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Want Kindle? Check India’s Pi

By Priyanka Parashar NEW DELHI (Live Mint): The Infibeam Pi is India’s first home-grown e-book reader.

E-book readers are the hottest gadgets in the world right now, spurred mainly by online retailer Amazon’s Kindle, launched in 2007, and the announcement of the upcoming iPad from tech hipsters Apple Inc. Between 15 November and 19 December, Kindle became the highestselling gift item of all time on Amazon.com, beating the usual contenders—video games, physical books and Apple’s iPod. Almost every other tech giant, from Sony to Samsung, has unveiled e-book readers it plans to launch this year.

For the uninitiated, e-book readers use a special “E-ink” screen that simulates reading a physical book. The greyscale screen is a lowpower, non-backlit display, and can read and display documents in various formats.

Before the Pi’s launch, however, the only legal way of buying an e-book reader in the country was Amazon’s International Kindle—which, apart from numerous headaches with customs duties and a three-week shipping period, also cost you roughly around Rs18,000. The Pi has an introductory price of Rs9,999, including shipping.

At first glance, the Pi even looks like a cheaper Kindle. It’s missing the Qwerty keyboard of Amazon’s device; instead it has a four-way directional button for most navigation requirements. The Pi has a tacky plastic feel to it. In the review copy we received, the battery case was screwed on incorrectly, and could only be refitted after removing a bunch of screws.

The absence of the keyboard robs the device of some convenient e-book reader features— such as search and basic note-taking—but the Pi somewhat makes up for it with a rudimentary on-screen keyboard for searches within books.

It also plays MP3s, a useful feature for those wanting some quiet reading in a noisy place.

The Pi has 512MB of onboard memory, sufficient for nearly 150-200 books, and is expandable through an SD card slot.

The Pi’s screen is clear and sharp, and reading

Gold $1120.50

is a painless experience. Once you get over the initial wariness of reading from a screen, the device quickly becomes a pleasure to use—we raced through nearly 300 pages of a 598-page, non-fiction title with no problems at all, and it beat lugging around a hardcover on a bus or Metro.

The onboard operating system suffers from slightly sluggish performance, and takes a good 40 seconds to boot up. We didn’t experience a single crash or freeze, though the navigation buttons sometimes took a good hard press to register. One annoying feature is that the device shuts down after about 15 minutes of disuse. When this happens, the Pi also seems to sometimes lose track of where you were in the book. This means having to wait through the 40-second boot-up sequence again, and spending a good few minutes getting back to the page you were on. This doesn’t happen when the Pi is charging. But most of these issues can be solved through a simple software update, and are not deal breakers. The Pi is solid, though we’re not confident about the buttons holding up during prolonged use.

The battery life is generous, and can easily last you up to a 1,000 pages of reading on a full charge. The device also has support for Indian languages, a supremely useful feature for those reading multilingual manuscripts or textbooks.

Infibeam’s e-book store is disappointing.

Those buying the Pi will have to rely mostly on “personal collections” or e-books purchased from other sites to get the books they want.

Infibeam promises a selection of up to 100,000 titles soon, but seems rather sparsely populated at the moment. A quick search for popular authors such as Chetan Bhagat and Shiv Khera produced no results. Among the better stocked sections of the store is “classics”.

On the whole, the Pi offers a competent device at an aggressive price. It’s not quite the Kindle—its build quality is a bit suspect, and the e-book store is poor—but is well worth picking up. It’s a good e-book reader that’s one or two software updates away from challenging your paperback collection.

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The Two-in-One Man

The Yahoo India managing director is as serious about the Internet as he is about being a DJ

By Veena Venugopal Arun Tadanki has a split personality. By day, he is the jeans-sporting head of an Internet company and by night, he is a disc jockey who spins his tracks in nightclubs. So this edition of Business Lounge required two meetings—one over machinebrewed tea at the Yahoo India office and the other spiked with rum and coke, spent mostly in the smoking room of Gurgaon’s spot for rock music, Turquoise Cottage.

Perhaps because he works these two professions (he is emphatic that playing music is not just a hobby), 39-year-old Tadanki has to pack a lot into his day. He manages this by talking very fast and sleeping very little.

My extensive research (on Wikipedia) showed that the average human speech consists of about 150 words a minute. Tadanki packs in about 270 words (including 15 “you knows”).

That’s 80% more than the average.

On the night we met at Turquoise Cottage, he walked me to my car at 1am and then went back upstairs to hang around a little longer. “I can manage four nights a week of going to bed after 2 in the night and getting to work by 9am,” he says.

Which is just as well because there is a lot he is trying to change at Yahoo India.

Tadanki joined Yahoo last

year, a few months after Microsoft’s deal to acquire it fell apart. “I was following the news and my opinion was that something positive was emerging after the debacle and the company was clearer about where it wants to go. I knew at the back of my mind that there could still be some frustrations and

a lot of baggage here, so I wasn’t expecting things to be hunky-dory,” he says.

Before he joined Yahoo, Tadanki was president, AsiaPacific, of the job search company Monster. He was then an advertiser with Yahoo. “There are so many things about Yahoo that I didn’t know, even though I used to advertise with them.

Yahoo is the leading property in categories like mail, messenger, movies, news and sports. But all of that gets hidden by what happens in one little category called search,” he says.

Since he brought it up, I ask him about Google and how Yahoo has been left agape as Google seduced us first with search and now mail and messenger. That is the Internet equivalent of waving a red rag at a bull.

Tadanki gets aggressive.

“As far as the consumer is concerned, Yahoo is the leading mail service provider in India, the largest in the globe, and significantly, the leading player in markets like the US. The numbers are strongly in favour of Yahoo,” he says.

I am not convinced and he mumbles, “Sometimes, I feel the media is predisposed towards Google.” - Mint

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Tatas’ Dialog to Bring Internet to TV KOLKATA(IANS): Telecom service provider Tata Teleservices (TTSL) Thursday announced the launch of DIALOG, a product that enables customers to connect to the internet on their television set.

Customers can access the internet without a desktop or laptop, transforming the TV set into a multimedia device with the help of DIALOG. “We are launching the product first time in the country simultaneously in Chennai and Kolkata.

We will take three months for the testing period and after that we will go for an allIndia launch of DIALOG in the first quarter of FY11,” TTSL national sales head Abhijit Sanyal said here at a press meet.

“In today’s day and age, the television set is a common and essential commodity in all households-we will help our customers experience the unique proposition of turning on their televisions to access the internet, check their e-mails, watch streaming video and listen to online music,” said Sanjiv Sinha, Regional Head (East) and Chief Operating Officer of Tata Teleservices Limited CDMA Operations in Kolkata.

Indian Air Force Missile Falls in Chirala HYDERABAD: A missile which could have been test fired by the Indian Air Force from its Suryalanka Air Force Station fell in a civilian area in Chirala town of Prakasam district on lastThursday night. None was injured as the missile did not explode.

The four-feet-long missile with four directional fins fell near the railway track adjacent to the compound of Indian Leaf Tobacco Division (ILTD) of the ITC.The location where the missile fell is surrounded by houses.Chirala circle inspector Ramakoteshwara Rao told The Hindu: “The diameter is as big as the steering of a jeep. We do not know whether it has got explosives. It’s very hot,” Mr. Rao said.

Police could only conjecture that the missile was from the Suryalanka station. There was no official confirmation from the Air Force authorities.

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TCS Bags Multi-Year Deal from UK Govt Anand Mahindra Wins E&Y Entrepreneurship Award

NEW DELHI: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has bagged a multiyear deal from the British government to administer the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST). “TCS is delighted to be confirmed as the preferred bidder to deliver the NEST scheme administration solution and services,” N Chandrasekaran, CEO and MD of TCS told to PTI. Personal Accounts Delivery Authority (PADA), a non-departmental public body (NDPB), will sign a contract with TCS later this month, which will be divided into two stages and running into 10 years, PADA said in a statement. The first stage will run to October 2010, allowing TCS to begin the activity required to set up and administer NEST. NEST is the new low cost pension scheme, previously known as personal accounts that any employer can use to meet new workplace pension duties starting from 2012. However, neither TCS nor PADA gave any financial details of the deal. The contract could further be extended for up

Mahindra will represent India at the E&Y world entrepreneur of the year award competition in Monte Carlo, Monaco, in May

to five years.

“As we proceeded through our detailed procurement process TCS emerged as an extremely strong bidder, both in terms of their capabilities in pension administration and in their ability to provide value for money for NEST members,” PADA Chief Executive Tim Jones said.

Air India Picks Four Directors

The PMO cleared the appointment of the independent directors earlier this week, will issue orders soon

By Tarun Shukla & K. Raghu HYDERABAD / BANGALORE: The government has chosen four new independent directors, including Anand Mahindra, vice-chairman and managing director of the Mahindra Group, to join the board of Air India as part of a plan to turn around the loss-making national airline, two people familiar with the development said.

The others named to the board are former Indian Air Force chief Fali H. Major, Ambuja Realty Group chairman Harshavardhan Neotia, and Amit Mitra, secretary-general of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, an industry lobby group.The board is being reconstituted after more than a year.

The Prime Minister’s Office cleared the appointments earlier this week and orders will be issued in a few days, a civil aviation ministry official said. “They will be taking part in the next board meeting,” he said.

An Air India executive confirmed the development. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity.

Mahindra could not be reached on

Friday as his company said he was not in the country. Neotia could not be reached either. Major confirmed he is joining the board.

Mitra said the focus of the new board would be on low-cost services, maximizing utilization and improving public perception about the airline.

“If this team cannot bring in change, no team can,” he said over the phone from New Delhi.

The board of Air India, run by state-owned National Aviation Co. of India Ltd, is expected to meet later in March to finalize the airline’s costcutting strategy so it can get another infusion of equity capital from the government.

The airline plans to reduce the salary of each of its more than 30,000 employees by 15-17%, Mint had reported on 4 March. Air India has sought Rs5,000 crore in equity infusion from the government to boost its debt-raising ability. The government has approved Rs800 crore in two equal tranches and has pegged any future infusion to effective cost cutting by the airline.

MUMBAI: Anand Mahindra, vice-chairman and managing director of industrial conglomerate Mahindra Group, was named Indian entrepreneur of the year 2009 by audit and consultancy firm Ernst and Young Pvt. Ltd (E&Y) on Tuesday.

Seven other corporate leaders of India were conferred awards in various categories, part of E&Y’s global business award programme that spans 50 nations, the company said in a statement.

Mahindra will represent India at the E&Y world entrepreneur of the year award competition in Monte Carlo, Monaco, in May. N. Vaghul, former chairman, ICICI Bank Ltd, won the lifetime achievement award.

Other winners included Amit Mittal, chairman and managing director, A2Z Maintenance and Engineering Services Pvt. Ltd (start-up category); Vikram Akula, chairperson, SKS Microfinance Pvt. Ltd (business transformation); Harsh C. Mariwala, chairman and managing director, Marico Ltd. (manufacturing); O.P. Bhatt, chairman and managing di-

Anand Mahindra

rector, State Bank of India (manager); Pankaj R. Patel, chairman and managing director, Zydus Cadila Healthcare Ltd (healthcare and life sciences); and Shashi Kiran Shetty, chairman and managing director, Allcargo Global Logistics Ltd (services).

“The winners are outstanding individuals who have not only built best-in-class businesses, but have

demonstrated tremendous resilience and tenacity in dealing with uncertainty as also displayed the ability to put India back on track quickly,” said Rajiv Memani, chief executive and country managing partner, E&Y. A jury headed by M. Damodaran, chairman of Damodaran Group and former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India, selected the winners.-Mint

Anti-Intrusion System for IGI Airport from Next Month NEW DELHI: In a bid to ensure enhanced security for the Indira Gandhi International airport, a new hi-tech anti-intrusion system will be installed soon.

The mechanism known as the Perimeter Intrusion Detection System (PIDS) will be deployed by mid-April this year along the 37 kilometres of the airport periphery, a top security official said.

“We are in the process of installing the system. It would be done by the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) authorities,” Director General of CISF N R Das told reporters here. The CISF is in charge of the airport’s security.

The system will detect unauthorised entry through the perimeter walls of the airport. Recently, an intruder was spotted on a runway after he sneaked into the airport by scaling the boundary wall, an incident which the CISF said was a “failure” on its part.

The new system, sources said, will

have taut wire, buried cables and hi-tech CCTV cameras along with radars to effectively track any kind of intrusion on the airport land.

Once the system is put in place, all the equipment will work in tandem.

“If a person does intrude and step on the airport land, the underground cables will send a signal to the camera which will instantly zoom in on the intrusion point. This would be followed by an alarm, thereby alerting the security officials posted there,” a source said.

Das also said that the large airports like Mumbai and Delhi will have an increased presence of CISF security personnel on the city side.

“The city side deployment has been there at the Delhi airport. At the Mumbai airport we are in the process of making the arrangement,” he said.

CISF Additional Director General (Airport sector) M S Bali said that security measures are changed and enhanced as aviation security is a

“dynamic concept” and terrorists also keep on changing methods.

“The modus operandi they (terrorists) have used once may not be used again. I am just saying this may be a view... May be correct or not.. That in future the terrorists may think of attempting a straight hijacking... But there have been cases of passengers trying to overpower the hijackers...

“They (terrorists) may now try to attack the airports at peak hours from the frontal side so that they are able to inflict maximum damage... We keep on taking all these factors into our planning and it is for this reason we have got deployed on the city side at bigger airports,” Bali said.

The airport security will also be enhanced by another 900 CISF security staff as the new T3 terminal is coming up at IGI. The security personnel will also be trained to man CCTV control room in view of the airport expansion and also the Commonwealth Games, Das said.

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Free Trade Agreement Talks with EU to be Stepped Up NEW DELHI: India and the European Union (EU) on Thursday, March 5 agreed to ‘intensify’ the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with the aim to conclude the FTA by October ahead of the India-EU summit.

An agreement to this effect was reached between the visiting newly appointed European Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht and Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma during their bilateral meeting here.

“India and the EU agreed to give mandate to their negotiators to intensify talks and sort out the contentious issues in the next few months. In a followup action, a review meeting would be held at the political level to thrash out any other pending problem to conclude an agreement before the IndiaEU summit in October,’’ an official spokesman of the Commerce Ministry said here after TRADE NEGOTIATIONS: European Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht (right) with Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma in the meeting.

Mr. Sharma told Mr. De Gucht New Delhi on Thursday, March 4. that India was looking forward to a balanced and ambitious out- largest trading partner, but the talks of the negotiations.

Talking to newsmen here, Mr. De come and significant gains were have run into a wall of differences, Gucht said efforts would be made to especially over EU efforts to link expected for Indian companies from hammer out all contentious issues trade with sensitive topics which the FTA. He also urged the EU before October. He stressed on Trade Commissioner to impress India wants to keep off the table.

The negotiations have been the need for India to allow bigger upon European companies to come dogged by disagreements over market access for European comand invest in a big way in infrastrucmarket access, intellectual property panies, clarity on public procureture expansion being undertaken

by India. An FTA with the EU had rights, EU’s insistence on including ment policy and services which the potential to create new export social issues like climate change had stalled the talks till now. “The opportunities worth $9 billion for and child labour. However, India child labour and climate change Indian industries. India began ne- has made it clear that child labour issues have to be addressed and gotiations for FTA with the EU, its and environment issues are not part EU Parliament will never agree to a deal that remains silent on these issues. But they are not likely to be binding issues,’’ he added. At the same time, Mr. De Gucht said the EU was ready to address the concerns of India with regard to services, especially granting more access to skilled professionals for working in EU countries. Trade between India and the EU has grown by 16 per cent annually and now stands at $106.4 billion.

It is less than one-fifth of the EU’s trade with China.

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India 9th Among Top 10 World’s Largest Industrialized Economies BANGALORE: China has become the second largest industrial manufacturer in the world, says a United Nations Industrial Development Organization report. According to the report ‘International Yearbook of Industrial Statistics 2010’, two more developing countries - India and Brazil - figure in the list of top 10 industrial manufacturers globally at the ninth and tenth positions.

Germany ranks fourth, followed by France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Russia. “With this development, China unseats Japan and is trailing behind the United States,” UNIDO said.It added that China’s share of the global total of manufacturing value (MVA) was at 15.6 percent, slightly higher than Japan, which stands at 15.4 percent.

The United States maintains its number one spot at 19 percent. While China has a lead in absolute amount of production, the UN also pointed out that Japan is still the world’s most industrialised country, in terms of MVA per capita, totaling nearly $9,000 compared to $700 for China.

The three countries, U.S., China and Japan produce half of the world’s manufacturing output, UNIDO said.

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Survey: APJ Kalam, Ratan Tata are India’s Most Trusted People NEW DELHI: Former president APJ Abdul Kalam and industrialist Ratan Tata top the list of 100 most trusted Indians while artist MF Husain is at 91 and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati is at the very bottom, according to a survey by the Reader’s Digest.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is ranked seventh, one place below chess grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand, Sachin Tendulkar is at number eight and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen at 10th place along with Wipro chairman Azim Premji and Indian Space Research Organisation M Madhavan Nair.

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi is ranked 29th in the survey published in the March edition of Reader’s Digest that hit the stands Tuesday.

Others in the top 10 list of India’s most trusted Indians are former police officer Kiran Bedi (3rd), Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy (4th), music composer AR Rahman (5th) and cartoonist RK Laxman (9th).

Among India’s most trusted professions, teachers are at the top, followed rather surprisingly by firefighters and farmers follow at number three.

Scientists and members of the armed forces share fourth position, with doctors at sixth, pilots at seventh, pilots at seventh, surgeons at eighth, nurses at ninth and engineers at 10th.

At the bottom end of the scale of 40

Former Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

most trusted professions are religious leaders (35), lawyers (36), police officers (37), government officials (38), realtors (39) and politicians (40).

“The survey was conducted online by market research firm Digital Edge that sent out 5,000 invitations, with 761 people responding by the cutoff date,” Digest editor Mohan Sivanandan told IANS on the phone from Mumbai.

“The survey covered 30 cities, with

Tata Motors Chairman Ratan Tata

two-thirds of the respondents being under 35, possessing a bachelor’s degree and three-fourth’s male,” he added.

Given this, Sivanandan has added a caveat in his editorial in the Digest.

“Although we cannot claim this survey to be absolutely scientific, you’ll agree with me that the overall results mirror public perceptions fairly accurately. Equally interesting are the views and explanations from experts. On a personal note, I

don’t have cause to rejoice, because journalists are ranked 30th among 40 professions, just below plumbers,” the editorial says.

Thus, the survey has more than its share of surprises, with cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni ranked at 42nd, way below shooter Abhinav Bindra (25th), while tennis star Sania Mirza is at 81st. The respondents gave a massive thumbs down to politicians and sports administrators.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader L.K.

Advani is at 94, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee at 96, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar at 97, Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Prakash Karat at 98 and former railway minister Lalu Prasad at 99.Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi is just one notch above Advani.

Bollywood and the small screen have their share of places with actors Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan at 14 and 18 respectively, with TV comic Jaspal Bhatti at 43, scriptwriter Javed Akhtar at 46, Shah Rukh Khan at 53, Sushmita Sen at 64, Rajnikanth at 67, Kamal Haasan at 71, director Anurag Kashyap at 78, Malayalam actor Mohanlal at 80, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at 82 and TV serial producer Ekta Kapoor at 95.

Among the other surprises in the list, President Pratibha Patil is ranked way below at 67, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia at 41, Home Minister P. Chidambaram at 50, novelist Khushwant Singh at 51 and environmentalist R.K. Pachauri at 61 along with TV anchor Rajdeep Sardesai.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi is at 72, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee at 73, Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor at 84, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Arun Jaitley at 86, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi at 87 and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at 89.-HT

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Ford Launches Figo Newly launched Figo car by Ford in New Delhi. The car has been priced at Rs. 3.5-4.48 lakh.

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India’s Rajya Sabha Passes Historic Women’s Reservation Bill NEW DELHI (HT): The display board in the Rajya Sabha read: Ayes 186, Noes 1. The Constitution (Hundred and eighth) Amendment Bill 2008, commonly known as the women’s reservation bill, was finally on its way, cleared by the House on Tuesday evening.

The Bill seeks to reserve a third of the seats of the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for 15 years on a rotational basis. It was first introduced in 1996, but took 14 years for another version of it to be put to vote.History had been made. “It’s a great step forward,” said an exultant Sonia Gandhi, who is largely credited with insisting on its passage despite opposition from some political parties and skeptics within her party.

“It’s a celebration of womanhood,” said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. “We are rewriting gender history,” said Arun Jaitley, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

Sharad Joshi, an Independent MP from Maharashtra, cast the solitary negative vote. Other opponents of

the bill had been Yadav (JD-U) She said either carried away she hoped they would

by House marshals understand. The Con— all the seven susgress believes it tried its pended MPs of the best to keep the Yadavs Samajwadi Party, on board, but they left Rashtriya Janata them with no choice.

Dal and Lok JanPrime Minister Singh shakti Party — or met them in the mornhad walked out, ing, but was unable to such as the Bahujan turn them around.

Samaj Party MPs. Banerjee too stuck to The Bill seeks her guns. UPA leaders to reserve a third considered adjournof the seats of the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, BJP leader ing the House without Lok Sabha and Najma Heptullah and CPI (M) leader Brinda Karat show victory sign passing the Bill. But state assemblies as they celebrate the passing of Women’s Reservation Bill in Rajya Sonia was not about for 15 years on a Sabha, in New Delhi. to give up now. She rotational basis. It walked into a meeting third in the Rajya Sabha. was first introduced in 1996, but took And an angry ally, Mamata Ba- of the Congress’s core group at 1.20 14 years for another version of it to be nerjee. Her party MPs boycotted the and left 25 minutes later — all smiles. put to vote. voting. She was upset as she was not The party had made up its mind.

Its passage — after 36 hours of high consulted on the voting and she didn’t It would not hesitate to have the intensity politics in full glare of TV like the fact that some MPs were unruly protestor physically removed lights — leaves the ruling UPA pre- physically evicted. She also wanted from the house. It would not be scared cariously positioned in both Houses: reservation for Muslims in the bill. by loss of numbers. two seats over the half-way mark in The Congress had earlier consid“I will be talking to her,” said Sonia. the Lok Sabha and a little short of a What about Lalu Prasad and Sharad ered ramming the Bill through the

House - without a discussion. But the opposition, which was supporting the Bill, insisted on one.

The House met at 2 pm, to be adjourned against until 3. In the hour in between Congress managers took on board the other parties. When the House reconvened, the seven suspended RJD, LJP and SP MPs refused to leave. They walked into the Well – the area just in front of the Chairman’s podium – and shouted slogans against the Bill and the government.

Soon they were carried away by the marshals. After a debate, the chairman put the Bill to vote. And the Bill was through.

It had been a nerve-wracking day and no one was backing down. The Congress saw in the Bill a chance to strengthen its claim on women votes, and the BJP was playing the same game.

For Lalu and Mulayam it was about getting back their Muslim votes. But the Congress was going for broke.

“I was aware of the risks involved,” said Gandhi.

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Chennai’s Triplicane: Home to Bachelor Pads in the City

By Pushpa Iyengar

CHENNAI (Outlook):Aroom with a fan, a tubelight, a “cot” and a shared bathroom may not sound like much.

But when it comes for just Rs 1,000 per month, and is in the heart of the city, within easy distance of the beach and the cinema, it is a young man’s paradise. Especially in a city that remains staid, despite its trappings of modernity, and does not regard single men as ideal tenants. “With the concept of ‘paying guest’ alien to a conservative place like Chennai, the mansions came up to fill a need, as more and more young men came here to study, or for jobs,” points out mansionite Ramalingam, who works in a human resource consultancy.

Today, some 200 “mansions” are crammed into the lanes and bylanes of Triplicane (Thiruvallikeni for purists), two- or three-storey structures with about 30 to 60 rooms apiece, some with “character”, crumbling balconies and forlorn courtyards, others rebuilt or renovated in lurid colours. Around them, nearly 100 eating joints feed thousands of mansionites. You cannot throw a stone without hitting a “mess” serving “meals ready”, biriyani joints, idlis for just Rs 2 a piece, or carts selling “fast food” whose USP is not hygiene but price. Many bachelors queue up at the 37-year-old Kasivinayaga mess, where the food, served on a banana leaf, is the closest they get to home cooking. “It once used to cost Rs 1.50 for a meal,” recalls Vasudevan, the owner. Even now, at Rs 35, it is the cheapest, most wholesome meal

“Mansions” in Chennai’s Triplicane has become the home away from home for backelors in the city for studying and jobs.

in town. Matronly mamis living in the agraharams, the Brahmin enclaves that lie cheek-by-jowl with the mansions, also augment their incomes by supplying meals to bachelors.

Originally a hub for boys from modest homes, Triplicane began to also attract a more gentrified crowd with Chennai becoming a software and banking city. Some mansions acquired cachets of comfort like TVs, ACs and services such as regular cleaning, to lure upwardly mobile young MBAs, and quite a few have found the proposition irresistible.

Rents rarely go over Rs 3,000 and not just food, but washing and ironing are also available on tap, promising a deliciously carefree bachelor life. There are downsides, of course, from poor sewerage, to erratic water (which can be salty too, because of Triplicane’s proximity to the sea) and electricity supply, and rather less spit and polish than some would like. “But,” asks P. Narendran, an officer at the Royal Bank of Scotland on Anna Salai, “Where else in Chennai can you walk to work?” He has been staying for the

last 18 months at King’s Palace, one of the fancier lodges, and, like many residents, will move out only when his bachelorhood is taken away.

Successive generations of mansionites have luxuriated in Triplicane’s cheerful anonymity and the opportunities for male bonding—not to mention abridged dressing—that abound in this monastic world, where women are not allowed to visit, leave alone stay, at the boarding houses.

T.E. Narasimhan, a journalist with the Business Standard, who lived with his parents in a nearby agraharam, recalls going out with mansionite friends (one of whom is now the GM of a shipping company in Malaysia, another works for a software firm in Chennai) to late-night movies and then crashing with them at their digs.

Today, too, residents tell stories about smuggling in guests (to avoid paying extra) and other late-night revelry. “The camaraderie stays even when you move away and start another life. There’s nothing like sharing a plate of biriyani and cups of

tea while discussing current events, books—and your future,” says Raja Swami, a software engineer, who has set his sights on Silicon Valley.

These days, however, the subject most discussed in Triplicane’s rooms and dining halls is how long its unique sub-culture will survive the March 13 inaugural of Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi’s magnum opus, Chennai’s spanking new Assembly and Secretariat complex in Omandurar Estate, just a stone’s throw from the mansions. Will it remain an insouciant enclave of bachelordom when security drills, police verification, and all the other trappings of vip proximity come into place in the security zone to which it now belongs?

Some things are changing, for sure.

Already, there is talk with Orwellian undertones, of ID cards, scanners and CCTV cameras. Says V.A. Ravi Kumar, joint commissioner of police (central zone): “Never in the past has the assembly been so close to mansions and commercial complexes.

We have to take precautions because anonymity cannot exist.” He even speaks of each mansion ultimately having a scanner to check those entering and exiting.

S. Dhasthagir, secretary of the Mansion Owners Association, reveals the police have asked the owners to instal surveillance cameras, provide a list of residents with proof of their identity, and employer references. Smuggling guests in, and the impish delight that came with it, in cocking a snook at the management, will soon be history. And residents are getting used

to waking the watchmen when they return late, to open gates that are now locked by 11 pm.

Owners take a practical approach— they really have no choice. “We could be at risk if the police arrests someone and he says he is staying in a mansion,” points Mohammed Haris, owner of King’s Palace. Some residents, like sharemarket businessman P. Movendran, see benefits in the new security regimen, like thefts and traffic nightmares being reduced. But others, among them bloggers who spent their salad days in Triplicane’s mansions, and are now ensconced in other parts of India or the world, are already in mourning. As one blogger, Raj, puts it: “Triplicane’s beauty will be lost....”

But it’s not just young men who find sanctuary here. The old, lonely and unwanted do as well, embracing mansion life to avoid the hardships and indignities of the world beyond.

People like M. Thangavelu (62). The retired bank official is separated from his wife, and chose to live in a mansion over staying with his married daughters. A veteran blood donor (he has given blood 124 times), this sprightly man has lived here seven years and loves it. He says, “The other bachelors call me ‘uncle’ and come to me for advice; I see smiling faces here, as compared to a lonely life elsewhere, and having to move from a flat every time the landlord hikes the rent by a few thousands.”

Age has its own priorities, for he says the mansion is safer now—thanks to the new security drill.

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Sports Research: What Makes Sachin Tireless?

By G.S.Mudur NEW DELHI: In an age when it is fashionable to say 30 is the new 40, Sachin Tendulkar’s double century in Gwalior has reminded the world and some sports medicine experts that “we do not yet know the limits of human performance”.

The stamina and bat swings, which helped Tendulkar defy the perceptions associated with a person two months short of 37, spring from high endurance levels and superior neuromuscular co-ordination he has maintained at his age, sports medicine experts said.

Sports doctors said that while Tendulkar’s feat of scoring the first double century in one-day international cricket matches wasn’t surprising, it was commendable and possible only through rigorous training, exercise and experience.

“There’s nothing surprising about great sports performance at this age,” said Ashok Ahuja, consultant to the Asian Cricket Council and former head of the department of sports medicine at the National Institute of Sports, Patiala. “Both endurance as well as strength are trainable and flexible and — we do not yet know the limits of human performance,” Ahuja told The Telegraph. The batsman’s task of watching a bowler run in and pitch the ball, following its movement as it hurtles towards the wicket, and selecting an appropriate shot require fine co-ordination of the eyes, hands and muscles.

“All the main joints are crucial for the batsman — the shoulders, elbows, the lower back, wrist, knees and ankles — he’ll need all for different tasks,” said Prateek Gupta, a sports medicine specialist at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi.

“Each joint plays specific roles — for instance, the lower back facilitates

twisting movements of the body that are important for swings of the bat,” Gupta said. “The wrists allow the player to fine-tune the angle of the shot.” In the past, biomechanical problems have affected Tendulkar’s game. Cricket analysts recall that in the Chennai Test against Pakistan in 1999, Tendulkar scored a near-

match-winning century in the fourth innings. But he was caught out when he apparently could not stretch his body far enough to strike the ball because of a bad back.

From 2003, when his tennis-elbow problem flared up, Tendulkar gave up some of his trademark lofted shots, preferring more controlled batting.

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Australian scientists had shown through an experimental method three years ago that skilled batsmen had superior capabilities to make use of pre-bounce ball flight information to anticipate its actual flight and guide successful bat-ball interception.

Researchers Sean Muller and Bruce Abernethy from the University of Queensland had examined the skills of high- and low-skilled batsmen to intercept balls, and published their findings in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sports. The researchers had observed six highly skilled batsmen and six low-skilled players from the Australian Cricket Academy.

They found that world-class batsmen were uniquely capable of studying the motion of the bowling arm and hand to predict what type of delivery would be bowled before the actual release of the ball. “Experience itself can contribute to building the concentration for neuromuscular co-ordination required for such anticipation of ball movements and the split-second planning of shots,” Ahuja said. - Telegraph

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de Bono: All Governments Need a Minister of Thinking

The master thinker on why thinking must be taken seriously by schools, corporations and governments NEW DELHI: Sell them to Playboy,” said the amiable 77-year-old guru of lateral thinking, Edward de Bono, after posing for pictures against a colourful backdrop at a Gurgaon hotel recently. The veteran creative thinker (and qualified physician), who believes that “thinking” must be taught as a subject in schools, was in India to give lectures under the Guru Mantra Series organized by Global Village Unlimited.

He spoke about his big idea for India in an interview. Edited excerpts: You must have come to India many times. How do you think the country has changed?

I haven’t counted, but I first came when Mountbatten was the Viceroy because he was a family friend. So it was way back… I haven’t got enough chance to analyse the country.

Creativity in organizations—isn’t that a contradiction in terms? Organization essentially means discipline…

You are right in a sense because people in an organization who are supposed to be very good, are people who have absorbed the values, culture and idiom of that organization. That’s what we call main track thinking. Creativity requires some new track thinking. So it is quite difficult for people in an organization to have what the Americans call out-of-the- box thinking.

However, the processes and techniques of creativity can be learnt, practised and used. One of my trainers running a workshop in South Africa generated 21,000 ideas in an afternoon by using one of my tools.

You started talking about thinking many years ago. Isn’t the idea of lateral thinking outdated?

Edward de Bono, author and management trainer

It is being used in thousands of schools. The Chinese government is doing a pilot project in five provinces. If they like the results they will put it in 680,000 schools. Teaching my thinking as a separate subject in school increases performance in every subject by between 30% and 100%, be it maths, science or history. I was told by a Nobel Prize-winning economist a few weeks ago that in a meeting recently, top economists in the United States were using my Six Thinking Hats (de Bono’s best-selling treatise). So the concept is still relevant.

You never thought of a seventh thinking hat?

No. The reason is that the brain can hold six or maximum seven things in perception. After that it starts subdividing. It cannot hold them as a whole. I said six or maximum seven—so that leaves a reserve of one. If there is some real need for a seventh one, then I will put it in. It (the need) hasn’t come up.

Are you launching any new ideas?

I am launching ideas-at-a-distance so that I don’t have to travel so much. Under this, organizations can send me the areas where they want ideas and I would generate new ideas for them.

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Piquant Punch: India’s Satirical Websites Attract Audiences

NEW DELHI (Outlook): As India struggled against a swashbuckling Aussie side in the ongoing hockey World Cup, the only thing worth smiling about was a post on the blog Short Puts. It read, “Maybe our players think it’s like cricket. We get to bat in the second half.” And at its laconic best, all Short Puts needed was thirteen words to send up Asha Bhosle, when she decided to stand up for the rights of all Indians to live and work in Mumbai—“Asha Bhosle: Mumbai for all who work hard. Damn. I’m still left out.”

If these asides have got you giggling, the good news is that Short Puts is just one of a raft of websites devoted to making you secretly chuckle in your cramped workstation and laugh raucously in less confined spaces.And more often than not, it is the eternally bubbling pot of Indian current affairs that is keeping these humour-mongers busy. They respond to “breaking news” with the alacrity of the average TV channel, but instead of hyperbole and sensationalism, you get crackling satire. Needless to say, the media, cricketers, Bollywood and politics are all fair game.

So, when Pranab Mukherjee extolled the solar rickshaw in his budget speech, the website fakingnews.com was quick to post a mock-serious explanatory “quote” from the finance minister: “A rickshaw puller would need less muscular energy to drive a solar rickshaw. So the demand for muscular energy, which is derived from nutrition and food, goes down.

This would mean less demand for food, which will bring down the rising food prices.” If Faking News is to be believed, N.D. Tiwari gave up his governor’s post to sell Tiwari’s Testosterone Tablets and Parliament was adjourned to discuss pregnancy rumours about Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

In fact, Faking News goes where the mainstream media rarely can, and Rahul Roushan, the man behind the site, seems to have no fear of reprisals.

“One can’t stop doing something just because of a possible risk. As Rocket Singh put it, ‘Risk toh Spiderman ko bhi lena padta hai’ (Even Spiderman has to take risks),” he says with a wink. Rahul, an iim-a graduate and independent management consultant in Delhi, first kicked off Faking News as a blog on what the pandits might call an inauspicious day for him and his ilk—September 15, 2008, the day Lehmann Brothers filed for bankruptcy.

Even so, his blog has not just managed to blossom into a full-fledged website, it gets about 10,000 page views a day, more than many of its counterparts.

One of its most popular stories that has travelled far and wide on e-mail is that of 26-year-old Vaibhav Bedi— a wicked comment on the illusory world of lifestyle advertising. After seven years of spraying Axe deodorant everyday, with the nozzle exactly 15 cms from his body, as prescribed by the ad, no girl ever agreed to have coffee with Vaibhav. In a last-ditch attempt, he tried to lure his maid with the much-touted “Axe effect”, but even she chased him with a broom. Armed with all his used and unused Axe cans, Vaibhav reached Delhi’s Karkardoo-

wise, Arnab Goswami decides to ma court, call Pakistan “a Different India”, wanting to Ajmal Kasab insists he’s “differsue Axe for ently innocent” and Ajit Agarkar mental sufis hailed as the next Kapil Dev fering and since he is “the talented but difpublic huferently consistent cricketer who miliation. was often accused of blooming Some lawdifferently under pressure”. Anand yers mistook makes his point—and you won’t him for a debe indifferent.“We hate it when our odorant venholy cows are laughed at and we dor, but he mostly don’t understand subtlety finally found or satire,” says Anand. a patient Another compulsory net stop for ear in Ram satire-seekers is freelance writer ‘JhoothSohail Rizwan’s movie spoofing malani’.... site, The Vigil Idiot (thevigilidiot.

Says Rahul, “The News with a Twist Rahul Roushan’s site Faking News gets com), which gets an average of 35,000 hits and 1 lakh page views a web has 10,000 page views a day month. Fans cannot wait for Friday, made satire the day new movies are released, popular with don’t understand subtlety or satire. I a new generation, and, immodestly, often get angry e-mails from people and nor can Sohail, for this is when I will take some of the credit for it.” who haven’t even realised my blog he gets into action. After watching the new releases, he swiftly turns them His gloat, however, comes with the posts are fake!” disclaimer that it should be taken Anand’s revenge is to mercilessly into comic strips populated by stick lightly. Being taken too seriously is make fun of the self-righteous. A figures, using the movie’s characters perhaps the biggest problem faced by “news report” on his site announces but putting his own zany dialogues the country’s online satirists. Anand that “political correctness activists” into their mouths. For instance, in Ramachandran, who runs a humour now want to replace the term ‘politi- Vigil Idiot’s take on My Name is site, Son of Bosey, and also writes cally incorrect’with ‘politically differ- Khan, Kajol tearfully tells Shahrukh, satirical pieces for portals such as ently correct’. It quotes a “political “If I’d married a Khanna, my son Cricinfo, Dreamcricket and Yahoo, correctness activist” as wondering would still be alive!”

Says Sohail, “It’s the openness of the says, “We hate it when anyone pokes aloud, “Who are we to judge somefun at our holy cows, and we mostly thing and label it as ‘incorrect’?” Like- internet that has given us access to and

made us aware of some of the most talented and smartest writers in the country.” When you ask this bratpack to name those “smart” writers, almost all of them refer to Krish Ahok, whose blog Doing Jalsa and Showing Jilpa pokes fun at everything from Hindu mythology to advertising to his own profession (IT). In one post, an employee takes the day off by telling his boss he has to donate a kidney, but gets caught when the boss reads his Twitter update: “Awesome kidney beans and falafel at Cedars. Beats the crap at office canteen.”

Ashok says, “Whatever sanitised humour makes it to mainstream media by way of film or TV is often completely lame to the point of being quadriplegic. The internet, and blogs specifically, have the advantage of not having to care about mass audience.”

So, will new media inevitably win more votes because the mainstream is so straitjacketed? Does the mainstream not have a sense of humour?

New York-based journalist Anirudh Bhattacharya, one of India’s earliest online satirists (he kicked off the online humour magazine Jaal over a decade ago), has the answer pat, “It’s unfair to say there is no humour in the mainstream media in India. But most of it is unintentional. Our purpose is to provide intentional humour.”

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‘This Wedding is a Second Birth for me’: Reality TV Star Rahul Mahajan Admits

Rahul Mahajan and Dimpy Ganguly: will it be a happy ever after reality story?

By Rajul Hegde MUMBAI: Rahul Mahajan got married on his reality show Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jayege last weekend, and he seems quite happy with the way his life has shaped up.

His bride Bengali model Dimpy Ganguly -has already won over the support of his mother.

The couple will be off on their honeymoon to the Maldives later this month. Rahul talks to Rajul Hegde and tells her why he chose Dimpy from over 16,500 applicants.

Are you happy that you kept your promise and married on your show?

I am a man of words. I’m glad I got married as promised.

I got married because I wanted to, not to prove

anything to anyone. I am happy everyone supported me throughout the show. Everyone gets a second chance. This is like a second birth to me. I believe positive things have begun in my life and I’m hopeful that it will continue.

What made you choose Dimpy Ganguly?

From day one itself, Dimpy and I were very comfortable with each other. We are good friends now. I have always believed that a good friend will make a good wife, and that is what I saw in Dimpy. I can talk to her about everything.

I don’t have to be careful about my words or the way I talk. She is only 21 but is really matured for her age. She is always smiling. I love her for that.

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Bhojan - A Relaxed Vegetarian Eating-Out Experience

By Jacob David Bhojan Restaurant offers tasty food and lots of it at reasonable prices. You can visit the buffet line, grab a Thali - a large stainless steel plate that is very much after the Gujarati tradition of serving meals, serve the center with rice or wheat bread, and surround your main dish / entree with lots of smaller containers to hold your side dishes. To the left of the buffet are hundreds of small stainless steel dishes to load up on all that the buffet has to order. The place offers a quaint elegance that grows on you slowly as you take in the various details that Haren Mathuria and his wife Prathima Mathuria have painstakingly gone through to make the restaurant what it is today. Born and raised a Bombayite, Haren Mathuria has been the pioneer in wedding decorations in Houston - then branching off into the restaurant business, now being ably

managed by his nephew - Nish Parikh, who is doing exceedingly well both in the catering and restaurant business. Bhojan as many

will know is completely vegetarian. Madhur Jaffrey the British author of Indian cuisine termed Gujarati cuisine as â&#x20AC;&#x153;the haute cuisine of vegetarianism.â&#x20AC;?

The restaurant is situated on the feeder of Highway 59 just in front of Southwest Inn. The entrance is guarded by two wooden antique statues, guards to a wedding ceremony perhaps or a palace, with floral garlands above your head as you enter, and replicas of banana trees with fruits - both symbols of fertility back home. Haren Mathuria is an avid collector of antiques. Nish Parikh told me that Haren Mathuriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home is full of antiques enough to start a shop or a museum. Haren Mathuria explained his interest in antiques â&#x20AC;&#x153;I loved carvings, and statues growing up. When I got into the wedding decor business, it became all the more attractive for me. I wanted to lend authenticity to any marriage held here. So I started buying more of these antiques. All

these antiques are original hand carved from India. You will not miss the heavy carving of Krishna as you pay your bill on your way

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out - that required 5 people to haul it inside - it is that heavy. There is a large statue of Ganesha as you enter, Krishna on his flute by the buffet, and an elegant statue of lovers, Ganesha and Balaji - all life size statues adorning the wall on the far end of the restaurant.

The ceiling is laid out in floral delight that will remind you of stained glass windows at churches.

There are giant bronze electric lamps, about 20 metal pots all painted in

many times before.

Haren Mathuriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love for antiques equals to his love for great

their chaat corner at 6:30 PM and also on weekends. They also serve Indo-Chinese dishes to please a

bright colors reminiscent of what village women use to collect water from rivers or wells, giant copper vases with intricate carvings and topped with lids. A large lounge like area to the right as you enter seats a wide Diwan set, a large Joolah - swing set, where guests can relax and watch a wide screen TV playing Hindi film music. The walls are covered in Rajasthani wedding cloth arrangements lit up with Christmas like bulbs pinned to the wall simulating a wedding in progress. Haren Mathuria and Nish walked me to the back of the restaurant to show me a hidden room large enough to hold 200 guests - a large banquet hall with low hanging wedding decor. To the right of the restaurant is a smaller hall to house 20 guests for a private family / business party. There is also another hall to seat 70 people and this hall has been used to showcase Jewelry exhibits

food. Bhojan Restaurant does not only serve Gujarati meals, they serve that with pride and excellence. In addition, they serve Italian - Fettucine Alfredo, Ravioli, Eggplant Parmesan, and Lasagna, the top favorites. They also serve Mexican dishes - Enchiladas, Vegetarian fajitas - made of vegetables - Onions, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, and eggplants; Mexican style rice, Quesadillas, Tres leches, . These specials are available all weekends. Chaat - spicy Indian snacks - Sev, bhel, pani puri, papdi chaat, and a whole list of chaat items are served in the evenings every weekday through

varying dining clientele which include Americans, Nigerians and South Asians. Gujarati troop members, Film stars, actors and actresses who have known Bhojan for a long time visit this place whenever they are in town. For Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s day last month Bhojan served a variety of Indo-Chinese dishes to their diners. They also serve favorites that are found in South India, Chinese and Punjabi dishes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We also cater Jain food prepared with care for those who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t eat onions, garlic, or any of the root vegetables.â&#x20AC;? The potato cutlet coated with Argo flour is the softest, yet crispiest cutlet

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Bhojan Restaurant - A Relaxed Eating-Out Experience

I’ve eaten to date. The Bateta nu Shaak - potato curry with tomatoes and spices is delicious, so also is the Oondhiyu - Eggplant curry, fried Tindora - a native small oval shaped vegetable that grows wild and in plenty back home, Navrathan Khorma - mixed vegetables in a spicy gravy, mixed bean kator - high in protein.

There are plans to start a kid’s menu with pizza, pasta and other items that kids love. Haren also wants to offer meal packages to students who find it difficult to cook home made meals and miss them so much. Haren’s planning plate for 2010 is full of creative ideas. He is reconsidering keeping

his restaurant open on Tuesday as he keeps getting so many missed calls from his clients calling on a Tuesday to come and dine in.

His catering business keeps him busy through out the week. “This is a highly stressful business,” he smiles.

When it comes to dessert items, Bhojan has a list of about 30 items featuring core dessert straight from the homeland. What stands out is their Shrikand, thick sweetened yogurt, garnished with slivers of almonds and pistachios, saffron and cardamom. “We also have ardent fans who come here just for the Shrikand - our dessert item, they buy that by the pound.”

Haren Mathuria beams. “It is our signature dish. People buy it at stores in the can. Here our staff churn it by hand. We make the freshest Shrikand, as many as 10 large containers each week. The yogurt is hung in muslin cloth to drain all the water out and then churned and sweetened slowly.

There is no other restaurant serving this dessert.” The Shrikand is delicious to the core. It leaves you with a full, satisfied feeling like you have eaten scoops of heaven in a dish. I must warn you it is addictive in the best possible way.

Icecream and nut lovers must try this - go ask for it by name - Shrikand.

Bhojan does cater up to 3000 people per event. They also offer full scale party rentals coupled with full supplies andservice

staff.

Visit them online: www.bhojanusa.com • Ph: 713-777-6900 • 6855 Southwest Freeway, Houston, TX 77074. Closed Tuesdays.

All About Creating A Food Brand In India

Sayanti Banerjee

At the ongoing annual conference and exhibition on Indian food business – Food Forum India, ‘10 – the session titled ‘Insights from food brand creators’ had some of the stalwarts from the food segment, sharing their experience about surviving and growing in the food and beverage segment.

Sudeep Goenka, director, Shubham Goldiee Masale elucidated, “Creating a food brand is like the birth of the first child. Also food in itself is an emotional thing. With the reach of modern retail now every brand has the opportunity to be everywhere. We are trying to do so with our good old Indian spice brand.”

Like spice is an important aspect of Indian food, similarly there are interesting ways in which some of the food industry players are trying to spice up the experience for the consumers.

Venkatesh, MD, Goli Vada Pav emphasised on how a ‘desi name’ helps the consumers to connect better with home grown brands. He said, “We are an ethnic fast food chain brand since 2004. From my experience, I would say that the basic foundation for food product is the food itself. So the key factors to keep in mind are product standardisation, safety of food, a threemonth shelf life at least in order to

become national and the use of technology.”

From the perspective of an importer of international food brands, catering to the Indian consumer is equally appetising. Sanjey Bajoria, MD, Bajoria Foods noted, “A strong brand needs consumer loyalty. Thus, a brand owner needs to have good knowledge of the consumer as well as the market. Ten years ago our country was a closed economy but now things have changed. The imported brands need to Indianise the product.” In order to illustrate his point with examples he pointed out how McDonald’s has been doing well with their aloo tiki burger and Pizza Hut doing good business with paneer tandoori pizzas. He also stressed on the fact that imported category is precisely an ‘impulse buy’ category. Bajoria added, “Once the consumer likes the taste, they will be become loyal.”

Anjana Ghosh, director, Bisleri stated, “The brand Bisleri has existed for the past 40 years now. In fact, we have become a generic name for packaged mineral water. What has worked for us I feel is the connect we have been able to create with the consumers.

When we changed the packaging from blue to green, our sales grew by 56 per cent. We have been able to

41

communicate our brand essence to the consumer in a way in which he or she understands best. I personally feel that the product may come and go but it is the brand that plays in the mind and heart of the consumer.”

As a final word, K Radha Krishnan, chief mentor, Aligned Business Partners (ABP) observed, “I feel that if a brand name becomes generic, it is a huge compliment in itself. I would like to say that there will be conflicts between the need to customise and the need to standardise and how much of the volume will be dedicated to what.

But the key take-aways such as product safety, topicality, availability and of course good quality still remain.”

Credit: Images Food

Food Fact: Have you ever wondered what people ate before recorded time? Just like what people eat now, it depended on what plants and animals were available to them. According to archeological evidence, some prehistoric people dug wild onions and radishes and searched for wild squash, cabbage, mushrooms, and water lily seed to eat. They also ate some insects, raw. Certain tasty insects became extinct from being over hunted (or overeaten?).

Credit: Fact Monster

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Indo American News • Friday, March 12 , 2010

Commentary If anyone could tap into the direct correlation between cuisine and global conquest it would be the French, the only people in history that could eat, smoke and drink like that with some of the lowest recorded per capita rates of cancer and heart disease. Granted, the days of “French” and “global conquest” being said or written in the same sentence are the equivalent of the words “Tiger Woods” and “model husband” being used together, but a lot can be said about the strength of a nation’s empirical potential and how good the food is. The short version: Take heed. China and India rising.

According to the magazine Chinese Restaurant News, there are nearly 41,000 Chinese restaurants in the United States, three times the number of McDonald’s(MCD). Reuters says McDonald’s had opened 1,135 stores in mainland China as of the end of 2009. That’s quite a long march in comparison for Ronald and Grimace in a country of a billion plus, many who have yet to be served.

Although Mickie D’s invented the formula for fast food chain standardization, the American Chinese restaurant is the real business model.

Uniforms and fancy in-store marketing that create bloated overhead?

Nope. Branded cups and wrappers?

No, unless you count those waxy paper boxes with the wire handle and red pagoda line drawing that miraculously keep the shrimp and snow peas hot until you get home. Finally, I don’t know about you, but I’ve never found a slip of paper in a hot apple pie that

s t rai g h t u p F O O D T A L K

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China, India Rising in Global Food War - The Other Side

told me I was going to live to 100 and be obscenely wealthy.

The Chinese buffet is yet another harbinger. A price of $7.95 for unlimited egg rolls, fried rice and General Tso’s chicken is a value few American businesses can duplicate. The proprietor typically keeps the product hot and fresh, constantly flowing from the kitchen in silver bowls. He or she, like a good tavern keep, also knows when to cut the diner who overdoes it off. I’ve found anecdotal evidence of a zaftig diner being told by a buffet owner that he wasn’t allowed to come back because he ate too much. Not exactly politically correct, but business is war, so sayeth Sun Tzu. Incidentally, 62% of all American Chinese buffets have “No. 1” in the name while 38% have “Super” somewhere on the sign. About 57% of the total use both “Super” and “No. 1”. Every now and then, they’ll throw in “Happy.”

Data on Indian restaurants in the U.S. isn’t quite as accessible. However, the model is very similar to the Chinese

restaurant model only even more streamlined. The names are simple using “Delhi”, “palace”, “cuisine”, and “India” somewhere in the name. The product is even more exotic. The Chinese buffet will have name cards over each item. So does the

Indian buffet but that doesn’t mean that we’ll be able to pronounce the items correctly. Again, the food is good and plentiful and, often, value is added with non-stop Bollywood looped on the TV on a stick in the corner. The McDonald’s in my neighborhood has Fox News on all of the time.

Seriously.

How has McDonald’s translated in

Hindi? Apparently, not as well. To date, the company has opened about 200 units and product adaptation is a challenge in a land where eating beef is against everyone’s religion. The Chicken Maharaja Mac is kind of a tough sell.

As far as acceptance goes, most people can agree on Chinese food usually and, if it’s available, Indian at least every now and then. In the 1970s and 1980s, we were taught to fear the Russians militarily and the Japanese economically. Sushi is typically something chosen on date night to show

y o u r wife you’re still adventurous. It’s been in the States for quite awhile but, although you can find sushi on the Super No. 1 Chinese Buffet in the strip mall around the corner from the office, I’ve never seen an all-you-can-eat sushi bar. And if there was one, honestly, would you really go to there?

Gastronomically, the Russians are a

non-player, save for vodka. My apologies if you’re really into cold beet soup and boiled beef.

Now, at first look, you might throw Mexico into the mix. Mexican usually isn’t a buffet type of food, but in many American suburbs Mexican restaurants outnumber Walgreen’s(WAG) and Applebee’s. However, you’ve probably come to realize that just about all Mexican food is made from the same components. It’s just rearranged on the plate. I’m not knocking it. Some of my favorite restaurants are Mexican.

The bottom line of the global food battle is how much money are you making? My unscientific, 79-cent research shows that the average McDonald’s value meal costs somewhere around $5. The Chinese buffet at lunch is $7.95 plus a buck tip.

That’s 79% more money and about 1,000% more food. As a nation, America needs to take a hard look at the food culture we export. We can’t keep covering it up with special sauce. If we want to keep up in the food war, we need to be more than the home of the brave and the supersized quarter pound value meal.

Credit: The Street Guest

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‘I Would Love to do an Action Film’

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Actor Abhay Deol talks about his new film, preparing for roles, and his production company and Dev.D. As his latest film, Road, Movie, hits the box office, Abhay Deol tells us about his role, his affinity towards “indie” cinema and his stint in the Big Apple. Edited excerpts from an interview: Tell us about your character in Road, Movie.

My character’s name is Vishnu and he’s somebody who is driving a truck through the desert. It’s basically a moving cinema which he discovers along the way. It’s a feel-good film.

You have worked with child star Mohammed Faizal from the Salaam Balak Trust in this film. What was the experience like?

He was a very quiet and shy boy and I was, like, how is this kid going to act, considering he’s so shy and simple.

We all made quite a lot of effort to get him comfortable. Though what was interesting was his transformation. Dev Benegal (the director) tried to make him comfortable, he himself is like that, a prankster, always kind of cracking jokes, making the mood light, and there’s Satish (Kaushik), who’s a comedian in any case. He caught on to us really quick and by the third day he was improvising. He did a shot, and Dev said cut and asked what was that, so he said “Nahi main toh improvise kar raha tha” (no, I was just improvising).

You took a break to go to New York. What prompted you to take a course in metalwork?

I actually went to New York because I had done three movies back to back.

Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, Dev.D and

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Road, Movie. I was very tired, mentally, emotionally and physically. I just wanted a break. I didn’t want to go to the mountains, I had too much noise in my head and the silence of the mountains would’ve driven me crazy. I’m a city kid myself and know how to handle cities. I wanted to be normal, have fun, go out, be anonymous. I did the course because, well, I needed to do something while I was there. I joined an arts college and metallurgy sounded interesting.

Is it true that you needed time to get over the anguish of Dev.D? It was definitely not an easy film to act in emotionally and I suppose I was getting over many things, Dev.D was one part of it, one of the tougher parts of a larger picture. I suppose, when you do a role about obsession, anger,

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constantly playing with those emotions day in and day out, you do tend to get emotionally exhausted. I started shooting for Road, Movie soon after that, for which I had to travel all over Rajasthan, trying to portray a different set of emotions. Dev.D might have been a more concentrated effect.

Your family is famous for its action heroes. Why didn’t you follow your uncle’s and cousins’ successful formula?

Action films are important because of their budget and my first two films didn’t do very well, so no one was ready to back me up for a simple film, let alone an action film. I would love to do an action film, I love action films. Action as a genre is exciting.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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LFW 2010 Futuristic Look from Swapnil Shinde MUMBAI: Geometric shapes and triangles along with sharp detailing gave Swapnil Shinde’s collection called “Let’s Play a Game – Again” a futuristic almost robotic feel to the garments.

Inspirations were drawn from a quirky mix of the Hollywood films that Swapnil visualized as “ Tr a n s f o r m e r meets Alice in Wonderland” two diametrically opposite themes.

Moving into the distant era, Swapnil visualized a look that will appeal to fashion followers of the extreme kind.

Sleek dresses with triangular insets sharp detailing and construction that moved from the simple to the complex made a definite style statement for Swapnil.

The colours were rather unrestricted with white, jasmine, nude, neon red, orange, chartreuse, aquamarine, grey and black coming together for clothes

and accessories.The fabrics fitted the theme with lamé, lycra, metallics, chiffon, georgettes, patent leather,

and heavy textured fabrics used for bandage tops with acrylic detailing on the neck, hexagon lampshade style voluminous skirts, artistic cor-

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sets, laser cut outs for patent leather dresses. The very symmetrical construction was turned into shirts, pants and dresses. Accessories were dazzling crystal belts, bracelets and necklaces.

Detailing like neat folds and layers, sheer low backs for figure hugging dresses and prominent zippers at the back made a strong statement. Prints were abstract but colourful.

Interesting entries were the dolman sleeve cropped top, hooded mini dress with sheer back, bandage trousers, a fiery red mini with rouching and detailing, corset with black chiffon long skirt and the sheer chiffon gown over shorts.

The final acrylic bubble over a draped pencil dress confirmed that Swapnil Shinde was serious about the theme of his collection on all fronts.

Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW) is a jointly organised by Lakmé, the No.1 cosmetics and beauty services brand in India and IMG, the global leader in fashion weeks and event production. LFW has been conceived and created with a vision to “Redefine the future of fashion and Integrate India into the global fashion world”.

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Freida Pinto is Inspired by Shahrukh Khan’s Life Story

The life story of the indomitable, indefatigable and forever evolving Shahrukh Khan has greatly inspired Freida Pinto. The Slumdog Millionaire starlet shared the stage with King Khan at the Golden Globe awards last year and finds him an inspirational figure.

“His (Shahrukh’s) is by far the most inspirational story of all. He’s graceful, charming, and so wonderful, the best representation that India can have internationally. And I don’t know yet if I was more excited or nervous to be standing next to Shahrukh Khan,” Freida is quoted as saying in a media report.

There have been reports recently that Freida is again being considered for the next Bond film. Earlier also, it was rumoured that she almost missed bagging a role in ‘Quantum of Solace’.

“I’m too young to be a Bond girl.

There’s not much of a role, though some of them have become iconic, and you need somebody more mature and beautiful than me,” Freida said.

She has completed the shoot of Julian Schnabel’s film ‘Miral’ and Woody Allen’s ‘You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger’. She also has in her kitty a film titled ‘Dawn of War’ by director Tarsem Singh.

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Indo American News • Friday, March 12 , 2010

tra v elin g d esi

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A New Age has Dawned in the East

By Jawahar Malhotra NEW DELHI, 25 February, 2010: The late night flight from Dubai to New Delhi on Emirates Airlines is behind schedule by 45 minutes, but it doesn’t seem to matter to the passengers who have yet to come to the gate. They are among the many who are thronging the central spine of Terminal 3, pausing at the lineup of duty-free shops, snatching up last minute items.

The term duty-free invokes an image of special pricing for goods, presumably without the local taxes and levies that make the same products more expensive outside in the

Shops line the spine of the new Terminal 2 building at Dubai International Airport

The duty free Tabacco and Alcohol shop did brisk buisness from Indian and Pakistani passengers boarding flights to Islamabad, Karachi and New Delhi around midnight.

retail world. In Dubai, taxes are an oxymoron, as there isn’t any sales tax; even so the duty-free shopping is more expensive than retail stores in the US. Very few airport duty free shops around the world are truly bargains anymore.

But that doesn’t deter the travelers, beckoned by each of the brightly lit concessionaires; name brands blazing form the backlit signs. The Tobacco and Alcohol concession is doing a brisk business, as is the general store, especially in chocolates, candies and toiletries. Across the way, near Gate 218, the Parfumerie is awash in white light as the transit passengers browse through the aisles of perfumes and cosmetics. Still more shops cater to Arabian scents and souvenirs.

If Dubai has become an oasis of

opulence and real estate beauty, it has managed to attract the middle and upper classes from Asia and the neighboring countries of the Middle East who are attend the many venues it offers. Through shrewd marketing ideas, like the Dubai Shopping Festival that ended last weekend, sports events like the Grand Prix, Dubai Tennis and Golf Opens and the horse races, not to mention the conventions that are held, the tiny Emirate with little oil to boost its economy has become a cross between Las Vegas (sans casinos) and South Miami Beach (sans scantily clad bodies) for the region.

Evidently, for the mostly Indians and Pakistanis who pack the concourse, Dubai has displaced Singapore as a shopping destination as

they pick up items that they can’t easily get at home. The brown-skinned 20-something man with the ring in his left earlobe, designer eyeglasses and big LV insignia on his flat-heeled, brown loafers talked loudly in his Indian accented English with the Filipino salesman over the merits of his choice of eau de toilettes. “I think I’ll take the Dolce Gabana,” he exclaimed and brought a rotund, round-faced middle-aged woman in salwar-kameez to approve of his 1,000 Dharam ($280) purchases.

For their convenience is a workforce of people from their own countries who can speak to them in their own languages. The division is quite distinct: the more technical and lower echelon work is done by Indian, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, who also are the shopkeepers. The customer service types are Filipinos, Ethiopians and Kenyans, chosen for their better English and people skills.

After the plane lands at Indira Gandhi Airport in New Delhi, the difference is extreme from Dubai’s gleaming new airport with its shiny chrome plated columns and high arched ceiling with an Arabian conical window motif along the curtain wall. The smell of moth-balls hits the nose as you exit onto the loading bridge.As the porter helped my mother in the wheelchair, he managed to slip us by the shortest line, while the others took another 40 minutes to get through. “Paging passengers of Emirates EK512,” the announcer said over the speakers, “your bags will come to belt number 6.” “It’ll all be the

same,” the young porter said with a grin. “We’ll have to wait half the night for the bags anyway.” A second announcement stated the bags would be at belt 1. Ten seconds later, another announcement said it was belt 6 and repeated it twenty seconds later!

The porter wasn’t kidding. We would have waited even longer had I not checked the end of the carousel and noticed that many bags had been offloaded onto the floor, goodness knows why. It surprised me to see a man sweeping the floor with a longhandled broom and mop, strange in a country that has long used twill brooms tied in a bunch to sweep crossing the floor as they sway along

on their haunches.

India is changing, I make a mental note. “My cell phone won’t work, as I have no SIM card,” I tell the porter, hoping to catch the nearest phone vending station. “You have the number?” he asks. “Sure.” “Let me have it,” he says as he pulls out his Nokia phone and then dials my cousin’s number and hands it to me to talk.

We walk out into the congregated crowd and he calls again to locate him in the parking area. Not so long ago, this would have been unimaginable.

Now the working class also rises in India. No not just India, I realize, the whole region is changing and looking to the East.

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Indo American News • Friday, March 12 , 2010

SPORTS

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Hockey Semis to be an All-European Affair Pak Punishes Its Senior Players

German players celebrate after scoring a goal against New Zealand.

NEW DELHI: Germany, Netherlands, Australia and England qualified for the Hockey World Cup 2010 Semifinals. The semifinals will start March 11.

Despite losing to the Koreans 1-2, Netherlands were assured a semifinals slot with 3 wins, 1 draw and 10 points. Netherlands only managed to score one field goal in the 1st minute.

Germany continued it’s rise with a 4-3 against New Zealand with Menke scoring a field goal in the 15th minute, Fuchs with a penalty corner scored in the 28th minute, Witte with a field goal scored in the 47th minute, Furste with a Penalty corner scored in the 63rd minute and Witthaus scoring a penalty corner in the 64th minute.

Australia and England qualified for the semifinals with 4 wins and 1 loss with a total of 12 points each. England lost it’s match to Spain 2-0. Australia fared better with a 2-1 victory against Pakistan in their last match. the 24th minute through a penalty corner.

Abbott scored the equaliser three minutes into the second half and netted again shortly before the final whistle.

England will play Germany in the semi-finals after Holland surprisingly lost to South Korea 2-1 in their final pool match. Holland were trailing 2-1 late on and forced a penalty corner.

With Taeke Taekema in their team, there was a very real chance they would score and a draw would have been enough for them to top group A

instead of Germany, who had beaten New Zealand 5-2 earlier in the day.

But Taekema could not convert the chance so on Thursday England, runners-up to Australia in group B, will face Germany, who are bidding to be the first country to win the Hockey World Cup three times in succession.

England beat Germany 5-3 to win the European Cup in the Amstelveen stadium last August. If they are are to win the World Cup for the first time, they may have to repeat their European medal round successes over Holland and Germany, though this time in the reverse order. Australia, of course, will have other ideas.

That the Dutch lost to Korea was not altogether surprising. They had been beaten in their four previous matches against them. Yet Holland made the perfect start, Ronald Brouwer scoring with little more than 30 seconds gone. Hyun Woo Nam replied from Korea’s first penalty corner and it

was their captain, Jong Ho Seo, who flicked in the winner.

Germany were too good for New Zealand and led 3-0 before a Kiwi burst took them to within a goal.

However, the defending champions rallied to eventually win 5-2.

Defending champions Germany saw off a late challenge from New Zealand to score a thumping 5-2 victory and booked a semi-final berth in the Hero Honda Hockey World Cup here on Tuesday.

Germany went ahead 3-0 effortlessly early into the second half through goals from Christoph Menke (15th minute), Florian Fuchs (28th) and Philip Witte (47th) before the Black Sticks made a fightback with goals from Shea Mcaleese (50th) and Wilson Nicholas (54th).

After three wins and two draws, Germany ended the Pool A engagements with 11 points. New Zealand failed to qualify for the semi-finals with six points from five matches.

ISLAMABAD (Cricinfo): The PCB has struck against its players with a venom unseen in recent memory, carrying out the deepest cull of a senior cricket team in many years and banning and fining seven of its top players after the side’s disastrous, winless tour of Australia.

It has banned Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf, from playing for Pakistan in any format for an indefinite period, while handing out one-year bans to Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan. Shahid Afridi and the Akmal brothers were fined Rs2-3 million [$24,000-35,000] for various misdemeanours and put on six-month probations.

Action had been expected once details of the inquiry committee’s report recommendations were leaked in the press on Monday and Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, had followed it up by saying “more than significant action” would be taken against players.

While the punishments for Malik, Rana, Afridi and the Akmal brothers were expected, the action against

Yousuf and Younis has caught most people off-guard.

“Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan, keeping in view their infighting which resulted in bringing down the whole team, their attitude has a trickledown effect which is a bad influence for the whole team should not be part of national team in any format,” the board said.

The PCB has stopped short of calling the punishment a life ban. “They will not be part of any Pakistan team in any format from here on,” Taffazul Rizvi, the board’s legal advisor told Cricinfo. “A life ban means they cannot play domestic cricket or any other similar cricket, but we are not stopping them from that. They can play domestic cricket or county cricket here and abroad.”

The cases of indiscipline that have led to one-year bans on Malik and Rana, similarly, have not been expanded upon. “Rana Naved ul Hasan and Shoaib Malik should not be part of national team in any format for a period of one year.”

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c omm u nity c onne c tions

RELIGIOUS SERVICES

Arya Samaj of Greater Houston 281-242-5000

Havan Satsang 10 AM - 12, discourse by Dr. Premchand Shridhar: 281-7520100 DAV Sanskriti school 10 AM - 12 - Havan, Hindi and Naitik Shiksha classes. Shekhar Agrawal: 281-242-5000

BAPS Satsang Assembly accompanied by Santos from 4:30pm - 6:30pm followed by 281-765-BAPS (2277) arati and mahaprasad. 281-765-BAPS (2277)

Durga Bari Society Temple hours: Monday - Saturday: 9am- 11am and 4pm to 7pm; Sandhya Aarti 6.30pm. Sunday 9am- 7 pm. www.houstondurgabari.org, Champak 832-347-4003 Sadhu. • 13944 Schiller Road.

Hare Krishna Dham

Daily Darshan & Arati Times: 4.30am, 7am, 8.30am, 12noon, 4.30pm, 7pm, 9pm. See darshan live on www.iskconhouston.org. Sunday Festival: 5.30pm to 7.30pm. Located at 1320 West 34th St, Houston, TX 77018.

Hindu Worship Society Temple

Priest – “Bhibhdutt Mishra Ji”. Open for Darshan all days, except Thursday, from 8am -10am & 5pm - 8pm. Sunday 11:30am to 1:30pm – Regular Puja, Religious discourses and Prasad. Website www.hwst.org

JVB Preksha Center

Regular weekly program of Yoga and meditation Mon-Thu 7.15pm to 8.15pm.

On Saturdays from 9.00am to 11.15am. Located at 14102 Schiller Rd.

281-596-9642

Sanatan Shiv Shakti Rudrabhiskek every Monday followed by Aarti and mahaprasad. 5645 HillMandir croft, #701 Houston TX 77036.

713-278-9099

Saumyakasi Sivalaya 281-568-1690

Temple hours: Mon - Fri: 8.30am-Noon, 5-8pm, Sat & Sun: 8.30am-2pm, 5-8pm, Aarti: Noon and 7.30pm, Chinmaya Prabha, 10353 Synott Rd, Sugar Land, TX 77478. www.saumyakasi.org, Bharati Sutaria: 281-568-1690

Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple 281-498-2344

Daily Schedule: 7:30am – 9:30am -Suprabhatam, Sri Murthy Aaradhana, Tiruppa:vai Sevakalam, Theertha Ghosti, Balabhogam, 9:30am – 11am :Temple is open, 6:30am – 7pm, www.jetusahouston.org

Shri Kripalu Kunj Ashram 713-344-1321

Satsang & spiritual discourses, Sun: 10.30 am.-12.30pm. with simultaneous prog. of Hindi, Sanskrit and Moral science for kids, dance classes for children and adults every Fri:8 pm, www.shrikripalukunj.org

Shri Radha Krishna Four Arti daily: 6:30am , 12 noon, 7pm & 9pm. Tuesday & Saturday 7:10pm.

Sunday Bhajan and Kritan at 6pm. Maha Arti 7pm, More information www.

Temple srkt.org Located at 11625 Beechnut Houston, TX 77072.

281-933-8100 Swaminarayan Mandir (ISSO) 281-530-2565 Vedanta Society

MARCH 2010

Give Your Religious Services a Facelift

Please note: The above section for Religious Services has been provided as a free service for many years. We are now updating this section to make it informative for our readers. To help provide this service on an ongoing weekly basis, we are making these listings available for a nominal annual charge. Give prominence to your religious services with a special block ad for an annual cost of only $150. That is only $2.88 per week. Paid Service listing starts Feb 2010. Thank you for your ongoing support.

Free Citizenship Classes

6pm: Spiritual Gathering for Women, Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, Gurudwara Sahib of SW Houston, 281-5655141, www.imgh.org

12-21

10th Annual Patotsav Festival, Shree Swaminarayan Temple (ISSO), 281-530-2565, www.swaminarayan.info

Thu

Fri-Sun

13

11am: VVM 3rd Annual Carnival, VPSS & VVM, VPSS Haveli , Bijal: 832-434-9094, info@vvmhouston.org 8pm: Shreya Ghoshal & Atif Aslam Concert, Indo American Association, Jones Hall, 281-648-0422, 832-758-2844, www.iaahouston.com 12.30pm: Holi Celebration, Shri Radha Krishna Temple, 281933-8100, www.srkt.org 8.30pm: Shanti- A Journey of Peace, AIM for SEVA, Cullen Performance Hall, University of Houston, 832-303-2461, www.shantichoir.org

16 Tue

7pm: Ugadi Celebration, Shri Meenakshi Temple, 281-4890358, www.meenakshi.org

Wed

6pm: Legal Seminar on Employment Law, Indo American Chamber of Commerce, India House, Mondira: 713-624-7131

Sat

17 18-20 Thu-Sat

18-21 Thu-Sun

19 Fri

20 Sat

Mondays & Thursdays 5.30-7.30pm Carnegie Neighborhood Library 832-393-1970

Wednesdays 7-8.30pm Henington Regional Library 832-393-1820

Weekend Meditation Retreat, SMVA Trust, Unity Church, 713-365-9676 Houston Mega Retreat with Amma, Unity Church Pyramid, 713-365-9676, www.karunamayi.org 7pm: Bhgavathi Seva, Shri Meenakshi Temple, 281-489-0358, www.meenakshi.org 9.30am: Free Health Fair, Ibn Sina Foundation, Ibn Sina Community Medical Center, www.ibnsinafoundation.org 6.30pm: Dreams to Reality, India House, www.indiahousehouston.org, Sri or Yolanda: 713-929-1900 Music for Literacy, Pratham USA, Stafford Civic Center (old), 866-PRATHAM

24

11.30am: How India’s Top Business Leaders are Revolutionizing Management (Wells Fargo Series on South Asia), Asia Society Texas Center, Junior League of Houston, 713439-0051, brandiw@asiasociety.org, www.asiasociety.org 6pm: Chai Exchange - A Business and Networking Series, SACC, Jeff Wallace:832-660-2952, jeff@sacchouston.com, www.sacchouston.com 6pm: Hiring Event, The Prudential Insurance Company of America, The Westin Galleria, 713-624-7131, rsvp@iaccgh.com

27

10am: Sri Ramanavami Celebration, Shri Meenakshi Temple, 281-489-0358, www.meenakshi.org 7pm: Hindustani Vocal by Dr. Ashwini Bhide, Indian Music Society of Houston, Jones Hall, University of St. Thomas, 713-9222501, www.imshouston.org 9pm: DJ SUKETU Live in Houston, ABCD Houston, Stereo Live, Sunny Taj: 312-927-2946

28

5pm: Seeds of Hope: 14th Anniversary & Fundraiser Gala, DAYA Houston, Chateau Crystale, 713-981-7645, www.dayahouston.org, contact@dayahouston.org 7pm: Jai Ho Jamnadas, Namaskaar Entertainment, Houston baptist University, 281-240-3333

Wed

Sat

@ Houston Public Library February - May 2010

CURRENT EVENTS

11

Darshan: Daily 7.30am-12.30pm, 4-8.30pm. Aarti: Daily 7.45am & 7pm. Hanumanji Aarti: Sat: 7.15pm. Rajbhog Thaal (No Darshan): 10.30-11am. Dinner Thaal 5.30-6pm. Located at 10080 Synott Rd, Sugar Land TX 77498.

5906 Cypress • Classes Sunday from 10.30am to 12.30pm on Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, 1st &3rd Sunday; Bhagavad-Gita, 2nd Sunday; on works of Swami Vivekananda, More information visit www.houstonvedanta.org

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

Sun

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 12 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

in d ia

Indo American News • Friday, March 12 , 2010

India in Pictures

51

Actor Shahid Kapoor along with Choreographer Ahmad Khan promotes his forthcoming film “Pathshaala” during a charity match in Mumbai.

Army personnel carry the remains of Commandant Mourya of the Indian Naval Aerobatic Team “ Surya Kiran” after his aircraft crash during the Indian Aviation Show 2010 in Hyderabad.

Sex workers take part in a candle light march to mark “International Sex Workers Rights Day” in Kolkata on March 4.

Farmers work in cabbage field on the outskirts of Siliguri.

Food inflation accelerated slightly in late February, defying government predictions that price rises will start to moderate, adding to pressure on the central bank to raise interest rates in April.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 12 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

52

Indo American News • Friday, March 12 , 2010

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, MARCH 12 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM