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Friday, November 12 , 2010

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IndoAmerican News

STOCKS • FINANCE • SOUTH ASIAN MARKETS • TECHNOLOGY

Obama Effect: India Favors Trade-Opening Pact with U.S.

NEW DELHI (PTI) : Enthused by the success of US President Barack Obama’s visit, India on Tuesday said it is time to “seriously consider” a trade-opening agreement with America, similar to the ones entered with the ASEAN and South Korea. “Now after the successful visit of President Obama, we should seriously consider to engage in negotiations for a comprehensive economic partnership agreement which encompasses trade, investment and services,” Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma said at a FICCI function.

Sharma made these comments in

U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama with President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur during a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

the presence of US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, who however, sounded less enthusiastic about the idea of a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries.

“We have a variety of different economic agreements that we are working on ...everything will have to be done in stages. Right now, we have many agreements already concluded.

The business communities are focusing on so we take step at a time...”, Locke told reporters on the sidelines of the function. He was part of the delegation which came with Obama.

India and the US already have an

institutional mechanism to boost bilateral commerce through the Trade Trade Forum.

Seeking a substantial increase in commercial engagement with India, Obama asked India to remove trade and investment barriers in a host of areas including, telecom and retail.

India, as part of its ‘Look East Policy’ has already opened trade with the 10-nation bloc - Association of Southeast Nations and South Korea.

Though the industry has been favouring FTA with the US, it is now that Indian government has favoured the idea.

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Indo American News • Friday, November 12, 2010

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Money and Love for India Bring Indian Americans Back to Home

BANGALORE (SI): What makes the second-generation Indian Americans find their ways back to India?

Well, the answer comes in just two words - money and interest in their parental homeland. According to a study conducted by Sonali Jain, a postdoctoral associate at the Social Sciences Research Institute, Duke University, it’s the emerging economy of the parents’ homeland and the desire to learn more about it’s ethnicity and heritage that stimulate the wish in them to return to India.

Almost all the respondents were of the opinion that the availability of exciting professional career pathways in India was an important factor in their decision to come back to India. Another common assertion was that they found challenging opportunities in India because of the emergence of new industries, such as retail and media, and subsequent lack of skilled talent.

Over the last 10 years, India’s economy has grown over an average of 6.5 percent each year, which is a major reason behind the rising population of second-generation Indian immigrants in India. According to a report in The New York Times, there were 35,000

“returned nonresident” Indians in Bangalore in 2004. Another report in The Economist said that between 2003 and 2005, approximately 5,000 tech-savvy Indians with more than five years’ experience in America returned to India.

Apart from this, it’s their personal attachments with India which also plays a key role their decision. In reflecting upon their return decisions, respondents noted that maintaining ties with India and Indian culture when growing up in the United States gradually strengthened their ties to India over the years. Some of the respondents also wanted to know why their parents have migrated to the U.S. The research was conducted in two phases, during the summer of 2008 and the spring of 2009. 48

second-generation Indian American professionals with U.S. citizenship living in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad were being interviewed.

Out of these, eight ‘returnees’ were entrepreneurs and 43 held Person of Indian Origin (PIO) or Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cards. Both the PIO and OCI cards are based on Indian ancestry, allowing card holders to live and work in India. The rest of the respondents were on journalist, diplomatic, or employment visas.

The study focused on respondents who had been living in India for at least six months prior to the interview.

The respondents are the children of Indian immigrants who entered the United States between 1965 and the early 1980s as high-skilled professionals, graduate students, or under the family reunification scheme. As per the data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, in the year 2008, about 460,000 U.S.-born individuals had at least one parent born in India.

Indian government is also looking to forge ties with overseas Indians in the last decade. In 2003, it declared January 9 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) or Non Resident Indian Day, and since then the first week of January has been dedicated to NRIs.

How to Sustain the Indian IT Growth: Sachin Pilot

By JuB uBy

By Thomas BANGALORE (SI): Adoption of new liberal policies in India has given birth for immense opportunities to its industries. Success story of India’s Software Industry is a step in the same direction. Today, software exports have a major share in India’s total exports. The credit goes to young techies and scientists. There is a big challenge for the country to sustain this growth. Sachin Pilot Union Minister for IT and communication has brought out 3 major steps to sustain this growth. During the 13th edition of India’s information and communication technology event ‘Bangalore IT.biz 2010’ he enhanced the IT professionals to follow the following steps to sustain growth.

1. Diversification According to the Union Minister there should be two types of diversifation that should happen. Primarily and most importantly the domestic diversification should take place.

He admitted the fact that the level of penetration in rural areas was ter terribly poor; even though there were huge opportunities for IT industries to tap this market. “While the Indian IT industry contributes around six percent to India’s GDP, it should be a vehicle to change citizens’ lives in the rural areas,” said Pilot. As an initiative Government of India has taken a commitment to connect every

Sachin Pilot, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications and Technology

single panchayat with high-speed broadband by 2012.

Secondly, he appealed to the Indian IT industry to diversify their export basket from U.S. and Europe to other emerging economies. U.S.-based clients currently contribute around 60 percent of Indian IT majors’ revenue.

As emerging geographies expand IT adoption through outsourcing/offshoring, the country should expand its focus as well. “Diversification of Indian IT exports, creating strength in niche areas will sustain growth momentum for the industry,” he said.

2. Competition A good spirit of competition can

be said as the key to success in any field. The country should continue to provide the advantage of world class quality and talented resource, if it has to sustain the growth in the industry.

India would benefit from emergence of new competitiors. Existing companies should adapt to new competition. Without moving out of their cubicles in India, there are startups that are making waves in the world market. Some of these are not even based out of traditional tech hubs like Bangalore and Pune, but are catering to global biggies from their smalltown centres in Jalandar and Noida.

All these should bring a right spirit of competition and that will indeed sustain the growth.

3.Shift in the focus There should be a shift in the focus.

We should cash in other emerging opportunities like hardware industry. Indian hardware industry is now pegged at $45 billion which is expected to touch $125 billion in 2015 and $400 billion in 2020. India should also emphasize on hardware manufactur manufacturing market for furthering growth of the industry. It is a good sign that the Karnataka government is planning to come up with a Hardware Policy soon. “We are working on a revised IT policy along with a Hardware policy which will be unveiled soon,”said B.S. Yeddyurappa, Chief Minister of Karnataka.

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Indo American News • Friday, November 12 , 2010

5 Indians in the Forbes’ List of Powerful People BANGALORE (SI): Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Tata sons Chairman Ratan Tata are three people who made to the this year’s Forbes list of most Pwerful people in the world. Joining the three we have, Steel giant Lakshmi Mittal and Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani. With a population of 1.2 billion only 5 indians made to the list of 68 people which included Chinese President Hu Jintao at top one and U.S. President Barack Obama at top two position.

The people who dominated the list were chosen based on the number of people they influence, their ability to project power beyond their immediate sphere of influence and their control of financial resources.

Forbes says the “ranking is intended to be the beginning of a conversation, not the final word,” but interestingly, some of the names on its power list have strong India connections in their own unusual ways.

Sonia Gandhi who is in the 9th position is always referred to as the ‘King Maker’ remains the real power behind the nuclear tipped throne.

The 63 year old Congress President declined the Prime Ministerial position, on May18th 2004, passing it on to Manmohan Singh. Since then she has controlled, ruled and influenced the Indian Politics. Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty continues with her daughter Priyanka Gandhi and son Rahul Gandhi actively taking part in politics. She is now grooming her 40-year-old son Rahul for Prime Minister’s role.

Manmohan Singh,the Prime Minister of India ranked 18th on the list and is universally praised as “India’s best Prime Minister since Nehru.”

Singh who is now in his fourth year of office is a self-effacing economist who led a resurgent Congress Party to

a landslide victory. The soft-spoken Oxford-trained economist is credited for transforming India’s quasi-socialist economy into world’s secondfastest growing. Under Singh, the Indian economy grew at the rate of 6.7 percent in 2008/09 despite inadequate monsoons and a global

slowdown. He was the one who introduced free-market policies which created a market for our products in foreign markets and vice versa.

Ratan Tata dropped two notches from last year and comes in at the 61st position in the Forbes 2010 list of the world’s most powerful people. He is called as the “India’s best brand ambassador.” On October 7, 2008, after a controversial stay in West Bengal, Ratan Tata and his team shifted their Rs 1-lakh car Nano project to Sanand near Ahmedabad at an investment of Rs 2,000 crore (Rs 20 billion), declar declaring that efforts will be made to roll out the world’s cheapest car from a make-shift plant to meet the deadline.

The Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi granted him huge subsidy for building the facility, including free land. The Tata’s made it big with their introduction of Tata Nano last year which is called the ‘People’s car’. “In a nation of a billion, environmentalists call it eco-disaster. After Nano debuted in 2008, India’s passenger car sales rose most in three years in 2009; three Tata competitors now working on Nano copycats,” Forbes said.

A second list released by Forbes had some of the religious leaders and also included outlaws like Dawood Ibrahim. According to Forbes there are also influence people in some or the other

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Indo American News • Friday, November 12, 2010

INDIA

India, US to Cooperate in Areas of Defence, Space NEW DELHI (Samachar): India and the United States underscored the critical importance of stability of and access to air, sea, space and cyberspace domains and launched a dialogue to explore ways to work together in these areas.

In a joint statement issued after the talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama, both the countries reaffirmed the importance of maritime security, unimpeded commerce and freedom of navigation.

“In an increasingly inter-dependent world, the stability of, and access to, the air, sea, space, and cyberspace domains is vital for the security and economic prosperity of nations,” the statement said.

Acknowledging their “commitment to openness and responsible” international conduct, it said, India and the US have launched a dialogue to explore ways to work together, as well as with other countries, to develop a shared vision for these critical domains to promote peace, security and development.

Noting that the India-US defence cooperation in recent years has strengthened mutual understanding on regional peace and stability, the statement said it enhanced both countries’ capacities to meet humanitarian and challenges such as terrorism and piracy, and contributed to the development of the strategic partnership between both the countries.

The two leaders also resolved to further strengthen defence cooperation, including through security dialogue, exercises, and promoting trade and collaboration in defence equipment and technology.

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“India is Not Emerging ...

Here is an excerpt of Obama’s speech.

NEW DELHI: I want to begin by saying how thrilled my wife Michelle and I and our entire delegation are to be here in India. We have been received with incredible warmth and incredible hospitality. And that includes the hospitality of our friends, Prime Minister Singh and his lovely wife Mrs. Kaur, who we

this will be possible without strong cooperation between the United States and India.

Moreover, as Prime Minister Singh alluded to, ours is no ordinary relationship. As the world’s two largest democracies, as large and growing free market economies, as diverse, multi ethnic societies with strong traditions of pluralism and tolerance, we have not only an

thank for such graciousness and a wonderful dinner last night.

I have come to India because I believe that the relationship between the United States and India is indispensable to addressing the challenges of our time -- from creating economic opportunity for our people to confronting terrorism and violent extremism; from preventing the spread of nuclear weapons to addressing climate change; from the development that gives people and nations a path out of poverty to advancing human rights and values that are universal. None of

opportunity but also a responsibility to lead.

And that’s why I believe that the relationship between the United States and India will, in fact, be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century. That’s why I’ve worked with the Prime Minister, a man of extraordinary intellect and great integrity, to deepen and broaden the cooperation between our two countries. And I very much look forward to addressing the Indian Parliament and the people of India later today to discuss how the

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EcoNomy

Indo American News • Friday, November 12 , 2010

... It Has Emerged”: Obama continued from page

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United States and India can take our partnership to the next level, with a vision of how we can work together as global partners.

With the progress we’ve made today, we’re seeing just how broad and deep our cooperation can be. As President, I’ve had the opportunity to appear with many of my foreign counterparts at press conferences such as this, but I cannot remember an occasion when we have agreed to so many new partnerships across so many areas as we have during my visit.

We’ve expanded trade and investment to create prosperity for our people. The major trade deals that were signed in Mumbai were an important step forward in elevating India to one of America’s top trading partners. Today I’m pleased to welcome India’s preliminary agreement to purchase 10 C-17 cargo planes, which will enhance Indian capabilities and support 22,000 jobs back in the United States.

We agreed to reform our controls on exports, and the United States will remove Indian organizations from the so-called “entity list,” which will allow greater cooperation in a range of high-tech sectors like civil space and defense.

As a result of this visit, we are already beginning to implement our civil nuclear agreement. We agreed to deepen our cooperation in pursuit of clean energy technologies, and this includes the creation of a new clean energy research center here in India, and continuing our joint research into solar, bio-fuels, shale gas, and building efficiency.

And we agreed to new partnerships including forestry and sustainable development of land to help meet the commitments we made at Copenhagen to combat climate change.

To ensure the safety of our citizens, we’re deepening our efforts to prevent terrorism. Cooperation between our countries’ intelligence and law enforcement communities has already reached unprecedented levels. And today, we’re taking another step -- a new effort between our Department of Homeland Security and the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs to improve security at our ports, our airports, and our borders.

I also discussed with the Prime Minister our efforts in Afghanistan, and once again thanked him and the Indian people for the generous contributions that India has made towards development and improving the lives of the Afghan people. We agreed on the need for all nations in the region to work together and ensure that there are no safe havens for terrorists.

We’re expanding our efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation. In keeping with its commitment at our Nuclear Security Summit, India will build a new center of excellence for nuclear energy and security to help reach our goal of securing vulnerable nuclear materials in four years.

Given India’s growing role in the region, we also agreed to deepen our consultations on East Asia. Given India’s growing role on the world stage, we’ll expand our dialogue on global issues.

Finally, we continue to expand partnerships between our peoples. To promote global health, we’re moving ahead with a new disease detection center here in New Delhi. Building on our successful efforts to expand educational exchanges, including our Singh-Obama 21st Century Knowledge Initiative, we’ll convene a summit to forge new collaborations in higher education. And we’re announcing two initiatives today that harness technology to deliver progress for our people.

Building on the Indian andAmerican agricultural collaboration that led to the Green Revolution, we’re launching a new partnership for a Evergreen Revolution to improve food security around the world. We’re also launching a new partnership to promote open government and to empower citizens.

All these initiatives make it clear the relationship between the United States and India is stronger, deeper and broader than ever before.

So, Mr. Prime Minister, again I thank you for your partnership and for your friendship. I am confident that as India’s influence in the world continues to rise, so, too, will the opportunities for even closer cooperation between our two countries. And that will mean even greater security and prosperity for India, for the United States, for this region, and for the world.

Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister.

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“People are going for quality purchases”: Marketing Executive

Nine-Lakh Chokers: Wary Middle Class Spending Again MUMBAI (Outlook): It’s that time of the year when Karishma Ghosh, 32, an IT professional in Mumbai, would have gone all out. But with salary remaining a constant over the past two years, she has postponed all “luxurious and unnecessary expenditure” this Diwali. The new food processor and air-conditioner will have to wait. Her logic is clear: “If I look at my overall expenses, they have increased thanks to food bills and full-time maids for my two-yearold daughter.”

Over to Trishna Sen, 39, a communications executive at a private sector firm and married to a naval officer.

Last month, she picked up a 46-inch LCD TV, a split AC and a Honda City.

“I don’t think there’s been any change in my spending...if anything, it’s gone up,” she says. And here comes the twist: no credit card transactions and EMIs for her; every one of these bigticket items were paid for by cheque from her savings.

If the urban Indian middle-class consumer was just one person, his or her personality could have been split into two equal halves—caution and cautious exuberance. Urban Indians are shopping again, but with a firm hold on the purse-strings. Memories of the turmoil from the economic slowdown persist. In any case, consumers haven’t had a chance to forget that times are rough: rampaging inflation, LED by food and fuel prices, is a constant reminder. For everything else, there’s all that news on TV about the “real recession” in the rest of the world.

But that hasn’t stopped spending.

Organised retailers and companies that make consumer electronics, automobiles and durables are over the moon. So are travel firms, builders and traders in gold. Sales have been robust and demand is growing. “We have shifted our overall strategy from ‘safe’ to ‘aggressive’ mode,” avers Tadato Kimura, GM marketing, Sony India. The country’s largest retailer, Future Group, says if one were to compare same-store sales over the past two years, there would be a fairly significant double-digit growth. “By all indications, the boom is back,” says Raghu Pillai, CEO and member, executive board, Future Group.

At a time when the stockmarket is soaring—as are GDP growth estimates—why then are economists of

If It Shines: Urban consumers at a jewellery shop in Delhi.

all persuasions warning the consumer that tough times lie ahead? A FICCI survey says demand for consumer durables will come down due to higher interest rates. The Reserve Bank of India is also worried. “Consumers will absorb the higher prices by devoting a larger share of their household budgets to food. This will presumably leave them less to spend on other, discretionary, products and services. This impact is likely to be greater on lower-income households,” RBI deputy governor Subir Gokarn told Outlook.

That’s why despite an average increase of 15 per cent in people’s income levels—as well as a welltimed 10 per cent increase in dearness allowance—economists remain cautious. “Despite the festive season, the buying is not as high as in 2007-08,” says Rajesh Shukla, director, NCAER-Centre for Macro Consumer Research. “High-end purchases are more moderate this season, people are going in more for quality purchases.”

Shukla’s views are strengthened by a recent Nielsen study which shows many respondents are not yet convinced that the “recession” is a thing of the past. Interestingly, the study also showed that while Indians were looking to cut costs on household items and utilities like electricity and phone bills, they were ready to spend on consumer goods, particularly electronics. These contradictions indicate

that despite the growth reported by retailers, it’s tough to unequivocally say the good ol’ boom days of 200708 are back. Also, this year’s positive numbers must be viewed in the context of the poor showing last year.

Gains would obviously be accentuated thanks to the base effect.

To attract customers, companies have resorted to a fierce price play (helped by massive jumps in ad budgets) to offer low-cost solutions.

Consider a big-ticket purchase like cars—barring a minor blip during the slowdown, the sector has clocked great growth year on year. Till recently, the average buyer needed two years’ income to buy a vehicle. That’s down to about one now. “The increase in interest rates has not affected the sector either because it amounts to just a few hundred rupees increase in EMI,” says Vishnu Mathur, DG of auto body SIAM. In another example, Nokia’s recent dual sim phone was launched at just Rs 1,900 while Motorola’s new Qwerty push e-mail phone sells for under Rs 5,000. Similarly, in the LCD TV space, prices have gone down by 15-18 per cent in 6-8 months, making them tempting buys for customers.

Then, last month, all dth operators brought down the price of new connections to under Rs 1,000 and offered free installation. The result: new connections have jumped 15-20 per cent and even the more expensive HD boxes, launched just a month back,

are out of stock.

In the IT space, the laptop market has got a boost in sales thanks to a significant drop in prices. Today laptops start from around Rs 1517,000, a price at which stripped down Netbooks wereavailablelast year. An appreciating rupee has obviously helped here. This has made imported components for products cheaper and pushed down prices. Also, consumer durable loans, both low interest and interest-free, which had disappeared from the market over the past year or so, are slowly making their way back.

Indeed, consumer loans are back in business, especially for automobiles and homes. Pralay Mondal, country head (retail assets and credit cards), HDFC Bank, says on the whole the loan segment has seen a 30 per cent growth. There have been marginal increases in interest rates. But there’s also been a change in perception to lending by banks—particularly visa-vis unsecured loans. “I would say that mid- to lower-income customers might find a restriction in their ability to spend,” says Mondal, who adds that credit card spends started picking up from late 2009 and this year.

The clearest indication of the change in consumer behaviour post the slowdown comes from Uttam Nayak, group country manager, India and South Asia, Visa. “While it is true that consumers are spending money more liberally now than before, it is also true that the consumer has become more value-conscious after last year.” This has also affected credit card usage patterns in India, says Nayak, as people are trying to maximise the benefits they can derive from card usage. “The kind of irrational confidence that existed in 2007-08 where people splurged on multiple cards has not returned so far. Instead of having a wallet full of cards, they are consolidating spends

on one card which gives maximum benefits,” he says.

Retailers are quite clear now that irrational pricing will not work.

Chicco, an Italian retailer that makes baby care products, recently opened three stores in India. “The spirit is certainly up...performance has beaten expectations too,” says Vineeth Nair, CEO, Chicco. Nevertheless, Chicco tweaked prices for India. You’d pay 30-40 per cent more for some of its products at a London or New York store. Nair says, “We’re not expensive, so our visitors keep coming back.”

Even for high-end fashion, consumers are demanding more, avers Sanjay Kapoor, MD of Genesis Luxury. “People are no longer looking at brands for the label, but looking for the value proposition,” he says.

Even global fashion powerhouse Zara launched in India with a combative pricing strategy—something that would have been unheard of before the slowdown. Incidentally, sales of luxury products have shot through the roof—the market for high-end apartments, art and fashion is the one segment that observers say has crossed 2007 levels.

In other segments, companies are happy to bask in brisk sales. Consumer durables sector, for one, is finding it difficult to meet demand and many in the industry are ruing that they have not increased capacity in the past two years. Market leader Samsung, for instance, has set a target of selling 1.5 lakh LED TVs this year. Last year, the company sold just 40,000. Flat panel TVs are expected to clock 1.2 million units this year, up from last year’s 0.5 million, says a company source.

Similarly, the value-conscious Indian is shopping around for good travel deals. There is a 15 per cent overall increase in domestic travel over last year. Business-class travel has more than doubled. Some 66 per cent have booked flights 21 days in advance this year, compared with 54 per cent a year ago. Says Tarique Khatri, VP, business development, Cleartrip, “Indians are also making more long-haul flights than last year.

They certainly are upbeat.” Well, the good news is that the urban Indian consumer is back to shopping. The even better news is that she’s savvier and even preparing for an uncertain future.

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News of the Diaspora Indo American News Bounce In Her Steps: Jayalalitha Rises from the Ashes

South Asia

By PushP ushPa Pa Iyengar TAMIL NADU (Outlook): “Aiyyo paavam andha amma (Oh, poor amma),” Azhagiri is said to have reacted to the 40-minute blitzing of him by AIADMK chief J. Jayalalitha (in a 100-minute speech) at the Madurai meeting on October 18. But if public reactions were anything to go by, the DMK patriach’s eldest son might want to keep a little sympathy for himself. The rally attracted a sea of humanity despite 16 death threat letters and calls to Jayalalitha, forcing the government to order a CBI inquiry (which is yet to take off). Azhagiri claims her speech was written by a dialogue writer and full of unverified facts. Jayalalitha accused him and his cronies of running a parallel government in Madurai and said he should be in the Guinness book for his poor showing in Parliament and in his ministry.

The AIADMK chief was indeed in her element. And every jibe, barb and crack she hurled at the DMK was met with cheers in this temple town, a supposedAzhagiri fief. The response was such that the latter must be wondering

The DMK is rattled.

Karunanidhi admitted as much when he said “huge turnouts don’t translate into votes”.

Jayalalitha’s Rally in Madurai has brought the former star back into the limelight.

whether his hold on Madurai—to which he was banished 30 years ago by father M. Karunanidhi because he was an embarrassment—is coming undone. Even if one disbelieves the AIADMK chief’s estimate that 50 lakh people heading to her rally were stopped in their tracks by the police, the fact that CM Karunanidhi

has subsequently used two of his district-level meetings with DMK functionaries and the party’s official mouthpiece, Murasoli, to rubbish her rally reflects the fact that Jayalalitha has set alarm bells ringing.

As AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP Dr V. Maitreyan put it, “Karunanidhi is rattled and we are upbeat.”

The CM even inadvertently acknowledged that Jayalalitha had held the mother of all rallies by saying “huge turnouts don’t exactly translate into votes”. But in the AIADMK chief’s case, it’s proof that she’s back in the reckoning in a big way after successive defeats in the nine bypolls post-2006 assembly polls and the poor showing in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. In fact, till recently Amma was only in the news for disappear disappearing to her hill retreat at Kodanadu for weeks on end which in turn had left the cadre dejected and wondering whether she had lost her edge. Her party also seemed in tatters with many leaders, including mlas, abandoning what they perceived as a sinking ship to make their home in the DMK. Incidentally, Azhagiri was the architect behind many of these desertions.

Her protest rallies in Coimbatore in July and Tiruchi in August “tilted the trend”, says Dr Maitreyan although Karunanidhi was quite blase about it. But Madurai has changed all that.

More evidence comes in the form of actor-turned-politician Vijaykanth moving closer to Jayalalitha via the Left parties who are her allies. Dr Maitreyan says, “Rahul Gandhi saw the CDs of the Tiruchi rally and was stunned.” Whether that is true or not, it’s obvious that DMK-Congress relations are prickly on the ground even if party leaders maintain the alliance will stay on for the assembly polls next year.

Still, one rally does not a wave make. Perhaps Jayalalitha should take Azhagiri seriously when he says, “If she wants to come back to power, she should list her promises and tell people what she will deliver for their welfare.” Indeed, merely claiming that she will “drive Azhagiri and Karunanidhi out of the state” might bring the applause but will they bring in votes? Jayalalitha has to do much more, explain what her promised “golden rule” means.

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food tAlk

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Benefits of Grapes

FOOD FACTS

Grape is considered to be one of the most nutritious / antioxidant fruits which helps in purification of the blood. It refreshes the body and mind as well as energizes the body. It is also sometimes recommended by doctors that if somebody has trouble in urinating, the grape vine should be burned and the ash should be mixed in water and drank, this helps in processing urine better and helps in the removal of kidney stones. Grape also helps in the development of pure blood and if anybody is suffering from indigestion, the grape should be put in water, left overnight and the water should be drank in the morning, this will help in curing the indigestion.

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culture

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Indo American News • Friday, November 12 , 2010

35

Diwali Razzles and Dazzles

By Priya Menon KUALA LUMPUR: The Air Asia 9th Diwali Carnival 2010 showcased a variety of new, unique and beautiful selection featuring diverse products reflecting Indian culture.

Shoppers were spoiled for choice at the extravaganza being held at the KL Sentral open carpark (former Sentral exhibition mall), in Brickfields from 12pm to 10pm every day until Nov 4.

The colors of Bollywood and Kollywood left guests dazzled, breathless and looking for more from the array of garments, sarees, jewelry and decorative pieces.

Organizers, ASC Agenda Suria Communication and the Malaysia-India Chamber of Commerce (Maicom) have done extensive work to accommodate exhibitors.

Agenda Suria director D.P. Ganaa said they have over 184 stalls from Malaysia, India, Pakistan and Kashmir filled with the latest designs.

“We had 65% local exhibitors and 35% foreign and we also had entertainment fit for the entire family at night,” he added.

Bright colored Anarkali suits fashioned after the much talked-

about Raavan movie featuring Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachan and South Indian actor Vikram or go for the demure, sweet yet sexy salwaar kameez with net sleeves.

Those looking for bangles with original stones headed to the Mujid Bangles exhibitors. The bangles called Pentax have five different metal elements including

silver, copper and gold with real rubies, emeralds and zircon. They also have necklace sets made from shiny, colored fresh water pearls.

Sarees made of different materials have long been a sought- after garment among Indians but of late a new saree material called the satin silk made its presence in Malaysia for the second time.

There were also bags made from genuine camel, buffalo and sheep hide made by IA Leather goods.

Each bag is handmade with colorful floral designs that can be paired with many outfits.

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SOcIetY

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sports

Bhajji’s Maiden Ton Saves India vs. NZ

Tim McIntosh’s pair in the first

By Siddarth Ravindran Test was the eighth for a New AHMEDABAD (Cricinfo): Zealand opener overall and the Harbhajan Singh realised every first against India. bowler’s dream of making a By lunch, India’s lead had balTest hundred and VVS Laxman looned to 192, and much of the burnished his already lustrous interest in the second session censecond-innings record to steer tred on whether the two batsmen India to safety on the final day could make their hundreds. Both of the first Test. Chris Martin and carried on as they had in the mornNew Zealand couldn’t replicate ing: Laxman made unflustered the venom with which they had progress with Harbhajan pulling bowled on Sunday and their off some enterprising strokes. chances of victory vanished with New Zealand seemed resigned to the 163-run association between a draw, with Vettori at one stage Harbhajan and Laxman. imitating Harbhajan’s bird-like The injuries to Hamish Bennett flourish during his run-up. and Jesse Ryder didn’t help New With the match meandering and Zealand either. A serious push Laxman in his 90s, two umpiring for victory against the world’s mistakes brought the UDRS, and No. 1 side appeared difficult to its absence in this series, back into sustain once Ross Taylor and focus. Steve Davis missed a huge Brendon McCullum, with 12 inside-edge from Laxman to give overs of international experience him lbw. Laxman was horrified, between them, were given the a reaction that was repeated next ball in the morning. ball by Zaheer Khan, when DaIn his previous two Tests, Laxvis missed another nick to leave man had turned in contrasting Vettori on a hat-trick. Davis’ conmatch-winning efforts on the centration had clearly slipped and final day. In Ahmedabad, he he called ‘over’ when only five showed his match-saving skills. deliveries had been bowled.

It was hard to guess from his There was still the matter of unperturbed demeanour and Harbhajan’s hundred. He had batting that India were battling reached his half-century with a for survival, and he repeatedly Laxman-like flick and he brought worked the spinners towards up three figures with a Sehwagsweeper cover and deep point to like six, carving the ball over extra make his runs. His first violent cover to move from 95 to 101. shot was a sweep that nearly carCue generous applause from the ried to the midwicket boundary Harbhajan Singh made his maiden dressing-room, and Harbhajan to bring up his half-century.

Harbhajan was less secure Test century in a crucial match saving celebrated with a message to his close friend Sachin Tendulkar than the cool and collected Lax- stand with Laxman. imitating the master’s signature man. He nearly committed haraHarbhajan’s fifty and hundred in crouch. kiri in the third over of the day With MS Dhoni having no intenwith an ill-judged call for a single the first Test made him only the secafter punching the ball to mid-off. ond No.8 batsman in history to score a tion of declaration, Harbhajan conDaniel Vettori’s throw missed the fifty and hundred in the same match. tinued to make merry, smashing Patel The 163 run partnership for the over long-off for six. He was finally stumps with Harbhajan yards out. seventh wicket between VVS Lax- dismissed mis-hitting a high full toss Harbhajan also offered half-chances to slip and forward short leg but, man and Harbhajan is the best ever from Taylor, and India ended on 266 despite the shakiness, he never put seventh wicket stand for India against when Sreesanth feathered a Taylor away his natural attacking strokes. He New Zealand and their seventh best delivery to the keeper.

There was little at stake in the match outscored Laxman with his maverick in Tests.

New Zealand last won an away when New Zealand came out to bat, batting: a powerful sweep against the turn in the air of Vettori , a ferocious Test not involving Bangladesh or but questions over Tim McIntosh’s down-the-line forehand off Martin, Zimbabwe in 2002 when they beat suitability will return after he missed and - riskiest of all - a reverse-paddle West Indies at Bridgetown. Overall, a Zaheer incutter to complete a pair. they have won one Test and lost 18 of After a desultory bunch of overs that off Jeetan Patel. included Dhoni bowling, the match Harbhajan Singh scored his maiden the 31 played since Jan 1 2000.

Laxman’s average of 51.17 in the was called off with New Zealand century in his 88th Test, which is third in the list of most matches taken by a second innings in Tests is the second having reached 22 for 1.

New Zealand started the day player to reach his first Test century, best among Indians behind Sunil behind Anil Kumble and Chaminda Gavaskar and the eighth best among dreaming of a win, but though they Vaas who took 118 and 97 Tests all batsmen to score over 2000 runs couldn’t break Motera’s jinx of no in the second innings. team chasing down a target. respectively.

Indo American News • Friday, November 12 , 2010

37

Pak Loses Series to S. Africa DUBAI (Cricinfo): After slugging it out for four games South Africa finally delivered the knock-out punch in the deciding, fifth one-day international to consign Pakistan to a 3-2 series loss in Dubai.

Twice South Africa have faltered and allowed Pakistan back into the series but this time Jacques Kallis’s allround prowess - first making 83 to help set an imposing 317 and then taking three crucial wickets - helped seal a comprehensive 57-run win.

What looked like just another oneday series played out to anonymity in the desert after the opening match, developed into a classic tussle as two flawed, vastly contrasting sides could not be separated until the last.

Pakistan’s preparation for the finale could not have been more chaotic as their wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider disappeared on the morning of the match, setting off to London in a cloud of mystery. Crisis is hardwired into Pakistan cricket but even by their standards this was bizarre.

Given the circumstances most other teams would have crumbled and though Pakistan managed to compete they were under pressure from the off as fifties from Hashim Amla, Kallis and AB de Villiers laid the foundations for a late surge from JP Duminy that carried South Africa to 317 and out of sight.

The Pakistan openers did their best to set up a contest before Kallis ripped through the top order, taking three wickets in as many overs, to leave Pakistan with a mountain to climb.

Despite a characteristic flurry from Shahid Afridi and a well-crafted 60 from Umar Akmal, who also kept wicket in Haider’s absence, Pakistan never quite threatened to pull off a mammoth chase.

Credit must go to Kallis but the tone was set, as per usual, by Amla.

He continued his phenomenal run of form with a boundary-leaden halfcentury. All season he has shown oneday batting extends beyond barrelchested power and he passed 1000 ODI runs for the calendar year as he punished Pakistan’s new-ball pairing and raced to fifty from 33 balls.

If Amla’s style is poetic, Kallis is altogether more prosaic. Happy to ease along in the slipstream he collected singles and doubles with ease and after Amla’s dismissal, chipping tamely to long-off, he shared a 121run stand with de Villiers.

Neither de Villiers nor Kallis were

particularly expansive but they barely raised a sweat as the waltzed along close to a run a ball. Abdur Rehman did his best to check the rate with an impressive spell of brisk, accurate left-arm spin but at 219 for 2 in the 38th over, Pakistan were staring down the barrel.

They recovered, momentarily, with three wickets for nine runs in 14 deliveries as South Africa ignored the Batting Powerplay and lost both set batsmen, and Colin Ingram in a hurry.

Yet, just as Pakistan’s fortunes looked to have picked up JP Duminy found his best range to crown the innings with a flourish.

Sixty-four runs came off the last five overs as Duminy laid into the wheezing Shoaib Akhtar and Wahab Riaz. Duminy looks to have recovered his poise this season after a chastening experience last year and will be a key man in similar conditions at the World Cup. The chase always looked out of reach but Pakistan were gifted an enterprising start by Shahzaib Hasan and Mohammad Hafeez, who added 81 in the opening 12 overs. It was Pakistan’s best opening stand of the series and South Africa were visibly relieved when Kallis burst through.

After being taken for 11 in his opening over Kallis struck in each of his next three. First Shahzaib skewed a drive to find Morkel at mid-on, before Younis Khan gloved a short ball down the leg side.

If his wicket magnified the difficulty of Pakistan’s task Mohammad Yousuf’s tame fall two overs later rammed home South Africa’s advantage. Yousuf only landed in Dubai yesterday but replaced Asad Shafiq at No. 4 and duly fell quickly, guiding a length ball off the face to de Villiers.

The slide continued when Fawad Alam feathered a rapid short ball from Steyn to fall for 1. In all four wickets had fallen for 19 runs in 33 balls to rip the stuffing out of Pakistan’s reinforced middle order.

After Hafeez fell shortly after reaching his half-century Afridi and Akmal briefly threatened a recovery.

The required rate had climbed but both found the boundary regularly enough to keep South Africa on edge until Afridi ran down the wicket, and straight past a flighted delivery from Robin Peterson, who finished the job, castling Pakistan still in search of ODI series win against South Africa.

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Indo American News • Friday, November 12 , 2010

Advice

online edition: www.indoamerican-news.com

21 Keys to Magnetic Likeability - Are You Likeable?

By Marc and Angel Your true potential is enhanced by the sum of all the people who like you, and thus would go out of their way to assist you in a time of need. Unfortunately, there is no quick-fix guide for becoming extremely likeable. Likeability is tied deeply into some of your most stubborn, long-standing habits and behaviors. As with conquering any major personal change, it takes time and practice. Here’s what you should practice: 1. Be Attentive to Others and Never Stop Listening – Self-centered people are usually unlikable.

When you’re involved in a conversation, it’s important to focus more on the other person and less on yourself. If you genuinely concern yourself with others and listen to them closely, you’ll make scores of friends with little effort. Remember, everybody loves a good listener.

2. Compliment People Who Deserve It – Go out of your way to personally acknowledge and complement the people who have gone out of their way to shine. Everybody likes to hear that their efforts are appreciated.

3. Make Yourself Available and Approachable – If people cannot get a hold of you, or have trouble approaching you, they will forget about you. Your general availability and accessibility to others is extremely important to them. Always maintain a positive, tolerant

attitude and keep an open line of communication to those around you.

4. Speak Clearly so People Can Understand You – Most people have a very low tolerance for dealing with people they can’t understand. Mystery does not fuel strong relationships and likeability.

5. Never Try to Be Someone You’re Not – All people have the subconscious ability to detect bullshit. Even academy award winning actors slip up every now and then.

Fake people are not likeable. Ask yourself this: If you don’t like who you really are, why the heck should I like you?

6. Address People by Their Name – People love the sight and sound of their own name, so make sure you learn to remember names. Use them respectfully in both oral and written communication.

7. Mirror the Person You’re Conversing With – You can mirror someone by imitating their body language, gestures, movements and facial expressions during a one on one conversation. The other person will unconsciously pickup on the familiarity of your mirrored actions, which will pro-

vide them with an added sense of comfort as they speak with you.

The more comfortable you make them feel, the more they will enjoy being around you.

8. Always Ask to Help… and Help When Asked – Everyone ap-

preciates the gift of free assistance and those who supply it. Highly likeable people always spare time for others, regardless of how busy their own schedules are. Remember, helping people get what they want is the #1 key to getting what you want.

9. Never Get Caught Lying – Everybody stretches the truth at

times, but everyone hates a liar.

Ironic, isn’t it? Regardless, understand that your credibility and likeability will get crushed if you are caught telling a lie.

10. Say “Please” and “Thank You” – These 2 simple phrases make demands sound like requests and inject a friendly tone into serious conversations. It can mean the difference between sounding rude and sounding genuinely grateful.

11. Use Positive Language (Body and Verbal) – You can use positive language skills to exhibit yourself as a helpful, constructive person rather than a destructive, disinterested one. Positive body language involves the act of maintaining eye contact while speaking, using hand gestures to accentuate important points, leaning in closer while someone else is speaking, smiling, and mirroring the person you’re involved in a conversation with. Positive verbal language concentrates on what can be done, suggests helpful choices and alternatives, and sounds accommodating and encouraging rather than onedimensionally bureaucratic.

12. Smile – Everyone likes the sight of a genuine smile.

Think about how you feel when a complete stranger looks into your eyes and smiles. Suddenly she doesn’t seem like a stranger anymore, does she? Instead she seems warm and friendly, someone you wouldn’t mind being around for a little while longer.

13. Keep Unqualified Opinions to Yourself – If you don’t

Minors, Respect Everyone – There are no boundaries or classes that define a group of people that deserve to be respected. Treat everyone with the same level of respect you would give to your grandfather and the same level of patience you would have with your baby brother. People will notice your kindness.

16. Make Frequent Eye Contact… but Don’t Stare – There’s little doubt that eye contact is one of the most captivating forms of personal communication. When executed properly, eye contact injects closeness into human interaction, which leads to likeability. The key is to make frequent eye contact without gawking. If you fail to make eye contact you will be seen as insincere and untrustworthy.

Likewise, an overbearing stare can make you appear arrogant and egotistical.

17. Don’t Over-Promise… Instead, Over-Deliver – Some people habitually make promises they are just barely able to fulfill. They promise perfection and deliver mediocrity.

Sure, they do deliver something. But it’s not inline with the original expectations, so all it does is drive negative press. If you want people to like you, forget about making promises and simply over-deliver on everything you do.

18. Stand Up for Your Beliefs Without Promoting Them – Yes, it is possible to stand up for your beliefs without foisting them down someone else’s throat. Discuss your personal beliefs when someone asks about them, but don’t spawn offensive attacks of propaganda on unsuspecting victims. Stand firm by your values and always keep an open mind to new information.

19. Make a Firm Handshake – There is a considerable correlation between the characteristics of a firm handshake (strength, duration, eye contact, etc.) and a positive first impression.

20. Keep Your Hands Away from Your Face – Putting your hands on your face during a conversation tells the other person that you’re either

“Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster. Your life will never be the same again.” - Og Mandino have all the facts, or you’re uneducated on the topic of discussion, it’s in your best interest to spend your time listening. Unqualified opinions just make a person sound foolishly arrogant.

14. Provide Tangible Value – Don’t just follow in the footsteps of everyone else. Figure out which pieces of the puzzle are missing and put them in place. When you add tangible value, you increase your own value in the eyes of others.

15. Respect Elders, Respect

bored, negatively judging them, or trying to hide something.

21. Dress Clean – “Clothes and manners do not make the man; but, when he is made, they greatly improve his appearance.” Henry Ward said that, and he knew exactly what he was talking about. People will always judge a book by its cover. While a stylish dress code is not absolutely necessary, it can drastically alter another person’s perception of you.

Follow these principles daily till they become a part of you. They will help you become successful in Life.

You’ll love it.

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

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INDIA

Dancing Queen Michelle Rocks India

MUMBAI (TOI): She’s sweet, though no longer all that young, and definitely not 17. But - to borrow the title of the Abba hit - Michelle Obama could well be crowned the `dancing queen’.

Twice in two days, the First Lady demonstrated in Mumbai that she could swing to desi beats with the best of them, pulling off matkas and jhatkas like a seasoned performer. It came as no surprise when she revealed that she’d done the bhangra at the White House during PM Manohan Singh’s US visit last year.

If on Saturday, Michelle enthusiastically swayed to the chartbuster `Rang De Basanti’, on Sunday she never put a step wrong while joining schoolkids of Holy Name High School in dancing to a Koli HAPPY FEAT: First Lady Michelle Obama dances the Koli with children fisherfolk song. It was a stark con- of the Holy Name High School without missing a step. Photo: AP trast to her husband, who gamely joined in. Let’s just say that the president’s deft moves didn’t extend to the dance floor. In fact, his White House aides were in splits.

It’s been noticed in recent years that as approval ratings of US presidents fall, those of the First Ladies rise.

Don’t be surprised if the same happens with the Obamas. While the anticipation around the First Couple’s visit had mainly centred around the President, it’s Michelle who has turned out to be a pleasant - and decidedly graceful - surprise. Her spirit and spontaneity have provided a breath of fresh air in a visit that could easily have been stultified by protocol.

When she’s not been dancing, Michelle has taken gentle digs at her SPREADING THE LIGHT: President Barack Obama and First Lady husband. At the couple’s interaction Michelle Obama light lamps at the Holy Name High School in Cowith students at Mumbai’s St Xavi- laba. Photo: PTI er’s College, she ended her address by saying, ``Ask my husband some keep dreaming big, gigantic dreams, me’’, she quickly responded, ``No, tough questions. That makes his day. not just for yourself but for your com- you are a dream come true for me.’’

John F Kennedy once famously You got to keep him on his toes.’’ munities’’. Her address, in which she That prompted Obama to declare chose to dwell on her own childhood, said on a French visit that je was the how he hated speaking after Michelle which was lacking in material com- man who’d escorted Jackie Kennedy because she spoke so well and hast- fort but not in values, clearly struck a to Paris. Michelle hasn’t quite hogged the limelight to that extent, But if the ily add, ``If you want to ask me easy chord among the students. questions, go on.”

And, of course, there’s the humil- Obamas’ India visit is hailed as a But it hasn’t just been all fun and ity and grace that has touched many. diplomatic tour de force, her charm games. During her opening remarks, On Saturday, when a young girl said will have played a significant role in Michelle exhorted the students ``to meeting her ``is a dream come true for making it happen.

Indo American News • Friday, November 12 , 2010

39

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