The Golden Sparrow on Saturday 30/05/2015

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PUNE, MAY 30, 2015 | www.thegoldensparrow.com

TGS LIFE

When collecting curios becomes a passion

CITY

‘Love Jihad’ bride seeks protection from her family P3

CITY

Pune IIIT plan at Nanoli faces big hurdles P5

ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

Bikes Buffaloes Hawkers Pedestrians What are they doing on Mumbai-Pune Expressway?

See Spotlight, p8-9

mUMBAI

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MAY 30, 2015

PUNE

“I am keen on development in Navi Mumbai where we have international airport project that would become operational by 2019.”

- Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister

NRIs choose Pune over other Indian cities P4

India to become cyber security hub P6

Think twice before you book a yacht

Passengers wanting to get to expensive yachts are first loaded onto smaller boats which have no safety equipment. An HR professional miraculously survived after the boat in which she and her husband were being brought back overturned.

Namrata was trapped under the boat for over 20 minutes

Namrata and Ravi Hudda

BY YOGESH SADHWANI @yogeshsadhwani Namrata Hudda is yet to get over the horrifying experience she had a week ago. She struggled to breathe for over 20 minutes trapped under a boat that had overturned near Gateway of India. The human resources (HR) consultant had taken her husband on a yacht for his birthday. The trip turned out to be far from what she had hoped. The small dingy in which the couple was being ferried from the yacht back to the shore overturned when it came close to the jetty. While her husband Ravi knew how to swim, Namrata was trapped under the boat. Sans a life jacket, she struggled to stay afloat holding on to the overturned boat. The incident has raised several questions over safety measures deployed by yacht and sail boat operators at Gateway.

The incident occurred on Friday, May 22.

“My husband’s birthday was on May 23 and I wanted to make it special for him. I booked a sunset on the sea

trip with Oyster Sailing Services for the two of us on May 22. When we reached Gateway, we were told that a smaller boat would take us to the yacht in which we would spend two hours,” said Namrata. Namrata and Ravi along with three other guests were put in a dingy and taken to two separate sailboats anchored a little away from the shore. The couple spent the next two hours watching the sunset on the sea. When their time was up, at around 8 pm, they were asked to get on to the smaller boat which would take them back to the shore.

“The smaller boat first picked up three people on another yacht and then came for us. In all, there were seven people on the small boat. As we were nearing the shore, a huge wave overturned our boat. My husband and three others on the boat could swim.

Two others and I did not know how to swim. I was trapped under the boat and held on to the sides of the boat. There was some air inside which enabled me to breathe. A girl who also did not know how to swim grabbed my leg and pulled me down. I was petrified

and thought that I will never be able to see my son ever again,” said Namrata.

For the next 20 minutes the resident of NRI Complex in Navi Mumbai struggled to stay afloat.

Some people on the shore witnessed the incident and jumped into water to save those who could not swim. While two others who could not swim were brought to the shore there was no trace of Namrata. Her husband Ravi realised that his wife was missing and jumped back into the water.

“It was dark and I could barely see anything. All I knew was that Namrata was out there and did not know to swim,” said Ravi.

The search finally ended when one of the swimmers was able to trace Namrata under the boat. It has taken the HR professional days to get out of the trauma. “Even on my husband’s birthday the next day I kept breaking down. Last few days have been very traumatic. I don’t think I am going back into water for a while,” said Namrata.

Experts say that the incident has exposed lapses in the manner in which yacht and sailboat operators are functioning in Mumbai. Barring a couple, none of the operators provide life jackets. Since yachts and sailboats are docked in deep waters, passengers are taken into smaller boats from the

Jetty no 5 at Gateway from where yacht and sailboat operators pick up their guests

shore. While being ferried to bigger boats, several people are crammed into smaller boats, all sans life jackets or floats.

A senior official in Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB), who has issued notices to yacht operators in the

past, explained that boats are allowed to ply only from sunrise to sundown.

“In this case, the operator clearly flouted norms by taking passengers into the sea after sunset. Moreover, the smaller boats should have safety equipment. The yacht operators do not

Norms flouted by yacht and sailboat operators Barring a couple, none of the operators provide life jackets. While being ferried to bigger boats, people are crammed into smaller boats, all sans life jackets or floats.

Boats are allowed to ply only from sunrise to sundown. Most operators flout norms by taking passengers into the sea after sunset.

The yacht operators do not even have requisite licences to operate commercially.

None of the small boats used to ferry guests to bigger ones, are registered with Maharashtra Maritime Board, a state body.

Exploring ways to Navi Mumbai land gets pricey live American dream TGS NEWS NETWORK @TGSWeekly

Student Visa Day attracts over 4,000 at US missions

Land in Navi Mumbai is getting dearer with the announcement of various infrastructure projects, especially the Navi Mumbai International Airport.

City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) recently sold a plot in Nerul at Rs 2.82 lakh per square metre. The corporation claims it to the highest price that a plot in the satellite city has ever attracted through bidding. CIDCO is now richer by over Rs 45 crore.

CIDCO sold five plots in the auction in Belapur, Nerul and three in

Sector No 13. In Belapur, the 4,000 square metre plot was sold for Rs 1.85 per square metre, 1,600 square metre in Nerul for Rs 2.82 lakh and Sector 13 plots were sold for Rs 2.11 lakh, Rs 2.22 lakh and Rs 2.31 lakh per square metre. A total of 83 bidders took part in the auction.

Fifteen developers vied for the plot at Sector 44A in Nerul. Developers Shree Saawan Builders quoted the maximum price of Rs 2,82,333 per square metre and the deal was sealed for 1,601.78 square metre residentialcum- commercial plot.

A commercial plot in Belapur had fetched Rs 74 crore with its

even have requisite licences to operate commercially. Sadly, our officers who initiate action against these big players are shunted out,” said the official.

MMB, a state body, issues licences to small and big boats and is authorised to initiate action against errant operators.

Officials at Oyster Sailing Services claimed that they have now taken corrective measures after Namrata’s incident. Rohini Chobe, head operations at Oyster Sailing Services said, “We are an experience selling company and use services across Mumbai, including offering services on yachts to provide experiences to our clients. We got to know about the unfortunate incident that happened with one of our guests through a routine feedback call. Post the incident, we have discontinued services of the particular operator.

Management has taken a call that only those boats/yachts who have adequate safety measures will be engaged by us. Management has also taken a conscious call to routinely audit the safety measures. We have deployed extra speed boats and appropriate life jackets for added safety of guests.” yogesh.sadhwani@gmail.com

maximum bid being Rs 1,85,000 per square metre. CIDCO had invited online applications for the sale of six residential and commercial plots in Nerul and Belapur on May 5.

Tender for these plots was opened on May 28.

The minimum base price of the residential-cum-commercial plots was Rs 54,260 per square metre and that for the commercial plot was Rs 51,200.

These plots can be developed with 1.5 FSI. While 25 per cent of the total construction can be used for commercial purposes, the remaining can be residential. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

US student visa applications registered a 60 per cent increase this year in India

Mumbai: Over 4,000 Indian students who had applied for visas to pursue education in the United States were interviewed at various US missions across India on the occasion of its annual Student Visa Day, an official said here on Thursday.

The US Embassy in New Delhi and consulates-general in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad opened their doors exclusively for the student visa applicants on Thursday with a congratulatory message from US Ambassador Richard R Verma.

Around 1,300 visa hopeful youngsters were interviewed in the US Consulate Mumbai even as US student visa applications registered a 60 per cent increase this year in India.

Last year, around 1,03,000 Indian students secured admissions in US institutions of higher education, making them the second largest group of foreign students after China.

“Indian students are a great asset to United States universities and colleges.

Both countries benefit greatly when our students study and learn together,” Verma said in his message.

The Student Visa Day was conducted in an informative, festive, collegiate atmosphere, with consulate staffers dressed in their school colours, with college songs and pop music played in the background.

In Mumbai, representatives of partners, including the United StatesIndia Educational Foundation, the Indo-American Education Society, the American Library, and recent US graduates, fielded student queries on various aspects of student life in the US. “It has been an honour to meet India’s future leaders today (Thursday) at Student Visa Day. I am impressed by the caliber of Indian students that I meet, and amazed by what they contribute to both India and the world,” Verma remarked after interacting with some student visa applicants in the US Embassy in New Delhi.

IANS

IANS

CITY gets underground parking

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, actor Amitabh Bachchan and Reliance Foundation Chairperson Nita Ambani with actor Ranbir Kapoor during a programme organised to inaugurate Jio Garden in Mumbai. The central business district of Bandra-Kurla Complex has got a two-level modern underground car park, topped off with a 13,000 square metres green lung.

Called Jio Garden, it’s a joint initiative of Reliance Industries and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority.

The parking lot comprises two underground levels of 33,546 square metres each, with a total capacity to park 2,000 vehicles, accompanied by the stateof-the-art car parking system and highest levels of security and safety.

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MAY 30, 2015

PUNE

“As soon as we criticised the anti-encroachment department at the general body meeting, Madhav Jagtap began action on authorised as well as unauthorised vendors on Nehru Road. The stall owners were proper licence holders, but he didn’t spare them.”

- Arvind Shinde, Congress corporator

Ghole Road biogas plant lying unused for two years P5

‘Love Jihad’ bride seeks protection from her family

Ayesha Ansari nee Dipika Dhanuk has approached Pune Cantonment Court alleging that her relatives have been against her conversion and marriage to Azad

PDS collapses due to tehsildar stir Officials are protesting suspension of colleagues accused in Surgana ration scam

BY GITESH SHELKE @gitesh_shelke

BY PRIYANKKA DESHPANDE @journopriyankka

There is no sign of Azad Ansari and Ayesha at their official address in Pune Cantonment. The couple has been in hiding for the past few days. Their neighbours have no clue where they have gone. The only thing everybody in the neighbourhood is aware of is that the bride, Ayesha has now approached Pune Cantonment Court and asked for a case to be filed against her family. She has alleged that they are against her marriage and will not hesitate to kill the couple.

Hailing from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Dipika Kumari Dhanu, 27, ran away from her home in January this year. Last month she converted to Islam and changed her name to Ayesha.

Immediately after the conversion, she

An indefinite strike by tehsildars from the District Supply Department is severely affecting the Public Distribution System in the district. Of the 15 godowns in the district, four have been closed for the past few days, while lifting of foodgrains has been stalled at the city’s biggest godown at Shivajinagar. The result of this is that foodgrains are not reaching fair price shops in the district.

All the 17 tehsildars of the District Supply Department have gone on an indefinite strike since May 21, to protest against the suspension of seven tehsildars from Nashilk district, over their alleged involvement in the Surgana ration scam case.

A snapshot of her complaint filed with Pune Cantonment Court; Deepika Dhanuk’s conversion to Ayesha Ansari (left)

married 34-year-old Azad, a resident of Pune Cantonment.

Ayesha has has demanded action against her father Kisanlal Shivprasad Dhanuk, her brother Shekharbhai, Rajkishor Chedilal, Niru Choudhari, Kalavati Niru Choudhari, one Islammiya alias Baba from Lucknow, Ansari also from Lucknow, two cops attached with Uttar Pradesh Police, and two of her distant relatives staying Pune Cantonment. According to Ayesha’s complaint, these persons gathered at her house in Pune on April 16 and 17. These persons allegedly abused Azad and attempted to force him to seek Talaq from her. These persons also allegedly threatened the couple with dire consequences.

Ayesha, who hails from Lucknow, grew up as Dipika Kumari Dhanuk before getting married to Azad, a resident of Pune. The couple was in love for several years and their families were aware about it.

In her complaint, she stated that she changed her religion as she wanted

to marry Azad. “I have embraced Islam by my own will and nobody has forced me to do so,” she has stated in her application filed with Pune Cantonment Court.

She has alleged in the complaint that her family members opposed her decision and planned to get her married to another person. She said that she made all attempts to persuade her parents and relatives to accept her wish.

According to the complainant, her father attempted to kill Azad, also got him booked in false cases besides issuing threats. The 27-year-old newlywed bride alleged that she was kept in confinement and beaten up. She fled from her home in Lucknow and reached Pune on January 12 this year.

She converted to Islam on January 14. Their Nikah took place on April 7 this year. Later, she informed her parents about the wedding. She maintained that neither her in-laws nor husband harassed her to change her faith.

Ayesha claimed that her father is using political connections in UP to harass them. Her father has filed a case against her husband with the Shahadganj police station in Lucknow stating that Azad had allegedly kidnapped her. “UP police officers

too are calling us unnecessarily and harassing us,” she has alleged in her complaint to the court.

According to the complaint, Ayesha’s father told her that ‘UP Walo Ka Riwaz Hai Ki, Mata – Pita Ke Marjee Ke Bagair Shadi Karne Par Who Ladka – Ladki Ko Mar Dalte Hai (UP has this tradition to kill boy and the girl if they get married against her parents wish)’. Her family members want her to divorce Azad and abort the child which she has conceived.

In her complaint to the court, Ayesha has demanded protection.

Now that the case has been filed, and has come up for hearing, cops attached to Wanowrie police station are trying to trace the couple. An officer from the police station said that their team has been trying to trace the couple for the last few days, but in vain.

When The Golden Sparrow team went to servant’s quarters behind bungalow no 3 in Cantonment , located behind the Command Hospital, none of the neighbours were willing to talk about the controversial couple. “We do not know where the couple is now. They were here for few days and I do not know why this address was given in the court,” said a resident. gitesh.shelke@goldensparrow.com

Moshi convention centre may open soon State government likely to make changes in plan before giving the green signal

BY ARCHANA DAHIWAL @ArchanaDahiwal Pune International Exhibition and Convention Centre, Moshi (PIECC), Pimpri Chinchwad New Town Development Authority’s (PCNTDA) most awaited and ambitious project, may become a reality.

The new government is keen on completing the centre with a few changes. PCNTDA will present the PIECC proposal, stalled for over five years, before the state government on Friday.

Speaking to The Golden Sparrow, a PCNTDA official spokesperson said, “Major policy decisions are expected to be taken at the meeting scheduled on Friday. Issues of generating more funds from commercial area and fixing the area for the first phase of PIECC project are on the agenda. The new government is likely to make changes in the plan.”

PCNTDA chief executive officer Suresh Jadhav will make the presentation.

THE CENTRE According to PCNTDA, PIECC, proposed

on 75 acres near Moshi, off the Pune-Nashik highway, will be the first such business centre in the country that will boost the economy of western India. In the first phase, around 75,000 sq m will be developed at a projected cost of Rs 430 crore. The authority plans to complete the project with its own funds.

The authority finalised the architectural design in February 2014. Detailed project report (DPR) was ready and tenders were floated on June 15, 2014. The work was scheduled to begin on August 2014 but assembly polls led to postponement. Buildings 100-metre tall were to be constructed.

“It is a complex project and its completion is a challenge. The basic infrastructure of neighbourhood, including clean water resources, sanitation, roads, drainage, electricity and other public facilities will also be developed.

THE NEED With Pune becoming an attractive base for IT companies and automobile giants, an international exhibition centre was planned. The centre will

An artist’s impression of the proposed Pune International Exhibition and Convention Centre at Moshi

have facilities comparable to exhibition centres of Hanover in Germany, Birmingham in Britain and Japan. It will provide business-networking opportunities for domestic and multinational companies, besides becoming a launching pad for innovation and demonstration of machines and systems in operation.

THE LOCATION The Moshi site, a plain land parcel without encumbrances, accessible from all four sides, in the heart of Pimpri is within 30 minutes driving distance from the proposed International Airport at Rajgurunagar and is situated within the automobile manufacturing and engineering industrial area at present. The site is located on the Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) routes of Pimpri-Chinchwad. Moshi, being a part of Pimpri, is primarily industrial in nature and has significant amount of upcoming residential and commercial development in the vicinity.

THE FACILITY The centre will host exhibitions, trade fairs, conventions and social events at an international scale. It will have state-of-the-art closed exhibition (air conditioned) halls spaces, convention centre supported by meeting rooms, banquet halls and classroom training set-ups.

The exhibition and convention space will be supported by world-class hotels and serviced apartments. The centre shall also cater to the local population through upscale retail complexes, recreational and entertainment facilities like multi cuisine restaurants, indoor and outdoor gaming zones, golf course, gokarting track, library facilities, amphitheatres and exclusive zones for member areas.

THE HISTORY PCNTDA had proposed the Rs 600-crore PIECC project on 240 acres at Moshi off the Pune-Nashik highway but later terminated the special purpose vehicle (SPV) in 2013 after the authority decided to self-finance the project. archana.dahiwal@goldensparrow.com

Surgana scam On January 26 this year, Nashik district supply officer Dynaneshwar Jawangal had lodged a complaint with the local police alleging misappropriation of 3,000 metric tonnes of foodgrains and sugar in Surgana, a small taluka in Nashik district. This was to be supplied to the public through the Public Distribution System (PDS), but was misappropriated. The loss to the exchequer was around Rs 5.06 crore. Nashik MLA Devyani Pharande raised the issue in the Legislative Assembly session in April. Post this, food and civil supplies minister Girish Bapat announced that 16 revenue officials, including seven tehsildars, would be suspended and a probe would be initiated.

Situation on ground Immediately after the suspension, tehsildars went on a strike. Team TSG visited the Shivajinagar godown and found that foodgrains were not being lifted to be supplied to the fair price shops in the city. There were

Foodgrains trucks parked at a district godowns in the wake of the strike undertaken by the tehsildars

long lines of trucks filled with sacks of wheat parked right outside the godown. However, the wheat was not being sent to the fair price shops. “We have brought these bags of foodgrains from a godown in Camp, and want to unload them here in the Shivajinagar godown,” said assistant food supply officer Suchitra Amle-Patil. She said that although the godown in Shivajinagar does not have the capacity to store foodgrains for long duration, the gunny bags would be stored until they are distributed to the fair price shops.

According to district supply officer Jyoti Kadam, the strike has affected the distribution of foodgrains in the entire district. “Due to the absence of tehsildars in office for the last 10 days, the lifting of foodgrains has dropped to 30 per cent. Consequently, it has also affected the distribution of foodgrains to fair price shops in the district,” added Kadam.

Shivaji Nalawade, tehsildar of Shivajinagar godown, who is also participating in the strike, “We are distributing foodgrains only to those fair price shop owners who have permits for taking foodgrains from us before announcing the strike. Fresh permits have not been given, so there is no question of lifting the foodgrains.” priyankka.deshpande@goldensparrow.com

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MAY 30, 2015

PUNE

“A total of Rs 800 crore has been sanctioned for the Pune -Lonavala third line project. This project will help increase frequency of local trains on Pune-Lonavala route.”

— Suneet Sharma, Railway Divisional Manager

‘Foreigners not the only ones littering Himalayas’

How goats, chicken have lifted veils of poverty

P10

P12

NRIs choose Pune over other Indian cities

Cite city’s pleasant climate and peaceful life as major attractions

pics by Aniruddha Rajandekar and Nirbhay Shah

BY PRIYANKKA DESHPANDE @journopriyankka Pune’s tagline of ‘city of pensioners’ is slowly but surely changing to ‘most favourite city to settle down for nonresident Indians (NRIs)’. Having stayed abroad for several years, increasing number of Indians pick Pune as their favourite place to live in. And their preference is irrespective of the town in India from where they come from. The reasons cited for selecting Pune as a permanent base are varied, but all agreed to the city’s growing development and peaceful environment.

COOL QUOTIENT For Mumbaikar Anant Mahale, 50, the decision to choose typically Marathi-dominated area Kothrud as his home was well thought of. He moved to Pune in 2008 after living in the US for 20 years. For Mahale,

an entrepreneur, and his wife Sujata, who hails from Kolhapur, Pune is a new city.

“We settled for Pune for its quiet and serene neighbourhood unlike my hometown Mumbai that is known for its fast-paced life. The exponential realestate development in the country’s business capital has led to chaos, stress, physical exertion and fatigue. After living in a developed country known for systematic lifestyle, shifting to Mumbai was definitely not our choice,” said Mahale.

Better connectivity with Mumbai and Kolhapur, our hometowns, made

of one of the IT firms in Pune.

“Pune also has some of the worldclass educational institutes, a must for my kids. Looking back, I realise that my decision was right,” said Patil, who has only a friend to call on in Pune.

NOSTALGIC ELEMENT A strong yearning for settling down at a place where he spent memorable and fun-filled college days attracted 48-year-old Chinmoy Bhagawat to go for Pune as his abode. The resident of Aundh hails from Varana Nagar, a small town near Kolhapur.

“Before leaving for the US in 1993, Abhay Patil

Manish Dhavale

finalising on Pune easier.

He finds the climate of the world’s fourth-largest financial centre similar to Mumbai. Yet he chose Pune for its pleasant weather.

“Although I am Mumbaikar, the city is known for its environmental stressers, such as noise, traffic pollution and weather. All these disadvantages drains one’s energy. And Pune fares high on weather quotient,” said Manish, who works with Cognizant Technology Solutions.

Another reason he cited was the city’s quality of life. “Once you stay abroad for a long time, it becomes impossible to live in a city like Mumbai that is always moving,” said Manish, who admits to be an admirer of Pune now. priyankka.deshpande@goldensparrow.com

Chinmoy Bhagawat

It’s a different ball game now

Struggling HAL staff’s daughter scores 73% Receiving three months’ salary dues after year-long wait gives celebrations a brighter edge

BY ARCHANA DAHIWAL @ArchanaDahiwal Hindustan Antibiotic Ltd (HAL) employee Maya Chohan’s joy knows no bounds. On Tuesday, not only did she receive her salary after a year-long wait, but more to her delight, her daughter Komal cleared her HSC science examination with a dazzling 73 per cent marks. The grey mists of Maya’s long work ordeal seemed to have vanished overnight.

Forty-two-year-old Maya has been working as receptionist at HAL since 1996. A commerce graduate herself, besides 17-year-old Komal, who is in class XII at SNBP College, Pimpri, Maya has a 10-year-old son Piyush. Making ends meet without salary had made life so difficult that Maya was forced to send her son to live with his grandmother. Unable to pay for coaching and college fees, Komal had to study for her HSC exam on her own at home, which makes her success all the more remarkable.

Komal, who wants to study medicine, was ill during the examination. Suspecting a kidney stone, the doctors suggested sonography and tests, which the Chohans could not afford. Maya’s brother then collected money for the tests.

Maya’s husband Sanjay works as freelance

The ball is a little bigger than the previous one, and is slow to respond to speed, spin and trajectory, making it difficult for players to adjust to it

for aggressive players, it has turned out to be a huge advantage for defensive-styled players.

Shubhankar Ranade is one of them. The lanky player feels that the ball is providing extra help to his natural game.

“The ball moves slow and even spin is less effective, but it gives great control during service. Moreover, for a player like me who likes playing long rallies and can patiently wait for their opponents to make a mistake, it’s been a great help. I am just loving the change and hoping for better performance this season,” he said.

Another ace paddler, Fauzia Meherally also found it easier to cope with the new ball.

“With the new ball it’s been easier to control the spin. You just need to stand a little closer to the table and it works. I took a little time to adjust to the change,” she said.

Durability The new ball has proved more durable than the earlier one and the organisers are

What’s new?

• Slightly larger but lighter than celluloid • Decreases speed during flight • Evens out the effect of the spin • Costs more but lasts longer

quite pleased with it.

“Though the ball costs more than the celluloid one, it lasts longer. Earlier we would require at least four dozen balls for any tournament, but now even two dozen balls are more than sufficient,” said tournament secretary Uday Bhalchandra.

However, the long rallies and slower speed is also affecting the match schedule.

“Earlier, an average match would finish within 15 minutes. But now it takes at least 16-18 minutes per match, thus increasing the schedule by a few hours,” said chief referee Madhukar Lonare. ashish.phadnis@goldensparrow.com

In dire straits

• The 1,158 HAL workers who had not received their salaries for a year were living in a state of doom and gloom, selling off all the household goods they could and borrowing money to make ends meet.

• These are skilled workers, science graduates and management master degree holders, who have strived to give their children the best of education. But some of them were forced to discontinue their children’s education because of the acute financial crisis.

photographer, and a bulk of his earnings come during the wedding season. But he has no fixed source of income, and he earns Rs 2000-4000, which is nowhere enough to feed the three of them. They were in such dire straits that Maya and Sanjay had even contemplated suicide.

However, the dark clouds seem past, now that the government has deposited three months’ salary dues into the HAL workers’ accounts on Tuesday. Expressing her joy and relief, Maya told The Golden Sparrow, “I am really proud of my daughter. I was filled with guilt because I could not pay Komal’s fees, nor feed her properly due to the company lockout. But now I am overjoyed that Komal has crossed a milestone of her life and with such a high percentage.” archana.dahiwal@goldensparrow.com

Aniruddha Rajandekar

Change in style “Practicing with the ball is way different than playing in a tournament. You need to focus on each and every point, and it’s very difficult to adjust with the speed and spin of the ball,” said Manthan Shah.

“We have been grown up playing with the celluloid balls and have developed our individual styles. Now some of us, especially those used to playing a swift and aggressive game, are forced to change our style. Even I have worked hard and decided to play more steadily rather than going for a finish. It’s quite a task, as you have to leave aside your natural game and reflexes. Though I am winning matches, I am not playing my natural game and it’s somehow a little disturbing. It will take time to get used to it,” he added.

Renowned coach Upendra Limaye feels the same, and has started preparing his wards with the old school technique.

“Over the last decade, the sport has been dominated by power and speed. But with the introduction of the new ball, it has gone back to the basics. Now, the players are forced to pay more attention to technique and accuracy.

So, it’s necessary to play slow and try to keep the ball on the table, and those who are doing it religiously are getting good results,” he said.

Beneficial for defensive players While the new ball is creating problems

Aniruddha Rajandekar

City table tennis players have mixed reactions about new plastic balls

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has taken a big, game-changing decision, of switching from celluloid to plastic balls. The new balls that were introduced to the players a few months back, were used for the first time in the ongoing Le Meridien Players Cup district ranking tournament at Deccan Gymkhana. City players therefore, had the opportunity to test the new balls in a competitive format.

Team TGS got mixed reactions about their experience with the ball.

The ball is a little bigger than the previous one, and is slow to respond to speed, spin and trajectory, making it difficult for the players to adjust to it.

CLIMATE CLICKS Wakad resident Manish Dhavale, 37, stayed in Singapore for six years.

HOUSING HAVEN Abhay Patil, in his late 40s, a native of Sangli, completed his education in Mumbai. He was working in the business capital before landing a job in the US and leaving the Indian shores in 1992. A strong votary of reverse brain drain, Patil returned to India after spending 15 years abroad.

“I decided against hometown Sangli because of the lack of professional opportunities.

And Mumbai was not in my list despite being one of the fastest growing cities in India with vast job and business opportunities. I selected Pune for its affordable housing as compared to Mumbai,” said Patil, who is the CEO

Anant Mahale and his family

BY Ashish Phadnis @phadnis_ashish

I have stayed in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Yet, none of these cities appealed to me enough to settle down,” said Chinmoy.

According to Chinmoy, who is working as vice president with IT Company Mind Tree, Pune’s rich cultural background was the major draw. “Puneites appreciate art, artists and its followers. This is the perfect place where I can explore my hobby of playing Mohan Veena,” said Chinmoy.

Unable to pay for coaching and college fees, Komal had to study for her HSC exam at home

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MAY 30, 2015

“Due to lack of more modes of public transport, the traffic problem of the city has aggravated. The government has approved the metro project and gave its in-principal nod to the project.”

—Dattatraya Dhankawade, Pune Mayor

Poor kids are malnourished P11

PUNE

Sergio Marchionne: Detroit’s Cassandra telling it like it is P14

Over 1000 families from Nanoli village and their cattle depend on the land earmarked for IIIT project for their very existence; protest planned against the government

BY ARCHANA DAHIWAL @ArchanaDahiwal The path to the proposed Pune Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) seems to be strewn with obstacles. According to the Centre’s plan, the IIIT will be set up at Nanoli village, 85 km from Pune city, three miles north-east of Talegaon Dabhade, Maval.

The project will require 100 acres of land. The location at Nanoli village involves fertile ‘gayran’ land, which is a grazing ground for nearly 5000 cattle, belonging to a 1000 families whose livelihood comes from dairy farming.

They produce 4000 to 5000 litres of milk daily, which is distributed to neighbouring Talegaon and MIDC area. Since the IIIT plan will put these dairy farmers’ livelihood in jeopardy, they are planning to stage a protest to vehemently oppose the government’s IIIT project.

The 1000-strong population of

Nanoli is entirely dependent on the 150 acres of gayran or grazing land. Of this, 30 acres have been taken up by the Central Forensic Lab, 85 acres for the rehabilitation of farmers displaced by the Pavana dam, and another six acres for the GAIL (India) unit of the central public sector natural gas company.

With the IIIT taking up remaining 100 acres, the Nanoli villagers will be left completely in the lurch.

Former Nanoli Sarpanch Kisanrao Londhe, who held the post for almost 15 years, accessed this information under the RTI. He told ‘The Golden Sparrow’ that, “In 2009 itself, Nanoli Grampanchayat issued a letter to the central government that they should not set up an IIIT here, as it would threaten the very existence of the villagers. The residents of the village are totally dependent on gayran land for the survival of the cattle. The villagers have suffered a lot of injustice previously, but enough is enough and

ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

Pune IIIT plan at Nanoli faces big hurdles Up in arms

This is the site for the proposed Pune IIIT project planned by the government

this time we will not submit quietly, but we will raise a strident protest against the government decision.

“There are barren plots of gayran land in Maval village, so why is that not being used for the IIIT project, instead of our fertile gayran land? The villagers will reap no benefits from the government settlement.”

Another Nanoli resident, Nandkumar Vaman Londhe, said, “I wanted to build an orphanage here, but the district collector did not grant me

‘WHERE WILL THE VILLAGERS GO?’ Deputy sarpanch Anita Arun Londhe, 46, is a mother to two girls and a boy. Despite the obstacles she was determined that her children did not suffer on the education front. She has succeeded in her goal, as her daughter Asmita is an electronic engineer, younger daughter Abhilasha has completed her Bachelor of Arts, while her son has finished school. Anita herself walked or cycled 15 km daily for the sake of her children’s education. She rented a room at Talegaon and travelled to and fro from Nanoli, to oversee her farming. Her husband works on a construction site at Maval.

Anita said, “Our Deputy sarpanch Anita Arun Londhe village will be destroyed if the IIIT comes up here.

The villagers are very poor. Where will they go? They do not have the resources to purchase even ten square feet of land anywhere. Deprived of education, the village youngsters earn a meager Rs 20004000 monthly. My son Ajit earns Rs 4000 as a contract employee. The industrial units in the neighbourhood employ the well-educated or youths with an ITI degree.

The village literacy rate is just two per cent. Most village youths have only studied up to standard V or VII, so they live here and work with the family dairy farming business.

“There is no health care nor transport facility.

During emergencies, we have to rush to Talegaon. A few youngsters who own two-wheelers help by transporting the sick persons to hospital. Earlier the situation was so bad that people have died for the lack of timely medical aid. The government should consider our situation from a humanitarian perspective. They can set up an IIIT in some other place.”

Shashikant Shinde lives in a joint family, with his younger brother and parents. The 12 family members are completely dependent on their dairy farming. They own four cows.

Shinde said, “We will not allow the government to take away our village gayran.

They have already cut down almost 15,000 trees for setting up the forensic lab here. But this time we will not allow setting up of the IIIT project.”

Shinde family member Sachin, 20, said, “We earn our livelihood from the gayran. The gavthan of our village area is very small.

Due to the urbanisaion of MIDC area, the outsiders have settled down in the gavthan area. Most of the Shashikant Shinde farmers’ land was bought over by the MIDC at very cheap rates because the satbara was on the Akurdi name.

The Modi-led BJP government has promised us good days came but I don’t think they are coming for us. The government has no regard or respect for the grampanchayat or the villagers.”

Babanrao Shinde’s family, including four daughters and a son, has lived her for 23 years. Rohini and Anusaya Shinde said, “We had built our house at gayran because of our care of farming. We have a farm covering 40 gunthas. The land is very fertile and we can grow crops like bajri, groundnuts and cereals the whole year round.

“During the rainy season, it is difficult to look for stray cattle, and that is why we have built our houses on gayran.

We trust our grampanchayat and will support whatever they decide. But where will we go if our farm and house are taken away from us? We want the government to decide in our favour in the next 15 days, or we will have no option but to launch an agitation.”

Ghole Road biogas plant lying unused for two years

BY RAJIL MENON @RajilMenon At a time when the city’s garbage problem seems to be getting out of hand, the three-metric tonne biogas plant at Ghole Road adjacent to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar students’ hostel is non-operational two years after starting on January 21, 2010.

The Golden Sparrow asked the civic authorities about the negligence. The PMC said that it is planning to forfeit the earnest money deposited by the contractor, Deccan Environmental Consultants, and give the contract to another fi rm.

Denying the allegation, Deccan Environmental Consultants director Sanjay

NRIBHAY SHAH

Pune Municipal Corporation and contractor make contradictory claims

The three-tonne biogas plant is in a state of ruin owing to utter neglect by the authorities and contractor

Javangal said that the biogas plant was operational for three years before it was handed over to PMC. He denied the civic body’s plan to forfeit earnest money deposit.

According to PMC,

operation and maintenance of the biogas plant was contractor’s responsibility.

“We plan to forfeit the contractor’s earnest money deposit as he has not given the fund breakup or the quantity of waste

they processed to PMC or ward officer,” said Assistant Municipal Commissioner (Solid Waste Management) Arun Khillari.

Twenty-five biogas plants set up to decentralise the garbage processing system, are no longer functioning.

Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) biogas plants can process about 133 tonnes of garbage. Poor trash segregation, non-effective refuse management process, citizens’ opposition to biogas plants and nonavailability of new landfi lls have aggravated the city’s garbage disposal issue.

Pune generates 1,300-1,400 tonnes of garbage daily. rajil.menon @goldensparrow.com

the permission.”

The Nanoli Grampanchayat passed a resolution to oppose the government ministry’s decision, at the gram sabha held on Wednesday. The villagers have also chalked out an action plan for the fi rst time, which they did not earlier, when the government used the Nanoli village gayran land to set up the forensic lab, and for the rehabilitation of the Pavana dam displaced. The distressed villagers have given the government 15 days to change its decision. Thereafter they will come out on the roads to voice their protest against the decision.

The Nanoli Gayran Bachav Samiti has issued a letter to the government with this regard, informed Samiti president Nilesh Londhe.

Nanoli Grampanchayat Sarpanch Suman Londhe said, “The government did not take the grampanchyat into confidence while taking the decision.

They do not consult the village governing body, which is not the democratic way. If the government takes any further steps, we will dissolve

the Nanoli Grampanchayat.”

Grampanchayat members Yogesh and Vishal Londhe said, “The locals are dumbstruck by the government’s sudden and arbitrary decision.

They have lost their trust in the grampanchayat, alleging that we are meekly submitting to whatever the government plan to do. But we are determined to stage a vehement protest against the plan which threatens our very existence.”

The residents of Nanoli villagers are deprived of even the most basic facilities. They have no access to health care, transport or education.

The schools in the village only cater to students up to standard VII. That is the reason youngsters have taken to their families’ dairy business. Youngsters go to Talegaon to continue high school studies. Th is is also why the girls of the village are not encouraged to complete their education. The villagers feel the government has ignored their needs by proposing to set up an IIIT here. archana.dahiwal@goldensparrow.com

Residents of Nanoli village have now come together and passsed a resolution opposing the IIIT: - The villagers have mentioned in the resolution that the government has taken away their land but not put it to proper use.

The government took around 80 acres of land for rehabilitation of those displaced by the Pavana dam, but no rehabilitation has happened till date.

- The government acquired land for a forensic lab in 2009, but the actual work only started in 2015, after the deadline had nearly expired.

- The government grabbed privately owned land in Nanoli village for a road project, but stopped the road work in neighbouring Indori. Why this injustice to Nanoli village?

- The grampanchayat is supposed to have certain powers in a democracy, but the Nanoli grampanchayat seems to have none. It will be better then to dissolve the grampanchayat.

Rupali Wavhare, gramsevak from Nanoli said, “The villagers have resolved to oppose the proposed IIIT. I have submitted a copy of the gram sabha resolution to the tehsil office and the district collector on Wednesday. The district collector will forward it to the government authority.

The villagers want a government decision as soon as possible and we have apprised the concerned authority about the same.”

TECH

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MAY 30, 2015

PUNE

Across borders, talent swaps help skills, careers

On a regular work day for a typist, their fingers travel at an average rate of about 12.6 miles per day. http://geekofreak.com

‘Autorickshaw drivers fleecing commuters’

P 13

P 15

India to become cyber security hub Nasscom, DSCI will set up task force focusing on industry development, policy enablement, technology and skill development

Simple looks, but sound companion Sound Blaster JAM Bluetooth headset is affordable, seriously loud, but seems to miss lower notes

BY ANIRBAN GHOSHAL NEW DELHI: Creative Technology announced the launch of UltraLight Sound Blaster JAM, a Bluetooth headset which aims to compete with the already heated up sub-Rs 4,000 headphones segment.

This particular segment assumes significance as there has been a continuous demand for sturdy and basskicking headphones at an affordable price. The JAM enters the market with a price tag of Rs 3,499 and here is our evaluation of the new headphone: Design: The device looks like any other over-the-head Bluetooth headphone. It comes with extendable flaps that helps the user adjust the headphones over his or her head. It sports a dedicated bass button and volume rocker controls on the right flap. The circle on the right flap acts as the start or the stop button while playing music and doubles up as a button for accepting or rejecting calls on the go. A dedicated button for changing music would have been an icing on the cake.

Neodymium drivers that has the effect of bringing the audio alive.

Special Mode and Battery: The headphone, once connected to a PC. goes to extra loud mode. Sound Blaster’s SBX Pro Studio comprises suite of audio technologies, such as Surround, Crystalizer, Bass, Smart Volume and Dialog Plus, giving users the ability to fully customize every aspect of the headphones’ audio settings. SBX Surround expands the virtual surround spaciousness, allowing users to enjoy realistic surround sound when watching movies or playing games while SBX Crystaliser restores details and expands the dynamic range of audio. The headphone has great battery backup and can run up to 10-12 hours on a single charge.

It is a flexible Bluetooth headset with fine tuning controls

Audio and Connectivity: This headphone is seriously loud and has a great bass effect although the headphones seemed to miss a few lower notes at the bass mode. The Sound Blaster JAM supports Bluetooth 4.1 audio streaming allowing users to communicate and stream audio content from their mobile device. It features Near Field Communication (NFC) wireless connectivity for one-touch pairing. Creative boasts of

Pricing and Availability: The Creative Sound Blaster JAM Bluetooth headset, priced at Rs 3,499 will be available in India from end of May 2015 onwards. The product will be available on Amazon India, Flipkart and Snapdeal.

Verdict: Although the device will face stiff competition in its segment, our verdict is that the JAM is a perfect sound companion which will let users enjoy hands-free voice communication, music playback, watching movies and mobile gaming on the go for a fairly reasonable price.

IANS

NEW DELHI: Indian IT industry body National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) and the Data Security Council of India (DSCI) have set up a task force to make the country a global hub for providing cyber security solutions.

Nasscom cyber security task force will also develop cyber security research and development (R&D) plan and a skilled workforce on experts in the domain.

NIIT chairman Rajendra Pawar will head the task force, with members from the IT industry, user organisations like banks and telcos and representatives from the government and academia.

“Securing the cyberspace has become a priority for governments, businesses and citizens the world over. In line with the prime minister’s vision of making India a cyber-security expert nation and his recent exhortation to the industry, we have created the cyber security task force,” Pawar said in a statement here.

The task force will focus on four pillars of industry development, policy enablement, technology development and skill development.

“The task force will study the cyber security ecosystem to identify issues and develop an action plan to address priority issues,” said Nasscom chairman Mohan Reddy.

The task force will explore opportunities for the IT industry in the global cyber security space and facilitate stakeholders to develop technologies required in the global market.

“As cyber security is multi-dimensional, nations have to frame laws, promote security practices, incident management, informationsharing mechanisms and educate users about it,” said Nasscom president R Chandrashekhar.

“Cyber security has emerged as a key facet of national security. The initiative is an effort to optimise the role of the industry at the national and international levels,” said DSCI chairman and former home secretary Gopal Pillai.

The task force will aim at building the cyber security industry in India and having 10 per cent market share by 2025 from one per cent currently, a trained base of one million certified and skilled cyber security professionals and about 100 security products across the country.

IANS

XOLO CHROMEBOOK: HANDY DEVICE FOR ENTERPRISES

BY ANIRBAN GHOSHAL NEW DELHI: Google Chrome OS has been developed on Chrome browser. Google, which has also made OS capable of running Android apps and games, recently launched three Chromebooks (laptops that run on Chrome OS) made by three manufacturers in India. Here’s a peek under the hood of Xolo Chromebook, priced at Rs 12,999.

Design and dimensions: Xolo variant has a compact design, easy to grip and carry as it has rounded edges and the top panel has been cleverly merged with the back cover panel. The Chromebook has no removable battery. The keyboard is normal looking as in any 11-inch laptop with a trackpad to aide the mouse movements. The negative point is the location of the speakers at the bottom panel, which drowns out the sound, although the sound quality is quite loud.

Ports and Battery: The device has a 16GB internal eMMC storage card unit and a microSD slot. Files can also be uploaded to Google Drive from the device or any other cloud.

There are two standard USB 2.0 ports but honestly 3.0 would have been better.

There is a headphone/mic combo port which might seem not very utility-approach based at the first go. But the device has a built-in microphone that can support calls on Hangouts or Skype. The camera supports a 720P HD resolution. At the connectivity front, a standard wireless 802.11ac is available for Wi-Fi and a Bluetooth 4.0 module is also present. The Xolo variant has a battery life of 8 to 10 hours.

Display, hardware and performance: The Chromebook comes with an 11.6” (diagonal) display which puts out 200 nit of brightness which is more than enough in all light conditions.

A Rockchip 3288 combined with 2GB of RAM forms the core of the device along with graphics support from the ARM Mali 760 quad core GPU. Th is combination has been good for most medium range laptops that target multitasking.

The Rockchip is a new entrant and can deliver speeds up to 1.8 GHz.

Operating System, User Interface and apps: The OS feels more like a Chrome browser taking over a laptop but the UI seems simple enough and easy to learn. The boot time is as low as 12 seconds.

As soon as the user logs on, he has the choice to access all of Google’s features and as well as install new apps from the Chrome Web Store, synonymous to the Play Store for Android. Google has cleverly added VLC Player. The offl ine feature of Youtube is still unavailable though.

Verdict: The device is suited for organisations and institutions that provides employees, student with devices. Chromebook comes with a management control suite that can monitor, secure and control each and every programme running on the device. The suite comes with a licence fee which is levied on each additional device.

Looking at it from an enterprise point of view, the device offers several capabilities at a decent price.

Security: The Chrome browser is susceptible to a lot of malwares but Google touts that it will not be the case with the OS. To fight malwares of any kind, the OS promises automatic updates within a period of six weeks to share the latest and most secure version of the OS. It’s ‘sandboxing’ feature guarantees that each web page and application runs in a restricted environment. So if the Chromebook is directed to an infected page, it can’t affect the other tabs or apps on the computer, or anything else on the machine, essentially containing the threat. To add to defences is the ‘verified boot’ feature which comes into play in a case when the malware manages to escape the sandbox.

Every time the Chromebook starts up, it does a self check called verified boot. The device also offers data encryption and recovery module which can help the user revert a known good OS version.

100 smart cities in India may get data protection Kaspersky plans to offer facility to government bodies, industries and organisations

BY ANIRBAN GHOSHAL NEW DELHI: The Indian arm of Kaspersky Lab - the global software security company - intends to provide security solutions to government bodies, industries and organisations.

“We will provide a complete security solution which will deal with all kinds of cyber threats,” Altaf Halde, managing director for South Asia at Kaspersky Lab,

told IANS. “As India plans to build 100 smart cities, a lot of data will be collected by different bodies and this needs to be protected. Th is is where we want to come in as vendor,” Halde said.

Kaspersky is a Moscow-based multinational present in 200 countries. The company deals in critical infrastructure where data needs to be protected, in line with the directives of its founder, Eugune Kaspersky.

The anti-virus vendor fi rst showcased the ‘critical infrastructure prevention (CIP)’ suite at the Interpol World 2015 held in Singapore in April this year.

Halde said the product had attracted a lot of attention during the expo, including

from Indian government officials.

One of the top three global security vendors, Kaspersky felt the need for the CIP suite after it saw reports that many industries were not certain whether they have been hacked.

Recent research by the US-based SANS Institute found that only nine per cent of industrial sector IT professionals said they were certain they had not been breached. Remarkably, 16 per cent said they had no process in place to detect vulnerabilities - partly out of a fear that they will attract unwanted attention to system vulnerabilities.

Halde said the company will soon sign an MoU with a listed business management

fi rm in India to sell it the CIP Suite.

Halde said that although India was not a very large market for them in the consumer segment, there were plenty of opportunities in the enterprise section, especially after announcment of initiatives like the Digital India programme.

Kaspersky started its India business five years back in Hyderabad before moving to Mumbai. It has faced a setback in the consumer segment as home-grown Quick Heal currently holds the top spot.

Kaspersky which monitors over 400,000 threats on a daily basis, has 20 people in India but contributes nearly three per cent to the $700 million global earning of the group. anirban.g@ians.in

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THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MAY 30, 2015

“Bringing some of the leading premium international brands to India would further help us to strengthen our offering and allow our consumers to experience the latest in fashion globally, in India.”

— Prasad Kompalli, head, Myntra

“2015 has been a challenging year for infrastructure firms and Punj Lloyd was no exception. We had entered the year with an insufficient order book, which is reflected in reduced turnover.”

— Atul Punj, chairman, Punj Lloyd Group

Google aims to get 20 million Indian SMEs online by 2017 ‘Google My Business’ application will help to create and manage information across Google products for free TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly Good news for start-ups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Search engine behemoth Google aims to get 20 million SMEs online in India by 2017 by using a simple mobile-based app called ‘Google My Business’ (GMB).

The application will help businesses to create and manage their Rajan Anandan information across Google products for free in both Hindi and English, a company statement said recently.

With over 300 million plus Internet users and over 6 million new Internet users coming online every month, Indian users are increasingly looking for information about businesses online, it noted.

“In the next three years, India will have over 500 million Internet users - and these users will need access to all kind of information in their local languages. Indian SMEs have struggled to build and maintain their online presence.

“Search experience for local business in India is broken today and we want to fi x it by connecting businesses with their customers,” said Rajan Anandan, vice president & managing director, Google South East Asia & India.

Google’s first mobile-based product initiative has seen an immediate adoption of it in India, with over a million SMEs

“‘Google My Business’ is our first mobile-based product initiative for SMEs and we have seen immediate adoption of it in India. In the last five months, during our pilot phase, over a million SMEs have found a place on the Internet, and we are engaging 25,000 new SMEs every week. Our moon shot - aim is to get 20 million SMEs online in the next three years,” he added.

in expanding three projects. It is said to be their biggest fi nancial interest outside the US. A company official said that their focus would be superfast Google Fibre broadband services, Street View and Google Education.

Google plans to build a campus that will house some 13,000 staff.

A Google spokesperson said that the fi rm wants to be a part of the growth story of Telangana government and will be exploring ways to contribute to their efforts to become a model digital state.

MEGA PROJECT Google will invest Rs 1,500 crore in a new Hyderabad campus and help

PUNE

SOCIAL INITIATIVE According to Google blog, the search engine behemoth will be paying close attention to all the activities initiated by the non-profit organisations and has agreed to fund some of the greatest ideas to minimise the dependency of people with disabilities.

Google has urged all non-profit organisations to come forward with their proposals for the Google Impact Challenge. Google shares have risen approximately 3 per cent this year. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

Innovation test for Digital India dream ‘Digital India’ is a initiative to integrate government departments and the people of India

BENGALURU: In association with the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Intel has launched an innovation challenge for academia, entrepreneurs, innovators and startups to realise ‘Digital India’ dream, officials said on Monday.

‘Digital India’ is an initiative of the central government to integrate the government departments and the people of India.

The innovation challenge titled ‘Innovate for Digital India’ intends to find solutions which can enable public to avail government services easily. It is targeted at addressing local needs with the vision to build an ecosystem for pervasive technology adoption.

Top three winners will be entitled to Rs 20 lakh seed fund each from the total grant of Rs 1.5 crore.

“Th rough this challenge, we aim to encourage people to come forward and participate and create solutions that will help make Digital India a reality,” said Narendra Bhandari, director, software and services group, Intel Asia Pacific and Japan.

Apps and technology solutions which have the potential to propel mass adoption of technology are being sought by the organisers.

They include biometric sensing capabilities, peripherals using other sensors, intuitive user interface, gesture recognition and multi-lingual voice support on the platform front.

And, apps with the power to accelerate e-governance services delivery through ekranthi/mygov app on mobile platform are being solicited.

There is still a log of gap to bridge and achieve the digital vision in India, said Bhandari.

A website has been set up to receive the applications, www. innovatefordigitalindia.intel.in Winners will get the opportunity to be mentored by industry stalwarts and Intel experts. They will be trained in the technical know-how with access to product kits and infrastructure and commercialisation possibilities will be explored.

Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) of IIMAhmedabad has been roped in to execute the innovation challenge.

My Gov, an innovative platform to build a partnership between citizens and the government through technology, and DEITY (Department of Electronics and Information Technology) are the other partners of the innovation challenge for which the last date to submit application is June 22, 2015.

IANS

A tech boom aimed at the few instead of the world

Few signs that the most consequential fruits of the success have reached the masses STUART GOLDENBERG/THE NEW YORK TIMES

The industry once thought big, but today’s start-ups see a rise in services aimed at the wealthy and the young

BY FARHAD MANJOO The tech industry used to think big. As early as 1977, when personal computers were expensive and impractical mystery boxes with no apparent utility or business prospects, the young Bill Gates and Paul Allen were already working toward a future in which we would see “a computer on every desk and in every home.” And in the late ‘90s, when it was far from clear that they would ever make a penny from their unusual search engine, the audacious founders of Google were planning to organise every bit of data on the planet - and make it available to everyone, free.

These were dreams of vast breadth: The founders of Microsoft, Google, Facebook and many of the rest of today’s tech giants were not content to win over just some people to their future. They weren’t going after simply the rich, or Americans or westerners.

They planned to radically alter how the world did business so the impossible became a reality for everyone.

Whatever happened to the tech industry’s grand, democratic visions of the future?

We are once again living in a go-go

time for tech, but there are few signs that the most consequential fruits of the boom have reached the masses.

Instead, the boom is characterised by a rise in so-called on-demand services aimed at the wealthy and the young.

With a few taps on a phone, for a fee, today’s hottest start-ups will help people on the lowest rungs of the 1 per cent live like their betters in the 0.1 per cent.

These services give the modestly wealthy a chance to enjoy the cooks, cleaners, drivers, personal assistants and all the other lavish appointments that have defined extravagant wealth. As one critic tweeted, San Francisco’s tech industry “is focused on solving one problem: What is my mother no longer doing for me?”

No, no, say the start-ups that, today, look as if they’re targeting the rich.

The nature of the tech business is that costs come down. Th rough repeated innovation and delivery at scale, the supercomputers of the ‘60s became the PCs of the ‘80s, which in turn became the smartphones of the 2010s. The rich subsidise the rest of us - were it not for the suckers who spent more than $10,000 on early versions of the Mac, Apple might not have survived to build

the iPhone, in turn begetting an era of affordable pocket supercomputers.

Th is is the basic defense of the new wave of on-demand start-ups: If their rosiest visions of growth come true, they’ll achieve a scale that will let them reduce prices, and in that way offer services that could radically alter how even ordinary people conduct their lives.

It is a plausible vision - but an unlikely one. To achieve the scale that will enable the startups to reach a wider audience, everything for these companies will have to go right, and success will have to feed on itself. That happens rarely in the tech world.

Two companies that are archetypes of today’s on-demand business recently allowed me to investigate their economic models for a look at how they might achieve mass scale. One is Shuddle, a start-up that is creating a ride service for children - an Uber to take your tots to school and soccer.

Another is Munchery, which delivers restaurant-quality food to your door (you can think of it as an on-demand personal chef). Both fi rms resisted the notion that they were building services for the wealthy and explained in detail how they planned to serve the masses and lower their prices.

But sociologists have found that for many low- and middle-income families, cooking every day takes too much time, planning and money. If Munchery can make a non-junk-food dinner at prices comparable to junk, without much time, wouldn’t that be a useful service to people who aren’t millionaires?

You can make a similar case for Shuddle, which was created by Nick Allen, a founder of the ride-sharing service Sidecar. After hearing the startups out, I remain unsure if they will ever get to the point where they can serve the masses. Yet even if Shuddle and Munchery do not get their prices low enough to go mainstream, they deserve credit for trying - rather than focusing only on the wealthy. © 2015 New York Times News Service

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Four cylinders, four doors, all-wheel drive. The CLA 45 AMG and Evo X misbehaving around the hills.

Wet conditions and the Jaguar V8 R Coupe addup to an impossibly fun afternoon spent mostly sideways.

We went to the top of the world in an insane rally Thar and a Suzuki V-Strom 1000. We came back too.

Look our for the alive logo in the magazine to watch the action unfold

Going back to when Toyota’s were cool, we drive a custom Supra with a big turbo and come away scared, and maybe a bit wistful.

w w w. a l iv e a r. c o m

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MAY 30, 2015

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY

PUNE

MAY 30, 2015

PUNE

What are bikes and buffaloes doing on Mumbai-Pune Expressway? pics by Aniruddha Rajandekar

BY GITESH SHELKE @gitesh_shelke

Over a decade ago, when the six-lane highway between Mumbai and Pune was thrown open, it was touted to be the fastest and safest route to commute between the financial capital and industrial hub of Maharashtra. The road spanning 94.5 km was exclusively meant for four-wheelers, with fencing on both sides to prevent cattle from the villages straying on to the high-speed highway. Strict patrolling ensured that bikers stayed away, except for a small section where the old highway merges with the Expressway. Things have changed now, much for the worse.

Bikers can be seen zooming along the high-speed corridor. Four-wheelers loaded with local villagers, driving on the wrong side are a common sight. At any given time locals can be seen running across the six lanes to meet their loved ones on the other side. The green patch between the two sides is a grazing ground for cattle. Villagers along the highway, officially called Yashwantrao Chavan Mumbai Pune Expressway, have broken through the fencing at multiple spots.

That’s not all. Despite all the designated food courts all along the Expressway, there are hawkers and an illegal food court has cropped up. On the Mumbai end of the Talegaon toll naka, several food vendors have set up stalls right next to the toilet. Travellers park randomly, blocking a major portion of the road, which has turned that into a kind of picnic spot. On the Pune end of the Talegaon toll naka, an illegal food court has been set up, which authorities say is backed by a local politician and hence cannot be removed.

Another illegal dhaba has been functioning for

a while in the ghat section of the highway. This results in vehicles parking in multiple lanes, leading to congestion at the points where the illegal joints have come up.

Those responsible for maintaining the highway are too busy collecting money to care about the safety of commuters using the highway. Whether it is Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), Ideal Road Builders (IRB), or even the cops, their only agenda seems to be filling their coffers with tolls and fines.

Safety measures which were put in place to make the highway one of the finest in the state, have gone for a toss. The booths meant for patrolling parties are empty. Private security personnel or the Delta Force deployed by IRB are nowhere to be seen. Emergency phones placed at regular intervals connect you to a line which is forever switched off. Highway Safety Patrol, which is supposed to go after offenders, is poorly equipped. Of the four taps (HSP police stations), three do not have vehicles for patrolling. Cops from the tap with a vehicle are seen napping in their jeeps near Talegaon toll naka. Once in a while they step out to stop car owners and hassle them for tinted glasses. All this while, bikers pass by, at times even hurling abuses at the cops. “What do you expect us to do? They are locals. If we go after them, they will create a scene on the highway and we will end up getting suspended,” said a police officer posted near the Talegaon toll naka. The cops along the highway are quick to point out that HSP officials claim that this year alone they have fined 450 bikers for plying on the Expressway. Last year the number was 1,195.

On the ground however, the action is not visible. gitesh.shelke@goldensparrow.com

Driving on the wrong side

Eknath Shinde, Minister PWD and MSRDC Shinde said that he has heard about these issues along Mumbai-Pune Expressway. “I am going to take stock of the situation very soon. It is sad that there are two-wheelers on the Expressway,” he said. “I will speak to the MSRDC officials if vehicles are plying on the wrong side of the road, including the official vehicles,” he said.

Shinde said that he has already planned a meeting with the senior MSRDC authorities to discuss the issues related to the Expressway and will ensure that the issues are sorted out over the next few weeks.

Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Officials at Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) claimed that they are unaware about broken fence and walls along the Expressway. Executive engineer A P Abrol of MSRDC said that he will seek all the information from IRB on the issues. “I do not have the information of any such problems,” he said.

Highway Safety Patrol Sunil Sonawane, superintendent of police, HSP, Pune, said that the local villagers break the fence or wall compounds along with the Expressway. “The villagers are using the Expressway as a thoroughfare.

We keep prosecuting them. There are many illegal entry points which are exploited by the villagers,” he said.

Sonawane said that he has written letters to IRB and MSRDC to rectify the issues of illegal entries and exits. “I have urged these authorities to mend the fence to avoid illegal entry of the vehicles on the Expressway. These illegal entry points lead to law and order problems and also endanger the lives of Expressway users,” he added.

Sonawane added that the problem is largely due to the lack of a service road meant only for villagers, as is in the case on most such highways across the country.

As soon as you enter the Yashwantrao Chavan Mumbai Pune Expressway from Pune, you are greeted by vehicles driving on the wrong side. Vehicles from villages around the MCA stadium drive in the opposite direction on the six-lane highway.

Throughout the highway, vehicles driving on the wrong side have become a common feature. Cops are quick to justify that these are villagers wanting to get to neighbouring villages, or get their fill of fuel from pumps along the Expressway.

“They would have to take a 10-12 km detour to get fuel from pumps on the old highway. Instead, they just have to drive two kms on Expressway to reach the nearest pump,” said a HSP constable, adding that they do not go after these small time violators.

The biggest culprits are IRB vehicles, which are often seen on the wrong side.

Whether it is their road repair vehicles, breakdown vans, or water tankers meant to water the plants in the median, one can see them driving on the wrong side.

Non-existent security Bikes and buffaloes During the six hours that we spent on the Expressway, we spotted over a thousand bikes on both sides of the six-lane highway. At both the starting points – Mumbai and Pune – cops were nowhere to be seen to stop the two-wheeler riders from getting on to the highway. Nobody cares to stop them at the toll nakas either.

Local villagers have cut open the fence in several places and jump on to the highway on their two-wheelers. Triple seat riders sans helmets, some busy on their cellphones are not difficult to spot. All in all, it’s a free for all.

Most bikers ride on the shoulder of the highway, but there are some who get on to the second and third lanes.

To add to the chaos, villagers leave their cattle on the highway to graze.

In search for greener pastures, the animals often walk to the median, cutting through lanes.

Authority Speak

Ideal Road Builders, Expressway Contractor The officer responsible for the maintenance of the Expressway claimed that the problem mostly revolves around the much needed service road. “MSRDC and state government have not acquired land for the service lane. The villagers have to travel more on the internal roads and hence have broken down fences and walls. We have fixed the punctures on several occasions, but in vain,” the official said.

Asked about the IRB vehicles driving on the wrong side, he said that sometimes it is done for maintenance work.

“We will ensure that there is an end to this practice immediately,” said the IRB official.”

Illegal stalls Some spots along the highway resemble chowpatty. Several food stalls have cropped up along the highway. At the Mumbai end of the Talegaon toll naka, half a dozen stalls selling tea, cold drinks, cucumber and even bhel have come up right next to the toilet. Travellers stop at these stalls and park haphazardly on the highway, blocking a major portion of the road.

An illegal food court has cropped up at the Pune end of the Talegaon toll naka. This one has stalls run by locals from neighbouring villages, who proudly throw names of local politicians backing them. “This is poor man’s halt. Other food courts given out by the government sell expensive food. It is anyway a designated toilet. We have just taken over a small portion, where the poor people using the road can stop and eat,” said one of the vendors. This food court has a huge eatery, a sugarcane juice vendor, a music shop, a paanwala, among several other stalls.

It’s a sham. Security as such does not exist on the Expressway.

Delta Force deployed by IRB to man the highway and keep it safe, are nowhere to be seen. At some places we came across Delta Force vehicles parked on the side, but the personnel were nowhere to be seen. An elderly man walking along the highway to get to his house in one of the villages informed us that there was a function in their village and Delta Force personnel had been invited. “They must have gone in for the function,” the man told us.

Watchtowers have been erected at several places along the highway. These were to be manned by security personnel who were to keep an eye for intruders from neighbouring villages. None of watchtowers are manned these days.

If that’s not enough, the phone booths erected at regular intervals along the highway are useless. In an emergency, one is expected to walk up to the booths and call the emergency helpline. Don’t bother using the booths as they connect you to a line which is forever switched off or dead.

Punctured fence

All along the highway the fence has been punctured at several spots. The fence was erected to prevent cattle and locals from getting on to the highway. Over the years the fence and compound wall have been damaged by the locals, who want easy access to the highway. Interestingly, locals near Pavana Highway Safety Patrol office have also damaged the fence.

Bikers and cars from the villages drive through the broken fence and pass by the police chowkey, as cops watch helplessly. “There is not much we can do about this.

We have written several letters to IRB and MSRDC to fix these punctures. Fining each one of these bikers or car drivers is not a solution,” said a cop at Pavana chowkey. Similarly, barely a few metres from Bohraj chowkey, the wall has been broken so that locals can easily get on to the highway.

Blind U-turns

The contractors maintaining the road have allowed several U-turns all along the highway to enable their maintenance vehicles reach trouble spots faster. However, the U-turns are often misused by private vehicles. At times even IRB vehicles turn blindly without really caring about oncoming vehicles on the other side. Last week, a Mumbai resident’s car was severely damaged by one such IRB vehicle, which was doubling up as a van for marriage party. On Saturday, Babbu Parekh was on his way back home from Pune, when a maintenance vehicle loaded with revellers from a marriage party took a U-turn from one of these gaps. The jeep rammed into Parekh’s Audi. “It just came out from nowhere. I tried braking but it was too late. My vehicle was severely damaged. The IRB maintenance vehicle was being used to ferry guests for a wedding in one of the neighbouring villages. The locals just got out and ran away taking the driver with them, leaving the vehicle behind,” said Parekh.

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MAY 30, 2015

PUNE

“The Khap Panchayats (caste councils) are part of our old traditions and they have always been a significant contributor in resolving social issues. I have always been saying that old tradition of our society is contained in the Khap Panchayats” — Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister, Haryana

A yatra to connect hearts

Sheetal Vaidya drives 25,000 km covering 12 states to connect to communities staying in remote areas

Sheetal Vaidya makes friends with Mai, a resident of Belur; From Preeti Srinivasan, a paraplegic, she learnt how to be happy at all times (Below)

By Zainab Kantawala kantawalazainab

Bhoondan yatra or land gift movement inspired Sheetal to embark on the solo journey. “The Acharya walked for over fifteen years convincing people to support each other by giving land. I was captivated by how people welcomed me and offered food and shelter wherever I went even though I was a stranger and did not speak their language,” she said. She met representatives of 50 NGOs and individuals working for the betterment of society.

For Sheetal Vaidya, 39, life is a journey.

And she travelled alone in a car almost 25,000 kms across the country, spreading the essence of peace and harmony.

A corporate trainer and life skills consultant, Sheetal’s started her ‘Bhavyatra’ from Ahmedabad, and covered Kutch, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh before ending her travel at Gandhi Ashram in Gujarat. She was on the road for seven months visiting 12 states.

“My intention was to travel and meet people from different communities, connecting with them and bringing them together in the spirit of service. ‘Bhavyatra’ means having a genuine feeling of friendship for all,” said Sheetal.

INSPIRATION Social reformer

Vinoba

remote villages of India, she said, “The women of Rabari community in Kutch have done amazing work in bringing social change. They have been successful in reducing cases related to social injustice issues like alcoholism, domestic violence and dowry etc. Their kutchi work is very famous. I also met some tribals in Jharkhand, in areas where they live in constant fear of the Naxalites. But they still encourage education and are self-reliant through handicrafts. It was a motivating example of being positive in the midst of fear and crime,” she said.

She also met tribals in Jharkhand, Siddi community in forests near Sutrapada in Gujarat and Kharva community in coastal belts.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE At Thiruvanmalai, Sheetal could not find a place to stay, and taking a room at a hotel was against her rulebook. “I was in South India and wished to stay at Raman Maharshi’s Ashram for meditation, but unfortunately I couldn’t get a booking.

Through a friend’s contact I got a call from a woman called Preeti Srinivasan, who invited me over to her place. On reaching her house, I found that she was paraplegic and could only move her neck. She was living in this condition for 16 years but her zeal to live did not die. She even runs an organisation ‘Soul free’ for women like her and supports them to find livelihood.

The important lesson of being content in life I learned from her,” said Sheetal.

HOSPITALITY Sheetal’s trip was unplanned with only few rules to follow. For food, shelter and water she was dependent on villagers. “I was welcomed everywhere. Once they got to know about the yatra, people were happy to guide me to the next location. People in India are really very kind as none of the villagers allowed me to spend night in the car,” she said.

JOURNEY BECKONS Sheetal plans to cover northern and eastern states. “This Bhavyatra has increased my trust in universe. It has made me more accepting and open to others and less judgmental about everyone. Above all, it has helped me realise the value of being positive at all times,” she said. zainab.kantawala@thegoldensparrow.com

CONNECTION Indian woman travelling alone is a rare phenomenon, and it was difficult for Sheetal, a insulin dependent diabetic, to convince her husband Neerad Trivedi, parents and in-laws.

“My parents and mother-in-law were worried about my health. But they agreed after I told them the purpose of the journey,” she said.

RURAL WORLD Sharing her experience of connecting with various communities staying in

Bhave’s

Making social schemes work P14

Doc’s ‘jihad’ for birth control among Muslims

Dr Ilias Ali has so far carried out 48,000 vasectomies on males living in Assam by explaining them about family planning Guwahati: Any talk of birth control had once been taboo for Muslims, particularly the uneducated Muslims living in remote areas of Assam. This has changed, thanks largely to Ilias Ali, a professor of surgery at the Gauhati Medical College & Hospital, who had launched a kind of ‘jihad’ (holy war) against the misconceptions about birth control and has thus far carried out a staggering 48,000 vasectomies on Muslim males.

Now, Muslim males with two or more children are voluntarily coming out in large numbers to get sterilised and help control the population.

“Muslims, particularly the uneducated ones, are opposed to birth control. It is not only in Assam but in many other parts of India as well. They believe children are the blessings of Allah and all births take place as per his wish. They consider it a sin to go against the wishes of Allah,” Ali, who conducted his first No Scalpel Vasectomy (NSV), also known as ‘keyhole vasectomy’ in Assam in 2008, told IANS. “NSV is one of the most popular techniques to conduct vasectomy through a single puncture in the scrotum and which requires no suturing or stitches. It causes less pain and fewer post-operative complications.

Ali went to China for being trained in NSV by Li Shunqiang, who had invented the procedure in the mid-1970s.

However, it was introduced in India only in the mid-1990s.

“I have realised that there is ignorance among the people, particularly among the uneducated Muslims over this. The Holy Quran has been misinterpreted by some and the people have taken it to be true due to their being illiterate,” he said, adding that Islam is perhaps the only religion which talks of family limitation methods.

“There is a mention about ‘azol’ in the Holy Book, which means coitus interruptus (ejaculation outside vagina).

During the time of Prophet, some of his companions tried to reduce the chances of conception and pregnancy by practising azol. The Prophet was aware of this,” Ali said, explaining that this method became widespread during the Prophet’s lifetime.

“I have been using this and other references from the Holy Book to explain to the people that birth control is not against Islam,” he said.

One of Assam’s best-known surgeons, Ali said that he also often refers to Chapter 46, Verse 15 of the Quran which says “Wa hamluhu wa fisaluhu salasuna sahran”, which means there should be a gap of 30 months between a child’s birth and his or her weaning. “Since lactation is understood to act as a natural contraceptive for a mother, this implies that there should be a gap of two-and-a-half years between two children,” he said.

“It is incumbent upon fellow Muslims to arrest the spiraling population and preserve the environment. The population growth rate among the Muslims, particularly among the nonindigenous Muslims living in the riverine sandbars, is comparatively higher than other communities in Assam. The shrinking land availability due to the population growth is a matter of concern,” he said, adding that his efforts have shown results over the years.

For Ali, success has come after much pain. He had to risk his life for trying to popularise sterilisation among the Muslims. In 2009, an Islamic organisation issued fatwa against Ali and his programmes were boycotted for being un-Islamic. Educationist and associate professor of North Eastern Hill University Dwijen Sarma termed Ali’s efforts as pathbreaking. “Dr Ilias Ali explained how he works among the rural uneducated Muslims encouraging them for birth control,” Sarma said. aditya.assam@rediffmail.com IANS

‘Foreigners not the only ones littering Himalayas’

Kolkata: Only foreign mountaineers should not be blamed for littering the Himalayas as Indian enthusiasts are also damaging the environment, said Sonam Wangyal, who was member of the first Indian expedition to scale Mount Everest 50 years ago.

“Why blame the foreigners?

Our own people Sonam Wangyal are dirtying the mountains more.

Wherever they go, they throw waste,” Wangyal told IANS here.

The 73-year-old Ladakhi mountain man was member of the team that climbed the Everest in 1965. He was 23 at that time, the youngest in the expedition and the youngest to scale the summit. Recalling the pristine range, the veteran mountaineer said the situation has worsened over the years.

“They carry out daily ablutions and answer to nature’s call in the running water. This is the water which is available to residents downstream. Imagine the situation,” Wangyal said. In Ladakh, Wangyal said he has helped construct 16 toilets for tourists and mountaineers.

“But people don’t want to learn to use them properly,” the Everester honoured with a Padma Shri lamented.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the historic feat of the first Indian Everest team, he and four other members were honoured at a ceremony organised by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) and the Himalayan Club recently.

IMF president Colonel HS Chauhan also appealed to people to “clean Himalayas”. “Make sure you don’t leave anything out there. Enjoy but don’t litter,” Chauhan said.

IANS

Xinhua/Sunil Sharma/IANS

Indian Everester from Ladakh says that even Indian enthusiasts are to blame for polluting the environment in the pristine Himalayan landscape

Participants from different countries and regions compete during the world’s highest marathon event, at Everest Base Camp in Khumbu region, Solukhumbu, Nepal

Over 70 per cent of Everest glacier volume may be lost by 2100: Study

By Vishal Gulati NEW DELHI: Over 70 per cent of the glacier volume in the Mount Everest region in the Himalayas could be lost in 85 years if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, a new paper suggests.

It also indicates more flood risk in the

future in the Kosi river downstream from Nepal to India.

The paper, “Modelling glacier change in the Everest region, Nepal Himalaya”, published on Wednesday in The Cryosphere, a journal of the European Geosciences Union (EGU), said the glacier volume could be reduced

between 70 and 99 per cent by 2100.

It is a first approximation to how the Himalayan glaciers will react to increasing temperatures in the region.

The results depend on how much greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and on how this will affect temperature, snowfall and rainfall in

the area. A team of researchers from Nepal, France and the Netherlands have found the Everest glaciers could be very sensitive to future warming and that sustained ice loss through the 21st century is likely.

If greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, the glaciers could experience dramatic change in the decades to come, said the study.

“The signal of future glacier change in the region is clear: continued and possibly accelerated mass loss from glaciers is likely given the projected increase in temperatures,” said Joseph Shea, a glacier hydrologist at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu.

“Our results indicate that these glaciers may be highly sensitive to changes in temperature and that increases in precipitation are not enough to offset the increased melt,” Shea said.

Increased temperatures will not only increase the rates of snow and ice melt but can also result in a change of precipitation from snow to rain at critical elevations, where glaciers are concentrated. Together, these act to reduce glacier growth and increase the area exposed to melt, said the leader of the study.

The researchers studied glaciers in the Dudh Kosi basin in the Nepal Himalayas, which are home to some of the world’s highest mountain peaks, including Mt Everest, and to over 400 sq km of glacier area.

“Apart from the significance of the region, glaciers in the Dudh Kosi basin contribute meltwater to the Kosi river, and glacier changes will affect river flows downstream,” Shea said.

Changes in glacier volume can impact the availability of water, with consequences for agriculture and hydropower generation.

While increased glacier melt initially increases water flows, ongoing retreat leads to reduced meltwater from the glaciers during the warmer months, with greatest impact for the local populations before the monsoon when rainfall is scarce, said the paper.

Glacier retreat can also result in the formation and growth of lakes dammed by glacial debris. Avalanches and earthquakes can breach the dams, causing catastrophic floods that can result in river flows 100 times greater than normal in the Kosi basin.

The Kosi river is known as the “sorrow of Bihar” as it has caused widespread damage in the past due to flooding and frequent change in its course.

To find out how glaciers in the region will evolve in the future, the researchers started by using field observations and data from local weather stations to calibrate and test a model of glacier change over the past 50 years.

“To examine the sensitivity of modelled glaciers to future climate change, we applied eight temperature and precipitation scenarios to the historical temperature and precipitation data and tracked how glacier areas and volumes responded,” said study coauthor Walter Immerzeel of Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

“Our estimates need to be taken very cautiously, as considerable uncertainties remain,” said Patrick Wagnon, a glaciologist at the L’Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement in Grenoble in France.

The paper stresses that “the signal of future glacier change in the region is clear and compelling” and that decreases in ice thickness and extent are expected for “even the most conservative climate change scenario”. vishal.g@ians.in IANS

ENVIRONMENT “50 per cent of cancers in India are related to tobacco consumption. People start consuming tobacco and slowly get addicted to it ending up ruining their life.”

— Sudhir Khandelwal, psychiatric department, AIIMS

H EALTH

More children have been enrolled in elementary schools but 30 per cent of them show signs of malnutrition

BY SAUMYA TEWARI

EDUCATION AND LEARNING While significant improvement has been found in enrolment in schools for 12-year-olds by the Young Lives study, IndiaSpend has reported a significant drop in enrolment at the higher secondary level in India.

fatal for children across the country; about 56 out of 1,000 kids under the age of five died in India in 2012 due to malnutrition, according to the Global Nutrition Report.)

Positive trends in school enrolment are marred by the lack of nutrition and sanitation

The study also found that there has been considerable progress in addressing inequalities in school enrolment in the past few years, especially the gender gap - where enrolment of boys and girls was almost equal compared to a difference of four percentage points in 2006. However, inequalities related to segregation of the poorest children into government schools and the dip in learning levels across both private and government schools continue.

There are worrying signs with the study revealing a fall in learning standards since 2006, with only half the children able to answer maths questions correctly, compared with

two-thirds of children in 2006.

NUTRITION AND HEALTH Stunting in children due to malnourishment has not changed much - there was an improvement of only four percentage points in eight years.

Socially-marginalised groups and the poorest households need to be targeted in efforts to reduce malnutrition, according to the study, with more than a third of scheduled caste, scheduled tribe and other backward caste children being thin compared to a quarter of children from other castes.

(IndiaSpend has also reported how malnourishment is turning out to be

More nano-tech research urged Integration with bio-medicines needed to close gap in ancient and modern medicines T H I RU VA N A N T H A P U R A M : Experts from various fields of medicine on Saturday spoke on the need for more research in areas of nano-technology and integration between the various systems of medicine.

The experts were speaking at a seminar at the Arogya Expo 2015, the largest fair in complementary and alternative health care organised by the World Ayurveda Foundation in association with the ministry of AYUSH and the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology. The ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy is abbreviated as AYUSH. Shantikumar Nair, professor of Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, said the nano-cloth for wound healing

and formulations for external application are in various stages of research.

“Nano-formulations can be absorbed into cells and react with cells to get the best results. Nanoengineered ‘bhasmas’, which are also in the research phase if prepared in nano-scale can even destroy cancer cells,” said Nair.

He suggested that ayurvedic intervention and integration with biomedicines to bridge the gap between ancient and modern medicines is needed.

“There is a need to combine tradition and innovative approaches in research. Tools using new technology have to be introduced for formulation, delivery and engineering of ayurvedic medicines,” added Nair.

P Ram Manohar, of Coimbatore-

based AVP Research Foundation, said a complex system of combinations and pharmaceutical processes are used to develop formulations from animal, plant and mineral sources.

The end product has immense possibilities for drug discovery in ayurveda. Changes in lifestyles and cooking methods have led to increased cases of cancer, Manohar said.

“Replacing pepper with chilli has been a big factor for this. Research in Germany has shown that turmeric combined with ‘ghee’ (clarified butter) is anti-carcinogenic,” he said.

According to Gopa Kumar, an associate professor at the Government Ayurveda College here, there is a need for new strategy and new methods of research in ayurveda. IANS

Early check-up urged for moms-to-be Going for a check-up at the right age is crucial for healthy motherhood, say doctors NEW DELHI: For any married woman planning a baby years later, the right time to consult a doctor is now.

Given the stress level and lifestyle related diseases, infertility becoming increasingly common among women, going for a check-up at the right age is crucial for healthy motherhood, say doctors.

According to experts, early diagnosis of infertility problems can help the treatment methodology.

“Infertility has become a very common problem among today’s generation,” said Hrishikesh Pai, infertility expert at Fortis Bloom IVF Centre, Fortis La Femme Hospital, New Delhi.

Hormonal imbalance, thyroid, endometriosis, PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), fibroid, cyst are common causes of female infertility, he pointed out.

“However, with the advent of advanced medical technology the chances of attaining motherhood have become promising,” Pai said.

To highlight the importance of

Early diagnosis of infertility problems can help the treatment methodology

regular health check-ups in women, Fortis Bloom IVF Centre will organise a three-day free check-up camp for women with infertility problems from May 27 to 29, said a statement from the hospital.

Besides raising awareness about female infertility problems, the free consultation will coincide with the International Day of Action for Women’s Health on May 28.

“Early check up is critical as women are born with a fi xed pool of eggs: one to two million at birth, 3,00,0005,00,000 at puberty, which reduces as age advances,” Pai said.

“It further goes down to 1,000 by the time she hits menopause. From the age of 32, the ability to conceive per

MAY 30, 2015

PUNE

“There is strong evidence that factors like age, weight and smoking have adverse impacts on the general health and reproductive capability of a woman.”

— Kshitiz Murdia of the Indira Infertility Clinic

Poor kids are malnourished NEW DELH: Ninety-seven per cent of 12-year-olds were enrolled in elementary schools in 2013; up from 89 per cent in 2006. Almost a third of children continue to show signs of malnutrition at age 12 with high rates for economically and sociallymarginalised children and those in rural areas.

Forty-nine per cent of older children were still in school at the age of 19; nine per cent had yet to complete secondary education, eight per cent had moved on to vocational or postsecondary education and a third had started university.

These are some of the findings of a pilot study in the state of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana by Young Lives, an international study of childhood poverty involving 12,000 children in four countries over 15 years.

The report shows positive trends in school enrolment and some indicators like access to clean drinking water.

However, nutrition and sanitation, especially in villages, continues to be poor. Also, the situation of youth, especially young women, has not improved much.

The study has released preliminary data in three aspects: education, health and development.

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY

monthly cycle decreases gradually but significantly due to decreasing ovarian reserve, and goes down rapidly after 37,” he cautioned.

Infertility prevalence rates are difficult to determine due to the presence of both male and female factors.

One in every four couples in developing countries had been found to be affected by infertility, according to a study conducted in collaboration with the World health Organisation (WHO) in 2004.

In 2010, almost 50 million couples worldwide were unable to have a child after five years of trying.

The study by international researchers was published in PLOS Medicine.

(IANS)

YOUTH AND DEVELOPMENT The study has reported how children from economically- and socially-disadvantaged backgrounds were the most likely to have left school, many without gaining a secondary-level certificate.

Fifty-one-and-a-half percent of the total cohort of 19-year-olds had left school, with only 15.8 per cent achieving secondary education.

Many young people from marginalised groups had already started full-time work, mostly selfemployed or wage-employed in agriculture, with no further education or vocational skills.

(IndiaSpend’s earlier reports have shown how youth are affected by lower levels of education and skills.)

While 36 per cent of girls were married by the age of 19, according to the study, only two percent of boys were married at that age.

Despite the legal age for marriage being 18, 37 per cent of girls were married by 19 (an average age of 16.6 years). And 108 of them, from the selected cohort, already have a child of their own (almost two-thirds of the married girls). Education and maternal health is adversely affected if girls marry early. (IANS) (In arrangement with IndiaSpend. org, a data-driven, non-profit, publicinterest journalism platform, with which Saumya Tewari is a policy analyst. The views expressed are personal)

Chellation therapy saves heart patient NEW DELHI: A 22-year-old man, who despite t wo stents in his heart’s a r teries, developed c h e s t p a i n , successfully underwent chelation therapy at a hospital here, doctors said on Friday.

Life was running fairly smoothly for Kamaljit Singh, a goldsmith, after he had two stents installed in his arteries. A sudden and major chest pain, however, compelled him to see a cardiac expert and he was told to undergo a heart bypass.

Worried about post-bypass surgery complications, Singh consulted several other health experts who suggested him to opt for Chelation therapy.

Chelation therapy is a chemical process in which a synthetic solution --ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid -- is injected into the bloodstream to remove heavy metals and/or minerals from the body.

As part of the therapy at Sibia Medical Centre, Singh underwent 30 treatment sessions, that helped him regain normalcy in health.

According to the doctors, formation of blood clots, after stents are implanted in patients, lead to heart attacks and sudden death.

Cardiologists for long have pon-

dered what action to take in such situations, and now Chelation therapy has proven to be the perfect solution.

A study showed cardiovascular patients treated with Chelation therapy had a lower rate of myocardial infarction and death, than those treated with medications, angioplasty or heart bypass.

“In addition to Chelation therapy, cardiovascular rehabilitation programme should include aggressive lifestyle change for all heart patients with or without angioplasty, stents or bypass surgery,” said S S Sibia, director of Institute of Preventive Heart Care and consultant at Sibia Medical Centre.

As per the protocol of Chelation therapy, the dose adjustment is based on kidney function and other parameters, and is administered intravenously once or twice per week for 20-30 sessions.

“For maintenance, treatments are administered monthly because new platelets are formed approximately every 3.5 weeks.

Monthly treatments provide continued platelet aggregation inhibition.” IANS

It will help oncologists identify patients who can forego chemo

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MAY 30, 2015

PUNE

“The goverenment has taken away the land of the farmers, which is like a mother to them, and given the same to its friends and corporates. Likewise, they (government) have taken away the sea from fishermen now and is in the process of handing it over to the corporates who own big trawlers.” — Rahul Gandhi, Congress vice president

Northeast to become food sufficient soon: ICAR chief

Effective and efficient use of knowledge and technology products, innovative approaches and solutions pay dividends

BY SUJIT CHAKRABORTY AGARTALA: The northeastern region, which comprises eight hilly states, occupies eight per cent of India’s land area and is home to four per cent of the country’s population, is predicted to achieve food sufficiency in five to six years, a top agricultural scientist has said.

“Powered by good climate, sufficient water and devoted manpower, the northeast region is expected to be a food sufficient area in five-six years,” Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) director general and renowned agricultural scientist S. Ayyappan told IANS in an interview here.

“With the collective efforts of the ICAR and states’ agricultural experts, we could improve food production and productivity in all the northeastern states. The deficiency of foodgrains has reduced from 8.33 per cent per triennium (three years) in 2012 to 2.51 per cent per triennium in 2014.”

“In the last 10 years, rice production has increased by 26.11 per cent from 5.4 million tonnes to 6.8 million tonnes, but the wide demandproduction gap that still exists in the dairy, fisheries and poultry sectors is a mattern of concern,” said Ayyappan, who is also the secretary of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education.

Ayyappan, along with a host of top agricultural and allied sectors’ scientists from across the country, was here for ICAR’s 22nd regional council meeting.

Experts, research scholars, vicechancellors of many agricultural universities, specialists in farming, horticulture, fisheries, animal

Good climate, sufficient water and manpower have served to reduce food deficiency significantly in the eight states of the north eastern region

resources, and educational institutions from across the country took part in the two-day session.

Ministers and top officials of the eight northeastern states also attended the event.

The ICAR chief said : “The northeast region can be a food surplus region by 2020-21 as the bad effect of climate change had not much impact here. Good rainfall, favourable soil conditions, a tropical situation and huge scope of organic farming could advance the food sufficiency effort.”

“As the region is a bio-diversity hot spot, rising food production and productivity made the effort much easier. However, the crisis of animal fodder is a very big concern in the region despite it being rich in

Garbage burning ban in Vrindavan VRINDAVAN: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has banned civic garbage burning in the holy town of Vrindavan in Uttar It has restrained Vrindavan local municipal body from burning domestic waste in the open. The order, which came on Monday was made available on Wednesday.

Counsel for petitioner Rahul Choudhary told IANS that the NGT had given interim orders on a petition fi led by activist Madhumangal Shukla.

“It was a matter of grave urgency and the NGT was requested to give a direction before the court takes a break for summer vacation,” Choudhary said.

The NGT has also restrained civic authorities and private construction fi rms from dumping debris on the banks of the Yamuna river.

Shukla alleged that the land mafia were encroaching the river bed by piling debris on the ghats.

Activists have long been complaining to the district administration that the land grabbers

in the holy town of Vrindavan were piling up garbage on the river bed and have extended ncroachments right into the river.

Mathura’s Braj Bachao Samiti has welcomed the NGT direction and hoped it would help check encroachment on the river bed.

Braj Bachao Samiti president Manoj Choudhary said the flood plains too need to be cleared of encroachments, and for this a separate application is being fi led before the NGT. Meanwhile, the Vrindavan municipal workers, when told of the NGT directive, said they have no idea what to do with the waste and garbage.

“Almost half of the garbage was burnt at several sites and the remaining was dumped along the river bank,” said Dinesh, a sanitation worker.

However, Vrindavan Nagar Palika chairman Mukesh Gautam aid: “It is all nonsense. There is no encroachment on the river bank. It is all big lies by blackmailers who don’t want Vrindavan to develop.” (IANS)

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animal resources.”

The agricultural scientist stressed the urgent need to stop ‘Jhum’ (slash and burn method of farming in the hill tops) cultivation by providing settled and alternative farming methods and increasing the skills of young farmers toward this.

Tribals in the northeastern states practise ‘Jhum’ cultivation. Th is shifting form of farming usually involves cutting down of entire forests in the hills and allowing the slashed vegetation to dry on the mountain slopes prior to burning. Rice is grown along with vegetables, maize, cotton and mustard, among others.

Tribals constitute 27 percent of northeast India’s 45.58 million people.

The ICAR chief said that the

northeastern region, comprising Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura and Sikkim accounts for 7.8 per cent of the total area under rice cultivation in India while its share in rice production is only 5.9 percent. The average rice productivity of 1.4 tonne per hectare is below the national average of 1.9 tonnes per hectare.

The northeastern states are largely dependent on Punjab, Haryana and other larger states for foodgrains and essential vegetables.

Accepting the fact that there is a growing trend of people moving away agriculture sector, the scientist said that ICAR has been introducing new methods of agriculture with more profit.

Ayyappan said that the ICAR has launched the KIRAN (Knowledge Innovation Repository of Agriculture in the Northeast) platform in 2012 to harness the power of scientific knowledge and technology innovation for strengthening agricultural production systems in the northeast region through dynamic partnership and convergence among the diverse stake holders.

“Achieving sustainable food production to feed the increasing population of the fragile land of the region is an enormous challenge. ICAR envisages a unit for agriculture, to ensure an effective and efficient use of knowledge and technology products, promoting innovative approaches and solutions aimed at improving human resource with right knowledge skills in the northeast region,” he added.

(IANS) (Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ins.in)

Chaotic traffic, littering mar Pune’s ambience P 15

New gene test to help patients avoid chemotherapy

‘MammaPrint & Blueprint’ test will help evaluate the risk of distant recurrence of breast cancer NEW DELHI: Here comes a revolutionary new gene test that will help oncologists get a deeper insight into tumours and assist them in deciding if chemotherapy is actually needed in some breast cancer patients.

Launched by genetics and genomics company ILife Discoveries in the capital on Wednesday, the new “MammaPrint & Blueprint” test will help evaluate the risk of distant recurrence of breast cancer.

It will help oncologists in identifying patients who can safely forego chemotherapy.

“The test can help doctors reduce the use of unnecessary chemotherapy by identifying the risks and its need,” Anand Gupta, founder of iLife Discoveries, said in a statement.

Not all cancers have the same physiology nor do all tumours follow the same path of development.

MammaPrint is a 70gene assay intended as a prognostic test for women of all ages.

According to Ramesh Sarin, senior consultant (surgical oncology) at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, with an FDA approved 70 geneMammaprint test now available, “we can predict the behaviour of tumour by looking at

its genomic profi ling and manage the patient accordingly”.

Blueprint is a molecular assay used in addition to the MammaPrint test in a target population of patients with early stage (stage I or II) breast cancer.

By identifying the breast cancer subtype, BluePrint allows determination of a patient’s potential level of responsiveness to chemotherapy more accurately as compared to currently available technologies, with better correlation to longterm clinical treatment outcomes.

“Blueprint along with MammaPrint helps us to pick and choose a proper treatment for the patient based on their specific functional subtype and overall risk of recurrence,” said Ajay Sharma, medical oncologist at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital.

Th rough the gene test results, patients are stratified into two distinct groups low risk (good prognosis) or high risk (poor prognosis) of distant recurrence.

Unlike other tests, the patient is given definitive “low risk” and “high risk” results, eliminating the uncertainty of an intermediate risk score which can affect up to 39 percent of patients tested, the statement added.

(IANS)

It will help oncologists identify patients who can forego chemo

How goats, chicken have lifted veils of poverty Interventions in day-to-day living are changing lives of the world’s poorest people, helping them out of dire straits

BY PRACHI SALVE NEW DELHI: Some interventions in day-to-day living have led to a 15 per cent increase in assets, 26 per cent growth in consumption and 96 per cent rise in savings among the ultrapoor, or those with no assets, in India, according to a new six-country study that followed the lives of 21,000 of the world’s poorest people.

Examples: A chicken, goat or a similar productive asset. Goods such as betel leaves and vegetables for a small shop. Training on using such assets. Money to reduce incentives to sell assets in an emergency. Frequent personal mentoring or coaching.

Health education. Savings services for between 18 and 24 months.

These interventions follow what is called the “graduation model”, a programme that endeavours to help the poorest people upward and out of poverty, and could have seminal implications for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, as it attempts to move from costlier, broad subsidies to clearly-targeted interventions.

Apart from India, the graduation model was tested in Ethiopia, Ghana, Honduras, Pakistan and Peru by researchers from the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, US. “The programme’s approach differs from that of micro-credit or self-help groups as households are not required to repay the asset cost. Further, the training and intensive hand-holding helps beneficiaries fully benefit from their chosen self-employment activities,” according to economist Abhijit Banerjee, J-PAL founder, and one of the researchers.

Micro-credit programmes tend to serve those just below, or even above, the poverty line, typically excluding

the poorest. In India, it has meant a 433 percent return on investment The J-PAL research in India was carried out in West Bengal by B a n d h a n-K o n n a g a r, the not-for-profit arm of Bandhan Financial Services and offered a 433 per cent return on investment.

“We gave (a) stipend for a year and provided support for 18-24 months. The per beneficiary cost worked out to Rs 20,000-25,000, with 70 per cent spent on the asset and stipend, 10 percent on training and 20 per cent on managing and monitoring the project for two years,” said Shekhar Ghosh, chairman of Bandhan Financial Services.

Those in the programme group had significantly more assets and savings, spent more time working, went hungry on fewer days and experienced lower levels of stress and improved physical health, said Ghosh.

Across the six countries, researchers tracked 10,495 households

to test the graduation approach. Researchers used a “randomised controlled-trial methodology”, in which they tracked people invited to participate in the twoyear programme and a similar group that was not, and compared how their lives changed up to a year after the programme ended.

The researchers found that the beneficiaries, after the third year, had significantly more assets and savings, spent more time working, went hungry on fewer days and experienced lower levels of stress and improved physical health.

Vast anti-poverty apparatus have given a miss to India’s excluded people.

The country has almost 216 million people, or 43 million households, with no assets, as IndiaSpend has reported.

Of those with zero assets, nearly 80 million people-the population of Germany-or 16 million households are Adivasis.

The government runs various

India has 216 milion people, or 43 million households with no assets

social-security programmes. Some are employment-led, such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which promises 100 days of work per person annually, and the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) which trains rural youth to be self-employed.

Others, such as the food-security mission, promise rice and wheat at subsidised prices and offer support in kind and cash, such as old-age pensions.

There has been a 125 per cent rise in funding, from Rs 47,014 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 1,06,115 crore in 2015-16. This vast anti-poverty apparatus-one of the world’s most extensive-barely addresses the needs of the asset-less class of Indians.

As IndiaSpend reported previously, schemes like the NRLM are struggling in areas with a significant rural population because self-help groups were not being formed or could not be formed.

Spending on trainers, healthcare similar to job funding The J-PAL study found that the money spent over two years on each beneficiary-including spending on trainers and healthcare-was around Rs 20,000; roughly what the government would spend if the beneficiaries received 58 days of employment a year.

The study results prompted NGO partner Bandhan to scale-up the programme to 32,280 families in six states: West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Assam, Tripura and Madhya Pradesh. The programme is also being scaled up in 20 other countries.

(IANS) (In arrangement with IndiaSpend. org, a data-driven, non-profit, publicinterest journalism platform, with which Prachi Salve is a policy analyst.

Th e views expressed are personal)

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MAY 30, 2015

PUNE

“The reality that Hamas’s territory is used as a staging ground to attack Israel is unacceptable and intolerable and will bear consequences. Israelis cannot be expected to live in the perpetual fear of rocket attacks.”

— Moshe Yaalon, Israeli Defence Minister

Climate, culture and camaraderie P 15

By TANYA MOHN On a recent Wednesday, Giuliano Barolo worked in Dow Chemical’s business process service center in Mumbai while Swati Tribedy worked at Dow’s manufacturing plant in Mozzanica, Italy.

He was doing her old job, and she his. She even sat at his old desk.

Since early April, Barolo, 28, and Tribedy, 31, have been in a talent swap, a foreign assignment in which employees in the same company from different countries temporarily switch jobs.

The new sharing economy includes things like house and apartment swaps, car transportation and co-working spaces. Now the same kind of philosophy is gaining traction in the corporate world, at least for some overseas employees.

Talent swaps, which typically last less than a year, can involve less paperwork and expense than traditional expatriate assignments, in which companies have the added cost of moving a family and dealing with schools and costly housing.

“It is shorter term, lower risk and easier to administrate,” said Peter Clarke, leader of the Global Mobility Services practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The swaps are also effective for career development, to promote crossborder mobility earlier and to attract

no children.

The short length of the talent swap was appealing, and Jung recalled pushing for the assignment.

Things quickly fell into place.

Delpin was approached, and she, too, liked the short commitment.

“You can enjoy a professional experience without changing everything in your home country,” she said.

The benefits, the women said, were as varied as learning the differences between American and French tax law to breaking down cultural stereotypes. And the experience created a closer connection with clients and colleagues based in the United States, Delpin said.

PwC said that many companies engaged in the practice on an adhoc basis and look to formalise and expand their programs. A recent survey by the firm found that 71 per cent of younger workers wanted to work internationally and considered it essential to career growth.

“Now, organisations are saying: ‘Hey, what can we do to retain talent and give younger workers the experience they want?’” Clarke said.

“It is an increasingly important part of mobility strategy and a global mindset.”

But not all multinational organisations or their clients engage in talent swaps or are even familiar with them.

“They do happen but generally more on a one-off basis,” said Achim Mossmann, a principal in KPMG’s Global Mobility Services practice. “Often the logistics proved too cumbersome - it is difficult to

Swati Tribedy, standing inside the compound of the Dow Chemical manufacturing plant, in Mozzanica, Italy, May 13, 2015. Since early April, Tribedy and Giuliano Barolo, another Dow Chemical employee, have been in a talent swap, a foreign assignment in which employees in the same company from different countries temporarily switch jobs

and retain employees who are seen as having high potential.

Barolo heard about the idea from a colleague from his hometown who had recently returned from a talent swap.

“She was very enthusiastic,” he said, “and I was immediately drawn to it.”

Tribedy, who studied mechanical engineering in college but had never worked in manufacturing, said: “I really wanted to experience another function. It’s different from what I imagined.”

A recent PricewaterhouseCoopers report predicted a 49 per cent increase in talent swaps in the next two years, with more than 1 in 5 global businesses planning to introduce the concept.

“Typically, the two swapped employees share a similar wage-pay structure and skill-experience level, so it’s basically a plug-out-plug-in situation,” Clarke said.

Sometimes employees even swap housing, which is convenient for workers and a cost savings for companies because a spouse and children often remain at home. And candidates often volunteer for the assignment, he said.

That was the case for Karen Jung, a manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Tysons Corner, Virginia, who switched jobs in early February with Marie-Claire Delpin, a manager with the company in Paris. Like many swappers, both are young at 29, junior level and unmarried with

identify like-for-like candidates and release them from their roles at the same time.”

And there are downsides: possible loss of productivity, disruption to clients and companies, and lateral moves for employees, said Dennis J Garritan, co-managing partner of the private equity firm Palmer Hill Capital. “They learn new skills but are not being promoted - not everybody is in love with that,” he said. “But they want to check that international box as early as possible, and they are smart to do that.”

Since Dow’s talent swap program began three years ago, 126 employees in 18 countries have participated. Of

Giuliano Barolo, at the office of Dow Chemical Co, in Mumbai, India, May 15, 2015.

Since early April, Barolo and Swati Tribedy, another Dow Chemical employee, have been in a talent swap, a foreign assignment in which employees in the same company from different countries temporarily switch jobs

(Chi Birmingham/The New York Times)

The dad bod: it’s OK to let go a little...

The Internet has burned this month with commentary about women’s alleged new interest in the soft, doughy “dad bod”

Deciphering just how much softer a man’s body gets on average when he becomes a father

BY JOSH BARRO and JUSTIN WOLFERS

expectations: When asked their ideal weight, dads volunteered a number that was 2.25 kilogrammes heavier than what non-dads did.

And fathers seemed to be making no particular effort to fight the dad bod. They were no more likely than non-dads to say they had tried to lose weight in the past year, with 70 per cent saying they hadn’t.

We can’t definitively say that the dad bod is a consequence, rather than a cause, of fatherhood. After all, if the Internet is right that men with an extra layer of cushioning really are more attractive, perhaps they’re more likely to reproduce.

But two interesting pieces of evidence suggest that there is something different about dads’ lives that causes the dad bod.

Although dads weigh 4 1/2 kilogrammes more than non-dads, when those in both groups 27 and older are asked how much they weighed at age 25, the weight difference was much smaller, only a little more than 1 kilogramme.

And the dad bod is barely evident among recent dads - those with only toddlers in the house - while it is much more prominent among those

Dads seem to wear their extra paunch with some degree of comfort

British comedian takes on jihadis

Arshad uses humour to provide comic relief to a community tht has come under the terror scanner

BY KATRIN BENNHOLD LONDON: Humza Arshad pokes fun at Pakistani accents and emotional soccer fans. He jokes about his weight, his voice and his own mother. But mostly, he laughs at jihadis.

“Have you noticed how in those terrorist videos they’re always sitting on the floor?” Arshad asked a group of high school students the other day.

“What’s up with that? I swear they can afford a chair.”

And their pants: “Always coming up to here,” he said, pointing at his shin, “like, did you borrow this from your little brother or something?”

Arshad, 29, is no ordinary comedian. A practicing Muslim in hip-hop gear whose YouTube videos have drawn millions of views, he is the centrepiece of the British government’s latest and perhaps cleverest effort to prevent students from running off to Syria and joining the Islamic State.

Since March, Arshad has been on tour with the counterterrorism unit of the Metropolitan Police. They have taken their double act (“Ten per cent message, 90 per cent comedy”) to more than 20,000 students in 60 high schools across London.

Now Arshad, who says he first discovered stand-up as a 10-year-old watching American shows like “Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam,” hopes to take his act across the Atlantic: At

the end of May he is headed to New York and Los Angeles to meet with Hollywood studios and television networks - and hold exploratory talks with American schools on his counterextremism work.

About 700 British Muslims have travelled to Syria, including dozens of minors. Schools here have been on high alert especially since February, when three teenage girls left their family homes in east London. The footage of them calmly passing airport security has become emblematic of the youthful following faraway militants have established in the West - often using the same social media that has given Arshad his fan base.

At times lacking in subtlety, his humour still provides comic relief to an audience that has found itself under the microscope in the news media, in school and sometimes at home.

Born and raised in south London, Arshad experienced firsthand how perceptions of Muslims changed in Britain. He was 15 and on the school bus home when terrorists flew two planes into the World Trade Center in 2001. Four years later, a series of suicide bombs blew up on London’s public transport system. Each time, he found his mother glued to the television, his mother “who never watches television,” and each time she told him: “It will be even harder to be a Muslim now.” © 2015 New York Times News Service

(Rob Stothard/The New York Times)

The Internet has burned this month with commentary about women’s alleged new interest in the soft, doughy “dad bod.”

If you’re like us, you’ve said: “Are we even sure exactly what kind of bods dads have? Seth Rogen keeps being cited as a ‘dad bod’ archetype, and he doesn’t even have children.

I’m really enjoying this national conversation about bods, but I wish it had more quantitative rigour.”

Well, your wish has come true.

We have figured out exactly how much softer a man’s body gets, on average, when he becomes a father.

To do this, we zeroed in on men 18 to 45, and compared those who had children who were younger than 18 and at home with those who did not.

The skinny: On average, dads are 4 1/2 kilogrammes heavier than non-dads; they’re carrying nearly an extra 5 centimetres on their waist; and their bellies stick out an extra 1.25 centimetres.

We know this because the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention takes stock of America’s national beer gut.

Every few years the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey herds about 5,000 men and women into medical trailers to be poked, prodded, measured and weighed.

Critically for dad-bod science, health care workers measure the sagittal abdominal diameter by having the subject lie f lat on a table so that they can measure how high the navel sits above the table surface to get an objective, scientific assessment of the gut.

The latest data from this survey found that half the nondads in our 18-to-45 bracket had a sagittal abdominal diameter of less than 20 centimetres, but only 29 per cent of the dads did. But dads seem to wear their extra paunch with some degree of comfort. Despite the extra 4 1/2 kg, nearly as many dads described themselves as being “about the right weight” as those who are not dads. (The exact proportions are 49 per cent and 53 per cent.)

Call this fatherly selfsatisfaction a result of diminished

with older children and teens. Over the years, as these men relax into fatherhood, their waistline seems to relax with them.

That relaxation does not seem to be just about getting older. Of the 4 1/2-kilogramme difference we found between dads and non-dads, 1 kilogramme can be attributed to age: In part, dads tend to be a little heavier than non-dads because they tend to be a little older. And married men tend to be heavier than unmarried ones. But even after adjusting for differences in age and marital status, a noticeable difference between dad and non-dad bods persists.

Some in the news media have called the “dad bod” phenomenon a double standard: Nobody’s talking approvingly about the “mom bod,” even though the same data show approximately equal parenthood gains in weight, waistline and belly size for men and women. Parents of both sexes adjust their expectations in the same way: Moms in our age bracket were 4 kilogrammes heavier than the non-moms, but much like the dads, they adjusted their average desired weight targets up (by 2 kilogrammes). Yet both moms and non-moms are much more likely than dads and non-dads to report that they tried to lose weight in the past year, and on average women report they would like to lose about twice as much weight as men.

The “dad bod” fascination seems to be one of the manifestations of the double standard; perhaps men across America have already internalised it, by deciding it’s OK to let themselves go at least a little.

Another finding: The belly gap between dads and non-dads is small compared with the variation among dads and among non-dads. Within the group we examined, 42 per cent of dads had smaller paunches than the average non-dad, and 30 per cent of non-dads brought more belly to the table than the average dad, at least as measured by the SAD. So, maybe Seth Rogen isn’t such a bad dad-bod model after all. Just as you don’t have to go to the beach to get a “beach body,” you don’t need to have children to have a dad bod, as 30 per cent of American non-dads from 18 to 45 already know. © 2015 New York Times News Service

the 76 people in the first two groups of swaps, all returned or will return to new positions or promotions within six months, said John Kolmer, Dow’s manager of global leadership development.

“We swap people across all geographic areas and functions,” he said, adding that goals include gaining cultural f luency, expanding professional networks and “intentionally taking people out of their comfort zones.”

Employees and their company “get the benefit of a catalyst early on that can be leveraged for the rest of their careers,” Kolmer said. © 2015 New York Times News Service

Kuni Takahashi/The New York Times

Swaps are effective for career development, to promote cross-border mobility and to attract and retain employees

Chiara Goia/The New York Times

Across borders, talent swaps help skills, careers

Humza Arshad takes a selfie with students at Lampton School in Hounslow in London, April 22, 2015. Arshad, a practicing Muslim with a sizable YouTube following, has toured with a police counterterrorism unit in London, performing stand-up to prevent the radicalization of students

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MAY 30, 2015

PUNE

MONEY MATT ER S

“We have sold around 400,000 devices in India and are targeting 1.5 million units this year. Oppo India has plans to expand more service centres this year.”

— Sky Li, vice president, Oppo

Signpost Business sentiment at pre-Modi level The MNI India business sentiment indicator, a gauge of current sentiment among BSE listed companies, fell by 2.5 per cent to 62.3 in May this year from 63.9 last month. “Sentiment towards the current business environment and expectations for the future are now both back to pre-Modi levels in a blow to the government as it completes its first year in office”, MNI Indicators, part of the Deutsche Borse Group, said in a statement. It said the fall in business sentiment left it at the lowest level since April 2014 and together with declines in output and orders points to a significant deterioration in business activity. “Overall sentiment has reacted positively to the two cuts to benchmark interest rates this year from the RBI, although their impact has proved temporary,” it said. The companies listed on the BSE reported a significant weakening in both domestic and export orders.

Global smartphone growth to dip further The global smartphone growth is expected to slow further, said a latest mobile phone forecast. It adds that smartphone shipments are expected to grow 11.3 per cent in 2015, down from 27.6 per cent in 2014. This could be the first year smartphone growth in China will finish behind the global market which could affect Google’s Android mobile operating system, the International Data Corporation (IDC) said in a statement. “China has been a critical market for Android smartphone shipments in recent years, accounting for 36 per cent of total volume in 2014,” said Ryan Reith, programme director with IDC’s “Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker”. “As reported earlier in May, smartphone shipments in China actually declined year over year in the first quarter of 2015, showing that the largest market in the world has reached a level of maturity where rapid growth will be harder to achieve,” Reith said.

IDC expects iOS smartphones to grow 23 per cent in 2015 and remain above worldwide market growth rates.

“Our net profit in fourth quarter was under pressure due to provisions made for non-performing assets (NPA) and stressed assets in the accounts of infrastructure and power.”

— PS Rawat, executive director, Canara Bank

Social schemes should ‘Below expectations’ help beneficiaries Says chief economic adviser on India’s economic growth

India’s economic growth did not changing Goods and Services Taxes pick up as much as people expected (GST) regime from next fiscal,” he as a result of government action, the said. government’s Chief Economic Adviser Referring to the creation of 150 Arvind Subramanian said on Tuesday. million Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Reeling out facts and figures on the accounts since August 2014 for financial performance of the NDA government inclusion, he said similarly initiating a during its first year, Subramanian told comprehensive social security through reporters here that people were judging pension, life insurance and accident the rulers by outcome and not effort. schemes reflected the government’s “Going forward, people will judge commitment to growth with equity. us on economic growth, which will “As the macro-economic situation be the focus of our next has seen a massive course of action,” he said. turnaround, more can Admitting that the Subramanian be done in the next 18 controversy over the months, while ‘Make Minimum Alternative cautioned that in India’ will be a longTax (MAT) had hurt the strategy to make interest rate term government’s image, the the country’s economy adviser said it would not cuts in China competitive,” he said. be imposed again as the Noting that and elsewhere government has learnt structural reforms from its mistake. would make would take time to Observing that the influence growth, Indian government could have the former IMF done much more in its exports and economist said that first year, Subramanian policy support was said the number of stuck manufacturing crucial over short projects was coming down uncompetitive run, especially for but there was not much consumption and pick-up in new projects. public and private “In one year, more could have been investments. done but I think structural reforms On the flip side, private investment agenda has been substantial.Reduction continued to be weak as a legacy of in corruption is visible, as evident from the boom period, while declining a clean and transparent auction of coal exports was a cause for concern, as and spectrum; liberalisation of gold merchandise trade was yet to recover. import regime, and reducing rents “We also need to find ways of intrinsic to quantitative restrictions,” relieving the distress in rural incomes. he said.

MNREGA, crop insurance, minimum Achievements during the year support price will help improve gone by included cooperative farmers’ income,” Subramanian noted. and competitive federalism He cautioned that interest rate by adopting the 14th cuts in China and elsewhere Finance Commission’s would make Indian exports and recommendations and manufacturing uncompetitive. creating Niti Aayog IANS in place of Planning Commission, he said.

“The government is close to securing political agreement to launch the game-

Modi Sarkar’s laudable social schemes need to guard against several pitfalls

BY Sucheta Dalal

The Modi government seems really serious about financial inclusion and keen on providing some form of social security to the poorest people of India. The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) along with the two insurance schemes (Jeeven Jyoti and Jeevan Suraksha) can, indeed, be game-changers in meeting the government’s objectives.

PMJDY is a no-frills savings bank account with built-in incentives to keep it operational. It comes with a RuPay debit card, an accident insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh, the possibility of a bank overdraft of Rs 5,000, if kept active for six months; there was an additional life insurance cover of Rs 30,000 for accounts that were opened before 26 January 2015. Importantly, the National Payments Corporation of India’s (NCPI) technology would allow account-holders to conduct transactions and transfer funds even with ordinary mobile phones.

The government claims that 140 million PMJDY accounts have been opened. Anecdotal evidence gathered by us suggests that there could be massive duplication of accounts, since bankers were under extraordinary pressure to meet account-opening targets. The finance ministry is now cross-verifying rural PMJDY accounts with census data to eliminate duplication. But sources say that multiple accounts in urban and semiurban areas could be an issue.

While this clean-up exercise was on, the government has announced two path-breaking insurance schemes to bring in the social security aspect.

Jeevan Suraksha Bima is an accident insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh available to a savings bank account-holder between the ages of 18 and 70 years; it covers death and disability at an

Modi government claims that 140 million PMJDY accounts have been opened even as anecdotal evidence suggests that there could be massive duplication of accounts

incredibly low premium of just Rs 12 per year. The Jeevan Jyoti Bima provides life insurance to a savings bank account-holder of age 18 to 50 years for a premium of Rs 330 per annum on the submission just a vague self-certificate of good health. A 31st May deadline on the schemes has triggered a rush for subscription. The true test of these schemes will be in paying genuine claims in a fair and hassle-free manner; but that will only be tested at some future date.

Everything that the NDA government is doing is on a huge scale and the prime minister (PM) has been convinced that a biometric linkage (Aadhaar number) is the fastest way to leapfrog all issues related to identity that plague the poorest segments of our population—a mammoth 300 million people. So, the government seems determined to achieve its objective of financial inclusion even if it means working around the Supreme Court on making Aadhaar mandatory, and ignoring all the doubts and questions about a hasty actual rollout.

Indeed, the biggest growth stories in retail banking and e-commerce of private sector companies have happened this way. A fast and furious nationwide rollout is planned and implemented; so long as mistakes, mishandling and grievances are

low, it leads to transformational change. Every online shopper has tales of wrong deliveries, delays and forgotten products, but the benefits and cost advantage outweigh the negatives. Shouldn’t we show the same tolerance and tempered expectation from a government exercise that can transform lives, especially of poor, underprivileged Indians?

Yes, we must. But, unless we flag potential pain-points and the need to put in place a robust mechanism to redress grievances, the initiatives will flounder. Former Union secretary EAS Sarma, who is a now a highly respected activist in Vishakapatnam, says that getting Aadhaar itself is a traumatic experience in many areas. Many tribals from remote areas have had to forego three to four days of livelihood to make repeated visits to Aadhaar registration centres, often to find that names and addresses are wrongly recorded. Or, as in this case, the ration cards have vanished. The ruling government in Delhi may be truly well-intentioned but this callous and inhuman treatment of poor and illiterate people is bound to be repeated all over the country.

(Sucheta Dalal is the managing editor of Moneylife. She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2006 for her outstanding contribution to journalism. She can be reached at sucheta@moneylife.in)

Sergio Marchionne: Detroit’s Cassandra telling it like it is (Laura McDermott/The New York Times)

Marchionne is the mastermind behind the merger between the Italian automaker Fiat and Chrysler

by BILL VLASIC

In the middle of March, Mary Barra, chief executive of General Motors, received a lengthy and unusual email from one of her direct competitors, Sergio Marchionne.

Barra had never met Marchionne, CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

And she was in no way expecting their first contact to be an offer to discuss a potential blockbuster of a merger.

The email, according to two people with knowledge of it and reported for the first time here, laid out in detail how global carmakers needed to consolidate to save money and suggested that a combination of GM and Fiat Chrysler could cut billions of dollars in costs and create an automotive superpower.

This analysis did not interest Barra or other GM executives and board members. Instead, Marchionne’s request for a meeting on the subject was flatly turned down, according to people with knowledge of the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

It was a rare rejection for Marchionne, the mastermind behind the merger between the Italian automaker Fiat and Chrysler, the American car company that required a government bailout to survive the last recession.

Marchionne, however, is not one to be put off by rejection. So a month later, on April 29, in a routine analyst conference call, he doubled down.

Sergio Marchionne, the head of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, at the Chrysler Technical Center in Auburn Hills, Mich., April 23, 2015.

Marchionne has brought together a struggling Fiat and Chrysler and made the combination work, helped substantially by strong sales of Chrysler’s Jeep brand

Instead of following the usual script, in which chief executives discuss the current state of their operations, Marchionne stunned the Wall Street analysts by devoting the entire call to his sudden and intense appeal to automakers to merge.

“I think it is absolutely clear that the amount of capital waste that’s going on in this industry is something that certainly requires remedy,” he said. “A remedy in our view is through consolidation.”

It’s not often that a chief executive announces to the world that his company is eager to find a merger partner. Some might even consider it a sign of weakness and, in fact, FCA’s stock dropped about 10 per cent over the next two days. Rather than rally support, Marchionne’s passionate appeal only highlighted the difficulties that lie ahead for Fiat Chrysler.

Marchionne has had remarkable

success in blending two struggling car companies into the world’s seventhlargest automaker. FCA’s sales in the United States have doubled since 2009. But the company still sold only 4.6 million cars and trucks worldwide in 2014, about half as many as competitors like GM and Volkswagen.

Its valuable brands, like Jeep SUVs and Ram pickups, don’t compensate for the fact that it makes less money than its rivals, lags in China - the world’s biggest car market - and barely invests in alternative-fuel vehicles that are critical to meeting the coming tougher federal rules on fuel economy.

Marchionne says he has a detailed plan to improve FCA’s performance, but his current obsession seems to be playing the automotive Cassandra, warning of disastrous consequences if companies continue spending unabated. He has no patience for subtlety or delicate phrasing.

The bigger the issue, in fact, the louder he becomes. He irritated the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration by defiantly defending FCA’s response to safety issues with older Jeep models. NHTSA recently scheduled a hearing to examine the company’s follow-through on recalls, something NHTSA rarely does.

Marchionne also appears headed for a confrontation with union leaders in this summer’s contract negotiations because of FCA’s rampant hiring of lower-paid workers. Alone among auto chiefs, he wants to end the current two-tier wage system by phasing out the top wage rate as veteran employees retire.

Detroit hasn’t seen a CEO as provocative and unpredictable since Lee Iacocca, Chrysler’s previous saviour, in the 1980s. And as with Iacocca, confidence is never a problem for Marchionne.

Not From the Ranks finances, and the unions are determined Marchionne, 62, was an obscure board to share in the bounty. That could mean member at Fiat when the Agnelli an end to Marchionne’s unfettered use family, which controlled the Italian of lower-tier workers. automaker, picked him to reverse its One of the union’s priorities is long decline. He moved fast, firing to raise wages for new workers and executives, flattening the company’s possibly place a cap on the number bureaucracy, eliminating slow-selling of lower-paid employees hired. models and paring production to Marchionne is unapologetic about his match market demand. In a warmvoracious hiring of lower-paid workers. up for Chrysler, he also fostered an He defends taking advantage of entrepreneurial culture in which the two-tier system, but Marchionne executives were given wide latitude to admits that the pay gap among workers meet internal targets. creates “seeds of instability.” He Since he cut the deal with the advocates a standard wage throughout Obama administration six years ago the plants. The $28-an-hour wage that to take control of Chrysler, his moves veteran workers now make should be have confounded an industry that tends reset at a lower level when they retire, to adhere to tried-and-true formulas. he proposes. Union workers, however, When other companies streamlined hate this idea and are instead arguing their brand lineups, for wage increases Marchionne created new across the board in the ones, such as splitting coming contract.

Detroit off Ram trucks from the M a rc h ion ne ’s hasn’t seen aggressive use of larger Dodge division.

Rather than glossing the two-tier system a CEO as over Chrysler’s battered is characteristic of provocative his forceful style, image, he embraced it with soulful advertising which has been since Lee campaigns that extolled known to backfire.

Iacocca, the tenacious spirit Courting Apple and behind vehicles that were Google Chrysler’s “imported from Detroit.”

Since opening previous “I’ve always had this the door for a incredible sense of possible merger saviour, in urgency,” he said. “I’ve with another car the 1980s always had this desire not company, Marchionne to let things fester and to has broadened his really seize the moment, discussion about the because it’s serendipity.” industry’s future to include tech giants like Apple and Google.

A Union Showdown That Marchionne expresses Marchionne might be feeling pretty enthusiasm for disruption of his uncomfortable this summer when industry should come as no surprise.

Detroit automakers enter contract Like it or not, the big gesture is the talks with the United Automobile only kind Marchionne is willing to Workers union. FCA and the other make. car companies boast of their robust © 2015 New York Times News Service

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY MAY 30, 2015

“The speed breakers installed by PMC from public fundings is executed with material of low quality. PMC is not following Indian Road Congress guidelines while making such structures.”

— Qaneez Sukhrani, RTI activist

PUNE

“Several projects like airport at Rajgurunagar, initiated under JNNURM in the city have have come to a standstill as the funding for these projects are stopped by the centre.”

— Abhay Chhajed, Congress, city president

Drivers who refuse fares, charge more than the fare indicated in the meter, or have not installed proper meters in their autorickshaws are a common hazard for Pune commuters

I commute daily from Shivajinagar to Alka Talkies. Arguing and fi ghting with autorickshaw drivers is part of my daily routine. These autorickshaw drivers like to throw their weight around.

They arbitrarily charge more than the meter fare, argue for no reason and will resort to forming a gang in case you do not agree to their demands.

Charging by the meter is expected, but the drivers at the autorickshaw stand at Shoppers Stop, Wakdewadi refuse to charge by the meter and demand extra. It is the same in many other areas of Pune.

I had to go to Fatima Nagar recently, but no auto driver would charge me by the meter.

Finally, I had to negotiate and pay much more than the regular fare. Countless others face similar problems daily with autorickshaw drivers.

For short distances, the auto driver

Tasneem Mukadam

demand double the actual fare. Some charge half return. In the evenings, their demands go up further. Many charge double the fare after 7 pm, whenever I have travel to Camp area. Some autorickshaw drivers claim that they charge as per the distance and not by the meter.

If one driver demands Rs 100

CITIZEN JOURNALIST

for a particular destination, no other driver will agree to go for less. They deny customers, but don’t negotiate, as they know that people have no other choice.

It’s such a pain to pay excess every time, everyday. The public transport is inefficient, and the auto drivers make it even more difficult to get around. It is a big blot on the culture of this city.

Most autorickshaws in the city run on CNG which is cheaper than petrol and the auto drivers have decent margin of profit, even with RTO’s prescribed rate card.But still they ask for more money. The police too refuse to take action against errant autorickshaw drivers and commuters end up giving in to the drivers’ irrational demands.

Can the concerned authorities solve the problems of the commuters with autorickshaw drivers?

The RTO is defi nitely not doing anything to alleviate the ordeal of the common man. Its high time the autorities wake up and answer our daily grievances.

ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

‘Autorickshaw drivers fleecing commuters’

The citizens of Pune are cultureconscious, helpful and hospitable, and the pleasant climate makes it easy to adjust to living here

NIRBHAY SHAH

Climate, culture and camaraderie

Swasti Kumari

Chaotic traffic, littering mar Pune’s ambience I came down to Pune from Belgium in 2011 because of my husband’s job. The best part about the city is that you can find peace and tranquility here. Though the centre is noisy and crowded, the outskirts are quiet and calm. We stay in Bavdhan and I love the weather and surroundings here.

The society I live in cannot be seen from the main road. The moment you enter the lane you are welcomed by an oasis of silence. Th is is the highlight of the city.

The architecture of age-old buildings is beautiful and I love visiting them. Having said that, modern infrastructure has also made a mark. For example, Oxford Golf Course takes you to a whole new world. It cuts away the madness of the city and transfers you to a world of quiet and greenery. Ambrosia Resort is a favourite again for the same reason.

What I miss in the city is the privilege to walk around freely.

Back home in Belgium I could just walk around markets and roads. In Pune I am compelled to take the car out. I haven’t even touched my bike because of the rash driving and haywire traffic. No one seems to follow rules and everyone likes to honk. They never have patience

Patricia Schoubben

and are always in a hurry. The city needs to largely work on its cleanliness as well. There are dustbins at designated places, yet you will find people who litter on the road. People here throw garbage outside the bin. The rains will add to this mess. So a strict rule with regards to littering should be put in place. The city has great weather and amazing hospitality, but we need to ensure a cleaner and greener environment.

FROM FOREIGN

I moved to Pune from Ranchi fi ve years ago, and fell in love with the city. It has soothing climate and lush greenery in most parts.I made many friends here, who will stay with me for life.

The one thing that I like most is that Punekars take pride in their culture. They have preserved the purity of the Marathi language in spite of the development. They are also great patrons of the arts, which is rare in other states, I visit Balgandharva Rangmandir often to catch the various shows there. Ganesh Chaturthi is a highlight of the Pune calendar and the dhol tasha group are a major highlight.

Punekars also follow simple lifestyles; they do not spend too much on marriages

SHORES

or other functions, which offer the scope to show off one’s wealth. You won’t even realise that the modest person wearing Kolhapuri chappals sitting at the next table in a coffee shop, is a millionaire. I am often a silent listener to some of wonderful conversations at Vaishali restaurant.

I also appreciate that Punekars observe a healthy lifestyle. Lots of people follow a daily routine of walking, jogging etc. I being fitness consious, go cycling every morning. The cycle tracks here are very clean and green.

The food is also a big attraction, be it

NON-NATIVE

PAROLE

LETTERS TO THE

EDITOR

misal-pav, vada-pav, sambar, pohe, samosa, tambda pandhra rassa etc. I love it all, especially the missal-pav at Katakir, vadapav from JJ Garden, and mastani ice-cream at Sujata.

People are extremely helpful here. You can ask anyone, from 8-year-old kid to senior citizen for directions, and they will explain in detail how to get there. From women, senior citizens and people from other states, everyone is treated with respect. Th at’s why women feel safe here.

The architecture of the old buildings is amazing, and you can feel the warmth of the people who live here. Pune has made me feel at home, and I am here to stay forever.

Celebrating nobility of the human spirit welfare of the disabled was an eye opener. People should come forward and question the authorities as to why the funds are lying unused. There are so many people who cannot afford to buy equipment like folding chairs, commode toilets etc. These funds could be of great help to them. Also it could give fi nancial assistance to so many and help them start a small business. There are many of the likes of Maruti Jadhav who are waiting for assistance from the government. Even after applying for a wheel chair in 2002 he still hasn’t got it. Denying them these facilities shows that PCMC is ignoring the plight of the disabled.

—Shruti Thirani

most. She is young and has dreams just like any other student. She aspires to become a policewoman and is working hard for it. It is really sad that people disrespect them. I say hats off to their courage.

—Ashwini Joshi

Another fallout of the VIP culture

The story on Lavani performers was very interesting and gave an insight into the struggles the dancers face. It is really sad that behind a canvas of bright lights, the reality is in stark contrast, harsh and painful. The warped versions of this dance form, according to me, are the result of what various regional movie industries

are churning out. For the viewer, Lavani is simply just another item number adding masala to a movie, but nobody cares about the reality. It was inspiring to know that despite all the hardships, they still are determined to become something in life and are getting themselves educated. Mayuri Jawalekar’s story saddened me the

The story on the minister refusing to sit with commoners during an IPL match angered me. It’s really sad how these ministers behave in public, and demand special seats. They are so used to getting VIP treatment everywhere that they now can’t live without it.

How can he refuse to sit with people, what is wrong with that? He didn’t ask for a special seat for himself, but seat for his entire group. People really should think before they cast their votes and elect people like these, who think they are a cut above.

—Mohan Agarwal

Do weddings mean PCMC ignoring woes disturbing others?

The article on ‘Citizen bust noise of the disabled polluters’ was a good read. It’s good The article on PCMC failing in its duties to utilise the funds for the

to know that people are taking matters into their own hands when

the authorities fail to perform their duties. Playing loud music at weddings should be stopped completely. Also the marriage processions on roads should not use loud music systems, as it is really annoying for other residents. If the cops fail to take action, people are left with no option, but to be silent spectators. There is a marriage lawn near our society too. The noise of crackers and the music played by DJs really annoys us all. But now I will take action against them and fi le a police complaint.

—Vinita Yadav

Write to Us Letters to the Editor may be emailed to editor_tgs@goldensparrow.com, editor_tgs@gmail.com or mailed to The Editor, Golden Sparrow Publishing Pvt Ltd, 1641 Madhav Heritage, Tilak Road, Pune-411030.

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