon: A smalllime aclress
rom Texas has been arresled by
lhe FB or sending oisonous
ricinlaced lellers lo uS Fresidenl
Barack 0bama and lhe hew York
Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Shannon Richardson, 85, also
known as Shannon 0uess and
Shannon Rogers, was arresled on
Friday on charges o mailing a
lhrealening leller lo 0bama.
convicled, she aces u lo
1O years in ederal rison.
According lo lhe arresl aidavil,
on May 2O, Richardson is alleged
lo have mailed 8 lellers conlaining
lhe loxin ricin. ?C8
E]p| uu|| +J|uu|| |u|+|+| ||i+l, |+| l+W]|
The decision
angered the
lawyers in the
makeshift court in
a police academy
lecture hall
outside Cairo
FTI Q 0hAKA
B
angladesh has asked Britain to repatriate the fugitive elder
son of former premier Khaleda Zia to face trial on massive
graft charges. Tarique Rahman, opposition Bangladesh Nationalist
Party's senior vice president, is wanted on charges of graft and
a deadly grenade attack. A Dhaka court on May 26 issued a war-
rant ordering Rahman to face trial on graft charges brought by
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) during the 2006-2008
emergency rules under the army backed interim government.
"Our High Commission in London has handed over a let-
ter to the British authorities seeking Mr Tarique Rahman's return.
..The copy of the court's arrest warrant ordering his arrest was
also provided to the British authorities," a senior foreign min-
istry official told PTI. The official said the letter was sent to the
British Foreign Office last week also pointed out that a Dhaka
court ordered Bangladesh foreign ministry to execute the war-
rant engaging the Interpol as Rahman was living in London since
2008.
B+|l+J| +| B|i|+i| |u
|J |+| /i+ |ui|i1 u|
Ikh 6hEMh8 kTTk6k
h 8hIk FIIIM8
kIF Q FARS
S
erena Williams won her second
French Open title on Saturday,
11 years after her first triumph,
defeating title-holder Maria
Sharapova 6-4 6-4 in a brief, but
high-quality final.
It was the 31-year-old
Americans 16th Grand Slam title
win, taking her to within two of
Chris Evert and Martina
Navratilova who are tied for fourth
on the all-time list.
And it underscored her near
total domination of the womens
game, having won three of the last
four Grand Slam titles at
Wimbledon, the US and French
Opens and reaching the quar-
ter-finals at the Australian Open.
For Sharapova, it was a 10th
straight loss to her American
nemesis dating back to 2004
when she defeated her in
the Wimbledon final
and the WTA
Championships when
she was just 17-years-
old.
It was very difficult
today. After 11 years
(since last win) and now I
have 16 (Grand Slam titles), said
Williams, addressing the crowd in
French.
But I want to come back
next year because I adore
Paris and I adore the pub-
lic here. I want to win
here again. I spend a
lot of time here (In
Paris) ... And I think I
am becomi ng a
Parisienne.
Sharapova said: I
played a great tournament,
but ran into a really tough
opponent today. She has been
playing so well this year and the
whole of last year as well.
But this court has brought
me so many nice memories.
Last year, was so incredible to
win and to be back as one of the
last two players was great.
In what was the first French
Open womens final involving
the two top seeds since 1995, the
two biggest names and biggest
earners in womens sport were
pitted against each other for
the 16th time, the third
in a Grand Slam final.
Williams was the
strong favourite, having
won 13 times for two
defeats against the
Russian and stormed into
the final for the loss of just one set,
taking her career-best winning
streak to 31.
Sharapova though was on a 13-
match win run at Roland Garros,
having finally come to terms with
the demands of claycourt tennis
last year when she defeated Sara
Errani in the final.
Williams opened up with a
sequence of brutal service returns
that had Sharapova scampering
from side to side and within min-
utes 0-40 down.
But the tall Russian served her
way out of trouble and then showed
her aggressive intentions by break-
ing Williams in the next game.
Sharapova had two points for a
3-0 lead, but Williams started to find
her range again to break back and
was soon on level terms at 2-2.
She broke again to lead 3-2 and
suddenly she looked in command
of a match that had started so
brightly for Sharapova.
The crowd tried to lift the title-
holder, who was seeking her fifth
Grand Slam title and second at
Roland Garros, and she did man-
age to get back on level terms
briefly at 4-4 with Williams both-
ered by the gusting wind.
But the American produced
her best tennis of the match in the
next game with some big hits
down both flanks and then held
serve to take the first set in 51
minutes.
The task on hand for
Sharapova was huge, illustrated by
the fact that in Grand Slam tennis,
after taking a one set to love lead
208 times, the American had failed
to complete the job just five times.
Sharapova saved five break
points to start the second set, but
two games later she struggled
again on serve and this time
Williams converted her first break
point to put herself in the clear at
4-2.
She then comfortably served
out twice, with three aces to con-
clude with, to gleefully banish 11
years of frustrations at Roland
Garros.
At 31 years, 247 days she is the
oldest women in the Open Era to
win the French Open title, taking
over from Chris Evert who set the
previous mark in 1986.
am a small person. Bigwigs are busy
cleaning the mess. want that everything
that needs to be done should be done to
clean the game in wake of present PL
scenario ~ HARBHAJAN SNGH
MI8I w8
TODAY
8Fw LFl80 8 88I l8k
3:00 FM
LVI ONSJAR CRCKIJ
AuSlRA|l A E||A| l |l A |Ew /EA|A| PA|l SlA| Sul| A|Rl CA SRl |A||A wESl l |l ES
sport 10
8IkkhTh Ih IIhkI I ThkIIkh FEh
Bangkok: ndian shulller K Srikanlh enlered lhe inal o lhe Thailand
0rand Frix 0old badminlon lournamenl aler regislering a
comorlable slraighlgame viclory over local avourile Thammasin
Sillhikom in lhe men's singles evenl here on Salurday. Srikanlh,
seeded 18lh, look 48 minules lo overcome his oonenl 2114 2118
al lhe himilbulr halional Sladium here. he will lake on lhe winner o
lhe olher semiinal malch belween Boonsak Fonsana and wisnu Yuli
Fraselyo. n lhe irsl game, world no. G1 Srikanlh oened u a
slender G2 lead bul Sillhikom soon caughl u wilh lhe ndian lo
make il G7. The 2Oyearold lhen regislered eighl conseculive oinls
lo surge ahead 15G. he kel on widening lhe ga lo make il 2O7.
hIE8 Fh1k8 Ih 8EhI h6kEY 8EMI8
Pune: 0eending chamions Funjab lhrashed Jharkhand GO lo
advance lo lhe semiinals o lhe 8rd hockey ndia Senior Men
halional Chamionshi here on Salurday. haryana, Karnalaka and
Air ndia also enlered lhe lasl our slage wilh wins in lheir
quarlerinal malches. n lhe semiinals lo be layed lomorrow, lasl
year's runnersu Air ndia lake on haryana while Funjab clash wilh
Karnalaka. 0eeak Thakur scored lwo goals while Sarvanjil Singh,
0urjinder Singh, Ravi Fal Singh and nderjeel Singh ound lhe largel
once. Air ndia, on lhe olher hand, scored a hardoughl 54 win
over Railways al Major 0hyan Chand Folygrass hockey Sladium al
Fimri. haryana deealed Chandigarh 41 while in lhe lasl quarler
inal malch o lhe day, Karnalaka scored lwice in each hal lo
overcome Maniur 42.
kMIh 6hkE WITh MI86h6T
London: The CC charged wesl ndies' 0enesh Ramdin wilh conducl
lhal is conlrary lo lhe siril o lhe game during a Chamions Trohy
malch againsl Fakislan bul lhe wickelkeeer balsman has leaded
nol guilly and aces a hearing here on Monday. The charge is relaled
lo an incidenl in Fakislan's innings when Ramdin claimed a calch o
Fakislan skier Misbahulhaq. Auslralian umire Sleve 0avis had
ruled Misbah oul bul when lhe decision was reerred lo lhird umire
Tony hill il came lo lighl lhal Ramdin did nol have ull conlrol over
lhe ball and Misbah was rerieved. Tv relays showed lhal he had
caughl lhe ball inilially bul il oed oul o his hands laler on.
"Ramdin was charged wilh breaching Arlicle 2.2.11 o lhe CC Code
o Conducl or Flayers and Flayer Suorl Fersonnel," an CC
slalemenl said.
1hI 8hTIh TEkM WIh8 I
New Delhi: The ndian junior women's 1Om Air Rile leam
comrising Shriyanka Sadangi, Aurvi Chandela and Mami 0as
has bagged a gold medal in lhe nlernalional Junior Shooling
Chamionshi in Suhl, 0ermany. The lrio, suorled by lhe Lakshya
Sorls Foundalion, shol a lolal score o 1285.8 on Friday. hosls
0ermany bagged lhe silver wilh an aggregale score o 128O.4, while
Russia inished lhird wilh a lolal o 1222. Shriyanka was lhe besl
erormer among lhe ndians, scoring 418.7 lo inish ourlh in lhe
individual chamionshi. halional chamion Aurvi inished eighlh
wilh a score o 411 while Mami was 1Olh wilh 41O.G oinls.
khkITk Eh8 hhEF kT Z8Ek8ITkh ITI EVEhT
New Delhi: ndian qualiier Ankila Raina's slendid run al lhe uS0
25OOO TF women lennis lournamenl in Karshi, u/bekislan ended
wilh a runnersu inish as she losl lhe summil clash in slraighl sels
lo local avourile Sabina Shariova. Flaying her irsl ever inal in a
uS0 25,OOO TF evenl, Ankila losl 8G 8G lo Shariova, who is
ranked O2 laces above lhe ndian in world ranking al 8G8.
hkTIhkI IEh6Ih 6'8hIF IM 1hE Z4ThZ6Th
Patiala: Around 8OO encers and oicials rom across lhe counlry
will arliciale in lhe 5lh halional Fencing Federalion Cu or men &
women which is scheduled lo be held rom June 24lh lo 2Glh al lhe
Mulliurose ndoor hall al Funjabi universily here. Fh8lkgenries
s si in ng gl le es s
Fa start WIth 0s 4em0IItI0a
kF Q BRMh0hAM
I
an Bell cracked a responsible 91 and
James Anderson scalped three wick-
ets as England dished out a disci-
plined all-round performance to notch
up a convincing 48-run victory over
Australia in their Group A match of the
Champions Trophy here on Saturday.
Riding on Bell's half-century,
England first posted a challenging 269
for six, despite some good bowling by
the Australian bowlers, after electing
to bat. The hosts then returned to
tighten the noose around Australia's
neck with a very disciplined bowling
display and eventually restricted the
visitors for 221-9 in their 50 overs at
Edgbaston here.
Seamer James Anderson became
the highest wicket-taker in one-day
cricket for England during his three-
wicket haul as he along with Tim
Bresnan (2/45) and Stuart Broad (1/35)
put Australia under tremendous pres-
sure.
Spinners James Tredwell (1/51) and
part-time spinners Joe Root (1/20) and
Ravi Bopara (1/34) also supported the
pacers well and didn't allow the Aussies
to free their arms.
For Australia, skipper George
Bailey was the top-scorer with a 69-ball
55, while James Faulkner scored an
unbeaten 54 but they never got the sup-
port from the other end as Australia
kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
Earlier, Bell's partnership of 111
with Jonathan Trott, who made 43, was
the backbone of the English innings as
Bopara (46 no, 3x4, 1x6) struck a few
meaty blows in the end.
During his 115-ball innings, Bell
hit seven boundaries and seldom did
he hit any rash stroke. Bopara provided
the late charge and added 56 runs for
the unbroken seventh wicket stand
with Tim Bresnan (19 no) after
England were reduced to 213 for six
at one stage.
For Australia, seamers Clint Mckay
(2/38) and James Faulkner (2/48) were
the most successful bowlers.
Chasing 270 to win, Australian
openers David Warner and Shane
Watson found the going tough right
from the beginning, thanks to a tight
and consistent line by England pacers.
The first boundary for Australia came
only in the fourth over when Watson
came up with a well-timed flick across
the square leg.
However, Broad accounted for
Warner (9) in the sixth over when he
induced an edged off the batsman to Jos
Buttler, who took a fine catch behind
the stumps. Two overs later, Watson and
Hughes managed two boundaries
one off a miscued leading edge by the
opener, while the other an excellent
drive by the new batsman. However,
with the seamers bowling in tandem,
Australia could manage only 35 runs in
the first powerplay.
Bresnan was introduced into the
attack then and Hughes welcomed him
with an sweetly-timed drive past extra
cover for a much-needed boundary.
However, the pacer along with spinner
Tredwell tightened the screw further to
dry up the runs.
Brief scores
England: 269 for 6 in 50 overs (Ian Bell
91, Ravi Bopara 46 not out; Clint
McKay 2/38, James Faulkner) beat
Australia: 221 for 9 in 50 overs (George
Bailey 55, James Faulkner 54 not out;
James Anderson 3/29) by 48 runs.
FTI Q CAR0FF
T
heir morale sky high after a
2-1 series win over England,
New Zealand would look to
carry their good form into the
Champions Trophy when they
clash with Sri Lanka in a Group
A match here on Sunday.
Sri Lanka have an over-
whelming record of winning 10
of their last 11 ODI matches
and six in a row against the
Kiwis but the Black Caps would
back themselves to reverse the
trend particularly when their
batsmen are in superb touch.
Opener Martin Guptill
smashed two consecutive hun-
dreds against England and Ross
Taylor hit half-
centuries in all
the three match-
es of the series.
S k i p p e r
Brendon McCullum on his day
can demolish any attack, so
much of the Kiwis fortunes
would depended on how their
top-order performs.
The Kiwis are also perhaps
the best acclimatised side after
hosts England having spent
some good amount of time
here. They know the condi-
tions well which will help
them sort out their team com-
bination quickly.
However, while against
England they faced a pace-
pronged attack, in Sri Lanka
they face a side which is full of
wily spinners, led by Sachitra
Senanayake. Jeevan Mendis,
Rangana Herath are other spe-
cialist spinner while Tillakaratne
Dilshan can also be handy.
That spin attack would be
key to Sri Lankas performance
even as Lasith Malinga and
Nuwan Kulasekara can do the
job in helpful conditions.
Even Kiwi coach Mike
Hesson has acknowledged this
fact.
We could conceivably be
facing 30-35 overs of spin. We
need to be proactive against it,
Hesson said ahead of the clash.
The big worry for Sri
Lanka is their batting. Neither
the top-order nor the middle
order bats-
men are in
good form.
M a h e l a
Jaywardene
and Kumar Sangakkara never
looked in good touch during
the recent IPL.
Skipper Angelo Mathewes
too had to sit out and give up
captaincy of his IPL side due to
poor form.
It means that the Kiwi
attack, to be led by young pace-
man Mitchell McClenaghan,
will bowl at a bunch of batsmen
who are short on confidence.
Tim Southee, Kyle Mills,
Dough Bracewell form the
pace department while Nathan
McCullum will look after the
spin department.
Serena sureme
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Hosts outplay holdors in mismatoh, boat thom by 48 runs
During his 115-ball
innings, Bell hit seven
boundaries and
seldom did he hit any
rash stroke. Bopara
provided the late
charge and added 56
runs for the unbroken
seventh wicket stand
with Tim Bresnan
Kiwi batsmon vorsus
Lankan spinnors
kIF Q FARS
R
afael Nadal is happy to suffer if it allows him to
become the first man to capture the same Grand
Slam title eight times when he tackles Spanish com-
patriot David Ferrer in Sundays French Open final.
Nadal, who won the Roland Garros crown in
2012 for the seventh time to pull clear of Bjorn
Borgs six titles, goes into his 17th Grand Slam final
seeking a 12th major overall.
Ferrer, 31, Nadals senior by four years, will be
playing on this stage for the first time and will be
handicapped by a 19-4 losing streak against his fel-
low Spaniard, 16 of those losses coming on clay.
But Nadal is taking nothing for granted and
is prepared for another marathon encounter after
his epic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7 (3/7), 9-7 win over world
number one Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.
I learned during all of my career to enjoy suf-
fering, and these kind of matches are very special.
You dont have the chance to play these kind of
matches every day, said Nadal.
Nadal has been the sensation of 2013, winning
42 of 44 matches and six titles since his return in
February from a seven-month injury lay-off to rest
his troublesome knees.
Ferrer, the fourth seed, has reached his maid-
en final without losing a set.
Ferrer then eased past Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-
1, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 in his semi-final but he will be well
aware that his only victory on clay against Nadal
was in their first meeting at Stuttgart in 2004 when
his compatriot was just 16. As well as losing to Nadal
in the quarter-finals in Paris in 2005, and in the
semi-finals last year, Ferrer has already lost three
times to his countryman in 2013, again all on clay.
I will fight. Its very difficult to beat Rafael on
all the surfaces, but on a clay court it is more dif-
ficult. I think I need to play my best tennis to beat
him. I need to play very aggressive all the match.
Victory for Nadal will take him clear of Roger
Federer and Pete Sampras, who have seven
Wimbledon titles, as the most successful player at
one major in the Open era.
Meanwhile, at 31 years and 68 days, Ferrer is
bidding to become the oldest man to win a Grand
Slam title since Andre Agassi (32 years 272 days)
at the 2003 Australian Open.
A|Y. A J||J |+|i+ S|+|+pu1+ |+| +||| || lu AP
ECSlACY. S||+
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Williams ovorpowors Sharapova to win sooond
Fronoh Opon titlo ator irst in 2002
played a great
tournament, but ran into a
really tough opponent
today. She has been
playing so well this year
and the whole of last year
as well. But this court has
brought me so many nice
memories. Last year, was
so incredible to win and to
be back as one of the last
two players was great
MARA SHARAPOVA
t was very difficult today.
After 11 years {since last win]
and now have 16 {Grand
Slam titles]. But want to
come back next year
because adore Paris
and adore the public
here. want to win
here again. spend
a lot of time here
{n Paris] ... And
think am
becoming a
Parisienne
Serena
Williams
sport 11 NEW DELH SUNDAY JUNE 9, 2013
B
efore 11-year-old Shabnam
Shokeen landed in Australia
to train with Sharon
Hannan, she had neither heard
about her nor had any clue about
her protg Sally Pearson being an
Olympic champion.
For this seventh standard girl
from Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya
in Dharampur, Najafgarh, life till
then was all about hide and seek,
helping her mother happily in
house chores, loving Social Studies
and hating Science. In last two
years, even her coach Surender
Fauji had to make efforts to sustain
her interest in athletics training.
But Speedstar, a Kids Out Of
Home (KOOH) Sports initiative
changed it all for her. As it did for
the other five kids too, who won
the nationwide talent hunt for
fastest 100m sprinters in various
age groups. The six winners a
boy and a girl each in under 12, 14
and 16 categries were reward-
ed with a week-long training ses-
sion with Sharon Down Under.
She has returned a complete-
ly different person from Australia,
said Shabnams coach Surender
Fauji, who spotted her potential
during a competition, a part of his
initiative to groom talented school
kids into future athletes. Earlier this
week, Fauji also started his resi-
dential training school Baalak
Bhavishya in Ghummanhera vil-
lage to help under-privileged kids
get regular training without having
to worry for day-to-day necessities.
Earlier I used to give up try-
ing to ask her to give attention to
her starting action. She would
hardly listen. And, now she is the
one who tells others how impor-
tant it is to have good action for a
good start into the race, Fauji
added of Shabnam, who now stays
in the Gurukul, trains in the
morning, goes to school, trains in
the evening and helps the seniors
with work as the set-up is com-
pletely run by the coaches and their
families, with the help of raw
material donations and volunteer
work from nearby villagers.
The facilities there were so
much better and different than
here, began Shabnam, who won
the Delhi leg before winning the
under-12 final with a timing of
14.04 seconds. Everyone there was
either running or cycling. No one
was sitting idle, killing time. We
would take at least 100 years to get
such facilities, added the chirpy
girl, whose home in Deenpur vil-
lage is hardly three kilometres from
a certain Virender Sehwags house
but cricket has failed to excite her
the way athletics did.
Sharon on her part was though
impressed, she advised caution to
keep the kids from burning out due
to excessive training. My initial
analysis is that these children are
training far too much for athletics,
Sharon told The Pioneer in an
email interview when asked about
her analysis of the kids talent.
They should be enjoying a
variety of activities like gymnas-
tics, swimming, ball sports, climb-
ing, crawling, breathing exercis-
es, stretching and playing activi-
ties. I definitely dont believe chil-
dren should be participating in
one sport every day, and definitely
not for several hours each day,
added Sharon, who coaches at
Gold Coast Victory Athletics
Club in Queensland.
I hope that next time they can
bring some coaches to Australia.
Sharon also shared Sallys
training secrets and full training
schedule with the kids to give them
an idea about Long Term Athlete
Development Training.
And, Shabnam was indeed
impressed with the variety in
training, especially as it came
with an occasional visit to the
beach and zoo, where koalas won
her affection over the famous
Australian kangaroos.
Sharon maam told us so
much about how to train, how to
warm-up, stretch, action at the start
of the race and how to work on
areas susceptible to pain. I even
learned how to swim as maam
focused on a lot on pool sessions,
Shabnam said.
While five of the six winners
made it for the training stint,
under-16 boy winner MS Arun
from Chennai could not join the
group as his passport formalities
could not be completed in time. As
a KOOH Sports official informed,
many of the kids that participat-
ed dont even have channels to con-
tact them. For Arun too, the
process of getting a passport was
proving quite confusing. We tried
to get his process done but due to
difficulty in contacting him we
could not get his papers on time.
Pune girl Siddhi Hirey, the
under-14 winner in girls with
13.01 seconds, also found the
water training different and effec-
tive. My coach Sanjay Patnakar
had also given me almost similar
tips but the training sessions in
water were quite different. She
(Sharon) made us train in various
depths. She showed us how our
action would improve that way
and even if we have any injury,
training in water would make sure
the speed doesnt go away during
recovery, said Siddhi, who is cur-
rently on a vacation-cum-training
in US at her maternal aunts place
in Madison.
I came here for vacation but
didnt feel like discontinuing my
training. So my uncle introduced
me to Hassan Pasha, who coach-
es the local kids, Siddhi added.
But one thing that stood out dur-
ing the training sessions with
Sharon was the importance she
gave to arm action. And the best
part was that no one else than the
athletes and coaches would be on
ground during the sessions, no
onlookers to distract you.
Getting to watch Sally herself
at work was an added bonus. We
saw her training. She was so full of
concentration that it seemed no
one could disturb her. She would
not speak to anyone till she was
done with her practice, an
impressed Siddhi said.
Just by looking at her run-
ning we could understand a lot
about the right movements,
Shabnam added.
Sally was also equally
impressed with the youngsters
from India. I watched some of the
training session of the young
Indian athletes with my coach. I
was quite impressed with their
keenness to listen, try and then lis-
ten again. They seemed especially
keen to try different techniques and
then listen again to feedback. I hope
they enjoyed the opportunity to
work with my coach, Sally said.
An XI grader in Punes
Abhinav Vidyalaya, Siddhi though
has the luxury of a private trainer
back home and enough support
from her former national level
long-distance runner mother, facil-
ities stood out even for her.
More so for one Palisetti Siva,
for whom track meant mitti ka
ground and synthetic tracks were
something new to him. An
Andhra Pradesh Sports School
product, Sivas school in Shamirpet
is almost 30 kms from better facil-
ities of Hyderabad.
I was training for the first time
in water. Sharon maam focussed a
lot on basics and technical training,
Siva managed in his confusing mix
of Hindi-English. I was in fourth
standard when I started training. I
have just cleared ninth now and one
thing I am sure about is that I
would continue in sports.
Facilities and support
notwithstanding back home, like
Siva, Shabnam has also found her
calling. Ab to bas Olympic medal
lana hai Sally maam ke jaise.
The country is also waiting for
that. But as Sharon warned, lets not
force them out of childhood soon-
er than required.
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A||l|i Clu| i| u|l+|J + S|+||+| S|u|| (|i||)
luu| u| || Spu||
Z WhaI aII goes inIo making a
rhampion Iike 8aIIy Fearson?
Time. Sally and 've been logelher or
more lhan 14 years now and 've very
careully nurlured and develoed her
inlo an elile alhlele. 'm an exlremely
alienl erson and lolally believe in
children being lrealed like children
and lhen gradually being exlended as
lhey become older.
Z WhaI prompIed a moIher Io
berome an aIhIeIirs roarh?
My daughler wanled lo be involved in
lhe sorl o alhlelics and saw a need
or coaches, so slarled learning lo
become a coach in 1O88.
Z hoW diIIiruII iI is Io manage young
aIhIeIes in romparison Io aduII
proIessionaIs?
They are worlds aarl. They have
very dierenl needs, very dierenl
lechniques and very dierenl
ercelions. Children will do
whalever you ask o lhem. They
have 1OO% lolal lrusl in you so you
musl know whal you are doing.
0lder and more exerienced
alhleles have a ar grealer
knowledge o lheir own bodies,
lheir own slrenglhs and
weaknesses. They know lheir
lexibililies and lheir minor injuries
or niggles.
Z WhaI is Ihe righI age Io enIer inIo
Iraining Ior aIhIeIirs?
lhink children should be
inlroduced lo a variely o aclivilies.
Children rom age lwo can be
rolling, lumbling, balancing and
crawling and rogress rom lhere lo
running, juming or lhrowing
aclivilies in a gamesbased
environmenl, nol a comelilion
environmenl. lhink comelilion
belongs in an environmenl more
suiled lo wiser lillle eole, like O lo
1O year olds. The AAF Kids
Alhlelics rogram is designed lo
leach lhe undamenlal skills o
running, juming and lhrowing
wilhoul aclual 0lymiclye
imlemenls and environmenls.
children are inlroduced lo lhe sorl
o alhlelics in such an environmenl
lhen il is highly unlikely lhey will
become overlrained. They will
enjoy every minule o lhe aclivilies
and il will be un.
Z WhaI are Ihe rhanres oI
overdoing Ihe Iraining programme
and iIs ronsequenres? have you
seen surh exampIes?
've seen many young alhleles in
Auslralia who are overlrained or
overachieved as youngslers and
lhey dro oul. Sally is nol lhe
mosl giled alhlele have coached.
She has gradually develoed inlo a
very hardworking elile alhlele.
She did nol work anywhere near as
hard when she was a youngsler as
she does now and lhal is lhe key.
There have been young alhleles,
who had ama/ing lalenl, bul lheir
arenls ushed lhem loo hard or
wanled success loo much and lhe
kids droed oul. This is an issue
in all areas o academia, sorl, arls
and music. don'l know whal lhe
answer is, excel lo romole lhe
idea o un and hysicalily.
Z There have been Iimes When you
had doubIs abouI your posiIion and
ronIribuIion as a roarh... WhaI
prompIed Ihe unrerIainIy and hoW
you rame bark sIronger?
used lo lhink had doubls aboul
mysel and my abililies, bul now
lhink lhese are imorlanl allribules
or all coaches. you don'l doubl
you don'l invesligale and you don'l
lry and you don'l ail or achieve.
These are all imorlanl. Every
alhlele is dierenl and so you musl
always be lrying dierenl
lechniques, dierenl cues and
dierenl lraining regimes. Every
single session is a queslion, a lesl, a
risk, and hoeully an achievemenl.
Z WhaI ran India do Io make iIs
aIhIeIes maIrh Ihe Iympir
sIandards?
LTA0 = Long Term Alhlele
0evelomenl = Falience = very
careul lraining wilh lols o un
aclivilies.
Aarl rom her analysis o lhe kids, ShAR0h hAhhAh also look some lime oul lo share valuable
inuls rom her years o exerience. Excerls rom an email inlerview lo 0ARMA vERMA
Q Tell us about your experi-
ence at the Asian Youth
Weightlifting Championships?
We reached there around
10 days in advance. We reached
Doha in the morning and
went for training in the
evening. We trained two times
a day till the day before the
opening day of the competi-
tion. My event was around two
or three days after that, so I just
rested at the hotel and con-
centrated on controlling my
body weight in order to make
my weight category.
Q Tell us about your perfor-
mances in earlier events?
I won gold at the sub-
junior nationals in 49 kg cate-
gory and in the 56 kg category
at the junior nationals a couple
of years ago. I finished fifth at
the World Youth
Championships last month and
now these gold medals at the
Asian Youth Championships.
QSo how did you start off?
I belong to a small village in
Kolhapur district of
Maharashtra. There is a gym in
my village and that is where I
first started. My father was a
weightlifter. He wanted me to be
a weightlifter as well. He has
always encouraged me and
gives a lot of useful tips.
QWhat kind of a daily routine
do you follow?
I start training at the gym
at six in the morning and con-
tinue till nine oclock. In the
evening also I train from six to
nine. Before the selection trials
for the state team, we have a
month long training camp in
my village and we train for six
to twelve in the morning and
then six to nine in the evening.
Q So how do you balance
your studies with such a tough
training schedule?
I go to school after I fin-
ish my morning training ses-
sion. After school, I go direct-
ly to the gym from school and
then after my evening training
session ends at nine, I go
home, have dinner and then
study till eleven before going
to sleep. I wake up by 5:30 in
the morning.
QWhy did you decide to take
up a tough sport like
weightlifting?
There was an inter-dis-
trict sports tournament
taking place in my
village. There was a
we i g ht l i f t i ng
coach over there
who was a friend
of my father.
Since I was a fat
kid and a bit stur-
dy for my age, he
thought that I
would do well in
weightlifting. So I start-
ed going to the gym and for the
first few months, I underwent
light workouts, learned the
technique and watched others
going about their training. After
I got the hang of things after the
first few months, I started to do
serious training.
QWhat kind of a reaction did
you get at home when you told
them about your decision to
take up weightlifting?
I got a mixed reaction at
home. My father was very sup-
portive while my mother was a
bit apprehensive. But after I
started winning medals at var-
ious competitions, everyone
at home started to sup-
port me.
QA weightlifter
needs to fol-
low a really
high quality
diet regime.
So how do you
manage that?
My family
provides me all that
I need. Whatever food
items or supplements that I
need to eat, they provide me.
Q Food supplements are
quite expensive. How much
help do you get from the
government?
When I train in my village
I have to get the supplements
from my own resources, but
when I am in the state or
national camps, then the gov-
ernment provides us all that we
need.
QDo you look up to anyone as
your role model?
I do not have any role
models as such. I just concen-
trate on working hard and
improving myself. I just want to
do the best that I can.
QWhat are your future plans?
The Commonwealth
Games are coming up next
year. I want to make the
senior Indian team and win
medals over there. The Asian
Games will also take place
next year. Winning a medal
over there will be very tough
because the standard is real-
ly quite high. But I am willing
to work hard and if I make it
to the senior national team, I
will give it my best shot.
Right now, I am preparing
myself for these two events.
k1EY 8k8 Q hEw 0ELh
H
e is the main striker in the current Indian
team and is tipped to be the successor to
Baichung Bhutia. But apart from his exploits
on the field, Sunil Chhetri is now set to score
for Indian football off the pitch as well.
The ace striker is all set to conduct a coach-
ing camp for budding footballers in the coun-
try. The camp, which will be held from June
16-23, will involve 100 children from several
schools across the national capital region. It will
have 40 boys from the u-14 age group, anoth-
er 14 from the u-16 age group and around 20
girls in the u-18 category.
But what prompted him to venture into
coaching. Surely training and matches with his
club Churchill Brothers and the national team
must be taking up all the time of Indias pre-
mier centre forward? A few of my friends who
work in the corporate sector are eager to start
a football academy. They are big football fans
and is really concerned at the lack of world class
football academies in India.
These boys came to me regarding an acad-
emy. But I advised them that to open an acad-
emy right away is not very easy and feasible,
and told them to first conduct a camp and get
an idea about how to go about things, and then
do it, Chhetri told The Pioneer.
But football camps and clinics are a dime
a dozen these days, especially with seeming-
ly every English Premier League club worth
its salt eager to wade into the lucrative
Indian market. But critics have cast doubts on
their effectiveness since such short duration
camps can hardly be expected to provide too
much benefit.
But Chhetri insists that his coaching camp
is a lot different from the others and has a
detailed plan to ensure that the youngsters
retain what they learn over the seven days of
the course.
It is a good thing that European clubs are
showing such a keen interest in India. Indian
kids are getting an opportunity to train with
some of the best clubs and best youth coach-
es in the world. That is surely a good thing,
he said. But my coaching camp will offer
something extra.
He also said that the dates for I-League
matches should not be changed. If the match
date scheduled is say Jan 10, then the match
should be held on that date and should not be
changed without any rhyme or reason, he added.
However, Chhetri is more interested in the
future generation of footballers rather than the
workings of the AIFF and cannot wait for the
camp to start. The kids are not going to learn
a lot over these seven days of training. But they
will take away with them is a way of training
that will continue with them for the rest of their
lives and will also help them quite a lot when
dealing with other stuff in life other than foot-
ball, he signed off.
The ndian junior squad crealed hislory al lhe Asian Youlh weighlliling Chamionshis by winning a besl ever haul o 27 medals.
Akshay 0aikwad is one o lhe brighlesl slars o lhal lalenled bunch wilh lhree gold medals lo his credil. The 17yearold, who has also
inished ilh al lhe world Youlh Chamionshis, lalks lo k1EY 8k8 aboul his ulure lans and more
0IS|w
Akshay Gaikwad
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Five kids rom lhe counlry won a 1OOm lalenl hunl and earned lhemselves a week
o lraining in Auslralia wilh none olher lhan Sharon hannan, who coached Sally
Fearson lo 1OOm hurdles gold al London 0lymics lasl year. They came back more
conidenl, more sound and wiser lo share lheir exerience wilh kIMk VEMk
0a y00r f0II marks
These children are
training far too
much for athletics.
They should be
enjoying a variety of
activities like
gymnastics,
swimming, ball
sports, climbing,
crawling, breathing
exercises,
stretching and
playing activities
SHARON HANNAN
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Shabnam haik hew 0elhi 0irl 14.O4
hilesh Balre Mumbai Boy 18.81
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Siddhi hiray Fune 0irl 18.O1
Faliselli Siva hyderabad Boy 11.72
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Anila 0as Kolkala 0irl 12.7O
MS Arun Chennai Boy 11.14
SPEEDSTAR WNNERS
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Better known for his serious roles in Gulal and
Sarkar, he is back in action as a villain in Ankur
Arora Murder Case. He plays a surgeon who
botches up a patient, killing him.
MANJARI SINGH chats up the versatile actor
Q Tell us more about the role
I am playing this top notch surgeon
excelling in difficult surgeries. But, one
mistake changes his life. Everybody starts
blaming him for a death and his achieve-
ments do not matter at all. Just like it hap-
pens with a sportsman where, most of the
times his worst performance gets stuck in
public memory, here too the same happens.
I play many shades in this film
Q Again a character with shades of grey?
Not just grey, a human being has varied
colours and I am glad actors have got the
privilege to show shades of human com-
plexities.
Q How did you prepare for this role?
It was a watertight script so I had the
job cut out. I also read up on medical neg-
ligence which made me understand my
part better. And then there were doctors on
the set to tell me about the usage of surgi-
cal tools. We have tried to make it as
believable as possible.
Q When do we get to see you in a big
budget film?
I dont understand the concept of big
budget films and why makers spend that
kind of money to make one? Do they play
casino or what? Every film is shot with the
same kind of camera. Its not the case that
big-budget films are shot with a gold cam-
era. So, I am happy
doing what I am
doing.
Q In an interview
you said that 90 per
cent of Bollywood is
non cinema. Really?
Thats true, 90
per cent of
Bollywood is mar-
keting and the rest
cinema.
Q Please elabo-
rate...
Cinema, for me,
is a form of story-
telling but most
filmmakers today
forget the storyline
and focus on mar-
keting instead. I am
not against market-
ing but cinema
should not be bas-
tardised.
For example,
suppose your grand-
mother is reading
you the Ramayana
and suddenly she
says theres an item
girl who starts dancing
to lure the sadhu it
sounds unnatural and
out of context. But if
she would have said
apsaras started dis-
tracting the sadhu
while he was meditat-
ing, that is completely
believable. Marketing
and cinema are two dif-
ferent departments and
should not be merged.
backpack 12 NEW DELH SUNDAY JUNE 9, 2013
Dont bastardise
cinema
H
e is a smooth talker on the couch, a
fantastic director who has the
power to immediately transform you
into a realm of happiness. He can shake
a leg and act as well. Thats Karan multi-
talented Johar for you. This summer,
Karan Johar is all poised to start shoot-
ing for his maiden film as an actor in a
negative role and he can't stop smiling.
Yes it is a good feeling, he tells you.
KJo will be playing an antagonist in
Anurag Kashyaps Bombay Velvet, featur-
ing Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka
Sharma. It is an unusual role.
Something no one has ever tried before.
When Anurag narrated the script to me
he wanted my opinion. I told him it was
an awesome concept and
the characters were
well fleshed out. I had
no idea he wanted
me to come on
board. But when he
offered me a role
the next day, I had
no reason to decline.
He is a great friend
and a good director
sitting on a brilliant
script. What more could a
debutante ask for? Johar asks.
Kashyap and KJo had earlier worked
together for Bombay Talkies, a film made
to mark 100 years of cinema. The
response we got was great. We have
started a trend of sorts for young
directors. Personally, I liked
Zoyas and Anurags stories a
lot, he adds.
Known to be a supersti-
tious person, Kjo doesnt
want to reveal anything
much about Bombay Velvet
just as yet. I play a business-
man with shades of grey. Thats
all there is to my role at the
moment. We will get to know more
as we go about the film. I dont like
talking about my films before they hit
the floors so let there be a suspense,
Johar says.
Bombay Velvet is the first part of a
trilogy planned by Kashyap and KJo
will feature in all parts. It is a three-
part series pre-decided by Anurag.
This is why the film is so special. I am
going to have something to do in all
the three parts. He hasn't decided any-
thing concrete for part 2 and 3, Johar,
who is busy with his own production
featuring Ranbir Kapoor, says.
The 41-year-old filmmaker has his
plate full with films and TV assign-
ments to wrap up. As a judge in
Jhalak... on Colors, I have drawn up
a list of all things my mother would
want me to do and I like ticking
things off as done. She wanted me to
learn dancing and eventually become
a choreographer. So I chose to judge
this dance show. Next up, she want-
ed to see me act in a film. With
Bombay Velvet I have done that as
well. Lets see whether she will like me
in that grey shade, Johar adds.
As for his plans of adoption, Kjo
wants to extend his family. "What's
wrong with that? My mother would
enjoy bringing up a grandchild. I love
to play the role of a father," he says,
leaving you with that thought.
QWhile shooting, was there a
performance pressure? How did
you deal with it?
There are a lot of people expect-
ing a lot of things from this film. I
accept that responsibility but I
dont allow the pressure to mess with
my head. To do justice to Superman
is my only focus. The trick to deal
with performance anxiety is to
turn it into a positive energy.
QThe film is due for a big release.
What are your expectations?
Man of Steel is a very Snyder
movie. It was his dream of mod-
ernising Superman and making
him more believable. It is a gamble
we have willingly taken and are hop-
ing that it works well. I want peo-
ple to look at Superman from our
perspective. That'll do.
QHow did Man of Steel happen?
Zack Snyder had been toying
with this idea when he thought of
a reboot. When he called to discuss
the role with me, I was on a vaca-
tion and not in the mood to sign on
scripts. But when I heard him out
and what was on offer, I rushed
back. Not every day one is offered
the role of Clark Kent. I had no rea-
son to doubt Zack. I was on board.
QHow difficult was it for you to be
Superman? Any fond memories?
I have been on an intense
workout for the past six months just
to fit into the redesigned suit. One
of the many problems was to get the
body language and the Superman
swagger right. Once I figured that
out, it was easy. Shoots were hectic
so I don't recall moments of fun.
QAre you a superhero fan? Which
one is your favourite?
I would have loved to say
Superman but you may not believe
me. So, I will stick to my second
favourite and thats Batman. He is
a real superhero with many shades.
I like him because he does not come
across as pure fiction.
QYou had to shoot for long hours
at a stretch. That must have been
physically draining...
No. Shoot hours were decent.
QWhat kind of research you did?
Luckily, I was handed out a guide-
line of what to do and what not to.
The research team and Snyder had
done all the groundwork. I just had
to follow their instructions. In a
superhero film, you dont need to
read up. You go by instinct.
QThe star cast has some biggies
from Hollywood. How was your
rapport with them?
They are all senior artists and
I have a lot of respect for them. I am
the biggest and the luckiest fan of
Russell Crowe. I was barely 14 when
I met him during the shooting of
Gladiator. I walked up to him and
asked him how it was to be an actor.
He told me I needed to pursue it till
the end. That bit stayed with me.
QDo you think Superman has
evolved since Christopher Reeve?
A lot has changed since Reeve.
Technology and influences are only
a part of this metamorphosis. I am
sure he would have loved to be a
part of this transformation. The soul
of the film will always be the same.
Evolution in all forms is good.
QHow is Man of Steel different?
This being the reboot, the
entire look and feel is different. We
have a redesigned suit, a
more expansive set and a dif-
ferent way of telling the story.
QYou are tagged the unluck-
iest actor in Hollywood
because you lost out to
Robert Pattinson for
Harry Potter and
Twilight, to
Christian Bale in
Batman and
Brandon Routh ear-
lier in Superman
series
I had audi-
tioned for Harry
Potter twice. I don't
know how close I
was. But Twilight was
definitely in the off-
ing. Stephenie Meyer
thought I was the per-
fect Edward but I had
already given my dates
to another producer.
Batman was never
offered to me and I
never auditioned! I was
signed up for a
Superman film titled
Superman: Flyby but
that did not come
through.
A
s Zack Snyder's Man of Steel
is gearing up to hit the the-
atre this Friday, critics, comic
book fans, bloggers, and in fact
the entire world is awaiting its
mammoth release. From Internet
gossip and expert projections
and a darker Superman suit, to
the nostalgia of General Zod and
Lieutenant Faora a lot has kept
the anticipation levels high.
For decades, a relentlessly
flying Superman carried the
hopes of Americas comic book
readers, going so far as to lift
Hitler up in the air and kidnap
him. But, thanks to 9/11 and the
never ending financial crisis,
America changed and so did
Superman as Man of Steel.
Superman, always characterised
as the boy-scout, ever ready to do
good, unable to take a life in spite
of his almost endless powers has
changed. He is darker, grimmer
and, perhaps, not so good look-
ing anymore. Or, thats what
director Zack Snyder and pro-
ducer Christopher Nolan would
have you believe.
A fact co-producer Charles
Roven doesn't deny. It isnt a
regular Superman film. Its Zack
Snyders baby and he is prepar-
ing the world audience for a new
version as opposed to the con-
ventional one, he says.
Its in the spirit of making
Superman a very contempo-
rary character. Weve approached
the film from the standpoint of
what it would be like if there was
an individual who looked like us,
but had the ability to do things
we could never do. We have tried
to make it as real as it can get
emotionally & visually, he says.
For the first time, Superman will
be vulnerable to shades of grey.
Snyders wife Deborah says,
The way Zack has set this film
up and shot it, it almost feels like
a kind of Western face-off where
Supermans on one end and the
Kryptonians on
the other. Its
pure mayhem,
and then it just gets
more elevated.
Think Superman and
Christopher Reeve comes in
wearing a sky blue body suit and
that legendary red underwear.
Year after year, the basics of the
uniform remained the same,
expect the shade of blue got
darker. However, in the latest
edition, Man of Steel will be seen
in a completely new avatar. The
suit is cutting-edge and for the
first time, Superman has no red
underwear on top. Costume
designers James Acheson and
Michael Wilkinson, who had
been working on re-imaging the
superhero for a long time, want-
ed a fresh concept. As per
Krypton mythology in comic
book, Supermans suit is made of
the cloth his parents wrapped
him in while sending him off the
planet. However, we have intro-
duced this new suit as a protec-
tive layer that every Kryptonian
wears under layers of robes and
armour. So, the suit has a histo-
ry of its own, Wilkinson
explains.
A similar shift is seen in
other comic book films.
Batman is darker
than ever. Green
Lantern has his
fair share of
pr obl ems .
Hulk is
a n g r i e r
than ever,
and so on.
B u t
Superman,
most memo-
rably portrayed
as by Reeve, has
always seemed in
control never conflicted,
his S-shaped-lock of overhang-
ing hair never out place. Even in
the 2006 Superman Returns, the
man of steel is dutifully the
same.
The problem with
Superman, as opposed to other
superheroes, is that he has always
been steadfastly devoted to his
duty and invulnerability. His
incredible array of powers, com-
bined with his good looks makes
him a rather dull character in
todays perception. If Snyders
vision and first-look is taken into
consideration, that trend is set to
change.
QhoW did Iaora happen?
when heard aboul warner Bros
making Suerman, did a
monologue or a dierenl ilm,
laed il in my aarlmenl al Berlin
and senl il lo lhe casling direclor.
A week laler, lew lo LA or
audilion. read or Zack and
lrained or slunls so he could see
how would do aclion sequences.
Two weeks laler, gol lhe call.
QTeII us abouI your rhararIer...
Aclors are keen lo lay layered
characlers bul Faora is one
dimensional, Raised amid war,
violence is her ocus wilh no
lace or emolions. Al no lime
while laying Faora did have lo
iller or second guess a scene.
Qid you researrh?
Since am no comic book an,
didn'l know Faora al all. 0nce
was back in LA, locked mysel in
a room wilh a bollle o waler,
lurned o my hone or our
hours and read lhe scril lhrough
and lhrough. Al lhe end o il, ell
in love wilh Faora.
QhoW did you reIaIe Io Ihe eviI
in Iaora?
She is nol evil, only driven . She
arl o an alien mililary unil. n
my growing u days in Easl
0ermany, our schools, exlra
curricular aclivilies, everylhing
was conlrolled. while laying lhis
characler, ell noslalgic. lrained
or our monlhs lo hysically il
inlo Faora . became discilined
wilh meals, slee and ilness.
Flaying a owerul characler, you
wanl lo live il loo.
QYou Irained Ior Iour monIhs Ior
arIion sequenres?
hol jusl our monlhs, lhe lraining
conlinued even while we shol. we
had lo wake u al 4:8O am, work
oul or an hour, shool or 12
hours and lhen gym or anolher
hour. Bulging muscles were vilal.
The mosl diicull arl or me was
lo build mysel u or Faora.
QThe uniIorm Iooks
unromIorIabIe...
l looked so owerul, loved
wearing il. when wore il or lhe
irsl lime, was overwhelmed.
while lhe designers lried lheir
besl lo make il comorlable, il
was heavy lo move around in or
lhe 1218 hours o shooling.
QYour rhararIer is a masIer oI
krypIonian marIiaI arIs. WhaI
sIyIe did you derive IhaI Irom in
Ihis IiIm?
The aclion direclors merged
various slyles. uniquely, lhis slyle
o ighling doesn'l seem eminine
and lhere are no
acrobals. l's ure and
brulal slrenglh. Al
lraining, we did a lol
o boxing and jujilsu
lo erecl lhe
Krylonian slyle.
kFFETITE I
E8T6TIh
AhTJE TRAuE lells ShBAJ
R0YCh0u0huRY on email
how she buill muscle and
brulal slrenglh lo lay Faora
hEhY 6kVIII is regarded as lhe unluckiesl aclor in hollywood, having losl lhe race lo Roberl Fallinson in bolh
Twilighl and harry Foller by a whisker. hol anymore. As lhe new man o sleel laying Suerman in Zack Snyder's
lalesl rebool o lhis mosl oular comic book hero, he is more lhan ecslalic. Currenlly on a whirlwind lour o
Auslralia lo romole lhis Friday's release, he lells EE8k8hEE MhkhTY how he will be lhe new, edgy,
changed Suerman wilh shades o grey "lo make lhe suerhero believable and conlemorary"
80FF8M8 8F6IIF7
The dogooder, cleanimaged Suerman is changing,
and il's nol only aboul lhe osilioning o his
consicuous underwear. ShBAJ R0YCh0u0huRY
lalks lo makers o Man o Sleel lo exlore why lhe
mosl unblemished suerhero is changing, moslly
inlo shades o an edgy grey
l| u|ii|+l Sup||+|
C||i|up|| R1
The
costume
designers
wanted a fresh
look for Superman
so they have made
not just the suit
but also him a
darker shade
of grey
ChEMA
F0R ME S
A F0RM 0F
ST0RY
TELLh0
BuT M0ST
0F ThE
FLM
MAKERS
T00AY
F0R0ET
ThE
ST0RYLhE
Ah0 F0CuS
0h
MARKETh0
hSTEA0
Villainy witl Karan
KJo has been making headlines lhis monlh. Firsl wilh news o his wanling lo adol a baby girl lhen
wilh Anurag Kashya announcing his debul as a villain in Bombay velvel scheduled or a Chrislmas
release nexl year. For lhe momenl, Karan Johar doesn'l wanl lo jinx lhe rojecl by lalking loo much
aboul lhe ilm. 0EEBAShREE M0hAhTY seaks wilh lhe maverick ilmmaker
sunday
magazino
F R O M T H E N S D E
Ia4Ia's FrI4a kahI0
The daughIer oI a 8ikh arisIorraI
and a hungarian opera singer,
kmriIa 8heriI Iived a IruIy
remarkabIe IiIe in jusI ZB years
3
FI h0at 0a 4Im stars
ed dWarIs have been WriIIen
oII by Ihose searrhing Ior aIien
IiIe in Ihe skies, buI Ihey rouId
be iIs mosI IikeIy IoraIion
:
0IsahIIIty Isa't IaahIIIty
k koIkaIabased h is IransIorming
Ihe Iives oI diIIerenIIyabIed rhiIdren
Iiving in sIum areas by providing
speriaI eduraIion Iree oI rosI
l've oeer app] lo
see le d|scuss|or
aooul Worer's ea|l
exparded, ard lal
rears le Wor|d lo re.
Aller |os|rg r] ror,
l'r ver] gralelu| lor |l.
'TMKROTG0UROK
Now Dolhi, Juno 9, 2013
Twenlyive years ago, lhe Mahabharala was
aired on 0oordarshan which changed lhe rule o
lhe game or ndian lelevision. uTFAL KuMAR
wonders i lhal was all aboul lhe show, and whal i il
had been launched beore Ramanand Sagar's Ramayana
G
rowing up in Bihar in the 1980s had
its charm and so had its challenges.
Things were worsening but the State
had not yet hit the nadir. Life was easy
and innocence still in the air. But it was
Sundays that would be particularly exciting.
Anxiously we would wait for the day, and when
it came we were often grappled with just one
issue: What if the power went away a
recurrent phenomenon even to date? One day
electricity went just when Ramanand Sagars
Ramayana was about to begin. Disgusted,
I went to the roof seeking divine assistance to
bring the power back, while simultaneously
looking at a bulb hanging on an electric pole
standing next to my house. Lo and behold, the
bulb started glowing in no time. Thereafter
whenever there was a power cut, I would just
go upstairs and stare at the pole. I wasnt lucky
at other times, however, but my faith would
always take me there. Then one day I heard that
a group of agitated people had burnt down an
electricity substation. There was no power cut
in the area thereafter, particularly on the
Sunday morning. People in adjoining areas
took the cue and gheraoed their respective
substations. Soon the power situation in the
entire region improved dramatically at least
for an hour between 9 am and 10 am when
Lord Rama and Krishna walked amongst us!
Such was the sway of the Ramayana and the
Mahabharata that the streets in cities across the
country looked deserted every Sunday morning.
In rural areas, people would walk miles just to
get to the nearest house with a television set. A
bride would prefer to go missing for her
wedding, because it clashed with the timing of
the epic show. Even politicians otherwise des-
perate to grab ministerial posts would ask for
their swearing-in ceremony to be delayed so that
they didnt miss the telecast. Interestingly, the
show had to be shifted once to the evening so
that there was a good voter turnout in the Lok
Sabha election! Even for kids, playing the
characters of the Ramayana, particularly
Hanumans, was a rage, and one would often
hear them screaming: Jai Sri Rama.
Twenty-five years after this hysteria-like
situation generated first by the Ramayana and
then the Mahabharata, its interesting to note
that the telecast of the two epics happened by
chance. Bhaskar Ghose, the Director General of
Doordarshan between 986 and 1988, recalls in
his memoirs that in 1985 Prime Minister Rajiv
Gandhi had asked Information & Broadcasting
Minister VN Gadgil and Secretary SS Gill to
broadcast serials that depicted the values
enshrined in our ancient texts and philosophy,
the kind of values that were contained in the
Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Gill
interpreted it as the Prime Ministers desire to
see the epics being telecast on Doordarshan and,
in a rush to please him, despite being a Leftist by
orientation and of the belief that the national
channel should not have anything with religious
programmes, wrote letters to two prominent
filmmakers Ramanand Sagar and BR Chopra
who accepted the offer in no time.
As the fate would have it, Sagar managed to
beat Chopra in shooting a few episodes of the
Ramayana, thus ensuring it was aired first.
Maybe he was more desperate to get things
moving, as his filmi career, after a string of flops,
was moving nowhere. Looking back, one
wonders what would have happened had Chopra
got the Mahabharata on air first. Would Sagar
still have created the magic? Would people have
liked the Ramayana which, if senior journalist
Madhu Jain is to be believed, appeared like
moving calender art pictures, particularly after
the telecast of the Mahabharata, which was
much superior in content, style and acting? How
could it, then, have shaped the contours of the
Rama Janmabhoomi movement?
LNIIk6 hI801
To begin with, no one expected the Ramayana
to do so well. As the story goes, Bhaskar Ghose
was petrified to see the initial rushes of the
show. Mark Tully quotes him as saying in his
book, No Full Stops in India, There was far too
much ritual and not nearly enough story. He
(Sagar) had used the worst extras he could get,
because he was doing it on the cheap. The
infant Rama looked half-starved. Some of the
dance sequences were ridiculous.
Most of these charges hold water. The
extras, for instance, were brought from Surat, as
the makers thought Bombay artistes were far
too expansive! Scripts were written on a day-to-
day basis and there was hardly any consistency
in the making of the show. Everything was on
an ad hoc basis. And yet, Sagar could do what
no one had ever done in the history of television
in India. Maybe it was because there existed no
template for making a mega serial. Expectations
would have been different had the Mahabharata
been aired first. And since there was nothing
worthwhile to look at, people took Sagars work
as yet another Ramleela where, as Tully says,
you take a story which everybody knows. You
remove any hint of sex and reduce violence to
electronic gimmicks acceptable in a video
parlour for nursery children. You slow the story
down to a crawl. You use archaic language
which even actors find difficult to speak, let
alone the audience to understand. You
deliberately choose unknown actors,
although India is a country where the star
system is very much alive and kicking.
The Mahabharata was a different ballgame
altogether. Compared to the Ramayana, which
was celebrated annually in the form of
Ramleelas, it had its challenges. Foremost was
the fact that it wasnt always given a pride of
place in traditional Hindu households. I
remember my grandfather telling me not to
read the Mahabharata as it would lead to
family feuds and my mother still does! So,
BR Chopra had to do something spectacular to
get the Ramayana-like response. And he did
pretty well with about 150 main actors and a
production team of more than 100 people,
dealing way too competently with the complex
subject involving characters with different
shades and equally complicating emotions and
equations. Also, Chopra gave emphasis to
sound screenplay and got some of the best
minds including a Muslim in Rahi Masoom
Raza to create some incredible lines,
including Mein Samay Hoon. All this had its
cost, and a conservative estimate suggests that
no less than C10,00,000 were spent on each
episode, which was an huge sum in the context
of the era in which it was made.
The Mahabharata held the collective
attention of 200 million Indians across the
nation for 45 minutes week after week for
nearly two years. But more than popularity,
what the show did well was that it changed the
very rule of the game for Indian television. It
helped Doordarshan transform from being a
tool of socio-economic development to
become, in the words of Tully, almost
exclusively middle class, promoting a consumer
society whose products most Indians cant
afford to consume. Sevanti Ninan discovers
through her interviews for the book, Through
The Magic Window, how the lives of the urban
poor have been influenced by televisions loud
mix of soaps, songs and ads. She finds children
thinking Sunsilk and Fair & Lovely can change
their looks for good, and mothers believing that
two-minute noodles will improve their
childrens performance in school. The
Mahabharata brought for the first time in a
big way the market to the homes of TV
owners, a phenomenon which became all the
more pervasive with the arrival of the cable
culture in the country a couple of years after
its final episode on June 24, 1990.
>> Z
Looking back,
one wonders
what would have
happened had
BR Chopra got the
Mahabharata on
air first. Would
Ramanand Sagar
still have created the
magic? How could it
have shaped the
contours of the Rama
Janmabhoomi
movement?
C
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haraibeti, meaning moving
ahead in Sanskrit, is a
unique programme true to
its name. Providing special
education on wheels free of
cost, it is transforming the lives of dif-
ferently-abled children in the slums of
Kolkata in West-Bengal. Launched in
December 2010, under the aegis of
Tomorrows Foundation, an NGO
working for the indigenous communi-
ties in the country, it has brought a ray
of hope for children born with cerebral
palsy, autism, speech-hearing impair-
ments, among others. The best part of
the project is that its education, which
includes physiotherapy, occupational
therapy, speech therapy, etc, is imparted
at the doorsteps of the special children.
It will soon be replicated in seven other
cities of the country.
Besides helping students cope with
their routine activities, the project
works towards making them self-reliant
and confident in the long run. Hence,
along with imparting specialised train-
ing, Charaibeti aims to ultimately intro-
duce them to regular schools. This, in a
way, helps in their psychological reha-
bilitation. The project has so far helped
more than 100 special children to brace
up to the challenges of life at par with
normal kids. Currently, this special
school has the strength of 329 children.
Two buses move around targeted
areas on different days of the week. One
of the buses is funded by Terre
Plurielle, Foundation, France, and the
other by Cognisant Foundation, India.
These mobile classrooms are unique in
many ways. Their bright yellow walls
have flamboyant paintings and motifs
done by children themselves. The class-
rooms have been partitioned by cur-
tains. These units have special educa-
tors and therapists, where children and
their wards receive individual attention
from teachers. The annual running
costs of the buses are borne by the
French Embassy along with a Delhi-
based philanthropist, Akshay Jaitley.
The embassy is also collaborating with
Tomorrows Foundation in a number of
activities for the development of indige-
nous children in Chhattisgarh.
Our beneficiaries are essentially
from the economically underprivileged
section of society who cannot afford
specialised training/care for their dif-
ferently-abled children, says Ritwik
Patra, Chief Operating Officer,
Tomorrows Foundation.
Further, the team is in constant
touch with schools, where they are
eventually transferred for their formal
education. It is not enough that these
children just learn to overcome their
physical impediments. Our ultimate
success lies in the fact that they do not
feel ostracised, and learn to mingle well
in society, Patra adds.
Nitish and Sudip Shaw (aged 8 and
9 respectively), from the Tollyganj area
of Kolkata, have proved Patra right.
Both were born with cerebral palsy, but
leaving their physical challenges way
behind, they are today inspiration for
countless others. The two brothers have
clinched the first and second positions
respectively in the 75m running race in
a State-level competition held at Salt
Lake Stadium in 2010. Last year, they
once again won awards in the State-
level sports meet organised for the dif-
ferently-abled children at Oxford
Mission Ground.
For their mother Rekha, the success
stories of her sons are incredible. The
world had come crashing down for me,
when I realised my sons had cerebral
palsy. They could not even get up from
their beds and I had to do everything
for them. The doctor told me that my
sons have no brains and would need
treatment throughout their lives,
recalls she. Rekha is today beaming
with joy. It is certainly a big leap for
our family, says she with pride.
In the course of two years,
Charaibeti has covered more than 50
slum areas in the northern, southern
and eastern parts of Kolkata. Apart
from arming the beneficiaries with con-
fidence and training, it also ensures
their access to various schemes of the
Government, which include Disability
Card, Railway Concession and Bus Pass.
Meet five-year-old Zoya Khatoon
from the Garden Reach area of Kolkata.
She was born with down syndrome,
which has symptoms of cognitive
impairment, besides problems with
thinking and learning. Such patients also
develop certain distinctive facial charac-
teristics. Her father is a driver who sup-
ports the family of seven members with
a monthly salary of just C3,000.
We were told that our daughter
has a hole in her heart, says her moth-
er Shahnaz Begam. The cost of the
surgery was C1.78 lakh which was
beyond the reach of her family.
However, providentially, they
approached Tomorrows Foundation,
which showed them the way ahead.
Within five months we raised the fund
and admitted her in the Rabindranath
Tagore International Institute of
Cardiac Science, says Nazim Khan,
Project Coordinator.
The surgery was successful. Today,
Zoya enjoys the tutelage of her special
educator Nandini Bannerjee and phys-
iotherapist Ema Kashfi. She is a bright
child and is responding well to our
efforts, says Bannerjee, adding: She is
much more self-reliant and is able to do
basic works like wearing clothes, eating
food, combing hair, etc, on her own. As
she gets older, she will overcome her
challenges to a greater extent.
It is often not easy for the project
personnel to find such special children.
We have to undertake elaborate sur-
veys of the slums to spot these children,
who are normally kept away from soci-
ety by their family members, says
Sultana Laskar, community mobiliser.
These families often suffer from a sense
of stigma. Hence our first challenge is
to convince their family members and
take them on board with our project.
There is initial hesitation on their part,
but we win them over by giving them
hopes, says she.
Twelve-year-old Ramshila Kamat,
from the Masjid area of Ras Behari, is a
visually-impaired child. Her brother
Khokkan Kamat is completely blind.
We discovered them during our survey
but unfortunately their family was quite
dejected. They were not keen to allow
their children to come to us. But finally
we persuaded them, says Laskar.
Today, Ramshila is doing well and
is a student of Standard V. Good at cul-
tural activities, she even performed at a
school function on the occasion of the
World Disability Day last year. Her
message was loud and clear: I do not
consider myself disabled or physically
challenged... It is just that I do certain
things differently from others.
The project has also opened up
avenues in vocational training. This
depends on their ability to perform,
says Patra. Eighteen-year-old
Shahnawaz Hussein has polio. His
father Afroz, who earns his living as a
driver, did not have hopes. I used to be
anxious for his future, but today there is
light at the end of the tunnel, he says.
His son is undergoing a training course
in the vocational unit of the Indian
Institute of Cerebral Palsy, Kolkata.
We link them with other institutes
that provide vocational courses,
depending on their potentials, says
Khan, adding that 17 such children
have been absorbed in various training
courses in the city. A yet another stu-
dent Rajiv Rajubhunik (aged 19), whose
ailment was categorised as mental
retardation with additional symptoms
of epilepsy, is currently getting trained
to be a cook in the same institute. The
otherwise shy and withdrawn Rajiv is
brimming with enthusiasm today. I
will be absorbed in the institute mess
next year as assistant cook, he gushes.
Another novel aspect of the project
is the participation of parents. It is
important for them to identify and
understand the traits of their children.
Only then they can play a constructive
role in their development, says Nazim
Khan. Hence there are special classes
for family members as well. It is com-
pulsory for them to take part in vari-
ous therapy sessions administered to
their children, besides participating in
counselling classes.
Parents are encouraged to form
self-help groups (SHGs). This not
only enables mutual interaction but
also provides patience and insight to
handle the challenges of life, says
Patra. Each member contributes C2
from their daily earnings and bank
accounts have been opened in the
name of each of the SHGs. These
groups have innovative names as
Notun Dal (new branch), Uronto
Paakhi (flying bird), Disha (direction),
etc. There are already 12 such active
groups in the city.
This has created a financial pool
which can help members in their hour
of need. The project also supplements
our daily earnings by getting us linked
to vocational courses of making paper
bags, tailoring, etc, says Zoyas mother
Shahnaz Begum. For Ritwik Patra,how-
ever, This is just a beginning as we
have miles to go before we sleep.
sunday
magazino
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F R O M P A G E 1
Besides helping
students cope with
their routine
activities, the NGO
works towards
making them self-
reliant. Hence,
along with imparting
specialised training,
Charaibeti aims to
ultimately introduce
them to regular
schools. This will
help rehabilitate
these children
psychologically
I
t is, therefore, no surprise that Doordarshan
netted C65 crore from the Mahabharata as
advertising revenue. Such was the demand
that its advertising rates were raised three times
during its telecast from C65,000 for 10
seconds in October 1988 to C100,000 for 10
seconds in May 1989. In comparison, says
Ninan, the rate for the Ramayana never
exceeded C70,000.
1988, 0k6L 6Ik
The telecast of the Ramayana and the
Mahabharata coincided with the Rama
Janmabhoomi movement, which culminated in
the destruction of the Babri Masjid in
December 1992. Arvind Rajagopal, the author
of the book, Politics after Television, tells us how
the Janmabhoomi campaign resonated with
some of the Ramayanas concerns in harking
back to the mythical Rama Rajya. While
studying the interface between three seemingly
disparate elements economic liberalisation,
the rise of Hindutva and the role of the media
he finds a common link: Just as the market
treats society as a single, homogeneous entity,
the forces of Hindutva see the Indian people as
a vast mass waiting to rediscover their common
culture and identity. The catalyst in the process
was television, beginning with the Ramayana
and the Mahabharata.
This brings us to the question: Had the
Ayodhya movement taken a different course
if the Mahabharata was launched before the
Ramayana? Rajagopal suggests that had this
been the case the ethical rather than the
identity component of Hindu culture might
have been foregrounded. This, he writes, was
because there are few rakshasas (demons) in
the Mahabharata, and the focus here was on
an intra-family war at Kurukshetra.
No doubt, the telecast of the Ramayana had
channelised Hindu anger, but to say that the
movement wouldnt have happened without it
would be premature. The Ramayana, in fact,
only galvanised the mass already dejected with
the Nehruvian secular oder. It had symbolic
relevance: For instance, when the shila yatras
were carried out, karsevaks would actually
dress like Rama and Lakshman of the epic
show. The rath yatra, too, resembled the kind
of chariot we saw on television.
If we look closely, we find that the two
epics played a complementary role: One
provided a renewed sense of unity among
Hindus, while the other gave them justification
not to accept any unjust order, something the
Pandavas faced and Krishna exhorted them
not to take it lying down.
Devdutt Pattanaik has an interesting take
on the issue. In the Ramayana, Rama follows
the rules but in the Mahabharata, Krishna
breaks the rules, he says, adding: In the
Ramayana, the villain breaks rules. Neither
Surpanaka nor Ravan respects the laws of
marriage. In contrast, in the Mahabharata, the
villain does not break a single rule. Not even
when a woman was being disrobed in public, as
technically Duryodhan has not broken a single
rule in the gambling hall. A rule-following
Rama can combat a rule-breaking Ravan. But
would he succeed against a rule-following
villain like Duryodhan?
Taking his argument further, Pattanaik
says that corruption we were witnessing today
is also not about breaking the rules. In India,
every politician follows the rules, and every
bureaucrat follows the rules. Despite this, land
is grabbed but no one is arrested or punished.
Rapes take place but rapists are released on
technicalities, he says. So, the Mahabharata
can be looked in the context of the post-Bofors
scenario and how it helped the country see the
scam through Krishnas eyes just as the
Ramayana helped Indians galvanise in the
wake of the Shah Bano case.
Twenty-five years down the line, we are
again witnessing the return of the two epics on
television on a bigger scale and through better
promotions. Does it suggest anything, especially
when todays political scenario muddied with
one scam after another reminds us of the late
1980s when the Bofors was the talk of the town.
TV critic Shailaja Bajpai finds the timing
interesting. Another Ramayana... from the only
team that seems capable of repeating itself three
times: The Sagars... Who else to turn to in these
troubled, treacherous times? Perhaps they can
achieve what team Anna set out to: To remind us
that there is something called righteous
behaviour and good governance.
But the issue remains: Will the return of the
epics herald the resurgence of the BJP, as was
the case in the 1980s? The jury is still out, but
one thing is certain the next few months are
going to be interesting and eventful.
Wlen Krislna walleo among us
sunday
magazino
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M
ore people watch more
minutes of video on
YouTube in India than
they do on any other
channel. This is not a
statement made in jest, this is a matter
of fact. So much so that today most
Indian entertainment and news channels
have a substantial presence on the video
streaming site. Indians, on their desk-
tops, tablets and mobile phones, have
fallen in love with Internet video.
Cisco, in its recent Virtual
Networking Index (VNI) forecast,
expects Internet data traffic in India to
grow six-fold in India between 2012 and
2017, one of the fastest rates of growth in
the world. Total Internet data traffic is
expected to be 33.5 exabytes in 2017, the
equivalent of eight billion DVDs per year,
or just under a million DVDs worth of
content per hour. And with a total user
base of 348 million users as against 132
million users today not the total con-
nectivity that we should hope for, but still
is a quarter of Indians can access the
Internet India will become the third-
largest Internet market in the world
behind China and the United States.
The recent move by Star Sports to
start broadcasting live games on its web-
site in High-Definition with a constant
stream of player information below the
screen is a sign of the change. The fact is
that television remains a mainly fixed
medium, you can only watch it where
there is a screen. And there are not many
screens outside homes and offices.
The Internet changes that; you can
watch TV on the move, and not just a few
channels. On YouTube and other video
streaming sites such as DailyMotion and
Vimeo, you can watch almost anything
and everything including full movies and
TV shows. And you can watch them on
the move, thanks to high-speed data net-
works, and also anywhere. So even if you
are travelling to a country where you do
not get live cricket broadcasts, you can
watch the match on the web. Even if you
are on holiday with your family, your
spouse need not be deprived of either
soap operas or Indian news channels.
However, for this growth to take
place, there needs to be more bandwidth
available, and as of today that is a prob-
lem in India. The growth of wired
broadband has been far too slow, thanks
to regulatory issues particularly con-
cerning last-mile connectivity. Wireless
broadband over 3G networks has pro-
gressed, and thanks to new pricing
schemes by manufacturers of high-end
smartphones more Indians are buying
good smartphones than ever before. In
fact, global sales of smartphones exceed-
ed that of regular feature-phones last
quarter and even in India the switch
might take place sooner than later.
But to ensure this growth and also to
ensure that the market is not captured by
any one player, the Government needs to
be proactive in auctioning more spec-
trum, particularly in lower frequencies
such as 700 megahertz. This, along with
greater focus on tax collection, was one of
the reasons the Government began the
process of digitisation of cable networks a
few years ago, and despite a few hiccups,
this move has been moving apace.
Across many countries, easy avail-
ability of broadband connections has
transformed the video market. For
example, in several countries consumers
watch TV shows and movies through
online streaming sites instead of watch-
ing them during the shows broadcast
time. The producers of these shows
have realised that to combat piracy
through torrent sites and through illegal
streaming, they have to offer consumers
these shows. If consumers can easily
watch the content they want to watch
anytime and anywhere, they will not
mind paying a little bit.
The other big change has been in
television. Today, all flat-panel displays
above a certain size have become Smart
TVs, wherein you are able to access the
Internet over a wired or wireless connec-
tion. The differentiation between a com-
puter and a TV is disappearing. The
eventual idea is the Three-Screen
Theory and you will be able to access
and watch your favourite content across
screens, depending on what is available to
you at that point of time. At home it
could be the TV, on the move it could be
your tablet/computer or mobile phone.
The Internet was described as being
the killer of the print medium, but it is
quickly destroying the classical notion of
television as we grew up with. Recently,
Prasar Bharati started a pilot to broadcast
TV signals onto mobiles, but this might
be too little, too late. It is not as if video
content will die, it will only grow mani-
fold, but TV as you and I know is dying
and the Indian television industry ought
to be prepared for that as well.
S
ix decades ago, scientists began scan-
ning the skies for radio signals sent by
intelligent alien life. The search
focussed on nearby stars similar to our own
Sun, as it was thought these would be the
most likely hosts for Earth-like planets. So
far, of course, the search for extraterrestrial
intelligence (SETI) has yielded nothing.
Now, however, new research suggests
that we may have been looking in the
wrong place all this time. It may not be big,
bright yellow stars like the Sun that are the
most likely to harbour ET, but small, dim
stars called red dwarfs by far the most
numerous type of star in existence, yet so
faint that not one is visible to the unaided
eye. The new analysis by NASA scientist
Ravi Kopparapu, published in the
Astrophysical Journal, has shocked
astronomers, since it suggests not just that
they might have been looking for life in
space in the wrong place, but that it may be
closer than they thought.
Red dwarfs might be dim, but they are
utterly remarkable. They have been out
there in the darkness since the universe
was young, but are only just getting started:
Their expected lifespan is 10,000 times
longer than the 13.8 billion years that have
passed since the Big Bang. Some day,
indeed, the universe will belong to them:
In the unimaginably distant future, they
will be the last stars to go out as the age of
eternal darkness begins.
Previously, red dwarfs have been large-
ly ignored, but in recent years those who
search the sky for planets suitable for life
have been increasingly drawn to them, and
the most powerful telescopes turned
towards dwarf stars such as Gliese 581,
Gliese 667 and Gliese 163.
The red dwarfs secret lies in their low
surface temperature, just a few thousand
degrees, and the fact that they are fully
convective. This means that material
throughout the star is constantly being lift-
ed to the surface and plunged back down
again, almost as if on the boil.
Larger stars like our Sun are only con-
vective in their outer regions. Down in the
Suns core where the nuclear energy is
generated there is not much
mixing of material, and con-
sequently our Sun does
not use all of its hydro-
gen fuel. A red dwarf
not only mixes all
its fuel, but delivers
it to the core,
where it is burnt at
such a low rate
that the star lasts
trillions of years
easily long enough
for complex life to
evolve on any suitable
planets in orbit around
it. One of the most spectac-
ular attributes of red dwarfs is
their surface. Huge dark blemishes
starspots form out of erupting bundles
of intense magnetic energy, bristling with
superhot gas and rippling with unstable
magnetic pulsations. Titanic explosions
come from these spots as the magnetic
energy collapses explosively, heating the
already hot gas to even greater tempera-
tures and producing spectacular flares.
Until recently, the radiation from these
flares and the feebleness of their light
was why such stars were considered
unsuitable sites for life. But we now know
that neither of these is as great a problem
as we thought. At the Earths distance from
the Sun, a planet circling a red dwarf
would certainly freeze, and life as we know
it would be impossible. Closer in, however,
its a different story. The past 20 years in
astronomy have been the era of the exo-
planet the discovery of worlds that circle
other stars of all types. In particular, rocky
planets have been found circling red
dwarfs in super-close orbits, close
enough some at only 15 per
cent of the distance from
our own Sun for tem-
peratures to be like those
on Earth. Such a world
would probably be
tidally locked, with
one side permanently
facing the star (as the
Moon does the Earth).
That means it would be
baking hot on one side
and freezing cold (and in
permanent darkness) on the
other rendering the planet
inhospitable. Or so it was considered.
Recent calculations, however, suggest
that even a thin atmosphere would trans-
port heat around the planet, evening out
the extremes and making it much friend-
lier to life. There could also be a twilight
region on such a world where the red
dwarf hovers just above the horizon. In
such shadowy zones, strange forms of life
might exist. Perhaps on the shores of melt-
water pools, black microbes or black plants
would form large mats to absorb what
energy they could; black because they
would be able to absorb the entire spec-
trum falling on them by letting it be
reflected. Earthly leaves, which reflect light
at a wavelength we see as green, would
seem very inefficient alongside them.
The best example of a red dwarf with
planets is Gliese 581, which has attracted a
lot of attention in recent years. Only 22
light years away (or 129 trillion miles), it
has four, or possibly six, planets in orbits
smaller than that of Venus around our Sun.
One of these worlds, Gliese 581d, could be
the first truly habitable planet we have dis-
covered with Earth-like conditions.
In 2008 a radio signal was sent from
Earth aimed at this system, consisting of
501 individual messages selected from a
competition run by the social networking
site Bebo. The signal will arrive in 2029.
In the past, those searching for life in
space focussed on stars like our Sun. But
there is the possibility that it might not be
Sun-like stars that provide sites where life
could exist. Our solar system, with its fat,
bright star, could be a rarity.
And long after our relatively short-
lived Sun has died and become a cold cos-
mic cinder, the red dwarfs will have hardly
started their cosmic lives. None of them
has even left childhood yet. Perhaps, on
worlds around some of them, there are
super-civilisations of beings who have had
far longer to evolve than would be possible
around a Sun-like star. We cannot even
imagine what they might be like, or what
such life could become. Perhaps one day
we will find out: After all, the return signal
from Gliese 581 could be here in 2051.
l| +il] ll|+p|
I
n the 1960s, claims were made
in books with titles such as The
Evolution and Eradication of
Infectious Disease that it seems rea-
sonable to anticipate that within
some measurable time, all the
major infections will have disap-
peared. Some have; smallpox has
gone and polio may be on the way
out in spite of the murderous
efforts of Islamist militants, who
have been attacking vaccination
teams in Pakistan. But many big
killers remain. Malaria, for exam-
ple, infects around 200 million peo-
ple a year, with half the worlds pop-
ulation at risk.
In the 1950s, DDT was the
answer, but resistance got in the
way. Even so, there has been success
with other insecticides. Seventy of
the 99 countries across the globe
that still have endemic malaria have
agreed to provide an insecticide-
treated bed net for everyone at risk,
and new wallpapers impregnated
with the stuff may help. Planning
working out the most dangerous
time of year and of day, and the
place and time where the insects
breed, as well as constantly moni-
toring new outbreaks much
improves the process.
All very clever, but biology has
fought back. Mosquitoes that used
to bite people while they were in
bed have changed their behaviour,
and now hit them in broad daylight
and the open air. In 60 countries,
mosquitoes have evolved resistance
to the chemicals, and no new ver-
sions have been approved in the
past 30 years. To add to the prob-
lem, some have the habit of breed-
ing in old tyres and the stuff that
leaches out of the rubber may itself
act as a weak insecticide, so that
larvae become cross-resistant to
chemicals that have not yet been
used in the wild.
The malaria parasites, too, have
become resistant. Even artemisinin,
the Chinese miracle drug recently
accepted in a synthetic version by
the WHO as equivalent to the ver-
sion extracted from plants, is losing
its power in some places. Four mil-
lion chemicals have been tested in
the lab, and 20,000 do something to
kill off the culprit but none has
been passed as safe for humans.
The malaria parasite is a busy
little beast. It takes only 10 minutes
to migrate from the bite via the
bloodstream (where it is open to
attack by the immune system) to
the liver (where it is more protected
and multiplies with enthusiasm).
Then it bursts out again into the red
cells, and the symptoms begin.
The biggest problem is its
amazing diversity. Unlike smallpox
or leprosy, malaria comes with a
dizzying array of distinct identities,
which means that a vaccine that
works against one variant, or in one
place, fails against another. Indeed,
every patient may carry his or her
own unique infection. Also, in a
Machiavellian response to their
hosts defences, the parasites can
also change their personality by
shuffling through their wardrobe of
coats as they multiply in the red
blood cells. An infant bitten many
times will gain some general protec-
tion, but only at the cost of the
deaths of many who are less lucky.
The battle goes on. Victory
might, perhaps, come via a vaccine
that acts in the skin or in the liver
and stops the attack before it really
gets going, but that is years away.
New sprays against larvae, and
fungi that attack adults, or hor-
mones that disrupt their sex lives,
are all being tried. The situation is
not hopeless: Turkey, for example,
has reduced the annual rate of
infection from more than 100,000
people 40 years ago to just four in
2011. Even so, plenty of control
programmes have failed over the
decades; and most did so for the
same reason not enough money
was available to keep the troops in
the field. The malaria problem may
be solved by throwing cash at it.
l| +il] ll|+p|
Red dwars have always been wrillen o by lhose searching or alien lie in lhe
skies, bul lhey could be ils mosl likely localion, reorls 0Av0 whTEh0uSE
For every advance in malaria revenlion,
lhe insecl has an answer. Bul lhe silualion
is nol hoeless, says STEvE J0hES
s tlis tle eno of television in noia?
0iven YouTube's oularily and lhe acl lhal sorls channels are belling big o live sorls online, will Tv die beore rinl? KuShAh MTRA analyses
Can biology
boat mosquito?
Red dwarfs
might be dim,
but they are utterly
remarkable. They
have been out there in
the darkness since
the universe was
young, but are only
just getting
started
8Fw I8FF088F0 0I80808 0I800F8F0
S
cienlisls analysing ossil records have discovered a new lhree
horned dinosaur, daling back GG lo 8O million years, lhal sorl
ed a hoodielike growlh on lhe back o ils head. The gianl crea
lure may be lhe oldesl known cousin o Triceralos and
Torosaurus - lhe beslknown horned dinosaurs - yel,
researchers say. JuJiccratcps tiris has been idenliied
based on ossils rom norlh cenlral Monlana, urlher
underscoring lhe diversily o large, lanlealing
horned dinosaurs among lhe auna o weslern
horlh America GG lo 8O million years ago. By now,
ossil remains o al leasl 18 closely relaled dinosaurs rom
lhe region have been idenliied as dislincl secies, and Yale
researcher hicholas Longrich execls olhers will be dis
covered. "we kee inding new secies, because cero
losids - horned dinosaurs - evolved so raidly," said
Longrich, who idenliied lhe lalesl addilion lo lhe amily.
'80FF8F0008' FI6I 080F8
S
ueroods have been shown lo ighl roslale
cancer, in a sludy. Men who had been lrealed
wilh surgery or radiolheray or lhe disease were
given a casule conlaining essence o omegran
ale, green lea, lurmeric and broccoli. Al lhe end o
a sixmonlh lrial, lheir FSA levels - a rolein
which is an indicalor o lhe cancer - were G8 er
cenl lower lhan lhose who look a lacebo. while
lab lesls and small nonrandomised sludies have
reviously suggesled lhal such oods, which are
rich in olyhenol, have an anlicancer eecl, lhe
Brilish sludy is lhe irsl lo demonslrale such an
imacl on suerers o roslale cancer, comared
wilh lhose who were nol given lhe casules.
8FI86 l000 08 FlF I00 6FI F0
h
umilily won'l hel you gel ahead, according lo a
sludy which ound lhal loud and oinionaled eole
are laken more seriously even when lhey are wrong.
Being conidenl boosls your roile among eers more
lhan being correcl, researchers claimed, because eole
are araid o uncerlainly and gravilale lowards lhose who
seem assured. Folilical and sorling undils wilh lhe alli
lude lhal " mighl nol be righl all lhe lime bul can yell
louder lhan lhe olher guy" allracl a grealer ollowing lhan
more considered analysls, researchers said. "n a erecl
world, you wanl lo be accurale and conidenl," lhey
exlained, bul " you had lo ick, being conidenl will gel you
more ollowers, more demand." The sludy, by lwo graduale eco
nomics sludenls rom washinglon Slale universily, used Twiller lo
analyse how undils' reulalion was aecled by lheir conidence
and accuracy al redicling lhe oulcomes lo sorling evenls.
R E S E A R C H S P A C E
T
he extraordinary interest
shown by media in the BJPs
two-day National Executive
meeting that concludes in Goa
today could have been termed as
genuine professional commitment
to disseminating news, had it not
been for the fact that very little or
nothing that was disseminated
had anything to do with the truth.
Beginning Friday morning, televi-
sion channels and newspapers
desperate to keep pace with
breaking news kept on indulging
in kite-flying, attributing their
own views and opinions, worth
tuppence and no more, to
sources. The fact is that these
sources do not exist in real life;
they are as much a figment of
imagination as what is
attributed to them.
Here are some facts that
would serve to highlight how the
coverage of the BJPs National
Executive meeting was turned
into a tamasha that bordered on
theatre of the absurd. The Nation-
al Executive was scheduled to
meet on Saturday and Sunday,
which it did. In keeping with past
practice, office-bearers met on
Friday to take stock of organisa-
tional issues and discuss the agen-
da for the meeting. In other
words, Fridays meeting was not a
part of the National Executives
proceedings, nor was it meant to
discuss key policy issues, leave
alone take any important deci-
sions. That would have rendered
the National Executive
meeting meaningless.
Such boring details, however,
are irrelevant to our mainstream
mediapersons. They made out as
if Friday was the first day of the
National Executive meeting and
floated various stories on the
agenda of the office-bearers meet-
ing, including whether Narendra
Modi should be made head of the
election campaign committee.
This was never meant to be dis-
cussed on Friday, nor did it come
up for any discussion. Facts, how-
ever, are not allowed to stand in
the way of a juicy story and hence
they were brushed aside as media
ran amok, peddling colourful ver-
sions that may have served to
grab eyeballs but have done noth-
ing to enhance medias hugely
diminished, and rapidly
vanishing, credibility.
The day began with wild spec-
ulation over LK Advanis absence at
Fridays meeting. Once again, the
media chose to speculate on his
absence without bothering to check
with his office or family as to why
he had not travelled to Goa ahead
of the National Executive meeting.
Had reporters done their basic
homework they would have known
Advani was unwell and unable to
travel. At his age, this should not
have come as a surprise. But
nobody did a fact check because
that would have killed a story man-
ufactured with great effort.
This constant spinning of sto-
ries to keep the news cycle mov-
ing 24x7 may be a compulsion,
given the dynamics of todays
information industry. Those
dynamics are as much medias cre-
ation as of readers of newspapers
and viewers of news channels, not
necessarily in that order. In fact, it
could be argued, and not without
basis, that there is a craving for
sensational news, or news that is
not dull and boring which the
truth often is, and it is only natur-
al that competing news channels
and newspapers should try to
pander to that craving.
It could equally be argued that
the craving is the creation of
media which, having made
tamasha the staple of its fare for
the day, can only turn news into a
burlesque of half-truths and out-
right lies peppered with the pro-
found punditry of know-all com-
mentators, many of whom were
known as hand-out journalists in
the organisations they worked for
after securing jobs with more than
a little help from political patrons.
If the inside story of mainstream
media were to be ever told, jour-
nalism in this country would
stand denuded of respect
and dignity.
But let that not detain us.
What is of greater interest, if not
import, is the monkey chatter of
these commentators who make a
great show of their earnestness on
opeditorial pages of newspapers or
during television debates where
limitless ignorance is presented as
profound wisdom. Witness the
manner in which Narendra Modi
is demonised as a politician who
polarises since when has poli-
tics been devoid of polarisation?
and who wont be able to attract
allies. In the same breath, those
who mocked at Atal Bihari Vajpay-
ee through 1996 and 1998, praise
him and seek to elevate LK Advani
to a stature they have insisted on
denying him all these years.
The dishonesty is truly stark
and stunning. Its moral dishon-
esty and its intellectual dishon-
esty. You cant like Advani and
dislike Modi, just as you cant like
Vajpayee and dislike the BJP.
These are not identities that are
independent of each other. Nor
are they individuals who can be
de-linked from the party and the
ideology they represent. But who
is to tell the commentariat so?
Smug and secure in the conviction
that they shall never be confront-
ed by those who know better, they
continue to play Bible-thumpers.
The consequences of main-
stream media treading this path
cannot be overemphasised. The
phenomenal growth of social
media in India is an indicator of
the low esteem in which newspa-
pers and news channels are held
by an increasing number of peo-
ple, most of them young, educated
and well-informed. Admittedly
this is an urban phenomenon, but
it would not be inaccurate to sug-
gest that the contempt for main-
stream media is no less intense in
rural areas. Even the most casual
reading of what people have to say
about media on Twitter would
serve as an eye-opener for those
who orchestrated the jaundiced
coverage of the BJPs National
Executive meeting. But the
proverbial writing on the wall
tragically goes un-noticed.
That is bad news. The good
news is that more and more people
have begun to shun traditional or
mainstream media. If the trend
continues, the peddlers of misin-
formation and planters of disinfor-
mation shall one day find them-
selves kicked off the pedestals on
which they have placed themselves.
Along with them, mainstream
media shall come crashing down
like Humpty Dumpty never to
be put together again.
(The writer is a senior journalist
based in Delhi)
8ItIsh k0mar WIII
ay f0r 0hstIaacy
L0II 00I lI0I I0
II0I 00 00800
Reader response to
Swapan Dasguptas column,
Usual Suspects, published on
June 2:
Business of education: In
India, education has become
an industry that not only
encourages factory-line pro-
duction of students-workers
but, worse still, turns raw
material into waste product.
This is unfortunate.
Sardindu Kurup
Lack of accountability: The
writer seems to have ignored
the fact that the opposition
to the Four-Year
Undergraduate Programme
at Delhi University has an
extensive support base which
includes teachers, students
and even administrators. At
the crux of this opposition
lies the inequitable features
of the four-year programme.
And that is not all. Even
the manner in which the
FYUP has been introduced
has left many deeply uncom-
fortable. The process had
almost no sense of public
accountability at all.
And then, of course,
there is the case of the auto-
cratic Vice Chancellor of
Delhi University. Most will
agree that he has done a lot
to push for the saffronisa-
tion of education in India.
Rajiv
No to change: The author
has hit the nail on the head.
The opposition to the four-
year programme is rooted
largely in the refusal of
teachers to change with the
times. They simply do not
wish to lose the comfortable
manner in which they have
been doing their jobs.
Megha
'60008I' 800 k8k08I
00 0q08I I0l08I
Reader response to
Kanchan Guptas column,
Coffee Break, published on
June 2:
Equally problematic: The
word Congshals is well
coined. After all, the
Congress leaders who sup-
port the Naxals are no less
then problematic than the
Naxals themselves. Also, it is
because of the Congresss
failed policies and bad gover-
nance that the Red terrorists
have risen in this country.
Subodh
Congress does not care: The
article exposes the sinister
designs of the Congress. If
the party does not seem to
care about its own members,
then how can we expect it to
bother about the nation?
Amora
Many unanswered questions:
Senior Congress leader Ajit
Jogis suspicious escape from
the Maoist attack in Chhattis-
garh, even as he left behind
party colleagues, is not partic-
ularly surprising.
Let us not forget that
many suspect an internal
Congress conspiracy even in
the assassination of former
Prime Minister Rajiv Gand-
hi. Till date, several unan-
swered questions remain
regarding that attack in 1991,
but no one bothers to ask
them anymore.
Mukunthan Iyer
Biased views: Its unfortunate
that points raised in this article
regarding the deadly Maoist
attack in Chhattisgarh are not
easily available in mainstream
media. One would like to hear
the BJPs critics respond to
these questions.
Mitul Raiyani
0N80II0II0 I00
kIII0l M80II
Reader response to
Rajesh Singhs column,
Plain Talk, published on
June 2:
Handle Maoists with a firm
hand: It is shocking that
despite losing almost the
entire State party leadership
in Chhattisgarh in the recent
Maoist attack, a senior
Cabinet Minister of the
Congress is not ready to
believe that the Maoists are
indeed terrorists. While a
section of the media and
some pseudo-human rights
activists are already there to
help the Maoists, the liberal
approach of political leaders
towards Maoist violence will
only weaken the fight against
the terrorists.
In order to deflect atten-
tion from the anti-national
activities of the Maoists, a well-
oiled propaganda machine is at
work so as to malign the
Governments offensive.
The basic ideology of the
Maoists completely rejects
the concept of democracy.
The tribal cause is merely a
mask to further the Maoist
agenda. Since Maoists have
become a national threat, it
is time the Government fol-
lows the Sri Lankan model
and pursues a military solu-
tion to end the insurgency.
Manoj Parashar
Maoists are not Gandhians:
The manner in which a sec-
tion of the Left-Liberal
Indian intellegentsia has
sought to romanticise the
Maoists is tragic indeed. The
entire Gandhians with guns
narrative needs to be dis-
carded. Hopefully, the recent
Maoist attack will drive
home that point.
Pratik
PLANTALK
RAJESh Sh0h
COFFEEBREAK
KAhChAh 0uFTA
f tlere`s no lrealing
news, lreal tle news
A
llhough il does nol wanl lo admil il, lhe Janala 0al (uniled) led by
hilish Kumar is clearly rallled by lhe deeal in lhe Maharajganj Lok
Sabha byeleclion in Bihar. hol only did lhe resull avour Mr Kumar's
biller rival Lalu Frasad's Rashlriya Janala 0al, bul il also came when
harendra Modi led lhe Bharaliya Janala Farly lo a clean swee in lwo Lok
Sabha and our Assembly consliluencies in 0ujaral in lhe byeleclions.
hilish Kumar has as much love or Modi as lhe labour unions in Brilain
had or Margarel Thalcher. he is doing all he can lo loredo lhe 0ujaral
Chie Minisler's rosecl o being named lhe BJF's rime minislerial can
didale or lhe orlhcoming Lok Sabha eleclion. Bul lhe deeal (and Modi's
viclory) has ul lhe J0(u) leader on lhe back ool.
hilish Kumar and his suorlers have been going around consol
ing lhemselves lhal lhere is no need lo read much inlo lhe loss o one
Lok Sabha seal, and lhal deeal in one consliluency does nol relecl lhe
mood o lhe eole o lhe Slale. n ordinary circumslances, lhal would
have indeed been lrue. Bul lhese are nol ordinary circumslances. hilish
Kumar is oised lo break away rom lhe BJFled halional 0emocralic
Alliance and ace lhe eleclorale on his own. Besides lhe RJ0 and lhe
Congress, he will have lo conlend wilh lhe BJF, which has a slrong
base in Bihar. An ubeal Lalu Frasad is cerlain lo ush his advanlage
urlher by launching an aggressive camaign againsl lhe Chie Minisler
in lhe runu lo lhe general eleclion. J0(u) leaders annoyed over hilish
Kumar's allegedly highhanded unclioning are wailing lo sei/e an
oorlunily and slrike jusl when il will hurl him lhe mosl. Also, given
lhal lhe Maharajganj selback is lhe irsl major hil lhal his arly has
laken in eighl years, lhe signiicance cannol be downlayed.
The J0(u) has oered one olher laughable exlanalion or ils
deeal. l said lhal RJ0 candidale Frabhunalh Singh won because he
is an exlremely oular leader (who has been winning or long) and
nol because lhe eole wanled lhe RJ0 lo lriumh over lhe ruling
arly. There is no doubl lhal Singh is very oular in Maharajganj, bul
lhal alone cannol be lhe reason or lhe viclory. Aler all, leaders o
larger slalure have bil lhe dusl in ndian olilics in lheir backyards.
ndira 0andhi losl rom Rae Bareilly. Slalwarls o lhe BJF and olher
arlies, who loo were (and some slill are) hugely oular, have aced
elecloral deeals in lheir careers.
Also, il musl be remembered lhal lhe J0(u) had nol ielded a lighl
weighl in Maharajganj. FK Shahi is an imorlanl member o lhe ower
ul Bhumihar communily, lhe Slale's human Resources 0evelomenl
Minisler and a close riend o lhe
Chie Minisler. his deeal is,
lhereore, a ersonal embarrass
menl or hilish Kumar. Add lo
lhis lhe acl lhal Frabhunalh
Singh's margin o viclory was ar
bigger lhan his earlier wins
(when he was wilh hilish
Kumar), and lhe conclusion is
bul one: Thal lhe Chie Minisler
has done somelhing seriously
wrong lo have inviled lhe deeal.
n lhe rough and lumble o
ndian olilics, slalure alone is
nol lhe deciding aclor; lhere are
olhers. hilish Kumar does nol
wanl lo oenly conronl lhose
aclors, il's because he will sland
exosed. 0ne o lhose uncom
orlable aclors is lhal lhe J0(u)
is more deendenl on lhe BJF in
Bihar lhan il would like lo admil,
and lhal wilhoul lhe laller's
wholehearled backing, ils oll
calculalions will go or a loss.
There is no reason lo disbelieve
reorls lhal, angered by hilish
Kumar's conlinuing barbs direcl
ed al harendra Modi, lhe BJF's
Slale cadre only nominally cam
aigned or lhe J0(u) candidale
in lhe byeleclion - and lhus
worked or his deeal. Ferhas
lhe Slale unil o lhe arly wanled
lo leach hilish Kumar a lesson.
Bul il may be loo lale or lhe
Chie Minisler lo learn lhal les
son, because he has been so
vocal and adamanl in his illogical
oosilion lo Modi lhal il is
imossible or him lo back oul
even wilh a acesaver. hilish
Kumar has laken lhe ublic
sland lhal his ally (lhe BJF) had
worked uniledly wilh lhe J0(u) in lhe eleclion. his remark is under
slandable because, i he accels lhe sabolagebyBJF lheory, he will
have lo credil lhe BJF or inluence which he believes only he holds
over lhe eleclorale. Yel, lhe acl remains lhal il is he and his arly and
nol lhe BJF lhal have been humilialed.
n lhis conlexl, senior BJF leader Arun Jailley's commenl lhal lhe
Maharajganj deeal should rovide an 'indicalion' o lhings lo come,
can be read in lwo ways. The irsl is lhal he is emhasising on lhe
need or lhe J0(u)BJF coalilion lo remain inlacl, because only lhen
can lhe challenges in Bihar be mel. The second inlerrelalion is lhal
Jailley is obliquely reerring lo lhe disaslers lhe J0(u) will encounler
once il breaks o wilh lhe BJFled coalilion on lhe Modi issue. 0iven
lhal even BJF leaders who avour lhe conlinualion o alliance wilh
hilish Kumar have run oul o alience wilh lhe Bihar Chie Minisler's
lirade againsl Modi, lhe second inlerrelalion may be more accurale.
The olher aclor which lhe Bihar Chie Minisler reuses lo
acknowledge is lhal his olilics o aeasemenl has usel owerul
casles and communilies lhal have been given shorl shril during his
regime. hilish Kumar has gone overboard in slilching lhe Mahadalil
MuslimEconomically Backward Classes alliance, by syslemalically
ignoring lhe asiralions o uer casles such as lhe Rajuls. The
Yadav communily, a large seclion o which had swilched sides rom
Lalu Frasad lo hilish Kumar, loo is ar rom hay. The disgrunlle
menl lhal has sel in rovides a rie occasion or lhe olarisalion o
voles o lhe disenchanled seclions o volers. whelher lhal haens -
and haens lo whal exlenl - will deend on lhe sorl o leadershi
lhe BJF lhrows u al lhe nalional level.
Meanwhile, lhe irsl challenge lhal hilish Kumar will ace once he
quils lhe h0A is nol in lhe Lok Sabha bul al lhe Slale level. The incum
benl coalilion regime will collase once lhe BJF ulls oul, leaving lhe
Chie Minisler al lhe mercy o ndeendenls. Even i he gels lhe required
number rom lhe ndeendenls, hilish Kumar will nol be able lo govern
wilh lhe cohesiveness and sense o urose lhal marked lhe heyday o
lhe BJFJ0(u) alliance. Moreover, lhere is also lhe real ossibilily o a
lighl o leaders rom his arly once il becomes clear lhal lhe Chie
Minisler is on a slicky wickel. 0 course, lhe J0(u) could also engage in
weaning away lhe 'anliModi' aclion wilhin lhe Slale BJF. Bul lhal may
rove easier said lhan done, because lhe Bihar unil o lhe BJF has more
or less closed ranks in avour o lhe 0ujaral Chie Minisler.
You can't like
Advani and
dislike Modi, just
as you can't like
Vajpayee and
dislike the BJP.
These are not
identities that
are independent
of each other.
Nor are they
individuals who
can be de-linked
from the party
and the ideology
they represent
sunday
magazino
jitit
F E E D B A C K
There is a craving or sensalional news. l's only nalural lhal comeling news channels and newsaers
should ander lo lhal craving, while covering lhe BJF's halional Execulive meel lhal concludes in 0oa
The first challenge
that Nitish Kumar
will face once he
quits the NDA is not
in the Lok Sabha
but in the State.
The incumbent
coalition regime
will collapse after
the BJP pulls out,
leaving the Chief
Minister at the
mercy of
ndependents. Even
if he survives, he
will be a lame duck
Chief Minister
ThE MAhARAJ0AhJ vCT0RY hAS C0ME AS A
B00STER Sh0T F0R LALu FRASA0, wh0 wLL h0w
SEEK T0 FuSh ThE A0vAhTA0E FuRThER
A0AhST hTSh KuMAR h ThE RuhuF
T0 ThE L0K SABhA ELECT0h
O
ften you are in a rush in life. And
when you are in a rush, you are
unable to perceive things properly.
This takes away the charm, the
thrill and the beauty from your life.
You can never be close to the truth because
your perception, observation and expression
become distorted. The rush to enjoy robs the
joy from life. It denies the freedom of
celebrating the here and now. Often one does
not even know why one is in a hurry. It almost
becomes a biological phenomenon to be in a
rush. Wake up and become aware of this. It is
ridiculous to be in a rush that slows you down.
Just be aware and it will take care of itself.
Slowing down does not mean lethargy or
procrastination. It is easy to be in either extreme
of being in a rush or being lethargic. Feverishness
arises out of lack of a need to achieve; whereas
dynamism is an expression of fulfillment.
The golden rule is to be awake, and being
awake, you cannot help but be dynamic.
Suppose you go to God, get a boon and walk
away. When your intention is to get a boon,
then you cant be in a hurry. A person who
knows he owns God is not in a hurry for
anything. Infinite patience comes up in him.
When you know you own God, you are not in a
hurry to get something out of Him. Your hurry
to get something throws you off balance and
makes you small. When you have infinite
patience, you will realise God belongs to you.
Either through awareness or through practice,
you reach the same conclusion.
Divinity belongs to you. When you know
you are part of the divine plan, you stop
demanding. Then you know everything is
being done for you. You are taken care of.
Usually we do it the other way: We hurry the
mind and are slow in our action. Impatience
means hurry in the mind; lethargy means
slowness in action. Patience in the mind and
dynamism in action is the right formula.
The very question Whats the purpose
of life? is very precious. It means a lot to
you. If this question has arisen in your mind,
you can give a big pat to your back because this
question can remove the cobwebs or confusion
from your mind. It can guide you to the right
track always. There is no single answer. It is a
path on which we need to travel. Who am I,
what do I want, what is the purpose of my life?
It will move you forward in life. Many dont
even think about this question. They simply
exist. They eat, sleep, watch television and then
they die. You are on this planet for a very
unique and big purpose, not just to eat, sleep
and talk. Always remember that you are here
for a greater cause and dont lose your smile.
This is something everyone has to find for
himself/herself.
Many souls compete to get a body and only
one can win. Its like running a race. Like
millions of people compete and only one wins,
in the same way there is a rush and only one
gets a body. Thats why it is said that the human
birth and life are very precious. Dont waste it
on insignificant things. We eat to live and not
live to eat. Many people start living just to eat.
There are many possibilities what soul can
come and what not? The possibilities are
infinite. The ultimate truth of life is that we will
leave everything behind. We may have kept all
our valuables in a locker and keep the keys
safely with us, but when we die, we will leave
both the locker and keys behind. We do not take
anything with us. When you travel in a bus,
train or airplane, do you consider that as your
home? You may enjoy the services there for the
duration of your journey, but what will happen
if you consider that as your home? When you
reach your destination, you will be forced to get
out. No matter how much you protest, you will
be forced to leave. You cannot say that it was
your train or plane. You may drive your car to a
destination but once you reach the garage, you
will have to leave the car.
But there is a place you can come where
everything is beautiful. Tourists travel from place
to place looking for beauty. With photos and
souvenirs, they try to take the beauty back home
with them. They only get tired and tanned. Yet,
the most beautiful spot anywhere is right here.
When you come here, you find that everything is
so beautiful. Where is this place?
Dont look here and there; look within you.
When you are here, then any place becomes
beautiful. Then wherever you go, you add beauty
there. If you are unhappy, even the moon irritates
you, sweet things nauseate, music disturbs. When
you are calm and centred inside, noise is musical,
clouds are magical, rain is liquid love. Book
yourself on a trip to this most beautiful place in
the universe. Then youll find that every day is a
vacation and a celebration.
Cuu||]. WWW.+||u|li1i|.u|
HDDENSOULS
BRAhMAKuMAR hKuhJ J
S
cientists say that nothing is
added in existence, and noth-
ing deleted. Not a single atom
has been added, cannot be added.
From where can you bring it...
when we talk about the total, from
where can you bring a single
atom? Or if you want to destroy a
single atom, how can you destroy
it? Where can you push it? Science
says that nothing can be destroyed
and nothing can be created. The
totality remains the same, but the
parts change. A tree is destroyed, a
body is dead; a flower is coming
up, a tree is alive.
Things come up, things go
down; things are born, things die.
But the totality remains as it is.
A tree dies because a tree is a
part. When it dies it goes back
down to the total, but the total
remains the same. This sutra says:
I suffer not destruction, neither
have I birth... How can the total be
born? This point also must be
looked at deeply.
All the religions have tried to
think how the world came into
being. Where is the beginning?
Christianity says that before Jesus
Christ, 4,000 years ago, the world
came into being, suddenly, in a
week. In six days God created the
world, and on the seventh day He
relaxed. Thats why the seventh day
is a holiday. In six days He created
the world on a particular date.
This is absurd, because this total
cannot come out of nothing. And
even if the world came into being,
God was before it. So there was a
world of a certain kind. God was
there, so existence was there.
Hindus say this is without
beginning and without ending;
existence has no beginning and no
ending. So worlds may be created
and worlds may be destroyed, but
existence continues. The Hindu
mind says that one world is creat-
ed and another is being destroyed
simultaneously. A star is born and
another star is dying. Our earth is
just now old, and soon it will die.
Whatsoever we do, the earth is
going to die; now it is old. Many
things will happen which will help
it to die: The population explosion
will help, atomic research will help,
pollution will help, chaotic trend,
revolutions, rebellions will help;
everything will help this earth to
die.
Man going to the moon is a
very symbolic act. Whenever some
planet dies, life tries to go some-
where else. It happens only then,
never before. Whenever some
planet is going to die, life begins to
try to go somewhere else, to be
replanted somewhere else.
Still scientists are not able to
find out from where life came to
this earth; there seems to be no
reason how it can come up sud-
denly. It must have come from
somewhere else. It is possible that
some old earth dying, some
ancient planet dying... Even one
man and one woman transplanted
to this earth would create the
whole thing. It may have been
Adam and Eve coming from some
other planet which was dying; and
two are enough to create millions.
It is felt deeply that this earth
is going to die soon; that is why
there is so much search to go
beyond this earth to the moon,
to Mars, or to somewhere, some-
where to find a home again. Life is
just going to die here. Neither
politicians can help us, nor paci-
fists. This earth is going to die.
Everything born is bound to die
sometime. And for the earth, one
thousand, two thousand years are
nothing. So it may continue, but it
is just on the verge. Every symp-
tom shows that it is just on the
verge. So one earth may be born,
another may die.
One world may be born.
When I say world, I dont mean
total, because there are many,
many worlds. Our world consists
of the solar system: This sun and
the family of this sun. We dont
know. Out there are other worlds;
there are many universes. We are
totally unaware of them. Everyday
a new star is born and every day a
star is dying, disappearing. But the
whole remains, and the whole
remains the same. It is neither
born, nor is there any possibility of
its being dead. It is without begin-
ning and ending.
E/|p| ||u| || |uu| CWPc0acCW^d
Ixistence las no leginning or eno
sunday
magazino
sji|ilJlil; l
ChERSh Y0uR vS0hS Ah0 Y0uR
0REAMS AS ThEY ARE ThE ChL0REh 0F
Y0uR S0uL, ThE BLuEFRhTS 0F Y0uR
uLTMATE AChEvEMEhTS.
- hAF0LE0h hLL
The ultimate
truth of life is
that after death
we will leave
everything behind.
We may have
kept all our
valuables in a
locker, but when
we die, we do
not take anything
with us
W
e live in a fast-paced world where everything is
performance-oriented. Today, all our relation-
ships, be it personal or professional, depend on
our performance record. In the good old days, things
were quite different. One such manifestation of degener-
ation today is the trend of multiple partners. A close
study of majority of divorce cases or separation across
the world points towards non-compatibility between
two partners as a key factor in the slow but steady
demise of the institution of marriage. Further studies
made by psychiatrists reveal that poor performance in
relationship scores high as the sole reason for two peo-
ple getting separated. In such situations, one cant help
but ask the all-important question: Is physical love the
only criterion for sustaining a relationship? Well, until
the time when there was no Internet, discussing sex was
a taboo, but now the scenario has changed. Today, with
mass media explosion, anybody can have anything on
his/her fingertips. With MMS, high-end digital cameras
and mobile phones, it has become easy to fulfil ones
desires with just one click.
People living in the modern society have started
believing that its next to impossible to have a life with-
out physical relationships. But in reality, its not the
case. Because when you are left with just one choice,
you accept it, in spite of knowing that its not the choice
that you have made. We all are habituated to swim with
the tide, rather than swimming against it to set an
example. There are very few of us who have the courage
to walk on a self-chosen path, in the face of arduous
setbacks and apparent loss of respect. The society that
we live in cannot accept the fact that physical relation-
ship can be replaced by our eternal relationship with
the supreme, which is universal, and above all religions
and forces. The basic reason for its unacceptance is
because we are all so deeply drowned in our worldly
pleasures that once we are in, we cannot look anything
beyond it, thus becoming slaves to instincts.
So, is there really a genuine solution to this prob-
lem? The answer is yes. By simply remaining in the con-
sciousness that we are an eternal soul and not body, we
can easily transform human love into spiritual energy by
changing our feelings of lust into feelings of love, there-
by dissolving lust automatically without any kind of sup-
pression whatsoever. Science has proved that energy can
be transformed from one form to another. Why cant
then we transform physical energies to spiritual energies
and liberate ourselves? We can definitely do that if we
have the will, mental strength and the belief in the
almighty. Remember, all kinds of desires are play of
mind. It will then become easy to transform them. So
give it a try and experience the magic yourself.
l| W|i|| i + pi|i|u+l Ju+|u|
Lie can be besl exerienced lhrough suicienl auses. Take your own lime lo
undersland lhe realilies o lhis ama/ing journey, says SR SR RAv ShAhKAR
l|+||u||i|
|u|+| Ji|
S
cienlisls have ound lhal
ealing hordic cuisine -
such as berries, ish and
game - can lower choles
lerol and may hel lo reduce
lhe risk o hearl disease.
Already being named as
lhe homa 0iel, ealing
Scandinavian ood could
now rovide an allernalive
lo Medilerranean ood or
lhose looking or a heallhy
olion. The Medilerranean
diel, wilh high levels o olive
oil, ish and sunriened
vegelables, has long been
considered lo be lhe ideal
ealing lan as eole who
slick lo il lend lo have lower
incidence o hearl disease.
The new research by
Froessor Malli uusilua
will now hel lo heighlen lhe
growing comelilion
belween lhe Medilerranean
and hordic culinary worlds.
F
ourminule bursls o
highinlensily exercise
such as running on a lread
mill, lhree limes a week are
enough lo increase ilness,
researchers ound.
0verweighl volunleers
who underlook lhe regime
or 1O weeks increased
lheir body's oxygen ulake
- a measure o ilness -
by 1O er cenl and saw
small decreases in lheir
blood ressure and glucose
levels. heallh guidelines
generally slale lhal we
should underlake al leasl
15O minules o moderale
exercise or 2O minules o
vigorous exercise er week
in order lo slay heallhy.
Bul lhe new sludy sug
gesls lhal jusl 12 minules
o highinlensily exercise,
sread oul across lhree
sessions, could be enough
lo kee us il and heallhy,
researchers said. The leam
rom lhe horwegian
universily o Science and
Technology in Trondheim
conducled lhe research.
E
aling robiolic yoghurl
lwice a day could relieve
anxiely and slress by
reducing aclivily in lhe
emolional area o lhe brain,
a sludy has ound.
Sludy arlicianls who
consumed yoghurl lwice
daily or a monlh showed
lower levels o aclivily in
lhe areas o lhe brain asso
cialed wilh emolion and
ain, uS researchers ound,
logelher wilh increased
aclivily in areas associaled
wilh decision making.
Researchers have sug
gesled lhal bacleria ound
in lhe gul send signals lo
lhe brain lhal can change
over lime deending on lhe
erson's diel. Frevious
sludies showed lhal benei
cial gul bacleria aecled
lhe brains o rals bul no
research has conirmed
lhal lhe same eecl ha
ened in human brains.
L k0M
0IL 0 60 6h0LL8L0L
LIL6I8L
1Z MIk0L8 NLLk
F08I0I6
106h0 LLILL8 kIIL1
we can lransorm lusl inlo
sirilual energy by realising
lhal we are an elernal soul
and nol jusl a hysical body
Things come u, lhings go down; lhings are born, lhings die. Bul lhe lolalily remains lhe same, says 0Sh0
to
bliss
trip
A
bliss
trip
A
to
T
he womans body is luscious but
self-contained, suggesting that this
is not an erotic pose, not quite. She
is naked from the waist up, her
heavy breasts seeming to offer an
invitation, yet her thoughtful glance, staring
out beyond the picture, suggests that she has
other things on her mind. The painting, titled
Self-Portrait as a Tahitian, poses a question. If
the artist isnt Tahitian, nor, as her dark skin
and full lips suggest, European, what are her
origins? In fact, this painting is the work of
the 20th-century Hungarian-Indian artist
Amrita Sher-Gil, whose brilliant career ended
with her tragic death at the age of 28.
Sixty years before Tracey Emin, Sher-Gil
scandalised audiences around the world by
putting womens bodies her own, her
friends and those of ordinary Indians at
the centre of her extraordinary art. By the
time she died in 1941 her paintings were
only beginning to become popular in India
and in Europe. I hate cheap emotional
appeal, she declared as she went about chal-
lenging the clichs of the exotic East
bejewelled figures posing in splendour with
an elephant somewhere in the mix with
her truthful painting, full of the heat and
dust of 20th-century India as it emerged
from a century of British rule.
Often referred to as the Indian Frida
Kahlo because of the revolutionary way she
blended the outlines of modern European
painting with primitive forms, Amrita led a
life as compelling and unorthodox as her art.
What makes her story more fascinating is
that her early years were recorded for poster-
ity by her father, a photographer and offer
insights into both Amrita herself and Euro-
pean and Indian high society in the 1920s.
Born on the eve of World War I, Amrita
Sher-Gil grew up in Budapest. Her parents
were Marie Antoinette Gottesmann, a
Hungarian opera singer, and Umrao Sher-
Gil, a Sikh aristocrat with a deep scholarly
interest in Sanskrit and astronomy. The pair
first met in 1912, while Marie was touring
Lahore, and the following year moved to her
home city, where they were forced to remain
until the end of the war. And it was when
Amrita was eight the Sher-Gils were finally
able to return to the family estate at Simla.
In 1929, at the age of 16, she moved to
Paris to study art at the Ecole des Beaux-
Arts. There, Amrita who had always dis-
played a rebellious streak (as a child she was
expelled from her convent school for declar-
ing herself an atheist) plunged into every-
thing that bohemian Paris had to offer.
The photographs taken by her father
during his visits show her experimenting
with her identity, sometimes wearing
Western fashion and on other occasions opt-
ing for a sari. Others reveal a burgeoning
sexuality, and it was in Paris that Amrita
embarked on a lifelong pattern of sexual
adventuring, conducting affairs with both
men and women. She could do so, according
to one of her many lovers, because she had
that hard core of the artist that keeps itself
aloof and untouched.
Amritas intense physicality fed directly
into her way of making art. Her early paint-
ings from this Paris period show every sign
of having been made in the Western tradi-
tion. Young Girls (1932) was a remarkable
work. Astounding in its technical compe-
tence the critics were especially impressed
by the way the young artist was able to con-
vey so many tonal variations of the colour
white the picture was awarded a gold
medal at the Grand Salon of 1933.
Despite this prestigious recognition,
Amrita found herself increasingly longing
for India, convinced that it held the key to
her future career. Never one for false mod-
esty, she declared, Europe belongs to
Picasso, Matisse and Braque and many oth-
ers. India belongs only to me.
Indian art traditionally tended to the
sketchy and sentimental, but Amrita was
determined to find a new way of showing
the reality of the country that her father
had taught her to love. There are such
wonderful, such glorious things in India, so
many unexploited pictorial possibilities,
that it is a pity that so few of us have ever
attempted to look for them even (much less
interpret them), she explained.
It was not, though, until late 1937 that
Amrita finally found the subject and the
style that would come to define her art. Late
in the year she embarked upon a three-
month journey through the rural south,
determined to investigate an India that could
not have been more different from the colo-
nial tea-party atmosphere of Simla.
As she travelled deeper into the dense
perpetual sunlight, the colours became
brighter while the bodies turned dark. Now
was her chance to fill her canvases with farm
workers, camel drivers and nurses. Steering
clear of sentimentality, she developed a style
that drew its inspiration as much from the
bold shapes of European modernism as the
rich cultures of Mughal miniatures and the
cave paintings of Ajanta. The Wedding Party
is a signature work from this time, capturing
the isolated lives of women whose inner
worlds seethe with boredom and resignation.
Returning to India may have revolu-
tionised Amritas art, but it did not interrupt
her sexual experimentation and by her mid-
twenties her exploits had become so well
known that Marie Antoinette and Umrao,
liberal though they were, took the decision
to burn many of her intimate letters for fear
of them getting into the wrong hands.
When Amrita, at the age of 25, declared
her intention to marry, the announcement
surprised everyone. But her mothers joy was
short-lived, for Amrita chose as her husband
an impoverished cousin from the Hungarian
side of her family. Victor Egan was a doctor
who had enjoyed a special bond with Amrita
since childhood. He had managed to obtain
abortions for her on at least two occasions,
which perhaps gave Amrita the sense that he
would always look after her. Sadly, though,
there were limits even to Victors protective
powers. In the closing days of 1941 Amrita
haemorrhaged and died.
According to her most recent biograph-
er, this was caused by yet another abortion
gone wrong. Still only 28 at the time of her
death, Amrita Sher-Gil left behind her a
body of work that would become crucial to
Indias growing sense of itself in the decades
following Independence.
l| +il] ll|+p|
sunday
magazino
itl|tJlitJl |
Ik8' ThkT 6kh6E
6k8E 8Y kI 8EX
M
ichael Douglas
spokesman Allen Burry
has released a statement
explaining that the actor was
just saying that oral sex can
cause cancer, not that it neces-
sarily led to his diagnosis.
In a discussion with
the newspaper, they
talked about the causes
of oral cancer, one of
which was oral sex,
which is noted and has
been known for a while
now, Burry said.
Previously, Doug-
las has opened up
about his past diagno-
sis, revealing that
oral sex, not smok-
ing or drinking,
caused his type of
throat cancer.
In a candid new
interview with UKs
The Guardian,
Douglas admits that
his illness was caused by
the human papillomavirus (HPV).
Without wanting to get too specific,
this particular cancer is caused by
HPV, which actually comes about from
cunnilingus, 68-year-old star explains.
Douglas, who fought a six-month
battle with the disease from August
2010 until January 2011, also con-
fesses that he thought that
his battle with cancer
would be a fatal one. He
says at first he assumed the
stress from his son
Camerons legal troubles
played a big factor in his
sickness. (Huffington Post)
IhE8T W
kIIIE 8Y hEW IkW
A
tweak to state laws
in the German state
of Mecklenburg-Western
Pomerania to conform
with current EU regula-
tions has caused an unex-
pected casualty: The
longest word in the
German language.
The Rindfleischetike-
ttierungsueberwachungsauf-
gabenuebertragungsgesetz
is no more.
The law delegating
beef label monitoring
was introduced by
the state in 1999 as
part of measures
against mad cow
disease. But the
dpa news agency
reported the law
was removed from the books recently
because European Union regulations
have changed. German still has words
like the very robust Donaudampf-
schifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitaenswitwe to
fall back on meaning widow of a
Danube steamboat company captain.
Dpa reports such words have been
so rarely used, however, that theyre not
in the dictionary. There the longest
word honour falls to Kraftfahrzeug-
Haftpflichtversicherung: Automobile lia-
bility insurance. (Huffington Post)
FkTIEhT 8TEkI8 kM8Ikh6E, TkkE8
FkkMEI68 h WII IE
I
n a bizarre instance of role reversal, a
patient stole an ambulance in Atlanta
and took two paramedics in the back on
a wild ride, author-
ities said.
The episode
began at a hospi-
tal and ended
when the patient
crashed the ambu-
lance into a chiro-
practors office near
Decatur and fled on foot, The
Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
He remained at large several hours later.
The two DeKalb County fire para-
medics who found themselves trapped
inside the stolen vehicle escaped serious
injury, the newspaper said. The uniden-
tified patient took control of the ambu-
lance about 2 pm while the paramedics
were in the back completing paperwork
after having dropped off another patient
at Emory University Hospital.
DeKalb fire Battalion Chief
Christopher Morrison Jr said the man
came out of the hospital, dressed in a
gown and rubber gloves, jumped in the
front seat, locked the doors and took off
in the unit. The suspect looked
through the little window in the back
and told them, be quiet and hold on,
Morrison said. (UPI)
MThE IVE8 8ITh
T ThI 8ET I TWIh8
A
Scottish woman has
defied odds of
500,000 to one by giv-
ing birth to twins for
the third time. Karen
Rodger, 41, welcomed
her first pair of girls
(Rowan and Isla) after
having twice given
birth to twin boys.
I still havent real-
ly taken it on board
because I was con-
vinced I was having
two boys, Rodger told
Sky News. Karen says
her husband Colin was
equally stunned when the pair
learned they were going to
have their fifth and sixth child.
The average couple has
about a 3 per cent chance of
having twins when not account-
ing for fertility drugs. And with
each subsequent pregnancy, the
odds of producing twins a sec-
ond, or even third time, become expo-
nentially less likely. (Yahoo News)
k6TE88 FIk Zkk kE8TE
VE 8ETIME TIII
S
inger-actress Pia Zadora was
arrested at her Las Vegas home
following a rapidly escalating
attempt to impose a bedtime on
her teenage son.
The spat, which ended with
the one-time blond bombshell
scratching the faces of her 16-
year-old son and husband, began
with her attempt to hustle her
son to bed so she could get some
rest, according to a police report.
Zadoras son was hanging
out with her husband and his
son when she asked him to turn
in. When he protested, she
sprayed him and his step-brother
with a hose, according to her state-
ment to police.
She then began scratching and
punching her husband, Michael
Jeffries, and his son as they tried to
calm her down, according to the
16-year-olds statement to police.
Zadora was arrested on suspi-
cion of domestic battery and coer-
cion and released after posting
$4,000 bail. (AP)
Despite getting
recognition in
Europe, Amrita
found herself
increasingly
longing for ndia.
Never one for false
modesty, she
declared, "Europe
belongs to Picasso,
Matisse and
Braque and many
others. ndia
belongs only
to me"
FMLh ChEF hAwAZ ShARF hAS BEEh F0RMALLY
ELECTE0 FAKSTAh'S FRME MhSTER F0R ThE ThR0
TME. hS LAST SThT AS FREMER Eh0E0 whEh hE wAS
0EF0SE0 h A MLTARY C0uF LE0 BY F0RMER ARMY
ChEF FERvEZ MuShARRAF h 1OOO
O D D L Y E N O U G H
The daughler o a Sikh arislocral and a
hungarian oera singer was never going lo
be ordinary. Bul Amrila Sher0il - in her
arl, in her advenluress lie, and in lhe
holograhs laken o her by her ioneering
alher - roved lruly remarkable.
KAThRYh hu0hES assesses Sher0il
1OO years aler she was born in Budaesl
Frida
Kahlo
The ndian
Frida
Kahlo
The ndian
H
ow can a Government that
received almost 50 per cent
of the vote be authoritarian?
asked an adviser to Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
even as police attacked crowds of
peaceful protesters. The question
goes to the heart of what is wrong
with Erdogans ruling style, and
the answer can be found not only
in the policies pursued by the rul-
ing Justice and Development
Party (AKP) during the past
dozen years but also in the way it
has responded to protests by hun-
dreds of thousands of citizens.
Turkey is an electoral democ-
racy, but the past weeks events
have underlined that the country
no longer has the robust free press
found in Western nations.
In a democracy, peaceful dis-
sent not only is accepted but also
often compels changes in govern-
ment policy. Turkeys protesters
began with a local but legitimate
grievance, a government decision
to eliminate a park adjacent to
Istanbuls Taksim Square. Rather
than tolerate them, the Govern-
ment dispatched riot police,
which in turn caused the demon-
strations to spread and to raise
broader issues. Turkeys secular
and religious minorities have
much to lament, from the recent
imposition of tight controls on
alcohol sales to Erdogans support
for Sunni rebels in Syria.
T
he ongoing demonstrations
across Turkey have revealed a
gaping disconnect between the
aspirations of Erdogans Govern-
ment and those of the people, but
if he is clever, the Prime Minister
can take this opportunity to listen
to what his citizens actually want,
and need. Either that, or he risks
alienating his Government from
Western friends, and jeopardising
the future of the country, vis-a-vis
its relationship with Europe.
Virtually every major Euro-
pean city has witnessed protests
over the last few years, whether
inspired by economic cuts, the
right to gay marriage, or animal
rights. And with perhaps the
exception of Greece, these have
been allowed to proceed calmly
and peacefully, just as they
should, in any state which wishes
to call itself a democracy. Protests
can also allow the Government to
gauge the views of the people,
and to consider adjusting policies
accordingly, which would, in fact,
help it to remain in power.
The response of the Turkish
authorities has clearly been dis-
proportionate to the peaceful
protest. Instead of letting the
protesters in Istanbul express
their democratic right, the Gov-
ernment tried to contain the
demonstration, using tear gas
and unnecessarily aggressive
crowd-control tactics.
T
oday. Tomorrow. That
year. That day. Special
day. Massacre. Big Yellow
Duck. All of these words are
banned on Sina Weibo, Chinas
version of the banned social net-
working website Twitter, along
with various combinations of
June 4, 1989, and the numbers six
and four. Chinas Great Firewall
is nothing if not thorough.
Internet censors have
clamped down this week even
tighter on online exchanges and
information about the crack-
down on pro-democracy pro-
testers at Beijings Tiananmen
Square on June 4, 1989, which
killed hundreds. China is a rich-
er, freer place than it was in
1989, but it has never truly come
to terms with what happened on
that day. The Chinese Govern-
ment has never fully disclosed
the course of events that led to
so many deaths.
In Hong Kong, tens of thou-
sands of people held a candlelit
vigil in a park to urge China to
respect human rights. The annu-
al vigil in the former British
colony is regarded as a symbol
of the islands relative freedom.
But for those in mainland China
who were involved, Tiananmen
Square is a suppressed yet pow-
erful memory.
0th0rItarIaa I0rkey
IIaaaamea's h0st
SSUESGLOBAL
T
ens of thousands of Hong
Kong residents, joined by a
smattering of mainland Chinese,
converged in central Victoria
Park on Tuesday to honour the
24th anniversary of the Tianan-
men Square crackdown and vent
their anger at a Chinese leader-
ship that has increasingly signaled
its intent to broaden its limited
control over the territory.
Speakers shouted down with
the Communist Party and free
elections for all citizens.
Such protests are effectively
banned in mainland China, creat-
ing a draw for the mainlanders
who attended. The annual
demonstration is the most vivid
display of the continuing passions
over the 1989 crackdown on stu-
dent protests in Beijing, an event
whose name and date has been
stricken by censors on mainland
China. Armed soldiers and
armoured vehicles swept through
Beijing, shooting dead by most
estimates hundreds of people
to end two months of protests,
hunger strikes and passionate
speeches at Tiananmen Square.
Student leaders backed by thou-
sands of mainly young Chinese
had been urging the Communist
Party to attack official corruption,
expand citizens rights and take
steps toward democracy.
sunday
magazino
l|s i
'M 0LA0 wR0TE T| KIT FL||F whEh 00. F
wERE T0 wRTE T h0w T w0uL0 BE A 0FFEREhT B00K,
Ah0 T MAY h0T BE ThE B00K ThAT EvERYB00Y
wAhTS T0 REA0. '0 TAKE ThAT Thh0 AFART.
- KhALE0 h0SSEh
I
ndia has been known as
the land of sufis and
sanyasins. Its rich her-
itage owes a lot to these
holy men who held aloft
the flag of spiritualism amid a
flurry of materialistic pursuits.
Delhi may be the capital
city of India, the seat of politi-
cal power, but to many who
know Dilli, it is the darul
aulia, or the home of sufis.
This great city has seen many
pious souls, whose remains
still enlighten people. The dar-
gah of Nizamuddin Aulia is
one such place which attracts
visitors from far and wide.
The present work, The
Book of Nizamuddin Aulia, is
the story of the 14th century
sage who continues to evoke
awe and inspiration, love and
reverence in human hearts
hundreds of years after his
death. The dargah of the mys-
tic saint is a huge draw for
men and women cutting across
religions. The author, Mehru
Jaffer, has certainly done
yeomen service by writing this
absorbing account of the sufi
saint in her easy-to-read style
of writing. This biographical
account does well to spread
the ideas of love, compassion,
devotion and spirituality of the
enigmatic Nizamuddin Aulia.
Hazrat Sheikh Khwaja
Syed Muhammad Nizamuddin
Aulia was a famous saint of the
Chisti order. He was born in
the year 1238, though some
scholars give a slightly differ-
ent date of the year of his
birth. The 13th century was a
period of great upheaval in not
only South Asia, but the entire
continent at large. Indian sub-
continent in particular was a
witness to countless wars of
supremacy. Interestingly, the
the era was not just known for
the exploits of Islamic military
strategists but also for the
presence of great Islamic
scholars. The author has han-
dled the historical account of
the period rather meticulously
in his prologue to the book.
But what is really illuminating
is her detailed treatment of the
basic tenets of Nizamuddin
Aulias teachings.
Aulia transformed the
mystical movement in Delhi
into a mass humanitarian
activity that could help human
souls overcome the challenges
of life anger, pain and suf-
ferings. The moral and spiritu-
al tenets practised and advo-
cated by him formed the
backbone of countless Chisti
cloisters spread all over the
country. The author has very
succinctly summarised the
spiritual principles of
Nizamuddin Aulia. He
quotes: Service to
humankind is the only ratio-
nal of religion. Sublimate
ordinary desires into cosmic
emotions. Nurse an attitude
that rejects the wasting of life
in petty material pursuits.
Acts of violence create more
problems than they solve.
Place absolute trust in the
will of God.
The description of Aulias
conversation with himself is
an interesting feature of the
book and forms the bedrock
of the sufi saints mystic phi-
losophy. Some of the anec-
dotes from his life are quite
touching. For instance, the
story of his encounter with his
friend, Khwaja Abdul Rahim,
who brought some pomegran-
ates for the saint knowing that
he often fasted throughout the
day. Aulia picked up one seed
of a pomegranate and chewed
on it. When asked to eat some
more, he replied: So many
poor and destitute people are
sleeping in the corners of
mosques and on the platforms
of shops! They have nothing to
eat, how can this food go
down my throat?
Nizamuddin Aulia was
known for his love for the
poor. This often invited the ire
of the rulers of Delhi. The
author has described several
encounters of the sufi saint
with the Delhi sultans rather
absorbingly in the book. Its a
thorough account of the life
and times of Aulia and will
provide an interesting reading
to the spiritual-minded peo-
ple. However, the account
could have been more
crisply written.
Though he has gollen used
lo his salary and job al 0ranl
Molors, Sarvesh slill inds himsel waking
u in lhe middle o lhe nighl, his hearl
ounding wilh lhe excilemenl o a heo
Racing dream. when heoracing creales
sace or a leam rom ndia, Sarvesh is
delermined lo be a arl o il. Along wilh his
besl riend Rags, he is delermined lo lead
his own leam on lo heoracing race circuils.
Friendshi is lesled, loyallies are queslioned
and sirils are broken in lhis book.
HORSESHOE
GARAGE
Hitesha
Leadstart, C245
NEW
ARRVALS
Beslselling aulhor Frakash
yer uses simle bul
owerul anecdoles and
arables rom all over lhe world lo
demonslrale whal makes or eeclive
ersonal and roessional leadershi. yer
draws lessons rom sources as diverse as
his driver, a molher girae, Abraham
Lincoln and oolballers in lhe uniled
Kingdom. he shows how an inslincl lo
lead can be acquired while liing burgers
al a asl ood chain. All o lhese slories
come logelher in an exlosive cocklail lo
unleash your inner leader.
THE SECRET OF
LEADERSHP
Prakash yer
Penguin, C299
when Sunayana, a young,
vivacious edilor al a leading
ublishing house, sels oul lo
commission a book, she inds hersel
drawn inlo a disorienling bul comelling
liaison. nlrigued by Ashok, a reserved bul
wellknown middleaged surgeon, she
seeks a cenlre lhal has eluded her
scallered sel, while he slruggles lo come
lo lerms wilh a broken marriage.The
uneasy allraclion belween lhis odd coule
lriggers roound queslions.
BODY OFFERNG
Makarand Paranjape
Rupa, C395
B
efore LK Advani converted an
Indian icon into a Hindu deity
as he flexed his nationalist
muscles astride a makeshift
chariot, he was on his way to
the destruction of an unused 16th cen-
tury mosque in Ayodhya to reclaim the
mythical glory of his Mother India.
Thus wrote Jawed Naqvi, India corre-
spondent of Dawn, Pakistan, in an arti-
cle on humour in religious discourse.
The Indian icon in question is Rama,
the most popular incarnation of Lord
Vishnu and the most beloved deity for
at least two millennia.
Naqvi would have us believe that
Advanis rath yatra made Rama a deity.
He cannot see the hollowness of his
claim, for if Rama in his own view was
already an Indian icon (a symbol of rev-
erence and devotion), it means he was
already a deity.
Naqvi, like others, is in the busi-
ness of negating and mocking the civil-
isational memory associated with
Rama, and believes his minority status
confers upon him the privilege to do so
with impunity. Yet, he would not dare
satisfy non-monotheistic curiosity on a
fundamental confusion of Abrahamic
dogma: Did the patriarch Abraham
offer his son Ismail in sacrifice to God,
or was it his son Isaac? Christians and
Muslims both accept the historicity of
the event and agree only one child was
offered. Which one?
Over the past two decades, several
Left-wing historians have indulged in
high-voltage propaganda that Rama
was not a deity before Tulsidas wrote
Ramcharit Manas in the 16th century.
The purpose, of course, is to discredit
the movement for reclamation of his
birthplace. For if there is no proof of
Rama and his Ayodhya, the movement
falls into disrepute.
Historian Meenakshi Jain has given
a robust reply to those who question the
historicity of Rama as deity, and provid-
ed ample historical proof of Ayodhya as
the city of Rama. Activists may question
the memory of a civilisation with super-
ficial and politically-motivated argu-
ments, but the book, Rama and Ayo-
dhya, has demolished their case.
Jain leaves no stone unturned in
collating all historical and literary evi-
dence relating to Lord Rama. She has
covered a vast corpus of literature from
the eighth century onwards. The
Pratihara dynasty, which ruled western
and central India from the ninth to the
13th century, claimed descent from
Lakshman, younger brother of Rama,
and considered themselves defenders of
India from mlechha (barbarian)
invaders, and were proud of their victo-
ry over them. For four centuries they
gave an intrepid fight to invaders.
The book covers the popularity of
Rama in antiquity in three long chap-
ters, citing evidence from literature,
sculpture and epigraphy. The author
has compiled her evidence State-wise
to conclusively prove Ramas pan-
national popularity throughout antiq-
uity. The question of his becoming a
deity only after the publication of
Ramcharit Manas in the era of the
Mughal emperor Akbar, has been
answered with ample evidence to dis-
courage even the most arrogant Leftist
historian from repeating old lies again.
Some notable references include
Varahamihiras Brhatsamhita (sixth cen-
tury AD) which formulates rules for
making images of Rama. The Rama
story finds mention in three early
Buddhist texts, Dasharatha Kathanam
(first-second century AD), Anamakam
Jatakam and Dasharatha Jataka. The
great poet-dramatist, Bhavabhuti (eighth
century), a native of Vidarbha, wrote
two dramas based on the Ramayan
the Mahaviracharita and the
Uttararamacharity; the latter contained
the earliest verbatim quotations of verses
from the Ramayan, according to Jacobi.
A Gupta period stone panel from
Mathura shows Ravan shaking Mount
Kailasa, a scene from the Uttara
Kanda. A Gupta period brick temple
at Bhitargaon, Kanpur (fifth century
AD), has several terracotta panels, one
of which depicts Rama and Lakshman
seated and engaged in conversation.
M Zaheer, in his book on the
Bhitargaon temple, mentions two ter-
racotta reliefs showing scenes from
the Ramayana: One has a woman
offering alms to a giant man, clearly
Ravan in disguise, while the other
depicts a seated Rama and Sita.
The Rama cult was promoted by
Madhavacharya Anandatirtha (variously
placed between AD 1199-1278 and
1238-1317). He devoted seven chapters
to the Ramayana story in the
Mahabharat-tatparya-nirnaya and
brought an image of the world-con-
quering Digvijaya Rama to the south.
Similarly, Narahari Tirtha, probably the
same as Narasimha, is recorded in a
Telugu epigraph dated AD 1293, as hav-
ing set up the image of Rama, Sita and
Lakshman in the Vaishnava temple near
Chicacole, Ganjam district.
The Vayu Purana and the Uttara
Kanda mentioned two Kosalas, with
Shravasti the capital of Uttara Kosala and
Kausavati of Dakshin Kosala or
Mahakosala. The two Kosalas were once
believed to have been under the suzerain-
ty of Rama, who installed his son Lava in
North Kosala and Kusa in South Kosala.
The book is additionally important
for the detailed analysis of the Allahabad
High Court ruling on the Babri Masjid
case. The motives and scholarship of
many of our famed historians are hilari-
ously exposed during the court proceed-
ings. The book shows how an exclusive
club of historians (Leftists, of course)
have been making false claims of exper-
tise to perpetuate their own agenda, to
the detriment of true scholarship. This
helps us understand why history has
been taught so poorly in our schools
colleges and universities the profes-
sors have been taking liberties with
truth. No wonder, a nation with such
a rich history has some of the dullest
history departments!
The Allahabad High Court noted
the links between the academics repre-
senting the Sunni Central Waqf Board.
Suvira Jaiswal, former Professor of the
JNU, told the court, I have not read
Babarnama... It is correct to say that I
am giving statement on oath regarding
Babri Mosque without any probe and
not on the basis of my knowledge, rather
I am giving the statement on the basis of
my opinion... Whatever (information) I
gained with respect to the disputed site
was on the basis of newspaper or what
others told, that is, from the report of
historians. By historians report I mean
Historians Report to Nation.
Satyawati College lecturer SC Mishra
intoned, Prithvi Raj Chauhan was king
of Ghazni; he (Muhammad Ghori) was
king of its adjoining area... I have heard
of jaziya tax... At present I fail to recol-
lect when and for what purpose it was
levied. I do not remember that the
jaziya was levied only on Hindus...
Little wonder the court observed,
He accepts of being expert in Epigraphy
but... neither he knows Arabic nor
Persian nor Latin, therefore he had no
occasion to understand the language in
which the alleged inscription was writ-
ten... The slipshod and casual manner in
which he made inquiry about inscrip-
tion is further interesting.
The Ayodhya debate reveals a dis-
turbing aspect of the personality of pre-
eminent historian Irfan Habib he has
not hesitated to cast serious aspersions
on the integrity of academicians and
institutions in disagreement with his
views. This book challenges such lord
chaplains of Indian history.
8M 80 I00I
MeeaakshI 1aIa
ryaa 800ks, C695
Meenakshi Jain's book challenges
lhe lordshi o ndia's 'eminenl'
hislorians who indulge in lhe worsl
orm o negalionism lo orward lheir
seudosecular viewoinls, wriles
R0hT SRvASTAvA
myths
Busting
Humanity was lis religion
secular
myths
Busting
secular
l's a lhorough accounl o lhe lie and limes o hi/amuddin Aulia who evokes love and reverence even aler
7OO years o his dealh. The book, however, says FRAM00 FAThAK, could have been more crisly wrillen
IF 800k 0F
8ILM000I8 0lI
Mehr0 1affer
Fea0Ia, CZ50
A lighler conscience brings
closure and eace and have
you come u wilh new ways
lo deal wilh eole who
wounded you. From
orgiveness lo moving on in
olher ways, you ul lhe asl
lo resl and make sace or a
new slarl. 0ld lies are
rekindled lo give lhem a new
sin. workwise, lhe week's
energies are conducive lo
culminalions, cessalions,
winding u and cerlain
inalily lo rojecls. Accidenls
lay soilsorl; selbacks are
caused by olhers or virulenl
adversaries who dislay
violenl resonses. You back
o rom some eole or
whom ighling is arl o
nalure. Romance wilh a
mismalch o backgrounds
shows ils cracks and a slil
is around lhe corner. hoise
ollulion levels rise making
you cranky.
8urprise oI Ihe Week
Someone's conlrolling ways
cause an associalion lo sna
Tip oI Ihe Week Take slock
o your lie and be lhe one in
charge o key decisions
Iurky number 8
Iurky roIour Turquoise blue
8esI day Salurday
Iurky gem Turquoise
IdeaI Iood Salled cashew
nul
iII Io give Melal
handicrals
8esI Iime 8 m lo midnighl
MediIaIion aid Conucian
0oclrine o lhe Mean
8IF8
March 21-April 20
Your work, allilude and
achievemenls make
headlines wherever you go,
and eole laud your
maslerslrokes or sacriices.
You lake on oressive
slruclures, ighl or olher's
righls, and win a lace in
olher's hearls. wars lhal end
lhis week don'l necessarily
lranslale inlo wins. Children
orm lhe core o your
ersonal success or ailure;
and you ocus on lheir
develomenl. Faymenl or
higher educalion, coaching,
hobbies or leasures ealure
lhis week as youngslers sel
lo lake o and ly.
Associalion wilh charily,
ublic causes, exansion o
home and arlnering wilh
roessionals hels eslablish
your oolrinl. Slee
disorders, anea and aslhma
bolher some.
8urprise oI Ihe Week A
loved one lurns judgmenlal
when you go lhrough a
rough or indecisive alch
Tip oI Ihe Week visualise
your goals and give lhings a
lime rame beore you
abandon lans
Iurky number 12
Iurky roIour Muslard yellow
8esI day Thursday
Iurky gem 0olden loa/
IdeaI Iood 0lass noodles,
olaloes
iII Io give Books, arl
8esI Iime hoon lo 8 m
MediIaIion aid Book o
Exodus, T|c |c|y 5i||c
Freared or any lasl minule
bombshells eole mighl
dro, you brace yoursel or
showdowns, aceos,
inlerviews, iguralive ink
slis and all sorls o negalive
lhings. You raclise
delachmenl lo shed anxiely
aboul lhe ulure. To your
uller glee, or all lhe saber
rallling, eole don'l come
lhrough on lheir lhreals and
give you a resile you
weren'l sure you'd gel.
There's more clemency and
acls o kindness lhal ollow
- rom riends, colleagues,
emloyees and lolal
slrangers - while al work
and in oreign lands. A
loved one souls elernal
love bul isn'l all orgiving o
asl indiscrelions.
Migraines, acne and
sinusilis bolher some.
Someone execls a avour
lhal works againsl your besl
inleresls or longlerm goals
Tip oI Ihe Week Sleer clear
o belrayal o riendshis and
limelesled associalions or
a ew ieces o silver
Iurky number 4
Iurky roIour Saron, russel
8esI day Monday
Iurky gem Tiger's eye
IdeaI Iood Marmalade,
ginger biscuils
iII Io give Sices
8esI Iime 4 lo 8 m
MediIaIion aid do my besl
and leave lhe resl lo 0od:
Foe John XX
86III8I08
Nov 23-Dec 23
A languorous relreal comes
lo an end. Energised by a
ew days o comlele
quielness or sirilual
journeys and ulillmenl o
inner quesls, you give a
menlal salule lo all lhe
suorlive hel lhal riends,
communilies and grous
gave you by eilher showing
you lhe way or simly lelling
you be yoursel. heallh cares
are addressed and you
bounce back in ull orm or
comelilive exams, sorls,
inlerviews and inquesls. You
enler a new relalionshi,
erhas on lhe rebound bul
deely involved neverlheless.
Salisaclion arrives and you
no longer ear loneliness or
abandonmenl. A new job
allows you lo be your own
erson and or lhe irsl lime
in years, your career brings
an inner lranquilily. waler
sorls and swimming are
lheraeulic.
Someone wilh a haughly
demeanour does a ulurn
Tip oI Ihe Week Leave
eole alone lo lake ree
decisions
Iurky number 7
Iurky roIour Sky blue
8esI day Thursday
Iurky gem Blue loa/
IdeaI Iood Blueberry yogurl
iII Io give Cryslal, eyewear
8esI Iime 7 lo 11 m
MediIaIion aid Maun Vrat
or a ew hours daily; 5|iva
Furana
You inoinl sources o
angsl, sidesle enlramenl
and go amidsl a ew odds.
You brace yoursel or lhe
inal slrelch o work ushing
back aligue, ressure and
deadlines. 0ld
resonsibililies are deall
wilh salisaclorily. The week
brings orlh volunlary,
unaid or honorary work.
You lake over lhe burden o
olhers. hegalivily is a
reslriclion you slrive lo
overcome as you ush asl
mindsels, gossi, sleallh
allacks or mischie
mongers. usels in ower
equalions ring alarm bells
bul don'l cause a rile in
your lie i your conscience
is clear. 0verall, lhe week
has you lravel exlensively on
rough missions, regain losl
dignily and recover
somelhing lhal was laken
away. 0ehydralion and skin
erulions bolher some.
8urprise oI Ihe Week An
aair comes lo an end
Tip oI Ihe Week 0iscard lhe
rubbish rom your lie
Iurky number O
Iurky roIour Maroon
8esI day Tuesday
Iurky gem 0arnel
IdeaI Iood vegelables in
brine
iII Io give Lealher
8esI Iime O lo 11 m
MediIaIion aid 0od loves il
when whalever you do, you
do il in lhe besl way: hadilh
Abu 0awud
hew deals, arlnershis,
winning combinalions and
ideas lhal malerialise inlo
conlracls, you have lenly
going or you bolh in work
and money mallers. Feole
exerience ideological shils
and now you can see lhal
change or reorm is ossible.
Some are orced lo yield
ower lo you; olhers orce a
comromise uon you and
whillle down your role in
exchange o a al urse. The
week highlighls rivalry al
home and someone working
conlrary lo lhe inleresls o
lhe amily including a
misguided souse or
sibling. Youngslers gel a
second shol al an exam lhal
uls lhem in a beller
osilion. Sorls injuries,
slis and alls ul lhe ankle
and eel al risk.
bequesl, gil or loken o
gralilude arrives rom
someone near orgollen
Tip oI Ihe Week Look al
issues indeendenlly and
don'l conuse ears wilh
molives
Iurky number 2
Iurky roIour Eucalylus
green
8esI day Monday
Iurky gem 0reen jade
IdeaI Iood Mixed veg sou
iII Io give Foolwear
8esI Iime 2 lo 7 m
MediIaIion aid Vastu
Furus|a, correclion o your
roerly
An enriching hase; you
have a diversily o
exeriences wilh new
riendshis, lravel and
suorl, and are soughl by
eole across cullures. Your
social lie lowers wilh bolh
un and academic exosure
heling you carve a lace.
Membershi o key
organisalions, boards, clubs
and inslilules adds ealher
in your ca. Youngslers hel
you live your dreams by
roxy as lhey score in
mallers o work, academics
or social imacl. 0rou
lravel brings harmony and
you exlore ossibililies o
exansion in business or
roerly. A lri weslwards
malerialises. Execlanl
molhers have a smoolh
regnancy. Timely eye care
and cosmelic denlal
roulines add conidence. A
reslriclive hase ends,
inally allowing you lo do
whalever you wanl.
ormer crilic lurns inlo your
mosl ardenl suorler
Tip oI Ihe Week Show your
arecialion wilh limely
gralilude
Iurky number 14
Iurky roIour Lime green
8esI day wednesday
Iurky gem Emerald
IdeaI Iood Crees
iII Io give Silver
8esI Iime 2 lo 5 m
MediIaIion aid Froilialing
0anga and Brahmaulra
Your romises and grand
declaralions are ul lo lhe
lesl. Al work, bosses u lhe
ressure lo see i you are
leader malerial. The week
brings hidden lesling and
assessmenls o your nalure
and ireighling skills. Rigid
alliludes or rigid adherence
lo rules bolh draw lak, bul
you are delighlully adalive
lo new silualions. Your besl
riends are eole you've
heled. Someone whose
needs you have addressed or
eole you have shown
symalhy wilh also lake your
side. Family mallers orce a
loved one lo suorl his/her
arenls. Financial conslrainls
ul brakes on sending.
women ace lak or laking
lhe easy way oul al work or
or giving ersonal issues
riorily. Shoulder/neck ain
is bolhersome.
8urprise oI Ihe Week You
are dragged inlo a conlicl
lhal involves arenls or sel
or souse
Tip oI Ihe Week Avoid laking
arl in inlammable
silualions
Iurky number 1O
Iurky roIour Foy red
8esI day Sunday
Iurky gem Ruby
IdeaI Iood Ale and
omegranale juice
iII Io give Toys
8esI Iime 1O am lo 2 m
MediIaIion aid Buddha's
resonse lo his allacker
0evadalla
You live an idealised lie wilh
qualily work, lravel,
exosure, and almosl living
lhe dream olhers asire lo.
Farenlal roerly comes u
or sale, conversion or
cailalisalion. An added
income arrives as a new line
o work blossoms. Some ill
lhe shoes o a menlor, boss
or elder in amily business.
Succession lans bring
resecl and aulhorily.
Meelings wilh imorlanl
layers malerialise. A arenl,
guru or inlaw rovides a
career or moral comass in a
slicky maller. Legal mallers
are comlicaled by a lwisl in
lhe lale. A loved one
resenls a new way o
looking al a roblem or
beriends someone you don'l
enlirely arove. A romanlic
sideshow loses ils charm.
0enelic ailmenls o u
lemorarily and ind cures.
8urprise oI Ihe Week A alse
claim is made on
humanilarian grounds
Tip oI Ihe Week Trusl your
inslincls and exerience lo
solve a roblem
Iurky number 2O
Iurky roIour Black and while
8esI day Monday
Iurky gem Black obsidian
IdeaI Iood Black lenlils wilh
rice
iII Io give home
accessories
8esI Iime 2 lo 8 m
MediIaIion aid Archangel
0abriel
A new relalionshi is
overshadowed by lhe ghosls
o lhe asl. The week has
you look over your shoulder
as you ink new deals, build
conneclions, exand exisling
rojecls or include new
layers as arlners. Things
move orward bul lhe
slighlesl murmur o
unairness or lainl usels lhe
alecarl. You are secrelive,
discrele and even urlive and
loved ones eel usel or
being kel oul o lhe loo.
Farenls are unwilling lo
accel changes in currenl
lieslyle arrangemenls, and
sale or lease o roerly can
be obslrucled. Angsl and
ain are released in amily
mallers gradually and
soured lies begin lo
imrove. Singles are ready
or new commilmenls. Losl
roerly is ound, recovery
o money ollows a lime
bound manner.
8urprise oI Ihe Week You
miss a harmless race as an
ex beals you
Tip oI Ihe Week 0el oul o
oressive silualions in love,
work or amily mallers
Iurky number 24
Iurky roIour Carrol ink
8esI day Friday
Iurky gem Rose quarl/
IdeaI Iood Slrawberry or
cherry shakes
iII Io give weaves, carels
8esI Iime G m lo midnighl
MediIaIion aid Laks|mi
5a|astranaam
All slos are ulled oul as
you enler a enullimale
round lo career ulillmenl.
From making laws lo
bending and lweaking lhem
lo handling delicale
silualions and being lhe
voice or olhers, you lake
care nol lo maniulale or be
maniulaled. hew enlranls in
managemenl receive rosly
vibes rom bosses. Clash o
ego arises in amily mallers
wilh arenls unwilling lo
receive hel or siding wilh
one sel o siblings. Mulual
agreemenls lake genlle
handling lo come aboul and
lhis is your inesl hour in lacl
and dilomacy. hasly or
callous lrealmenl al lhe
hands o oicials, esecially
in heallhcare, has you
exlore legal or olher orms
o rolesl. Slubborn colds
unclure your cu o cheer.
8urprise oI Ihe Week A new
venlure crawls inslead o
chugging along
Tip oI Ihe Week Falience and
laying lhe wailing game
bear ruil
Iurky number 11
Iurky roIour while and o
while
8esI day Monday
Iurky gem Fearl
IdeaI Iood herb cheese and
melba loasl
iII Io give unisex jewellery
8esI Iime 2 lo 11 m
MediIaIion aid Molher and
child; YashodaKrishna,
Madonna and inanl Jesus
l's amily mallers all lhe way
as you ul all else on lhe
back burner and lunge
headlong inlo lhe crux o
mallers. From arrival o new
members, birlhs, weddings
and belrolhals lo slils and
recalibralion o lies wilh
grumy layers, equalions
are sel lo change and moslly
or lhe beller. Feole no
longer ush you away bul
exlend love and
embracemenl, ulling years
o awkwardness behind
lhem. A redivision o assels
is on lhe cards and works in
avour o all ralher lhan a
single avourile. Some
rivileges are losl or lhe
sake o a larger eace. A
change o residence lakes
you lo a dierenl cily.
Children go lhrough a
relalionshi crisis. Calcium
deiciencies o u.
8urprise oI Ihe Week An
enemy, rival or adversary is
neulralised
Tip oI Ihe Week Be sensilive
lo lhe needs and lighl o
anolher even when lhings
are unsaid
Iurky number 18
Iurky roIour Toee beige
wilh red
8esI day Tuesday
Iurky gem FuJraks|a and
coral
IdeaI Iood Mctic|ccr |aJJcc
iII Io give Bags, briecases
8esI Iime G lo O m
MediIaIion aid |anuman
0|a|isa
lF0
July 23-August 23
I0808
April 21-May 21
6FMI8I
May 22-June 21
080F8
June 22-July 22
8008FI0
Oct 24-Nov 22
FI80F8
Feb 20-March 20
lI88
Sept 24-Oct 23
008I08
Jan 21-Feb 19
I860
Aug 24-Sept 23
0F8I0088
Dec 24-Jan 20
For personal appointments, call Meenakshi Rani at 011-29234653/29239636 or e-mail her at meenakshirani@vsnl.net
YOURWEEKAHEAD
MEEhAKSh RAh
L
aws of karma and that of
destiny are often confused as
being one and the same. No
wonder, as they both stand on the
same premise: As you sow, so you
reap. Evidently, taken on face
value, the two concepts are relat-
ed to each other. They, however,
carry varying connotations in
terms of how one would negotiate
life in practical terms.
Destiny, as we understand is
the final culmination of how one
would have conducted in the
past. Those subscribing to this
concept blindly submit to their
fait accompli, whatever way it
comes. But they seldom care to
figure out their own infirmities, if
any, that could derail their efforts.
They prefer blaming their own
luck for all the bad happenings
even if it would be because of
external limiting factors. As a
consequence, they often fail to
exert to improve their lot.
On the contrary, the law of
karma, which is based on the self-
automated laws of nature, allows
the scope of human intervention
intended to give a qualitative turn
to life through conscious efforts.
For, the laws of nature allow the
role of the power of freewill duly
aided by the faculty of discrimi-
nate intelligence, inherent in
human beings. Those acknowl-
edging this concept apply this
exclusive human prerogative to
first discover their inner traits of
mind, make necessary amends,
and set right the premise for a
better tomorrow. Second, they
look at the external factors with
an open mind without any pre-
conditioning whatsoever. They
are, therefore, able to look at the
external challenges in perspective.
They do not dither even if some
unseemly challenges confront
them. They rather try to intelli-
gently articulate their responses
and initiatives. So they negotiate
life mindfully, and that brings in
qualitative difference in life. At
times, even they may fail in their
mission. But they prefer go down
fighting rather than blindly sub-
mitting to the mercy of destiny. In
fact, it is this very spirit that has
carried forward the human civili-
sation from its primitive stage to
the developed world of today
through all its lows and highs in
between.
See how a blind fatalist keeps
grieving rather than mindfully
taking on the challenges. Neither
he is devoid of strength nor has
he always fared badly in life. But
his attitudes make him habitually
self-pitying, worrying, and taking
life negatively. Look at the
immense potential reflected in his
chart. Intellectually-ordained
Uranus is well placed to the Sun,
Mercury and Saturn. That grants
him with dramatic talent. He
thereby is supposed to have an
imaginative, ambitious, inventive,
innovative and analytical mind. It
also points towards the qualities
of a good leader who would be
thorough in work. Mercury and
Moon are both favourably placed
to Saturn, which grants him an
orderly mind with the capacity to
keep an eye on details. It also
points to the patience and perse-
verance necessary to pursue the
task in hand to its logical conclu-
sion. Efforts signifying Mars
extending its support to Venus
bring in the spirit necessary to
pursue his ambitions in right
earnest. All these put together
qualify him to make it big in life.
His positives, however, stand
marginalised because of few
inherent negatives that he has
failed to address. His biggest
weakness is an impaired emo-
tional frame as would Venus
placed adverse to the Sun suggest.
That makes him too much emo-
tionally touchy and sensitive, and
vulnerable to get often stuck to
trivial issues. Debilitated Mercury
placed opposite Moon brings in a
worrying syndrome. The Sun,
debilitated in navamsha, makes
him self-pitying, and lacking in
the spirit to take on challenges
ahead in stride. The irony is that
these traits are all repairable, pro-
vided he exercises his discrimina-
tory faculty and the power of
freewill correctly.
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ASTROTURF
BhARAT BhuShAh FA0MA0E0
Will I be able to get through the civil
services examination?
Niharika Jada
You can; just remain focussed.
When do I become a mother?
Richa
Hopefully, you should become a mother
next year. But you may have to seek
help from an Ayurvedic specialist.
Do I have to stick to medical profes-
sion I am studying or go for busi-
ness/consulting to make good money?
Amit
You seem to be best suited to medical
profession, which eventually may bring
in good money.
Will I be able to get my own share
from disputed parental property?
Suresh Kumar
You may get your due share but you
may have to take the matter to court for
adjudication.
READERSQUERIES
sunday
magazino
lJ|l \
BE ThAhKFuL F0R whAT Y0u hAvE; Y0u'LL
Eh0 uF hAvh0 M0RE. F Y0u C0hCEhTRATE
0h whAT Y0u 00h'T hAvE, Y0u wLL
hEvER, EvER hAvE Eh0u0h.
- 0FRAh whFREY
You, larma ano oestiny
Y
uvi will never endorse a gutka
brand. Virat Kohli will not do
underwear ads. Cheteshwar
Pujara wont ever coax you to buy
fairness creams. And Sachin
Tendulkar will never feature in
any commercial which does not
carry a message for the youth.
Says who? Say the respective
cricket managers who manage liai-
son and endorsements for these
celebrity players. High-profile clients
from the corporate world tell you that
these managers are an impregnable shield
and no one can get to the star players
directly without consent of these business
agents.
From the clients perspective, the
waiting period before one gets to hear
about the final deal can sometimes last
an eternity. And if an agent is finicky on
making the choices, then only God can
help you.
First and foremost, there has to be
relationship building with these man-
agers. If they are convinced that their
players profile will match the brand, he is
about to endorse, your job becomes sim-
pler. Without their consent, things dont
budge. It is irritating but then we have to
follow it as a bitter rule. There is no other
way, says Ankit Chawla of Revital, a
brand that Yuvraj Singh and other
cricketers endorse.
For Chawla, it was a
Herculean task to convince his
mother-manager Shabnam Singh
to get him on board. Shabnamji
needs to be absolutely sure before
she moves ahead with any
endorsement deal. She gives her
inputs which we have to take very seri-
ously. A deal is not signed overnight.
There are a lot of people involved.
Advertising agencies are also roped in to
suggest a makeover for the player if need
be, he adds.
Among the top players, Yuvraj is
probably the only one who has changed
more managers than cricket bats. The tal-
ented cricketer had a five-year contract
with Percept Dmark which ended in
October 2008 and then a two-year
deal with sports management com-
pany Cornerstone from 2008 to
2011. Now, his mother has formal-
ly taken over his business profil-
ing. She takes the call on all brand
associations for him. A hard-nosed
negotiator, she follows market trends
closely and is very particular about
which brand her son should endorse and
how it should be completely in sync with
his personality.
Brand endorsements are a way to
keep players in the spotlight all the time.
It is one way to ensure their continued
popularity. Of course, it hugely matters
that the player performs on the field. If
he is going through a lean patch, clients
pin their hopes on cricket being a tricky
game which can change any moment. So,
endorsements happen nevertheless. With
Yuvi, we did not want to sign up for any-
thing just to make money. If you noticed,
all advertisements featuring him have a
strong message to them. There are many
considerations and consultations before
signing a deal. I am very careful that an
appearance does not jeopardise his crick-
eting image, Shabnam tells you. She is
adamant that Yuvi should look good with
the brand he endorses.
Ogilvy is her favourite. Yuvi made a
brilliant comeback into the endorsement
market after the 2011 World Cup. He has
a personality that can match many prod-
ucts and he is a natural charmer. He is
also passionate about his work schedule
and doesnt throw attitude. An absolute
good mix to work with, Piyush Pandey,
chairman of Ogilvy & Mather, says.
The dashing all-rounder was in the
C5-crore signing bracket, equivalent to
Dhoni and Tendulkar. He rose up by C2
crore after his performance in the 2011
World Cup. There has been a 30 per
cent growth in Yuvis market value and he
is going stronger than ever. He may not
be playing many matches for now, but
that has not affected his endorsement
value, Singh adds. Today, however, his
brand value falls in the C2 crore bracket.
About the conflict of interest contro-
versy involving Dhoni and his managing
company Rhiti Sports, Shabnam has
nothing to say. Every company has its
own rules. We dont interfere in each
others businesses, is all she is willing to
say.
But when the talk is about perfor-
mance-oriented brand endorsing, the
Professional Management Group (PMG)
makes sure that Virender Sehwag
remains among the top brands his dry
run with the Indian team, notwithstand-
ing. How we pitch for a player depends
on which sponsor we are approaching.
Like, if we are looking for a sponsor for
Viru, the most obvious ones would be the
sports brands who can sign him up as an
ambassador. But lots of other opportuni-
ties also come up. For example, Viru is
known for his powerful play so some-
thing like a cement brand JK Cements
can have him as their brand endorse,
Melroy DSouza, chief operating officer
of PMG, tells you. He also tells you that
the role of a manager is to try and under-
stand the requirements of a player. A
manager recommends to his player how
he should mould his image in public eye,
what he should do in terms of being
media friendly and also tries to get
brands to see value in the cricketer.
DSouza has played university-level
hockey and college-level cricket and foot-
ball. He always wanted to pursue a career
in sports. His USP is his association with
PMG, Indias first sports management
company launched way back in 1985 by
cricketing legend Sunil Gavaskar and
advertising professional Sumedh Shah.
Today, most cricketers know about
the downsides of negative publicity.
Still, if is crucial for us and our player,
especially if he is a young and rising
star, to educate him about brand endors-
ing, DSouza says.
For DSouza, the most challenging
part of his job is to manage the dates of a
player.
The most challenging job is to find
time and space to make sure all commit-
ments are fulfilled outside of the players
hectic, year-round playing and travelling
schedule, he says, clarifying that we
dont handle investment and finances.
Most cricketers have their investment
bankers to see to this aspect.
DSouza, 30, who handles Manoj
Tiwary and Varun Aaron besides Sehwag,
started his career with Nimbus Sports as
a rookie in college. While he did odd jobs
like identifying and jotting down
details of shots from more than 1,000
tapes of old cricket matches, his only
stimulus to deal with this monotony
was its roundabout link to his biggest
passion in life sports. He always want-
ed to pursue a career in sports, so he
joined PMG more than three years ago
after quitting Tiger Sports Marketing as
its country head.
DSouza is not willing to discuss how
the continued absence of Sehwag from
Team India makes his work more diffi-
cult but fact is that at one time, this dash-
ing opener was demanding as much as
Tendulkars endorsement charges.
However, from C1.5 crore to C3 crore, he
has seen a downslide and now comes in
the C1 crore to C2 crore bracket, endors-
ing four major brands, including Hero
Honda, Kingfisher and JK Cement,
besides a few small ones. Pepsi dropped
him after Coca-Cola became Delhi
Daredevils sponsor and pasted his pho-
tos all over India.
While DSouza may be busy strategis-
ing the future course of branding for
Sehwag, Vinod Naidu is doing well in his
golden cocoon. After all, master blaster
Sachin Tendulkar, with whom Naidu has
shared a 15-year relationship as his busi-
ness manager, is too big an icon for cor-
porates to not come running.
World Sports Groups Naidu tells you
that though with the changed format of
the game, brand demands have changed
too, the player-manager relationship
remains the same. Sachin is the best
player to handle. He knows what is good
for him and he takes a keen interest in
following market trends. He is a very
media savvy person, which is a huge plus
for us, Naidu says. In his long relation-
ship, he has ensured that Sachin never
really falls below his C3-5 crore endorse-
ment bracket.
Brand Sachin needs no promotion.
His huge fan following and charisma do
the trick for him off field too. But Sachin
is a man of principles so we have to be
careful about what brand he is endorsing.
Whether he performs on field or is
wilh lhe "clash o inleresl" row eaking around
skier MS 0honi's business arrangemenl
wilh riendmanager Arun Fandey, lhe
shadowy world o layer agenls has
come inlo shar ocus. Cororales
branding roducls lhrough crickelers lell
you il is imossible lo gel lo any layer
wilhoul going lhrough his manager. So
i Sachin Tendulkar is known lo have
enlrusled blind ailh in vinod haidu,
Melroy 0'Sou/a decides which brand will
suil Sehwag's exlosive balling image
and Bunly Sajdeh lells viral Kohli how il's
ok lo endorse a airness cream.
0EEBAShREE M0hAhTY and
AMT ChAu0huRY lalk lo lhese agenls
o change lo oen u a hilherlo
unknown world o ower,
liaisons and big money
0h0h'S
MAhA0ER ARuh
FAh0EY S ThE M0ST
F0wERFuL A0EhT h ThE
FEL0 T00AY. hE uSE0 T0
B0wL T0 MS0 AT hETS h
hS EARLY 0AYS Ah0 wAS
hTATE0 hT0 ThE
BuShESS 0F SF0RTS
MARKETh0 BY ThE
SKFFFER
0honi lo layer wilh an endorsemenl
value o C1O crore lus. Managed by
riend and ormer crickeler
Arun Fandey o Rhili Sorls. Rhili
came inlo news in 2O1O wilh a
whoing C21O minimum guaranlee
deal or lhree years lo manage 0honi
Sachin comes in lhe C5 crore lus brackel.
0enerally his deals are or lhree years. under
lhe exerl guidance o Mascarenhas' ormer
assislanl vinod haidu or 15 years, Sachin
endorses more lhan a do/en brands.
however, many o Tendulkar's conlracls are
sel lo exire belween now and 2O14
viral Kohli is nexl in line wilh a
C8 crore lo C5 crore charge. he is
managed by Bunly Sajdeh, a
commerce graduale and
brolherinlaw o
aclor/roducer Sohail Khan
who has been in lhe
business or a decade now.
viral endorses 1O brands,
including a men's airness
cream which Sajdeh
ersuaded him lo sign u
Sehwag and Yuvraj charge anywhere
belween C1 crore and C2 crore. Yuvi,
managed by his molher Shabnam,
has seven big names allached lo
him. Sehwag, managed by sorls
bu Melroy 0'Sou/a, is on a
downward slide, lhanks lo his
conlinued absence rom
Team ndia. he endorses
ive major brands and a ew
small ones.
Rohil Sharma, 0inesh Karlhik,
Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar
0hawan and Cheleshwar
Fujara all in lhe ourlh rung
wilh a value o C25 lakh lo
C5O lakh er brand. Their
conlracl is usually or lwo
years and much more slringenl
lhan lo layers
Among bowlers, harbhajan used lo be
lhe mosl soughl aler wilh seven
big brands under his bell. he
charged C1 crore er brand.
Today, his value lucluales
belween C5O lakh and C1 crore.
his manager Sangeel Shirodkar
slarled wriling or T|c
Tc|crap| in school as a cub
reorler rimarily covering cily
based youlh relaled evenls and issues.
Laler on, he joined Rhili Sorls as markeling
head. 0uring lhal lime, Rhili also used lo
handle harbhajan Singh aarl rom 0honi.
he worked lheir lill 2O1O. Aler lhal he, along
wilh harbhajan, launched his own sorls
managemenl comany 0sin Sorls and
Enlerlainmenl in 2O11
Kail 0ev was lhe mosl soughl aler
crickeler beore Sachin. he used lo charge
C25 lakh er brand
>> p7
come from a long line of
true loves. 'd be likely to go
for somebody who is like me.
do like creative people
~ Zooey Deschanel
Hollywood actress
804am's sex maaIac
k seIIsIyIed suIi peer in Ihe
VaIIey has been pirked up Ior
deIIoWering virgins Io 'puriIy'
Iheir souIs. k reporI
3
00a't f0ret the 'I'
The syndrome oI I, me,
myseII is noI a narrissisIir
one. 8omeIimes aII you
need is some 'me' Iime
0
6et smart WIth 4IIcam
6ameras in smarIphones are
geIIing smarIer, yeI digiIaI
rameras are noI WiIIing Io
arrepI deIeaI. k reporI
tIe pIoneer
N S D E O U T
sunday
magazino
Bu||] S+|J|
|l|u] Suu+
S|+||+|
S+|| S|i|uJ|+|
BRA|wA|
change
Agents
A|u| P+|J]
A|u| P+|J]
A
common perception
about the Chinese may
well be that they are a thrifty
lot, given to frugal living.
But that belief is being
turned on its head lately, of
all places in the United
States, what with visiting
Chinese leaving Americans
agape with their sheer
spending spree.
Chinese travellers have
truly earned the reputation
of being the worlds biggest
spenders. A recent report
from the UN World Tourism
Organisation put the
Chinese right on the top of
global tourism spending.
Chinese travellers
reportedly spent a whopping
$102 billion on their foreign
jaunts in 2012, up from $73
billion the previous year a
40 per cent jump in just one
year. Expenditure by
Chinese tourists abroad has
increased almost eightfold
since 2000.
The volume of interna-
tional trips by the Chinese
has also grown in leaps and
bounds over the past decade
from just 10 million in
2000 to 83 million in 2012.
Buoyed by a rising cur-
rency, higher disposable
incomes and easing of gov-
ernment restrictions on for-
eign travel, it would seem
the Chinese travellers have
never had it so good.
What more, the Chinese
tourists now outspend the
big spendthrifts like the
Americans by a big margin.
The UN report says the
United States and Germany
hovered around $84 billion
in tourism spending last
year. Britons were way
behind with $52 billion, fol-
lowed by Russians ($43 bil-
lion), the French ($38 bil-
lion) and the Canadians ($35
billion).
Others in the top 15
tourism spenders include
Japan, Australia, Italy,
Singapore, Brazil, Belgium,
Hong Kong and the
Netherlands.
Indians do not make the
cut as far as big tourism
spenders are concerned, but
the country is progressing as
a major international
tourism destination.
India figures 18th in
terms of international
tourism receipts, with $18
billion in revenues. Its a far
cry though from what sever-
al other countries such as the
US, Spain, France and China
garner. The US tops this list,
with a revenue of nearly
$129 billion.
The impressive growth
of tourism expenditure from
China and Russia reflects the
entry into the tourism mar-
ket of a growing middle class
from these countries, which
will surely continue to
change the map of world
tourism, UNWTO
Secretary-General Taleb
Rifai says.
In 2005, China ranked
seventh in international
tourism expenditure, and
has since successively over-
taken Italy, Japan, France
and the United Kingdom.
Shopping is what the
Chinese travellers love to do
the most something that
pleases American retail out-
lets and department stores,
which are still in the process
of bouncing back after the
recent years of economic
slowdown. They focus on
luxury goods that are still
cheaper in other global cities
than in China itself.
As Dr Wolfgang Georg
Arlt, director of the China
Outbound Tourism Research
Institute, put it to CNN: If
you plan to spend
US$10,000 on shopping and
only spend US$1,000 on air-
fare, it's much cheaper for
Chinese tourists to fly
abroad to shop.
As he puts it, For
Chinese people the United
States is the only competitor
left. They have an interest in
the model for capitalistic
development and want to see
what they can learn so they
can overtake and become
number one.
Figures compiled by the
US Office of Travel and
Tourism Industries indicate
that Chinese tourists spend
an average of $2,932 per visit
to California, compared with
$1,883 for other overseas vis-
itors.
Chronicling one such
visitor, the Los Angeles Times
wrote how Guoshing Cui, a
Samsung supervisor from
Guangzhou, proceeded to
the Coach store, picked out
three expensive handbags,
and paid more than $800.
The bags were gifts for fami-
ly and friends in China,
where Coach goods report-
edly sell for two to three
times the US prices.
That kind of power
shopping has made the
Chinese tourist the highest-
spending overseas visitor to
the US and one of the most
valued customers for US
outlet malls, shopping cen-
tres and tour bus operators,
wrote the LA Times.
The visiting Chinese
reportedly target a host of
US brands including Polo,
Nike, Tommy Hilfiger,
Neiman Marcus, Ugg and
LOccitane.
Some years ago, Robert J.
Shiller, professor of econom-
ics at Yale University, wrote
an article, under the caption:
Thrifty China, Spendthrift
America. His argument was
that Chinas gross saving rate
of around 50 per cent at that
time as against just about 10
per cent of the United States
had placed China in a virtu-
ous circle where rapid eco-
nomic growth leads to high
saving, which in turn sus-
tains rapid growth.
Shiller, however, con-
cluded that while China
would continue to be saving
more than the US for years
to come, the picture could
change with the next genera-
tion taking control of that
most populous nation. As
this change unfolds, the
enormous willingness to
save, and to tolerate high-
saving government policies,
will fade, he wrote.
Very true, one might
concur, looking at the big-
time shopping that the
Chinese tourists have
embarked upon.
R
estoring competitiveness in
France remained a critical pri-
ority, the IMF said last week, as it
called on the Government to liber-
alise its economy and lower labour
costs to create growth and jobs.
Europes precarious growth
prospects and the high tax burden
in France had weighed on spending
decisions of households and enter-
prises, the IMF said in a regular
review of the country, and meant
Frances recession would be deeper
than expected.
The fund lowered its estimate
for French economic growth in
2013 and 2014 to 0.2 per cent
and 0.8 per cent respectively, from
its April estimate of 0.1 per cent
and 0.9 per cent. The French econ-
omy shrank by 0.2 per cent in the
first three months of 2013, follow-
ing a 0.2 per cent contraction at the
end of last year, putting the econo-
my back in recession.
The IMF criticised the signifi-
cant rigidities in France that had
created a triple burden on the
economy. Amid declining produc-
tivity, French wage growth had
been sustained at the expense of
profit margins, which in turn had
undermined the capacity of enter-
prises to innovate and remain com-
petitive in international markets.
The IMF called on France to
increase competition in product
and services markets to improve
competitiveness, and close the gap
with the periphery, which contin-
ued to implement painful austerity
measures in return for European
Union (EU) rescue loans.
The gap relative to European
trading partners in terms of cost
and non-cost competitiveness
remains a dampening factor and
ultimately a risk for macroeconom-
ic balances, the IMF said.
The external environment is
also changing rapidly with euro
area periphery countries registering
large competitiveness gains. A
powering up of the reforms
launched by the government in the
last six months is needed to close
this gap, then added.
Portugal and Greece posted the
biggest competitiveness gains com-
pared with their eurozone partners
in the 12 months to March, accord-
ing to ECB data. The competitive-
ness of Greece and Portugal gained
1.9 per cent and 1.8 per cent
respectively, followed by Ireland
with 1.2 per cent.
The IMF said French taxes
were already excessive, and urged
the country to focus budgetary
efforts on containing expenditure.
The recurrent use of revenue mea-
sures to fill budgetary gaps has not
only raised the overall tax burden
to excessive levels, but has also
undermined business and house-
hold confidence, it said.
European authorities have
issued repeated warnings that low
French competitiveness and high
government debt threaten the
eurozones single currency.
Last month, France was grant-
ed a two year extension to meet a 3
per cent EU deficit target. In
return, the European Commission
(EC) called for widespread pension
reforms, an increase in the retire-
ment age and a labour market
overhaul.
However, French president
Francois Hollandes responded to
the demands with a warning that it
should not dictate orders on how
France should run the economy.
As far as structural reforms are
concerned, especially pension
reforms, it is up to us, and us alone,
to say which is the best path to
attain this objective, he said.
The report on France comes a
day after the IMF cut Germanys
2013 growth prospects in half, as it
warned that the outlook for
Europes strongest economy could
worsen if a eurozone recovery fails
to materialise.
The IMF said falling business
investment and the eurozones
ongoing recession, which have
hampered German growth, meant
the economy would grow by just
0.3 per cent this year, compared
with an April estimate of 0.6 per
cent.
8hT Ih ThE kM
Residential house building
grew at the fastest pace for 26
months, after Government plans
unveiled in March to make it easier
to get a mortgage spurred a con-
struction drive.
The Governments attempts to
boost house building has given
months of lackluster growth a shot
in the arm, David Noble, head of
the Chartered Institute of
Purchasing & Supply said.
The house building boost lifted
the Markit/CIPS UK Construction
Purchasing Managers Index to 50.8
in May, from 49.4 in April, its high-
est level since October 2012.
Economists had expected Mays
reading to come in below the 50
level that divides growth from con-
traction. However, the market
highlighted that construction out-
put was still below the long-run
average of 53.9, while public
spending constraints would contin-
ue to drag on growth.
The continued decline in civil
engineering can be largely attrib-
uted to the lack of public sector
projects, which show no sign of
increasing. This, coupled with poor
performance in the commercial
sector, means house building alone
is driving industry growth, Noble
said.
Firms also put-off hiring, with
employment levels remaining stag-
nant in May, despite the improve-
ment in output. Nevertheless,
Tuesdays data will add to hopes
that a recovery in the construction
industry, which accounts for about
7 per cent of the UK gross domes-
tic product, is gaining traction after
years of decline.
Data for the first three months
of the year showed the volume of
construction output was at its low-
est level since the final three
months of 1998. Private-commer-
cial new work, which includes the
construction of factories, ware-
houses, schools and offices, is now
38 per cent below its 2008 peak,
according to the Office for
National Statistics.
Chancellor George Osborne
announced a series of measures to
support house building in the
March Budget, including help to
buy, where the Government pro-
vides a loan of up to 20 per cent of
the value of a new property, and
the extension of its Build to Rent
scheme, which encourages the
building of new homes for private
rent.
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Yol China
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SZZLERS
DSBELEF ZONE
Braying in lhe balcony
AMERCANPIE
S RAJA00FALAh
tIe pIoneer
The one thing that men and women
have in common ~ they both like
the company of men
~ Michael Douglas
sunday
magazino
l|it
!
GUESTCOLUMN
SZu Fh0 ChAh
T
he Belgian police have demanded that Lola, a the-
atre-starring donkey, be removed from the balcony
of a cultural centre in Brussels after neighbours com-
plained about her braying.
Lola is staying on the first-floor balcony while she
performs in a play at the Arab Cultural Centre, located
in the same building in the Belgian capital. Staff had
laid out straw and a bucket of water so she could get
some fresh air.
But police ordered Lolas keeper to move her
indoors after receiving complaints about the donkey
making too much noise.
Despite the police demands, Lola was still outside
on Friday, and the director of the cultural center was
angrily berating her neighbors for interfering.
I say to the neighbours, well done. What does it
matter to you? Hawa Djabili shouted to reporters and
passersby. Asked why the donkey was out, she replied:
Lola needed to breathe.
A spokesperson for the Brussels police said they
would return with animal welfare officers to remove
Lola if the centre did not comply with the order to keep
the donkey indoors.
The continued
decline in civil
engineering can
be largely
attributed to the
lack of public
sector projects,
which show no
sign of
increasing. This,
coupled with poor
performance in
the commercial
sector, means
house building
alone is driving
industry growth
Nood or spoody roorms
AP
AP
Y
ou have burned midnight oil so
that your child studies through
the night for his final exam.
Youve foregone that luxurious car and
a foreign assignment, just so your fami-
ly gets the best of everything. Youve
also, down the line, become complacent
about your own well-being. This isnt
the ideal situation, experts tell you.
They say its a healthy habit to do me
first-me first.
ME kh MY VkIE 8Y8TEM
This is typically seen with people
over the age of 40 years. Such people
think the time is right for them to
introspect whether they have compro-
mised with their principles and basic
value system. For instance, if youre the
law abiding righteous sorts who has
over time given in to corruption (jump-
ing a red light, bribing a policeman to
get out of a quandary) then you may
feel that youve compromised with your
own belief system. While its fine to
deal with personal monsters, one
shouldnt get too bogged down with
them, Jitendra Nath Bohra, a
Bangalore-based psychologist, tells you.
Bohra has recently submitted a propos-
al which deals with how one can main-
tain a healthy and sustaining relation-
ship with oneself.
For 39-year-old Neeti Thakur, the
realisation came early. We had gone to
a popular restaurant for a meal to cele-
brate our anniversary. Because it was
packed, we had a waiting of 25 minutes.
I had this sudden urge to jump the
queue. A quick call to the manager and
our seat was ready in five minutes.
Midway to dinner, my husband said, I
cant believe youre the same Neeti who
used to be the voice against favouritism
at one point. That night, I couldnt
sleep well trying to come to terms with
the person I had become, Thakur says.
She isnt the only one who faces this
crisis every now and then. Many of my
patients come with this complaint.
They start questioning their inner self.
They find it difficult to cope with what
they have become or what society has
made them. This isnt a problem. Its
only a state of mind. Its a good thing
that youve started questioning yourself.
Thats the only remedy, Bohra says.
ME kh MY 8Fk6E
The next common guilt factor that
comes to light while exploring relation-
ship with self is whether youre giving
time to yourself. Are you doing enough
for that or have you let personal self
take a backseat? Contrary to belief,
more men come with complaints
regarding space than the fairer sex.
Men find themselves in a spot, especial-
ly whenever theyre in a relationship (it
generally worsens with marriage and
fatherhood).
They feel they arent giving enough
time to their self. This is also a mind
condition that can be dealt by doing lit-
tle things. First, remove any doubt in
your mind that indulging in yourself is
bad. If youre a father, or a mother,
doesnt mean your life has stopped.
Balance is a key word here, Dr
Geetanjali Sharma, relationship experts
says. She tells you that in
many cases, she had to convince par-
ents that it was okay if they went out
for a movie together without taking
their children.
Sharma says, psychologically,
under-indulgence with self can have
serious repercussions, depression being
the worst fallout. Its like youve put
your own self in solitary confinement
you cant do this, that and the other.
It doesnt have to be that way. Each per-
son needs a breathing space for him-
self/herself and not allowing that can
have a huge number of side-effects,
Sharma says.
ME kh 6MFMI8E8
Its a fact that we value other rela-
tionships much more than we value
ourselves. But, does this compromise
end somewhere? There is nothing
wrong in making a compromise when
one is in a relationship. But like every-
thing else, there is a balance here too.
You cant and shouldnt forget your own
wants, Dr Abhishek Garg, senior con-
sultant psychiatrist with VIMHANS,
says. He tells you that this relationship
with self is probably the most impor-
tant one that needs to be kept intact.
Other things are subsidiary.
Anita Lokhande, a Maharashtrian
vegetarian Brahmin, didnt think twice
before cooking meat and fish for her
Bengali husband. It was a part and par-
cel of marriage, she kept telling herself.
But when she was asked to give up
being a vegetarian, she raised a hue and
cry. Lokhande knew where to draw the
line. But there are many others who
dont consider themselves that impor-
tant. If I dont expect my husband to
change his food preferences, why
should I do it myself? It is a small thing
but it matters. It isnt healthy to push
yourself into a corner. Because then,
when you go in for damage control, it
may be too late, Lokhande says, sum-
ming it up aptly.
FOODFORTHOUGHT
Ieeas s0ffer 4atIa vI0Ieace
A
recenl sludy has ound lhal
leens in a relalionshi wilh
daling violence are likely lo be
bolh a viclim and erelralor,
as oosed lo being jusl one or
lhe olher. Aboul 85 er cenl
reorled being lhe viclim o
daling violence and 81 er cenl
reorled being erelralors during lhe sludy eriod. n lhe sludy,
bolh boys and girls exeriencing daling violence reorled an increase
in sychological comlainls and deressive symloms. 0irls
involved in daling violence also reorled more hysical comlainls
lhan girls nol involved in daling violence.
W
hen 33-year-old Suman
Lata got a call from an
insurance company last week,
that they were offering a 50 per
cent discount plus the benefit of
no-claim bonus, she was not sure
whether she should go for this
offer. Of course, the person at the
other end of the line said that the
payment has to be made before
May 31, 2013, otherwise the per-
centage of discount will go down.
Usually such offers always have a
hidden agenda and in the end it
is the customer who ends up pay-
ing a heavy price.
An advertisement on TV also
says how many companies are
offering discounts on renewals
and that one must compare the
various offers rather than sticking
to one company. Industry experts
tell you that the reason why com-
panies are doing this is because
they want to retain their
renewals. What should people
like Suman late do in such a sce-
nario? Whats the catch and why
are insurance companies making
these offers?
When a customer pays post
dated cheque (PDC) the proba-
bility of the customer moving to
other players reduces to great
extent. The PDC also gives insur-
ance companies assurance of
business placed with them, Niraj
Jain, CEO and principal officer
with insurancemall.in a Mumbai-
based company says adding that
a PDC may help customer not
only to get some instant dis-
counts but it will also save the
last minute renewal hurry.
However, customer also run risk
of missing any existing offers in
virtue of small instant discount.
Agrees Yashish Dahiya
founder and CEO
PolicyBazaar.com. Competition
and entry of new players are the
prime reasons for insurers to
offer discounts on car insurance.
With an aspiration to capture
large chunks of the market share,
insurers are becoming more
aggressive on pricing and inter-
nally increase efficiency. In this
respect, the online space is look-
ing to becoming more relevant as
it involves virtually no paperwork
or the physical need of an agent,
Dahiya explains.
But one has to understand
that while companies like Bharti
Axa Car Insurance that is offer-
ing a 50 per cent discount and
ICICI offering around 30 per
cent discount, the percentage of
rebate that a company offers
greatly depends on the type of
car one has. In other words, if a
person has a Santro, the amount
of deduction offered by an insur-
ance company on it may be dif-
ferent in case he owned a Honda
City.
Even though there are many
insurance companies which are
offering big discounts, the remis-
sion does vary from vehicle to
vehicle. The only rider in such
cases, where 50 per cent discount
is given is that there can be high-
er deductibles and less coverage
when it comes to third party
insurance Jain tells you.
Though there isnt an ulterior
motive involves as such, though
its advisable for consumers to be
cautious about sharing their
details while purchasing car
insurance. Cases may occur
where an agent offers additional
discounts by putting in the wrong
details. For instance, in case of
companies offering discounts on
the basis of age, the agent mis-
quotes your age leading to your
claim being rejected, Dahiya
cautions.
So, how does the entire sys-
tem of giving such huge dis-
counts work? An overall dis-
count on car insurance is based
on various factors including loss
ratio and claim frequency.
Discounts are calculated
based on the data
collected from each
Regional Transport
Office or zone and
for every car on
the roads. This is
the reason why
its possible for a
specific car
model to not
have the same
discount from
an insurer across
India. In addition to these, dis-
counts are also being offered
based on parameters like age and
profession. An unique initiative
now has companies basing their
discounts by analysing peoples
driving skills. Hence, for exam-
ple, if a person is in age group
45-60, companies offer discount
up to 10 per cent as the chances
of a person causing accident in
this age group is less, Dahiya
tells you.
For now, there are no addi-
tional benefits being offered by
leading insurers while renewing
the policy. This is inclusive of
there being cases where no claims
have been made. The best option
for a consumer is to make an
informed decision on the founda-
tion of his requirement, based on
a comparison of the various
options available from leading
insurers.
Hence, its important that
the owner whether purchasing a
new policy or renewing an old
one, its crucial to understand all
aspects of your car insurance pol-
icy including the various dis-
counts on offer. Many a times it
may happen that an agent sells
you an affordable policy which
compromises on its features,
Dahiya advises.
Another thing to keep in
mind is to check for additional
add-on benefits available with
most insurers that can help
enhance the coverage without
significantly increasing the pre-
mium.
tIe pIoneer 've seen marriages destroyed by
gossip. t is cruel. 've been affected
by gossip and know people who
have been too
~ Jada Smith
sunday
magazino
lJmil;
l
F
lorida State University (FSU)
released the results of a report
of five studies which concluded
that individuals who prayed for a
close friend or romantic partner
were less vengeful and more co-
operative. Weve objective mea-
sures to show that colloquial, inter-
cessory prayer focused on the part-
ner changes observable behaviour,
Dr Frank D Fincham of FSU, said.
In prior research, when partic-
ipants were asked to pray as they
usually do, their relationship
behaviour didnt differ from those
asked to think positive thoughts
about their partner.
If there was any surprise, it
was in relation to this finding, Dr
Fincham added.
The debate over the secular
benefits of prayer has been a long-
standing controversy, with differing
opinions over how prayer can
affect physical and mental health.
Roy Speckhardt, executive director,
American Humanist Association,
told The Christian Post that there
are some intrinsic benefits to
thoughtful contemplation which
sometimes shows positive results
for activities like prayer and medi-
tation.
The syndrome o , me,
mysel is nol a
narcissislic one aler all.
we squirmed when Foo
o Kabhi Khushi Kabhi
0ham wenl ' love
mysel'. Bul whal is
wrong wilh lhal? There's
always lime lo inlrosecl
whelher you have
comromised wilh your
belie and yoursel.
Exerls lell you il is okay
lo exlore and indulge in
lhis relalionshi wilh
yoursel every once
in a while.
0EEBAShREE M0hAhTY
lells you more
Many comanies have slarled giving huge discounls on car insurance lo relain renewals i lhe
cuslomer gives F0Cs. ShALh SAKSEhA seaks lo induslry exerls lo lell you lhal by doing
so, nol only does lhe owner gel beneils, he also saves on lhe laslminule hurry
Qwhile urchasing a new olicy
or renewing an old one, il is
crucial lo undersland all asecls
o your car insurance olicy
including lhe various discounls
on oer. Many a limes il may
haen lhal an agenl sells you an
aordable olicy which
comromises on ils ealures
QConlinuily o molor insurance
is kel lo enjoy 'ho Claim Bonus'
and beller coverage
QEnsure lhe nsured 0eclared
value (0v) is as er markel
slandards. very less 0v will
bring lhe remium down bul your
car will be under insured.
Similarly very high 0v is also nol
helul
QEnsure all lhe addons like
eleclronic ilems, (inbuill or
exlernal) and lhe biuel kil are
covered in lhe olicy
Q lhe vehicle is less lhan ive
years in age lhen /ero
derecialion add
on covers are
also lo look
or
Pl|lS l P|ER
Go for this bargain
T'S LKE Y0u'vE FuT
Y0uRSELF h
S0LTARY
C0hFhEMEhT - Y0u
CAh'T 00 ThS, ThAT
Ah0 ThE 0ThER. T
00ESh'T hAvE T0 BE
ThAT wAY. EvERY
FERS0h hEE0S A
BREAThh0 SFACE F0R
hMSELF/hERSELF Ah0
h0T ALL0wh0 ThAT
CAh hAvE hu0E S0E
EFFECTS
ME IE T hkFFIhE88
Q0on'l eel guilly aboul indulging in
yoursel
QFursue a hobby
QMake small changes aboul yoursel bul
be careul where lo draw lhe line
QLislen lo yoursel beore making a
decision
Q0on'l eel guilly aboul saying no lo
somelhing you don'l wanl lo do
QTake a break rom slress and do
somelhing lhal you enjoy
Ql is good lo queslion your aclions
QSlarl looking inwards or answers lo
whal you have become
QAlways remember, il is never loo lale lo
slarl lhis relalionshi wilh yoursel
QEveryone needs and deserves sace. So
do you
QResecl your sel so lhal eole resecl
you loo
P|+] |u| + |+pp] |l+|iu||ip
A
propos Has he run out of cement? by
Kumar Chellappan in Foray dated June 2,
2013. The article has rightly pointed out
that cricket is not Srinivasans first love and his
entry into cricket was purely because he wanted
his business to prosper through that connection.
Now, when writing is on the wall for him, he
doesnt want to resign proves the point. Such is
his height of arrogance that he wants his men to
be appointed for the vacant posts before he
decides to resign. Actually he is more worried
about his franchisee CSK than cricket or the
damaged reputation of the game in the country.
The spot fixing in IPL this season has exposed
the true colours of how Board Of Control For
Cricket In India is run and how our cricket
bosses use it as their own fiefdom.
Bal Govind
A
propos Dont treat mental health as a
Cinderella service by Shalini Saksena in
Foray dated June 2, 2013. it is true that mental
distress exists everywhere. Unfortunately, in our
country, every person who has a mental
problem is considered mad and looked with
suspicion. The fact that a British psychologist
Claudia Hammond traveled to India
and studied the problems means that
Indians are still struggling to deal
with the situation. Hammond is
correct when she says that there is still
a big difference between care available
in cities and rural areas. There is a
huge shortage of psychiatrists and
students who wish to be trained.
Sunil Sharma
T
his refers to Right law, wrong move
by Devi Cherian in Foray June 2,
2013. Women often file FIRs alleging
harassment over dowry and seeking the
return of the gifts received at the time of
marriage. Though dowry is banned, gifts
are still very much on offer. A woman can
file the case under the Protection of
Women from Domestic Violence Act. But
it has been found that women often misuse
these laws to settle a score with the husband
and or the in-laws. Laws are made to
protect, any law that is wrongfully used for
ones advantage is not good. At the end, it
denies women who genuinely need a redress
under the law.
Mahesh Kapasi
T
his refers to For a better future by
Chandrabhan Prasad in Foray dated June 2,
2013. It is hard to agree with the writers view
that migration to the industrial cities is a
solution of the woes of the tribals. Development
of the tribal areas can solve the problems. Not
only civic amenities but opportunity of
employment also must be provided to them in
their areas. But as the writer has mentioned,
some anti-national elements are scaring the
tribals from walking the path of progress.
Many State Governments particularly, the
Raman Singh Government in Chhattisgarh
has done very good work in the tribal areas.
But these efforts of development have not
gone down well with Maoists, the self-styled
champions of the tribals. Tribals must
understand that Maoists have nothing to do
with their welfare because they have their
own political agenda. The recent attack on
the leaders in the State is proof of their
dangerous design. However elected
Governments too need to do more in
tribal areas in order to strengthen their faith in
the Indian democracy.
Manoj Parashar
T
his refers to Mulayam weighing options
carefully by Hari Shankar Vyas in Foray
dated June 2, 2013. With the-2014 Lok Sabha
round the corner, the political pundits have
taken to speculating about the countrys future
given the kaleidoscopically changing scenario in
politics. The sword of Damocles is constantly
hanging over the UPA-II after a few of its
alliance partners withdrew their support placing
the ruling coalition at the the mercy of the
Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party.
Mulayam Singh Yadav and Behenji find there no
use causing the pre-ponement of the elections at
this juncture when only a few months are left for
the General Elections. Therefore, it is not
surprising that names of Defence Minister AK
Antony, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh
Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Chief Minister of
Gujarat Narendra Modi are in the air. In such a
situation, Mulayam Singh stands a good chance
of being the king-maker or being the king
himself at the Center. Rukhsana Khan
T
he Maoist attack on
Congress leaders in
Chhattisgarh has left the
party shaken. Hence, the
party has been holding
meetings on how to tackle
the situation seriously.
Discussions were held at
length during the Congress
core committee meeting a
couple of weeks back and,
last week, at the UPA-II co-
ordination committee meet.
Sources say that the
Congress is looking at all
options and strategies that
can be used to confront
Maoists in the region. The
strategy that has been put
forth by senior party leader
Digvijay Singh and Rural
Development Minister
Jairam Ramesh was
discussed at length.
There was a consensus
among the Congress and its
alliance partners that
Finance Minister P
Chidambarams plan should
be implemented rather than
what Digvijay or Ramesh
had to say.
Almost all leaders were
of the view that operations
against Maoists in Andhra
and West Bengal were quite
successful. In fact,
Operation Green Hunt had
started against Maoists
when Chidambaram was
Home Minister and Maoists
in West Bengal were wiped
out.
For now, the Congress
High Command and
alliance partners are in
agreement with
Chidambarams plan.
But an all-
party
meeting will
be held soon
to evolve a
consensus.
Sources say,
the BJP and other
political parties are in
favour of direct action. So,
the UPA-II Government
is not likely to face any
roadblocks.
E8TIh Mkk
The CPI MP
Gurudas Dasgupta has
raised a question Can
different set of actions be
taken against two
people for the
same crime? His
question is in reference to
former Law Minister
Ashwini Kumar and
attorney general GE
Vahanvati.
Dasgupta has alleged
that, as Law Minister, if
Kumar had seen the CBI
report on coalgate, then
Vahanvati in his capacity as
attorney general had also
seen the report and made
suggestions. According to
Dasgupta, if Ashwinis
resignation can be sought,
why not Vahanvatis?
In fact, Dasgupta has
written to Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh
demanding Vahanvatis
removal. For Dasgupta, the
crime committed by
Vahanvati is more serious as
he is the attorney general.
Dasgupta has alleged
that it was Vahanvati who
had suggested to Kumar to
call a meeting with CBI
counsel Harin P Raval,
CBI investigating officers,
Joint Secretary from the
Ministry of Coal and
officials from the
Prime Ministers
Office.
It appears the Dasgupta
wants the entire issue
around coalgate to be
investigated properly.
WIh ThE 86s
The Samajwadi Party is
doing its best to prove that
their neta SP chief
Mulayam Singh Yadav is
the real messiah of the
backward classes. The SP
Government in Uttar
Pradesh is
withdrawing
all
pending
cases against
the Muslim
youth facing
terror
charges. The
party is also
organising Press
meets in the
State to woo
Other Backward
Classes (OBCs).
These meets
are being held at district and
sub-division levels. In fact,
for some time now, the SP
had been only wooing the
Muslims and Brahmins. This
made the Yadavs and OBCs
unhappy. Information came
to the SP that the Brahmins
were not likely to vote the SP.
So, obviously, the SP has
to win back its OBC
votebank. Hence the
conferences, rallies and
meets at regular intervals at
all levels in UP.
Party insiders say that
the reason for such meets is
to send a message that the
SP is a friend of the OBCs.
The aim is to ensure that
Mulayam becomes the next
Prime Minister.
6k8hIh Ih h 8h8
The Congress, it is
learnt, is all set to take
advantage of the martyrdom
of its leaders killed in the
Maoist attack in
Chhattisgrah a few weeks
back. The party has
announced that it will start
its parivartan yatra from the
spot (Jiram Ghati) where its
leaders were massacred. It is
rumoured that the yatra will
have a new name it may
be named after one of the
slain leaders.
Sources say that sons of
the slain leaders
Mahendra Karmas son
Deepak, Nandkumar
Patels son Umesh Patel
and former MLA
Uday Mudaliars son
Jitendra Mudaliar
will be part of the yet
to be named yatra. The
Congress hopes to gain
sympathy votes that may
be riding of these three
young leaders.
While the State party
president may have a
different take on this, the
Congress has made up its
mind to go ahead with its
plan. Probably, the leaders
are expecting to break the
BJP votebank with this
move.
There are reports that
Deepak, Umesh and
Jitendra will be given tickets
to fight from their fathers
constituency. Deepak may
fight from Dantewada,
Jitendra from Rajnandgaon
and Umesh from Kharsia.
The Congress is
expecting a lot from these
three young leaders.
kE1IWkI Ik6T
In Delhis politics,
Arvind Kejriwal plays an
interesting role. The BJP
and the Congress are
criticising him. The BJP
says that Kejriwal is
Congresss Plan B and the
Congress says that Kejriwal
is Plan B for the BJP.
While, most people will
feel the heat from the two
biggest national parties,
Kejriwal is least bothered. In
fact, he is very happy
because he will steadily
gaining ground with the
Congress and the BJPs
traditional voters.
It is said that Kejriwals
Aam Admi Party (AAP) has
managed to lure the jhuggi
dwellers and auto-taxi
drivers (Congress voters)
and middle class (BJP
voters) on its side.
This is probably the first
time when there is a third
challenger in Delhis
politics.
Ik8T kh II8
There are reports that
Anna Hazare will start his
campaign demanding the
Lokpal Bill from November.
This time, he will sit on a
fast-unto-death. Anna has
timed the place and time of
the fast perfectly. Delhis
Assembly elections are
scheduled for November.
Exactly a month before the
elections, Anna will sit
on a fast at Ramlila
Maidan in the Capital.
The timing of the fast
could not be better for
Annas disciple and AAP
founder Arvind Kejriwal
who will be fighting the
election for the first time.
Kejriwal has
announced that he will
stand against Delhi
Chief Minister Sheila
Dikshit. And if Anna
sits on fast at that time
Dikshit and the Congress
may face problems. It is
said that AAP supporters
may back Annas movement.
No price for guessing who
will benefit if Anna goes on
fast during Kejriwals
campaign.
However, Anna has
already said that he will
campaign for Kejriwal.
M0sIas fr0m a vIIIae
Ia the hIIIs
A
s a young boy I grew up in villages. I also attended
boarding school in a hill station. All that was a long
time ago. Amidst the slow pace of life in a village up in the
hills around Mukteshwar in Uttarakhand, I am reminded of
the past with village and hills rolled into a compact little
package. Nostalgia is imbued with sentiment. Regular city
life with its cut and thrust imperatives, assaults the senses
and deadens them. In fact the shutting out of sentiment
and nostalgia is a coping strategy. It is how we deal with
the rough edge of competitive existence, since we are con-
tinually required to prove ourselves better than others,
simply because that is the inexorable and unchallenged
logic of our participation in urban society. Here up in the
hills, the senses awaken, alert to the inconsequential, like
the little sounds by tiny birds, the gentle rustling of fallen
leaves, the haunting whistle of the breeze as it dances
through sharp pine needles, and of course the almost mad-
dening buzz of hill flies that assuredly are more insistent
than insurance salespeople.
I for one have never romanticised village life. Last
November I was in a Bengal village to be a part of my
maids wedding. The pristine south 24-paragana surround-
ings at the edge of the Sunderbans were enchanting, but
more haunting was the decrepit state of affairs of the vil-
lage folk, with zero economic surplus, and the resultant
ignominy of enforced migration as a wage workers. My
present station is happier. It has successfully excavated nos-
talgia and sentiment from the deep recesses of my memo-
ries of a past that I not only cherished, but one which, I
must confess, has had a fundamental role in shaping my
being. The primary importance in my present station is
people. Work is secondary to personal relationships. The
source from which all else follows, even commerce, is how
you relate to the people around you.
The village where I am resident (in a cottage built up
from ground up) is not entirely non-prosperous. The land
is fertile, the trees droop from the weight of fruit, mainly
apricot, peaches and pears. On very flat stretches, you see
little white flowers dance, trapping under them the secrets
of a healthy potato crop (the famous Haldwani potato).
Wheat and rice are grown in patches. Cows provide milk.
The stores have pretty much everything. Six kilometers
away is a little township called Batalia (from where you
turn for a 6.5 km drive up to Mukteshwar). Meats and
other provisions are aplenty in Batalia. Thanks to
Uttrankhands intelligent power policies, electricity supply
here is better than what it is in Gurgaon. And some vil-
lagers have pooled resources to build a little dam uphill
from where water is abundantly sourced around the village.
By the way, the sarkari supply works too, but the private
arrangement is more reliable. So this is a village where life
is not too tough. The weather is bracing, kids go to school,
the fruit business keeps loads of people occupied, and bird-
song fills the valleys.
With the material aspect of life adequately compensat-
ed for, the mind bends to the luxury of the natural beauty
and the quality of human communion. The unhurried pace
of every little thing, like waiting with a smile for a mini
truck to unload before the narrow single lane road can
allow you to pass. By sharing warm tea with the people
(labour force in urban vocabulary) engaged to work on
flattening you land to create terraces for plantation. You
pay them and yet you share a commonality of presence
when you sit and eat and talk together. Labour does not
create hierarchy; it is merely an important necessity. People
who walk by drop in bushels of fruit. It is their house-
warming gift.
Plucking fruit, or even asking for some from lots that
are being loaded onto trucks are not considered rude. I
have been encouraged by a landlady to pluck the choicest
plums from her orchard every time I have trekked past her
property. Money is important to people here. And there is
native cunning when it comes to negotiating work. Yet, it is
not the defining index of life in these hills. I am learning
more these days than I have in some time now.
Wo havo playod oaoh othor
so many timos that thoro aro
roally no soorots botwoon
oaoh othor in torms o our
gamo stylos and what wo do
woll and not
Pu$$|AN TENN|$ FLAYEP HAP|A
$hAPAF0VA 0h AuSTRALlAh 0PEh
ClAVPl0h VlCT0RlA AZAREhKA
Sikh youth aro boing trainod in
S aoilitios in Pakistan.
ntorrogations havo rovoalod uso
o |ailod oadros, unomployod
youth, oriminals & smugglors or
aoilitating torror attaoks
h0HE H|N|$TEP $u$h|LKuHAP $h|NE
SAl0 PAKlSTAh'S lhTERSERVlCES
lhTELLl0EhCE lSl} A0EhCY lS TRAlhlh0
SlKl Y0uTl T0 REVlVE VlLlTAhCY
Sho's not going out. Sho's
going to bo liko Papunzol up
in tho towor. To havo a
daughtor is a wholo dioront
thing
$000EP FLAYEP AV| 8E0KhAH
0h llS 0Au0lTER lARPER wl0V
lE w0h'T LET 0ATE wlEh SlE
0R0wS uP
Readers can email us on sundayio@gmail.com
Clant for all-out assault on Maoists rises
SUNDAYGUPSHUP
OUOTEARREST
hAR ShAhKAR vYAS
TALKTME
0EBRAJ M00KERJEE
T
ere |s a slrorg poss|o|||l] lal a reW po||l|ca| lrorl W||| oe
crealed |r 8|ar. C|el V|r|sler h|l|s Kurar's opporerls
are cor|rg logeler lo lorr l|s lrorl. loWever, a s|r||ar
allerpl ad oeer rade |r le pasl Wer arl|h|l|s
|eaders ad core logeler aller |eav|rg le Jarala
0a|ur|led J0u}.
uperdra KusWaa, Wo ad qu|l J0 u} ard
|s Raj]a Saoa seal |asl 0eceroer, l|oaled |s
oWr parl], le Raslr|]a Lo| Sarala Parl] RLSP},
aooul lree rorls oac|. Forrer Jearaoad VP
Arur Kurar ard lorrer VLA Sal|s Kurar
ave jo|red RLSP. Te lWo ave lrave||ed
exlers|ve|] |r 8|ar ard W||| o|d a ra||] |r
Palra soor.
8ul roW, lese |eaders are orce
aga|r lr]|rg lo lorr a reW lrorl so lal
le] car ra|e le|r Wa] |rlo J0 u}'s
oac|Ward c|ass vole oar|. Forrer J0 u}
gerera| secrelar] Sarou Sarar
Sr|vaslav as la|er le respors|o|||l] lo
lorr l|s reW parl].
A c|ose a|de ol 0eorge Ferrardes, Sarar as
oeer oul ol le po||l|ca| scerar|o lor sore l|re.
hoW, e |s oac| W|l a slraleg] lo or|rg a||
arl|h|l|s |eaders urder ore urore||a. Aparl
lror Kurar ard KusWaa, 8rararard
Varda| lorrer Lo| Saoa reroer} W||| a|so oe a parl
ol l|s lrorl.
Al le l|re ol e|ecl|or, l|s lrorl W||| lorr ar
a|||arce W|l le parl] W|c car ousl
h|l|s Kurar.
RESPONSESECTION
For hor, this ilm will bo vory
important booauso tho way Amit
Saxona will prosont, nobody would
bo ablo to do that. 'm oonidont
that ator this ilm, sho'll havo a
vory bright uturo ahoad
F|LHHAKEP HuKE$h 8hATT 0h
0lRECT0R AVlT SAXEhA'S uPC0Vlh0
V0VlE 4'9.' wllCl lE FEELS wlLL 8E A
LAh0VARK V0VlE F0R P00hAV PAh0EY
A |Ew P|lllCA| |R|l!
tIe pIoneer
Courage was not the absence of
fear, but the triumph over it. Brave
man is not he who is not afraid, but
he who conquers that fear
~ Nelson Mandela
sunday
magazino
lJ||lt

L
et me recall a discussion I recently had
on welfare schemes for Dalits with an
IAS officer who belonged to the upper
caste. The officer argued that support the
Dalit students be given in kind books
and stationery, not in cash. According to
him, Dalits cant handle cash. If the money
is given to students, they will spend it on
clothes and shoes rather than on books. If
the money is given to the mother, it may
be spent on buying household items. If
given to the father, he may either gamble it
or buy liquor.
A similar debate took place at the
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) when
an upper caste activist/student leader had
criticised Dalits student who had been
given fellowship. With the money, the
Dalits were buying ice-creams. The uni-
versity was originally a research-oriented
institution where fellowships were com-
mon. Many students who belonged to the
upper caste were also given fellowships.
Many bought motorbikes with scholarship
money. I, too, bought a scoter with schol-
arship money.
Scholarships and fellowships are
meant to support students. To name a few
needs, a student has to buy books and sta-
tionery, clothes, food, accommodation,
transport and places where he can go and
entertain himself. Then why, though well
intended, do people from the upper caste
only talk of how Dalits will spend money
on other things if they are given cash.
Be it an IAS officers or a student
activist, how they typecast Dalits/tribals is
often puzzling.
Take the case of Naxalites in tribal
areas. Why should the these people, who
most often are not even tribals, leave
Andhra Pradesh and roam in the forest
seeking a revolution? Why should these
people want to create a separate Telangana
in Andhra Pradesh or for that matter
demand a separate region in Chhattisgarh
and Jharkhand? Why cant they let the
tribals fight their own battle? Tribal lead-
ers know better what is good for their peo-
ple.
Let us debate the classic case of
National Scheduled Caste Finance and
Development Corporation (NSFDC). Set
up in 1989 by the Centre to eradicate
poverty of Dalits/tribals through entrepre-
neurship. To begin with, the NSFDC also
helped the tribals. But by an order by the
Centre, there was a bifurcation of the
NSFDC into two separate corporations
(one each for SCs & STs). The existing
NSFDC is now functioning exclusively for
the development of the Scheduled Castes
with effect from April 10, 2001.
The NSFDC can give a loan of up to
C30 lakh to a Dalit entrepreneur. Since its
inception in1989, not a single loan has
been disbursed to any Dalit entrepreneur.
The reason behind the failure of the
scheme is equally puzzling. The eligibility
criteria is such that a loan cant be given to
a Dalit if his annual income in the rural
area is above C81,000 and C1.03 lakh in
urban area. In other words, A Dalit mak-
ing more than C6,750 a month, in the vil-
lage, is not entitled to a loan.
The question is will a Dalit who
earns C6,750 a month ever apply for loan
of C30 lakh? Needless to say, the above
scheme was conceived by a well-intended
upper caste officer.
Take the case Mid Day Meal Scheme
(MDMS). I havent seen any Dalit asking
for MDMS and I have also not met a Dalit
who appreciates the scheme either. Most
Dalit I have spoke to, say that schools
where such schemes are in place have
turned into eateries. Slates have been
replaced by Plates, commented a Dalit
school teacher in Uttar Pradesh. Needless
to say, the NSFDC was conceived by upper
caste officers.
Take the case of no fail idea of educa-
tion activists. Students dont given an
exam till they are in Class VIII. Students
are promoted to the next class and no one
fails. As a result, a great number of stu-
dents cant read or write even though they
are in Class VIII. A good number of stu-
dents drop out. Many dont get admission
in Class IX as most schools fear bad
results in Class X board. Needless to say,
the well-meaning upper caste officer start-
ed the no fail campaign get their children
admitted to public schools where children
are tested on a weekly basis.
For the past few years, I have been
working with Dalit Indian Chambers of
Commerce & Industry (DICCI ) which
has a slogan be job giver, not a job
seeker. We are trying to bring in Dalit
youth into our fold so that dependence on
jobs is reduced thus opening a new career
option. Many upper caste people working
for the uplift of Dalits have taken offense
to our effort. To them, it will be unwise for
Dalits to become businessmen.
Earlier, we had a campaign where all
Dalits were motivated to learn English and
send their children to English medium
schools. Many upper caste people who
have the best interest at heart for the
Dalits were upset. They think that the
community is creating an elite class within
the group. My question is should Dalits
remain underdogs forever?
This of course, doesnt mean that there
are no well-meaning people who belong to
the upper caste who dont want the Dalits
to progress. It also doesnt mean that these
people should stop working in Dalits
interest. The point here is that upper caste
people working for Dalits should listen to
what the Dalits have to say and respect
their opinion. After all dalits know what
they need the most and when.
Since the upper caste ignores the Dalit
viewpoint, they end up making policies
that hurt Dalit/tribal. Thankfully, Dalits
have closed their doors to what the upper
caste has to say. Sadly, they have found
taken up the cause for the tribals who will
end up paying a heavy price.
It is time that the upper caste starts lis-
tening to what tribals/Dalits have to say.
Pro|oot that stands
tall with Evorost?
I
was looking at those amazing pictures of Hillary and Tenzing, and I
could see how the news must have broken over London like a thunder-
clap. Just imagine. The beautiful young Queen is on the verge of being
crowned. After years of post-war privation the country is already buzzing
and then word comes from Kathmandu, a coded message that takes
two days to arrive.
For millions, if not billions, of years, Mount Everest has been the
highest place on Earth, a sacred and implacable place, a white goddess of
the clouds; and in all that time no human being has ever set foot on its
summit until today. Today, the people hear that a team of alpinists has
made it, and, by Jove, they are British! Well, one of them is a New
Zealander and the other is Nepalese, but the expedition is British, all
right. Hooray! After all the anxiety of the Second World War, after all that
feeling that we werent quite up to it any more there we were, literally
and figuratively on top of the world. I looked at those photos of the sum-
miteers, and I wished I had been around to feel that surge of collective
serotonin, the incredulous pride. And then I wondered about our genera-
tion, and I asked myself: How do we top Everest? I mean, at some stage in
the dim, distant future, there will be a new coronation, of a new monarch
and I wonder what kind of simultaneous triumph we can pull off?
What deed will Britons do, to show their new king that they still have
the mettle? What feat can we perform? Theres no point in looking to
Everest, because the noble peak seems to have become part of the back-
packers trail, swarming with gap yah students and teams from the local
pub. The Hillary Step is so congested that they are thinking of installing a
ladder. In fact, there are so many octogenarians climbing Everest to raise
money for the church roof that they might as well fit one of those chair-
lifts you see in colour supplements.
As a monument to derring-do, Everest no longer qualifies; so what
does that leave? We have plumbed the sea; we have probed the darkest
recesses of the rainforest; we have circumnavigated the globe even now
there are probably gap yah students criss-crossing the oceans blindfolded
in a pedalo to raise money for some good cause or other.
Perhaps we should make sure a Briton is on the next trip to Mars
(and perhaps we could all club together to sponsor Ed Balls). Or instead,
perhaps we should concentrate on the amazing things we are already
doing, and that we hardly even notice things right under our feet.
Last week, I went to see the Crossrail excavations at Canary Wharf,
four years after we had officially got them going, and I remembered how
fragile the project had seemed. There was a time when we had to fight for
Crossrail, when senior Cabinet Ministers were denouncing it as a mad
plan to build a pointless trench across London. It was an easy way to save
16 billion, they said. Axe it now, they said, and no one will even miss it.
Well, thank heavens we didnt listen to that guff. Crossrails tunnel is
now a giant and growing fact, that will revolutionise east-west transit in
the greatest city on earth, pinging you from Heathrow to the City in about
half an hour. Its fast air-conditioned network will run from Maidenhead
in the west to Shenfield in the east.
Crossrail will increase Londons rail capacity by about 10 per cent, and
generate an estimated 42 billion worth of growth across the country.
Even in its construction phase, Crossrail is good for the whole of Britain.
Of its 1,600 contracts, 62 per cent have gone to firms outside London
more than half of them small and medium enterprises (SMEs). There are
bridges from Shropshire, cranes from Derbyshire, grouting from
Coventry, piling from Oldham, lifts from Preston and vast quantities of
lubrication from Bournemouth. The project is responsible for about
55,000 jobs across the country, and it would have been utter insanity to
cancel it not just because of the jobs it creates, but because it is essen-
tial if we are to cope with the demands on our transport network.
London will have a million more people in the next 10 years, and
without Crossrail the Central line would become so packed and overheat-
ed that it would not be fit, under EU rules, for the transport of live ani-
mals. It is a vivid and powerful lesson in the vital importance of investing
in transport infrastructure, and of driving on ruthlessly with essential
schemes: The Tube upgrades, new river crossings, Crossrail Two, and oth-
ers. They are not just good for London, but for the whole of Britain.
And yet none of these Crossrail statistics do justice to what is being
achieved. When Patrick McLoughlin, the Secretary of State for Transport,
and I went into the new station box at Canary Wharf, I felt a sense of
primeval awe, like a Neanderthal stumbling into the gloom of Lascaux. It
is akin to a gigantic subterranean cathedral several times the size of
Chartres. The boring machine is like a colossal steel-toothed remora or
lamprey, grinding her way through the clay.
I stood beneath her jaws, and fingered some of that thick black
Bournemouth lube, and they told me how the machine had driven with
such accuracy that when she entered the station box she was only 5 mm
off target. This is the biggest engineering project in Europe, an amazing
advertisement for British construction; and when you look at it you won-
der why we are sometimes so prone to self-doubt.
When the next coronation rolls round, we wont need a new moun-
tain to climb. Well have the joy and excitement of Crossrail Two, as she
chomps her way from Hackney to Chelsea; and unlike climbing Everest,
the scheme will be of practical benefit to all.
In the meantime, we need a proper name for Crossrail, the vast new
line on Londons underground network and who better to give her
name to that line than someone who has served her country so unfailing-
ly and well for 60 years? Cuu||] +il] ll|+p|
Ih rIce t0 ay
DALTDARY
ChAh0RABhAh FRASA0
GUESTCOLUMN
B0RS J0hhS0h
I
f there are rumblings of the
formation of a Third Front, it
means that elections are def-
initely round the cor-
ner. It has, by now,
become a norm.
All political par-
ties begin to
examine options
in the event of a
post-poll alliance.
So it is expected
that Samajwadi
Party chief Mulayam
Singh Yadav has
initiated talks of
forming a Third
Front prior to the
2014 Lok Sabha
elections. Of
course, it is quite
a different mat-
ter that he is
working on this
possibility with an
eye on the
Prime
Ministers chair.
Mulayam,
rather critical of
Bihar Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar due to
his cosying up
to the
Congress,
sprang a surprise
when he changed tack. In a state-
ment, he was all praise for the
Bihar Chief Minister. Perhaps, he
has an eye on roping in the
Janata Dal (United) leader into
his conglomeration for a viable
alternative to the UPA.
However, Mulayams plans of
an alternative Government
at the Centre are a part of
the post-poll scenario.
Although the Left is scep-
tical of Mulayams designs,
the SP chief is relent-
lessly making efforts
to realise his political
ambition that of
becoming the Prime
Minister. He has
already installed son
Akhilesh Yadav as Uttar
Pradesh Chief
Minister. Now, it
is up to the party-
men to ensure that
netaji sits on the
Prime Ministers
chair.
In the past, even
former Chief
Minister
Mayawati had hit
upon the idea of
assuming power at
the Centre, thanks to
the Left party leaders
who raised the political
ambitions of behenji.
Contrary to all
political equa-
tions, the BSP
leaders elevation
to the post of Prime Minister
turned out to be a fallacy. Now
the SP leaders are keeping their
fingers crossed as netaji is busy
working on permutations and
combinations.
Even as the chorus is grow-
ing louder in the BJP ranks
regarding Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modis candidature as
Prime Minister, Mulayam is
focusing on his plans of roping in
JD (U) since there is opposition
within NDA regarding Modis
candidature. Although the
Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief
Ajit Singh is known for changing
parties to bargain for a berth in
the Cabinet, the SP can even
include the RLD in the event of a
post poll alliance.
Political observers believe
that talks of a Third Front have
only turned out to be a political
ritual. The BJP is fully geared up
to replace the UPA-II in the 2014
Lok Sabha elections and has,
therefore, dismissed the possibili-
ty of a Third Front. The party
has said that the formation of the
Third Front is just Mulayams
imagination in an effort towards
realising his goal of being in
power at the Centre.
IE88h8 I kkhIIE8h?
Mulayam doesnt hesitate in
giving advice to his son Chief
Minister Akhilesh Yadav. Of
course, we all know that
Mulayam has pulled up his son
in public umpteen number of
times. He has even asked him to
improve the performance of his
Government. However, recently,
Mulayam asked the media to
highlight Akhilesh Yadav
Governments achievements on
the lines of Bihar Chief
Minister Nitish Kumar.
Mulayam was quick
to point out
that if Nitish
Kumar can do
what he did in
Bihar, son son
Akhilesh can do
the same in
Uttar Pradesh.
Mulayam
Singhs statement
that had he been
in the Chief
Ministers chair he would
have improved the law and
order situation in a fort-
night.
Of course, political
analysts interpreted the
message differently. Will
Akhilesh follow in his
father Mulayams oft given
tips? Lets wait and watch
after all the SP Government
has only completed 13
months in the State. The
first six months were
given as a grace period
by Opposition as well as the
media to the Akhilesh Yadav
Government.
TI6kET WE8
Everyone in the Samajwadi
Party was surprised when the
party decided to withdraw the
Lok Sabha ticket earlier given to
its national general secretary
Anuradha Choudhary. The ques-
tion being asked was: Was it a
step to appease
RLD chief Ajit
Singh?
Anuradha
was taken
in the SP
fold when
she deserted
the RLD.
Insiders in the
SP ranks admitted
that one of the main
reasons for cancel-
lation of
Anuradhas ticket
were a string of
complaints
against her.
According to
senior SP lead-
ers: Anu
madam had been
regularly
pulling up
senior bureaucrats
and humiliating them
for some reason or the
other. More important-
ly the ruling party after
conducting a survey in
various Lok Sabha constituencies
learnt that some of the candi-
dates who had been given tickets
failed to come up to the
winnability criteria, hence there
was a change in candidates or in
some cases tickets had been can-
celled.
Now that Anuradhas Lok
Sabha ticket, there are reports
that the SP may give her a ticket
to the Rajya Sabha.
T
he drama that is being
played out on news
channels these days with
regards to IPL spot fixing
not only saddens the fans
but entertains them as well.
The 24X7 buzz has given an
insight into nexus that exists
among politicians, business-
men and bureaucrats.
It is strange that men
who have actually con-
tributed to the game Kapil
Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and
even Sachin Tendulkar
have virtually no say in
cricket. Many would not
know that Kapil Dev, who
won us the first World Cup
ever, fought tooth and nail
and yet did not manage to
become a member of the
Haryana Cricket
Association.
The IPL 6 spot fixing has
brought to light the mess
that exists in Board Of
Control For Cricket In India
(BCCI). What is even worse
is that the top management
in the board just refuse to
take the responsibility. It is
disheartening for an ordi-
nary man who loves the
game to know that the lead-
ers who are usually at log-
gerheads with each other
have now come together to
save their skin. None of the
leaders wanted to face the
camera. These are the same
leaders who otherwise are
seen romancing the media.
Its now out in the open
that there are many people at
the top who are partners in
crime. Why is it that Farooq
Abdullah is the president of
Jammu and Kashmir Cricket
Association. As a politician,
Farooq should be paying
attention to the politics and
leave the sports governance
to the people who will do
justice to the post they will
hold. In Himachal Pradesh,
Anurag Thakur, (son of for-
mer Chief Minister Prem
Kumar Dhumal), who is an
MP is also president of
Himachal Pradesh Cricket
Association.
Coming to the now for-
mer BCCI boss Srinivasan.
He has confessed that he
does not watch IPL. So what
is his interest in cricket? In
Gujarat, the Prime
Ministerial candidate for the
BJP, Narender Modi is the
president of Gujarat Cricket
Association. This is a bit
confusing. Why would a per-
son who aspires to become
the next Prime Minister of
the largest democracy in the
world is the president of a
gaming body. In Rajasthan,
we have the Railway
Minister CP Joshi as presi-
dent of the Rajasthan Cricket
Association.
Then there are two Rajya
Sabha members Arun Jaitley
and Rajeev Shukla who are
part of a game that lies in
shambles today. The politi-
cians today have spoilt the
essence of cricket single-
handled to the annoyance of
the Indians. They have
proved they can mess up
anything for their selfish
interests.
Even the brutal attack in
Chhattisgarh did not manage
to wipe this scandal off
national headlines. It is time
sportsmen manage the sport
associations from now on.
How can our Agriculture
Minister Sharad Pawar, in
whose constituency, thou-
sands of people are dying
due to starvation and malnu-
trition, take time out from
his Ministerial duties to give
time to BCCI?
It was Power Minister
Jyotiraditya Scindia who was
the first to come out and
voice his views on
Srinivasans resignation. The
others followed him. Now of
course there is a tug of war
in full public view. It is
shameful that our leaders
have become so thick-
skinned that they are not
ready to resign despite their
involvement in various scan-
dals. You scratch my back, I
scratch yours is the norm.
Common interests across
party lines comes first. I
wish they would show such
maturity during Parliament
and on national policies.
One wishes that the amount
of time politicians spend try-
ing to make money on the
side, could be spent on wel-
fare of the people.
In the midst of all this,
what is the Sports Ministry
doing? Why is it silent? Why
has it not stepped in? The
only thing that our politi-
cians have to say is that sport
bodies should be headed by
those who know the game.
But is that enough?
The common man feels
cheated. His interest in the
sport, that is considered to
be national pastime, has
gone down. Its upsetting for
the public to see the insensi-
tivity of the cricket bosses
and the politicians.
Voice of tle lower caste sloulo le learo
ULTAPRADESH
TAvSh SRvASTAvA
6ames that 0IItIcIaas Iay
Malch ixing and sol ixing is nol new lo crickel. whal is sad is lhal lhe crickeling body,
lhe BCC has done nolhing lo ensure lhal lhe game remains clean
DLLBLL
0Ev ChERAh
Mulayam acts Jliro
man again
tIe pIoneer Peace is a journey of a thousand
miles and it must be taken one step
at a time
~ Lyndon B Johnson
sunday
magazino
litJms
l
AP
A
s high-end smartphones are
offering higher mega pixel
(MP) camera to capture that
perfect picture, 92 per cent cus-
tomers are preferring to buy a smart-
phone over a digital camera, an
Assocham report says. The report
also says that people are buying those
phones which have a good camera
quality and they are relying on
smartphones to capture moments as
still photos as well as videos.
Agrees Faisal Siddiqui, country
head, HTC India. Our new technol-
ogy in the smartphone sector is HTC
UltraPixel Camera with HTC Zoe.
HTC One Zoe offers the best-in-class
f/2.0 aperture lens and a break-
through sensor that gathers 300 per
cent more light than traditional
smartphone camera sensors. Multi-
axis optical image stabilisation for
the rear camera also help sensor
video footage smoother whether sta-
tionary or on the move. The camera
adds effects like enhanced 360-inch
panorama, time sequencing and
object removal, Siddiqui says.
Seeing the fall in sales of high-
end digital cameras like Nikon,
Canon, Sony and Fujifilm, will digi-
tal cameras become redundant? No
matter how many features a smart-
phone can get you, it would never
take away the industry of digital
cameras.
Major features like sensor, optic,
low light quality, frame per second,
full height destination video feature
and optical zoom are basically meant
for digital cameras. Thats the reason
why digital cameras continue to be
relevant in the market, Dr Alok
Bharadwaj, executive vice-president,
Canon India, insists.
Started from 1 MP, the number
has now gone to 41 in both digital
and smartphone cameras. But what
comes into play is the quality of the
lens and sensor size of the camera.
In the last five years, digital photog-
raphy has become fashionable. The
MP has been over-hyped and con-
sumers have been misled a little. In
the beginning, MP meant a lot. From
1MP to 3MP, no doubt MP has
improved the quality of picture. But
as MP touched above 12, it lost its
meaning. What is more important is
the quality of lenses and size of sen-
sor, Dr Bharadwaj explains.
8Eh8
Sensor size of the digital cameras
are larger. This gives better pixel
space and can capture low light
resulting in better photos.
Smartphones are equipped with
smaller sensor, it cant accommodate
more light.
FTI68
Smartphones are equipped with
tiny lenses, which means smaller
amount of light is filtered through.
Thus, many smartphones has built-in
High Dynamic Range to improve
images. It captures a greater dynamic
range between the lightest and
darkest areas of an image than cur-
rent standard digital imaging meth-
ods.
A digital cameras lens is more
advanced therefore more capable of
getting light to its sensor and captur-
ing sharp, clean images. It also has a
telescopic lens which helps to get a
good zoom. But if one zooms smart-
phone camera, the image pixelates.
ThE IEkTE8
Features like low light quality,
and frame per second, full height
destination video feature, optical
zoom and many more features that
makes digital camera a better option.
Even the flash power is higher in dig-
ital cameras, giving a lot more
options to capture light
and play with the colour combina-
tion.
As compared with the smart-
phones, digital cameras are leaving
no stone unturn to offer the best to
consumers. Connectivity is no more
a problem. Many digital cameras
have come up with wi-fi connectivity.
One can instantly upload and share,
Dr Bharadwaj says.
CRYMPLECROSSWORD
TWTTERATI
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LAST WEEK'S SOLUTONS
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ACROSS DOWN
RAJNEESH
MANU AND RSHB
NAME PLACE ANMAL THNG
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S|E||AR |APuR
F
ujifilm has
announced
the launch of
Fujinon
XF55-
200mmF3.5-
4.8 R LM OIS
lens for the
Fujifilm X-
Pro1 and X-E1
compact system cameras.
Fujinon XF lenses feature
advanced lens capable of
drawing the maximum per-
formance out of the highly-
descriptive X-Trans CMOS
sensor in the Fujifilm X-
Pro1 and X-E1 cameras.
The new Fujinon XF55-
200 mm lens produces sharp
images across its entire
zoom range, well resolved
corner-to-corner. The fast
F3.5-4.8 lens facilitates
image capture in scenes
requiring a fast shutter
speed. Its image stabilisation
function enables the use of
shutter speeds 4.5 stops
slower, preventing camera
shake even when shooting
hand-held in low-light, or at
a stopped down aperture.
Furthermore, its built to
include two linear motors
for high-speed AF of 0.28
seconds, instantaneously
focusing on the subject.
Rohit Pandit, executive
VP, sales and marketing,
Fujifilm India said: In
India, the Lens will be avail-
able from June 10, 2013. It
will be a perfect companion
to the X-E1 and X-Pro1
camera bodies, this lens is
also an important milestone
in our journey to populate
more lenses for the Fujifilm
interchangeable range.
The lens also offers min-
imum working distance of
1.1m across the entire zoom
range to enable telephoto
close-ups and capturing a
small part of a subject.
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T
here are many PC manufacturers who have eyed
the booming smartphone market in India. Be it,
Dells XCD35, HPs Pre3 and Veer or HCLs Rythme
have all been ineffective at the market. However,
Lenevo is the only player from this sector, which has
been able to garner some positive consumer reactions
with their budget smartphones like P700i and now,
P770.
Priced at C14,500, the phone has a long battery life,
easily withstanding a-day-and-a-half to two days. It
also features a dual-sim. However, the camera quality
is disappointing and slows down while playing games.
As far as the design and built is concerned, this
one is a little bulky, similar to Samsungs Galaxy Note
II. The only good part about the design is the solidity
of this phone. It isnt hard to imagine that it can take a
few knocks and falls without much damage.
The P770 screen and dis-
play is an IPS type with
540X960 pixels. The display is
bright and the sunlight legibil-
ity is just about viewable. The
contrast isnt up to the mark
as compared to other phones
in the same segment. While
the phone doesnt hang as
often and the keys work just
fine, yet the on-screen keypad
isnt quite responsive. The music and recorder too are
good.
Overall the phone is a decent buy with more posi-
tives than negatives, however at this price range, the
XOLO Q700 is a much better buy on the Android plat-
form. If one is willing to shift out of Android, Nokia
Lumia 620 is a good option in this segment.
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Stay smart with digioams
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Cameras in smarlhones are gelling smarler, yel digilal cameras have an edge, says SAh0EETA YA0Av
tIe pIoneer
Any sufficiently advanced technology
is indistinguishable from magic
~ Arthur C Clarke
sunday
magazino
jj ;
|
IEhV F770
NNEWS
tIe pIoneer
t is the message, not the man,
which is important to the Sufis
~ dries Shah
sunday
magazino
sj|iJl
i
Now Dolhi Juno 9, 2013
U
ntil mid-May, four prominent
newspapers in the Kashmir Valley
repeatedly published an ad on the
schedule of a saint living in an obscure
hamlet in Budgam district. In the quarter
of an inch space, a picture of the holy
man in white attire with a flowing dark
beard and an unusual headgear attracted
much attention. Occasionally, on pub-
lished fixtures, he would leave the village
in a cavalcade, followed by his disciples,
both men and women, to deliver ser-
mons at various locations. His fan fol-
lowing was on a huge surge.
However, circumstances drastically
changed for this uncrowned king of a
kingdom he developed surreptitiously in
the past 15 years. On May 22, following
repeated summons from the police, this
godman surrendered in court and
remanded to police custody. Cops say
they have clinching evidence that this
man misused religion to sexually exploit
young village girls, mostly nave and
unmarried, on the pretext of purifying
them.
This 42-year-old sex predator goes
by the name of Gulzar Ahmad Bhat, who
mysteriously metamorphosed from a
petty illiterate carpet weaver into a spiri-
tual guru. He changed his surname and
went by new appendages of Syed and
Reshi, two highly revered lineages in
Muslims. On May 28, when Hazrat Syed
Gulzar Ahmad Reshi was presented in
court for remand extension, he had lost
his headgear and fallen from grace.
By the time this report was filed,
nine girls had already deposed in court,
narrating horrifying details about the sex
maniac. The common thread in the
statements is that Gulzar entranced them
before they fell on their knees before
him. He made them believe that sexual
activity was a religious obligation to
purify their bodies and souls. He would
take a pledge in the name of God and
His Prophet while holding each girls
hand and asking them not to reveal the
details of the incident to anyone.
He told them that he had received a
divine commandment to marry 72
women.
A group of his trusted maids, known
as madams, did the reassuring and con-
gratulated the girls on losing their virgin-
ity. They made them believe that the sex-
ual act, referred to as yeksaan (unifica-
tion) in the cult, purified them and grad-
uated their souls to spirituality. The girls
were mostly enrolled in an unregistered
residential institution, run in the premis-
es of Gulzars ancestral home. The
school, Idara-e-Noor-e-ain Syedatun
Nissa Hazrat Fatimatuzzuhra, offered
short-term religious courses based on a
vague syllabus set by the illiterate Reshi
and his sidekicks.
Gulzars sleazy secret began leaking
in December 2012 when some girls
questioned his sexual escapades. Islam
does not allow any woman to have a sex-
ual relationship with a person who is not
formally married to her. This man
(Gulzar) is exploiting us, a south
Kashmir girl first told a batchmate. The
girls could only whisper but had no
courage to herald a rebellion because
Reshi was a big man with a huge follow-
ing and they were overawed by his influ-
ence over his entranced followers.
But the murmurs soon breached the
confines of the dormitory compelling the
shaken saint and his aides to go in for
damage control and silence the girls both
through lure and intimidation.
The girls left the hostel and went to
various religious and separatist leaders to
expose Reshi. Only sympathy and assur-
ances came their way, till, Maulvi
Muhammad Amin, the Valleys head of
London-based International Khatam-e-
Nabuwat Movement, decided to verify
their claims.
Before stirring the hornets nest, he
encouraged the girls to formally
approach the Government through
appropriate channels. Finally, these girls
filed a complaint with the police and
their medical examination confirmed
that they had lost their virginity. The
court issued warrants and cops went on a
lookout.
We have clinching evidence against
this man, Bashir Ahmad Dar, DSP,
Khansahib, who is heading the Special
Investigation Team, told Foray. The dis-
trict police constituted the SIT after for-
mally taking Reshi into custody. We are
only focusing on sexual exploitation. For
now, we are not exploring the sources of
his funding, he said.
The police have seized a mattress
from his secret chamber, which he
referred to as hujra-e-khas or special
room, where no man other than him had
access. It (mattress) is full with deep
traces of dried seminal fluid, Dar said.
The police have recovered medicines,
possibly aphrodisiacs, and several gar-
ments, from this secret room.
One garment, a pheran (long flowing
cloak) is splashed with edible oil. Police
said that a girl deposed that she once
resisted Reshi and during the scuffle an
oil container turned upside down on her
pheran.
Reshi has hundreds of followers in
the Valley. His male followers, known as
talibs, grew long facial hair and mane
hiding their necks and wore skullcaps
and pherans. They dont offer prayers in
common mosques but gather on Fridays
at Nendwenpora where they have built a
huge mosque. Reshi used to deliver his
weekly sermon in that mosque. In
Malabagh locality of Srinagar, his talibs
once attacked an Imamwho dared to
confront their religious beliefs as anti-
Islamic. Most of these talibs have gone
into hiding after the expose.
Reshis victims have told the police
that he used to begin the sexual activity
past 11 pm. Sometimes, it turned into an
orgy with up to 11 girls in a larger room
but usually, he used to sleep with one girl
he chose for the night. There was some
kind of spell I
went into
whenever he called me into his room. I
used to watch everything happening but
could not resist, one of the girls said. An
audio clip of a victim narrating her tale
has gone viral on the Internet.
Reshi used to tell the girls that they
had been chosen by God to secretly
marry him and that his touch would
absolve their bodies from hell fire. I am
Gods chosen one. My body is noor
(divine light) and whichever body part I
touch, will not be affected by naar (fire),
a metric dropout quoted him as saying.
During or after the crash course,
Reshis confidants would secretly inform
them that bab (a revered name given to
family elders or mystics) wanted to meet
them in his secret room, which was out
of bounds for men. There, he made them
take an oath of secrecy and convinced
them that their union was sacred. He
told them that they were not required to
perform ghusul (full body ablution
mandatory for Muslims under the
Shariah), after intercourse.
Reshi, the victims narrated, would
engage in sexual activity till 3 am and
then take a nap till 6 am. From 9 am, he
would go into seclusion and memorise
Quranic verses and their meaning to pre-
pare for sermons and interactions with
disciples. Between 7 and 10 pm, he
would watch television in the company
of girls who would caress and fondle his
legs, shoulders and arms. After 10 am,
he used to play harmonium for an hour
in his secret room or listen to sufi music
on music system.
Police say, they have rounded up
some of the madams who had been with
him for a decade. They are ready to
depose in court but not willing to go
through the medical test, an officer
revealed.
Reshis arrest and revelations have
stunned the conservative society of the
Valley. Some quarters, especially sepa-
ratist circles, have suggested that his
activities were funded by unknown
agencies. They opined that without the
background support, he would not have
been able to raise huge buildings. Abdul
Hameed Kumar, a diehard disciple of
Reshi, told Foray that C72 lakh had been
spent in raising the four-storey building
adjacent to his ancestral mud-house and
insisted that the money was collected
through donations.
Locals are flabbergasted over the
phenomenal rise of a carpet-weaver. We
have seen many wealthy people coming
in expensive cars to pay obeisance to
him. He travels the length and breadth of
the Valley, sarpanch Mohiuddin Bhat
said, adding that his victims were from
the lower strata of society.
Reshis rise as a spiritual leader is a
sad commentary on our flawed under-
standing of Islam. This shows the igno-
rance of people, their blind faith in
lunatics, besides lack of quest for real,
original Islam, Dr Hameed Naseem
Rafiabadi, former head of the Shah-e-
Hamdan Institute of Islamic Studies
at Kashmir University, said.
Interestingly, sufism has a
wide following in the Valley.
They pay obeisance at
graves of saints and
shrines. Ironically, Reshi
used to introduce him-
self as alambardar
(torchbearer) and
Rishi Buzurg (spiritually exalted saint).
During his sermons, he admonished
women without purdah and decried
transactions based on interest and insist-
ed on following spiritual leaders.
But as expected, the reaction to his
arrest is mixed. On May 29, when this
correspondent visited the area, there was
a protest going on in Krimshore village.
Shops were closed and people were out
on the streets. The road was blocked
with boulders. He has brought a bad
name to our area, Ghulam Nabi Bhat, a
white-bearded local prayer leader, spear-
heading the protests, said. Another pro-
tester shouted, hang the offender.
There was also a Reshi disciple in the
crowd, his lone talib who had surren-
dered before the crowd for his safety.
But barely a few km away at
Shamsabad village, men and women
were swearing by Reshis innocence and
piety. They said he had been framed by
his detractors. I swear on the Prophet,
he is haqq (a true saint). We did not even
know how to pray and he taught us all, a
girl said from behind a veil. She said that
the so-called victims might have been
lured by money to testify against our
mentor. His followers staged a protest in
Srinagar, chanting slogans in his support.
Reshis followers guide you to his
secret room. The unusually designed
basement of the sprawling building has a
row of small cells, many covered with
curtains facing a podium on the opposite
wall. These (cells) are for meditation of
girls, Muhammad Rafiq Dar, his ardent
follower for several years, says.
Outside the building, a long earthen
oven under a tin-shed lies abandoned.
The girls have left. They never wanted
to leave but some people forced them to
vacate, Nazia Akhtar, a neighbour, tells
you.
Reshis stepfather claimed that he
had no sexual cravings and cited this as a
reason for his divorce some 15 years ago.
He was into spirituality. We got him
married but the marriage lasted for just a
week. The bride did not return to our
house and then sought divorce after two
years, he said.
But police say, the claims of piety
and impotency are false. They say they
have evidence that he was engaging in
sexual acts without a chance for concep-
tion. The seized mattress is full of stains
because Gulzar would ejaculate only on
the mattress. He knew how to avoid a
pregnancy, Dar said.
The man would have been exposed
much earlier had one of his victims not
gone into mental depression, taken back
to her home in a south Kashmir village
and later immolated herself. Possibly,
she had conceived after being raped by
Reshi and thought that ending her life
would save her the trauma, an
Intelligence officer said. This girls broth-
er approached the police after Reshis
escapades became public.
As for the case, Reshi has sought bail
and his counsel claims he is impotent
and, thus, all allegations against him are
fabricated. Cleric Qazi Yasir has asked
people not to draw conclusions without
him being put to a fair trial. Separatist
leader Syed Ali Geelani has ridiculed
sections who follow self-made faith and
hand over their wards to such tainted
peers and quacks, Geelani recently said
in a statement.
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lhe mainslay o his "religious" inslilulion, unolded in a secrel chamber in ils basemenl. The valley is in shock as his viclims conlinue lo
low inlo courl wilh damning evidence againsl his sexual allacks. KhuRShEE0 wAh reorls on lhe rise and rise o an illilerale carenler
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approaching a new
record, there is always be a
beeline of top corporate
clients for him. He doesnt like
signing up for brands which
are not good for society. He is
very conscious of his image,
Naidu tells you.
Naidu, is so overly driven
to keep himself out of lime-
light that it is almost as diffi-
cult to get him to talk as it is
to get the master blaster him-
self for an interview. Naidu
travels extensively to get the
right deals for Tendulkar and
also manages Cheteshwar
Pujara who, he says, is too shy
a person to endorse some-
thing like a fairness cream.
The Naidu-Tendulkar
association is the longest play-
er-agent relationship in India.
This is despite the fact that
Naidu didnt have any educa-
tional training to represent a
player. It was his love for
sports that pushed him to
learn the trade on job.
After graduating in com-
merce from St Josephs
College of Commerce,
Bangalore, he joined Ogilvy
One Worldwide, which is a
direct marketing arm of
famous Ogilvy & Mather. In a
1998 media event, he met
Mark Mascarenhas, former
head of WorldTel who had
acquired the rights to manage
Sachin Tendulkar in 1996. He
asked him for an opportunity
to work in the sports business
and duly got the chance. From
thereon, he never looked
back. At that time, apart from
Sachin Tendulkar,
Mascarenhas portfolio
included Sourav Ganguly,
Robin Singh and Venkatesh
Prasad as well and Naidu was
the part of the team managing
their interests. Mascarenhas
died in an unfortunate acci-
dent.
Over the years, Naidus
bonding with Tendulkar
became so strong that when
this agent moved to Saatchi &
Saatchis celebrity manage-
ment firm Iconix in 2006,
Sachin moved along with
him. But the relationship with
Iconix didnt work and within
three months, both of them
moved to World Sport Group.
Naidu is known to be a
very particular about how
Tendulkar should be por-
trayed in ads. So, when Coca-
Cola approached Sachin in
2011, Naidu would have noth-
ing but a mature icon image
to be projected and not as a
typical cola endorser. The
result? The master blaster
became the happiness ambas-
sador of the company and
participated actively in Coca-
Colas corporate social activi-
ties.
Under Naidu, Tendulkar
has been the country's high-
est-paid sportsman for two
decades. At present, he is the
face of about 17 brands and
earns between C5-7 crore per
brand annually.
However, many of his
endorsement contracts are set
to expire between now and
2014. According to media
reports, the downslide has
already started. Coca-Cola,
whose Happiness
Ambassador Sachin has been
since 2011, will not be renew-
ing the contract. Brands like
the ITC, Adidas and Aviva
have also taken his ads off air
and Canon and Jyothi Labs
have not renewed their con-
tracts. Tendulkars manage-
ment company doesnt want
to comment on this.
It is not only Naidu who
is particular about Sachin get-
ting dignified and plumb
assignments. Even celebrity
manager Bunty Sajdeh of
Corenerstone Ltd is finicky
about the brands his client
Virat Kohli endorses. Sajdeh is
the man who convinced Kohli
to sign up for HULs mens
Fair & Lovely cream. Not
doing an underwear ad is
Virats strict personal choise,
he concedes laughingly. But to
make him sign up for the Fair
& Lovely mens cream, Sajdeh
had to use all his persuasive
powers. What brought a hesi-
tant Virat on board was
Sajdehs argument that since
he was always on the field and
exposed to the sun, he had to
take care of his skin and that's
where a fairness cream for
men would be an appropriate
endorsement for him to do.
Sajdeh, also manages
Rohit Sharma and Dinesh
Karthik. Both, he says, are
considered mature cricketers
who know how to handle
media pressure. We are
blessed to be handling star
performers. Their on-field
performances do make a huge
difference in brand endorse-
ment but with IPL and other
formats becoming popular, it
is just a waiting game before
they take off, he says.
Sharma and Karthiks
endorsement values had
briefly skyrocketed after the
Twenty20 championships in
2007. Prior to this, both were
struggling to command more
than C10 lakh to C15 lakh per
endorsement. But after the
introduction of the new for-
mat, Sharma and Karthik
hoped to hit C30 lakh for new
deals.
In 2011, a finicky Sajdeh
turned down an offer for
Kohli from a leading two-
wheeler company because it
had multiple celebrities
endorsing it. We didnt want
Virat to be one among many.
Hence, we signed another
two-wheeler company
TVS, he says, emphasising
that it is brands who need the
cricketers and not the other
way round.
Melroy DSouza agrees
that branding and promotion
is a competition. We are sim-
ple agents who are there to
provide guidance. Thats all,
he concludes.
Like Naidu, Sajdeh too
had a commerce background
when he entered this field.
But he was better connected
than Naidu. After graduating
from the HR College of
Commerce and Economics in
Mumbai, Sajdeh joined his
brother-in-law, film producer
Sohail Khan, in his event
management company, to
avoid working in his fathers
garment manufacturing busi-
ness. After learning the
basics, he joined Percept
DMark as a manager where
he put in a solid five years
managing high profile events
like the Hero Indian Sports
Awards and several Sahara
India events, including the
the Sangeet Awards. Sajdeh,
who has represented
Maharashtra in tennis, joined
Globosport, and diversified
into celebrity management.
He spent 10 years in the
industry before starting out
on his own with Cornerstone
Sports & Entertainment.
Though MS Dhonis
friend and manager Arun
Pandey refused to join this
story, preferring to not return
phone calls or emails, he is
the most powerful agent in
the field today. Pandey found-
ed Rhiti Sports in 2007. In
July 2010, Rhiti grabbed
headlines when it bagged the
rights to represent Dhoni on a
record minimum guarantee
of C210 crore for three years.
With that deal, Dhoni sur-
passed Sachin Tendulkar, who
had a C180 crore deal for
three years.
Once a national-level
cricketer, Pandey has been a
friend of Dhoni since his
early playing days. They first
got to know each other 15
years ago when Pandey was
bowling to Dhoni at the nets.
As Dhoni moved up as a
cricketer and became a key
player for India, he encour-
aged Pandey to get into sports
marketing and let him strike
a few deals for him.
Today, Pandey is like a
family member for Dhoni
and his closest confidante.
hE
w0uL0 Eh0A0E
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TLL 8 AM Ah0 ThEh
TAKE A hAF TLL G AM.
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Agents of clange
Sachin was the
highest-paid
sportsman for two
decades till Dhoni
surpassed him. At
present, Tendulkar
is the face of 17
brands and earns
between C5-7 crore
per brand annually
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tIe pIoneer
t's irrelevant, those warm-up
games. You want to find form as a
team, but if you don't, you're not
going to be remembered for that
~ Alastair Cook
sunday
magazino
sj|l
\
8FhIk kEh8, 6kIII
It is one of the most beautiful crick-
et grounds in the world. Generally, the
moisture and overcast conditions
decide the nature of the pitch here. If it
is moist and overcast, one can expect
the faster bowlers to play a major role.
Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma,
because they have pace, should be very
effective on this pitch. Bhuvneshwar
Kumar will also get good purchase.
But if it is dry and sunny, it will be
an intelligent decision to include an
extra spinner because they would gain
due reward on the surface if they bowl
well. Here, R Ashwin and Ravindra
Jadeja will need to raise their hands and
take the responsibility to lead India to a
victory. Though Amit Mishra, despite
his recent form, is unlikely to play, he
gives skipper MS Dhoni a safe option if
such a need arises.
Whether the skipper who wins the
toss decides to bat or bowl first
depends entirely on the weather
conditions.
ThE VkI, Ihh
Here, the pitch has something
for everyone. If the batsmen find it
easy to score runs, seamers are
encouraged by the pace and bounce of
a dry surface. That will also keep the
spinners interested. And because its
England, the ball will swing like at all
other venues.
Dhoni is not known for tin-
kering with the winning combi-
nation, so it is unlikely that he
will add another seamer or
spinner for his second Group
Stage match in the
Chhampions Trophy.
The onus will again be
on the pace trio and spin
duo to either defend
the total or stop the oppo-
sition from setting a big
one.
Since the pitch here is
full of runs, Indian
bowlers will need to think
on their toes and come
up with ideas to stop
rival batsmen one of
them will be Chris
Gayle. He is one of
those who not only
scores but scores like a hur-
ricane, destroying the bowlers
completely.
E8k8Th, 8IMIhhkM
Since the pitch here is full of runs,
Indian bowlers will need to think on
their toes and come up with ideas to
stop rival batsmen.
If Amit
Mishra has any
hopes of rolling
his arm in England,
it is here.
Historically, the pitch
here has always been
on the slower side.
But again, Dhoni is
expected to stick to
the three-pacer-two-
spinner combina-
tion.
Faster bowlers
Umesh, Ishant and
Bhuvneshwar will have to
bowl cleverly. Though over-
head conditions, if predomi-
nantly cloudy, help pacers get
swing, they will have to rely on
yorkers and change of pace
instead of pace and swing if the
sun stays out during the
match. Since India is sched-
uled to play Pakistan in their
last league encounter here,
the dry pitch promises an
interesting battle consider-
ing that both the teams are
known to play spin well.
India will have to take
care of Saeed Ajmal.
S
omething has
de f i ni t e l y
changed in
Dinesh Karthik. Though
it is difficult to spot the
change for an untrained eye, his
performance back-to-back cen-
turies in two Champions Trophy
warm-up games in England has cer-
tainly caught attention.
The day he turned 28, Karthik scored
an unbeaten 106 against Sri Lanka in the
first warm-up game in Edgbaston to make
the chase of 334 possible after the Indian
top-order had misfired. Then, three days later
in the second warm-up game, Karthik played
a glorious innings of 146 not out off 140 balls, res-
cuing India from a miserable position of 39/4. He
not only saved Team India the humiliation of get-
ting out for less than 100, but also helped the team
post over 300 runs on board.
These runs came on the back of a strong
domestic season where he scored 577 runs at an
average of 64.11 in Ranji Trophy, 436 runs at
87.20 with one century and four half centuries
in five innings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and
301 runs at 100.33, including 176 not out, in the
Corporate Trophy.
His golden run continued in this years IPL
too, as Karthik scored 510 runs in 19 matches.
The figure was almost double in comparison to
any of the earlier IPL editions. His previous high-
est was 288 runs from 13 innings in the 2009 sea-
son. After moving to Mumbai Indians from
Kings XI Punjab in 2012, Karthik scored just 238
runs from 14 innings at a strike-rate of 111.73
and an average of 18.30.
This metamorphosis hasnt come overnight.
Karthik has earned it with sheer hard work that
he has put in with Prasanna Agoram, who works
with the South African team as performance ana-
lyst. While working with Karthik, Agoram
found a few technical glitches in his batting and
one of them was balance.
He had all the shots in his repertoire. He had
the confidence and temperament to play them. But
he was doing it without the required balance. He
was playing his shots without a solid base. He was
always on the run. His hands and eyes were fol-
lowing the ball but his body was lagging behind.
He was wasting those precious micro-seconds that
could give him an edge over the bowler.
Once the flaws are found, it is not difficult to
rectify them, especially when one is as dedicat-
ed as Karthik. The two worked relentlessly to cor-
rect the problem. After months of hard work and
with improved balance, Karthik has become more
consistent in his scores.
Now, he has time to go back and pull or hook
short-pitched stuff bowled at his body. He can
lean on his front foot and drive through the cov-
ers. He can rock back and cut ball. Basically he
can do all the things that he was doing earlier
but with a firm base.
The only thing that he needed was an oppor-
tunity to justify his talent and the people who
have believed in him since the day he debuted
for Tamil Nadu as a teenager. And it wasnt very
far after his good showing in the domestic tour-
naments and IPL.
For selectors, it wasnt difficult to pick
Karthik since there was not any better option
available for the middle-order. Yuvraj Singh was-
nt giving clear signs about his form and fitness.
Rohit Sharma has always been patchy. And, Irfan
Pathan hasnt done anything worthwhile to
instill any confidence in his allround abilities.
Since the retirement of Indian stalwarts, the
pressure to keep the ship sailing during the mid-
dle overs has been on Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina
and MS Dhoni. With all these players being
aggressive in their batting style, the middle-order
required a calm head, who could switch gears as
per the situation. Karthik was the best option,
which he proved later.
If his two centuries are dissected into pieces,
it is easy to understand how carefully he built those
innings. Mindful of teams position, he played
watchfully initially and then didnt shy from tak-
ing over the role of an aggressor.
His ability to keep the score board ticking
without hitting boundaries makes him special.
During the 211-run partnership that he put up
with Dhoni against Australia, the duo collected
94 runs in singles, doubles and triples. Similarly,
against Sri Lanka, he ran 91 runs with Kohli dur-
ing their 186-run association.
Hes someone who can bat really, really well
in the middle of the order. The reason being hes
a good runner. He reads the situation pretty well,
and hes someone who can look to go on and play
big innings, and that is what is really important
in the middle order. Hes technically sound, which
means he has all the right talent to get going, and
once he gets going, hes someone who keeps him-
self busy throughout the innings, Dhoni said high-
lighting the big change in Karthik.
With the World Cup is less than 20 months
away, Karthiks coming of age also augurs well
for the World Champions considering the need
to identify the probables as quickly as possible.
That was, perhaps, the one reason Dhoni point-
ed out that he would like Karthik to bat anywhere
between No. 3 and not deeper than No. 5
because, then, the team would not extract the
maximum out of him.
Ive always stressed that the players need to
bat in a specialist position where they really suit
themselves and the team. In the past we have
played a few players on different slots, more accord-
ing to the fact that we said theyll do well but that
was not the route or original slot. I think its the
same for DK also. Hes someone that should bat
at 4 or 5, 3 also, but definitely not someone who
should bat at 6 or 7, Dhoni said.
Karthiks natural composure and tem-
perament has beautifully blended with a
newly-found balance to give his career a new
lease of life. Hopefully, Dinesh Karthik version
2.0 will not let go off this opportunity like the
previous one.
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f you were to
dissect his two
centuries, it will
become easy to
understand how
carefully he built
those innings.
Mindful of the
team's position, he
initially played
watchfully and
then didn't shy
away from taking
over the role of an
aggressor
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ast wook, sont a twittor mossago rom Jana town

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