India Empire October 2015

cONtENtS

OctOBER 2015

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PREMIER LEAGUE the success story of the SMc Group

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EASt tO WESt 14 PM Modi goes coast to coast in USA, and inspires the Diaspora

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DESIGN EXcELLENcE A photo story on the cP Kukreja Awards

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27 BUSINESS AND GOVERNANcE A look at what the Government is doing

AFGHANIStAN cALLING An interview with Afghanistan’s Ambassador in New Delhi

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LESOtHO BEcKONS An account of a pretty landlocked country in southern Africa

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38 DIASPORA NEWS Indian tales from far and wide

Cover Story—BuSineSS SuCCeSS

TOPPING FINANCIAL SERVICES “Our economy is increasingly dependent on the success and integrity of the financial markets.”

—Michael Douglas, American actor

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By Yogesh Sood

he versatile Michael Douglas who at age 71 knows a thing or two about scripting success stories, could well be speaking of the Indian economy. There is indeed little to doubt the septuagenarian thespian’s incisive words, for true financial success comes to those who learn to pave the road to success with generous amounts of integrity. Those who fail to do so, usually end up losing credibility, and biting the dust.

Integrity has been the foundation on which SMC has built its reputation and profile. Both, Mr S.C. Aggarwal, Chairman and Managing Director, and Mr Mahesh C Gupta, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, of the SMC Group unequivocally believe that that the triad of “honesty, transparency and fairness has helped SMC grow into one of the leading players in the industry.”

ACCOLADES AND APPRECIATION Success has come accompanied by its close friends—accolades, awards and appreciation. The duo’s exceptional leadership and outstanding commitment has made SMC Group one of the reputed and award-winning financial solutions providers in the country. In the year 2015, SMC has been conferred upon with the ‘Best Financial Services Provider’ and the ‘Best Real Estate Broker of the Year’ 6

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awards by ASSOCHAM. In the year 2014, SMC was awarded the ‘Commodity Broker of the year’. It bagged the much coveted ‘Best Equity Broking house in Derivative Segment in India’ for 3 consecutive years between 2012 and 2014, awarded by Dun and Bradstreet and BSE jointly. SMC had earlier won the Best Equity Broking House in India (2012 and 2010) and Best Currency Broking House in India (2012 and 2010) awards by D&B, BSE and Bloomberg-UTV respectively.

Mr. Aggarwal and Mr. Gupta have been recognized as Trailblazers by The Times of India and the award was presented to them by Mr. Rajnath Singh (the present Union Home Minister who was then BJP President). They have been actively associated with apex business chambers such as the Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM) and Bhartiya Vitta Salahar Samiti (BVSS).

SMC Group has participated actively in various conferences and seminars on the growth, development and expansion of Indian capital market and various micro and macroeconomic issues.

Besides, Mr. Aggarwal has been awarded with “Entrepreneur of the Year 2012’’ for Innovation in Financial and Business services, honoured with ‘Pride of India’ and ‘Udyog Rattan’ Award by ‘Institute of Economic Studies’.

Mr. Aggarwal is the Patron Member of ASSOCHAM and he holds the Chairmanship of the India-EU Business Pro-

Mr S C Aggarwal, CMD, SMC Group (extreme right), presenting a memento to Mr Narendra Modi during a BVSS Seminar

motion Council at ASSOCHAM. He is also the Chairman of Micro Finance Committee of ASSOCHAM. In the past he also chaired India-South African Business promotion council and the Capital Market Committee of ASSOCHAM. He was a part of Prime Ministerial business delegation to Japan. Mr. Aggarwal was a part of an expert group constituted by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs to review the existing Cost Accounting rules and standards.

He held the Chairmanship of Bhartiya Vitta Salahkar Samiti (BVSS) and shared dais with Mr. Narendra Modi (Hon. Prime Minister of India) during a seminar organized by the Economic Wing of the organization in February 2014.

ABOUT SMC GROUP Today SMC is one of the diversified financial services providers in the country and it has established a network of over 2500 offices across 550+ cities/towns in India including 2 overseas offices at Dubai and New York (upcoming). During their able leadership the company got foreign investment at significant valuation from Millennium Investment and Acquisition Company Inc. of USA, and Sanlam Group of South Africa. The company has also entered into alliances with organizations like the Punjab National Bank (PNB), BCCL (Times Group), Honda SIEL cars and Suzuki Motors.

SMC Group in its endeavour to generate more and more

employment opportunities provides direct employment to over 3,000 employees (including outsourced employees) who cater to the financial needs of over 7.5 lakh customers spread across the country and abroad.

THE MEETING POINT In the year 1976, two young students, SC Aggarwal and Mahesh C Gupta completed their B.Com from Chandigarh and Delhi University respectively. After B.com, they both independently pursued CA studies at the same CA institute library. “In CA studies, one could use library facility only after registration. And it was in the library itself that we first met each other. When we got talking, we realized that we were on the same page in life and had a lot in common. I still remember how after that, whoever reached the library first, would keep a seat for the other one,’’ recalls Mr. Aggarwal. Both belonged to Haryana and both came from a place near Narnaul, District Mahendergarh. Their villages were also close by.

The NEXT STEP Thereafter, they cleared their CA exams together, both intermediate and finals. Interestingly, they scored similar marks in the exams. “During our studies, we had decided that we will open a CA firm and practice together. We decided on this even before qualifying. Furthermore, it was october 2015 | india empire

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Cover Story—BuSineSS SuCCeSS

Mr Anurag Bansal, Mr S C Aggarwal, Mr Mahesh C Gupta and Mr Ajay Garg receiving the Best Currency Broker Award 2012 from then Finance Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee who is now President of India

THE GROUP IS ALL OVER…

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Trading Member of NSE (Cash, F&O, Currency), BSE(Cash, F&O), MCX-SX(Cash, F&O, Currency), MCX, NCDEX, NMCE, NCDEX SPOT & DGCX.

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Clearing Member in NSE (F&O, Currency), BSE (F&O), MCX-SX (F&O, Currency), MCX, NCDEX, NMCE, UCX, NCDEX SPOT & DGCX

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Depository Participant with CDSL, NSDL & Com-track (SEBI approved Qualified Depository Participant (QDP))

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Category 1 Merchant banker, Registered with SEBI

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Corporate Insurance Broker for Life & General Insurance, Registered with IRDA

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Distributor of IPOs Registered with AMFI

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Portfolio Management Registered with SEBI

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Non Banking Financial Company (NBFC), Registered with RBI

&

Mutual

Funds,

Services

(PMS),

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set that even if one of us did not clear the exams in one go, our partnership will continue. Luckily, we both qualified and went into practice in 1981; we continued with it till 1990 which was doing well at that point in time,’’ discloses Mr. Gupta.

THE BIG LEAP In the year 1990, they got the opportunity to get a membership at DSE. They did well in the next five years, and took membership of NSE in the year 1995. They achieved a handsome broking size in Delhi, which had become a regional stock exchange. This happened even though they had no business background or anything to do with the share markets. “We both were the first CAs in our families. Many people questioned whether we would be able to survive here or not as we didn’t have any strong Delhi background. But we tried our luck; thankfully, it worked well for us,’’ echo the duo in consonance. Talking about the journey, they share, “Though the funds were not very meager, they were also not free flowing. We took the membership from our own money and even the share capital was invested from our own pockets.’’

THE TOUGH PHASE In the year 2000, the Kolkata Stock Exchange failed and the Ketan Parikh episode had just taken place; they lost

Mr Mahesh C Gupta, Vice CMD, SMC Group, Mr D K Aggarwal, CMD, SMC Capitals Limited, and Mr S C Aggarwal, CMD, SMC Group while receiving the award for ‘Best Merchant Banker for Capital Restructuring Services’ presented to SMC Capitals Limited from Mr Kalraj Mishra, Hon’ble Minister for MSME, Government of India

heavily during this time. Despite earning very well in the past years, they were back to square one. Recalls Mr. Gupta, “This was the time when anybody could have got de-moralized, and decided not to pay back the money. Everybody was expecting that we will not pay back the money and revive from the losses as we had lost a very substantial amount in the Kolkata Stock Exchange. We had elaborate discussions and even the families decided that our name and reputation should not be ruined, and we will meet out all our liabilities. We became a more credible name in the industry after this.’’

THE TURNING POINT After 3-4 months, they revived and recovered and all the industry players who had predicted their demise were surprised to see, that they just didn’t revive but also got better business opportunities.

“They feel that the year 2000, was one of the worst as well as the best time that came in their life. “We also took the membership of the Bombay stock Exchange. By this time, we had a nationwide presence of 700-800 offices on the franchise model. In 2007-08, an American financial firm approached us, and today, we have about 2500 offices. We joined Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange (DGCX) in 2005-06. In 2008, Sanlam Group from South Africa invested in SMC GROUP. Also SMC gained BCCL as an in-

vestor,’’ asserts the duo.

FRIENDS CUM BROTHERS Everybody thinks that Mr. Aggarwal and Mr. Gupta are brothers. “Touchwood, our friendship since 1977, has been very good. From day one, we have been sharing cabins.

There are times when people feel that there are personal issues and other things that one might not like other to know and we should have separate cabins at this stage: but we have nothing to hide from each other and feel that being so open has been the strength of our partnership. This can also be termed as our love and affection for each other; we stand by each other in the best and the worst case scenarios,” smiles the duo.

FAMILY MATTER Mr. Aggarwal got married in the year 1982, and Mr. Gupta in the year 1981. Talking about their families, Mr. Aggarwal shares, “I come from Kanti village, where we have a financing business and had agriculture land. We also had a cloth house, from where my father, Mr. Madan Gopal Aggarwal used to do the financing business. He was a person of a religious bent of mind, and used to charge very less and do a lot of lending for social causes. Now, he is retired and stays busy, pursuing his religious pursuits. ❐

october 2015 | india empire

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PM in uSA

Captivating

A

the Coasts

By Mayank Chhaya and Arun Kumar

ll prime ministerial visits are calibrated for a specific goal, be it economic, diplomatic, political or cultural. That is true of all Indian Prime Ministers but it is especially true of Mr Narendra Modi. Once you get past his gushing, uncritical fan base, those goals become sharper.

A striking example of that is his visit to Silicon Valley in general and Tesla Energy headquarters and Facebook town hall

meeting in particular. The Prime Minister’s choice of South African-born Canadian-American technology entrepreneur Mr Elon Musk’s facility in Silicon Valley was significant for its potential whose details are not well known to many.

The name Tesla is Mr Musk’s tribute to the Serbian-born American Nikola Tesla (July 10, 1856 to January 7, 1943), widely regarded as the father of the electrical age given his pioneering work in alternating current and induction motor

The Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi being greeted by the people on his arrival in New York on September 23, 2015

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in the late 19th and early 20th century. He was by a wide consensus a true-blue genius whose range of scientific vision stretched from presaging hand-held devices carrying data we now call smart phones to robotics and limitless free energy.

Perhaps the primary objective of the prime ministerial visit can be found in a backgrounder on the company’s website where it explains: “Tesla Powerwall is a rechargeable lithium-ion battery designed to store energy at a residential level for load shifting, backup power and self-consumption of solar power generation. Powerwall consists of Tesla’s lithium-ion battery pack, liquid thermal control system and software that receives dispatch commands from a solar inverter. The unit mounts seamlessly on a wall and is integrated with the local grid to harness excess power and give customers the flexibility to draw energy from their own reserve.”

What Powerwall does is remove the need for the hugely capital intensive power plants, environmental costs and damage and expensive distribution network because it stores power in the Powerwall generated from solar panels on the roof. What mobile phones are to telephony, Powerwall could potentially be to electricity. It makes electricity more personalized. Priced right, this can transform India’s energy needs as it can around the world.

Currently, Powerwall is priced at USD 3,500 for 10 kWh and USD 3,000 for 7 kWh units without the inverter and installation. While a large number of Indians can afford this but if the eventual objective of the Modi Government is to transform rural electrification then the price needs to come

Prime Minister Mr Modi and President of United States of America, Mr Barack Obama share an intellectually intimate moment in New York on September 28, 2015

Prime Minister Mr Modi delivering his statement to the Media in the Joint Press Briefing with the President of United States of America Mr Barack Obama in New York on September 28, 2015

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PM in uSA

Prime Minister Mr Modi in a group photograph with the leading Fortune 500 CEOs at a special event in New York on September 24, 2015

down significantly.

Mr Modi’s town hall style meeting with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was perhaps closer to his larger socio-cultural and political goals of keeping his vast following on social media abreast of the going-on in his Government in the face of creeping doubts over its performance so far. Mr Modi’s interaction with Mr Zuckerberg was one more instance of the prime minister’s ability to strike an instant rapport with his audience. What brought the house down was his emotional reference to the sacrifice that his 91-year-old mother made to raise him and his siblings. He broke down while reminiscing his childhood and its hardships. He was responding to a question from Zuckerberg about his parents and personal life. In the 31year-old Zuckerberg, the 65-year old prime minister appears to have found a muse whose youth can only help Mr Modi expand his global appeal.

After interacting with Mr Musk and Mr Zuckerberg, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrapped up yet another hugely successful visit to the US with a warm hug for President Barack Obama, a courtship with Silicon Valley and a love fest with the Indian diaspora. Mr Obama after an hourlong meeting in New York with “good friend” Modi, building on his “wonderful visit” to Delhi in January said, “We have elevated our ties. We have committed ourselves to a new partnership between our two countries.” Mr Modi agreed they had “achieved significant progress in our bilateral cooperation and international partnership” and welcomed “the progress in giving shape to our joint strategic vision on Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean region”.

But beyond the power meetings with Mr Obama and other world leaders, the real measure of Mr Modi’s success was writ in his wooing the big business and winning over the tech titans of Silicon Valley. From Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai, Indian-American chief executives of Microsoft and Google to Apple’s Tim Cook and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg everyone seemed keen to get behind Modi’s digital dream.

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If Mr Pichai offered to bring wireless Internet or Wi-Fi to 500 railway stations across India, Mr Nadella outlined Microsoft’s plan to help Indian government take low-cost broadband to half a million villages. And selling his dream of turning India’s USD 8 trillion economy into a USD 20 trillion economy at a Facebook Townhall with a promise of four Ds – demography, democracy, demand and now deregulation, the PM told investors, “Want to Invest? I Have an Address—India.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the 21st century belongs to India and the world has begun to acknowledge the fact, as he addressed an 18,000-strong cheering crowd of Indian community members at the SAP Centre here. Mr Modi, in an over hour-long address to a “Modi, Modi” chanting crowd, also said that terrorism and climate change are the main challenges facing the world and urged all nations to unite in facing the twin threats.

In a rock star reception like the one he had received at Madison Square Garden last year, Modi also asked the crowd for a “certificate” of his performance in the 16 months he has been in power. He said the world now acknowledges that the 21st century belongs to India, to loud cheers. “Sometime ago India was striving to join with the world, but today the times have changed and the world is thirsting to join with India,” he said.

Mr Modi also said he will give his every moment and every particle of his body in working for India’s betterment.

Asking the rapturous crowd for a certificate of his 16 months in power, he said, “Did I live up to my promises, working day and night, and the responsibility that I have undertaken...Have I lived up to that?” to loud cheers and chants of “Modi, Modi”.

Mr Modi, who said he was visiting the West Coast after 25 years, said he was seeing a “vibrant picture” of India in the large Indian tech community that lives and works here.

He praised the “nimble fingers” of the Indian tech experts who “have made the world acknowledge India” with their ❐ competence, innovations.

inDo-uS reLAtionS

COUNTERING

TERROR

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inister of External Affairs Ms Sushma Swaraj and Secretary of State Mr John Kerry on the occasion of the inaugural India-U.S. Strategic and Commercial Dialogue reaffirmed the commitment of India and the United States to combat terrorism in all its forms.

Terrorism constitutes a profound threat to global peace and security, and to uphold our common values of democracy, justice and the rule of law.

The vision of President Obama’s and Prime Minister Modi to transform the U.S.-India relationship into a defining counterterrorism partnership for the 21st century was also reiterated. The two countries underlined the threat posed by entities such as Al-Qa’ida and its affiliates, Lashkar-eTayyiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, D Company, Haqqani Network and other regional groups that seek to undermine stability in South Asia. They also called for Pakistan to bring to justice the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attack.

The two countries strongly condemned the July 27, 2015 terrorist attack in Gurdaspur, Punjab, and August 5, 2015, attack in Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir. Both sides recognized the serious threat posed by ISIL/Da’esh to global security and affirmed efforts to degrade and defeat this threat in accordance with the provisions of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2178, 2170 and 2199.

They recalled the signing of the U.S.-India Counterterrorism Cooperation Initiative (CCI) and establishment of the Homeland Security Dialogue in 2010, as well as India’s membership in the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF). The Memorandum of Understanding signed in January 2015 between the U.S. Department of Treasury and India’s Ministry of Finance to enhance cooperation against money laundering and terrorism financing was also recalled Minister Swaraj and Secretary Kerry.

The two countries applauded the 15 year anniversary of the U.S.-India Counterterrorism Joint Working Group and the provision of Anti-Terrorism Assistance (ATA) training for more than 1100Indian security personnel since 2009.

They recognizes India’s participation in the February 2015 White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism and reaffirmed their support for a UN Comprehensive Convention against International Terrorism that advances and strengthens the framework for global cooperation and reinforces that no cause or grievance justifies terrorism.

Minister Swaraj and Secretary Kerry commended the 14 india empire | october 2015

Minister Swaraj and Secretary Kerry at the India-U.S. Strategic and Commercial Dialoue

continuing efforts to finalize a bilateral agreement to expand intelligence sharing and terrorist watch-list information. The meeting of the U.S.-India Terrorist Designations Exchange in July 2015 to strengthen cooperation on domestic terrorist designations, including implementation of UN 1373 (2001), and on international designations pursuant to UN 1267/1989 was also appreciated by them.

They welcomed the proposed next round of the Counterterrorism Joint Working Group in early 2016. The discussions on cyber security at the U.S-India Cyber Dialogue in August 2015 and continuing close cooperation on cyber security and information sharing were also applauded by Minister Swaraj and Secretary Kerry.

Both sides underlined the progress toward India’s entry into the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Global Entry Program and the inclusion of Mumbai in the Strong Cities Network, a forum to build sub-national resiliency against violent extremism. They also commended the continuing discussions on Extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance. The U.S.-India Megacity Policing Exchange, an initiative to deepen collaboration on training and community policing between local and state law enforcement was also applauded by the two countries.

Minister Swaraj and Secretary Kerry also applauded the progress toward a Memorandum of Understanding between the Indian National Police Academy (Hyderabad) and the New York Police Department. The proposed next meeting of the Homeland Security Dialogue in early 2016 was com❐ mended by both sides.

DiPLoMAtiC interview

H.E. Mr SHaida MoHaMMad abdali, aMbaSSador of afgHaniStan to india

“Afghanistan’s relation with India is very strong” In an interview on bilateral trade and economic relations, tourism and business opportunities and Indian community in Afghanistan, Ambassador of Afghanistan to India, Mr Shaida Mohammad Abdali talks to India Empire’s Assistant Editor Misha Singh.

Mr Abdali is also concurrently accredited to Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives. In his earlier assignments, he provided the President with policy and oversight advice on national security issues. He administered the National Security Council meetings and chaired the Deputies Committee Meetings of the National Security Council, which facilitated strategic coordination and communication among Afghan and international stakeholders to help address Afghanistan’s security and development needs. Internationally he has been honoured with the CCI Technology Education Excellence Award in 2014 for initiating and promoting education ties between India and Afghanistan; the Honorary Texan Award in the United States of America; the World Green Diplomacy Award in New Delhi in 2013; a gold medal for fostering diplomatic relations between Afghanistan and India by Amity University; and a Life Time Achievement Award by the Lions International Club; and recently Outstanding Achievements Award As the Ambassador of Afghanistan by National Defense University, thereon his image is permanently displayed at the International Hall of Fame

Please let us know about Afghanistan’s bilateral trade and economic relations with India…

Well in the outset let me brief you about the overall outline of the strategic partnership with India which concludes various areas of co-operation. Particularly the economic relationship is very crucial and this is not new, Afghanistan has been a traditional economically integrated country throughout the history. We are trying to expand this relationship as much as possible. We have been working on very strategic economic projects with India which will not only contribute to the economies of India and Afghanistan but the economies of the entire region.

Of course the transit trade agreements that are going to happen in the near future are on the top of the agenda for both countries. This would further promote our economic ties. Currently, we do not have many routes for business. But certainly there are businesses going both ways, large number of business from India go to Afghan and lots of Afghan businesses come to India. There are around 100 Indian companies in Afghanistan, although most of them are in Joint Ventures with Afghan companies in sectors such as services and construction. So, we are very optimistic that Afghan India relationship will go high and high with the passage of 16 india empire | october 2015

time because of the will in the two countries to be connected socially, culturally, politically and economically. We are making efforts to include India in APTTA (Afghanistan Pakistan Transit and Trade Agreement), hopefully when that happens it will largely help in terms of connectivity between our countries and the businesses will flourish.

Have there been any developments in the bilateral relations of two countries after President Ashraf Ghani’s visit to India?

Definitely. Regardless of the Government or the leadership Afghanistan’s relationship with India is set strong. It only unfolds in an extensive way with the passage of time. Both countries have continuity in relationship with new count rather trying to promote it further. When the President was here he concentrated more on economic aspect of the relationship because the economy matters in terms of our joint goal that we are pursuing for people’s prosperity, development and stability. All of this depends on wellbeing of the people; if they prosper that will definitely have an effect on all the other aspects as well. So, the President’s visit was a very successful one, he discussed issue that I have earlier referred to like connectivity, business and APTTA. The visit was also because the

H.E. Mr Shaida Mohammad Abdali, Ambassador of Afghanistan to India

two countries have a strong desire to further expand the relationship. I had proposed to President that we should open some other representative offices to further promote trade which included Consulate General in Hyderabad and an honorary consul’s office in Kolkata. I am glad that he sent a team to assess the feasibility in the context and the idea will soon be realized. I am also thinking of appointing a Commercial Attaché in Amritsar which is the connecting point, so that we have our representation there. This is because if in case any issue related economic or commercial activities arises in Amritsar, he/she would be on the spot to resolve and address the issue. Also, to promote visits of the businessmen from India, Afghanistan is considering extending Multiple Entry Visa for Indian businessmen on long term basis. So, we are constantly working on expansion of our ties with India.

What are the tourism opportunities in Afghanistan that you can let our readers know about?

Afghanistan used to have one of the highest revenues long time back in the 60’s and 70’s from the tourism sector.

It is a beautiful country but we have to work together towards the promotion of the tourism industry in the two countries.

We need to see how Afghanistan and India can work together on the tourism sector so that people of our country visit Indian and vice versa and also attract tourists from rest of the world. There are so many shared cultural and historical sites that we have in our two countries and we have a co-relationship with one another. So, because of the shared history and

values we have to work together for mutual benefits in the promotion of tourism sector of our two countries. So, tourism sector is one of the focused areas of Afghanistan but we hope that there would be conducive and secured environment in order to attract tourists from all over the world.

How do you view the contribution of the Indian community in Afghanistan?

The Indians residing there are Afghans and we have basically no division when it comes to our shared goals and common values. We are blessed with a very diverse community in Afghanistan and Afghanistan without its Indian community or Afghan Hindus will be incomplete. I am always honoured to receive the Afghan Hindu community in Delhi when they are residing here and they come and celebrate with me. We celebrate all the National Days or occasions together here. So, the contribution of Indian community is as crucial as any other community in Afghanistan. They are Afghans, they contribute to the economy of Afghanistan and we hope that they will continue to do so.

Please outline for us the presence of Afghanistan’s companies in India, and Indian companies in Afghanistan…

As I mentioned earlier there are around 100 Indian companies in Afghanistan, they have tie-ups with Afghan businesses there. We are making constant effort to promote the joint business ties. We have begun promoting women business relationship in the last few months. When our first lady october 2015 | india empire 17

DiPLoMAtiC interview

having traditionally with India. But of course we need to promote it and promote other Afghan businesses in India in a more fashioned manner.

We need to focus on the value addition services like the packaging and processing.

Please talk us through capacity building and training programmes in Defence and Security‌ Well, that is an ongoing process. Army and police officers are being trained on a regular basis.

This is under the Strategic Partnership Agreement that we signed in 2011 and it will go on. This is an ongoing co-operation in various areas which are envisaged in the agreement that we have, so all the areas of co-operation that exist in our framework will go on also without the agreement.

What kind of Line of Credit has been offered to Afghanistan by the Indian Government?

There is a programme; it is being conducted from our businesses there in various sectors both on large and small scale. But, this needs a further push in order to make it more visible.

This is presently in a preliminary stage, we definitely want this to be lot bigger and overstitched in order to bring more and more businesses under the Line of Credit Programme as well.

was here and the Afghan businessmen were here, we had a big event with FLO. We are also going to sign a MoU in the near future with women business community here and women business community of Afghanistan. So, we are not only promoting the businesses led by men but also the businesses led by women. There is also an exhibition that was organised by us where we invited the businesses from Afghanistan to showcase their products in India. The exhibition was organised under the SAARC umbrella. So, the effort to promote the presence of Afghan companies in India and also the ones who wish to open their office in India are taking place. There are a lot of companies that have contacted us for opening their offices in India, so we are also thinking of building an Afghan complex, where the products will be made available because there are so many Afghan’s living in India. There is large group of Afghan traders here in India basically dealing in dry fruits and fresh fruits sector and this is the business we have been 18 india empire | october 2015

Please tell us about the investment opportunities in Afghanistan for Indian exporters.

Afghanistan announced the New Investment Incentive Policy for attracting investment on long term basis in various sectors. These sectors include industry, construction, export promotion, agriculture and mining, wherein the investor would be provided 5 years rent free location, concessional electricity and import of machinery without tax.

There are also a lot investment opportunities in sectors like healthcare, minerals, infrastructure, energy and minerals, transportation or logistics, banking, textiles and renewable energy.

What role is Chabahar Port in Iran likely to play in India-Afghan trade relations?

Chabahar Port in Iran is likely to significantly boost the volume of trade between India and Afghanistan by providing shorter route for transporting goods between the two counâ?? tries besides providing direct access to Central Asia.

FACTS ABOUT AFGHANISTAN Head of State: H.E. Mohammad Ashraf Ghani Official Name: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Other Facts: Nationality: Afghan (s) Language: Pashto, Dari Independence Day: August 19, 1919 Capital City: Kabul Area: 652,864 km2 Population: 32,564,342 (July 2015 est.)

National Day Afghan Independence Day is celebrated in Afghanistan on 19 August to commemorate the AngloAfghan Treaty of 1919. The treaty granted complete independence from Britain; although Afghanistan was never a part of the British Empire.

Religion: Islam (Sunni Muslim 80%, Shia Muslim 19%, other 1%) Geographic coordinates: 33 00 N, 65 00 E Climate: Arid to semiarid; Cold winters and Hot summers Independence Day: August 19 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs) Currency (code): Afghani (AFA) GDP: USD 20.31 billion (2013)

National Flag The current flag was adopted by the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in 2004. This flag is similar to the one flown in Afghanistan during the monarchy between 1930 and 1973. The difference is the addition of the shahadah at the top of the coat of arms (seen in yellow) in the center. This flag consists of three stripes of the colors black, red, and green. This has been present on most flags of Afghanistan in the last twenty years. The center emblem is the classical emblem of Afghanistan with a mosque with its mihrab facing Makah.

National Emblem The national emblem of Afghanistan has appeared in some form on the flag of Afghanistan since the inception of that nation. The latest incarnation of the coat of arms has the inscription of the shahadah in Arabic at the top. Below it is the image of a mosque with a mihrab and minbar, or pulpit, within. Attached to the mosque are two flags, taken to stand for flags of Afghanistan. Beneath the mosque is an inscription that states the name of the nation. Around the mosque are sheaves of wheat, and underneath that, the Hijri year 1298 (1919 in the Gregorian calendar), the year Afghanistan gained independence from the British influence.

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THE LAND OF HEIG Lesotho’s topography, high altitude and the status as one of the three remaining African Kingdoms are features that sets it apart from other destinations in the continent. Moreover it is the only country in Africa with the regular winter snowfall. The snowcapped Maloti and Drakensberg mountain ranges gives the country an outstanding scenic beauty during the winter season. As the visitors traverse the towering mountains they will be left with little doubt as to why the country is called the ‘Kingdom in the Sky” or the “Switzerland of Africa.”

The Lesotho adventure is a unique kaleidoscopic experience of engaging mountains, friendly people and a cultural heritage that bespeaks of courage and wisdom. Sparkling waters run deep in gorges bejeweled by vibrant waterfalls and soaring mountains are crowned with clear blue skies. Under thick snow or scorching sun, Lesotho is a beautiful and challenging environment. Whether it is Heights or depths, distances or temperatures - they are all in the extreme in Lesotho to challenge the free spirited adventurer with an urge to go where not many have ventured.

The rugged mountain terrain is criss-crossed by rivers and provides ample opportunities for canoeing; spectacular ski runs; horse riding; pony trekking; mountain climbing; fly fishing, hiking and; off-road racing. It is not surprising that this is the home of the annual world-famous Roof of Africa Rally; 4 x 4 enthusiasts traverse in their vehicles across the Maluti Mountains at an altitude of 3000 metres.

Climate Clean and invigorating are the best words to use when describing Lesotho’s climate. More than 300 days of a Lesotho year offer brilliant sunshine, yet the country has well-marked seasons. Summer extends from November to January and is usually hot. Autumn days are warm and ideal for outdoor pursuits such as hiking and camping. Writer, lasting from May to July, brings snow to the Maluti Mountains, and a skier’s haven.

When spring arrives, it is peach-blossom time in almost every village, and the countryside is transformed into drifts of pink. Eighty five percent of Lesotho’s rainfallbetween 700mm and 800 mm, occurs between October and April, bringing the rivers down in full volume and creating ideal fishing and rafting conditions.

Culture & Heritage Lesotho is a country that is often governed by, and thrives on tradition. You can hike or 4x4 to the Kome Cave Village to get a taste of old style living.

Threshing grain at harvest time is a highly skilled, labour intensive operation which involves the entire community, each playing his or her vital role. Grain is stored in exquisitely woven grass silos. The artistry that goes into their making is another finely crafted 22 india empire | october 2015

skill. Other traditional pursuits include tribal dancing and stick-fighting.

Lesotho boasts some pristine dinosaur relics. The Natural History Museum in London hosts a 1-metre long herbivorous lizard, Lesothosaurus, named after Lesotho. The Kome Cave dwellings, a National Heritage Site, were built in the 19th century, and are still lived in by the original families. A visitors’ center has been attached to the site and guided tours are conducted daily.

Lesotho has a treasure trove of Bushmen (San) rock art. The country is liberally sprinkled with such sites

HTS AND EXTREMES are adorned with fascinating decorations of intricate patterns. Many household implements or domestic necessities are the product of fine crafts-manship whish has been acquired through the generations.

and many of the pictures have important information for the historian, depicting traditions, hunting methods and techniques, and a way of living that is long forgotten. The wealth of rock art is attributable to the wonderful sandstone formations of the region, where nature has formed cliff overhangs which provided the ideal shelter for early man. It was on the walls that San have left us the valuable legacy of their paintings.

Hospitality Just as much of the beauty of Lesotho is secret and understated, so is the hospitality. Apart from two large international-standard hotels in Maseru, there are plenty of accommodation possibilities. Some idyllic retreats are found in exceptionally remote spots, where the quality of welcome and comfort is first class. Country lodges are tastefully built with local materials such as sandstone or basalt adorned with thatch roofing to fit in with the environment.

The Basotho people are warm and hospitable. As a rule and when approached courteously Basotho are happy to share glimpses of their traditional life with the visitor which often is to first approach a village headman or chief before engaging villagers. The pristine condition in which most Basotho keep the insides of their huts is legend. And the inside of these traditional homes

LESOTHO MUST DO ATTRACTIONS Afriski mountain Resort: Africa’s highest Ski resort (3222m asl) attracts around 10,000 visitors during winter months every year. After all day skiing and snowboading activities sample a palatable Lesotho cuisine at the Sky Restaurant and enjoy the taste of Maloti beer at highest Pub in Africa located at Sani Pass.

Katse Dam: Enjoy a cruise with high speed boats and take a tour at the highest man made dam in Africa with the dam wall of about 185m high, 710m across and stretches 60km upstream. The Katse Alpine Botanical Gardens which displays the country’s most diverse mountain flora and plant heritage in a natural setting is a must see attraction.

Maletsunyane Waterfalls: 196m single drop – the highest in the region offers rock climbing activities and exciting abseiling at 204m abseil at Maletsunyane Falls which holds the Guinness World Record of being the longest commercially operated single drop abseil.

Pony trekking: Basotho pony - sure-footed and gentle horse bred in Lesotho deliver passengers to areas of scenic beauty such as Thaba Putsoa Mountains and stunning Ketane waterfalls. Hiking is also a very popular for those enthusiast and Backpackrs who loves to explore the mountain tracks.

Thaba Bosiu Cultural Village & Heritage Site: A national heritage site and birth of the Basotho nation complements one of Lesotho’s famous historic placeThaba-Bosiu. A self contained cultural village serve as a one-stop cultural experience centre for those who wish to know more about Basotho traditional lifestyle.

Nature Parks & Reserves: Sehlabathebe National Park now forms part of the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Park and is a future World Heritage Site.

Tsehlanyane National Park hosts an indigenous forest and is linked to Bokong Nature Reserve by hiking trails. Spellbinding views are the norm for all parks.

Thabana-Ntlenyane (3482m): The highest mountain in Southern Africa is famous for mountain biking and hiking.

Lesotho Sky Mountain Bike Stage Race: This international event in staged in September every year brings together top athletes from all over the globeto explores some of the spectacular trails as they climb the rugged mountainous terrain in Lesotho.

The Government of Lesotho is committed to tourism development through facilitation of private sector investment by local and foreign companies. To maximize investment in tourism, the Government of Lesotho has created institutional structures to minimize bureaucratic hurdles and improve business environment in general. ❐ october 2015 | india empire 23

reCoGnition

CP KUKREJA AWARDS FOR

2015

DESIGN EXCELLENCE

CP Kukreja Awards for Design Excellence 2015, a prestigious design award conducted by Foundation for Design Excellence to encourage the role of Youth in imagining future cities, successfully completed its first cycle by felicitating the winners at the Lalit Hotel in New Delhi on September 26. The glittering awards ceremony was witnessed by a galaxy of audience consisting of Members of Parliament, Governors, Mayor of Delhi, Ambassadors, Architects and Designers hailing from across India and abroad. The winner of the competition, Mr. Milind Goel of School of Planning & Architecture, New Delhi, was presented the First Prize worth Rs. 1 lac by Mr. Rajiv Shukla, Honourable Member of the Rajya Sabha and Chairman of the Indian Premier League, while the other honourable winners were felicitated by Mr. Jairam Ramesh, Former Minister of Environment, Government of India. The competition will also provide a strong foundation for the winners to explore and enhance their design skills through encouraging them with opportunities of internships in global destinations like London, Paris, Barcelona, New York and Singapore.

According to Architect Dikshu C. Kukreja, “The Design Competition is aimed to motivate creativity in thinking, exploration of ideas and inventive design exercises for students of different design disciplines with respect to sustainable design principles and their applicability in envisioning future of cities.”

From left: Architect Dikshu C. Kukreja with Ms S. Kukreja (Architect CP Kukreja’s wife) and H.E. Mr Jairam Ramesh, former Minister of Environment, Government of India

Mr Milind Goel (Winner of CP Kukreja Awards for Design Excellence 2015) being felicitated by Mr Rajiv Shukla and Ms S. Kukreja

The jury at work

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H.E. Mr Rajiv Shukla, Chairman of Indian Premier League and Member of Rajya Sabha, being felicitated by Ms S. Kukreja (Architect CP Kukreja’s wife)

Architect Dikshu C. Kukreja (right) with the former Governor of Mizoram, H.E. Mr A.R.Kohli

From left: Ms S. Kukreja, H.E. Mr Jairam Ramesh, Architect Dikshu C. Kukreja, Mr Kapil Patidar and Mr Anchal Saxena (Honourable Mentions of CP Kukreja Awards for Design Excellence 2015)

From left: Architect Dikshu Kukreja with H.E. Mr Hasan Al Jawarneh, Ambassador of Jordan and H.E. Dr Sabit Subasic, Ambassador of Bosnia

Awards being given to the very talented designers

A view of the august audience

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BUSINESS AND GOVERNANCE

BuSineSS AnD GovernAnCe

Skill India’s Google+ Hangout Connection

M

inistry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in partnership with the World Bank organized a Google+ Hangout with participants from some of India’s largest companies to enable greater engagement in the skills space in September. It marked one of the first direct engagements between the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and the corporate sector. The panelists consisted of Mr Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Minister of State (I/C) SDE; Mr Rohit Nandan, Secretary, SDE; Mr S. Ramadorai, Chairman - NSDA and NSDC and Mr Onno Ruhl, Country Director - World Bank. Heads of large Indian corporate houses like SBI, BHEL, Amazon, ICICI Bank, Mahindra, ONGC, TCS and Lemon Tree Hotels were among the others present at the event. The discussion was moderated by Ms Shereen Bhan from CNBC TV18.

The Google+ Hangout, saw the Government and corporates discuss innovative models for skill development which have been successful in small pockets and could be scaled up to benefit the community. The topic of how Corporate Social Responsibility funds of Indian companies can be channeled towards skill development initiatives of the Government was also on the agenda for the discussion. The Minister highlighted that there were silos in the skill development landscape which need to be tackled by removing disconnect between individual skill development efforts initiated by various entities and setting national standards of skilling and certification. The integration process started by the Government would help scale skill development efforts across the country. Citing international examples, the Minister exalted industry and corporates to play a proactive role in the skill training ecosystem of the country.

ICICI representative mentioned that their experience of imparting skill training to 25,000 people through 21 skill development institutes with knowledge partners as well as Governments of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh had been very positive. 300 employers have already signed MoUs to place persons trained through these centres and ICICI targets to train 1 lakh people in the coming years. SBI also has around 117 rural training centres where 2,65,000 persons have been trained across 247 vocations. However, challenges of productivity and placements, which can be tackled through focused skill gap analyses, were highlighted by Ms Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairman, SBI. Mr Ameet Nivsarkar from TCS mentioned that their BPO employability programmes and IT employability programmes having trained over 74,000 persons, still face issues of unqualified instructors and outdated curriculum.

Mr Amit Agarwal, Country Director of Amazon India also brought forth that they could collaborate with the Government by sharing their certification programmes and training delivery methodologies. Mr Rajeev Dubey, Chairman and CEO, Mahindra Rise reiterated that their experience of adopting ITIs has been very successful as evidenced by the 100 per cent placement rate achieved. He indicated that their efforts are being directed at adopting more ITIs and linking the trainees to jobs at the end of the training period.”There is a need to create credible training and certification procedures which would be valuable to employers as it is essential to ultimately link skills to jobs. Being the human resource capital of the world implies that the aspirations of each Indian need to be addressed.

This can only be done by ensuring equal opportunity for skilling to reach even the most disadvantaged segments of society”, said Mr Onno Ruhl.

Mr Rohit Nandan mentioned that efforts were being made by the Ministry in collaboration with World Bank, to create a platform for sharing of funds and knowledge resources between the corporate and Government towards skill deMr Rajiv Pratap Rudy velopment. It was also reiterated that partnerships between the Government and Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship industry is essential as the scale of skilling required cannot be achieved through ❐ individual efforts.

(IC) and Parliamentary Affairs

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BuSineSS AnD GovernAnCe

World Tourism day fares of Air India. Under the scheme, a tourist can discover India in one or two weeks at a reasonable travel cost. A tourist can buy 5 coupons for Rs 32,500 (15 days validity) or 10 coupons for Rs 60,000 (30 days validity) for exciting Indian destinations, serviced by Air India and Alliance Air without worrying about ticket price fluctuation. In another initiative, Air India will introduce Incredible Air India holiday packages from December 1, 2015. Air India will also launch Delhi-San Francisco flight from December 2, 2015 onwards which will fly thrice a week, he announced. Secretary, Tourism Mr Vinod Zutshi; CMD, ITDC Mr Umang Kumar; CMD, Air India, Mr Ashwani Lohani; senior officials and stakeholders from the travel industry were in attendance. Highlights included:

The Minister of State for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (IC), Dr. Mahesh Sharma speaks on the occasion of World Tourism Day on the topic of “One Billion Tourist One Billion Opportunities” The Union Ministry of Tourism launched several new initiatives on the occasion of World Tourism Day in October.

The Union Minister of State for Tourism (Independent Charge), Culture (Independent Charge) and Civil Aviation, Dr Mahesh Sharma announced the constitution of the Medical and Wellness Tourism Promotion Board at a function in New Delhi. The Board has been formed to tap the potential and advantages that India has in the field of medical and wellness tourism. The Centre of Excellence in Hospitality Education to operate from Hotel Samrat was also inaugurated at New Delhi in October. Release of Tourism Vision Document 2030, launch of the revamped website of Ministry of Tourism http://tourism.gov.in/ which has now been made bilingual, release of Audio Visual Presentation ‘Introduction to India’ and a seminar on the theme of World Tourism Day 2015 ‘One Billion Tourist, One Billion Opportunities’ were some of the other highlights of the function.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Mahesh Sharma said that low cost medical facilities are India’s strength and we must take advantage of the same for the purpose of promoting tourism. It is for this reason that the Government took the important decision of setting up the Medical and Wellness Tourism Promotion Board. The Board will have a corpus fund of Rs 2 crore initially, the Minister disclosed. Dr Mahesh Sharma said that the AYUSH facilities will be promoted along with regular medical facilities.

Dr Mahesh Sharma also announced the Discover India

Medical and Wellness Tourism Promotion Board The Board will be chaired by the Union Tourism Minister and consists of members representing the related Government Departments, Tourism and Hospitality sector and experts in the Medical, Wellness and Yoga.

Ashok Institute of Hospitality and Tourism Management – Centre of Excellence As part of its contribution towards supplying trained manpower to the Hospitality Industry, ITDC has envisioned to set up a Centre of Excellence in Hospitality Education at Hotel Samrat, New Delhi.

Tourism Vision Document 2030 The document goes into the challenges for the sector and details the way towards Vision 2030. ‘Tourism vision 2030’ has been commissioned by the Experience India Society and prepared by KPMG. Launch of Bi-Lingual Website of Ministry of Tourism The official website of the Ministry http://tourism.gov.in/ has been revamped and translated in Hindi.

Audio Visual Presentation ‘Introduction to India’ The Indian Association of Tour Operators has produced a 6 minutes AV presentation depicting all tourism products of India and a element of human engagement with the various tourism products.

“One Billion Tourist, One Billion Opportunities” A seminar was held with Mr Vikram Oberoi, President, Hotel Association of India; Mr Subhash Goyal, President, Indian Association of Tour Operators and Mr Atul Bhatnagar, Chief Operating Officer, National Skill Development ❐ Corporation as panelists. october 2015 | india empire 29

BuSineSS AnD GovernAnCe

SMART CITY ACTION PLAN Ahead of the two day Smart City Ideas will be prepared by Feedback Infra Pvt Ltd Camp in New Delhi in October, 88 cities in association with Happold Engineers included in the Smart City Mission have India Pvt Ltd and CISCO Systems. Gandidentified consulting firms for preparation hinagar, Indore and Jabalpur have been asof city-wise Smart City Action Plans. The signed to Mehta and Associates in Joint remaining 10 cities in North-Eastern Venture with Oswal Computers and Constates and Union Territories will do so by sultants. the second week end. Uttar Pradesh and Gwalior, Sagar and Satna will be proJammu and Kashmir are still to nominate fessionally helped by Voyants Solutions one city each for smart city development.

Pvt Ltd in association with MINRAJ ConForeign companies or their Indian associsultants. Kanpur, Ghaziabad and Thanates are associated with the preparation of javur will prepare plans with the help of smart city plans for most of the cities.

Dorsh Holding GmbH in association with Mr Venkaiah Naidu Quick selection of consultants through Dorsh Consult India Pvt Ltd and L R tendering by the Mission cities has been Kadaliya and Associates. Greater Mumbai, enabled by the Ministry of Urban Development drawing up Muzaffarpur, Durgapur (Bengal) will be helped by Alia Cona panel of consultants for each region. sulting Solutions Pvt Ltd and Genesis Fin. Ujjain and The plans for Nagpur, Kalian-Dombivali, Nasik, Thane, Dahod will be prepared by Haskoning DHV Consulting Pvt Solapur and Amaravati, all in Maharashtra will be prepared Ltd in Joint Venture with Haskoning DHV Nederland B.V

by CRISIL. ICRA will create the plans for Rajkot, Kochi, and Grant Thornton Green Boulevard. The plans for New Ajmer, Erode and Coimbatore and All-India Institute of Town Kolkata and Bidhannagar will be prepared by Deloitte Local Self-Government (Mumbai) will prepare plans for Touche Tohmastsu India Pvt Ltd in association with Urban Chandigarh, Raipur, Bilaspur, Karnal and Faridabad. The Management Consultant and Hijli Inspiration. cities Vadodara, Bhubaneswar, Amritsar, Chennai and Tirupati and Tumakuru (Karnataka) will be helped by Tiruchirapalli will be covered by Jones Lang La Salle. Lea Associates South Asia Ltd in association with Crux Mahindra Consulting Engineers Ltd in association with Consultants Pvt Ltd and VB Soft Private Ltd. Mangaluru SUEZ Environment Consulting and Akara Research and and Udaipur have been assigned to IIDC Ltd in association Technologies Pvt Ltd. will provide services to Bihar Sharif with Urban Mass Transport Company Ltd and Building De(Bihar), Oulgaret (Puducherry), Tiruppur and Thoot hukudi sign Partnership Ltd. Allahabad and Aligarh will be helped

by Aarvee Associates Architects, Engineers and Consultants (Tamil Nadu).

The plans for Ahmedabad, Rourkela, Kota and Agartala Ltd in association with Mars Telecom Systems Pvt Ltd. â??

30 india empire | october 2015

BuSineSS AnD GovernAnCe

SHAKING HANDS, BOOSTING INDO-GERMAN TIES

Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi with the German Chancellor, Dr Angela Merkel at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on October 05, 2015

LOOKING NORTH-EAST Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh has asked the North-Eastern States to expedite the process of Central fund utilisation by them. Presiding over the first meeting of the Executive Committee of the North Eastern Council (NEC) in October, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the most common factors responsible for delay in the completion of various developmental projects include failure by the states to produce Utilisation Certificates on time, delay in submission of DPRs and inability of the state to provide its share of funding. As a result, not only the projects get delayed but the consequent escalation in the budget leads to further difficulties in timely completion of these projects, he added.

Among others present at the meeting were Union Secretary, DoNER, Mr Ameishing Luikham; Secretary, NEC, Mr Ram Muivah; Chief Secretaries of all the eight Northeast States and Member, NEC, Mr C.K. Das. Dr. Jitendra Singh said that the NEC is no longer an advisory body but it is now a regional planning body with a wider and more crucial role. He referred to the recent initiative of constituting inter-ministerial committees of the

Dr Jitendra Singh

Ministry of DoNER with other ministries and at the same time, engaging the Delhi-based Resident Commissioners of different states for the follow up of projects so that the targets could be achieved more smoothly. For this, he hinted at revisiting and revitalizing the entire functioning of the NEC. Talking about India’s “Act East” policy, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that it is his considered view that to “Act East” effectively, we first need to act east proximal and empower the North Eastern region along the international borders.

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BuSineSS AnD GovernAnCe

Celebrating MOM

ASTROSAT LAuNcHEd

Mars Orbiter spacecraft marks one year of its life around the red planet in September. After successfully completing one year of the mission life around Mars, now a large data set has been acquired by all five payloads of MOM. On this occasion Space Applications Centre, (ISRO) Ahmedabad has brought out a Mar Atlas which contains a compilation of images acquired by Mars Colour Camera (MCC) and results obtained by other payload results in a form of scientific atlas.

The images from MCC have provided unique information about Mars at varying spatial resolutions.

In its thirty first flight (PSLV-C30) conducted in September, India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle successfully launched ASTROSAT, the country’s Multi Wavelength Space Observatory along with six foreign customer satellites into a 644.6 X 651.5 km orbit inclined at an angle of 6 deg to the equator. The achieved orbit is very close to the intended one. This was the thirtieth consecutive success for PSLV. PSLV was launched in September in its heaviest ‘XL’ version with six strap-on motors of the first stage. The launch took place from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. The 320 tonne, 45 m tall PSLV-C30 carrying seven satellites including the 1513 kg ASTROSAT, lifted off at 10:00 hrs IST.

Unani Medicine SySteM The Minister of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge) and Health and Family Welfare, Mr Shripad Yesso Naik said that the Government is fully committed to the all-round development of Unani Medicine as well as other Indian systems of medicine. The Minister said this while addressing the foundation stone laying ceremony of New Hospital block, inauguration of Upgraded Biomedical Laboratory and Guest House at Central Research Institute of Unani Medicine at Hyderabad in September. Also present on the occasion were Mr Charlakola Laxma Reddy, Health and Medical Minister, Government of Telangana; Mr Maganti Gopinath, MLA, Government of Telangana and officials of CCRUM. The Minister said that the Unani Medicine is recognized in our National Health Policy as one of the Indian Systems of Medicine and finds an important place in the country’s healthcare delivery organization. India is the world leader in Unani Medicine having a wide and very well organized and functional network of educational, healthcare, research and pharmaceutical institutions, he stated. Mr Naik further said that CRIUM, Hyderabad is one of the major

32 india empire | october 2015

Mr Shripad Yesso Naik

centers functioning under Central Council for Research Over the past four decades in Unani Medicine (CCRUM) – an autonomous organization of Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India. The Minister said that during the past 36 years the Council has achieved some important landmarks in its various research programmes and has emerged as the leading research institution in the field of Unani Medicine.

BuSineSS AnD GovernAnCe

LifestyLe, CLimate JustiCe India has advocated bringing in positivity and shunning negativity in the run-up to the Paris Conference.

Speaking at the Major Economies Forum in New York in September, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Mr Prakash Javadekar said that ambitious pre and post 2020 actions and discussion on real issues relating to lifestyle and climate justice will be more appropriate. Mr Javadekar also said that it is regrettable that some developed countries want to negate the whole set of principles of UNFCCC. Mr Javadekar further said, “All countries need to respect differentiation as a principle to deliver climate justice to the developing world. Some developed countries want to negate the whole set of principles of UNFCCC which is regrettable. The genesis of Differentiation lies in principle of historical responsibility, polluter pays, and equity. Therefore, for the success of Paris there should be no effort to tamper with any principle and elements of the convention”.

Mr Javadekar also said that though India is not part of the problem, it wants to be part of the solution. Our historical cumulative emission as of now is below 3 per cent.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also made a strong pitch for a positive agenda to tackle climate change and appealed that “the current climate of negativism is

Mr Prakash Javadekar

not a useful factor as we approach COP21 in Paris.”

The Pope in his address to the UNGA and Congress talked about historical responsibility, equity and principles of polluter to pay, precautionary approach and CBDR. He advised rich countries not to destroy poor ones as earth is getting warmer. The developed world must take moral responsibility for the state of the world today. Pope also said that the huge consumption of developed world has repercussions on the developing world.

IndIa’s WInd atlas Mr Piyush Goyal

Mr Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal and New and Renewable Energy said that the Union Government has equal focus on various forms of renewable power and does not discriminate between solar, wind or biogas power in terms of providing support to these renewable sources. Mr Goyal said that the Government reinstated accelerated depreciation to boost wind power sector in the first budget of the new Government so that people can expand and take benefits of the same. He was speaking after launching Indian

Wind Resource Atlas at 100 metre level in September.

Mr Piyush Goyal stated that the Atlas will help policy makers at Centre and State Governments to deal with issues related to tariff fixation, transmission and grade frequency and providing better infrastructure for the investors. He said that he is personally very delighted that the ministry has provided such crucial information in public domain at free of cost. He assured that the Ministries of Coal, Power and New and Renewable Energy will keep on providing more and more data in public domain and thus work on bringing transparency in the system. Mr Saurabh Patel, Gujarat Energy Minister, Mr Rajendra Shukla, Madhya Pradesh Energy Minister, Mr Pushpendra Singh, Rajasthan Energy Minister, Mr D.K. Shivkumar, Karnataka Energy Minister, senior officials from central agencies, state Government and high level representatives of the wind industry were also present at the occasion.

The new Indian Wind Atlas is an important online GIS (Geographic Information System) tool for identification of the regional and local wind energy potential in India.

It contains average annual values of Wind Speed (m/s), Wind Power Density and Capacity Utilization Factor (CUF) calculated for an average 2 MW turbine at 100 m.

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BuSineSS AnD GovernAnCe

Green HiGHways Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways and Shipping Mr Nitin Gadkari launched the Green Highways (Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification and Maintenance) Policy, 2015 at a function organized in September. The aim of the policy is to promote greening of highway corridors with participation of the community, farmers, private sector, NGOs, and Government institutions.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Nitin Gadkari said that 1 per cent of the total project cost of all highways projects will be kept aside for the highway plantation and its maintenance. He said that about Rs. 1000 crore per year will be available for plantation purpose. He added that this policy will generate employment opportunities for about five lakh people from rural areas. He added that there will be strong monitoring mechanism in place by using ISRO’s Bhuvan and GAGAN satellite systems.

Every planted tree will be counted and auditing will be done. The agencies performing well will be awarded. He called for suggestions from people for smooth implementation of the policy. He also asked the state Governments to start programmes on similar lines.

Mr Gadkari said that 1200 road side amenities will also be established. The Green Highway Policy will help in making India pollution free, the minister added. It will

Mr Nitin Gadkari

also help in curtailing the number of road accidents in India. He said that the vision of the policy is to provide dignified employment to local people and communities.

Addressing the conference, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways and Shipping Mr Pon. Radhakrishnan said that it is a historic event and a noble initiative that depicts the Government’s concern for conservation of environment. He said that the present Government has taken various initiatives to cut pollution by promoting bio-fuel and e-rickshaws.

MoU WIth GerMany

Dr Harsh Vardhan and Ms Johanna Wanka sign up

India and Germany have signed agreements for furthering cooperation in the field of Science and Technology.

The Union Minister for Science and Technology, and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan and the German Federal Minister for Education and Research, Ms. Johanna Wanka signed the main agreement and witnessed signing of another agreement by the officials for the purpose after mutual discussions in New Delhi in October.

34 india empire | october 2015

At the meeting held before the 3rd Indo-German Consultative meeting, both the Ministers expressed their satisfaction on the level of Indo-German Science and Technology cooperation which is now recognised as one of the strategic pillars in the overall bilateral relationship.

It was reiterated by both sides that they would continue to support and strengthen the basic research component of collaboration which will underpin future technology developments.

India is investing approximately 14 million euro for the construction of an additional beam line and access to the synchrotron facility at PETRA-III in DESY at Hamburg. Similarly, India is a equity share holder with investment of 36 million euro in the construction of the international “Facility for Antiproton-Ion Research” (FAIR) at Darmstadt. Both these state of art facilities will further enable our scientists to conduct high impact and frontier research in material science, nuclear and high energy physics.

On the same model, Dr. Harsh Vardhan offered Germany to participate in some of the future mega science projects, which India will be embarking upon.

business and governance

Protecting ganga Ms Uma Bharti

Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Ms Uma Bharti has expressed concern over unauthorized mining activi-

ties going on in River Ganga in district Bijnor of UP. In a letter sent to Mr Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change she has requested him to send a joint team of her Ministry and Environment Ministry to inquire into unauthorized mining activities going on in river Ganga at Bijnor leading to change in river hydrology and resulting in soil erosion as well as impinging upon the conservation of endangered aquatic species.

Earlier a delegation led by Kunwar Bharatendra Singh, Member, Lok Sabha from Bijnor called on Ms Bharti and submitted her a detailed memorandum seeking her immediate intervention to stop unauthorized mining activities in river Ganga in Bijnor.

According to the memorandum the illegal sand mining will have an adverse impact on the flow of the river and its flora and fauna.

Barefoot engineers The Government has decided to train 10,000 young “barefoot” technicians in the basic concepts of civil engineering and involve them in planning, doing layout, measuring and supervising MGNREGA works in 2,500 most backward blocks across India. A Barefoot Technician is an educated person, identified from the local SC/ST MGNREGA worker households and specially trained in civil engineering concepts, using the customized training modules. Union Minister for Rural Development Mr Birender Singh said that better training and skills development will not only contribute to creation of durable and good quality works but also more sustainable maintenance of assets. It will also provide employment and will give horizontal and vertical mobility to these young women and men especially to those from vulnerable sections of society.

Similarly, to improve maintenance of the large PMGSY rural roads network (4,50,000 kilometers of PMGSY roads have been constructed across the country since the inception of PMGSY in December 2000), the training manuals for field engineers and contractors have already been used in the training of more than 6,000 engineers and contractors across the country in the last 4 months. Mr Singh renewed the Government’s commitment to eliminating poverty by empowering the rural poor with initiatives for inclusion and empowerment while ensuring quality and sustainability of assets.

Earlier, Mr Birender Singh and the Deputy DirectorGeneral of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Sandra Polaski jointly launched a set of new training manuals developed in collaboration for – MGNREGA and

Mr Birender Singh

PMGSY. The Ministry of Rural Development and ILO have also collaborated to pilot new and innovative ways of maintaining rural roads through simplified procedures. These ground-level initiatives involving local communities and contractors to maintain rural roads will enhance employment opportunities and improve the assets built.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary, Rural Development Mr J.K. Mohapatra said that wage payment on time is a major issue in MGNREGA and this must be rectified through suitable interventions.

In her address, Ms Sandra Polaski, DDG (Policy), ILO commended the Government of India for their leadership and efforts in overcoming the challenges in rural employment through these flagship schemes and other programmes.

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business and governance PhotograPh Š siPra das

SKYFINGERS

The Indian Air Force displays its phenomenal skills, drawing patterns in the October skies over Hindon

national War MeMorial The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi in October approved the construction of a National War Memorial and a National War Museum at Princess Park, near India Gate, New Delhi in memory of all Indian soldiers who have made the supreme sacrifice for the country post-independence.

The estimated cost of the project will be around Rs. 500 crore and the total time for completion of the entire project is estimated to be five years.

Post-Independence, more than 22,500 soldiers have made the supreme sacrifice in national interests and in defence of the sovereignty and integrity of the country.

However, even after 69 years of Independence, no memorial to commemorate the martyrs has been constructed till date. With the present decision of the Cabinet a long pending demand of the Armed Forces has been redressed.

It has been decided that the prestigious project will be monitored by an empowered Steering Committee chaired by Defence Secretary and assisted by a dedicated project management team, to ensure that the pro-

36 india empire | october 2015

posed project is completed within scheduled time frame. Post commissioning, a management body will be formed for maintenance of the National War Memorial and Museum.

business and governance

AdvAntAge HeAltHcAre IndIA Commerce Secretary Ms Rita A long run.

Teaotia in October inaugurated the Ms Teaotia added that the ‘Advantage Health Care India Government is making effort to 2015’, an international summit on promote India as a Premier Medical Value Travel. The summit Global Healthcare Destination was organized by the Department and enable streamlined medical of Commerce, Ministry of Comservices exports from India. This merce and Industry, Government of is a unique conglomeration of India, Federation of Indian Chamthe 5 T’s – Talent, Tradition, bers of Commerce and Industry Technology, Tourism and Trade.

(FICCI) and Services Export PromoIt will showcase India and its imtion Council (SEPC) at Pragati mense pool of medical capabiliMaidan, New Delhi. The summit ties as well as create was organised with an aim to proopportunities for healthcare colmote healthcare services exports laborations between the particifrom India. pating countries.

Speaking on the occasion, the Commerce Secretary exCommerce Secretary said that pressed the hope that the deliberMs Rita A Teaotia the purpose of this International ations at “Advantage Healthcare Summit in India is to reach out to India – 2015” would not only recountries and people in various regions of the world flect the voice of the sector, but also bring crucial stakefor collaborations and capacity- building in the holders together to think alike. This will also initiate a healthcare sector. The collaborations can benefit new campaign to create a roadmap for seamless Medmedical value travelers from various nations in the ical Value Travel to India.

PhotograPh © siPra das

INSURANCE MEETS INDUSTRY

Mr Anuj Mathur, Chief Executive Officer, Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance Company (left) and Dr Didar Singh, Secretary General, FICCI releasing Life Insurance Consumers’ Perspective at FICCI

october 2015 | india empire 37

DIASPORA NEWS

diaspora news

IndIan engIneers top Among Asian countries, India continues to be the top country of birth for scientists and engineers who have made the US their destination for key research and development, latest data has revealed.

With 950,000 out of Asia’s total 2.96 million, India’s 2013 figure represented an 85 per cent increase from 2003, according to a new report from the National Science Foundation’s National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES). From 2003 to 2013, the number of scientists and engineers residing in the US rose from 21.6 million to 29 million.

“An important factor in that increase over the same time period, the number of immigrant scientists and engineers went from 3.4 million to 5.2 million,” the report noted. Of the immigrant scientists and engineers in the US in 2013, 57 per cent were born in Asia while 20 per cent were born in North America (excluding the US), Central America, the Caribbean or South America. “While 16 per cent were born in Europe, six per cent were born in Africa and less than one per cent were born in Oceania. Immigrants went from making up 16 per cent of the science and engineering workforce to 18 per cent,” the NCSES statement read.

In 2013, the latest year for which numbers are available, 63 per cent of US immigrant scientists and engineers were naturalised citizens, while 22 per cent were permanent residents and 15 per cent

were temporary visa holders. Since 2003, the number of scientists and engineers from the Philippines increased 53 per cent and the number from China, including Hong Kong and Macau, increased 34 per cent.

The NCSES report found that immigrant scientists and engineers were more likely to earn post-baccalaureate degrees than their US-born counterparts.

In 2013, 32 per cent of immigrant scientists reported that their highest degree was a master’s (compared to 29 per cent of US-born counterparts) and 9 per cent reported it was a doctorate (compared to 4 per cent of US-born counterparts).

“The most common broad fields of study for immigrant scientists and engineers in 2013 were engineering, computer and mathematical sciences, and social and related sciences,” the report revealed.

Over 80 per cent of immigrant scientists and engineers were employed in 2013, the same percentage as their US-born counterparts. Among the immigrants in the science and engineering workforce, the largest share (18 per cent) worked in computer and mathematical sciences, while the second-largest share (eight per cent) worked in engineering.

Three occupations -- life scientist, computer and mathematical scientist, and social and related scientist - saw substantial immigrant employment growth from 2003 to 2013. ❐

october 2015 | india empire 39

DiASPorA newS

Punjab student scHolarsHiPs The Sikh Human Development Foundation, a Washington-based philanthropic organisation has raised over USD 210,000 for its scholarship programme for underprivileged children in Punjab who wish to pursue higher education. Over 350 guests from metropolitan Washington area came to support the Foundation at a gala, featuring pop singer Jaz Dhami in October.

SHDF has been giving scholarships to bright but poor students in Punjab and surrounding areas since 2001. Inviting all to donate, SHDF Chairman Gajinder Singh Ahuja said: “We need your help. They (students) need your help.”

Chief guest Mr Gurcharan Singh Kanwal donated USD 50,000. In recognition of their contributions towards higher education for the youth, Mr Kanwal and his wife Ms Kamaljit Kaur were honoured with the SHDF Community Higher Education Empowerment Award.

Mr Manpreet Singh, SHDF Board Member, said, “SHDF has been able to provide scholarships to over 4,000 students and more than 1,500 students have graduated and become professionals.” Many of them are supporting their siblings and have also started to donate back to SHDF.

SHDF’s scholarship is based on need and merit. Students are selected from colleges and universities throughout Punjab and surrounding areas with vigorous screening by the SHDF India Division based in New Delhi. Most of the students receiving assistance are from families earning less than a dollar a day per person. This programme is executed in partnership with sister organization Nishkam Sikh Welfare Council based in New Delhi.

AIF’s PHIlAdelPHIA cHAPter

The American India Foundation, dedicated to catalysing social and economic change in India, launched its eleventh chapter in the historic city of Philadelphia. The foundation is one of the largest development organisations in the US dedicated to helping poor and marginalised people in India.

AIF was founded by the initiative of former President Bill Clinton after the 2001 Gujarat Earthquake following a suggestion from then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Nearly a hundred people from the

40 india empire | october 2015

Greater Philadelphia region attended the event held at the Downtown Loews Philadelphia Hotel in October, according to the American Bazaar.

In the keynote address Al Jazeera America host Ali Velshi, whose great grand parents moved to Africa from Gujarat a century ago, recalled the struggles his forefathers had to endure in their adopted land. Mr Velshi praised the work AIF is doing to provide opportunities the less privileged in the Indian society.

Chief guest Mr Raj Gupta, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Delphi Automotive, stressed the importance of philanthropic work organizations such as AIF is doing in the US and India. “A dollar and 25 cents can make a difference,” he said, urging everyone to share their wealth. AIF CEO M. A. Ravi Kumar spoke about the mission of the organization.

Other speakers included the chapter founding members Mr Sanjay Gupta and Ms Kavita Gupta, AIF Senior Director of Philanthropy and Development Mr Venky Raghavendra and Mr Deepak Jolly, a vice president at Coca-Cola India. Philadelphia being the city of firsts and with the huge potential that it holds, it is important to have a strong presence and chapter here,” Sanjay Gupta told the American Bazaar.

DiASPorA newS

From Priest, Palmist and Astrologer to One of Kenya’s Richest Tycoons Mr Narendra Raval

B

orn in 1962 in a small village near Surendrangar, Gujarat, in a Brahmin family, he followed the Swaminarayan path from his boyhood. Getting up at 3:45 a. m., he helped with morning prayers at the local temple before going to school. After school, he helped with evening prayers. So when he got a chance to travel abroad to work as an assistant priest in Kenya, he wasted no time to land in Nairobi in 1978.

Then he became ‘guru’. He was told to hold religious classes for children everySunday. To tempt them to attend, he prepared tasty snacks for them after lessons. Soon the number rocketed from 12 to 250 children and he was called guru.

When he reached 21 years, he was pressurised by his family to get married. So he married a medical doctor in 1982, but had to stop work at the temple as priests could not marry. He had no money and did not know many people. But his astrology came in handy. At the temple, he met a person for whom he made some predictions. This person offered him a job as a worker in a steel factory which he grabbed. He worked and saved and opened a small shop and steel processing unit selling metal products with a loan from a benefactor in Nairobi’s low income suburb in 1990. He and his wife toiled. They worked up to 18 hours every day.

Gradually, he expanded his business, and established a steel rolling mill. Today, it has expanded into the Devki Group which primarily deals in steel, cement, infrastructure and real

From an assistant priest, palmist and an astrologer, Narendra Raval became a shopkeeper, an industrialist and now a multi-millionaire. Today, Raval owns Kenya’s largest steel and cement empire with a turnover of $650 million

By Kul Bhushan

estate. It was not easy. In the first factory, he laboured with the workers and developed a close rapport to treat them as his family members. The big competitors undercut him; so his raw materials piled up along with huge unsold stocks. He had no cash to pay his workers or his bank loan. In this desperate situation, the prices of metal products rocketed three times in a short period and he was able to sell his stock and pay wages and the bank loan.

Since then, he has expanded his business. In 1992, he set up a small steel rolling mill near Nairobi to manufacture roofing and fencing materials. Now Raval’s Devki Group owns four such mills, two cement factories in Kenya, and one in Ethiopia, Uganda and the Congo with $650 million in annual income.

The group employs more than 4,000 workers and is the largest building materials company in East and Central Africa.

Awarded the Order of the Burning Spear, the highest civilian award of Kenya, and a special philanthropy award by the British government, he has been interviewed in many African media, Times of India and made it to the front page of Forbes Africa this year.

Raval’s priority is helping the needy as he donates millions for education, nutrition and health care in Kenya and other African countries. “I am deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa,” he told Times of India, “I believe that wealth should be considered as a trust of the whole society and as trustees, individuals should use it for the benefit of society.” ❐ october 2015 | india empire 41

Book review

IMMIGRANT WOES

W

By Vikas Datta

hat can one do to outrun the vengeful past and escape inequality, gratuitous violence, and exploitation in a foreign land, or will these inequities stick as fast and close as a shadow no matter where one is? Is an unskilled immigrant’s life any better than a one-step-ahead-of-poverty existence in one’s homeland? These are hard but relevant questions Sunjeev Sahota personalises in a sweeping story of heartbreaks, betrayals and redemption - and it is evident why it has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize.

The second novel of Sahota is mostly set in Sheffield, a scenic city that can be considered either in England’s Midlands or the North. The fact however brings no comfort to a group of Indian immigrants thrown together in a cold, damp accommodation and doing any jobs they are lucky to get, some even holding two, to earn enough for their families back home, and too embroiled in the unforgiving present to dwell much on the “golden future” they visualised or were promised.

Among them, we follow three youth from different backgrounds -

42 india empire | october 2015

deftly shifts time, space and mood to chronicle the past of the three youth, while Narinder’s story comes within the spring part. Summer keeps to their daily struggles, the hardest of which is to protect their dreams from disappearing in the harsh circumstances they work and a momentous autumn in which events move towards a showdown. An epilogue set a few years subsequent details their futures.

Sahota, a third-generation British-Indian who debuted with “Ours Are the Streets” (2011) about a British Pakistani youth who becomes a suicide bomber, effortlessly captures the trial and tribulations of the immigrants, especially the unskilled illegal ones, who form almost a hidden community in their host countries, and have no recourse against exploitation and no access to the high level of rights and facilities available in these developed countries. And then there is no guarantee that their own compatriots will keen to offer much help, and as Tochi discovers, some prejudices can come over undiluted and even get stronger.

What the author also deftly manages is to get us involved in their lives and sympathise for them, even when they break the law (more actively then they have done till now) or take unethical advantages over their friends and associates. Apart from the immigrants and his families, Sahota skillfully depicts a range of supporting characters - a Tamil immigration agent in Delhi, air-hostesses on the take, Turkish long-distance truckers who smuggle immigrants into western Europe and English construction foremen well aware of the Punjabi language. The Indian Tochi or Tarlochan, a former auto-rickshaw driver from background is also well done but the Bihar part, espeBihar with unimaginable horrors in his past, Avtar, who cially the latter part, seems a little incongruous.

Sahota, who was adjudged the Granta Best Young has paid good money to reach Britain as a student (and British Novelist 2013, is competing has to make regular repayments to a with fellow Briton Tom McCarthy, Jaset of enforcers who threaten his Title: The Year of the maican Marlon James, US-based family back home too) and Randeep, Runaways Anne Tyler and Hanya Yanagihara who has a “visa-wife” living in a flat Author: Sunjeev Sahota and Nigerian Chigozie Obioma for on the other side of town where the the coveted prize, set to be ancupboards have his clothes and some Publisher: Picador India nounced later in October. Incidenother belongings in case an immigraPages: 480 tally, apart from him, James and tion department suddenly drop in to Yanagihara too are represented here check. But Narinder Kaur, who is Price: Rs 599 by Pan Macmillan India, under its from a family settled in Britain itself, Picador imprint. has the most surprising story of them all, though it will “The Year of the Runaways” may win or not, but as not be new for regular viewers of Bollywood fare. a depiction of the stark realities that unlucky, unqualiDivided into four seasons, the book chronicles a year fied immigrants face, it is unlikely to be bettered. in their lives beginning with winter, while Sahota also ❐

october 2015 | india empire 43

IE October 2015:Layout 1 10/19/2015 10:12 AM Page 44

diaspora news

Tandons’ MagnificenT

PhilanThroPy An Indian-American couple has announced a USD 100 million gift to the New York University School of Engineering in what is believed to be the largest philanthropic gift by a member of the IndianAmerican community. In recognition of Ms Chandrika and Mr Ranjan Tandon’s generosity and their belief in the school’s mission and promise, the school will be renamed the NYU Tandon School of Engineering.

The University has also agreed to a challenge

44 india empire | october 2015

from the donors to raise an additional, separate USD 50 million, which will be principally focused on scholarship aid, said NYU President Mr John Sexton and Mr Katepalli R. Sreenivasan, dean of the School of Engineering.

“We feel privileged to be able to participate in the transformation that is happening at NYU and at the School of Engineering,” said Ms Chandrika Tandon.

“We want to give back to the city that has given us so much. Our hope is that this gift will bring many more

Mr Ranjan and Ms Chandrika Tandon

of us together to re-invent engineering, advance New York’s efforts to become a science and tech capital, and foster the talents of young innovators, applied scientists, and entrepreneurs.

“We believe this is just the beginning,” she said.

The gift - which will principally support faculty hiring and academic programmes - is intended to build on the engineering school’s existing practice of cross-disciplinary innovation and entrepreneurship and achieve new levels of academic excellence in engineering.

Ms Chandrika Tandon is a member of the Board of Overseers of NYU’s business school, a member of the NYU Board of Trustees, and leads the NYU President’s Global Council. A former partner at McKinsey and Company, she is chair of Tandon Capital Associates, a financial advisory firm she founded in 1992. She is also a Grammy-nominated musician, with an album, “Soul Call”, nominated for Best Contemporary World Music in 2011.

Mr Ranjan Tandon, is an engineer by training and a graduate of the Harvard Business School. He is founder and chair of Libra Advisors, a hedge fund he founded in 1990 that is now a family office. Engineering was only recently restored to NYU after a 40-year absence when NYU merged with Polytechnic University in 2014. Since affiliating, the university has invested approximately USD 100 million in engineering, with improvements in facilities, faculty hiring, admissions, and fundraising and has also established the related Center for

Urban Science and Progress (CUSP).

This gift will accelerate the School of Engineering’s academic advancement, enabling it to develop new areas of strength in engineering and to hire additional faculty. ❐ october 2015 | india empire 45

CoLuMn: yoGi AShwini

MinD AnD BoDy

ATMACHINTAN

By Yogi Ashwini Yogi ashwini

T

his word comprises of two words ‘Atma’ and ‘Chintan’. Atma is what you really are and not what you see yourself as—this would make no sense to a being of kaliyug (the present yug). All you think yourself to be is only the physical form that you see, and this is what the role of kaliyug is—to delude you (bhramit karna).

Let us try and understand how kaliyug has its effect by going back in history, in the times of Yayati itself. (Yayati was the ancestor of kauravas and pandavas) Even after enjoying the pleasures of bhu lok for 4000 years (by exchanging his curse of old age with youth of his son Puru), he was not satisfied and could not believe that 4000 years had passed. So even adharmatma and noble king like Yayati, could not go beyond the svah (swarg) lok.

Shantanu was a descendant of Yayati. He wanted to marry Ganga but she put forth a condition that he must never question any of her actions and the day he broke this promise, she would leave him. Shantanu agreed and the two married. They had seven sons, six of whom were thrown into the ganges by Ganga as soon as they were born. When she was about to do the same to the seventh, Shantanu stopped her and asked her the reason behind this brutal act. Ganga stopped and told him that the seven sons were seven rishis who had been cursed to be born in bhu lok, she was relieving them of the curse by sending them back to where they belong. After this Ganga left Shantanu to fend for the seventh son alone. He grew up to become Devavratta or Bhishma (Devavratta continued to live and it is no secret that his was a life of constant suffering) So imagine, even being born as son to a King like Shantanu was a curse, and that by facilitating an early exit, Ganga bestowed a favour on her six sons! And each of you pray and long for longer life, and do not tire to be born again and again in this bhu loka. That is kaliyug, that which has screened the vision of a human being - each one is cursed and voluntarily strives to extend the period of the curse.

Ganga left, and Shantanu while wandering in forest lost his heart to the fisherwoman, Matsyagandha (who on marrying Shantanu was called Satyavati). Matsyagandha had nursed Rishi Parashar back to health, after he was injured in an attack by Sahastra Arjun. Rishi Vyas (who authored all the texts) was the son of Matsyagandha and Rishi Parashar. In today’s time, he might be considered an illegimate child, however back then there was no greater punya than rishi-seva. In fact, pleased by 46 india empire | october 2015

her service, Rishi Parashar gave her the boon to become a Rajkanya. And hence, Shantanu asked her father, for her hand in marriage. The fisherman agreed but on the condition that the child of Satyavati should inherit the throne. King Shantanu was helpless and seeing his father’s misery, Bhisma took the pledge of lifelong celibacy and got his father married to Satyavati.

Satyavati gave birth to two sons- Chitrangada and Vichitraveerya. Chitrangada died at an early age and Vichitraveerya acceded to the throne. Vichitraveerya being impotent, faced rejection in all marriage proposals. Due to this Bhishma abducted Amba, Ambika and Ambalika for marriage with Vichitraveerya. (Amba refused and asked Bhishma instead to marry her which he could not due to his pledge of celibacy.

Thus Amba was reborn as Shikhandi in the Mahabharat to seek vengeance from Bhishma). Vichitraveerya died without leaving any heir (being impotent) and so Satyavati requetsted her son Vyas to carry forward the bloodline.

Likewise Vyas had three sons, Dhritrashtra with Ambika, Pandu with Ambalika and Vidur with their maid. (Vidur was none other than yamraj, who again was cursed to be born to the bhulok!) Kauravas were born to Dhrirashtra and Pandavas to Pandu. (We all know the story of Pandu’s curse, and how Kunti produced the five Pandavas with the help of different Devas).

Although cursed, all these were great men with phenomenal powers and siddhis. They possessed divine astras such as the brahmastras, which no longer belonged here since the kaliyug was approaching and men with their inflated egos would have spelled doom for the Creation by deploying these astras (two brahmastras used simultaneously had the power of wiping out entire humanity). However, there was still time in the end of Creation. Hence Krishna was born with the purpose returning the divine astras and shastras to their rightful places while preserving the Creation from their effect. Krishna had to devise various ways so that no two people fire brahmastra at each other at the same time. For instance, Karna was cursed that when the time comes he would forget all that he had learnt. Thus he could not use Brahmastra when Arjun used it against him. Similarly, when Dronacharya was about to deploy it against Arjun, various Gods and Goddeses came down to request him not to.

Likewise when Ashwathama and Arjun did use it against each ❐ other, both were asked to take it back.

—The writer Yogi Ashwini Ji is the head of Dhyan Foundation, Delhi. For details contact: ashwiniyogi@yahoo.co.in