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<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
pointoutnews.com<br />
FEBRUARY 2014<br />
VOL-1 ISSUE-1<br />
50<br />
I N S I D E<br />
BY INVITE:<br />
APJ Abdul Kalam on<br />
Media & Development<br />
VILLAGE<br />
ROOTS:<br />
Punsari,<br />
transforming<br />
lives<br />
MODI<br />
ON COURSE<br />
GENERAL ELECTIONS 2014
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
2<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
pointoutnews.com<br />
FEBRUARY 2014<br />
Vol-1 Issue-1<br />
50<br />
I N S I D E<br />
BY INVITE<br />
APJ ABDUL KALAM ON<br />
MEDIA & DEVELOPMENT<br />
VILLAGE<br />
ROOTS:<br />
Punsari,<br />
transforming lives<br />
COVER STORY<br />
Modi juggernaut<br />
on course<br />
Surveys conducted by three major<br />
media groups in January 2014 to<br />
know the mood of the nation if general<br />
elections were to be held now have<br />
pointed out a major gain for the BJP<br />
and the NDA that it leads<br />
P 16<br />
15.00<br />
1500<br />
MODI<br />
ON COURSE<br />
GENERAL ELECTIONS 2014<br />
www.pointoutnews.com<br />
Editor-in-Chief – Dr. Shiv Kumar Rai<br />
Consulting Editor – Surya Gangadharan<br />
Feature Editor – Suman<br />
Editor-South – Vijay Grover<br />
Special Correspondent – Aarti<br />
Principal Correspondent – Bipin sasi<br />
Correspondents – Ranjith Pasam,<br />
Abhay Kumar<br />
Design – Manaswi<br />
Photo Editor – Sanjeev<br />
Editorial researcher -Tanya, Kriti<br />
AD/SALES & CIRCULATION<br />
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Volume 01 Issue 1<br />
For the month – February 2014<br />
Total No. of pages 64+Covers<br />
Head Office<br />
1201, Nirmal Tower, Barakhamba Road,<br />
Connaught Place, New Delhi-110001<br />
Phone- 011-23320740<br />
INTERVIEW<br />
Transparency can<br />
limit corruption<br />
‘Core values and culture<br />
start first in the family.<br />
It is the family, the<br />
parents, who impart<br />
certain values such as<br />
honesty and humanity.<br />
Nobody can teach you<br />
that in school or<br />
college’ P 11<br />
<strong>POINT</strong> <strong>OUT</strong><br />
GALLERY<br />
BY INVITE<br />
P 36<br />
MUST READ<br />
Movers & Shakers P 40<br />
Redefining Governance P 41<br />
Village Roots P 42<br />
Flying High P 47<br />
Test Drive P 54<br />
Gadgets P 56<br />
Forecast P 58<br />
Success Mantra P 59<br />
Art and Culture P 60<br />
Book Review P 61<br />
Health P 62<br />
Spiritual Touch P 66<br />
Media and theme of a developed India<br />
Grassroots journalists should have a big aim of the concern<br />
of a billion people. Fortunately, India has a vision and<br />
has the youth power which is the engine that can give<br />
the thrust to the movement towards growth<br />
Vidya – Actor<br />
with a difference<br />
P 45<br />
STATE REPORT<br />
An Albatross<br />
For Akhilesh<br />
P 63 P 8<br />
3
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
• Arup Roy Choudhury,<br />
CMD, NTPC<br />
‘Power sector<br />
is the key<br />
enabler of India’s<br />
economic<br />
growth. The sector<br />
consists of generation<br />
, transmission<br />
and distribution utilities<br />
and is a crucial<br />
component of India’s infrastructure.<br />
Power sector leads the investment in<br />
infrastructure for the XII th plan. The<br />
energy deficit increased marginally on<br />
a year –on year- basis in financial year<br />
2012-13 to 8.7% from 8.5% in financial<br />
year 2011-12. Overall the sector<br />
is characterized by acute shortages of<br />
power. In terms of consumption patterns<br />
India ranks amongst the lowest in<br />
the world. The per capita consumption<br />
of power in India has increased from<br />
631 units in financial year 2005-06 to<br />
879 units in financial year 2011-12 as<br />
per CEA. This is many times less than<br />
the electricity consumption in the developed<br />
countries of the world giving<br />
enormous scope of capacity addition in<br />
India.<br />
• S L Bansal, CMD,<br />
Oriental Bank of Commerce<br />
‘In view of the<br />
present economic<br />
slowdown,<br />
banking<br />
industry is facing<br />
serious challenge on<br />
maintaining asset<br />
quality & profitability.<br />
The quantum of<br />
non performing assets has increased<br />
substantially over the last 2 years and<br />
Banks have moved towards early resolution<br />
& monitoring of borrowal accounts.<br />
As credit demand from large<br />
projects is muted, the banks are now<br />
focusing on augmenting retail credit,<br />
MSME and Mid Corporate segments<br />
towards de-risking their balance sheets.<br />
The other challenges are compliance<br />
to BASEL III capital requirements,<br />
competition from opening of new private<br />
sector banks and on Human Resources<br />
front. As a professional banker,<br />
I would always like to foresee inclusive<br />
growth for our 1.2 billion population<br />
and dream of an Indian society void of<br />
any financial exclusion. It is with this<br />
objective of financial inclusion, major<br />
banks were nationalized in two phases<br />
in 1969 & 1980, which was also considered<br />
as the beginning of the era of<br />
social & mass banking. In plain terms,<br />
this means banking for all the segments<br />
of the society in general and especially<br />
for those weaker sections who are at the<br />
bottom of the pyramid. You will appreciate<br />
that all public sector banks have<br />
played a key role towards economic upliftment<br />
of a vast cross section of people<br />
by making banking accessible to the<br />
rural masses.<br />
• T.V. Mohan Das Pai, Chairman,<br />
Manipal Global Education<br />
‘India’s gross<br />
enrolment is<br />
22% in the<br />
age group<br />
of 18-23, growing<br />
at 7% per annum.<br />
We have 3 crore<br />
students in our colleges<br />
with around<br />
90 lakhs completing every year. We<br />
have solved to a great degree the challenge<br />
of access to higher education<br />
but the challenge of quality remains.<br />
This can only be solved if we have<br />
autonomy for our universities. We<br />
are over regulated and under governed.<br />
Our democracy, our diversity,<br />
our unquestioned acceptance of everybody’s<br />
right to the freedoms promised<br />
in our constitution. The fact that<br />
our economy has all the necessary<br />
factors to grow on a sustained basis<br />
at 8%+ per year! that our population<br />
is fast stabilising and the fact that we<br />
have a very young population. Our<br />
disregard of merit and the mad rush<br />
to mediocrity in our politics and in<br />
our society. The lack of leaders with<br />
a vision of the India of the future and<br />
the strategy to achieve it. The lack of<br />
focus on execution and the growing<br />
belief that rhetoric is equal to execution<br />
in our politics and lastly the lack<br />
of empowerment in governance of<br />
our cities.<br />
YOUR VOICE<br />
• Harish Bijoor, Marketing Guru<br />
‘Brands are<br />
growing bigger<br />
and bigger.<br />
As the brand<br />
movement grows<br />
bigger, it is important<br />
not to neglect the<br />
commodity-movement<br />
at the other end<br />
of the spectrum. I do believe we in the<br />
realm of brands need to <strong>POINT</strong> <strong>OUT</strong><br />
the importance of this movement as<br />
well. Small is indeed beautiful and will<br />
always be. Niche brands need as much<br />
support as the big ones. If the true-blue<br />
mixed fabric of society needs to be retained,<br />
and if the variegated nature of life<br />
needs to be celebrated, it is important to<br />
support movements that are small and<br />
still beautiful.<br />
Therefore I would support the<br />
small hole-in-the-wall bookshop as<br />
it gets rampaged by the large brand<br />
book shop. I would support the small<br />
vegetable vendor and his cause as his<br />
offering gets vandalized by the biggie<br />
at the corner. Time to <strong>POINT</strong> <strong>OUT</strong> all<br />
this I guess!<br />
• Ashwini Kumar, Social Worker<br />
‘There is a need<br />
in the country<br />
to re-evaluate<br />
the social service<br />
parameters. The<br />
process of registration<br />
of NGO’s and<br />
the CSR activities of<br />
the Indian Corporate<br />
sector should get more transparent.<br />
We have seen and continue to see<br />
that most of what is spent in the name<br />
of Social Service hardly reaches the<br />
deserving masses. If that leakage can<br />
be plugged, there will be no illiterates,<br />
no unemployment, no malnutrition<br />
and no poverty and country would become<br />
a superpower. Indian masses have<br />
shown that in the most adverse conditions<br />
also they have the instinct to not<br />
only survive but try and excel. Despite<br />
limitations of resources, we are able to<br />
come up with the best possible solutions<br />
because I believe that it is genetically<br />
ingrained into us to meet the challenges.<br />
That I feel is the biggest strength<br />
that the society has that we are “Great<br />
Survivors” but limit it to self.<br />
4<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
<strong>POINT</strong> OF VIEW<br />
USING THE<br />
RIGHT WORD<br />
Word speaks for itself; words stir thoughts and play a major role towards<br />
positive transformation in any society. From time immemorial mass<br />
media have been using words to disseminate information and keep people<br />
informed of happenings around them. However, if not used properly, the same words<br />
lead to chaos and anarchy. Thus, it makes the role and responsibility of media critical<br />
in any society. Keeping this in mind we are unveiling the first issue of <strong>POINT</strong><strong>OUT</strong><br />
magazine, at a time when our country, society, polity, governance and lifestyle are<br />
undergoing a transformation. Through this magazine, our endeavor is to be a part of<br />
this transformation. Ours is an effort based not to cash only on negativity but to look<br />
beyond it. The large pool of youth, life in rural areas and aspirations of youth all would<br />
be presented through use of right words to reach out to a larger audience. It’s a conscious<br />
attempt to not just call attention to ills around us but also to seek solutions from the<br />
stakeholders and salute where the credit is due. While growth and modernization is a<br />
must, we also need to look beyond life in our metros. Ours is a country where majority<br />
live in rural areas and villages. Yearning for a better change, villages too are undergoing<br />
a transformation and it is this that would be captured and presented to you through our<br />
Village Roots column. It will be a permanent feature that would bring about positive<br />
changes happening in rural India and salute the heroes behind them. While the general<br />
notion is to blame bureaucracy and governance for all ills plaguing the country, we<br />
believe there are some great innovators who struggled against odds and came up with<br />
effective delivery mechanism using available resources to benefit the larger population.<br />
Redefining Governance column will be a tribute to such brilliant bureaucrats, politicians<br />
or others. Being the youngest nation in the world, Indian youth are using their energies<br />
in shaping up their destiny. With unlimited dreams they are chasing their passion in<br />
diverse fields, be it science and technology, information technology, medical science,<br />
creative arts, dance and drama and the tinsel world. The High Flying column would<br />
dedicate space to such outstanding achievers and their initiatives. It goes without<br />
saying, that the magazine will also offer spiritual touch for lowering stress levels for<br />
the pressured honchos and articles on health and gossips from the Bollywood. With<br />
general elections to Lok Sabha scheduled in April-May, this inaugural issue also<br />
throws light on the state of the nation and political parties. With pollsters predicting<br />
a drubbing for the Congress-led UPA, its chances appear bleak. But will Narendra<br />
Modi wave take BJP and NDA combine close to or beyond the 272 mark, required<br />
for a simple majority? It is a big question only time would answer. With no party<br />
or combine in sight of a majority, as of now, regional satraps including leaders of<br />
Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal (United), AIADMK, Telugu Desam, Trinamool Congress<br />
are all fancying their chances. This forms our cover story for the month.<br />
Dr. Shiv Kumar Rai<br />
Editor In Chief<br />
5
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
TWITTERATI<br />
• Anupam Kher@AnupamPkher<br />
I prefer people who sell<br />
comb to Bald people<br />
or give them a hair cut<br />
then people who have<br />
been just<br />
selling<br />
dreams for<br />
years.:)<br />
#Rahul<br />
Gandhi<br />
• Digvijaya Singh@<br />
digvijaya_28<br />
Gujarat is a<br />
developed<br />
State<br />
because<br />
of the<br />
Enterprise<br />
and Entrepreneurship<br />
of People of Gujarat not<br />
Modi.<br />
• Manohar Parrikar@<br />
manoharparrikar<br />
No matter how different<br />
our ideas of governance<br />
and policy may be, we<br />
still have to work<br />
within the<br />
frame work<br />
of the Indian<br />
constitution.<br />
• Omar Abdullah@abdullah_<br />
omar<br />
To be<br />
demanding<br />
special<br />
privileges<br />
for “VIPs” in<br />
this political<br />
atmosphere<br />
takes a special kind of<br />
disconnect with reality.<br />
• Shekhar Kapur@<br />
shekharkapur<br />
When the noise inside<br />
Parliament drowns<br />
the thunder of People’s<br />
aspirations outside,<br />
Parliament is no longer<br />
an effective tool<br />
of Democracy<br />
• Narendra Modi@<br />
narendramodi<br />
What happened to<br />
the youngster from<br />
Arunachal Pradesh in<br />
Delhi is saddening &<br />
shocking.<br />
No place<br />
for such<br />
gruesome<br />
acts in our<br />
nation.<br />
• Sushma Swaraj<br />
@SushmaSwarajbjp Feb 3<br />
The problem is that it<br />
is a lame duck Government.<br />
Neither their<br />
allies, nor<br />
their<br />
Chief<br />
Minister,<br />
not even<br />
members -<br />
nobody listens to them<br />
• Arvind Kejriwal @<br />
ArvindKejriwal Feb 4<br />
Anil Ambani<br />
playing<br />
politics<br />
wid delhi’s<br />
electricity?<br />
Whose politics<br />
is he doing?<br />
• Farhan Akhtar @FarOutAkhtar<br />
Jan 31<br />
Look forward to meeting<br />
the deservedly honoured,<br />
Padmashri Vidya Balan.<br />
Nice when good things<br />
happen to<br />
good people.<br />
• Satya Nadella @satyanadella<br />
first commitment<br />
as CEO...i<br />
won’t wait 4<br />
years between<br />
tweets!<br />
6<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
STATE REPORT UTTAR PRADESH<br />
An Albatross For<br />
Akhilesh Yadav<br />
» <strong>POINT</strong> <strong>OUT</strong> BUREAU<br />
The young chief minister of Uttar<br />
Pradesh would have hardly<br />
thought that Muzaffarnagar riots<br />
would turn out to be an albatross<br />
around the neck for him and his party,<br />
the Samajwadi Party. Eager to portray<br />
himself on the right side of a particular<br />
community, he ordered the start of riot<br />
camps. But those very camps are now his<br />
biggest problem.<br />
From allegations of lack of proper<br />
8<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
facilities, rehabilitation, poor sanitation<br />
and insensitivity of the district administration<br />
and state government to growing<br />
opposition jibes, the Yadav senior (Mulayam<br />
Singh) and junior appear to be<br />
cornered.<br />
Confusion is so confounded that after<br />
denying irregularities at the riot-camps,<br />
the state is now clueless. The issue has<br />
remained alive all through with a senior<br />
officer, Anil Gupta, Principal Secretary<br />
(Home), while refuting deaths of children<br />
due to cold wave at the relief camps suggested<br />
that “no one can die of cold.”<br />
The statement of Gupta drew flak<br />
from the opposition political parties and<br />
the NGOs in the state and even before<br />
the brouhaha over it could stop came<br />
reports that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists<br />
tried to recruit men from riot-hit<br />
families. The reports have been attributed<br />
to two Muslim clerics, who were arrested<br />
by the Delhi Police.<br />
Amidst the controversy, SP chief<br />
Mulayam Singh Yadav, too did his bit by<br />
accusing people living in the riot camps<br />
as agents of the Congress party. His<br />
comments sparked off unsavory duel<br />
with the Congress. The handling of the<br />
Muzaffarnagar riots and subsequent situation<br />
has also led to unease among the<br />
Samajwadi Party. Maulana Tauqir Raza,<br />
an adviser to the UP Handloom Corporation,<br />
who has been accorded the status<br />
of a minister of state has questioned<br />
Mulayam asking for an inquiry why he<br />
failed to visit Muzaffarnagar during or<br />
after the riots.<br />
Similarly, the Darul Uloom, Deoband<br />
has termed Mulayam a friend of the<br />
Rashtriya Swayemsevak Sangh (RSS).<br />
The annual Saifai Mahotsav organized<br />
by the chief minister in his backyard,<br />
too has come under flak for the festivities<br />
and expenditure incurred on it while riot<br />
victims were suffering. Amidst reports of<br />
Bollywood stars making a beeline at the<br />
fortnight long festival, Chief Minister<br />
The annual Saifai Mahotsav<br />
organized by the chief minister<br />
in his backyard, too has come<br />
under flak for the festivities and<br />
expenditure incurred on it while riot<br />
victims were suffering<br />
Akhilesh Yadav lashed on to the media<br />
for giving negative publicity to the government.<br />
“Saifai Mahotsav has been organized<br />
to boost tourism, infrastructure<br />
and invite investments to the backward<br />
area. We have been holding the festival<br />
for the past several years, whether we<br />
were in power or not,” he said.<br />
“Local people in and around Saifai<br />
have been waiting for this event for the<br />
last one year. They have prepared for it,”<br />
he added.<br />
Like the Saifai festival, a junket of legislators<br />
including minister Azam Khan to<br />
Europe claimed as a ‘study tour’ also led<br />
to a furore. So much so, that the visiting<br />
team had to cut short its visit and return<br />
home. An angry Azam on his return paraded<br />
some of the MLAs who travelled<br />
with him and tried to defend the junket.<br />
But the junket too has been linked with<br />
the sufferings of the riot-hit. An angry<br />
Khan alleged that “by linking the tour<br />
with the plight of Muzaffarnagar riots<br />
victims, a section of the media was playing<br />
up to the fascist forces.”<br />
With general elections to the Lok Sabha<br />
just few months away, Chief Minister<br />
Akhilesh Yadav wants the camps to be<br />
wound up, as swiftly as he started them.<br />
10<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
INTERVIEW VINOD RAI<br />
» FORMER<br />
CAG<br />
TRANSPARENCY<br />
CAN LIMIT<br />
CORRUPTION<br />
Former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, Vinod Rai needs no introduction. A retired IAS<br />
officer of Kerala cadre, Rai is known as one of the few bureaucrats who stood up and red-flagged corruption and<br />
misappropriation. As a young officer, he was the one who laid the foundations for development of Thrissur district<br />
in Kerala that earned him the title of sakthan thambran (powerful ruler) when he was posted as district collector.<br />
As the CAG, Rai was instrumental in unearthing some of the biggest scams in the history of India perpetuated by<br />
government agencies – like the Commonwealth Games scam and the 2G spectrum allocation scam – through his<br />
audits. These issues continue to embarrass the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government and its ministers.<br />
Though Rai retired from service in March 2013, he is leading an active life as chairman of the United Nations Panel<br />
of External Auditors and member of the Governing Board of the International Organization of Supreme Audit<br />
Institutions (INTOSAI). He spoke candidly to Dr. Shiv Kumar Rai about his life, work and dreams. Some excerpts:<br />
11
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
You were of the view that 60%<br />
government funding is not audited<br />
and advocated all PPPs (Public<br />
Private Partnerships) and PRIs<br />
(Panchayati Raj Institutions) be<br />
brought under the CAG ambit. Could<br />
you elaborate?<br />
The CAG draws mandate to conduct<br />
audit by the CAG Act of 1971. Now, the<br />
audit act talks only of the government<br />
departments and government enterprises.<br />
When it was enacted, there were<br />
no such things as PPPs, joint ventures,<br />
NGOs, self help groups, etc. The 73rd and<br />
74th amendments gave a lot of powers to<br />
the PRIs and urban local bodies. Obviously,<br />
the 1971 law which has not been<br />
amended as yet, did not bring PPPs or<br />
PRIs within the ambit of CAG. So, all<br />
that I have been seeking to do is to emphasise<br />
the need to amend and update<br />
that law because most of the government<br />
spending now is through these sources,<br />
through these channels, especially the<br />
PRIs.<br />
The UPA government has termed<br />
the figure of loss in the 2G spectrum<br />
scam as arrived upon by the CAG as<br />
highly exaggerated? Do you feel the<br />
same?<br />
I said it throughout my service that<br />
figures we gave were right and the audit<br />
report explained in detail how we had<br />
arrived at such a calculation of loss. The<br />
entire audit department stands by the<br />
figures and I have no hesitation in saying<br />
that those figures are accurate and<br />
realistic.<br />
Is there any way you think the<br />
selection of CAG can be more<br />
transparent?<br />
Certainly! I would suggest to the government<br />
to take the appointment route<br />
for CAG as followed in the case of the<br />
Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC)<br />
or the Central Election Commissioner<br />
(CEC). A collegium approach for CAG<br />
too, will be helpful.<br />
How can functioning of CAG be<br />
improved?<br />
Well, I think the Indian Audit & Accounts<br />
department is a very professional<br />
organisation. They are very<br />
professional in their approach, are<br />
apolitical and objective, and totally<br />
transparent in the way they<br />
conduct their audits. I think any<br />
department must keep updating<br />
‘Core values and culture start<br />
first in the family. It is the<br />
family, the parents, who impart<br />
certain values such as honesty<br />
and humility. Nobody can teach<br />
you that in school or college”<br />
‘I have been fortunate and<br />
have not had anything<br />
which I would call the worst.<br />
Everything has been good,<br />
generally good, for me”<br />
‘Government officials<br />
must recognise that in<br />
Parliamentary democracy the<br />
boss is always the minister. There<br />
should be no doubt about it in our<br />
mind because he is the one who is<br />
accountable to the public,<br />
and the Parliament”<br />
its knowledge base to keep improving<br />
its professionalism. This is a continuous<br />
process and that should apply to the audit<br />
services also.<br />
You have made an interesting<br />
observation that government must be<br />
seen as supporting enterprises, and<br />
not become an entrepreneur itself.<br />
Could you talk about it?<br />
The government’s role is to motivate,<br />
nurture, and incubate enterprises,<br />
industries and people to set up revenue<br />
generating or employment generating activities.<br />
Now, the government should not<br />
play favourites. For example, the government<br />
should motivate the textile industry,<br />
automobile industry, pharma industry<br />
and not start promoting individuals<br />
from the industry. The government’s intention<br />
should be that of a facilitator and<br />
monitor and nothing more.<br />
In a landmark judgement, the<br />
Supreme Court said that the<br />
bureaucrats should not take oral<br />
instructions from netas (politicians).<br />
What is your advice to young<br />
bureaucrats and youngsters?<br />
The SC is absolutely right. It will bring<br />
in more accountability. India is a Parliamentary<br />
democracy and we are all very<br />
proud of it. Democracy has been<br />
able to give us an almost double<br />
digit economic growth. This<br />
economic activity has to<br />
be supported. This could<br />
only be done through<br />
good governance. Good<br />
governance is provided<br />
by bureaucrats or government<br />
officials.<br />
Government officials<br />
must recognise that in<br />
12<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
a Parliamentary democracy, the boss is<br />
always the minister. There should be no<br />
doubt about it in our mind because he is<br />
the one who is accountable to the public<br />
and the Parliament. As the boss, he may<br />
make oral orders but it is for the officials<br />
to take it in writing. There is nothing<br />
wrong with it, the minister is well within<br />
his right to make an order and the official<br />
can demand it in writing. A minister, of<br />
course, has every right to overrule an official<br />
or agree with him, so that is the way<br />
Parliamentary democracy works worldwide.<br />
A bureaucrat, whether he agrees or<br />
disagrees with an order, has the freedom<br />
to pen down his views even if he or she is<br />
overruled and they should have no hesitation<br />
in doing so.<br />
You are considered a symbol of the<br />
anti-corruption movement. What is<br />
your take?<br />
No, not at all. This is not an anti-corruption<br />
movement. See, the last five-six<br />
years, I have seen the culmination of a<br />
large numbers of factors. Number one,<br />
there are citizens in India who came to<br />
the centrestage, citizens became very<br />
demanding and very rightly so, they<br />
wanted participative governance. Number<br />
two was that the media played a very<br />
positive role. I sincerely feel that they<br />
have been alert and constructive as far<br />
as the audit department is concerned.<br />
Third, just by chance a few irregularities<br />
in government functioning came to light<br />
and got projected alongside the citizen<br />
movement. I am very confident that this<br />
would lead to a cleansing of the Indian<br />
society and system.<br />
What was the best and the worst<br />
thing to happen to you in your<br />
bureaucratic journey?<br />
Nothing really bad happened. Life is<br />
cyclical, it goes up and comes down. And<br />
in the up and down process, there are<br />
some good things and there are not very<br />
good things. But, I have been fortunate<br />
and have not had anything which I would<br />
call the worst. Everything has been good,<br />
generally good, for me.<br />
Commitment and courage have been<br />
core values in your life, particularly<br />
while you were the CAG. How can we<br />
transfer these qualities to the youth?<br />
Core values and culture start first in<br />
the family. It is the family, the parents,<br />
who impart certain values such as honesty<br />
and humility and nobody can teach<br />
you that in school or college. It comes<br />
from the family itself. Of course, I owe<br />
a lot to my parents in that sense. More<br />
importantly, when you get into the job<br />
then you have to ensure that your focus<br />
is on the mandate that has been given<br />
to you. Even if the path is thorny, rocky<br />
and turbulent at times, if you steer clear<br />
of any partisanship then you will come<br />
out good. I am fairly confident about<br />
the youth and the Gennext as these values<br />
have been ingrained in them very<br />
strongly. This is a very good sign for the<br />
country’s future.<br />
Tell us about your family<br />
background?<br />
I belong to a district called Gazipur<br />
in UP. My grandfather was a daroga<br />
in the village. My father studied initially<br />
at the village. Later, he went to<br />
the Allahabad University from where<br />
he did his MA in Philosophy and also<br />
studied law. After he finished his law<br />
degree, he had the intention of becoming<br />
a professor. So he did his PhD in<br />
Philosophy. While he was doing his<br />
PhD, the Second World War broke<br />
out. Somehow in a fit of patriotism, if<br />
I can say, he and a couple of his friends<br />
joined the army. He joined the army<br />
as a sipahi. After joining the army, he<br />
sent a postcard to my grandmother,<br />
saying “I joined the Army as a sepoy<br />
at a salary of Rs 18 and during training<br />
we also have to clean horses.” My<br />
grandmother got very upset upon<br />
reading this because being a daroga<br />
my grandfather had two horses in our<br />
house and he had never attended to<br />
them personally. But the good thing<br />
was when my father’s paper reached<br />
his company commander, he realised<br />
this sepoy was very educated and he<br />
immediately got him an emergency<br />
commission. He became a Captain and<br />
was made a psychologist in the Service<br />
Selection Board (SSB).<br />
How can the society eliminate<br />
corruption?<br />
The society can eliminate corruption<br />
only by one simple way and that is when<br />
we conduct everything transparently. If<br />
every public activity (decision, collection<br />
and spending and conduct) is known to<br />
all, there will be less scope of pilferage.<br />
13
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
AUGUSTAWESTLAND DEAL<br />
GROUNDED<br />
With general elections due<br />
soon, the UPA seems to have<br />
washed its hands off the<br />
partially completed purchase<br />
of VVIP helicopters<br />
14<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
» File photo of Defence Minister, A K Antony at the cockpit of Dhruv Helicopter. (For representational purpose only)<br />
» SURYA GANGADHARAN<br />
OOn the face of it, AgustaWestland’s<br />
bid to supply VVIP helicopters to<br />
India is now over and done with.<br />
But it’s not yet the end of the story.<br />
For one, the Defence Ministry did not<br />
indicate if AgustaWestland (AW) was being<br />
blacklisted. The reluctance to do so<br />
probably stems from the need to maintain<br />
the three VVIP helicopters delivered so far<br />
(for which money has been paid and AW’s<br />
cooperation is essential).<br />
It is also intended to safeguard projects<br />
that the Defence Ministry has okayed with<br />
AW’s parent firm Finmeccanica and its<br />
other subsidiaries. These include MBDA<br />
which will supply weapons for the MMR-<br />
CA Rafale, also MICA and Meteor missiles.<br />
Then, Selex EKS is supplying the air<br />
surveillance radar for India’s indigenous<br />
aircraft carrier. WASS has to upgrade<br />
all lightweight torpedoes for the Indian<br />
Navy’s fleet of submarines. And NH Industries<br />
is bidding to supply maritime<br />
helicopters for the navy.<br />
The Defence Ministry has therefore<br />
appointed a retired judge “to safeguard<br />
our interests” as the ministry stated in the<br />
arbitration proceedings that the AW has<br />
initiated. This comes at a time when the<br />
government remains opposed to any arbitration<br />
(and is moving to secure the 250<br />
mn Euro guarantee money that the AW<br />
had deposited).<br />
On the other hand, AW continues<br />
to deny any wrongdoing. In fact, despite<br />
the barrage of publicity surrounding the<br />
government’s prosecution of bribery allegations<br />
case, nothing has turned up. The<br />
word is that the CBI has not touched the<br />
Tyagi brothers after the initial round of<br />
interrogations last year. The investigation<br />
agency says that the bribe money was paid<br />
(according to Italian reports 6 mn Euro to<br />
politicians, 6 mn to IAF officials (read Tyagis),<br />
and 8.4 mn to bureaucrats) but has<br />
not been able to trace where and to whom<br />
the money went.<br />
This is where the Swiss businessman<br />
Guido Haschke’s notings made in 2008,<br />
seized by the Italian investigators while<br />
probing an entirely different case, could<br />
prove interesting. For instance, the notings<br />
This is where the Swiss<br />
businessman Guido Haschke’s<br />
notings made in 2008, seized by<br />
the Italian investigators while<br />
probing an entirely different case,<br />
could prove interesting<br />
refer to an “AP” in the “POL” list. ‘POL’<br />
could mean politician although there’s no<br />
certainty about this. Then there’s a reference<br />
to “FAM” that some have interpreted<br />
to mean family. There are also references<br />
to “DS, JS Air, AFA, DG Acquisitions” in<br />
the list titled “BUR” (bureaucracy?). The<br />
CBI will get to question Haschke in Italy<br />
once the trial there wraps up.<br />
So, what happens to the VVIP helicopter<br />
fleet? The original plan was to buy 12<br />
helicopters and AW is ready and willing to<br />
supply the balance nine still pending. Will<br />
the government bite the bullet and buy<br />
them? Not this government for sure. With<br />
the general elections due, the UPA has<br />
washed its hands off the matter by leaving<br />
it to the next government to decide. With<br />
so much already invested, including training<br />
of pilots and infrastructure, it would<br />
appear that the practical thing to do would<br />
be to complete the buy.<br />
Such a move maybe politically difficult<br />
for any government. In that case,<br />
Sikorsky which was No.2 in the VVIP<br />
tender, gets a chance. Sikorsky has invested<br />
in joint ventures in India including<br />
building the S-92 helicopter cabin in<br />
Hyderabad. Perhaps, building a VVIP<br />
chopper in India, a venture which will<br />
create jobs here and ensure that money<br />
stays in the country, could be a better bet<br />
in the long run.<br />
15
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
COVER STORY GENERAL ELECTION<br />
MODI JUGGERNAUT<br />
ON COURSE<br />
16<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
Surveys conducted by three major media groups in January<br />
2014 to know the mood of the nation if general elections<br />
were to be held now have pointed out a major gain for<br />
the BJP and the NDA that it leads. The BJP’s prime<br />
ministerial candidate Narendra Modi also leads the race<br />
for the popular choice of Prime Minister, way ahead of<br />
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Congress chief<br />
Sonia Gandhi or Arvind Kejriwal of the AAP<br />
» <strong>POINT</strong> <strong>OUT</strong> TEAM<br />
After assembly elections in five states in<br />
November 2013 and the dramatic rise<br />
of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in New<br />
Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal was billed as the<br />
counter to Narendra Modi. But the recent<br />
turn of events, including the Delhi government’s<br />
dharna against Delhi Police and<br />
utterances of Delhi Law Minister Somnath<br />
Bharti coupled with the expulsion of<br />
dissident MLA Vinod Kumar Binny, has<br />
left a bad taste, projecting the party as a<br />
group of anarchists. Will the Aam Aadmi<br />
Party (AAP) be able to pull up its socks<br />
before the Lok Sabha elections?<br />
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP)<br />
mission 2014 seems to be on<br />
course and its prime ministerial<br />
candidate Narenda Modi is leading<br />
the race by a fair margin, if the recent<br />
surveys conducted by three major media<br />
houses – the ABP News-Nielsen, India<br />
Today-C Voter and CNN-IBN-CSDS, are<br />
taken into account.<br />
Judging by the mood of the nation, if<br />
elections to the Lok Sabha are to be held<br />
now, the Congress Party is all set to face<br />
a drubbing and possibly end up with its<br />
lowest ever tally in two-digits. Likewise,<br />
given the situation, the BJP is likely to<br />
end up with its highest tally and is likely<br />
to cross the 200-seat mark on its own, out<br />
of the total 543 seats, according to the<br />
surveys.<br />
The ABP News-Nielsen survey has<br />
given the Congress 81 seats and the ruling<br />
United Progressive Alliance (UPA)<br />
combine 101 seats. The National Democratic<br />
Alliance (NDA), according to this<br />
survey, will end up with about 226 seats<br />
and the BJP 210 seats. The others are<br />
expected to get 130 seats with the Left<br />
bagging about 30. The survey gives AAP<br />
about 11 seats.<br />
Likewise, the India Today-C Voter<br />
survey predicts that the BJP is likely to get<br />
about 188 seats on its own, about double<br />
than its rival Congress party that may end<br />
up with about 90 seats. The NDA is likely<br />
to get 207 to 217 seats while the UPA will<br />
end up with about 98 to 108 seats. Others<br />
and Left parties are likely to get 223-233<br />
seats.<br />
The CNN IBN-CSDS survey states<br />
that the NDA is likely to get about 211 to<br />
231 seats with the BJP would get anything<br />
between 190 and 210 seats on its own. It<br />
suggests that the UPA will get 107-127<br />
seats with the Congress getting about<br />
92-108 seats. Left parties and others are<br />
likely to get about 204 to 225 seats.<br />
The common thread in all the surveys<br />
is the fact that none of the alliances is in<br />
a position to form the government on<br />
its own. A party or alliance requires 272<br />
seats to be in a position to stake claim<br />
to form the government. With the BJP<br />
and NDA’s improved performances, it is<br />
expected that smaller parties might align<br />
with it after the polls.<br />
Narendra Modi leads all the surveys<br />
17
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
as the popular choice for the Prime<br />
Minister’s post with more than half<br />
of the respondents favouring him as<br />
against the Congress vice president<br />
Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Sonia<br />
Gandhi or Arvind Kejriwal of the<br />
AAP who gets about 5% to 3% of popular<br />
votes. Similarly, a majority of the<br />
respondents, almost 61%, have refused<br />
to give the UPA another opportunity<br />
while 69% rated the UPA government’s<br />
performance as poor or very poor.<br />
From the surveys, it is clear that if<br />
elections are held at present, the Congress<br />
is likely to suffer huge losses in<br />
Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya<br />
Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and the<br />
southern states of Andhra Pradesh and<br />
Tamil Nadu. In Maharashtra too, the<br />
Congress party appears to be on the<br />
downslide. In the two non-Congressruled<br />
states of Tamil Nadu and West<br />
Bengal, J Jayalalithaa of the AIADMK<br />
and Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool<br />
Congress respectively are expected<br />
to do well. Surveys have predicted<br />
about 15 to 23 seats for Jayalalithaa and<br />
20 to 28 seats for Mamata.<br />
The surprise package has been the<br />
two big Hindi speaking states of Uttar<br />
Pradesh and Bihar. In UP, the Samajwadi<br />
Party (SP) of Mulayam Singh<br />
Yadav in unlikely to make major gains<br />
and is likely to end up with 20 to 24<br />
seats, something similar to its bêtenoir,<br />
the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)<br />
of Mayawati. The Congress that has<br />
21 members from UP may end up in<br />
single digit. The BJP is likely to make<br />
major gains in the state by securing<br />
about 30 seats.<br />
Likewise in Bihar, the Nitish<br />
Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) that<br />
broke away from the NDA over naming<br />
Modi as its prime ministerial candidate,<br />
is likely to suffer losses. The<br />
surveys suggest that the BJP is on the<br />
ascendant in the state while the JD (U)<br />
is on the decline.<br />
The mood of the people suggested<br />
that if elections were held in<br />
January 2014, the UPA would have got<br />
28% votes, while the NDA and others<br />
would have managed to get 36%<br />
votes each. It is to be seen whether the<br />
Congress Party that has named Rahul<br />
Gandhi as the head of its campaign for<br />
the Lok Sabha polls makes a dramatic<br />
turnaround in the next three months,<br />
before the country goes to vote. Likewise,<br />
the surveys are a wakeup call for<br />
the regional parties like the SP, JD (U),<br />
BSP and the DMK.<br />
COVER STORY GENERAL ELECTION<br />
NaMo Factor<br />
Whether one agrees or not, the<br />
fact is that there is a positive<br />
mood in favour of Narendra<br />
Modi across the country. So<br />
much so that the BJP might end up getting<br />
its highest ever number of MPs –<br />
more than what it could achieve during<br />
the Ayodhya movement of the 1990s.<br />
The Modi factor has been debated<br />
threadbare by his supporters and critics,<br />
but it has been very clearly demonstrated<br />
in the five states that went to the assembly<br />
polls in November last year. The decimation<br />
of the Congress in Madhya Pradesh,<br />
Rajasthan and Delhi, besides its inability<br />
to encash the Jhiram Ghati massacre in<br />
Bastar that wiped off almost the front<br />
Congress leadership in Chhattisgarh, is<br />
a clear indication of the Modi factor that<br />
prevailed upon the voters. Whether one<br />
agrees or not, the fact remains that in<br />
Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh,<br />
the BJP was expected to do well – but the<br />
results exceeded far beyond the expectations<br />
of even die-hard BJP supporters.<br />
In Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh<br />
Chouhan, with his ‘son of the soil’ image<br />
among the rural masses was always<br />
expected to win. But Chouhan, who was<br />
seeking a third term, led the party to victory<br />
in 165 out of a total of 230 seats in<br />
the state assembly – at a time when most<br />
opinion polls had ruled out any wave in<br />
the state.<br />
Likewise in Rajasthan, the Congress’<br />
rout was expected, but the BJP eventually<br />
ended up with a tally 162 in the 200-member<br />
house. The Congress managed to get<br />
only 21 seats, down by 74 seats from the<br />
previous term. In Chhattisgarh too, there<br />
was a keen battle between the Congress<br />
and the BJP but in the end, the BJP managed<br />
to win a simple majority and form<br />
the government – third time in a row. In<br />
the tribal region of South Chhattisgarh<br />
and Bastar, the BJP which had done exceedingly<br />
well in 2008 elections, lost out<br />
possibly due to the sympathy wave following<br />
the massacre of Mahendra Karma<br />
and other senior Congress leaders but the<br />
losses were minimised by BJP’s improved<br />
position in Central Chhattisgarh.<br />
In Delhi too, the Congress was not<br />
expected to win but the surprise was<br />
AAP that spoiled BJP’s party and stopped<br />
it from getting to a simple majority. The<br />
18<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
AAP formed the government with support<br />
from the Congress.<br />
The results of four states also give a<br />
clear message. Though local issues and<br />
strong regional leaders like Shivraj Singh<br />
Chouhan, Dr Raman Singh and Vasundhara<br />
Raje gave BJP an upper hand in<br />
these states, there still was an undercurrent<br />
that helped the party in sweeping the<br />
polls. This had surprised many pollsters<br />
and senior leaders. Now, they too admit<br />
the presence of a wave in favour of Modi.<br />
Modi’s public meetings were well attended<br />
in all these states and an analysis<br />
shows that candidates won by huge margins<br />
wherever his meetings were held.<br />
The effect was such that several candidates<br />
in constituencies falling near the<br />
places where he addressed the people<br />
won handsomely.<br />
In Madhya Pradesh, Ratlam has been<br />
a good example. The region has tribal<br />
seats of Jhabua and Alirajpur, which<br />
traditionally have been Congress strongholds.<br />
But after public meetings by Modi<br />
and the Congress vice president Rahul<br />
Gandhi, the result was that the BJP swept<br />
all the seats for the first time.<br />
A senior BJP minister from MP and<br />
Modi supporter summed it up: “Shivraj’s<br />
contribution cannot be ignored in BJP’s<br />
win in MP, but the win turned into a<br />
landslide only due to Modi. BJP candidates,<br />
some really weak ones, won from<br />
constituencies falling in the districts or<br />
divisions where Narendra Modi’s public<br />
meetings were organised. Isn’t that a<br />
Modi wave? ”<br />
In Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje had<br />
admitted that the landslide victory for<br />
BJP in the state was aided by Modi.<br />
“There was a positive sentiment among<br />
the voters about Narendra Modi and that<br />
ensured the victory for BJP candidates<br />
across the state,” she had stated.<br />
Even his critics and die-hard fans<br />
would admit the tenacity of Modi for<br />
having made his way through the rank<br />
and file of the saffron outfit with his development<br />
agenda and image of a strong<br />
leader. His pitch for the Prime Minister’s<br />
post has somewhat been bolstered by a<br />
Gujarat court verdict exonerating him<br />
from the charges of mass massacre in Gujarat<br />
during the 2002 riots.<br />
As BJP gets into the poll mode for<br />
the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, it will have<br />
to do much better than what it did in the<br />
November 2013 assembly elections. If it<br />
has to get any close to even thinking of<br />
forming a government at the Centre, the<br />
BJP will have to win comprehensively<br />
in Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh,<br />
COVER STORY GENERAL ELECTION<br />
MODI QUOTE<br />
UNQUOTE<br />
Nation has had enough of Bills,<br />
it now needs a will to act”<br />
You have given 60 years to the<br />
rulers to rule the country, I<br />
request you to give 60 months<br />
to this servant. Country today does<br />
not need rulers but servants”<br />
I have been a Chief Minister<br />
and have administrative<br />
experience, I know the<br />
difference of having a favourable<br />
government at the Centre, when<br />
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was Prime<br />
Minister and a hostile government<br />
with UPA I and II. I can feel the<br />
pain of Chief Ministers and would<br />
like to assure that I will take along<br />
all towards the development of the<br />
country”<br />
TEA BOY CONNECT<br />
Modi has also not let go of the<br />
opportunity to rake up his humble<br />
background and taken a dig at the<br />
Congress for raking up the ‘tea<br />
boy’ issue and thereby connecting<br />
with lakhs of poor and underprivileged<br />
people in the county. Today,<br />
the Congress chief is shielding<br />
her son from directly contesting<br />
against a tea boy, he said, adding<br />
that the fear of defeat was keeping<br />
the mother from pushing her son<br />
to the forefront.<br />
Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Goa which are<br />
its strongholds. Besides, it will have to do<br />
well in Maharashtra, a state where it is in<br />
alliance with the Shiv Sena, and in the<br />
Punjab where it has an alliance with the<br />
Akali Dal led by Prakash Singh Badal.<br />
Apart from these states, the BJP will have<br />
to do well in the two big northern states of<br />
Uttar Pradesh and Bihar that send 80 and<br />
40 MPs to the Lok Sabha respectively. The<br />
120 seats from these two states are crucial<br />
future prospects for the BJP and the National<br />
Democratic Alliance (NDA).<br />
Despite his public posturing, Narendra<br />
Modi knows well that without getting<br />
a minimum of 200 seats on its own, the<br />
BJP won’t be in a position to form the<br />
government at the Centre. Backing, however,<br />
can come in the form of friends like<br />
Chandrababu Naidu of the TDP (Telugu<br />
Desam Party) in Andhra Pradesh and<br />
some other smaller parties.<br />
His effectiveness in motivating the<br />
people across India to vote for the BJP<br />
is yet to be seen, but one thing is certain<br />
that he has passed his first test towards<br />
the goal with flying colours.<br />
The Modi vision<br />
If he has to get to the Prime Ministerial<br />
seat, Narendra Modi would know<br />
better than all that the BJP will have to do<br />
much more than what they have done in<br />
the four big states in the recent assembly<br />
elections. Besides improving the party<br />
tally in these states, the BJP will have to<br />
do exceedingly well in the two crucial<br />
Hindi-speaking states of Uttar Pradesh<br />
and Bihar. It is with this aim that Modi<br />
is targeting the two states and theories<br />
are being floated that Modi might contest<br />
from a Parliamentary constituency in UP.<br />
It is precisely keeping this in mind<br />
that Modi used the platform at the BJP<br />
national executive meet in Delhi to address<br />
party workers and leaders and<br />
turned it into an address to the nation,<br />
throwing light on a gamut of issues and<br />
his vision for the development of the<br />
country. He was apt in saying, “Earlier,<br />
elections were held to uphold the family,<br />
under the shadow of the votebank.<br />
But elections are now being fought on<br />
the plank of development.” He said the<br />
country needed good governance and<br />
delivery.<br />
To the younger audience, he said,<br />
“Brothers, can you imagine 65% of our<br />
population is under 35? India is the youngest<br />
nation in the world and every youth<br />
has been given intelligence and skill. Yet,<br />
the demographic dividend, which could<br />
have become an asset, is a demographic<br />
20<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
disaster. Youth should be taught the<br />
skills and they will themselves find<br />
their way.” He advocated the need for<br />
centres of excellence that would train<br />
the youth in need-based skills and the<br />
necessity to have Indian Institutes of<br />
Technology (IIT) in all the states.<br />
Speaking on the GDP of the country,<br />
he said that if it had to be raised,<br />
our productivity had to be raised.<br />
Without improving agricultural production<br />
growth could not be achieved.<br />
He assured that backward regions of<br />
the country would get greater attention<br />
if the BJP was voted to power.<br />
Bihar, Bengal, eastern UP, Jharkhand,<br />
Orissa and the North-East would get<br />
special attention. Regional aspirations<br />
were not a challenge but an opportunity<br />
and the states and the Centre could<br />
work together to take development to<br />
new heights. He assured to strengthen<br />
federalism and work together. He suggested<br />
the idea of the twin-cities by<br />
which some 100 cities could be developed.<br />
These cities would be modern<br />
and self sufficient – a reasonably good<br />
idea to stop migration from smaller<br />
towns and villages to metros where<br />
civic infrastructure was under strain.<br />
His emphasis on capitalising the<br />
vast railway network in the country<br />
by strengthening and improving it for<br />
economic development also had many<br />
takers and it made sense. Moreover,<br />
the idea to create a few universities exclusively<br />
to cater to the needs of manpower<br />
for Indian Railways was also<br />
a good move. Similarly, to improve<br />
healthcare facility and make it affordable,<br />
he advocated having AIIMS-like<br />
institutions in all states of the country.<br />
Outlining a rainbow model of development,<br />
he spoke about the constitution<br />
of a price stabilisation fund to<br />
keep a check on inflation and to build<br />
a national agriculture market to help<br />
the farmers get proper value of their<br />
yield and prevent exploitation.<br />
Though, one may not agree in<br />
totality with the model suggested by<br />
Modi, the fact remains that he has<br />
opened his thoughts on the most immediate<br />
problems afflicting the country<br />
– whether it is security, unemployment,<br />
corruption, poor infrastructure<br />
or inflation. While touching upon<br />
these issues, he suggested some mechanism<br />
to address them, but what needs<br />
to be answered is how many people in<br />
the country are aware of the vision of<br />
other contemporary leaders on these<br />
critical issues.<br />
RaGa to lead<br />
the Congress<br />
Like in the past, the grand old party<br />
of the nation – the Congress has<br />
failed to look beyond the Nehru-<br />
Gandhi dynasty. After the drubbing<br />
in the assembly elections, the clamour to<br />
name Rahul Gandhi as the party’s prime<br />
ministerial candidate for the Lok Sabha<br />
polls has only grown. However, while the<br />
party leadership backed naming Rahul<br />
Gandhi as its prime ministerial candidate,<br />
party chief Sonia Gandhi nipped<br />
any such move in the bud. Much to the<br />
disappointment of Congress workers, she<br />
said that he would lead the party campaign<br />
in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.<br />
The excruciating defeat in the November<br />
2013 assembly elections has<br />
forced the Congress to take the veil off<br />
its ‘heir apparent’ -- Rahul Gandhi and<br />
make him appear in public more frequently.<br />
The party has projected him as<br />
an unassuming, honest leader who wants<br />
to make a difference and who is at variance<br />
with several decisions taken by the<br />
UPA government during its two terms.<br />
After Prime Minister Manmohan<br />
Singh’s public statement that he would<br />
not accept a third-term, Rahul’s elevation<br />
in the Congress was a foregone conclusion.<br />
Sensing the mood in the party, Rahul<br />
too has come out of his shell and is more<br />
21
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
COVER STORY GENERAL ELECTION<br />
actively voicing his concerns on national issues<br />
and policies. To make an impression<br />
that he is serious in his fight against corruption<br />
like in the case of the Lokpal Bill,<br />
Rahul differed with the views of Congress-<br />
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Maharashtra<br />
government that had rejected the<br />
Aadarsh scam report. However, that his<br />
party-led government made a symbolic<br />
gesture and accepted the report only partially<br />
is another story. So whatever RaGa<br />
may think, the message that has gone to<br />
the public is that his party can hardly tackle<br />
corruption.<br />
It is too late for Rahul or Sonia Gandhi<br />
to undo the damage caused by the 10<br />
years of UPA rule highlighted by some of<br />
the biggest scams in independent India,<br />
like the 2G spectrum allocation, Coal<br />
Sensing the mood in the party,<br />
Rahul too has come out of his<br />
shell and is more actively<br />
voicing his concerns on national<br />
issues and policies<br />
mine allocation and the Commonwealth<br />
Games scam among others. For greater<br />
part of the decade, the mother-son duo<br />
hardly spoke on these issues and with rising<br />
inflation, and fuel and LPG prices, the<br />
common man has developed a distaste for<br />
the Congress party that is seen as corrupt<br />
and inefficient.<br />
Moreover, till recently, Rahul Gandhi’s<br />
stoic silence on issues relating to governance<br />
and policies had left the masses confused.<br />
If he can take some effective steps,<br />
given the little time left for the Lok Sabha<br />
elections, he might only be able to arrest the<br />
party’s slide at best. Rahul has woken up to<br />
the situation too late and finds himself in a<br />
tight spot with AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal toppling<br />
him and the Congress to emerge as<br />
the main challenger to Narendra Modi. The<br />
fact that Rahul’s presence had hardly made<br />
any difference to the Congress prospects<br />
in the recent assembly elections makes his<br />
task all the more daunting.<br />
His sudden belligerence supported by<br />
the advertisement blitz launched by the<br />
Congress party has come a bit too late.<br />
Only time would tell the exact fate that<br />
awaits RaGa.<br />
22<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
Kejriwal – Aam<br />
Aadmi to anarchist<br />
Arvind Kejriwal, wrapped up<br />
in his traditional muffler<br />
and wielding a microphone,<br />
looks like a rebel challenging<br />
the system and fighting for the rights<br />
of the common man. In his zeal to be<br />
on the right side of the ordinary man,<br />
Kejriwal, who scripted history with a<br />
stunning performance of the Aam<br />
Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Delhi assembly<br />
election in 2013, often forgets<br />
that he is now the Chief Minister<br />
of the National Capital. The fighter<br />
within him always prevails making<br />
him the first Chief Minister to go on<br />
a dharna demanding action against<br />
some Delhi Police officers, bringing<br />
the capital to a grinding halt for two<br />
days. So much so, that his dharna<br />
23
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
threatened to derail this year’s Republic<br />
Day celebrations. His backing of his law<br />
minister Somnath Bharti’s vigilantism and<br />
utterances and his own speech on R-Day<br />
focusing on Delhi Police’s functioning and<br />
the dharna at the Rail Bhawan, besides jibes<br />
of his trusted aide Kumar Vishwas, have left<br />
a bad taste in the mouth of his admirers<br />
across India.<br />
Through his electoral success in Delhi,<br />
Kejriwal had taken the national capital and<br />
the nation by storm and appeared to be<br />
rewriting rules of the game by addressing<br />
the concerns of the aam aadmi (common<br />
man). His zeal to rid the capital off VIP culture,<br />
and his unilateral focus on clean politics<br />
and corruption-free governance had<br />
endeared him to the masses across India<br />
– urban or rural, irrespective of caste, creed<br />
or religion. As he called it a new struggle for<br />
independence, the youth connected with<br />
him for the change.<br />
After winning the vote of confidence<br />
in Delhi Assembly and taking crucial<br />
decisions regarding water and electricity<br />
tariff, the AAP started making the right<br />
noises. Its support across India swelled<br />
up – from Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune<br />
to Hyderabad, Lucknow, Chennai and<br />
Trivandrum – giving a clear wakeup call<br />
for conventional political parties to change<br />
the way they functioned. Delhi’s message<br />
COVER STORY GENERAL ELECTION<br />
to the politicians was very clear, “If you<br />
don’t change, people will change you.”<br />
Top honchos like Adarsh Shastri,<br />
grandson of former Prime Minister Lal<br />
Babahur Shastri, left his lucrative job with<br />
Apple Inc to join AAP. Meera Sanyal, India<br />
head of the Royal Bank of Scotland, V Balakrishnan<br />
of Infosys and Capt G R Gopinath,<br />
who gave India low fare air flights, too<br />
joined AAP. With such a large number of<br />
prominent people with a clean record, from<br />
social sector, corporate world and bureaucracy<br />
joining AAP in the hope of making a<br />
difference in politics, the going was billed to<br />
be tough for the two major political outfits<br />
AAP was being seen as the only<br />
party that was in a position to<br />
stop the Modi juggernaut. That<br />
was until the first fortnight of the<br />
AAP government in Delhi. Within a<br />
month’s time, internal squabbles,<br />
revolt and overzealous ministers had<br />
ensured that they had little to show<br />
on governance<br />
– the Congress and the BJP. The ascent of<br />
AAP had even eclipsed brand Modi on the<br />
social media for a while.<br />
AAP was being seen as the only party<br />
that was in a position to stop the Modi juggernaut.<br />
That was until the first fortnight<br />
of the AAP government in Delhi. Within<br />
a month’s time, internal squabbles, revolt<br />
and overzealous ministers had ensured<br />
that they had little to show on governance.<br />
People began to think that AAP had been<br />
thriving only on rhetoric.<br />
It will be a sad day for the Indian<br />
democracy when AAP and Arvind Kejriwal<br />
lose the plot to the egos and overzealousness<br />
of some of his men. For the<br />
common man across India, the ascent<br />
of AAP was the beginning of the muchneeded<br />
change in Indian polity – something<br />
that the educated youth, middle<br />
class and the lower middle-class always<br />
dreamt about but had never been able<br />
to achieve. Instead of getting worked<br />
up and red-flagging everything right or<br />
wrong, it would be desirous of Kejriwal<br />
to muzzle the fighter within him and<br />
work towards making Delhi a model<br />
state. Even if he achieves a little bit of<br />
that, it will be his greatest contribution<br />
to the country and support and votes<br />
will follow. Then, he will not have to play<br />
the votebank politics.<br />
24<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
» AIMING HIGH: Narendra Modi,<br />
the BJP mascot<br />
» AGENT OF CHANGE: Arvind<br />
Kejriwal, out to rid corruption<br />
» GREAT EXPECTATION: Rahul<br />
Gandhi, Congress’ sole solution<br />
NARENDRA MODI<br />
STRENGTHS<br />
» Good administrator and a master<br />
strategist<br />
» Good orator and communicator<br />
» Market-friendly and has good<br />
rapport with the corporate world<br />
» Has a lot to showcase about his<br />
development agenda<br />
WEAKNESS<br />
» Carrying the burden of 2002<br />
Gujarat riots<br />
» Being seen as arrogant and an<br />
autocrat<br />
» Not acceptable to all regional parties<br />
» Pan India appeal untested,<br />
especially in southern and northeastern<br />
states<br />
ARVIND KEJRIWAL<br />
STRENGTHS<br />
» Carries no burden from the past,<br />
started with a clean slate<br />
» Ability to connect with the common<br />
man, leader of the common man<br />
unlike traditional politicians<br />
» Not a polarising figure<br />
» Ability to experiment and yet<br />
come up with unpredictable<br />
solutions<br />
WEAKNESS<br />
» Vision/stand about national/<br />
international issues unknown<br />
» Untested<br />
» Stubborn and not flexible<br />
» Carries the weight of expectations<br />
of majority of Indians<br />
RAHUL GANDHI<br />
STRENGTHS<br />
» Young and determined<br />
» Political lineage<br />
WEAKNESS<br />
» Poor orator and bad communicator<br />
» No administrative experience<br />
» Hardly anything to showcase<br />
» Carrying the burden of UPA’s bad<br />
governance<br />
» Untested<br />
25
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
COVER STORY GENERAL ELECTION<br />
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Coverstory<br />
Not just expose, but also what<br />
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deluge of information, and information providers, around us.
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
Bharat Nirman:<br />
A Theatrical Drama<br />
» MEENAKSHI LEKHI<br />
A<br />
MY<br />
OPINION<br />
happy and prosperous New Year<br />
to one and all. After being subjects<br />
of such an oppressive regime<br />
as the UPA for the last 10 years,<br />
finally the time has come to uproot and<br />
cleanse this great nation of Congress tyranny.<br />
The year 2014 will witness history,<br />
when after a gap of over 30 years India will<br />
see government with a handsome majority<br />
in the general elections. Indian voters<br />
have decided the BJP way. Congress dummies<br />
like the SP, BSP, JDU, DMK and AAP,<br />
who constitute a coalition of misfits and<br />
oppressive governance will be exposed and<br />
decimated for good.<br />
If we look at the eagerness with which<br />
the Congress party and its dummies including<br />
the Owaisi brigade work for the<br />
communal violence bill, then it is clear that<br />
India’s majority community is under severe<br />
attack. They will be subject to persecution as<br />
worse as during the times of Aurangzeb and<br />
Tughlaq. The BJP’s majestic isolation will<br />
therefore become the cornerstone of India’s<br />
unity in its diversities where all communities<br />
can prosper peacefully. The BJP-ruled states<br />
are a testimony to such a phenomenon. Be it<br />
sections of the media, academics, state machinery<br />
or the constitutional institutions, the<br />
Congress party has ruthlessly abused every<br />
available avenue in its command to intimidate<br />
its political opponents.<br />
The ‘Bharat Nirman campaign’ is a Congress<br />
party propaganda being undertaken<br />
by the government of India to mislead the<br />
people of this country. It is a piece of fiction<br />
which is imaginary and erroneous.<br />
Funds for public service information are<br />
wrongly used in commercial advertising.<br />
Every claim made by the Congress party in<br />
Calendar played important role: Tewari<br />
Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Manish Tewari said calendar as a tool<br />
of communication played an important role in disseminating information regarding<br />
the policies of the government. The government of India’s wall calendar for 2014<br />
was released and theme of calendar is based on “Bharat Nirman and other flagship<br />
schemes of the Government”.<br />
This was despite the fact that media platforms were enhancing their reach<br />
through digital means of communication. Calendars have a special place in the<br />
Indian context. The calendar ensured that the awareness of the flagship schemes<br />
reached the doorstep of the every citizen especially as the objective was to<br />
showcase images of rights, “ Haq for the common man”.<br />
This initiative of the Government was a step to make the people aware of policies<br />
that aimed to achieve inclusive growth in the governance process. The people<br />
residing in rural areas always have the passion for wall calendars. The calendar<br />
brought out by the Government could serve as an important source of information<br />
for them. As a publication, it integrated information on key Flagship Schemes of<br />
the Government. It was published to cater to not just the corridors of Delhi, but<br />
also cater to the information needs of every Panchayat in the country.<br />
28<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
this propaganda is too good to be true. The that forced the Congress party to legislate to fair investigation, the better it will be. De-<br />
MNREGA, NRHM, rural electrification,<br />
loans to vote banks and many such fraudulent<br />
schemes add up to over Rs 8.2 lakh<br />
crore taken from the middle class tax payers<br />
in the last nine years. Their own leader,<br />
late Rajiv Gandhi had admitted 25 years<br />
ago that 85% of all money is pilfered before<br />
it reaches the beneficiary. Now it can<br />
be imagined how much loot the Congress<br />
party and its allies caused to India in the<br />
last nine years, let alone in 45 years prior to<br />
that. It is the responsibility of media not to<br />
succumb to financial intimidation by supporting<br />
the Bharat Nirman campaign.<br />
As part of the crores of public money<br />
being spent for the Bharat Nirman campaign,<br />
the Congress party has come up<br />
it, the latter is now claiming its ownership.<br />
The Metro Rail project was one of NDA’s<br />
achievements when Atal Bihari Vajpayee<br />
had inaugurated its construction on October<br />
1, 1998, but the Congress party shamelessly<br />
claims undue credit for it. The people<br />
of India aren’t naïve to understand such a<br />
brazen attitude and arrogance seen in the<br />
falsehood called ‘Bharat Nirman’.<br />
The theme of the 2014 Bharat Nirman<br />
wall calender is: ‘Bharat Nirman - Sabka<br />
Hit, Sabka Haq’, which actually sounds more<br />
like ‘Congress ka hit, mera haq’. It looks like<br />
a failed attempt to sweep many of Congress<br />
party’s scams and loot under the carpet. The<br />
sooner they admit and subject themselves<br />
spite people’s verdict in the recent elections,<br />
the Congress is still living in a denial mode.<br />
This pre-election multi-media ad blitz<br />
and the print media tamasha to showcase<br />
its "achievements" of the past nine years<br />
in government is as much a drama as the<br />
UPA itself. What happened to the great<br />
promise of Manmohan Singh, that his<br />
government will control price rise in 100<br />
days of his government formation? The<br />
reality of a worst inflationary economy<br />
stares at India after nearly 3,000 days of<br />
Congress governance. No power, no jobs,<br />
no security, no honest governance and<br />
no accountability and nothing inspiring<br />
enough to write home about. The policies<br />
and schemes advertised in this Bharat Nirman<br />
campaign are but instruments of loot<br />
with a 2014 wall calendar of lies and<br />
complete falsehood. Every month of 2014 The theme of the 2014 Bharat<br />
and plunder of tax-payers’ money by the<br />
on this calendar will signify one big lie. Nirman wall calender is: ‘Bharat Congress party and its friends.<br />
If MNREGA is riddled with corruption<br />
and Aadhar is the plan to legalize Bangladeshi<br />
Nirman - Sabka Hit, Sabka Haq’,<br />
migrants, the Right To Education<br />
which actually sounds more like<br />
(The author has been a socio-political<br />
has proved a big disaster. When credit for<br />
activist for over 20 years. She is a practicing<br />
lawyer and national spokesperson<br />
Right To Information should be given to ‘Congress ka hit, mera haq’<br />
the BJP, Anna Hazare and many NGOs<br />
of the Bharatiya Janata Party.)<br />
29
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
Will India get its first Prime<br />
Minister from Tamil Nadu?<br />
The AIADMK has made it clear that Amma is no longer<br />
interested in being just a kingmaker, but a king<br />
» VIJAY GROVER<br />
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and<br />
chief of the All India Anna Dravida<br />
Munnetra Kazhagam (AIAD-<br />
MK) J Jayalalithaa has also thrown<br />
her hat in the ring by projecting herself<br />
as the prime ministerial candidate for the<br />
2014 Lok Sabha elections. Jayalalithaa has<br />
joined hands with the Left parties in a bid<br />
to rake up a third front.<br />
Prakash Karat of Communist Party of<br />
India (M) has said that the other regional<br />
parties will join them to form a non-Congress<br />
BJP alternative as Lok Sabha elections<br />
approach.<br />
Jaya was always ambitious, rather too<br />
ambitious as political observers would<br />
say, but the timing of her announcement<br />
to take pot shot at the top post has rattled<br />
the BJP and its PM nominee Narendra<br />
Modi. The BJP was and still is banking on<br />
Jaya’s support to make his dream come<br />
true.<br />
The 39 Lok Sabha seats of Tamil Nadu<br />
and the single Pondicherry seat have traditionally<br />
played a crucial role in the government<br />
formation at the Centre for several<br />
decades now, ever since the Congress<br />
fortunes waned with the rise of regional<br />
parties. Since 1970s, Tamil Nadu has<br />
been a non-Congress-ruled state and the<br />
ruling party in the state has managed to<br />
play, or rather dictate terms, to the Centre.<br />
That has been the case from the time<br />
of MGR when he forced former prime<br />
minister late Rajiv Gandhi to accept conditional<br />
support to LTTE for keeping the<br />
Tamil political sentiments on his side, to<br />
the present political crisis in Tamil Nadu<br />
over injustice to the Sri Lankan Tamils in<br />
the island nation.<br />
The competitive efforts of the Dravidian<br />
parties in Tamil Nadu to champion<br />
the Sri Lankan Tamils’ miseries and forcing<br />
the Centre to abandon its ties with<br />
the Sri Lanka government clearly reflect<br />
Jaya was always ambitious, rather<br />
too ambitious as political observers<br />
would say, but the timing of her<br />
announcement to take pot shot at<br />
the top post has rattled the BJP and<br />
its PM nominee Narendra Modi<br />
the mood and highlight the issue that will<br />
decide the winner for the parliamentary<br />
seats in the state.<br />
For over a year, the aggressive stance<br />
of the present government led by Jayalalithaa<br />
managed to drive a wedge between<br />
the DMK and the Congress, forcing<br />
the DMK to desert the UPA ship for<br />
two crucial reasons – the singling out of<br />
A Raja on the 2G spectrum scam and the<br />
ambivalent stance of the UPA on Sri Lankan<br />
affairs.<br />
The DMK - Congress split has not<br />
come as music to the BJP ears but increased<br />
its worries. The BJP leaders, who<br />
on every visit to Chennai used to make<br />
the customary visit to Poes Garden residence<br />
of Puratchi Talaivi Jayalalithaa,<br />
have skipped the stop. The BJP, in a<br />
stronger Jayalalithaa, has been quick to<br />
calculate not just her rise as another<br />
prime ministerial candidate but also one<br />
who could question its PM aspirant Narendra<br />
Modi.<br />
Sensing an opportunity to play a<br />
crucial role in the government formation<br />
in 2014 where many regional parties<br />
harbour the ambition to take on the role<br />
of kingmakers could be decisive. The AI-<br />
ADMK sees Amma (Jayalalithaa) as the<br />
king and not just kingmaker, especially<br />
if the BJP does not breach the 150-seat<br />
mark. Sources in the AIADMK indicate<br />
that given the present situation in Tamil<br />
Nadu, Jaya could romp home with at least<br />
30 of the 39 seats in the polls. An alliance<br />
with the BJP may not give her any added<br />
strength, but could on the contrary prove<br />
futile. The 2004 experiment of an alliance<br />
with the BJP saw a large section of the minority<br />
dumping her, forcing both the BJP<br />
and the AIADMK to snap ties just after<br />
the poll debacle.<br />
This time around, Jayalalithaa has<br />
been very clear and ruled out any possible<br />
truck with the BJP which has been<br />
a very small player in the state. An alliance<br />
with the BJP and projecting Modi<br />
for the PM plank may force her to share<br />
credit with Modi, which she wants to<br />
avoid. Her strategy is to keep the minority<br />
Christian and Muslim voters<br />
happy.<br />
Interestingly, her fans and supporters<br />
address her as ‘Varangaala Pradhamar’<br />
which translated into English<br />
means ‘future prime minister’. The AI-<br />
ADMK has been projecting her as the<br />
next Prime Minister of the country at<br />
every public/ party meeting which Jaya<br />
has addressed. The question remains<br />
whether a collective Tamil sentiment<br />
will dominate the voting patterns and<br />
vote to get a first Prime Minister from<br />
Tamil Nadu for the country over a<br />
Gujarati Modi.<br />
30<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
The Y- Factor of Karnataka<br />
Will the return of<br />
BS Yeddyurappa<br />
into the BJP fold<br />
be the game changer<br />
in the state?<br />
» VIJAY GROVER<br />
Exactly 14 months after he left the<br />
BJP, B S Yeddyurappa was back in<br />
the party on January 2, signaling the<br />
end of his “14-month Vanvaas”. A<br />
delegation led by arch-foe and senior leader<br />
Ananth Kumar and Eshwarappa called<br />
upon him and requested the Karnataka Janata<br />
Paksha (KJP) president BSY to merge<br />
his fledgling unit with the BJP.<br />
The bonhomie was visible as Yeddy’s<br />
aides and BJP leaders were more than<br />
happy at the development at a five-star<br />
hotel in Bangalore. For months, Yeddyurappa<br />
had been eager to get back in<br />
to the BJP fold but strong opposition by<br />
the party patriarch Lal Krishna Advani<br />
had delayed the re-entry. Pressures from<br />
within the BJP state unit found an ear<br />
with the PM aspirant Narendra Modi,<br />
making backdoor intervention that<br />
paved the way for BSY’s return to the<br />
party. The brave public posturing by Yeddyurappa,<br />
of not merging his party with<br />
the BJP may only have been a bargaining<br />
tool for the Lingayat leader.<br />
Still, the battle of wits was clearly won<br />
by Yeddyurappa on the strength of his<br />
ability to keep his vote bank intact in the<br />
last assembly elections. And the public<br />
statements of supporting “Modi for PM”<br />
finally paved the way for his re-entry. “I<br />
have joined without any preconditions<br />
and it is my dream to see Modi as the<br />
Prime Minister, and that is the reason<br />
why I have joined the BJP,” said Yeddyurappa,<br />
while talking to Point Out.<br />
But, the truth is that several rounds of<br />
negotiations and backdoor talks between<br />
Yeddyurappa and many of his ex-BJP colleagues<br />
finally brought about the truce.<br />
The first one being that the post of the<br />
leader of opposition in the state assembly<br />
would be offered to Yeddyurappa as<br />
with him and his four MLAs’ re-entry,<br />
the BJP will now emerge as the principal<br />
opposition party, upstaging the Janata<br />
Dal (Secular), whose leader H D Kumaraswamy,<br />
will now have to make way for<br />
Yeddyurappa.<br />
The question, however, on top of<br />
every mind is whether the re-entry of<br />
Yeddyurappa will be the game changer<br />
for BJP in Karnataka? “No, I do not think<br />
that the Yeddyurappa factor will work for<br />
the BJP. The same man who was shown<br />
the door by the party is now being given<br />
a red-carpet welcome. What will the<br />
BJP tell the voters about its fight against<br />
corruption?” asks Danish Ali, national<br />
general secretary, Janata Dal (Secular). A<br />
sentiment that the Congress too echoes<br />
in Karnataka.<br />
“The BJP got 20% votes, it thinks<br />
that Yeddyurappa’s 10% vote share will<br />
The question, however, on top of<br />
every mind is whether the re-entry<br />
of Yeddyurappa will be the game<br />
changer for BJP in Karnataka?<br />
COURTESY: KJPKARNATAKA.ORG<br />
» In November 2012, Yeddyurappa resigned from Karnataka Assembly. He wade<br />
through his supporters to submit his resignation to Speaker (File photo)<br />
add to it and give it more than 30% votes<br />
and some seats in the state. But the BJP<br />
should remember that polls are not just<br />
always an arithmetic of the vote share.<br />
The chemistry between the BJP and Yeddyurappa<br />
is no more the same as before<br />
and he may not be accepted as their leader<br />
by several BJP leaders and workers,”<br />
says R Roshan Baig, Information Minister<br />
in the Siddharamaiah government.<br />
Even Yeddyurappa knows and understands<br />
well that he has to prove himself<br />
once again to the people of the state and<br />
also to the very party that he brought to<br />
power in 2009 in the state. “I will tour<br />
the state the next three months and will<br />
try and win 20 out of 28 seats in the Lok<br />
Sabha,” says Yeddyurappa. But he himself<br />
realizes that the task is herculean and that<br />
he will need to do the same for safeguarding<br />
his own future and also of his loyalists<br />
who have stood by him through the<br />
turbulent times.<br />
Will the Modi magic save Yeddyurappa<br />
in 2014 general elections or will<br />
Yeddyurappa have to weave it on his own<br />
to fulfill the dream which forced him to<br />
return to BJP?<br />
31
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
» VIJAY GROVER<br />
DECCAN<br />
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
Tamil Nadu<br />
Stalin want<br />
charge of DMK<br />
Karnataka<br />
Fitness of rail coaches<br />
E<br />
very vehicle be it bus / auto / car or truck which is run commercially, has to<br />
get a fitness certificate every year,. But what about a railway bogie? Have you<br />
ever thought about it. A lawyer with Karnataka high court is asking specifically<br />
the same question in an RTI application that he has filed on January 20, 2014<br />
following a spate of train accidents involving the air-conditioned bogies catching<br />
fire. Disturbed by the tragedies, advocate A Umesh has sought answer from Railway<br />
Board as why no fitness certificates are mandated for railway coaches like for<br />
commercial road vehicles. Well by the time Umesh Kumar gets his reply, there<br />
may be another minister at helm of the ministry, but an answer which every rail<br />
passenger will await eagerly.<br />
P<br />
ower struggle in the Karunanidhi<br />
family once again threatens to<br />
come to the fore. With Lok Sabha<br />
general elections round the cornor, M K<br />
Stalin, heir apparent to Dravida Munnetra<br />
Kazhagam (DMK) patriarch M<br />
Karunanidhi is trying to take charge.<br />
With an eye-northward on Delhi hoping<br />
to emerge a major bargainer with<br />
12-15 MPs in a hung Parliament, Stalin<br />
wants to position himself as the kingmaker.<br />
In the tussle he has trampled<br />
his elder brother M Alagiri, who has<br />
been suspended from the party for indiscipline<br />
and the party’s face in Delhi<br />
M Kanimozhi, in the dock over her involvement<br />
in 2G spectrum allocation<br />
scam.<br />
Stalin wants the nonagenarian<br />
leader to name him in charge and is<br />
planning to make frequent trips to New<br />
Delhi to tap the third front leaders. Like<br />
most of his supporters in the party, Stalin<br />
too feel Alagiri and Kanimozhi are<br />
liabilities to the DMK. The way things<br />
are shaping up in Tamil Nadu politics<br />
it will not be a surprise if Stalin starts<br />
frequenting Delhi from February mid.<br />
Kerala<br />
Smart Drinking<br />
Application<br />
T<br />
his app is in Malayalam. So “non-<br />
Malayalees, please don't install.” is<br />
a statutory warning on this new<br />
android mobile app called “Kuppi”<br />
which means bottle in Malyalam. The<br />
designers of the app probably are catering<br />
to the Malyalees in Kerala, who<br />
consume the highest amount of liquor<br />
per capita with 8 litres per year. The app<br />
helps the person know the price of foreign<br />
liquors in Kerala State Beverages<br />
Corporation outlets (BEVCO).<br />
An interesting feature of the app<br />
‘What u get?“. In this option, the user<br />
enters the available money in hand and<br />
makes his choice. By pressing the ‘Get<br />
List’, the app shows the choice of liquors<br />
which can be bought using the money<br />
user currently has. Kuppi also shows<br />
the number of “Dry Days” in the state.<br />
A user can search for the nearest Beverages<br />
Corporation outlets by choosing<br />
the Beverages outlet menu. The designers<br />
clarify “we created this app only for<br />
fun and we do not promote drinking”.<br />
Well maybe this is what is called Smart<br />
Drinking.<br />
Andhra Pradesh<br />
Hyderabad,<br />
most googled<br />
T<br />
he Telangana agitation and the<br />
proposal of the Centre to bifurcate<br />
the state into two has made<br />
Hyderabad , one of the most googled<br />
words on the google tool bar as<br />
per the Google Zeitgeist 2013 report.<br />
Google Zeitgeist is a google report for<br />
most popular online searches . The city<br />
raced past Mumbai and Delhi in the<br />
last quarter of 2013 when the interest<br />
in the news from the city peaked as the<br />
bifurcation of the state into Telangana<br />
and Seemandhara was seen not just in<br />
India but overseas as well.<br />
32<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
Manmohan<br />
Singh’s<br />
Confession<br />
“I do not believe that<br />
I have been a weak<br />
Prime Minister. That<br />
is for historians to<br />
judge. The BJP and<br />
its associates may say<br />
whatever they like.<br />
But if by “strong<br />
Prime Minister”,<br />
you mean that you<br />
preside over a mass<br />
massacre of innocent<br />
citizens on the streets<br />
of Ahmedabad, that<br />
is the measure of<br />
strength, I do not<br />
believe that sort of<br />
strength this country<br />
needs, least of all, in<br />
its Prime Minister.”<br />
34<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
» POLITICAL BUREAU<br />
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh,<br />
in his last address to the press<br />
before passing over the baton to a<br />
new incumbent, spoke on a range<br />
of issues and his governance during the<br />
last ten years. The move by Dr Singh was<br />
ostensibly aimed to publicly announce his<br />
unwillingness to accept a third-term and<br />
to pitch for Congress vice-president Rahul<br />
Gandhi’s projection as party’s prime<br />
ministerial candidate. Dr Singh’s address,<br />
coming after the drubbing the Congress<br />
party received in the November assembly<br />
elections and presiding over a series of alleged<br />
scams, was hardly convincing and<br />
appeared more like a confession.<br />
His statements: “I have full confidence<br />
that the next Prime Minister will be from<br />
the UPA coalition,” and that, “It will be disastrous<br />
for the country to have Narendra<br />
Modi as the Prime Minister,” has put the<br />
spotlight back on the BJP’s prime ministerial<br />
candidate Narendra Modi.<br />
The masses, professionals and the<br />
corporate world expected much more<br />
from their economist Prime Minister, but<br />
he appears to have failed mostly on this<br />
count. With a sliding growth rate, slump<br />
in manufacturing sector, decline in exports<br />
and depreciation in Rupee against<br />
the US dollar besides high inflation and<br />
spiraling food and fuel prices, the common<br />
man is feeling the pinch and blames<br />
Dr Singh’s government for the mess, even<br />
though some of the issues may well have<br />
been beyond his control.<br />
The biggest problem appears to be<br />
impression among the people about UPA<br />
heading a corrupt bunch and involved<br />
in corruption throughout. Some of the<br />
scams the magnitude of which no one<br />
ever imagined took place under the UPA<br />
government strengthening the public belief;<br />
the Prime Minister and the Congress<br />
party chief failed to address the same in<br />
time.<br />
On corruption<br />
Referring to the charges of corruption<br />
against his government, he said, “Most<br />
of these charges relate to the period of<br />
UPA-1. Coal block allocation as well as<br />
2G spectrum allocation were in the era of<br />
the UPA-1. We went to the electorate on<br />
the basis of our performance in that period,<br />
and the people of India gave us the<br />
mandate to govern for another five years.<br />
So, whether these issues which have been<br />
raised from time-to-time by the media,<br />
sometimes by the CAG, sometimes by<br />
court, one must never forget that they<br />
belong to a period which was not the period<br />
of UPA-2, but the period relating to<br />
the previous five years, and the people of<br />
India entrusted us with new responsibilities.<br />
So, the people of India do not seem<br />
to have paid heed to all these charges of<br />
corruption which are levied against me<br />
or my party.”<br />
“I feel somewhat sad, because I was<br />
the one who insisted that spectrum allocation<br />
should be transparent, it should be<br />
fair, it should be equitable. I was the one<br />
who insisted that coal blocks should be<br />
allocated on the basis of auctions. These<br />
facts are forgotten. The Opposition has<br />
a vested interest. Sometimes the media<br />
play into their hands as well, and therefore,<br />
I have every reason to believe, that<br />
when history is written of this period, we<br />
will come out unscathed. This is not to<br />
say that there was no irregularity. There<br />
were irregularities. But the dimensions<br />
The Opposition has a vested<br />
interest. Sometimes the media<br />
play into their hands as well, and<br />
therefore, I have every reason to<br />
believe, that when history is written<br />
of this period, we will come out<br />
unscathed. This is not to say that<br />
there was no irregularity<br />
of the problems have been overstated by<br />
the media, by the CAG sometimes, and<br />
by other entities.”<br />
On price rise<br />
“What is going to happen in the<br />
months to come, I would not like to speculate<br />
– certainly not in this forum. But I<br />
will be honest enough to say that, it could<br />
be that price rise was a factor in the people’s<br />
turning against the Congress party.<br />
And I have explained that the reasons<br />
why price rise took place are reasons beyond<br />
our control, because international<br />
commodity prices are rising, because international<br />
energy prices are rising. These<br />
were the factors which made it difficult<br />
for us to control prices as effectively as we<br />
could have done. But having said that, I<br />
would also like to say that we have taken<br />
enough measures to protect the weaker<br />
sections of our economy and our society<br />
against rising prices. The Public Distribution<br />
System has been stabilized. Prices of<br />
public distribution food grains have not<br />
been increased since 2003. What is more,<br />
through instrumentalities like the MN-<br />
REGA, we have ensured that the rural<br />
wages earned by the agricultural labourers,<br />
are indexed at the rate of inflation<br />
– they provide a certain measure of protection<br />
to these segments of our society.<br />
These factors should not be lost sight of.”<br />
On AAPs ascent<br />
Corruption is an issue and certainly<br />
the AAP has been able to make a success<br />
of its concern for the eradication of corruption.<br />
Whether it will succeed or not,<br />
“I think that only time will tell. I have a<br />
feeling that dealing with corruption is not<br />
an easy process. Even though there may<br />
be opportunities as well as challenges, we<br />
must collectively grapple with the task<br />
of dealing with corruption. This is not a<br />
matter which only one party can accomplish.<br />
Various political parties have to<br />
work together to deal with this monster.”<br />
On Indo- Pak relations<br />
“I have tried to improve relations<br />
with all our neighbours to the best of<br />
my ability. At one time, it appeared that<br />
an important breakthrough was in sight.<br />
Events in Pakistan, for example, the fact<br />
that General Musharraf had to make way<br />
for a different setup, I think that led to<br />
the process not moving further. But I still<br />
believe that good relations between India<br />
and Pakistan are very essential for this<br />
sub-continent to realise its full development<br />
potential, to get rid of poverty, ignorance<br />
and disease, which has been the<br />
inevitable lot of millions and millions of<br />
people in this sub-continent of ours.<br />
I would very much like to go to Pakistan.<br />
I was born in a village which is now<br />
part of west Punjab. But as Prime Minister<br />
of the country, I should visit Pakistan<br />
if conditions are appropriate to achieve<br />
solid results. I have thought of it many<br />
times, but ultimately I felt that circumstances<br />
were not appropriate for my visit.<br />
I still have not given up hope of going to<br />
Pakistan before I complete my tenure as<br />
Prime Minister.”<br />
Report card<br />
“It is for you to judge. As far as I am<br />
concerned, I feel I have done reasonably<br />
well. The growth process that we sustained<br />
in the last ten years despite the<br />
global financial crisis , despite the Eurozone<br />
crisis, and considering also what is<br />
happening in other emerging countries<br />
like Brazil, like South Africa, like Indonesia,<br />
I don’t think ours is a story which<br />
can be described as non-successful or<br />
eventful.”<br />
35
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
GALLERY<br />
GALLA<br />
GALLERY<br />
GAL<br />
GALLE<br />
1<br />
A Festival Of<br />
Democracy<br />
» Different moods of election campaign<br />
1: Indira Gandhi wearing a traditional Maratha<br />
nose ring during an election campaign.<br />
2: Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao during 1983<br />
election campaign.3: Mamata Banerjee during<br />
election campaign at Bhabanipur. 4: Election<br />
campaign towards 8th Left Front government.<br />
5: Narendra Modi at Lal Bahadur Stadium,<br />
Hyderabad. 6: Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri<br />
with party leaders - June 1964 New Delhi.<br />
36<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
RY<br />
GALLA<br />
GALLERY<br />
GAL<br />
GALLERY<br />
GALLA<br />
ALLERY<br />
2 3<br />
4<br />
6<br />
5<br />
37
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
Coal Scam: CBI to<br />
quiz Parakh, Birla<br />
IN FOCUS PSUs<br />
» <strong>POINT</strong> <strong>OUT</strong> BUREAU<br />
Noted businessman Kumar Mangalam<br />
Birla and former coal secretary<br />
P C Parakh are likely to be<br />
questioned by the Central Bureau<br />
of Investigation (CBI) in connection with<br />
irregularities in allocation of coal blocks<br />
without proper bidding. Coal scam, as<br />
it is known, came to forefront after the<br />
Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)<br />
of India report last year objected to allocation<br />
of coal blocks to individuals and<br />
others without competitive biddings and<br />
estimated that the process had led to losses<br />
to the tune of Rs 1.86 lakh crore.<br />
In its FIR on allocation of Talabira<br />
II and III coal blocks in Odisha during<br />
2005, CBI has named Parakh, Birla and<br />
Hindalco for criminal conspiracy and<br />
criminal misconduct on part of government<br />
officials. The FIR states that the<br />
25th screening committee meeting of<br />
coal ministry headed by Parakh had rejected<br />
applications of Hindalco and Indal<br />
Industries for mining in Talabira II and<br />
III “citing valid reasons”.<br />
Under pressure from the Supreme<br />
Court, monitoring probe in the<br />
case, CBI wants to wind up<br />
investigations soon<br />
It adds, “ The coal blocks were allocated<br />
to Mahanadi Coalfields and<br />
Neyveli Lignite Corporation, both<br />
PSUs, on the recommendations of the<br />
committee and letters of allocation<br />
were issued to the PSUs on June 16 and<br />
July 15, 2005. Within days, a meeting<br />
took place between Parakh and Birla<br />
in which the industrialist requested for<br />
the allocation of Talabira II coal block,”<br />
the FIR said. The said coal blocks were<br />
» Kumar Mangalam Birla (top) and P<br />
C Parakh (above)<br />
thereafter allotted to Hindalco Industries,<br />
the FIR adds.<br />
Under pressure from the Supreme<br />
Court, monitoring probe in the case, CBI<br />
wants to wind up investigations soon.<br />
Meanwhile, stung with criticism,<br />
Union government last month said it<br />
will cancel coal block allocations made<br />
without bidding to private and other parties.<br />
Stating this before Supreme Court,<br />
Government of India said 41 coal block<br />
allocations made between 1993 and 2009<br />
will be cancelled.<br />
Besides, UPA government said that<br />
in case of 61 allocations, private companies<br />
have been asked to clear deficiencies<br />
within 4-6 weeks. Meanwhile the<br />
The CBI is investigating 195 coal<br />
block allocations between 1993 and 2009<br />
The agency has alleged that for several<br />
years, the government gave away mining<br />
licences arbitrarily, without a transparent<br />
bidding process, at the cost of thousands<br />
of crore to the country.<br />
Recruitment Scam at<br />
Bokaro Steel Plant<br />
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)<br />
has registered two cases against certain<br />
officials of Bokaro Steel Plant, Bokaro<br />
including then Managing Director, then<br />
Executive Director and others on the allegations<br />
of fraudulent recruitment at<br />
Bokaro Steel Plant, Bokaro.<br />
It has been alleged that around 13 candidates<br />
were favoured and got selected for<br />
the posts of middle management/junior<br />
management level at Bokaro Steel Plant by<br />
adopting fraudulent recruitment & selection<br />
process. In this connection CBI sleuths<br />
carried out searches at the office and residential<br />
premises of the accused persons at<br />
around 36 places, situated at 10 cities i.e.<br />
Bokaro, Ranchi, Patna, Arrah (Bihar), Ghaziabad,<br />
New Delhi, Bhilai, Bhopal, Mumbai<br />
and Bhubaneshwar on January 28.<br />
Among those searched include senior<br />
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and<br />
former Union Minister Satyanarayan<br />
Jatiya. Searches at Jatiya’s residence in<br />
Bhopal came just a day after he filed his<br />
nomination for the Rajya Sabha from<br />
Madhya Pradesh. It is learnt Jatiya’s son<br />
Rajkumar is also named as a suspect who<br />
benefitted from the recruitment scam<br />
at Bokaro Steel Plant during 2008. He is<br />
presently posted at SAIL Bhopal’s customer<br />
contact division as junior manager.<br />
The case has been registered U/s<br />
120-B IPC r/w 420, 468 & 471 IPC & Section<br />
13(2) r/w 13(1)(d) of P.C. Act, 1988<br />
against the then Executive Director &<br />
seven other officials (working/retired) of<br />
Bokaro Steel Plant/SAIL and second case,<br />
U/s 120-B IPC r/w 420, 468 & 471 IPC<br />
& Section 13(2) r/w 13(1)(d) of P.C. Act,<br />
38<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
1988, against then Managing Director<br />
& fourteen (working/retired) officials of<br />
Bokaro Steel Plant, Bokaro.<br />
NSPCL officials, private company<br />
in dock<br />
CBI carried out searches at office and<br />
residential premises of officials of National<br />
Thermal Power Corporation<br />
Limited (NTPC), NTPC-SAIL Power<br />
Corporation Ltd (NSPCL), Bhilai and<br />
office locations of M/s Bhatia International<br />
Limited at Indore and other parts<br />
of the country in connection with supply<br />
of low quality imported Indonesian<br />
coal. The search operations carried out<br />
in January were held at additional general<br />
manager and deputy manager of<br />
NTPC Unchahar district, Raibareily,<br />
senior manager and chemist, both of<br />
NTPC-SAIL Power Corporation Ltd<br />
(NSPCL), Bhilai apart from various<br />
premises M/s Bhatia International Limited<br />
at Indore and private laboratories<br />
based at Mumbai, Kolkata, Gandhidham<br />
and Jamnagar.<br />
Regarding alleged supply of low<br />
quality imported Indonesian coal by<br />
a private company to different power<br />
plants of National Thermal Power<br />
Corporation(NTPC) and NTPC-SAIL<br />
Power Corporation Ltd.(NSPCL) respectively<br />
in conspiracy with certain officials<br />
of the concerned power plants, CBI has<br />
registered two FIRs. The first case has<br />
been registered U/s 120-B r/w 420 of IPC<br />
and Sec 13(2) r/w 13(1) (d) of PC Act<br />
1988 against Additional General Manager,<br />
head of NTPC Power Plant Lab, Unchahar;<br />
Dy. Manager, NTPC Power plant<br />
Lab, Unchahar ; Indore-based private<br />
company ; Singapore based company; Jakarta<br />
Timur, (Indonesia) based company;<br />
Kolkata based private company ; Chemist<br />
of Kolkata based private company and<br />
Unknown others.<br />
CBI sources said it is alleged that the<br />
accused persons during the period 2011-<br />
13 entered into criminal conspiracy with<br />
an intention to cheat NTPC. In pursuance<br />
of the said criminal conspiracy, inferior<br />
quality non-cooking coal of Indonesian<br />
origin, shown to be of good quality on<br />
papers, was purchased from Indonesia by<br />
Singapore based company, overseas supplier<br />
and sister concern of Indore based<br />
group of companies. Thereafter, the said<br />
inferior quality coal was brought to India<br />
in different vessels, vide different Bill of<br />
Entries, having gross calorific value, far<br />
less than technical specifications of the<br />
CBI sources said it is alleged<br />
that the accused persons during<br />
the period 2011-13 entered into<br />
criminal conspiracy with an<br />
intention to cheat NTPC<br />
agreement and thus liable to be rejected,<br />
and was supplied to NTPC power plant<br />
at Unchahar, which has resulted in a<br />
wrongful loss of Rs. 23,16,38,574/- approximately.<br />
Second case has been registered U/s<br />
120-B r/w 420 of IPC and Sec 13(2) r/w<br />
13(1) (d) of PC Act 1988 against Sr. Manager,<br />
Head of NSPCL Power Plant Lab,<br />
Bhilai; a Chemist, NSPCL Power Plant<br />
Lab, Bhilai ; Indore based private company<br />
; Singapore based company ; Mumbai<br />
based private Laboratories ; Branch Head<br />
& other Asst. Manager (Marketing) both<br />
of Mumbai based private Laboratories<br />
and Unknown others.<br />
It is alleged that the accused persons<br />
during the period 2011-13 entered into<br />
criminal conspiracy with an intention<br />
to cheat NSPCL, Bhilai Power Plant. In<br />
pursuance of the said criminal conspiracy,<br />
inferior quality non-cooking coal of<br />
Indonesian origin , shown to be of good<br />
quality on papers, was purchased from<br />
Indonesia by Singapore based company,<br />
overseas supplier and sister concern<br />
of Indore based group of companies.<br />
Thereafter the said inferior quality coal<br />
was brought to India in different vessels<br />
, vide different Bill of Entries , having<br />
gross calorific value, far less than technical<br />
specifications of the agreement<br />
and thus liable to be rejected, and was<br />
supplied to NSPCL, Bhilai Power Plant,<br />
which has resulted in a wrongful loss of<br />
Rs 92,91,55,588/- approximately.<br />
39
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
GOVT WATCH MOVERS & SHAKERS<br />
• Rajagopal appointed MD,<br />
NAFED<br />
The Appointments Committee of the<br />
Cabinet has approved the appointment<br />
of R Rajagopal to the post of Managing<br />
Director, National Agricultural<br />
Cooperative Marketing Federation of<br />
lndia Ltd. (NAFED) (JS level), under<br />
the Department of Agriculture 8 Cooperation.<br />
Rajagopal is a 1984 batch<br />
IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre. His<br />
appointment is for five years.<br />
• D Ravi appointed JS,<br />
Commerce<br />
Dammu Ravi, an Indian<br />
Foreign Service<br />
officer of 1989 batch<br />
has been appointed<br />
as Joint Secretary<br />
in the department<br />
of Commerce for a<br />
period of three years.<br />
• Deo appointed CVO, RITES<br />
Appointments Committee of the<br />
Cabinet has approved the proposal<br />
of appointment of Prabhat Ranjan<br />
Deo, IPS (HY:86) as Chief Vigilance<br />
Officer in the Rail lndia Technical<br />
Economic Services (RITES),<br />
Gurgaon. He will be placed in the<br />
pay scale of Joint Secretary to the<br />
Government of lndia.<br />
• Ram Singh is Director,<br />
Textiles Ministry<br />
Ram Singh, IPS<br />
(PB:1994), who was<br />
recommended for<br />
central deputation<br />
by the Ministry of<br />
Home Affairs, has<br />
been selected<br />
for appointment as Director in the<br />
Ministry of Textiles, Delhi under the<br />
Central Staffing Scheme for a period<br />
of five years from the date of his taking<br />
charge of the post.<br />
• Barnwal, 3 others promoted<br />
as PS in MP<br />
Ashok Kumar Barnwal has been<br />
among the four IAS officers of 1991<br />
batch of MP cadre who has been promoted<br />
as Principal Secretary. He has<br />
been appointed as Principal Secretary,<br />
Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer<br />
Protection. Others promoted include<br />
Manu Shrivastava promoted as Principal<br />
Secretary grade on the upgraded<br />
post of MD, Madhya Pradesh Power<br />
Management Company Limited,<br />
Jabalpur, Vishwa Mohan Upadhyaya<br />
OSD-cum-Commissioner, OBC<br />
Welfare and S K Mishra, who has been<br />
appointed as Principal Secretary, PHE<br />
and PS to CM with additional charge of<br />
MD, MP Water Corporation Limited.<br />
• Sanjog Kapoor appointed First<br />
Secretary, Tokyo<br />
Sanjog Kapoor, an officer of Indian<br />
Revenue Service officer of Income<br />
Tax department has been appointed<br />
as First Secretary, ITOU, Embassy of<br />
India at Tokyo, Japan.<br />
• Srinivasan is Member<br />
(Finance), Space Commission<br />
Sudarsanam Srinivasan,<br />
Special Secretary<br />
and Financial<br />
Adviser, Department of<br />
Space as Member (Finance),<br />
Atomc Energy,<br />
Space, Earth Commissions<br />
in the rank and pay of Secretary.<br />
He is an IAS officer of Orissa cadre,<br />
1980 batch and will replace A.P. Joshi,<br />
IAS (KN:78) who retired.<br />
Meanwhile, A. Vijayanand, IRS<br />
(C&CE.80), Joint Secretary, Department<br />
of Space has been posted as<br />
Additional Secretary and Financial<br />
Adviser, Departrnent of Space in the<br />
place of Srinivasan.<br />
40<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
REDEFINING GOVERNANCE<br />
Midas Touch<br />
» BIPIN<br />
Pratyaya Amrit, Secretary, Road<br />
Construction department, and<br />
Information and Public Relations<br />
department with the Bihar government,<br />
has become a household name in<br />
the state. He is better known as the man<br />
who transformed the road infrastructure<br />
in Bihar, dubbed as the worst in India not<br />
long back. He is the one in whom Bihar<br />
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has great<br />
faith and has been entrusting with crucial<br />
responsibilities.<br />
Amrit, who was on deputation to the<br />
Centre, was called to his cadre state Bihar<br />
in 2006 after Nitish Kumar took over as<br />
Chief Minister. He returned to Bihar to<br />
take up the challenge as Managing Director<br />
of the Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam<br />
(BRPNN), a corporation on the verge of<br />
liquidation. Riddled with corruption and<br />
no work, the corporation was waiting to<br />
be wound up as a loss making unit of the<br />
state government. As head of the corporation,<br />
he was supposed to supervise its<br />
liquidation.<br />
However, Amrit, 44, had a different<br />
idea. When he went through the causes<br />
that led to the collapse of the corporation,<br />
that he felt was vital for Bihar’s growth, he<br />
found there were hardly any orders and<br />
new work and even the engineering staff<br />
was not willing to take up new projects.<br />
He started interacting with his staff and<br />
encouraged them to start work on some<br />
Amrit simply led his staff to work<br />
on fixed deadlines and deliver.<br />
As projects started taking shape<br />
and completion before deadlines<br />
became the norm, the confidence<br />
of the staff grew and so did that<br />
of the people who started realising<br />
the benefits of a good road<br />
infrastructure<br />
Meet Pratyaya Amrit<br />
» Delhi University topper in History<br />
» An IAS officer of the 1991 batch,<br />
Bihar cadre<br />
» Both the parents are lecturers<br />
» As DM of Chapra, he banned<br />
sleaze shows at the famous<br />
Sonpur fair (Asia’s largest cattle<br />
fair) and made it mandatory for the<br />
installation of CCTVs in theatres<br />
of the unfinished projects that had been<br />
virtually written off. Meanwhile, he convinced<br />
the Chief Minister and the state<br />
government and got some new projects<br />
that could improve Bihar’s road connectivity.<br />
Amrit simply led his staff to work on<br />
fixed deadlines and deliver. As projects<br />
started taking shape and completion<br />
before deadlines became the norm, the<br />
confidence of the staff grew and so did<br />
that of the people who started realising<br />
the benefits of a good road infrastructure.<br />
Gradually, contractors small and big,<br />
who had deserted Bihar and migrated to<br />
other states, started coming back. Some<br />
undertook road projects in the state and<br />
found the environment in the government<br />
department entirely different – the<br />
bureaucracy was responsive, sympathetic<br />
and was acting as a facilitator wanting to<br />
get projects through within stipulated<br />
deadlines.<br />
Thus, the story of bridges and roads<br />
was scripted in Bihar. As infrastructure<br />
improved, employment avenues too increased<br />
and investments started flowing<br />
in. Suddenly, Bihar had woken up and<br />
was ready to shed its backward tag.<br />
An elated Amrit told <strong>POINT</strong> <strong>OUT</strong>,<br />
“The change has been possible due to<br />
confidence reposed in us by the Chief<br />
Minister. He backed us fully when all<br />
had written off the department and the<br />
state as well. It feels great to be part of a<br />
team that is rewriting Bihar’s development<br />
history.” He adds, “At the Bihar Rajya<br />
Pul Nirman Nigam (BRPNN), I was<br />
allowed to function without a change for<br />
over three-and-half years and this stability<br />
ensured that I could drive the staff and<br />
take the best out of them. To be fair, the<br />
employees too toiled hard and the results<br />
are for all to see.”<br />
He also promoted the concept of<br />
public-private partnership that is driving<br />
several crucial projects in the state. Road<br />
density in Bihar has gone up from 111 km<br />
per lakh population in 2008 to 127 km.<br />
Though, it is still way below the national<br />
average of 322.7 km per lakh population,<br />
the state is among the best performers<br />
and catching up fast. Under his leadership,<br />
road length in Bihar has seen a<br />
roughly 25% increase in the past year.<br />
As the road infrastructure has improved,<br />
Prataya Amrit is dreaming big – he<br />
is now planning for overhaul and is driving<br />
the building of tunnels and basic infrastructure,<br />
apart from roads and bridges in rural<br />
areas through outsourcing.<br />
With success have come awards and<br />
recognition. His biggest moment came<br />
in 2012 when he became the only IAS officer<br />
in the country picked up by the Government<br />
of India for the Prime Minister's<br />
Excellence Award in Public Administration<br />
2011. His citation sums it up well:<br />
“Bridging the gap: For turning around<br />
a dying Bihar State Bridge Construction<br />
Corporation into a profit-making unit.”<br />
41
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
: VILLAGE ROOTS<br />
» PUNSARI, GUJARAT<br />
Showing the way<br />
» AARTI<br />
Can you dream of a village with well<br />
laid out roads, its own public transport<br />
system, equipped with solar<br />
lamps, with Wi-Fi connectivity,<br />
CCTVs at all important places and air-conditioned<br />
classrooms for children. Forget<br />
village, most of the metro cities in the country<br />
cannot boast of such amenities. This is a<br />
real story of Punsari village in Gujarat.<br />
The village, an obscure village like any<br />
other in the country, got together when<br />
it elected a young educated and exuberant<br />
Himanshu Narendra Bhai Patel as the<br />
village sarpanch. Himanshu told <strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong>, “My mantra was simple governance<br />
and effective utilization of resources from<br />
the Centre and state.”<br />
People entrusted me with leadership<br />
at a young age, says Patel, in his early 30s,<br />
adding that “I wanted to make it a model<br />
» Punsari Village: Gateway towards Development<br />
42<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
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43
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
1<br />
2<br />
4<br />
3<br />
» Pictures showing a remarkable progress in Punsari Village : 1. Classrooms with e-Education facility. 2. Village with solar<br />
lamps. 3. wi-fi and optical fiber broadband network. 4.Classrooms with CCTV cameras<br />
village. People are migrating from village<br />
to cities, so I thought we must create an<br />
infrastructure and an environment where<br />
people start migrating to Punsari village.<br />
Towards this dream of mine, I received<br />
wholehearted support from each and<br />
every villager, the elders and children.”<br />
Personal toilets are a must and we encouraged<br />
each household to have one and<br />
today there are hardly any houses in the<br />
village without toilet facility, says a villager.<br />
Besides, a reverse osmosis plant in the<br />
village provides clean and safe drinking<br />
water to all. Safe water comes at a nominal<br />
cost of Rs 4 for a 20-litre jar. This has<br />
improved health situation and reduced<br />
issues related to water-borne diseases in<br />
the village.<br />
The village has its own efficient<br />
mini bus that connects the village to the<br />
5<br />
nearby villages and also facilitates the<br />
school going children. Children study at<br />
the government school under the watch<br />
of CCTVs. The cameras allow us to keep<br />
a tab on the school activities and also<br />
ensure that no untoward incident takes<br />
place there. School Principal Bhagwatiben<br />
Patel, says, "Cameras help us to monitor<br />
the activities in a better way and the<br />
children too are conscious of the fact that<br />
they are being watched.”<br />
Internet is free for the villagers as<br />
a Wi-Fi tower facilitates data exchange<br />
round the clock and every villager is<br />
insured for an accidental cover of Rs 1<br />
lakh and a mediclaim of Rs 25,000. The<br />
village has also invested in a good sound<br />
system, used to play devotional songs and<br />
to double-up as a public address system<br />
through which new welfare schemes of<br />
government of India and the state are announced<br />
so that people take benefit of it.<br />
As the panchayat huddles together<br />
to scripting new highs, people are also<br />
happy- for they are using technology like<br />
any others living in the metros and have<br />
transformed their lives.<br />
44<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
Media and theme of<br />
a developed India<br />
BY INVITE<br />
» DR APJ ABDUL KALAM<br />
Journalists should interact with<br />
grass-root social reformers and<br />
bring out their core competence,<br />
dedication and experience in serving<br />
rural communities, which can become<br />
a model for our youth to follow.<br />
I have interacted with students and<br />
people from rural areas wherever possible.<br />
I have also addressed the State<br />
Legislatures wherever possible. In my<br />
addresses, the central message has been<br />
how the State can be economically developed<br />
with high Human Development<br />
Index, and how to increase the per capita<br />
income of the State? I normally give 8 to<br />
10 missions. These missions have been<br />
developed based on the inputs from the<br />
Planning Commission, consultation with<br />
State ministries, the core competence of<br />
the State and the rural development profile<br />
of the State which are mapped to Vision<br />
2020 targets. I would suggest that the<br />
I am sharing this experience with<br />
you, which is very important for the<br />
media to be a partner in national<br />
missions. Government has also<br />
passed an act called the “Right<br />
to Education Act’ for providing<br />
compulsory and free education to<br />
all children between 5 to 13 years<br />
grass root media personnel should study<br />
these missions and contribute to the development<br />
of the corresponding States.<br />
I am sharing this experience with<br />
you, which is very important for the media<br />
to be a partner in national missions.<br />
Government has also passed an act called<br />
the “Right to Education Act’ for providing<br />
compulsory and free education to all<br />
children between 5 to 13 years. All these<br />
programmes are very important national<br />
programmes and particularly the grassroot<br />
media should take interest, highlight<br />
the positive aspects and provide solutions<br />
to difficult aspects through nationwide<br />
consultations. This will certainly make a<br />
difference in the implementation of the<br />
programme and bring smiles to the faces<br />
of our billion people.<br />
Providing Urban Amenities in Rural<br />
Areas (PURA) is the integrated method<br />
which will bring prosperity to rural,<br />
which envisages four connectivity: the<br />
physical connectivity of village clusters<br />
through quality roads and transport;<br />
electronic connectivity through telecommunication<br />
with high bandwidth<br />
fiber optic cables reaching the rural areas<br />
from urban cities and through internet<br />
kiosks; knowledge connectivity through<br />
education, skill training for farmers,<br />
artisans and crafts persons and entrepreneurship<br />
programmes. These three<br />
45
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
Grassroots journalists should<br />
have a big aim of the concern of<br />
a billion people. Fortunately, India<br />
has a vision and has the youth<br />
power which is the engine that can<br />
give the thrust to the movement<br />
towards growth<br />
connectives will lead to economic connectivity<br />
through the establishment of<br />
enterprises with the help of banks, micro<br />
credit and marketing of products. We<br />
need to establish approximately 7,000<br />
PURA complexes in the country encompassing<br />
over 2 lakh village panchayats.<br />
I have a suggestion particularly to<br />
the members of the media consisting of<br />
editors, journalists, correspondents and<br />
reporters. In our country, it is essential<br />
to have research wings in academic institutions<br />
developing media personnel in<br />
reporting news, event analysis and highlights.<br />
This will enable our journalists to<br />
carry out original research on topics of<br />
national interest and provide solutions<br />
to medium and long term problems. The<br />
owners of newspapers should encourage<br />
research being carried out by experienced<br />
and young reporters for acquiring<br />
post-graduate qualifications which<br />
will improve the quality of content of the<br />
print media.<br />
Participating media members must<br />
realize that continuous updating of<br />
knowledge in research environment is<br />
essential for all media personnel. For<br />
example, before any issue is discussed<br />
in foreign newspapers, they send it to<br />
an internal research group where data is<br />
studied, verified and factual news is generated<br />
and sent for publication. When<br />
there was a critical comment about outsourcing<br />
to India, a US journalist stayed<br />
in India and studied the issue and found<br />
out that the companies engaged in Business<br />
Process Outsourcing (BPOs) were<br />
carrying out business using imported<br />
equipment from USA and Europe. Thus,<br />
they found that the BPO industries provided<br />
an indirect market for the hardware<br />
industries of the USA and Europe.<br />
Immediately this was reported in the Indian<br />
media in a big way.<br />
Similarly a Discovery Channel media<br />
person wanted to study India’s growth<br />
in Information Technology, Thomas<br />
» President APJ Abdul Kalam with the group of children undergoing treatment for<br />
blood Cancer, at Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2007 (File photo)<br />
46<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
Friedman came to India and stayed for<br />
a month and visited Bangalore and other<br />
places. Based on his news analysis he wrote<br />
a book titled “The World is Flat”. This book<br />
has become famous not only in India but<br />
throughout the world. Such is the power of<br />
research. I would suggest our Indian newspaper<br />
agencies should encourage research<br />
being carried out by our correspondents<br />
and journalists within India in academic<br />
research institutions, which will definitely<br />
improve the quality of our reporting and<br />
enhance the participation of journalists in<br />
national development missions.<br />
In the present development context of<br />
the nation, I would like grassroots journalists<br />
to take up the theme of a Developed<br />
India by 2020 as their primary mission. To<br />
achieve this the journalists must become<br />
development partners in the programme of<br />
PURA, energy independence mission, celebrate<br />
every aspect of success of the nation<br />
particularly in rural areas, work towards<br />
promotion of a corruption free society, help<br />
in the creation of enlightened citizens and<br />
promote harmony in the nation.<br />
Grassroots journalists should have a<br />
big aim of the concern of a billion people.<br />
Fortunately, India has a vision and has the<br />
youth power which is the engine that can<br />
give the thrust to the movement towards<br />
growth. Ignited minds of the youth are<br />
the most powerful resource compared to<br />
any other resource on the Earth, above<br />
the Earth and under the Earth. The Indian<br />
youth faces the twin problems of provision<br />
of quality education to a large number of<br />
people, that means in institutions of higher<br />
learning such as engineering, medical and<br />
specialized sciences. We have to ensure that<br />
The real mission of the media is<br />
to be where there are sweet tears<br />
and salty tears. While tears are<br />
sweet, spread the happy messages<br />
throughout the country<br />
a large number of seats are made available.<br />
This mission can be achieved by the publicprivate<br />
partnership. In this connection I<br />
have developed a system of global human<br />
resource cadre. In the 21st century, India<br />
needs large number of talented youth with<br />
higher education for the task of knowledge<br />
acquisition, knowledge imparting, knowledge<br />
creation and knowledge sharing. I<br />
am working for it. At present India has five<br />
hundred and forty million youth under the<br />
» Kalam and Vajpayee at Pokhran Nuclear test Site<br />
age of 25, which will continuously be growing<br />
till the year 2050.<br />
Keeping this resource in mind, the Universities<br />
and educational systems should<br />
create two cadres of personnel a global cadre<br />
of skilled youth with specific knowledge<br />
of special skills and another global cadre of<br />
youth with higher education. These two<br />
cadres will be required not only for powering<br />
the manufacturing and services sector<br />
of India but also will be needed for fulfilling<br />
the human resource requirements of<br />
various countries. Thus, the universities<br />
will have to work towards increasing the<br />
throughput of the higher education system<br />
from the existing 6% to 20% by the year<br />
2015, 30% by the year 2020 and 50% by the<br />
year 2040.<br />
The other Indians who are not covered<br />
by the higher education system should all<br />
have world class skill sets in areas such as<br />
construction, carpentry, electrical systems,<br />
repair of mechanical systems, fashion design,<br />
para-legal, para-medical, accountancy,<br />
sales and marketing, software and<br />
hardware maintenance and service, software<br />
quality assurance personals etc. No<br />
Indian youth should be without either a<br />
world-class higher education or without<br />
COURTESY: COLORLIBRARY.BLOGSPOT.COM<br />
world-class skills sets.<br />
The second problem which the youth<br />
faces is that of the generation of employment<br />
for about 40 million people. That<br />
means our education system has to become<br />
entrepreneurial oriented, both in schools<br />
and colleges, so that we can create employment<br />
generators and not employment<br />
seekers. I have discussed these important<br />
subjects in my national address on education,<br />
employment generation and energy<br />
independence.<br />
The real mission of the media is to be<br />
where there are sweet tears and salty tears.<br />
While tears are sweet, spread the happy<br />
messages throughout the country. While<br />
the tears are salty, critically analyze and<br />
spread the message with possible solutions.<br />
The grassroots journalists can certainly provide<br />
a positive direction for development by<br />
becoming the multiple sails of the ship.<br />
I have always believed that the first loyalty<br />
of a media must be towards the people the nation.<br />
A media should be independent from<br />
any individual, party and organisations.<br />
The author is former President of India<br />
and an acclaimed scientist<br />
47
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
: FLYING HIGH<br />
AROUND THE WORLD<br />
ON SEA WATERS<br />
» SURYA GANGADHARAN<br />
The other day an email caught<br />
my eye: It was a release from the<br />
Navy PRO’s office, informing that<br />
the Indian Navy had “launched”<br />
a young woman officer on the sail ship<br />
Mhadei. She is the first of a planned all<br />
woman crew, that hopefully will “sail the<br />
seven seas” before long.<br />
It reminded me of the question asked<br />
by none other than Lt. Cdr. Abhilash<br />
Tomy, who sailed<br />
non-stop around the<br />
world only last year.<br />
“Why would anyone<br />
spend half a year<br />
at sea, all alone?”<br />
His answer: “That’s<br />
a perfectly natural<br />
question, from someone<br />
who’s never sailed.<br />
I have friends who asked<br />
me that. I’ve taken them out<br />
to sea for a while and they always<br />
come back completely<br />
changed. Look at me,<br />
I’ve always thought of<br />
“After I came back, Tinkle comics<br />
put a photo of me on their<br />
latest issue. It was their first<br />
photographic cover ever. That was<br />
cool”<br />
it the other way around. How would I ever<br />
have lived, without sailing on this trip.”<br />
As Tomy described it, “You go out to<br />
sea to be wowed by the magical force of<br />
nature. To appreciate how small you are<br />
before it. You go out to sea to enjoy the<br />
ride. And if you come out alive, be thankful<br />
for it.”<br />
Tomy, in his early 30s, is actually a<br />
navy pilot flying the Dornier aircraft. Otherwise,<br />
he’s like the others of his generation.<br />
He’s into Facebook and Twitter, a voracious<br />
reader, picking up everything from<br />
Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred<br />
Years of Solitude to Will Durant’s Story of<br />
Philosophy, Maxim Gorky’s The Mother<br />
and Black Swan, even Tinkle comics,<br />
which are the “companions” on his voyage.<br />
“After I came back, Tinkle comics put<br />
a photo of me on their latest issue. It was<br />
their first photographic cover ever. That<br />
was cool,” he recalled and there’s more<br />
happening in his life.<br />
“There’s a documentary being talked<br />
about, with an international TV channel,”<br />
Tomy said. “A book, perhaps in the next<br />
two-three years. There are kids out there<br />
who now know the Indian Navy does<br />
some really far out stuff. They’re going to<br />
want to join the Navy themselves.”<br />
So this navy guy is a celebrity although<br />
an understated one. He doesn’t live his<br />
celebrity-hood, nor is it something he<br />
talks about all the time. The way he sees it,<br />
he has sailed around the world but there’s<br />
a whole life waiting to be lived with lots<br />
more to do. This is just a beginning and he<br />
enjoys that feeling.<br />
So until the next adventure, wherever<br />
it takes him, Tomy is content being the<br />
Indian Naval officer, flying his Dornier,<br />
enjoying the camaraderie of the uniform.<br />
And when he’s at home in Cochin, he<br />
sleeps late and wakes up to the smell of his<br />
mother’s coffee.<br />
Life couldn’t be better.<br />
48<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
OPINION STATE OF ECONOMY<br />
Capital Market & Growth<br />
» ASHISH KUMAR CHAUHAN<br />
India has a large middle class population<br />
which serves as a potent job force<br />
and spurs consumption in the country.<br />
A recent publication of the National<br />
Intelligence Council, titled Global Trends<br />
2030: Alternative Worlds, projects a high<br />
growth rate for India, piggybacking on its<br />
huge young middle class work force and<br />
its consumption pattern. The report says:<br />
“All the analyses we reviewed suggest that<br />
the most rapid growth of the middle class<br />
will occur in Asia, with India somewhat<br />
ahead of China.”<br />
To achieve and maintain the high<br />
growth rates required for India to surpass<br />
China as the leading economy of<br />
the world in the next 20-30 years require<br />
massive investment in the infrastructure<br />
sector.<br />
Power, transport, distribution of<br />
water, utilisation of scarce resource and<br />
other infrastructure projects will be the<br />
focus for India in this decade. The public<br />
spending on these projects, along with<br />
various public-private partnerships will<br />
spur growth across many sectors, while<br />
simultaneously fulfilling the primary objective<br />
of creation of infrastructure.<br />
To achieve and maintain the high<br />
growth rates required for India<br />
to surpass China as the leading<br />
economy of the world in the next<br />
20-30 years require massive<br />
investment in the infrastructure<br />
sector<br />
Thus, while infrastructure remains a<br />
massive challenge for the growth of India,<br />
at the same time, it offers tremendous opportunities<br />
for the growth across sectors,<br />
across classes.<br />
India, in the next two-three decades,<br />
will benefit hugely from the large young<br />
population entering the work force.<br />
While India is in a better position, benefiting<br />
from higher growth, it will still<br />
be challenged to find jobs for its large<br />
youth population. India will need to create<br />
15-20 million jobs every year for the<br />
next 10 years, a challenge which can be<br />
converted into an opportunity, especially<br />
in the manufacturing sector, which has<br />
been lagging behind the service industry<br />
in India.<br />
Shares Of Global Middle-Class Consumption,<br />
2000-2050<br />
100<br />
90<br />
80<br />
70<br />
60<br />
50<br />
40<br />
30<br />
20<br />
10<br />
0<br />
2000<br />
2010 2020 2030 2040 2050<br />
India<br />
EU<br />
Other Asia<br />
Others<br />
Japan<br />
China<br />
USA<br />
India is a consumption-based economy<br />
and it is set to be the world’s largest<br />
consumer by 2050. While the growth<br />
in consumption is impressive, it is set to<br />
grow exponentially in the near future.<br />
Indian stock markets have representations<br />
from a wide variety of sectors<br />
vis-a-vis most emerging markets. This<br />
allows the Indian stock markets to be a<br />
sound gauge for the country’s economy<br />
and thereby provide a fairly transparent<br />
instrument for the foreign investor.<br />
In recent times, the valuations of the<br />
main stocks in India, i.e. the BSE Sensex<br />
components, have been seen to be cheaper<br />
than their counterparts in emerging<br />
markets. Fund managers believe that<br />
India looks attractive based on its valuations,<br />
an analysis which is supported by<br />
‘overweight’ ratings by most FIIs.<br />
Indian markets have a strong and robust<br />
structure, with an able and competent<br />
regulatory body, the SEBI (the Securities<br />
and Exchange Board of India) supervising<br />
the markets. Foreign investors can<br />
feel confident that Indian markets will<br />
not subscribe to wild speculatory swings<br />
which hurt the liquidity in the market.<br />
Capital Market Structure<br />
India scores highly in the existence of a<br />
robust and ever-evolving regulatory framework.<br />
The securities market is regulated by<br />
the SEBI, a progressive regulator with primary<br />
functions of regulation and development<br />
of capital markets in the country.<br />
The country also has an active Ministry<br />
of Finance, which recognises the need<br />
for a developed capital market — instrumental<br />
for capital generation in the economy.<br />
The Ministry of Finance has thus<br />
been creating policies conducive to the<br />
development of capital markets and an<br />
investor-friendly climate in the country.<br />
India is blessed with an independent<br />
central bank in the form of the Reserve<br />
Bank of India, which has the critical responsibility<br />
of ensuring financial stability.<br />
Some of the individual markets<br />
r¬emain underdeveloped, but the Indian<br />
capital market ranks amongst the best in<br />
the world as far as technological advancements<br />
and robust regulatory framework<br />
is concerned.<br />
Listed below are some of the advantages<br />
of Indian capital markets:<br />
a. Screen-based trading<br />
b. Two of the largest exchanges in the<br />
world<br />
c. Speed and scalability in top 10 in the<br />
world for both the exchanges<br />
d. Real Time Risk Management systems<br />
employed by the 2 largest stock exchanges<br />
e. Settlement Guarantee through Central<br />
Clearing Party<br />
f. Robust depository framework<br />
g. Derivatives framework - amongst the<br />
largest in the world<br />
h. Skilled manpower<br />
i. Huge training facilities<br />
j. Investor class spread throughout the<br />
country<br />
BSE in 2014<br />
With a view to improve its services, the<br />
Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has recently<br />
changed its trading system with a New<br />
Trading Architecture (NTA) sourced from<br />
the Deutsche Boerse AG, BSE’s strategic<br />
shareholder and partner. The new trading<br />
engine has been successfully employed<br />
by the BSE since its Currency Derivatives<br />
launch in November 28, 2013, making<br />
BSE the fastest platform in India with a<br />
response time of 200 microseconds. It is<br />
several times faster than other exchanges<br />
50<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
operating in the country.<br />
The BSE is planning to improve the<br />
speed from current 200 microseconds to<br />
25 microseconds within the next three<br />
years. With the introduction of this system,<br />
India has joined the ranks of the<br />
leading exchanges in terms of latency and<br />
throughput.<br />
We expect this new system to be a key<br />
element in attracting more foreign participants<br />
to the BSE and Indian markets. Today,<br />
over 90% of the volumes come from<br />
algorithmic trading. The trading strategies<br />
involve putting a large number of orders<br />
and the exchange system needs to have the<br />
capability to process. In near future, the<br />
share of algorithmic trading is expected to<br />
grow even more and the order handling capability<br />
will become one of the differentiators<br />
among exchanges. With the execution<br />
of the NTA’s superior order handling capabilities<br />
and throughput, BSE can handle<br />
more than 100 times of its current orders,<br />
with an option to add even more capacity<br />
in a seamless manner.<br />
The BSE will continue to remain the<br />
market leader in terms of product development<br />
and introduction. BSE is committed<br />
to keep trading costs manageable by being<br />
the lowest cost trading destination for investors<br />
in the country.<br />
The BSE plans to introduce cash settled<br />
Interest Rate Futures on 10 Year G-Secs in<br />
the last week of January. This product will<br />
also be launched on the NTA, the fastest<br />
trading platform in India. BSE has been<br />
working on many innovative products in<br />
the Equity as well as Derivatives Segment<br />
and other products which are hugely popular<br />
and highly traded in the developed<br />
markets; for some of those products, the<br />
BSE is in the process of soliciting feedback<br />
from the international market participants.<br />
BSE has more than 80% market share in<br />
India in various products – including Offer<br />
for Sale, Mutual Fund Distribution<br />
through exchanges, SME platform, E-IPO,<br />
and distribution of corporate debt through<br />
exchanges among others. The BSE would<br />
work towards market leadership in other<br />
products as well.<br />
The BSE remains committed to providing<br />
the investors with the largest basket of<br />
securities across segments to trade on – the<br />
newly created Debt Segment by SEBI will<br />
be one such initiative.<br />
With the recent strategic tie-up with<br />
S&P Dow Jones, BSE and its indices, led<br />
by premier brands like SENSEX and BSE<br />
100, will acquire the global footprint they<br />
have been lacking until now. This venture<br />
would mark the shift of SENSEX being<br />
the benchmark India tracks, to the Indian<br />
» Ashish Kumar Chauhan: A Visionary MD & CEO of Bombay Stock Exchange<br />
benchmark that the world tracks. The JV is<br />
going to launch new Government of India<br />
Bond Index in 2014.<br />
The BSE has recently also entered into<br />
an arrangement with the Deutsche Boerse<br />
for the marketing of BSE data products internationally.<br />
The BSE has also entered into<br />
an MoU with the Ministry of Corporate<br />
Affairs and the Indian Institute of Corporate<br />
Affairs for the development of India’s<br />
first CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility)<br />
Index. This CSR Index shall be viewed by<br />
all market participants to track the leaders<br />
in CSR activities in India. Top performers<br />
of this CSR Index shall be drivers for<br />
other corporates in India to perform and<br />
meet the expectations of all stakeholders<br />
in the society. As capital market gets more<br />
aligned to the international norms, longterm<br />
investors with very sizable amount<br />
of investible money such as pension funds,<br />
insurance companies and funds with mandate<br />
of ‘Responsible Investment’, would<br />
look at such index and its top performers<br />
to decide their investments. Globally, it has<br />
been observed that indices based on CSR<br />
or ESG themes have outperformed the<br />
benchmark indices.<br />
The BSE had earlier provided free of<br />
cost browser-based access to the Real Time<br />
Risk Management System (RTRMS) for<br />
member brokers to help them manage<br />
their own risk; as also the browser-based<br />
collateral management system.<br />
The BSE has also released a state-ofthe-art<br />
front-end order placing engine,<br />
Bolt+, free of cost to its members. The<br />
front-end software such as BOLT, FOW<br />
and FasTrade were already available to<br />
members for no cost and BSE was successful<br />
in providing browser-based back office<br />
solutions to members free of charge. With<br />
all these online, browser-based systems,<br />
the members no longer need to invest<br />
heavily in technology and can still compete<br />
with the big members with huge setups.<br />
To facilitate effective surveillance<br />
mechanisms at their end, the BSE has<br />
launched the e-BOSS (Member Surveillance<br />
System). The new e-Boss software<br />
has a variety of alerts and reports (downloadable),<br />
uploads, user management<br />
and other such facilities for Equity Cash<br />
segment as well as Equity Derivatives segment.<br />
It is available to all BSE member brokers<br />
for zero cost.<br />
The BSE is in the process of bringing<br />
several such innovations to reduce effective<br />
cost for member brokers and at the<br />
same time continues to provide the best in<br />
class service in exchange eco system infrastructure.<br />
Since its inception in 1875, the BSE<br />
has promoted long term capital formation<br />
vis-a-vis trading and speculation. The<br />
BSE is the largest exchange in the world in<br />
terms of number of companies listed. It is<br />
the 8th largest in terms of trades per day,<br />
16th largest in terms of market capitalisation<br />
with more than 1.1 thousand billion<br />
USD market cap listed on it, and 5th largest<br />
exchange in the world in Index options<br />
trading.<br />
(The author is MD & CEO of the BSE<br />
Ltd., Asia’s first stock exchange. He also<br />
serves on the Board of ICCL, CDSL, BSE<br />
Training Institute, BFSI Sector Skill Council<br />
and Marketplace Technologies Limited.<br />
He is also a member of the Board of Governors<br />
of IIIT D&M)<br />
51
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
CSR INITIATIVES<br />
ONGC: Touching lives<br />
The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation<br />
(ONGC) had started in 1956,<br />
with a dream to make India energy<br />
independent. Today, that vision<br />
has become an unstoppable force. It’s a<br />
force one can feel in every moment, as it<br />
energises the lives of more than a billion<br />
Indians.<br />
As ONGC has grown, so have its<br />
initiatives to pay back to the society and<br />
make lives of people better through various<br />
welfare measures adopted through<br />
the ‘stakeholder participation approach’.<br />
Some of the projects involve communities<br />
in and around the ONGC operational<br />
area, which are seen as important stakeholders,<br />
and therefore their development<br />
is seen in alignment with the development<br />
of the company itself. Through CSR<br />
initiatives, the ONGC is touching lives of<br />
millions of Indians across the country.<br />
From community service, healthcare,<br />
environmental protection, education and<br />
preservation and promotion of culture<br />
and heritage, our efforts are focussed on<br />
bringing about a positive change in the<br />
society.<br />
Swavlamban Abhiyan<br />
This unique initiative undertaken by<br />
the ONGC in the healthcare sector focuses<br />
on persons with physical disabilities,<br />
reaching out to millions of people<br />
across India, especially in far-flung and<br />
backward districts of our country. The<br />
pan-India project is in collaboration with<br />
the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation<br />
of India (ALIMCO) and aims to<br />
cater to the needs of people with orthopaedic,<br />
hearing and visually challenging<br />
disabilities by providing aids and appliances<br />
in 100 backward districts of India.<br />
The project was conceptualised with the<br />
intent to reach out to the poorest of poor<br />
people with disabilities, who do not have<br />
access to such facilities.<br />
Akshaya Patra<br />
The ONGC is supporting The Akshaya<br />
Patra Foundation which aims at<br />
setting up a centralised, fully automated<br />
mechanised kitchen. It will provide midday<br />
meals to two lakh school going children<br />
enrolled in government schools in<br />
Surat, Gujarat. The kitchen has already<br />
started feeding about 75,000 students<br />
from an interim kitchen. It will become<br />
operational in phases and intends to<br />
reach its full capacity of two lakh children<br />
per day within two years.<br />
Varisthajana Swasthya<br />
Sewa Abhiyan<br />
The project carried out in collaboration<br />
with HelpAge India aims at providing<br />
healthcare facilities to the doorsteps<br />
of the poor, needy and elderly population<br />
across eight states and one union territory<br />
in India. The project has reached out<br />
to 4.5 lakh elderly patients through 20<br />
mobile medicare units.<br />
Another project, carried out in collaboration<br />
with the Wildlife Trust of India,<br />
envisages conserving of the eastern<br />
swamp deer within its sole habitat – the<br />
Kaziranga National Park in Assam. The<br />
objective is to understand the species and<br />
the ecology of the region and develop a<br />
strategy to save it from extinction. The<br />
main achievements have been the completion<br />
of two successful population estimations,<br />
radio collaring to track data of<br />
the male swamp deer, collection of data<br />
on behaviour of the swamp deer, identifying<br />
food plants and veterinary interventions<br />
in rescue cases.<br />
In collaboration with the National<br />
Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development<br />
Corporation, the ONGC<br />
Hathkargha Prashikshan aims at cluster<br />
development in Jorhat, Sibasagar, Majuli<br />
and Golaghat districts of Assam. The<br />
project envisages upgrading the existing<br />
skills of tribal handloom artisans by providing<br />
them with vocational training and<br />
entrepreneurship options.<br />
The ONGC Specialist Palliative and<br />
Geriatric Care out-patient clinic initiated<br />
in 2012-13, in association with the<br />
Dean Foundation, helps the terminally<br />
ill cancer patients in Chennai by providing<br />
palliative care. It supports patients by<br />
comforting them and relieving them of<br />
pain during the final stage of their lives. It<br />
also provides counselling to the patients<br />
and their families.<br />
Udaan is a special initiative taken up<br />
by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government<br />
of India, for the educated youth of<br />
Jammu & Kashmir, in association with<br />
the National Skill Development Corporation<br />
(NSDC). The project aims to train<br />
graduates and post graduates from the<br />
state to improve their technical knowledge<br />
and soft skills and enhance their<br />
scope for employability.<br />
Apart from these, the ONGC Hope<br />
Foundation has provided for the bandage<br />
of ulcers of leprosy patients every day for<br />
one year in the village of Hope situated<br />
on the outskirts of Delhi. The Antyodaya<br />
Prakalp, implemented through the<br />
Bhartiya Kushtha Niwarak Sangh and the<br />
Adivasi Development Initiative, aims to<br />
undertake eradication of malnutrition,<br />
especially among children. The ONGC<br />
Adharshita Entrepreneurship and Skill<br />
Development Initiative are aimed at providing<br />
vocational training to students<br />
from the slums of New Delhi in the fields<br />
of healthcare, beauty, cutting-tailoring<br />
and computer education.<br />
52<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
TEST DRIVE<br />
» BUSINESS BUREAU<br />
PLEASURES<br />
OF THE ROAD<br />
Style Statement<br />
» Mercedes-Benz S-Class<br />
» Availability: First quarter of 2014<br />
» Estimated Price: Rs 90 lakh – Rs 1.10 crore<br />
Global premium car market leader, Mercedes-Benz is<br />
rolling out its new model in India, the Mercedes S-Class<br />
that is known as the best car in the world. The car has been<br />
redone as far as external appearance and interiors are concerned.<br />
With a large grille and LED lights, it looks aristocratic<br />
while the interiors have been revamped with a mix of<br />
quality leather, wood and plastic. Heated seat with a wooden<br />
steering having two spokes gives driving a new pleasure,<br />
while the instrument cluster has been totally changed.<br />
A report in ‘Overdrive’ says that the 2014 Mercedes-<br />
Benz S-Class is now available for pre-booking on an amount<br />
of Rs 25 lakh. The company expects to start with 125 unit<br />
supply of the S500 limited edition.<br />
The petrol variant of Mercedes Benz S-Class has an<br />
8-cylinder V-engine. The petrol engine with 338 kW (459<br />
hp) embodies refinement, driving pleasure and responsibility.<br />
Thanks to twin turbo-charging and intercooling, the<br />
S500 has huge reserves of power and can accelerate from 0<br />
to 100 km/h in only 4.8 seconds. The engine may give off<br />
its typical, unmistakably sonorous and cultivated sound, but<br />
fuel consumption stays unusually low.<br />
The new S-Class is fitted with the latest-generation, enhanced<br />
AIRMATIC suspension system as standard. Working<br />
in combination with a stepless damping control system,<br />
this air suspension system ensures superlative road roar and<br />
tyre vibration characteristics and driving dynamics. The<br />
damping is adjusted on each wheel to the actual driving<br />
situation and can be set to comfortable or sporty, as desired.<br />
54<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
Great looks<br />
» Honda City Diesel 2014<br />
» Price: Rs 8.81 lakh - 11.35 lakh<br />
(approx)<br />
The diesel variant of the City sedan<br />
unveiled in November 2013 is now available<br />
across the country. The new City gets a<br />
sporty outlook with an increase in the interior<br />
cabin space. Armed with solid wing<br />
An automatic<br />
success<br />
» Hyundai Grand i10 Diesel AT<br />
» Expected Launch: 2014 first quarter<br />
» Expected Price: Rs 7 lakh – Rs<br />
7.50 lakh<br />
Riding on the success of its Hyundai<br />
Grand i10, the Korean automaker<br />
is coming up with auto transmission in<br />
diesel variant. Hyundai Grand i10 diesel<br />
AT, much like its petrol counterpart,<br />
is expected to be available only in the<br />
Sportz and Asta variants and will have<br />
all the features and specifications that<br />
the parent model offers. Hyundai Grand<br />
i10 diesel automatic will be powered by<br />
the same 1.1-litre three-cylinder CRDi<br />
diesel unit that produces 70bhp and<br />
160Nm of torque. Power will be transmitted<br />
to the front wheels via four-speed<br />
automatic gearbox that is used in a variety<br />
of vehicles ranging from the previous<br />
generation. It will also come with safety<br />
face chrome grille with brilliant premium<br />
headlamps, the new City looks great. The<br />
rear license chrome garnish and spoke alloy<br />
wheels add to the new exterior.<br />
Honda is now offering the new City<br />
with 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel engine that<br />
powers the Amaze sedan. It is expected<br />
to have the same output as the Amaze –<br />
98bhp and 200Nm of torque. The Diesel<br />
Honda City will have five variants: MT<br />
Diesel priced at Rs 8.81 lakh, SMT at Rs<br />
9.45 lakh, SVMT at Rs 9.88 lakh, VMT at<br />
Rs 10.40 lakh, and VXMT at Rs 11.35 lakh.<br />
features like dual airbags, ABS, reverse<br />
parking assist system and reinforced<br />
body structure.<br />
Market watchers say that Hyundai is<br />
likely to price the Grand i10 diesel AT Rs<br />
1 lakh more than its petrol AT variants,<br />
which went on sale recently.<br />
55
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
GADGETS<br />
» BIPIN<br />
What To Expect In 2014<br />
Apple iPhone 6<br />
The new iPhone will reportedly measure only 6 millimeters<br />
thick. For comparison, the current iPhone 5S<br />
has a depth of 7.6 mm and the old-school iPhone 3GS<br />
is a seemingly clunky brick by 2014 standards, measuring<br />
in at over 12 mm thick.<br />
The iPhone 6 release date could be delayed until<br />
September, and an iPhone phablet is also rumored to<br />
be released to compete with the Samsung Galaxy Note<br />
3 in May, according to new reports out this week.<br />
The report indicates that the iPhone phablet will<br />
not come with Apple’s upcoming A8 SoC, but instead<br />
will feature the iPhone 5S’s 64-bit A7 processor.<br />
It was also rumored that the iPhone phablet will<br />
feature a massive screen to rival that of the Samsung<br />
Galaxy Note 3, which has been receiving rave reviews<br />
across the globe, and could land with a screen of 5.7<br />
inches or larger.<br />
Another report from a Chinese Web site said that<br />
there would be two iPhones coming in 2014 – one with<br />
a 4.7-inch screen and another with a 5.7-inch display,<br />
or bigger. Apple has of course, remained silent on all<br />
rumors concerning future devices as usual, but most<br />
analysts assume any future smartphones released this<br />
year will retain the TouchID fingerprint sensor as seen<br />
on the iPhone 5S. Other rumors suggest Apple will<br />
continue down that route, and also offer an eye scanner<br />
as additional security.<br />
Apple iWatch<br />
What time is it? If you check your smartwatch,<br />
you may find that it’s a text message<br />
past a Twitter notification but if you check<br />
the zeitgeist, you’ll find that it’s wearable<br />
tech time.<br />
After more than a year of relegation to<br />
‘next big thing’ status, the smartwatch is finally<br />
breaking out into the mainstream with<br />
the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Gear and<br />
Sony Smartwatch 2 following where Kickstarter<br />
phenomenon Pebble led.<br />
Rumors of an Apple smartwatch have<br />
abounded since Pebble first hit the big time.<br />
The so-called iWatch has so far failed to materialise<br />
in but will we see Apple get in on<br />
the wrist-worn game in 2014?<br />
The iWatch price is misery. Nobody<br />
but one anonymous analyst who had a stab<br />
at pricing reckons somewhere between<br />
$149 and $229 (£100 to £150 / AU$167 -<br />
AU$250) as the likely tag.<br />
Affordable 3D Printers<br />
Like anywhere else in the world, 3D printing in India is really picking<br />
up for making prototype as well as for making mainstream products<br />
in the market. There is a lot of research by Z Corporation and CADD<br />
centre in India for making sophisticated printing machines. This technology<br />
is slowly coming up in India and is being used by the research<br />
team in manufacturing, architecture, education, geographic, information<br />
system, healthcare, etc. The 3D printing technology can help provide<br />
identical sets of three dimensional physical model at any stage of<br />
production without much hassle. This has greatly helped in improving<br />
communication, eliminate any errors or miscommunication and<br />
thereby save a lot of money and time.<br />
Three-dimensional is proving to be an attractive new business<br />
for technology entrepreneurs also. Indian entrepreneurs are trying to<br />
manufacture 3D printers for as low as Rs 20,000. Global brands that<br />
are imported by India range from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.<br />
56<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
New Launch<br />
DUOLINGO<br />
It’s a free language learning tool. If you<br />
want to learn Spanish, French, German,<br />
Portuguese, Italian, and English the<br />
fast, fun, and free way, there’s no better<br />
choice than Duolingo. In 2013, Apple<br />
chose Duolingo as its iPhone App of<br />
the Year, the first time the honour was<br />
awarded to an educational application.<br />
Duolingo offers extensive written lessons<br />
and dictation, with less practice<br />
speaking. It has a gamified skill tree that<br />
users can progress through, and a vocabulary<br />
section where learned words<br />
can be practiced.<br />
You can download the iOS app<br />
through the iTunes App Store The<br />
app can be downloaded for free and<br />
is compatible with most iPhone, iPod,<br />
and iPad devices. The Android version<br />
of this App can be downloaded from<br />
Google Play Store.<br />
» Price: Free<br />
» Requires Android: 2.2 and up<br />
» Installs: 10,000,000 - 50,000,000<br />
» Rating: <br />
UMANO<br />
Listen to our ever growing catalogue of<br />
articles from the world’s best publishers<br />
and bloggers narrated by professional<br />
voice-actors. Whether commuting, working<br />
out at the gym, or cooking at home,<br />
let Umano accompany you and enrich<br />
your day. Umano, an app<br />
that provides a curated<br />
selection of articles read<br />
by voice actors is available<br />
to iPhone and Android<br />
users, too. You can download<br />
articles for listening offline, make<br />
playlists and personalise the kinds of<br />
stories you’re interested in. The Android<br />
app includes some platform-specific features,<br />
including Google+ integration and<br />
57<br />
rich notifications, allowing users to access<br />
playback controls directly within their<br />
app notifications.<br />
» Price: Free<br />
» Requires Android: 2.2 and up<br />
» Installs: 10,000,000 - 50,000,000<br />
» Rating: Four-and-a-half star<br />
RUNTASTIC APPS<br />
Runtastic offers a suite of training apps<br />
designed to improve your fitness in<br />
several different areas. These are the<br />
newest apps in the suite focus on running,<br />
push-ups, pull-ups, and squats –<br />
arguably the most important full-body,<br />
calisthenic exercises in popular use.<br />
However, Runtastic does have other<br />
downloads available for activities like<br />
biking and hiking. To get started, you<br />
must create an account or sign in with<br />
Facebook.<br />
My biggest issue with Runtastic is<br />
that it is divided up into so many different<br />
apps, which is obviously an inconvenience.<br />
It’s a fair assumption that<br />
many who are interested in one of the<br />
Runtastic exercises will also want to<br />
try at least a few more. Plus, the user<br />
interfaces of different apps appear to be<br />
very similar. So, why not combine the<br />
functionality of at least four calisthenic<br />
exercises into a larger, paid version?<br />
The Runtastic apps are available for<br />
free download now on Google Play.<br />
There are also paid Pro versions, which<br />
offer premium features such as voice<br />
feedback and more advanced training<br />
regimens. For iOS users, the apps are<br />
available in the App Store as well.<br />
» Price: Free<br />
» Requires Android: Varies with the<br />
device<br />
» Installs: 10,000,000 - 50,000,000<br />
» Rating: ½<br />
» Lava Iris Pro 30<br />
Lava Mobiles has launched the Iris Pro<br />
30 smartphone in India. The Lava Iris<br />
Pro 30 is the first in the family and the<br />
company’s new flagship. The Android<br />
smartphone measures only 7.5mm<br />
thick and weighs 114g in total as it<br />
uses magnesium alloy body, which was<br />
achieved in part thanks to the slim 4.7”<br />
IPS LCD from Sharp.<br />
The screen has 720p resolution<br />
(312ppi) and puts out 500 lumens of<br />
brightness. It’s a ‘One Glass Solution’,<br />
meaning the Gorilla Glass is laminated,<br />
making the assembly thinner.<br />
The battery is fairly thin too and packs<br />
2,000mAh capacity. The phone has<br />
CABC (Content Adaptive Backlight<br />
Control) screen brightness regulation<br />
technology that automatically reduces<br />
screen brightness for 30% more battery<br />
life. It has an 8-megapixel rear camera<br />
with dual LED flash and a 3-megapixel<br />
front-facing camera. It has a range of<br />
software features such as flip to mute,<br />
lift to answer and call, video PIP, sound<br />
and shot, voice and face unlocking.<br />
Must-have Android apps for newbies<br />
and enthusiasts.<br />
» Priced: Rs 15,999<br />
» OS: dual-SIM Android 4.2.2<br />
» Rating: ½<br />
Real Racing 3<br />
As the name suggests, Real Racing 3<br />
delivers an impeccably realistic driving<br />
experience – for a touch-based mobile<br />
game, that is. It features real-world<br />
cars, offers smooth controls, and obviously<br />
shows off some sweet graphics.<br />
But be aware that this game, while free<br />
to download, does employ a freemium<br />
model, which charges you real-world<br />
cash for some in-game upgrades.<br />
» Price: Free<br />
» Installs: 10,000,000 - 50,000,000<br />
» Requires Android: 4.0 and up<br />
» Rating:
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
TAROT FORECAST<br />
» NANDITA PANDEY<br />
• ARIES (22nd March- 21st April): Matters of heart<br />
shall be pleasant throughout the month. Professionally, you<br />
hear good news. Help from your juniors shall come<br />
in handy at the right time. Financially, this is an<br />
average month for you when your needs are met<br />
with, though gains have yet to show signs of rising. Emotional<br />
anxieties are on the higher side affecting your health in this<br />
phase of your life. LUCKY COLOUR: Orange<br />
• TAURUS (22nd April - 21st May): Financially, you shall<br />
benefit from your investments and shall enjoy the attention<br />
being diverted to you. Legal matters shall turn in your<br />
favour and you shall be able to overcome obstacles<br />
in life easily. Clinging on to what took place in the<br />
past does you no good, being futuristic in your approach is the<br />
key to professional success. Minor health issues might crop<br />
up; especially the health of a child might cause some concern<br />
during this phase. LUCKY COLOUR: Peach<br />
• GEMINI (22nd May- 21st June): Professionally, a man<br />
with a dominating personality helps you in your endeavours.<br />
Patience and wisdom are the key to gain through<br />
financial transactions. Health issues might crop up,<br />
especially those related to bone or muscle aches,<br />
or minor gastric problems. Health of a woman is a cause of<br />
concern during this phase. LUCKY COLOUR: Pink<br />
• CANCER (22nd June - 21st July): Focus is the key to<br />
professional success during this month. Travels and proactive<br />
decisions taken in your projects give you an upper<br />
edge on the work front. Matters of heart remain<br />
pleasant and any outings, holidays or changes in<br />
lifestyle patterns turn in your favour as the month advances.<br />
LUCKY COLOUR: Blue<br />
• LEO (22nd July - 21st August): A woman helps you in<br />
your professional endeavours during this month. Financial<br />
benefits shall be good and rewarding by and large.<br />
Matters of heart shall remain positive. You will think<br />
of you relationship seriously and would want to take<br />
it to the next stable level. Health keeps you in a fit shape as<br />
the month progresses. LUCKY COLOUR: Blue<br />
• VIRGO (22nd August- 21st September): Matters of<br />
heart shall be pleasant and enjoyable. Financially, you shall be<br />
in a celebratory mood as investments start giving<br />
you expected returns. Health keeps you in a jovial<br />
and happy phase of life. You might be interested<br />
in a number of health activities during this month. Wedding<br />
celebrations in the family are a strong possibility. LUCKY<br />
COLOUR: Emerald Green<br />
• LIBRA (22nd September- 21st October):<br />
Professionally, strong transitions take place in your life.<br />
New work patterns emerge and bring in success<br />
and growth. Financially, investments will move<br />
northwards in a subtle yet steady manner as the<br />
month progresses. Being too possessive about your love<br />
might create a sense of claustrophobia between the two of<br />
you. LUCKY COLOUR: Green<br />
• SCORPIO (22nd October- 21st November):<br />
Financially, you gain from two or more resources. Things<br />
will shape up as per your expectations and new<br />
investments, if made by following your gut instinct<br />
help you in gaining rewards out of them. Health<br />
keeps you in a fit shape and any group health activity helps<br />
you in rejuvenating mind, body and soul. Professional<br />
restlessness will be on the higher side and any activity away<br />
from your comfort zone might cause you anxieties. LUCKY<br />
COLOUR: Orange<br />
• SAGITTARIUS (22nd November- 21st December):<br />
Financially, whatever transitions that take place during this<br />
phase of your life, give you an upper edge and shall<br />
also turn out to be quite rewarding. A woman with<br />
a dominating and aggressive streak helps you on<br />
your work front and in finishing targets on time. You will<br />
be disappointed in the matters of heart and issues related<br />
to children might build up unnecessary stress in your life.<br />
LUCKY COLOUR: Pink / Peach<br />
• CAPRICORN (22nd December- 21st January): You<br />
will be showered with a lot of love and attention throughout<br />
this month, especially in the matters of heart. Legal<br />
matters turn in your favour and you will benefit from<br />
your pleasant and harmonious nature. Financial<br />
setbacks are high as there might be some sudden property<br />
related stress or disappointments related to shifting or<br />
renovation. LUCKY COLOUR: Electric Blue<br />
• AQUARIUS (22nd January- 21st February): You<br />
shall find yourself in favourable situations in the matters<br />
of heart. A lot of situations are improving, giving<br />
you an upper edge as the month progresses.<br />
This is the time to take a back seat and enjoy the<br />
progress of your projects. Matters of heart remain positive<br />
and harmonious throughout the month. A woman with whom<br />
you share excellent rapport helps in creating good inner peace<br />
and harmony and this helps in improving upon your health.<br />
LUCKY COLOUR: Peacock Green<br />
• PISCES (22nd February- 21st March): this is an<br />
excellent time for you to take up fresh projects and explore<br />
new avenues. This is an excellent time and a<br />
partnership shall give you an upper edge. Office<br />
matters resolve easily and thoughts about redoing<br />
your office shall become the highlight of the month. Finances<br />
indicate ups and downs but the balance will be an upward<br />
movement by the end of the month. Health might be a cause<br />
for concern – you may experience gastric problems or those<br />
related to bone and muscle aches. A family member helps you<br />
in your endeavours as the month progresses.<br />
LUCKY COLOUR: Magenta<br />
(Nandita Pandey is an internationally renowned and acclaimed Astro Vaastu Tarot Consultant, Spiritual healer and Past Life<br />
Regression Therapist based in Delhi. Email soch.333@gmail.com )<br />
58<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
SUCCESS MANTRA MY STRUGGLE MY LIFE<br />
Hardships strengthened<br />
me to do better<br />
» MAHASHYA DHARAMPAL<br />
Give to the world the best you can,<br />
and the best will come back to<br />
you automatically. That is the<br />
philosophy I imbibed from my<br />
parents and followed, and it has made me<br />
stand good and be successful.<br />
Like any other person, I’ve also had a<br />
roller-coaster journey in my life with a lot<br />
of twists and turns, right from the Partition<br />
to resettlement and even involving<br />
family disputes. But I never gave up and<br />
with every adversity, I worked that much<br />
harder. The results are before all – we are<br />
the number one spice brand in India and<br />
the world. I can say with conviction that<br />
my hardships were instrumental in my<br />
success and that there are no shortcuts to<br />
success.<br />
I was born in a religious family on<br />
March 27, 1923 in Sialkot (now a part<br />
of the Punjab in Pakistan). My father<br />
Mahashya Chunnilal and mother Mata<br />
Chanan Devi were simple, religious and<br />
philanthropic people who followed the<br />
teachings of Arya Samaj. At Sialkot, my<br />
father sold spices from a shop called Mahashian<br />
Di Hatti, started in 1919. I was<br />
born and raised there. I started working<br />
at a very young age and gave up schooling<br />
before my fifth standard exam.<br />
At the time of the Partition in 1947,<br />
we saw massive caravans of Sikhs and<br />
Hindus heading to the other side of<br />
border from the present day Pakistan.<br />
I distinctly remember that until then<br />
there was never any problem between<br />
the Hindus and Muslims who co-existed<br />
peacefully in Sialkot. But when the Partition<br />
was decided upon and we heard<br />
that Sialkot would remain in Pakistan,<br />
panic spread among the Hindus, who<br />
started feeling unsafe as news of religious<br />
violence spread. We knew it was time to<br />
leave our hometown.<br />
On September 7, 1947, I reached a<br />
refugee camp in Amritsar with my family.<br />
I was just 23. From Amritsar, I left<br />
with my brother-in-law and came to<br />
Delhi looking for a job. We felt Amritsar<br />
was too close to the border and in the riot<br />
zone. Having travelled to Delhi several<br />
times before, I also knew that it was also<br />
cheaper than the Punjab.<br />
We moved to a flat in Karol Bagh that<br />
belonged to my niece. The flat had no<br />
water supply, no electricity and no toilet<br />
facilities. When I moved to Delhi, my father<br />
gave me Rs 1500. With that money<br />
I purchased a tonga, a horse-drawn carriage,<br />
which cost me Rs 650. I used to<br />
charge two aana (equivalent to 1/16th of<br />
a rupee) for a ride from Connaught Place<br />
to Karol Bagh. The meagre income made<br />
it difficult for me to sustain the family.<br />
Then came the day when I had no<br />
passengers. I shouted the whole day but<br />
no one came. People often ridiculed and<br />
insulted me.<br />
It was then that I decided to let go of<br />
the tonga. Coming from a family of businessmen,<br />
I believed I could achieve much<br />
more. I sold the tonga and built a small<br />
shop along Ajmal Khan Road<br />
and started a business in<br />
my domain, i.e. spices.<br />
After a few years spent<br />
grinding spices from<br />
our tiny store, we<br />
were finally making<br />
enough money to say<br />
goodbye to our breadand-butter<br />
worries.<br />
Word started spreading<br />
around the city about<br />
the spice makers from<br />
Sialkot.<br />
We had established<br />
the foundations<br />
of MDH in<br />
Delhi. In 1953,<br />
we rented another<br />
shop in Chandni<br />
Chowk and in 1959<br />
we purchased a plot<br />
in Kirti Nagar to<br />
set up our own<br />
factory. As I saw<br />
our business<br />
grow, so did Delhi. These were the times<br />
when Delhi only reached Pusa Road and<br />
the area beyond Shadipur Depot was a<br />
village. Areas like Greater Kailash and<br />
South Extension were rocky hills and<br />
south Delhi was non-existent.<br />
My favourite places in Delhi were the<br />
Qutub Minar and India Gate, where my<br />
friends and I used to sit for long stretches<br />
of time. We also went for walks in Nehru<br />
Park and Buddha Garden, places that<br />
continue to remain among my favourites.<br />
Today, even as I’ve seen Delhi’s rocky hills<br />
being transformed into urban areas and<br />
my business growing into an empire, I<br />
sometimes remember my tonga-riding<br />
days, when I was still exploring the new<br />
city and shouting out “two aanas for a<br />
ride, two aanas for a ride.”<br />
The thought of visiting our old hometown<br />
in Pakistan never crossed my mind.<br />
I sometimes dream of the little town<br />
where I spent my childhood, but Delhi is<br />
our home now.<br />
I don’t have any secret formula behind<br />
my grand success. I just follow a<br />
traditionally established principle of honouring<br />
the commitments and serving my<br />
customers pure and quality product. My<br />
commitment to community activities<br />
shines in many spheres of life. Towards<br />
this, I rise above the confines of religion<br />
and community and never hesitate<br />
to serve the mankind, no matter<br />
what the cause. MDH is a name<br />
that is synonymous not only for<br />
quality spices but also for its<br />
contributions towards the<br />
welfare of society and upliftment<br />
of the needy, by<br />
way of establishing educational<br />
institutions,<br />
hospitals and trust.<br />
(Mahashya<br />
Dharampal is the<br />
founder of MDH<br />
and its oldest<br />
brand ambassador)<br />
59
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
<strong>OUT</strong><br />
ART & CULTURE<br />
A synonym of Krishna<br />
Birju Maharaj has captivated with his soulful dance<br />
» SASWATI SEN<br />
Being the foremost disciple of Pt. Birju<br />
Maharaj ji, it is really difficult for me<br />
to write about the living legend, about<br />
a personality who is an institution in<br />
himself. But, I am trying this with a lot of<br />
courage.<br />
A measure of his genius is the fact that<br />
at the young age of 28, he received the Sangeet<br />
Natak Akademi Award. He went on<br />
to receive several other prestigious awards,<br />
like the Kalidas Samman, Nritya Choodamani,<br />
Andhra Ratna, Nritya Vilas, Adharshila<br />
Shikhar Samman, Soviet Land Nehru<br />
Award, Shiromani Samman, Rajiv Gandhi<br />
Peace Award and many more. He has also<br />
been conferred with Honorary Doctorate<br />
degrees from the Banaras Hindu University<br />
and Khairagarh University.<br />
Pt. Birju Maharaj was born on February<br />
4, 1938 in Lucknow. Initially his name<br />
was Dukh Haran, which was later changed<br />
to Brijmohan, a synonym of Krishna. Surrounded<br />
by a musical atmosphere, his<br />
inborn talent surfaced at the early age of<br />
three years, when he would playfully sit on<br />
his father’s lap and recite Tihais and Tukras,<br />
oblivious to the fact that they were complex<br />
musical pieces.<br />
The sound of music and dance emanating<br />
from the taalimkhana (classroom) was<br />
enough inspiration for young Birju to devote<br />
himself wholeheartedly to dance. Though he<br />
was too young to receive formal training, he<br />
would watch carefully when his father, the<br />
renowned Acchan Maharaj, taught his disciples.<br />
His father recognized the talent and<br />
took him under his guidance.<br />
Acchan Maharaj performed at musical<br />
conferences all over India and by the age of<br />
seven, Birju Maharaj had accompanied him<br />
to Kanpur, Allahabad, Gorakhpur, Jaunpur,<br />
Dehradun, and even far off places like Madhubani,<br />
Kolkata and Mumbai. He got the<br />
opportunity to share the platform with his illustrious<br />
father, who allowed him to present<br />
a few pieces before he himself came on stage.<br />
Soon, his father shifted to Delhi to teach<br />
at Sangeet Bharti. Birju Maharaj, then eight<br />
years old, enthusiastically imbibed all activities<br />
at the centre. Acchan Maharaj shifted<br />
back to Lucknow with the family due to<br />
communal riots, which raged all over the<br />
country during the pre-Independence period.<br />
His father died soon after, leaving<br />
nine-year-old Birju under the guidance of<br />
Shambhu Maharaj. Though a young Birju<br />
was deprived of his father’s blessings at a very<br />
tender age, Acchan Maharaj had left an indelible<br />
mark on him.<br />
The following years were full of struggle<br />
and household goods were sold to make<br />
ends meet. He spent about ten months in<br />
Mumbai learning from his uncle Lacchu<br />
Maharaj. At the age of thirteen, he was invited<br />
to join Sangeet Bharti in Delhi to teach<br />
Kathak. Soon, he established himself as a<br />
good dancer and a dedicated teacher.<br />
Birju Maharaj’s mother Ammaji continued<br />
to live at the family’s ancestral house<br />
in Lucknow. Having lost his father at a very<br />
young age, he was very devoted to his mother.<br />
Even after shifting to Delhi, he spent summer<br />
holidays with her, patiently listening to<br />
tales of the days gone by, of his childhood<br />
and the brief period spent with his father.<br />
As was the custom of the times, the<br />
women stayed in purdah and had nothing<br />
whatsoever to do with dance. Since the<br />
sounds of music and dance were a part of<br />
her surroundings, Ammaji remembered a<br />
surprising number of musical compositions<br />
of those times. Coaxed by her son, she sometimes<br />
came forward with uncommon and<br />
previously unheard of lyrics, singing them<br />
coyly. In this way, Maharaj ji came in possession<br />
of some invaluable<br />
compositions and got<br />
glimpses of his childhood,<br />
through his<br />
mother’s eyes.<br />
Pt. Birju<br />
Maharaj is a superb<br />
drummer,<br />
playing nearly<br />
all drums with<br />
ease and precision;<br />
he is especially<br />
fond of playing the Tabla<br />
and Naal. He can play all<br />
string instruments – Sitar, Sarod, Violin,<br />
Sarangi – with ease, though he never underwent<br />
any formal training.<br />
He is a sensitive poet, writing modern<br />
poetry as well as songs, dance compositions,<br />
Thumris, etc. He is also a singer par<br />
excellence, having command over Thumri,<br />
Dadra, Bhajan and Ghazal. He sings from<br />
the heart, words flowing out effortlessly. His<br />
deep resonating voice brings out the feeling<br />
and emotion behind every word.<br />
A master storyteller, Birju Maharaj interlaces<br />
his performances with incidents from<br />
his life, narrated to captivate the audience.<br />
Also being keenly observant, he always has<br />
something to say about day-to-day incidents,<br />
keeping people around him entertained with<br />
realistic imitations and vivid descriptions.<br />
Pt. Birju Maharaj has given a new dimension<br />
to Kathak, by experimenting with<br />
his technique in the application of dance<br />
dramas, which has today become a very successful<br />
medium for mass propagation. As a<br />
choreographer, he is the finest in the country<br />
today. His bold and intellectual compositions<br />
in traditional themes are brilliant,<br />
whereas his contemporary works are also<br />
refreshing in concept, crisp and entertaining.<br />
(The author<br />
is a veteran<br />
Kathak<br />
danseuse)<br />
60<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
BOOK REVIEW<br />
A peep into manager’s mind<br />
» MANAGEMENT BY IDIOTS<br />
Author: Dr Arup Roy Choudhury<br />
Publisher: Tata McGraw -<br />
Hill Education (I) Limited<br />
Language: English<br />
ISBN-10: 9351342972<br />
ISBN-13: 978-9351342977<br />
Paperback: 132 pages<br />
Price – Rs 295<br />
(Paperback)<br />
Horn Please! Your drive up the<br />
corporate ladder is not complete<br />
at least in India without making<br />
your presence felt. Even a mother<br />
doesn’t feed her baby till it cries out loud<br />
so how do you expect you will be heard<br />
till you make your presence felt. So, says<br />
Arup Roy Choudhury, Chairman and<br />
Managing Director of NTPC, largest<br />
power generator company in India and<br />
writer of Management by Idiots.<br />
Dr Roy Choudhury should know<br />
having become the youngest CEO of a<br />
public sector company at the age of 44.<br />
He says, “Indian manager should also<br />
proactively let the superiors, peers and<br />
subordinates to know of his intentions,<br />
his strategies and his destination as well<br />
as the timeline.” And needless to say<br />
honking needs to be done for not just<br />
your juniors or peers but for your superiors<br />
too.<br />
Published by McGraw Hill, this book<br />
has many tips for managers working in<br />
the Indian milieu. Author delves deeply<br />
into his personal experience and workings<br />
of the Indian corporate world. His<br />
premise is that the concepts and values<br />
preached by the western business schools<br />
need to be learned but we need to unlearn<br />
them sooner than later to succeed<br />
in the Indian corporate world. And this<br />
unlearning helps in dealing with business<br />
situations with spontaneity.<br />
The book has a common sense approach<br />
to management which comes<br />
from the unique Indian experience of life<br />
and films. Jo Dar Gaya Samjho Mar Gaya<br />
might be a filmi dialogue and a chapter<br />
title in the book ,but greats like Rabindranath<br />
Tagore and William Shakespeare<br />
had also given gems of wisdom to<br />
the same effect. So, risks have to be taken<br />
in decision making and one has to be<br />
fearless. And it is experience which helps<br />
one draw the thin line between fearlessness<br />
and misadventure.<br />
Many of us have grown up listening<br />
to the dictum Kal Kare So Aaj Kar Aaj<br />
Kare So Ab but we still procrastinate. And<br />
this could be professional hara-kiri for an<br />
efficient manager. The book suggests one<br />
needs to sort out ones priorities and clear<br />
up ones desk as good professional tools.<br />
Another suggestion which seems all so<br />
obvious that one forgets to implement it<br />
in not just professional but in our personal<br />
lives too is saying well done! Appreciating<br />
the good work done through a pat<br />
on the back would work as magic and as<br />
a manager it would get more out of one’s<br />
subordinates.<br />
Dr Roy Choudhury believes a good<br />
manager shows what he means by his<br />
actions rather than his words and like<br />
a cricketer, a manager is also as good<br />
as his last innings. Thinking out of the<br />
box, being innovative and experimental<br />
and finding a jugaad takes you far.<br />
Author’s one of top tip to the readers is<br />
what he calls writing your own obituary.<br />
Seems shocking when one reads this but<br />
This is a book for all those who are<br />
joining the work force hoping to<br />
be future managers, employees,<br />
people with humility to learn and<br />
managers themselves who want to<br />
perfect the art of management<br />
it makes a lot of sense when one realizes<br />
what the prescription really means- think<br />
about how you would be judged for your<br />
actions and this will give you an opportunity<br />
to reflect upon yourself. Keep yourself<br />
open to feedback and keep yourself<br />
grounded and then only you will be able<br />
to take the big jump professionally, says<br />
Management by Idiots.<br />
Humility, loving your work, dreaming,<br />
having a good plan and being good<br />
are some of the other mantras prescribed<br />
in the book. All of these have been presented<br />
in lucid and easy language: It is<br />
guru gyan made easy. Dr Roy Choudhury<br />
has been deeply influenced by<br />
Guru Maharaj Sree Sree Mohananand<br />
Brahmachari and so there is one chapter<br />
where he takes his guru’s mantras as basis<br />
to achieve goals in the cut throat corporate<br />
world. The advice is to “never hurt<br />
anyone’s feelings, utilizing everyone’s potential<br />
through handholding, operating<br />
from a ‘nurturing parent’ state impartially<br />
and with affection, expressing appreciation<br />
through positive strokes.”<br />
Management success also, accept it<br />
or not, comes with blowing a bit of your<br />
own trumpet and by living as if you will<br />
die tomorrow and learning as if you will<br />
live forever, says the author.<br />
This is a book for all those who are<br />
joining the work force hoping to be future<br />
managers, employees, people with humility<br />
to learn and managers themselves who<br />
want to perfect the art of management. It<br />
is a jargon free, easy to implement book of<br />
ideas borne out of authors own rich and<br />
vast experience. An experience worth<br />
partaking of considering BIT Mesra educated<br />
civil engineer, Dr Roy Choudhury<br />
did his post graduation and doctorate<br />
from IIT Delhi and was responsible for<br />
the remarkable turnaround of loss making<br />
NBCC where salaries couldn’t be<br />
paid and now heads NTPC -- acknowledged<br />
globally for its size and efficiency.<br />
Written for today’s leaders who<br />
is hard pressed for time, the book has<br />
short and lucid chapters with enriching<br />
thoughts and striking illustrations driving<br />
the message.<br />
So, if your intentions are pure then<br />
you are bound to succeed and this book<br />
will just help as a guide in your path to<br />
success.<br />
61
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HEALTH DIABETES<br />
The silent killer<br />
» DR. ANOOP MISRA &<br />
DR. SWATI BHARDWAJ<br />
Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is one of<br />
the most common non-communicable<br />
diseases (NCDs) globally.<br />
Over the past 30 years, the status<br />
of diabetes has changed from being a mild<br />
disorder of the elderly to one of the major<br />
causes of morbidity and mortality affecting<br />
the youth and the middle-aged people.<br />
It is the fourth or fifth leading cause<br />
of death in most high-income countries<br />
and there is substantial evidence that it is<br />
epidemic in many economically developing<br />
and newly industrialised countries.<br />
What makes Indians more prone?<br />
For years, we have heard that Indians<br />
are at a greater risk for diabetes. Clearly,<br />
Indians have a higher predisposition to<br />
syndrome X (clustering of various risk<br />
factors, a first step towards diabetes), type<br />
2 diabetes and coronary artery disease, as<br />
compared to other ethnic groups. These<br />
phenomena cannot be ascribed to a single<br />
factor, but to multiple factors.<br />
Most importantly, Indians have more<br />
accumulated fat in their bodies from the<br />
time of birth, nearly 1.5 times more than<br />
the white race. This can be accumulated<br />
in many places, but when it gathers at the<br />
abdomen, it interferes with the body’s<br />
metabolism and becomes a health problem.<br />
As a rule, Indians tend to have greater<br />
waist circumference and waist-to-hip<br />
ratio. Why Indians have higher body fat<br />
is not clear, however it has been suggested<br />
that during centuries of famine, body developed<br />
a mechanism that enables it to<br />
store energy in the form of fat (‘best storage<br />
form of energy’) to be used at times<br />
of food scarcity. Now that the food is in<br />
excess, this accumulated fat has increased<br />
rapidly. We have also researched that<br />
this excess fat gets deposited in peculiar<br />
places in the body; nape of neck (akin to<br />
‘buffalo hump’) and below chin (‘double<br />
chin’). In fact, these markers could easily<br />
be recognized and lend increased risk for<br />
the development of diabetes.<br />
Secondly, there is an inherent tendency<br />
amongst Indians for insulin to act<br />
slowly and in an ineffective manner. This<br />
could be dictated by the genes.<br />
Next, our livers (‘prime site of glucose<br />
metabolism’) are also full of fat and<br />
the metabolism is markedly sluggish as<br />
shown by recent data on Indians.<br />
Besides, these risk factors are aggravated<br />
by the social and economic outcomes<br />
of urbanisation, industrialisation and globalisation.<br />
In India, rapid urbanisation<br />
and changing lifestyles are contributing to<br />
widespread onset of diabetes. More people<br />
are leading relatively sedentary and highly<br />
stressful lives, combined with regular intake<br />
of fast foods with high quantities of fats, refined<br />
carbohydrates and sugar.<br />
Migration increases Adiposity (fatness)<br />
and Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) amongst Indians.<br />
Migration, whether inter-country, or<br />
intra-country, appears to be a risk factor for<br />
diabetes and other cardiovascular diseases.<br />
Adiposity and insulin resistance in migrant<br />
Indians tended to be higher than either<br />
urban or rural-based dwellers in India. Indians<br />
are metabolically dysfunctional. We<br />
can be classified as ‘metabolically obese’ or<br />
more appropriately dysfunctional, i.e. we<br />
have multiple metabolic derangements but<br />
are ‘non-obese’ by conventional body mass<br />
index standards. These ‘non-obese’ people<br />
usually have high body fat, abdominal adiposity<br />
and thick truncal subcutaneous fat.<br />
These body composition characteristics<br />
individually, or in combination, contribute<br />
to insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and<br />
hyperglycemia. According to our view, it<br />
seems that the ‘switch” for metabolic control<br />
slowed down several centuries ago.<br />
This ‘switch’ continues to work in the same<br />
mode, even when more control is needed.<br />
A hypothesis emphasising on the fact<br />
that fetal under-nutrition leads to altered<br />
metabolic programming in adult life has<br />
been proposed but lacks firm evidence. Indian<br />
babies born small and with low birth<br />
weight were found to have higher systolic<br />
blood pressure and adiposity at the age of<br />
eight years. These data have prompted the<br />
concept that the syndrome X originates in<br />
the mother’s womb and that at this time,<br />
key metabolic activities may get modulated.<br />
Lifestyle and diabetes<br />
Presently, the Indian population is<br />
going through a phase of dietary transition;<br />
leaving the traditional diets, people<br />
have now started opting for commercially<br />
available packaged foods or quick homemade<br />
foods. These snacks, often regarded<br />
as ‘comfort foods’, are quickly prepared or<br />
are easily available commercially and include<br />
fried foods that are high in energy<br />
and fats (saturated and trans fats) but low<br />
in nutrients. The increase in the intake<br />
of energy dense foods together with low<br />
levels of physical activity are leading to<br />
increased incidence of obesity and other<br />
related lifestyle diseases like diabetes, hypertension,<br />
cardiovascular disease and<br />
the metabolic syndrome. Sedentary habits,<br />
especially watching TV, are associated<br />
with significantly higher risks for obesity<br />
and type 2 diabetes.<br />
Given the current dietary patterns<br />
of Indians and increasing prevalence of<br />
lifestyle diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular<br />
diseases, etc., it is important to generate<br />
awareness about good nutrition and<br />
health for the prevention of obesity and<br />
diabetes. These shall not only promote<br />
good health, but also help in the prevention<br />
of non-communicable diseases such<br />
as diabetes, heart problems and other<br />
related diseases. In the long run, such<br />
programmes shall help in reducing the<br />
burden on the country’s economy.<br />
(Dr. Anoop Misra is<br />
Chairman, Fortis-C-DOC<br />
Centre of Excellence for<br />
Diabetes, Metabolic Diseases<br />
and Endocrinology<br />
& Dr. Swati Bhardwaj<br />
is Head, Nutrition and<br />
Fatty Acid Research, National Diabetes,<br />
Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation)<br />
62<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
VIDYA BALAN –<br />
ACTOR WITH A<br />
DIFFERENCE<br />
» RANJITH<br />
Success has not come the easy<br />
way for this revolutionary actor<br />
of Bollywood, who has broken<br />
the stereotype roles of Hindi<br />
film heroines. Having started early in<br />
her teens, working in a highly successful<br />
TV comedy serial, stardom in Hindi<br />
film industry had been a tale of struggle<br />
and conviction.<br />
63
<strong>POINT</strong><br />
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t was in Mumbai that she<br />
developed the passion to work in<br />
films. She got her initial break as a<br />
teenager when she was signed for<br />
a popular comedy TV serial, Hum<br />
Panch directed by Ekta Kapoor<br />
64<br />
FEBRUARY 2014<br />
My work is an extension of my<br />
beliefs. I don’t think I am an activist<br />
at all. I am an actor first and I try<br />
using that to leverage attention to<br />
some of the causes I am associated<br />
with. I think I am a humanist<br />
Vidya Balan, written off after her initial<br />
few films, came back to rule box office and<br />
become heartthrob of millions and the darling<br />
of critics. She gave a glimpse of her talent<br />
through Parineeta, Paa, Ishqiya, No One<br />
Killed Jessica and The Dirty Picture.<br />
These strong and unconventional roles<br />
earned her a national award, five film fare<br />
awards and five screen awards in the last few<br />
years. But the top of these awards would surely<br />
be Padma Shri awarded to her by Government<br />
of India on the 65th Republic Day, on<br />
January 26, 2014.<br />
Overwhelmed with the honour, Vidya<br />
termed the award very special and dedicated<br />
it to her family who has been her support<br />
through the ups and downs.<br />
Born in Palghat, Kerala, Vidya’s parents<br />
re-located to Mumbai where she had her<br />
early education at St. Anthony Girls’ High<br />
School and later did her masters in sociology<br />
from Mumbai University. It was in Mumbai<br />
that she developed the passion to work in<br />
films. She got her initial break as a teenager<br />
when she was signed for a popular comedy<br />
TV serial, Hum Panch directed by Ekta Kapoor.<br />
After the early stint with TV serial getting<br />
a role in Hindi films became difficult<br />
and when they came she could hardly make<br />
an impact. However, she was confident about<br />
her talent and continued her struggle relentlessly,<br />
modeling with top brands, till Parineeta<br />
happened. The film got her the first Film<br />
Fare award. There was no looking back. She<br />
churned out some scintillating roles in Paa,<br />
Ishqiya and The Dirty Picture that got her<br />
more awards and established herself as the<br />
best Bollywood actor.<br />
Besides, her tight schedule in films, Vidya<br />
has espoused a strong interest towards social<br />
causes — especially relating to empowerment<br />
of women and their education. She<br />
has also been appointed by the Indian<br />
government as the brand ambassador in<br />
the drive to improve sanitary conditions<br />
in the country.<br />
Vidhya says, “My work is an extension<br />
of my beliefs. I don’t think I am<br />
an activist at all. I am an actor first<br />
and I try using that to leverage attention<br />
to some of the causes I am<br />
associated with. I think I am a humanist.”<br />
She says, Shabana Azmi has<br />
been her greatest inspiration.<br />
Even at this stage of her career,<br />
Vidya is very choosy about her<br />
roles and likes to play roles that are<br />
different.<br />
She is willing to take up the challenges<br />
and also keen to live up to<br />
them.
CINEMA<br />
Aishwarya voted the world’s fourth most beautiful woman<br />
In a recent poll conducted by an online magazine, ‘Hollywood Buzz’,<br />
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been voted the world’s fourth most beautiful<br />
woman. According to the poll results, Aishwarya ranked fourth on the<br />
list of ‘Top 30’ Most Beautiful Women, coming right after Monica Belluci,<br />
Kate Upton and Angelina Jolie. Belluci is an Italian actress, Upton is an<br />
American model and actress while Jolie, a Hollywood actress, needs no<br />
introduction.<br />
The poll saw more than four million people sending in their votes to select<br />
the most intelligent, desirable and successful women in 2013 – 2014.<br />
Aishwarya, who recently turned 40, said she was overwhelmed by the<br />
honour and thanked her fans and well-wishers. Although Aishwarya has<br />
maintained a three-year-long break from films till now, she has maintained<br />
a public presence through endorsement deals, comeback plans<br />
and family issues that keep cropping up from time-to-time.<br />
Dhanush’s new Hindi film gets going<br />
Shahid Kapoor scared of the<br />
likes of ex-flame Kareena<br />
Dhanush – best known for his song ‘Kolaveri Di’ – has begun<br />
shooting for his new Hindi film. He features opposite Akshara<br />
Haasan while the film also casts Big B Amitabh Bachchan in a<br />
prominent role.<br />
The shooting schedules have begun at Igatpuri under the critically<br />
acclaimed director Balki, who has such well-known films like<br />
‘Cheeni Kum’ and ‘Paa’ among others, to his credit. The movie<br />
is being produced by Hope Productions. PC Sreeram has been<br />
roped in as director of photography and Ilayaraja as the music<br />
composer.<br />
Tamil actor Dhanush had proved his mettle in Bollywood with the<br />
highly successful ‘Ranjhanna’ for which he even won a Filmfare<br />
award recently.<br />
Farhan Akhtar enjoyed his comical break<br />
Farhan Akhtar says that of all the films he<br />
has done as an actor till now, his upcoming<br />
‘Shaadi Ke Side Effects’ gave him the chance<br />
to do maximum comedy. He appears opposite<br />
Vidya Balan in this film.<br />
“I got to do a lot of comedy in the film. The<br />
dialogues and the situations are very funny.<br />
I think out of all the films that I have done as<br />
an actor till now, this is probably the most<br />
humourous I ever did,” the 40-year-old said<br />
recently at a promotional event The actor also says that ‘Shaadi<br />
Ke Side Effects’ has the elements of a basic rom-com.<br />
Shahid Kapoor has opened his heart<br />
about his past affairs on a chat<br />
show and quipped about<br />
how he is scared of dating<br />
actresses now. He said<br />
that those were bad<br />
memories and he<br />
was not interested in<br />
remembering it.<br />
When he was asked<br />
whom he wanted<br />
to date, the hunk<br />
promptly replied, “Not<br />
an actress. I am done<br />
with that. I am a little<br />
scared of dating an<br />
actress for sure.”<br />
In the past, Shahid’s<br />
name has also been<br />
linked with actresses like<br />
Nargis Fakhri, Bipasha<br />
Basu, Anushka Sharma<br />
and Huma Qureshi.<br />
65
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SPRITUAL TOUCH<br />
Towards a stress-free life<br />
» SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR<br />
Once Mullah Naseeruddin met with<br />
an accident and he landed in a<br />
hospital. He had band-aid all over<br />
the face, only his eyes were visible.<br />
In every part of the body something was<br />
broken. One of his friends came and asked<br />
him, Mullah how are you doing? He said,”<br />
I am fine. Only it hurts when I laugh.” The<br />
friend then asked Mullah, “How can you<br />
laugh being in this condition.” Mullah<br />
then replied, “If I don’t laugh now I have<br />
never laughed in my life.”<br />
Undying enthusiasm is one aspect of<br />
being in perfect health. The word health<br />
in Sanskrit means an enlightened being.<br />
‘Swasthi’ means one who is established in<br />
self. What are the signs of being in oneself?<br />
First is enthusiasm - one who can<br />
laugh and say “today nothing worked.”<br />
To be able to say that you need a state of<br />
mind that is stress-free and tension proof.<br />
There are 2 conditions of the mind. One<br />
is body and mind together. And the other<br />
is body and the mind looking in different<br />
directions. Whether it is schools or in hospitals,<br />
attention deficiency syndrome is so<br />
prevalent today. So mindfulness, being alert<br />
and aware is the second sign of good health.<br />
Sometimes when you are stressed, you are<br />
also alert, but that is not good. You need to<br />
be alert as well as relaxed and that is what<br />
you call enlightenment.<br />
Half of our health we spend in gaining<br />
wealth and then we spend that wealth<br />
to gain back our health. This is not economical.<br />
We do not take care of our mind<br />
and our spirit. There are 7 layers to our<br />
existence- body, breath, mind, intellect,<br />
memory, ego and self. It is the breath that<br />
connects the body and the mind. Self is<br />
the subtlest aspect of our being, our existence.<br />
Everything goes on to change, the<br />
body undergoes a change and so does our<br />
mind. Mind is thoughts and the sense of<br />
perception in your consciousness that<br />
changes all the time; intellect, understanding,<br />
judgements, intellect changes,<br />
memory, ego.<br />
But there is something that doesn’t<br />
change within you. And that is called<br />
self- which is the reference point of all<br />
the changes. Unless and until you are in<br />
touch with this subtlest aspect, you are<br />
not called a healthy person according to<br />
the ancient system of Ayurveda.<br />
Nature has provided us with an inbuilt<br />
mechanism. Every night we sleep.<br />
Sleep is very important as that is when<br />
the body releases stress and energy gets<br />
recuperated. To some extent, sleep takes<br />
care of the fatigue. But most of the times,<br />
stresses remain in the system. For tackling<br />
these kinds of stresses, there are<br />
techniques of pranayama and meditation<br />
which focus on how the rhythm of breath<br />
is linked to the state of the mind.<br />
For every emotion there is a particular<br />
rhythm in the breath. Slow, long inhalation<br />
indicates pleasure and forceful<br />
exhalation indicates stress. So our breath<br />
is linked to our emotions. The emotions<br />
are definitely one of the factors of stress.<br />
Emotional instability causes stress.<br />
Your body language indicates your<br />
state of mind and energy in the system.<br />
We are encapsuled in a cloud of energy<br />
Half of our health we spend in<br />
gaining wealth and then we spend<br />
that wealth to gain back our health.<br />
This is not economical. We do not<br />
take care of our mind and our spirit<br />
which is called consciousness. You have a<br />
candle and a wick. When you light, put a<br />
match stick to the candle, what happens?<br />
The wick gets the glow around that. The<br />
same hydrocarbon is there in the candle,<br />
wick is also there. But once it is ignited<br />
the glow comes on top of the wick. Same<br />
way body is like the wick of the candle<br />
and what is around the body is the consciousness,<br />
which makes you alive, which<br />
keeps you alive.<br />
Have you seen animals when they<br />
get wet or when they play in the dust?<br />
What they do when they come out? They<br />
shake their full body, shake their hands<br />
and their body. Get all those things out<br />
of them. But we human beings hold onto<br />
everything, all the stress. Just looking at a<br />
dog or puppy or cat we should know how<br />
you should shake everything off. When<br />
you come to office, you should shake the<br />
home off. When you go back home, you<br />
should shake the office off your back.<br />
All the yoga postures, exercises are<br />
made by nature. If you observe a baby, from<br />
the time it is born to the age of 3, he or she<br />
does all the yoga asanas. You need to observe<br />
their breathing patterns too. The way<br />
a baby breathes is much different from the<br />
way an adult does. It is stress that causes the<br />
breathing pattern in adults to change.<br />
When you are stressed you frown.<br />
Whenever you frown, you use 72 nerves<br />
and muscles in your face. But when you<br />
smile you use only 4. So you give more<br />
work to your face every time you frown.<br />
More work means more stress. Stress also<br />
makes your smile disappear.<br />
Never mind if some failure happens<br />
here and there, so what? Every failure is<br />
a big step for success. That’s it, pump up<br />
your enthusiasm. If you have the skill can<br />
turn any situation around and induce little<br />
humour in it. Humour is very good<br />
greasing for avoiding stress.<br />
Avoid getting stressed. And what is<br />
that you can do avoid getting stressed,<br />
that is meditation. That is seeing life from<br />
a broader perspective. Meditation is not<br />
concentration. It is not doing something.<br />
Its deep relaxation. For meditation we<br />
have three golden rules. I want nothing, I<br />
do nothing and I am nothing.<br />
www.artofliving.org<br />
66<br />
FEBRUARY 2014
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68<br />
FEBRUARY 2014