India Empire Oct 2014

CONTENTS

OCTOber 2014

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06 CHHOTA bHArAT Mauritius, nicknamed Mini India, held the 180th anniversary of arrival of indentured workers from India

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FreNCH CONNeCTION A report on the Indian Diaspora from France

14 GOPIO YOUTH Turns a new chapter in Mauritius

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K-MArU The ship that changed the course of Indo-Canadian history

36 KISS OF LIFe Dr Achyut Samanta breathes new life into Odisha’s education system

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“How can one be compelled to accept slavery? I simply refuse to do the Master’s bidding. He may torture me, break my bones into atoms, and even kill me. He will then have my dead body, not my obddience. Ultimately, therefore, it is I, who am the victor and not he, for he has failed in —Mahatma Gandhi getting me to do what he wanted done.”

VIVA MAURITIUS

By Sayantan Chakravarty in Mauritius with Kul Bhushan Pictures © Premchand Ramlochun

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Indian Foreign and Overseas Affairs Minister, Mrs Sushma Swaraj, meets up with Mauritian Prime Minister Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam

rejudice to Pride is how the Aapravasi Ghat Trust Fund in Mauritius describes the journey of Indian indentured labourers and the descendants. Indeed it is, one of Mauritian pride, and extreme British prejudice, the abiding story of the hard taskmaster and his impoverished subject,

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a narrative of the greedy ruler and the long oppressed.

The Great Experiment is what the British colonialists called it, euphemistically, of course, an experiment that was to change the destiny of a nation forever.

Mauritius, once barren and forlorn, yet scenic and savoury, was filled up with indentured workers, the first lot of which travelled on the Atlas from Calcutta, arriving

Minister Swaraj and PM Ramgoolam jointly unveil the Beekrumsing Ramlallah Interpretation Centre at the Aapravasi Ghat World Heritage Site

on this island nation on November 2, 1934. There were 36 of them on board. Subsequently nearly 458,000 men, women and children left the ports of Calcutta, Madras and Bombay to sail for Mauritius. Of those who sailed, 4,800 perished during the perilous journeys, and another 4,000 died inside quarantine stations in Mauritius, such as the one at Flat Island.

And so began a well-oiled global supply chain of contract workers from India to replace the slaves who were freed after abolition of the despicable practice of slavery

by Great Britain in 1833. The supply chains allowed the plantation economies to prosper, and the empire’s coffers to swell beyond all measure.

In late October and early November the Government of Mauritius led by its President, Prime Minister, Minister for Art and Culture, and Chairman of the Aapravasi Ghat Trust Fund along with several other senior ministers and officials and the public at large, celebrated the 180th year of arrival of indentured workers from India. India’s Foreign and Overseas Affairs Minister, Mrs Sushma Swaraj, arrived in this southern Indian Ocean island nation to express solidarity on this occasion. A strong media contingent also arrived from different countries, including India, Reunion Islands, South Africa, U.K., Sri Lanka, Singapore, Belgium, France. Of course the local Mauritian media was at hand.

The functions were helmed by the island nation’s Ministry of Art and Culture led by Minister Mookhesswur

PM Ramgoolam addresses the gathering at the Aapravasi Ghat

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Mr Mahyendrah Utchanah, Chairman, Aapravasi Ghat Trust Fund leads the dignitaries including Minister Swaraj, PM Ramgoolam and his wife, Mrs Veena Ramgoolam, and President of Mauritius Mr Rajkeswur Purryag around the historic site that has been recently renovated and now has a museum

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Locals school students from Mauritius with Minister Swaraj (top) and Cega dancers (below)

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Dignitaries interact with Minister Swaraj. Also seen is Indian High Commissioner to Mauritius, Mr Anup Kumar Mudgal (with President, PM and Minister Swaraj)

Choonee and the Aapravasi Ghat Trust Fund led by Mr Mahyendrah Utchanah. They were preceded by the hosting of the International Hindi Conference—organized jointly by the Ministry of Art and Culture, Mauritius and the Ministry of Education. Also held was the International Bhojpuri Mahotsav—organized jointly by the Bhojpuri Speaking Union chaired by Dr Sarita Boodhoo, Ministry of Art and Culture and the Mahatma Gandhi Institute and the Rabindranath Tagore Institute, both headed by Mr B Madhou, Director General.

On 2 November 2014, the 180th anniversary of indentured labourers landing in Mauritius, India’s foreign minister Sushma Swaraj commemorated the historic day by inaugurating the Beekramsingh Ramlallah Interpretation Center. Mauritius and India have a strong relationship, and India will always support the island, she declared during her speech at the ceremony.

Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam was present with other ministers and dignitaries at this well attended ceremony that started with Indian dancing and the famous Mauritian ‘sega’ dances. The new Beekramsingh Ramlallah Interpretation Center displays historical documents and artifacts related to the Indian immigrants who

arrived on this island to work in sugar plantations owned by the colonial European masters.

Their hardships and tribulations followed by their gruelling struggle to obtain their basic human rights is the foundation for the independent island state today. They suffered the worst form of racial discriminations and the worst form of unabashed institutionalised exclusion. The island’s Labour Party led by the late Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, father of the current prime minister, who campaigned for human rights and independence that dawned in 1968.

The persistent efforts of Beekrumsing Ramlallah, who belongs to an illustrious family and founder, publisher and editor The Mauritius Times, to bring up the Aapravasi Ghat since 1970 as a memento of IndoMauritian history has culminated in this ceremony. Earlier, this spot was called Coolie Ghat and it was renamed to honour these immigrants who built this nation. Two researchers of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute summed up Ramlallah’s contribution to the Aapravasi Ghat in one sentence: “On the suggestion of late B. Ramlallah, a commemorative plaque was installed on June 4, 1978, in memory of the arrival of the indentured labourers on OctOber 2014 | india empire

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Mr Prem Narain, Secretary, Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, Mr Navtej Sarna, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs, Mr Mudgal, Mr Arvin Boolell, Foreign Minister of Mauritius, Minister Swaraj and Mr M. Choonee, Minister for Art and Culture, Mauritius, seen at a photo opportunity

November 2, 1884, and the abolition of the indentured system on May 31, 1924.”

Ramlallah made special effort to include a visit of the then Indian Prime Minister, late Indira Gandhi, in 1970 to this venue and that speed up matters to honour the immigrants. Since then, all Indian Prime Ministers and other dignitaries make it a point to visit Aapravasi Ghat to offer their homage. The Mauritian government has in 1985 included the Apravasi Ghat in 1987 as a National Monument of Mauritius.

Researcher S.J. Reddi writes, “In the 1830s, the British government abolished slavery in 1835, and in Mauritius the planters were seeking a new type of labour which could meet the requirements of the sugar industry. Thus the system of indentured labour was developed.

“Between 1834 and 1920, about half a million of labourers were brought to work on the sugar cane fields and factories. The result of this new form of labour exploitation was to bring about a sugar revolution in Mauritius. Whereas in 1812, Mauritius produced 467 tons of sugar, by 1878, it produced 130,732 tons. The labourer was beaten, often his wages withheld. If he was ill and absent 12 india empire | OctOber 2014

for one day, his wages was cut for two days.”

A noted leader of Mauritius Sir Satcam Boolell, wrote, “Just as the Jews cannot forget their Holocaust, in the same manner the descendants of those labourers can never forget their tribulations. We do not want to harbour those sad memories as a weapon of revenge.

We simply want the generations to come to be fully vigilant so that human dignity is never trampled upon so cruelly…”

If Beekrumsing Ramlallah has succeeded in spite of the modest means at his disposal to help rekindle the once fading memory of his ancestors, he was fired with a sense of firm commitment to a cause. Following her speech, Sushma Swaraj unveiled a bust of Beekrumsing Ramlallah and toured the centre to appreciate its displays.

Sushma Swaraj continued her visit at the Human Service Trust at Gourds founded by Swami Krishnanaand Saraswati, a former judge from India in 1983 now engaged in various educational, social and religious activities. Here she talked about the strong cultural bonds between the two countries and how Indian culture is alive and well in Mauritius. ❐

young IndIan dIaspora In MaurItIus

YOUTH POWER The GOPIO International Youth Wing took flight at the Octave Wiehe Auditorium at the Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre in Mauritius on October 31.

The theme for the event was “cultural exchange”. Proceedings were led by Mr Parvesh Sookun, president of the Youth Wing and Ms Amrita Kistamah, president of the women’s wing of the organization. Minister for Art and Culture, Mr. M. Choonee and Chairperson, Aapravasi Ghat Trust Fund, Mr Mahyendrah Utchanah attended among others

Minister Choonee and his wife exchange pleasantries with Mr Utchanah (right) while Mr Sookun of Youth Wing (left) looks on

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A snapshot of speakers, cultural event performers and awardees at the event

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young IndIan dIaspora In MaurItIus

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cover story—IndIans In France

By Christelle Gourdine-Mandjiny

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The French East India Company was formed in 1642 and it’s only in 1668 that an expedition reached Surat and established the first French factory in India. The Company established other factory at Masulipatam in 1669, and acquired Pondicherry in 1673 and Chandernagore in 1692.

From their arrival until 1741, the objectives of the French, like those of the British, were purely commercial. During this period, the French East India Company peacefully acquired Yanam in Andhra Pradesh in 1723, Mahe in Kerala in 1725 and Karaikal in Tamil Nadu in 1739.

However, France and Great Britain were always in competition to acquire more lands and control the region. As soon as he arrived in 1741, Governor of French India, Joseph François Dupleix wanted to expand within India, which was against the French government strategy as it meant interfering in British affairs.

India became the theatre of wars between both countries, as it was the case everywhere in the world. Pondichery became alternatively British and French depending on who won the military battles.

In 1816, Pondichéry, Chandernagore, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam and the trading cities Machilipatnam, Kozhikode and Surat were returned to France.

When troubles started in British India, French India became a shelter for the freedom fighters and activists, the most famous being Sri Aurobindo and Bharatiyar who changed the face of Pondicherry.

France never expected that the independence of India would affect its position in the country. However, many activists in Pondichery and Chandernagore followed the freedom movement and asked for their independence. Besides, the new Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru wanted all the remaining foreign governments to leave India.

First, France lost the lodges in 1947, then Chandernagore in 1950 after a referendum where the population massively voted for independence. Another referendum took place in 1954 in Pondicherry, Yanam, Mahe and Karikal, which were de facto transferred to the Indian Union and became the Union Territory of Pondicherry, but it took 8 years

for the French Parliament in Paris to ratify the treaty with India.

Despite this loss, France has tried to maintain the cooperation with India and particularly Pondicherry where French institutions are still present.

During the two last centuries in India, France organized the emigration of its population according to her needs. The first large movement of population was in direction of the French colonies Reunion Island, Guadeloupe, Martinique to maintain the local economy. Then in Vietnam, Pondicherrians who became French were sent to administer the colony and their descendants came back after independence.

After 1962, the people of French India became citizens of India but they had the possibility to take the French nationality. Around 5,000 took this decision and left for France, joining the French administration and army. Later, due to the difficult situation in India, many more followed in the 1980s and 1990s.

In addition to those “French Indians”, many proFrench scholars from Bengal came to France to study arts and culture after the opening of the Institute of Indian Studies at the renowned College de France in Paris, and settled.

As of now, the Indian community, including NRIs in France is estimated to be around 106,000 largely originating from Pondicherry, Karaikal, Yanam, Mahe and Chandernagore. There are also large communities of PIOs in the overseas territories of Reunion Island (about 250,000), Guadeloupe (about 57,000), Martinique (about 6,000) and St. Martin (about 300) whose ancestors were from South India and partly from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Bengal.

They are now the representative of India in France and are active in developing the Christelle Gour dinelink between both Mandjiny countries and in protecting their cultures.

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cover story—IndIans In France

The France-India cooperation Relations between India and France have traditionally been friendly.

France was the first country with which India entered into an agreement on civil nuclear cooperation following the waiver given by the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group, enabling India to resume full civil nuclear cooperation with the international community.

When talking about cooperation, we often have in mind the cooperation in the field of Defence but there is also a growing and wide-ranging cooperation in other areas such as trade and investment, culture, science and technology and education.

During his meeting with Mr. Laurent Fabius, French Foreign Minister in India in July 2014, Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi sought French cooperation in the field of urban planning and heritage conservation. India planned to build heritage cities and 100 new smart cities and France has the expertise to help in this regard. The Prime Minister also sought French cooperation in the fields of tourism, skill development and low-cost defence manufacturing.

Another area of cooperation is agro-processing which has an important role in the economic development of India—directly as a source of income and employment and indirectly for their backward linkages with agriculture.

India’s 350 million strong middle class, with increasing incomes and changing food habits, provides a huge market for agro-products and processed food. The relatively low-cost but skilled workforce can be effectively utilised to set up large, low-cost production bases for domestic and export markets.

Ms Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Minister for Food Processing Industries was in France between October 19 and 21, 2014 to inaugurate the India pavilion at SIAL-2014 Food Fair being held in Paris. Over 120 Indian exhibitors were displaying a range of Indian food products at the exhibition. During the India France Agro Food Conference organized by the Indian Embassy, Ambassador Arun K. Singh highlighted 20 india empire | OctOber 2014

Minister Laurent Fabius and Prime Minister Modi

Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Ambassador Arun K. Singh Courtesy India Embassy in France and French Embassy in India

the complementary nature of Indian and French capabilities in the sector and the immense potential for cooperation and mutual benefit that existed while Minister Badal invited the French companies to take advantage of the large size and growth potential of the Indian market and the abundant availability of a variety of agricultural products by investing in the agro-processing sector in India.

France also wants to increase the number of Indian tourists and encourage Indian entrepreneurs to invest in the country. Around 300,000 tourists come from India every year, a number which has increased in the last few years but it’s not much compared to

the 83 million tourists that France welcomes each year. In order to develop the trend, the French Government launched the campaign “Rendez-vous en France”, giving an insight of all the activities tourists can enjoy in addition to the traditional itineraries. The visa procedure, which is a real demotivation factor, will be improved for the tourists.

Doing business in France is not easy due to language and culture issue but with the development of the French-India cooperation, Indian investors can now easily find professional partners among the diaspora to develop their activities in France in a ❐ sustainable way.

cover story—IndIans In France

Muruganandam Mandjiny – Director of Zen Development Services Pondicherry What are the services proposed by your company?

In addition to the PIO services (Meet Your Roots), we started consultancy services two years ago to assist French entrepreneurs in doing business with India. Acting as coordinators, we quickly realised that our clients were not well prepared on what is India.

The main misconception was that it is a cheap country and a huge market, thus they think that investment should be low and that income will come fast and great.

Of course, the cost of life is cheaper than in Europe and there is a growing population but can they all afford their products?

To tackle this issue, we now propose intercultural workshops where they can better understand the country, the society and how to work with Indian people.

A second service, which is mandatory when a client wants our assistance, is to review and adapt their strategy to the Indian context or at least to make sure that all the parameters have been taken into account. For example, if the budget has been calculated with the wrong assumptions about the costs, the project will not be financially viable.

Then come the market study, and the prospecting trip that we organize from the logistic to the meetings with the potential partners and visit of the sites.

In fact, we coordinate the project implementation in India with the different actors: auditors, lawyers, translators, IT companies, and any resourceful people.

In addition, our bimonthly letter called “En direct de Pondichéry” – means “Live

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Muruganandam Mandjiny is with His Excellency Arun K. Singh

from Pondicherry” gives some tips about business and updates about Indian economy.

Who are your clients?

We have two kinds of clients from France, including the overseas territories (Guadeloupe, Martinique, etc.): ● SMEs interested in export/import business or who want to set-up a company in India ● Public and private Institutions in the context of international cooperation: I already, as a freelance consultant, act as a local representative of Ille et Vilaine General Council (BrittanyFrance) in India. They signed a MOU with Pondicherry Government two years ago on different subjects and started the implementation of eco-tourism projects.

We are now in discussion with some other institutions to develop the relationship with South India.

What about the Indian companies who want to invest in France?

More and more companies, especially from Pondicherry, expressed their interests to develop their activities in France so we are going to propose them the same kind of services.

Business services seem more organized and centralized in France but language is an issue, visa procedures are complicated and it’s much more difficult to have access to the potential buyers outside professional exhibitions.

In this context, we are planning to open our French desk in Paris in few months and are getting ready to welcome Indian investors.

To achieve our projects, we are closely working with both French and Indian Governments in a win-win spirit. I think that this is what international cooperation is all about. ❐ —To contact Muruganandam Mandjiny: zendevindia@gmail.com

Maison de l’Inde – A home for the Indian students in Paris

Dr Bikas Sanyal and Mrs Priti Sanyal

Unveiling ceremony with His Excellency Arun K. Singh

The Maison de l’Inde or India House was built by the Government of India in 1960 and gifted to the International University Campus of Paris (called Cité U) located in the 14th district of Paris.

It is managed by a Board chaired by the Ambassador of India, His Excellency Arun K. Singh and the Director Dr. Bikas Sanyal.

Dr. Sanyal, who is a Knight of the Legion of Honor in France, received in January 2014 the Pravasi Bharatya Samman Award from President Pranab Mukerjee for his achievements in the field of education and his transformation of the India House into a great home for the students but also a famous center spreading Indian culture in Paris.

He joined Maison de l’Inde in 2000 after a brilliant career at UNESCO’s International Institute of Educational Planning.

After retirement, he put all his energy with his wife Mrs. Priti Sanyal to give a new life to the place.

They first had to make the India House financially autonomous while providing a comfortable and safe home to the students coming from all over India.

Then Mrs Sanyal, cultural “attachée” of Maison de l’Inde, developed the cultural activities with artists but also students, giving them an opportunity to perform in front of a large public.

Her constant effort to spread the Indian culture in France was recognized by the French Government who awarded her with the Knight for the Order of Academic Palm in 2008.

“When we arrived in Paris from the USA in 1969, we used to meet the Bengali academic community in a café in Montparnasse area during the week-end. We could speak in our mother tongue and have some cultural moment. What we missed the most were books from our writers. So we decided

to form an association and to create a library. In 1980, the Sammilanni India Reading Center was born but didn’t limit its activities to books. It regularly organizes cultural events in cooperation with Maison de l’Inde.” says Mrs Sanyal who is also a writer and poet.

Poetry, dance, music, drama, the program of Durga Puja 2014 was very rich and was followed by a light dinner provided to more than 500 guests. The puja was performed by Swamy Veetamohanandaji Maharaj, President of the Ramakrishna Center of Paris, in front of a huge crowd of students and friends of the India House. “In 1953, I got a scholarship and admission into the Presidency College in Kolkata. The Ramakrishna Mission offered me a free board and lodging in their Students’ Home in exchange of my scholarship money and part-time work at the Mission. It was a starting point for my career in the field of education that I can’t forget, without mentioning the spiritual teaching from the Mission and Swami Vivekananda philosophy.

Swami Vivekananda’s main message to achieve universalism and peaceful coexistence was to use appropriate education and environment from womb to the tomb. He lived for a while in Paris, in the same area than Cité U, the bastion of universalism and intercultural dialogue with respect for different cultures among 6000 residents from 140 countries.

Hence, there was no better place to install the bust of this great philosopher” adds Dr. Sanyal.

The unveiling ceremony took place on September 10, 2014 in front of the Maison de l’Inde where the bust sent by the Government of India was installed.

After the celebrations of Durga Puja, Diwali, Independence Day and the Republic day, the lovers of Indian culture and followers of Swami Vivekananda have another reason to ❐ come and visit the Maison de l’Inde.

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cover story—IndIans In France

WHEN FRENCH LAWYERS LOOK AFTER THE INDIAN MARKET During his visit in India last July, Mr. Laurent FABIUS, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development of France, reiterated the strategic importance of the Indo-French relationship. He recognised that the bilateral trade remains behind its potential.

In 2013, the bilateral trade only reached 7.1 billion: the French exports amount was € 2.7 billion and French imports at € 4.4 bn. Today, more than 750 French subsidiaries are settled in India, employing about 240,000 people.

SMITH D’ORIA, a Paris based “boutique” law firm located in the heart of Paris, has been working with Indian clients for a long time. With its 15 lawyers in different field of expertise—corporate, contract, tax, cross borders, employment, commercial litigation, real property and public affairs, SMITH D’ORIA has a significant international experience and is about to develop its activities in India.

Partner at SMITH D’ORIA and member of the board of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association ("IPBA"), an international of business lawyers organization who has a strong interest in the Asia-Pacific Region, Jean-Claude BEAUJOUR, a University College London graduate has been travelling and working with Asia for 30 years.

India is a vibrant country and very few French law firms have a good knowledge and understanding of this market. We want to build up a FrancoIndian cooperation. This is the reason why we are involved in discussions with an Indian law firm interested in the French market. SMITH D’ORIA is looking for a partner in India with a French desk or

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Jean-Claude Beaujour

with some interest in France in order to develop cross-borders relationships. Our firm has broadened a practice of helping large and medium size foreign companies to expand their businesses within the French territory mainly but not only, in the health care, automotive, oil and gas, aircraft and food industries. We expect to start our collaboration in 2015.

Being a member of the Indo European Business forum and member of the French-Indo Chamber of Commerce, is a way for Smith d’Oria’s lawyers to understand the clients, culture, projects, problems and to find the good legal solutions.

In addition, the interest of Mr. Beaujour with India is not only for the business but also for historical and cultural reasons: one of his ancestors left India to work in Guadeloupe 150 years ago and whenever he comes to India, 3 or 4 times a year, he ❐ always feels a strong connection.

—Contact: jcbeaujour@smithdoria.com

cover story—IndIans In France

KAMbAn FESTIVAl In

PARIS The people of Indian origin usually live around Paris and wherever they are, there is least one Indian association. To get a single voice, they created the Federation of Franco-Indian associations and organise regular events throughout the year in addition to their usual festivals. We attended the Annual Kamban Festival in North Paris on October 18. Between the Thirukural of Thiruvallouvar, symbol of the ancient Tamil literature and Bharatyar who gave a new life to Tamil poetry at the beginning of the 20th century, a great poet, Kamban, wrote the Ramavataram or Kamba Ramayanam of Kamban.

It is an epic of about 11,000 stanzas, as opposed to Valmiki's 24,000 couplets. It is not a verbal translation of the Sanskrit epic by Valmiki, but a retelling of the story of Lord Rama. According to the legend, Ganesha wrote the poems that Kambar dictated to him in one the night.

Kamban is a reference for the Tamil scholars and families in France who are doing their best to protect and transmit their language to their children. Every year in mid-October, the cultural association Kamban Kazhagam France organizes during two days the Kamban Festival. It is an opportunity for the Tamil associations to gather and share with the non-Tamil their love for their poets, writers, philosophers while the youngest show their talents in classical and Tamil dances. The President of the association, Mr. K. Barathidasan is also a poet and has been teaching Tamil online reaching students all over the world.

For the inauguration of the festival’s thirteenth anniversary, Mr. Ramesh Babu, First Secretary at the Indian Embassy in France, expressed his happiness about Kamban Kazhagam.

In India as there are lots of fan clubs for actors but not such a club dedicated to a poet! Mr. Joginder Kumar, President of the Federation of Franco-Indian Associations, started the session by explaining the differences between both Ramayanas, followed by many Tamil scholars who gave a deeper analysis of Kamban poetic style. Mr. Satchidandam Ganessan, awarded the Knight for the Order of Academic Palm by the French General Consul in Pondicherry in 2006 for his translation of French books in Tamil, received with lots of emotion the Kamban medal in recognition of his long career dedicated to the promotion of the Tamil language.

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Kamban Kazhagam magazine with Mr. K. Barathidasan

Mr Satchidanadam receiving his award from Mr Ramesh Babu

Awardee Mr Satchidanadam Ganessan

Pondicherrians attended the function to share this cheerful moment with him. Of course, most of the discussions were in Tamil but for those who are still trying to learn the language, many teachers were ready to enrol us for a course in their training centre. ❐

Ved-Prakash Goojha – President of GOPIO Francophone France

Laure Moutoussamy – Actress and writer from Martinique

After a career in International trade, Prakash Goojha shifted to what mattered the most for him: humanitarian and social development. President of GOPIO Francophone France since 2007, he is committed to assist the PIOs to become part of the French society without losing all their traditions, and to contribute to the development of India as per the GOPIO International objectives.

His wife Nalinee, who works at the Indian Embassy, also acts during her free time as a support for women who are in distress and helps as a Hindi interpreter. Descendant of a teacher from Calcutta, Mr. Goojha was encouraged to study by his family and now he is, in his turn, supporting NGOs in Delhi in charge of street and tribal children to give them a proper education.

GOPIO Francophone France regularly organises events in Paris to create awareness about history and the last one dedicated to the Gadars was a huge success for which they received encouraging messages from the French Government.

Thanks to Gopio Francophone France, there will be a session in French during the next PBD in Gujarat, allowing all the French-speaking delegates to express their views and ideas.

Laure Moutoussamy left Martinique, French West Indies, in the 1970s to Paris to complete her studies but quickly stopped after joining the cinema industry. She got small roles in popular movies directed by Lelouch or De Broca, and drama plays until a chance for a bigger exposure in « La Reine Blanche » with famous actors Catherine Deneuve and Bernard Giraudeau. After few years, facing difficulties to find interesting roles, she started to write fictions. The trilogy about SingapouliMoutou, an Indian immigrant who settled in Martinique at the end of 19th century, put the light on this not-known community.

“Twenty-five thousand Indians came and most of them were South Indian. There were very few women so many of those workers married with the local women, thus giving birth to mix-cultured society. It’s not always perceived as a positive fact so many are still hiding their Indian origins.”

The third sequel about the descendants of Singapouli-Moutou is much awaited by her fans but they will have to be patient. Laure went back on stage for several French serials and just published “La fausse note du maestro”. With this drama fiction set in Bayern region of Germany, Laure Moutoussamy shows that she can beautifully write on a subject other than Martinique.

Noémie Gaddarkhan – Student from Guadeloupe at Sciences Po. Paris

Pregabarane Balane – President of France Cricket

Coming from a famous family of Guadeloupe, Noémie Gaddarkhan has always been very clear about her ambitions. With a father entrepreneur and a mother teacher, she learnt the importance of hard work to reach success.

Like many students, she left home for cold Paris after her graduation and joined Sciences Po. (Political Sciences), an international institution of higher education with a large network worldwide, India included. Her ambition is to specialize in International Affairs and the internships abroad will help her fine-tune her professional projects.

Very involved, she is part of the association of the students from French Overseas Territories and organized last March during their one-week convention, a conference about the Indian Diaspora presence in the former French colonies. She invited several scholars to explain the indentured system, which is out of French History books, and she now understands better her Indian heritage. She also had interesting testimonies from her friends and family who went back to India and feels that now she has to go too.

She heard about the Government of India’s Know India Program and hoped to be able to join soon.

According to records in the French national archives, cricket was already played in the north of France in 1478. By mid-1700 many clubs were established and we can fin records of tournaments from the mid-1800’s to mid-1900’s.

Few decades after, the game came back to life again with the arrival of immigrants from UK and India and many clubs were created. However, despite the participation of France in international competition, cricket is still not well known in a country where football and tennis get full attention from the media and sponsors. Prebagarane Balane, President of France Cricket, wants to develop the practice of cricket in France, which should start from the primary school.

This young entrepreneur whose family came from Karaikal knows that funds and awareness are the keys factors to develop the sport he is so fond of.

In partnership with USEP (association in charge of sport in primary schools), they launched the Street Cricket Program to teach cricket to the kids but also to the sport teachers. In keeping with Government policies, courses and training are being given in French language and girls are involved in the school cricket program on equal term with boys. Thanks to France Cricket efforts, we might see in few years the French team playing against India at a major competition.

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cover story—IndIans In France

Douraya Goulamhoussen— Entrepreneur from Madagascar Born in Madagascar, Douraya Goulamhoussen comes from a Gujarati family that left India many decades ago. She finished her studies in France and started her career in the finance industry until her marriage led her to Mumbai where her husband was working for a French bank.

During two years, she enjoyed a glamorous life and got inspired to create Dhoomzone, an event management company proposing parties, marriage or corporate events with an Indian theme.

There were already some competitors in France but she added an important component often forgotten between the food, the dress and the dance: the decoration.

She is taking idea from Indian famous marriage or cinema festival to design the decoration. She is already thinking to next step: she wants to create and produce a dance show. If it’s not difficult to find talented dancers in France, she prefers to work with a choreographer from India and hope to find one during her coming visit to Mumbai.

Murugaiya Thalinjan – Tamil Professor and Lecturer at INALCO Murugaiya Thalinjan arrived in Paris thirty years ago to complete his studies and did a Phd on Linguistic and Tamil literature. He teaches at INALCO - National Institute of Eastern Languages and Civilisations - in Paris Sorbonne for non-Tamil students but also students who have Tamil origins: they usually can understand the language but can’t speak or read it.

A new kind of student, therefore, started enrolling for class. More and more French companies are settling in Tamil Nadu and want their expatriate staff to have some basics in the local language. Mr. Thalinjan already gave some courses to Renault employees and hopes to have some more professional learners soon since organizations such as BNPParibas, Societe General, Poclain, Michelin are developing their activities in the region.

Like many Pondicherrians, he is aware of the presence of PIOs in the former French colonies and helps them to revive their ancestors’ traditions with proper Tamil language. The language was transmitted orally hence leading to deformation.

He is working now on the translation of a Therukoothu Mandram for an association, allowing them to enjoy the stories of Indian God and Goddess in French.

Mehen Poinoosawmy – ERP SAP Consultant from Tamil Nadu

Nagapraveen Jayaprakash – Mobilisation Specialist at Accenture

Mehen Poinoosawmy, already involved in the diaspora community in France with the GOPIO Francophone France, came to find his roots in Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu in January 2014 after the PBD in Delhi, and even if he didn’t find any concrete information about his grand-father’s family, he had a very good connection with the local population.

Planning various projects with Tamil artists and eager to play a more dynamic role within the PIOs in his area, he just launched the GOPIO North Paris chapter in Paris during a function organized right after the London Regional PBD. He emphasizes the need to create awareness about the Know India Program in France and with many more GOPIO local chapters to be started in France, in addition to those of Guadeloupe and Martinique, many young French PIOs will be reached.

This three week long program dedicated to the Young PIOs is a wonderful opportunity to discover India, not only the tourist sites but also the people, the institutions and to make friends from various countries. His son participated in the last Know India Program and is strongly encouraging the students and young professionals to enrol.

Nagapraveen Jayaprakash came to France to finalize his degree after his graduation from the Shri Aurobindo International Centre of Education in Pondicherry, famous for its innovative teaching methods. He then joined Accenture and now works on assignments related to the transition and transformation phase of IT application outsourcing for important players like Sanofi Aventis, BNPParibas or Airbus.

India and France share a common history and the cooperation in the future will increase, it is therefore necessary for Indian and French people to know and understand each other. In this context, he has been organizing for two years business events within the Euro-India Economic and Business Group with the objective of bridging the cultural gap between France and India.

Those Happy Hours events held each month in a different place in central Paris attract a lot of entrepreneurs of Indian origin who can interact with French professionals, creating a dynamic network in a friendly atmosphere. In addition, guest talks on subjects such as microfinance, laws on foreign investment, defence, are held. As Nagapraveen always says: if we don’t project India properly, French will never understand us.

28 india empire | OctOber 2014

cover story—IndIans In France

Souvenirs des Indes—Cultural association about Indian immigration in France We can read on their banner few Indian names in reference to the ancestors of the members of this association created this year in Paris by few families from Guadeloupe.

Souvenirs de Indes’ main objective is to celebrate the Indian emigrants who travelled from India to work in the French colonies. They plan to organize a yearly event in India and they started last August in Pondicherry. Another objective is to create awareness in France.

“When you check French history books, there is nothing about this immigration”, says Medarline Moutou, “and it’s the same when you read about the History of Guadeloupe, it’s difficult to accept it, especially when you know how our ancestors struggled to fulfill their contract and help the Guadeloupean economy. We have to change this”.

There are also few members who joined this lobby without having Indian lineage.

“Guadeloupe is a mixed society with people coming

mainly from Europe, Africa, India and Lebanon. Indians brought us many things that have been integrated in our common culture, “says Anna Mylène, “I joined Souvenirs des Indes for this reason but also because there is a positive attitude. No victimization, no cultural communalism, my friends are just doing their best to pay a tribute to their ancestors.”

Souvenirs des Indes is not only focused on the past. In order to transmit their “Indianness” to the next generation, people have to reconnect with Indian culture: language, cooking, art. Hopefully, the diaspora in Paris is large, multitalented and eager to share its knowledge. ❐

New York Dentist Chosen ADA Trustee Dr. Chad P. Gehani, D.D.S., a JackYork Section (2012) and the Indian Denson Heights, New York-based endodontal Association, U.S.A. (1985-1986). tist, was recently installed as a trustee of He has served as Chair of the Dethe American Dental Association partment of Endodontics at Flushing (ADA). Dr. Gehani’s installation took Hospital Medical Center from 1987 to place in San Antonio at the ADA’s 155th the present, and is an Associate Clinical Annual Meeting.

Professor at Collage of Dentistry, New Dr. Gehani will serve on the ADA York University. He has also been a Board of Trustees as the trustee from member of the New York State Dental the Second District, which encompasses Foundation since 2005.

New York State. The ADA Board forAmong the many recognitions Dr. mulates and reviews policies and proGehani has received include the New grams and makes recommendations to York State Dental Foundation’s Award Dr Chad P. Gehani the members of the ADA’s governing of Excellence in Community Service body, the House of Delegates. As a member of the ADA (2006), the Emil Lentchner Distinguished Service Award Board, Dr. Gehani will play a major role in the organization’s from the Queens County Dental Society (2013) and he was objective of being America’s leading advocate for oral health. honored by the President of the Dominican Republic (2003).

Dr. Gehani has served as President of the New York State Dr. Gehani has also earned fellowships with the Pierre Dental Association (2011-2012), the Queens County Dental Fauchard Academy, International College of Dentists and Society (2003), the International College of Dentists – New American College of Dentists. ❐ 30 india empire | OctOber 2014

out oF aFrIca

GAnDHIjI In

ZAnZIbAR

The photograph was taken on 27 November 1912 at a function at Victoria Gardens opposite the official residence British Resident. The photograph shows Gopal Krishna Gokhale in the centre with Gandhiji and Hermann Kellenbach on his right and members of the Karimjee Jivanjee family on his left. My grandfather Mulji Walji Suchak is in the photograph in the third row in the traditional black cap.

According to Gandhiji's auutobiography Gokhale came to South Africa in October 1912 and stayed with him for about six weeks and at Gokhale's behest accompanied him to Zanzibar when he sailed for home.

The Indian communities at East African ports along the way saw Gandhiji in traditional Indian clothes for the first time in 20 years, the time he wore a turban in a Durban courtroom the day after he first arrived from India and one that he had refused to remove.

Gandhiji in his autobiography acknowledged the impact that Gokhale had on him and stated that "Gokhale prepared me for India".

When they parted company in Zanzibar Gokhale told Gandhiji to put South Africa behind him and come home to fulfill his destiny. Gandhiji returned to India in January 1915 after having spent nearly 20 years in South Africa.

The rest as they is history. â?? —Liladhar Bharadia OctOber 2014 | india empire 31

HIstorIc voyage

CEnTEnARY OF

KOMAGATA MARU TRAGEDY

By Inder Singh

K

omagata Maru was a ship that took 376 Indians to Canada in 1914 to challenge the racist Canadian law. The passengers had taken the voyage in search of economic opportunities. They were connected neither with the Gadar Party nor with any other freedom movement. On reaching Vancouver, they were not allowed to land and were forced to stay on the ship for two months, sometimes without food and water. They were unhappy, some even rebellious at the unjust verdict of the highest Canadian justice court. The British Indian Government considered the passengers not as opportunity seekers but anti-British freedom fighters. On their return journey, they were not allowed to land in Hong Kong, Singapore or Shanghai, from where they started their voyage. Majority of the passengers wanted to find work and make some money before going to their villages. They paid heavy price for dreaming to improve their economic situation, some spent part of their lives in jail, many were confined to their villages and eighteen of them lost their lives. Indians started coming to Canada from 1904 for economic opportunities. They had an easier access to Canada as both India and Canada were British colonies. The new immigrants were willing to do any kind of manual job and found work on farms, in factories, mills and lumberyards. They were paid lower wages and worked for long hours. Some Canadian employers considered India as a source of cheap labor and publicized the economic and job opportunities available in Canada to attract more workers. By the end of 1907, number of Indian immigrants had reached over 5000, comprising mostly of Punjabi military veterans, farmers and unskilled laborers. As the number of immigrants increased, 32 india empire | OctOber 2014

the white workers felt threatened that the Indians would take over their jobs. Fear of labor competition led to jealousy, racial antagonism and demands for exclusionary laws for foreign workers. The local press carried many scare stories against the Asians and “Hindu Invasion.”

The Government of Canada came up with two new laws to curb Indian immigration to Canada. One law required Indians to carry $200 in cash upon landing in Canada and the other, the “Continuous Passage” Act 1908, required immigrants to come to Canada via direct passage from their point of origin. These restrictions were very unreasonable.

There were no ‘through’ ships from India to Canada and $200 was a significant amount of money, considering an average daily wage of 10 Cents of an Indian worker at that time. Thus, Indian immigration to Canada literally came to an end. The restrictive legislation led to discontent and anticolonial sentiments within the Indian community.

The Canadian immigration policy was exclusionist, based on race and nationality. Public and political sentiments were racist also. Over 2 million Europeans were welcomed from 1906 to 1915, while the number of Asian immigrants admitted during the same period was only about 50,000. Chinese immigrants had also to pay head tax on arrival, which was increased to $500 in 1904. Japanese government, by a gentleman’s agreement, was limited to issue only 400 passports for their nationals immigrating to Canada. Indians, although British subject like Canadians, were prohibited in 1908 to land in Canada because of the “Continuous Journey” law.

Many Indians in Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai and other places were keen to come to Canada. But Steamship companies were not allowed to sell tickets to Indians for Canada. An enterprising and resourceful Indian in Singa-

Komagata Maru passengers ready to land in Vancouver

pore, Gurdit Singh, chartered a Japanese vessel Komagata Maru to challenge the racist Canadian law. He obtained clearance from the British Colonial secretary in Hong Kong to sail to Canada. He renamed the ship as Guru Nanak Jahaz in a prayer meeting and left Hong Kong with 165 passengers on April 4, 1914. He got 111 passengers at Shanghai and 85 more passengers joined at Moji, Japan. At Moji, Bhai Balwant Singh, head priest of Vancouver Sikh Temple, who was on a return journey to Vancouver, met with the passengers and explained them the attitude of the Canadian government. At Yokohama, Gyani Bhagwan Singh met with the passengers and told them the story of his deportation from Canada in November, 1913. Maulvi Mohammad Barkatullah, a renowned revolutionary who had lived in New York, also met with the passengers. Both, Bhagwan Singh and Barkatullah, were involved with India Independence Movement, started in America and known as Gadar Movement. They brought latest issue of weekly Gadar magazine and other revolutionary literature for passengers to read. The ship arrived in Vancouver on May 23, 1914 with 376 passengers, all British subjects (340 Sikhs, 24 Muslims and 12 Hindus). British Columbia Premier Richard

McBride, one day prior to the arrival of the ship, made statement that the Komagata Maru passengers would not be allowed to disembark. The passengers, however, thought that as British subjects, they had the right to enter Canada.

The Canadian public and political sentiments were against Indians getting permission to land. Canadian media in Vancouver was unsympathetic to the arriving passengers. Inflammatory articles in Vancouver newspapers helped to ignite and promote anti-Indian sentiments. The Sun newspaper called the passengers “Hindu Invaders.� Only an Indian newspaper, The Hindustanee welcomed the passengers.

The immigration officials did not allow the passengers to land in Vancouver. Indians in Canada and the USA were outraged. The local Indians rallied in support of the passengers and organized protest meetings against the racist policy of the government. They formed a shore committee to help the passengers with food, provisions and legal challenges. The last installment for chartering the ship was due.

Neither Gurdit Singh nor the passengers had money to pay.

The shore committee organized a meeting of local Indians to raise funds for making installment payment and for legal OctOber 2014 | india empire 33

HIstorIc voyage

Komagata Maru Museum in Vancouver

fee and other expenses.

In 1913, 38 Sikhs who had come by Panama Maru ship, were refused immigration. They challenged the continuous journey law in the court and were allowed to stay in Canada.

The Government amended the Immigration law in January 1914 to plug loopholes and face any challenges. The shore committee hired an attorney to fight a test case against Canadian government’s refusal to allow Komagata Maru passengers to land in Canada. Unfortunately, the Court gave a unanimous judgement that it had no authority to interfere with the decisions of the Department of Immigration and Colonization. Only 20 returning passengers, and the ship’s doctor and his family were given permission to leave the ship. All the other passengers were ordered to leave the Canadian waters. The passengers had endured incredible hardships on the ship for two months and refused to leave without provision for their journey back to India. The government brought a navy cruiser to intimidate the passengers into leaving. However, the last minute negotiations averted confrontation. On receipt of provisions for the return journey, Komagata Maru left the harbor on July 23, 1914. The action of the Canadian Government created bitterness, frustration and vengefulness among the passengers as also among Indians in Canada and the US. Many passengers had boarded the Komagata Maru ship to Canada at Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai. On return journey, several of them wanted to land from where they had started their voyage but were refused permission to disembark. On September 5, 1914, before Komagata Maru reached India, the British authorities had enacted a new law, “Ingress into India Ordinance”, which empowered the Punjab Government to check the people entering India. The Government also had power to confine their movements to their villages or imprison them without trial. On reaching Budge Budge, near Calcutta, on September 29, 1914, the British Indian Government asked the passengers to board 34 india empire | OctOber 2014

the train for Punjab. Except 62 passengers, all others wanted to stay in Kolkata and find employment there.

The passengers had the Holy Sikh Scriptures, Guru Granth Sahib which they wanted to deposit at the Sikh temple, Kolkata. They proceeded in a procession to go to the temple but the police did not want them to go. In the scuffle between the police and the passengers, the police opened fire resulting in the death of twenty-three people – eighteen passengers, two innocent Begalis, two European officials, and one Punjab police official. Several suffered injuries and were hospitalized. Gurdit Singh and forty five of the passengers escaped. The police arrested two hundred and two passengers and put them in prison or confined them to their villages in Punjab for several years. (Harish Puri, The Ghadar Movement, 100) The brutal treatment of the returning passengers generated a wave of resentment against the British government. The Komagata Maru incident encouraged new converts to the Gadar cause, from not only North America but also Indians from all over the world and gave impetus to the movement for India’s independence.

Jawala Singh had undertaken a simple business enterprise to transport his compatriots to Canada. But the venture ended with political implications. After evading arrest in Kolkata, he stayed in hiding for seven years. Finally, he surrendered to the police at the birth anniversary celebration of Guru Nanak Dev, at Nankana Sahib on November 15, 1921. He spent five years in jail for violating no laws.

He joined Congress and in 1937, contested Punjab Legislative Assembly election. Unfortunately, he lost to the Akali candidate, Partap Singh Kairon who later joined Congress and was Punjab Chief Minister from 1952 to 1964. In 1951, Jawala Singh requested Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru to build a memorial at Budge Budge in memory of the martyrs of Komagata Maru. On January 1, 1952, Mr. Nehru unveiled the completed monument which is popularly known as the “Punjabi Monument”.

(www.rangandatta.wordpress.com/2013/01/30/komagatamaru-memorial-budge-budge-24-parganas-south/) Indian community in Canada did not forget Komagata Maru tragedy. Baba Gurdit Singh, his colleagues and the ship have become an integral part of the history of Canada.

A giant-sized mural of Baba Gurdit Singh and others in the ship, adorns the front wall of the Senior Citizen Housing Unit in Surrey, near Vancouver. A plaque commemorating the 75th anniversary of the departure of the Komagata Maru was placed in the Sikh temple in Vancouver on July 23, 1989. A plaque commemorating the 80th anniversary of the arrival of the Komagata Maru was placed in the Vancouver harbor in 1994. The first phase of the Komagata Maru Museum was opened in June 2012 at the Khalsa Diwan Society Vancouver Ross Street Temple. A monument in remembrance of the Komagata Maru incident was unveiled on July 23, 2012. It is located near the steps of the seawall near Convention Centre West in Vancouver. The Canadian government provided funding for both the monument and the museum. A stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the Komagata Maru was released by Canada Post on May 1, 2014. On August 3, 2008, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper appeared at the 13th annual Gadri Babiyan Da Mela (festival) in Surrey to apology for the Komagata Maru incident. In response to the House of Commons motion calling for an apology by the government, he said, "On behalf of the government of Canada, I am officially conveying as prime minister that apology." On May 23, 2008, the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia unanimously passed a resolution "that this Legislature apologizes for the events of May 23, 1914, when 376 passengers of the Komagata Maru, stationed off Vancouver harbor, were denied entry by Canada. The House deeply regrets that the passengers, who sought refuge in our country and our province, were turned away without benefit of the fair and impartial treatment befitting a society where people of all cultures are welcomed and accepted."

The Government of India has decided to commemorate the centenary of Komagata Maru incident. The inaugural function of the yearlong centenary commemoration was organized on September 29, 2014 by Union Ministry of Culture. Three granddaughters of Baba Gurdit Singh Ms. Harbhajan Kaur, Ms. Satwant Kaur and Ms. Balbir Kaur were honored by the Culture Minister Shri Shripad Naik on the occasion. A set of commemorative coins of denominations of `100 and `5 was released to mark the occasion. The government also decided to build a memorial at Budge Budge port. The National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) would make a film on the tragedy. A postal stamp would be issued in commemoration of the centenary.

The Government of India has constituted a National Implementation Committee which has planned a number of programs such as national and international conferences, publications, development of digital archives and preparation of films and documentaries, etc. The Committee shall hold a week-long function at Vancouver from 23rd May to 30th May, 2015 which would include cultural events, seminars and exhibitions besides honoring the descendants of

the Komagata Maru passengers as well as non-Indians including Canadians who rendered assistance both financially and legally to the cause of Komagata Maru passengers.

The Punjab government would commemorate the centenary of Komagata Maru tragedy by installing a replica of the steamship Komagata Maru at the Azadi Memorial at Kartarpur in Jalandhar. A statue of Gurdit Singh shall be installed in Amritsar. His small house at Sarhali village in Amritsar shall be renovated and preserved. The government would also organize a state level function in February 2015.

A brochure on Komagata Maru tragedy would be published.

The book, Voyage of Komagata Maru, a translation of Gurdit Singh's Zulmi Katha, edited by Darshan Singh Tatla and Prithipal Singh Kapur, shall be reprinted. A special library section is planned to house documents relating to Gadar and Komagata Maru in Punjabi University, Patiala. A play on Komagata Maru would be written, staged and video graphed for showing in colleges. This would be financed by Union ministry of Culture. ❐ —Inder Singh regularly writes and speaks on Indian Diaspora. He is the author of The Gadar Heroics – life sketches of over 50 Gadar heroes. He is Chairman of Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO). He was president of GOPIO from 2004-2009, Chairman of National Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA) from 1992-96, and president from 1988-92. He was founding president of Federation of Indian Associations in Southern California. He is Chairman of Indian American Heritage Foundation which has been awarding scholarships for excellence to top Indian students in Southern California since 1987. He can be reached at indersingh-usa@hotmail.com OctOber 2014 | india empire 35

educatIon and pHILantHropy

Art of Giving India Against negativity

By Anjay Sinha Dr Achyut Samanta, a visionary founder of Odisha’s leading educational institutes, KISS and KIIT, is on a new mission. Using his own role model of achieving unprecedented success despite coming from an underprivileged background, he wants to change India’s thinking by launching a campaign against “negativity” while advocating “giving”. He had floated two forums, Art of Giving (AoG) and India Against Negativity (IAN) and roped in eminent intellectuals, scholars, jurists to propagate the twin ideas. He strongly believes, if these two tributes can make propel him to build an institution that now teaches 21,000 students and a campus with ultra-modern facilities, any other could also do so.

Launched by ever-supporting Odisha’s Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on August 31, 2014, the IAN is an initiative to annihilate negativity from a civil and democratic society. According to Samanta, frustration, disillusionment and distrust perceived towards professionalism, ethical and social values help growth in cynicism. These factors, however, do not lead to any solution, rather cause harm to people individually and collectively. It is duty of all of us to protect every possible optimistic view and to protest the victims of negativity, he advises.

The unique forum, the only one of its kind is head-

36 india empire | OctOber 2014

quartered at Bhubaneswar, with regional offices at all 30 districts of Odisha and national offices at New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Patna and Ranchi. It had already generated overwhelming response as over 10,000 members have already been enrolled as members of IAN reaffirming their trust in such a forum. Few of the luminaries on the forum’s advisory board include Justice M M Das, former Judge High Court of Odisha who is the Vice Chairman. Other eminent personalities are members.

Samanta’s personal living style embodies his philosophy of simple living and high thinking. Whatever he had earned through his sheer hard work, grit and determination, whether its money, wisdom or experiences, he want to share with others without carving for anything in return except their love and respect. It is from his own personal experiences that he had launched the forum Art of Giving (AoG) in May 2013, which is his philosophy on philanthropy.

He believes the giving brings happiness and rewards. All through his life despite facing acqute poverty, he did not hesitate to give needy ones. When he was in school, he gave away his tuition fees money to a friend who needed to help his ill family member. His life journey shows that the AoG has not only brought him luck, smile, money, fame and fortunes but had also given him a sense of purpose. It moti-

vates him every day to work harder and earn more so he can bring more smile to others.

If it was not the blessings of divine power, a fatherless child, with a mother without any livelihood, would not have gone to school, finished college and earned a masters degree in chemistry and then moved to find a Government job. But like a true “destiny child” he was restless at seeing abject poverty, lack of education and opportunity all around himself. He was not the one to be a traditional family man, looking after the well-being of his own family members. He was always driven by a vision to do something for his tribal people who still live at the bottom of society.

Experience of education had already empowered him to think deeply about the issue of his people’s well-being. He reflected and came to the conclusion that education is one powerful tool that can bring around change. He left his cozy Government job to start his own educational institute with an almost utopian idea to provide free and quality education. It was not an easy job. But poor people could not have accessed education if it was not free and food and shelter were also not given. The tribal population had no motivation to leave this comfortable zone to take education unless it provided additional benefits.

So he kept on pursuing his idea. And today he is proud of his achievements. KIIT University today is among the 15 best universities in India and is ranked 4th best among the self-financed universities by independent surveys made

by reputed agencies. Over the years it has spread its wings to have almost every branch of technical and professional courses in its portfolio. Starting from engineering, MCA, MBA, it added programmes like Rural Management, Law, Bio-technology, medical sciences, nursing, dental sciences, fashion technology, film and media sciences, sculpture studies, humanities, languages, yoga and spiritual studies to its fold in a short span of 15 years.

But his passion, close to his heart, has been KISS (Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences), established in 1993 as a small school within KIIT premises for providing free education to tribals with free lodging and boarding facilities. This fledging school has now grown into mammoth tribal residential school providing free education from Kindergarten to Post-Graduation (KG 2 PG), free lodging and boarding with all modern amenities and state-of-theart campus to over 20,000 children and youth belonging to the poorest-of-the-poor indigenous tribal communities.

His vision is to provide quality education and opportunity to the poorest indigenous tribal children for their all round development and empowering them with vocations and skills in life so that they can live harmoniously with mainstream communities in world. And the achievements of these students have already vindicated his firm philosophy that given a proper opportunity, a poor student can perform at par with those from privileged background.

Indeed a true practitioner of AoL! ❐ OctOber 2014 | india empire 37

IndIans In u.K.

A British Asian Leader for Many Causes: Praful Patel

By Kul Bhushan Known for fighting for the rights of Asians, Praful Patel is actively involved in promoting Indo-British relations, promoting investment in India, advocating human rights, campaigning for Ayurveda medicine, upholding Hindu values in numerous religious bodies and trusts, enjoying cricket, and enthusing in his vast collection of Ganesha idols.

How does he do all this? As a pure vegetarian, nonsmoker and a teetotaller, above all, a bachelor! A typical British Asian citizen, he is at ease in his homes in the UK and India.

He became prominent during the Asian Exodus in 1968 and worked as the Honorary Secretary of the All Party British Parliamentary Committee on UK Citizenship (19681982). The Committee played an important role for many years to bear pressure on successive governments for the rights of British Asians. As Honorary Secretary, he flew missions to Kenya and New Delhi during 1968/69 and played a key role in Indo-British bilateral discussions on this issue. He worked as a Founder Member of the UK Immigrants Advisory Service and a Member of the Executive Committee (1970-1982). Thus he is known as a specialist on human rights, civil liberties, immigration, citizenship and race relation issues.

Most of all, he has had a distinguished record of public service in Britain, East Africa and India. A life member of British Labour Party, he has worked with the Fabian Society’, the Anti-Aparthied Movement, Movement for Colonial Freedom, ‘War on Want’ and Amnesty International.

Born in Uganda, he says, “I came to limelight internationally when I took on the Kenya-Asian crisis during the wretched Labour government who, in indecent haste, introduced a new law barring the entry of British Citizens of Asian origin. A racist legislation to the core! However, in 1972 I was invited by the Heath government as the only Asian member in high powered Uganda Resettlement Board, I served three and half years on the Board and this is where I learnt the ropes of how the British Establishment works. I got to know the corridors of power.”

Active on Indian diaspora issues, Praful Patel has played a leading role in various capacities as a Government of India’s Consultative Committee on NRI investments (19861991) and as the Co-Chairman of the ‘India Calling’ Overseas Indians Conference, Mumbai in December 1999 and Chairman of The India Overseas Trust, whose main objective is to document the history of Overseas Indians. As chairman of the India Overseas Trust 40th Anniversary 38 india empire | OctOber 2014

Mr Praful Patel

British Uganda Asians Celebration Core Committee 2012, he revived interest in former Uganda Asians and in their success they achieved in Britain. The list of events organised by this organisation for a whole year is very impressive with the top British leaders and extensive media coverage.

He contested a Parliamentary seat for the Labour Party in Brent North, London in the 1986 general elections. He fought a vigorous and well organised campaign and increased Labour’s share of vote by 3 per cent, not a bad showing in London and particularly in Brent North.

In addition to his political activities, he takes a keen interest in culture, religion and Ayurveda medicine. He founded the Indo-British Cultural Exchange whose aims are self-explanatory and its extensive activities are notable. As a devoted member of the Swaminarayan Community, he is close to its global leader and a trustee of its board in the UK. For promoting awareness of the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage, he has set up a trust in Britain after organsing a pilgrimage lead by Morari Bapu, a well- known preacher.

His campaign for promoting Ayerveda in UK and Europe is exemplary and in closed coordination with Indian authorities viz health ministry, export promotion bodies and

Meeting PM Modi

in international conferences and meetings. Appointed as a member of different committees to carry out this task, he has worked intensively for Ayurveda which he also practices in his personal life.

As an Indian, he has promoted the memory of Sardar Patel and Mahatma Gandhi with various projects including erecting a Gandhi stature in London. He is currently involved in two book projects, one on the history of Ugandan Asians and the other on the Kailas-Manasarovar Pilgrimage (Yatra) in 1997. He is also writing a book of his spiritual experiences with his three Gurus in the Swaminarayan Fellowship.

He passionately promotes of traditional Ayurveda medicine. He is a cricket-lover too. One of his greatest passions is his unique collection of Ganesh Murtis/idols and Hindu artifacts, which totals over 2,500 items, donated to Shree Ganesh Foundation. During the Ganesh Festival of 2006 and 2012, the Aastha TV had broadcast throughout the world a special programme on his Ganesh collection.

He is a Director/Trustee of various non-profit philanthropies: International Ayurveda Foundation – UK, India and Switzerland; Biomedical Foundation of India - India; Indo-British Cultural Exchange – UK & India, Kailas Manasarovar Foundation – India; Kailas Manasarovar Trust – UK; Confederation of Overseas Indians – India; India Overseas Trust – UK and The Manava Trust – UK. Earning as a financial advisor to HNI NRIs, he promotes India as an investment destination. A director of sev-

With Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel

eral corporate and investment companies in India, UK and UAE, Praful Patel is at home with hard-core business and industry barons of the West and in Asia and Africa.

Close to Narendra Modi, as the Gujarat Chief Minister, now he is very optimistic about India’s big take-off. ❐

OctOber 2014 | india empire 39

pM vIsIt doWn under

With Modi Visit, Indians Holding Their Heads High

By Kul Bhushan Indians in Australia are holding their heads high with the forthcoming visit of Prime Minister Modi, said Melbourne auditor Sudershan "Shan" Gupta in an exclusive interview.

“Ever since Modi took over as Prime Minister and started his action plans, India’s respect has gone up many times here,” he said. Indians are no longer taken as weaklings from a poor country but part of a new power in Asia to counter China. Previously, Indians were thought as zero; now they are something; their respect is fast increasing here, he said.

Some Australians believe that India is likely to overtake China because of its strong growth while China has slacked.

The new image here is that India is unstoppable! For the first time, all Australian state and federal government assemblies were lighted up for Diwali, he said.

The benchmark for Modi’s reception abroad is his recent visit to USA and Australia may find it difficult to match it, as it is a small country with a very small Indian population. An Indian prime minister is visiting Australia after 28 years. In a unique honour, Modi will address both the Australian houses of parliament which is very rare for any head of state visiting Australia, he went on. Big plans are being made in Sydney and Melbourne to host him. In Sydney, he will hold a rally on the lines of his New York Madison Square Garden rally. In Melbourne, a dinner party of one thousand celebrities will be held in the Melbourne Cricket Club in his honour. His visit to Melbourne is important for local politicians to get Indian votes in the state elections coming on 29 November and so they will go out of their way to welcome him, said Gupta.

An indication of India’s new respect in Australia is that no adverse comment has been made about the criticism of Chappell by Tendulkar despite all media highlighting this news, he added.

“Australia needs India more than India needs Australia,” believes Gupta. This is to have an alternative to cheap Chinese goods and Chinese domination in Asia. Modi has countered China since he took over by hosting a visit of its head of state and also standing up to its border incursions.

What has impressed Australians was the rescue of Indians stranded in Iraq soon after he took over, very much like an Israeli mission.

40 india empire | OctOber 2014

Mr Sudershan Gupta

The agreement for the supply of uranium signed by the Australian prime minister during his recent visit to India is a good step but it will take another three years before India gets the first consignment due to various formalities, he said. Indian companies are exploring for oil in Australia but Australian investors still shy away from India as many have not reaped success due to red tape and corruption. Now Modi has to convince them that things are improving under his rule and attract more investment. Modi is expected to promote his famous 3Ds – demography, demand and democracy – for promoting investment into India. With the new ‘Make It in India’ campaign, he will also claim that red tape is a thing of the past.

India can benefit a great deal from Australian technology in many fields such as agriculture in dry areas, water management, and medicine to name a few.

“With Modi’s visit,” said Gupta, “Indo-Australian ❐ relations are in for a big push.”

BooK eXcerpts

BONDING BETTER Couples in Harmony Nine Keys to Enriching Relationships Publisher: Third Eye, Pentagon Press Author: Sujatha D. Sharma and Avdesh Sharma Price: INR 295/Pages: 316

Dealing with a Relationship: Myths and Reality As a relationship and marital therapist we have never ceased to be amazed by the naive assumptions of young couples about an ideal relationship or marriage. With their imaginations and expectations fired by passionate too-goodto-be-true, romantic pulp fiction and mushy Bollywood concoctions, it is hardly surprising that there are many myths that are unwittingly fostered onto their inexperienced minds and gullible hearts. Many a times, a couple in a relationship are miserable about the quality of their bond, simply because they fail to measure up to the romanticized images of being ‘truly-in-love’ that has been projected in fiction and passed off as ideal relationship. Even many misguided but well-meaning lay counselors and writers of pop psychology do propagate such myths in the form of what they term as certain ‘rules’ or ‘standards’ of successful marital relationships.

Unfortunately, some of these myths have been deeply ingrained in people’s mindsets that they have become unshakable beliefs. They sound so right, so logical that they become a yardstick against which couples evaluate their own relationship. To their own surprise and disappointment, they will eventually discover how far removed from truth are these ‘universal beliefs’.

We have put together a few of these popularly held beliefs, or rather ‘myths’, as we prefer to refer to them. If any of you have been subscribing arduously to these ‘myths’, be warned – you are setting yourself up for a terrible let down and sense of frustration, besides a fractured relationship with

your partner. Unless you act now and rectify your myopic views of an idealized marital relationship, you may not be able to actually realize relational happiness that you earnestly desire.

Myth 1 “An ideal relationship is one which is driven by intense passionate love”.

We have always been led to believe that partners in a relationship should ideally be lovers for life. Well, there is no denying the fact that both romantic love and passion are the vital ingredients that ignite the spark in the beginning. So often we hear partners complain ‘I just don’t know what’s happened to us, we’ve seemed to have fallen out of love with each other’. It’s not as if they don’t love each other anymore – it is just that they don’t have the heady, dizzying feeling of passion that was there in the beginning. Partners need to understand that ‘love’ is not a static and absolute parameter.

Feelings of love take on many shapes and hues over the years.

These changes in ‘love’ may not always be as exciting or passionate, yet can be as rewarding, as it settles into more mature, deep and secure feelings of affection sharing. One has to understand that the infatuation phase of love cannot last forever. Emotions change but that doesn’t mean that love has jaded, has fizzled out, or become less meaningful. Hence it is irrational to expect that it is only romantic love that can keep the relationship vital, and that other form of love is unrewarding and substandard. Wiping a tear away from your ill wife’s eyes is no less romantic than sharing a meal with her ❐ over a candlelit dinner table at a designer restaurant.

OctOber 2014 | india empire 41

BooK eXcerpts

TALE OF TWO CITIES

D

elhi and Paris are cities with a past, going back to a few millenniums. Each has captivating monuments. Much has been written about both cities. This brief narrative is, however, an attempt to understand the elements which mould the conduct and some of the social traits of the two people. They present a study in contrast in many ways. This, however, is not meant to extol one at the expense of other, or to condemn either of them. If it gives that impression, then it is unintended. It is just an attempt to juxtapose the two, as they have appeared to me, objectively. In that process I have also been critical of both in many respects. But that does not affect either my admiration for France or my attachment and love for India, with its spiritual traditions, composite culture, amazing variety in almost everything, some exasperating traits of its people notwithstanding . Readers in any case have

42 india empire | OctOber 2014

freedom to draw their own conclusions.

I must clarify that it is not a work of research. It is too short to be one and I am not qualified for that anyway. It also does not offer anything by way of facts about the two cities or their people, which is not already known. So rich is the corpus of written material already available on the two cities, that it is difficult to add anything to it.

What I know of India, comes from living there a lifetime. What is written about Paris and its people in these pages are my impressions and conclusions based mostly on what I experienced and saw during my stay of a little over two years in Paris between 2010 and 2013. Admittedly the period is not long.

No written material can be a substitute for personal experience, though the former can help in supplementing it.

As each individual is different, his experiences, and the way he looks at people and places, are also invariably different.

For that reason these pages may have something to offer.

The facts gleaned from my personal experiences and observations in Paris, have been supplemented by some basic books on the subject which I read during my stay there, some help from internet, and a few masterpieces of French literature, which I had read long back. â?? —The author is a retired civil servant.

An inspiring business autobiography of an award winning businessman

Dr. Rami Ranger MBE, FRSA Chairman, Sun Mark Ltd.

His life story is available online from