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STOCKS • FINANCE • SOUTH ASIAN MARKETS • TECHNOLOGY

Emirates’ Winning Investment in the South Asian Community

By Faizan Bodhani HOUSTON: When it comes to piling one victory over another, there is no one better in the game than Emirates, the award winning Dubai-based airline.

At the beginning of the NFL season, Emirates launched a 3 year sponsorship of the Houston Texans. The sponsorship includes an amazing fully Emirates branded, state of the art suite to be shared with partners and customers. Similar to Emirates’ Business and First Class services, the experience of watching the Texans in their suite was promised to be like none other.

“We are delighted to announce our new partnership with the Houston Texans. As we get ready to launch Emirates’ second daily service from Houston to Dubai, we’re hugely excited about sharing this opportunity with our valued customers, who have supported us so strongly over the years,” said Skip Tiedemann, Emirates’ Sales Manager Southern USA. “Emirates is a huge supporter of sports within the United States, with a spon-

A view of the newly inaugurated Emirates’ hospitality suite at Houston’s Reliant Stadium

sorship portfolio that includes the Breeders’ Cup, BPN Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the USA Rugby team. We’re delighted that we’ll be holding the line with the Texans over the next three seasons and look forward to cheering every tackle and touchdown along the way.”

Additionally, Emirates announced that they will launch its second daily service from Houston to Dubai starting November 1st. Understanding the growth of the South Asian commu-

nity in Houston, the added flight by Emirates demonstrates their support of the community and continues efforts to make the traveling experience as pleasant as possible. Arriving mid morning in Dubai, the new flight will provide ease for further travel to the middle east, Indian Subcontinent and more. Emirates was the first carrier to launch nonstop flights between Houston and Dubai, back in 2007.

With the holiday season upon us and number of South Asian travelers who

visit friends and family back home, the new service could not have come at a better time.

On October 17, Emirates’ two investments came together for a memorable International Media Day at the Reliant Stadium as the Texans hosted the Kansas City Chiefs. Emirates invited several partners from the South Asian travel agencies, along with individuals from South Asian Media and Marketing to the Emirates hospitality suite. Aside from the ex-

ceptional service and seats, the event offered an interaction opportunity for all. The Texans came from behind victory over the Chiefs was the icing on the cake. In the last four minutes, the Texans scored two touchdowns to edge the Chiefs for a 35-31 victory.

“First, the excellent hospitality of Emirates to invite us to the game, and then the Texans to win as they did, it wouldn’t have been better if someone wrote it,” said Krishna Giri of IndoAmerican News. Emirates currently serves 104 cities around the globe with a young and technologically advanced fleet of 149 wide-bodied aircraft that are equipped with industry-leading comforts in the air.

Operations on Emirates from New York, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco connect America to the world through the airline’s route network with extensive connections from Dubai to the Far East, Australia and Africa.

For more information, visit www. emirates.com/usa

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Emirates Airlines Add-Ons

Some of the sttendees at the Texans-Chiefs game and the inauguration of the Emirates hospitality suite at the Reliant Stadium in Houston.

Below: A newly added Boeing 777 on the twice daily flight schedule from Houston to Dubai

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B U S I N E S S in d ia

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Who Needs Cash (or Borders)? Ajay Banga to Globalize Plastic Money tackling such tasks. A Sikh with a jet-black in the nascent prepaid-card market and in

By Vikas Bajaj and Andrew Martin MUMBAI (NYT): A day after the Indian mustache and beard, . Banga says he loves fine pursuing new business in developing countries government started a campaign to give wine, the New York Mets, Lady Gaga, Elvis in Latin America and Asia. identification numbers to all its 1.2 billion Presley and Sikh spirituals, in no particular The differences became apparent when both citizens, Ajay Banga, the newly minted chief order. companies went public — MasterCard in During a recent dinner of Southeast Asian 2006 and Visa in 2008. . Frisch says investors executive of MasterCard, arrived in town, food at the luxurious Imperial Hotel in New believed that MasterCard had a “phenomenal” eager to lend a hand.

The program will identify people based business model and a well-known brand. on fingerprints and retina scans, and could Indeed, MasterCard’s stock price has risen make it easier for the government to route more than fivefold since the company went food stamps and other payments to people public. below the poverty line.

But when Visa went public in 2008, . Banga says he believes he has a simple investors found that Visa’s execution in way to process the payments: via the important growth areas was even better.

MasterCard network.

Visa’s market capitalization is now nearly “I wasn’t educated in the U.S.; I was twice that of MasterCard. educated in India. I understand what you Last year, MasterCard reported profit are trying to do,” he said during a news of $1.5 billion on $5.1 billion in revenue, conference at the Trident Hotel, in the compared with Visa’s $2.4 billion in profit financial center here. “I think it’s a huge on revenue of $6.9 billion in the fiscal year opportunity for our government and people ended in September 2009. and companies like ours.”

“Visa was perceived as a faster, more Though . Banga has risen to the top ranks of entrepreneurial company,” . Frisch says. “It American business, the roots of his success appeared that MasterCard was more satisfied are firmly planted in India, where he was with maintaining the status quo.” born, raised and got his start in business. His . Banga’s hiring was a bold, though perhaps success at MasterCard may well depend on belated, effort by MasterCard’s board to Born and educated in India, Ajay Banga brings a change all that.

India, too.

Observing that 85 percent of the world’s globe-trotting sophistication to Master Card Banga has made a long, circuitous journey transactions are still in currency, he has to the leafy confines of Purchase, N.Y., where declared a “war on cash” to nudge as many Delhi, he teased Vicky S. Bindra, a regional MasterCard’s campus-like headquarters sits consumers as possible toward electronic MasterCard president, for ordering khichdi, a across the road from regal estates. payments, preferably processed by MasterCard. simple Indian dish of rice and lentils. . Banga His mother was the first member of her Although competition to handle payments ordered the $90 tasting menu and a $300 bottle family to earn a college degree; his father is intense in the United States, the wider of Tuscan wine. “It’s a $70 bottle in New was an officer in the Indian army, and the battlegrounds are in countries like India and York,” he noted. family moved often. . Bindra, the MasterCard His globe-trotting identity and animated Brazil, which have vast numbers of people without bank accounts, and a growing middle personality are in jarring contrast to previous MasterCard chief executives, who were class.

Capturing only a small fraction of those typically buttoned up, American and, often, customers — with prepaid debit cards, mobile Ivy League-educated.

“He brings a different vibe, a different sense payment systems or credit cards — could exponentially expand MasterCard’s business of urgency to the company,” says Adam and profits. “Whether it’s 200 million or Frisch, an analyst at Morgan Stanley. “I expect 400 million, it’s a lot of millions,” says . MasterCard’s velocity to change.”

For example, . Banga shook up the company Banga, referring to estimates of the size of the emerging global middle class over the next by declaring that any request to headquarters not acted upon in two weeks would be five years or so.

Nevertheless, . Banga, 50, is taking over automatically approved — a directive meant MasterCard as it faces huge challenges, from to speed decision-making.

For its first four decades of existence, new rules governing credit and debit cards in the United States to nimble new rivals offering MasterCard — originally known as online and wireless transactions. And, of MasterCharge — was owned by the nation’s banks and was a reliable cash cow for them. course, there’s Visa, its much larger rival.

“Visa and MasterCard are going to have to Visa was also owned by the same banks, so generate new business, and that’s overseas,” there wasn’t much head-to-head competition says David Robertson, publisher of The between the two.

Nonetheless, MasterCard developed a Nilson Report, an industry newsletter. “What you want to do is find new virgin territory reputation for being more conservative and where the margins aren’t compromised by flat-footed than Visa. Not only was Visa more aggressive in pursuing the debit card market competition.”

In . Banga, MasterCard believes it has found in the United States, which it has come to an ideal, if unconventional, candidate for dominate, but it pushed ahead of MasterCard

executive who has known him for nearly a decade, says the family’s military imprint is visible in . Banga’s continuing desire to please his parents.

Banga is also close to his older brother, Manvinder, who rose to the top ranks at Unilever and is now at the private equity firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice in London. His sister, Deepa Dhodhi, lives in Houston and is a business manager for a trading house.

Once out of college, . Banga began his career in management-level jobs in India for Nestlé and PepsiCo, where he scrubbed toilets and breaded chicken at Kentucky Fried Chicken (then part of PepsiCo) to get a sense of what running a restaurant was like. He also got his first taste for American-style fast food and marketing.

Ivan Menezes, chief executive for North America at Diageo, the liquor conglomerate, first met . Banga when they were 17 and studying at Delhi University. They had much in common: their fathers worked for the government, and both had older brothers who were “legendary” students, . Menezes says.

Even then, he says, Banga stood out for his smarts and his ability “to connect with people.”

Later, they attended graduate school together, and both joined Nestlé in 1981, when it had a relatively small footprint in India. “They sent you out for the first 18 months in the most remote parts of India,” says . Menezes, who is also Diageo’s chairman for the Asia-Pacific region. “We exchanged horror stories.”

Continued on page 33

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The After-Party Scene in India

Rocking the Night Away in Clubs

Read us online at www.indoamerican-news.com

The men and women also believe NEW DELHI (Outlook): The night at Hotel Samrat, a stone’s throw away has always been a double-edged from the prime minister’s house, it’s not enough just to be seen partything. A certain allure hangs about where membership is over a lakh per ing, you have to dress the part too. nocturnal creatures— something to year, and all the privileges extend up Power dressing is a sign of money and a regular party-goer is aware do with cheating the order of nature to the waking hours.

The Mumbaikar dashes off to of what makes him part of the elite and sinful pleasure. And that smell of danger lurking around the curve Khandala or Alibaug with a car full club.. Women therefore can be seen in the road. There were always those of booze on weekends. Else, there in couture designer wear, oversized who couldn’t resist this combination—but they were a minority, fated to be seen as not ‘nor ‘normal’. A curious reversal of norms is unfolding in Indian cities now. Witching hour only marks the onset of frenetic social action: an endless car carnival of excess by and for the opulent classes.

And it’s not a cult, but a blooming religion. A deluge.

Welcome to the afterparty. You can find the 2 am crowd across India, people with cash to burn and attitude to spare, finding ever-new ways to chase the dawn.

The young thrill to a new Mumbai party-goers enjoy alcohol syringes and dance the night away extreme sport dubbed drag racing—that very modern, and are places like the Haji Ali juice bar handbags and Jimmy Choo heels. sometimes morbid, act of letting an which are open late into the night. The men could well complement a expensive car or bike rip down an Empire restaurant, adjacent to the cigar-smoking look with customfamous Koshy’s Bakery, is where made Italian designer suits or flaunt uninterrupted stretch of highway.

Face-reading A poker session in the Bangalorean heads to spend a late Ed Hardy tees that Bollywood actors progress in a Delhi home (Photo- night while Desmonds offers dinner have adopted as their style statement. and drinks till 3 am. In Calcutta, we Accessories could include the latgraph by Tribhuvan Tiwari) On Delhi’s eastern edge, the eight- meet Bubbly at Tantra, the Park hotel est model of the Blackberry or the lane, 9-km-long DND Flyway turns discotheque, well after midnight. She I-phone, Ferragamo shoes and walrace-track after midnight. Hydera- has her left arm in a cast, which she lets, Versace belts and, of course, the badis burn the rubber all the way from tells you she hurt in a car accident personal monogrammed Zippo. Cars kbr Park, Jubilee Hills, to HiTec City. last week while heading home with too are a fashion statement unto themIn Chandigarh, 28-year-old Amar friends at 4 am. “It wasn’t drunk selves. It is not unusual to see Pajero, Sidhu rides his Rs 12-lakh, Honda driving as was reported, we skidded Porsche, bmw, Merc and Fortuner CBR 1000RR on the empty IT park because it was raining,” she says. It suvs around Hyderabad’s Jubilee Hill stretch at a wind-whipping 150 kmph. hasn’t stopped her from partying a and Banjara Hills areas.

Cocaine remains the ultimate party Lest you aren’t impressed, he lets week later.

Calcutta is actually the most liberal accessory. On a given night, say you know, “I have managed to do 292 kmph on this bike. The Dera when it comes to “official” timings. weekend users, they keep aside Rs Bassi highway is another favourite, It’s the only city in the entire country 3,000 to Rs 5,000 for the drug. “The where pubs are allowed to stay open use of cocaine has increased subespecially the flyover.”

Says Hyderabad’sAdditional Com- till 4 am. Delhi and Mumbai are more stantially in the party circuit and it’s missioner of Police, Traffic, C.V. conservative by contrast, having to a common sight in hotel bathrooms Anand, “Rich kids with fast cars and wind up by 1.30 am. Chennai and even though it’s used more freely money to burn get on to these roads Hyderabad are supposed to call it during private parties in people’s after they are done with their pub- a day half an hour earlier, at 1 pm, homes,” reveals a DJ at a nightclub in hopping. These youngsters some- while Bangalore struggles to extend a five-star hotel in Delhi. “A blind eye times bet for jaw-dropping sums its deadline from the party-pooping is often turned to drug abuse within like Rs 20 lakh. Dodging the law is cut-off of 11 pm. But few heed the the club,” he goes on to add. “There a major part of the thrill for them. official deadline; it never comes in is so much money with people. We have young people from political and Many hit speeds of 150 kmph and the way of the partying lot.

Nor does age. The 40-plus party industrialist backgrounds walking in pose severe danger to themselves as well as others. These bikers and car as hard as the 17-year-olds. Once, here with bodyguards, throwing their racers even have groups on Orkut and college kids made up a significant weight around and even picking up chunk of the entry-level party-goer. fights.” decide on venues in advance.”

Even in conservative Chennai, rich The 2 am crowd is certainly seri- Today, the new-age urban Indian has ous about their partying. In Delhi, the money and parties even harder. kids no longer shy away from showa typical evening would begin at Affirming the trend, Dhiraj Arora of ing off their wealth and influence at a friend’s house followed by club- upscale lounge bar Shalom in Delhi bars. “I was in Chennai last month bing and rounded off with a drive says, “It’s the new Indian who is really on work,” says Mumbai exporter to Noida or Gurgaon to get alcohol making the cash registers ring as far Gaurav Rahi, “and had gone to the as late as 6 am. The Gurgaon stretch as party circuits go. They are the ones bar at my hotel, when around 1 am, of NH-8 comes alive past midnight who are work and take responsibility three college kids walked in. After 10 when some of its dhabas dole out early on, are ambitious, enterprising minutes, I heard a gunshot. I was told techno beats, alcohol, cocaine or Ec- and therefore reward themselves with the next day that they were children of influential businessmen and all stasy to send you the high way. South what they deserve—a good time.”

Once the college crowd made up armed. I was also told that this was Delhi’s opulent drawing rooms begin to serve the finest single malt as the a significant chunk of the entry-level not the first time such a thing had hapfirst hand of poker is dealt. The really party-goer. Today it’s the new-age pened.” Apparently, the hotel took no rich and influential head for the very successful Indian who works hard action against the young men. lap of luxury, an exclusive nightclub and parties even harder. continued on page 32

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Indo American News • Friday, October 29 , 2010

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CNN Hero, Once a Rising Star, Chef Now Feeds Homeless in Madurai B D B their families and often y

anielle

erger

MADURAI, India (CNN) : Narayanan Krishnan was a bright, young, award-winning chef with a five-star hotel group, short-listed for an elite job in Switzerland.

But a quick family visit home before heading to Europe changed everything.

“I saw a very old man eating his own human waste for food,” Krishnan said. “It really hurt me so much. I was literally shocked for a second. After that, I started feeding that man and decided this is what I should do the rest of my lifetime.”

Krishnan was visiting a temple in the south Indian city of Madurai in 2002 when he saw the man under a bridge. Haunted by the image, Krishnan quit his job within the week and returned home for good, convinced of his new destiny.

“That spark and that inspiration is a driving force still inside me as a flame -- to serve all the mentally ill destitutes and people who cannot take care of themselves,” Krishnan said.

Krishnan founded his nonprofit Akshaya Trust in 2003. Now 29, he has served more than 1.2 million meals -- breakfast, lunch and dinner -- to India’s homeless and destitute, mostly elderly people abandoned by

abused.

“Because of the poverty India faces, so many mentally ill people have been ... left uncared [for] on the roadside of the city,” he said.

Krishnan said the name Akshaya is Sanskrit for “undecaying” or “imperishable,” and was chosen “to signify [that] human compassion should never decay or perish. ... The spirit of helping others must prevail for ever.” Also, in Hindu mythology, Goddess Annapoorani’s “Akshaya bowl” fed the hungry endlessly, never depleting its resources.

Krishnan’s day begins at 4 a.m. He and his team cover nearly 125 miles in a donated van, routinely working in temperatures topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

He seeks out the homeless under bridges and in the nooks and crannies between the city’s temples. The hot meals he delivers are simple, tasty vegetarian fare he personally prepares, packs and often hand-feeds to nearly 400 clients each day.

Krishnan carries a comb, scissors

Narayanan Krishnan is nominated as a hero by CNN for doing charitable work of feeding the homeless in his hometown, Madurai India. He found this to be his calling after he saw an old man eating his own human waste for food. Hunger is rampant in India, but he never realized it could be that bad. He gave up his new job in Switzerland and decided to open Akshaya Trust to help and feed the poor

and razor and is trained in eight haircut styles that, along with a fresh shave, provide extra dignity to those he serves.

He says many of the homeless seldom know their names or origins, and none has the capacity to beg, ask for help or offer thanks. They may be paranoid and hostile because of their conditions, but Krishnan says this only steadies his resolve to offer help.

“The panic, suffering of the human hunger is the driving force of me and my team members of Akshaya,” he said. “I get this energy from the people. The food which I cook ... the enjoyment which they get is the energy. I see the soul. I want to save my people.”

The group’s operations cost about $327 a day, but sponsored donations only cover 22 days a month. Krishnan subsidizes the shortfall with $88 he

receives in monthly rent from a home his grandfather gave him.

Krishnan sleeps in Akshaya’s modest kitchen with his few coworkers. Since investing his entire savings of $2,500 in 2002, he has taken no salary and subsists with the help of his once-unsupportive parents.

“They had a lot of pain because they had spent a lot on my education,” he said. “I asked my mother, ‘Please come with me, see what I am doing.’

After coming back home, my mother said, ‘You feed all those people, the rest of the lifetime I am there, I will feed you.’ I’m living for Akshaya.

My parents are taking care of me.”

For lack of funding, the organization has been forced to halt construction on Akshaya Home, Krishnan’s vision of a dormitory where he can provide shelter for the people he helps. Despite the demands and few comforts his lifestyle affords, Krishnan says he’s enjoying his life.

“Now I am feeling so comfortable and so happy,” he says. “I have a passion, I enjoy my work. I want to live with my people.”

Want to get involved? Check out the Akshaya Trust Web site and see how to help.

India Slips Three Places in the Global Corruption Rankings NEW DELHI (ZEE): India has slipped to 87th spot in Transparency International’s latest ranking of nations based on the level of corruption, with the global watchdog asserting that perceptions about corruption in the country increased in the wake of the scam-tainted Commonwealth Games.

Transparency International’s ‘Corruption Perception Index’ report covering the public sector in 178 countries shows that India fell by three positions from its ranking of 84th in 2009.

With an integrity score of 3.3, India is now ranked 87th in the world in terms of corruption. Neighboring China is ahead of India in the list at 78th place, with a score of 3.5.

“India has gone down in the ranking as well as integrity score and this is a matter of concern and regret. It appears that the level of governance has not improved despite India having a skilled set of administrators,” Transparency International India Chairman P S Bawa said here.

The rankings, on a scale of 0 to 10, are based on the extent of corruption and each government’s ability to punish and contain corrupt activities, among other criteria. A score of zero is perceived to be highly corrupt while 10 would indicate the lowest level of corruption.

According to the report: “The

perception about corruption in India seems to have increased primarily due to alleged corrupt practices in the Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Delhi.”

As many as four investigating agencies -- the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), Enforcement Directorate (ED), Income Tax Department and Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) -- are looking into allegations of corruption against the organizers of the CWG. The top three countries with the lowest level of corruption globally, as ranked by Transparency International, are Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore.

Denmark was ranked first in the report, with an integrity score of 9.3, while New Zealand and Singapore came with a similar score.

Bhutan was the best performer in the South Asian region and was ranked 37th, with an integrity score of 5.7. However, other SAARC nations are ranked below India.

Pakistan is ranked at 143th in the list, with an integrity score of 2.3, while Bangladesh is at 134th, with a score of 2.4. Sri Lanka was ranked 91st in the list, with an integrity score of 3.2, while Nepal was 146th (2.3) and Maldives joined Pakistan at 143th place (2.3).

Afghanistan, the newest SAARC member, was ranked 176th in the list with an integrity score of 1.4.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010 dow jones nasdaq bombay

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Karachi 100 10704.16 • +46.01 • 0.43% nepal NEPSE

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colombo asi 6664.22

• -39.39 • 0.59%

world

market trends

Gold $1,327.60 per oz.

Silver

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Brent $82.60 44.29 Ind. rupee Spot -0.22

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Indo American News • Friday, October 29, 2010

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In India, Workers Find Humor in NBC Sitcom ‘Outsourced’

By Heather Timmons GURGAON, India (NYT): The laughter was coming as fast as the stereotypes.

When a buffoonish American on the NBC show “Outsourced” warned his colleague not to eat the food in the Indian cafeteria or he would be on the toilet for five days, the roomful of workers watching the show in this outsourcing boomtown

UnitedLex’s office here to watch the show, which is not broadcast in India.

They viewed it on a projection screen normally used to videoconference with clients around the world.

It did not seem like a great recipe for bridging cultural divides.

While UnitedLex and the fictional company share a Kansas City headquarters, the similarities end there. UnitedLex does not take

south of New Delhi erupted in guffaws.

“Indians are very proud of their spicy food and their robust digestion tracts,” one software specialist explained later.

The show’s explanation of the Indian head bobble, an indeterminate sideways nodding gesture that can mean yes or no, prompted chuckles.

And the sight of a silent, slightly menacing Sikh character who kept storming offscreen drew more laughter, as well as comparisons to a co-worker, Angad, who was also watching the show.

He “never sits in his seat, so there is a lot in common,” explained a manager named Nitin S. “Outsourced,” NBC’s new Thursday night sitcom, is about a Kansas City novelty company that moves most of its jobs to India and sends an American manager to run things. To see how the show compared to real life, The New York Times took two episodes to an India office of UnitedLex, a company based outside Kansas City, Kan., with most of its employees in India, and asked them to review it. UnitedLex agreed to participate if employees’ last names were not used, to prevent rival companies from poaching them.

More than a dozen workers crammed into a state-of-the-art conference room this month at

orders for T-shirts and fake vomit; it does legal work like intellectual property research and due diligence for some of the world’s largest companies and law firms. Most of the employees who viewed the show were BlackBerry-toting law school graduates.

“Outsourced,” meanwhile, leans heavily on clichéd notions of India for its humor. The food is disastrous to Western digestive tracts, there are cows everywhere, people have names that sound funny or naughty when Americans mangle their pronunciation, some of the men are sexually frustrated and some of the women need assertiveness training.

N o n e t h e l e s s , U n i t e d L e x ’s employees deemed the show a success.

The workers readily acknowledged that there were some kernels of truth to be found among the excesses.

Though UnitedLex may be housed in an office tower that would not be out of place in any American city, employees said that, yes, there are cows wandering around outside, just like in the show.

The only real sour note the sitcom struck was when one character, an Indian assistant manager, mentioned an employee’s “lower caste.”

UnitedLex employees around the room seemed to wince collectively.

While caste continues to be a factor in things as varied as marriages and

real estate disputes in many parts of India, the outsourcing industry here considers itself a modern meritocracy that has left such old-fashioned prejudices behind.

“You would never talk about that as a manager and an educated person,” said Nitin V., a second manager in the room.

When the first episode was over, Rahul, a vice president in the intellectual property division, called it “hilarious.”

Comedies like “Outsourced” that rely on stereotypes on both sides — poking fun at Indians and Westerners alike — are already shown in India, explained Kanti, the technology and software specialist, and are very popular.

So far this season, “Outsourced” has performed fairly well in the ratings, especially among young viewers, and NBC has already picked it up for the full season. Still, the show has drawn its share of criticism. Americans of Indian origin say it perpetuates racist caricatures of Indian call center workers. Other Americans are threatening via Facebook and online groups to boycott NBC for what they say is the show’s insensitivity about job losses.

Meanwhile, reviews have been lukewarm, with some reviewers complaining the show isn’t offensive

enough. “Careful — too careful, probably, to be v e r y f u n n y, ” Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly said.

While the outsourcing of jobs to lowercost locations has radically reshaped corporate life in America in the last decade, the phenomenon has rarely been addressed in popular media, and when it is, comedy is not usually part of the equation. In one exception, “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” once sent a writer

what the real India is” when it comes to the outsourcing industry, said Angad, a member of the company’s litigation team. “They’ve only shown what they know.”

Not surprisingly, the show reminds Avneet, a human resources manager, of movies made five years ago.

(The sitcom is based on a movie of the same name that won acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006.) The outsourcing industry has “moved leaps and bounds since then,” she said.

The shift has made Indian outsourcing offices look a lot like companies in the West, complete with leadership training, complicated management structures and 360degree feedback.

But UnitedLex’s managers acknowledged that such a milieu hardly made for compelling television.

“If it was set up like our office,” said Nitin S., “no one would watch it.”

• End ~

with his computer to NBC’s help desk in Hyderabad to meet the woman he had been talking to often on the phone, a skit that managers in India still bring up four years later.

UnitedLex viewers said “Outsourced” was not so much insulting as it was behind the times.

Call centers that just take calls from Americans have become a rarity in India’s outsourcing hubs.

Instead, their workers are likely to be white-collar professionals like those at UnitedLex, whose duties can be billing, design or research and development. While call centers still exist, they are often part of a larger business.

“The problem is they haven’t shown

Outsourced NBC’s Thursday night sitcom aired at 8:30 CST, produced by Universal Media Studios that has produced successful shows like the George Lopez Show, the Drew Carey Show, The Office, is about a Novelty company, Mid Atlantic Novelties which has outsourced its call center to India. While the Indian workers have to learn the new inventory that the company’s latest catalog carries - fake dog poo, fake vomit, whoopee cushions, the American boss faces culture shock.

The show has received lukewarm response in America saying the humor is not as biting, while the humor has been well received back home in India.

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South Asia News of the Diaspora

Penn State’s C.R. Rao Receives India Science Prize for Statist Statistical Research HYDERABAD (MMO): World renowned statistician C.R. Rao Tuesday received the India Science Prize in recognition of his outstanding work in statistics from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Singh presented the award to Rao, his friend, at the inaugural ceremony of the 21st general meeting of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World, formerly known as Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS).

India Science Prize, which carries a reward of Rs.25 lakh and a 200gram gold medal, was presented on behalf of the Indian National Science Academy.

It is the highest professional recognition that the country offers to outstanding Indian scientist for the work done in India.

Manmohan Singh himself received the Special TWAS gold medal from TWAS president Jacob Palis for his outstanding contribution in economics.

The TWAS described him as an expert and practitioner of the science of economics and a keen supporter of science who is promoting collaboration in the field with the

rest of the world.

Arvind Gupta of the InterUniversity Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune, received the TWAS regional centre award for Central and South Asia for popularizing science.

Gupta was honoured for efforts in the last 30 years to popularize science and technology among students and general public M.K. Bhan, secretary, department of biotechnology, and Iranian scientist Habib Firouzabadi were presented TWAS medals 2010.

TWAS prizes were also given to 14 outstanding scientists, including P.P. Majumdar and S.K. Ghosh of India.

Mohammed A. Hasan, executive director of TWAS, was presented special certificate of appreciation for his distinguished services over the last 25 years.

Penn State’s C.R. Rao, emeritus holder of the Eberly family chair in statistics and one of the world’s top statisticians, has been honored with the India Science Award for his significant contributions to the field of statistical science during a career spanning six decades.

Rao is recognized internationally as a pioneer who laid the foundation of modern statistics, with multifaceted distinctions as a mathematician,

Professor Calyampudi R Rao

researcher, scientist, and teacher.

His contributions to mathematics and to the theory and application of statistics during the last six decades have become part of graduate and postgraduate courses in statistics, econometrics, electrical engineering and many other disciplines at most universities throughout the world.

Rao’s research in multivariate analysis, for example, is useful

in economic planning, weather prediction, medical diagnosis, tracking the movements of spy planes, and monitoring the movements of spacecraft. Technical terms bearing his name appear in all standard textbooks on statistics, econometrics, and engineering. Examples of these terms are the Cramer-Rao Inequality, Rao-Blackwellization, Fisher-Rao Theorem, Rao Distance, Rao’s Orthoganal Arrays, and Rao’s Score test. A book Rao wrote in 1965, “Linear Statistical Inference and Its Applications,” is one of the mostoften-cited books in science.

Rao’s other awards include 32 honorary doctoral degrees from universities in 18 countries on six continents. In addition, Rao was honored in 2003 with the first Mahalanobis International Award in Statistics from the International Statistical Institute and the Srinivasa Ramanujan Medal by the Indian National Science Academy. In 2002, he was honored by President George W. Bush with the National Medal of Science, the highest award given to an American scientist for lifetime achievement in fields of scientific research. In 1989, the American

Statitical Association awarded him the Wilks Medal.

In 2001, Rao was honored by the government of India with the Padma Vibhushan Award -- the country’s second-highest civilian honor —-for outstanding contributions to science, engineering, and statistics; with being selected in 2000 as the namesake for a National Award to be presented to India’s outstanding young statisticians; and with the highest honor bestowed by the University of Visva-Bharati, the 2002 Desikottama award, in recognition of his “enormous contributions in the field of statistics and its applications.”

Rao is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Science in the United States, a Fellow of the Royal Society in the United Kingdom, and a member of the Indian National Science Academy, the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, and the Developing World Academy of Sciences.

He has authored or co-authored 14 books -- some of which have been translated into several languages --

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Indo American News • Friday, October 29, 2010

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KBC (Kaun Banega Crorepati) - 4 Propels Sony Ratings to New High MUMBAI: The return of Amitabh Bachchan as host of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC 4) has worked wonders for Sony Entertainment television (Sony TV) as the launch episode on Monday generated peak ratings (TVR) of 6.7 and an average show ratings of 5. This was the highest ratings for a Sony TV show in the Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) genre in recent times. Also, it was the highest firstepisode ratings for any reality show aired on Hindi GEC this year, as per data provided by the overnight television ratings agency aMap. According to aMap data, the launch episode of KBC-4 almost tripled the

also consider as his “Happy 2nd Birthday” because he came back from the hospital on this day after he was declared “clinically dead” when he suffered grave injuries during an accident on the sets of “Coolie”.

Lata Mangeshkar is an avid watcher of KBC and is excited to watch Season 4 with Big B in action.

reach of Sony TV on Monday as over 16 million viewers tuned in to watch the cult quiz show that first aired in year 2000 on Star Plus.

However, KBC 3 hosted by Shah Rukh Khan had a better first-episode ratings of 5.3 in January 2007 says the aMap data. The television industry now awaits the ratings from TAM Media, which will be released in the next few days.

The fourth season of Kaun Banega Crorepati, to be hosted by megastar Amitabh Bachchan, went on air on his 68th birthday on October 11.

Incidentaly, KBC phone lines opened on August 2 which Bachchan’s family members

<< Bachchan’s children Shweta and Abhishek greeted their father on the occasion. Shweta tweeted, “family wish him coz its the day he came home 4m hospi... every fam has a defining moment, we hve had several.

The 82’ incident was perhaps the most grave and public.”

The After-Party Scene in India: Rocking the Night Away in Night Clubs continued from page

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All the serious partying has obviously led to serious drinking. Club managers from different cities claim that the appetite for the poison has increased substantially and that excessive drinking is on a rise everywhere. During the recent World Cup series, pubs across the country reported selling 200-300 bottles of beer a night and double that during the big games. “We have clubs in Delhi, Mumbai and Goa,” says a pub chain owner from Mumbai, “and can say that people are drinking far more than they ever have while partying.

We have seen a huge jump in all the cities. More women too are drinking now.”

With all this booze in the belly, it’s

not surprising that road accidents due to drunken driving are on a rise in all cities across the country. The Madras High Court ordered the police in September 2009 to get tough on drunk drivers since the number of those booked went up from 11,000 in 2008 to 12,000 in 2009. In Mumbai, over 5,000 people are booked for drunken driving each year. In Delhi, 1,046 cases of drunk driving have been reported this year, up from 556 in 2009. In the last 15 days, 35 cases of hit-and-run accidents have been reported in the capital, most of them late at night. Just last week, a speeding Honda City driven by a 24-year-old medical student lost control over the Safdarjung Airport flyover in Delhi,

killing four labourers and injuring eight. Beer bottles were found in the car. The incident took place after 1 am.

The person behind the wheel fled but was later arrested at the airport while his fellow passengers were questioned by the police and let off.

If the party people paused for a touch of introspection, they would see that the danger to others apart, non-stop partying has its downside on their health too. Explains Dr Samir Parikh, department of mental health and behavioural sciences at Max Health Care: “Initially, partying or a night out was seen as a way to destress and enjoy oneself. But when people abuse this, it has the reverse effect. A continual pattern of late nights, drink-

ing and lack of sleep compromises our ability at work and personal life and also has an impact on our mental well-being. Young people also burn out earlier with this new lifestyle.”

This is not to tar all party-goers with the tag of being spoilt brats and rash drivers and smuggle in a less permissive regime. There are regulars who say the idea is to have fun but not indulge in reckless driving or abuse of drugs and alcohol. It’s called sensible partying and there are young men and women who let their hair down over the weekend and are no worse for that. “They are becoming more responsible about drinking and driving. However, a lot more can be done,” says Shalom’s Arora, adding

that even though there are special cab services now to take late partygoers home, it’s still not very safe for women.

So while state police and governments across the country try hard to curb the party-goers’ lifestyle by setting deadlines or by simply not extending them, India is fast adopting New York’s lifestyle, where there are no deadlines and people party all night round. Whether it’s gambling, drinking, snorting coke, racing bikes and cars or just dancing the night away, the concept of partying has changed in India. All those who comforted themselves by thinking that their city sleeps by midnight, they have it all wrong. It comes alive at 2 am.

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Who Needs Cash (or Borders)? Ajay Banga to Globalize Plastic Money continued from page

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Nevertheless, it was a heady time.

Every product they introduced seemed to catch fire, and nearly every night they would socialize with a close group of friends. “We kind of sat next to each other and worked hard and partied hard,” he says. “What you see today is the same Ajay.”

Banga joined Citigroup in 1996 and quickly rose through the ranks, hopscotching the globe along the way. He moved his family — his wife, Ritu, and two daughters — to London, Brussels, Hong Kong and New York.

Dinyar S. Devitre, who was in charge of Europe and the Middle East for Citigroup, hired . Banga as his right-hand man in the late 1990s.

He praises . Banga’s smarts and his ability to take on difficult tasks. For example, after . Devitre assigned him to take over Citi’s relatively small operations in Central Europe and the Middle East, . Banga built them into major businesses.

“He made things happen; he made whole cloth out of the businesses in those markets,” . Devitre says.

“He knows how to navigate a path through obstacles by getting the cooperation of the people he is working with.”

From 2000 to 2002, he ran CitiFinancial in New York, which offers mortgages and other consumer loans. When . Banga arrived, the division was being investigated by the Federal Trade Commission for possible predatory lending practices.

His task was to clean up the unit, which became part of Citigroup in an acquisition. The inquiry eventually resulted in Citigroup agreeing to a $215 million settlement in 2002.

From 2002 to 2005, he oversaw North American retail banking, a vast network of branches and consumer products that included mortgages, student loans and car loans. He took over the international consumer business in 2005.

During his Citigroup tenure, the bank came under considerable fire for some of the mortgages and credit cards it offered, and for investments in exotic financial instruments. The latter nearly caused Citigroup to go under in 2008 and 2009, but the bank was propped up by a government bailout. A Citigroup spokeswoman said Mr. Banga was not involved in mortgage-backed securities or other financial instruments that caused Citi’s problems.

His last job was supervising Citi’s highly lucrative Asia Pacific region from Hong Kong, where he oversaw China, Vietnam and other developing markets — now fertile territory for MasterCard.

Mr. Devitre says he believes the fact that Mr. Banga is a Sikh has ultimately worked to his advantage, despite an occasional uncomfortable glance or comment. He says it takes a lot of conviction to wear a turban, a central tenet of Sikhism, at an American-based corporation.

“People look at him and say: ‘He wears a turban and he made it to the top. He must be extraordinarily

gifted.’ ” For all his international experience at Citi, Mr. Banga also traveled extensively in America, going to cities and towns from Shreveport, La., to Billings, Mont. He has decorated his relatively modest office in Purchase with souvenirs including a miniature cowboy boot from Dodge City, Kan., with a “made in China” sticker on the bottom.

At Citigroup, Mr. Banga was on a short list of potential chief executives. But when MasterCard called in 2009, he was hired as chief operating officer with the understanding that he would soon run the company.

He took over on July 1, in one of the most difficult periods in MasterCard’s history. The global recession had curbed credit card use, and the new government regulations have cut into the profitability of credit and debit cards — and weighed down MasterCard’s and Visa’s stock prices.

At the same time, new technologies threaten to upend the traditional dominance of Visa, MasterCard and American Express, particularly as payments move to mobile devices.

In India, banks and the government, for instance, are experimenting with mobile money transfer systems that could keep MasterCard and Visa — and the fees that come with them — out of the loop.

“Cash is expensive; cash is inefficient,” he says. “You have to print it, transport it, secure it, store it and change it.”

During his recent visit to India, he announced an investment in an Indian payment processing company.

But he was also looking for broader opportunities, like the identification program.

Of course, the Indian government could find other networks for payments. But MasterCard hopes that Mr. Banga’s ability to glide among cultures, languages and borders gives it an edge.

Those skills were on display during his recent India trip. In Mumbai, speaking in Hindi, he joked with waiters who were trying to have him eat rasmalai, a rich, milk-based dessert flavored with cardamom and

pistachios. “If I do, will you come to the gym with me?” he asked.

At a dinner in Delhi with colleagues from New York and Singapore, he spoke animatedly in English about how much he liked “Freud’s Last Session,” an off-Broadway production about a hypothetical meeting between Sigmund Freud and C. S. Lewis.

Asked if his coming of age and his education in India might explain his success, Mr. Banga says, “I really don’t think that defines me.”

He also brushes off questions about his appearance. “People say ‘How does it feel to be looking like you, working in the West?’ ” he notes.

Penn State’s C.R. Rao Receives Indian Prize for Statistical R&D continued from page

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and more than 300 research papers published in scientific journals.

He has supervised the doctoral research of 50 students who have, in turn, trained another 390 doctoral students themselves. Most of his former students now are employed in universities and other research organizations worldwide, many becoming research leaders in their areas of specialization.

Rao earned his doctorate and doctor of science degrees in 1948 at

Cambridge University in England.

He came to the United States in 1978 after serving as the director of the Indian Statistical Institute, where he had held various research and administrative positions since 1943.

In 1982 he established the Center for Multivariate Analysis at the University of Pittsburgh. Rao joined the Penn State faculty in 1988 as a professor and holder of the Eberly family chair in statistics. He is the founding director of Penn State’s Center for Multivariate Statistics.

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Indo American News • Friday, October 29, 2010

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Food quotes

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• Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie. ~Jim Davis • There is a lot more juice in grapefruit than meets the eye. ~Author Unknown • Do vegetarians eat animal crackers? ~Author Unknown

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No man in the world has more courage than the man who can stop after eating one peanut. ~Channing Pollock • Red meat is not bad for you. Now blue-green meat, that’s bad for you! ~Tommy Smothers Write us Letters to the Editor: indoamericannews@yahoo.com

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Indo American News • Friday, October 29 , 2010

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Russell Brand, Katy Perry Do A Dream Wedding at Tiger Reserve in India

any further details on the ceremony.

The wedding was held at the Aman-eKhas luxury resort in a tiger reserve in Ranthambhore National Park, a hotel official said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Security has been stringent with private security guards stationed at the resort and other nearby hotels where guests and the couple are staying for the six-day wedding celebration.

Photographers and media reporters were not allowed into the Aman-e-Khas wildlife retreat.

The wedding venue was lit with lamps, colorful lights illuminated the trees and flower garlands festooned the luxury tents at the resort, the hotel official said.

Meanwhile, a four-member committee had been set up to check noise pollution from the wedding celebration and ensure that animals in the wildlife reserve in India’s Rajasthan state are not disturbed, said Ravi Kumar, a district official.

Ranthambhore National Park is home to a host of wildlife species including tigers, leopards, wild boars, hyenas and sloth bears.

The British comedian’s wedding procession, accompanied by traditional Indian musicians, made its way from Sher Bagh, another nearby luxury resort, to the Aman-e-Khas retreat.

Brand proposed to the American pop singer, whose parents are Christian pastors, in the historic Indian city of Jaipur over New The happy couple: Katy Perry, left, and Russell Year’s Eve, and the couple deBrand. cided to get married in India.

The 26-year-old Perry’s single said the statement, which did not provide “California Gurls,” from her second album

By Prakash Bhandari RANTHAMBHORE NATIONAL PARK, India (CL): Comedian Russell Brand and pop star Katy Perry were married last Saturday in northwestern India, the couple confirmed in a statement. A Christian minister and longtime friend of Perry’s family performed a “private and spiritual ceremony,” which was attended by family members and close friends, said the statement released by the couple’s representatives.

“The backdrop was the inspirational and majestic countryside of Northern India,”

“Teenage Dream,” was one of the top hits of the year.

Brand, 35, is known for his drug-addled past and hedonistic tendencies, but says he has lived a sober life for the last few years.

He recently starred in the hit film comedy

“Get Him to the Greek,” and is next set to star as Trinculo in Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and as the title character in a remake of the 1981 Dudley Moore-Liza Minnelli film “Arthur.”

JAI Ranthambore National Park - Ranthambore Fort main gate stairs with jeep in Jaipur, Rajasthan India, is one of the largest and most famous national parks in northern India. It is situated in Sawai Madhopur district of southeastern Rajasthan, about 130 km from Jaipur, which is also the nearest airport.

Ranthambhore was established as the Sawai Madhopur Game Sanctuary in 1955 by the Government of India, and was declared one of the Project Tiger reserves in 1973. Ranthambhore became a national park in 1980.

It is named for the historic Ranthambhore fortress, which lies within the national park. The park covers an area of 245 sq. miles, and is famous for its tiger population, and is one of India’s Project Tiger reserves. Other major wild animals include the tiger, leopard, nilgai, dhole, w i l d b o a r, sambar, hyena, sloth bear and chital.

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Tamil Movie Releases for

i l a w i D

As of now three movies have been confirmed for Diwali 2010 release. Actor Jeeva will arrive in theatres with Singam Puli. Also Dhanush and Genelia’s Uthama Puthiran is also said to be definite release and team is racing against time to make it a surefire Diwali

ENTE R TAIN M ENT

Indo American News • Friday, October 29 , 2010

Hindi Movie Releases

The films are Action Replayy and Golmaal 3.

“Action Replayy” is a timetravel caper weaved around a story that progresses backwards in time, “Golmaal 3 follows the hit outings “Golmaal” (2006) and “Golmaal Returns” (2008).

Produced and directed by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, “Action Replayy”

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also stars Aditya Roy Kapoor, Rannvijay Singh, Neha Dhupia, Kirron Kher, Rajpal Yadav, Om Puri and Randhir Kapoor.

“Golmaal 3 on the other hand also features Mithun Chakraborty, Arshad Warsi, Kareena Kapoor, Tusshar Kapoor and Kunal Khemu.

Aishwarya is Hrithik’s Favorite Actress, He’s Not Shy to Admit it!

release.

Cloud Nine Movies is releasing the comedy cracker VA – Quarter Cutting, which is directed by Pushkar and Gayatri. This film has Shiva, Lekha Washington and SPB Jeeva

Anusha Rizvi is Publicity Hungry, Created Controversy, Allege Actors NEW DELHI (Yahoo): Raghubir Yadav and other actors of “Peepli Live” have come out in support of their producer Aamir Khan saying director Anusha Rizvi was trying to earn public-

Anusha Rizvi ity by dragging the movie about farmer suicides in controversy.

Rizvi, who wrote and directed the film with her husband Mehmood Farooqui as co-director, said they decided to recuse themselves from the movie after “differences” with Aamir over credits.

But the actors of the movie have

supported Aamir, saying Rizvi is trying to gain publicity. “Whatever Rizvi is doing is only for publicity.

The initial budget of the film was Rs two crore but Aamir increased it up to Rs 10 crore. He also took the initiative to showcase the movie in Berlin and Sundance film festivals,” veteran actor Raghubir Yadav said.

Yadav played the role of Budhia, the protagonist’’s brother, in the movie, which had a host of theatre actors. Yadav also gave voice to the famous ‘’Mehngai dayain’’ track in the movie.

Rizvi had reportedly said that Aamir trimmed the length of the song against her wishes. “The controversy over the length of the song is illogical because it was difficult to fit it into the movie but Aamir decided to keep it in the movie despite the problems in editing,” Yadav said.

Actor Sitaram Panchal, who played the role of local politician Bhai Thakur in the movie, too has supported Aamir on the controversy, saying Rizvi is reacting like this because her ego has been hurt.

“The whole controversy is a non-

‘’Peepli Live’’ Actors’ Statement

issue.

Her ego is hurt because it is Aamir’’s name which is coming in the media. With the controversy she wants her share of limelight,” Panchal said.

Nowaz, who portrayed the character of a TV journalist, said, “I am very much surprised with her attitude because Aamir was professional at every level. He never

interfered in the execution of the film but lent his help whenever he thought it was important for the betterment of the film. “ Rizvi had alleged that worthy people did not get credit for the film’’s success, which is now being touted as Aamir’’s movie. The director could not be reached despite repeated attempts to contact her.

MUMBAI (IG): The hottest onscreen couple Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s next film Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish is certainly expected more for their amazing chemistry.

Hrithik Roshan reveals that he was more than happy when he first heard from director Sanjay Leela Bhansali that Aishwarya was likely to be his co-star in the project and instantly gave his approval saying that Sanjay’s decision of picking Aish for the role was right. And without any diplomacy Hrithik states that Aish is his favorite and that he is extremely comfortable with her.

Artistes Perform on Music Composer Hridaynath Mangeshkar’s Birthday

MUMBAI (ANI): Young musicians showcased their talents on the occasion of renowned composer Hridaynath Mangeshkar’s 73rd birthday here on Tuesday.

Mangeshkar has been the recipient of several awards, including the prestigious National Award, and has composed many songs in Hindi and Marathi languages.

Upcoming classical artistes such as Niladri Kumar, sitar player, and vocalist Ustaad Rashid Khan performed along with renowned Padma Vibhushan-winner (India’s second highest civilian honour), Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, on the occasion.

“This is a great platform for young artistes to perform on. I feel it opens the doors for the new generation who will create music in

the future. It is a great feeling to perform in front of Bharat Ratna (India’s highest civilian honour) award winners, Lata Mangeshkar and Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar. I don’t think I could have asked for a better audience,” said Niladari Kumar.

The evening continued with musicians taking a trip down memory lane by performing songs composed by Hridaynath Mangeshkar.

His sisters, legendary singers Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle, along with Usha Mangeshkar and Meena Khadikar were also present on the occasion.

Young musicians showcased their talents on the occasion of renowned composer Hridaynath Mangeshkar’s 73rd birthday.

Mangeshkar has been the recipient of several awards, and has composed many songs in Hindi and Marathi languages.

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Indo American News • Friday, October 29 , 2010

sports

Poor Batting Dooms Pakistan vs. S. Africa

By Sriram Veera ABU DHABI (Cricinfo): Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Johan Botha restricted Pakistan to 119 before Colin Ingram and JP Duminy revived the chase from a wobbly 26 for 3 with a 66-run partnership to push South Africa to victory in the first of the two Twenty20 games in Abu Dhabi. Pakistan fought hard with the bowling but the battle was lost by their batsmen.

There was a predictable monotony about the Pakistan batting. The openers didn’t last long, Umar Akmal flattered to deceive, Shahid Afridi unfurled a couple of violent hits to threaten a revival, Misbah-ul-Haq batted slowly and the lower order collapsed.

The chase shouldn’t have got Lonwabo Tsotsobe celebrates the fall of Imran Farhat, Pakistan so close but South Africa slipped vs. South Africa, 1st Twenty20, Abu Dhabi. up against Shoaib Akhtar early in the piece. Loots Bosman crashed runs from his two overs: Duminy start - Albie struggled with wides one straight to cover point and AB collected a boundary to fine- and Morne struggled with no-balls de Villiers dragged a pull shot to leg and Ingram swung one over - South Africa did nearly everyhis stumps as Shoaib picked two long-on and heaved another to thing right. They kept it tight on wickets in his second over. And the square-leg boundary to propel good lines and lengths and waited when Graeme Smith was bowled, South Africa ahead. Duminy and for Pakistan to implode. Tsotsobe attempting a cut against Moham- Ingram batted sensibly to add 66 removed the openers to set the mad Hafeez, South Africa were runs in 10.4 overs to push South tone for the innings: Imran Farhat wobbling at 26 for 3 at 5.1 overs. Africa close to the winning line. fell to an ugly slog, edging to slip, Pakistan brought on Saeed Ajmal Though Duminy fell, to a good and Shahzaib Hasan fell to a good and Umar Gul and the duo kept the diving catch by Umar Akmal at tumbling catch from JP Duminy runs down to maintain the pres- long-on, David Miller hit a few running back from point after boundaries to ensure the scoring scooping an intended big hit. sure.

Botha came on after the PowHowever, the release of pressure rate didn’t slacken and Ingram came from unexpected quarters. It remained unbeaten to take South erplay to strangle Pakistan with a triple-strike. Two of them came was set up perfectly for Afridi to Africa home.

Barring a couple of poor overs easily: Mohammad Hafeez carved come in and strangle the batsmen with his accuracy but he leaked 23 from the Morkel brothers at the one straight to sweeper cover and Abdul Razzaq, who struggled Need help with an Immigration Matter ? in his brief stay, played down the wrong line • Green Cards • US Citizenship • Appeals and lost his off • H-1B, L-1 Visas • Deportation Defense stump. In beFREE Consultation* tween those dis*(Restrictions Apply) missals, Afridi counterattacked We offer compassionate representation in his inimiand our fees are very reasonable. table style with a breezy 25 off just seven balls.

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Venky’s to Buy Blackburn Team PUNE: The wait is over. An Indian company will soon enter the world’s wealthiest football league.

Amid speculation this year about mega Indian corporates eyeing teams in the English Premier League, Punebased Venkateshwara Hatcheries (VH) has scored the first goal.

The Rs 3,850-crore poultry giant is set to take over Blackburn Rovers, currently 17th in the EPL. VH Group chairperson Anuradha Desai told TOI the deal was struck at £46 million (Rs 325cr), which entailed taking over the club’s debts. The group will own the club 100%.

Desai said the deal was “as good as through”. “We have been in talks with Blackburn Rovers and our directors (Venkatesh Rao and Balaji Rao) are now in England.

They have had a meeting with the Rovers owners. It is only a matter of seven or eight days before which the SPA (sale purchase agreement) will be executed,” she said.

The move which has potential spin-offs for Indian football. “The game is gaining popularity in the country and we will surely consider investing here in another five years or so. Football is popular in Kolkata and Kerala and there is growth happening in other states as well,” VH Group chairperson Anuradha Desai said.

Justifying the investment, Desai said, “It does make perfect business sense to us. In Europe, football is an extremely popular sport and we felt we could promote our brand through this club.”

The VH Group will become the second Indian owners of a football club England. Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal has 50% stake in the second division (Championship) club, Queen’s Park Rangers, which is currently leading the Championship table.

Blackburn Rovers languishes just above the relegation zone in the EPL and does not have big names in its line-up. However, De-

sai said, “We have gone through the history of the club and are fully aware of their standing.

They have finished an average 10th or so in the EPL.” The VH Group’s main businesses are poultry and vaccines. It has been expanding its presence globally and has footprints in the Middle East, south-east Asia and Africa. The group is looking at entering the markets in Indonesia, New Zealand, Vietnam and Bangladesh, having already set up chicken feed mills in the latter two countries.

“We will market our poultry vaccines in these countries,” Desai said. The Blackburn Rovers website quoted their chairman John Williams as saying, “A series of meetings, including discussions with the Premier League, have followed an extensive due diligence process. Both parties are hopeful that the transaction will be completed in November.”

According to the Rovers website, the team has been scouring the globe for a potential buyer for several months. Last week, team manager Sam Allardyce said, “The club has been up for sale for some time. New investment would be most welcome.”

For now, Desai said the VH Group has no plans on restructuring the Rovers team. “That will be considered later. We are happy with the team for now,” she said.

Founded in 1971 by B V Rao, a Padmashree, the VH Group is the largest fully integrated poultry group in Asia.

Its main business is eggs, poultry, processed chicken and poultry vaccines. The group’s greatest success has been its ability to indigenize the Babcock (layer) and Cobb (broiler) breeds. It has 26 subsidiary companies, including Venkateshwara Hatcheries Private Limited, Venky’s ( India) Limited, Venco Research & Breeding Farm Limited, Venkateshwara Research & Breeding Farm Limited and VJ Equipment Limited.

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Book Review

Feted Journalist B.G. Verghese Presents Story of Independent India as He Saw It Unfold

By Inder Malhotra B.G. Verghese is one of our most feted journalists. He tells the story of independent India as he saw it unfold.

George Verghese is an outstanding and highly respected journalist of our time. And he has written more books than many of his fellow-professionals might have read. He reported on the nation’s apex legislature in an era when Jawaharlal Nehru could legitimately speak of the “majesty of Parliament”.

How things have changed or deteriorated since then!

This, together with a comprehensive, vivid account of independent India’s triumphs and tragedies, its entrepreneurship, corruption and sloth is the essence of Verghese’s aptly titled First Draft. Intertwined with these chronicles is George’s own life story. Journalism is called the first draft of history, and there couldn’t be a more perceptive witness to the making of modern India than

was he who “laid the foundations of a liberal, democratic and plural society and a mixed economy that had given India a place in the world though some felt it was inclined to punch above its weight”. In my view, the Mahatma was India’s liberator, Nehru its moderniser.

A high point of Verghese’s career was his work as information advisor to Indira Gandhi during her first three years as prime minister (1966-68). She is the dominant character in five chapters—Enter Mrs G: ‘Madam Prime Minister, Sir’; A Mandate for Change; A Long Day’s Journey into the Night; No Talking! There’s An Emergency; and An Unhappy Second Coming. During his tenure in the PMO, Verghese found his boss

Verghese.

‘Araam haraam hai’—Rest is taboo, Panditji had said. Setting the tone for this 573-page volume is the chapter titled: ‘The Nehru Era: Work to Work’. Verghese is very critical of Nehru but admits that it

to be gracious and supportive. But writing her speeches were a torture: she chopped and changed till the last moment.

Later, as editor of Hindustan Times, Verghese became increasingly—and not unfairly—critical

of her. Of Indira’s leadership during the disastrous descent towards the Emergency, he writes: “By 1974 Mrs Gandhi was riding high but found herself in a political and ethical bog of her own creation....

[S]he turned away from proven advisors to embrace a coterie that flattered her ego and fed on her inchoate fears for their own self-aggrandisement. Emerging from the shadows and soon to lead the pack was her younger son, Sanjay.”

Verghese describes Sanjay as his mother’s “nemesis”. No wonder, in 1975, at Indira Gandhi’s behest, the owner of Hindustan Times, K.K. Birla, sacked Verghese most shabbily. The chapter, The Editor’s Den, should be compulsory reading for those with the media.

Any praise for Verghese’s book is well-deserved but one can’t agree with everything he says. Some of his best friends have said that being an activist for many good causes, Verghese could sometimes be a “bleeding-heart liberal”. On some issues—such as his rosetinted view of Pakistan and of Ziaul-Haq or his staunch opposition to the Indian nuclear arsenal—he eventually changed his mind because of rude ground realities. Indisputably though, Verghese can argue his case or analyze a complex problem with the utmost thoroughness.

In the 1977 general elections— the “new dawn” ushered in was sadly short-lived; Indira Gandhi was back in power in 30 months flat—Verghese contested as an Independent from his home state of Kerala with the full support of the CPI(M). He lost but refused a nomination to the Rajya Sabha.

Verghese’s vision of India’s future is refreshingly optimistic. He believes that its “inner resilience, diversity and values” would ultimately triumph, and adds: “If I have been roundly critical of many events and trends, it has been to sound a note of caution rather than utter a cry of despair.”

Indo American News • Friday, October 29 , 2010

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JOB POSTING

PART TIME BROADCAST DESIGNER

KTRK-TV, the ABC owned station located in Houston, TX has an exceptional employment opportunity for an entry level P/T BROADCAST DESIGNER for Television News Graphics.

The qualified candidate will have good design skills and be organized and able to work on multiple projects to meet deadlines, apply good design sense to create new layouts from start to finish for on-air graphics using existing or original artwork, follow all templates and file requirements established for use in on-air motion and still graphics. The successful candidate will be assigned to work evening shifts that may include working weekends and holidays, must be willing to work flexible schedule.

Requirements include experience in 2D design production and experience with Macintosh systems with Photoshop CS, Illustrator CS, Version 5. Prefer Graphics Design degree or equivalent; will consider someone with design experience. Some 3D Adobe After Effects and Flash experience would be beneficial although not required. Must be a team player with good interpersonal skills and be able to work in a fast paced environment. Will work closely with other departments particularly, News, Promotion and Community Affairs.

This is an excellent opportunity to join a first-class station and live in a fun and affordable city. To be considered for this position all interested applicants must apply on-line at www.disneycareers.com by uploading a resume file. Interested applicants should also mail work samples and/or a DVD of your latest work to: Human Resources, KTRK-TV, 3310 Bissonnet, Houston, TX 77005. Please reference Job ID: 268213 on all materials submitted. No phone calls please. Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V/D

JOB POSTING ACCOUNTING MANAGER

KTRK-TV, an ABC owned station located in Houston, TX has an immediate opening for an ACCOUNTING MANAGER to be responsible for all monthly JE’s, GL account review/reconciliation, expense analysis and preparation of the monthly financial statements. Assist in the preparation of forecasts, annual operating plan and budget. Supervise A/R, A/P and cash management. In addition, maintenance of capital projects, fixed assets and preparation of annual property taxes.

Qualifications required: Accounting Degree, CPA is preferred. 3-5 years public accounting or comparable experience. Must possess good communication skills. SAP experience a plus This is an excellent opportunity to join a first-class station and live in a fun and affordable city. Candidates must apply online at www.disneycareers. com by uploading a resume file. Please Reference Job ID: 268212 on all materials submitted. No phones calls please. Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V/D

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tRekking

Indo American News • Friday, October 29 , 2010

Search Called Off for Nepalese Mountaineer KATHMANDU (AFP) : Rescuers on Monday called off their search for a Nepalese mountaineer who had climbed Mount Everest 19 times, accepting he had died after being swept away by an avalanche in the Himalayas two days ago.

Chhewang Nima Sherpa, 43, was fixing ropes for a climbing group high on the 7,129 metre (23,400 foot) Mount Baruntse on Saturday when the avalanche hit as one of his colleagues looked on.

“We have decided to abort the rescue operation.

There is no way we can find him. We have concluded that he is dead,” Jeeban Ghimire, managing director of Sherpa Shangri-La Treks, which organized the expedition, told AFP. “It’s impossible to get to him. The area where we believe he was swept into is a rough icy slope that is inaccessible. It’s a sad decision and a sad day for us.”

Ghimire said that a second sherpa, who was working with Chhewang when the avalanche hit at a height of about 7,045 metres, had reported to base camp that Chhewang was missing.

“Chhewang’s brother was one of the rescue team in the search helicopter,” Ghimire said.

“He is also a climber and he saw the place and decided it was right to end the search.

The family believe he is dead.”

Ghimire said they had spent six hours in the air looking for the body.

Other members of the expedition included six British climbers and one American.

Chhewang was one ascent away from equalling the world record of reaching the Mount Everest summit 20 times, which is held

by Apa Sherpa.

He was due to climb

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Everest twice in the spring next year to claim Apa’s record, which was set in May. Chhewang, a father of two daughters, climbed Everest twice earlier this year and had also climbed many of the Himalayas’ other highest peaks.

Baruntse, in eastern Nepal, was first climbed by a New Zealand expedition in 1954, one year after the 8,848-metre Everest peak was first conquered.

Zimba Zangbu Sherpa, president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, described Chhewang as a “dear and daring” climber.

“He was one of the most accomplished and experienced Sherpa guides,” Zimba said. “He was young and energetic, and looking forward to beating the world record of Apa Sherpa.”

Last month, an avalanche on Mount Dhaulagiri in the Himalayas killed three Japanese climbers and a sherpa guide. Only the dead body of one Japanese climber has been recovered.

Rescuers have called off their search for the mountaineer Chhewang Nima who had climbed Mount Everest 19 times, accepting he had died after being swept away by an avalanche in the Himalayas two days. Ghimire his brother one of the members of the rescue team decided it was the right time to call off the search considering the terrain and the high likelihood of Chhewang’s not making it. He was from Thamo, Khumbu Nepal and was one of the world’s most respected and accomplished Sherpa’s. His gentle demeanor and unwavering work ethic made him one of the most reliable members of the high altitude climbing community. His participation in any expedition was considered a great asset.

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