@TGSWeekly | PAGES: 16+16 (TGS LIFE) | PRICE: `5
PUNE, OCTOBER 11, 2014 | www.goldensparrow.com
WHO WILL BE KING MAKER IN MAHARASHTRA?
MAHA POLLS 2014 | Your vote matters
Which way will the winds blow for Sharad Pawar? BY ASHOK BHAT @ashok_bhat
To what extent will the ‘Modi factor’ impact the outcome of the state assembly polls in Maharashtra on October 15? What can be expected in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad? See special coverage on pages 6 & 7 INSIDE
LIFE
Deepika can take a tough stand when push comes to shove
EDIT
A cop’s murder and child trafficking in India P 12
Satyarthi shares Nobel Peace Prize with Pakistani Malala
OSLO: Indian rights activist Kailash Satyarthi and Pakistan’s Malala Yusafzai have together been awarded the prestigious Nobel peace prize for this year. The Nobel Committee said it was “an important point for a Hindu and a Muslim, an Indian and a Pakistani, to join in a common struggle for education and against extremism”. Seventeen-year-old Malala Yusafzai, who was shot at by the Taliban in 2012 for protesting against curbs on girls attending school in her town in the Swat Valley, is Pakistan’s fi rst Nobel laureate. “The voice of crores of children has been heard,” Satyarthi told a media channel. The Nobel Committee said the two activists had been awarded for their “struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education”. The panel said Satyarthi had shown great personal courage and
pursued Gandhi’s tradition. On Malala, whose remarkable story of survival has moved millions across the world, the committee said she has shown by example that children and young people, too, can contribute to improving their own situations. “Th is she has done under the most dangerous circumstances. Th rough
SATYARTHI & MALALA
her heroic struggle she has become a leading spokesperson for girls’ rights to education,” the committee said. Kailash Satyarthi is a crusader of child rights. His New Delhi-based
organisation Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) has been fighting against child labour by creating resistance to products made by bonded children, as well as with direct legal and advocacy work. Bachpan Bachao Andolan was India’s first civil society campaign against the exploitation of children. It was set up in 1980 and to date has touched the lives of 80,000 young people. One of the key initiatives of BBA is its Bal Mitra Gram (BMG) programme, an innovative development model to combat child labour, protect child rights and ensure access to quality education to all. BBA has transformed 356 villages as child friendly villages across 11 states of India. Agencies
“The Indian voter is more clever than the politician,” was how one of Maharashtra’s most powerful politicians, Sharad Pawar, once described his electorate. What he meant, obviously, is that the voter behaviour is most unpredictable. Having been a seasoned politician for nearly five decades, Pawar has seen this closehand, election after election. Known as an able administrator and someone who has handled disaster management competently, Pawar became the youngest chief minister of the state in 1978 at the age of 38. From there on, whenever he tested his ability to draw votes from the voters of Maharashtra, he never secured more than 60+ seats. Therefore, it is mere rhetoric when Pawar and his nephew Ajit state confidently that the NCP will achieve the magic figure of 145 seats on its own merit in the state assembly polls. What all parties are looking at is a post-poll alliance with like-minded parties. Will the BJP form the next government in Maharashtra? Will the Shiv Sena, MNS and the NCP join hands to keep Modi out of Maharashtra? Will
the NCP align with the BJP in the name of “development”? Anything is possible in politics where “no one is a permanent enemy”. In 1980, Sharad Pawar fought the election on his own with support from Congress (Urs) and secured 47 seats. In 1984, he fought the polls under the Congress (Socialist) banner and secured 54 seats. He merged the Congress (S) with the Indian National Congress (I) in the presence of the late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in Aurangabad in 1989. Pawar established the Nationalist Congress Party on June 10, 1999, after he was expelled from the Congress for criticising party president Sonia Gandhi and opposing her bid for prime ministership. In the fi rst elections after NCP’s formation, Pawar secured 58 seats. In 2004 and 2009, he contested the polls in alliance with the Congress and secured 71 and 62 seats respectively. Soon after the BJP-Sena pre-poll alliance of 25 years snapped, the NCP and the Congress too parted ways with all major parties deciding to fight on their own. Given the strong antiincumbency factor, there is a remote possibility that the NCP will be able to better its past performance. ashok.bhat21@gmail.com
a diwali of lasting bonds
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 11, 2014
Pune’s German connection comes of age P4
PUNE
e rich in India findBecause their own conscience; “Giving “Th is like blessing yourneed owntolife. when you give a little of the what they earn. give withtoan open heart, good that youWe do must for thelearn otherthe art ofback giving before the art of living!” person comes to you in some form of a blessing.” —Bindeshwar Pathak,Aditya founder, —Rajashree Birla, chairperson, Birla Centre for Sulabh International Community Initiatives and Rural Development
On the hunt for a sprite on a midsummer’s night P 13
Lighting up their world
The joyful chocolatier visionaries Niwant Andha Mukta Vikasalay’s chocolate-making course gives the visually impaired economic independence BY YASH DAIV @yash009 Niwant Andha Mukta Vikasalay (NAMV) founder Meera Badve set up Choco Niwant, a chocolate-making unit for visually impaired children, in 2012. From humble beginnings as an in-house activity the enterprise has evolved into a commercially viable one in this relatively short period. “And yet we haven’t lost the joy that goes into making these chocolates and the lessons that my children have learnt from the process,” said Badve who thinks of her students as her children. More than anything else, this initiative has given Badve’s children a sense of independence. Badve has a master’s degree in English Literature. In 1996, when she had quit teaching, something happened that made her take it up again. “On my husband Anand Badve’s birthday, we were visiting a school with visually impaired children. A little boy came up to me, hugged me and broke into tears. He had mistaken me for his mother. All I could do was console him and dry his tears. It was a heart-rending moment and I decided to get back to teaching right then,” said Badve. Her home, Niwant, seemed the perfect place for her to shelter and teach her students. Badve’s friend had suggested chocolate-making for NAMV’s visually impaired children, instead of the more conventional courses that they were being trained under. Since some of these children were already learning catering skills at the Food Craft Institute (FCI), chocolate making seemed to be a step in the right direction. “Initially we faced a lot of problems in teaching them. The fi rst day was an utterly chaotic set-up and the whole house smelled of chocolates. It is
“They understand that they have to be at par with the world or better. People will buy their product because of its quality.” - Meera Badve
About NAMV
The visually impaired students at Niwant Andha Mukta Vikasalay are entirely involved in the chocolate-making process, right from buying the raw materials to packing the chocolates. The chocolate-making activity has given these students a sense of independence
actually a happy memory,” said Badve. She personally trained them in designing the chocolates as well as in packing techniques. As the quality of the chocolates improved, Badve decided to market them. “My daughter Uma helped me in commercialising the chocolates,” said Badve. Choco Niwant was the brand name
they chose. “The students wanted to retain the name of the bungalow, since all the chocolate making takes place here,” said Badve. These chocolatiers produce a variety of chocolates ranging from plain dark, butterscotch, strawberry, orange to dry fruit integrations. They have bagged orders from big fi rms
like Crystal Honda, CT Pundole and Sons, Geometric Software etc. “Tata Consultancy Services deserves a special mention as they have started funding this cause,” said Badve. The students earn up to Rs 10,000 on monthly basis. “One per cent of the total earning is donated to organisations that help schizophrenics, autistic children and
NAMV located at Vidya Nagar, has been educating visually impaired students for the past 16 years. Meera Badve and the NAMV staff groom students from Class XI to post-graduate students, in English and Marathi. NAMV has over 10000 students on its rolls, 15 Braille libraries, it runs TechVision, a software unit as well as Choco Niwant. Through its broad spectrum of activities, NAMV has opened up avenues of progress for scores of visually impaired students. Tata Salt has felicitated Meera Badve for her continuing efforts to educate and empower visually impaired through NAMV.
child labourers,” said Badve. The chocolate-making enterprise has given the students a sense of independence as well as confidence from being able to earn a living from it. “It has taught them the importance of quality. They understand that they have to be at par with the world or above them. People will buy their product
because of its quality,” said Badve. She believes that the business will be self-sustaining in the years to come. “Besides the commercial outlook, I hope that my children develop selfesteem as they work with Choco Niwant,” said Badve. yashdaiv@gmail.com
RAHUL RAUT
Giving specially-abled kids a helping hand Netra Tendulkar’s ZEP Rehabilitation Centre strives to bring specially-abled kids into the mainstream
Sharda Rikame teaching yoga to the students of Chinchwad Muk Badhir School
Evolving, the yoga way Sharda Rikame teaches yoga to children with hearing and speech impairments BY ARCHANA DAHIWAL @ArchanaDahiwal Sharda Rikame, 44, teaches yoga to children at the Chinchwad Muk Badhir School conducts free yoga sessions for the residents of the locality. Currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in yoga, Rikame wants to create greater awareness about the benefits of yoga. Rikame attended a Patanjali yoga camp in Pimpri Chinchwad in 2013. Here she realised how effective yoga is for a healthy life and decided to pursue yoga studies further. She found time on her hands to teach yoga after her children finished their schooling. “During the Patanjali course whenever our teacher was absent, I conducted the class. Consequently, I became an instructor and trained volunteers in various pockets of Pimpri-Chinchwad,” said Rikame. Rikame’s yoga camps last from a week to a month. At Chinchwad Muk Badhir School, the yoga sessions are for an hour in the morning, daily. “The yoga therapy for children
lasts longer than usual. It is an effective therapeutic tool that brings about better physical and psychological growth. The regular practice of yogasanas, pranayamas and meditation create balance between the nervous and endocrine systems,” said Rikame. She urges parents to send their children to yoga sessions, even during holidays. “The course if performed in continuation for whole year will yield better results,” said Rikame. Teachers at the school feel that it is too early to say anything about the benefits of yoga since it was introduced a month ago. “The children are nonetheless responding positively to the sessions,” said Purushottam Patil, a teacher at Chinchwad Muk Badhir School. Sharda says that it is rewarding to teach yoga to these children. “They are hard-working, punctual to the class and very responsive to the practice. I communicate pranayam and specific aasanas with my actions,” said Rikame. archana.dhaiwal@goldensparrow.com
Netra Tendulkar, 47, started ZEP Rehabilitation Centre for speciallyabled children in 2008. Situated on Tathwade Road, Chinchwad the centre provides medical and therapeutic facilities to about 50 students from Pimpri Chinchwad. Tendulkar was born and brought up in Mumbai. She completed her schooling from Paranjape Vidyalay, Andheri and her Bachelor of Commerce from Dahanukar College, Parle. After marriage, she shifted to Pune in 1990. She gave birth to a premature baby boy who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy three months later. “I was devastated,” she said. As Netra was dealing with the trauma and coming to terms with the child’s condition, fate struck another severe blow. Her husband died due to a heart attack. “Fortunately I had my parents, relatives and friends who gave me all the help I needed during my crisis. It gave me the strength I needed to nurture and care for my little boy,” she said. Netra’s parents who live in Goa, looked after her son while she completed the course teaching for special children. She then joined Ankur, a school for specially abled children. She admitted her son to Ankur before shifting to Shantiban Society, Chinchwad. Soon after, she started planning for ZEP Rehabilitation Centre, an idea she had nurtured as she raised her son. Netra then started setting up of the ZEP Rehabilitation Centre. The centre initially had just ten specially-abled children. Since commuting to Pune was tedious and time-consuming, people
ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR
BY ARCHANA DAHIWAL @ArchanaDahiwal
Netra Tendulkar nutures specially-abled children to enable them to sustain in the society
About ZEP ZEP is a non-profit, rehabilitation centre for mentally challenged kids, developmental delays, genetic disorders, Down’s syndrome, autism etc. It also caters to kids with pervasive developmental disorders such as hyperactivity, learning disability and cerebral palsy. ZEP Rehabilitation Centre for special children runs specifically defined programme for differently able children. ZEP has various therapies which are used to treat these disorders. The organization can be reached at ‘Ashirvad Bungalow’, Gajanan Colony, Tathavade Road, Dange Chowk, Chinchwad. Contact no. 985028669
started bringing their specially-abled children to the ZEP Rehabilitation Centre in Chinchwad. The centre has an elaborate, well-conceived programme to groom specially-abled children and rehabilitate them into mainstream
society. Th is includes development of daily living skills, self help skills, functional skills and academics. The rehabilitation centre arranges various training programmes and workshops for professionals and parents. It undertakes therapies like
physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, vision therapy, music therapy sessions. But the centre faces infrastructure issues. “Even now, I have set up the centre at a private bungalow on rent at Tathawade road. We cannot take in more children due to limited space. There is a waiting list for admission. I wish there was a way to accommodate all these children,” said Tendulkar. Netra has approached Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) for funds for the expansion of ZEP. She wants to start vocational training centres for the specially -abled children. archana.dhaiwal@goldensparrow.com
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY PUNE
Bahinabai Choudhary Zoo, previously known as Snake Park & Aviary, is a small zoo established by the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation and recognised by the Central Zoo Authority. It was officially declared open to public on January 1, 1990
Helping hospitals go green
The conference today will focus on ‘Greenathon in Healthcare - bridging gaps in healthcare by going green’ BY ANJALI SHETTY @shetty_anjali Centre for Health Management Studies and Research, Bharati Vidyapeeth University’s (BVU) national conference QUASAR 2014 will be held on October 11. In its third year, the conference will focus on ‘Greenathon in Healthcare--bridging gaps in healthcare by going green’. The course director Bhagyashree Joshi said, “Hospitals are becoming increasingly sensitive to sustainability issues and initiating steps for going green. Currently, hospitals try to conserve resources, lower their consumption costs and reduce their negative impact on the environment. Green hospitals have been shown to reduce long-term energy cost, enhance productivity, increase patient satisfaction, better patient outcomes and staff retention. The conference will cover these issues.” The topics to be covered
Highlights SESSION ONE: 10.30 am: Innovations in health sector for going green: Dr KH Sancheti, founder, Sancheti Hospital 11.30 am: Healing healthcare environment: Rahul Kadam, regional director, Edifice SESSION TWO:
A session on disaster management conducted last year at the Centre for Health Management Studies and Research, Bharati Vidyapeeth University
include green architecture, waste management and paperless management. The conference is a platform for healthcare leaders, investors in the healthcare industry, hospital suppliers, pharmacists, hospital administrators, medical professionals, students of healthcare
Farzana lived a life of service to society
sector and government sectors to interact with each other and update their knowledge about bridging gaps in healthcare by going green. “The aim is to sensitise and bring awareness for going green in the healthcare sector,” Joshi said. anjali.shetty@goldensparrow.com
12 noon: Cost effectiveness in hospitals: Water conservation by going green: Dr Sunil Rao, GM, Columbia Hospitals SESSION THREE: 2 pm: General waste management of hospitals: Suresh Jagtap, Joint municipal commissioner SESSION FOUR:
3D Make Lab at CoEP P5
Bridging the gap between author and reader P8
Astrologers throw counterchallenge at MANS TGS NEWS SERVICE After the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti’s (MANS) challenge to astrologers in the state — to predict the polls outcome and get a cash reward of `21 lakh. In turn, city-based astrologers have promised to pay the MANS Rs 21 lakh if they were able to prove that astrology is not a science. MANS, in a statement, denounces astrologers’ claims as being based on ‘pseudo sciences’ and lambasted astrological predictions. It lists some questions for predictions as how many seats each party will win, voting percentage for some candidates, who will win in the important constituencies
and others. The Samiti has asked the astrologers to send in sealed envelopes, that will be examined only after the results are declared. Participants are required to enrol with a deposit of `5,000, which will be forfeited if they score less than 50 per cent. Jyotishratna Nandkishor Jakatdar, a prominent city-based astrologer and president of the Brihan Maharashtra Jyotish Mandal, a Pune-based association of astrologers, said, “If doctors make mistakes while treating patients or scientists make mistakes while calculating, it is never challenged. But why is MANS is targeting astrologers?” However, Jakatdar did not specify if he or other members of the organisation will take up the challenged or not.
"YEH SOFA AAP HI KO NIKALNA PADEGA, ...WOH KHUD NAHI NIKLEGA"
4 pm: Technology for going green: Dinesh Koka, director, west, GE Health, Mumbai
Exchange
Offer
Flat
40% Discount* Upgrade with new arrivals from around the world
*Conditions apply. On selected items
OCTOBER 11, 2014
Farzana (centre) had created a 5 Life-Skills module to instill confidence in students of schools for the economically backward
BY RITU GOYAL HARISH @ritugh Farzana Engineer, a social worker and director of an innovative education programme for the underprivileged, lost a 12-year battle to cancer on October 2. A memorial service was held at Prerna Jyeshta Nagrik Sangh Hall, Yerwada on Friday evening. She was 39. Engineer was employed with WNS when she served as volunteer with Akanksha Foundation and Peepal Foundation, at schools for the economically challenged. This was where her community service saga started. She created a five life-skills module to help students of poor schools build confidence and help them evolve into global citizens, through direct and indirect intervention. The programme launched under CEDE (Child Education, Development and Empowerment),
at the Peepal Foundation has been running in 17 Pune schools for the past year and has under its wing more than 1,100 children from the ages of 7 to 10 years. Nine-year-old Soheil lives in a slum near the PMC Shivajinagar school. He lost his parents and his siblings live in a small town in UP. He lives with his aunt. Since the CEDE programme began, he has become aware about personal and public hygiene, helping his aunt and uncle at home. He now wants to become a teacher. His aunt has seen a perceptible change for the better in him. Farzana’s life has a permanent purpose – knowing that every action she took mattered. In her honour, Peepal Foundation plans to institute an award for ‘Outstanding Volunteership’ or Outstanding Social Commitment/ Community Service. She is survived by her husband Jehangir Engineer. ritugoyalharish@gmail.com
TGS Quiz Contest
A
No. 17
nswers to the following 10 questions are embedded in the stories featured in this edition. Send us the correct answers at contest.tgs@gmail.com and be one of the three lucky winners to receive gift coupons. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Who are the founders of High Places Management? Who are blogger Priya Dabak’s favoruite authors? Who is the man wore a sanitary napkin and from which village is he? Which award was Meera Badve recently felicitated with? In association with which company is COEP coming up with a 3D lab? 6. Who is the bass guitarist for Jaagar? 7. What is Ruchi SInghal’s profession and what is the unique technique that she has used? 8. Where is Neelkanth Jewellers located? 9. What was Vaishali Hotel previously called? 10. What is Kruti Kumar Jain’s fitness regimen?
Contest # 16 winner
1. Achyut Umarji 2. Durva Avachat 3. Akshaya Ramkumar
Nagras Road, Aundh, Pune 7 Tel.: 020-410 53 000, 91589 98292 / 98814 28900 E : tangentpune@gmail.com | Open All Days 10.30 am. to 8.00 pm.
www.studiomona.in
*Exchange price with an attractive finance scheme EMI & easy finance available
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 11, 2014
Altering attitudes over altitudes P9
Signposts Bank of Maharashtra’s new initiatives Bank of Maharashtra has launched a Doorstep Banking Service (DSBS) for corporate/retail cash or instruments, collection/delivery facility for its saving/current/cash credit account holders. Besides these customers, corporate customers/government departments/PSUs, individual customers can also avail the service after pre-registering and signing an agreement with the bank. For this premium service, customers have to pay reasonable charges. Customers can avail the service in Pune and Mumbai. Those interested can approach their branch or zonal office in Pune and Mumbai. This service, considered to be highly safe and secured, will be extended to other places in the near future.
Passport appointments rescheduled Due to state assembly elections the appointments for passport applicants on October 15, at Passport Seva Kendra, Mundhwa, have been pre-poned to October 11. The on-hold applicants are requested to visit the office on the allotted time. There will be no direct walk-ins without appointment, for any category, on the day.
Puppet show at Sahakar Sadan Bharati Niwas Society’s Balranjan Centre will put up a puppet show on October 17 as a part of the Diwali party. The show will take place at Sahakar Sadan, Bharati Niwas Society from 6:00 pm onwards. The display will be themed around the Swaccha Bharat Abhiyan that took place on October 2.
PUNE
“Village-centric model deployed by Vanarai has resulted in overall development of the village Bajarwahegaon in Jalna district, Marathwada. Many families that had migrated to Mumbai came back to the village.” —Ravindra Dharia, president, Vanarai
Pak’s suicidal desperation: Modi-led India rising evokes LoC attacks P10
Pune’s German connection comes of age As Pune prepares to host the 6th Oktoberfest, TGS takes a closer look at the city’s German connection. Pune has one of the biggest German communities in the country
Oktoberfest, Ein Bier, bitte!
The Oktoberfest, a funfair held in Munich, Bavaria in Germany since 1810 is traditionally a 16-day celebration when people get together to make merry. Pune will celebrate its 6th edition of this festival from October 10-12, 2014. The Oktoberfest organised by the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce is to be held on the Race Course. Events: October 11 and 12 Time: 12.30 pm to 10.00 pm • Horse Races on both days Time: 1 pm to 6 pm • German food and beer Schweinebraten, Nuernberger Sausages and Leberkaese • Live Band: Die Sulmtaler from Germany • Tappingof beer keg
BY RITU GOYAL HARISH @ritugh Pune’s connection with Germany dates back to 1914 when the first courses in the language were offered in colleges. When diplomatic ties between India and Germany were formally established in 1952, Germans began viewing India as an investment destination. Companies such as ThyssenKrupp established their base in Pune over 50 years ago. The growth of Pune as a destination for automobile manufacturers brought in German automobile companies in the
File photo of a band performing at the Oktoberfest 2013 at Pune Race Course
Goethe Institut: Promoting the German language The German language and its learning has been a part of Pune’s landscape for the past 100 years. Since its introduction in 1914, German has grown to be one of the most widely learned foreign languages, its teaching being promoted through schools, undergraduate and post graduate courses, as an optional language. According to Shivprasad Joshi of the Goethe Institut, Pune is one of the few centres in the world where the number of students learning German and studying Germanistik has been increasing every year. St. Vincent’s High School and Loyola High School have incorporated
city grew exponentially. According to the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce established in 2008, there are currently 264* companies in Pune. Small, medium and large companies have established a base in the automobile, manufacturing, pharma, health care and education sectors. Pune is the largest hub of German companies in India and has seen an investment of more than 850 million Euros since 2006 and over $7 billion in the last 30 years, according to the IndoGerman Chamber of Commerce ritugoyalharish@gmail.com
German as a subject starting from the 8th Grade. The Poona University German Association, formed in 1955 began the familiarising of German culture beyond the academic application of the language through exhibitions and fi lm shows. The Max Muellar Bhavan, through its outreach programmes and collaborations with the Film and Television Institute of India, National Film Archive of India, Pune International Film Festival etc. continues to help Pune citizens know more about German culture, arts, fi lms and the way of life.
The German Language Love Affair •
•
German was first taught as a language in the New English School and Fergusson College in Pune in 1914 Department of German was founded in Fergusson College under initiative of great leaders like Tilak, Agarkar and Wragler
•
•
RP Paranjapye 2013-14 is the year of centenary celebrations of the Teaching of German in Pune initiated by Pune University Over 80,000 students have picked up the German language over the last 50 years
GET IN TOUCH Goethe-Institut Pune, Max Mueller Bhavan, 14/3-B, Boat Club Road, Phone: +91 20 26161340, Email: info@pune.goethe.org, Website: www.goethe.de/pune
Amit Enterprises launches A German firm that has become a melting pot of cultures five new projects BY RITU GOYAL HARISH
TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly Amit Enterprises Housing Limited has launched five projects with the announcement of their state-of-theart residential project Astonia Classic at Undri. “It is our second state-of-theart residential project at Undri after ‘Colori’, which not only received overwhelming response from the home buyers, but also set a new parameter of speedy completion. Colori was completed in 18 months, six months before the promised possession date,” said Kishor Pate, chairman and managing director of Amit Enterprises Housing Limited (AEHL) The project is spread on a 15-acre plot with schools, colleges, and all the important facilities at a stone’s throw location in Undri.
In May 2013, an Indo-German Milan Pal, started a company called Prelocate (in the business of immigration, city tours etc. for foreigners moving to India), as a melting pot of cultures – to allow intermingling of foreigners who move to India on work with Indians. He chose Pune to start The Cultural Centre (TCC). Anna Marie Mamar, who belongs to a town near Hanover in Germany, came to India first in 2012 as a volunteer for a NGO in Pune. After her stint ended she went back to Germany but jumped at the opportunity to return to India as the Programme Manager at TCC in January 2014. “TCC is the space that serves as an inter-cultural meeting point where foreigners meet other foreigners and more importantly, Indians. When families move to India, the cultural differences are huge.
Th is 34-year-old company has finished 70 projects over 40 lakh sq ft of area. “Th is project has 1,200 flats, all 2BHK with a size of 905 square feet and as a special launch offer, an all inclusive price for the fi rst 100 customers would be Rs 50 lakh for early buyers,” said Rohan Pate, director, Amit Enterprises. Th is project will have 12 buildings in the parking plus 12 and 15 floors and all the flats are Vastu complaint. Pate also announced that five projects would be launched in the next six months, in Pune at Sahakar Nagar, Ambegaon, Punawale and Baner Road, Nashik and Prabhadevi in Mumbai. Th is project is made for IT services and they have received a good response from the Middle East and NRIs. editor_tgs@goldensparrow.com
Participants attending the rangoli workshop at The Cultural Centre
They usually get to interact with the Indians who work for them especially the wives of expats,” says Mamar. At TCC, from courses that teach
Letters to the Editor
BER
obe deaths Police pr trocution due to elec
ts Signpos
Victims’
families
demand
t MSEDCL
action again
about Range Hills. The authorities need to take immediate action to avoid a repeat of the recent incident. —C V Narayanan (Gets prize for best letter)
in city old Fest’ ‘Maha G event iation’s mega Saraf Assoc
will be held
from Sept
25 to Oct
30
officials
Also seen
are Abhay
Gadgil
Gold Fest. SERVICE the Maha TGS NEWSWeekly ng about be ) informi @TGS will not (centre r and Ranka customers Fatehch Nitin Ashteka and the for Friday sought Hallma rk this.” (left) and ties i police on extra for this period, will the authori city charged The Khadk SERVICE said during10,000, buyer to report from Electri Ranka a detailed TGS NEWSWeekly d se of Rs customer has Maharashtra ny Limite in @TGS . The every purcha of Compa question ed a coupon tal deaths for the has organis receive address Distribution in the acciden ation had answers Hill CL) Association September 25 e Found in honour of the right their names, drop the Range to tick Saraf Welfar (MSED t on , write l’ from rit in the Mitra concer persons evening due The Pune shops in s s recupe a music the couponnumber and put with two Gold Festiva150 jewellery ganised weekly winner Thursday a ‘Maha egic soldier Centre ate in the and phone same shop. The 6, 13, 20, 27 r 30. Over ‘parapl Road on ilitation brave r and a to Octobe expected to particip the ution. held at at the Octobe Pune Rehab where woman was box on at electroc are prize, the r-old mme Khadki, ating declared the city n was weekly of Pune to rescue Road in the A 33-yea will be The progra Rahma president i – Pune ber 3. As gold, for who triedwhen in the (PRC). fest. es have Ranka, ACP Abdur n. off Mumba and Novem will get 100 gms winners who Samaritan, Hill Road, Fatehchandtion, said, “Puneit tion PRC, Kirkee. electrocuted road, where at the functio three Range winner be uted at were Associa guest rst the fi will spot her, Saraf electroc for the third there area of the chief power supply snapped The Saraf Associa -old was extra mile in Pune’s second slot 20 gms gold each, who will get from the legal waterlogged d wire had 33-year walk the a golden further confidence detail report t took place winners, is will receive want to a live overhea spot y to initiatethe liabilit y, if will be 20 so on. The inciden Mumbai – of and we customers. Th is to buy at the rs compan there x fallen. fi ers off was slot r draw and and who each It will the soon as Hill Road, 100 yea od music our custom for our nal bumpe A speThursday added. action. it. Aatish, help her. As 10 gms gold of the fi at Range in Khadk i, late she nity for own choice. During us any,” Patil he has written been to opportu there is auspicio the water, The winner and 50 kg silver. n Nodecided that Bollywo of their State Pune Road e deceased have kesh are many After the waded to d as she was Patil said Maharashtra 5 kg gold organised betwee Th jewellery Road . s there get Hrishi ad Poonam ny will evening as Poonam season to the g and Compa and tremblecharge. Aatish will be Maha winner buy gold. Pune Sinhag organfestival a letter people screamed Club of has the weddin cial event and 30 where the the prizes. identified a resident of Baner of Distribution seeking electric inment too came Rotaract d ood (25) 16 days when is over, is for 25 days Electricity (MSEDCL) Enterta hit by the save her but he vember Shinde season Joshi (33), on Bollyw Bold and awarde t. to and was tried and and Niche scheme Diwali Bhagwan Limited i. Aatish attempted with the charge in. The programme will be declare years of on the inciden installed Aatish ed gold, silver carry at in Khadk ised a — ‘100 season sets ers can buy ’s scooter explanation will CL has ber 28 into contact A passer by attempt l journey Mula Road after Poonam person incidents ry pieces musica on Septem The MSED ruha, where custom her electrocuted. but he fell down. in a Music’, All jewelle ism for such Natyag to help Another . tically g lywood Chavan diamonds. down. s. The safety mechansupply is automa snaps. to save both, was workin injuries ntrao onward broke had of Yashwa with minor witnessed Poonam in Camp and where power after a live wire from 9.30pm essence a escaped evening of Pune. how the Kothurd, highlights the fi rm to meet disconnected utions of not clear Thursday private Hills area r in s in parts and were er, it was even after in show will music and contrib Range ed reporte to a shower is Howev started gone continu heavy family husband were flooded per. Bollywood . Film-making d 58.2 heb Aatish ’s power supply doctor. Herbusiness newspa Golden Dadasa the Many roads The city recorde snapped. ity great artistes 3, 1913 when film Raja the wire strong action against prominent ng to The May waterlogged.in just an hour. Electric silent police India on the to the d the Speaki demanded officials. y, senior parallel release mm rainfall programme, Khadk i on Saturda Phalke wires run . In this Hills from MSEDCL Sparrow P D Patil of m handra overhead ic yet forwards to Range Harishc A live nostalg the police ldensparrow.co decade take a inspector highway. road leading said that accidental through club will ai – Pune , after a tree editor_tgs@go 1940s t as journey police station old Mumb from the the inciden have sought a looking fell in wire snapped ood Music ium. The show registered overhead on it, and the wire ver, we ’s of Bollyw Poonam new millenn death. “Howe d by Milindi, branch fell on the road. directe into the pushing ved and ya Kulkarn to the water and she was Chaitan is concei and scooter stalled
Rock band
ing at PRC perform
cert for Rock conic soldiers parapleg or-
Needless controversy on women’s clothing
A
Cont v Gupta Sanjee
Offer
SERVICE TGS NEWS i_bose @ishan
son on Fergus a (BCL) than just Library, Council much morea landmark for Pune, is The British more than refuge, comfort Road in probably of College find nook. It’s it’s a place impossible to readers that are rs, for whom its membe e house of books stores Library Council works, also hosts and a treasur ist writers’ The British else. like me drawn s. It also of the radiolog anywhere besides Britishdocumentarie A book lover ly,” she said. is the name Bhojwani started occasion and Vaisha li. instant The BCL, 1. What On the book Devieka y hours at , BBC series road almost wherein any and more. with whom on Saturda and spend Initiative’ fi lm DVDs authors’ meets across the dow, literature ities Golden Sparrow rs to know ‘Women Cancer e ops, commun Th to the library a seven-year-winfor history and At this membe worksh Bengali sale. anniversary, 75 years its oldest two oldest “We have period, except of its 54th with some of awn books price and is 2. Which celebrating Durga Puja that been the library. way older than in the withdr will be most about the library hasdge of got in touch sold off love the le at a throwa rs,” said Kajari they Poisson? ones, are this year? 1960, knowle what in are availab our membe BCL. UK, neur Brice expand to the sale, books forward to by Established unities to mes, m old is entrepre Vikas? connect teach program 3. How opport at Vanchit and to oldensparow.co learn or really looked manager for creating language e who wants to are the directors senior ishani_bose@g up for or acquire 4. Who English Mitra, UK signed the the have someon it is for study in many hosts 45-yea r-old whether 5. How an exam, university. For not local? or take BCL has Connect with literary English from a UK a Govande, the Ringan did cation also Anant but theme time? a qualifi accountant, reading 6. Which revolve around this UK. chartered a place of solitaryeducation in the theme Thecha days. the Bombay only been pursue his higher much does since college il to 7. How r of BCL British Counc cost? medium a membe d of Palkar Roll at WTF unity old Ameet “I have been I also receive the opport does 34-yearto BCL, h which I got Leeds 8. What Thanks for? ement in throug shopping Manag ship perform loves in scholar Liya Petrova education sions will violinist to pursue in 1999,” he said. of Expres 9. Where this weekend? founder loyal member sity in the city start her day? Univer Bharucha, and Teja Deokar Mahrukh also been an old ro. Back in the does actor has 10. How a self-int to bunk classes Unlimited, “It was library. and I used winner of the days, my friends est # 14 college
g 10 the followin ed in the nswers to are embedd questions in this edition. Send .tgs@ stories featuredanswers at contest of the three s. us the correct and be one coupon gmail.com to receive gift lucky winners
new ade with
Upgr
attractive with an e price *Exchang finance available EMI & easy
finance
Flat
nt* Discou world around the
On selected
Pune. years in Bose fruitful y. Ishani leted 54 just a librar ry has comp cil Libra s more than British Coun bers, BCL mean mem For most experience the BCL describes
s apply.
Contest TGS Quiz
*Condition
ds ting min your of igniApropos 54 years Exchange reportage and editorial on the 40% 15 . No recent deaths of two young persons due to electrocution in the city (TGS, Sept. 27). There are many other places in the city like Range Hills where live wires lie either on roads or footpaths. As mentioned in the editorial, people have an easygoing “chalta hai” attitude towards such dangers and don’t pay heed to it. There is one such spot opposite Nal Stop Bus Stand with wires are hanging dangerously as reported singers Datar Oak with kar, Dipika graphy is a Abhyan choreo Jitendr i. The rya Kale. Kulkarn Rama and Aishwa d by Phadke are arrange by Kunal e. and sound Khamb The lights ar and Sagar Tejas Deodh
items
HI KO FA AAP "YEH SO PADEGA, NIKALNA HI NIKLEGA" KHUD NA ...WOH
arrivals from
scheme
28900 98292 / 98814 53 000, 91589 am. to 8.00 pm. 7 Tel.: 020-410 All Days 10.30 Aundh, Pune ail.com | Open Nagras Road, une@gm E : tangentp
na.in
• Letters to the Editor email: editor_tgs@goldensparrow.com; editor_tgs@gmail.com By post: The Editor, The Golden Sparrow on Saturday, 1641 Madhav Heritage, Tilak Road, Pune-411030, (Best letter gets a weekly prize) • Articles for the Relationships page: relationships@goldensparrow.com, relationships.tgs@gmail.com • The Way Forward with Compassion & Hope: wayforward@goldensparrow.com • Want to become an entrepreneur? For mentoring advice, write to our associates: mentoring@pune.tie.org • Get weekly events listed: listings.tgslife@gmail.com
National built by the was Centre was crore. The capital d Science chwad 8.5 ri Chinchwa ums at a cost of Rs and the Pimpri Chin .gov.in/) The Pimp india nt of India Science Muse (www.pcmc Council of d by the Governme equally share oration. Corp icipal Mun
g cancer Combatin ation, rmin with dete smiles P11
s for Good new as developers ers homebuy ve offers line up festi P8
AY
W ON SATURD N SPARRO THE GOLDE27, 2014 PUNE SEPTEM
Our newspaper is interactive and you are welcome to write in to our various segments:
Top German Cos in city • Volkswagen • Siemens • ThyssenKrupp • Schaeffler • Mercedes Benz
adds Mamar. The centre also sees the participation of many expat Indians. While it sounds like all fun and games at TCC, Mamar says, “We are committed to supporting social issues and causes also. Many people don’t have open minds when they see poverty, but we make sure our collaborations help bring awareness to social issues.” Stray animals adoption camps, giving away of free tables at junkyard sales to NGOs etc. are small initiatives taken by TCC. GET IN TOUCH To participate in their activities, or subscribe to their newsletter, please email tcc@prelocate.com
editor_tgs@goldensparrow.com
Many places in city with live wires hanging dangerously
www.studiomo
TGS is interactive
Hindi to the expats, to mehendi and rangoli, festivals are celebrated and a deep insight into the Indian way of life is offered to expats. In addition, activities such as vegan potluck, treks, river rafting, dance workshops, junkyard sales, heritage walks etc. see active participation of Indians and proffer the two culturally different segments to meet, interact and become friends. The centre conducts also many activities for children. “Especially on a trek, since we spend an entire day with each other, many foreigners become friends with Indians” adds Elisa De Pascali, a young Italian interning with TCC. TCC doesn’t have a membership model and everyone is free to join in all their activities. Most of their activities are also free of cost. Germans constitute the largest number of patrons at TCC. “We have an international team and it is reflective of the kind of people who come here”
Very recently famous singer K J Yesudas, struck a sour note with his comments on women’s attire/dress code. He said, “Women in India should not wear jeans. What should be covered must be covered.” Th is remark has provoked a backlash and women’s organisations all over India have strongly protested and even an FIR was fi led in Kerala. Every society has its own norms of culture of dress code and accordingly,it
is up to the people to wear what they like. There is no hard and fast rule for that and even the Indian Constitution has not laid down any law. Incidentally, this remark was made in Tamil Nadu where a retired judge was not allowed to attend a cricket club function because he wore a dhoti. There are many other important issues instead of remarking on women’s dress code. Why start an avoidable controversy? —Vijay Dattatray Patil
Who will judge the judges?
A travesty of fair play and a blot on the competency of judges was witnessed in the recent Sarita Devi case at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. It was a clear instance of partisanship on the part of the judges as they deprived Sarita
Devi of her victory in the boxing bout. It was sheer desperation and frustration that prompted her to reject the bronze medal. This led to questions of her behaviour and lack of sportsmanship. The International Amateur Boxing body declared that an enquiry would be held into her behaviour and if found guilty she would be banned. But why is nobody questioning the incompetency or bias of the judges? In fact the enquiry should be directed at the judges and if found guilty they should be disqualified as they are not fit for the job. Alas, who will judge the judges! It is often that the victim is penalised and the guilty go scot free. The incident is a blot on the game and sportsmanship. The boxing body should be put on the mat for appointing such useless judges for important
events.
—Shanmugam Mudaliar
Write to Us Letters to the Editor may be emailed to editor_tgs@goldensparrow. com or mailed to Golden Sparrow Publishing Pvt Ltd, 1641 Madhav Heritage, Tilak Road, Pune-411030. The Best Letter of the Week will receive a special gift from Venus Traders, Pune’s finest stationery departmental.
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 11, 2014
PUNE
ED UCATION
CARE ER
“Addressing the developmental needs of women, especially the rural women, and ensuring their effective contribution to the nation’s growth is KSWU’s focus.” —Dr Meena Chandavarkar, Vice-Chancellor, Karnataka State Women’s University (KSWU)
Summit on mobile money The MIT School of Telecom has organised the Finance Summit 2014 with the premise, ‘Mobile Money: The Next Wave of Financial Revolution’ on October 10. There were discussions on electronic money apps and how banks can use them to extend their reach towards the common man. The panel also talked of how mobile operators can catalyse the goal of mobile transactions. Dr Milind Pande, project director of MIT Group of Institutes said, “The advent of mobile money transfer will revolutionise the financial sector and in turn vivify the prime minister’s idea of financial inclusion in reality.”
3D Make Lab at CoEP The 3D printing lab will be functional by January 2015 BY Manasi Joshi Saraf and Ishani Bose If you break a part of your favourite car and repairing it is burning a hole in your pocket, don’t worry as you can now create a prototype of the same within a short period of time and at a reasonable cost, thanks to a 3D (three dimensional) Rapid Prototyping Machine. College of Engineering, Pune along with Geometric Ltd, a specialist in the domain of engineering solutions, services and technologies, have come together in creating a 3D printing lab, called the Geometric 3D Make Lab on the college premises. The laboratory, that
For a pollution free Diwali
will be functional by January 2015, with the help of Geometric and Colorado State University, will give students/ faculty members of all colleges as well as industry personnel and the community at large an access to it, to make a prototype of any product. Speaking to The Golden Sparrow on Saturday, the CoEP director Prof Anil Sahasrabudhe said, “Geometric will be investing up to $200,000 (Rs. 1.2 crore) over three years for setting up of the lab, after which it is expected to be self-sufficient. Although the college has two 3D rapid prototyping machines, Geometric will be providing five of them to the CoEP. Besides this,
Although the college has two 3D rapid prototyping machines, Geometric will be providing five machines to the COEP
Moving onwards with Bosch Fellowship By Manasi Saraf Joshi @GargiManasi
Automotive engineer Vismita Songara, who graduated from the MIT College of Engineering, was recently named as the first Bosch Fellow in recognition of her extraordinary skills in teaching technical subjects. Pursuing higher education at Clemson University, USA, Vismita spoke about the fellowship and future plans
On October 1, students of Ramchandra Rathi Marathi Secondary School took an oath to celebrate Diwali without bursting crackers. School headmistress Abhaya Walimbe made the students aware of the adverse effects of bursting crackers. She also encouraged students to engage in social work, read and keep their surroundings clean
Colorado State University that has already has its own 3D Lab and created their own 3D prototype machine, (with the help of a 3D prototype machine) has agreed to provide technical know-how to CoEP professors regarding these machines.” He said that they are the first educational institute in India to give an open source format to the people at large to use the technology. A typical Rapid prototyping machine uses a group of techniques to quickly manufacture a duplicate model of a physical part or assembly, using three-dimensional computer aided design (CAD) data. The manufacturing of the part or assembly is normally done using 3D printing or ‘additive layer manufacturing or layer by layer manufacturing’ technology.
P 11 Rahul Raut
Signposts
Give your eyes the care that they need
What were your feelings on receiving this honour? I felt happy and grateful. More than that, I feel Bosch is providing a lot of encouragement in the educational arena for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). I was not expecting the honour and
was working for an outreach programme where we were giving training to teachers on how to teach science and mathematics in schools.
are from groups with low representation in engineering and science, including, women and minorities. Helping graduate students pursue their STEM-related degrees while encouraging them to give back to the educational community is exactly what the Bosch Fellowship is designed to do.
Please elaborate on this fellowship. The award was instituted earlier this year with a Vismita Songara grant of $500,000 from the Bosch Community Fund. This fund was established How will it impact the work you are as an endowment in perpetuity for doing? automotive-engineering fellowships. As part of this fellowship, I have The Bosch Community Fund is the received $20,000 to support my work charitable foundation of Robert Bosch which I am doing at local elementary LLC. It is aimed at inspiring the next and middle schools. My work includes generation of engineers and scientists. participation in activities that focus on It is given to deserving students who science, technology, engineering and
math (STEM) education. I make these subjects fun learning. Bosch operates in nearly 50 countries and has over 30 locations in the US, In addition to the Bosch endowment, the company has partnered with Clemson University for a cooperative education programme since 2000. What are your future plans? I am planning to step up K-12 outreach as a Bosch Fellow. Those are the formative years, and that’s when many of us decide whether or not we are going to pursue science. I plan to visit some schools and talk to the students, especially the girls. I would like to ask them what they think and maybe guide them. manasisaraf@gmail.com
MAHA POLLS 2014 | Your vote matters
Vox Populi
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 11, 2014
PUNE
Team TGS spoke to a cross-section of people from different walks of life to figure out the mood in the city. The absence of strong pre-poll alliances has made it that much more difficult for voters to decide on who to vote for in the forthcoming polls. Here’s what the people had to say about the issues and the choices uppermost in their mind
What is the mood in the city as the state prepares to go to the polls? SINHGAD ROAD
WANAVDI
CAMP
It is a confusing time for voters. I think BJP should form the government in the state, if needed with Shiv Sena’s support. It will be in the interest of the state when it comes to development to have the same ruling party in the state and the centre. Sagar Ghule, businessman
BJP is going to win in the state because of the Modi wave. He is a very popular leader across the country and in Maharashtra also. With the BJP government at the Centre, the coordination between the state and the Centre will be better for Maharashtra’s progress. Hemish Sagar, software professional
The Congress will get a clear majority as they know to run the state well. The party is under constant scrutiny for their work, so this is the time for them to make amends and start afresh. Sushil Taru, assistant manager
The NCP–Congress coalition has ruled the state for 15 years and it will be fair on the part of the people to vote for other parties, especially BJP this time. Let them give a chance to prove what the party is saying. RM Patil, retired railway officer
Prime minister Narendra Modi is a national icon. He has brought in a positive change in the country. It is important that every state in our country follow his footsteps. I am sure that BJP will get a clear majority in the state. Nazima Kanchawalla, homemaker
Till ten years ago, BJP had made a lot of changes to the state and worked towards its betterment. So, with them in power again, we will get to see a bright future of Maharashtra. Jayashree Kumbharkar, homemaker
NCP should form the government in the state. The party knows grassroots issues in the state. One has also witnessed the development in Pimpri-Chinchwad areas. Rita Vawhal, engineering student
I have lost hope in political parties. It doesn’t matter which party wins this time. How many of them have fulfilled their promises? All politicians are corrupt, they only think of filling their coffers. It is high time for citizens to wake up and take a call. Zarin Kak, senior citizen
I don’t find any of the candidates worth my vote this time. I would rather go with the ‘none of the above’ option than vote for an unworthy candidate. Yogesh Gaikwad, MCA student
NCP or BJP should form the government in the state with a clear majority. BJP has promised development of the state, like Gujarat. Congress has lost its credibility in last few years. Nandita Kusurkar, school teacher
Shiv Sena is sure to win the elections this time. Look at the way the leaders are motivating the citizens of the state. With their vision and thought, the party can take our state to new heights. Sanjay Nighot, professional
Hadapsar
AUNDH For fifteen years we have seen a government (in Maharashtra) that was deep rooted in corruption and nepotism. I wish BJP to come to power not only because of the potential that the Modi government has shown so far, but also because for the first time in 25 years BJP will be contesting independently. Prabhash Mohan Chowdhury, senior citizen
KOTHRUD
I feel the BJP will come to power this time. None of the Congress leaders interact with global business leaders, but the BJP has such leaders who think more about people than running huge educational institutions using public money. Many of the Congress and NCP leaders have medical and engineering colleges asking for huge donations. They never think about the country. Shukraja Phatate, student, Marathwada Mitra Mandal’s Institute of Technology
BJP will win hands down. Modi has had quite an impact on people. Other parties are not on good terms with each other and local parties have messed up their chances. The Congress has lost its credibility. Bhagyashree Savarkar, teacher
I would like to vote for BJP as I believe they have a wider perspective in bringing about a change in Pune and consequently in Maharashtra. I believe the party under Modi’s initiative will bring out the necessary changes in the state. Karthik Subramanian, college student
If you compare the development work done in each state, you will find that the BJP-ruled states are progressing fast. The party has a clear vision for development work in Maharashtra and they may get clear majority in the state. Rukhmangad Agarwal, assistant manager at SunGard
I might not vote this year. The reports that I have been getting about the party that I generally favour are not good. I do not see any noticeable change in my area. There were instances when I have read negative reports about candidates. It is a discouraging scene. Sumitra Kanetkar, senior citizen
I wish to vote for Prithviraj Chavan from Congress. I want to give him another chance. He is a non-controversial person and although he has delayed in taking certain decisions, he is a simple person and is well aware of the issues of the State. Any new person coming to power will have to understand the system and the persisting issues first to start working on them, but that won’t be the case with Chavan. Prakash Gajbhiye, professional
I want BJP to win this time. They are capable of governing Maharashtra better than other parties. Rahul Masurkar, builder
Even though Maharashtra doesn’t have a strong BJP candidate, especially with the demise of Pramod Mahajan and Gopinath Munde, I would want the party to come to power. Narendra Modi has proved to be a leader who doesn’t just make false promises. The progress that we are seeing in the manufacturing sector is a testimony to that. Also, I believe that if BJP comes to power in Maharashtra, it will work in tandem with the Centre, which will bring about a better governance in the state. Seema Rajesh, homemaker
I feel that NCP should form the state government. Though getting a clear majority seems difficult for any party, the NCP has a better chance by joining hands with the Congress. Together they can work for the state’s progress as both the parties know the state well. Sunita Sunil Pawar, homemaker The Congress will form the government in Maharashtra. Considering the increasing migrant population and rapid urbanisation, the Congress has put in place basic facilities and knows the nerve of the state. It has given opportunities to people from other states to earn livelihood. Vijay Awati, senior citizen
I want BJP to form the government. As a second time voter, I have observed that they have the positive outlook and the potential to bring a change. Harshal Kuwar, engineering student ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR
BJP spreads hatred, NCP hungry for power: Sonia K O L H A P U R /A U R A N G A B A D : Congress president Sonia Gandhi trained guns on the BJP, accusing it of “spreading hatred”, ane former ally NCP ally, saying it was “power hungry”. Launching her campaign for the October 15 Maharashtra assembly elections, Gandhi said the only goal of the Nationalist Congress Party was “kursi” (power) for which it was ready to ally with anybody. “For 15 years, till yesterday, they were with us... I want to warn you, Tomorrow they may join hands with anyone as their only motive is ‘kursi’,” Gandhi told huge rallies in these two districts of Marathwada and western Maharashtra. Her comments follow speculation that the NCP might ally with the Shiv Sena or BJP after elections although party chief Sharad Pawar has declared that his party would ally with only a secular entity. Training guns on the Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena which have also ended thier 25-year-old alliance, she pointed out that the BJP “promised the moon” but forgot everything after the Lok Sabha election. Though the BJP and Sena may criticise each other today, they have the same roots, Gandhi said, a clear response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charge that the Congress and NCP may have split but have the same ‘gotra’ (lineage). “Beware of the BJP... their only aim to spread hatred in society for grabbing power,” Gandhi said. Responding to Modi’s question as to what the Congress did for India for 60 years, Gandhi said that over the years, India became a nuclear power and even undertood a mission to the moon, she added, listing the Congress achievements. IANS
Nana Chudasama’s famous one-liners capture the prevailing sentiment. This board at Residency Club, Camp
Anandiben to campaign in state Mumbai: Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel will jump into the BJP poll campaign in Maharashtra during the weekend, a party official said here Friday. Over the next two days, she is expected to address rallies in Dahanu, Karjat, Akola, Nashik, Thane, and Mumbai, for the Oct 15 elections. Her Mumbai meetings shall take place in Vile Parle, Kandivali and Dahisar where significant chunks of Gujarati population are based. Recently, Patel had courted controversy when she exhorted Mumbai industrialists to shift base to Gujarat, leading to vehement protests from various parties, including BJP’s ex-ally Shiv Sena. Other Gujarat BJP leaders due to visit this
state include Patel’s cabinet ministers Bhupendrasingh Chusamsama, Ganpatsinh Vasava, Pradeepsinh Jadeja and Shanker Chaudhari, Gujarat MPs K.C. Patel, C.R. Patil, and other party officials like I.K. Jadeja and Harshad Patel. Besides Patel, in the past few weeks, chief ministers and other senior leaders of all the BJP-ruled states in India have aggressively campaigned for the 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra. They include Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Singh, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parikkar and now Patel. IANS
Watch out BJP! Sena, Congress catching up on the social media With barely a week left for Maharashtra to go to polls, political parties are ramping up their social media presence to gain maximum exposure among the youth. Digital agencies have been hired to manage their online profiles, while party volunteers are busy tracking online sentiment about their party. While there is no substantial study indicating how much social media does contribute to the actual vote, the recent Lok Sabha elections were a clear indication of how the BJP managed to sweep online sentiment in its favour, along with the actual votes. The party’s IT cell had made good use of online platforms to spread its promise of ‘good governance’ and ‘achche din’, a campaign that captured the imagination of online users across the country. And it is no different in these Assembly elections. The BJP is actually taking their social media strategy a step further to provide users easier access to its proposed policies and political promises. According to this PTI report, the BJP has set-up an online ‘election committee’ war room, that works 24x7 and sends messages of any development happening in the party to its potential voters. “The candidates are using WhatsApp and Facebook to update the events of the day. We have also been sending messages and using an automated voice calling facility that conveys our message to the people,” Atul Shah, BJP spokesperson who is also the party’s
candidate from Mumbadevi constituency told PTI. Taking a cue from the BJP’s success, the NCP, Shiv Sena and Congress have also begun taking social media seriously, with many of them sharing their candidates campaign details as well as development agendas. Take for example Shiv Sena’s Aditya Thackeray (@ ���� � AUThackeray), who has about 129,000 followers on Twitter or the NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s Twitter handle (@PawarSpeaks) that has about 66,000 followers. Both use their handles to interact with supporters and live tweet campaign details. The Congress’ Prithviraj Chavan, (@Prithvrj) who is leading the party’s poll campaign, has a mere 8,800 followers on Twitter. “We have realised that social media is the best way to reach out to youths, who account for nearly 55 percent of India’s population. NCP has started using this medium extensively now to reach out to our voters,” NCP’s chief media co-ordinator Ravikant Varpe told PTI. And according to this report in DNA, the Shiv Sena and the NCP are way ahead of the BJP in terms of its strategy to woo online voters. The report adds that the BJP which had used social media as a powerful tool to create an anti-Congress atmosphere as well as project its leader Narendra Modi, who ultimately ended up as prime
����
�
minister, seems to be floundering in the same domain when it comes to the state assembly elections. But data provided by Topsy, a website that analyses social media performance, shows BJP still in the lead, with Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP battling it out for the second spot. Over the last 30 days (9 September to 9 October) the BJP has a Topsy sentiment score of 59, Shiv Sena and Congress at 44, while the NCP is at 31. Topsy tracks the party’s positive and negative sentiment across social platforms. In terms of tweets, the last 30 days has 43,951 mentions of BJP Maharashtra, 16,877 mentions of Congress Maharashtra, 15,143 mentions of NCP Maharashtra and 14,771 mentions of Shiv Sena Maharashtra (all as of 12 pm on 9 October). Copyright: Firstpost.com
MAHA POLLS 2014 | Your vote matters
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 11, 2014
PUNE
KASBA PETH
Strong contenders
Girish Bapat (MLA, BJP)
Rohit Tilak (Congress)
Prashant Badhe (Shiv Sena)
Kasba Peth is the oldest and geographically compact constituency of the city. ‘Kasbe Pune’ was the historical name of Pune. The constituency that covers most of the old parts of the city, mainly peths, has been a stronghold of Shiv Sena-BJP since 1978. Only on two occasions did the voters elected Congress candidates — Ulhas Nathoba
Deepak Mankar (NCP)
Ravindra Dhangekar (MNS)
Kalokhe in 1985 and Tatya alias Vasant Thorat in 1992. Sena is going solo in Kasba after 26 years. BJP’s Bapat has been the MLA of this constituency since 1995 with Sena’s support. This election is important for Bapat, and Rohit Tilak, Deepak Mankar and Ravindra Dhangekar as the latter candidates are contesting for the second time.
KOTHRUD
Chandrakant Mokate (sitting MLA, Sena)
The voters are in a state of confusion. A board at Shaniwar Peth highlights voters’ dilemma
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST? To what extent will the ‘Modi factor’ impact the outcome of the assembly polls in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad amidst the strong, anti-incumbency sentiment in Maharashtra? BY ASHOK BHAT AND ARCHANA DAHIWAL
VADGAONSHERI
Strong contenders
Bapu Pathare (sitting MLA, NCP)
Sunil Tingre (Sena)
Chandrakant Chhajed (Congress)
Ahmednagar Road and Yerwada are two prominent areas of this constituency. Former minister Chandrakant Chhajed, who was keen to contest five years ago, has been given the opportunity this time. Pathare, Tingre and Galande are big names from this constituency. Sena candidate Sunil Tingre, who is a MNS corporator, joined the Sena fold at
CHINCHWAD
BHOSARI
Laxman Jagtap (BJP)
Rahul Kalate (Shiv Sena)
Nana Kate (NCP)
Moreshwar Bhondve (Independent)
Anant Korhale (MNS)
2009 assembly polls as an independent but supported the NCP post polls. Jagtap will be facing stiff competition from NCP’s Kate and Sena’s Kalate. It is believed that the Modi wave will benefit Jagtap.targeting Muslims and slum voters but the scenario can change if the elite cast votes in large numbers.
HADAPSAR
Jagdish Mulik (BJP)
Kishor Shinde (MNS)
Chandere has a strong support from villagers of Baner, Balewadi and Mhalunge. However, the question remains whether the newly resident class from developing elite areas of Kothrud, Baner and Balewadi will accept NCP. The Congress has limited visibility in this constituency.
SHIVAJINAGAR
Vinayak Nimhan (sitting MLA, BJP)
Vijay Kale (BJP)
Milind Ekbote (Shiv Sena)
The constituency, before the delimitation in 2009, was famous as a ‘literate’ constituency in Maharashtra and ruled by the Sena-BJP combine. Vinayak Nimhan was elected Sena MLA in 1999 and 2004 before he joined the Congress with Narayan Rane in 2007 and won the constituency for the Congress for the first time in 2009. The present poll could be a make-
Anil Bhosale (NCP)
Raju Pawar (MNS)
or-break situation for him. He will be facing the senior and low-profi le BJP leader Vijay Kale, who is known for his clean image. Bhosale will be banking on his vote bank. He could prove a serious match for Nimhan with his strong political clout, money and muscle power. The Sena and MNS candidates are relatively new faces for the voters in this constituency.
Narayan Galande (MNS)
the last moment. The fight is between traditional opponents Tingre and Pathare and the votes for Galande will be the deciding ones. BJP’s Jagdish Mulik also enjoys strong support among voters. The past poll has shown BJP getting a high margin with Sena’s support. The new residents belonging to this constituency will be a deciding factor.
Vilas Lande (NCP)
Mahesh Landge (Independent)
Sulbha Ubale (Shiv Sena)
The sitting MLA Vilas Lande will be contesting the election for the third time from this constituency. Lande, who left the NCP in the 2009 assembly polls, won the election and supported NCP again. He had won by only 1,272 votes. The constituency will see a triangular fight between Ubale, Landge and Lande. Mahesh Landge, who has been a corporator, rebelled
Eknath Pawar (BJP)
Madhuri Misal (sitting MLA, BJP)
Abhay Chhajed (Congress)
Sachin Taware (Sena)
The constituency has a mix of slum dwellers and middle and upper middle class residents, with a strong presence of the merchant community. The merchant community for the fi rst time will get an opportunity to vote for a candidate from their community, namely city Congress president Abhay Chhajed. He has been elected for the fi fth time as corporator from Adinath Society area that is dominated by the
Subhash Jagtap (NCP)
Jayraj Landge (MNS)
merchant community. The community has been supporting the BJP-Sena alliance in the absence of a candidate of their community. But all parties fighting the polls alone has changed the political equation. Two major setbacks for the BJP candidate from day one — losing Sena voters and the support of Gujarati–Jain community. Sena’s Taware had fought the previous election on NCP ticket.
Sachin Chikhle (MNS)
from NCP after the party denied him an assembly ticket. The anti-Lande lobby is working in favour of Landge this time. Geographically Bhosari constitutes the old Bhosarigaon, Moshi, Dighi portions of Talawade, Chikali, portions of Nigdi Pradhikaran, Akurdi and other areas. Most of the industrial belt falls under this constituency.
KHADAKWASLA
Chandrakant Shivarkar (Congress)
The five-year-old constituency has voters supporting BJP, Sena and MNS. The MNS candidate had lost to the Sena-BJP alliance by a small margin in the last election. Sena has nominated sitting MLA Mokate for the third time. It will be a closely fought contest between Sena, BJP and MNS. NCP’s
Baburao Chandere (NCP)
CANTONMENT (Reserved)
Chinchwad is the largest constituency in Pune district with 4,83,914 voters. It is a highly urbanised area having developed suburbs. Pimpri, Chinchwad and Bhosari are the three constituencies created after the delimitation. Independent MLA Laxman Jagtap will be contesting on a BJP ticket. Jagtap had contested the
Mahadev Babar (sitting MLA, Sena)
Umesh Kandhare (Congress)
PARVATI
The situation has become all the more unpredictable with major political parties deciding to the fight the polls alone. More than the issues of development, these elections will decide the extent to which Maharashtra wishes to endorse prime minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. Will Maharashtra prefer Modi and vote for the BJP instead of supporting other leaders such as Sharad Pawar, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, Uddhav or Raj Thackeray? A four-cornered contest has made these polls extremely difficult for all candidates, be they sitting MLAs or strong contenders for power. Here’s an overview of the existing situation in the assembly constituencies of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
Strong contenders
Medha Kulkarni (BJP)
Yogesh Tilekar (BJP)
The constituency has a mix of rural and urban voters, but it is dominated by villagers. A tussle for power between the Mali and Maratha communities marks this constituency. The present candidates of Congress and BJP are from Mali community and Sena, MNS and NCP have fielded candidates from Maratha community.
Chetan Tupe (NCP)
Nana Bhangire (MNS)
Hadapsar was known for migrants from drought-affected tehsils and adjoining districts. The face of this constituency has changed over the last few years due to residential townships such as Magarpatta City and Amanora Park Town. The increasing number of people living in this constituency will hold the key to electing the next MLA.
Bhimrao Tapkir (sitting MLA, BJP)
Rajabhau Laigude (MNS)
Ramesh Bagwe (MLA, Congress)
Dilip Kambale (BJP)
Parshuram Wadekar (Sena)
Tadiwala Road, Kasewadi, Harkanagar, Rajewadi slums and the elite Camp area are part of Cantonment constituency that was formed five years ago. Last time, the Sena had put up Sadanand Shetty even as its alliance BJP was rooting for Dilip Kamble. With Shetty rejoining Congress, the uncalculated moves of opposition benefitted the
Bhagwan Wairat (NCP)
Ajay Tayade (MNS)
Congress candidate Ramesh Bagwe. Kamble defeated Bagwe in the Parvati constituency in 1995. Bagwe and Kamble belong to Matang caste and Sena has nominated RPI leader Wadekar of Buddhist community. All the candidates will be targeting Muslims and slum voters but the scenario can change if the elite people cast vote in bulk.
PIMPRI (Reserved)
Shyam Deshpande (Sena)
The constituency comprises urban areas of Dhankavdi, Sinhgad Road, Warje and Bhusari Colony and rural parts of Khadakwasla, Mulshi and Shivganga Khore from Satara Road. Sitting BJP MLA Tapkir is the only candidate from Dhankavdi area; candidates of Sena and NCP are from Warje and Congress,
Dilip Barate (NCP)
Shreerang Chavan (Congress)
MNS candidates are from Sinhgad Road. In 2009, MNS gave nomination to ‘Gold Man’ Ramesh Wanjle at the last moment and Raj Thackeray campaigned for him. Following Wanjle’s death, MNS did not field any candidate for the by-election and the BJP candidate won the seat.
Anna Bansode (NCP)
Chandrakanta Sonkamble (RPI)
Gautam Chabukswar (Shiv Sena)
The constituency has the highest number of slum population. Certain parts of high class localities like Pradhikaran and Chinchwad areas also fall in this constituency. Residents seem to be unhappy with the constituency being reserved. The delimitation had
Manoj Kamble (Congress)
made many geographical changes in this constituency. There is a straight fight between Sonkamble and Bansode, who had won the seat in the assembly poll 2009 by defeating Amar Sable of BJP by a thin margin. Parties going solo are likely to benefit Bansode.
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 11, 2014
Euphoria Investing
Once a draw, restive region in China suffers after unrest P 13
P 14
The first webcam was installed at the Cambridge University computer lab. Its purpose was to monitor a coffee maker to avoid wasted trips to an empty pot. — www.makeuseof.com
Bridging the gap between author and reader
TECH GURU BY SORAB GHASWALLA This is an interactive column. Like today, every week, we will be replying to technology and Internet related queries sent in by readers. You may email your questions with the subject line ‘Tech Guru query’ to tgstechguru@gmail.com ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR
Priya Dabak’s blog enables her to connect with authors and global readers YASH DAIV @yash009 Priya Dabak started Tabula Rasa ( which literally means a blank slate) in 2010. “It was a blog about everything but mostly books. As the blog flourished, I found myself cleaning out all personal posts and then made it an exclusive book review blog,” said Dabak, who has been an avid reader from her school days. Peskypiksipesternomi. blogspot.in (blog link for Tabula Rasa) had initially friends and relatives as followers before it gained an international following after connecting to online forums. Dabak’s blog and its evolution are valid testimony to the growing popularity of writing online and how it serves to bring a blogger’s work within reach of a global online audience. “I approached netgalley.com, an online forum-association of bloggers, authors and publishers. They connected me to publishers and authors from all over the world who sent me their books for review,” said Dabak. Momentum Books, Australia and Harper Collins, New York send her books regularly to review. With a forum like netgalley, literature from all over the world is available to readers. A self-published author can reach a large audience with his/her story, and so can publishers promote books online. The publishing industry uses these fora to disseminate stories and promote the sale of ebooks. Such initiatives have bridged the author-reader gap, making personal interactions possibile. Priya Dabak recounts her experience of online interaction. “A Zimbawain author, Tendai Huchu got in touch with me and I read his books. I have also discovered niche authors, whose books I love,” said Dabak. Dabak’s book reviews are widely read. “As a reader, I am to an extent influenced by a review. If I am in two minds about a book, I will go by the review,” said
Dabak, who feels that her reviews help her readers. She has received feedbacks on her reviews from large international audience as well as authors. “Paulette Machurin, a US based author reposts the reviews of her books. She reposts mine regularly,” she said. Has she received negative feedback on bad reviews? “The authors are rather appreciative of a negative review. For instance Rajeev Jacob, the author of The Great Mogul appreciated the fact that I had written an honest review about his book. He sent me some of his older books, which are out of print today, to be reviewed,” said Dabak. Dabak also reviews mainstream books. “I like writing about books. So I review my favourite authors at times. Since I have never charged for any review or commercialised the blog by posting advertisements, I can afford this liberty,” she said. Stephen King and Neil Gaiman are her favourite authors. She has reviewed almost all their books. “It would be a dream come true to interact with these authors,” said Dabak. “It is certainly an achievable goal since both these authors have a large literature base online. They give equal importance to ebooks as they would to hard copies,” she said. yashdaiv@gmail.com
US awards for India-born scientist and scholar India-born scientist Arogyaswami Joseph Paulraj and mathematics scholar Himanshu Asnani at Standford University in the Silicon Valley have been awarded prizes by the Marconi Society in Washington. Paulraj, 69, was honoured with the prestigious Marconi Prize for his pioneering work on developing wireless technology to transmit and receive data at high speed. Asnani, 27, received the Society’s
Paul Baran Young Scholar Award for contributing to point-to-point and multi-terminal channel coding and source coding problems. Named after radio inventor and Nobel laureate Guglielmo Marconi (18741937), Marconi Society awards are given annually to individuals whose work and influence emulate the principle of creativity in service to humanity.
Marconi’s daughter Gioia Marconi Braga had set up the society in 1974 through an endowment. Paulraj, donated his cash prize of $100,000 (Rs.60 lakh) to the Society’s young scholar programme. Asnani was also presented with a cash prize of $4,000 (Rs.2.4 lakh). India-born American scientist and Hitachi America professor of engineering, emeritus at Stanford Thomas Kailath
presented the awards to the achievers. “It has been a privilege to have known Paulraj as a student, a research fellow and a warm colleague for many years,” Pune-born Kailath said at the award ceremony. After receiving the award, Paulraj said the society was playing a key role through recognition and scholarships to enhance social, economic and cultural values. IANS
The man who wore a sanitary napkin Arunachalam Muruganantham, a college dropout and social entrepreneur from Coimbatore, has made sanitary napkins affordable for rural Indian women TED is a global platform where people from different fields come together and speak for 18 minutes or less about their respective disciplines. It was started in 1984 by a non-profit organisation called Sapling Foundation, under the slogan — Ideas worth sharing. Initially it organised conferences where matters related to technology, design and entertainment merged, but today it includes varied topics such as business, photography, art, science and the like.
ISHANI BOSE @ishani_bose Over 70 per cent of all gynaecology problems in women stem out of unhygienic menstrual conditions. Arunachalam Muruganantham, a social entrepreneur from rural Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, realised this and began creating his own localised version of sanitary pads. In a Ted Talk in Bangalore, he spoke about his journey of single-handedly creating a model for making affordable sanitary napkins available in the country, through his business, Jayaashree Industries. Muruganantham’s attention was drawn towards menstrual hygiene in India in 1998 when he discovered that women were using dirty rags in place of sanitary napkins, to save money. “When I saw a sanitary napkin for the first time, I thought to myself, white substance, made of cotton… oh my God, that guy is just using a penny value of raw material—inside, which he is selling for pounds, dollars! Why not make a local sanitary pad for my new wife? And that’s how it all started,” he said. Not able to afford sanitary napkins, women in poor households use unhygienic cloth, rags, ashes, leaves, husk or even sand, and put themselves at great risk of infection and cervical cancer. Muruganantham began looking for ways to make sanitary napkins affordable in India.
PUNE
“I started creating my own sanitary pads and asked local medical college women to try it out and give their feedback but they were unwilling to do so. Finally, I decided to try it out myself and created a wearable contraption that would pump goat blood to stimulate menstruation. This way I could test the absorption of my napkins. I became the man who wore a sanitary pad,” he said. Seeing this, his village forced him to leave, believing he was possessed by evil spirits, and his wife, mother and sisters left his home. But despite being ostracised, he continued with his efforts. He spent four years designing an inexpensive wooden machine, which makes sanitary pads. Typically, this machine is bought by self-help groups and NGOs. This not only addresses the hygiene problem but also provides jobs to women. So far, he has installed over 600 such machines in India. The uncomplicated design of these machines means the women can operate them, produce the napkins and sell them easily. Muruganantham hasn’t patented the machine, and has instead offered the design in an open-space format. “I don’t want to run after money because I believe those who run after money, lack beauty in their life. I have accumulated no money but have surely accumulated a lot of happiness,” he said. ishani.bose@goldensparrow.com
Understanding Bluetooth and its connectivity hiccups Many of you would have, by now, used a Bluetooth device, andwhile at it, faced “linking” problems. Non-users may have wondered what the blue gif on their device was all about. This column is for both categories. In a nutshell, Bluetooth is a method of wirelessly transferring data between two devices over short distances (about 30 feet). It substitutes for wires and uses radio fequency. The devices can be:your PC and phone, phone and headphones, your computer and speakers or even its keyboard. Remember those early days when you would come across someone on the road seemingly talking to you, only to find him actually taking a call on his “handsfree” Bluetooth headphone?The tech has evolved since then. FYi, every year, around 2.5 billion Bluetooth products are shipped around the world.The technology represents a secure form of device communication that is low cost and consumes less power. Another plusis the ability to simultaneously transmit data as well as voice. How to use Bluetooth? To start using this tech, both devices have to be “Bluetooth enabled”. Which means, they must have the necessary software/hardware.Earlier, PCs would not have Bluetooth though that`s no longer the case. Then, both devices have to be “paired” - connected to each other. For that, they need to be in proximity of each other. The “pairing” of devices also needs to be authenticated – i.everify who is at the other end.Which, in turn, requires the keying in of a PIN code. You are then set, either for the file transfer or to connect your mobile phone to another blue-tooth device such as stereo headphones. There are thousands of Bluetooth devices available in India. Because of standardisation, these work even in foreign countries. Bluetooth headsets like this one by Plantronics is available on Flipkart for Rs 749 (http://bit. ly/1wQaG3s). A Zebronics speaker is going for Rs 678 on SnapDeal (http://bit.ly/1plhcu6). Then, there’s a company down south called True Blue Voice India Ltd that recently launched an entire range of Bluetooth high quality headsets for all budgets (http://bit.ly/1vn3VH8). Bluetooth hiccups Going by what I just explained, you would think using Bluetooth was really easy, right? Wrong! Like any other tech, Bluetooth comes with its own niggling glitches that sometimes make you tear at your hair in frustration. Bluetooth user woes fall into many categories: Unable to turn on Bluetooth, drop in connection….. Here are some common faults and reasons: • Pairing failure: Check whether your Bluetooth is on. It`s a blue gif in ‘Settings’/‘Devices’. Outdated software/ hardware could be another reason.Newer versions get released regularly so ensure that both devices have the same versions. Double-check your PIN.Also, ensure the mobile device is not in “Hidden” mode. For PCs, check Driver for latest version. • Range problems: Check that you are in range of the Bluetooth accessory with which you are trying to pair your phone or PC. Also ensure your Bluetooth accessory is turned on and fully charged. • Disconnects/intermittent connectivity: Keep both devices in line of sight. Move Bluetooth accessory away from other electronic devices such as cordless phones and sometimes, even florescent light. If all the above fails, power your device off/on.Another trick is to go in and out of “Airplane” mode. You must also read up on the device user manual. Some problems can be hardware specific or because the OS is “buggy”. Troubleshooting in iOS can be different from Microsoft Windows or Nokia. There are a few generic repairapps available, too. Like this one for Android called Bluetooth Fix Repair (http:// bit.ly/1plihlE). No harm in checking them out. (Sorab Ghaswalla is a former old-world journalist who now wears many hats, entrepreneur, Internet consultant, Online Marketer, new media and technology journalist, and the Editor/publisher of four sites of his own, all related to the Internet, smartphones, start-ups and the Internet of things. You may find him at www.newagecontentservices.com) (Disclaimer: The Tech Guru column is more in the nature of a reader-initiated, advisory feature. Readers are urged to check or confirm for themselves the features of all hardware/software mentioned here before making a purchase. Prices quoted are indicative and not final, and subject to availability of product/service. This newspaper nor this column shall, in any way, be liable for any physical, personal or monetary damage/losses arising out of advice given herein.)
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 11, 2014
PUNE
“We have been experimenting a lot with our product offerings to understand the market sentiment. Like any growing business, we faced a lot of challenges, be it operations, logistics or product quality.” —Neha Jain, founder and director, Fly By Knight
Signposts Seminar on business valuation Maharatta Chambers of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA) is organising a seminar on ‘Valuation’ on October 14, from 3 pm onwards at MCCIA Trade Towers, SB Road. Ranjeet Kulkarni, chartered accountant and partner with GD Apte and Co will talk about the importance of effective business valuation. For details contact Chaitrali Sawant on 020-25709192.
Meeting with Netherlands official
Benefits of digital marketing
Altering attitudes over altitudes High Places Management is the pioneer of outbound learning in India. Founders Vasant Limaye and Mrunal Paranjape elaborate on their philosophy of experiential learning and adventures BY YASH DAIV @yash009 It was in 1980 that Vasant Limaye completed his engineering from IIT, Bombay. With a penchant for mountaineering, he found himself embarking on adventures twice a month and eventually choosing adventures over machines. He flew to Scotland to get a diploma in outdoor training management. Following graduation, he had short stints with outdoor managers in Saudi and UK. Back in India he met Mrunal Paranjape, who had completed her M.Ed dissertation on impact of outdoors on personality. I n
ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR
Maharatta Chambers of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA) and Consulate General of the Netherlands (CGNL) offers an opportunity for a one-to-one meeting with BB Bansal, commercial advisor, CGNL. The event will take place on October 16 from 11:00 am onwards at MCCIA Trade Towers, SB Road. Interested candidates are requested to submit profiles for review.
START-UP MENTOR
Maharatta Chambers of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA) is organising a workshop on ‘The Benefits of Digital Marketing’ on October 17 at MCCIA Trade Tower, SB Road. GM Krishnamoorthy, manufacturing solutions expert and Girish Kulkarni, automation expert, will be the key speakers. For details contact Sudhanwa Kopardekar on 020-25709211.
Vishwas Mahajan
“I began ideating on ways to make academic courses simpler and synching them with skill development. We raised a seed capital of Rs 25 lakh for the venture from friends and relatives.” —Rupesh Shah, Co-Founder, In Open Technologies
1989, they started High Places a firm that specialised in Outbound Learning. Since then they have soared even higher and, branded outbound learning into an indigenous variety and became the pioneers of outbound learning. The first decade: Nurturing the philosophy of outbound learning “I was contained with the idea of bringing outbound learning to India after spending 3 months in Bakewell, UK. We took our British clients on Himalaya expeditions 3-4 times a year. It helped me build up the essential experience and bring this western outlook when we started High Places,” said Limaye. This western idea morphed into an indigenous one when the late Ganesh Date, a colleague, brought ‘experiential learning’ into the concept. “The whole concept, after Date’s philosophical addition, came out as an unplanned design. From then on we tried to give out clients a palatable form of learning. Their sensory involvement is the most important part of the learning process,” says Mrunal Paranjape. Over the first decade, High Places faced the challenge of selling their concept as a learning experience. “It took
Marketing strategies to foray into a competitive market
This feature is a collaboration between The Golden Sparrow on Saturday and The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), the world’s largest non-profit network of entrepreneurs. For additional questions about your entrepreneurial challenges, write to mentoring@pune.tie.org We believe we have created a killer product in the space of education, we are now giving finishing touches to the product and would like to launch the product at the end of the product. We are discussing marketing strategies and would like to get your advice on that. Please advice. -Dr Sanjay Sridhar
YOUR COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE : We discussed this after your question and some observations you shared about the market are: • The market is somewhat crowded and • There is one big leader who is strong and wellfunded and • That competitor concentrating on capturing the metro market in India • Your product has some killer features that are better than your competitor I think that your question about marketing strategy that to be followed for your product is almost a copy book question in the landmark book that Al Ries and Jack Trout wrote by the name ‘Marketing Warfare’. Let us look at some of the principles that Trout and Ries talk about in their book and see how they apply to you. HOW TO DETERMINE MARKETING STRATEGY: A firm’s market share relative to that of competitors determines which strategy is appropriate. There often is a significant market share gap between two competitors such that each has approximately a factor of two more market share compared to the next weaker competitor. Because of this large gap, the principle of force plays an important role in the choice of each firm’s strategy. Assume that there are four firms and each is approximately twice the size of the next closest to it. In such an environment, each of the four firms has different objectives: • Number 1 firm: market domination • Number 2 firm: increased market share • Number 3 firm: profitable survival • Number 4 firm: survival THE STRATEGIC SQUARE : Ries and Trout discuss four strategies for fighting a marketing war: • Defensive. : This is for the market leader • Offensive. : This is for the number 2 0r 3 • Flanking.: This is for No 4 to 6 • Guerrilla.: This is for the rest OFFENSIVE AND FLANKING STRATEGIES : Let us focus on the offensive and flanking strategies Ries and Trout present the following three principles of
offensive strategy: • The challenger’s primary concern should be the strength of the leader’s position, not the challenger’s own strengths and weaknesses. • The challenger should seek a weakness in the leader’s strength - not simply a weakness in the leader’s position. • Attack on as narrow a front as possible. A flanking attack is not a direct attack on the leader, but rather, an attack in an area where the leader has not established a strong position. Ries and Trout present the following principles: • A flanking move is best made in an uncontested area. The product should be in a new category that does not compete directly with the leader and should be the first to target the segment. • A flanking move should have an element of surprise. Surprise is important to prevent the leader from using its enormous resources to counter the move before it gains momentum. Test marketing should be minimized to maintain the element of surprise. • Follow-through (pursuit) is equally as important as the attack itself. The firm should follow-through and focus on solidifying its position once it is established before competitors launch competing products. Too often, management turns its attention to the products that are not performing well rather than strengthening the position of the winners. If the firm does not have the resources to strengthen its newly won position,then perhaps it should have used a guerrilla strategy instead of a flanking one. • A flanking move does not require a totally new product. Instead, the product only needs to be different enough to carve its own position. APPLYING THIS TO YOUR PRODUCT : Given the above tips and applying it to your product it may actually might make sense to you to follow an offensive or a flanking strategy. For example, you may choose to look at the geography that your current competitor is not looking at (nonmetros), you can look at certain features within the existing metro market base that are differentiators and focus on those features. Remember that going head on with an entrenched and better-funded competitors may not be the right strategy for you. I also would highly recommend you to read this book, recently at the TiECon Sanjeev Bajaj talked about how he used some other principles in this book to compete with the global giants in the motorcycle market and carved out niche for Bajaj motorcycles in India as well as abroad. Vishwas Mahajan, president of TiE Pune Chapter, answers real life questions of entrepreneurs.
Employees of a firm at Garudmaachi in an ‘outbound’ activity. The founders of High Places believe that outdoor training bonds team members in a way that is impossible in an urban office atmosphere with its attendant worries and stress
time for people to understand that by going on an adventure, planned or unplanned, you cross the psychological barriers along with learning the skill,” said Paranjape. Once people became familiar with the concept, the brand value shot. High Places raked in the country’s biggest corporate clients. Today, they hold up to 700 programmes every year. The following decade: Preserving the product For 12 years High Places was the only firm that offered outbound experience. From 2002, several new enterprises entered the scenario. “The concept of outbound learning changed rapidly. It was being commercialised. We,
previously known as consultants were now known as vendors,” said Limaye. With new competition and HR practices (adventure sports, zorbing etc) pouring in, the team was temped to try new stuff. “We kept our philosophy intact. Through all this commercialisation we offered an adventure that would go beyond the organisational outlook,” said Paranjape. High Places firmly established themselves, through the altering market, with Garudmaachi an eco friendly place at the edge of Sahyadri. Built in 2004, this outdoor centre provides great options for various kinds of outdoor and adventure activities. It also has a unique utility store that displays recycled material and organic fuels. For Vasant
and Mrunal of them Garudmaachi was the realisation of a dream. “Earlier we shifted a lot of campsites, resorts etc and then Garudmachi happened. It is a dear asset. The building has won several awards for being an ecofriendly. Our clients say that a part of them will always be latched to this place, and that for us is the real achievement,” said Limaye. Ever since High Places has been flying high. They have striven to bring about a change through an outdoor experiences. “The strategies that a team might develop when they embark on an adventure, is what they will carry home. Outbound learning is all about such kind of aligning,” said Paranjape. yashdaiv@gmail.com
FOR THE
THRILL OF DRIVING
ANNIVERSARY ISSUE ON STANDS NOW SUBSCRIBE NOW: www.ThrillOfDriving.com/magazine Online subscriptions: www.digitalmagazines.evo.in
Call +91-95949-99905
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 11, 2014
Bitter battle on the cards in Maharashtra P 12
PUNE
“India is a responsible state. It is never an aggressor. Pakistan has been an aggressor. India’s paramount duty is to defend its people and its territory.”
— Arun Jaitley, defence minister
Modi-led India rising evokes LoC attacks BY R JAGANNATHAN It would be a mistake to simply dismiss Pakistan’s 11th violation of ceasefire norms in October, which killed five civilians in villages close to the international border in Jammu, as just one of those things. Before winter sets in, when infiltration into Kashmir becomes difficult, is normally the time Pakistan ups the ante as it tries to push more jihadis into the state. However, India should not see this purely in that light. The fact is the rise of Narendra Modi and India’s growing prestige in global affairs is actually going to make Pakistan’s behaviour worse than ever. Pakistan is not a rational state. Its purpose is not its own growth and rise, but the prevention of India’s rise. Pakistan defines itself as “anti-India”, an Islamic state fighting a “Hindu India” to the finish, by fair means or foul. Rational states know how to understand their own strengths and weaknesses and try and get the best deal with larger powers without sacrificing their own interests. But despite two indecisive wars (1948 and 1965) and two stinging defeats (in 1971 and 1999), Pakistan has, if anything, expanded its antagonism towards India. The only thing Pakistan has recalibrated after two defeats is how to wage war with India. It will use its nuclear umbrella to fight low-intensity jihadi warfare, including economic warfare, to damage and thwart India’s economic and political rise. With Modi as prime minister, Pakistan will thus try more desperate
things in future. Consider previous episodes of Pakistani daredevilry on Indian soil. Pakistan used the nuclear parity achieved in 1998 to internationalise Kashmir through Kargil. That, unfortunately recoiled on Pakistan as the world saw it, for the first time, as an irresponsible power. Then it sent jihadis to attack Parliament - if any top leaders had been killed in that attack, India might have gone to war in blind rage. But luckily that didn’t happen. In 2008, as Pakistan was spiralling downwards, India was rising continuously, notching up year after year of rapid growth. India was about to leave Pakistan in the economic dust. This is why it attacked the symbols and citadels of India’s economic rise - the Taj and Oberoi hotels. The intention was to damage investor and business confidence in India - as 9/11 did in America. Of course, routine circulation of fake currency goes on endlessly - both to finance jihad against India at the cost of printing currency and damage the credibility of India’s money The best way to look at Pakistan’s bad intentions towards India is through C Christine Fair’s book, Fighting to the End: The Pakistani Army’s Way of War. Fair is an expert in south Asian military and strategic issues, and she makes the following points about Pakistan. One, Pakistan is an ideological state, an Islamic state that puts its Islamism above commonsense strategic thought. This means even repeated failure to achieve its strategic goals with war or near-war does not deter it from pursuing suicidal policies. Jihadis are
Prof Thomas Kailath studied at St Vincent’s High School, Fergusson College and the College of Engineering Pune BY MANASI SARAF JOSHI @GargiManasi Thomas Kailath, Stanford University’s Hitachi America Professor of Engineering, Emeritus, who was recently awarded the US National Medal of Science, has expressed gratitude towards the teachers in Pune who shaped his formative years. Last week, Kailath (79) was honoured with the top prize for scientific achievement in the United States, the US National Medal of Science. The late Apple Inc. founder Steve Jobs and Dave Packard, who co-founded Hewlett-Packard are previous recipients of this award. Speaking to The Golden Sparrow on Saturday, Kailath remembered his days at St.Vincent’s High School, Fergusson College and the College of Engineering Pune (CoEP). He recalled the influence that his teachers from Pune had on him, specifically, his school mathematics teacher Gomathi Joshi, French teacher, G C Coelho, the Swiss German teachers at St Vincent’s, especially Fr Riklin, Fr Oesch and Prof. S V C Aiya at the COEP. Recognised internationally for his research and teaching in areas such as information theory, communications, linear systems and semiconductor manufacturing, Kailath said he was inspired to excel in mathematics by his school teacher, Gomathi Joshi. “I had a memorable mathematics teacher in my school,Gomathi Joshi, who inspired me to excel in mathematics. This led to my efforts to go to Ferguson College. I will be eternally grateful to her for this.
Another one was my French teacher, G C Coelho. There were also several remarkable Swiss German faculty, especially Fr Riklin and Fr Oesch,” he said. Honoured with the Padma Bhushan, Kailath said his parents moved from Kerala to Pune, before he was born in 1935. He along with his two brothers and three sisters were urged to excel by their parents, especially by their mother, he said. He spent 21 years in Pune, in the Cantonment area and studied at St Vincent’s. He then studied at Fergusson College where he would cycle. His next three years were spent at the COEP where he was deeply influenced by the telecom programme conducted “by that remarkable professor, S V C Aiya,” he said. Kailath is only the sixth person of Indian origin to receive the top US medal. Others who were awarded are New York University’s Srinivasa S.R. Varadhan (Probability Theory), Purdue University’s Rakesh Agrawal (Energy Innovations), and North Carolina State Univeristy’s B. Jayant Baliga (Energy Innovations), Calyampudi R. Rao (Mathematical and Computer Sciences), and Arun Netravali (Technology). In 1963 he joined Stanford University in California as an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and in 1988 became the first holder of the Hitachi America Professorship, a position he held through June 2001. A month later, he was recalled as Professor Emeritus, a position that he continues to enjoy. manasisaraf@gmail.com
Soldiers in an encounter in Kupwara of Jammu and Kashmir recently
mere suicidal individuals. Pakistan is a suicidal state. Two, it is not just a joke that Pakistan is an army with a state - and not the other way around. The Pakistani army, despite allowing periodic reversions to weak democratic governments, has complete control over foreign affairs, defence and strategic decisions. When it comes to India, the army decides the policy not the government. And the army is in unremitting hostility to India. Defeat only leads to more desperate forms of aggression. The Pakistani army is thus little better than an ISIS - an ideological power with a state to provide it with the resources
IN THE
NEWS
to endlessly prosecute its ideology. The existence of the state is merely a support for its ideology. Three, since the battle is ideological, it means even a deal on Kashmir will not solve anything. In fact, it will assure the Pakistani generals that their policies were right. Writes Fair: “Pakistan’s antagonism with respect to india cannot be reduced to the bilateral dispute over Kashmir... Pakistan’s defence literature clearly maintains that Pakistan’s army also aims to resist India’s position of regional dominance and its slow but steady global ascent.” Further, she notes: “The likelihood that Pakistan’s military or even civilian
leadership will abandon the state’s longstanding and expanding revisionist goals and prosecute a policy of normalisation with India is virtually nil.” By revisionist, Fair means a state that is fundamentally dissatisfied with the status quo and will fight to the bitter end to achieve its goals, even if they are manifestly unachievable. In this way, as Fair points out, Pakistan is more like Nazi Germany or imperialist Japan, “both of which pursued their revisionism until they were destroyed.” Unfortunately for India, the option of cutting down Pakistan cannot be dealt with this way, as it is a nuclear power - an irrational
one at that. We need a more calibrated and finetuned strategy to thwart the designs of Pakistan. The only lever that may restrain Pakistan is China, but currently their strategic goals are congruous. Fourth, it is foolish to pretend that Pakistani civil society is fundamentally opposed to the army’s ideology. Fair notes that “states like Pakistan vacillate between autocracy and weak democracy. Part of the Pakistani army’s ability to defend its pre-eminent position stems from the success of its ideology, which permeates Pakistan’s varied institutions and societal groups. Even during periods of (invariably weak) democracy, civilian leaders and citizens alike embrace the elite ideology of the military: its strategic culture.” The mere fact of India’s rise and not who rules India - makes the Pakistani army, which feeds itself on the weakening udders of the Pakistani state, see enough justification to cause mayhem in India. Pakistan can attack an India ruled by a weak Manmohan Singh as well as a stronger Modi. Modi and his National Security Adviser Ajit Doval should read Christine Fair’s book on the Pakistani army’s way of war and ready themselves for a regular and long-term onslaught on India, Indian politicians, the Indian economy and everything Indian. This is not a problem that can be sorted out in a year or two. The end will depend on two things happening: Pakistan ceases to be an ideological state, and the army loses its heroic status in that country and becomes subservient to civilian rule. It is not going to happen in this generation. We have to grit our collective teeth and be ready for repeated onslaughts. (By special arrangement with Firstpost. com)
Catch up with major developments in Pune as the week comes to a close
Pune teen wins UN award
Eighteen-yea r-old Aakash Shah of Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT) was awarded the United Nations ‘My World 2015 Innovations Award’ at the UN General A s s e m bl y l a s t month. The teen was the only Indian to have received this award and the only one globally to receive the ‘My World Innovation Award’ this year. Zoleka Mandela, activist and grand-daughter of Nelson Mandela, presented the award to Shah. The UN survey gets responses from individuals across the globe on relevant issues. There were 50 activists aged 18 to 32 years. Shah was selected to represent 50 social entrepreneurs in the UN conference and he presented a business plan about establishing cooperative computer institutes across Maharashtra. Shah, through his plans, wants to reach out to 25,000 people and get feedback on the issue they thought would make a huge difference to their lives.
City production house’s film wins international award Pune-based LMB P r o d u c t i o n ’s short fi lm, ‘And Then He Thought’, bagged the third place in t h e international fi lm competition, ‘India Film Project’. The production had used only a few locations and every team member
RAHUL RAUT
Pune teachers shaped my early years, says top US awardee
IANS
The only thing Pakistan has recalibrated after two defeats is how to wage a war with India
11. The 17-year-old left-handed all-rounder has represented the state in 25 matches, scored 258 runs and taken 21 wickets. The team: Devika Vaidya, Shivali Shinde (wk), Priyanka Ghodke, Maya Sonawane, Nikita Bhor, Tejal Hasabnis, Shalaka Hivale, Shivani Bhukte, Utkarsha Pawar, Rutuja Deshmukh, Aditi Gaikwad, Nikita Aage, Charmi Gawai, Mrudul Solao and Rama Kasande.
India to be a partner in telescope project Although the Supreme Court (SC) recently came down heavily against the indiscriminate use of beacon lights by bureaucrats and others dignitaries, a private vehicle was seen parked on the Airport Road near the golf course chowk on Thursday evening with a beacon. The same route was used by prime minister Narendra Modi to reach Pimpri from Lohegaon Airport. However, no action was taken against the vehicle, which left the place swiftly.
played actors. Motion graphics and emotions were used in the fi lm and it was uploaded just two hours in advance as it was supposed to be a 48-hour fi lm festival. The short fi lm is based on progress, the topic given to the team. The 15-member team, including LMB director Anurag Ramgopal (26), production head Ashish Pillai (24) and editor Jayraj Patil (23) have individual projects and LMB stands for ‘Let’s Make Better’. The team received the award from Hansal Mehta and Mung Kumar. The contest had attracted 650 entries from 11 countries.
Man held for selling betting software The Pune crime branch arrested a 33-year-old man for allegedly developing a computer software programme for bookies and punters and selling it to more than 12 people in the country. The police
seized Rs 11.92 lakh, 27 cellphones, 12 SIM cards, a laptop, hard disk and a currency counting machine after raiding the apartment of the suspect Ekanksh Rajendrakumar Jain (33) of Rakshaknagar, Kharadi. The team was lead by assistant commissioner of police (crime) Prasad Hasabnis and senior inspector Sushama Chavan.
Devika Vaidya to lead Maharashtra Pune’s cricketer Devika has been selected to lead Maharashtra in the U-19 women’s zonal league one day limited overs (west zone) tournament to be held in Pune from October
Vaidya
India will be a prime partner in the making of Th irty Meter Telescope (TMT) at Hawaii, USA. On September 24, the Union Cabinet approved India’s participation in the project. The TMT is an optical and near-Infrared telescope with a primary mirror with an effective diameter of 30 metres. It will enable astronomers to study the Universe with unprecedented detail, right up to the fi rst formation of stars and galaxies. The telescope will be built and operated by a consortium of institutions from the US, Japan, China, India and Canada. India will contribute about 10 per cent of the cost of building the telescope and observatory, amounting to about Rs 1,300 crore, over the construction period 2014-23. The total cost of the telescope will be about US $ 1.4 Billion.
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 11, 2014
PUNE
“Understanding the full extent of the economic and disease burden of dengue is necessary to help policymakers and public health officials control its future outbreaks.” — Brij Kishore Tyagi, senior investigator, CRME
Give your eyes the care that they need Dr Meenakshi Bhagali, president of Poona Ophthalmological Society, is keen on creating awareness for better eyesight
Computer, mobile and game screens have adverse effects on children’s eyes
BY ANJALI SHETTY @shetty_anjali Most parents love to show off their toddler’s ability to operate a cellphone or a gadget. They consider it an achievement, but Dr Meenakshi Bhagali, president of Poona Ophthalmological Society, warns against the effects of computer, mobile and game screens on children’s eyes. On the occasion of World Sight Day, celebrated on October 9, Dr Bhagali wants to make people aware of this and also emphasise the, ‘Foresight Preserves Sight’ message under the auspices of Poona Ophthalmological Society (POS). “The society follows a theme every year and this time I am keen on spreading the word on taking precautions for better eyesight,” said Bhagali. “Today our lives are fast-paced and sedentary. We overlook minute details of the eye especially with children. A pre-school going child should undergo regular eye check-ups. Children are glued to the television, computers and mobile screens. They are so engrossed that they do not even blink, causing dry eyes. In addition, the intake of junk and fast food has reduced the intake of Vitamin A. If a weak eye is ignored initially, it becomes a lazy eye, causing complications later,” added Bhagali.
The best way to avoid eye problems is through regular check-ups by an ophthalmologist, a healthy lifestyle that includes a vitamin-rich diet. There are around 12 million
“We overlook minute details of the eye especially with children.” -Dr Meenakshi Bhagali
Take care of your eyes: 1. Include Vitamin A-rich food in your diet. 2. Avoid sitting in front of computer screens for long. If job demands it, take frequent breaks. 3. Curtail the use of mobile phones and computers by childrenand computer screens regularly. bilateral blind in India, of which 80 per cent people could have been prevented from turning blind. “Major cases of blindness still are cataract, glaucoma and refractive errors. We have seen a 10 per cent increase in incidence of diabetes in Pune, with 12 per cent suffering from retinopathy. Th is is because people are ignorant about eye care. They use over-the-counter eyedrops, get eyes tested at optometrists. They fail to understand that if they are near-sighted, they are likely to get glaucoma,” said Bhagali. Diabetes and blood pressure patients should regularly get their eyes checked to avoid diabetic retinopathy. “Th is is preventable by maintaining a disciplined lifestyle. If you have work at a computer, then you should take breaks and blink.” anjali.shetty@goldensparrow.com
“Spiritual pursuits like meditation or group sessions with philosophers also help avoid heart conditions. Yoga can be used as a preventive medicine for cardio-vascular conditions.” —Harsh Vardhan, Union Health Minister
The Way Forward With Compassion & Hope
Learn to do any job BY C RAVINDRANATH
W
ith more and more youngsters becoming graduates, MBAs and IT professionals, I witness a disturbing trend these days – people saying “It’s not my job,” or “Why should I do it?” This not only indicates lack of commitment to the goal or the task but also something more serious – that the task is below their dignity. When I was 38, I lost my job. For nearly two months, I applied for jobs, appeared for interviews but in vain. Passing through MG Road one day, I dropped in on an old friend, a loquacious, elderly widow who used to run a stationery shop. Nergis Dabholkar was ever ready to offer a cup of tea and exchange pleasant words. “Hello Ravindranath,” she greeted me with her usual ebullience. “How are you and how’s the family? What are your girls doing?” I assured her that all were well. “So where are you working these days?” I told her I was still looking for a job. “You’re a nice person Ravindranath and I like you but I think you’re feeling sorry for yourself. Two months without a job? Please don’t come to my shop till you get a job.” Had she slapped me, it would not have hurt more. I
remember walking out in a daze, stunned, outraged, indignant. What right did she have to insult me thus? I went to a near-by park and sat on a bench and cried. I have no idea how long I sat there but as I calmed down, I realised she was right. I was wallowing in self-pity. I felt life had given me a raw deal. I decided to get out of my house the next morning, meet anyone I felt could give me a job and to go home only when I either had a job or the assurance of one. I had no idea what I’d do if I had no success. The next afternoon, tired and hungry, I was on my scooter near the railway station after several fruitless meetings, when someone hailed me. It was an old friend, an office-bearer of the hamal panchayat. “I have no time to talk to you,” I told him. “I need a job today. If you have a job, tell me. Otherwise, we’ll meet some other time.” He took a long look at me. “I have a job for you,” he said. “Come, let’s have tea and talk about it.” Over, he said, “Look my friend, if you want a job, I have one for you. If you want a job with a chair and a table with a telephone on it and AC plus a beautiful secretary, I can’t give you such a job. It is hard, manual but honest work. Your clothes will get dirty. Are you prepared?”
Desperate, I told him I was ready for any job. He took me to a godown complex near Phursungi where I became a hamal or porter, loading and unloading trucks with other hamals. It was back-breaking but honest work – and it paid. It is another matter that I eventually pulled myself up by my bootlaces, changing jobs and climbing the corporate ladder, but the experience taught me a lesson – the dignity of labour. Nergis Dabholkar is no more but I’m still grateful to her. “What you do does not matter,” one of my teachers told me. “What matters is how well you do it. Even if you have to clean the floor, people should marvel at its cleanliness. You must take pride in what you do.” Even as a senior hospital executive, I have pushed wheelchairs and trolleys, provided bed-pans and kidney trays in emergencies and even held the tray while the patient vomited. As a dhammasevak on Vipassana meditation courses, I have cleaned toilets. I did not feel it was ‘infradig.’ In fact, people respected me for having done such work. (The writer is a multi-faceted personality who believes in responding with compassion and hope to the difficult situations in life.)
Is a problem bothering you and you are unable to decide what to do? Write in to us at wayforward@goldensparrow.com for advice and suggestions from C Ravindranath
Invitation Price
`5
Annual Subscription
`199
VOICE OF THE PEOPLE
H EA RD.
Does wealth contribute to well-being? Excessive wealth incarcerates one in a golden cage BY SUMIT PAUL I wonder whether wealth really contributes to well-being. Is it really the ultimate source of happiness? Contentment is something that doesn’t come with wealth. On the contrary, wealth takes away one’s peace of mind. Wealth begets jealousy. In fact, the Japanese say that wealth and envy are twin sisters. They are indeed Siamese twins. Wealth invariably increases one’s longings for more wealth. And these cravings have no end. In our pursuit of wealth, we often miss out on life’s simple pleasures. How much does one need to live peacefully? The mad scramble to amass and accumulate leaves no time to stand and stare. Excessive wealth incarcerates one in a golden cage. A wealthy friend in Ludhiana sold his expensive car within a couple of months. When I asked him why, he confided that his neighbour bought a more expensive car and now his wife felt embarrassed to drive her
rather humdrum car. It gave her an inferiority complex! This is the pitfall of wealth. You’re never satisfied. It fills you with rabidly vicious envy. Mirza Ghalib brought home this point in his inimitable manner: ‘Hazaron khwahishein aisi ke har khwahish pe dum nikle; Bahut nikle mere armaan lekin phir bhi kam nikle’. (All desires are so overwhelming that you die for each of them. Even after so many wishes, there’re still a host of them unrealised and unfulfilled). Many of us hanker after wealth and possessions. We start living in ivory towers and lose touch with reality. Wealth creates an artificial life and one eventually feels suffocated in it. For Siddharth (Gautam Buddha), it wasn’t the overwhelming fear of death and sufferings that made him on to leave everything. It was the futility of wealth, which he realised at an early age. Interestingly, in Sinhalese, the word Buddha also connotes ‘a blissful existence without wealth!’ Wealth is a mirage in the desert of
life. It’s a proverbial will-o’-the-wisp, an ever elusive thing. To be affluent and happy is like being happily married. You’re either happy or married. The two can’t exist together. I’m not a rabid egalitarian hurling stones at those who have wealth. It’s good to have money but there should be a limit. Too much wealth is often inimical to (mental) health that leads to physical health. One should realise that soul-satisfaction is of paramount importance. The late Milton Friedman, who won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1976, wrote that, “Wealth also has a collective negative bearing on the societal relationships, which’s not good for the overall well-being of the society and mankind.” He explained further, “When we judge people on the basis of their wealth and we inevitably do that, we draw an invisible line and create differences in our sub-conscious. This is undesirable and unhealthy because it polarises the world into two distinct groups: Have and have-nots.”
PUNE’S FIRST WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
THE GOLDEN SPARROW TO SUBSCRIBE
ON SATURDAY
Contact your newspaper vendor today or The Golden Sparrow circulation executive for assistance Area TGS Executive Camp, Quarter Gate, Pune Station,Yerawada, Chandan Nagar ------------------- Manoj Dhumal Kothrud, Karvenagar, Nalstop, Bhusari Colony, Warje ------------------------------ Prasad Lonkar Padmvati, Swargate, Sinhagad Road, Appa Balwant Chowk & Peth areas ------ Ananda Hajare PCMC, Kalewadi, Nigdi, Bhosari, Sangvi, Bopodi ---------------------------------- Yogesh Kolekar
Contact Number 9890066516 8421540282 7507169414 9011055077
TH E EDIT PAGE
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 11, 2014
PUNE
Editor’s pick
Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely.” — Franklin D Roosevelt
A cop’s murder & child trafficking in India the prostitution racket, destroying the lives of thousands of children year after year. What is worse is the involvement of politicians and members of the police force, who earn regular haftas for using their clout to provide protection to the criminals. The problem of kidnapped minor girls is so very serious in the country that the Supreme Court in its order of November 2002 issued a series of guidelines for the effective search of such girls. In 2004, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Action Research report established the strong links between missing persons and human trafficking in the country. The report noted that hundreds of women and children disappear daily in the country and many remain untraced. The law enforcement agencies, at best, have a half-hearted approach when it comes to locating missing persons. In February 2013, the Supreme Court expressed anger over the Home Ministry’s report of over 1.7 lakh missing children in the country. “Nobody seems to care about missing children. Th is is the irony,” the court observed. The Home Ministry told Parliament in 2013 that more than 3.25 lakh children went missing between 2011 and 2014 (till June) at an average of nearly one lakh children going missing every year. Corrupt politicians and policemen who are part of child-trafficking and prostitution deserve our fullest contempt. They need to be aware that times have changed in India and the long arms of the law will eventually reach out to them. On our part, we, the members of the public and the media, need to create awareness about the gruesome reality of child abuse in the country. In the present case, the former prostitute who is in judicial custody deserves our fullest support for her rehabilitation. editor_tgs@goldensparrow.com @TGSWeekly
Your vote is valuable At an election rally on October 5, senior BJP leader and Union minister Nitin Gadkari described rather colourfully how voters would be wooed by politicians and political parties with all kinds of bribes and inducements. Voters would be wined and dined day in and day out and would be offered bribes in cash and kind, he said, highlighting the reality of Indian politics. Wanting to be humorous and evoke laughter, Gadkari said, rather foolishly, “...eat what you wish and drink what you desire. Keep whatever you get. Th is is the time when illegally earned money can go to the poor. Therefore, do not say no to Laxmi...” He then urged listeners not to be swayed by these inducements but vote for his party. The Election Commission
took cognisance of these comments and issued a show cause notice to the minister. Bribe taking and bribe giving is going to be at its peak in the 2014 Maharashtra assembly polls on October 15 with the electoral survival of prominent politicians at stake. Huge amounts of black money and counterfeit currency notes will find their way to the streets of Maharashtra. There is that much more work for the Election Commission’s Vigilance Squad and patriotic citizens who want to root out corruption from the country. The best thing to do in this environment is to penalise the bribe givers by not giving them your valuable vote.
Vol-1* lssue No.: 17 Printed and Published by: PRI – Media Services Private Limited CIN: U22222MH2012PTC232006 on behalf of Golden Sparrow Publishing Pvt. Ltd. CIN:U22200PN2014PTC151382 Printed at Diligent Media Corporation Ltd., Plot No. EL-201, TTC Industrial Area, MIDC, Mahape, Navi Mumbai. Published at Golden Sparrow Publishing Pvt. Ltd. 1641, Madhav Heritage, Tilak Road, Pune-411 030, Tel: 020-2432 4332/33. Editor: Abhay Vaidya (Responsible for the selection of news under the PRB Act, 1867)
Cartoon by: Vaijnath Dulange
Bitter battle on the cards in Maharashtra BY AMULYA GANGULI This month’s assembly elections in Maharashtra may well prove to be one of the most acrimonious contests in recent memory. Since the parting of close associates invariably arouses considerable antagonism, there is nothing surprising about the present hostility between the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the end of their 25-yearold partnership, and between the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which have called off their 15-year-old ties. Hence the Shiv Sena’s charge that the BJP has “backstabbed” it and the Congress accusation that the inordinate ambitions of NCP leader Ajit Pawar led to the collapse of the alliance between the two parties. But even as these barbs and counter-barbs are expected to continue, what is worrying is the possibility that the battle may acquire a Marathi vs Gujarati overtone. Given the rancorous background of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, which led to the division of the bilingual Bombay state into Maharashtra and Gujarat in 1960, there is no denying the presence of an element of tension between the two communities. Moreover, since the Shiv Sena’s appeal is based on mobilising the Marathi manoos (people), the party will undoubtedly bank heavily on such parochial sentiments to boost its prospects. Sensing an opportunity to muddy the waters in this respect, Narayan Rane of the Congress has said the BJP may lure away investors from Mumbai to Ahmedabad. Since this is the Shiv Sena’s first
IANS
The case of a constable’s murder in Mumbai allegedly by a former prostitute merits our fullest attention because it deals with the horrendous reality of child trafficking in India. The charred body of the 30-yearold constable was found in a slum tenement on Mumbai’s Juhu-Tara Road in September. A 29-year-old former prostitute who is now suffering from a life-threatening sexuallytransmitted disease was arrested in connection with this murder. The woman’s interrogation and investigations revealed a chilling saga of torture and betrayal by the protectors of the law themselves, their nexus with the prostitution industry in the country and their role in child trafficking and prostitution in India. The woman told the investigating agencies that “although she could have easily escaped after the murder, she chose to return to the room and set the body on fi re to attract the police force’s attention; she apparently wanted to send across a warning to corrupt cops”. Hailing from Bihar, the woman ran away from home as a teenager as she was being tortured by her stepmother. She arrived at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, when the constable in plain-clothes promised to help her but instead sold her to a brothel. Her ordeal began from there on and three years ago, the same constable met her and began to abuse her sexually. As she told the police, she finally decided to kill the constable who was “responsible for killing me gradually”. On the day of the murder in September, she spiked the constable’s drink with sedatives and after some time, strangled him to death. She left the slum room with the intention of escaping but returned the next day to set the body on fi re and draw the attention of the public to this murder. According to media reports, the police have verified her claims and found them to be substantially true. Child-trafficking in India is among the most organised crimes, which works as a feeder service for
shot at attaining power on its own under its new leader, Uddhav Thackeray (whose desire to be chief minister is said to be one reason for the rupture with the BJP), the party, which has a reputation for thuggery, is likely to pull out all the stops to grab power. This will be all the more so if the BJP launches some kind of an electoral blitzkrieg with Narendra Modi addressing 20-odd rallies in the state. Such an operation cannot but be regarded by the Shiv Sena as a direct challenge to its prestige since it has never been an ardent admirer of the strongman from Gujarat. Bal Thackeray, for instance, had favoured Sushma Swaraj as the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) prime ministerial candidate and Uddhav has rarely wasted an opportunity to say that the so-called Modi wave is a chimera as the election results in Tamil Nadu, Odisha and West Bengal showed. If the BJP outruns the Shiv Sena in a state which the latter considers
its balliwick, the blow to its position, and especially to that of Uddhav, will be considerable since it will show that the party is on a downhill slope after Balaseheb’s death. The animus between the Shiv Sena and the BJP will grow if there are signs that the latter is cozying up to the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) led by Uddhav’s cousin, Raj. Raj, however, may have botched his chances by overplaying the parochial card by saying that he will call for autonomy for Maharashtra although he did clarify that this will not mean independence. However, under his version of autonomy, the state will run its own railways and have total control over employment, which means that he will push for his favourite sons-of-thesoil theory which had led to MNS cadres assaulting taxi drivers, vegetable vendors and others from north India some months ago. The BJP’s problem, however, is that the untimely deaths of Pramod
Spirituality & tech can bring happiness ANIL K RAJVANSHI
to destroy it and we should realize that it is not the technology but human More than 12 years ago I wrote on beings using the technology are the ones how technology and spirituality are who kill humans. Thus atomic power related. I believe that both technology can produce unlimited power with and spirituality are important to very little carbon footprint. Yet atom achieve happiness. bombs, that the super-powers possess, This idea is not new since have the power to destroy all life on this rishis understood the importance of planet earth. technology in a yogi’s life. One of the Similarly the supernatural powers oldest books on Yoga is Patanjali Yoga obtained by some yogis in ancient times Darshan. The third section is devoted have also been used to kill. Obviously to how a yogi can achieve superhuman they did not attain enough vivek or powers so as to free himself from the wisdom during their spiritual practices! vagaries of nature. There are a large number of such Ramakrishna, the great saint examples in Mahabharata and of India, exhorted his followers the amusing story of Bhasmasur to use the technology to make also shows the same thing. Yet life simple so that Yogic Sadhna the power of technology today could be focused on reaching helps us to be connected via the godhead. An anecdote about World Wide Web, to fly at will him illustrates this quite well. round the world and generally to A disciple came to him and get most of the things required told him that after 20 years’ of to achieve creature comforts. tapasya he had mastered the art also gives us THINK the Technology of walking on water. To this ever increasing power of Ramakrishna replied “Fool, you have choices and fuels our greed impulse wasted your life. I can do the same since the fear of missing out is very thing by giving a paisa to the boatman”! high. Thus all the development models Though technology helps humans based on technology will become by making their life easy it has also been untenable if we do not put a cap on used for killing other humans and in our greed for materials, resources and other non-productive ways. Technology energy. Spirituality can help in giving is a double-edged sword. It can be used us wisdom so as to keep our greed for to help mankind or could also be used materials and resources in check so that
technology can be used judiciously. What is spirituality? Spirituality is concerned with the matters of spirit. When we think deeply and for a long time about anything whether it is an idea or an object then the brain has a tendency of focusing on it like a laser and in that process the object vanishes from the vision field and only its germ or the spirit remains. Then complete knowledge of that idea or object results and is called Sanyam by Patanjali. This is the mechanism by which all great discoveries are made. It is this deep thinking on anything which makes us spiritual and gives us a sense of peace and happiness. Thus spirituality is the state of mind that makes it understand that the Truth is beyond the barriers of worldliness, religion, caste, creed, race or geographical boundaries. Most of the wars are resource related. I am sure that as the level of technological progress increases we will also use it judiciously to further raise our levels of consciousness and not use it to harm mankind. The power of technology for mass communication also teaches and spreads the message of moderation. © Anil K Rajvanshi The writer is director, Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute, Phaltan, Maharashtra. He may be reached at anilrajvanshi@gmail.com
Mahajan and Gopinath Munde have left it without a possible chief ministerial candidate, especially since Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari is believed to be unwilling to return to the troublesome provincial backwaters. This vacuum has seemingly persuaded Gopinath’s daughter, Pankaja, to throw her hat into the ring but her newness to politics will be a disadvantage. The BJP will have to depend almost entirely, therefore, on Modi if it wants to cross the winning line. This may be one reason why the BJP has generally been more restrained in its utterances than the Shiv Sena and has even kept its options open for a postpoll alliance with its former ally. The fact that the Shiv Sena hasn’t been in a hurry to recall its sole member in the union cabinet, Anant Geete, nor has the BJP insisted on his withdrawal, is not without significance. Of the four major contenders, the Congress is hamstrung by the fact that it is suffering from the anti-incumbency factor. The Congress’ problem is that it has no effective speaker, with neither Sonia nor Rahul Gandhi being expected to breathe new life into the moribund organisation. Maharashtra is the second state after Bihar where the NDA has split. In Bihar, the BJP suffered a setback in the by-elections as it also did in Uttar Pradesh. But this may not happen in the Maharashtra assembly polls where the stakes for the parties as well as the people are much higher. (Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. The views expressed are personal. He can be reached at amulyaganguli@gmail.com)
Limericks of the week BY C RAVINDRANATH
The silly fight for seats Its very purpose defeats Which song will be sung If the Assembly is hung My imagination, this really beats! I hope ‘Clean India’ sticks Is not one more of our tricks To do real good Shouldn’t we include The country’s dirty politics? About the recent boxing bout And the rules that some flout The ugly sight Is that the fight Is not in the ring - but out.
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY PUNE
‘Chess in city is rising to higher level’ P 15
“Our policy on the 14th Dalai Lama is consistent and clear. Instead of talking about returning to Tibet, he should genuinely give up his attempt to split China and stop undertaking separatist activities.” — Hong Lei, spokesman, Chinese Foreign Ministry
Tourists at a park near Karamay, in China’s Xinjiang province. Blessed with everything from Siberian forests and vast grasslands to desert oasis towns of the old Silk Road, Xinjiang has long been a destination for Chinese travellers — but mounting reports of ethnic riots and terror attacks have severely hurt tourism here
January to April to tourists visiting with tour groups. The cards, worth $80 each, could be used to pay for hotels, attractions and local products. Many Han have long held negative stereotypes of Uighurs, as petty thieves, for example, but attitudes hardened after rioting in 2009 in Urumqi resulted in at least 200 deaths, most of them Han. Uighurs say much of their anger grows from long-running discrimination by the Han. The government blames Uighur separatists for most of the attacks.
On the hunt for a sprite on a midsummer’s night GABRIELLA MARKS/THE NEW YORK TIMES
Sprites were not documented until 1989, when a scientist in Minnesota accidentally caught one on videotape SANDRA BLAKESLEE
LAMY, NEW MEXICO: Every summer evening at 7 o’clock, Thomas Ashcraft receives a personalised weather report. It is monsoon season, and he is getting advice from a meteorologist in Colorado on where to look for the massive thunderstorms that erupt over the United States’ western High Plains. Armed with sensitive cameras and radio telescopes, Ashcraft hunts for sprites - majestic emanations of light that flash for an instant high above the thunderheads, appearing in the shapes of red glowing jellyfish, carrots, angels, broccoli, or mandrake roots with blue dangly tendrils. (Weather buffs call the tall, skinny ones “diet sprites.”) No two are alike. And they are huge tens of kilometres wide and 48 kilometres from top to bottom. But because they appear and vanish in a split-second, the naked eye tends to perceive them only as momentary flashes of light. It takes a highspeed camera to capture them in detail. Depending on his skill and luck and the presence of storms, Ashcraft might get one or two sprite images a night, or more than 300. From June through August this year, he captured sprite images on 29 nights. One of a growing corps of citizens who advance the scientific process in every field from astronomy to zoology, he sends his best images to Steven A Cummer, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Duke University who leads a multicentre project called PHOCAL, for Physical Origins of Coupling to the Upper Atmosphere by Lightning. “We happily take images captured by anyone, either our own cameras or those of citizen scientists like Thomas Ashcraft,” Cummer said. A goal is to capture sprite images from multiple locations to triangulate their position relative to the lightning that creates them. Sprites are “simply something interesting and unexpected that nature does,” Cummer said. “They are spectacular and kind of amazing.” But how - or even if - they affect the physics and chemistry of the atmosphere remains
Thomas Ashcraft, a citizen scientist who spends his summer evenings armed with sensitive cameras and radio telescopes in hopes of capturing images of sprites, at his observatory in Lamy, New Mexico
an open question. Ordinary lightning generates a continuous electric circuit as electrical bolts carry a charge from cloud to ground or, with surprising frequency, from ground to cloud. Do sprites and similar events carry similar charges and create a similar circuit from the tops of storms to the ionosphere? Do they induce chemical changes in the upper atmosphere that affect the earth’s ozone layer? Sprites were not documented until 1989, when a scientist in Minnesota accidentally caught one on videotape. No one knew what to make of them. “It was like biology discovering a new body part,” said Walter Lyons, a former president of the American Meteorological Society. Sprites form in the mesosphere, a little-studied portion of atmosphere about 48-89 kilometres above the earth, too high for planes to fly and too low for satellites to orbit. “We knew they were related to big honking thunderstorms” and to lightning, but not much else, Lyons said. Were they a hazard to spacecraft? To astronauts? Did they affect weather on earth? Since their discovery, some basic questions have been answered. Not all thunderstorms produce sprites, but those that do feature a type
of lightning that carries a positive charge - which, for reasons still not understood, tends to be more powerful than negatively charged bolts. When positive lightning drops vast amounts of electrical charge to the ground, the electric field in the thin upper atmosphere simultaneously increases and, within thousandths of a second, breaks down to form a huge spark - a sprite - some 72 kilometres high. The sprite then generates house-size balls of ionisation, called streamers, that speed downward, then upward, at 10 per cent the speed of light, exciting nitrogen molecules that glow blue or red depending on pressures at different altitudes. In years of observation, researchers have uncovered a fairyland of mysterious objects related to sprites: - Luminous regions, called elves, that span hundreds of kilometres at the base of the ionosphere, nearly 90 kilometres above the earth. - Faint halos just above the sprites. - Red jets from the tops of clouds called trolls. - Small white spikes of light called gnomes and tiny points of light called pixies. - Fans of lights, called blue jets, that shoot 40 to 48 kilometres out of cloud tops. - And perhaps spookiest of all, gigantic jets of upward lighting that morph into blue “flames” before turning red as they reach the edge of space. Answers to what these phantasmagoria are doing in the upper atmosphere may lie in more and better images of luminous events, which is why Ashcraft, a 63-year-old artist, hunts sprites. He works out of a funky wooden shack housing an enviable science station. Six cameras are fi xed to the roof, some of them modified to capture light from the infrared and near-infrared parts of the spectrum, where sprites are most visible. Behind the shack, he has laid out six radiotelescope arrays along spines of juniper and pinyon trees to observe not just sprites but also gravity waves, Jupiter, the sun, space dust and meteors. His location is perfect: dry and clear, with a grand view of the sky over the Great Plains. Thanks to his 2,134-metre altitude and the extremely clear local atmosphere, his cameras can see more than 965 kilometres in all directions, into the skies over Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arizona, Utah, northern Mexico and, of course, all of New Mexico and Colorado. © 2014 New York Times News Service
Even in northern Xinjiang, far from the Uighur heartland, tourism workers say business is suffering. “This year has been slow,” said Chen Yan, 37, a masseuse from Sichuan who works every summer at a hotel in Burqin, a mostly Kazakh town that is the gateway to Kanas Lake. Chen said she had made about $650 a month this season, compared with about $1,000 a month last summer, earnings that help support a 14-yearold son and a husband who does odd jobs, both in Sichuan. A Kazakh driver
in the town, Sailin, said, “Each year, business gets worse.” As Kanas Lake has become more popular with tourists in recent years - in part because of the legend of a Lochness-style monster that lurks in the waters - hotel construction has boomed in the park and on its periphery. But managers say occupancy rates are low this year. At the lake, dozens of visitors boarded white speedboats one afternoon for a tour. But in past years, there were many more people, said Sultanate, a Kazakh man who worked at the park entrance. But overall numbers are up this year compared to last, reflecting an increase in visitors from Xinjiang, possibly because more are choosing to visit the north since it has fewer Uighurs. There were exceptions, of course. One afternoon, a group of seven men who worked for Baosteel Group in different parts of the country rode together on a golf cart through the park’s central valley, carved by the Irtysh River as it flows to the Arctic Ocean. On a bus ride, a 30-year-old woman from Zhejiang province who was travelling with friends for three months across Xinjiang, Tibet and Nepal said the park was beautiful, but other parts of Xinjiang held less appeal. “I’m afraid Kashgar is too dangerous,” she said, referring to the fabled Uighur caravan town in the south that has been the site of attacks. Sun, the photographer in the Kanas Lake area, said only a handful of Uighurs were to blame. “In southern Xinjiang, a few violent individuals were able to coerce others into taking part in violence,” he said. © 2014 New York Times News Service
Antarctic sea ice at record high: NASA researchers NEW YORK: Sea ice around Antarctica has reached its highest level since measurement started in 1979, NASA said. The upward trend in the Antarctic, however, is only about a third of the magnitude of the rapid loss of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. The new Antarctic sea ice record reflects the diversity and complexity of the Earth’s environment, said NASA researchers. “The planet as a whole is doing what was expected in terms of warming. Sea ice as a whole is decreasing as expected, but just like with global warming, not every location with sea
ice will have a downward trend in ice extent,” explained Claire Parkinson, senior scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre in Maryland. Since the late 1970s, the Arctic has lost an average of 53,900 square km of ice a year while the Antarctic has gained an average of 18,900 square km. Scientists are trying to understand the reasons for the increase in the Antarctic ice cover. They believe that a combination of factors is responsible including changing wind patterns, snowfall, air pressure changes and even the hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica. IANS
With this issue
GE A
ON TH ER E
question “Is it safe to travel in Xinjiang?” is common. On one forum, people wrote that it was better to go to northern Xinjiang, where there are fewer Uighurs, a minority ethnic group whose clashes with the Han majority account for much of the violence, and more Kazakhs, Mongolians and other ethnic minorities. Violence in Urumqi, the regional capital, and in the south has been greater. So desperate are Xinjiang officials to draw tourists that they issued $3.2 million worth of “travel cards” from
P
“In southern Xinjiang, a few violent individuals were able to coerce others into taking part in violence.”
ON THE TO D
KANAS LAKE, CHINA: The two killed two people and wounded many amateur photographers stood on a hill others. The website later reported that overlooking the sparkling river in this 40 rioters had died - some were shot remote alpine park, waiting for nomads by the police, others blew themselves to emerge from their white yurts and up - while six civilians and four police herd cows across a bridge. officers and auxiliary employees were The men, both age 60, were driving killed. Radio Free Asia, financed by the on a one-month road trip through the US government, said the attackers were western region of Xinjiang to capture furious over land seizures by officials. It scenes like this one. “Don’t listen to was the deadliest burst of violence in what other people say about Xinjiang Xinjiang in weeks, but was not atypical. and don’t believe what you read,” In the first half of this year, visits said Sun Jingchuan, a retired aircraft from domestic tourists dropped 7 per maintenance worker from Sichuan cent, to 20 million, compared to the province in southwest China. “It’s very same period last year, according to safe here.” official statistics. The Many other Chinese revenue from domestic would dispute that tourists fell nearly 6 per assessment. This year, cent, to $3.5 billion. after a stream of news Foreign tourism, reports of rioting, which is a fraction of terrorist attacks and the total, also dropped, deadly police shootings by nearly 1 per cent, to linked to ethnic 619,300, with revenue confl ict in towns across falling 1 percent, to Xinjiang, tourism has $161 million. The plummeted, the first Xinjiang Regional drop in 20 years. Tourism Bureau blames Xinjiang, the size “influences from recent of Western Europe, has terrorist attacks” for the long been considered downturn. -Sun Jingchuan one of China’s most In early August, exotic destinations. some Chinese-language Chinese tourists, usually travelling in news websites published an open tour groups, visit the grasslands and letter deploring the “great harm” done Siberian forests here in the north and to the Xinjiang tourism industry by desert oasis towns in the south, along “violent terrorism attacks.” The letter the old Silk Road. Among the locals, said it represented the 400,000 people an estimated 1.5 million people have directly employed in Xinjiang tourism. some tie to Xinjiang’s tourism economy. Shen Qiao, the deputy chief editor On the morning Sun and his friend of the Xinjiang bureau of the official were photographing cows and Kazakh Xinhua news agency, said that “people nomads, a report on an official Xinjiang from the mainland feel scared when news website said multiple explosions talking about Xinjiang.” days earlier in Luntai County had On online travel forums, the
Xinjiang, the size of Western Europe, has long been considered one of China’s most exotic destinations
GILLES SABRIE/THE NEW YORK TIMES
Once a draw, restive region in China suffers after unrest
Race Ready
S PAGE EW VI
In the issue ON TH EI N
OCTOBER 11, 2014
Wild and Wacky
PAGE GE UL D
A slice of Morocco
MONEY MATT ER S “I am really excited about his Digital India campaign. We will be trying to work together for spreading the Internet to the one billion Indians who are out of reach of the Internet.” —Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook co-founder
Signposts Power ministry to sell LED bulbs at `10 A day after the Nobel Prize in physics was won by the scientists who invented blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs), the power ministry has launched a business model enabling the sale of LED bulbs to households at `10 against the market price of `400.
New skill devp policy by fiscal end The government is well into the process of revising the National Policy on Skill Development, 2009, which will be ready by the end of the current financial year, a top official said recently. “There are instructions that the policy should be ready by the end of the current fiscal, by March 31 next year,” Sunil Arora, secretary in the recently-created ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship told reporters.
India offers $250bn investment chance India needs $250 billion in next 20 years for basic urban infrastructure and this offers huge investment opportunities to international investors, said country’s urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu. The minister told XI Metropolis World Congress that the government has decided to allow FDI in infrastructure.
Govt should come up with MSME policy The government should come out with a policy for the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to sustain the upswing in the confidence level among entrepreneurs, says a report prepared by the Institute of Small Enterprises and Development (ISED) based here. “A new government in power means an upswing in confidence levels, but the challenge ahead is to sustain it. The government should come up with an ‘MSME Policy’,” said ISED director PM Mathew.
PUNE
EUPHORIA INVESTING
Trying to make sense of where we are in the market cycle
BY R BALAKRISHNAN “Happy Days are Here Again.” Generally, when this is the refrain, it is difficult to make investment decisions. Everyone is busy inventing reasons to justify higher and higher asset prices for things like shares. Such optimism seems to be all-pervasive now. A couple of IPOs (initial public offers) that hit the market, with high pricing, got a great welcome and are trading well above offer price. Venture capital and private equity funds are suddenly seeing great virtue in dotcom business, never mind the profits. Of course, there are many ways to rationalise this euphoria. Valuations (each one of us has our own parameters) are high, but not unusually so; we have seen higher valuations in the past. People are pouring money into mutual funds again. Perhaps the thought is that if a share has finally moved from one to 10, surely it will move from 10 to 100. Right now, the stock market is a lottery where everyone is a winner. Of course, you must buy a ticket. In this market, probably, the best returns have accrued to those who did not go out of the market. There are those who picked up some lowhanging fruits—betting on public sector companies before the elections; buying beaten-down stocks believing in the ‘greater fool’ theory; and some judicial short-term thematic plays in infrastructure, banking, etc. So, now, we have reached a stage where everyone is a believer in the market and also that the market can only go higher. Of course, no one is worried about a small correction here and there and, of course, the brokers tell me that it is good to ‘buy more on the dips’. All of them assume that I have an unlimited supply of currency to buy shares. What should be our approach at such a time? I close my eyes to the big
index numbers. Whether the Sensex is at 13,000 or 30,000, what I am looking for are some good stocks at an attractive price to buy. I am unable to find many that can give me abovemarket returns. Every stock has run up for one reason or the other—‘Beaten down too much’, ‘Sector gets re-rated’; ‘Sector will rebound first’; ‘Earnings will accelerate’… and so on. The noise becomes a self-fulfi lling prophesy. And, in case we have sat out this run-up, we could perhaps feel guilty—guilt about how we could have ignored the noise or about how we could have missed a ‘sure thing’. Many give in at such a juncture and learn that investing is a very cruel area of life. The first factor for success in this field is to get rid of one’s emotions. You cannot change your view because others are changing theirs. Unless the facts surrounding the investment change, that can result in a change in
“This is a time to invest, but with additional caution and awareness that returns could be lower than what you think you will get.” fortunes of the analysed investments, I have no reason to change my opinion on the stock. This is tough. In this environment, it is to be expected that ‘potential’ returns on all investments are going to be below average. Buying when the mood is good always means that a lot of good news is priced into the stocks. In these markets, finding good stocks that will beat the market is tough. Some sectors have clearly run ahead
of fundamentals and will disappoint. For instance, the entire infrastructure pack has become hugely expensive. The actual flow of orders, their existing high levels of debt and high interest rates, are all negatives insofar as earnings growth is concerned. When the actual performance for March 2015 comes in, we are likely to be unhappy. Similarly, while IT, as a pack, is loved by all, there is a conundrum. If we think the economy will do well, regain trust of the foreigners, etc, the rupee will strengthen. Ergo, IT earnings will get hit. If you think otherwise, the whole premise of an economic turnaround is questionable. If we believe economic growth will get stronger and that we can be back to 6 per cent GDP growth or so, good stocks have some way to go. Consumer spending is still strong. What we have to watch out for is government spending. Government is unlikely to succeed in making private sector cough up big money for infrastructure, given the current high interest rates, the remains of the 2008 crisis and the poor health of our banking sector. There will be some run-up anticipating government spending and announcement of projects (hopefully, in the next Budget?); so some beatendown stocks in capital goods and cyclicals may give good returns. But be sure that most of these are going to be
To create wealth, buy stocks that compound your returns at high rates and use systematic investment plans
We all know that Wipro is a great company. Recently, I got an email showing how an investment of `10,000 in Wipro in 1980 is worth nearly `500 crore today and the cumulative dividends declared were over `100 crore. Th is return, in arithmetic terms, would be something close to 48 per cent pa (per annum) at compounded annual growth rate (CAGR). To put the power of compounding in perspective, over the same period, a 15 per cent return on the same principal would be worth only around `12 lakh or so! So, a four times CAGR has made the terminal value to be several hundred times! If the Wipro share had given a return of 20 per cent, the amount today would have been worth around `50 lakh. So maybe this is a good time to understand what difference one or two per cent differential can make over a period of time. Then my mind goes back. Th is company was not known to anyone. It was named Western India Vegetable Products Ltd and its main product used to be something called ‘Oomda’, a vegetable oil that was a desi competitor to ‘Dalda’ the then market leader in vegetable oils (vanaspati) produced and sold by Hindustan Lever Ltd. Apart from this, I do not recall much about this company. I doubt whether I would have chosen to invest in this company at that time. I also think that, at that time, the promoter
OCTOBER 11, 2014
“I don’t think anybody should therefore assume, and not hedge exposures, that the RBI will bail them out.” — Raghuram Rajan, RBI governor
Always pick the Sensex winners
BY R BALAKRISHNAN
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY
must have owned nearly all the shares and the only shares that were with the ‘public’ would have been with distributors, some family and friends. In those days, if you owned shares of an unlisted company, you had to pay wealth tax and, thus, many promoters opted for listing. The listing could happen easily. Someone could go around distributing 200 forms to friends and family and the sha re could g e t listed. And, each day, your jobber would organise some circular trades and leave a price imprint on the stock exchange records. The 1980 Wipro investment is like putting `10 lakh today in a single stock with no background. Th is is not possible for ordinary people. And no venture capitalist or private equity fund will hold on for such a long time. The only ones who probably get such returns are the entrepreneurs and a lucky few around them. And, for every Wipro, there will be hundreds of companies which have gone under without a trace. For every Bill Gates or Warren Buffett (who essentially made their wealth out of single businesses), there will be a million entrepreneurs who did not make it. So the odds of our picking up big
winners are not very great. To give a home-grown example, when Rakesh Jhunjhunwala started investing, there were a few hundred other brokers who were trying to make it big time. And, most of them, would have had far m o r e mone y t h a n w h a t Rakesh had at that point in time. So, for every Rakesh, we have a few hundred nameless entities; there are also a few whose lives were ruined financially by the investment or trading choices they made. Hence, it is important to understand where we put our money. In the fi rst ever BSE Sensex, there were names like Asian Cables, Indian Organic and Zenith Ltd which are today not even heard of. The Sensex has changed its components several times and, hence, it is not a true measure of
prosperity or otherwise. Remember, the difference of a single percentage point in CAGR can make a huge difference to your wealth: `10,000 of 1980 would be worth `4.7 lakh at 12 per cent pa, `6.4 lakh at 13 per cent pa and `8.60 lakh at 14 per cent pa. A simple two percentage points lower return plays havoc with the sum you have at the end. Thus, the hike in the fees that mutual funds are going to charge may sound trivial, but the dent to your savings is big. So think if it is worthwhile spending time on investing and follow a direct approach. Choose companies you think will remain operational for the next 20 years or more in businesses you can understand and have been around for a long time. Th is will not give you spectacular returns like the example at the beginning, but a good probability of doing better than the Sensex. If you want one financial number in addition to understanding the company / business, etc, then use return on equity (ROE). Just divide the profit after taxes (PAT) by the total share capital plus reserves (also referred to as net worth or shareholders’ funds) and see if it is higher than 20 per cent over the past 10 years in each of the years. Maybe one bad year is OK, but not more than that. Yes, you will not get 48 per cent returns, like Wipro, but a decent rate that is better than the index. And use systematic investment plans rather than buying at one go. @moneylife
short-term trading ideas and not a buyand-wait investment theme. For that, I still like the consumer spending arena—companies that mop up our spending: entertainment, consumer goods, pharma and durables (if we can find a decent company in this space) and banks are sectors that fit the bill. Waiting for these stocks to become ‘cheap’ means having to wait for a meltdown in the markets. Unfortunately, since 2008, what I have seen is that the ‘high-quality’ stocks (high ROE, steady growth companies—mostly multinationals and some Indian companies like Bajaj Auto, Hero MotoCorp, etc) do not decline significantly. When other sectors crack, money moves in to these stocks. And, when cyclical move up dramatically, these stocks still do not wilt. In this market, I have to be very alert. I will not sell my high-quality holdings. I will be opportunistic in the low-quality ones (or ignore them, if I do not have the stomach for it). I will not take big bets on single events or stocks (unless it is in my nature to do so and I can live with the consequences). I will be disciplined. I will not ‘average’ down in a bull market. IPOs may be good punts and nothing more. Selling on listing is likely to give me the most gains out of the stock. I still like to own some governmentowned companies. I have hope that Narendra Modi will turn his attention
to them, sooner or later. So, I would like to own stocks like BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited) or NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation) or Coal India. These companies have good businesses and sharp improvements in earnings are possible with strong management action. Banking is one sector that has been teasing us for long. While I do not like government banks, there could be some noise that makes them attractive for a short-term play. Maybe, if things get better, some of the NPAs (nonperforming assets) could rebound. The new banking licences will create some excitement when they get active; but I would use the euphoria, at that time, to exit. And the auto sector (the stocks never crashed) seems to be rebounding as banks push up their car loans portfolio. The investment choices have suddenly diminished, with the change in the tax regime for mutual funds. Fixed income through mutual funds looks very poor. Better to invest in fi xed-income products directly. Unlike in 2009, the one big difference seems to be that the euphoria is absent in real estate and gold. And, interest rates are still stubborn. Inflation is growing, but at a reduced acceleration. This is a time to invest, but with additional caution and awareness that returns could be lower than what you think you will get. @moneylife
Stock investors become richer by `23L crore in 2014 MONEYLIFE DIGITAL TEAM At present, the total market capitalisation (m-cap) of BSE listed companies’ stands at `93.78 lakh crore, about `6.22 lakh short of the `100 lakh crore milestone Stock market investors have become richer by over `23.33 lakh crore so far this year, as 25.49 per cent rally in S&P BSE Sensex has helped the total valuation of all the BSE listed companies reach close to `94 lakh crore. In contrast, investors’ wealth had surged by over `1 lakh crore to `70.44 lakh crore during same period in 2013. During 31 December 2013 to 1 October 2014, the BSE’s 30-share benchmark has gained 25.5 per cent. The Sensex touched its life-time high of 27,319.85 on September 8. According to experts, positive investor sentiment following the formation of new government at the Centre and strong foreign fund inflows has been driving the domestic equity markets. “The undercurrent of the stock market is bullish although stocks are currently in the consolidation phase and buying may resume in the days to come,” said an equities expert. Marketmen have maintained that the surge in investor wealth is also due to continued rise in listed fi rms. The total number of listed companies
stands at 5,485. Sensex blue-chip companies whose market valuation is more than `1 lakh crore include TCS, ONGC, RIL, ITC, Infosys, Coal India, HDFC Bank, SBI, Sun Pharma, ICICI Bank, HDFC, Bharti Airtel, HUL, Wipro, Tata Motors, L&T and NTPC. Outsourcing giant TCS is the most valued Indian company with a market cap of `5.44 lakh crore. Indian markets have seen smart gains this year helped by robust foreign fund inflows. Since the beginning of this year, foreign investors have infused a net of `83,438 crore ($14 billion) in the stock markets, while they have invested a net of `1.18 lakh crore into the debt market ($19.6 billion). @moneylife
SPORTS
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 11, 2014
PUNE
“Some Indian players are very nice guys, strong-willed and hard-working, which gives us the possibility of reaching a common objective.” — FC Pune City midfielder Davide Colomba
“ We have to look for answers from the FIA on what happened in this tragic accident. We have to make sure they hear us. We will go through every single detail – or at least myself.” — Force India driver Sergio Perez
‘Chess in city is rising to higher level’
Creating professional players along with better coaching and proper exposure will be the key factors for Pune to become a chess hub in the near future, say experts ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR
PUNE: The city has a rich history of chess. After the chess revolution sparked by noted chess player and coach Mohan Phadake in 1985, the city has produced several international level players. Though, it took 13 years to produce another grandmaster Akshayraj Kore, after Abhijit Kunte (in 2000), the city is currently leading the state with two GMs, four Women Grandmasters and around 8-10 players above 2300 Fide rating. WGMs Eesha Karawade and former World Junior champion Soumya Swaminathan have represented the country in prestigious Chess Olympiad, while the younger players like Harshit Raja, Vallabh Kavi, Abhimanyu Puranik and Akanksha Hagawane are following in their footsteps. However, Kunte thinks there is long way to go, before Pune can emerge as the chess hub of India. “The city’s chess scene has been improving, and if we keep the momentum going, we have the ability to become the chess hub in near future,” said Kunte, on the sidelines of the World Junior Chess tournament at Hotel Hyatt, Pune. “The number of chess players has increased considerably in the last 5-10 years. But, we need professionals. Still for most of the players and parents, chess is not a career option. Several players who perform impressively in the age group categories, concentrate on academics and lose focus on the game. We need to change this picture. Unless we show the players that there is a promising future, no use of just popularising the sport,” he added.
are getting good exposure. Every year 186 schools in Pune district and planning we conduct district, state and national to make it 300 next year. We are also tournaments along with school-level and working on standardisation of syllabus. age group state selection tournaments. The next step is to conduct district, However, quality coaching is the need zonal and state level tournaments in the of the hour. Most of the city players are schools. This will help in hunting the rated between 1400 to 1800, and they talent and grooming them.” are stuck on that level for a long time. Kunte initiated the Maharashtra We need high-quality coaches to guide Chess League, which has been a them. Right now Jayant Gokhale and successful since it was launched in 2012. Prathamesh Mokal are the only FIDE “Compared to other sports, the trainers in city. Though, the player-turn financial part in the chess league was coaches like Ketan Khaire, Aniruddha not big. But, the basic idea behind it was Deshpande and Chinmay Kulkarni are to give local players a chance to interact doing a good job, we with top players in need something more the country. Secondly, than that.” it helped to get the “Now our target is involvement from Indian to create a long-term legend V Anand. I chess infrastructure. It think that was the major has become difficult for boost for the players,” organisers to conduct a said Kunte. classic tournament, as it He also emphasised requires arranging a hall, that Pune city has arbiters, tables and chess probably the highest sets for five or more days. number of quality players So our aim is to build a in India. chess hall equipped with “In other states like chess sets and library. We Tamil Nadu or West also want to start a chess Bangal, chess is mainly - GM Abhijit Kunte club where anyone can concentrated in Chennai come and play. Like the and Calcutta. Players flash mob concept, we are from other parts of the also trying to start the flash tournament state don’t have that many facilities and in this club,” added Godbole. hence they are forced to shift their base Talking about the chess in schools to these big cities. It is the same with programme, Kunte said, “To make chess Hyderabad. That’s not the case in Pune. popular, you need viewership and to Here, the local resident players are only increase viewership, we need more chess performing impressively over the years,” educated people. And that’s why it is he added. important to introduce chess in schools. Last year we implemented the idea in ashish.phadnis@goldensparrow.com
“Unless players see promising future, it is no use promoting the sport.”
Elaborating on the point, he said, “We need to work on three levels. First we have to spread the game at the grass route level and should provide the basic chess facilities in rural areas.
Secondly, for the intermediate level players, more prize money tournaments and leagues should be conducted. And we should support the top players in going to grandmaster coaching camps
and funding, sponsorships for playing abroad.” Echoing Kunte, Pune District Chess Circle (PDCC) secretary Niranjan Godbole said, “Our players
The young and the restless
The World Junior (U-20) Chess tournament has attracted strong players from around the globe, but the main attraction has been these youngsters who enjoy the game without any pressure. Golden Sparrow lensman Aniruddha Rajandekar captures the candid expressions of players during thrid round of the event. (From l) FM R Praggnanandhaa, Nihal Sarin, Raivath Mallela and Vokhidov Shamsiddin.
Sibling duos are stealing the spotlight Chennai-based duo R Vaishali and R Praggnanandhaa along with Rahuri’s Shalmali and Shardul Gagare are helping each other in scaling new heights in career ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR
BY ASHISH PHADNIS @phadnis_ashish PUNE: Sibling pairs in chess are no new. From the famous Polgar sisters to Pune-based GM Abhijit Kunte and Mrunalini Kunte, the siblings have been in the spotlight. Continuing the legacy, the ongoing World Junior Chess tournament features two pairs of siblings. The Chennai-based brother-sister duo of WFM R Vaishali and FM R Praggnanandhaa are the hottest chess siblings in the country. While, 13-yearold Vaishali own a gold medal in the Asian U-12 meet in Colombo last year, Praggnanandhaa matched his elder sister move for move by winning the World U-8 title at the Sri Lankan capital. Naturally, both of them didn’t need to step out of the house to look for a practice partner and they help each other preparing for the big events. “We both are working on our opening. Prag is restless and mischievous and sometimes I need to force him keep quite and concentrate. However, he is a hard worker when it comes to chess. Basically, I am an attacking player and Prag’s natural game suits my style. Therefore our practice sessions before the
Shalmali and her father Annasaheb Gagare watching Shardul’s game
tournament always proves beneficial,” said Vaishali, who recently won the national under-15 title.
The duo consider themselves lucky to have their parents Rameshbabu and Nagalakshmi’s whole-hearted support.
Despite a lack of finances, the family is trying hard get sponsorship to send the kids to international tournaments. Another sibling pair is Rahuri-based brother-sister duo of WIM Shalmali and IM Shardul Gagare. It was Shalmali who inspired young Shardul to take up the game, but the role has been reversed now. Shalmali who took a break of three years to complete her medical (dental) studies, has returned to competitive circuit once again. She gives full credit to her brother for the comeback. “Actually this is my last chance in playing in the under-20 age group and Shardul was the strong motivational force behind the decision. I was completely out of touch in these three years, hence Shardul played as mentor’s role. He spent several hours with me, taught me new trends in chess and I must my tactical games has been improved a lot with his help,” said Shalmali, who was part of Indian team that won gold medal in Asian Youth Team Chess Championship in China in 2010. “I still need to work on time control. I wasted a few good opportunities, just because of time pressure and eventually ended in a draw,” she added. ashish.phadnis@goldensparrow.com
‘Let politicians handle sports associations’ Says former Test cricketer Balwinder Singh Sandhu. He feels that good sportspersons may not be a best administrators BY ASHISH PHADNIS @phadnis_ashish PUNE: It is said that in India that the politicians and rich people have dominted sports associations and this is killing sports. H o w e v e r, former Test c r i c k e t Balwinder Singh Sandhu is of the opinion that there is no harm in it. “ S o m e say that the Balwinder Singh s p o r t s p e r s on s Sandhu should hold positions in association. But a good sportsperson may not be a good administrator. Though there are exceptions like Brijesh Patel, Kiran More and Shivlal Yadav, but I strongly feel that administration should be left to the politicians,” said Sandhu, who was in the city to promote the 7th edition of Inter School Premier League (ISPL), a multi-sports tournaments to be held
at Vidya Pratishthan’s Nanded City Public School from today. Sandhu said, “Handling office duties is a difficult job and politicians are very good at getting work done from the bureaucrats.” Sandhu, who played a stellar role in the Indian team that won the 1983 World Cup, also stressed appointing a Indian coach for the national cricket team. “Fifteen or 20 years back, we didn’t have any top level certified coaches in India. But, that’s not a situation now. Currently we have got a good batch of quality coaches that can handle Indian team. It’s necessary to walk out of foreign coaches shadow and give Indian coaches a chance to prove them,” said Sandhu, who is currently working as a consultant coach for National Cricket Academy. About the Indian team, he said, “The team in transition phase. I hope they have learnt from their mistakes during their tour to England. However, there won’t be any drastic changes ahead of World Cup in Australia in 2015.” ashish.phadnis@goldensparrow.com
SPORTS
Signposts Ishant replaces injured Mohit Sharma Mumbai: Indian pacer Ishant Sharma has been roped in for the injured Mohit Sharma, who has been ruled out of the remainder of the five-match one-day International home series against the West Indies. “Mohit Sharma has aggravated his bilateral shin pain, and has therefore been ruled out of the ongoing Micromax Cup ODI series,” said a BCCI statement on Friday. Ishant Sharma last played an ODI in January against New Zealand and is making a comeback after missing matches against Bangladesh, the Asia Cup and the ODI series in England. India trail the West Indies 0-1 in the series after suffering a humiliating 124-run loss in the first ODI in Kochi.
Spain loses first qualifier since 2006 Madrid: Spain’s eight-year unbeaten run in qualifying matches ended in a stunning 2-1 defeat at Slovakia in qualifying for the European Championship. It was Spain’s first loss in 36 qualifiers for the championship and the World Cup dating to 2006, and ended a run of 14 straight away wins. Spain can take solace that the top two from the nine groups qualify for the tournament in France.
Hrithik named FC Pune City’s co-owner PUNE: Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan became the latest movie star after Ranbir Kapoor and Abhishek Bacchhan to associate himself with the Indian Super League (ISL), by being named co-owner of FC Pune City. Rajesh Wadhawan Group is the other promoter of the team. Ranbir is the co-owner of Mumbai City FC, while Abhishek has involved his name with Chennaiyin FC.
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 11, 2014
PUNE
A cricket series that lacks zing
The ongoing India-West ODI Indies series is like a party pack of snacks MALAY DESAI The ad sales teams of cricket channels have a tricky job. When India is touring overseas, it’s exciting to package the series, calling it ‘Battle for Number One’ or some mission with a proud name. But when a West Indies team comes here to play a full-length series for absolutely no evident need or relevance, things get tough. This time, the guys at Star Sports seem to have given up and just called it ‘champions v/s challengers’. Because you know, ‘Mandatory Bilateral Series to Justify Exorbitant Telecast Rights’ didn’t have the same ring around it. What Sri Lanka were for us about four years back, West Indies are now – comfort food. The series is like a party pack of chips; expensive, giving you something to munch but doing nothing to fulfil your hunger for substantial food. Last winter, after our visionary Board decided Sachin’s last appearance couldn’t happen in South Africa as scheduled, the series was called off and a call was made to the West Indies Cricket Board to send in 11 ball boys in maroon so we get to bid a respectable farewell to one of sports’ greatest icons. This year, it’s a farewell for relevance, if at all any of it was still left in Indian cricket. We have played West Indies in seven ODIs, two Tests and a T20 in the past two years, the details and memories of which may be as vague in
your mind as those of the faces you saw on the train home last night. In these times of distress, that box of cookies called nostalgia in the top kitchen cabinet could be of good use. Let me feed you some. November 27, 1993 – the Hero Cup final at a packed Eden Gardens. Azhar’s India had scrappily managed to reach the finals and were up against a fading but formidable Windies side (Lara, Richardson, Hooper and Ambrose). It was a time when 225 would be a neat total to defend, and after Tendulkar bowled out opener Lara, we knew we had a chance. Then, a bespectacled engineer-like legspinner from Bangalore announced his arrival on the world scene. Anil Kumble’s ‘6 for 12’ remained his best figures for the rest of his career. To not let this column feel like that programme Jai Ho, let me also rewind to a game we lost.Ahmedabad, 1988:Aone-off ODI was called the ‘Indian Board Benevolent Fund Match’ (take a moment to laugh out loud here) and Ravi Shastri’s men were against Sir Viv’s declining giants. This was still the time when, no matter what the score after one innings, our fans could never predict our win. Proving to be a shining example of the ‘Apni team ka kuch bol nahi sakte’ theory, India fell short of chasing 196 after a full 50 overs, Shastri scoring a leisurely 19 off 39. Of recent encounters, only Sehwag’s morale-killing 219 in Gwalior comes to mind, as all other respectable memories are now cluttered with a milieu of CSK/CLT20/ Pointless Bilateral games. There was a time when India, like any team, would fear playing the West Indies. Now they don’t, but their fans do.