SPAN: November/December 2006

A Nation 01 Immigrants he u.s. population crossed 300 million in October, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. Immigration, especially from Latin America and Asia, drives much of this growth and promises to reshape the United States as a more diverse nation, one where the average age will increase more slowly than in most other industrialized nations.

Today, the United States accepts more legal immigrants as permanent residents than the rest of the world combined.

The Census Bureau Web site (www.census.gov) includes a "population clock" that shows the U.S population as of November 1 was 300,113,977 with a net gain of one person every 11 seconds.

The foreign-born now comprise 12 percent of Americans.

Together with their U.S.-born children, they account for more than half of U.S population growth.

Asian-born residents comprise one-fourth of the nation's total foreign-born population. In 2005, the Indian American community became the second largest Asian community in the United States with a population of 2.3 million, and a growth rate of 38 percent, the highest for any Asian American community.

High birthrates among new immigrants promise continued growth and a younger, more diverse nation. The population of the United States is projected to increase to 400 million by 2043, even as developed nations in Asia and Europe experience declines in population. Today's median age of 36.5 years is expected to reach

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39 by 2030 and then level off, a much smaller increase than projected for many other nations.

Brookings Institution demographer William H. Fry believes that both consequences of high immigration-growth and diversity-are beneficial Even as other nations undergo "extreme aging for the most part," the United States will enjoy continued "growth and vitality," he said on a Council of Foreign Relations podcast.

Fry argues that greater racial and ethnic diversity is a "good strategy." It "gives us more connections to other countries. We're living in a global economy where the more ideas we get from other parts of the world, the more interaction we have ... .The more that these people from other parts of the world are part of our labor force ... helps us," he said.

-Michael Jay Friedman

Above: Mexican immigrant Teresa Camino is one of 7,500 people sworn in as new American citizens on March 28, 2003, in Los Angeles. The largest number of foreignborn Americans are from Mexico.

Left: Karwinder Singh and Ranjit Kaur of India took the oath to become U.S. citizens on July 4, 2002, in Seattle, Washington.

A LETTER FROM

THE

PUBLISHER he visit to India by the biggest ever U.S. government-led business development ~ mission is a powerful symbol and a practical step forward from the commitments President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made in March to develop increased business partnerships between India and the United States. The U.S. government is enthusiastic about the possibilities for increased trade and business between our two countries and is spreading that enthusiasm among American business leaders, particularly in small- and medium-sized companies that may not have looked at India before.

As some 200 of these leaders visit India, SPAN celebrates the excitement of new opportunities and challenges in our cover package. In an interview with SPAN from Washington just before arriving with the delegation, Under Secretary for International Trade Franklin L. Lavin says American firms are eager to work with Indian partners and get practical answers to practical questions.

Our showcase story on American Cars by Erica L. Nelson is the tale of American businesses' "can-do" spirit-trying to build the products that Indians want, suffering setbacks and trying again with greater success. Some American cars are almost wholly Indianmade now, and U.S. factories in India are moving into exports, a prime example of how open trade means "growth for both."

Protection of intellectual property-whether it is art, software or a new consumer product-is another key to encouraging business expansion. Dominic Keating, the American Embassy's first Intellectual Property Rights Allache, explains different ways of encouraging innovation while protecting inventors' rights. His argument is part of SPAN's first "point-counterpoint," presenting two opposing views on the same issue. Please write to us with your views on this subject and be among the first readers to have lellers published in SPAN, in our January-February issue and on our Web site.

Have you ever heard the expression: "As American as apple pie?" If you noticed a fragrance when you opened this magazine, well, thaI's also a first for SPAN. During this season of holidays and feasts, we wanted to share with you, if not the taste, at least the smell of this allAmerican dish. Turn to page 31 and enjoy a non-caloric treat as Americans celebrate Thanksgiving

C 0 2 3

'I

~~AJ.~j Visit SPAN on the Web at http://usembassy.state.gov/posts/in1

/wwwhspan.html

Contactus editorspan@state.gov Forsubscriptionsor addresschange subscriptionspan@state.gov Frontcover: A 1935 Buick limousine. Photograph by Sebastian John.

N T E

* Growth for Both ByLaurindaKeysLong * Indian and American Firms Eager to Work Together Interview:UnderSecretaryfor InternationalTradeFranklinL. Lavin

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* Ford in Faridabad,

Chevy in Chhallisgarh

ByEricaL Nelson

8 * American Classic Cars ByEricaL Netson 10 * Corporate Excellence 13 Not a Word ByHenryAlford t:it1~iOi;1ilOi.~Ill ~iBltlI11 ~iIiil~Ill ~i.

14

* Flexible Rights That Create Wealth for All ByDominicKeating

15

Does Theft Serve Art? ByLawrenceLessig

16

* IPR is as Important for India as Infrastructure

Interview:DeputyUS TradeRepresentative KaranBhatia

20 25 28

33 34

36 38

* Preserving

Cultural Heritage ByRanjitaBiswas

Let's Talk Turkey ByRalphKinneyBennett Et90'J die Fragrance

Christmas

if Ayy(e

Pje

Music from Space ByOwenEdwards

* Cosmic Challenges

ByDeepanjaliKakati

Health The Culling Edge ByBruceGoldfarb * American Surgical Robot in New Delhi ByGirirajAgarwal

39 On the Lighter Side 40 Travel Alaska: An Ice Day for a Hike ByNancyShute Homes and Memories Together 42 *Building BySumedhaRaikar-MhatreandChristineDalBello 46 * Asha for Education BySrnitaJain Book Review The Man Behind the Microchip 49 ByRogerLowenstein 50

* Indian American Author Discusses Living in the United States * Fulbright

Educational

54

Writing,

Program Celebrates 60 Years of Exchanges ByLaurindaKeysLong

* American Library in New Delhi Celebrates 60 Years ByRanjanaBhatnagar

55 * "Partitions"

Explores Spirit of Indian, Pakistani Art

ByLeaTerhune

59 Published by thePublicAffairsSection,American

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I Biggest Ever U.S. Trade Delegation Heads to India

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ndia is open for business. That's the message the Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration has been telling American business leaders for the past half-year to encourage some 200 of them to join the biggest ever u.s. government-led business development mission.

Most of the business leaders visiting India with Under Secretary for International Trade Franklin L. Lavin run small- and medium-sized companies. More than 70 percent of the U.S. economy is driven by such businesses and many are taking a look for the fIrst time at investing, partnering, producing and selling in India.

Why is the biggest ever U.S. trade delegation coming to India?

"We wanted to create a big impression, put a marker down," says Carmine D' Aloisio, minister counselor for commercial affairs at the Embassy in New Delhi. "This business development mission is not just about the 200 companies on the mission, but all those others back in the United States who will hear and read about it and gain an understanding that India is the place to do business."

The November 26 to December 6 mission is focused on making the best possible match-ups between Indian and American companies.

That involves organizing the visiting business leaders by sector, spinning them off in groups to visit six Indian cities, and also arranging a mammoth two-day Business Summit with 300 Indian companies who are members of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Confederation of Indian Industries.

The American business people will ~ have a chance to meet face to face ~ with India's high-level business, ~ industry and government representa- ~ . tives and gain insights into the coun-

try's business climate.

"We're bringing them together and letting them get on with the job of doing business," says D' Aloisio. The U.S. Commercial Service is the trade promotion arm of the Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration and was established in 1980 just for that purpose, to help small- and medium-sized companies do business with partners, increase their trade opportunities and generate more growth.

"India is open for business. Yours," the Commercial Service is telling American

business leaders on its Web site (http://www. export.gov/indiarnission/). "If you're ready to make or increase sales in this booming market, our India Business Development Mission is an opportunity you can't afford to miss," it says. The U.S. government is arranging one-on-one meetings with prescreened buyers, partners, agents and distributors in India. In addition, market briefIngs, networking receptions and business appointments are being arranged in Bangalore, Chennai, Calcutta, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi. In a large, diverse country such as India, a key factor for doing business successfully is fmding good partners, says D' Aloisio. That is one reason why the American business people are being encouraged to spread out around India to get good, localized information. Not only are the U.S. business leaders eager to come, they are willing to pay up to $2,1()()each, in addition to the cost of their travel, lodging and meals.

They are responding to the U.S. government's assessment that the Indian market "presents lucrative and diverse opportunities for U.S. Electric power generation, transmission exporters with the right products, and distribution equipment services and commitment." Twoway trade in merchandise last year reached an all-time high of more than $26 billion. The Indian market is also opening up more to American products, adjusting the decades-old lopsided, imbalance of trade that still favors Indian exports. American merchandise exports to India reached almost $8 billion in 2005, nearly double the amount in 2002.

Best prospects for India in terms of

imports from the U.S.

i

(')

Food processing & cold storage equipment

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Vandana Chhabra, FICCI. E-mail: vandana@ficci.com or Phone: 011-23357395 or 011-23738760-70

Ext. 410

Indians and Americans "have been establishing business and people-to-people contacts in far greater numbers than anyone ever predicted.

There has been enormous growth in the movement of people between our two countries, and the U.S. Mission is making it a priority to make this process easier," Ambassador David C. Mulford said when he joined other American diplomats in helping to process visas at the U.S. Consulate in New Delhi on October 5. "New business between our two countries has grown exponentially, and we have taken measures to facilitate the movement of business travelers."

Waiting times for visa appointments at all U.S. consulates in India have been reduced to one week in recent months and fees are lower.

Indian and American Firms Eager to Work Together Since his last visit to New Delhi in May, Under Secretary for International Trade Franklin L. Lavin and his teams have been planning for a multi-city, multi-sector business development mission to India-the biggest U.S. trade mission anywhere, ever. Just before their arrival, the under secretary spoke with SPAN about the possibilities and challenges for growing trade between the two countries, for the benefit of both.

SPAN: A visit by 200 American business leaders, and interactions with Indian counterparts, will no doubt generate a lot of ideas, excitement and proposals, but Americans' enthusiasm for doing business in India in the past has been dampened by a barrier of regulations, lack of intellectual property protection, uneven enforcement of the laws and corruption. How will any of that change?

UNDER SECRETARY LAVIN: The mission is a demonstration of the high-and growing-level of interest in the Indian market by U.S. companies. I believe Indian firms are eager to work with U.S. firms.

However, changes in the Indian commercial policy context in which both countries' firms operate will need to come from India's democratically-elected governments at the center and in the states. During my visit, I will be meeting with my Indian counterparts under the Commercial Dialogue to discuss our concerns with the impediments to doing business, and how eliminating these impediments will enable U.S.-India commerce to flourish.

What concerns have the delega-

tion members expressed, what Questions are they asking, about doing business in India?

Like smart business people, the delegation members are focused on potential customers and their most expressed concern has been: What is the demand for my product in India? Some of the larger companies have a good understanding of that and are looking for buyers, but others want to know the best strategy to get their product to the Indian market. Their Questions include Should we be looking to establish joint ventures? How do

we find a distribution partner?

What's the best channel strategy?

How do we get a good marketing partnership going?

What specifically can U.S. business leaders be told about positive developments for doing business in India?

India has steadily lowered customs tariffs on most industrial goods to the point where most finished products are charged a tariff of 12.5 percent.

And this so-called "peak" tariff is slated to come down to 10 percent.

Similarly, India has implemented measures to liberalize aspects of its foreign direct investment policy These actions have stimulated a positive response with substantially increased commercial flows from US companies. In fact, US. exports to India almost doubled between 2002 and 2005, and are up a further 20 percent through August of this year. Total U.S direct investment in India doubled between 2002 and 2005. Further liberalization of India's trade and investment policies should stimulate even greater engagement with India by U.S. companies.

An influential section of Indian opinion leaders express fear that

more and freer trade might mean Indians would be swamped, local companies could not compete, there would be pressure for labor-protecting laws to be changed to accommodate foreign firms, changing India's business and trade culture so that American businesses can make more money. How does this big U.S. trade push benefit small and medium Indian companies?

The doubling of India's global exports between 2002 and 2005 clearly shows that Indian firms can compete internationally, and indicates that economic liberalization has helped spur India's increased international commercial activity.

When allowed to compete, Indian businesses excel and I have no doubt that both Indian businesses and consumers will benefit from increased trade and competition.

Further steps toward economic liberalization, including improved protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights and removing restrictions on foreign investment, provide Indian companies of all sizes increased opportunities for trade, investment and technology transfer.

-L.K.L.

• Text by ERICA L. NELSON Photographs by SEBASTIAN JOHN

In

, Above: A worker fixes components on a car at the General Motors plant in Halol, Gujarat.

Right: Ford Fiestas on display at Harpreet Ford in New Delhi.

dominated the tree-lined avenues of New Delhi and were commonly sighted in the new industrial centers of Mumbai. Ford Model Ts sped through the North and South Blocks of the Indian government complex and bumped their way out to every maharaja's most far-flung hunting estate. Mohandas K. Gandhi enjoyed frequent correspondence with Henry Ford, and sent the American automobile pioneer a spinning wheel as a gift of friendship .

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the nlate 1950s, American car companies were pushed out of India by unfriendly trade and import policies, and the passion for American cars ebbed. It lingered longer in Bollywood, where superstars like Dharmendra sang paeans to the Chevrolet Impala and every hero roared onto the screen in some gleaming steel chariot designed in Michigan. But as the decades passed, that infatuation also faded, and Indian car companies began manufacturing smaller, more efficient automotive dreams for the masses.

Today the car market is decidedly larger and American companies Ford and

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Model Ts were shipped to Chennai in 1914. These four-cylinder engine cars came in ready-to-assemble kits that had to be transported by bullock cart. According to Singh's research, about 22,000 Model Ts were sold at Rs. 2,800 each.

Yet the turning point came when Ford Motor Company was founded in Mumbai in 1926. It built assembly plants there and in Calcutta, New Delhi and Chennai to produce 10,000 cars a year, as well as some trucks and tractors.

In 1952, "Ford chose to leave due to business-repressive socialist government policies," writes Singh. The stocks of cars left behind were sold until 1953.

Chennai. The factory produced the Ford Ikon, the first car designed and developed by a global manufacturer specifically for India. Aimed at young technology professionals, the Ikon became Ford's first good seller at around 3,000 cars per month, and it seemed the company had finally grasped the Indian market's special needs.

However, the next launch, the Mondeo, also proved to be another case of a solid global product failing in India.

Ranojoy Mukherji, editor of Auto India, remembers the Mondeo launch in 2001, which made it the first freely imported car sold since 1948. "The paint job (in

Ford India President Arvind Mathew says every car is localized in engineering to some extent. For instance, all Fords sold in India are designed to drive through half a meter of water, a common problem during monsoons.

General Motors (GM) are back, competing with a whole new batch of global car makers. After rough beginnings in the 1990s, American car companies are serious about India, and they are seriously growing as well. Ford and GM may be cutting costs and closing plants in the United States, but the plan for India is bigger and better without an end in sight.

The story so far: Ford The story of American cars in India really starts with the maharajas. So it's fitting that a maharaja is spreading the word about them even today. According to Maharaj Manvendra Singh of Barwani, who has written booklets on the history of American cars in India, the first lot of Ford

After that it was mostly maharajas and embassies who imported American cars.

It took the liberalization of 1991 and the globalization trends in business to bring Ford back in 1996 after a 44-year gap. Mahindra & Mahindra became a joint venture partner and Ford set up here with an initial investment of $375 million in facilities and operations.

The new company first launched the globally popular Escort model, which did not do well in India. "The Escort was a good car, but not a smart one. It was well engineered for Indian roads but not for Indian hearts and pockets," writes Singh.

After this disappointment, Ford took a majority stake in the company and opened its own manufacturing unit in

Belgium) was not done to stand up to India's tropical conditions," says Mukherji. The color quickly faded and some customers were angry. Only 758 Mondeos sold in 2002, 14 percent of the luxury "D" class segment.

But the extent of Ford growth since then can be measured in the sheer volume of Amrit Mann's car purchases at Harpreet Ford dealership in New Delhi in August 2006. The owner of Mann Tourist Transport Service stood in front of his 20 new white Ford Fiesta Duratorq TDCIs (a diesel model) as he took photos with the entire dealership staff. "There's no product in its range right now that's like it. We feel it's the most fuel efficient and in our trade, you have to count mileage," says

Mann. He also points out, "An American car will carry a reputation and inspire confidence from foreign clients." The Fiestas, with a basic model cost of Rs. 575,000, are set to replace his older Maruti Esteems and Honda City models.

Ford was quick to get into mid-priced cars powered by diesel fuel, which is subsidized by the Indian government and more affordable than petrol. Ashok Sachdev, president of Harpreet Ford, says Fiesta's diesel version is selling best of all, at 200 cars a month out of the 250plus Ford vehicles he sells on average.

In the northern region, service centers are plentiful, he says, and parts are readi-

are well documented: it faced a $1.6 billion loss in North America last year and lost $1.2 billion worldwide in the first quarter this year. It plans to cut tens of thousands of jobs in North America over the next two years.

Yet Mathew says that there is nothing to worry about concerning Ford's Indian plans, which include $75 million in fresh investment approved in 2005. "Asia is a high priority for Ford. The mere fact that Chairman and CEO Bill Ford came all the way here to India to launch the Fiesta last year shows the importance. The problems are restricted to North America. Europe is making money and Asia Pacific is mak-

Ford India sold 26,775 cars between January and July 2006, registering a growth of 94 percent over the same period last year.

General Motors Sparks fly over hard-hats and maintenance calls ring out across the vast floor of GM's manufacturing plant at Halol near Vadodara in Gujarat. Chevrolet Optra bodies in saffron and purple inch down the conveyor belt as construction crews prepare for expansion on the other side of the wall. GM's Halol plant is gearing up from 60,000 to 85,000 units a year and planning to hire 250 new employees,

GM's Halol plant in Gujarat is gearing up from 60,000 to 85,000 units a year and planning to hire 250 new employees, says Managing Director Rajeev Chaba.

ly available. "They were aware that th~re was a quality problem ... ," he says. "And they've learnt from the mistakes in the past, especially in India."

Now, Ford India President Arvind Mathew says, every car is localized in engineering to some extent. For instance, all cars are designed to drive through half a meter of water, a common problem during monsoons. In addition, most auto components are also sourced here. The Ikon is 92 percent localized in parts; the Fiesta 75 percent.

The average customer at Harpreet Ford is up on world events, and sometimes news of Ford's bad performance in the United States puts a damper on perceptions here. Ford's U.S. market troubles

ing money," he says.

In fact, American auto makers' financial tt'ouble may end up helping their Indian markets to some extent. They are on the lookout for cheaper labor and growth in sales, and Asia's growing mass of middle class consumers has become a new focus.

Beyond the higher volumes of the Fiesta, Ford continues to sell to niche markets with its Mondeo and Fusion models. The Fusion created a new segment, Mathew believes, catering to modern city drivers wanting both compact and spacious vehicles. "We don't chase existing markets, we go for the white space," he says.

Something must be going right, as

according to Managing Director Rajeev Chaba. But that's not all.

Putting GM ahead of Ford in terms of investment, the company announced plans to build a $300 million greenfield plant in Maharashtra near Pune. The plant will have a capacity of 140,000 vehicles and employ almost 1,000 people. It is set to start operations in late 2008, with an eye on the largest section of the Indian market, low-priced compact cars. It's a big change from the glamorous, boat-like, tail-finned giants that GM's Chevrolet brand was best known for in the past.

Like Ford, it was also in 1914 that the first Chevy hit the shores of India, imported for the maharaja of Jodhpur.

Manvendra Singh says that by 1928, GM

had set up its own operations in Parel, Bombay, and during the first year of production, 13,903 cars and trucks were built. 1933 saw a complete re-design, which was more streamlined. Indian customers got a first taste of independent front suspension, which improved handling and reduced tire wear, important on bumpy roads. After that, much production was taken up by the war effort, and the civilian market suffered as Indian plants were used to build trucks for the African warfront in World War II. Then, 1953 spelled the end of GM's Indian business, as it had for Ford.

After that, Chevrolets were only imported by the rich and powerful; notably, the prince of Kutch imported the first Corvette in 1958.

Many Indian consumers have a high regard for German engineering. And, since its exit so many years before, GM had become a more global company, acquiring brands around the world.

With that in mind, when GM returned in 1994, it first focused on offerings from its German plants. Opel, not Chevy, was the model that starred in GM's India re-launch.

The first Opels didn't sell as well as expected. Mukerji of Auto India attributes the trouble to underpowered engines. They were high-end cars, and potential buyers knew that the Opels in Europe had better engines.

After an initial tie-up with Mahindra & Mahindra, GM India became a wholly owned subsidiary in 1999.

After building its plant in Halol, GM launched the flagship Chevy brand in 2003. After moderate sales, GM's big hit, the Tavera SUV, came onto the scene. Tavera, which is now made of 96 percent local parts, had sold 3,412 models as of June 2006, becoming GM's biggest seller in India.

"In 2005 the auto industry in India grew 5 percent. GM grew 15 percent," says GM India Vice President P. Balendran. He expects to sell 50,000 cars this year, up from 30,837 last year.

The newest mass-consumer offering, the Aveo, is a Daewoo model first developed in South Korea for Asian

:Jlmeri n C(assie Text by ERICA L. NELSON Photographs by SEBASTIAN JOHN

t can safely be said that no American car has captured India's adoration like the Chevrolet Impala For some golden decades, it appeared in every other movie: the hero enchanted the heroine simply by revving the engine and children called out its name as it drove down the road. Every star who was anybody had one imported-at great expense.

The Impala obsession has faded, but it has made room for more models from the roaring 1920s and rocking 1950s to gain their share of stardom, both on Bollywood screens and in auto enthusiasts' hearts.

With one of the largest collections of

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rs

classic American cars in India, lawyer Diljeet Titus has seen his machines in films such as Black, Gadar and lube/da.

"I love the size, I love the chrome, I love the boat-like handling. You have to plan before you move them," he says of his steel giants. And giants they are: a yellow Cadillac that's more than six meters long, big white Buicks with gleaming chrome grills.

Above: Tarun Thakral's 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air. Below: A 1928 Ford Model A Tourer at the Ford Centenary Celebration Rally in Bangalore in 2003.

And you don't have to watch a movie to see all of Titus' beauties. Titus runs his own classic car museum, Pro Bono Publico (Latin for "free for the people") He opens the doors of his expansive showroom/garage in New Delhi's Mehrauli area to car lovers and school children on an appointment basis.

Titus' good friend and rival collector, Tarun Thakral, has also focused his collection on American cars. "My wife is an American, so I have to," he jokes.

But in truth, it's about availability and maintenance. Most Indian collectors, he says, are obsessed with British cars, so they are hardly ever on the market. Plus, he finds American cars easier to maintain. "With American cars you fix it up once and turn the key and go," he says, What drives him to spend so much time and money on these cars? "It's the sheer response you get from anybody and everybody," he says. "From a chairman of a company or a guy sitting on the road, it's all smiles and waves." He adds, "The modern cars have their comfort, but when the technology was evolving, it was different.

These are real hard metal and not today's Pepsi can construction."

Thakral, chief operating officer of Le Meridien hotel in New Delhi, helped to start the Heritage Car Club five years ago with fellow collectors like Titus. It now has 140 members and runs short and long distance rallies across the country while working to educate the public on automotive history Another, older, car club, the Vintage and Classic Car Club of India, is headquartered in Mumbai with more than 150 members, Both clubs work to educate the public and show the cars off on the road.

Most often it's for charity, such as a rally to Tamil Nadu after the 2004 tsunami, As investments, the cars have increased in value tremendously.

Thakral bought his first cars from junk heaps in villages for Rs. 10,000 a decade ago. Now they would cost many hundreds of thousands of rupees.

In New Delhi, collectors' cars are mostly restored by Pandit & Co., a restoration and customization garage in the Okhla industrial area, Prakul

Pandit, who represents the third generation of his family to work in the business, says a full restoration takes at least six months. The cars often come rusted, cobwebbed and full of holes.

There are no engines, no seats and just moldy pieces of fabric remain. Basic costs are at least Rs. 300,000. After that, "The sky is the limit, depending on the pedigree of the car," Pandit says.

No antique cars can be imported because of a whopping 180 percent customs duty But hunting out the gems in small towns is half the fun.

A gem in Titus' collection is his red Chevy Bel Air, which he says has the best drive and can do 160 kilometers per hour. The car featured in his chief mechanic's wedding ceremony last year. In fact, classic cars are popular for wedding processions and agencies charge thousands of rupees for little more than an hour of use.

Yet for collectors like Titus, it's not about money, but passion. He loves having children shriek and giggle over the cars in his museum, and hopes he can teach them a little history, too.

"You'll see designs and features which set the standards for future cars. They're all testaments to man's engineering genius." A case in point is his 1952 Cadillac with all the trappings of our modern cars: power steering, power brakes and automatic transmission.

Titus is lobbying the government to allow antique cars to be imported so his and others' collections can expand. Car parts from abroad are allowed as imports at a moderate customs duty, and this helps the cause of restoration. Titus makes frequent trips to the United States and tours auto shows looking for components to complete his vehicles.

For those without a big bank roll who still want one of the beauties to call their own, there is hope. "There are a lot of people with one car which they treat like a baby," says Titus. Some common models can still be bought for less than Rs. 15,000 in a dilapidated state, ready to be restored. After that, all it takes is dedication, time and chrome,

Top: Tarun Thakral in his 1954 Chrysler Desoto convertible. Above: Diljeet Titus with his 1947 Cadillac Fleetwood.

Corporate Excellence ord India, headquartered in Chengalpatlu, Tamil Nadu, has been honored as a finalist in the State Department's Award for Corporate Excellence program because of the company's achievements in assisting local economic development, engaging in exemplary employment practices, adhering to transparency and international law. Ford adopted a fishing village after the 2004 tsunami; instituted an HIV/AIDS awareness and treatment program for employees; and has an impressive track record in environmental stewardship Ford partnered with the Confederation of Indian Industry to adopt the fishing village of Panaiyur Periya Kuppam, which had been devastated by the December 2004 tsunami. A twoyear roadmap of support has been drawn up to achieve sustainable development by building a self-reliant community in the village.

Ford also distributed emergency relief and provisions to victims of the Orissa flood and Gujarat earthquake and rebuilt the K.G. Manek English School in Anjar after the 2001 earthquake. Ford set up a fully equipped Primary Health Center to provide free health care to more than 50 villages neighboring the plant.

The center has treated more than 200,000 patients since opening in 1999. Ford made an endowment of two ambulances for the use of Trauma Care Consortium, Chennai. Over the

F

David Friedman, then managing director and president of Ford India (third from right), joined en officials and residents of Panaiyur Periya Kuppam to celebrate the donation of a fleet of boats to fishermen in the village in June 2005.

last four years, the ambulances have provided assistance in more than 1,000 accident cases and more than 3,000 other medical emergencies. Ford also operates a tuition and scholarship program for students enrolled in government schools at Maraimalai Nagar and S.P. Koil Street near the plant.

Ford has an HIV/AIDS policy for its employees that provides access to medical resources and counseling of the patient and family and provides the patient with continued care if diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, all with dignity and confidentiality Ford India has made two endowments for Henry Ford Chairs at the Indian Institutes of Technology in Chennai and New Delhi, for research in vehicle emission and transportation safety. Ford India has supplied advanced testing equipment to the Pune-based Automotive Research Association of India to upgrade the association's research facilities, and has provided training to its engineers Commitment to environmental sensitivity is embodied in Ford's state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant that uses biological and chemical processes to make used water available for recycling. An automated system prevents discharge of the treated water if it does not meet the most stringent standards set by regulators. No treated effluent is discharged outside Ford India. It is all used in irrigation to develop a green belt on the property.

The company has instituted strict ethics policies on honesty and integrity, harassment, open communication, substance abuse and empowerment.

markets. It's been modified for Indian roads and priced nearly identically to the Ford Fiesta.

Though Tavera comes in a diesel version, GM has yet to release a diesel Optra or Aveo. This is likely impacting sales, as a telling 60-plus percent of Ford sales are from diesel products.

Balendran says more diesel versions are being considered, while a mini-car model is to be brought out next year. The lure of an American branded car at an affordable Indian price may prove to be potent, says Mukerji. "If they price the car properly it will do very well."

Exports When it comes to exports from India, Ford has definitely taken the lead. The price of Indian automotive labor is among the lowest, at about 80 cents to a dollar, the same as in China. Ford India makes export "kit" vehicles of Ikons, which are nearly finished and only need to be assembled at their destinations: South Africa, Brazil and Mexico. India also supplied Ikon components to China. When Indian domestic sales figures dip, the export business is "a good hedge to have," says Mathew.

Still, one of the biggest obstacles to increasing exports is scale. With notable exceptions such as Sundram Fasteners, most Indian auto components producers are small and their processes outdated.

"Facilities are the biggest issue," says Mr. Uppal, manager of GM's Halol plant.

Many still do not have robotic technology on assembly lines, which is key to producing the big orders of global corporations.

The situation is changing fast though.

Foreign auto companies regularly work to help train and modernize their Indian components suppliers. There are growing businesses like Jamna Auto in Malanpur, Madhya Pradesh, which supplies lift springs for GM trucks in the United States, and Rico Auto, based in Gurgaon, Haryana, which supplies to Ford for Jaguars and Land Rovers. Many analysts expect the export business to double in the coming years.

And GM's new plant in Maharashtra The car production line at the General Motors plant in Halol, Gujarat.

Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan, brand ambassador for Ford Fiesta, at its launch in Mumbai in November 2005.

may just add to that. It is set to become a production hub for GM Daewoo Auto and Technology's future products. The capacity can be pushed up to 300,000 vehicles if domestic and export markets demand it.

And it is not just hardware that is exported from India. GM has set up a $21 million technical research and development center in Bangalore that is focused on creating math-based tools, lightweight materials and automotive electronics systems. Indian scientists and engineers have already invented new methods to make 2009 cars more efficient and mathematicians are creating virtual models of prototypes, thereby saving the company the cost of actually producing them.

Ford, meanwhile, has endowments with Indian Institutes of Technology (lIT) in Chennai and New Delhi for research in the area of vehicle emission and transportation safety.

Marketing: An American brand witb an Indian bean While American in origin, any corporation with global reach picks up some international flavor along the way. For Indians in the 1940s, Britain still loomed large,

and Ford's marketing team knew it. The company stmted a "Visit Britain" promotion for car buyers, which included travel to the United Kingdom and a chance to test drive a car before all the arrangements were made to impOit it to India.

Today it's the mystique of Bollywood movies that is often used to lure car buyers.

GM hired actors Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukherjee to advertise the Aveo as a vehicle for the young and sophisticated, while Ford's campaign with Abhishek Bachchan for the Fiesta has done much to implant the car into the minds of consumers.

Mathew of Ford marvels at the timing in which Bachchan's "Go Fida" campaign started. "We picked him before he hit the big time," says Mathew, and as he grew in visibility, the brand did as well.

GM's new SRV, a sporty hatchback built on the Optra platform that is different than anything else on Indian roads, is also taking a new advertising tack. Along with its young, zippy image, a Web site complete with games and blogs has been included in communications.

The SRV's appem'ance is quite a radical change in any global company's India offerings in the below Rs. 1 million seg-

ment. Mukherji says that people will appreciate the SRV's looks but it may still be too radical for an Indian consumer to actually buy: "It's for a guy who is dating a hot woman. But here you need a car which truckloads of relatives will approve." Yet it seems GM has the leeway to go out on a limb with its new car. "We're not looking for volumes in this vehicle. It's an experiment. .. the first in this country, and it will create its own segment," says GM's Chaba.

Auto watchers say that with the production of right-hand drive Hummers, GM may also be offering the gigantic vehicles in India. And Daimler-Chrysler, the US-German company, is also rumored to be planning a launch of its Jeep range, specifically the Grand Cherokee.

Indeed, it seems that future growth may lie in the extremes-huge SUV-type vehicles and also mini-cars for the common man. Says Ford's Mathew, "I've got plans for small cars, big cars, mini-vans.

I just have to pick the right horse." ~ Erica L. Nelson is a freelance writer who just returned to California after three years in India.

Flexible Rights That Create Wealth lor All I I

By DOMmlCKEATmG

ntellectual property is a collection of rights that generate wealth for all by providing incentives for new products, processes, creative works and services.

Products that we use every day like PhilipsŽ light bulbs, Nancy DrewŠ books and Campbell'sŽ soup are protected by intellectual property. Existing models show how intellectual property is used with great versatility in the market place in order to meet the needs of owners, consumers and the public.

Intellectual property creates wealth directly by allowing individuals and businesses with new inventions, creative works and brands to create a niche in the market place. Indirectly, patents disclose these new inventions to the public. These ideas are

n October, Dominic Keating became the first U.S. intellectual property expert to be posted in India. He is a first secretary in the commercial section of the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, where he works to promote high standards of intellectual property protection and enforcement. as well as cooperation between the U.S. and Indian governments on intellectual property matters. He was a patent attorney with the Office of International Relations at the United States Patent and Trademark O!!ice from 2003 to 2006. During that time, he had responsibility for issues related to intellectual property and biodiversity, genetic resources and traditional knowledge, intellectual property and health.

From 2001 to 2003, he was the intellectual property attache at the U.S. Mission to the World Trade Organization He also has experience as a patent examiner in the pharmaceutical, chemical and biotechnological sciences, as a trademark examining attorney specializing in computer and telecommunications related goods, and as a research scientist.

often the basis for more new inventions, products, services and businesses. When intellectual property rights expire, the public may freely enjoy and build upon the underlying inventions, creative works and trademarks for eternity. Wealth continues to grow, based on these contributions.

Do you like to read? The advent of the printing press allowed printers to make and widely distribute copies of books.

Previously, books were hand-copied and only available to the rich. The press also spurred the first copyright law in England, which protected the rights of authors. In

Does Theft Serve Art?

By LAWRENCE LESSIG

'"AndY

a:.~

Warhol was an artist. He was also a businessman. As he famously quipped, "Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art." Warhol was great at both. But Warhol's art ~ was of a particular sort. Appropriationist is what ~ some call it, as if there is art that doesn't draw from the (ยง culture around us. Remix might be a less charged moniker. Warhol created work that appropriated and remixed.

Some of that culture was owned, meaning copyrighted or trademarked (think Campbell's soup cans). Some wasn't. But whether owned or not, the result was distinctly Warhol. He freely built on work that came before him.

When he died in 1987, his will called for setting up a foundation to manage his estate. From the beginning, that foundation faced an obvious question: What should it do when others used Warhol's images?

The artist didn't leave much of an answer. He directed his executor to establish a "foundation for the advancement of the visual arts" and named three people to start the organization. But the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts had to define its own mission and, more important, the values it would stand for. Would it exercise the control the law gives it over Warhol's art to maximize its income? Or would it exercise that control the way ~ w ~

g

Condon Torncello, a salesman at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, unpacks catalogs of the "Andy Warhol Retrospective" with Marilyn Monroe's face on the covers.

I

I

Is as Important for India as Infrastru ctu re An Interviewwith Deputy U,S, TradeRepresentativeKARANBHATIA

By LAURINDAKEYSLONG ndia should be at the very forefront of rigorous intellectual property rights protection, Deputy US, Trade Representative Karan Bhatia said in a SPAN interview during his most recent visit to India, "I think it perhaps could be the most important thing India can do to secure its long-term development future," declared Bhatia,

I

SPAN: More important than bUilding infrastructure?

BHATIA: India should have the strongest laws and the strongest enforcement because having that legal infrastructure in place is just critical to developing knowledge based industries.

India has managed to develop a fairly competitive knowledge based industry But it still is much, much smaller than that of the United States or Europe or even some of the developed Asian economies, So, there's only so far that I think India can go unless it develops a state of the art intellectual property rights regime, which means improvements to its patent law, improvements to its copyright law and a strong, focused, effective, centralized enforcement system, And, we're willing to help with technical assistance and training and so forth, But at the end of the day, the political will is going to have to come from India itself, Many in India do not, however, see this as such a pressing issue.

I do think that it is going to be important for Indian business people, Indian students, those who really stand to benefit the most from this, to be heard, I don't disagree with those of the Indian government who say that there needs to be more popular appreciation and public awareness of the value of strong IPR protection, But, I also think that to some extent the Indian government can lead

and perhaps bring others along as well.

That's what happened with the "open skies" agreement, to be honest with you, There was no great consensus among the Indian population that air fares to the United States were too high or that there were too few aviation connections, But the Indian government with the real leadership of Minister Praful Patel, the civil aviation minister, took a bold step forward and the results are demonstrating themselves with new air services, lower prices, more options, I think you sort of bring people along once they see that there are actual benefits, Sometimes you lead and others will follow, What does IPR mean to India's majority, the rural poor, those in the agriculture sector?

It's the 25 percent of the Indian population that's actually going to drive its economic growth-which will not be the agricultural sector, it will be the knowledge-based sector-that needs intellectual property rights, I mean the IPR is the infrastructure for the knowledge-based economy, It is the roads, It is the telecommunications lines, Some intellectuals, including prominent Indian journalists and writers, say that everyone copies, that's how ideas spread, and it's not such a big deal to buy a cheaper, pirated movie.

The same people who say IPR is not a big deal, everyone copies, will be the first to bemoan the brain drain from India to the United States, The reason there is a brain drain from India to the United States is because the best and the brightest from India can go to the United States, patent their products over there, or copyright their software over there and reap untold riches, because there are protections for the fruits of their intellectual labor.

the 1800s, under pressure from England, the United States began to provide copyright protection for foreign and domestic authors and creators (www.wipo.org). Domestic literature began to flourish.

The vibrant music, movie, literature and artistic industries of the United States have evolved under this system of ownership. According to industry estimates, the U.S. copyright industry contributed more than $626 billion, or more than 6 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product, in 2002 (www.iipa.com).

How important is a job? The fIrst modem patent law was passed in Venice in 1474. One of the fIrst inventors to receive a patent was Galileo, for an invention to raise water in order to irrigate land.

Patents are an essential part of the U.S. Constitution. They have become a cornerstone of innovation around the world by providing incentives for new inventions. The U.S. Constitution, in Section 8, says; "The Congress shall have Power. .. to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writing and Discoveries ... " Strong patent laws provide incentives for new inventions that create wealth in the market place. For example, the United States Supreme Court clarified that living things are patentable under U.S. law in 1980. Since that time, the biotechnology industry in the United States has experienced tremendous growth and has brought countless, life saving inventions onto the market. Today, the United States leads the biotechnology industry with more than 1,500 biotech companies employing more than 900,000 people with salaries that average more than $60,000 per year (www.bio.org).

Do you like soup? Trademarks have evolved from the earliest of times, when humans used marks to designate ownership. Cave drawings from as early as 5000 B.C., for example, show bison with sym-

SPAN Readers

Join the Debate Please write to us at editorspan@state.gov about your views on Intellectual Property Rights.

We will publish some letters in our next issue and on our Web site. htlp://usembassy,state,gov/posts/in1/wwwhspan,html

Visitors look at Andy Warhol's "Campbell's Soup" at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Warhol practiced his art?

I've grown so cynical about these copyright and culture debates that I wouldn't have thought an organization in the Warhol Foundation's position would even ask such questions. Of course it would exercise its right to maximize control. Rabid intellectual property protectionism-IF extremism-is so rampant that if the foundation demanded that future Warhols pay for permission to build on Warhol's art, most people wouldn't even notice the hypocrisy.

So I was surprised to hear the foundation's president, Joel Wachs, describe its values to an audience of New York City bar association members gathered to learn about fair use. The Warhol Foundation is "vigorous in enforcing our rights when it comes to people wanting to use Warhol's art for commercial purposes," Wachs said.

But when it comes to artists and scholars, the rules are very different. "We permit artists to use and reference Warhol work without charge and without challenge." And "we let scholars use Warhol imagery for just a nominal fee to cover the cost of

administering the rights." Wachs told me later, "We're Lessig when it comes to artists and scholars" and "Disney when it comes to commercial use."

To people who live outside the IF-extremist culture, this sounds quite sensible. But inside that culture, the foundation's values are incomprehensible. Not only are artists free to create and profit from images that build on Warhol's, but the foundation doesn't even ask to see how his work will be used. To condition the freedom of scholars or artists to use Warhol's pieces upon such a review would be censorship, Wachs explained. And the foundation has learned that there are people on both the right and the left who are keen to engage in just this sort of censorship.

Compare this with the practice of major film studios, as reported in J.D. Lasica's book Darknet: Hollywood's War Against the Digital Generation.

Lasica asked to use small clips from famous films in some home movies he wanted to make-footage he promised would never be shown to anyone outside of his friends and family.

Universal Studios told Lasica he would be "obligated to pay ... $900 for each 15 seconds." When he asked for two lO-second clips from a Daffy Duck movie, WatTIerBros. said, "We do not ... allow our material to be edited or altered in any way." And the Walt Disney

The Warhol Foundation is"vigorous in enforcing our rights when it comes to people wanting to use Warhol's art for commercial purposes," Wachs said. But when it comes to artists and scholars, the rules are very different. "We permit artists to use and reference Warhol work without charge and without challenge."

bols on their flanks. In 3500 B.C., Mesopotamian commodities were identified with cylindrical seals (www.lib.utexas.edu).

Today, trademarks are used in all aspects of commerce. They bring consumer recognition to products and add value to businesses. When Nestle purchased a British chocolate company named Rowntree in 1988, it paid half a billion pounds for its factories and stock.

However, it paid 2 billion pounds for its

a trademark, for example. On the other hand, intellectual property rights must be positively exercised. The failure to do so, whether intentional or not, may result in others using an invention, creative work or trademark.

To illustrate the great versatility of intellectual property rights in the market place, four models are provided here.

First, the IBM® model makes part of a company's intellectual property portfolio

Cartoon characters Mickey Mouse and his girlfriend, Minnie, shown here at Hong Kong Disneyland Park debuted in the silent film Plane Crazy on May 15, 1928. The next day, according to The Chronology of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse, by Ken Poisson, Disney applied for a trademark for the character and image of Mickey Mouse, which was granted four months later by the U.S. Patent Office. Mickey, and even the shape of his ears, are registered trademarks of the Walt Disney Company used in publishing, entertainment and hospitality spin-offs around the world. Although the copyright for the Mickey Mouse cartoons and comic books will eventually expire, allowing their use in the public domain, the Mickey Mouse image may be protected in perpetUity under U.S. trademark law (http://www.uspto.govl). The Walt Disney Company vigorously defends its trademark rights. trademarks (www.wipo.int). Coca-Cola® as the has been ranked by BusinessWeek most valuable brand in the world, at $67 billion. Products such as Campbell's® soup, Gillette® and Canon® also have great value in their brands. Some of these products might not be on the market today if they did not have trademark protection.

Intellectual property owners may exercise their rights flexibly or enforce them vigorously, depending upon their business model or philosophy. Owners may have the option of excluding others from selling a product, reproducing a book or using

available to the public. IBM® announced last year that it was making 500 of its patents freely available to anyone working on open-source projects such as the Linux® operating system. IBM® is the largest patent holder in the United States.

It obtained 3,248 patents in 2004 and it created at least $1 billion from licensing its inventions last year (www.ibm.com).

Second, the Cohen and Boyer model issues an unlimited number of licenses for a reasonable up-front payment and a moderate royalty. Intellectual property rights may be licensed in whole or in part.

Licensing arrangements have the flexibility to take into account the needs of the parties involved. For example, they may be exclusive, non-exclusive, territorial (that is, different people can use a product in different parts of a country), and they may creatively address the issue of royalties.

In 1980, Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer patented a blockbuster methuJ of replicating DNA. They licensed their invention out to more than 370 companies with a $10,000 up front payment, an annual advance of $10,000 and earned royalties of .5 percent to 3 percent of sales, depending upon the type and sales volume of the products.

Third, the Warhol model enforces intellectual property rights only against potential infringers who are seeking commercial gain. Andy Warhol had a successful career as an artist by building upon the works of others. He took advantage of the flexibility that other intellectual property owners demonstrated when he built upon popular icons such as Campbell's® soup.

Although Warhol died in 1987, his foundation has a policy of not enforcing its rights against those who choose to build upon Warhol's works merely for the sake of art. However, the foundation actively enforces its rights against potential infringers who seek commercial again (www. warholfoundation.org).

Fourth, companies following the vigorous enforcement model seek to defend many or all of their intellectual property rights. This model is particularly important to entities like The Walt Disney Company that have made large investments in research and development or creative works, or those that rely significantly upon brand recognition.

Intellectual property holds the key to the future. Of foremost importance is the preservation and advancement of the standards for the protection of intellectual propelty. Without intellectual property protections, we may not have Campbell's® soup for artists, inventors and business people to build upon. Great works like those of Warhol might never exist. As Peter Drucker, author of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, says, with intellectual property protection, "(i)nnovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship ...the act that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth" for all. ~

Above: A visitor looks at an Andy Warhol work featuring Elvis Presley at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. Left: A staff member at Christie's walks past Andy Warhol's "Double Mona Lisa," lying on the floor ready to be hung for display.

Company told Lasica it "had to establish a general policy" of-you guessed it-saying no. In Disney's view, no one-not even artists, not even noncommercially-is free to build on Disney the way Walt Disney built on the Brothers Grimm.

There's not much hope that the U.S. Congress will begin to think sensibly about the IF extremism its laws encourage.

But we'd achieve a great deal if copyright holders-and those who challenge them-started speaking and acting with a Warhol sensibility.

As a former Los Angeles city councilman and mayoral candidate, Wachs knows well the arguments of the extremes. He and his foundation do creators and creativity a great service by resisting the demands of the extremes and practicing the values by which Warhol lived. ~ Lawrence magazine.

Lessig

is a contributing

editor

with

Wired

Sure, there are more brands than ever.

But they're taking a beating-or, even worse, being ignored. Who's to blame?

A new breed of hyperinformed superconsumers. That's right-you!

T

he world, it seems, is disappearing beneath a deluge of logos. In the past decade, corporations looking to navigate an ever more competitive marketplace have embraced the gospel of branding with newfound fervor. The brand value of companies like Coca-Cola and IBM is routinely calculated at tens of

billions of dollars, and brands have come to be seen as the ultimate long-term asset--economic engines capable of withstanding turbulence and generating profits for decades. So companies spend billions on brand campaigns and try to indelibly mark everything in sight, from the ING New York City Marathon to the Diamond

A shopper tries to choose from an array of products in Omaha, Nebraska. Consumers have become far more willing to experiment with new brands because the amount of information available from various sources makes taking a chance less risky.

Nuts cup holders at SBC Park in San Francisco.

Since 1991, the number of brands on U.S. grocery store shelves has more than tripled.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office received 323,501 applications for trademarks in 2005-148,194 more than in 1995. The average American sees 60 percent more ad messages per day than when the first President Bush left office in 1993. A handful of years ago, David Foster Wallace fantasized in Infinite Jest about an America in which corporations sponsor entire years-the Year of the Whopper, the Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment.

The fantasy seems more reasonable by the day.

And yet there's something strange going on in branding land. Even as companies have spent enormous amounts of time and energy introducing new brands and defending established ones, Americans have become less loyal.

Consumer-goods markets used to be very stable. If you had a

set of customers today, you could be pretty sure most of them would still be around two years, five years, 10 years from now. That's no longer true. A study by retail-industry tracking firm NPD Group found that nearly half of those who described themselves as highly loyal to a brand were no

E

longer loyal a year later. Even seemingly strong names rarely translate into much power at the cash register. Another remarkable study found that just 4 percent of consumers would be willing to stick with a brand if its competitors offered better value for the same price. Consumers are

ven as companies have spent enormous amounts of time and energy introducing new brands and defending established ones, Americans have become less loyal.

Consumer-goods markets used to be very stable. If you had a set of customers today, you could be pretty sure most of them would still be around two years, five years, 10 years from now. That's no longer true.

continually looking for a better deal, opening the door for companies to introduce a raft of new products.

Marketers may consider the explosion of new brands to be evidence of branding's importance, but in fact the opposite is true. It would be a waste of money to launch a clever logo into a world of durable brands and loyal customers.

But because consumers are more promiscuous and fickle than ever, established brands are vulnerable, and new ones have a real chance of succeeding-for at least a little while. The obsession with brands, paradoxically, demonstrates their weakness.

The single biggest explanation for fragile brands is the swelling strength of the consumer. We've seen a pronounced jump in the amount of information available about goods and services. It's not just bellwethers like Consumers Union and J.D. Power, established authorities that unquestionably shape people's buying decisions, but also the crush of magazines, Web sites and message boards scrutinizing products. Consumers have also become more demanding: Even as the quality and reliability of products have generally risen, satisfaction ratings have not budged, and in some cases they've actually fallen. Businesses are now dealing with buyers who are armed with both information and harsh expectations. In this environment, companies that slip up-even if it's simply failing to match customer tastes-can no longer count on their good names to

carry them through. And con- a stronghold of brand identity nery wears out. Inventories get sumers have become far more and obsession, prices fell an aver- depleted. Technology becomes willing to experiment with age of 9 percent between 2001 obsolete. Brand loyalty is the products, because the amount of and 2003. At least part of the only sound foundation on which information out there makes reason is the uptick in private- business leaders can build taking a chance far less label sales, which now account enduring, profitable growth." risky ... .This gives nascent for almost half the market. The Similarly, in the book Brands brands an opportunity to suc- rise of retailers like Zara and and Branding, Rita Clifton, ceed, but it also makes staying H&M, which make their own chair of Interbrand UK, puts it power a lot harder to come by. cheap but nice designer knock- this way: "Well-managed brands Welcome to the What Have You offs, and the emergence of a have extraordinary economic high-low aesthetic (in which top value and are the most effective Done for Me Lately? economy.

Some industries are suffering designers no longer dictate and efficient creators of sustainmore than others. In consumer taste) have weakened the power able wealth." These assertions electronics, quality has risen offashion brands and fragment- claim that while factories, across the board, making prod- ed the industry into myriad source code and patents are uct differences harder to dis- small ones. Sure, superbrands ephemeral, brands are real. But cern. Manufacturing has com- like Louis Vuitton and Prada in fact, their long-term value is modified: Most of today's com- can still command a hefty price shrinking. They're becoming puter equipment, television screens and stereos are made by a small handful of contract manufacturers and then slapped Since 1991, the number of brands on U.S. with a logo before hitting store grocery store shelves has more than tripled. shelves. That doesn't mean that The average American sees 60 percent more ad making a better gizmo no messages per day than when the first President longer matters--offering genBush left office in 1993. uinely innovative products is, more than ever, the best way to capture market share. But savvy consumers are no longer willing to pay a high premium for an otherwise identical product just because it has a fancy nameplate.

Undoubtedly, there are strong brands that can still command a premium. In one survey by Landor Associates, 99.5 percent of people said they'd be willing to pay more for a Sony. But the ~ size of that premium is smaller ~ 1990 than ever. Seven years ago, ~ Sony charged 44 percent more ~ for its DVD players than the i average manufacturer. By 2004, c'5 Sony DVD players cost just 16 premium. But they're increas- nothing more than shadows. percent more than the average. ingly the exception.

You wouldn't expect your shadAnd yet, even though the price Marketing types either don't ow to protect you or show you of Sony's most expensive DVD see this trend or choose not to the way. It only goes wherever player fell 60 percent between talk about it. In the words of you do.

Look at Nokia. In 2002, it 1999 and 2003, CyberHome, advertising legend Jim Mullen, maker of absurdly cheap DVD "Of all the things that your com- had the sixth most valuable players, knocked off Sony that pany owns, brands are far and brand in the world, valued by year to become the biggest away the most important and the consultancy Interbrand at DVD-machine seller in America. the toughest. Founders die. $30 billion. But the very next Similarly, in the fashion industry, Factories bum down. Machi- year, Nokia made a simple mis-

take: It didn't produce the clamshell-design cell phones that customers wanted. Did consumers stick around because of their deep emotional investment in Nokia? Not a chance.

They jumped ship, and the company's sales tumbled. As a result, Nokia lost $6 billion in equity. How about Krispy Kreme? In 2003, Fortune called the doughnut maker America's "hottest brand." Then came what proved to be the hottest name of 2004: the Atkins diet.

Annual rankings of brand value are littered with examples of firms that watched billions of dollars in supposed "brand equity" vanish-not because they messed with their identities, but simply because they didn't make a product or deliver a service that people needed. Even genuinely powerful brand association is no longer a guarantee that a company will make money. TiVo has revolutionized television, and even introduced a word into the consumer vernacular.

But it had to cut prices sharply to try to compete with the cheap DVRs coming to market from cable and satellite companies. Similarly, Apple has had to continually introduce better variations on the iPodand cut prices-to fend off copycats.

Marketers aren't completely deceived (or being deceiving) when they argue that customers make emotional connections with brands, but those connections are increasingly tenuous. If once upon a time customers married brandspeople who drove Fords drove Fords their whole lives-today they're more like serial monogamists who move on as soon as something sexier comes along. Gurus talk about building an image to create a halo over a company's products. But these days, the only

A Wal-Mart store in Las Vegas. Consumers are always on the lookout for a better deal, opening the door for companies to introduce new products.

sure way to keep a brand strong is to keep wheeling out products, which will in turn cast the halo. (The iPod has made a lot more people interested in Apple than Apple made people interested in the iPod.) If a company must constantly deliver new value to its loyal customers just to keep them, those customers aren't loyal at all. Which means, save for a few perennials like Coke, brands have little or no value independent of what a company actually does. "Brands have run out of juice. They're dead," says Kevin Roberts, CEO of advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi and author of the book Lovemarks. "Now the consumer is boss. There's nowhere for brands to hide."

This is all, of course, a bad

thing for marketers. A brand is supposed to provide a haven from competition, offering what Nokia CEO Jonna Ollila calls insurance against missteps. But the disappearance of loyalty means that insurance is vanish-

In 1999, a Sony DVD player could be priced much higher than its competitors, because of customer confidence in the brand. But savvy consumers are no longer willing to pay a high premium for a product just because it has a fancy name. $400 $350 $300 $250 $200 $150 $100 $50 $O~

ing, too-which is great for consumers. When companies can't count on their reputations to carry them through, they're forced to innovate to stay alive.

The erosion of brand value, then, means heightened competition-and everything we know about economics tells us that the more competition, the better off consumers will be.

The truth is, we've always overestimated the power of branding while underestimating consumers' ability to recognize quality. When brands first became important in the United States a century ago, it was because particular products-Pillsbury flour or Morton salt--offered far more reliability and quality than noname goods. Similarly, many (and arguably most) of the important brands in American history-Gillette or Disneybecame successful not because of clever marketing, but because they offered something you couldn't get anywhere else. (Gillette made the best razors; Disney made the best animated movies.) Even Nike first became popular

because it made superior running shoes. Marketers looked at these companies and said they were succeeding because their brands were strong. In reality, the brands were strong because the companies were succeeding.

Over time, certain brands came to connote quality. They did provide a measure of insurance-which in turn made firms less innovative and less rigorous. (Think of the abominable cars General Motors, Ford and Chrysler made in the late 1960s through the 1970sremember the Pinto?-in part because they assumed that they had customers for life.) That sense of protection is eroding in industry after industry, and instead of a consumer economy in which success is determined in large part by name, it's now being determined by performance. The aristocracy of brand is dead. Long live the meritocracy of product. ~ James Surowiecki (jamessuro @aol.com), a staff writer for The New Yorker, is the author of The

Wisdom of Crowds.

Preserving

A grant from the U.S. Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation helps protect the unique art and crafts of Bishnupur in West Bengal.

he Bankura horse from Bengal is a beautiful specimen of craftsmanship. Those familiar with the Central Cottage Industries Emporium would recognize it immediately because the terra-cotta figurine is its official logo. However, if your curiosity goads you to look a little beyond, and try to discover who crafted this magnificent equestrian figure, you will have to follow its trail through the red earth of the Bankura district. In the process, you will be richly rewarded with another discovery. The arid

T

A fine example of terra-cotta art at Bishnupur's Shyam Rai temple.

Tourists flock to this West Bengal town to see its elegant terracotta temples.

landscape holds in its womb a treasure called Bishnupur, a place that embodies Bengal's indigenous cultural heritage.

Tourists flock to this town to see the elegant terra-cotta temples that dot the landscape. But Bishnupur is not confined to architectural splendor alone. Within a compact area, the town holds many other gems of art and culture: a silk weaving tradition (the Baluchari sari with symbols of kings and queens is famous); a miniature painting style; a unique game with circular playing cards (dasavatar taas) with paintings of gods and goddesses on them; handicrafts made from bell metal and embellished conch shell, and a classical style of music known as Bishnupur gharana.

Preserving Bishnupur's artifacts and traditions in a holistic manner is of great importance and needs proper documentation, feel conservationists.

It is in this context that the U.S. Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation granted $15,000 last year for a project by the West Bengal chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (lNTACH). A plan

to preserve the Bishnupur art, architecture and crafts has been completed and was released on August 29 by U.S. Charge d'affaires Geoffrey R. Pyatt in Calcutta.

The Fund was established by the U.S. Congress in 2001 to help countries preserve museum collections, ancient and historic sites and traditional forms of expression. (http://exchanges.state.gov/culprop/afcpl). INTACH was started in 1984 during the Festival of India events. Cultural leaders and scholars felt that apart from the preservation efforts by the Archaeological Survey of India, there was a need for projects to preserve other monuments, living traditions, and artistic endeavors.

Considering Bishnupur's position as a living urban heritage center, and the need for preservation of its unique arts and crafts, the project aims to approach UNESCO for recognition as a World Heritage site. But for that, scientific documentation is necessary. The Ambassador's Fund will help in this effort.

"Bishnupur holds a unique place in Bengal's cultural map. It is the only Bengali urban complex in the true sense. All other places, except Gaur and Pandua, are colonial towns," says architect Anjan Mitra, project coordinator for conservation of art, architecture and culture of Bishnupur. With the comparative distance and isolation from the more welltrodden Gangetic Plain, and banked in by the Damodar River and sal tree forests, Bishnupur has managed to retain its heritage in a pristine form.

It is home to a unique tradition of handicrafts, pottery and weaving that is illustrative of Hindi, Islamic and tribal artistic innovation.

Located about 150 kilometers to the west of Calcutta, Bishnupur belongs to the terrain of Rahrbhum, the land of the red soil. It was also known as Mallabhum awareness and conduct workafter the ruling dynasty of the Mallas (a shops with nongovernmental name that means "wrestlers" and refers to organizations, architects and the inhabitants' independent spirit). King urban planners. The library has Jagatmalla chose Bishnupur as the capital about 21,000 Oriental manuof his powerful kingdom in the 14th censcripts and 250,000 printed tury and for four centuries art, culture and books. Though founded earlier, education flourished under royal patronit was opened to the public in age. This also extended to religious phiOctober 1891 by Khuda Bakhsh losophy. The kings were greatly influKhan with 4,000 manuscripts, enced by the Bengali Vaishnavite guru of which he inherited 1,400 Sri Chaitanya, a follower of Krishna. The from his father, Mohammed best examples of this are the terra-cotta Bakhsh. relief panels of the temples carved with symbols of Krishna and his life story.

Above: The mausoleum of Mitra points out that it was the ingenuShah Daulat at Maner. ity of the artisans to use local material, One of the finest Mughal monuments in eastern India, the red earth, and burn it in a special way it was built during the reign to make long lasting bricks. The embellof Emperor ]ahangir. ishments give the impression of stone Left: An inscription carvings. Temples were constructed in on the mausoleum. what is known as Bangia style. The slop-

._~~~ocurllenting Bihar's _:= •.. _~

Religious .~Heritage

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he Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation also included a grant last year to the conservation group East and West Educational Society of Patna to fund a survey of 25 districts in Bihar to document Islamic and Hindu 15th and 16th century architec-

ture and identify buildings for future preservation. The project will showcase the co-existence of Hindu and Islamic culture that flourished in medieval Bihar. The Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library of Patna is assisting the society to organize lectures, raise public

Tibetan

Art

Conservation

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he Sikkim Research Institute of Tibetology (earlier known as Namgyal Institute of Tibetology) in Gangtok, Sikkim, is a center for the study of Mahayana Buddhism.

Ornate woodcarvings and murals decorate the interior. The altars hold images of the Buddhas, Bodhisattavas and tantric spirits.

ing roofs (chala) made in the likeness of thatched huts of the farmers signify a "domestication of architecture," says Mitra. The simplest form is do-chala, or two roofs, which was later developed into more complicated forms like char-chala (four roofs), aat-chala (eight roofs), etc. Radha Binod Temple and Keshta Ray Temple are some examples of these experimentations. The Rasamancha built during King Bir Hambir's time (1600 A.D.) is a stand-alone construction, reflecting a unique experiment to accommodate all the icons of Bishnupur during the Raas festival when, legends say, Krishna and his consorts danced on a full moon night. It has a pyramid-like roof and the building stands on a laterite plinth and the sanctum is enclosed by three successive circumbulatory galleries.

Bishnupur also evolved into a seat of Sanskrit scholarship and stands at the juncture of non-Aryan and Aryan cultural traditions. The MalIa kings were of tribal origin and they

The library has one of the largest Artifacts at the Sikkim Research collections of Tibetan texts in the Institute of Tibetology in world with 60,000 books in the Gangtok, which is a center for the form of xylographs, manuscripts, study of Mahayana Buddhism. printed works and the collected rosaries, rare tankhas and 200 work of all four sects of Tibetan icons and prized objets d'art.

Buddhism.

A grant of $35,000 from the The museum section con- Ambassador's Fund aided a tains a vast number of ritualispreservation effort that was tic chortens, brass bells, dorjis, completed in 2004.

retained the link. Even Durga Puja, the most important festival for the Bengalis, has elements of tribal culture as worshipped here.

Two hundred years ago, the Mallas also experimented with rainwater harvesting to provide for people of the arid region. The great tanks, which local people call "bandhs" are still existant and an integral feature of Bishnupur. The Lal Bandh, or the red tank, is the best known. ~ The U.S.-funded project to help document all ~ these living traditions has also involved local ~ people and created a lot of excitement. \~ "Documentation is not enough, mainstrearning -;;i!is necessary so that the tradition lives on," says .! ~ Mitra, so the local people will also take pride in . ~ the preservation of their cultural heritage. •.~ Mainstrearning will attract more tourists from ~ India and abroad and help make the preserva~ tion project sustainable in the long run. ~ if)

Ranjita Biswas is a Calcutta-based freelance journalist who also translates literature and writes fiction.

From the low peasant to the lord, The Turkey smokes on every board.

-John Gay's Fables, circa 1700 his Thanksgiving Day, Lord willing, I will be at a table with my wife in our daughter's home in Lexington, Kentucky. With my son-in-law and two of our grandsons and sundry other guests, we will fall to that most American of feasts.

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There will be stuffing and mashed potatoes and cranberry and, of course, Meleagris gallopavo, the meatiest of American birds, the turkey.

How this robust variety of domestic fowl got its name we do not know for certain. Stories abound, including the possibility that American Indians called the bird "firkee," and European settlers somehow substituted the "t" at the front.

Above: A traditional Thanksgiving feast with roasted turkey, which has been the centerpiece of Thanksgiving celebrations since the days of the Pilgrims.

Above, right: TV weatherman Willard Scott wears a Pilgrim costume as he rides a turkey balloon in the 2001 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.

The American Thanksgiving Holiday

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t began in the early days of the American colonies 385 years ago.

In 1620, a boat filled with more than 100 people sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to settle in the New World. This Christian group had begun to question the practices of the Church of England and wanted to separate from it. The Pilgrims settled in what is now the state of Massachusetts.

Their first winter was difficult. They had arrived too late to grow many crops, and without fresh food, half the colony died from disease. The following spring the Iroquois Indians taught them how to grow corn, a new food for the colonists. The Iroquois showed them other crops to grow in the

unfamiliar soil and how to hunt and fish.

In the autumn of 1621, bountiful crops of corn, barley, beans and pumpkins were harvested. The colonists had much to be thankful for, so a feast was planned They invited the local Indian chief and 90 Indians. The Indians brought deer to roast with the turkeys and other wi Id game offered by the colonists. The colonists had learned how to cook cranberries and different kinds of corn and squash dishes from the Indians. To this first Thanksgiving, the Indians even brought popcorn.

In following years, many of the original colonists celebrated the autumn harvest with a feast of thanks. After the United States became an

independent country, Congress recommended one yearly day of thanksgiving for the whole nation to celebrate. The first American President, George Washington, suggested the date November 26 as Thanksgiving Day. Then in 1863, at the end of the long and bloody Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln asked all Americans to set aside the last Thursday in November as a day of thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a time for tradition and sharing.

Even if they live far away, family members gather for a reunion. All give thanks together for the good things that they have. In this spirit of sharing, civic groups and charitable organizations offer a traditional meal to those in need, particularly the homeless. On most tables throughout the United States, foods eaten at the first thanksgiving have become traditional.

Chestnut, Wild Rice and Pecan StUffed Squash (Serves 8 to 10)

~ ~ ~ " ~ " ~ "

" " "

225 grams fresh chestnuts or 1Y2 cups cooked peeled chestnut pieces 1 cup wild rice 3 cups water 1 teaspoon salt 4 or 5 squashes (acorn, butternut, delicata or other) canola oil 1 small onion, finely chopped 3 stalks celery, finely chopped 5 cloves garlic, crushed 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil % cup water 4 slices 100 percent whole-wheat bread 225 grams mushrooms, chopped 2/3 cup pecans toasted and broken into pieces

" % teaspoon salt "Y2 teaspoon each dried thyme, dried oregano, poultry seasoning '" Freshly ground black pepper " Chopped parsley for garnish

onion, celery, garlic, olive oil and water in large skillet and saute until soft and transparent, about five to six minutes. Toss into bowl with chestnuts.

If using fresh chestnuts, make crisscross cut in each. Boil chestnuts in water to cover for 20 minutes. Peel with sharp paring knife while still warm, removing the inner brown skin as well. Put chestnut pieces into large bowl. Set aside.

Combine wild rice, water and salt in two-quart saucepan; cover and bring to boil over high heat Turn heat down to medium-low and cook 45-55 minutes, or until soft Cut squashes in half, scoop out seeds and brush cavities with oil.

Arrange on baking sheet, cut-side down, and bake at 200 degree Celsius for 30 minutes.

To prepare stuffing, combine

Unlike other nuts, chestnuts are extremely low in fat as well as calories and are the only nuts with vitamin C.

A Thanksgiving Day Feast is All-American

Toast bread in toaster until dry. Cut into small cubes and add to bowl with chestnuts. Add remaining ingredients to bowl and mix well. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Remove squashes from oven and fill cavities with stuffing. Cover with foil, dull side up, and bake 30 minutes longer or until tender. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

~sweet potatoes Americans produced 635 million kilograms of sweet potatoes in 2000.

In millions of kilograms North Carolina - 250 Louisiana - 140 California - 110 Mississippi - 67

North Dakota ~ ~_."--

Kansas ~

Top: Actress Melissa Joan Hart joins other celebrities to serve Thanksgiving Day meals to homeless people at the Los Angeles Mission.

Above: Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa helps to serve free Thanksgiving meals at the Fred Jordan Mission in Los Angeles, California.

Turkeys

Six states account for about two-thirds of the turkeys produced in the United States during 2001 Number of turkeys in millions Minnesota - 44 North Carolina - 43 Arkansas - 26 Missouri - 24 Virginia - 24 California 19

Cranberries

Cranberry production fell by one percent in 2001, co In millions of kilograms Wisconsin - 133 Massachusetts - 74

New Jersey

'Ef!jO!J tlie

Jra!J~ance

'Pyre

Wheat he 2.2 billion bushels of wheat produced in the United es in 2000, nearly one-third came from just two states.

millions of bushels

sas - 348

North Dakota - 314

New Hampshire ssachusellS 'Rhode Islaod

Connecticut

New Jersey Delaware Maryland

District of COlUmbia

Pumpkins U.S. pumpkin sales weighed in at 770 million kilograms in 2000. Americans ate and carved three kilograms of pumpkin apiece.

Top five pumpkin producing states 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Illinois California New York Pennsylvan ia Michigan

Whatever the American Indians may have called it, Christopher Columbus, who discovered the New World, liked the taste of the bird when he encountered it over here. Still under the impression that he had landed in some part of India back in 1492, he is said to have called the bird tuka, a Tamil word for peacock.

Incidentally, there is a slightly different version of the bird common in Mexico and Central America. It's called Agriocharis ocellata, and it may be that it was the version first tasted by Columbus. Columbus brought some of these birds back to Spain with him (as would Hernando Cortez).

Anyway, the story goes that the Tamil word tuka got changed to a Hebrew word, tukki, by merchants raising and selling the birds in Spain, and the English massaged

that into "turkey."

Well, whatever the case, turkeys are quite prolific, and by 1530 there were records of the birds being raised for food in England, France and Italy. So, whether or not the Pilgrims had turkey on the menu at their first Thanksgiving feast in 1621, those early New England settlers were already familiar with the bird by the time they came to America.

Fossil evidence shows that turkeys have been roaming the American continent for millions of years. Thousands of years ago, Indians in the American southwest are said to have captured turkeys in large numbers and confined them for eventual eating. But it may have been the Aztecs who actually domesticated the birds as a meat source.

ecipe fro The Editor

Candied Sweet Potatoes weet potatoes are native to the southern United States and were cultivated from a wild plant by American Indians before European settlers arrived. The sweet potato, a starchy tuber with orange or yellow flesh, is not related to the similar looking Asian or African yam or to the common white potato, which is also an American native. But either yams or sweet potatoes can be used in this recipe that my mother's family traditionally prepared for Thanksgiving Day -L.K.L.

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Serves 8 .; 8 medium, raw, sweet potatoes or yams .; 1 Y2 cups brown sugar 0,1 4 tablespoons butter 0,1 2 Y2 cups boil ing water Warm the oven to moderately hot, about 200 degrees Celsius.

Wash and boil the yams in their skins in two cups of water for about 30 minutes or until they are tender when pierced with a fork.

Peel and slice them into disks of about 0/4 of a centimeter in thickness and lay them out, stacked no more than one level, if necessary, in a buttered baking dish.

Mix half a cup of boiling water and the sugar and bring it to a boil again.

Pour the syrup over the yams.

Dot the four tablespoons of butter on top of the yams.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, basting the yams with the syrup several times until they attain a light golden-brown color.

There are records, believe it or not, of "turkey drives" on the American western frontier, herding the birds like cattle to market. The folks at Norbest, a cooperative of turkey producers, inform us that "one of the earliest turkey drives was over the Sierras from California to Carson City, Nevada," where hungry silver miners paid five bucks for each bird.

Boy! Those were "range" turkeys, but not exactly free range.

Modem "domesticated" birds (meaning the ones you eat-the Butterballs, etc.) are quite different from their wild cousins. They've been bred for eating and thus lead a rather sedentary life.

Broad-breasted, largely white-meat birds, they have wings but cannot fly.

Pious greenies and free-range enthusiasts are not real happy with the thought of all these turkeys (over 260 million a year in America) bellying up to a daily diet of com and soybean meal fortified with vitamins and minerals (an average of 40 kilograms of feed to produce a 15 kilogram "tom"), but the fact is, it results in a meaty, tasty bird that Americans love.

Annual per capita turkey consumption in the United States began ramping up from about four kilograms in 1975 to about seven kilograms in the mid1980s, and it has leveled off at around eight kilograms for the last 15 years. A significant portion of that (more than two kilograms) gets eaten between October and the end of December, as one might expect.

The next-highest per capita turkey

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weet-sour cranberry sauce was on the first Thanksgiving table and is still served today. The cranberry is a small, sour berry, native to America. It grows in bogs, or muddy areas, in Massachusetts and other New England states. The Indians used the fruit to treat infections. They also used the juice to dye their rugs and blankets. They taught the colonists how to cook the berries with sweetener and water to make a sauce.

The Indians called it "ibimi" which means "bitter berry." When the colonists saw it, they named it "crane-berry" because the flowers of the berry bent the stalk over, and it resembled the long-necked bird called a crane.

Cranberry sauce (foreground) is a colorful classic dish on the Thanksgiving table, as are mashed potatoes with gravy (rear).

eaters after Americans are Hungarians, at six kilograms a year. Canadians and Poles are next at around 4.5 kilograms.

Europeans in general consume around four kilograms.

Some hunters in the Ligonier Valley, in southwestern Pennsylvania, enjoy the gamey taste of wild turkey, or at least they say they do. Maybe they just enjoy the hunt. The meat is mostly brown and, I think, rather tough, because wild turkeys are always working out. Unlike their domesticated cousins, they can fly-not very far, but very fast. They've been clocked at over 80 kilometers per hour, which, considering their size and shape, seems pretty fast to me.

They can run, too. One winter day, I recall looking out into the woods behind our house and noticing a rather large dark shape against the snow, which I surmised to be a small boulder on the hillside. The "boulder" began to move, uphill. It was a wild turkey, and its speed amazed me. I did a little research and found that wild turkeys can run at speeds up to 40 kilometers an hour.

Me, I'll stick with the domesticated variety, roasted rather slowly (three to six hours, depending on the size) and served with traditional stuffmg, mashed potatoes, com, maybe some peas or green beans, cranberry sauce, the classic "works."

I call it Norman Rockwell-style. I hate it when someone tries to "getjiggy" with turkey. ~ Ralph Kinney Bennett is a contributing editor with TCSDaily.com

Chr.istmas

Music from

s a distant war was intensifyin and the city of New Orleans was slowly recovering from a hurricane's devastation, 10 days before Christmas 1965, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration got an early holiday present: astronauts Walter M. "Wally" Schirra Jr. and Thomas P Stafford, aboard Gemini 6, rendezvoused in space with Gemini 7, piloted by Frank Borman and Jim Lovell.

Gemini 6 had been launched into orbit several days after Gemini 7. Schirra and Stafford maneuvered their capsule to within a few feet of the sister ship for the first, historic, pre-arranged meeting in space (Schirra then eased his craft away, and the crews settled in for a short winter's nap.) The maneuver required the most exacting pilot and computer control of a space vehicle yet attempted. Its success demonstrated to Mission Control that when it came to linking two vehicles in space, Houston did not have a problem.

Then, just before Stafford and Schirra were scheduled to reenter earth's atmosphere on December 16, the pair reported they had sighted some sort of UFO. Schirra recounted the moment when Stafford contacted Mission Control in Schirra's Space, a memoir he wrote with Richard Billings:

A

"We have an object, looks like a satellite going from north to south, probably in polar orbiL.Looks like he might be going to re-enter soon .... You

/ ight let me pick up that liing .... 1 see a command module and eight smaller modules in front. The pilot of the command module is wearing a red suit."

Then ground controllers heard the strains, both familiar and otherworldly, of '~ingle Bells," played on a harmonica backed by-what else?-miniature sleigh bells.

Today that harmonica, a tiny, fourhole, eight-note Little Lady model manufactured by Hohner, as well as five small bells of the kind that might embellish a Christmas wreath, reside in a gallery on the second floor of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. The quirky artifacts, which. Schirra and Stafford donated in 1967, are included in a display of personal items astronauts have taken into space, along with such standard-issue gear as long underwear and survival knives. According to curator

the early days of space exploration, there wasn't much room for stuff of any kind, though each astronaut was allowed to bring along a handful of personal items, usually consisting of small souvenirs the astronauts wanted to bring back as presents. "I think people are fascinated by the detail and textures of what people have taken into space," Weitekamp says. "We want to remind the public that these cramped quarters were the workplaces of these men. They wanted to personalize their workplaces just as others personalize their offices and cubicles."

Music, of course, was not new to space.

Mission Control routinely used recorded songs to wake up astro- ' nauts. But live music from space represented a giant

Walter Schirra and Thomas Stafford played "Jingle Be Is" on these musical instruments during a broadcast to Earth near Christmastime 1965, on the Gemini 6 mission. leap for the performing arts, not to mention Santa's public relations.

The astronauts' performance was a larky gesture not equaled until Alan Shepard turned the lunar surface into a golf driving range.

The Santa Claus plot had been hatched weeks before the Gemini 6 mission. "Wally came up with the idea," recalls Stafford, now a retired Air Force general, who chairs a International Space Station advisory group. "He could play the harmonica, and we practiced two or three . times before we took off, but of course we didn't tell the guys on the ground .... We never considered singing, since couldn't carry a tune in a bushel basket.

"I could hear the voices at Mission Control getting tense," Stafford adds, "when I talked about sighting something else up there with us.

Then, after we finished the song, [Mission Control's] Eliot See relaxed and just said, 'You're too much.'"

44 Owen Edwards is executive editor of Edutopia, a magazine in California.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's contest program seeks innovative ideas from common people to solve space travel problems. 'ough the ages, out-of-the-box thinking as taken mankind beyond boundaries and limitations. To support NASA programs such as the Vision for Space Explorationthe plan to return humans to the moon, paving the way for journeys to Mars and beyond-the space agency has set up a program of competitions to get ordinary people's ideas on solving problems of space travel and extra-planetary living.

Called Centennial Challenges, the contests are designed to find low-cost solutions to technological obstacles (www.centennialchallenges.nasa.gov).

Unlike many other science contests, the Centennial Challenges awards are given for actual working models rather than theoretical proposals, and prizes of $200,000 and above are being offered. The current plan is to fund competitions through 201!.

The competition is open to all Americans and also to foreign participants, provided the team leader is a U.S. citizen and the participating organization is either based in or has offices in the United States.

The teams have the right to sell their product, service or technology to whomever they wish, provided they abide by U.S. laws regarding the sale and export of technology.

Unfortunately, none of the entries in the fIrst two contests, held in 2005, won the prize money as the entries did not succeed well enough in solving the problems NASA had set.

The next challenge, which will be conducted in April 2007 and is still open for entries, is the

Astronaut Glove Challenge, in which competitors must create a glove that is lighter, stronger, more comfortable and flexible than the current model.

"Reducing space suit glove fatigue is a critical technological goal that, if successful, would have an important impact on astronaut performance and mission planning," says Douglas Cooke of the NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate.

Each team will have to provide two gloves for three different tests. First, the force required to move the fingers and thumb will be measured.

Gloves requiring the least force will get the most points. The gloves will then have to perform certain tasks inside a depressurized box. The most points would go to the team that completes the most tasks within a set time. The gloves will also be tested for their ability to withstand pressure.

Other challenges corning up next year include the Lunar Regolith Excavation Challenge in May and the Lunar Lander Challenge in October. For the first, teams will have to design and build autonomously operating systems that will excavate lunar regolith, or "moon dirt," and deliver it to a collector. The Lunar Lander Challenge is looking for a vehicle capable of ferrying cargo or humans back and forth between lunar orbit and the surface of the moon.

"Since we are really just starting up, there have not yet been any final results from the contests that NASA has adopted to solve the real problems of space and aeronautics," says Ken Davidian who works with the Centennial Challenges program.

Above: Competitions in 2007 include the Astronaut Glove Challenge for which participants must create a lighter, stronger and more comfortable glove than the current model.

Above right: In the Lunar Regolith Excavation Challenge participants must build a system to dig up lunar regolith, or "moon dirt," and deliver it to a collector. Teams will be judged on the quantity of regolith delivered in 30 minutes.

Right: The Lunar Lander Challenge is looking for a vehicle that can ferry cargo or humans back and forth between lunar orbit and the surface of the moon.

Contestants have to create a rocket-propelled vehicle that will take off climb to a set altitude, fly and land on a fixed target. The vehicle must then return to its original launch pad.

"However, there has been a focusing of attention within the different technology communities in the prize subject areas. This in itself is a useful result for NASA because it attracts the energy and inteIligence from new and broad sources of innovation."

Davidian says that the participants come from a wide range of ages and backgrounds. Entries come from smaIl businesses, private innovators and university teams.

A 2003 NASA Space Architect study, assisted by the California-based non-profit X PRIZE Foundation, which creates and manages prizes that drive innovators to solve some of the major chaIlenges facing the world today, led to the establishment of the Centennial Challenges. The contests were named in honor of the lOOth anniversary of the first manned airplane flight by OrviIle and Wilbur Wright in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. ~

uring a three-year round trip to Mars, "invariably, somebody is going to have appendicitis, or an infected kidney," says Dr. Louis Kavoussi, a noted urologic surgeon. "Something is going to happen. You can't have an orthopedic surgeon, urologist and a general surgeon on board."

What you could have, however, is a medically trained person on board and a robot doctor. Using a variety of instruments that fit into a surgical robot, the crew could be tended by surgeons on Earth, although the 20-minute time delay in the signal between Earth and Mars remains a problem.

It may sound like science fiction but something quite similar is happening already across our planet.

"The challenges are fascinating from an engineering standpoint, but not unsolvable," says Dr. Kavoussi, whose lab at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, is developing surgical technology that would be used on the International Space Station or a manned mission to Mars.

Dr. Kavoussi finds himself much in demand to teach minimally invasive surgery techniques. But traveling around to teach the mechanics of this new type of surgery was taking too much time from his

D

regular work. "There had to be a better way to help people, to teach advanced laparoscopic techniques remotely," he says.

Engineers in Dr. Kavoussi's lab developed a system that lets him observe, interact and participate in remote surgery. "It's all done by clicking the mouse or by voice commands," he says.

Dr. Kavoussi uses the system to teach surgery to doctors around the world.

Many procedures have been performed with remote robotics on patients in Italy, Austria, Germany and Thailand. Performing robotic surgery by remote control is not without the occasional problem.

Anybody who has played a game over the Internet knows that there can be a "lag" or delay in the lines, which sometimes can take a fraction of a second to translate a motion from the surgeon's hands to the surgical instruments.

"Once somebody tripped over a cord and unplugged the system," Dr. Kavoussi says. But there is always a qualified surgeon at the patient's side who can take over in an emergency. To date, nobody has been hurt by surgical robotics.

During an II-day mission in the fall of 2004, in a program for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Dr. Mehran Anvari performed several simulated surgeries at the Aquarius Undersea Research Station. But

Dr. Anvari wasn't at the station, which is located more than 20 meters beneath the water off Key Largo, Florida. He was 1,300 kilometers away, operating computer controls at the Center for Minimal Access Surgery at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, in Canada.

Six crew members were in the underwater lab-none of them a surgeon. Yet, Dr. Anvari and the crew demonstrated that complex operations could be performed safely from a distance.

"Robotic surgery is in practice at a number of medical centers around the world," explains Dr. Anvari.

Surgical techniques have improved dramatically in recent years. A growing number of operations are done with "minimally invasive" or laparoscopic surgery.

Unlike traditional surgery with an open incision, minimally invasive surgery is done with miniaturized instruments inserted through small cuts in the skin.

Tiny lights and video cameras inserted into the patient let the surgeon see what he is doing on a video monitor.

People who have minimally invasive surgery are less likely to suffer infections or other complications, and recover more quickly from the operation, according to experts.

The surgical robots used in such operations have two basic parts. The surgeon

American Sur in New Delhi

he use of a robot for intricate surgery has already begun in New Delhi, with the arrival in July of a four-armed American-made model called Da Vinci that is used in prostate cancer surgery at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

The first robotic urological surgery was done at AIIMS in the third week of July and more than 30 operations were successfully completed within the next two weeks, says Dr. Narmada P Gupta, head of the AIIMS Department of Urology "I prefer robotic surgery any day," he says "Prostate cancer surgery is a very tiring job. But robotic surgery takes away a lot of stress and a doctor can perform more operations. Chances of infection also are reduced."

He says patients can now go home within one to two days after the surgery, compared to the previous hospital stay of seven to 10 days.

The Da Vinci robot is made by Intuitive Surgical of Sunnyvale, California. The four arms of the robot are inserted in the body of the patient through small incisions. One arm has a camera which beams pictures to a computer, where the surgeon works. The other three arms carry different types of attachments to perform the actual surgery and the doctor uses and controls them as needed from the computer console. He has the advantage of three-dimensional, magnified, video images and freedom to rotate his hands.

Dr. Gupta and his team were trained by Dr. Mani Menon, an Indian American graduate of Madras University, and his urology team at the Vattikuti Urology Institute at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan Dr. Menon-whose team

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Urology experts watch a live video of robotic surgery through three-dimensional glasses at the AIIMS auditorium.

was the first to use a robot to perform prostate cancer surgery in 2001-came to New Delhi in July when AIIMS started using Da Vinci.

"The only negative point is the cost. We have spent about 90 million rupees to procure Da Vinci and the related medical consumables.

These consumables are items which need to be used afresh in each surgery and include various robotic attachments, medicines and a number of use-and-throw away surgery products. About 75,000 rupees are spent on such consumables for one surgery," says Dr. Gupta. He says this cost must be brought down.

He and his team are planning to use Da Vinci to train other Indian urologists in robotic surgery. One such operation was beamed from the AIIMS operation theater to its auditorium, where 150 urology experts wearing three-dimensional glasses watched a live video of the surgery.

Since there are not as many prostate cancer patients in India as in the United States, the Da Vinci will have to be used for kidney and other surgeries, suggests Dr. Mahendra Bhandari, a visiting professor and senior research scientist who has worked with Dr. Menon at the Henry Ford Hospital. Dr. Bhandari was vice-chancellor of King George Medical University in Lucknow for three years and is still professor of emi~ nence in urology at the university. '!. "The three dimensional, real time, high .~ resolution image with magnification of up •• 8 to 20 times permits the surgeon to identify and appreciate the tissues better and .• enables him to perform a very precise job," says Dr. Bhandari. "Due to minimal invasion of the body tissues and the precision of the work the tissue trauma and blood loss during surgery is much less in comparison to open surgery, permitting quick recovery of the patients."

sits at a console and manipulates handles, while the robot translates the motions into instrument movements inside the patient.

Surgical robots have important advantages over humans. For one thing, they never get tired and don't get tremors. A robot can handle instruments far more steadily and precisely than human hands. A computer within the robot takes input from the surgeon's controls and "filters" the signal to remove hand tremor, and transmits the motion to tiny, jointed instruments inside the patient.

"It subtracts the tremor movement from your hand," says Dr. Mark Talarnini, a surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital, who has used a surgical robot in more than 70 cases over the last five years.

A surgical robot "also has motion scaling, so if you move your hand in a five-inch are, inside the abdomen it will only be a one-inch arc," says Talarnini. "That allows tremendous precision for operating on tiny little things. You can see better, you can manipulate tissue better, you can stitch and tie better."

Since robotic surgery works by wire, it makes little difference whether the surgeon and patient are separated by one meter or 1,000 kilometers.

In the last several years, surgeons have experimented with using surgical robots via remote control.

A great effect of remote robotic surgery is its potential to bring sophisticated medical care to under-served areas. Dr. Anvari has done about 20 procedures on patients located in North Bay, a distant region in Canada. "We plan to slowly expand that to remote parts of the world," he says.

Remote robotic surgery is particularly suited for places where it is too inconvenient or dangerous to send a surgeon-underwater, on the battlefield or in outer space. 44 Bruce Goldfarb is based in Baltimore, Maryland, and writes on science and medicine.

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE

"You must relax and deal with your creditors one at a time .... You can start by paying my invoice."

Copyright

© Tribune Media Services, Inc. All rights reserved.

"Let's go back to the scenario in which none of this is my fault. " Copyright © The New Yorker Collection 2005 Leo Cullum from cartoonbank.com.

All rights reserved.

"I've tried a lot of life strategies, and being completely self-serving works best for me. "

"We've got the latest hardware, the latest software-face it, we're just late. "

Copyright © The New Yorker Collection 2006 Victoria, Roberts from cartoonbank.com.

All rights reserved.

Copyright © Tribune Media Services, Inc. All rights reserved.

=:E = = -=

A(aska

A!1SH!ce Da!j ~ encompasses North America's ~ greatest collection of peaks above ~ 4,900 meters, including 5,500~ ~ meter Mount St. Elias. There are ~ more than 100 major glaciers, one ~ larger than the state of Rhode Island. ~ Its Kennecott national historic site ~ was once the world's richest copper ~ mine. [An early misspelling of ~ Kennicott resulted in the mining ~ company being called the 2 Kennecott Copper Corporation, while the region, river and settlement were known as Kennicott, named after the Kennicott Glacier in honor of pioneer Alaska explorer Robert Kennicott.] And the park Above: Kennecott was once the houses some of America's greatest world's richest copper mine, national treasures-free-thinking, Right: Picture perfect Root cantankerous Alaskans.

Glacier looks like a surreal The National Park Service and big moonscape of solid ice dotted tour operators plan to increase visitawith turquoise pools. tion to reduce crowding at Alaska's marquee park, Denali. So the state is I took a deep breath and jumped Wrangell-St. Elias is among the upgrading the 1DO-kilometer least visited national parks It does- McCarthy Road into the park Once n't help that it's literally at the end of billed in guidebooks as the worst road the road, at best a seven-hour drive in America, it's a one-lane gravel from Anchorage. But Wrangell-St. track down the old Kennecott mine Elias may well be the most Alaskan railroad bed, with spikes still surfacing to puncture tires. On the two-hour place you'll ever see. It's America's largest national park, with 5.2 mil- drive, my only complaint was that it was too bumpy to drink my Diet Coke.

Iion hectares of wi Iderness-an expanse larger than Switzerland. It The road ends in a quintessenU)

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laciers are crunchy.That was my first surprise as I stepped onto Root Glacier in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. The ice crackled like potato chips as I inched forward with crampons strapped to my hiking boots.

The next discovery was even better.

The steel spikes on the crampons gripped so weill could walk up nearvertical slopes like a sticky-toed gecko. In a few minutes, I was tramping across a surreal moonscape of solid ice pocked with turquoise pools.

I dreaded crossing the melt-fed creeks that coursed across the glacier and plunged into crevasses. I didn't need a glaciologist to tell me that if I slipped, I wouldn't come out the other end for a few hundred years. "This is part of the funl" said Mike Murphy, head of Kennicott Wilderness Guides, who led the half-day glacier hike.

Mike wrestled a boulder into the stream to get me across a torrent that seemed three meters wide (but was surely less than half that)

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Wrangell-St. Elias is the largest U.S. national park and covers an expanse larger than .~ Switzerland.

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tially Alaskan way-at the Kennicott River, with the town of McCarthy and Kennecott mine on the far side.

For years, the only way across was via hand-pulled tram. Residents argued fiercely over whether the tram was a threat to life or a defense against tourist-infested minivans. In 1996, they compromised with a footbridge. Shouldering my pack, I walked the one kilometer into town.

McCarthy, summer population perhaps 100, has a scattering of charmingly dilapidated buildings along the dirt main street. Eighty-five years ago, it was a business center catering to the thousands who came north to make a fortune, or maybe a

living, mining silver, gold and copper After decades of decrepitude, McCarthy is growing again and delivers a range of comforts that are remarkable considering its location: halibut cioppino, hot showers and Wi-Fi Internet access-even though residents must generate their own electricity or do without.

The defunct company town of Kennecott, eight kilometers up the valley, is caught in the past. In 1900, two prospectors discovered green cliffs on the Kennicott Glacier's east edge; they were 70 percent copper ore, one of the richest deposits ever found. From the mine's opening in 1911 until 1938,

it produced at least $200 million of ore. The park service, which took title to Kennecott in 1998, is restoring some buildings, letting others crumble. For now, visitors can roam at will. I spent an hour nosing around dangling tram wires and mounds of giant, rusting pulleys.

It's hard to grasp the notion of a national park the size of Switzerland.

I'm glad I took the advice of Neil Darish, co-owner of McCarthy Lodge, and shelled out $135 for a 70-minute sightseeing flight. Pilot Gary Green, gray hair flapping beneath his cowboy hat, seemed a gentle soul. I changed my opinion once he flew his Cessna 180 straight at the shimmer-

ing icefall on the Russell Glacier, closer and closer, while I stifled the urge to shout: "Turn!" Finally he did, the wings missing the mountainside by what felt like inches, People in McCarthy say Kennicott Glacier is a few hundred meters lower than it was a decade ago Global warming is the likely culprit. Looking through the plane's window at a scene vaster than 100 Grand Canyons, I found it difficult to believe that humans could affect it one bit.

On the front porch of the McCarthy Lodge that evening, a park service interpreter mentioned that a black bear had strolled down Kennecott's main street at 5 p,m, Flatbed Larry explained

that he'd gotten his name because there were just too many Larrys in McCarthy, The attributes of Alaska serial killers were discussed, with the nod going to the "Butcher Baker," who invited young women on airplane rides and then hunted them, Barmaid Rebecca Bard brought out another round of Alaskan Amber, ignoring the mosquitoes that hovered around her shoulders, bare in a halter minidress.

She grew up in Dayton, Ohio, but once she discovered McCarthy, she settled in, "What's more fun than coming to the end of the road?" ~ Nancy Shute is a senior writer with US News & World Report

former U.S. President, Hollywood and Bollywood stars and more than 100 U.S. Navy sailors and other military personnel were among 2,000 volunteers who worked side by side with villagers in Maharashtra to build simple and affordable houses during a five-day construction effort in October.

On a port visit to Mumbai, the sailors from several U.S. ships in the Boxer Expeditionary Strike Group traveled to MalavLi village near Lonavala, 110 kilometers southeast of Mumbai, to participate in the annual Jimmy Carter Work Project.

Each year, former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, give a week of their time, along with their construction skills, to build homes and raise awareness of the need

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for affordable housing in different parts of the world. This is the first time Carter, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has brought his 23-year-old house-building mission to India. The event was a showcase for efforts by Habitat for Humanity-a U.S.based charity that provides home-building material and volunteers-to erect homes for 250,000 poor people in India by 2010.

Carter and his wife chipped in along with Hollywood actor Brad Pitt, Bollywood star John Abraham, Annerieke Owen, wife of Mumbai Consul-General Michael Owen, and other volunteers to construct the 33-square-meter duplex, semi-detached houses. The homeowners, who will buy the houses through nonprofit loans, worked, too. Each home costs Habitat and its partners about $2,840 to sponsor. Once completed, the families pay back the amount over eight years.

The payments go into a revolving fund

which is used for building more houses.

Former President Carter's connection to the Navy-he is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and served as a naval officer for seven years-made this community service project particularly special to the sailors. The U.S. Navy has a longstanding commitment to assisting allies

with community service projects, but this was on an entirely different scale. "I didn't expect such a large project when I signed up. I thought we'd be building a house but instead we're creating a community," said Petty Officer First Class Duane Solomon.

One highlight for the sailors was the opportunity to meet fellow international volunteers. "My team includes Koreans, Cambodians, Indians and people from Hong Kong. We're making a difference working alongside the world. I'm leaving with a sense of pride and satisfaction," said Navy cook Maribel Challburg.

The only regret for many was that they could not stay longer: "We're going back too soon," Petty Officer First Class Edreal Evans said. "I'd rather do this than go on liberty," he said, referring to permission granted to sailors to go ashore for rest and relaxation when they dock at a port.

Actor Brad Pitt, in India to work on the film A Mighty Heart, cemented blocks to complete the exterior of Aziz and Sadhiya Sheikh's home. He re-

turned the next day to work on the house of Subhash and Shalini Sathe, helping volunteers put horizontal beams on the roof.

Indian celebrities and regular folks also dropped in to reinforce the spirit of volunteerism. John Abraham helped build the gabled roof of the house for Manda Gyaneshwar Jadhav. History Channel presenter Diana Hayden and talk show host Pooja Bedi also chipped in.

The India trip also gave Carter a chance to catch up with friends and colleagues of his mother, Lillian Carter, who had served as a Peace Corps volunteer at the Godrej Colony in Vikhroli, a Mumbai suburb, from 1966 to 1967. "My mother could rise above the language handicap and make friends for a lifetime in this industrial complex. It was here that she learned so much about India and the Indian culture.

And this was only because of her fellow colleagues who are special to me, too," Carter said at an informal gathering.

Lillian Carter's letters to her son, later compiled in the book Away From Home: Left: Sergeant Patrick Finnerty, of the U.S. Army Reserve, took a break from university studies in Pennsylvania to build houses in India. Working alongside is U.S.-educated Bedar Islam, who was born in Bangladesh and works with Dow Chemical in India.

Below: Vanessa Malagra, a sailor from California, serving aboard the USS Boxer, lays blocks for a house with Rahul Yadan, an Indian volunteer.

Peace P Corps

resident John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps on March 1, 1961, to promote world peace and friendship. Its primary mission is to help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women, as well as to promote mutual understanding

Letters to My Family, kept him updated about the happenings at the clinic and welfare center where she worked as a health volunteer. A special moment at the gathering came when the girl featured on the cover of the book stepped up to meet the former President. "My father was a gardener at the Godrej company. It was Lillian Carter's love for flowers and children that brought our family closer to her. Once, while she was appreciating my father's work in the garden, I was sitting next to her.

My father clicked our photo. I never knew this photo would later become my claim to fame," said Dr. Madhavi Pethe, who is now principal of the M.L. Dahanukar College of Commerce in Mumbai.

Dr. G.D. Bhatia showed some old family albums to the former President, who autographed the black and white photos.

"When I fIrst came to know that two Peace Corps volunteers, Lillian and Mabel, had expressed their wish to work at the factory dispensary, I never imagined Left: Jimmy Carter works on a house

in Malavli village in Maharashtra.

Right: Actor Brad Pitt with house owner Subhash Sathe at the construction site. Pitt helped put up horizontal beams for Sathe's house.

between Americans and the peoples in the countries served. Since its inception, more than 182,000 volunteers have been invited by 138 host countries to work on issues relating to education, health, business development, agriculture and the environment.

Above left: Former President Jimmy Carter with Aloo Kersy Moudawala.

Above: Carter with Dr. Madhavi Pethe and Rosalynn Carter.

Lillian Carter meets an old acquaintance, Sitalaprasad Yadav, a Hindi teacher, on her 1977 return visit to Vikhroli, where she had worked as a Peace Corps volunteer.

or visualized women nearing their seventies. But both defIed my notions of volunteerism," Dr. Bhatia told SPAN. Bhatia recounted how female patients bonded very quickly with Mrs. Carter, who often gave money to needy patients. "I discour-

aged her sometimes. But she said she had enough and would want to give."

Carter visited the staff residences, where his mother had lived. Aloo Kersy Moudawala, 78, who was Mrs. Carter's next-door neighbor, recalled how she was always willing to do home visits, counseling semi-literate wives of the workers.

"She also took workers' children for immunization drives to nearby municipal schools," said Moudawala.

Every person who had known Lillian Carter had their own anecdotes to share with the former President. G.L. Pirumal Raja, a senior nurse, recalled how he gave haircuts to Mrs. Carter as there were no beauty parlors in downtown Vikhroli.

Public Health Supervisor Sudha Ambekar spoke of Mrs. Carter's interest in almost every aspect of the people's lives-from making a phulka to listening to spiritual leader Swami Chinmayanand to writing a skit on family planning. "She had tremendous energy, for which she is so much remembered. She still lives with us in our memories," said Ambekar. ~

very Wednesday, Monica Jain and a few of her friends gather for a discussion session. For a few minutes, their talk revolves around social and family events, their 50hour workweeks, their career plans. Then they move to the subject of their meeting: what they can do to improve educational access for India's underprivileged children. "I think we should organize a community cultural festival as a fundraiser," one says. Another brings up an education project in Bihar that needs aid. They discuss project proposals they have received from Indian NGOs, and create a plan of action.

While the conversation is commendable in itself, what makes it remarkable is the fact that Jain and her fellow Philadelphians do not live anywhere near India, many are not Indian and most have rarely, if ever, visited India. Most are neither well-settled professionals nor employees of an NGO. They are primarily university students attending academically rigorous American universities.

Yet despite their demanding schedules, what brings them together is the desire to make a difference in the lives of underprivileged children through Asha for Education, an international collective of individual chapters dedicated to "catalyzing socio-economic change in India through education of underprivileged children" as its Web site states (www.ashanet.org).

With 74 chapters spread across the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, India and Singapore, and disbursement of more than

E

$6 million from 1995 to 2004, Asha's global army of more than 1,000 active volunteers is crossing geographical and socio-cultural barriers to make a significant difference in the lives of millions of Indian children.

The success of this non-hierarchical, decentralized, volunteer-run and zero-overhead charity has not gone unnoticed. In 2004, Charity Navigator, an independent charity evaluator with a database of more than 3,000 organizations, ranked Asha for Education as the top charity operating on less than $2 million a year in the field of international relief and development.

For volunteers like Ravi Kondikonda, a memory chip designer in Allen, Texas, stumbling across Asha for the first time was almost like a dream come true. "A few months into my masters (degree program) at Louisiana State University, I realized a great difference between India and the U.S. in terms of having an opportunity to have basic education. I felt like doing something about it and when I saw the Asha Web site, I realized that this organization is exactly what I was looking for to act on my ideas."

The international collective's efforts to increase educational access spells hope for underprivileged children in India.

Kondikonda is now the Asha Dallas chapter coordinator, spending more than 12 hours a week on Asha-related volunteer activities. Last year, the chapter raised more than $3,000 through a concert featuring the Indian contemporary fusion music band Indian Ocean. "It gives me immense satisfaction that through the organization I am able to make a difference in the life of at least one child who otherwise would not have been able to go to school," he says.

Like Kondikonda, many volunteers of Asha's American chapters get involved while in university. In fact, more than half of the chapters are student-run. Jain, a senior at the University of Pennsylvania and the awareness coordinator for Asha Philadelphia, says, "Being on a college campus where people spend a lot of money on parties and alcohol, I think initiatives like Asha are a good way to channel some of this money for good use. Also, because of the non-hierarchical nature of the organization, we are able to choose projects that we would like to fund and contact them directly about any questions that we have," she says.

Indeed, the absence of organizational red tape coupled with Asha's non-hierarchical structure has enabled a diversity of project types and an extensive geographical outreach within India.

There are 385 projects spread across 24 states. Some recently funded projects highlight this diversity: In Jharkhand, Asha Stanford in California has funded a science laboratory for Jagriti Vidyalaya, an NGO dedicated to rural reconstruction; in Madhya Pradesh, Asha Seattle in Washington has funded research on child disabilities in partnership with Sambhavna Clinic, which provides medical support to survivors of the Bhopal gas tragedy.

Seed funding from Asha has often proven critical for the

Students at Akshardeep, an alternative school program for children of sex workers and migrant labor, in Maharashtra. The project is funded by Asha Zurich and initiated by the NGO Swadhar.

Girls learn stitching as part of their vocational training under the Asha-funded project run by the Timbaktu Collective in Andhra Pradesh.

success of unique educational programs that may have been overlooked by mainstream funding agencies. "For our Government School Adoption Program, funding from Asha helped in providing additional teachers to the schools, which was a critical need. Though the schools had an enrollment of 250 students, they only had four teachers appointed by the government," said Ram Krishnamurthy, coordinator of the program to strengthen government schools in Kamataka.

The ease of joining Asha is part of its appeal. Volunteers can join a chapter close to them, or if none exists, they can start one after a period of affiliation with an established chapter. The prerequisite for being a volunteer is a desire to do something for underprivileged children in India by raising funds for NGOs that are working to improve their plight. A chapter is free to decide what projects to fund, as long as the programs are secular and have an education component. The volunteers in each chapter democratically select a proposal to support in each funding cycle, and these must be reviewed through the main Asha data base-monitored by volunteers-before funds can be disbursed.

Volunteers in Asha's chapters outside India recognize the limitations of monitoring projects from thousands of miles away. That's where Asha's large Indian volunteer base proves helpful. "Asha chapters in different parts of the world often contact our volunteers for information on projects in our vicinity. We also help them conduct site visits, monitor projects and file site reports," says Sharad Jaiswal, chapter coordinator of Asha Bangalore.

"What attracts me to Asha is that, due to its decentralized stIUcture, there is 100 percent transparency of funding, 100 percent efficiency as all the money is spent in India, and total oversight over projects because of the mandatory auditing requirements," says James Minter, fundraising coordinator for the Asha chapter in Washington, D.C. Though raising funds for education-related projects in India is central to Asha's work, volunteers see raising awareness within their own countries as an equally important focus.

"Asha has been a useful avenue for me to act on my interest in helping underprivileged children in India. In addition, it has greatly increased my own awareness about social issues in developing countries like India," says Minter, who spends four months each year conducting site visits for projects funded by his and other Asha chapters. On his most recent trip he learned about the socio-economic conditions of people living in Uttaranchal, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. He's excited about his chapter's upcoming awareness and fundraising events: an Indian documentary film festival, a marathon and a concert.

"I had to risk losing my job to volunteer, and my family is against the unpaid work and use of personal resources," he says.

"The most rewarding part of my work has been visiting project sites and seeing the faces of children light up. Volunteering doesn't seem like work to me, but is something that springs out of my soul."

44

he revelatory moment of the electronics age arguably came in January 1959, when Robert Noyce, an engineer and a founder of Fairchild Semiconductor, scrawled in his notebook the words "Methods of Isolating Multiple Devices."

Under that obscure heading, Noyce went on to write, "In many applications now it would be desirable to make multiple devices on a single piece of silicon in order to be able to make interconnections between devices as part of the manufacturing process, and thus reduce size, weight, etc, as well as cost per active element."

Although the word for it did not yet exist, Noyce was describing the microchip. A former protege of William Shockley, the coinventor of the transistor, Noyce understood the transformative potential of new technology as well as anyone alive.

His halting follow-up on his initial idea therefore casts light not just

T

on the history of computers but on the often befogged pathways that lead to scientific advancement.

As Leslie Berlin, a visiting scholar at Stanford University, relates in her 2005 biography, The Man Behind the Microchip. Robert Noyce and the Invention of Silicon Valley, "After noting his ideas in his lab notebook, Noyce did ..nothing."

Fairchild was a new company, and, as Noyce later recalled, he was preoccupied with selling transistors, not with inventions "that might make you some money somewhere down the road." Noyce did not "invent" the chip to create something new but to solve an existing problem in an industrial process.

The problem was that circuits consisted of numerous discrete components (transistors, resistors and so forth) requiring thousands of interconnections.

Electronics users configured their own circuits

by attaching these components to each other one at a time, "a process fraught," Berlin tells us, "with errors and failures." As the number of interconnections rose, so did the odds of system failure.

By the late 1950s, a score of companies were looking for a solution.

Two months after Noyce's notebook entry, Texas Instruments announced that one of its engineers, Jack Kilby, had invented a crude integrated circuit. This may have been the spark that inspired Noyce to return to his notebook. In July, five months after Kilby, Noyce filed a patent on an integrated circuit. Though Kilby was first, he merely placed all the components on a single slab of germanium and wired them together the standard way-by hand. Noyce's design was easier to mass-produce His integrated circuit connected components in a single circuit on a chip of silicon that was small enough, as Berlin writes, to be "carried off by an ant."

Berlin's rigorously factual account portrays the scientific process in all its grittiness Not only were the events that led to the Fairchild integrated circuit "murky" (Noyce was

This book is available at the American Library in New Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai. inspired by the work of one of his colleagues, Jean Hoerni), but after the fact, the engineers failed to realize what they had wrought. Some executives within Fairchild were opposed to investing in the commercial development of integrated circuits on the grounds that they were prohibitively expensive and threatened transistor sales.

But Fairchild didn't quite give up In 1961, it did launch a primitive integrated circuit dubbed the Micrologic, though the $100 price tag limited demand Finally, in 1964, Noyce made a bold decision: to cut the price of the circuit below what it was costing Fairchild's customers to buy and then solder the individual components themselves.

Once the chip became economical to purchase, sales took off.

Fellow Fairchild founder Gordon Moore later said the decision to cut prices was as important as the invention itself. It established a pattern for Silicon Valley that still endures. As Moore put it, "Whenever there's a problem, you lower the price." By 1965, Noyce could see the future. He told a group of financial analysts to get ready for portable telephones, persona~ paging systems and palmsized televisions.

In 1968, Noyce and Moore bolted from Fairchild and founded Intel. There, Noyce rather sadly became a front man and eventually a figurehead. Berlin does not spare us the depiction of Noyce's shortcomings, including the details of his troubled first marriage After Intel, he became a lobbyist for the semiconductor industry-not the finale one envisions for a legend, but in keeping with Noyce's modest self-appraisal.

He was often asked when he would win the Nobel Prize. "They don't give Nobel Prizes for engineering," he would say with a smile. Noyce died in 1990. Had he lived, he undoubtedly would have shared the stage with Kilby, who in 2000 did indeed win a Nobel in physics for ushering in the age of computers ~ Roger Lowenstein is the author of When Genius Failed and Origins of the Crash.

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:Amencan Jlut

Discusses Writing, Living in the United States Indu Sundaresan,

whose novels bring 17th century India to

life, says her stories provide a way to maintain a strong connection with the country of her youth while living in the United States.

Sundaresan is best known for her novels The Twentieth Wife and The Feast of Roses, about one of the most powerful women in Indian history, Mehrunnisa, who became the Empress Nur Jahan of the Mughal Empire.

"I do have a lot of family in India, as also in the U.S., and that is how I define myself. I am Indian and I am American," Sundaresan told participants at the Frankfurt Book Fair during a live Web chat from her home in Seattle, Washington, on October 5.

I was very impressed with your descriptions of India in the 17th century in The Twentieth Wife. Did you research the history of India for the book, or did the descriptions come from stories passed down from your parents and grandparents? Do the places you describe still exist in India?

SUNDARESAN:I did research both The Twentieth Wife and The Feast of Roses (the sequel) extensively before and during the writing of the two novels. And all my research was done here, in the Seattle area, from the local library system and the University of Washington's Suzzallo and Allen libraries. Between these two libraries, I found enough translated travelogues, manuscripts, memoirs to fashion out the lives of the characters in 17th century India.

As for the stories from my father and my grandfather-they were more bedtime stories, and tales of their friends

and acquaintances. My father taught me how to tell stories, a skill I used when I began writing.

Most of the places I describe in the two novels still exist after some 400 odd years and, considering their age, are in excellent repair. The one place that comes entirely from my imagination is the huge chess board in The Feast of Roses. I made up a life-sized chess board in one of the palaces for the scene where Mehrunnisa plays chess with a courtier, Mahabat Khan, and defeats him, thereby establishing her supremacy over him. The two players use live pieces to play with-the rooks are baby elephants with mahouts that command them to move from square to square.

The idea for this scene, however, comes from a life-size pachisi board that is engraved on the floors of one of the courtyards at Fatehpur Sikri, an entire ghost city in red sandstone near Agra.

Was it a huge culture shock when you arrived in the United States?

Yes and no. Most of my ideas and im-

pressions of the U.S. were based on movies and books, and it wasn't until I came here to experience life firsthand that I realized how erroneous some of those impressions could be, and how accurate they could be also.

For the most part, my first few years were in an insulated university environment, but the happiest realization still is that in the U.S. you can be part of the society and still maintain your own ethnic and cultural identity.

The Splendor of Silence was set in India during World War II. Was this easier to write about than India in the 17th century? I read that your dad was in the Air Force. Did this help you write Splendor?

In some ways Splendor was easier to write from the point of view of creating an atmosphere for the story. It wasn't an entirely new or unknown world .... And there is, also, a lot of material to research from-almost too much!

Splendor is set in four days in May of

work and you learn to edit. The writing has to be all your own.

1942, and the last few years before independence from British rule in India are very well documented, so I had to cull through and find what I wanted for the novel-the viewpoints of my Indian protagonists, and the viewpoint of my main American character, Sam Hawthorne, who is in India as part of the U.S. forces to help in the retaking of Burma.

To answer the second part of your question, I grew up on Air Force bases and have a sense, if you like, of what cantonment life was like-the officers' mess, the dress whites after 6 p.m., no children allowed after a certain time, a lot of impressions that find their way into Splendor.

I never considered writing to be a career, but the idea must have been percolating somewhere in the back of my mind.

After I finished my graduate degrees at the University of Delaware, I bought a computer, sat down and wrote a novel (and another one, and then The Twentieth Wife) .... There were no doubts that I couldn't do it, I just went into the writing with a simple faith and a confidence.

Do you feel that this is a particularly rich era, as it were, for Indian writers who write in English?

Who are some of your favorite Indian authors and what draws you to their literature?

Yes, there is such a wealth of literature in English both from within India and without. Why now? I'm not entirely sure. I went out with the manuscript of The Twentieth Wife for five years before I found an agent to represent it (and Sandy Dijkstra sold it to my publishers at Atria Books, Simon & Schuster in something like a weekend), but the timing was right, the book was at its polished best.. ..A lot of things happened at the same time.

I think we (Indian writers in English) are speaking out, a lot of us have a lot to say, people are listening, there are a variety of voices, both contemporary and historical (as in my case).

There are many favorites, and most are favored because of specific books rather than the entire body of work. Chitra Divakaruni for the poetry in her lan-

You grew up in India and received a degree in economics there. How did you come to the U.S., and how did you become a writer?

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were considered desirable, when she married Emperor Jahangir and came into his harem as his 20th wife (hence the title of the first novel).

This woman then, over the next 17 years of her husband's rule, became the most powerful empress in that entire Mughal dynasty. She gave public audiences (albeit still clad in a veil), made court decisions, signed on farmans or imperial edicts, had her own seal fashioned.

She had coins minted in her name (a privilege only extended to ruling royalty, not to spouses)-the only hallmark of sovereignty that Mehrunnisa did not exercise was having the khutba (the official proclamation of sovereignty) read in her name. The muezzins still called out Emperor Jahangir as the ruler of the empire.

And she did all of this after stepping into a harem where there were women already well established into the hierarchy, already in favor, already powerful,

Now,1

Could you please let us know whether there is special training for authors in your country e.g., literature institutes?

There are a lot of MFA (Master of Fine Arts) programs that "teach" creative writing in most of the universities in the U.S. But I took night classes at the local community colleges here; this was well after I had written four novels.

I had two previous (unpublished) novels, and then The Twentieth Wife and The Feast of Roses, and then I went out and took my first class. The classes taught me how to edit my work, how to revise. I guess what I'm saying is that writing cannot be taught. You write and then you listen to what others have to say about your

guage, Amitav Ghosh for the atmosphere he creates, R. K. Narayan also for atmosphere and language.

Ruth Prawar Jhabvala because she understands her characters well.

What kind of a woman is your heroine, Mehrunnisa? Can you tell us a little bit about her?

Mehrunnisa was 34, widowed with a child, well past the age when women

though only within the harem walls.

Mehrunnisa took power away from these women and exercised it both within the imperial harem and at court, also dealing with Sir Thomas Roe, the first official ambassador from the court of James I of England and an early representative of the British East India Company.

I could say more, much more about her...but you should read The Twentieth Wife and The Feast of Roses for more! ~

Fulbright Program Celebrates

o:::~~:yiEducationalExchanges

ince the Fulbright Program was established in 1946, under legislation introduced in the U.S. Congress by Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, it has provided more than 267,500 participants the chance to study, teach and conduct research in a foreign country. Most of these were non-Americans.

"Fulbright is responsible for the greatest movement of scholars across the face of the Earth since the fall of Constantinople in 1453," commented R.B. McCallum, a master at Pembroke College, Oxford University, where Fulbright himself had benefited from studying abroad as a Rhodes Scholar.

Although Fulbright sometimes got undue credit for funding the scholarship program, one of the largest academic and cultural exchange programs in the world, it was originally financed by U.S. foreign currency reserves available at the end of World War II. Today it is directly paid for

S

USEFI activities include: ., Administration of Fulbright Fellowships and other scholarship exchange programs for Indian and American students, faculty and professionals ., Promotion of dialogue among Fulbrighters and their communities as an outgrowth of educational exchange ., Educational Advising Services for Indians interested in higher education in the United States

by American taxpayers, with cost-sharing, tax rebates and other forms of in-kind support from participating universities and some of the 150 countries where the program operates.

The Fulbright Program was extended to India on February 2, 1950, when Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Ambas-

sador Loy Henderson signed an agreement to promote mutual understanding between Indians and Americans "by a wider exchange of knowledge and professional talents, through educational contacts." The agreement created the United States Educational Foundation in India (USEFI), administered by a lO-person board chosen by the Indian government and the U.S. Embassy.

More than 4,000 Indian and 3,600 American scholars have participated in the U.S.-India Fulbright exchanges since 1950, and about 200 Fulbrighters come and go each year, plus participants in other fellowships and scholarships administered

by USEFI. Fulbright's own experience of the value of exposure to another culture in an educational setting was reinforced over the years as he met thousands of Fulbrighters who had similarly benefited from the law he introduced on August 1, 1946. Among them are 34 Nobel Prize winners "who credit their success, in large measure, to the international experience they had through schol-

Senator Fulbright (right) visited India in October 1958 to attend the World Bank and International Monetary Fund Conference in New Delhi, along with a U.S. trade delegation. The senator and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru each received a bust of Nehru sculpted by Mack Greene (second from left), a Fulbright exchange professor who was teaching at YMCA college in Chennai. Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker is at far left. arship," says Harriet Fulbright, the senator's widow, who was in India in October to speak at a conference on providing education to the very poor and disadvantaged.

"What I hear, every time a Fulbrighter comes to me, is, 'My life was transformed,'" says Mrs. Fulbright, an educator who has lived in Colombia, South Korea and the Soviet Union. The couple met when she was appointed executive director of the Fulbright Association in Washington, D.C. Her husband had said "that this program grew faster and succeeded in what he wanted more than he ever even dreamed possible," says Mrs. Fulbright, "and towards the

end of his life, which was an extraordinary life, having done an amazing number of things, he felt that the Fulbright Program is his most important contribution."

Fulbright died on February 9, 1995, at the age of 89. He is the longest serving chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, participating in historic decision-making during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Cold War and the Vietnam War from 1959 to 1974. He was a Senator for 30 years. Fulbright was born into wealth in a small town, Sumner, Missouri. At 16, he entered the University of Arkansas, where he became president at 34. He worked as a lawyer in private practice, for the Justice Department and as a law school instructor.

As a freshman Congressman in 1943, Fulbright introduced a resolution urging U.S. participation in an international organization to maintain peace-even though peace was not yet in sight, TIME magazine wrote in a January 1965 profile, when it placed him on its cover. The resolution was adopted, easing the way for creation of the United Nations.

Fulbright saw the exchange program as an important tool for foreign policy, especially as a step toward building alternatives to armed conflict. "Educational exchange is not merely one of those nice but marginal activities in which

Harriet Fulbright is president of the J. William and Harriet Fulbright Center, established in early 2006. Its Web site (www.jwhfulbright.org) started up in September. The center aims to increase the knowledge and visibility of Fulbright's ideas and implement programs that further them, to promote world peace and non-violent means of resolving conflicts through international collaborations and education programs. The center's first activity was to produce a DVD documentary on Fulbright's life, available through the Web site. Mrs. Fulbright is now raising money to make his papers available on line, starting with his speeches, now stored at the library of the University of Arkansas.

The Price of Empire

by J. William Fulbright is available at the American Library in Mumbai and Chennai.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

we engage in international affairs, but rather, from the standpoint of future world peace and order, probably the most important and potentially rewarding of our foreign-policy activities," he wrote in his book The Price of Empire.

"What he wanted to do was to educate future potential leaders to understand that there are many different ways of being and interacting in this world and not just the way they were brought up with," says Mrs. Fulbright. "And if they went to a different country to confront a different way of being, they would then be not only more willing but more able to interact with that person of a different culture. Every U.S. administration, including the present one, has valued the Fulbright Program extraordinarily as a tremendous tool for cultural diplomacy.

And they feel that the value of this program far outweighs the cost of it."

Fulbright put his view into practice during the Cold War, she says: "He invited Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin over to his home on a regular basis because he felt that, of course, it is very important to keep one's friends close but it was even more important to fInd out what one's enemies are thinking. And so he kept in close touch with Ambassador Dobrynin. He happened to like him. And he would also invite his Senate colleagues and many of them simply refused to sit at the same table with Ambassador Dobrynin. But I am absolutely convinced that our (U.S.Soviet) relationship was the better for Fulbright's regular interaction."

Mrs. Fulbright's visit to India came at the invitation of the National Board for Certified Counselors, as keynote speaker for its Global Conference on Mental Health in New Delhi. She shared examples and research from American schools that have made breakthroughs in teaching children in difficult situations, such as the very poor, those without parental support or whose native language is not English.

"In these schools they have generally found that education must be accompanied by community building," she says.

"In other words, part of your education is how to get along with one another and this is incredibly important when you don't have parents who are around enough to be able to teach you how to do that. The second thing is active participation. It is vitally important that the child not sit and get talked at by the teacher, not understanding half of what is being said, but actually participates, through the use of chants and songs throughout the class period."

Her message is: "Kids from very poor families can learn every bit as well as middle class and rich kids and ... schools that

More Information ~ For fellowship announcements www.fulbright-india.org ~ For information on studying in the United States www.educationusa.state.gov ~ State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs http://exchanges.state.gov ~ Policy guidelines established by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board http://exchanges.state.gov/education/fuIbrighVffsb know how to do this are, as far as I'm concerned, maldng daily miracles."

Mrs. Fulbright had direct experience of this when she was assigned to teach English to young children from Japan, Finland and Norway at the AngloAmerican School in Moscow. "I didn't speak any of these languages," she recalled.

"After three totally sleepless nights, I realized that I learned the alphabet with a song.

So, I taught them through nursery rhyme singing. I taught them through a game of charades which had us weeping with laughter half the time. I taught them by drawing pictures and labeling them. I'd say, 'You tell me what that is in Norwegian and I will tell you what it is in English.' And by the end, they all spoke, wrote and read English and they had fun doing it."

Senator Fulbright often stated that democracy can only flourish under a thoughtful, responsible and educated citizenry, Mrs. Fulbright says. "He was talking about teaching through all our intelligences so that all people can learn in ways best suited to them, so that lifelong learning becomes a universal given." ~

American Library in New Delhi

Celebrates 60 Wars T

he American Library in New Delhi began rather modestly. It opened its doors in November 1946 on Queensway, now known as Janpath.

There were no formal members, only a small reading room for up to 24 visitors with access to 3,000 books. In 1951 membership was introduced and books became available for loan. Over the years, the library gradually expanded in size, holdings and popularity, necessitating a move to 24 Kasturba Gandhi Marg When that building became too small, it was torn down to allow building of the current American Center, containing the Library, which was occupied in February 1974.

During the construction the Library operated from Bahawalpur House. For most of the 1990s and until recently, the Library was known as the American Information Resource Center. American Libraries were opened in Calcutta in 1943, Mumbai in 1944 and in Chennai in 1947.

Today, 60 years since its establishment, the fully automated American Library in New Delhi offers a state-ofthe-art system for rapid information retrieval and online and CD-ROM databases with access to approximately 10,000 full text journals. It also offers 16,000 books and 150 print periodicals on a variety of subjects including law, computers, management, trade, international relations, governance and American literature.

The Library has planned commemorative events during the 2006-07 24, Kasturba Gandhi Marg

New Delhi - 110 001 Tel: 91-11-2331-4251 and 91-11-2331-6841 Fax: 91-11-2332-9499 E-maillibdel@state.gov http//newdelhi.usembassy.gov Director: Ranjana Bhatnagar

academic year. Audio books and new collections on science fiction, sports, agricultur - â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘.. al biotechnology, nuclear energy and English as a second language have been added to mark the anniversary.

The library is also now open on Saturdays, from 100 to 5:00 p.m, in addition to the regular hours of 1100 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday ~ through Friday. ~ Another new offeri ng is the ~ two-tier membership plan. ~ Patrons who would like to use ~ the Internet, use workstations with Microsoft applications, borrow books, CD-ROMs and videos are offered Gold Card Membership for a modest annual fee. Patrons who simply wish to leaf through periodicals and books occasionally, view videos in house and enjoy the comfort of a modern research facility can enroll in no-fee memberships Audio books are a great attraction for Gold Members, especially those who live or work far away and like to listen to a book rather than read one. There is also an excellent new collection of management DVDs. Given the high premium the United States and India place on information technology, the Library prides itself on quickly getting members the data they need, whether it's on life and culture in the United States or the latest developments in I

38-A, Jawaharlal Nehru Road Calcutta - 700 071 Tel: 91-33-3984-6300 Fax: 91-33-2288-2445 E-mail: airccal@state.gov http//calcutta.usconsulate.gov Director: Sushant Banerjee

The American Library in the 1960s (top) and the present library (above). The library's stock has grown from 3,000 books to include 16,000 books, 150 periodicals and online and CD-ROM databases. world events. Library offerings also include book and article discussions, screenings of literary films and orientation programs Whether one is a student, teacher, government official, researcher, business person or working professional, all receive VIP treatment from a team of dedicated and professional reference librarians.

Library staff not only advise patrons, but provide bibliographies of articles and books on specific topics of research, making maximum use of US Embassy-purchased online databases such as Ebsco, Factiva, Galenet, Lexis-Nexus and Proquesl Gemini Circle Chennai - 600 006 Tel: 91-44-2857-4000 Fax: 91-44-2857-4307 E-mail chennairefdesk@state.gov http//chennai.usconsulate.gov Director MK Jagadish

Since 1946, the Library has built a solid reputation as a trendsetter and model institution.

The American Library feels an obligation toward those who do not have easy access to information and education, and makes special efforts to introduce its facilities to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds Its staff regularly visit schools and universities, and teachers bring their classes to the Library. Beyond information and education, the American Library serves as a window to the United States and a meeting place for scholars from both countries.

Offering a balanced ambience where serious research occurs side by side with budding friendships, the Library will continue to build bridges of understanding. ~ 4, New Marine Lines Mumbai - 400 020 Tel: 91-22-2262-4590 and 91-22-2262-4592 Fax: 91-22-2262-4599 E-mail libref@state.gov http//mumbai.usconsulate.gov Director: Usha Sunil

"Partitions" Explores Spirit 01 Indian,

Pakistani Art Saira Wasim Padashahnama, 1999 (one of three in a series) Gouache, gold on tea stained wasli paper (several sheets of paper glued together and rubbed until shiny and smooth).

Contemporary South Asian artists' works displayed in eclectic group exhibition in Washington, D.C. ivid colors and subtle hues, painstakingly executed miniatures and bold images on canvas and paper, all convey aspects of South Asian culture in "Partitions: An Exhibit of Contemporary Paintings from Pakistan and India," organized by the Asia Society Washington Center and curated by Koli Banik.

The goal of the September 28 to October 26 exhibition was less to chronicle the historical Partition of the two countries than

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"to explore divisions at a deeper level." The Partition of India and Pakistan at their independence from Britain in 1947 precipitated violence in which hundreds of thousands of people died, as Hindus and Sikhs fled to India, Muslims to Pakistan, and many others were caught up in a chaotic transition. Families were tom apart in a population exchange that uprooted more than 14 million people during the months after independence. Scars of the Partition remain in the psyche of South Asians, evident in the many attempts in literature and the arts to analyze its impact on both sides of the border.

The artists included in the "Partitions" exhibition, hosted by an architectural firm, HNTB Architecture, conveyed various aspects of the Indian and Pakistani experience. Political concerns dominated the Pakistani offerings, while religious and spiritual themes ran through the Indian works. According to curator Banik, miniature painting is used as a vehicle for political statements more often in Pakistan than in India.

"The contemporary art movement in South Asia has proliferated in the last four years," she said, which is why she felt this exhibition was timely. "There is growing interest in what is being produced there," she said. Banik wanted to show "glimpses of what's going on in Pakistan and India," to compare and "explore commonalities as well."

Chhotu Lal from Rajasthan, the center of miniature painting in India, is inspired by the spiritual traditions of his country.

His works on the relationship of mind, body and soul give a modem perspective

Viren Tanwar Every Life Has a Story, 2006 (partial view, one of five in a series) Acrylic on canvas and wood

Chhotu Lal Power of the Soul, 2006, gouache on handmade paper

on shlokas (verses) from Hindu scriptures, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. ''The Ulta Tree" (2006) and the series "Mind I" (2005), "Mind 2" (2006), "Power of the Soul" (2006) and "Divine Dimension" (2006) all explore this theme. A rampant griffin and Rajput prince sit above a lotus-covered "ego."

Chhotu Lal's colors are subtle, and his use of geometric shapes appealing.

Rameshwar Singh, like Chhotu Lal, did his graduate studies at Udaipur University in Rajasthan. His exuberant acrylic-on-

canvas paintings celebrate the folk traditions of India in vibrant reds, greens and yellows. His depictions of Hindu god Ganesh-"An Invitation to a Wedding" (Reserving the Wedding Date, 2006), "Shri Ganesh 1" (2006), "Shri Ganesh II" (2006)-incorporate calligraphy and a bright color scheme. "Horse Play" (2006) and "Radha with Flowers" (2006) interpret subjects of ancient folk art-horses, parrots and women-in a modem composition. He painstakingly embosses old handmade paper, which he paints and

bums to achieve unique effects.

Saira Wasim, from Lahore, Pakistan, is an adept miniaturist who uses her skills for political commentary. Her works "Padashahnama 1" (1999) and "Padashahnama 2" (1999) satirically depict former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the style of the Mughal miniature. Leading Pakistani politicians, clerics and military officials, portrayed in accurate detail, are distinctly recognizable. In "Padashahnama 1," Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf is depicted with a lopsided halo.

Rameshwar Singh Horse Play, 2006 Acrylic on canvas

"Cricket Match" (2004) gives the same treatment to a cricket match between India and Pakistan, using it as a metaphor for the state of the relationship between the two countries.

Wasim is known for thought-provoking themes. This is evident in her series "Honor Killings," about women and girls who are murdered by family members for perceived disgraces to the family's honor.

Pakistani art historian and critic Attequa Ali wrote, "Wasim draws attention to a subject that she believes many people in the country ignore," engaging viewers in dialogue about issues.

Pakistani artist Ahsan Jamal contemplates the Partition in his series "For Office Use Only 1-4." He

employs Mughal-style portraiture to create sets of miniature side-by-side paintings depicting one Indian and one Pakistani doing the same kinds of work. Soldiers, rickshaw drivers, fruit vendors, tailors-all in typical dressgaze out amiably at the viewer. The ordinary becomes oddly moving when set against the personal and political reality of the Partition.

Hasnat Mehmood, who lives in Jhelum, Pakistan, uses his expertise as a miniaturist to express modern, political and personal ideas. His compositions, which convey immediacy, may utilize silhouettes, as in "Neanderthal Man" (2006), newspaper clippings or scraps of poetry, as in "Untitled" (2006). Mehmood teaches miniature painting at the National College of

Arts in Lahore, the only institution that offers a degree in Mughal-style miniature painting. It customarily is learned at the feet of a master in a gurukul, where students and teacher live and work in proximity.

Indian artist Viren Tanwar rounded out the exhibition with his series "Every Life Has a Story," using acrylics on canvas and wood. Tanwar, who is known for large paintings, agreed to paint small canvases for this exhibit. His paintings depict encounters between lovers, a guru teaching and other events of life. "Life is for living to the brim and writing one's own story because every life has a story to tell!" Tanwar wrote.

"These artists are not so well known outside South Asia," Banik said, although Wasim and Mehmood have exhibited their work in New York galleries, where South Asian art increasingly has become popular.

According to Sotheby's Auction House, in recent auctions, paintings by noted South Asian artists sold for $50,000 to $70,000 on average, with the truly famous artists fetching more.

Banik, a native of Washington, whose interest in art led her to curate this, her fIrst exhibition, wants to see more South Asian contemporary art in the U.S. capital. ~ Lea Terhune is a USINFO staff writer and former editor of SPAN magazine. She is based in Washington, D.C.

Kabir Sen

Creating

Musical Bonds World revolution uprising forward movement people are dying Peace and progress make it happen Cali, New York, London, Athens Free elections, no corruption, dictatorships and mass disruption Slave labor, no consumption, peace keeping? A failing function The Berlin Wall's a fallen symbol, war for oil? It's not that simple Religious freedom's not easy either, Sharon or Arafat?

Neither Nuclear threats cool your jets concentrate on your countries' debts Make a pledge D. C. to Pyongyang if you want peace just sing the song man abir Sen's lyrics reveal a socially conscious young man. But for those familiar with his pedigree, his passion should come as no surprise. The son of Nobel economics prize winner Amartya Sen, Kabir is a rap artist who describes his music as a blend of bass-heavy beats and catchy, soulful melodies.

An independent rapper and producer based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Sen was attracted to hip-hop because it provided him with a medium to exchange ideas. The underlying message of

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his songs, he says, is a "respect for others, celebrating differences, exploring the world, expressing opinions, challenging the norm, dealing with pain, the fight for freedom and just being yourself."

His career choice is best explained in his song "Explanation": I was born to rock mics and write words on paper Play shows, teach kids, become a beat-maker I love drums, bass, keys, strings and shakers Sen, whose 30th birthday is November 18, has made a conscious effort to target young people through gigs at schools and colleges These are "a great way to stay in touch with the youth and share my music in front of bigger crowds," he explains Most of his performances are part of his hiphop education program, which combines a concert with a progressive educational workshop about the music and culture.

Sen says his love for writing and "freestyling," or lyrical improvisation, got him interested in hip-hop His album "Peaceful Solutions" has three underlying themes: rechanneling negative energy, celebrating and appreciating life and self-discovery. The title of his other album, "Cultural Confusion," reflects his personal conflict of representing four places: England, the United States, India and Italy.

Although he is a British citizen, Sen says, "I have lived in the US.

for two-thirds of my life and feel quite American by this point."

Sen feels that his music and personal ity have also been shaped

by London, in which he spent his first 10 years, before his father began teaching economics and philosophy at Harvard, moving the family to Massachusetts. The Italian connection is through his mother, Eva Colorni, who died when he was eight. As a child he spent each summer in Italy with her family.

Also, he says, his father has been a profound influence. "Even at a fairly young age I would often listen to conversations within my family about justice, freedom, equality and identity" References to some of those concepts are touched on in "Peaceful Solutions," he says Amartya Sen has always supported his son's musical aspirations. But Kabir Sen says with a laugh, "I think I might be the only hip-hop artist he's ever heardl" Does being Amartya Sen's son bring with it a burden of unrealistic expectations? "If there are such unrealistic expectations out there, they are certainly not coming from my father, nor do I feel burdened by them," says Sen. "As a teacher, musician and hip-hop artist, I set high expectations for myself, because I am an ambitious person with a lot on my plate."

His musical inspirations span a wide range-from the Beatles and U2, to Ravi Shankar and Duke

Ellington. "There are many, many more," he confesses.

His music also reflects a strong Indian influence. His grandmother bought him a tabla when he was about 14, which opened his mind to music that he knew very little about. Around this time he started to listen to a lot of Ravi Shankar, Zakir Hussain, Ali Akbar Khan and Shakti. In college at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, he studied South Indian vocal music for three years with the late T Viswanathan. "All of these experiences have influenced my music," Sen says. This is evident from his songs "Millennium Travels," "Rise" and "A Better Tomorrow."

His fondest memories are of the times he spent with his family, visiting his grandmother Amita Sen in Santiniketan. "She passed away last year but lived an amazing life," he says. With his grandmother and father among many sources of inspiration, Sen attempts to affect his world through thought-provoking music, as he sings in "Answers": Brutality and executions justified as retribution Spreading hate like raw pollution sanctioned by our institutions So what do we do? Here's one solution: We start our own mental revolution. ~ AshishIOJmarSenis a Washington-based journalist working with The Washington Times,TheTribuneand Outlook.

ndia is the world's largest producer of mangos, but accounts for less than one percent of the global mango trade, partly because of packaging practices, as in the photo, that can't keep the fruit fresh and luscious as it travels long distances. As part of a U.S. effort to help small farmers get their fresh produce to more markets and make better deals for themselves, the U.S. Agency for International Development sponsored a conference in Mumbai in September to showcase practical and innovative mango packaging solutions. Growers, traders, exporters, distributors, retail chain operators and packaging industry representatives discussed prototypes, food safety, quality standards and international practices that add to product value.

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ese are Indian Army Gorkha Regiment soldiers but that jungle z z is on the Hawaiian Island ~ of Oahu. The 140 Indian soldiers and 20 Indian Air Force commandos spent 18 days practicing counter-insurgency skills with their counterparts from the U.S. 25th Infantry Division at the Schofield Army Base in Wahiwa, Hawaii, in September. The Indian Army's largest joint exercise on foreign soil was meant to help Indian and American soldiers learn to work together. They engaged in face-to-face and side-byside drills in mock urban and jungle settings.

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tul Gawande, an Indian American surgeon, professor and writer, has been granted half a million dollars, to spend any way he wants over the next five years. He is one of this year's 25 winners of the so-called "genius awards" given annually by the Chicago-based MacArthur Foundation. The grants encourage creative achievers to find oul what more they can accomplish if they don't have to worry about money for awhile.

Gawande, 40, was born in the United States to Indian immigrant parents. tie is an assistant professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School and Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston and alSO'a New Yorker magazine staff writer who searches for ways to improve surgical safety. r! 1

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mbassador David C. Mulford examines an ancient palm-leaf manuscript, one of several rare books and writings that will be conserved through a $35,000 grant to the United Theological College in Bangalore. The first part of the grant from the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation was presented to the college principal, Rev. OV Jathanna in September. The funds will also allow the information on the manuscripts to be converted into microfiche for use by researchers. r!'

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World AIDS Day, December 1

Do You Know;'

For more information contact SAADHAN Helpline

Mumbai

23892222