042310B

Indo American News • Friday, April 23 , 2010

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Friday, April 23 , 2010

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Naveen Jaggi, at the Helm of CBRE Retail Operations

By Jacob David

HOUSTON: The elevator at Williams Tower, on Post Oak races to the 23rd floor which is occupied by CB Richard Ellis more well known by its intials. National Real Estate Investor, the repected magazine for professional real estate investors calls CBRE the leading commercial real estate brokerage firm. It has strengthened its business dealings in Canada as well. CBRE has an able leader in Brett White, CEO who oversees offices worldwide with 29,000 employees and revenues of $4.2 billion in 2009.

CBRE does an effective job in representing retailers all over the United States and Canada. It has been the trusted go-to-name for specialized retail services. Being the leader in the industry, CBRE has developed proven and scientific

methods to get their retail clients the best value for their investment in land, storefronts, office buildings or pads for motels, retail shopping centers and warehouses. CBRE has an extensive retail network platform that it uses effectively to get the best results while purchasing and representing commercial property.

CBRE has developed specialized services focusing on core commercial divisions: the Retailer Service Group - a national network of retail professionals focused on helping retail clients looking to occupy property; the Retail Development Group - a team of members who work with major retail developers in developing more than 40 million sq.ft into effective retail space all over the US; the Restaurant Specialty practice group - a group that solely helps restaurateurs establish and operate profitably throughout USA; the Retailer Disposition Services - a team that helps liquidate properties for investor holders who have a leasehold and fee-owned property for disposal; the Retail Site Selection Group - that helps select valuable tracts of land for retail space development in the future; and the International Retail Council - which expands global opportunities for commercial real estate.

I am at the CBRE offices to meet Naveen Jaggi, the Senior Managing Director for CBRE Retail Services focusing on Retail Occupier Services and Practice. He specializes in Retailer Representation, while paying attention to Restaurant Occupiers as well.

Jaggi comes from a Punjabi family which came from India and has settled in the Houston area for the past 5 decades. His parents are well-known within the community .

IAN: Please tell me how you got started?

NJ: I got started in April 2002 with CBRE. I had the opportunity with CBRE to present to Shell Oil company regards divesting their property holdings. Shell wanted to divest / dispose of all Texaco holdings. I interviewed with CBRE and got the job. I had previous experience in the 1990s being in the gas station development business. My experience in this field helped me

win the contract with Shell. Between 2002 and 2009 we have sold over 500 properties in the US, of which 300 properties belong to Shell.

IAN: What is your educational background?

NJ: I have a Bachelors in Business Administration, a degree in Finance and Economics from the Stephen F. Austin University, continued on page

39

world markets

Wednesday, APRIL 21, 2010 dow jones

11,124.92 • +7.86 • +0.07%

nasdaq

2504.61 • +4.30 • +0.17%

bombay sensex

17,473.00 • +00.00 • +0.07%

colombo asi

4038.89 • 16.52 • -0.41%

dhaka GI

5597.03 • -11.867 • -0.211%

Karachi 100

9784.98 • -2.05 • -0.02%

nepal NEPSE

426.54 • -12.1 • -2.76%

Gold $1149.90

Ind. rupee

Silver $18.05

Pak. rupee

per oz.

per oz.

Platinum

$1730.00 per oz.

44.55

83.96

69.15

taka

113.94

S.L rupee

Brent $84.62 Spot +0.54% Spot Bid Prices Bloomberg.com

71.25

Nepal rupee

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Indo American News • Friday, April 23 , 2010

travel

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Up There in 60 Seconds, then Stare Down for Miles !

By Jawahar Malhotra DUBAI, April 4, 2010: The experience starts the moment you enter the double-wide elevator that will take you to the 124th floor of the newest, tallest tower in the world, from the 6th floor of the Dubai Mall that makes up the base of this vertical city. It was made all the more thrilling because the trip to the observation deck had been stopped just a few days after the tower had opened on January 4 due to an electrical fault. Now, the access was once again opened just a day earlier and the crowds were still a little thin.

The Oriental attendant in a black suit welcomes you reassuringly. “Welcome to the Burj Khalifa,” he announces. “We will be going up to the 124th floor at a speed of 10 meters per second, a distance of about 600 meters, in one minute.”

There are gasps of amazement as we prepare for the ascent, expecting the G-forces and earpopping that one felt at the same experience at the Sears Tower in Chicago or the World Trade Center in New York . The dimly lit cab is lined in dark smoked glass, except for the floor, and behind it, tiny LEDs give the impression of being in outer space. Small LCD monitors behind the glass walls play out scenes from the tower’s construction and what you can see on the outside. Cascading notes make up the background music. As you marvel at not feeling the pressure or the ears popping, the attendant announces you have arrived. “Please step to your left for the observation deck.”

The much anticipated Burj Khalifa – originally called the Burj Dubai by the developer, Emaar Properties but renamed after it was bought by the Emirate of Abu Dhabi last year - had been highly hyped by a formidable marketing team that kept the world in suspense over the exact height that the tower would eventually settle on.

At the end of construction, the sleek, glass encased tower that rises over the city like a rocket ship about to take off reached 163 floors or 828 meters (2,717 feet), surpassing the Taipei Tower (508m or 1,667 ft) in Taiwan built in 2004. It is higher than the KVLY-TV mast (2,063 ft6) in North Dakota and the CN Tower (1,815.5 ft) in Toronto .

The Burj is a marvel of architecture, engineering and construction. In the corridors leading to the 8th floor elevator lobby an exhibit explains how the six-petalled desert flower Hymenocallis was the inspiration for the triple-lobed footprint of the tower. A time-lapse graphic shows how the tower came out of the ground and the cranes were moved, like storks moving from one mound to another, as it rose all the way to the top. On the way back down, the exhibit focuses on the people and the firms involved in the project, all the way from the Chicago-based architects Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) to the construction workers

been turned over to the visitors who pay AED 100 or $28 for the opportunity to ride up, the top of one of the lobes that drops off as the tower continues upward is open to the elements while the rest of the floor is enclosed and contains a small souvenir shop (a much larger one is on the 6th level adjacent the sleek counter that sells timed entrance tickets to the deck). The open deck has slits in the glass wall to allow a clear view to take photographs and above the slat-covered canopy, floodlights beam up the side of the tower.

From this vantage point, just as the day was turning to dusk, you could see the Arabian Sea to the north, with the Palm Diera and The World developments coming out of the water; flights taking off from the Dubai International Airport Jumeirah Beach in the distance with the Burj Al Arab and towards the south, the yellow sand that stretched beyond other developments. Through the free powerful digital telescopes that are scattered around the deck, you could zoom into the windows of the other buildings.

In the fading light, as the yellow, crimson and deep blue bands of the sunset spread over the horizon like a Van Gogh painting, the lights of the other skyscrapers lit up below as we towered above the city.

Left: The Burj Khalifa officially opened up this January 4 and is nestled in an oasis with townhomes, lakes and a string of musical fountains that play every evening and can be viewed from the Dubai Mall.

Below: The Burj Khalifa is 2,717 ft tall, has 163 floors, with office from floors 112 to 154, apartments from floors 19 to 108 and the Armani Hotel and Residences from 1 to 16 as well as the Dubai Mall at the base.

Photo: Emaar Properties

and the management office staff.

Although the world was caught up in the suspense over the final height of the building, the $1 billion project actually involved the redevelopment of 11-hectacres of land into a green oasis called The Park that surrounds the foot of the tower. It has spectacular water features, green gardens and flowering trees, among which is a wall of dancing jets that are lit in multicolors and sway with the music every evening on the half hour and can be best viewed from the 6-story Dubai Mall.

Among the superlatives that go with what Emaar Properties like to describe as ‘a vertical city” is a 160-room Armani Hotel Dubai and Residences (floors 1 to 16) above which are the 900 apartments (floors 19 to 108) and above these the corporate offices (floors 112 to 154).

All the apartments are reportedly already sold and the building is mostly leased out.

But for the tourist, it is the view from the top of the observation deck, named At the Top, that is breathtaking. Although the whole floor has

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 23 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

B U S I N E S S in d ia

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Hyundai to Introduce ‘Santa Fe’ in India Soon CHENNAI (PTI): Korean automobile major Hyundai Motor India Ltd. would introduce its popular sports utility vehicle ‘Santa Fe’ in the Indian market as a completely built unit (CBU) this year, a top company official said here on Monday.

“We will bring the Santa Fe SUV to India this year. It will be a completely built unit. But after two-three years we may consider it for manufacturing as completely knocked down unit,” company’s Managing Director Hang-Woo Park told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

Santa Fe was first introduced globally in 2001 as Hyundai’s first SUV. HMIL Marketing and Sales Vice president Arvind Saxena said the existing SUV ‘Tucson’ would not compete with Santa Fe as both are built on different platforms.

“There are no plans to give a facelift to Tucson. It will not compete with Santa Fe,” he said, declining to name a price for the new variant.

On plans to introduce a 800cc small car, he said it is in the development stage and was planned to be launched in India by 2011. HMIL had invested close to Rs. 800 crore on producing the car, which would be slotted below Hyundai Santro, he said.

Saxena said the recently launched

In this file photo, visitors to the Hyundai Motor showroom take a look at a model of Santa Fe in downtown Tokyo.

upgraded version of Hyundai i20 had received very good response from the market.

He said all of Hyundai’s models would be given a facelift.

“You know the segments we operate in. We will give a facelift to all models,” he said. The Hyundai stable currently offers Santro, i10, i20, Accent, Verna and Sonata models.

He said HMIL plans to sell around 5.25 lakh cars this year, of which 50 per cent will be sold in the domestic market.

Saxena said the number of dealerships would be increased to 320 from 289 by the end of 2010.

He claimed the company has a 20.8 per cent market share in South India and aims to increase it to 22 per cent by year end.

Saxena said the company has also identified newer export markets and may ship to countries like Vienna, New Zealand, Russia and Australia.

“Already we are exporting to 110 nations. We want to add another 10 more markets this year,” he said.

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RIL Forays into Aviation with Deccan 360 MUMBAI (PTI): Billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries on Friday forayed into the aviation space as a “strategic investor” with over 26 per cent stake in captain Gopinath-founded cargo airline Deccan 360.

While the companies did not disclose the quantum of investment, RIL said that a wholly-owned subsidiary would provide “growth capital” for the new cargo airline.

Later speaking to reporters here, Mr. Gopinath said RIL’s stake A file photo of Mukesh Ambani. would be over 26 per cent, but below 50 per cent. He, an employee strength of 300, while it however, declined to comment when has a network of 60 franchises with an asked about the capital infused by additional workforce of 1,500.

As many as 3,000 applications were Reliance Industries.

“We want to make it clear that it is received when the company invited not a sale... We would rather say that franchisees to join it, he added.“We they (RIL) have invested in the com- believe that our collaboration with pany,” he said, adding that RIL would Deccan 360 will see a transformahave two nominees on Deccan 360’s tion in the logistics domain in India,” RIL’s Chairman and MD Mukesh five-member board of directors.

“We were in talks with some pri- Ambani said in a statement.

RIL’s investment would help Decvate equity players and some other potential strategic investors, but we can 360 increase its air and surface chose Reliance, not because theirs network coverage across the country, was the highest bid, but because of the the company said.

Deccan 360 is already present in strategic advantage of this deal,” he said, but did not elaborate further.Mr. 50 cities and would expand to 100 Gopinath said that the company has cities in the next 12-18 month, Mr. Gopinath said.

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 23 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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Indo American News • Friday, April 23 , 2010

B U S I N E S S in d ia

New Domestic Terminal Opened at Mumbai MUMBAI: India’s civil aviation market is today the ninth largest in the world from being a virtual nonentity some years ago and it can be among the top five in the world in the next few years, according to Union minister for Civil Aviation Praful Patel. Speaking at the unveiling of the new domestic passenger terminal 1C at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA), developed by the GVK Group-led consortium, Mumbai International Airport Ltd. (MIAL), Mr. Patel commended the management of GVK for re-developing the airport which, as a project, was “very constrained in terms of encumbrances and encroachment.”

There were more than 80,000 families living in the periphery of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA). “While one would like to see encroachment-free premises, one would also like to see all these families living in new houses and as a beginning, this year 20,000

new dwellings will be created as part of an innovative Slum Rehabilitation policy by the government.”

Speaking on the occasion, Ashok Chavan, Chief Minister of Maharashtra said that there were about 24 airports across Maharashtra and “all Tier-2 cities should be connected to Mumbai so there are job opportunities available in all parts of the State.”

The Civil Aviation Minister responded by saying that in the northeastern states, the Central Government provides a reverse subsidy of Rs. 35-40 crore annually for interstate connectivity. “So in Maharashtra with a budget of more than Rs. 1-lakh crore, the same amount can be spent for intra-state connectivity.

The ministry assures full assistance and a blueprint of how to proceed.”

Mr. Patel also said that the Maharashtra Government needed to seriously look at sales tax on aviation turbine fuel (ATF). “It is very

high and needs to be given a rethink. Andhra Pradesh brought it down successfully to 4 per cent and Maharashtra should also seriously think about it. Initially, there will be a loss of revenue but the economic multiplier more than makes up for the revenue loss and therefore I request the chief minister to look at it objectively.”

G. V. Krishna Reddy, Chairman, MIAL, said, “at MIAL, our focus has been on enhancing passenger experience and the opening of 1C is yet another testament to our endeavour to give passengers a world-class travel experience.”

A section of departing passengers checking in at terminal 1A and 1B will be facilitated through terminal 1C, the second level of which has a large security hold area for passengers post check-in. Designed with a high roof and glass façade, the area has a seating capacity of around 900 passengers. It also has around 10,000 sq. ft. of retail space including a 4,250 sq. ft. common lounge for all airlines where passengers can relax.

The CSIA is one of India’s busiest airports having recorded passenger traffic of 25.6 million in 2009-10 and cargo traffic of 5.51 lakh tonnes.

MIAL is now implementing a master plan to have an integrated passenger terminal (terminal 2) at Sahar Airport (the international airport) ready by 2013 to cater to 40 million passengers annually.

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Hospitality Industry to Employ 100,000 Trained People

An illuminated palace is the driving force for the tourism industry in Mysore. File Photo: M.A. Sriram

PANAJI: The hospitality industry in India will be in a position to employ an additional 100,000 trained personnel over the next three years, a tourism industry spokesperson said here on Thursday.

Sunil Kothari, a senior official of the Hotel and Restaurant Association (HRA), said there were nearly 100,000 hotel rooms being developed across tourism centres in India, and that there was a need to hire the same number of trained professionals soon. “The average ratio is one trained person per hotel room.”

“There are nearly 100,000 hotel rooms being constructed all over the country. The arithmetic is simple,” Kothari, a hotelier from Aurangabad, who has been appointed as the chairman of the diamond jubilee celebrations of the HRA said.

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Kothari, however, said that the current rate at which both government owned and other private hotel management institutions were churning out manpower was not enough to meet the envisaged demand.

“In the next three years, only 25,000 trained persons are expected to pass out of all the hotel management institutions in India which simply does not meet our demands,” Kothari said, adding that the hospitality industry had collaborated with the central government and had devised very short courses ranging from six to eight weeks to meet the shortfall of trained manpower.

The western association of the HRA, which comprises States like Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Gujarat completes 60 years of existence this year.-IANS

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Li f e & S t y l e

Indo American News • Friday, April 23 , 2010

Voice of the Underdog

29

Ace Delhi activist Madhu Purnima Kishwar says she has never tried to cash in on others’ poverty

By Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty NEW DELHI: To get a fair idea of who Madhu Purnima Kishwar is, a passing look at her office bookshelves is a good start. “Manu’s Code of Law”, “Wives, Mistresses and Matriarchy”, “The Extended Family”, “Great Women of India”, “The Quran”, “Bhagwad Gita”, “Ramayana”…these are just a selection from her bookcases heaving with tomes side-by-side her own — authored with acidic opinions on subjects ranging from democracy to economic reforms, gender justice to religion, to women Bhakta poets. A creditable academic, a firebrand activist, senior fellow at the Centre for Social and Development Studies, foundereditor of “Manushi”, president of the NGO Manushi Sangathan… Madhu is all in one.

But much before reaching the heights where she is today, Madhu made her mark in the thinking circles of Delhi with “Manushi”, an insightful magazine she has been bringing out with an admirable fervour for over three decades now. Though gender justice was at the core of Manushi’s foundation, today it pores over subjects that deal with our society as a whole, justice or the lack of it its moot point.

Ruminating on her life, Madhu, on a relaxed afternoon at her office at CSDS on Rajpur Road, comes up with a succinct remark, “I have had an India obsession.”

Changing lives Apart from the many campaigns Manushi is running at present, it is the need to reform the archaic policies for the cycle rickshaw pullers of the city that I bring on to the discussion table first. Taking a second to pull her thoughts together, she looks straight into my eyes, saying, “Without you or me realising it, criminal mafia dominates our streets, and our poor lot has been paying them off in order to make a living.” She threads it to the core issue. “Someone who decides to pull a cycle rickshaw is not doing it because he loves that job; it is because he has no choice. But it is so difficult for a poor man to own a rickshaw in this city.”

According to the civic body rulebook, a cycle rickshaw puller must also be its owner. Madhu points out that the reality is way different. The owners hire migrant labourers to ride their fleet of rickshaws. “So in a way, a rickshaw puller can’t move 10 metres in the city without being caught by the cops. But instead of this putting a stop to this illegal act, a whole new chain of activity has taken firm roots. The cops are bribed, the civic body officials are bribed and the local mafia continue to do what suits them, making it impossible for an honest man to buy a

Social activist Madhu Kishwar in New Delhi. Photo: Sushil kumar Verma

rickshaw of his own to earn a living.” She poses a pertinent question, “If such a thing is allowed to continue, how can common people have a belief in law and order?”

Madhu has been fighting for the rights of poor rickshaw pullers for many years now. It stemmed from her campaign for the rights of Delhi street vendors. She recalls how the idea swelled into a full-scale battle turning into a court case. “In 1996, I made a film on the plight of our rickshaw pullers for Doordarshan. After it was aired, I was flooded with requests from people to do something. Many victims told me of worse forms of violence they have known or suffered than I had shown in the film.” This led her to act on the issue, the high point of it being a Delhi High Court ruling sometime ago calling for a comprehensive and non-discriminatory transport policy to provide due space to ecofriendly vehicles. To pressure the authorities to implement the court ruling, she recently organised a rickshaw pullers’ rally, claimed to be the largest in the city.

“Rickshaws are such an eco-friendly and cheap mode of transport. They are particularly convenient for short distances. But increasingly it is becoming difficult to cross from one side of the colony to the other because a rickshaw can’t ply on the main road where there is fast traffic. I wonder, why can’t our authorities think of making lanes for rickshaws instead of taking them off the roads? Look at what happened

to Chandni Chowk. Rickshaws were such a convenient mode of transport on narrow Old Delhi lanes, but the authorities wanted to wipe off something that made up the character of the place,” she points out.

Madhu is also fighting the “the Delhi bazaar mafia,” to establish a street vendors’ market in Sewa Nagar, as asked

by Municipal Corporation of Delhi. She says, “There have been attempts on my life twice. It (the street vendors’ market) is there but the mafia won’t let it function.

This has happened despite the Prime Minister (A.B. Vajpayee then ) showing an interest in formulating a street vendors’ policy.” She then quotes

some startling figures:“The street vendors of the city pay about Rs.500 crore annually in terms of pay-offs to the mafia and the rickshaw owners pay about Rs.360 crore annually in terms of bribes, repairing their vehicles after the police break them and loss of vehicles due to police seizes.”A high-risk job that it becomes at times, Madhu says by choosing activism she hasn’t done anyone a favour. “It is my labour of love. I have never tried to encash on anyone’s poverty. Also, I have not been successful in every campaign.”

Giving her family the full credit for “celebrating anything and everything that I did,” she adds quite gleefully, “In spite of my good academic record, I chose to lead a phatichar life while many of my batch-mates went on to achieve higher professional and academic positions.”

Madhu’s present list of things-to-do also includes “taking “Manushi” to the next level.”

She elaborates, “I have been particular about not accepting any funding for ‘Manushi’.

Now, I have realised that we need to do something, at least to hire some professionals to run it without compromising on our core values.”

In between, she rues about “not getting enough sleep.” “If I attend a good concert or watch a nice movie, I feel very relaxed. But what I don’t get usually is enough sleep.” Well, doesn’t this also translate to taking away the sleep of many a bad element in the city?-Hindu

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 23 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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Indo American News • Friday, April 23 , 2010

TE C H N O L O G Y

Gently on the Throttle

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Toyota’s recalls have hit its brand value, but give them a...brake

By Ben oliver Is it possible to feel sorry for a corporation, and particularly one as vast, faceless and—until recently— successful as Toyota? Quite possibly the perfect storm in which the carmaker has been engulfed in recent months could provoke pity in the heart of even the most ardent anticapitalist. It’s partly down to timing.

In 2008 Toyota finally overtook General Motors as the world’s largest carmaker. And last year, Akio Toyoda, the grandson of the firm’s founder, became president. These two events ought to have been the crowning glories of an extraordinary period of success in which Toyota added half a million sales each year between 2003 and 2007, when it posted record profits of $13.7 billion.

But instead it has found itself caught up not only in the nuclear winter currently ravaging the car industry—causing its first losses in 59 years—but also in a series of vast, shaming product recalls that threaten to undermine the reputation for quality on which Toyota built that scale and success. So what are we to make of these sticking throttle pedals and malfunctioning brakes?

Should we panic-park our Toyotas and ring them with crime-scene tape?

Is this an example of corporate hubris, in which an expansionist management neglected the very qualities that made them so big in the quest to be yet bigger? And can Toyota recover from this?

I’m no apologist for the car industry—it has covered up some shocking safety failings in the past—but I’d urge a little understanding for Toyota. Cars are immensely complex devices. The failure, redesign and recall of individual parts isn’t unusual.

If there’s a problem with a fuel pump or an air filter, nobody takes much notice. But when the throttle or brakes are affected, a qualityissue becomes a safety issue, the mainstream press starts to take an (often illinformed) interest, and buyers feel endangered rather than inconvenienced, even if they’re not really at any risk.

Toyota has also been deeply unlucky in having a series of problems arise at once, and become confused by

press and public. There were fatalities caused by uncontrolled acceleration in Toyota and Lexus models in the US, including the tragic deaths of four family members in a crash in Cali-

fornia. These accidents were caused by double-thickness floor mats fitted by local dealers which jammed the throttle open. Toyota apologised and issued its largest-ever recall.

But when reports surfaced of stick-

ing throttles in both American and European cars, many assumed the same danger was snowballing, when in fact the two issues were entirely unrelated. The latest concerns over the braking system in the Prius haven’t been linked conclusively to a single accident; the US authorities are investigating four incidents, but there is no conclusive link.

As a former test driver, I would struggletonotice the problem in a malfunctioning car. But Toyota has been forced to react with yet another largescale recall, rather than risk being accused of covering up yet another danger.

There’s no question that Toyota has grown at an unparalleled rate in recent years, and that it has never before suffered such a public and serious series of failures.

But are the two facts linked? It seems likely, but don’t believe anyone who attempts to be more definitive. Toy-

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 23 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

ota’s corporate culture is notoriously opaque; understanding it requires a degree in Kremlinology and industry analysts like me have a hard enough time just figuring out its high-level strategy.

Toyota’s results in some influential US quality surveys have slipped in recent years, and the opposition have done a lot of improving, leaving the firm’s lead on quality diminished.

It had already instigated a renewed focus on quality before the current crisis hit. Its customers are incredibly loyal—the Corolla is the world’s best-selling nameplate with over 33 million sold—and they are unlikely to desert Toyota in significant numbers. But Toyota will lose some, and it no longer enjoys the demonstrable advantage on dependability. It’s fortunate that its petrol-electric hybrid models broaden the brand’s appeal; it no longer rests solely on quality. With the launch of the Prius hybrid in India, Toyota can make a case on economy and emissions that few can answer.

Indian buyers are famously sensitive to fuel economy, and will consider changing models if they can save a tenth of a litre. Toyoda, a die-hard car enthusiast, has also promised to make future Toyotas sexier.

Toyoda would do well to remember that for drivers, dependability outranks all else. Toyota’s quality got it to the top slot; if it loses that position because it hasn’t restored that reputation, any pity we feel now will quickly vanish.-Outlook

Indo American News • Friday, April 23 , 2010

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Indo American News

31

South Asia News of the Diaspora

Nation-wide Raid on Offices of IPL Franchisees, Modi Questioned NEW DELHI: Income Tax officials today questioned IPL chief Lalit Modi as they swooped down on the offices of IPL franchisees Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, Deccan Chargers and Kings XI and also on companies handling the broadcast rights of the cash-rich cricket League.

The questioning of Modi, the second time in a week, by about half-adozen senior IT officials at Modi’s office in a plush central Mumbai hotel, related to IPL broadcasting rights and lasted for about an hour, an IT source said.

Earlier in the day, the IT officials conducted search and survey operations at the offices of Multi-Screen Media, formerly Sony Entertainment Television, International Management Group and World Sports Group (WSG), all of which are closely connected to the Lalit Modi-led IPL. MSM is the telecasting agency of IPL, while WSG is its marketing arm. IMG is the organising agency of the IPL. Besides, a similar exercise was undertaken at the Bandra residence of Venu Nair, CEO of WSG. IncomeTax authorities broad-based

its probe into the alleged financial irregularities in the Indian Premier League surveying offices and looking into documents in tandem with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigating the routing of funds from tax havens into the three-year-old league.

The survey operations went on till late in the night.

The searches signalled a tense build-up to the expected showdown between embattled IPL chief Lalit Modi who is under pressure to resign and his detractors in the BCCI ahead of the April 26 meeting of the IPL’s Governing Council. Summons were issued to the BCCI by the Income Tax authorities to furnish complete details of all eight original IPL franchisees.

Mr. Modi was also quizzed late last Thursday at his office in Worli and the exercise went on through the night.

The ED registered a case against IPL -- the first -- under Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) to inquire into unauthorised transfer of foreign funds, Directorate sources said.

In another development, leading industrial conglomerate Videocon, one of the unsuccessful participants in the latest IPL bidding, is understood to

nal franchises, the source said, adding that today’s operations at the premises of some franchises related to that aspect.

In Kolkata, a sevenmember team of Tax officials surveyed the offices of Bollywood star Sharukh Khan’s KKR and Cricket Association of Bengal.

There were simultaneous searches on the offices of the Red Chillies Entertainment which owns KKR at the Eden gardens and then on Gameplan, a sports management group which looks after KKR’s affairs on Shakespeare Sarani.

In Chennai, Tax sleuths today surveyed the office of CSK owned by Income Tax officials’ cars parked in front of India Cements. BCCI the office of Cricket Association of Bengal Secretary N Srinivasan is at Eden Garden in Kolkata on Wednesday. the Vice-Chairman and Photo: Arunangsu Roy Chowdhury Managing Director of Inhave submitted a copy of its bidding dia Cements. document to the IT department.

In Secunderabad, an IT team visited It is learnt that Gujarat-based Adani the office premises of Deccan CharGroup, which gers Sporting Ventures limited. “Our also made an investigation team was there in the unsuccessful bid Deccan Chargers office,” an IT offor one of the two ficial said. Company officials denied new IPL franchis- any searches or raids. es that went under IT officials also went for a survey the hammer, has of the Kings XI office in Gurgaon, not yet submitted sources said. a copy of its bid In Mumbai, the IT department document to the searched the premises of compaauthorities.

The department was currently in the process of procuring and scrutinising the original bid documents (IPLI) of eight origi-

nies associated with the IPL in the wake of allegations that telecasting agency Multi Screen Media had paid a facilitation fee of USD 80 million to marketing agency World Sports Group.

The searches were conducted at the office premises of Multi—Screen Media (MSM) in suburban Malad, the telecasting agency of IPL, World Sports Group (WSG), the marketing agency of IPL, International Management Group (IMG), the organising agency, and the Bandra house ofVenu Nair, CEO of WSG. The raids are related to a “facilitation fee” of USD 80 million paid by MSM (formerly Sony Entertainment Television) to WSG, a source close to the development said.

“The Tax officials requested details of the contractual arrangements in relation to the BCCI and IPL and WSG cooperated fully with the investigating officers and will continue to do so,” a WSG statement said.

The ED case is the first by it against IPL after it received preliminary information that foreign funds without permission of RBI might have trickled in, sources said.

There have been reports that funds from tax havens like Mauritius have been pumped into the league by various franchisees in violation of FEMA provisions.

In Chandigarh, a court issued notice to co-owners of Kings XI Punjab, including Bollywood acrress Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia, on a suit accusing the Mohali franchise of not filing balance sheets and annual returns.

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The Burnt Inside of Pakistan’s House Of Atreus

Fatima Bhutto’s impeccable prose looks her family’s tragedies steadily in the eye, but turns a blind one towards the excesses of her beloved grandfather

By Khushwant Singh NEW DELHI (Outlook): This family history of the Bhuttos is written in impeccably beautiful prose which would have been a joy to read if it had not been a gruesome tale of intrigue, treachery, treason, violence and cold-blooded murders. It is one long nightmare which will disturb the reader’s sleep for a long time and, like the characters of the story, make him an insomniac. It is the political lives of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his progeny of two daughters and two sons. The author, Fatima Bhutto, is his granddaughter from his elder son, Mir Murtaza Bhutto.

The Bhuttos, Sindh’s biggest and most prosperous landowners, were based in their ancestral home in Garhi Khuda Baksh in district Larkana. They were Vaderos—big people.

They lived in palatial houses with hordes of servants and armed guards. They had second homes in Karachi’s posh residential area Clifton overlooking the Arabian Sea. They sent their children to the most renowned schools and colleges in America and England: Radcliffe, Harvard and Oxford. They thought nothing of flying across continents to join the family to celebrate a birthday. And all of them were deeply involved in the politics of Pakistan.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was the son of Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto, Dewan of Junagadh. Zulfikar went to school and college in Bombay. In 1947, when the Nawab of Junagadh, as advised by his Dewan, tried to opt for Pakistan but failed, the family went back to Sindh. Zulfikar developed a distrust of all Indians, especially Hindus. He proceeded to Harvard for further studies, read Das Kapital and turned Marxist. His Marxism grew deeper while he was in Oxford. He was determined to turn Pakistan from a feudal to a socialist state.

Back home, he fought an election and won. He was inducted into the state cabinet and became the youngest minister in General Ayub Khan’s government. The dictator-general had made Pakistan subservient to the American policy of drawing a cordon sanitaire round Communist China and the Soviet Union. As foreign minister, Bhutto turned that around under the very nose of his boss. He opened negotiations with China. The Chinese responded by giving more generous aid than the Americans and became Pakistan’s principal ally in its confrontations with India. Bhutto then proceeded to fix ceilings on landholdings, nationalised banks and many vital industries. The only thing he did not touch was the Muslim clergy as he wanted them to support him. He pandered to their archaic laws, even banning consumption of liquor and declar-

Shahnawaz, Benazir, Murtaza, Sanam, Nusrat and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in northern Pakistan

ing Ahmedias to be non-Muslims.

When out of power Bhutto founded the Pakistan People’s Party. The first meeting took place in the home of Mubasher Husain (a Shia and uncle of Syeda Hameed, member of our Planning Commission). Other items on his credit side are initiating the process of making Pakistan a nuclear power and indirectly helping East Pakistan become an independent Bangladesh. He realised that in any democratic form of government Bengalis would outnumber West Pakistanis, which he found unacceptable.

He saved Sheikh Mujibur Rehman from the gallows and let him return to Dhaka to form his own government. His greatest shortcoming was his arrogance. He got Gen Zia-ul-Haq to supercede several generals senior to him and made him chief of army staff. Then he proceeded to humiliate him in public. General Zia never forgave him for making fun of him in public. When Zulfikar Bhutto was convicted and sentenced to death (there was one dissenting judge, a Parsi), he ignored worldwide appeals for clemency. “Two bodies, one coffin,” he said, meaning it was either Bhutto or him. So Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged in 1979.

Fatima Bhutto has a worshipful attitude towards her grandfather and father Mir Murtaza Bhutto. Neither of them could possibly do anything wrong. There was another side to her grandfather she totally ignores. I had the opportunity of meeting him a few times and read what his critics said about him. I first met him

in Manzur Qadir’s house in Lahore, which had been my home till Partition. Manzur was Ayub Khan’s foreign minister. He was receiving visitors; I happened to be alone in his study when a handsome, dapperly-dressed young man walked in. I assumed he was a college student.

Manzur came in and said: “I see you have introduced yourselves.” When I said we had not, Manzur told me that Zulfikar was the youngest minister in the cabinet. I left the room for them to talk in private. It was Bhutto who betrayed Manzur’s friendship by denouncing him as a free thinker and not a good Muslim. Manzur was dropped from the cabinet. He resumed legal practice and retired as chief justice of the Punjab High Court. A more honest and upright man I have yet to meet.

Bhutto invited me to Pakistan. Our first meeting was in Karachi. We had drinks on his lawn. Two days later, I spent another evening with him in Islamabad and had a second round of drinks. He gave me a message to convey to Indira Gandhi to the effect that he was anxious to be on friendly terms with India. The next morning I was invited to watch the proceedings of the Parliament. Questions were raised about the slow pace of development. Bhutto walked across to the opposition carrying a bottle of fluid and presented it with a flourish to the leader of the opposition. It was petrol—Pakistan had struck oil. It was a flamboyant display of confidence.

I returned to Delhi and sought an appointment

with Mrs Gandhi. I conveyed Bhutto’s message of goodwill to her. She gave her answer in one sentence: “He is a damned liar.”

At one time Bhutto wanted to create an active youth wing of his Pakistan People’s Party. The name of a young Pakistani journalist based in London was mentioned. Bhutto countered it by saying: “I don’t think he likes me very much.

He knows I f...d his mother.”

At another time he asked his cabinet ministers to dine with him. They arrived punctually and were served fruit juice while Bhutto sahib was in another room enjoying his Scotch with his cronies. The cabinet waited for him for two hours. The oldest among them could take it no more and went home. When Bhutto finally joined them and heard that the oldest fellow had gone home, he was furious. He sent his men to the fellow’s home and had him roughed up. The next day the poor fellow fled Pakistan.

All this has been written about and is common knowledge. It finds no mention in Fatima Bhutto’s hagiography.

Fatima Bhutto writes of the nation-wide protest against the execution of her grandfather. I happened to be in Islamabad for an interview with Gen Zia-ul-Haq. I was staying in a posh hotel largely occupied by foreign journalists.

They had bribed the prison staff and got news of the steps being taken to execute Bhutto the very next day. My appointment with the president was a ruse to mislead the foreign media: he would not grant an interview to an Indian after hanging Bhutto, would he? They were not fooled. Next morning I looked out of my window and saw the hotel surrounded by tanks and armoured cars. I rang up our ambassador Shankar Bajpai and told him. “I’ll get back to you in a few minutes,” he said. He rang back and said, “They have done the deed.” I went down to the restaurant to have breakfast. The waiters clustered round me and asked in Punjabi, “Sardar saheb, eh khabar sach hai? (Is this news correct?)” I replied: “Ji, sach hai.” The response was: “Bahut zulm hoya (It is grave injustice).”

A little later I went to Rawalpindi, which is adjacent to Islamabad, to see how the common people were reacting. All shops were closed and groups of people huddled here and there, talking in whispers. In the afternoon a procession led by burqa-clad women went through the Meena Bazar. The police let them march on. There were prayers performed for the missing dead.

My appointment with Gen Zia was postponed by a week. I flew to Karachi to see if there were any demonstrations. I stayed with our consul,

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IPL CONQUERS ALL: Tibetan religious leader Dalai Lama poses with Chennai Super Kings players ahead of the team’s IPL T20 match against Kings XI Punjab in Dharamshala. Photo: PTI

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India in Pictures

off a buffalo in a AT: A child jumps e past week, BEATING THE HE New Delhi. Over th res exin y da on M t ho a pond on temperatu l has experienced the national capita gree Farenheit). de .4 09 s celcius (1 ee gr de 43 g in ed ce TOWARDS STRATEGIC DIALOGUE: External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg during a meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Photo: PTI

RECOGNISING COURAGE: Karnataka Home Minister V. S. Acharya greeting Fire Fighters after they received Chief Minister’s Medals in Bangalore on Tuesday. Photo: G.P.Sampath Kumar

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Pak to officially Declare Sania-Shoaib Brand Ambassadors

Pakistan’s former cricket captain Shoaib Malik and Indian tennis star Sania Mirza during their marriage ceremony in Hyderabad.

NEW DELHI (PTI): Indian tennis star Sania Mirza and her cricketer husband Shoaib Malik will be declared brand ambassador of Pakistan’s Population Welfare Ministry when the newlywed couple reach the neighbouring country.

Pakistan has announced that the two “superstars” would be its ambassador to help the country control rising population.

“When they (Sania-Shoaib) reach Pakistan... they will be designated brand ambassador at an official function,” Pakistan’s Population Welfare Minister Firdous Aashiq Awan told reporters at an ASSOCHAM meet here.

The minister had attended the widely-publicised marriage in Hyderabad.

She said Sania-Shoaib marriage has helped in melting the “glacier” created between India and Pakistan after the Mumbai terror attacks in 2009.

When asked if she would like Sania to play for Pakistan, the visiting minister said, “It is up to Sania.”

Post-marriage, Sania and Shoaib are expected to settle in Dubai.

In an interview to PTI, Sania has said tennis remained on top of her agenda and she is focusing on doing well in the October 3—14 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, followed by the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.

READ IAN EVERY WEEK

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Growing Visibility of Indians in UK Polls Reflects their Heft at Several Levels

By Nishtha Chugh LONDON (Outlook): Chloe Morrison can’t wait to exercise her franchise in the forthcoming British general elections. A resident of Ealing and Southall borough in London, she is chafed by the controversial plans to strip the local hospital, the only one for miles, of accident and emergency services (A&E). But Chloe and hundreds of her fellow residents are pinning their hopes on a man who is staunchly campaigning to save the crucial A&E services from the axe— their local Conservative candidate Gurcharan Singh.

The 61-year-old devout Sikh is one of the longest serving local councillors in London and just one of the many Indian faces who are set to alter the British political landscape next month. Gurcharan had arrived in Britain four decades ago, with just three sterling pounds in his pocket and a degree in Mathematics. “I had thought myself to be lucky when I got a job as a trainee guard at the Southall train station. At that time I had never thought I would aspire to be the MP of the same area,” says Gurcharan, who comes from a modest farming family in Uttar Pradesh.

As the three main national parties— Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrats—engage in the battle of the hustings on May 6, the key to tipping the political scale on any side may well lie in the hands of Indians like Gurcharan. Together, the three parties have fielded 40 candidates of Indian descent. Add to this number those who are contesting as Indepen-

Virendra Sharma, Labour MP from Southall, London, on the road with supporters

dents or for smaller political parties unlikely to win, and you have an unprecedented number of over 50 candidates who belong to a community that constitutes just 1.8 per cent of the British population.

These candidates are a captivating medley who demonstrate the heterogeneous nature of the Indian diaspora.

They range from first-generation Indians who landed with little more than loose change in their pockets and an illegitimate child growing up gay, to a bus conductor who cut his political teeth years ago and suave women who can be as stroppily shrill as any Conservative on saving the British Pound. All this shows India matters—it’s the single largest ethnic community, the second largest investor here, and sends the highest number of students to British universities after the Chinese.

Former BBC journalist Vijay Rana,

who’s based in London for 28 years, has keenly watched the ever-changing British demographics engineered by subcontinental migrants. He explains the surfeit of Indian candidates thus: “The paradigm shift in the political make-up and attitude of the main national parties over the last decade was inevitable. Since Asian communities, especially Indians, have unintentionally slid over the margin and blended in the mainstream British society, politicians can no longer overlook the potential they wield.”Even the insular Tories have realised, albeit belatedly, the importance of mustering the support of Indians, fielding as many as 15 Indian candidates for the May 6 election. In fact, out of the top 100 seats they are targeting, nearly 14 constituencies have a significant number of Indians; in some cases they constitute nearly a third of the electorate. Says Rana, “Over the years, it has

become imperative for even a party like the Conservatives to now have an ethnic representation that correctly corresponds with the demographic composition of this country.” The salience of Indian numbers is enhanced because of their propensity to vote. A research by Professor Mohammed Anwar of Warwick University shows Asians are significantly more likely to go out and vote than non-Asians.

He pointed out that in the last general election, the turnout of Indians was 67 per cent, as against 60 per cent nationally.

However, the electoral arithmetic may still not produce the desired multiplications of Indian candidates in the British Parliament. Take Simon Nayyar, the Tory candidate from Hackney South, whose suave looks and smart mannerisms should, one may think, enable him to sail through. But Nayyar is a homosexual, thereby making it an uphill task for him to swing the votes of the mostly orthodox diaspora in his favour. Says Nayyar, “I was born illegitimately at a time when, particularly in the BritishAsian community, this was regarded as an issue of great personal sensitivity and embarrassment. I was adopted into a loving and caring family. My mother was English and my father Indian.

Also, my sexuality has never been an issue in my family.” But would there be many takers among the Indian community for his line?

By contrast, it’s expected to be easy for Priti Patel from Witham constituency, who has been much talked about in the British press for

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her “strong Conservative values”. A highly successful professional and mother of one, Priti is strongly tipped to win on her Tory ticket and could well become the first Asian woman in the House of Commons. The credit could also go to, or be shared with, Valerie Vaz, sister of well-known Labour politician Keith Vaz, now also a member of the Privy Council.

An established bbc presenter, Vaz is contesting from a safe Labour seat and could soon make the headlines herself if she joins her brother in Westminster—a rare brother-sister duo in parliament.

“At present, there are five MPs of Indian origin in parliament but the number is set to soar from this year on,” says Virendra Sharma, MP from Southall, who fervently believes the country’s quintessential multicultural fabric will replicate itself at the political helm as well. Firmly holding on to one of the Labour strongholds, Sharma didn’t have it easy—he came to live in the UK in 1968 as a 21-yearold after getting married to a British Indian. “I started my life as a conductor on that bus, the route no. 207, right here in Southall,” Sharma points to a bus from the window of his campaign office. “It has taken me over four decades to reach where I am today.

But your generation is lucky, it won’t have to toil this long. Wait for a few years and you might see Indians holding power at the highest of levels,” Sharma says with a smile.

But making a fairly realistic stab at 10 Downing Street? Think about it, or rather, fantasise about it.

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Burnt Inside of House Of Atreus

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Mani Shankar Aiyar. In the afternoon we drove through the city. There were long queues outside cinema houses, boys were playing cricket on maidans. It appeared as if nothing untoward had happened.

A week later, I was back in Islamabad to interview Gen Zia. His house had only a few sentries at the gate.

He received me with great courtesy and introduced me to his portly begum and mentally retarded daughter.

My first question was, “General sahib, was it necessary to hang Bhutto? Could you not have pardoned him?” He replied: “He was convicted of murder, for which the punishment is death.

Forgiveness is not in man’s hands, it can only be given

by Allah.”

I share Fatima Bhutto’s low opinion of her aunt Benazir and her husband, now President, Asif Zardari. Benazir had two terms of office as head of state without introducing any legislation to improve the living conditions of common people. Instead, she acquired vast amounts of real estate in England, France, the

US and Switzerland. This was brought out in detail by the New York Times. Her husband went further and got a suspended jail term in Switzerland for indulging in shady deals. He is still known as ‘Mister Ten Per Cent’ for taking brokerage for deals with the government. He is also uncouth and foul-mouthed.

I did not have the privilege of knowing Fatima Bhutto’s father Mir Murtaza, for whom she has unbounded admiration.

Apparently he was as good a man as he was handsome. He was shot dead along with his five bodyguards near the entrance gate of their home in Clifton.

Fatima Bhutto’s life has been a long series of tragedies. She refuses to keep quiet about them. In the last pages of her book, she bluntly accuses Zardari of having committed four murders and “getting” a subservient judiciary of absolving him of all crimes. She is beautiful, highly gifted and gutsy. And she continues to live in Karachi. I pray for her long life.

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Jaggi At the Helm of CBRE Retail Operations Continued from page 25

got my postgraduate in Marketing with the University of Houston, Clearlake. I also have prior retail business experience from 1984 to 1989.

IAN: How did you progress after that with CBRE? NJ: In 2006, I became a commercial real estate sales agent for CBRE. Then I became the Managing Director of Retail Real Estate representing the landlords.

Today I am the Senior Managing Director focusing on Retail Occupier Services.

IAN: As CBRE’s Senior Managing Director, what is your role in the company?

NJ: I am in charge of over 400 retail brokers throughout the country.

To make deals happen, traveling is a regular aspect to my job, I travel extensively - Chicago, Miami, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and other cities almost every week.

IAN: What does CBRE primarily focus on?

NJ: CBRE has two primary functions. We represent owners of properties and tenants as well. We represent property holdings all over the US, Canada and Mexico.

IAN: Who are some of your major clients?

NJ: Shell, 7-Eleven, Toys R Us, Dollar General, Yum! Brands, Exxon, IKEA, McDonalds, Jackin-the-Box, Ford, AT&T, Conoco, and Walgreens. We represent these clients for all their retail space and land needs.

IAN: How can CBRE help the Indian community?

NJ: The Indian community is very entrepreneurial in nature. So

is CBRE. Our sales people are focused on the needs of businesses paying attention to niche markets.

Indians have dealings opening motels, gas stations, retail centers and CBRE has an effective network in over 48 cities to help Indian businessmen and real estate investors make effective and efficient commercial real estate transactions take place. We have a core Hospitality Division that

focuses on Motels, Hotels and Restaurants. Simmi Jaggi Basra, my sister has been in the Retail Land and Hotel Development and has represented Indian buyers.

CBRE can work with the Indian community and help locate prime locations for their businesses.

IAN: How does the industry hire and keep sales agents / commercial brokers?

NJ: Not only CBRE, the whole Real Estate industry works on 100% commissions. CBRE also gives out bonuses for peformance. There are no quotas to be met everything depends on your involvement and the number of deals you can close.

IAN: Is CBRE hiring sales brokers right now?

NJ: No. The economic recession

in the nation has been prolonged.

It has slowed down deals for 2008 and 2009 and eventually slowed down hiring opportunities as well.

IAN: How does Houston’s commercial real estate market look?

NJ: It looks promising. There are plenty of deals to be made, there are buildings owned by pension companies, government non pension fund and Investment Banks who have the pressing need to get rid of their lands which is essentially a non-income producing asset. They want to sell it to free up cash liquidity. So far Houston has been a safe and stable economy. We have seen good retail clients like JC Penney’s, Kohl’s, Target, Wal-Mart and others who have been gaining steady revenues even in this slow economy. As long as we have stable businesses like theirs, it will help the overall commercial real estate market across the nation thrive.

IAN: Who are some of your major clients in Houston / Texas?

NJ: Shell Oil, IKEA, 7-Eleven, Yum!Brands, McDonalds, Conoco Oil, Walgreens, Jack in the Box, Exxon-Mobil, Blockbuster Video, Comerica, Ford Motors, among others.

IAN: What are some of your achievements and recognitions earned at CBRE? NJ: I have been fortunate to be one among the Top 10 RankingCBRE Sales Professional in Houston for 2004, 2005 and 2006; Top 20 Ranking-CBRE Retail Sales Professional Worldwide for 2004 and 2006 and overall Top 10 Ranking-CBRE Retail Sales Professional Eastern Region for 2004, 2005 and 2006 Contact Naveen Jaggi at naveen. jaggi@cbre.com or at 713-5771654

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Scandal Forces India Politician to Step Down NEW DELHI : A former high-level United Nations diplomat who had become a prominent and flamboyant figure in the Indian government resigned Sunday, April 18 amid accusations that he had wrongly used his official influence to help a female friend get an ownership stake in a new franchise in India’s lucrative professional cricket league.

The official, Shashi Tharoor, 54, submitted his resignation as a junior minister of foreign affairs after leaders of the governing Indian National Congress Party concluded in an emergency meeting on Sunday evening that his position was untenable. Opposition leaders had spent the past week hammering him with accusations that he had exploited his post for personal gain.

“It is a victory of truth,” said Ravi Shankar Prasad, a spokesman for the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, after Tharoor resigned. “It is a victory of the democratic process.”

Tharoor, a prolific author who made a failed campaign to become United Nations secretary general in 2006, was considered a favorite of the Congress Party’s president, Sonia Gandhi, and had become a visible figures in the government.

The allegations involve Tharoor’s role in helping organize a consortium from his home state of Kerala that made a successful $333 million bid for a new franchise in the Indian Premier League. The league’s commissioner, Lalit Modi, disclosed that one person in the investment group was Sunanda Pushkar, a woman de-

scribed as a friend of Tharoor’s and while awaiting renovations on his who had been given an equity stake official residence. He countered that reportedly worth more than $15 mil- he was personally paying the bills, but the image of a minister living in lion.

Indian news media have reported luxury undercut a public austerity that Tharoor, who is married, has been romantically involved with Pushkar, though it has not been publicly confirmed. Tharoor could not be reached for comment on Sunday.

In recent days, he has insisted that he is innocent of any financial wrongdoing and denied that Dubai-based businesswoman Sunanda Pushkar he was involved said she has given up her stake in the IPL Kochi in granting equity franchise following a row involving her friend stakes to Pushkar. and Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi He accused the Tharoor who resigned under pressure. cricket commis- Hours after a television channel reported sioner, Modi, of that the sweat equity had been given to her trying to stir up con- in violation of Company Law, her lawyer troversy because he Ashish Mehta said Pushkar had voluntarily had favored another surrendered the stake to Rendezvous Sports bidder for the new World, which is part of a consortium that won franchise. the Kochi franchise.

“If somebody is trying to hide somebody’s identity, my job is to expose it,” Modi said in drive by the party.

He also annoyed some elders in the an interview last week in Mumbai.

Modi is also under scrutiny; tax of- party with his comments on Twitter, even as he won a larger and larger ficials raided his office last week.

Tharoor’s resignation ends a tur- following among young Indians. “A bulent 11-month run in government. person who could have been the big He was reprimanded by the Congress middle-class hope now stands sulParty after the news media disclosed lied,” Barkha Dutt, a television comthat he was living in a five-star hotel mentator, said during a broadcast.

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Rajapaksa Wins Landslide Victory in Sri Lanka

NAWALAPITIYA, Sri Lanka: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s ruling coalition won the first parliamentary election since the end of a 25-year civil war, final election results showed on Wednesday.

Rajapaksa’s ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) won 144 seats in the 225-member parliament, falling short by six seats of the twothirds majority that would enable him to change the island nation’s constitution.

Most political analysts expect the president to recruit legislators from other parties to give him the numbers to win the constitutional majority.

The final results were released after voting was re-run on Tuesday in two districts where ballots were annulled due to violence in the original April 8 vote.

The main opposition United National Party won 60 seats, while the former rebel party Tamil National Alliance secured 14 seats. The latter got most of its seats in the northern and eastern provinces, where the Tamil Tiger rebels fought for a separate state for the ethnic minority Tamils.

Election monitors reported no violence on Tuesday and no malpractice aside from the temporary barring of an opposition polling agent from a voting centre. Counting got under way immediately after polls closed in the late afternoon.

Keerthi Tennakoon of the Campaign for Free and Fair Elections said Nawalapitiya saw turnout of 55-60 percent of 50,000 registered voters.

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In the eastern district of Trincomalee, turnout was 46 percent of the roughly 1,000 voters.The final results showed the overall voter turnout in the polls was 61.3 percent.The election commission on Tuesday said Rajapaksa’s UPFA won two seats in Trincomalee and eight seats in Kandy.Rajapaksa fell short of six seats for a two-third majority, which he needs to change the constitution.

Hopes of him securing that outcome has already driven the surging Colombo Stock Exchange .CSE deeper into record territory, with gains of more than 170 percent since it hit a trough at the end of 2008. It closed at a new record of 4,044.94 on Tuesday.Dealers in government securities say they expect increased demand after parliament passes the 2010 budget in either May or June, seen as crucial to retaining a $2.6 billion International Monetary Fund loan which has boosted foreign investor confidence.

The president, who won a landslide re-election in January, has pledged to turn his efforts toward economic reform and reconciliation after he led the nation to victory over the Tamil Tigers in a three-decade separatist war 11 months ago.

The president is expected to name a drastically trimmed cabinet on Wednesday and parliament will open on Thursday. He is also expected to work on opposition crossovers to gain the two-thirds majority required to push through constitutional reforms.

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We Need She-Change in India Inc

By Shyamal Mujumdar MUMBAI: ICICI Bank MD and CEO Chanda Kochhar says India Inc has gone much beyond recruiting women as a part of its corporate social responsibility drive. “We don’t ask for special privileges; we would rather get the job on merit,” she said, while moderating a panel discussion at the Business Standard Awards ceremony held a fortnight ago.

Kochhar should know as she belongs to an organisation that has in recent times seen the maximum number of women CEOs across the group and where women make up 40 per cent of the senior management.

That’s also perhaps the reason why a survey by international executive research firm EMA Partners International shows that around 11 per cent of Indian companies have women CEOs, compared to just 3 per cent in the Fortune 500 companies in the US. A sector-wise analysis of Indian women CEOs shows that over half the women CEOs (54 per cent) are from the banking and financial services sectors, followed by the media and life sciences (11 per cent each).

However, the good news on the she-change in corporate boardrooms ends here. The percentage of Indian companies having women CEOs may be more than in the US, but it is far less than most other countries. For example, the comparable numbers in Germany, the UK and France are 25, 30 and 35 per cent, respectively.

It’s also interesting that most women CEOs

(35 per cent) in India are from the promoter families — if they are taken out of the equation, the number would drop drastically.

Many say that overt discrimination is rare in

Indian companies; still, the executive suites of most major corporations remain largely boys’ clubs as India Inc has still not been able to shake off the stereotypes about women. For example, there was a recent case study where a group of employees was discussing the new logo for their company. When a woman suggested red, a colleague remarked that she was recommending it as it matched the colour of her sari. All the men laughed indulgently. Examples such as this show that there are quite a few people who still have a kind of institutional sexism that assumes women are less able than men.

But the HR head of a large consumer electronics and durables firm says while it’s fashionable to attack the so-called sex discrimination in Indian workplace, the fact is women themselves are partly responsible for this. He quotes a BBC report which said at the heart of the matter is the Cinderella complex — where no matter how

successful a woman is, subconsciously, she still expects that a prince is going to come along and rescue her. He also says that the business door is wide open but women, looking for different and more balanced lives, have not been interested in entering.

He may have a point. In his book Why Men Earn More, author Warren Farrell says women make sacrifices at work in exchange for greater happiness in their lives as a whole. His book offers 25 reasons for a pay gap between men and women: Women work fewer hours, for example, and they don’t stay at jobs as long as men do. Whether it’s

nature or socialisation driving their decisions, women tend to choose lives that allow them to spend more time with their families, Farrell contends.

A global study, also conducted by Catalyst,

found that men worldwide desire the top jobs more often than women. Result: it will take 70 years for there to be as many women as men on the boards of the largest US companies at the pace women are getting such positions. The rate of progress over the past decade has been, on average, one-half of one percentage point each year globally.

A related issue is time off. Studies have found that women MBAs were more likely than men to have taken time off from their careers, which can be a huge misstep for those aspiring to reach the pinnacle of corporate glory.

Axis Bank MD and CEO Shikha Sharma puts this in perspective. Sharma agrees that a lot of talented women do leave after becoming mothers, “The first two-three years after becoming a mother are the toughest,” she says, recollecting how her heart would sink at the thought of leaving her child at home.

“Even if you are doing really well at work, but feel you are not a good mother, the guilt can shatter you,” she says.

But Sharma was lucky to have a “terrific” support system at home — a reason why she has been able to maintain a 12hour work routine and give her best to the job.

Sharma, however, says if the company is willing to walk that extra mile and can engage these women and pull them back, they can cope and be star performers. She was obviously lucky to have found an organisation which allowed her to cope.-BS

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 23 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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Indo American News • Friday, April 23 , 2010

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Indo American News • Friday, April 23 , 2010

43

Taking a Sacred Plunge, One Wave of Humanity at a Time HARIDWAR,: Over the bridge they came, Hindu holy men by the tens of thousands, the most devout naked and dusted with sacramental powder, marching toward the bathing pool in the Ganges where the water is considered holiest on this most propitious of days.

Shouting and singing, waving tridents or spears, the naked mystics, or naga sadhus, were granted the first plunge.

Then came the gurus and swamis, wrapped in saffron robes, a few shaded by beaded parasols. One swami was delivered into the water on the shoulders of his disciples.

For 20 minutes, they frolicked, as other pilgrims watched from nearby rooftops.

And then time was up. The police tweeted their whistles and began nudging the group out of the sacred water. There were still untold thousands of holy men waiting to take a dip.

Wednesday was the culmination of the Hindu religious festival known as the Kumbh Mela, a staggering outpouring of humanity that also represents a staggering logistical challenge.

Since January, tens of millions of pilgrims have arrived in this city by train, plane, bus or foot for the privilege of bathing in the Ganges on certain auspicious dates. On Wednesday alone, 10 million people were estimated to have entered the water. The crowds are so massive that safety is a serious concern.

Not least is the challenge of managing the rival sects of holy men, the self-described defenders of the Hindu religion for whom the Kumbh Mela is both a sacred ritual and a demonstration of their status.

In years past, they have bickered with each other, or with the government, arguing over issues like which group should be allowed to bathe first or whether their photographs could be taken during the holy dip.

“They are very egoistic,” said Anand Bardhan, the administrator overseeing the Kumbh. “One moment they suddenly become angry and the next moment they will shower lots of affection. You need to understand their nature.”

This year, the police assigned a special officer as a liaison to the

A holy man bathed in the Ganges, right, on Wednesday during the Hindu festival known as the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar, India.

various sects who helped negotiate a consensus on the bathing schedule.

The first in the water this year were followers of the order known as the Niranjani.

But tragedy struck Wednesday morning. The police say the Juna sect was beginning its procession toward the Ganges when one of their vehicles hit several people in the crowds. People panicked and stampeded. Seven people were killed, though it is unclear if they died from the accident or the stampede.

Leaders of the Juna canceled their procession, instead choosing to bathe at a different spot on the Ganges, and blamed the authorities for failing to adequately clear their route to the river.

Mahant Hari Giri, general secretary of the Juna, said that leaders decided it would be inappropriate to resume their march through the city but that the group had not boycotted the ritual, as some had reported.

“It was not possible to take the whole procession,” he said. “But we have not boycotted the holy bath. We did take a dip in the Ganges.”

The Kumbh Mela derives from Hindu mythology, which holds that gods and demons struggled over a pitcher, or kumbh, containing the drink of immortality. As the gods raced toward heaven, drops of the sacred nectar spilled out onto four

Shiv Sagar

At least seven people were killed when a vehicle hit crowds, causing a stampede; a policeman, top, tried to rescue a child.

locations on the river: Allahabad, Ujjaink, Nashik and Haridwar. Today, the Kumbh Mela is held every three years, rotating among the four cities, meaning that each hosts every 12 years.

Tucked in the foothills of the Himalayas, Haridwar is a challenging place to host tens of millions of people. The Kumbh Mela is conducted in the middle of the city, and many pilgrims insist on taking their dip in the holiest spot, known as Har Ki Pauri, which is roughly the size of three Olympic swimming pools.

Authorities estimated that roughly 100,000 people an hour entered the

water at Har Ki Pauri on Tuesday and Wednesday. Many pilgrims believe that a dip in this spot on the appointed day will allow them to break the cycle of reincarnation.

“This is Mother Ganga!” said Ramesh Varma, 23, dripping wet in his underwear after a dip. He traveled 10 hours by bus and then walked five hours to reach Har Ki Pauri. “The idea is that whatever sins you have are washed away. This is a new beginning of your life. This is what I feel.”

Based on the position of the sun, the moon and Jupiter, Wednesday was judged the most auspicious

day for the bath. For days, pilgrims had poured into Har Ki Pauri until Wednesday morning, when the police cordoned it off to prepare for the arrival of the holy men.

Prahbu Nath Ohja, the officer appointed as liaison to the various sects, said authorities had hoped to avoid the problems that occurred in 1998 when the Kumbh Mela was last held in Haridwar: an angry scuffle broke out between the Juna and the Niranjani schools not long before the dip.

To protest, both groups boycotted the bathing.

This year, Officer Ohja organized meetings with the 13 different religious schools, or akharas, mediated talks between the Juna and Niranjani and got leaders from all groups to agree on a strict bathing schedule at Har Ki Pauri.

“That was our challenge,” Officer Ohja said. “We tried to explain to them that because of this, the image of the akharas had suffered inside and outside India.”

For the ordinary pilgrims, many of them achingly poor and carried along by faith and little more, the Kumbh is a journey of personal faith, if also an epic road trip.

For weeks, thick crowds have poured out of the Haridwar railway station, overwhelming the city. Every hotel room is taken, and most pilgrims find space on the ground, beneath the shade of a tree or at one of the squatters’camps erected by the government.

Ram Devi Sahu arrived Monday with a group of 25 women and girls, ranging in age from 11 to 85, everyone having traveled overnight by train.

They went directly to the Ganges for a preliminary dip and toured different ashrams, collecting blessings from holy men, until nightfall arrived, and the group splintered in search of places to sleep. Mrs. Sahu and eight others found a wide ledge beside a city street. It seemed inviting.

“We saw this empty platform, so we put our luggage here,” said Mrs. Sahu, 58. “It was nice. We can eat in the market.”

Mrs. Sahu seemed quite delighted.

Her budget for the week was about $40. “We go to different temples every night,” she said.-NYT

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Indo American News • Friday, April 23 , 2010

SPORTS

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In Conversation with Sania Nehwal

Saina Nehwal believes she could have been No. 1 two years ago, ahead of the Chinese, if only she had had a few more strokes in her repertoire. What makes the 20-year-old India’s best woman badminton player ever?

Power play: Saina Nehwal goes for the kill with a trademark hard smash.

By Rudraneil Sengupta At 20, Saina Nehwal finds herself at the forefront of a battle that can change the topography of world badminton. She’s No. 6 in the world, and all five players ranked above her are Chinese. Till recently, there was no question of this hegemony being challenged, but Nehwal will tell you without a hint of arrogance now that it’s just a matter of time.

In fact, she’ll tell you more. “I just need a more wristy game. That’s what I want,” she says. “I have everything else—power, stamina. Just a few more strokes, which are important at crucial moments, and maybe I would have been world No. 1 two years ago.”

Nehwal is not bragging. In her mind, this seems to be the simple and absolute truth.

In June, she stunned world No. 3 Lin Wang at the Indonesian Open, becoming the first Indian woman to win a Super Series tournament.

“I was really tired after playing the last four matches,” she recalls. “My legs were not moving and I lost the first game 21-16 (in the final). I don’t know how, but in the second game my net play became really good.

My dribbling was excellent, and my smashes were going so deep. Everything was falling into place. When she (Lin) continuously loses points, she gets really nervous.”

Seeded No. 1 in the ongoing Asian Badminton Championship in New Delhi, Nehwal is looking forward to establishing her supremacy before a bigger test, the Commonwealth Games later this year.

The game changer Till she came along, Indian badminton players, especially the women, were known for their gentle “wristy” game, lacking in stamina and strength

and dominated by placements near the net. They were lovely to watch for a few points, but without the power and self-belief, could hardly compete on the world stage. But Nehwal has always been different.

“I’m basically a power player, I’m an aggressive player,” she says . “I have good stamina and I can continue with rallies, but I need good strokes too. For that, I need to work every day. If I don’t practise my strokes for two days, I might forget how to play badminton. On days when I have my strokes going and my power play at its peak, I will beat anyone.”

That’s why she puts in as much effort to hone her technique as she does to increase her power and stamina on court. A typical training schedule involves 4-5 hours of playing on court, and 2-3 hours of intense physical training six days a week. She puts equal stress on weight-training, cardio and agility exercises.

Mind control Her mental strength was forged when Nehwal was still very young.

From age 8 till she was 14, Nehwal used to travel 25km from her home in Hyderabad to her training centre. She would be accompanied by her parents Harvir Singh and Usha Nehwal, both former state-level badminton players.

They would wake up every day at 4 in the morning to be at training by 5.30, and then be back in time for school.

In the evening, Nehwal was back on the bus, travelling the long road to her academy.

“From 4 in the morning till 10 at night, I was travelling, studying, and practising every single day. By the time Sunday came, I’d be thanking God, but the day would finish really fast. There were too many things I experienced at a young age—jumping off trains, jumping off buses, travel-

ling non-stop. It’s because of that I really became mentally strong.”

Things were easier after Nehwal turned 16. “I have a car now, a home next to the academy, I’m playing well.

It’s all because of those tough four or five years.”

It was around then that her mother Usha taught her how to overcome her fear of her stronger opponents, especially the Chinese. “Just think that you want to win,” she told the young Nehwal, affectionately called Steffi—inspired by tennis player Steffi Graf—because of her fighting spirit. “Because the opponent also wants to win against you—just keep that in mind and nothing else—not that she’s Chinese, or she’s from Korea, or Holland.”

Trailblazer Nehwal is the first Indian girl to win the World Junior Championship, the first Indian woman to reach the quarter-finals of the Olympics, the first Indian woman to reach the semis of the hallowed All-England— does she ever think of this pioneering path?

“It’s just happening; I have no time to really think about it. By the time I can think of my last performance, the next one is coming up. My parents and my coach (Pullela Gopichand) don’t let me think—they say you have to still work towards your goal, which is the Olympic gold. They always keep me on my toes saying this is nothing, that is nothing,” she giggles.

Off the court, Nehwal drops her military toughness, and gushes with enthusiasm when she talks of her heroes—Shah Rukh Khan, Roger Federer and Sachin Tendulkar.

When told that she shares a trait with all these men—their lack of selfdoubt—she blushes: “Yes, I believe I am the best.”-Mint

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sports

Mumbai Storm into IPL Final

MUMBAI: Kieron Pollard produced a splendid all—round display as Mumbai Indians thumped Royal Challengers Bangalore by 35 runs to storm into their maiden Indian Premier League final here tonight.

Pollard struck a 13—ball 33 to help his side make a splendid recovery from early jolt in company of Saurabh

win for Mumbai, who had topped the league tables with 20 points, the only point of concern was that captain Tendulkar, who is the top scorer in the tournament, suffered a right hand webbing split while taking a dropped catch of Dravid in the fourth over.

Kallis and Dravid gave a strong start in Bangalore’s run chase scoring

Mumbai Indians players celebrate the key wicket of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Robin Uthappa during the first IPL3 semifinal at the D Y Patil Sports Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday. Mumbai won the match by 35 runs.

Tiwary (52 not out) to post 184 for five after batting first and then snared three wickets for 17 runs as the home side restricted Bangalore to 149 for nine in the first semifinal at DY Patil Stadium.

With the win today, Mumbai, who failed to reach the semifinals in the last two editions of the IPL, also became the first team to qualify for this year’s Champions Twenty20 League.

Chasing a stiff 185 for a win, last year’s losing finalists Bangalore were never in the game with wickets falling at regular intervals and no substantial partnership coming up, the highest being a 34—run stand between Rahul Dravid and Robin Uthappa from 20 balls for the third wicket.

Ross Taylor top—scored for Banaglore with a 30—ball 31.

Jacques Kallis (11), Rahul Dravid (23), Kevin Pietersen (19), Robin Uthappa (26) could not convert the starts to big scores.

Lasith Malinga bowled beautifully by taking two Bangalore wickets and conceding 24 runs from his four overs. Harbhajan Singh took two wickets but was expensive, giving away 44 runs from his four overs.

At the end it was a comfortable

two fours each in the first two overs bowled by Zaheer Khan and Dilhara Fernando before the former fell in the third over edging Malinga to Ambati Rayudu for 11.

Run rate came down after the first jolt but Bangalore were dealt another blow in the form of Kevin Pietersen who danced down the track to hoist Harbhajan Singh only to completely miss it and Rayudu making no mistake of the stumping chance.

Robin Uthappa was not the one to be lie low and he hit Harbhajan for two sixes in the ninth over which cost 18 runs to take the asking rate down below 10 an over.

But it was not Uthappa’s day and in the next over he was caught by Shikhar Dhawan while trying to hoist Kieron Pollard for a 13—ball 26 which was studded with two fours and two sixes.

More woes awaited Bangalore as Dravid, who was surprisingly sent to open with Kallis instead of Manish Pandey, was run out in the next ball due to a horrible miscommunication with new batsman Ross Taylor.

Dravid did not call for a run after punching Pollard to point but Taylor came down charging in and Pollard whipped the bails to reduce Banga-

lore to 81 for four in 9.4 overs. From a dominating position when Uthappa was at the crease the game shifted quickly to Mumbai’s favour.

Pollard, who was limping a bit while batting, removed Virat Kohli in the 12th over for just nine, extracting an edge from the batsman for Raydu to do the rest.

Two overs later, the West Indian put Mumbai in complete control of the match by removing Manish Pandey for just five with the batsman holing out to J P Duminy near the boundary while trying to hoist a Pollard slow ball out of the park.

Harabhajan sealed the fate of the match in Mumbai’s favour by cleaning up Parveen Kumar’s furniture with a straight and full delivery which the batsman missed completely.

The asking rate over 13 after the 15th over, Taylor was the only ray of hope but the New Zealander did not find any support from the lower order batsmen as Bangalore ended at 149 for nine in their 20 overs.

Earlier, Tiwary struck a breezy unbeaten 31—ball 52 while Pollard used his long handle to telling effect to guide Mumbai Indians to a challenging 184 for five.

Mumbai lost in—form skipper Tendulkar (9) and other opener Shikhar Dhawan (12) cheaply but they recovered splendidly thanks to some sensible batting by Tiwary and Ambati Rayudu (40 in 38 balls) and through some big hitting by Pollard towards the end.

Abhishek Nayar (22) and Rayudu first steadied the innings and then the latter put on 67 runs in 49 balls with Tiwary for the fourth wicket to take Mumbai close to the 150 mark in the 18th over.Towards the end, it was Pollard’s powerful bat that did the damage as he slammed 33 in only 13 balls with three sixes and a four to take the score past the 180 mark.

The last five overs produced 77 runs and the last three 43 as Mumbai batsmen went hammer and tongs.

Mumbai scored 103 runs from the last 10 overs after they were 81 for four at the halfway mark.

Dale Steyn took two wickets but was expensive, conceding 43 runs from his four overs. Anil Kumble and Kevin Pietersen got a wicket each giving away 30 and 20 runs respectively.-PTI

Indo American News • Friday, April 23 , 2010

45

Sehwag Out of T20 WC

Virender Sehwag has been ruled out of the Twenty20 World Cup because of a shoulder injury.

MUMBAI: Murali Vijay has been named as replacement for the injured Virender Sehwag in the Indian squad for the ICC World T20 Championships in the West Indies from April 30, 2010.

According to a BCCI media release, Sehwag has sustained a shoulder injury and advised rest for three to four weeks. The ICC’s Technical Committee has permitted a replacement for him.

The Senior Selection Committee has accordingly picked Murali Vijay.

Gautam Gambhir will be the vice-captain of the team, taking Sehwag’s place as deputy to M.S. Dhoni for the World T20 Championship.-Hindu

2011 WC Prize Money Raised to $10 Million DUBAI: The International Cricket Council on Tuesday decided to raise the prize money for the 2011 World Cup to a whopping USD 10 million in order to underline the importance of its flagship tournament.

“The ICC board agreed to set the prize money for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 to be held in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at a record USD 10 million in order to reflect the importance of the ICC’s flagship competition,” the governing body said in a statement.

The new amount is exactly double of the USD five million, which was on offer in the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.

The ICC is also implementing “extensive security plans” for the 2011 World Cup, it said.

“The ICC places safety and security as its highest priority and as such is implementing extensive

security plans around the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka,” it said.

During the meeting, chairman of the ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit Lord Condon reported that all the recommendations made by the ICC’s Task Force, which looked into safety and security after the Lahore attack last year, were now accepted with all Full Members having now appointed security directors and the ICC appointing its own full-time security manager.

“A series of mandatory security standards for international cricket are being drawn up and will be presented to the ICC board for consideration in June. These mandatory standards are the only remaining recommendation still to be implemented,” the governing body said.- PTI

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 23 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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Indo American News • Friday, April 23 , 2010

Arya Samaj of Greater Houston 281-242-5000

community connections

RELIGIOUS SERVICES 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

Every Sunday satsang assembly accompanied by Santo with inspirational BAPS 281-765-BAPS (2277) talks & devotional bhajans from 4:30pm - 6:30pm followed by arati and mahaprasad. 281-765-BAPS (2277), www.houston.baps.org

april 2010 24-25 Sat-Sun

24 Sat

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

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

Foundation for India Studies Saturday, April 24, 2010 : Foundation for India Studies presents a Lecture by world renowned Indian American Physicist and author Padma Vibhushan Dr. E.C.G.Sudarshan on “Modern India’s Expanding Role In Science” at Madras Pavillion, 1620 Kensington Dr.,Sugarland, Tx. 77479 Social hour: 6.00p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Lecture and Q&A: 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. followed by dinner. Admission $20/- includes dinner.

Free parking • For Information: Call 713-795-5169 / 979-240-9496 / 713-743-4689 / 281-494-7656

Sri Guruvayurappan Temple Houston 11620 Ormandy St. Houston, TX 77035 Balalaya Prathishttha celebrations - Poster Contest – Theme Mahabharata for children (Ages 6 – 18) from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM on Saturday, May 22, 2010 Costume Contest – Theme Mahabharata - For children ages 6 and under from 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM followed by Mahabharata Quiz – Knowledge Contest for children (ages 6 – 18) from 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM For Details visit: www.guruvayurusa.org last day for registration is May 14, 2010.

Free Citizenship Classes @ Houston Public Library

February - May 2010

Mondays & Thursdays Wednesdays 7-8.30pm 5.30-7.30pm Carnegie Neighborhood Library Henington Regional Library 832-393-1820 832-393-1970

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CURRENT EVENTS

IFest: The Houston International Festival, www.ifest.org 4pm: Phite Andhaaraache Jaale’: musical program by Shridhar Phadke, Houston Maharashtra Mandal, Cross Point Community Church, www.hmmhouston.org 6.30pm:Panchatantra and Shiva Shakti, Sunanda’s Performing Arts Center, Stafford Civic Center, 281-277-7401 7.30pm: Vaisakhi Celebration, Punjabi Society of Houston, Cullen Performance Hall, University of Houston, Jasmeeta Singh: 713-858-8229 7.30pm: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Live in Concert, Rehan Siddiqi, Arena Theatre, 713-545-4115

25 Sun

Noon-5pm: Bibi Bridal Show for the Luxurious South Asian Wedding, Hilton Americas, 713-992-4085

mAy 2010

1

Sat

10.30am: Sports Day, Sikh National Center, Jarnail Singh: 713722-7070 6.30pm: Pratham Houston Gala 2010, Pratham USA, Westin Galleria, 713-774-9599, www.prathamusa.org

2

5.30pm: The Blue Mug- A Comedy Play, Media Circle and Art Promotions, Stafford Civic Center, Surender Talwar: 713-668-2948

5

7pm: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Live in Concert, Rehan Siddiqi, Arena Theatre, 713-545-4115

Sun Wed

6

Thu

7

Fri

7.45pm: Bapuna Rajma Leela Laher, Namaskaar Entertainment, Old Stafford Civic Center, 281-240-3333, www.namaskaar.org 7.30pm: Mera Gaon: Save a Mother’s 2nd Annual Gala, Ashford Oaks, veenakaul8@gmail.com, www.save-a-mother.org 9pm: Bapuna Rajma Leela Laher, Namaskaar Entertainment, Old Stafford Civic Center, 281-240-3333, www.namaskaar.org

8

Sat

5.30pm: Classical Concert with Pandit Shantilal Shah, Anjali Center, Raman: 281-630-6075

15

2pm: 50 Years of Gujarat, Gujarati Samaj of Houston, Immanuel Center, Ajit Patel: 713-557-2536

Sat

21 Fri

22

8.30pm: Incredible India- A Cultural Journey, Samskriti Miller Outdoor Theater, 281-265-ARTS, www.samskritihouston. org, www.tickets2events.com 8pm: India Jaz Suites, Indo American Association, Wortham Center, 281-648-0422

Sat

8pm: Sukhwinder Singh Jai Ho, Hum Tum City, Arena theatre, www.humtumcity.com

SatSun

8-9.30am: Free Yoga Classes by Patanjali Yogpeeth Center, Arya Samaj, Anil: 281-579-9433

Send event information to indoamericannews@yahoo.com Listings should be concise and occur within 15 days of submittal

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 23 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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Indo American News • Friday, April 23 , 2010

47

Indian Who Built Yoga Empire Works on Politics HARIDWAR: The sun slumbered well beneath the horizon, but Swami Ramdev had been up for hours.

Swathed in a saffron loincloth, he led his charges, a few hundred devotees in this holy city on the Ganges River and tens of millions more watching on television, through a rapid-fire series of yoga poses.

“If you sweat this much in the morning, you will never get old,” he shouted, the Chiclet-white dazzle of his smile undimmed by the wild bush of his beard. His own 50-ish body, lithe and supple as it whipped through the poses, underscored the point.

Without skipping a beat, Swami Ramdev, who as one of India’s most popular and influential gurus has reintroduced yoga to India’s masses, segued seamlessly into his latest passion: politics.

“We clean up our bodies,” he cried.

“Then we will clean up our democracy!”

Swami Ramdev plans to do for the body politic what he has already done to the country’s creaky physiques: whip it into shape. He announced last month that he would found a political party that would field candidates for each of the 543 parliamentary seats in India’s next general election in 2014.

“What the people need is honest, brave and responsible leadership,” he said in an interview at the sprawling campus of his rapidly expanding yoga, natural foods and medicine empire in northern India. The country’s political system is riddled with corruption and riven by the deep divisions of religion and caste, he said. Tapping into the ancient Indian wisdom that gave birth to yoga, and the holy texts like the Vedas and Upanishads, is the only way to excise those cancers, he contended.

“We must have a total revolution,” he said.

In some ways Swami Ramdev harks back to India’s earliest leaders with a message of self-reliance, national pride and traditional Indian values. But with his vast yoga empire and legions of followers on television and the Web, he is also a product and symbol of the New India, a yogic fusion of Richard Simmons, Dr. Oz and Oprah Winfrey, irrepressible and bursting with Vedic wisdom.

Swami Ramdev says India has relied too much on the system of government it inherited from its British colonizers and lost the traditional systems of governing that held sway for centuries.

“The British didn’t make policies to make the country stronger,” he said.

“They made them to extract the maximum resources from the country.”

Multinational corporations have no place in India, he contends. India should be steeped in its own culture.

“Be Indian,” he exhorted his followers on a recent morning. “Speak Indian languages. Wear Indian clothes. Drink Indian drinks.”

All things foreign, he argues, like Coca-Cola and hamburgers, pollute the Indian spirit and weaken it. The World Health Organization is a favorite target: it is, he says, “a big conspiracy” cooked up by American

Swami Ramdev, also known as Baba Ramdev, acknowledged his supporters at his yoga camp in Haridwar, India.

pharmaceutical companies.

Even cricket, India’s beloved national pastime, comes in for criticism as a British import that encourages drinking and immodest ogling of cheerleaders.

He does not plan to run for office himself, he said, and his proposed policies are a hodgepodge. He would fight corruption by making it punishable by death, he said. He would force those hiding billions of dollars abroad in so-called black money, or illegal wealth, to bring that money home to invest in India.

“That loot needs to come home for development,” he said, offering no details on how he might make this happen. “This money will change the whole of the country.”

These views have touched a chord with his followers, many of them from the striving lower middle class who find themselves torn between tradition and the allure of modern life.

“We are very frustrated with the politics of India today,” said Jitender Pratap Singh, a teacher who attended a yoga session with the swami here.

He voted for the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party in the last election, but was eager to join the swami’s party.

“I want change for the next generation,” he said. “Yoga can rescue India.”

But whether Swami Ramdev’s political message will find a wider audience remains to be seen. Indian politics is a peculiar ecosystem that favors creatures nurtured practically from birth in its unique habitat. Outsiders, no matter how popular or celebrated they may be in their respective walks of life, seldom succeed. Hardly a handful of film stars, business tycoons or religious leaders have tested the waters in politics, and none have met with any real success.

Some religious leaders here said they were glad to see the swami dip a toe in politics.

Digambar Jitender Puri, 36, a sadhu, or holy man, attending the Kumbh Mela festival this month on the banks of the Ganges River here, said Swami Ramdev was doing important work.

“He is thinking in the right direction and talking about the problems of the nation like corruption, poverty, economy,” Mr. Jitender said. “I think he will succeed.”

But other holy men were skeptical.

“Ramdev is a successful yogi, but

politics will puncture him,” said Sri Nityanand Puri. “God has given him some gifts, but his ego will finish him.”

The hurly-burly of politics is no

place for holy men, he said.

“He thinks that he can fix all the wrongs,” Mr. Nityanand said. “He will be consumed by the dirt of politics.”

As the son of an impoverished farmer who made an improbable rise to the uppermost ranks of India’s spiritual leaders, Swami Ramdev sees little need for modesty. His winning smile and giggling shrugs suggest self-effacement, but the appearance is deceiving.

“I am very powerful,” he averred in an interview. “The people love me.”From the campus of his organization, the Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust, he oversees a growing empire. Here, on the outskirts of Haridwar, he has a hospital and an ayurvedic medical school and research institution, which teach an ancient system of natural

healing, as well as a vast agricultural and processing operation that cranks out everything from shampoo to juice and herbal supplements.

Lately, his international profile has been on the rise. He has led yoga classes for huge crowds in Nepal, Japan, the United States and elsewhere.

His organization’s holdings now include a small island off the coast of Scotland, donated by a wealthy Scottish-Indian couple. He is also planning to open a yoga and health center in the Houston suburbs on nearly 100 acres of donated land.His venture into domestic politics is just the next chapter of his divine mission, Swami Ramdev said.

“Now I see the light after the night,” he said. “If India is saved, then the whole world will be saved.”-NYT

INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 23 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

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Indo American News • Friday, April 23 , 2010

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INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, APRIL 23 , 2010 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM