MARCH

Point 

Out 

pointoutnews.com 

MARCH 2014 

Vol-1 Issue-2 

50 

i n s i d e 

NAVY 

UNDER 

PRESSURE 

08 

BHARAT 

NIRMAN(ED)? 

1

Point 

Out 

2 

MARCH 2014

Point 

Out 

POINT 

OUT 

pointoutnews.com MARCH 2014 

VOL-1 ISSUE-2 

50 

I N S I D E 

NAVY 

UNDER 

PRESSURE 

08 

COVER STORY 

BHARAT 

NIRMAN(ED)? 

Congress party is vouching 

Bharat Nirman has led to a major 

transformation in rural infrastructure 

across country. Projects have been 

identified but they have been marred by 

delays and allegations of corruption. 

P 24 

BHARAT 

NIRMAN(ED) 

NIRMAN(ED)? 

1 

www.pointoutnews.com 

Editor-in-Chief – Dr. Shiv Kumar Rai 

Consulting Editor – Surya Gangadharan 

Feature Editor – Suman 

Editor-South – Vijay Grover 

Special Correspondent – Aarti 

Principal Correspondent – Bipin sasi 

Correspondents – Ranjith Pasam, 

Abhay Kumar 

Design – Manaswi 

Photo Editor – Sanjeev 

Editorial researcher - Kriti 

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Volume 01 Issue 2 

For the month – March 2014 

Total No. of pages 64+Covers 

Head Office 

1201, Nirmal Tower, Barakhamba Road, 

Connaught Place, New Delhi-110001 

Phone- 011-23320740 

Navy under pressure 

“The Navy is under tremendous pressure,” 

said the former vice chief of naval staff. 

P 08 

Point Out 

Gallery 

By Invite 

Be yourself Be Not a Man 

P 36 

Must read 

It is very important how we shape ourselves as girls. It will be 

easier if we groom ourselves the way we want to be when we are 

young, either way – as professionals or homemakers. Or both! 

Reviews of 

HIGHWAY and 

GULAAB GANG. 

P 64 P 33 

Movers & Shakers P 44 

Redefining Governance P 40 

Village Roots P 47 

Flying High P 50 

Test Drive P 52 

Gadgets P 54 

Forecast P 56 

Success Mantra P 57 

Art and Culture P 60 

Book Review P 62 

Cinema P 63 

Spiritual Touch P 66 

P 38 

INTERVIEW 

Congress General Secretary 

Ajay Maken speaks about 

the party strategy for 

General Election 2014 

3

Point 

Out 

Your Voice 

• V S Sampath, 

Chief Election Commissioner. 

‘I blow the whistle, the election 

process begins. I blow the whistle 

once again 

and the 

process ends. I am 

just a referee. My 

primary job is to 

register voters and 

get them to the 

polling stations. 

The Election 

Commission is 

dedicated to the task of delivering free, 

fair and credible elections to the Indian 

People. We had 15 Elections to the 

Lok Sabha and 348 General Elections 

to Legislative Assemblies of states and 

Union Territories. We take all steps to 

make sure that elections are held in 

time, these are peaceful and that electors 

are able to vote freely and fearlessly. 

However, democracy requires more 

than a technically correct election. The 

essence of representativeness lies in 

participation. To make our democracy 

meaningful, there has to be maximum 

participation of the people in the 

electoral process. 

• S.P.S. Bakshi, 

CMD, EPIL 

‘Engineering, I believe, is inspiring 

and noble and its pursuits, an 

enhancing 

mission 

for welfare of the 

mankind. We 

in Engineering 

Projects (India) 

Ltd.(EPI) believe, 

that accepting 

new ideas in 

technology is not 

only a virtue but necessary for a creative 

group like the EPI, who can generate 

new ideas, new methodologies, 

unique approach, which can be a 

potent instrument for the uplift of our 

society. Our working in EPI remains a 

‘MISSION’, with right blend of vision, 

value and wisdom continuously 

transforming our understanding of 

complex engineering processes, the 

traits most vital in this century of 

globalization. We are committed to 

give serious attention in achieving 

our objectives in project planning 

and program, project delivery, system 

modeling, asset and risk management, 

keeping all the time focus on pollution 

reduction, carbon economy, renewable 

energy, green house emission and 

their abatement strategies. All of these 

imperatives of carbon trading schemes 

form an integral part of our national 

policy and commitment to the world 

community for clean environments and 

sustainability of the future human race, 

EPI is totally wedded to these principles 

in spirit and action. 

• Anoop Kumar Mittal, 

CMD, NBCC 

‘National 

Buildings 

construction 

Corporation 

Limited (NBCC) 

today stands out 

holding its head 

high as a towering 

organisation with 

many a milestones to its credit of which 

we all are witness to. Reckoned as one 

amongst top CPSEs, NBCC now, is a 

Schedule "A" Mini Ratna and listed 

Company, consistently being rated 

as Excellent by the Government for 

its remarkable performance over the 

past years. Our employees are our best 

resource. We need to motivate and 

nurture them in order to ensure that 

they contribute to their maximum 

potential towards the growth and 

development of the organization. 

Good governance is integral to the very 

existence and growth of a company, 

it has to be supplemented by strictly 

following transparency in our work 

culture all through. NBCC being 

a service organisation, Customers' 

Satisfaction should always remain our 

primary concern ensuring delivery 

of projects with quality to their entire 

satisfaction. 

• Malini Awasthi, 

Indian Folk Singer 

‘Indian folk music is diverse 

because of our cultural diversity 

and efforts 

should be 

made to preserve 

the folk songs 

of India. In the 

absence of proper 

archiving we have 

seen that our folk 

tunes are dying. 

The government is 

taking steps to preserve old cinematic 

treasures; I think the same attempts 

are needed for Indian traditional folk 

heritage. The folk songs have their set 

tunes sung since ages and it is necessary 

to conserve and preserve those tunes 

for the generations to come. Even 

Indian folk literature is very rich and 

it should be preserved in a proper way. 

Apart from this we should think about 

financial position of folk artistes, even 

today most of the folk artistes are not 

financially sound. 

4 


Point of View 

IS ALL WELL? 

T 

hrough its media blitz, Congress party had tried to drive home the 

point that its Bharat Nirman campaign has changed the face of India. 

So much so, that people living in urban centres or abroad have lost track 

of developments taking place in villages that house their ancestral homes and 

their ‘masterji’s’ house. Four-lane roads, hospitals, airport, metro rail services 

and projects under MGNREGA and Rural Health Mission and what not are 

being tom-tomed as game changer. Is it true that Bharat has undergone a 

major nirman? Is the Congress-led UPA drumming up facts to say its decadelong 

governance have transformed India? 

While the party may be correct in its wisdom, but if the nation has seen such 

a dramatic transformation especially in rural India, why is it a person has to 

carry his pregnant wife on his shoulder to the nearest hospital, some 40 kms 

away in Kottayam district- in Kerala? He was, however not able to save his 

child. Where is rural health mission and ambulatory services in a state known 

as one of the better on human indices in the country? 

This clearly exposes the yawning gap between conceiving an ambitious project 

and implementing it on ground. Like most, our planners too have been 

drafting out welfare schemes sitting in their swanky air-conditioned chambers 

and most of these projects remain on papers. It is shocking to learn about 

observation made by one of the government functionaries that ‘government 

has been facilitating the poor and their diets have gone up, and this is pushing 

inflation.’ An absurd logic! 

If all is well as Congress party projects, then why is it that a section of its senior 

leaders like Digvijay Singh, Mukul Wasnik have expressed their reluctance to 

contest Lok Sabha elections? Why is it that its official candidates are defecting 

to other parties, like the case of IAS-turned politician Dr Bhagirath Prasad in 

Bhind parliamentary seat of Madhya Pradesh? 

Congress party’s leading light and vice-president Rahul Gandhi has urged 

the people during assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh earlier to express their 

anger, anguish over government’s inefficiency. Today, same Rahul is asking 

people to exercise restraint, stating anger and anguish have no place in politics. 

When the development plank is thrown open why is it that the party is shifting 

its stand by diverting attention to issues like killers of the Mahatma or bloodstained 

politicians instead of taking opposition head on? Congress and its think 

tanks must realize the fact that at a time when they are under the preying eyes 

of a 24x7 media, it is difficult to hoodwink voters on a politics they mastered in 

70s and 80s. If they don’t, their Bharat Nirman campaign will end up meeting 

the fate ‘India Shining’ of NDA did in 2004. 

Dr. Shiv Kumar Rai 

Editor-in-Chief 

5

Point 

Out 

TWITTERATI 

• Narendra Modi@narendramodi 

2014 polls are a historic 

opportunity to lay 

foundation of a 

developed 

India. I 

urge you 

all to 'Vote 

for India' & 

make the right 

choice! 

• Madhuri Dixit-Nene@MadhuriDixit 

Let's show the 

world this 

woman's 

day, the 

power 

of pink! 

Gulaab Gang! 

• Arun Jaitley@arunjaitley 

Why r top Legal 

Luminaries resigning frm 

Lokpal Search Committee? 

The Government 

through DOPT 

has usurped 

the power of 

the Search 

Committee. 

• A R Rahman@arrahman 

My love and 

respect to 

all the 

women in 

the world... 

Happy 

Women's Day! 

• Meenakashi Lekhi@M_Lekhi 

To all the 

wonderful 

ladies & 

gentlemen, 

let us move 

4rm talk abt 

empowerment 

2 SECURE MY SPACE. 

• Digvijaya Singh@digvijaya_28 

Modi- UP is 10 times 

bigger than Gujarat. 

We knew he is 

illiterate in 

History now 

we see him as 

illiterate in 

Geography and 

GK too! 

• Ajay Maken@ajaymaken 

Sting operation proves 

that Opinion 

Polls are 

manipulated 

with Black 

Money. A 

new form of 

election rigging? 

• Sushma Swaraj@SushmaSwarajbjp 

I am opposed 

to the BSR 

alliance 

or merger 

with BJP in 

Karnataka. 

• Mahesh Bhatt@MaheshNBhatt 

And when you feel u cant 

get anything, the 

relationship 

turns into 

hate, apathy, 

or indifference. 

• Vasundhara Raje@VasundharaBJP 

Epitome of great strength, 

kindness, 

passion, 

brilliance 

& beauty- 

Let's 

follow our 

dreams & 

remind the 

World why every day is a 

Woman's Day! 

• Anand Mahindra@anandmahindra 

Reflecting on how amazing 

it is that a country which 

was seen as a basket case 

needing food aid,now 

nourishes 

others.I 

salute our 

farmers 

6 

MARCH March 2014

Point 

Out 

POINTOUT SPOTLIGHT 

NAVY 

UNDER PRESSURE 

»» 

INS SINDHURATNA 

8 


»» 

Surya Gangadharan 

he Navy is under tremendous 

pressure," said the former vice chief 

“Tof naval staff. "I've commanded 

ships that were 30 years old and we had to be 

extra careful. The same problem is with the 

submarines, they are old and getting older. 

No matter how careful you are things can 

happen." 

Things can and did happen. After 

two officers died of asphyxiation on 

the INS Sindhuratna in February, Navy 

Chief Admiral DK Joshi quit, taking 

moral responsibility for that (and other 

mishaps). His action was unexpected 

but not without precedent: In 2005 

Admiral Arun Prakash offered to resign 

over the naval war room leak case. The 

government refused to accept it. 

Admiral Prakash, many years Joshi’s 

senior, lauded his decision to resign. 

“The tradition in India is not to own 

up moral responsibility. Most of the 

accidents were trivial incidents like a 

ship touching a jetty or a submarine 

being caught in low tide, for which a 

chief cannot be held responsible. Our 

politicians and bureaucrats should take 

a hint from Admiral Joshi's conduct." 

But Prakash and Joshi are in a 

minority. No air chief ever took 

responsibility for the repeated crashes 

of MiG-21 aircraft and the loss of so 

many pilots. Nor for that matter did any 

defence minister or defence secretary. 

As Admiral Prakash put it, “had the 

government ensured actual integration 

of Naval Headquarters with the MoD, 

the latter should have borne collective 

responsibility for whatever happened, 

and Admiral Joshi’s resignation need 

not have been accepted. 

However, the armed forces HQs 

remain outside the MoD, whose 

approval they need for each and 

every activity. The Chiefs carry full 

responsibility for their Service — 

operational and administrative — but 

they have no locus standi in the MoD.” 

It may come as a surprise but it is 

actually the defence secretary who is 

assigned with the “defence of India 

and for the three armed forces HQs”. 

But when things go wrong, he bears no 

accountability. 

So what happens now? Priority is 

to appoint a successor to Joshi, which 

is already in the works. But the larger 

issue remains: Will Joshi’s resignation 

serve as a wake up call to the Defence 

Ministry to respond to the navy’s 

pleas over so many years to speed up 

procurement? 

The Navy had started warning the 

9 

The last decade has been less than 

satisfactory for the Indian military. 

Ineptitude and turpitude has permeated 

the civil-military combine and the 

political leadership across the divide 

has not been able to extricate itself 

from the Bofors shadow and the trading 

of allegations. 

»» 

UNNERVED: AK Antony, Defence Minister

Point 

Out 

»» 

Launch of INS SINDHURATNA 

MoD in 2004 that submarine forcelevels 

were declining and would reach 

criticality by 2015 if approved plans 

were not implemented. But decisions 

kept getting stalled at the political level 

for reasons unknown. The Scorpene 

submarine contract was delayed and 

then production was delayed on 

account of a serious decision-making 

deficiency in Defence Ministry. 

All, one has seen so far is a 27 page 

Defence Ministry press release detailing 

Antony’s “achievements” as the longest 

serving Defence Minister. 

Naval analyst Commodore Uday 

Bhaskar admits that “Admiral Joshi's 

resignation draws attention to the 

texture of India's higher defence 

management. The last decade has been 

less than satisfactory for the Indian 

military. Ineptitude and turpitude has 

permeated the civil-military combine 

and the political leadership across the 

divide has not been able to extricate 

itself from the Bofors shadow and the 

trading of allegations.” 

Worse still the gap between the civil 

and the military is growing. It’s not so 

The navy will learn from current mishaps 

and apply suitable correctives. But it 

cannot remedy the dysfunctional nature 

of the higher defence organization 

much a trust deficit as a lack of interest/ 

awareness on the part of the politicians, 

and the bureaucracy takes it cue from 

there. This situation compounds the 

navy’s problems. It is short of assets, 

especially submarines. Today it cannot 

send more than one submarine for refit/ 

modernization/ upgrade at any time. It 

is comparatively better off with surface 

vessels but here some of the Russian 

origin ships are quite old and need 

careful handling. 

The navy will learn from current 

mishaps and apply suitable correctives. 

But it cannot remedy the dysfunctional 

nature of the higher defence 

organization. 

10 


STATE REPORT T FACTOR 

T Factor 

»» 

Vijay Grover 

T 

he dust finally seems to be settling 

on Telangana announcement as 

the ground reality seeped into the 

people and the political parties. While 

the state was put under President’s rule 

and the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh 

got the Presidential assent. This now 

leaves the task of working out the 

bifurcation to the new government that 

will take charge in the state. 

Things moved fast in the last week of 

February , while hordes of congressmen 

11 

With Telangana becoming a near 

reality, the sentiment of joy 

was also visible on the troubled 

Osmania University which has 

seen pitched battles for over 5 

years , as the police posts on 

the campus were dismantled. 

in the Seemandhara region fled the 

congress and took shelter in the safer 

confines of one time political adversary 

Chandrababu Naidu. Chief minister 

Kiran kumar reddy found himself in 

a quandary with nowhere to go and his 

much touted move to float an own party 

becoming a non starter. 

If the crowds in Hyderabad , which 

turned up to welcome the Telangana 

rashtriya samiti chief KCR were 

an indicator , the move seemed to 

have worked in people’s favor in the 

Telangana region. Thousands waited

Point 

Out 

for hours for the architect of the state 

whose adamant perseverance paved 

the way for the Union Government to 

finally bow to the wishes of the people 

of Telangana. 

With Telangana becoming a near 

reality, the sentiment of joy was also 

visible on the troubled Osmania 

University which has seen pitched 

battles for over 5 years , as the police 

posts on the campus were dismantled. 

For the students of the Osmania , the 

credit for the victory actually belongs 

to them,” The sacrifice of thousands 

of students who put the formation of 

Telangana state ahead of their own 

careers and the supreme sacrifice of the 

students who gave up their lives. But the 

energy of the students will now charter 

the political course in the state so that 

we can ensure that the rights of needy 

are not usurped by some politically 

powerful people” says Krishank , a 

student union leader of Osmania 

University. 

Meanwhile it was an emotive mixed 

bag for the people of Seemandhara 

, whose last ditch efforts and the 

prolonged agitations in Seemandhara 

did not seem to have had any impact on 

the final decision making. The ‘ pepper 

spray’ rhetoric , tearing of bills etc of the 

seemandhara MP’s in the parliament, 

may finally not have been vain . Seeing 

the sentiment of seemandhara, and the 

angry protests against the Congress 

party in the Seemandhara region , the 

central government quickly announced 

sops by giving special status to 

seemandhara . Union minister Jairam 

ramesh was rushed with a 50,000 crore 

package over next five years for the 

region. 

The visit of Jairam ramesh in Feb 

end and the protests against the union 

minister were a clear indicator that even 

the announcement of the special status 

to seemandhara were not enough to 

cool the fraying tempers . 

But as the announcement of both 

the parliamentary and assembly polls 

came, it was time for the parties to sit 

down and work strategy for the same. 

Every party now wants to have key role 

in the decision making of the state’s 

future. 

YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy 

the only politician who is a united 

Andhra protagonist , has been first of 

the block and is focusing his energies 

Union minister Jairam ramesh was 

rushed with a 50,000 crore package 

over next five years for the region. 

»» 

K. Chandrashekhar Rao 

on tapping the sentiment against the 

congress. Playing a wait and watch game 

and keeping all anti congress forces 

guessing Jagan finally flagged off his 

campaign for hi party for the polls and 

appealing for United andhrapradesh. 

Jagan’s plans to campaign in the 

telangana region may not go down well 

with the separatists in Telangana region 

, but the political returns he reaps in 

Seemandhara for the opposition he 

faces cannot be discounted. 

In the telangana region , the congress 

is worried by the slippery attitude of 

KCR whose public pronouncement of 

merger of his TRS with the Congress 

saw a Big U Turn. KCR was quick to 

reject the merger proposal after his 

meeting with UPA Chairperson Sonia 

Gandhi. This has the congress party 

back to where it started off, wooing the 

TRS yet again , competing with the BJP 

to give out a better deal to TRS in the 

negotiations. The alliance suits TRS as it 

will have an option to once again jump 

to the NDA bandwagon if required. 

POINT OUT tried to reach KCR and 

his son KTR to know their point of view 

but the request was not met. 

As the campaign heats up and each 

leader is ready to play his master stroke 

in the political race , the people of both 

sides whose lives have been disrupted 

for the last several months only hope 

that their lives will return to normalcy . 

12 


Point 

Out 

WOMEN SPECIAL 

SALUTING 

WOMANHOOD 

14 

MARCH march 2014

In a typically patriarchal 

society in India,women have 

come a long way. 

They have shed their inhibitions and have stepped out making a 

mark with their brilliance be it governance, running top corporate 

houses or crusading against civil rights or sports. With greater 

acceptance from the society more and more women are rewriting 

the rules of the game and matching men shoulder to shoulder in 

every field. As this issue clashes with Women’s Day, POINT OUT 

salutes some of the leading lights — women of substance, who 

excelled in their professions and are running governments and 

enterprises successfully and are looked upon not only by women but 

the entire youth as role models. 

lPOLITICIANS 

» SONIA GANDHI 

AICC president and UPA Chairperson 

Sonia Gandhi is the President of 

All India Congress Committee 

since 1998. The Italy-born 

widow of former Prime 

Minister late Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia, was 

adjudged one of the most influential 

women in the world by Forbes 

magazine in 2004. She represents 

the Rae-Bareli Lok Sabha seat in 

Parliament and has been elected as 

Congress president for the fourth time. 

As chairperson of United Progressive 

Alliance, Sonia also has her say in functioning of Congress-led 

UPA government. After the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi an she 

had refused to take charge of the Congress but she acceded to party 

leaders plea in 1998 when the Congress fared very poorly. 

» SUSHMA SWARAJ 

BJP leader & leader of opposition in Lok Sabha 

A 

six-time Member of 

Parliament Sushma, is the 

leader of opposition in Lok 

Sabha and a senior BJP 

leader. A former Union minister 

she was Delhi’s first woman Chief 

Minister. A law graduate from 

Punjab University and a practicing 

Supreme Court lawyer, Sushma 

Swaraj started her political career 

with the ABVP in 1970s and held 

several ministerial positions. As a 

parliamentarian, she was the first woman to have won the 

outstanding parliamentarian award and was also the first 

female spokesperson of a political party when she was BJP 

spokesperson. 

15

Point 

Out 

» VASUNDHARA RAJE 

Chief Minister, Rajasthan 

Scion of Scindia family of 

Gwalior, she was born to 

Vijayaraje Scindia and Jivajirao 

Scindia, Maharaja of Gwalior. 

She has been elected as Chief Minister 

of Rajasthan for the second time after 

she led BJP to a landslide win in the 

November 2013 assembly elections. 

She was sworn in as the first woman 

Chief Minister of the Rajasthan on 

December 8, 2003. During her tenure 

as the Chief Minister, she worked 

tirelessly for the development of state, and focused heavily on an 

all-encompassing development with special focus on women. 

» MAMATA BANERJEE 

Chief Minister, West Bengal 

as she is popularly called 

is the first woman to become 

Chief Minister of West 

‘Didi’ 

Bengal. Mamata Banerjee 

has achieved the once considered 

impossible mission of routing the 

Left party in its stronghold. She single 

handedly ensured the defeat of world’s 

longest-serving democraticallyelected 

communist government, 

that ruled Bengal for 34 years. Often 

dubbed a ‘maverick’ politician, for her 

uncompromising and rigid stand, Mamata started her political 

career with Indian National Congress and went on to form her 

own party –the Trinmool Congress 1997. She has also served as 

a Minister of Railways twice, Minister of Coal, and Minister of 

State for Human Resource Development, Department of Youth 

Affairs and Sports and Women and Child Development. 

» JAYALALITHAA JAYARAM 

Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu 

Chief minister of Tamil Nadu 

and chief of All India Anna 

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 

(AIADMK), J Jayalalithaa is 

aiming to take a potshot at the post of 

Prime Minister, an ambition she and 

her supporters have been nurturing 

for long. Known as ‘Amma’ (Mother) 

and ‘Puratchi Thalaivi’ (revolutionary 

leader) by her followers she has thrice 

been the Chief Minister of Tamil 

Nadu. She has already been in national 

limelight when she supported the NDA government and dictated 

terms as a key ally before walking out of the alliance. 

» UMA BHARTI 

BJP Vice-President 

A 

firebrand 

Tikamgarh-born 

leader, 

Uma 

Bharti has been a Union 

minister and a former 

Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. 

Bharti is among the few political 

leaders who have great oratory skills 

and connects with masses. She is 

among the few BJP leaders who can 

be credited for the growth of the 

party during its Ram Movement 

days. It was late Rajmata Vijayaraje 

Scindia who initiated Uma Bharti into politics. She contested 

her first Parliamentary elections in 1984, and lost. In 1989, she 

successfully contested the Khajurao seat, and retained it in 1991, 

1996 and 1998 Lok Sabha elections. 

» MAYAWATI 

BSP supremo 

F 

or 

teacher-turned Behenji— 

dalits are her votebank and she 

admits to it publically. Mayawati, 

who started with late Kanshiram 

mobilizing dalits in the 1980s and 

early 1990s has today emerged as 

their biggest leader. She heads the 

Bahujan Samaj Party. She has been 

chief minister of - UP- for four terms. 

With Mayawati around controversies 

cannot be far away. Whether in 

government or not she has remained 

a controversial figure and has faced several charge of corruption 

and irregularities. However, she had weathered the storm and has 

emerged strong everytime. 

» BRINDA KARAT 

CPI (M) Politburo member 

A 

communist leader, elected to the 

Rajya Sabha, she became the first 

woman member of the Communist 

Party of India (M) politburo. 

Born in Kolkata, Brinda, studied at the 

elite Welham Girls School in Dehradun 

and later completed her BA degree at 

Miranda House, a college affiliated to the 

Delhi University. After graduation she left 

for London, where she worked with Air 

India— country’s national airlines. At Air 

India, she campaigned against mandatory 

wearing of skirts instead of traditional sarees, till the management agreed 

to it. Thereafter, she never looked back and returned to India and took up 

issues concerning the common people. 

16 


lBANKING FINANCE SECTOR 

» ARUNDHATI BHATTACHARYA 

Chairman, SBI 

She assumed the office as 

Chairman of State Bank of 

India on October 7, 2013. She 

is the first woman chairman 

of the country’s largest Bank. She 

also has the distinction of being the 

first women managing director of the 

bank. Arundhati Bhattacharya joined 

SBI in 1977 and since then has held 

various important portfolios, She was 

Managing Director & CEO of SBI’s 

investment banking arm, SBI Capital 

Markets Limited. As Chief General Manager (New Businesses), 

Mrs. Bhattacharya was involved in setting up several new 

companies / initiatives of SBI including SBI General Insurance, 

SBI SG Securities Ltd, etc. 

» CHANDA KOCHAR 

MD and CEO, ICICI Bank 

Chanda Kochar, 51, is currently 

Managing Director and Chief 

Executive Officer (CEO) of 

India’s largest private bank— 

ICICI Bank. She oversees assets of 

$93 billion, more than 2,750 branches 

in India and the bank’s presence 

in 19 countries. Her prime focus 

remains pursuing new strategies 

and prioritising day-to-day banking 

business through its branches rather 

than big-ticket deals. Under her 

leadership ICICI was declared the best retail bank in India for five 

consecutive years. In 2009 she became the youngest CEO and first 

woman to head ICICI bank, the second-largest lender in India. 

» SHIKHA SHARMA 

Managing Director & CEO, Axis Bank 

Ms. Sharma began her career 

with the ICICI group 

where she has worked 

across various verticals 

like Project Finance, Retail Banking 

and Investment Banking. Her 

last assignment was as Managing 

Director & CEO of ICICI Prudential 

Life Insurance Company, a leading 

private sector life insurance company 

in the country. In 2012 she was 

named in the Forbes List of Asia’s 50 

Power Business Women. 

» NAINA LAL KIDWAI 

Group General Manager & Country Head, HSBC, India 

An Economic graduate 

from Delhi University an 

she was the first Indian 

woman to graduate from 

Harvard Business School. Infact, 

she is now also a global advisor 

at Harvard Business School. She 

started her career with ANZ 

Grindlays. For her contributions 

in the field of trade and industry 

government of India conferred 

Padma Shri award on her. 

» CHITRA RAMAKRISHNA 

Joint MD, National Stock Exchange 

She is the Managing Director 

and CEO of the National 

Stock Exchange. A chartered 

accountant, Chitra, has been 

with NSE since its inception in 1991. 

She was part of a five-member team 

selected by the Government of India 

and tasked with the creation of a 

modern screen-based pan-Indian 

stock exchange. She was also part of 

a team formed to draft the legislative 

framework for Sebi. 

lMULTINATIONAL COMPANIES 

» INDRA NOOYI 

Chairman and CFO PepsiCo 

Indra Nooyi, 56, is chairman and 

CFO PepsiCo, the second largest 

food and beverage business. Born 

in Chennai, Indra did her bachelor’s 

in Science from Madras Christian 

College in 1974 and a post-graduate 

Diploma in Management (MBA) 

from Indian Institute of Management, 

Calcutta in 1976. Beginning her career 

in India, Nooyi held product manager 

positions at Johnson & Johnson and 

textile firm Mettur Beardsell. Nooyi 

joined PepsiCo in 1994 and was named president and CFO in 

2001. She has been conferred with prestigious Padma Bhushan 

for her business achievements and being an inspiration to India’s 

corporate leadership. 

17

Point 

Out 

» VANITHA NARAYANAN 

Managing Director, IBM India 

Vanitha Narayanan is the 

Managing Director of IBM 

India Private Limited, and the 

Regional General Manager for 

India/ South Asia (ISA). Appointed 

to this leadership position in January, 

2013, she is responsible for all of 

IBM’s sales, marketing, services and 

global delivery operations in the 

India/South Asia region, including 

operations in Bangladesh, Nepal and 

Sri Lanka. India remains one of the 

fastest growing countries for IBM and has emerged as a strategic 

location within the company’s global services delivery network. 

Having joined IBM in the US in 1987, Vanitha has over 25 years 

of experience working with multiple client sets and in several 

countries. 

» NEELAM DHAWAN 

Managing Director, HP-India 

She is a known figure in Indian 

IT sector and an inspiration 

for women working in IT 

sector. Neelam was among the 

first women to head a technology firm 

in India, when she was appointed 

India head of the Microsoft— world’s 

largest software company—in 2005. 

She was appointed head of India 

operations Hewlett Packard in 2008. 

During the last few years she has been 

successful in warding of competition 

in India’s computer market. 

» KUMUD SRINIVASAN 

President, Intel India 

She is the first woman president 

of the $54 billion computer chip 

maker Intel Corp. in India. Ms. 

Srinivasan has been with Intel 

for over 25 years and has held several 

business and information systems 

positions within Intel’s Manufacturing 

and Information Technology 

organizations. In her previous role, 

Kumud was Vice-President and General 

Manager of IT for Silicon Software and 

Services and also led Intel’s internal 

full-service consulting practice. She was born and raised in India 

and received her bachelor’s degree in economics in 1981 and her 

master’s degree in information and library studies in 1984. 

» KIRTHIGA REDDY 

Head, Facebook India 

Under her leadership, Facebook 

India has managed to not only 

grow its user base but also 

make significant contribution 

to its global business. Born in 

Hyderabad, Kirthiga completed her 

graduation and went on to pursue her 

MBA from Stanford University and 

MS in computer engineering from 

Syracruse University. She worked in 

several prestigious companies such as 

Motorola and Silicon Graphics. She 

was among the first employees of Facebook in India when it 

started its operation in India in 2010. 

» ABANTI SANKARANARAYANAN 

Managing Director, Diageo 

Abanti Sankaranarayanan serves 

as Managing Director of 

DIAGEO India Pvt Ltd – world’s 

largest spirits manufacturing 

company. Well known for her expertise 

in brand marketing, Sankaranarayanan 

is responsible for spearheading Diageo 

India’s ambitious expansion plans. 

Prior to joining Diageo, she was 

Executive Director and Deputy CEO at 

Mount Everest Mineral Water (a Tata 

enterprise), where she was responsible 

for crafting the Tata Group’s foray into the bottled water segment. 

She served as Marketing Director at DIAGEO India Pvt Ltd. since 

July 2010 and as its Deputy Managing Director since January 27, 

2012. She also worked in marketing / sales functions of Tata Tea, 

Tetley (UK) and Taj Group. 

» ARUNA JAYANTHI 

CEO, Capgemini India 

Chief Executive Officer of 

Capgemini India Aruna Jayanti 

oversees the operations across all 

the business units – consulting, 

technology services and outsourcing 

services in India with a focus to increase 

the integration and performance of 

over 40,000 growing employee base. 

Capgemni India is a subsidiary of one 

of the world’s foremost providers of 

consulting, technology and outsourcing 

services with a presence in 44 countries 

and a strength of over 1,30,000 employees across the globe with 

headquarters in France. Prior to assuming this role in January 2011, 

18 


Aruna was the Global Delivery Officer for Capgemini Outsourcing, 

where she improved quality, productivity and profitability of 

Capgemini’s outsourcing operations worldwide. Aruna has over 

two decades experience in the IT services industry and has worked 

in both multinationals and pure-play companies. She was ranked 

3rd in Fortune India’s list of 50 Most Powerful Women in Business 

2012 and 4th in 2011. 

lCORPORATES 

» NITA AMBANI 

Chairperson, Dhirubhai Ambani Foundation 

Married to Reliance Chairman 

Mukesh Ambani, Nita is the 

founder and chairperson 

of the Dhirubhai Ambani 

International School. Nita Ambani 

also is the co-owner of the Mumbai 

Indians cricket team and is actively 

involved in various philanthropic 

activities in the fields of education, 

human resources and disaster 

relief. She is also actively involved 

in Project Drishti, a social initiative 

taken by Reliance Industries (RIL) 

and National Association for the Blind initiative that helps 

provide eyesight to blind people from the underprivileged 

segment, free of cost. 

» KIRAN MAZUMDAR SHAW 

CMD, Biocon 

A 

leading 

entrepreneur, 

Kiran,59, is a household 

name in India for having 

ventured into pharma sector 

and making a mark. Founder 

Chairman and Managing Director 

(CMD) of Biocon Limited, Kiran 

has led the company to be a leading 

player in biomedicine research with 

a focus on diabetes and oncology. 

Born in Bangalore, Kiran completed 

her bachelors in Zoology from 

Mount Carmel College, Bangalore 

University and later did her post-graduation in Malting and 

Brewing from Ballarat College, Melbourne University. She 

worked as a trainee brewer in Carlton and United Breweries, 

Melbourne and as a trainee maltster at Barrett Brothers and 

Burston, Australia. She started Biocon in 1978 and spearheaded 

its evolution from an industrial enzymes manufacturing 

company to a fully integrated bio-pharmaceutical company. 

Kiran is also a member of the board of governors of the 

prestigious Indian School of Business and Indian Institute of 

Technology Hyderabad. She received was awarded Padma Shri 

in 1989 and Padma Bhushan in 2005. 

» PRIYA PAUL 

Chairperson, Apeejay Park Hotels 

A 

bachelor of Economics from 

Wellesley College, USA, She 

is the Director the Apeejay 

Surrendra group and joined 

the Group’s hospitality business as the 

Marketing Manager, The Park, New 

Delhi, in July of 1988 at the age of 22. 

She worked under the guidance of 

her father and later succeeded him in 

1990. She took though the company’s 

hospitality business through choppy 

waters and made a name in the business. 

For her contribution in hospitality industry the government of 

India honoured her with the Padma Sri award in 2012. Ms Paul 

is the President, Hotel Association of India (HAI) and member of 

the Advisory Board of Directors, IIM Lucknow. 

» ROSHNI NADAR MALHOTRA 

CEO, HCL Corporation 

As CEO and Executive Director 

of the HCL Corporation, 

Roshni, is responsible 

for strategic decisions 

regarding the overall direction of 

the Corporation including the key 

areas of determining its governance 

structures, treasury, risk and 

portfolio management, and for the 

diversification plans of HCL. The 

vision and strategy for the HCL brand 

and the Shiv Nadar Foundation are 

strategically driven by her as well. She has previously worked 

with Sky News U.K. and CNN America as a news producer. 

Roshni is a Trustee of the Shiv Nadar Foundation, which among 

its transformational educational initiatives has established the 

SSN Institutions in Chennai, today among the top private 

engineering and business schools in India. 

» MALLIKA SRINIVASAN 

Director, TAFE (Tractor and Farm Equipment) 

Mallika joined TAFE in 1986 

and has turned the company’s 

turnover from Rs 85 crore to 

about Rs 6,000 crore in two and 

half decades. Today she heads the second 

largest tractor manufacturing company 

in India and third largest in the world. 

Her moment was when she acquired 

Eicher Motors in 2005. Her emphasis 

is now on farm equipment and making 

them to suit local conditions and use, for 

she feels labour shortage in agriculture 

19

Point 

Out 

sector will continue to grow and it can only be compensated through 

mechanization. Mallika’s success mantra is that company products 

should be cost-effective and should be relevant to end users. 

» NISABA GODREJ 

Executive Director, Godrej Consumer Products 

Nisaba, the younger daughter of 

Adi Godrej is also President, 

Human Capital and Innovation 

and has emerged a likely 

successor to her father. She led the 

creation of a strategy cell for the group 

and the development of the FMCG 

strategy for the Group. Nisaba drives 

the Group’s ‘Good and Green’ (CSR) 

initiatives and is the point person for 

the operations of the Godrej Family 

Council. She is on the Board of Directors 

of Godrej Consumer Products, Godrej Agrovet and Teach For 

India. She has a BSc degree from The Wharton School, University 

of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Harvard Business School. 

» JYOTI NAYAK 

President, Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad 

She is often referred to as 

the leading example of 

women empowerment and 

entrepreneurship in India. 

Jyoti Naik, has been instrumental in 

promoting Lijjat Papad cooperative 

movement that took off with a loan 

of Rs 80 and handful members to 

a multi-crore business employing 

almost 30,000 women. Jyoti has often 

been recognized for her pioneering 

spirit and was conferred the 

Businesswoman of the Year Award for Corporate Excellence by 

the Economic Times. Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad was 

also awarded the best village Industry institution in 2003 and 

Brand Power award in 2011. 

» INDU JAIN 

Chairperson, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd., 

Indu Jain,76, is chairperson of 

India’s largest and most powerful 

media house – The Times Group. 

A strong votary of women’s rights 

and women entrepreneurship, 

Indu contributed immensely to the 

growth of Times group. Indu Jain is 

also founder president of the ladies 

wing of FICCI (FLO). He is also 

the chairperson of the Bharatiya 

Jnanpith Trust, which awards India’s 

most prestigious and highest literary award, the Jnanpith 

award. She addressed the United Nations in 2000 at the 

Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual 

Leaders, a speech in which she stressed the need for oneness 

among faiths and went on to chair a special session of the 

conference. 

lACTIVISTS 

» SUNITA NARAIN 

Environmentalist 

She has been with the 

Centre for Science and 

Environment (CSE) since 

1982 and currently is 

director general of the Centre 

and director of Society for 

Environmental Communications 

and publisher of the fortnightly 

magazine, Down To Earth. She is 

a member of the Prime Minister’s 

Council for Climate Change as 

well as the National Ganga River 

Basin Authority, chaired by the Prime Minister, set up to 

implement strategies for cleaning the river. In 2005, she 

also chaired the Tiger Task Force at the direction of the 

Prime Minister, to evolve an action plan for conservation 

in the country after the loss of tigers in Sariska. She was 

awarded Padma Shri by the government. Of India in 2005 

while she has received the World Water Prize for work on 

rainwater harvesting and for its policy influence in building 

paradigms for community based water management. 

» MEDHA PATKAR 

Founder, Narmada Bachao Andolan 

This firebrand Narmada 

Bachao Andolan activist 

who along with late Baba 

Amte championed against 

environmental destruction of 

Narmala valley and building of 

big dams over Narmada river and 

displacement of large population, 

is rightly called an activist for all 

seasons and reasons. Be it mega 

dams, projects involving large scale 

displacement and rehabilitation of 

people, tribal rights, environmental destruction or corruption 

in government her voice is prominent. A faculty at of Tata 

Institute of Social Sciences she had left her job to take up issues 

tribals and their rehabilitation in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat 

and Maharashtra through Narmada Bachao Andolan. As a 

civil activist she is also contesting the Lok Sabha elections of 

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ticket. 

20 


T A K E P O I N T O U T W H E R E E V E R Y O U G O 

T O U C H I N G E V E R Y A S P E C T O F T H E N A T I O N 

21

Point 

Out 

» VANDANA SHIVA 

Environmentalist and womens’ rights activist 

Born in India in 1952, Vandana is 

one of the Third World’s most 

eloquent and passionate voices 

on environment, women’s rights, 

and sustainable development. She 

directs the Research Foundation for 

Science, Technology, and Ecology in 

New Delhi. She did her Ph.D. on the 

foundations of quantum theory. She 

gave up her academic career to be an 

activist. Vandana Shiva has supported 

grassroots organizations in India and 

around the world in their struggles against clearcutting of forests, 

large-scale dams, the industrialization of aquaculture, and the 

invasion of multinational agribusiness. In 1993 she received the 

Right Livelihood Award, also known as the alternative Nobel Prize. 

» CHHAVI RAJAWAT 

Sarpanch, Soda village, Rajasthan 

Chhavi Rajawat, is among the 

few who left a good corporate 

job to work for improving 

quality of life and delivery 

for poor in villages. She is also the 

only woman sarpanch of a village 

who has an MBA degree. Rajawat 

remains apolitical and is recognized 

as the face of changing rural women 

in Rajasthan. After becoming the 

Sarpanch of the village, she has 

implemented several projects such 

as rain water harvesting, toilets facilities and public amenities 

in villages.Born in Jaipur, she studied at Rishi Valley School in 

Andhra Pradesh; Mayo College Girls’ School in Rajasthan and 

Lady Shri Ram College in Delhi. 

» IROM CHANU SHARMILA 

Civil Rights Activist 

Irom Chanu Sharmila is a civil rights 

activist, who has been fasting for 

over 13 years now against Armed 

Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 

in Manipur. She resorted to hunger 

strike demanding repeal of AFSPA, 

on November 2, 2000, after soldiers of 

Assam Rifles allegedly killed 10 young 

Meitei men in Malom. She is being 

forcefully fed through a feeding tube 

through he nose. For her conviction, 

Irom Chanu Sharmila has earned the 

title “Iron Lady of Manipur.” 

» KIRAN BEDI 

Retd police officer & activist 

Kiran Bedi was the first the first 

woman to join the Indian Police 

Service (IPS) in 1972. She is a 

celebrity in India and abroad 

over her stand on various issues relating 

to policing, prisons and corruption in 

public life. During her stint as Inspector 

General of Prisons, Tihar Jail, she 

instituted a number of reforms in the 

management of prison and encouraged 

yoga and meditation as detoxification 

programme for the inmates. She was 

police advisor in the United Nations peacekeeping department, 

and has also been honored with UN medal for outstanding service. 

In May 2005. Bedi was awarded honorary degree of Doctor of Law 

in recognition to her “humanitarian approach to prison reforms 

and policing”. 

lSPORTS PERSONS 

» SAINA NEHWAL 

Badminton player, Ranked World No 8 

Saina is the first Olympic medal 

winner for India in badminton. 

She has also won the world junior 

badminton title and is ranked 

No 8 in the world. Born in Ghaziabad 

in Uttar Pradesh and now settled 

in Hyderabad, Saina has inspired a 

generation of cricket crazy youngsters to 

take to badminton. For her remarkable 

achievement she was honoured with the 

highest sporting award Rajiv Gandhi 

Khel Ratna in 2009-2010. 

» MC MARY KOM 

World Boxing Champion 

Born in Kangathei, in 

Churachanpur district of 

Manipur, Mangte Chungneijang 

Mary Kom or MC or Mary Kom 

has been World Boxing Champion 

for five times and an Olympic medal 

winner for India. She is an icon for a 

generation of sportspersons, especially 

women. After being national and world 

champion for so long, she has not lost 

the hunger for medals and desire to 

perform well in international events. Even after marriage and her 

third kid, she was back fighting for a medal kin the Olympics. 

22 


Point 

Out 

23

Point 

Out 

COVER STORY GENERAL ELECTION 

BHARAT 

NIRMAN(ED)? 

24 



Bharat Nirman has led to a 

major transformation in rural 

infrastructure across country 

while its proponent the Planning 

Commission and opposition 

parties feel otherwise. Projects 

have been identified but they 

have been marred by delays and 

allegations of corruption. 

»» 

Point Out Team 

The ambitious project of United 

Progressive Alliance (UPA), 

Bharat Nirman aimed to give 

a fillip to rural infrastructure 

in a time-bound programme is in the 

eye of a storm. After spending about 

Rs.1,09,379 crore (2012) on various 

projects under the six identified heads, 

the results are far from satisfactory. 


Bharat Nirman has led to a major 

transformation in rural infrastructure 

across country while its proponent the 

Planning Commission and opposition 

25 

parties feel otherwise. Projects have 

been identified but they have been 

marred by delays and allegations 

of corruption.The fact remains 

that despite good intentions of the 

government, some of the schemes are 

still on papers. 

In an election year, that too, after a 

drubbing at the hands of BJP in four 

states that went to assembly elections 

in November 2013, Congress launched 

a media blitz about Bharat Nirman, like 

never before. The party hoped to capture 

imagination of people, especially in 

rural areas and make them aware 

about the great changes happening or 

that happened around them in the last 

decade. Print, electronic media and FM 

channels played the campaign every 

few minutes during past few months. 

The advertisements claimed how 

changes have taken place in rural India 

and how people have got access to 

drinking water, roads, health services 

and modern transport facilities. 

Is it true? Has our Bharat being 

Nirmaned? Do we need this kind of a 

project to shake ourselves out of the 

group of most underdeveloped nations? 

While the UPA is patting its back 

for the success of Bharat Nirman 

scheme, we tried to check about how 

India fared against China, 66 years after 

indenendence. 

Comparison India and China: 

S.N. Indicator 

india China 

1. Life expectancy 65 73 

2. Child mortality rate/1000 66 19 

3. % of working age 57 39 

population 

4. Adult literacy 63 94 

5. Birth rate 23 12 

6. Electricity consumption 0.5 2.5 

MWh per person 

7. GDP per person in $ 3.2 7.4 

If in 66 years of independence, the 

Bharat we nirmaned cannot provide 

two time meal to two-third of our 

population. The definition of proverty 

has changed many a times but, number 

of poor have always shown a steady rise.

Point 

Out 

What is Bharat Nirman 

B 

harat Nirman is a business plan for 

rural infrastructure implemented by 

the Government of India in order to 

provide basic amenities to the rural India. 

The plan was launched by Prime Minister 

Dr Manmohan Singh in 2005. Bharat 

Nirman is a time-bound business plan 

for action in rural infrastructure. Under 

Bharat Nirman, action is proposed in the 

areas of irrigation, rural housing, rural 

water supply, rural electrification and 

rural telecommunication connectivity. 


Plan objectives 

»» 

Providing safe drinking water to all 

under developed areas in India by 

2012. 

»» 

Aims to develop housing facilities for 

poor. Initially the scheme targeted 

60 lakh additional houses to be constructed 

for poor within 2009, but 

now the plan has been extended to 

2014 and the targeted house to be 

constructed has been increased to 

1.2 crore. 

»» 

Plan also includes to cover 40% of 

the rural area with telecommunication 

facilities by 2014 and provide 

broadband coverage to all 2.5 lakh 

panchayats by the year 2012. 

»» 

It also suggests to construct all 

weather roads by 2012 in order to 

connect all villages of India having a 

minimum population of 1,000 ( 500 in 

case of hilly or tribal areas). 

»» 

Aims to provide electricity to every 

village by the 2012. 

»» 

The plan aims to provide an additional 

one crore hectare of irrigational 

land by 2012. 

PERFORMANCE 

T 

he claims of the second phase 

of the Bharat Nirman campaign 

that glorifies past achievements 

of the UPA Government in sectors 

like education, health, telecom and 

infrastructure - have been punctured 

by the CAG financial audit report of the 

Union Government Accounts (2011- 

12) and the Parliamentary Standing 

Committee report on Implementation of 

MGNREGA, 2005. 

The CAG report, tabled in Parliament 

on August 13,, 2013, presents a sordid 

picture of the spending on flagship 

schemes by the UPA. A similar picture 

on NREGA spending is demonstrated 

by the Standing Committee report, 

which was presented to the Lok Sabha 

on 14 August, 2013. 

CAG report on financial audit 

The CAG Report No.1 of 2013 - Union 

Government (Financial Audit) finds 

that the total expenditure on the UPA’s 

seven flagship schemes increased 

from Rs.93,143 crore in 2009-10 to 

Rs.1,18,649 crore in 2010-11, but then 

decreased to Rs.1,09,379 crore in 

2011-12. These schemes are the Sarva 

Siksha Abhiyan (SSA), the Mid Day 

Meal Scheme (MDMS), the Mahatma 

Gandhi National Rural Employment 

Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), 

the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran 

Yojana (RGGVY), the Indira Awas 

Yojana (IAY), the Pradhan Mantri Gram 

Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and finally, the 

National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). 

Compared with the budgetary 

allocation of Rs.126,312 crore for these 

seven flagship schemes in 2011-12, 

the actual spend during the same 

year therefore turns out to be 13% 

less. Among these, major schemes 

like MGNREGS, RGGVY, IAY and 

PMGSY have witnessed a decline in 

expenditure when compared to the 

previous year and also in comparison 

to the Budget estimates. For example, 

the actual spending on MGNREGS 

was Rs.29,213 crore in 2011-12 as 

compared to Rs.35,841 crore in 2010- 

11. In 2011-12, Rs.40,000 crore was 

allocated under the Union Budget for 

MGNREGS but actual spending on the 

same was almost 27 per cent less i.e. 

Rs.29,213 crore. A similar trend could 

be noticed in the case of RGGVY, IAY 

and PMGSY. 

Advertisement blitz 

Congress party has virtually launched 

a media blitz in every language spoken 

in India. The Rs 100 crore campaign 

hardly could hoodwink Indians fed up 

with corruption and indecisiveness 

of Government of India.. Soon after 

Election Commission declared the 

schedule for Lok Sabha elections, the 

party pulled out its campaign. 

26 


EC Sounds 

Poll Bugle 

Commission has issued 

instructions if any column in 

the affidavit is left blank, the 

Returning Officer will issue 

a notice to the candidate to 

submit a fresh affidavit, duly 

filling up all columns. 

Poll bugle is sounded and battle lines are drawn. Election Commission 

of India while announcing the schedule for Lok Sabha elections said 

it has decided to use Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trial (VVPAT) 

system in the General Election to the House of the People, 2014, 

in some of the constituencies, subject to availability of number of units. 

Presently, commission has 600 units of VVPAT and another 20,000 units 

have been ordered and are likely to be received by March 31, 2014. 

Similarly, EC taking a note of Supreme Court Judgment of September 

13, 2013, made it obligatory for the Returning Officer “to check whether 

the information required is fully furnished at the time of filing of affidavit 

with the nomination paper.” Commission has issued instructions if any 

column in the affidavit is left blank, the Returning Officer will issue a notice 

to the candidate to submit a fresh affidavit, duly filling up all columns. 

After such notice, if the candidate fails to file the affidavit, complete in 

27

Point 

Out 


all respects, the nomination paper will 

be liable to be rejected at the time of 

scrutiny. The Chief Electoral Officers 

have been directed to brief all Returning 

Officers about the judgment of the 

Supreme Court and the Commission’ s 

instructions. 

These coupled with the NOTA 

option will be a new initiative. Voters 

will now have the right not to vote for 

a candidate if he or she desires so by 

pressing the NOTA button. 

The schedule is as follows: 

April 10, 2014 

Elections will take place across 12 

states and 3 union territories in 92 

Parliamentary constituencies. The 

states are Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, 

Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, 

Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, 

Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi. 

The union territories are Chandigarh , 

Lakshwadeep Islands and Andaman & 

Nicobar Islands. 

April 12, 2014: 

Polls will be held in 3 states in 5 

The NOTA option will be a new 

initiative. Voters will now have the 

right not to vote for a candidate if 

he or she desires so by pressing 

the NOTA button. 

constituencies. States on the list are 

Assam, Tripura and Sikkim. 

April 17, 2014: 

The polls will take place across 13 states 

in 122 constituencies. States on the list 

are Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Jammu 

and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, 

Madhya Pradesh, Mahararashtra, 

Manipur, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar 

Pradesh and West Bengal. 

April 24, 2014: 

Elections in 12 states across 117 

constituencies. States where polls will 

take place are Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, 

Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, 

Mahararashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, 

Karnatak, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal. 

The only union territory on the list is 

Puducherry. 

April 30, 2014: 

Elections take place in 9 states across 

89 constituencies in the country. The 

states are Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, 

Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, 

Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal. Two union 

territories where elections will take 

place are Dadra and Nagar Havelli and 

Daman and Diu. 

May 7, 2014: 

Polls take place in seven states and 

will cover 64 constituencies. States 

on the list are Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, 

Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and 

Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, 

and West Bengal. 

May 12, 2014: 

This is the last date for polls where 

elections will take place across 41 

constituencies in three states. States on 

the list are Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and 

West Bengal. 

28 


STRUGGLING TO 

STAY AFLOAT 

Political parties have launched and intensified their campaign with the announcement of election schedule by Election Commission. 

Like in the past, this is the time for political parties to stitch alliances to improve its poll prospects and be relevant. In the changing 

scenario, with the decade-old UPA government led by Dr Manmohan Singh facing a strong anti-incumbency, its allies are doing a 

rethink. So is the case with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Riding on a so-called ‘Modi wave’ in its favour NDA 

is finding new allies. The very parties for whom BJP was an untouchable, few months ago, and were loath to Narendra Modi leading its 

campaign are queuing up to be on his right side, now. The regional parties are trying to cobble up a credible non-BJP, non-Congress front 

in which 11 parties came together, but it could not even make a start before withering. 

For most combines the challenge it to stay afloat and put up a united face before the voters. But with internal pulls and pressures and 

egos of individual leaders it is also turning out to be a very difficult task for most parties and alliances. 

NDA – ON THE SURGE 

With most political surveys predicting 

the NDA getting about 225 seats, 

the BJP is elated and undoubtedly getting 

support from new quarters. About eight 

months back NDA had virtually been reduced 

to two major allies- the Shiv Sena, 

BJP’s partner in Maharashtra and Akali 

Dal in Punjab. Barring a few small parties 

most others had left the alliance or 

were non-committal. Modi’s elevation as 

BJP’s prime ministerial candidate led to 

more confusion and most alliance partners 

were not willing to speak on record. 

The Jana Dal (United) had left the alliance, 

Biju Janata Dal kept itself at a safe 

distance and the Telugu Desam Party 

(TDP) and Desiya Murpokku Dravida 

Kazhagam (DMDK) led by actor-turned 

politician Vijaykant stayed away. 

However, in the changing dynamics the 

alliance is also undergoing a change. 

Political outfits like the TDP and 

DMDK are cozying up to NDA while 

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) 

leaders have been making odd noises 

expressing their displeasure of Congress 

party and remaining soft on Modi and 

BJP. Even as sena is keen to go ahead 

with its ties with BJP, Maharashtra 

Navnirman Sena (MNS) led by Raj 

Thackeray is also softening. But the only 

issue with BJP will be to have alliance 

with MNS and or NCP and at the saem 

time keeping its alliance with Shiv Sena 

intact— something that looks a distant 

possibility at this point of time. 

Former BJP president and Member of 

Parliament from Nagpur Nitin Gadkari 

ruling out Sharad Pawar-led NCP in 

NDA said NCP has been part of the 

Congress-led UPA and therefore the 

question of its joining NDA does not 

arise. He however, added, NDA would 

be able to get new allies to form the next 

government. 

In a shot in its arm retired IPS officer 

and activist Kiran Bedi and former 

Army Chief Gen VK Singh joined the 

BJP. BJP is likely to field both of them, 

now. Several other parties like the Apna 

Dal (Uttar Pradesh), a few smaller 

parties in Tamil Nadu are in talks with 

the BJP and NDA leaders. 

29

Point 

Out 

THIRD FRONT 


Sensing a strong anti-Congress sentiment 

in the country and the discomfort 

some parties have in doing 

business with Gujarat Chief Minister 

and BJP prime ministerial candidate 

Narendra Modi, Left parties tried to 

cobble a third front – a non-Congress, 

non-BJP alternative. As many as 11 

political parties attended the initial 

few meetings and were upbeat about 

the front. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister 

J Jayalalithaa made no secret over her 

ambitions about becoming the Prime 

Minister and so was JD (U) leader Nitish 

Kumar and Samajwadi Party leader 

(SP) Mulayam Singh Yadav. With so 

many PMs in waiting the front was 

set crash and it did so even before a 

takeoff. Several parties decided to go 

it alone during the elections and said 

a decision on third front will be taken 

after the elections are over. 

AAP – AGGRESSIVE AND CONFUSED 

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was billed as Gandhi in Amethi (UP) while Kejri is banking on the miracle and popularity 

the next big thing in Indian politics undecided, whether to take on Modi. of Meera Sanyal in Mumbai, Capt 

not long ago. Will AAP be able to come up 

to the expectations of the masses is something 

every one is interested in. But even 

Arvind Kejriwal, cannot answer this. Kejriwal, 

who led AAP to a spectacular win 

in Delhi assembly elections have behaved 

more like an opposition leader even while 

he was Delhi chief minister. He had his 

chance to bring about a change as he had 

pushed the Congress to an awkward position 

from where it would have been extremely 

difficult for it to have withdrawn 

support to AAP government. Dramatics 

on Delhi roads had hit credibility of Kejriwal 

and a large number of his supporters 

are questioning his motives. 

In any case there is no denying the fact 

that AAP is a strong force with a large 

number of dedicated support base. Will 

they be able to replicate their success in 

Delhi assembly polls to the Lok Sabha 

is anybody’s guess. AAP leader Kumar 

Vishwas as stated will take on Rahul 

He has toured Gujarat trying to make an 

impression by following Modi and even 

storming his official residence. AAP is 

MN Gopinath, V Balakrishnan, Alok 

Agrawal among others to win and reach a 

respectable tally in the Lok Sabha. 

30 


POLL SNAPSHOTS 

UPA – SINKING 

SHIP ! 

United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is being 

termed a sinking ship and parties are 

desperately trying to discard it. Corruption 

and non-performance have made the UPA 

very unpopular among the people as was 

witnessed during the elections to five state 

assemblies in November 2013. People voted 

against the Congress with a vengeance like 

never before. Sensing trouble, several parties 

like the NCP are already feeling it very uncomfortable 

to stay back with the alliance. Its 

leader tried its bit by trying to prop up a third 

front. But it did not take shape. Rashtriya Lok 

Dal (RLD) led by Union Minister Ajit Singh 

is not averse to switching fences. He is said to 

have been in talks with NDA leaders, but BJP 

appear to be wary of his presence in NDA and 

the gains he would get the party in Western 

Uttar Pradesh. Hoping, BJP would be in a position 

to do well without RLD, its leaders are 

not taking the cue. 

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is 

unlikely to support the Congress despite its 

bonhomie with it while Andhra Pradesh 

Congress has split with Kiran Reddy leading 

a faction. Congress party’s alliance with 

National Conference led by Omar Abdullah is 

also on a rocky boat. What is surprising is the 

fact that several Congress leaders have quit 

the party or have expressed their reluctance 

to contest elections. 

Modi from Varanasi! 

In a season of polls political parties are doing their best to put up their best 

foot forward. While BJP leader Narendra Modi has been making the right 

moves and noises, there are talks about him contesting from a seat in Uttar 

Pradesh. Some observers are saying he is eyeing Varanasi, a seat held by 

senior BJP leader Dr Murli Manohar Joshi. Will NaMo take the bait and will 

Joshi shift is to be seen, but if he contests from UP Modi will send a strong 

message to all his opponents. And in UP, Varanasi seem to the best choice. 

31

Point 

Out 


Advani looking 

outside Gujarat 

In a season of polls political parties are doing their best to 

put up their best foot forward. While BJP leader Narendra 

Modi has been making the right moves and noises, there 

are talks about him contesting from a seat in Uttar Pradesh. 

Some observers are saying he is eyeing Varanasi, a seat held by 

senior BJP leader Dr Murli Manohar Joshi. Will NaMo take 

the bait and will Joshi shift is to be seen, but if he contests from 

UP Modi will send a strong message to all his opponents. And 

in UP, Varanasi seem to the best choice. 

Bhind Congress 

candidate defects 

In a major embarrassment to Congress party, its official 

candidate from Bhind Lok Sabha constituency Dr Bhagirath 

Prasad, bureaucrat-turned politician left Congress after 

being named as its official candidate. A day after he was 

named Prasad joined the BJP, citing that he was being stifled 

by a section of party leaders including Union Minister 

Jyotiraditya Scindia. This is the third coup BJP managed in 

Madhya Pradesh to put the Congress on the backfoot. Earlier 

last year, even before a debate on a no-confidence motion 

could begin in the MP Assembly, Congress deputy leader in 

the House, Choudhary Rakesh Chaturvedi joined the BJP. 

This was seen as major slap on the Congress face. Likewise, 

during the campaigning for assembly elections in November 

2013, Congress Member of Parliament from Hoshangabad, 

Rao Uday Pratap Singh resigned and joined the BJP. 

Maya to go alone 

Former UP Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party 

supremo, Mayawati is likely to go alone in Uttar Pradesh 

and contest on all the seats. Mayawati had made her 

intentions clear to even third front leaders that she 

was not willing to buckle down. Maya hopes in the current 

political situation if she manages to get 25 or more seats, then 

she can be a dominant player. 

32 


INTERVIEW AJAY MAKEN 

»» 

congress general 

secretary 

Bharat Nirman 

has completely changed rural India 

H 

“Have you ever seen Congress declaring the list before even the 

manifesto is announced and that so much before the elections? 

So we are in the race on front foot, we are confident and 

definitely we will win the election and form UPA 3”. Says Congress 

General Secretary Ajay Maken, who spoke to Dr. Shiv Kumar 

Raiabout Congress Party strategy for forthcoming election. Some 

excerpts; 

33

Point 

Out 

Has the Congress party given up 

and conceded defeat before general 

election to Lok Sabha? Is the party 

serious about contesting 2014 

elections? 

I don’t think that we have been ever 

as serious as we are now. If you look at 

the list which Congress has come out 

with of 194 names, have you ever seen 

Congress declaring the list before even 

the manifesto is announced and that so 

much before the elections? So we are in 

the race on front foot, we are confident 

and definitely we will win the election 

and form UPA 3. 

Has corruption in UPA-2 severely 

dented the image of Congress 

party? Is Congress a sinking ship 

today? 

First of all, I do not agree with 

a question. You can’t say about 

corruption in UPA 2, if you talk 

about corruption, isn’t there 

corruption in Gujarat 

government? There are 

convicted ministers 

who are still holding 

cabinet posts in Gujarat 

government. We had BJP’s 

ex-national president late 

Bangaru Laxman convicted 

on corruption charges and, 

who not too long ago, shared 

dice with Narendra Modi. So 

corruption is there in BJP too. So, I 

don’t think that question is right. 

Congress on the contrary, has 

not allowed any tainted 

person to continue 

in UPA 2. In some 

cases party has 

acted even 

before formal 

registration 

of FIRs. 

Surprisingly, 

none of the 

so called 

opposition 

parties have 

proved them 

on this count. 

After a 

humiliating 

defeat in four 

‘Bharat Nirman has completely 

changed rural India. If you look 

at the housing through Indira Awas 

Yojna, we have been able to construct 

a large number of houses, if you look 

at poverty reduction 14 crore people 

have been lifted out of poverty. 

‘If you talk about corruption, 

isn’t there corruption in Gujarat 

government? There are convicted 

ministers who are still holding 

cabinet posts in Gujarat government. 

state elections Rahul Gandhi, 

who led the Congress party’s 

campaign, told reporters, “The 

Aam Aadmi Party involved a lot of 

non-traditional people and we will 

learn from that,”. Has the Congress 

learned any lesson from Aam Aadmi 

Party? 

What Rahulji meant was that 

Aam Aadmy Party, a new party has 

been successful in winning support 

of common people in large numbers. 

There is no harm is learning from them. 

Congress party has a large number of 

members who have excelled in different 

fields be it technology, sports, or arts and 

culture. This time tickets have been given 

to candidates with better credentials. 

We want to open up the system and 

make it so transparent that no grass root 

level worker is denied of the right to 

be named party candidate or denied of 

the opportunity to choose a candidate. 

Rahul ji has just done this, we know it 

is a difficult path but we are sure it will 

keep us in good stead in the long run. 

From AAP were have learnt and evolved 

our ways to choose candidates. 

Do you think Congress and its 

leaders have cut themselves off from 

realities in India and aspirations of 

people? The party does not want to 

change and harps on the old ideas 

still; do you feel the need for new 

ideas and leadership? 

I think Rahul ji has shown the light, 

and way forward when he was in charge 

of youth Congress and NSUI. He 

started elections over there, in Youth 

Congress we have around 80 lakh 

members out of which we have 

around 6 lakh elected office 

bearers of youth Congress. 

They are all elected through 

secret ballots, so he wants 

to emulate same with the 

parent Congress also and 

then finally it is linked 

to the primaries where 

in the assembly and 

Lok Sabha ticket or 

ever the local bodies 

candidates are 

chosen by workers 

through secret 

ballot. 

34 


General perception is that Modi 

wave has blown off the Congress, 

Do you think the same? What will 

be impact of Modi on the Lok Sabha 

elections? 

It is all a media generated hype. How 

can you four months before the elections 

carry out an opinion poll or survey 

without even alliances have being firmed 

up, without even candidates being 

decided, how can anyone say which party 

will win and which party will lose. So this 

is all absurd and if you look at previous 

opinion polls, the pollsters have never 

been kind to Congress party. In 2004 

NDA was given more than 260 seats to 

fell short by more than 120. Similarly, in 

2009, the best of opinion poll gave just 

five seats to Congress in Uttar Pradesh 

while the party ended up with a tally of 

22 seats. So opinion polls time and again 

for Parliament elections have proven to 

be wrong, this time too it is going to be 

no different. 

Congress’ loss is being considered 

as third front’s gain? What are your 

views on third front politics? 

Third front, I don’t think it is an 

idea which has ever clicked. So this 

is something which has been talked 

about and again and again. If you look 

35 

at history I don’t think third front is a 

serious challenger because it is mainly a 

composition of regional parties, regional 

aspirations, so there is no unifying 

thread except from anti-Congressism 

or sometimes anti-BJPism among the 

parties. 

Bharat Nirman is a brain child of 

UPA. Do you really think that after 

Bharat Nirman the scenario of rural 

India is completely changed as 

claimed by UPA campaign? 

Absolutely, Bharat Nirman has 

completely changed rural India. If you 

look at the housing through Indira Awas 

Yojna, we have been able to construct a 

large number of houses, if you look at 

poverty reduction 14 crore people have 

been lifted out of poverty. It is a record, 

nowhere in the world such a large 

number of people have been taken out of 

poverty in a span of just 10 years. Look at 

life expectancy, life expectancy has gone 

up by five years in the last 10 years. If you 

look at the teledensity it is 42 percent in 

rural areas and more than 80 percent in 

urban areas. We have connected rural 

India, with not only telephone, but road, 

houses and jobs as in MGNREGA. 

As a Member of Parliament 

what’s your contribution to your 

constituency? 

Well my constituency, I can say is 

dominated by traders, by government 

employees and army men who are all 

literate. So for each and every segment 

including slum dwellers, resettlement 

colonies, I have done my bit. I think I 

have done quite a lot through the master 

plan 2021 which we were able to bring in 

2007 and two subsequent amendments 

after that, we have been able to provide 

relief in an orderly manner to many 

traders in Delhi, who have now no fear 

of their shops and establishments been 

sealed. The industrial areas we declared 

are in such a way that people now know 

where to have industries it has helped 

in reducing pollution. For government 

employees we were successful in 

implementing the 6th pay commission 

in a record time and likewise 7th pay 

commission has been set up much before 

the deadline without any protest by 

employees. For the service men we have 

come out with one rank-one pension. So 

for every section of society as a sports 

minister, I opened up all the stadia in 

my constituency for general public. One 

important thing is that I am perhaps the 

only MP in Delhi to have spent the entire 

MP lad fund for the development.

Point 

Out 

GALLERY 

GALLA 

GALLERY 

GALLARY 

GALLE 

1 2 

TRIBUTE TO 

WOMEN POWER 

1. Rani Lakshmi Bai : One of the leading figures of the 

Indian rebellion of 1857, an epitome of bravery and 

courage. 

2. Sarojini Naidu : Also known as The Nightingale of 

India, was a child prodigy, Indian independence activist 

and poet. 

3. Bikhaiji Cama: Bequeathed most of her personal 

assets to the Avabai Petit Orphanage for girls. 

4. Indira Gandhi: The second-longest-serving Prime 

Minister of India and the only woman to hold the office. 

5. Lakshmi Sahgal: A revolutionary of the Indian 

independence movement, an officer of the Indian 

National Army. 

6. Mother Teresa: The recipient of numerous honours 

including the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize. She was also 

given the title “Blessed Teresa of Calcutta” 

7. Kalpana Chawla : She was in Space Shuttle Columbia 

as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm 

operator. In 2003, Kalpana was killed in the Space 

Shuttle Columbia disaster. 

36 


RY 

GALLA 

GALLERY 

GALLARY 

GALLERY 

GALLA 

ALLERY 

3 4 

5 6 

7 

37

Point 

Out 

By invite 

It is very important how we 

shape ourselves as girls. It 

will be easier if we groom 

ourselves the way we want to 

be when we are young, either 

way – as professionals or 

homemakers. Or both! 

»» 

KIRAN BEDI 

On women’s day I was in the 

company of a set of outstanding 

panelists comprising leading 

women professionals. Each one 

of them was a successful leader in her 

own right. Each of us made our points 

without exaggerating or exceeding the 

given time. It was evident that the Indian 

woman had arrived. Let me share 

what was put across on that Women’s 

day. 

Research clearly shows that we are 

“hardwired” by the time we reach our 

twenties. Our attitudes and leadership 

Be yourself 

Be Not a Man 

38 


qualities are already established. Our 

personal and professional orientations 

are already rooted and shaped by the 

time we start to work. The professional 

degree is more for honing professional 

skills and tools which may or may not 

alter our basic attitudes even if we are 

looking to change them. Hence we are 

complete package by the time we arrive 

at the corporate doorstep. 

Simply put, people do not change 

very much once they enter the work 

place. The changes that place are mainly 

a matter of consolidation of strengths or 

a downward drift in behavior that needs 

improvement. 

The learning to be derived is : it is 

very important how we shape ourselves 

as girls. It will be easier if we groom 

ourselves the way we want to be when we 

are young, either way – as professionals 

or homemakers. Or both! 

Today, with women coming into 

positions of power, they need to remain 

sensitive to others needs. They must give 

to their own juniors and peers what they 

are looking for themselves. These include 

congratulating, mentoring, promotions, 

training, recognition, communication, 

sharing and transparency. All that they 

want for themselves, they must equally 

become givers for those they supervise 

and lead, independent of whether they 

get what they need from their own 

seniors. 

Women are perceived to be givers 

and sharers. Hence we must continue 

to build on this positive perception and 

belief. Perhaps we are ‘hardwire’ on this 

when young. Hence we need not change 

what is our strength just because other 

do not endorse or support it. 

You want to see integrity, courage, 

discipline, hard work fair play, welfare. 

Then you should provide them first. Do 

not just wish you had all this for yourself 

while you deny it to others. You should 

be the change and lead the way. 

Women today have a wide range of 

choices to make all the time. Earlier 

there were none whatsoever – exactly 

like the TV channels. From no TV to 

one Doordarshan channel with only a 

black and white TV, to a wide variety 

of colour television with hundreds of 

competing channels. What a world of a 

difference! 

“Each woman is a leader for she 

multitasks all the time. Woman are not 

at the top of many organization yet 

as they were late starters. Work-life 

balance is now a global issue. Women 

must learn to use and benefit from 

technology such as net meetings, video 

or teleconferences, etc”. 

Similarly, the world of a woman 

used to be her home and family. Her 

basic security was the gold ornaments 

she received at the time of marriage 

and from her husband and sons. Her 

journey was from her parent’s home 

to her husband’s. She was expected to 

serve unquestioningly. She personally 

owned nothing. Everything belonged to 

the elders and the husband. Anything 

asked from her, she was expected to part 

with. There was not much conflict, for 

there was no choice. 

Today it is choices all the way, 

each choice filled with potential 

conflicts- professional demands and 

expectations, home responsibilities, 

children’s needs, family relationships, 

time constraints, physical capabilities, 

financial status, social expectations, job 

insecurities, and many more. How do 

we handle these competing demands, 

full of contradictions and conflicts? 

How do we learn to deal with conflict 

management? Who teaches us? What 

kinds of solutions do we move towards? 

How much time do we take to learn? 

And do we? 

One panelist said, “Each woman 

is a leader for she multitasks all the 

time. Woman are not at the top of 

many organization yet as they were 

late starters. Work-life balance is now a 

global issue. Women must learn to use 

and benefit from technology such as net 

meetings, video or teleconferences, etc” 

Another panellist said, “Do not 

try and it all yourself. Don’t try to be 

perfect in all. Never hesitate to take 

help. Always give and share credit with 

all those who made it possible for you 

to succeed. Work or business is all about 

people. Be ready for change. Handle the 

challenge of change.” 

Accept that there are differences. Be 

yourself – be not a man. 

39

Point 

Out 

REDEFINING GOVERNANCE 

Sakala- Ensuring public 

service delivery 

»» 

Vijay Grover 

Defining and prescribing a time 

line for service delivery has been 

the greatest problem confronting 

successive governments in the 

country. Former BJP government 

in Karnataka had launched ‘Sakala,’ 

e-governance scheme that provides 

service delivery in a prescribe timelimit 

transforming lives of people of 

Karnataka. Now, access to information 

is just a click away, even in remote 

regions. No wonder, the Congress 

government in the state headed by Chief 

Minister Siddaramaiah continued with 

the project, strengthening it by adding 

new services covering 447 government 

covering 45 departments. 

The statistics talk about 

government’s pet project ‘Sakala’. 

Karnataka government states that 

over 40 million applications under the 

Sakala have been cleared. A mere 4% 

of people’s applications were rejected 

on various grounds. The key success 

being delay rate is a mere 2% beyond 

40 


the timelines. A whopping 98% of 

applications were cleared in the time 

frame prescribed. 

No wonder ‘Sakala’ scheme bagged 

the national award under the category 

“outstanding performance in citizen 

centric service delivery” for the year 

2013-14. Under the system, the penalty 

would be imposed on officials for delay 

in the delivery of services covered 

under the Sakala. A bureaucrat who 

fails to deliver service within the time 

frame is penalized Rs 20 per day , going 

to a maximum of Rs 500 and is also 

supposed to reply to the showcause 

notice issued. Interestingly while the 

District Commissioner is appointed the 

Nodal Officer of each state , the Sakala 

centres are run by NGO’s , spirited 

citizens and tech savvy professionals 

appointed for the Sakala mission. 

Karnataka law minister, whose 

ministry oversees the Sakala feels 

success of the scheme is due to friendly 

approach of the project. Simplifications 

being the key, documents to be 

submitted by citizens for various 

services have been reduced and thought 

process is initiated about doing away 

with affidavits. This considerably 

reduces the middlemen menace and 

unnecessary financial expenses of the 

citizens. Creating a citizen friendly 

government being our goal Sakala 

counters eliminate the role of touts. A 

person applying for a ration card or a 

driving license can do so from a sakala 

centre even without visiting the Civil 

Supplies department or the Transport 

Office for a driving license till such time 

the application is under process. 

While the Karnataka government 

has improved upon the bill, Union 

government lacks the teeth to push 

them through. Dubbed as “Rahul’s 

Ordinances,” they are actually policies 

that would mitigate sufferings of 

common man and help them from 

bureaucratic delays. Among them 

Citizen Charters Bill, that gives a 

time-frame for service delivery at 

government offices has been among the 

most awaited one. But, it appears the 

common man will now have to wait till 

the formation of new government to get 

the bill if it is passed. While government 

has been swift enough to take ordinance 

route on several trivial or insignificant 

issues, it could not muster the courage 

to go through the ordinance way on this 

issue. 

41 

»» 

Change begins in karnataka after sakala 

Congress MP Shantaram Naik, 

Chairman, Standing Committee of 

Personnel, Public Grievances, Law 

and Justice had urged Prime Minister 

Dr Manmohan Singh to recommend 

to the President to issue an ordinance 

on Citizen Charters Bill but the effort 

failed. The Union Cabinet failed to 

40 million applications under the 

Sakala have been cleared. A mere 

4% of people’s applications were 

rejected on various grounds. The key 

success being delay rate is a mere 

2% beyond the timelines. A whopping 

98% of applications were cleared in 

the time frame prescribed. 

take the Ordnance route on “Citizen 

Charters Bill” a time tested method for 

giving relief to the common man from 

bureaucratic delays. 

As opposition parties cried hoarse 

on the motive and intent of Rahul 

Gandhi, even BJP which to its credit 

has launched one of the first and 

finely executed “Karnataka Guarantee 

of Services to Citizens Act 2011 – 

SAKALA” popularly called ‘Sakala’, 

opposed the move to prevent Congress 

walk away with credit ahead of the 

forthcoming polls. 

The contribution of the Karnataka 

Sakala team to designing the Citizens 

Charter Bill of the Union government 

is a key element. But sadly enough for 

the officials in the state , the hard work 

they put in to bring accountability and 

transparency across the country may be 

implemented earlier in neighbouring 

Pakistan than in our own country.

Point 

Out 

CSR Initiatives 

NTPC 

Powering with Care 

NTPC’s first community intervention 

starts with planning of a project and 

initial development activities, aimed 

at gaining confidence with the local 

population. 

National Revised Tuberculosis 

Control Program for which 

NTPC signed an MOU with 

the Ministry of Health is one of 

its success stories in its CSR initiative. 

The association helped in rural areas 

near NTPC’s project sites through 12 

local centres to register about 25,000 

people. Of these, about 3400 were 

found infected for which treatment has 

been started and more than 2600 have 

completed treatment. 

Another initiative has been adoption 

of 17 ITIs across the country as well as 

building of 9 new ITIs. The adoption 

has given a new lease of life to the 

ITIs with new subject streams as well 

as capacity building. At its Simhadri 

project site, NTPC is associating with a 

drinking water availability project along 

with the district administration and 

drinking water has been made available 

to 27 villages. 

Besides this, NTPC Foundation, 

set up in 2004 , is doing commendable 

work. It has opened special ICT 

centres for visually impaired and 

physically handicapped in four blind 

schools as well as at three national 

Universities (Delhi, Gauhati and 

Devi Ahilya Vishwavidhyalaya) where 

computer education is given through 

specially designed software and 

hardware to improve employability. 

NTPC Foundation has also opened 

five Disability Rehabilitation 

Centres through an MoU with the 

National Institute of Orthopedically 

Handicapped at project sites of Rihand, 

Tanda, Korba, Dadri and Bongaigaon. 

At these centres, surgeries have been 

conducted and artificially limbs 

put and about 14,000 people have 

been benefitted so far. Distributed 

generation projects have been put up 

in 15 villages close NTPC projects to 

provide electricity as well as encourage 

the cause of renewables. 

NTPC follows its own CSR policy 

conceptualized and approved by the 

Board in 2004 and subsequently revised 

in 2010. NTPC spends 1 per cent of its 

previous year’s PAT on activities related 

to CSR and Sustainable Development . 

NTPC’s first community intervention 

starts with planning of a project and 

initial development activities, aimed 

at gaining confidence with the local 

population. 

In the next stage comes community 

interventions under the R&R policy 

which is a combination of individual 

benefits to project affected families 

(besides land compensation) such as 

resettlement & rehabilitation as well as 

community development. This phase 

begins once the project investment 

approval is through and till when 

the project is fully commissioned. 

Corporate Social Responsibility 

Policy targets areas such as education, 

health, sanitation, hygiene, women 

empowerment as well as vocational skill 

development and drinking water. 

42 


IN FOCUS PSUs 

United Bank 

of India 

Archana Bhargava quits 

»» 

point out bureau 

Clean-up act at state-run United 

Bank of India (UBI) had its 

first casualty. Chairman and 

Managing Director, Archana 

Bhargava quit after the mess over NPAs. 

Barely a year into her term, Bhargava 

had sought voluntary retirement on 

health grounds. Her resignation was 

also accepted by Finance Ministry 

43 

UBI, which was in the black till the 

first quarter of 2013-14, reported a 

Rs.489.5-crore loss in the second 

quarter, which ballooned to Rs.1,238.1 

crore by the December quarter. 

immediately, and two Executive 

Directors of the bank have been asked 

to take care as Chairman, till a new 

incumbent is named. 

She paid the price for being 

overzealous and forcing the bank to 

report NPAs. UBI, which was in the 

black till the first quarter of 2013- 

14, reported a Rs.489.5-crore loss in 

the second quarter, which ballooned 

to Rs.1,238.1 crore by the December 

quarter. 

Problems in the bank started 

when its bad loans, that were largely 

unreported soared and an adamant 

Bhargava ordered a probe into it by the 

RBI. United bank is lead bank in north 

eastern states and is among the biggest 

lenders to the tea industry. It also has 

exposure in some big industries in the 

iron and steel sector. 

It is learnt that Bhargava, ever she 

took over as Chairman and Managing 

Director (CMD) rubbed most of its 

senior management, especially on 

the lending wing after she insisted 

on reporting the unreported NPAs. 

Officials deferred with her on the 

issue and blamed Finacle, a software 

developed by Infosys and used by 

most banks for the problem stating 

that there were technical glitches with 

the software. They insisted a minor 

restructuring could have very well 

reduced the NPAs. On the other hand 

Infosys said its software was foolproof. 

Sources in banking sector informed 

that Archana Bhargava had the right 

intentions and started off well. However, 

she seemed to have overstepped in 

her zeal to clean up the mess and fix 

things—a mandate which possibly the 

ministry did not vest her with.

Point 

Out 

Govt Watch Movers & Shakers 

• Arnitabh Kant, IAS 

Appointments Committee of 

the Cabinet has approved the 

appointment of Arnitabh Kant, 

IAS (KL:80), CEO & Managing 

Director, Delhi Mumbai 

Industrial Corridor Development 

Corporation Limited as 

Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy 

and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & 

lndustry in the vacancy A Chandra, IAS 

(UP:78). 

• Naidu appointed CVO, HUDCO 

Government has cleared 

the appointment of P R K 

Naidu, IPS (JH:87) as the 

Chief Vigilance Officer in the 

Housing Development Corporation 

Ltd. (HUDCO), New 

Delhi under the Ministry of 

Housing and Urban Poverty 

Alleviation. The officer will have the option 

to draw his pay in the pay scale of Joint 

Secretary to the Government of India plus 

deputation allowance, if admissible, or pay 

of the post. His deputation term will be for 

seven years. 

• Sharma posted in Finance Ministry 

ACC has approved the appointment of 

Dinesh Sharma, IAS (KL:83) at present 

in the cadre, as Additional Secretary, 

Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of 

Finance in the vacancy of Shaktikanta Das. 

Das is an IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre. 

• ACC clears appointments of 

Chaudhary as DG, RPF 

The Appointments Committee of the 

Cabinet has approved proposal of Ministry 

of Railways for appointment of Krishna 

Chaudhary, IPS (BH:79) as Director General, 

Railway Protection force, Railway. 

He has been posted in the pay scale of 

Rs.80,0001- (fixed) w.e.f. the date of his 

joining of the post and till the date of his 

superannuation on June 30, 2017 or until 

further orders, whichever is earlier. 

• Archana Ramasundaram is Addl Dir, CBI 

Mrs Archana Ramasundaram, an IPS 

office of Tamil Nadu cadre 1980 batch has 

been selected from the from the panel for 

appointment post of Additional Director, 

Central Bureau of Investigation. ACC has 

cleared her appointment. 

• SK Singh appointed as Dy Secretary, 

Food, PDS 

Sunil Kumar Singh, IRS (C&CE:2004), 

who was recommended for central deputation 

by the Department of Revenue, 

has been selected for appointment as 

Deputy Secretary in the Department of 

Food & Public Distribution under the 

Ministry of , Consumer Affairs, Food & 

Public Distribution, New Delhi under the 

Central Stafting Scheme for a period of 

four years from the date of taking over 

charge of the post. 

• Aarti Saxena is Dy Secretary, 

Revenue 

Ms. Aarti Saxena, IRS 

(C&CE:2004), who was 

recommended for central 

deputation by the Department 

of Revenue, has 

been selected for appointment 

as Deputy Secretary 

in the Department of Revenue under the 

Ministry of Finance, New Delhi under the 

Central Staffing Scheme for a period of four 

years from the date of taking over charge 

of the post. 

44 


T A K E P O I N T O U T W H E R E E V E R Y O U G O 

T O U C H I N G E V E R Y A S P E C T O F T H E N A T I O N 

45

Point 

Out 

Deccan Point 

Deccan 

Point 

»» 

Vijay Grover 

Playing with Fire? 

For those who have followed the 

career of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister 

J Jayalalithaa, the complete U-turn 

in her approach to Eelam cause and the 

LTTE-led separatist movement comes as a 

surprise. The speed with which she ordered 

the release of the seven killers of Rajiv 

Gandhi clearly showed the desperation in 

her moves to wipe out political adversaries 

in the state. Most people in Tamil Nadu 

saw her as a politician who had kept the 

LTTE sympathizers in control and was 

acceptable as a progressive leader who 

was willing to go beyond a chauvinistic 

approach keeping the motto ‘India First’. 

But as 2014 general elections inched 

closer the changing stance of Jaya looks 

like a clear move to dislodge support that 

Karunanidhi , Vaiko and others have from 

the vote-bank of the separatists. Jaya’s 

stance came as a surprise, amidst her 

bid for prime ministerial candidate of the 

Karnataka 

government doing an AAP! 

M 

oving 

quickly on bringing further transparency in governance , 

Siddharamaiah government move to introduce the empowered lokayukta 

bill on the lines of the UPA proposed Lokpal Bill in Karnataka stumped 

many political observers. While opposition BJP , caught unawares on the issue 

opposed move of state government to bring in a panel assisted and a stronger 

Lokayukta vested with powers to prosecute , MLA’s , ministers and even the Chief 

Minister. The state is all set to become the first to replace the present lokayukta 

system in force. “We have drafted our bill on the lines of Lokpal, and our law may 

even have some new features that the Lokpal does not have” said T B Jayachandra. 

The incumbent Lokayukta Y Bhaskar Rrushed to the Rajbhavan opposing the 

move to change the present system and more importantly his own chair. The move 

of the state government clearly did not go down well with him. The move however 

started a flurry of activity in Loayukta’s office with over 50 raids in the following 

week on corrupt bureaucrats to show that the present system was doing well. While 

the bill will have to wait till the general elections are over, but Siddharamaiah is 

making his intentions clear – he is a no nonsense Chief Minister. 

11-member fledgling third front being 

cobbled up by various regional players. 

Was it a right move to champion cause 

of Rajiv’s killers or is it a blunder that will 

cost Jaya dear if ever she wants to fulfill her 

dream of becoming a Prime Minister. 

For her party, the move looks like an 

opportunity that will give Jaya’s AIADMK 

a chance to sweep the polls in the state. 

Poll pundits predict that Jayalalithaa can 

now romp home comfortably with 35 

Modi eyes 

Seemandhra at Telengana’s cost 

N 

arendra 

Modi’s methods of reversing party policies followed for 

years has put the BJP state unit in Andhra Pradesh in a spot. Close 

after the reversal of the BJP FDI policy by Modi in Delhi , it’s 

the party line on Andhra Affairs which is seeing Modi-fication. BJP, 

was the first national party to ally with the TRS chief KCR supporting 

Telengana during the NDA regime. The move helped the BJP make 

inroads in Telangana region of state over the years. But what came as a 

shocker for state BJP unit was diktat from Narendra Modi, who wants 

state unit to tie up with TDP, a move the state unit feels will impact 

party performance in Telangana region where it wanted to contest all 

119 seats on its own. Having been a supporter of Telangana for over a 

decade the state unit was looking at reaping its benefits, but Modi diktat 

on TDP tie up may set the party behind. 

Unfortunately for the state unit , Modi is eyeing the Seemandhra 

region by raking up the issue of deceit by Congress on every platform 

and making an effort to capitalize on the anti-Congress sentiment , the 

Telangana region where party is stronger is upset but has no option but 

to toe Modi line and work with TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu. 

seats enough to strengthen her bid. But to 

allies in the fledgling third front challenge 

is now to project and accept a prime 

ministerial candidate who instead of 

showing national fervor takes a dangerous 

stance of siding with the killers of a former 

prime minister. 

LDF hopes to get 

even with UDF 

In the politically hyperactive state of 

Kerala, it’s a pitched battle already not on 

the streets but within the UDF allies and 

the LDF allies itself over seat adjustments . 

The 12-member third front, has enthused 

the Left Front which got a drubbing in 

the last polls with allies seeking more 

seats. LDF which managed to get 4of the 

20 Kerala parliamentary seats is looking 

at riding the anti-Congress sentiment 

in the country. While combinations of 

both the fronts are a little too complex for 

most within and outside the state , but the 

migratory season has started with smaller 

players bargaining and hoping to get a 

seat extra if possible. Even the JDS which 

has a marginal presence is believed to be 

negotiating for a few seats from CPIM. 

But away from the confusion of the 

two fronts , the BJP was the first one 

to announce its candidates and start 

campaign. Former union minister O 

Rajgopal will contest from Trivandrum , a 

seat represented by Shashi Tharoor. 

46 


VILLAGE ROOTS KARNATAKA 

Taking tablets to farm 

»» 

point out bureau 

In a bid to make farmer less 

dependent on vagaries of weather or 

information on cultivation process 

from middlemen, a novel scheme 

titled ‘e-Kisan’ has been launched 

by the government of Karnataka in 

collaboration with an IT company, 

Bapuji Rural Development Institute 

and Virtuex IT solutions. It is a first 

of kind initiative whereby farmers 

are being provided with tablet 

computers laced with 

agri information 

software free of cost. 

The pilot project 

involves 250 farmers 

from Bijapur and 

Bagalkot districts 

of the state 

and would 

be replicated 

elsewhere 

depending on 

its success. 

The tablet 

include 

comprehensive 

47 

The tablet include comprehensive 

details including composition and 

usage of fertilizers and pesticides, 

weather forecast, online crop prices, 

live video conference with experts. 

details including composition and usage 

of fertilizers and 

pesticides, weather forecast, online 

crop prices, live video conference with 

experts from universities and farmers, 

price of farm produce and agricultural 

equipments. There will be daily update 

for seasoned based crops through the 

latest cloud mobility technology. 

A group of three-member techies 

working in United States have developed 

a software for the tablet computer 

that will help the farmers to get better 

knowledge of agriculture to reap 

higher productivity and revenue. The 

tablets are also user-friendly and all 

information about crop pattern is 

provided in Kannada language. 

The project hopes to bring 

knowledge and cheer to 

the farmers who expressed 

hope that they will relieved 

from price fluctuation of 

farm produce and other 

problems confronting 

agriculture in droughtprone 

North Karnataka 

region. The farmers 

would be trained on 

use of tablets.

Point 

Out 

State of Economy 

Financial Inclusion- 

A Collective Responsibility 

»» 

S. L. Bansal 

As a professional banker, I would 

always like to foresee inclusive 

growth for our 1.2 billion 

population. However, after over 

four decades of nationalization of banks, 

the challenges of financial inclusion 

still remain as only 36,000+ habitations 

have a commercial bank branch out of 

the 6,00,000 habitations in the country. 

With the help of technology banks have 

expanded their network by opening of 

more & more branches over the last few 

years. Inspite of this, only 40% of the 

population across the country have bank 

accounts and only 10% have access to 

credit products. 

We can divide 1.2 billion population 

of the country into three segments. The 

first segment includes those who are not 

dealing with the banks and are financially 

excluded. The remaining population is of 

two segments - high networth individuals 

(HNIs) and small and medium income 

groups. This latter group is growing fast. 

Every year close to 3 crore people from 

the young generation are being added to 

the banking system and these people who 

will be the core customers in the future, 

have non-conventional banking habits 

and are very close to Western culture. 

They don’t live by their pay package and 

obligations - they live by their EMIs. As a 

Every year close to 3 crore people from the 

young generation are being added to the 

banking system and these people who will 

be the core customers in the future, have 

non-conventional banking habits and are 

very close to Western culture. They don’t 

live by their pay package and obligations - 

they live by their EMIs. 

result, our savings ratio is coming down 

gradually. So, if the consumption pattern 

is undergoing a change and people are 

believing more and more in spending, 

then for a developing country such as 

India with such a big population, it’s a 

huge challenge because we cannot get 

the kind of resources into the banking 

industry for meeting the growing credit 

needs of such an economy. Therefore, 

banks have to develop new customized 

products which will be attractive to these 

young customers. 

48 


Even if we bring the 60% of our 

population that is still financially 

excluded into banking fold by opening 

no-frills accounts, nothing is going to 

change dramatically in the next five 

years as our resources are limited. You 

cannot expect huge deposits to flow into 

the banking sector from these accounts. 

The two primary reasons for this are 

their bare minimum per capita income 

and their low saving habits. But, the 

credit requirement of the economy will 

of course go up. 

We have to find ways to match this 

requirement. One way, the government 

can address this issue by managing its 

finances well so that regulatory SLR 

requirements can be freed. Alternatively, 

some other instrument has to come so 

the bank can get necessary funds. Bond 

markets for corporate requirement 

need to be developed so they can raise 

resources from market and banks will 

have enough room to deploy funds for 

needier sections of society. 

In financial inclusion, the primary 

purpose is to bring unbanked into 

banking fold so that all subsidies and 

whatever government is transferring, 

can be transferred into accounts of 

beneficiaries. Three things will happen. 

Efficiency will improve because money 

49 

Once common people have 

an account with the bank, 

they will feel empowered and 

they will approach for a credit 

product which will help them 

to get gainfully employed. 

will go directly to the beneficiary of 

subsidy. Corruption will be addressed 

in the sense that middlemen will go. 

Cost of services will also come down 

substantially and hence subsidy bill of 

the government will be reduced without 

reducing quantum of subsidies. 

Once common people have an 

account with the bank, they will feel 

empowered and they will approach for 

a credit product which will help them 

to get gainfully employed. That way we 

will be in a position to move people 

from agriculture to business enterprises. 

Nowhere in the world has any developed 

economy survived simply on agriculture 

and services. If we have to move into the 

league of a developed economy, we have 

to improve our manufacturing sector 

instead of being heavily dependent on 

services sector. China has shown to the 

entire world how manufacturing sector 

can drive growth as only manufacturing 

sector generates employment. In services 

sector one person is employed and 

technology acts as workforce multiplier. 

Financial inclusion is the collective 

responsibility of the society which 

includes central government, state 

government, local governments and 

businessmen and banks. Banks have 

created an excellent platform by 

opening accounts. But, challenge before 

everybody is to activate these accounts 

so that some gainful transaction happens 

and the account holder gets some benefit 

out of it. Passbook should be a weapon 

of empowerment in their hands. Getting 

that passbook should mean something to 

them. We have to create an environment 

wherein the money is used for productive 

purposes which will generate adequate 

cash flows. Lending money is an easy 

job but you must have a business to use 

it. We need to build an economy and 

inclusion will happen on its own. 

(The author is CMD of Oriental Bank 

of Commerce. He is an astute banker 

of repute known in banking circle for 

his expertise in matters of credit and 

operations)

Point 

Out 

FLYING HIGH 

Parekh is the only lawyer in private 

practice recognized by the Forbes list, 

which also included U.S. Olympic gold 

medalist Gabrielle Douglas, Pittsburgh 

Penguins center Sidney Crosby, 

Washington Redskins quarterback 

Robert Griffin III and Miami Heat 

forward LeBron James. 

»» 

Aarti 

Jaguars’ is vice-president and 

general counsel, Parekh serves 

on the board of directors of 

Women in Sports and Events. She 

was named the on February 11, 2013. 

Earlier, Parekh worked for Proskauer 

since November 2009 as part of the 

firm’s sports group, which represents 

the National Football League, National 

Hockey League, Major League Soccer, 

the National Basketball Association and 

Major League Baseball, and has also 

represented the ATP and WTA tours, 

the New York Yankees, Philadelphia 

Eagles and the New York Jets, among 

many other sports and related entities. 

While at Proskauer, Parekh also worked 

on a variety of matters, including public 

and private company acquisitions, and 

equity and debt financings. 

Parekh was named in December 

2012 to Forbes Magazine’s 30 Under 30 

Sports List, which honored the country’s 

top sports athletes and executives 

under the age of 30 who “represent the 

entrepreneurial, creative and intellectual 

best of their generation.” Parekh is 

the only lawyer in private practice 

recognized by the Forbes list, which also 

included U.S. Olympic gold medalist 

Gabrielle Douglas, Pittsburgh Penguins 

center Sidney Crosby, Washington 

Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III 

and Miami Heat forward LeBron James. 

Ms. Parekh was recognized for 

her work on two major sports M&A 

Women of 

substance 

Megha Parekh 

Vice President & General Counsel, Jaguar 

transactions: representing Jimmy 

Haslam, chairman of Pilot Flying J, 

and certain members of his family in 

connection with the purchase of the 

Cleveland Browns football franchise 

and advising Crane Capital Group in 

the purchase of the Houston Astros 

baseball team. 

Ms. Parekh joined Proskauer in 

2009 after graduating magna cum laude 

from Harvard Law School and Harvard 

College, where she was a sports writer 

for The Harvard Crimson and served as 

an intern for baseball’s Boston Red Sox. 

50 


Point 

Out 

Test Drive 

»» 

BUSINESS BUREAU 

MARUTI CELERIO 

VALUE FOR MONEY 

Price: Rs 3.76 - 4.79 lakh (Ex showroom Price, New Delhi) 

Maruti Suzuki has designed a 

car especially for new generation. 

It’s not only stunning 

to look at, but incredibly 

practical too. Curves make a car 

and the Celerio has them flowing in 

and out in a thrilling new design. This 

lends it a sculpted youthful body that 

is aerodynamically better and exudes 

energy. 

Celario is also the first car in the 

compact and small car segment that has 

been launched with automatic gears. 

The breakthrough EZ Drive technology 

will transform driving experience for 

ever, with the Auto Gear Shift and an 

incredible mileage. The revolutionary 

Auto Gear Shift gives freedom to 

make every drive easy without having 

to press the clutch pedal or change 

gears. It is based on an electronic 

control unit which drives the precision 

hydraulic actuator to control the clutch 

engagement and the gear shifting. It 

also ensures that the gear and clutch 

operations happen at optimal timings. 

This gives you the ease of driving an 

automatic with the fuel efficiency of a 

manual transmission. 

The K-Next engine is better in every 

way. Apart from Flatter Engine Torque, 

it has Drive-by-Wire technology 

resulting in peppier drive. Along 

with that, various improvements like 

optimized compression ratio, reduced 

frictional losses, low viscosity engine oil 

and re-designed valves and springs lead 

to better fuel efficiency. So now, you 

enjoy a faster throttle response, better 

torque delivery and upon that class 

leading fuel efficiency too. An electronic 

throttle body gives better torque 

delivery and more responsive drive 

besides aiding higher fuel efficiency. 

The next generation transmission 

reduces mechanical losses and aids 

improvement in fuel economy. It also 

enables effortless gear shift operation 

and reduces noise in the cabin. 

The interiors of the Celerio have 

been intelligently designed to maximize 

space and comfort. It gives a roomy 

cabin - spacious headroom, legroom 

and shoulder-room and a large boot 

space. There is also the option of 60:40 

split flexibility in the rear seats to 

increase luggage capacity. 

The Celerio offers you a fully-loaded 

drive with features that take care of all 

your entertainment and connectivity 

needs with easy access controls. 

52 


HONDA MOBILIO 


Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL), leading 

manufacturer of premium cars 

in India unveiled its mid-size stylish 

MPV Honda Mobilio and the allnew, 

3rd generation Honda Jazz at the 12th 

Auto Expo in presence of Mr Takanobu Ito, 

President and CEO Honda Motor Co., Ltd. 

Japan. The India premiere of Mobilio and 

Jazz at the Auto Expo is significant as both 

the cars will be launched in the Indian market 

during 2014-15. 

Honda Mobilio is the new Mid-size Stylish 

MPV developed by Honda exclusively for the 

Asian markets after comprehensive research 

and customer feedback. The Mobilio 

features sporty styling and a spacious cabin, 

which can seat seven occupants in threerow 

configuration. Honda Mobilio marks an 

evolution in the MPV segment by offering 

a unique combination of Sporty Exterior 

styling along with Space, Comfort & Utility 

in just the right size to suit the needs of the 

modern Indian Family. The Mobilio, with 

its strong desirable values, is set to create a 

new segment in the Indian market and will 

appeal not only to MPV segment customers 

but also to families which have traditionally 

opted for a sedan or an SUV. 

Showcased in the Indian market for the first 

time, the all new 3rd generation Honda Jazz 

will revolutionize the premium hatchback 

segment in India. The all-new Jazz builds on 

the original model’s innovative packaging, 

flexible cargo capability and fun-to-drive 

character with spirited new styling, an even 

more spacious & refined interior to give 

a whole new level of comfort, styling and 

performance. 

HYUNDAI XCENT 


Hyundai Motor India has globally unveiled its new and eagerly 

awaited modern sedan ‘Xcent’. This ‘Stylish and Hi-tech 

Family Sedan’ is meant for trendy, tech savvy family people 

who seek distinction, comfort, convenience and high value. 

With the ‘Xcent’, Hyundai marks entry into the highly popular and 

growing ‘Compact Sedan’ category. The 

fluidic design is mated with urban 

styling, generous space, superior 

mileage and 

array of features 

to make it an experience you have always longed for. 

Developed on the new Grand i10 hatchback platform, the sedan 

is an outcome of extensive market surveys having specific attention 

to Indian lifestyle and driving needs. Inspired by Hyundai’s 

signature ‘fluidic’ design philosophy adopted in a more progressive 

and refined manner the ‘Made for India’ sedan boasts of style, 

quality, space, comfort, safety and class- leading features. 

The bold front, sleek side and elegant rear profile is accentuated 

with wrap around lamps, familial chrome surround hexagonal grill, 

diamond cut alloy wheels and chrome door handles. Moreover, 

design elements like steeply raked windshield and rising belt line 

add to the aerodynamic character. 

The interiors of ‘Xcent’ are premium, stylish and classy. The 

bright and airy cabin with its high quality feel and carefully crafted 

materials sets the scene for many urban drives. The ergonomically 

positioned controls, generous legroom and headroom, multiple 

storage options and class leading boot space are trendsetters in the 

sedan segment. 

Expect the unexpected from Hyundai when it comes to product 

features. Loads of segment unique and hi-tech features like rear AC 

vent, smart key with push button start/stop, rear parking sensor 

with camera and ECM display, fully automatic temperature control 

(FATC), auto folding mirror offer limitless comfort and make your 

journey an unforgettable experience. 

53

Point 

Out 

Moto 

Strapped in a 4.5 inch edge-to-edge 

display, the Moto G is the latest 

mobile phone from Motorola (a google 

company) that hopes will boost its 

sagging sales in India. They claim it 

to be an Android smartphone that is, 

quite possibly, the best in its class. 

Moto G is packed with 

» 

Secondary Camera 

4.5-inch HD Display 

HD Recording 

» Wi-Fi Enabled 

» 

» 5 MP Primary Camera and 1.3 MP 

» 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 

400 Quad Core Processor and 1 GB 

RAM 

»» 

Dual SIM (GSM + GSM) 

»» 

8 GB Internal Memory 

» 

» Android v4.3 (Jelly Bean) OS 

Price : Rs 12,499 (8 GB ) 

Rs 13,999 (16 GB) 

Gadgets 

»» 

Bipin 

The 4.5 inch edge-to-edge display 

comes with 720p HD resolution and 

329 ppi - every pixel is sharp, vivid and 

crystal clear. Day-to-day activities like 

watching videos, browsing through 

photos and reading text become a 

captivating experience. 

The Quad Core Qualcomm 

Snapdragon 400 Processor is clocked at 

1.2 GHz to make the interface fluid to 

touch and lag-free to browse through. 

Moreover, the device has 1 GB RAM to 

support multitasking and the Adreno 

Graphics 305 to let you play graphicheavy 

games with great detailing. 

The proximity sensor turns off the 

display when you are on a call to ensure 

that you don’t accidentally hang up, the 

accelerometer controls the orientation 

and helps with motion gaming, the 

ambient light sensor ensures that the 

screen brightness is optimal for reading 

and the magnetometer ensures that the 

maps always show the right directions. 

The phone also comes with hall effect 

sensor. 

The Moto G is one of the few devices 

that has the latest Kitkat 4.4.2 OS which 

has voice support, an Immersive mode, 

synced messages, easier sharing, much 

faster multitasking and more. 

NOKIA LUMIA 1520 

With HD 1080p video recording, multi 

directional audio capture with 4 speakers, 

20MP pureview camera and storyteller it 

is certainly an owners pride. 

Nokia Lumia 1520 Is Laced With 

» 

»» 

Wi-Fi Enabled 

»» 

Windows Phone 8 OS 

»» 

1.2 MP Secondary Camera 

»» 

20 MP Primary Camera 

» 

800 Quad Core Processor 

»» 

Expandable Storage Capacity 

of 64 GB 

»» 

FM Radio 

» 6-inch LCD Capacitive Touchscreen 

» 2.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 

Capture a world of sound like never 

before with the Nokia Lumia 1520. With 

Nokia Rich Recording and 4 

built-in microphones, 

you not only 

get distortionfree, 

immersive 

directional 

stereo recording, 

but also highly 

improved sound 

clarity for the sound 

you want to capture. 

The Nokia Lumia 

1520 comes with all 

the exclusive features of 

Windows Phone 8, like Live 

Tiles and People Hub. And they’re 

all optimised for the big screen, making 

your Windows Phone 8 experience 

even better. 

Nokia Lumia 1520 is 

a formidable business 

smartphone with built-in 

Microsoft Office, respected 

business applications like 

Microsoft Exchange, 

Office 365 and Lync, as 

well as enterprise-level 

security to give you 

peace of 

mind. 

Phone price- 

Rs. 42,500 

54 


Galaxy Grand Neo 

Galaxy Grand Neo with a large 12.7cm (5) screen lets one enjoy 

multimedia and multitasking seamlessly. Its multi-window screen 

and pop-up video features makes multitasking extremely easy 

while enhancing your viewing experience. What’s more, its long 

battery life extends usage even for the most active multimedia user. 

Amazingly, all this is packed in a sleek and slim design, making it a 

perfect on-the-go device. 

NOKIA X+DUAL SIM 

GO! PLAY 

Access the world of Android apps with the Nokia X+. 

Expanded memory means extra storage space for the apps, 

games and photos you love. Download top apps like Plants 

vs. Zombies 2 and access hundreds of thousands of other 

great apps. (Android is a trademark of Google Inc.) 

Nokia X Is Laced With 

» 

» 

» 

» 

» 

Processor 

»» 

Android Widgets 

» 

» 

» 

» 

» 

» 

» 

» Dual Standby SIM (GSM + GSM) 

» 4-inch LCD Capacitive Touchscreen 

» Nokia MixRadio - Personal Radio Station 

» Access to Favourite Apps with Fastlane 

» 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Dual Core 

Phone price 

Rs.- 8,199 

» 3 MP Primary Camera 

» Maximum standby time with dual SIM: 17 days 

» Maximum talk time (2G): 13.3 h 

» Processor name: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 

» Maximum talk time (3G): 10.5 h 

» Maximum music playback time: 26 h 

» Camera resolution: 2048 x 1536 pixels 

Enhanced RAM gives even faster and smoother access 

to favourite apps in Fast lane. Unique to Nokia, Fastlane 

displays your recent apps, photos, Facebook posts and more 

onto a single screen, so your favourites stay right at your 

fingertips. Nokia X+ introduces an all-new customisable 

home screen which you can organise to suit your personal 

taste. Resize and rearrange your apps with resizable tiles, 

group apps into folders, and get Android widgets for the 

things you need the most. 

Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo GT-I9060 Is Laced With 

»» 

1.2 GHz Quad Core Processor 

»» 

16 GB Internal Memory 

»» 

Pop-up Play 

»» 

Smart Stay 

»» 

Android v4.2 (Jelly Bean) OS 

»» 

One Hand Operation 

»» 

Dual Smart SIM 

»» 

Multi Window Screen 

»» 

Expandable Storage Capacity of 64 GB 

»» 

DLNA Support 

Phone price- Rs.- 16,700 

Enjoy multimedia, web browsing and exciting games on the 

Galaxy Grand Neo’s large 12.7cm (5) screen. The 1.2GHz Quad 

Core processor lets you enjoy smooth multitasking and faster 

performance. Capture moments on its great 5MP Camera and share 

them spontaneously through social networks or with Bluetooth 4.0. 

An extended battery life of up to 8 hours of video playback time 

makes it a powerful, all rounder performer. 

Galaxy Grand Neo makes multitasking seamless. Its Multi 

Window opens up two apps simultaneously while Pop up Play lets 

you view video continuously on a resizable, movable pop-up screen 

while you are messaging, web surfing or performing any other task. 

It’s modified keypad designed for a single-handed operation makes 

calling and text messaging extremely convenient and efficient to use. 

It also comes with a slim, narrow body with a stylish back and 

sleek profile, designed to fit easily in your palm. What’s more, you 

get a choice among classic and bold colours namely White, Midnight 

Black, Orange and Lime Green. 

55

Point 

Out 

TAROT FORECAST 

»» 

Nandita Pandey 

n ARIES: (March 22- April 2l) 

Matters of heart shall be pleasant and romantic throughout this month. You shall 

be showered with a lot of love and attention from your life partner 

throughout this month. Professionally, situation shall start easing out 

and a lot of changes take place in your favour slowly and steadily. 

Financially, you will have to be extremely focussed and work with a 

determined approach so as to achieve desired monetary gains during this month. 

Lucky colour : Pink 

n TAURUS: (April 22 – May 21) 

Professionally a lot of positive changes are taking place at your work 

front. Planetary positions are in your favour and most of your 

projects will finish off in due time bringing you success and 

growth. Financial decisions made during this month shall be 

favourable and growth oriented. Financial trips too, indicate a 

positive turn of events. However, you might feel a little let down in matters 

of heart. There are possibilities of ego clashes or something to do with 

home front that turns into a sour note in this phase of your life. Health 

indicates subtle improvements. 

Lucky colour: Lilac 

n GEMINI: (May 22- June 21) 

Matters of heart shall be romantic and pleasant though you would still feel the 

need to have more from your relationship. Holidays and travels to 

places full of natural surroundings will be romantic and emotionally 

fulfilling after initial phases of jerks and hindrances. Patience is the 

key to professional success. Being diplomatic in dealing with your 

colleagues and clients help you in surpassing the initial deadlocks that surfaces 

on and off in this month. The cards guide you to avoid taking any major decisions 

related to your work in this phase. Financial upheavals can be witnessed if 

investments are not dealt with care and proper monitoring. 

Lucky colour: Blue 

n CANCER: (June 22- July 21) 

Financial guidance comes to you in many forms especially from a financial 

expert. Joint investments shall be extremely favourable and monetary 

status strengthens as the month progresses. Work related matters 

however, requires you to work with a focussed mind and determined 

attitude. You should guard against emotional outbursts in matters 

of heart as it shall only hurt your loved one than bringing in any constructive 

changes in your relationship. Meditating a few minutes daily and also having 

healthy diet helps in pulling you back into the mainstream happy lfe condition. 

Lucky colour: Magenta. 

n LEO: (July 22- August 21) 

Matters of heart shall be romantic and pleasant. A youngster helps you in creating 

further peace and happiness in your love life. Financial benefits shall 

be favourable and business trips made during this period will give 

you excellent results. Maintaining a balanced approach towards your 

projects helps you in achieving your targets in time. Avoid any form 

of extremism in your work behaviour as it will only create further delays and 

disappointments. Pursuing joint health activities shall give excellent results. You 

shall be in an emotionally high ride throughout this month. 

Lucky colour: Red 

n VIRGO: (August 22- September 21) 

Outings and holidays taken in this month along with your loved one shall be 

pleasant and romantic. If you are single and ready to mingle then this 

is an excellent time when you might meet up someone interesting while 

on a journey and this relationship shall be for keeps. Professionally 

too you shall be your energetic self bringing in right and desired 

changes at the work front. Your communications and PR skills at your best and 

which brings in further success in your life. Financial matters indicate soft and 

subtle changes for you. Minor ENT or Dental problems might surface up and 

trouble you in this phase of your life. 

Lucky colour: Blue 

56 

MARCH 2014 

n LIBRA: (September 22- October 21) 

Matters of heart shall be extremely romantic and pleasant. Financially too a 

fatherly figure helps you in your endeavours. Creative pursuits and 

investments made thereon them shall be rewarding in times to come. 

Professionally there are a lot of positive yet subtle changes that are 

taking place at the work front. You might want to buy a property or 

shift into a better place in this phase of your life. This is also the time when you 

would want to take your love relationship into next stable levels as the month 

progresses. Health keeps you in a fit shape. 

Lucky colour: Peach 

n SCORPIO: (October 22- November 21) 

You would want to spend some quiet and quality time along with your loved one 

in matters of heart. This is the time when you feel a little recluse and 

confine yourself in your own world and thoughts. This might act as a 

therapy for you as these MY times rejuvenates your soul and your soul 

connections. Professionally a focused approach towards your projects 

shall be extremely favourable and positive. Business trips shall be favourable and 

positive. Joint investments show an upwards trend and are rewarding throughout 

this phase of your life. 

Lucky colour: Orange 

n SAGGITARIUS: (November 22- December 21) 

Financially this is an excellent month when most of your investments shall 

give you due returns. Gains from property matters are also indicated. 

Professionally, you should act upon your own convictions rather than 

listening to what others have to say to you. A sensible approach towards 

your love life helps you in rekindling love and romance. This is the time 

when you should have a calm and flexible mindset. Like a sponge does, do absorb 

what your environment is projecting and then act upon the situations with a more 

open attitude. Health improves upon only if you act towards improving it. 

Lucky colour: Black/Orange 

n CAPRICORN: (December 22- January 21) 

New beginnings or new investments in financial matters help you to achieve 

further success in your projects. Professionally there are setbacks and 

a new project might take some more time to manifest desired results. 

A man who has a pragmatic bent of mind might demand a lot of your 

attention and can also be a cause of a lot of stress in matters of heart. 

You might undergo minor abdominal ailments throughout this phase of your life. 

The best way to curtail this would be to keep a check on your diet patterns and 

to eat healthy food. 

Lucky colour: Green 

n AQUARIUS: (January 22- February 21) 

This is a month which spreads its wraps you and cuddles you with romantic 

pursuits and happy moments all around. Children shall be therapeutic 

and create happy memories for life. Financially too this seems to be an 

excellent month when most of your investments give you a boost and 

are rewarding. Creative ventures shall be favourable. However, this is 

also the time for you to seek new projects and move out from your comfort zone 

and look out for new challenges in life. Health options are plenty and this is the 

best time to indulge into fresh health activities. 

Lucky colour: Peacock green 

n PISCES: (February 22- March 21) 

Professionally, you shall be in contemplation mood. You have earned a good 

reputation for yourself in the past. You look back into your past glories 

and achievements and keeping them in mind strategize your future 

growth patterns. This is an excellent phase when most of your projects 

shall complete in time. Financial matters might be demanding and a 

man or a lawyer might be the cause of excessive expenses in your life. Avoid 

unnecessary confrontations in your love life as that is an area of concern that 

bothers you throughout this month. Health keeps you in a fit shape and being in 

the company of children acts as a therapy for you. 

Lucky colour: Pink 

(Nandita Pandey is an internationally renowned and acclaimed Astro Vaastu Tarot Consultant, Spiritual healer and Past Life Regression Therapist based at Delhi. Email soch.333@gmail.com )

Success Mantra My Struggle My Life 

Customer first policy helps 

»» 

Rahul Bajaj 

Known as the ‘ scooter man’ for 

iconic Bajaj scooters, Rahul Bajaj 

can well be credited for the way 

the average Indian travel. From 

the bulky scooters during the licenced raj 

to the peppy motorcycles, Bajaj has ruled 

Indian markets. At 75, Rahul Bajaj, chairman 

of Bajaj Group is still overseeing the 

growth of his company and its developments. 

Though his diverse business is being 

managed by his two sons and brothers, 

he still keeps a tab on all crucial matters 

relating to the company. Bajaj has been 

a constant feature on Forbes India Rich 

List. In 2013, he was ranked 20th and his 

total wealth is estimated at $3.1 billion. 

The Bajaj Group has 40 companies 

across businesses such as two- and threewheelers, 

insurance and steel; and it 

employs more than 33,000 people. Now, 

you can’t really argue with this kind of 

success. Or that level of confidence. 

He is recognized as one of the most 

successful business leaders of India. He 

holds an honours degree in Economics 

from Delhi University, a degree in Law 

from Bombay University and an MBA 

from Harvard Business School. Bajaj has 

received many prestigious awards and 

recognitions, notable being the award 

of ‘Padma Bhushan’ by the Government 

of India in 2001, Alumni Achievement 

Award by the Harvard Business School 

and Life Time Achievement Awards 

from Economic Times, Ernst & Young 

and CNBC TV18. Mr. Bajaj was 

appointed Knight in the Order of the 

Legion of Honour by the President of the 

French Republic. He has been conferred 

Honorary Doctorates by 7 Universities 

including IIT Roorkee. 

He has seen ups and downs in his 

business including separation of group 

with his brother and so called differences 

with his son, but that only made him 

stronger. In an interview to a magazine 

Parekh is the only lawyer in private 

practice recognized by the Forbes list, 

which also included U.S. Olympic gold 

medalist Gabrielle Douglas, Pittsburgh 

Penguins center Sidney Crosby, 

Washington Redskins quarterback 

Robert Griffin III and Miami Heat 

forward LeBron James. 

Rahul Babaj had dispelled the theory 

that was not getting along with his son 

and said that his son was brilliant and 

exceptional and want to do business in 

the modern way whereas he still prefer 

the traditional route. So there is bound to 

be a difference of opinion but that does 

not mean that I interfere in his work 

and stop him from doing what he wants. 

“When I was young I did business the 

way I felt a nd the same goes for my sons 

as well.” 

The success of Bajaj as a group is not 

just because of our efforts in diversifying 

but for me it is because our motto has 

been ‘customer first’. In no product 

of ours have we ignored customer 

feedback or have not been able to match 

their satisfaction. “ For me retaining 

my customer is more important than 

venturing out in a new area, he says”. 

57

Point 

Out 

POINTOUT HEALTH 

BEYOND THE SHOCK 

»» 

Dr. Shyam Agrawal 

Doctor by profession, Mrs. 

Salina had got news from her 

pathologist when she had 

been conducting a delivery, 

that FNAC (Fine Needle Aspiration 

Cytology) of her left breast lump had 

revealed that it was cancerous. She 

had gone into shock, but the operation 

at hand could not allow her to sit in a 

corner and shiver uncontrollably. A 

tremble in her hands would have made 

a mother childless, a child an orphan, 

or would have obliterated an entire 

generation. 

She kept her emotions under control 

and carried out the operation with every 

ounce of calmness she could muster. 

She gathered up pieces in which she had 

momentarily broken into, and ignored 

the now and then invading thoughts of 

her children crying at her dead body. 

As newborn’s relatives praised her like 

a God after she had delivered the girl 

through Caesarian, for it was a very high 

risk case, and she had managed to save 

both mother and infant, Mrs. Salina kept 

praying to God for her own survival. 

Her husband had died recently in a car 

accident and she had to take care of her 

two young and innocent children. After 

giving the parents a curt handshake 

and a fake smile, she went inside her 

chamber to find that the thread with 

which she had sewn herself was quickly 

unraveling. 

She took a deep breath, as she 

heard the words of her son, “I want 

to become a pilot so that I can fly 

in the sky,” and her daughter, 

“Mommy, in you, I see Papa.” 

She wiped her tears with the 

report itself and whispered to 

an unseen assailant - Breast 

Cancer, “Bring it on.” She got 

operated on her left breast, 

which was removed completely 

(in view of multifocal deposits). 

Being a female, you are at the 

risk of developing breast cancer, 

whatever your age is. Higher the 

age, higher is the risk. 

If you find a lump, then 

show it to your oncologist (cancer 

specialist) immediately 

She had also received post-operative 

chemotherapy and lost her beautiful hair 

temporarily induced by the side effects of 

the sour elixir. 

Two years after the shock, she has 

now recovered completely and looks 

more beautiful than ever because of her 

curly hair which had grown back after 

the chemo-alopecia. 

Not only did she save herself and 

came out as a winner, but also settled her 

kids and started operating on patients 

again, saving many more lives. With 

every life she saved, and ever y life she 

gave, her will grew stronger, and left 

the boundary of self-gratification to 

embrace universe of philanthropy. She 

started educating her female neighbours, 

co-workers as well as patients on how 

to detect and overcome breast cancer. 

Often, people used to make sad faces 

and shake their heads with sympathy, 

but she did not break in front of them, 

and firmly stated that “I have the cancer, 

cancer doesn’t have me. So I should have 

all the control and command over it.” 

She charged, fought, got hurt, fell, got 

up and fought again, to emerge into the 

sunlight as a champion. 

She helps all women who do, or may 

suffer from breast cancer, but the first 

thing that she says to any woman that she 

helps is, “Sister, it is tough to accept, but 

it is a fact that one in every eight women 

will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 

their lifetime. My advices for you are – 

1) Being a female, you are at the 

risk of developing breast cancer, 

whatever your age is. Higher the 

age, higher is the risk. 

2) If one of your 

female relatives, mother, 

sister or mother’s 

sister has ever 

had 

58 


suffered breast cancer, then submit 

yourself for screening mammography 

every year once you achieve the age 

of 35. If not, then every year after the 

age of 40. 

3) Do monthly ‘Breast Self- 

Examination’: 

a) For pre-menopausal – one week after 

the menses is over. 

b) For menopausal – 1st day of every 

month. 

The technique can be learnt on www.bse. 

com 

4) If you find a lump, then show it to 

your oncologist (cancer specialist) 

immediately and he/she will do an 

FNAC test (only a fine needle prick, 

that’s all). Please, don’t delay or deny 

the test. 

5) a) If FNAC is negative, continue the 

regular BSE and mammography 

as advised earlier. 

b) If FNAC is positive, i.e. shows 

cancer cells, then don’t panic. 

Ask your doctor these 10 

questions, 5 before, and 5 after 

the surgery: 

Q1) Is my other breast absolutely 

normal? 

Q2) Would you do a ‘Sentinel Node 

Biopsy’ instead of cleaning the 

whole axilla? 

Q3) Can my affected breast be saved? 

If not, why? 

Q4) What is my cancer’s stage? 

Q5) Is PET Scan or Bone Scan required 

to further specify my cancer’s 

stage? 

Ask these 5 questions 

after the surgery: 

Q1) 

What is my pathological stage? 

Q2) Do I need chemotherapy? If 

yes, which protocol do I need to 

follow? What is my HER-2-nu? 

Q3) Do I need Radiotherapy? If yes, do 

I need electron boost also along 

with IMRT (Intensity Modulated 

Radiotherapy Treatment)? 

Q4) What is my ER/PR reports? Do I 

need Hormonal Treatment? If yes, 

which drug and for how long? 

Q5) What are the chances of my 

daughter (if you have one) being 

affected with this disease? 

Believe in yourself. You are going to 

come out of this shock because we have 

more survivors of cancer (like me) than 

ever before. According to WHO, 5 year 

survival rate is 98% when breast cancer 

is detected early (localized stage). 

You also need to have a plan. Create 

your Early Detections Schedule to 

receive reminders to do Breast Self 

Examinations and mammography. There 

are many applications downloadable on 

smartphones, like ‘Breast Cancer’ from 

App-store and ‘Early Detection Plan’ 

from Google Play. 

Remember, staying happy and feeling 

positive is as important as taking these 

measures. There is an unproven healing 

effect of positive attitude in such types of 

ordeals. 

Between the moment in which you 

learn about your disease, and the one in 

which you start fighting, there is a space 

known as ‘shock.’ It is a space you’ll have 

to traverse alone, but just keep in mind: 

Beyond the shock, 

Lies the cure.” 

(The author is 

Director of Navodaya 

Cancer Hospital & 

Research Centre, Bhopal. 

He is MD (Medicine) 

& DM (Medical 

Oncology) and member 

of American Society of 

Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Email- drshyam. 

agrawal@gmail.com 

59

Point 

Out 

Art & Culture 

Madhubani paintings- 

Stand the test of time 

It is believed that Madhubani art 

originated since the times of Ramayana. 

In the scriptures King Janak had called 

artists to record the paintings of the 

marriage of his daughter Sita that 

eventually gave rise to this style of 

painting. 

»» 

Aarti 

Rural art forms have survived the 

onslaught of cultural invasion 

and influence of Western culture. 

They have come out stronger and 

intrigued art lovers across the globe. 

Madhubani painting is among the 

famous art forms which has traversed 

geographical boundaries and is known 

for its richness and uniqueness. Having 

its roots in Maithili village of Bihar, 

Madhubani paintings has over the years 

spread out. What started as an expression 

traditionally by women folk in the village, 

Madhubani paintings success has forced 

men to take up the art. 

Today, as the name Madhubani 

suggests – honey- it is much adored by 

art lovers and more and more people 

are encouraged to take up this art form. 

Madhubani paintings or prints have 

made their way into the modern lifestyles 

not only as canvas but on sarees, salwar 

suits, bed-sheets, and what not. The twodimensional 

linear works normally have 

sacred and secular themes. 

It is believed that Madhubani art 

originated since the times of Ramayana. 

In the scriptures King Janak had called 

60 


artists to record the paintings of the 

marriage of his daughter Sita that 

eventually gave rise to this style of 

painting. Traditionally during any festival 

of ceremonial occasion, the women 

would paint the walls of the houses and 

huts with these paintings. The beautifully 

painted colorful walls were indicative of 

some sacred ceremony, festive season or 

good times and important occasions. 

They have wide-ranging themes 

including scenes from Hindu mythology 

that still rule these paintings. Amongst 

the most commonly executed themes in 

the Madhubani paintings are the events 

from Ramayana and life of Krishna. 

Other deities as well reappear in the 

paintings repeatedly. The Ardhanariswar 

is an area of expertise of Mithila paintings 

of India. Madhubani paintings of India 

also esteem the sun and moon and treat 

them as subjects of holiness. 

Often, scenes of rural life are also 

depicted in these paintings. Women 

indulged in various village activities 

Traditionally during any festival of 

ceremonial occasion, the women would 

paint the walls of the houses and huts 

with these paintings. The beautifully 

painted colorful walls were indicative of 

some sacred ceremony, festive season 

or good times and important occasions. 

such as carrying baskets on their heads, 

drawing water from a well, or a village 

hobo playing a flute are general themes 

of these types. A number of symbolic 

paintings also flourish, the tree telling life 

and vivacity and the fish symptomatic of 

fertility are the most common symbols of 

Madhubani art. 

The women don’t use camel hair 

brushes to create their works of art, but 

use only plain, slatted bamboo sticks with 

wads of cotton to apply the paint. “The 

colours are made from vegetable dyes or 

are of natural origin and are prepared by 

the women themselves. Black is made by 

mixing soot with cow dung, yellow from 

turmeric, blue from indigo, red from red 

sandalwood, green from leaves and white 

from rice paste. The black outlines are 

drawn first and then the colour is filled 

into the spaces. 

It is said during 1966-68, a prolonged 

drought struck Madhubani and the 

neighboring region of Mithila. A new 

source of non-agricultural income had 

to be found to keep these people away 

from the pangs of hunger. The All India 

Handicrafts Board encouraged the 

women artists to create their paintings 

on handmade paper for commercial 

purposes. For the market, the work is 

done on handmade paper or cloth treated 

with cow dung to give it its distinctive 

look and identity. 

61

Point 

Out 

Book review 

A guide in your path to success 

if your intentions are pure then you are bound to succeed and this book will just help as a 

guide in your path to success. 

»» 

The Inspiring Journey of a Hero 

Sub title: Learnings from the Life of OP Munjal 

Author: Priya Kumar, Ram Charan 

Pages : 224 

Binding : Hardback 

Publisher : Penguin India 

ISBN13 : 9780670087471 

Price : Rs 399 

OP Munjal started Hero Cycles in 

1956, fuelled by meagre resources 

and an insatiable ambition. His 

vision was to create an inexpensive 

and effective mode of transportation for a 

post-Independence nation on the move. 

The rest, as they say, is history: Hero 

Cycles went on to become the world’s 

largest bicycle manufacturer. 

This book chronicles the life of OP 

Munjal through anecdotes from his 

professional and personal life. He proved 

that a people-focused management style 

could be superior to the process-driven 

systems of the West. The book is a result of 

extensive conversations with O.P. Munjal, 

Hero employees, dealers, and family 

members. 

Written for today’s leaders who is hard 

pressed for time, the book has short and 

lucid chapters with enriching thoughts 

and striking illustrations driving the 

message. 

So, if your intentions are pure then 

you are bound to succeed and this book 

will just help as a guide in your path to 

success. 

»» 

GOOD GOVERNANCE: NEVER ON INDIA’S RADAR 

Author: Madhav Godbole 

Publisher : Rupa 

Price : Rs 500 

is clearly divided into two worlds-the much touted “shining India” 

signifying the glossy, superficial, highly westernized sections of society with 

their extravagant lifestyles, and the “left-behind India” or Bharat, which 

‘India 

consists of the poor, deprived, malnourished, under-fed, neglected and 

marginalized sections of society, residing largely in rural areas and in slums and 

hutments in urban areas. There is an ever widening gap between these two Indias.’ 

In this concise yet wide-ranging book, Madhav Godbole delves into 

what he considers the root of India’s socio-political problems: the lack of 

good governance, which, he asserts, has never been a focus of governments 

in our country. 

Godbole traces the rise and fall of politics and policy in independent 

India from the time of Jawaharlal Nehru’s prime ministership to present 

day through a careful exploration of several issues—from defining the 

concept of good governance as understood universally, to identifying 

the highly problematic areas of governance that need urgent action and 

emphasizing how changes in polices can make a marked difference to 

governance in our country. 

Author’s biodata: Madhav Godbole (born on August 15, 1936) joined 

the Indian Administrative Service in 1959 and took voluntary retirement 

in March 1993, when he was Union Home Secretary and Secretary Justice. 

His distinguished career included assignments such as Secretary, Petroleum 

& Natural Gas, and Secretary, Urban Development in the Government 

of India, Principal Finance Secretary, Government of Maharashtra, and 

Chairman, Maharashtra State Electricity Board. He worked for the Asian 

Development Bank from 1980 to 1985. He has been chairman of several 

committees including the Enron power project, good governance, right to 

information, and management of international borders. 

Dr Godbole has a MA and PhD in Economics from Bombay University 

and a M.A. in Development Economics from Williams College, USA. He 

is the author of 16 books in English and Marathi, of which nine are in 

English. 

62 


Cinema 

Aishwarya Rai 

tops Google 

search list 

»» 

Ranjith 

Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Vidya Balan and UPA 

chairperson Sonia Gandhi has topped the list of 20 most 

searched successful Indian women on Google.Former 

Indian Police Service officer Kiran Bedi also features 

among the top ten, revealed a Google search trend result.The 

other names include Nita Ambani, designer Ritu Kumar, actress 

Shabana Azmi, designer Neeta Lulla, filmmaker Meera Nair, producer 

Ekta Kapoor, PepsiCo chief Indra Nooyi and Uttar Pradesh 

Chief Minister AkhileshYadav’s wife Dimple Yadav 

63

Point 

Out 

Priyanka to play a 

politician 

Madhur Bhandarkar is all set to cast 

Priyanka Chopra for his upcoming 

movie called ‘Madam Jee‘ .Apparently, 

the character is inspired by 

actor turned Politician Jayalalitha. Madhur 

Bhandarkar who is known for his realistic 

movies is set to bring AIADMK leader and 

current chief minister of Tamil Nadu Jayalalitha’s 

life on reel. According to sources, 

Vidya Balan, DeepikaPadukone and Priyanka 

Chopra were the contenders for this role but 

Madhur thinks that Priyanka Chopra will do 

justice to the film. 

HIGHWAY 

Yami campaigns for 

Food Panda 

Actress Yami Gautam is seen endorsing an initiative 

to donate food towards the welfare of the 

underprivileged.She was campaigning for the 

initiative “Food for the soul” launched by Food 

Panda with the NGO Uday Foundation, where people 

can log on to the portal and make monetary donations 

that amounts to a food item like foodgrains, pulses, 

vegetable oil, biscuits and so on. 

»» 

Cast : RandeepHooda , 

Alia Bhatt 

»» 

Director: Imtiaz Ali 

»» 

Rating: 4/5 

Bollywood seems to be 

hiking its game this 

year with good movies 

like Highway. Shot on 

stunning locations spread 

from Delhi all the way up to the 

slopes of Himachal Pradesh 

and Kashmir, via the plains 

of Rajasthan and Punjab, 

the film yields bewitchingly 

beautiful images. 

The movie takes one direction 

and focuses on it, rather than 

moving to sub-plots. 

The music made this movie 

much popular among the 

youth.The Oscar winning 

team of Jai Ho - AR Rahman, 

Resul Pookutty, Amrit Pritam 

churn out some soulful music 

to go along with Imtiaz Ali’s 

road movie. 

64 


Cinema 

GULAAB GANG FILM 

»» 

Cast: Madhuri Dixit, 

Juhi Chawla, Tannishtha 

Chatterjee, Divya Jagdale, 

Priyanka Bose 

»» 

Director: SoumikSen 

»» 

Rating: 3/5 

There’s an 

extraordinary 

women’s 

movement formed 

in 2006 by Sampat Pal 

Devi on gender violence in 

Bundelkhand. The women’s 

group is popularly known as 

Gulabi or ‘Pink’ Gang because 

the members wear bright pink 

saris and wield bamboo sticks. 

The movie ‘Gulaab Gang’ does 

not portray the real life of 

Sampat Pal instead it depict 

good vs evil story. The cast 

include Madhuri Dixit-Nene 

and Juhi Chawla. 

The Gulaab Gang members 

are activists and vigilantes, 

taking up issues like domestic 

violence, the dowry system, 

rape, electricity matters, and 

education. 

Their fierce leader, Rajjo 

(Dixit-Nene), locks horns 

with a conniving and shrewd 

politician, Sumitra (Chawla), 

who uses people. 

In a film that is essentially a 

drama, Director Soumik 

Sen could have 

avoided 

the use of 

songs. How can 

you take a film seriously 

when each bout of `lathi’- 

clashing is interspersed with 

group dances, with Rajjo-Rani 

doing the familiar Dixit` latkas’ 

and `jhatkas’? 

Fortunately, after the interval, 

the film gets back on track. 

On the whole, Gulaab Gang is 

well-intentioned, with several 

powerful moments, especially 

in the second half. The game 

of power and politics is well 

captured. 

65

Point 

Out 

SPIRITUAL TOUCH 

What Successful Women do Right 

»» 

Bhanumathi Narasimhan 

As a woman on the path to success, 

we expect to feel a sense of 

achievement when we see that 

we have reached the top – where 

we wanted to be. We might wonder, how 

does it look from there? Will the world 

and people around you look more beautiful? 

Will the journey to the top be pleasant 

and memorable? 

For many women I have met, this 

journey has certainly not been easy. It is 

not always a journey of mutual support, 

collaboration, and friendliness. Instead, you 

have to be careful about who is conspiring to 

push you down. There are many challenges, 

not just due to gender bias, but also due to 

jealousy from other women. This kind of a 

journey can be very stressful and takes its 

toll on our body and mind. Moreover, many 

women impose limitations on themselves, 

believing that they are not fully qualified, 

and often talk themselves out of achieving 

their potential. 

So what do successful women do right? 

I believe that successful women are able to 

find their inner strength to make the most 

of opportunities –be it at the workplace or 

at home. The revered spiritual leader Sri Sri 

Ravi Shankar says that one who skillfully 

manages the challenges that life poses is 

successful. Here are some pointers - 

n Commitment– One failure can lead to 

another success later. We should not be 

deterred by failures, but learn from them. 

n Time– It is not sufficient to just invest 

money to nurture or develop something. 

We have to give it our time and attention. 

n Setting an Example– A successful 

woman doesn’t just show you the way 

she walks the talk. 

n Teamwork– Making others feel 

involved; inspiring participation and 

contribution. 

n Silence– Nurture quietude and 

calmness. 

n Reflection– Setting aside time to sit 

quietly at the end of the day, looking 

back at all the day’s activities, seeing 

where we made a difference. Reminding 

ourselves of the successes, it can inspire 

A woman has to balance her work, 

family, relationships– all of these and 

more on the road to success. When you 

realize that you are multi-faceted and 

multi-dimensional, you know you can 

handle different roles in life. 

us to do more. 

A woman has to balance her work, family, 

relationships– all of these and more on the 

road to success. When you realize that you 

are multi-faceted and multi-dimensional, 

you know you can handle different roles in 

life. This realization dawns when you are in 

a calm and serene state of mind – which can 

be achieved through meditation. 

I find that meditation can help us be more 

productive. It is my experience that when 

you meditate, atask that would take four 

hours to do gets done in two hours. I believe 

it is necessary that wegive prime time to 

ourselves – to relax and rejuvenate, to 

realize that we have so much more potential 

that we think we do. Otherwise we limit our 

capabilities. 

When you meditate, you realize the 

expansion within you –the limitlessness 

within you. Such an expanded awareness 

can help you perceive the connections 

between people and lead you to realize your 

purpose in this world. Connectedness and 

commitment are a byproduct of meditation. 

Meditation brings us in touch with our 

inner source of strength. Sri Sri often says, 

“Success means strength, an unshakeable 

smile that nobody can take away, and 

courage that does not diminish.” 

True success is when it extends to both the 

material and inner realms. It is not just about 

getting promoted at work, accumulating 

a lot of money, or appearing on magazine 

covers. Are you enjoying the little things 

in your life? Have you recently observed 

the glistening dewdrops in the grass? The 

birds chirping, the sparrows sipping water, 

the Blue Jays feeding, the eagles circling 

overhead, the beautiful flowers… Have 

you cleaned your window pane, have 

you watered the small little plants in your 

garden? Have you observed the lucky 

bamboo plant with two new leaves, enjoyed 

craftsmanship of your carpet –all the 

beautiful colors, made a new salad dressing, 

and experimented with your sandwich? 

I believe that living every moment to the 

fullest with an expanded awareness is a sign 

of a successful woman. 

In a recent article, Warren Buffet, chairman 

and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway explained 

why women are key to America’s prosperity. 

I have always believed that a woman is the 

heart of the society – she brings families 

together, and has a multitude of talents and 

abilities to lead. A society that empowers 

women to succeed is a society on the path 

to prosperity. 

(The writer is the Chairperson of the International 

Women’s Conference, a meditation teacher, and 

Director of Women and Child Welfare programs of 

The Art of Living Foundation) 

66 


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