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PUNE, OCTOBER 4, 2014 | www.goldensparrow.com
MAHA POLLS 2014 Your vote matters As political parties present election manifestos for the state assembly elections on October 15, offering new promises and programmes, here’s the backlog that’s bothering Puneites the most. See Spotlight on P7
What Happened to past promises?
RAHUL RAUT
Pune urgently needs mass public transport to reduce worsening traffic congestion
Electrocuted youth was a helpful soul BY GITESH SHELKE @gitesh.shelke Aniruddha Rajandekar
Atish Shinde’s family
Coming to the aid of injured motorists was a habit with 32-year-old Atish Shinde who lost his life last week while trying to help a young woman stranded with her two-wheeler in a puddle of rainwater at Khadki. Both Atish and the young lady, Poonam Hrishikesh Joshi (33) died on the spot due to electrocution from a snapped overhead power cable that had fallen in the muddy water. A residing of Wakdewadi slum and employed as a driver, Atish had often helped people injured in road accidents, said his mother Shobha. “The police told us how
he helped others,” she said. Shocked and grief-stricken by his death while trying to help a stranger, Atish’s neighbours paid him tributes and put up a board, recounting his acts of kindness, near the Bhaiyyawadi bus stop, close to the Wakdewadi slum where he lived. “He worked as a temporary driver and did not have a permanent job,” his wife Megha (24) said. Atish was returning home after duty when the incident took place on September 25. His son Mayuresh had turned two just two days ago. When Atish saw the young woman struggling with her vehicle in the waterlogged patch on Range Hills Road, he waded in to push the vehicle out of the puddle. This was when both of them got electrocuted. Even then, he was warning others not to enter the water, police said. A heavy downpour had caused the branch of a tree to snap an overhead cable that fell in the muddy puddle. The Shinde family hails from a hamlet in Bhor taluka and migrated to Pune in 1994 in search of work. Atish’s father used to work as a porter) at Market Yard, and his mother was employed in a balwadi (kindergarten). The family stays in a 10x15 sq ft tin sheet hut. “He was the only earning member in the family and wanted to build a pucca house,” said Megha, who married Atish three years ago. The family blames the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) for the badlymaintained overhead cable that snapped and caused Atish’s untimely death. gitesh.shelke@goldensparrow.com
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 4, 2014
In the name of Durga P4
PUNE
rich in India to findI their own “When I “Th wasethrown out ofneed my house used to begconscience; for a to give a little of what theywith earn.a We must bowl. learn the living. Even today I move around begging giving before the artdays of living!” The only art diffof erence is that in those I begged for myself but today—Bindeshwar I beg so that myPathak, childrenfounder, can be fed and clothed.” Sulabh International — Sindhutai Sapkal, founder of Mamata Bal Sadan
Forget campaigns, all parties are still explaining their break-ups P6
Celebrating the joy of giving
The Pune Chapter of Bhumi, one of India’s largest independent youth volunteer non-profit organisations, celebrates the Joy of Giving Week BY ISHANI BOSE @ishani_bose
which the organisation started a year ago. “As a part of the Hi-5 Week, we conduct several activities like, setting up corporate stalls for Diwali; carrying about donation drives in the city; conducting the ‘Each Child Count’ activity, wherein we sign up with the Doorstep Foundation and visit each and every household in the villages across the city to find out the number of children that go to schools; undertaking the orphanage teaching initiative; and conducting the Sewa Sandwich Week, (where we ask volunteers to form a group of five each and make hundred sandwiches for the under privileged across the city, among other initiatives,” said Rohan Shinde, Champion of Hi5 Club, Pune chapter, who is also the Pune co-ordinator for the Week. An IT professional working with TCS, Rohan, was volunteering with Prayas Youth Forum before joining the Pune chapter of Bhumi a few months ago. “I have always been inclined towards contributing to society in some way or the other. I always wanted to bring about a change that I wanted to see in the world since I believe that life begins at the end of one’s comfort zone. When I moved to the city a few months ago, I got introduced to the Bhumi organisation and have been actively participating in all its activities. Before I joined, Roshna Jaid, a college professor, was handling it solely, but now we both
ishani.bose@goldensparrow.com GET IN TOUCH To volunteer: www.volunteers.org/Pune. FB page: https://www.facebook.com/ events/695061267250926/?fref=ts Volunteers of Hi-5 Club (Bhumi initiative) under Refresh with village school students
Other programmes in the city during Joy of Giving Week (October 2-October 8) SILENT AUCTION Organised by Ameya Deshpande on Oct 8 and 9, it’s an online auction of various utility items donated by employees of Amdocs Ltd. DAAN UTSAV WITH THE ‘WISH TREE’ It’s an ongoing initiative till October 8, from 6pm to 7pm. Pune Bentley Systems will be putting a wish tree in their office that will carry the wishesofneedy children. Interested persons can take the wishes they would like to
RAHUL RAUT
Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” Bhumi, Pune Chapter, one of India’s largest independent youth volunteer non-profit organisations, believes in bringing joy to others. To celebrate the ongoing Joy of Giving Week, the group, as a part of its Hi-5 Club (Bhumi initiative) under Refresh, is conducting the Hi-5 Week Daan Utsav, till October 12. Started in 2006, in Chennai, Bhumi, has been providing an opportunity to socially conscious volunteers to change the lives of underprivileged children across the world by empowering them with knowledge. The Pune chapter of the organisation, launched in February 2011, has provided a helping hand to over 270 underprivileged students till date. Currently, it runs four academic projects, namely, Little Einstein Maths (an activity-based approach to teach mathematics using live multimedia and demonstrations tools), Speak Out (a project that trains children in public speaking), Kanini (an initiative that educates underprivileged children about computers) and finally the Hi-5 Club under Refresh (that is a short-term volunteering activity for different social causes). The Hi-5 Week is a part of the Hi-5 Club (Bhumi initiative) under Refresh,
are the co-ordinators of the Hi-5 Daan Utsav Week,” he said. Last year, Hi-5 activities conducted in five centres included ‘Raddi’ donation, giving ‘Bring Smiles Education’ scholarship to two kids, and other initiatives that added the ‘joy’ during the Joy of Giving Week. This year the theme of the Hi 5 initiative is ‘Think Green’. Running by the tagline that reads, “Change Today... Change Tomorrow...” The group also conducts other activities such as cleanliness drives, health and sanitation drives, etc.
fulfill, complete it and put it back on the tree. HOPE FOR THE HOMELESS By Centre for Youth Development and Activities (CYDA), in association with Youth Aid till October 8. COOKERY An ongoing initiative, by IDEA’s centres in Kothrud, Warje and Hadapsar, will enable one to prepare and share healthy snacks without cooking. All that one requires is a
bunch of veggies, fresh loaf of bread and great enthusiasm to share it with… EACH ONE TEACH ONE Under this initiative by Idea Foundation, volunteers teach about 25 to 50 sentences in English to underpriveleged children and their parents. The drive will continue till October 8 at Kothrud, Warje and Hadapsar branches. DOOR TO DOOR DRIVE A door-to-door drive organised by
SAMPARC (Social Awareness for Manpower Creation) at Lonavla, Khandala and Talegaon till Oct 8 to generate funds for the welfare of the underprivileged children. INDIA GIVING CHALLENGE (IGC) IGC, Give India’s annual flagship Joy of Giving week initiative, aims to unite profit and NGOs to raise funds online, create maximum impact and get rewarded in turn. For the list of NGOs: Log on to www.GiveIndia.org
Showcasing upcoming artists BY ANJALI SHETTY @shetty_anjali
Yashoda Wakankar, secretary and trustee of Sanvedana Foundation
Undoing the epilepsy taboo Sanvedana Foundation, addresses issues of epileptic patients and their parents through monthly workshops judge their health, even when it comes to marriage. Even the social stigma attached to this disease sometimes take toll on their married life. Maybe their “Epilepsy is seen as a social taboo and sex life will also be compromised. But we, at Sanvedana, are working towards then, what about companionship?” she breaking this taboo,” said Yashoda asked. Wakankar, secretary and trustee, She addressed parents, saying that Sanvedana Foundation. She was their job is most difficult and ensured addressing a meeting held on September them support and assistance and asked 21 at Niwara Old Age Home. Epilepsy them to participate in patients shared their such programmes.“With experiences during the advancement of this meeting. Problems medical science epilepsy pertaining to marriage can be treated,” she said. were also addressed in She felicitated the meeting. Radhika Deshpande, Sanvedana also trustee of Sanvedana organised a melava (getFoundation and praised together) for epileptic her as an “ideal mother” people. There were more in many ways. female participants Deshpande’s than male. And after daughter was Pune’s this get-together, 17 first patient to undergo -Sandhya Deorukhkar marriage ceremonies surgery for epilepsy. She took place. “As far as recounted her experience male participation is of helping her daughter concerned, the families throughout school. Her daughter is with an eligible boy (who suffers from pursuing her MBA and already has epilepsy) refrain from such social a degree in animation. “Parents have gatherings. They feel that they can look to deal with acceptance. Once they out for a normal girl and there is no need overcome it, they become the largest to participate in such programmes,” support their child could ever have,” said Wakankar. Deshpande said. Sandhya Deorukhkar, a new member of Sanvedana, in response to editor_tgs@goldensparrow.com the word ‘normal’ said, “Nobody can TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly
“Epilepsy can be treated with the progress of medical science.”
Lisa Pingale has always been motivated to provide an opportunity for upcoming artists in the city. She has set up an art centre-cum-gallery called Monalisa Kalagram, where she intends to promote art and build an artists community that will include painters, poets, writers and even creative thinkers. Launched in June 2014, Pingale’s gallery is marked by a peaceful and serene ambience. “I have always been interested in art and it was not one conscious thought that I wanted something like this. It took me two years to clear up this space, which was used as a dump yard for the surrounding structures. It is a 100-year-old construction and I have maintained the look and feel of it. The idea is to provide a platform for young talented artists,” says Lisa. In August, Monalisa Kalagram showcased ‘Devrai Rock Dhokra’ and liquid brass paintings by Devrai Art Village, an NGO that works with Adivasi craftsmen evolving new products suited to contemporary tastes using traditional means. “The Adivasi craftsmen and artists from the Naxalite affected areas of Gadchiroli and Chhattisgarh find a livelihood and a safe refuge in Panchgani. We brought in their works at Monalisa and had a great show,” adds Lisa. The idea was to make it a hub for art related activities, slideshows, movie screenings, debates and discussions. “My sole aim is to feature talent. Not all talented persons can afford gallery
“The idea is to provide a platform for young talented artists.” - Lisa Pingale
Get in touch Pingale Farms, South Main Road, Koregaon Park. Pune Contact info: lisapingale@hotmail.com
rates and showcasing charges. I will definitely charge a certain amount from those who can pay, while those who can’t afford the charges can use this platform for free. I am concentrating on bringing in more talent from various strata of the society. Artists need a space to call their own and showcase their works. I am working on creating an art cafe in the garden, which will have an open area like that of Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai for artists to put up their works on the walls,” she explores. Lisa is currently working with Santosh Shirsath and Aniket Patil. Santosh is creating a door and window series of art work for the gallery, while Aniket is working on a yoga frog sculpture series. Creating a community for like-minded people where everyone can interact is what Pingale aims to achieve through Monalisa Kalagram. “We are known as a country of handicrafts but not so much is done in Maharashtra in terms of promoting art. I hope I can create such a space for young deserving talent.” anjali.shetty@ goldensparrow.com
ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR
Monalisa Kalagram, brainchild of Lisa Pingale, is a platform for upcoming city artists
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 4, 2014
PUNE
Planned by Pu La Deshpande and built by the Pune Municipal ity in 1968, Bal Gandharva Rangmandir auditorium, is named after the famous Marathi singer and stage actor Narayan Shripad Rajhans also known as Bal Gandharva.
An expanding Pune attracts growing investment P8
Why don’t you walk, Mr Gokhale? P11
Citizens reachout to ‘Swaccha Pune’
Signposts
Educational institutions, citizens’ groups, public and private offices have all participated in the prime minister’s ‘Clean India’ campaign. Will this enthusiasm be a one-day wonder or will it bring a lasting change to our neighbourhoods? Prachi Bari reports
ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR
TGS NEWS SERVICE
Satish Magar, new president of MCCIA, will focus on a range of initiatives including infrastructure for Pune
New MCCIA chief to focus on multiple initiatives Satish Magar, the new president of the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA), will focus on a range of initiatives including infrastructure development for Pune, strengthening the environment for manufacturing industries, enhancing agricultural capabilities in the region and undertaking skills development initiatives. “I will discuss a proper line of action at the next executive committee said,” Magar, chairman and managing director, Magarpatta Township Development and Construction Co. Ltd. Early this week he took charge as MCCIA’s 38th president for the period 2014-2016, from outgoing president SK Jain. Magar said his focus would be on improving infrastructure, pursuing progress on the pending ring road project, upgradation of the airport and work on the Metro rail project. Speaking at the 80th AGM of the chamber, Jain said, “I firmly believe that the corporate leaders of Pune need to jointly and very firmly work on this important demand of Pune.”
Scientific toy making course
Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, here’s a round-up of the various activities undertaken in the city under the ‘Swaccha Bharat Abhiyan’. •
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Persistent Foundation flagged off the ‘Swacchha Vidyalay Abhiyan’ at Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Vidyalay, by launching the construction of toilets in 100 municipal schools in Pune. The foundation’s chairperson Sonali Deshpande said, “Swachha Bharat is a massive mission and by launching the ‘Swacchha Vidyalay Abhiyan’, we are happy to be part of the bigger plan.” Symbiosis principal director, Dr. Vidya Yeravdekar participated in this drive along with students, teachers and staff at their various campuses. A cleanliness drive and activities like sensitising peer groups, slogan writing, poster making, fi lm screenings, and debate competitions were also undertaken. National Society for Clean Cities (NSCC): A number of mohalla committees under the NSCC were persuaded by NSCC president Satish Khot to undertake cleanliness drives. “NSCC, Pune has been in the forefront of the
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Round Table 15, Pune Chapter, a group of young entrepreneurs swept some city streets and sought to awareness about cleanliness . “The plan is to encourage clean neighbourhoods. We had set up 31 booths across the city where MIT (Pune) students and Yuva Morcha volunteers worked on spreading the message of a clean city, healthy city,” said Harnish Thakkar. Aundh Vikas Mandal along with the Ward officer Nitin Udas began the cleanliness drive with a pledge in front of Yashada on Baner Road and later began a clean-up drive in Chaitraban Road and Anand Park. “We pledge 100 hours of cleaning my area and will pass the message to another 100 of my friends to maintain the drive,” said Udas.
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MCCIA’s Janawani & PMC officials organised a street play at the Sant Tukaram Primary School, Baner Pashan Link Road. About 500 students from various municipal schools were counselled on cleanliness. Farook Bangi and volunteers from Janwani presented the informative play.
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Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation commissioner Rajiv Jadhav initiated a cleanliness drive at Akurdi Railway station.
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The Ocean Cadet Academy staff and students undertook cleanliness of the Pavana river bank near Ravet. A 1.5 km stretch of the Pavana river was cleaned up, said the academy’s founder, Goppy Shetty. editor_tgs@goldensparrow.com
On Platform No. 1, Bharat Scout students and Hindi Rashtra Bhasha Vibhag from the railways were seen sweeping the platform
‘Clean your own City’ campaign for 34 years. It is the duty of every member to sensitize the community and be active participants and torch-bearers of this mission.” •
The Deccan Gymkhana Parisar Samiti, a residents’ group, undertook the painting of a compound wall near the Mahatma Gandhi statue.
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Railway Station Cleanliness Drive: A group of artists along with Harshwardhan Kadam of Inkbrushnme Studios created a colourful wall at the Pune Railway Station. Station Master Suneel
Kamthan also participated in the drive. “Be the change you want to see because actions speak louder than words,” said the organiser Dr Vaijayanti Marathe. Saleel Savarkar, Swatchhanda Kher, Preetal Dongre and many others represented the youth. On Platform No. 1, Bharat Scout students and Hindi Rashtra Bhasha Vibhag from the railway swept the platform and informed the passengers to maintain cleanliness. The members of Lions Club of Eco Friend entered the boogeys and presented passengers with stickers with slogans about cleanliness. A TGS MARKETING INITIATIVE
Rotaract celebrates 100 years of Bollywood
Muktangan Science Exploratory, Kothrud and My Stem Lab are organising a workshop called ‘Rancho ki Pathshala’ from October 27 onwards. The participants will be taught to make scientific toys. The fee for students of Class IV – VI is Rs 1000 and Class VII – IX is Rs 1200. For more details contact 020-25384002.
Quotes...
Rotaract Club of Pune, Sinhgad Road organised a mega fundraiser programme, ‘100 years of Bollywood’ on September 28 at Yashwantrao Chavan Natyagruha, Kothrud. From the melodies of black and white era to 21st century music, singers Deepika Datar, Rama Kulkarni, Chaitanya Kulkarni and Jitendra Abhyankar crooned to over 60 songs. The funds raised from the programme will be used in set-
Rotaract Club of Pune, Sinhgad Road organised a mega fundraiser programme
FATECHAND RANKA “This is a golden opportunity for our customers to buy jewellery of their own choice. The scheme is for 25 days where customers can buy gold, silver and diamonds. All jewellery pieces will carry hallmark and the customers will not be charged an extra rupee.”
TGS MARKETING INITIATIVE
President, Pune Saraf ’s Association
ting up a Braille library. Donations will also be made to Avani, a residential school of Kolhapur, tiger conservation and in the installation of solar lamps to households in villages around Pune. Abhay Kele, chairman, managing director, of Prithvi Edifice (title sponsors) and
Ujwal Kele (platinum sponsors), chief general manager, Promac Engineering Industries Limited were chief guests on the occasion. Team global Logistics Private sponsored the seats for volunteers of SWaCH and Abhaalmaya, an NGO for senior citizens and working and retired police.
"YEH SOFA AAP HI KO NIKALNA PADEGA, ...WOH KHUD NAHI NIKLEGA"
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8. Where did marketing strategist Prakash Bang travel recently? 10. How does Shailesh Ranka prefer to start his day?
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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.
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THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 4, 2014
The new age entrepreneur P9
“Disabled persons’ needs are just as important as ours. Why should we deprive them of what they want?” —Kalyani Khona, Founder of Wanted Umbrella, a matchmaking agency for disabled
India must seize this window of opportunity P13
Oktoberfest photo contest planned this year
ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR
Signposts
Hosted by the Indo- German Chamber of Commerce, the fest will also feature a live performance by ‘Die Sulmtaler’ from Germany
Model Anu Shinde (centre) with participants at a Dandiya programme
Chetana ki Chowki dandiya programme Chetana Activity Group organised ‘Chetana ki Chowki Raas Dandiya’ on September 27 at Swayamvar Marriage Hall, Pune-Satara Road. About 350 women participated. Marathi film actors, Anu Shinde and Chaitanya Borkar were the chief guests.. Pune City Congress chief Abhay Chhajed and his wife were also present.
Annual AESA Education Award Pranati Chapekar of Allana College of Architecture and Digvijay Bodke, Maharashtra Institute of Technology won the annual Architects Engineers and Surveyor’s Association (AESA) Education Award. AESA, Pune felicitated them recently at Jayantrao Tilak Auditorium, Mukund Nagar.
Quotes...
NITIN ASHTEKAR “During this Maha Gold Fest for every purchase of Rs.10000 customers will receive one coupon. The customer has to tick the right answer inside the coupon and drop it in the box at the same shop. The name, address and phone number of the customer should also be written in the coupon.”
TGS MARKETING INITIATIVE
Vice President, Pune Saraf ’s Association,
BY PRACHI BARI @prachibari
Devotees at Banga Bharati, Pimpri-Chinchwad worship Ma Durga during the Mahasaptami Puja
In the name of Durga BY ARCHANA DAHIWAL @ArchanaDahiwal
Durga Puja was celebrated in a big way in Pimpri-Chinchwad by the Banga Bharati, Pimpri-Chinchwad association which has been promoting Bengali culture and tradition in the township for 29 years. A socio-cultural organisation of the Bengali community, Banga Bharati was established in 1974 and has completed 41 fruitful years of service to the community. The Shree Durga Puja and Kali Puja committee was formed in 1986. This year the celebrations were held at the Rangaswami Perumal Pillai Sanskritik Bhavan, Masulkar Colony, Pimpri. About 12,000 Bengalis from Pimpri-Chinchwad participate in the festivities every year, T.P. Mukherjee, chairman of the association’s trust told this newspaper. “Our goal is not just to promote cultural events but also give equal attention to social work. We have
Panel formed for Tilak statue TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly A committee has been formed for the installation of a statue of Lokmanya Tilak at Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi, informed state BJP spokesperson, Madhav Bhandari, at a press conference. The committee has already started collecting funds for this. The members of the committee include Dr Raghunath Mashelkar, Dr S B Mujumdar, Dr Vijay Bhatkar, MLA Girish Bapat, P A Inamdar, veteran journalist Anant Dixit, scholar Sadanand More among others. In Delhi, Maharashtra Sadan is the only place that belongs to the government of Maharashtra. “The state government should have taken this initiative earlier, but it didn’t. This is the centenary year
of Tilak’s return from the Mandalay Prison in Myanmar to Pune on June 15, 1914. This is the proper time to put up his monument. This is the joint venture of the committee and Lokmanya Tilak Vichar Manch,” said Shailesh Tilak, great-grandson of Lomkmanya Tilak. “Under our fund-raising activity, we had placed donation boxes at a few Ganapati mandal pandals including Kasaba Ganapati, Jogeshwari, Guruji Talim, Tulsibaug, Kesari Wada, Dagdusheth Ganapati and Mandai Mandal during the Ganeshotsav. The same thing was done the Navratri festival. In addition to this there are donations receipt books. This will continue till Diwali. We had appealed to people to donate only Rs 10,” Shailesh added. editor_tgs@goldensparrow.com
organised blood donation camps, felicitated people who have done extraordinary work and have also contributed for relief work during natural or manmade calamities,” Mukherjee said. This year Banga Bharati felicitated a blind social worker. The 2,500 people who visit the Durga Puja pandal every year are offered Bengali sweets and savouries. This year, a ballet was staged and an orchestra from Kolkata was performed along with a cultural talent show. Other events included Sankho Protijogita for women (blowing of conch shell) and Dhunuchi Nach, Samir Bhattacharya, president of the Durga Puja committee said. Kalyan Banerjee, general secretary of the Durga Puja committee said that the association has tied up with multi-speciality hospitals for discounts for members of the association. The community meets at the Kali Mata temple at Pimpri for religious activities, he said. archana.dahiwal@goldensparrow.com
Tejaswini award for achievers at Pune Mahila Navratri Festival, Parvati
The Pune Mahila Navratri Festival 2014, Parvati concluded on October 3 with the presentation of Tejaswini award. Saru Waghmare of Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat (KKPKP), journalist Ruta Bawdekar and shooter Pooja Ghatkar were awarded for their outstanding achievements. Prizes worth one lakh were given to the winners of various competitions like home minister, little master chef, rangoli etc that were conducted over a period of six days.
Oktoberfest means gala celebrations for the people of Germany. Pune is home to large number of Germans, who are looking forward to the sixth edition of the Octoberfest, promoted by the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC), to be held at the Pune Race Course on October 10, 11 and 12. This year the fest will feature an added attraction, a photography contest, where contestants have to click a photo tapping beer. Called O’zapft is! (the Beer is Tapped), the IGCC has planned this contest through a social media site to introduce the Oktoberfest. This festival was first celebrated in Germany as a commemoration of royal wedding of King Ludwig I and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen on October 12, 1810. “Oktoberfest needs no introduction in Pune as expats and Indians alike look forward for the weekends to enjoy the derby as well as German hospitality,” said Jannis Schwebs, in-charge of the social media campaign for the event.
Catering to pure vegetarian palates
Hotel management institutes should introduce a vegetarian cookery course, says CA Luniya Habits are formed by individual choice. Food is an individual choice and we are prone to opt for food we have been used to in our homes. But this can land to problems in India where diets are diverse. Those who are strict vegetarians they will not be able to even take to catering as a profession, where they may have to prepare non-vegetarian cuisine. So what will provide a way out of this dilemma? Will a vegetarian cookery course be a solution? Just as other cuisines demand special knowhow and skills, so does vegetarian cuisine requires a special set
CA Chandrashekhar Luniya
of skills and knowledge. The hospitality industry demands that chefs are versatile and can prepare a variety of cuisines. But there is a substantial and even a growing number of people who ask for vegetarian food. It is for this section of the clientele that vegetarian chefs are needed, who can prepare and serve authentic vegetarian food. Take Jain food, for example. It is my experience that even reputed five star establishments do not strictly pertain to what Jain cuisine can and cannot include. It is not just inconvenience but even an affront for strict Jain vegetarians
(As told to Yash Daiv)
Make education enjoyable for children blocks for a child and need to fully comprehend their role. Unfortunately the concept of using the Internet has made education dull and school projects have been reduced to ‘cut and paste’ activities and students rarely research the content. We may produce graduates and post graduates but knowledge is useless if it cannot be utilised. - Chirukandan P K V (Gets best letter prize)
Golden Sparrow is refreshingly different
The Golden Sparrow on Saturday has brought refreshingly different features to the readers of Pune and you and your team deserve heartiest congratulations for consistently delivering material of excellent quality. The Spotlight section is one of my favourites. No one else
16+16 (TGS
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`2,200 tion BHAT BY ASHOK water augmenta @ashok_bhat Water Supply a some reThe PMC’s has proposed July has brought the civic Department project to replace Rainfall in Pune and to citizens of `2,200 crore old, leaking and to be able lief to the of . However, the network drainage administration water supply without water and (DPR) damaged and months, ensure regular Project Report coming weeks to Pune will lines. A Draft to be placed before cuts in the water supplying 10 TMC Committee is scheduled the dams Improvement leader up an additional of water) the City feet need to build BJP’s group TGS. million cubic next week, Bidkar told (thousand Ganesh dam has financed in PMC, storage. would be Khadakwasla of 1.98 Nehru The project While the the Jawaharlal Mission. storage capacity through reached its situation in the Panshet, Urban Renewal curtail National dams would TMC, the will drastically and TemgharPune city but The project Varasgaon like not just for water wastage. be crucial towns downstream depend on also for smaller To Indapur, which Daund and for their water supply. of the rainreview TMC a 20 dams the took these a total of status at ministration demand, water storage Varasgaon and of which storage fulfi l this fall and be required, to Panshet, water will Khadakwasla, which supply water cials has been achieved. dams of 10 TMC underlined by the offi Temghar during This was water Department headdam has the city. Khadakwasla of the Irrigation at the civic e Th of 1.98 TMC. convened Kodre its full capacity therefore a meeting mayor Chanchala storage to at this by department this quarters Those presentcommisThe irrigation some water from PMC release on Thursday. municipal river. The decided to city engineer the Mutha meeting included the alternate dam into Deshmukh, to withdraw release water water supply sioner Vilas decided and also comWaghmare, standing supply plan Prashant day water Kulkarni, dam. Karne and 10 from this chief V. G. Contd on p Bapusaheb once a day . mittee chairman representatives the civic adtop party meeting During the Sepoy
g wrong with What is goin India? y in road safet in the that accident resulting school bus a larger tragedy Telangana students is part of death of 19 e attention some 20 injured killed and demands immediat dents were school bus was rammed
a truck at unmanned collided with when their train at an school bus Maharashtra on January ThursBY PRIYANKA in by a speeding in Telangana Malkapur According to the foundaschool bus only has the school rail-road crossing India not included the 10 this year. accidents involving one of day. The dead NEW DELHI: of having the tion, all the led to deaths. of school records in driver. dubious distinction lives on the number of the total and buses in 2013 road accident lost their Although part while the worst taking more Six students highway these are a minuscule of school daily on the on children is world, but lives, particularly Indians dying accidents are the Solapur-Dhule in Maharashtra number of more young say most on an excursion nearly 70 7, 2013. roads, activists children. Nadu’s have left December presiin Tamil a Road accidents many injured since avoidable. founder and In an accident in June 2013, and said. Piyush Tewari, Foundation, said district children dead2013, a NGO has ina bus, killing Pudukottai of Save Life for safety were also dent of collided with the start and 60 students seven mini van adult “accountable children. when holding an while on the move” as More than spread over this seven school seven children died and accidents act till July of children safety laws would jured in 11 Another in Jammu January 2013 victims were into a gorge April the having child states since were district in instances, their bus fell injured 12 were Anantnag deterrents. year. In all school buses which this year Kashmir’s last year, 11 students hit in or trains or Two accidentsThe first took place travelling bus Uttar 2013. In July injured when their by other vehicles Noida in Ten school students. 20 either hit mountain slopes. Hanumangarh killed and in Greater Save Life students. Rajasthan’s May 12 rolled down to NGO road safea truck in injuring two adjoining Noifor According Pradesh, injured in 10 was which works in Punjab, district. Contd on p students werewhen their school bus Foundation, took place da April 29 ty, the accidents Jammu and Kashmir, bus. their hit by a state-run Uttar Pradesh,Rajasthan, Maharashtra died when Three children Tamil Nadu, 19 stuand Telangana. War worst disasters, at the Infantry In one of the martyrs
General by has the martyrs Ladakh violations on the tributes to ceasefire The government and Kashmir’s place regularly state, but Vijay central the NEW DELHI: four new War in Jammu occasion of 15th been taking (LoC) in parliathe to set up ectively country, decided region on Line of Controlarmy has been eff in the the is alert and universities this week. Diwas. assured that those violations. the army told early to on the resource re every He said ment was responding effectively of human the ceasefi the has deployed “The ministry has decided “They violate integrity and but the army to has been (HRD) defend the every month, to respond development new central universiborders to week and is four of the country. effective steps Tribal Univerto set up sovereignty assure you, the armythe been taking 10 one Central Pradesh and said. “Let me to defend Contd on p ties, viz. those,” he in Andhra university in of the on the borders sity each deployed sovereignty one central Ganand the told reporters Telangana, integrity and Mahatma HRD Pradesh General Singh in Bihar,” Andhra country,” University written dhi Central said in a Smriti Irani Minister Sabha. the Lok 40 central reply to there are of the At present, purview under the universities ministry.
merican Indian-A in d convicte stock scheme
l need additiona City dams over crisis water to tide
IANS
Even as the success of the Mars mission is being celebrated, what we need is a passionate initiative from our teachers to make science and mathematics a matter of joy for students. Education needs to be about enjoying the process and not just a means to an end. It is a valuable interaction between the teacher and student and an opportunity to cultivate curiosity. Our rigid system of education has produced results but it has also prevented a student from progressing beyond. Rural education needs to be encouraged and teachers need to have a passion to teach. The media is also at fault for promoting just film stars and cricket players as heroes. We need to change our concept of role models and realise what is better for the nation. Good education will always be useful and be a benefit for the future generations. Schools are the building
RAJANDEKAR
• 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
to be served food which their culture and sensibilities prohibit them from partaking of. My son, who is a catering student, is often faced with the serious, when he is assigned to cook non-vegetarian food. How is he as a strict and scrupulous Jain be expected to prepare food that his religion and culture forbid him to? This is a very sensitive issue for people of my community. I see no reason why someone who wants to take up catering as a profession cannot be allowed to specialize in vegetarian cuisine only?
editor_tgs@goldensparrow.com
ANIRUDDHA
Our newspaper is interactive and you are welcome to write in to our various segments:
“The Oktoberfest is known as the Largest Volksfest (People’s Fair) in the world. In 1816, carnival booths appeared. The main prizes were silver, porcelain, and jewellery. In 1819, the founding citizens of Munich assumed responsibility over festival management. It was agreed that the Oktoberfest would be celebrated every year. Later, it was lengthened and the date pushed forward, the reason being that the end of September in Bavaria often has very good weather. The high temperature in the first week of Oktoberfest nears 30°C which stimulates the thirst of the visitors. However, today the last week of Oktoberfest is still in October,” says Jannis. With the endless flow of beer and women dressed in dirndls, the traditional outfit in Bavaria, a horse race, live music and an agenda that spells fun all the way, Pune Octoberfest is an invitation for everyone to come have a good time. “The first year we got 2,500 expats and Indians attending the festival and for the last five years, the numbers are increasing,” says senior manager Frank Hoffman. “We hope to cross 10,000 people this year and are ready to entertain them all, with German beer and authentic German food followed by a live band, ‘Die Sulmtaler’, who will be specially flown in from Germany for the event,” adds Frank. prachibari@gmail.com
File photo of Participants dressed in traditional Bavarian grooving to some Oktoberfest music
Letters to the Editor
TGS is interactive
PUNE
ents to IIM stud
an : An Indian-Americ to recently d compaWASHINGTON paying homageMhow in Indore two publicly-tradefor paying School, Bikram Singh CEO of General the Infantry been convictedpurchases of Army Staff farewell visit to Chief of nies has for during his in return Memorial media report kickbacks those usstocks, a and empower his companies’ Shah, 48, of California enable district competencies This would orts said. Shailesh before a US and shared eff guilty ing local enterprise. to rural areas. in Ruby pleaded to grow by of mail fraud The urban amenities Urban amenities two counts our country the challenges faced Monday, is one judge to system “Providing of wire fraud and overcomehe said. is one such missile development, IIMtwo counts (PURA) crein providreported. Octoindigenous faculty members in ral Areas the society,” out a link between will help APJ Boston Globe be sentenced in develCharting years of the visiting which I suggest through cooperative Former president of Shah will and economic emphaup to 20 challenges social entreSHILLONG: has urged students Shillong. ing opportunities could face count and a ative leadership about the resource and he said. former president role that ber and Kalam spoke world were facing for each of Management Abdul Kalam working of of the opment, the Institute and the in prison for the rural areas,” importance as creative leadership the Indian fine. that India preneur in is the creation of physical, would play sised the and CEO to emerge the role of possi$250,000 leadership the presidentbased out “PURA connectivities (IIM)-Shillong about the required and emphasisedissues and develop change in Shah was of bring both knowledge on the leaders to connectivity to tackle theseto ensure socio-economic and Costas, electronic, of payensuring success. the country. you as creative electronic combined and of SOHM He was accused He also accentuated fund change in of ble solutions leading to all see among leaders for California. With this to of the required “I want to an investment buydeveldevelopment. the key requirement the rural regions. of infrastructure, role of integrity bring about success and ing kickbacks in exchange for and enHe said profi le for while delivering leaders to planned intervention for sustained society. (IANS) information about representative two companies. a distinctive Kalam said, of National Dethe sustainable change,” achieving in the a cluster of core digital technology, was, in opment of ruby creating ing stock can select B-school representative worka lecture “Dimensions nation was en models at the to terprise, we which share The fund at the prestigious FBI agent villages, in velopment” enterprise-driv urged the students 20 to 50 undercover into fraud also is bring fact, an Kalam to ursday. remodel on Th investigation ral level. man”, as Kalam stocks, the ing on an development The “missile background in aerofor penny emulate a are less heavto his the market in India’s known due Penny stocks and his role that trade port said. than stocks Nasspace engineering ily regulated such as the exchanges Exchange. on major York Stock New daq or the
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Kalam
which shows my interest in reading TGS and not wanting to miss an issue. I am sure you would be able to set these issues right. -Rajesh Nair
Respect your heart, your health
World Heart Day is globally observed on Sept. 29, every year, to remind people and create awareness about cardiovascular disease, the biggest cause of death worldwide. The event is also observed to promote prevention measures that reduce the high risk of heart-related/cardiovascular diseases. Many people lose their lives for not taking preventive measures. Among the most affected are those who suffer from diabetes. A daily regimen of just 30 minutes of walking, consuming a
diet rich in vitamins and regular health check-up will help a lot to keep heart fit. -Vijay Dattatray Patil
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TGS MARKETING INITIATIVE
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 4, 2014
WORLD TOURISM DAY
PUNE
special
Goa tourism portal banks on Zico, IFFI to attract tourists A special discount package was floated for football fans, especially for the three-month long Indian Super League
BY MAYABHUSHAN NAGVENKAR
A
newly-launched tourism portal in Goa is banking on Brazilian football legend Zico to bring home the bucks as well as fans from soccer-crazy Kolkata and other Indian metros, where the ‘Beautiful Game’ has a large following. Mario Fernandes, general manager of tourism portal Goantourism.com that promises a wide range of e-commerce services for inbound tourists, told IANS that a special discount package had been floated for football fans, especially for the three-month long Indian Super League (ISL) which begins next month. “We are banking on the fact that football lovers from Kolkata, other metros and elsewhere in the country are keen on watching Zico, who is a world football legend, in action,” Fernandes said. While Zico, 61, ISL club FC Goa’s marquee coach, is no longer a competitive player, Fernandes believes his legendary contribution to the game is alive even now and that football fans would still travel to watch him bark orders at his team from the designated coaching area. “We have received enquiries about tickets, that’s why we came up with the special ISL package. For now we are offering 10 to 15 per cent discount on game tickets and season tickets. The package includes airfare as well,” he said. FC Goa is one of the eight teams which is part of the much trumpeted ISL that kicks off next month and is jointly owned by three club owners, namely, Anirudh Dhoot, a director with Videocon, Srinivas Dempo, chairman and managing director of the Dempo Group of Companies, and Dattaraj Salogaocar, managing director of VM Salgaocar and co. The latter two hail from Goa. While the team has signed Arthur Antones Coimbra, alias Zico, who has played in three World Cup tournaments for Brazil, as its marquee coach, FC
“For now we are offering 10 to 15 per cent discount on game tickets and season tickets.”
FOR GOD'S SAKE CALL US BEFORE YOU FINALISE A KERALA HOLIDAY 14 042/quiksel.com
THIS DIWALI.
Goa has also roped in former Arsenal star and French World Cup winner Robert Pires as its marquee player. The interest which has been whipped up vis-a-vis ISL, Fernandes said, could be good for those in the travel industry. “Instead of multi-point transactions like booking your travel separately and then booking ISL tickets, our portal provides a one-point solution for football fans,” he said, adding that the portal would be specially promoted in Kolkata, which like Goa, is also known for its passion for soccer. Fernandes also said that the portal was offering specially created packages for the upcoming International Film Festival of India, which begins in Goa in November. The IFFI attracts nearly 10,000 delegates, many of whom stay in Goa during the entire duration of the 11-day festival. “IFFI is one of India’s biggest festivals and therefore provides much potential,” he said, adding that special packages for in-bound tourists for the Exposition of St Francis Xavier were also being marketed by the website. Every 10 years, remains of the missionary Spanish saint Francis Xavier are kept on public display at an event called the Exposition of St Francis Xavier at the Old Goa Church complex located 10 km from Panaji. According to Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, over five million pilgrims from different parts of India as well as across the world are expected to attend the Exposition this year. IANS
The hotels, the flights, the daily programs will leave you stunned. www.byondjourneys.com/kerala (type byond without the 'e')
(020) 4129 4501 98505 00903
Himachal invites investment in hospitality industry
H
imachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh Saturday has invited private investment in the hospitality industry, which is contributing 9.75 per cent to the state gross domestic product. “We are keen to develop a new airport near Shimla,” he said, adding that the process to identify a site near Kandaghat in Solan district is underway. Besides, the state is keen to develop helipads in far-flung areas to start a heli-taxi service in the private sector.
A similar concession has also been extended to the tourism units coming up in rural areas. The home-units in rural areas are also exempted from payment of luxury tax for five years. For upgradation of tourist infrastructure, a Rs.600 crore project funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is being implemented. To check fleecing of tourists, he said special police personnel would be deployed in major tourist destinations. IANS
MAHA POLLS 2014 | Your vote matters
Modi to start Maha poll campaign from Mumbai today Mumbai: Prime minister Modi will kick off his Maharashtra assembly election campaign with a weekender rally in Mumbai on October 4, party sources said. The BJP rally will be addressed by him Saturday evening 7 pm at the Mahalaxmi Race Course in south Mumbai. Top BJP leaders are expected to be present at the rally which the party hopes could turn the tables on the other four major contending parties, the Congress, NCP, Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, for the Oct 15 elections.
Uddhav, Raj in city on Oct 9, 10 Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will be in Pune for election campaign in next week. He will hold a rally on October 9, while on October 10, Maharashtra Navnirmen Sena chief, Raj Thackeray will address a rally in the city. Probably, Raj Thackeray will have four rallies for eight constituencies is the city in one day. To counter this, the Pune BJP leaders are trying to hold a rally of prime minister Narendra Modi in last phase of campaign.
‘Why no ‘captain’ for Maha polls?’ Panaji: Award winning poet and BJP legislator from Goa, Vishnu Wagh used a social networking site to question his party’s inability to name a ‘captain’ to lead the charge for the Maharashtra Assembly polls. Wagh said on his timeline that the decision to name a leader had yielded a dividend in the polls in the recent past. A brilliant multi-lingual orator, Wagh campaigned for the BJP during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. IANS
OCTOBER 4, 2014
PUNE
Forget campaigns, all parties are still explaining their break-ups
In all four parties, after the initial bravado of having decided to go it alone, the reality about the very hard work needed to get their partners out from the seats they held is sinking in by Mahesh Vijapurkar The Assembly elections in Maharashtra will not be the same this time, apart from the fact that two main alliances have broken down. The uniqueness stems from the fact that all four parties which earlier constituted the two alliances, Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena on one hand, and the Congress and the Nationalistic Congress Party on the other, have spent their time only explaining away their respective break-ups. Each of the main leaders of the four parties, Prithviraj Chavan, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, and almost the entire core committee of the BJP, have been at pains to lob the cause for the divorce into the former partner’s court. The respective spokespersons have been spending TV time clearing their stands at the cost of other things they could have spoken about. In this PingPong battle, the start of the election campaign has been a casualty. The release of their manifestos have been inordinately delayed. Raj Thackeray’s blueprint, so titled because manifestos are seen as a paper of no worth, released and forgotten, has looked at basic issues. But in the war of words between others, he hopes to be heard because he has something to say. The one main unwritten manifesto seems to tell the voter that each of the partners is in the elections for one main reason: defeat their long-time partners, never mind the fragment rival
alliance. BJP and Sena would rather see each other whittled down in the state politics. Congress and NCP are similarly posited with respect to each other. It is hard to believe they were partners till last week, even if they bickered. Maharashtra has now thrown all poll calculations off track. Candidates have hopped parties in such numbers that the hopefuls had not even planned their campaigns at the constituency level. The sudden intraparty migration has upset several applecarts. The near-sure aspirant suddenly found he was not in the fray at all; his tentative campaign planning has gone for a toss, and he may even end up having to support a former rival. Rivalries at local levels are far more intense. By now, the campaigning should have quite nearly peaked and the atmosphere electrified. The state is nowhere near that point. All political parties have in the past ten days launched their campaigns though their national leaders are yet to arrive on the scene. Narendra Modi would do so on October 4 for a hectic round; the Gandhis are expected too, but their schedules are not known yet. Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray do not have to look to anyone from outside to bolster their campaigns for they are both heading regional parties. It is up to them to work up the lather and get the voters to believe their versions of the development story they think they have. In a way, this campaign has been
IANS
Signposts
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY
Maharashtra Chief Minister and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan, Maharashtra Congress Chief Manikrao Thackeray, party leaders Narayan Rane, Ashok Chavan, Sushil Kumar Shinde and others during a function organised to kickstart the party’s election campaign ahead of the assembly elections in Mumbai
unwittingly television-centric, instead of being about big rallies. The problem with this medium is the time-limit that news anchors put on the leaders. Circumlocution is being thwarted, and spiels are being disallowed, and sharp questions on what they aim to do if elected are not being asked. The anchors are still confined to questions on the sudden dissolution of the alliances.
Tea gone cold: Jaago re crusaders go missing?
Aniruddha Rajandekar
File photo of Voters showing their identity cards
over the coming weekends for this,” said IAC’s former member, Balbir Singh. The NSS group from Savitribai Phule Pune University, which had conducted several initiatives ahead of the LS elections, is conducting some activities ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly polls through various colleges and institutes to underscore the importance of voting. They plan to do this through various activities such as elocution, debates, street plays, etc. On the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti on October 2, NSS also conducted an oath taking ceremony where students pledged to vote in the elections. The Election Commission recently conducted a campaign whose results showed that there has been an increase in the voting percentage in rural areas. While in past Lok Sabha polls, Pune registered only 54.22 per cent voting, Shirur and Baramati constituencies registered 59% and 58% respectively. In the 2009 assembly polls, the voting percentage in rural areas was higher as compared to the constituencies within Pune city where the voting percentage did not rise over 45 percent. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which was in full swing with its election campaigns ahead of the LS elections, has been relatively silent this time round. In fact, so silent that there is no clear picture regarding their position or role in the elections this time. When asked about this, AAP volunteer Rajesh Choudhari said, “ After the Lok Sabha elections and the election results, we realised that
why they let the state slip. Since the campaign has to end on 13 October evening, and the polling scheduled for 15 October, all that they all have is a mere 13 days, today included, to get their acts together and go stand on the stumps. That isn’t much given that there have been no preparatory campaigns but only squabbles all around. Copyright:Firstspot.com
We founded, nurtured NDA, says Shiv Sena chief
BY Ashok Bhat and Ishani Bose @ishani_bose & @ashok_bhat
Remember the tea company’s jaago re campaign urging voters to be good citizens and vote in the elections? Where are those campaigns and the crusaders today? The run-up to the Lok Sabha elections in May saw aggressive voter-awareness drives on social media and on the ground. Now, however, most of the groups have gone silent even though the assembly polls in Maharashtra are just a fortnight away. Two reasons for this that immediately come to mind are virtual collapse of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Maharashtra and the fact that the voter registration drive was completed well before the elections were announced. Most voluntary organisations approached by The Golden Sparrow on Saturday had just one thing to say: the mass deletion of names from the voters’ list during the recent LS elections had dampened the spirits of voters in Pune. It would not serve any purpose to go back to them and urge them to vote, representatives of these organisations said. NGOs like Parivartan Trust, India against Corruption (IAC), the National Clean City Foundation, students from the National Service Scheme (NSS), etc. had conducted massive campaigns of voter awareness almost six to seven months ahead of the general elections. Their campaigns featured a common tag line: Vote for India. There’s no sign of this campaign now. The president of Parivartan Trust, Aniket Mundada said, “Last time, during the Lok Sabha elections, we ran this campaign in eight different ways. Along with creating awareness for voting, we also enrolled the names of voters with the help of National Service Scheme(NSS) students of Pune University.” Parivartan volunteers enrolled over one lakh names from 59 colleges, 80 IT companies and more than 30 housing societies. “In the final list, out of these one lakh, only 30,000-35,000 names appeared. Most of the names were found deleted on the day of polling. People started asking us questions as to why their names were not there. After this experience, we have decided to campaign through social media only, instead of meeting people personally. This campaign will start next week,” he said. There are others who are planning to organise the campaigns on an individual level. IAC’s Pune Chapter had been quite active in the last few years. They are, however, lying dormant during the Maharashtra polls. “While India Against Corruption is not conducting any voting awareness initiatives as a group, with most members already having left the group down the years; on an individual level, some of us are carrying on some initiatives. What we intend to do hasn’t been chalked out yet, but some of the past members and I plan to meet up
It’s unlike any Assembly elections held in Maharashtra in recent memory. In all four parties, after the initial bravado of having decided to go it alone, the reality about the very hard work needed to get their partners out from the seats they held is sinking in. But as Opposition, BJP and Sena have no defence of their conduct as an opposition, nor Congress-NCP an explanation as to
we do not have a grass root network in the city and we realised that until and unless we show some progress, people won’t vote. We decided that we need to reach out to people, especially in states like Haryana and Maharashtra. We realised that rather than standing for elections, let’s do some work first. Let’s connect with the people, create a ground base in the city and then fight elections. Hence, in the Maharashtra assembly elections, AAP is neither fielding any candidates, nor supporting any candidates, nor backing any political party. “ He said further added, that even though they are not standing for election this time, they are running certain parallel programs to educate the masses regarding the qualities an ideal MLA should have. “ We are working on issues such as generic medicines, conveyance deeds for housing societies, infrastructure, we are strengthening the Mohalla Committee to have more frequent meetings. During election time, we are educating people about what they should be looking for in an MLA. Just because we not standing for elections, that doesn’t mean that we are not participating in that process. We are also trying to get all the standing candidates on one platform so that they can tell their views about what they want to do for that constituency and people can hear it and then decide. We are not trying to support or oppose anybody. We are just trying to educate the common man,” he said. editor_tgs@goldensparrow.com
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena Thursday claimed it was the founder of the National Democratic Alliance and responsible for its survival even after nearly two dozen smaller parties deserted it after the debacle in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. “The National Democratic Alliance’s birth, naming ceremony and other functions were witnessed by the Shiv Sena...,” an edit in the party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ said Thursday. “There were 23 parties in NDA during the Vajpayee government... Most of them deserted... At the end, only Akali Dal and Shiv Sena were left... Shiv Sena stuck with NDA even during its worst periods...,” the edit said. The assertion followed a suggestion by Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana leader Raju Shetti to the Shiv Sena not to leave the NDA after the six-party Grand Alliance in the state collapsed Sep 25. This week, there was intense speculation that the Sena’s lone cabinet minister Anant Geete would quit the central government as a first step towards Sena’s withdrawal from the NDA. Later, however, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray backtracked, saying whether or not Geete would resign would be decided after holding discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his return from the US visit.
Taking umbrage at Shetti’s call, the Sena pointed out that even before “these four selfproclaimed friendly parties were born, the Shiv Sena was part of NDA”, referring to Swabhimani Shetkari Saghatana, Republican Party of India (A), Rashtriya Samaj Paksh and Shiv Sangram, which are now allied with the BJP in Maharashtra. Lashing out at Shetti for his comment, the Sena said he had threatened to launch an agitation on the streets of Maharashtra if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did not take decisions in the interest of the state’s farmers. “What happened... Are you satisfied with the BJP government?” the Sena demanded, adding that some crumbs were thrown to the rats and they kept quiet. Accusing the BJP of breaking the Grand Alliance before the Oct 15 assembly elections in Maharashtra, the ‘Saamana’ edit said that Shetti was in favour of continuing it and fighting elections jointly with the Shiv Sena. “Now, he has allied with the BJP and even threatening to quit the NDA if farmers’ interests were not protected... Why the dual speak? Earlier, he had been pulled up by the state BJP for speaking against the Modi government, but ultimately what happened?” it said. “However, we did not change our ideology or our party... Whether to continue with the NDA or not, the decision will be entirely ours,” the edit concluded. IANS
Will Shah’s booth strategy work? BY Ashok Bhat @ashok_bhat BJP president Amit Shah’s famed “booth management” technique will be deployed by the party in the Maharashtra polls. Shah who’s campaign in UP during the Lok Sabha polls resulted in a victory of more than 70 seats is in charge of the assembly polls in Maharashtra. His campaign slogan for party workers is “Booth Jito, Chunav Jito”. The deployment of party cadres would be such that each party worker would be focused on just 30 to 40 voters. BJP’s election co-coordinator for western Maharashtra, Yogesh Gogawale told this newspaper that party-level preparations were underway as per Shah’s guidelines. “Booth Jito, Chunav Jito” is Shah’s slogan, he said. Ten party workers have been allotted per polling booth as a part of the strategy, he said.
This strategy included support teams of women party workers during the UP polls. A systematic strategy has been drawn up from the polling booth upwards, he said. The main focus of the strategy is to increase the polling percentage and encourage newly enrolled young voters to vote. The booth management team is independent of the team that is engaged in the day-to-day campaigning activities. At the city level, the party has established a central communication machinery which would take a review from the booth committee daily. As a part of the strategy, a mid-week review of the booth management operations is taken by the party’s state and national president. Pune city has 1,900 polling booths in eight assembly constituencies and the BJP has prepared booth committee for each and every polling booth. ashok.bhat21@gmail.com
MAHA POLLS 2014 | Your vote matters
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 4, 2014
PUNE
What Happened
to past promises?
As political parties get busy presenting their promising election manifestos for the state assembly elections on October 15, Ashok Bhat reports on the backlog that have been bothering Puneites
Critical issues relating to Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad will once again come to the fore as Maharashtra goes to the polls on October 15. The foremost among these issues relate to public transport, the pending Development Plan of the city, equitable drinking water supply, Metro rail, better management of the city’s garbage and the establishment of the Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (PMRDA) for planned development of the city. These
issues are critical for Pune’s growth and development and need the co-ordinated intervention of the Pune Municipal Corporation and the state government. Were our elected MLAs and MLCs successful in taking these issues forward? Or were they busy doing the work of civic corporators by putting up benches, constructing a toilet block here and there and trying to improve footpaths? Here’s a status report on the issues at hand:
Development Plan (DP) for Pune City (2007 – 2027)
Better garbage management
A very critical component of a city’s planning, is the Development Plan (DP), drafted every 20 years. The Pune Municipal Corporation had prepared a Draft DP submitted it to the state government in 2007. Three
years later, the government asked for a comprehensive DP for the entire city, including the fringe areas. The plan was prepared accordingly and published last year, inviting suggestions and objections from citizens. A total of 87,000 S&Os were filed by citizens and NGOs. The hearings on these have been completed and the final report of the City Planning Committee is awaited. This report will be tabled before the PMC’s General Body and on approval will be sent to the State government for approval and publication. This journey began seven years ago, in 2007, and is still to be completed.
The state government allotted 163 acres land in the vicinity of Phursungi Dewachi Urli to PMC for a garbage landfills in 1991. The existing garbage depot near Vanaz on Paud Road was closed in 2003 and the new dumping grounds were put to use. Every day, about 1,600 tons of garbage is dumped here. However, this has led to acute air pollution in the area and has also degraded the soil and groundwater. Experts say that the PMC needs to distribute the load in four or five landfills in different corners of the city. This is however, easier said than done. While the allocation has to be done by
the state government, it would have been prudent if each MLA had pursued the matter with their party higher-ups in the government. Now, after the announcement of merger of 34 villages into Pune city, it is very difficult to get land for a garbage depot.
PMRDA for planned development of Pune
Day in and day out, the city bus service run by the PMPML (Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd) is the primary means of transport for 12.5 lakh people in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad including students, workers, professionals, senior citizens and others, bringing in a revenue of Rs. 1.30 cr. per day. The PMPML also serves citizens residing almost 20 km from the border of the twin cities. Even in its existing state, the PMPML is so important that 30% of the population is dependent on the schedule of the PMPML for their work. The PMPML needs a fleet of at least
Mumbai has an independent, autonomous development authority, the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) while Nagpur has the Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT). All the major developmental projects in the city are carried out by these authorities. It was in 1997-98 that the state government took the decision to establish the Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (PMRDA) as an independent development authority for PMC, PCMC and the district. This body was given a jurisdiction of over a total area of 2,997 sq. km. The PMRDA is yet to be created and this has adversely affected the planned development of the city.
As there were two parties in the government, there were different opinions on different issues. These differences delayed the decisions about Pune. This is the reason why the Development Plan is getting delayed. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar suggested one common IAS officer for PMPML, SRA and PimpriChinchwad Pradhikaran, but it was not taken seriously by the government. MLAs and MLCs constantly follow-up all the issues. But there are lacunae in our system. There is no common platform for the state government and the municipal corporation to discuss about future development of the city.
Decisions become difficult in alliance goverment than a single party government
The problems of Pune city have been pending but when Prithviraj Chavan became chief minister he gave momentum to issues like development plan and Metro rail. There is a coalition government in the state for the last 15 years. It became difficult to take decisions when more than one party is in government because of political reasons. Our MLAs and MLCs follow-up the issues. To solve any issue or problem, their legal and technical aspects have to be dealt with. This is part of the procedure and issues get delayed. Many infrastructure related issues are in the final decision stages, but the model code of conduct held is holding them back.
Lack of political will and vested interests have stalled development
To solve issues like DP, excess quota of water, Metro or full time CEO to PMPML, political will power is required. Both the parties in government have never showed that will. Hence the Congress and the Nationlist Congress Party are responsible for pendency to the issues. For DP there is a difference of opinions in the ruling parties. CCTVs are for safety and they should have been purchased and installed, but they didn’t do that. PMRDA was dissolved because of dispute of chairmanship between the two parties. Such issues highlight the incapablity of the Congress and the NCP of making political decisions unanimously.
MNS | Bala Shedage
Water supply: Demand for 16 TMC since 2009
A resolution to establish the Pune Metro was taken by the PMC in 2006 and in 2007, the Standing Committee appointed the Delhi Metro Railway Corporation (DMRC) led by E. Shridharan as consultant on payment of Rs 2.25 Cr. A detailed plan for the next 30 years was drawn up after a door-to-door survey by IIT Bombay. A report was sent to the state government to be forwarded to the central government in 2007. The state government, however, did not act on it till 2012 when it was sent to the central government. In 2013, the then central minister and NCP president Sharad Pawar held a meeting with the Union Urban Development minister Kamalnath and the Metro report was sent back to the state with some queries and suggestions such as establishment of a special purpose vehicle for the Metro project. The State government has not taken an initiative for the SPV as yet.
There is an agreement between the PMC and the state Irrigation Department for the supply of 11 TMC (thousand million cubic feet of water per second) to meet Pune’s drinking water needs. Given the high population growth of the city, the PMC has demanded an annual quota 16 TMC since 2009. This demand has become a matter of dispute between the two
CCTVs for Pune - pending since 2010
Affordable housing Aniruddha Rajandekar
The State government has prepared a policy for affordable and low costs housing and the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority’s (MHADA) regional office in Pune has been vested with the responsibility of
Differences of opinion, a major problem
BJP | Ganesh Bidkar
Metro project - 2007 to 2014
Pune witnessed the German Bakery bomb blast in 2010, a series of blasts on Jangali Maharaj Road in 2012, the murder of anti-superstition crusader Dr. Narendra Dabholkar in 2013 and blasts in the Faraskhana Police Station premises this year premises. To address the security issues of the city, the State government announced the setting up of a CCTV camera network in the city in 2010. However, no action was taken for a number of years and following intense criticism, Rs. 300 Cr. was hurriedly sanctioned for the CCTV network. Work was begun but
NCP | Vandana Chavan
Congress | Dr Satish Desai
PMPML: Lifeline of Pune, Pimpri–Chinchwad 3,500 buses for providing a better service but has just 2,200 buses at the moment. The Karnataka Government has provided basic infrastructure for the Bengaluru Municipal Transport (BMT) such as a new depot constructed on government land. There are commercial complexes everywhere to bring in additional income for the BMT. The Karnataka government also provides additional funds for procurement of new buses, ensuring that the BMT runs in a profit. Why can’t a similar model be adopted in Maharashtra?
What these politicos say...
agencies and has not been resolved. The city MLA need to take this issue to the Chief Minister and get the required quota of water for city. That, however, has not happened so far and the matter remains unresolved. In the PCMC area, the issue of a closed water pipeline has become a disputed issue because of police firing on protesting farmers in Mawal some years ago.
providing affordable housing to low and middle income group families. This agency depends on the government for basic land. Unfortunately, the State government has not provided land for MHADA in the last 15 years.
Failure of rulling and opposition parties Issues are pending mainly because of apathy of the state government and an incompetent opposition party. This is the failure of the parties in the government, the Congress and the NCP and opposition. For delayed DP, the government is responsible and at the same time in Pune Municipal Corporation BJP- Shiv Sena were in rulling with NCP in Pune Pattern. At that time there was no consensus in procurement of buses. In our opinion all four parties are responsible for holding back development in Pune city. After 14 months the police have been unable to trace Dr Dabholkar’s killers and after blasts in the city, the government has not put up CCTV cameras. It shows the apathy of the administration and the concern ministers.
City activists on pending issues
there is no indication when it would be completed.
Widening of Kelkar Road
A second government hospital for the city
Kelkar Road links Appa Balwant Chowk to Alka Talkies Chowk. The PMC has proposed in the Development Plan of 1987 to widen this road to 100 ft (30 metres). This has not been done because there are 500 to 700 private properties on this road that the PMC has not been able to acquire. The PMC shifted this plan to the riverbed road and shifted the reservation on Kelkar Road to the riverbed road by adopting a resolution in the general body. A proposal was sent to the state government but it was rejected and returned by the Urban Development Minister.
Spread over 242 sq. km. Pune, with a population of nearly 50 lakh has just one government hospital, the Sassoon General Hospital. Medical treatment is becoming unaffordable for the poor and in such a situation, they are forced to depend on budgeted medical treatment. While the Mumbai Municipal Corporation has three big hospitals with medical colleges attached to them, in the last 5-6 years, the PMC undertook to develop the Kamala Nehru Hospital as a fullfledged hospital. However, this cannot be achieved without the state government’s assistance. Who will pursue this matter, if not the city’s MLAs?
Pics by Aniruddha Rajandekar
Vivek Velankar | Sajag Nagarik Manch
Strong political leadership is missing
Our
Ramesh Bagve Congress Cantonment
Chandrakant Mokate Shiv Sena Kothrud
Mahadev Babar Shiv Sena Hadapsar
Madhuri Misal BJP Parvati
Elected representatives are lethargic
Vijay Kumbhar | RTI activist
Our politicians lack will power to bring change
Vinayak Niman Congress Shivajinagar
Sudhirkaka Kulkarni | Nagari Hakka Sanstha
Pune has been giving the highest revenue to the state government after Mumbai (about Rs 20,000 cr), but still issues of Pune are ignored. The basic reason is that, there is no strong political leadership in Pune who will fight for Pune’s interest and issues. The administrative leadership is also working as per convenience of political leaders and hence they also have failed to solve issues of Pune. The failure can be attributed to all political parties.
YOU ELECTED THEM IN 2009
Girish Bapat BJP Kasaba
old method of doing the work of individuals. Political will is required to resolve city issues but leaders are not interested. They get into power to make money it seems. I believe that most issues related to the city can be solved if our leaders show a willingness to do that. Issues of their own interest like increasing ministers and MLAs’ salaries get approved in no time. But to nominate an authority by real estate bill, the government doesn’t have time. It shows their apathy towards the public issues.
Bapu Pathare NCP Vadgaonsheri
Bhimrao Tapkir BJP Khadakwasla
politians
are
following
the
None of our MLA or MLC from the city had approached the state government with issues related to the city. Though, some of them raised questions, they did not follow up on the same. Instead of spending MLA funds on benches, Samaj Mandir or temples, they should have used the money buy new buses for the PMPML. Nobody has thought of constructing high capacity water tanks or on power projects from garbage. ashok.bhat21@gmail.com
TGS Marketing Initiative
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 4, 2014
PUNE
An expanding Pune attracts growing investment An ever growing population has fuelled a real estate flurry BY BARNALEE HANDIQUE @barnalee Pune, surrounded by hills, enriched with traditions used to be a pensioner’s paradise. The city has now evolved into a buzzing metropolis. Over the last decade or more, the city has spread in all directions at a frantic pace. Today, it has all the hallmarks of a global city. The
city’s real estate market is also attracting large investment. Initially the growth was in the business areas of the city, but with the ever growing population, the city has seen a huge demand for residential as well as commercial projects. The city is expanding almost in concentric circles. The suburban areas like Wakad, Hinjewadi, Aundh, Hadapsar have a boom in the real estate
market. Due to the lack of available land in Pune, the builders have started targeting the outskirts of the city. One reason for this growth is the IT sector that is booming . These areas are also special economic zones. IT sector employs a large and growing number of people who need homes to live in. This has fuelled the demand of the city’s property market. The developers have used this opportunity to expand the earlier limits of Pune and develop new residential areas. The same has given
rise to micro markets with varying affordability indices. With diverse communities and socio economic characteristics, these micro markets fuel growth and increase demand in the real estate sector. These changing patterns have given rise to budget segments in the real estate market. The segment has seen growth in the commercial as well as residential projects. As for buyers, there are projects that suit every pocket and budget. barnalee.handique@goldensparrow.com
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 4, 2014
PUNE
“From the second year onwards, our business started picking up. Our aim was to provide quality service and complete customer satisfaction.” — Ajay Kolla, CEO and Founder, Wisdom IT Services
The new age entrepreneur
Signposts Preparing bankable proposal Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA) is organising a seminar on ‘Preparation of a Successful Bankable Proposal for Agri and Food Units’ on October 7 at MCCIA Trade Towers, SB Road, from 4 pm onwards. Dr NB Shete, expert on agriculture and rural banking, will be faculty for the programme. For more details, contact Sasidharan P V on 020-25709123.
Start-ups: the Swiss Experience Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA), with Swiss Indian Chamber of Commerce and TiE Pune Chapter, is organising a seminar on ‘Innovation and Start-ups, the Swiss Experience’ on October 8 at Navalmal Firodia Seminar Hall, MCCIA Trade Tower, SB Road, from 6 pm onwards. For details, contact Madhura Chipade on 020-25709213
Quotes...
START-UP MENTOR
“This is a golden opportunity for customers to buy jewellery of their choice. The Maha Gold fest has been specially organised during the festival season for this reason.
Vishwas Mahajan
TGS MARKETING INITIATIVE
ABHAY GADGIL Secretary Pune Saraf ’s Association,
“I have never worked a day in my life without selling. If I believe in something, I sell it, and I sell it hard.” — Estee Lauder, Founder, Estee Lauder Companies
Social entrepreneur Mayur Ahuja has launched the Pune chapter of the Model United Nations, an educational simulation and academic competition. BY RITU GOYAL HARISH @ritugh He is unlike most young people of his age. His choice has taken him into the social enterpreneurship field. Third year student from College of Engineering, Pune, 20-year-old Mayur Ahuja like any other hopeful joined CoEP because he wanted to become an engineer, but a summer internship with a Mumbai-based NGO drew him towards social entrepreneurship. His desire to create a venture that would be for the youth led him to launch the Pune chapter of the Model United Nations, ‘an educational simulation and academic competition in which students learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations. “I took a loan from my father, convinced my parents that I would use the money well and started MUN in April 2013 with a few friends,” said Ahuja, a first generation entrepreneur. In January 2014, Pune MUN held its first conference with 657 delegates. This was the largest youth conference held in Pune. What Ahuja thought would be a one-time affair has turned into a movement due to the support and encouragement the MUN has received. Five MUN conferences have been organised in educational institutes till date. The larger conference, Pune MUN for 2015 has already had over 500 registrations and is in the process of being registered under the Bombay Shops & Establishment Act.
After deducting the expenses, the Pune MUN donated US$ 500 to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to be allocated to the ‘Child Hunger’ programme. This year, the organisers are aiming to reduce their overheads to be able to give US$ 1000 to the UN. Meanwhile, a leadership workshop Ahuja attended in Karnataka spurned him into starting Youth For Youth (YFY), an organisation that is currently under process to be registered as an NGO. YFY was born out of Ahuja’s desire to synergise the efforts of the participants of the Pune MUN who, courtesy their exposure become more socially responsible to reach out to the less privileged. Books, clothes, shoes etc. are collected by members from all across Pune and donated to the students of Kalkeri Sangh Vidyalaya, Karnataka. Ahuja is interested in psychology and law and has a passion for teaching, drama and photography. To him, partying and enjoying life as a young adult is something everyone does. “But who’s thinking of our country?” asked this young entrepreneur. “India is a progressing country. If jobs are not created, this progress graph will fall. Job creation is the need of the hour.” By starting Youth for Youth, Ahuja believes that he can help create jobs for both the educated and the uneducated. “By going into the rural areas, we can help train them and give them the opportunity to excel” he added. His ventures are totally self-driven and he is ably supported by a group of
“India is a progressing country. If jobs are not created, this progress graph will fall.”
Subcontracting from a large player vs working directly for end customer
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
I am just coming out of a very large company and would like to start a digital ad agency. It was a similar job that I was doing there and I want to stake out of my own. Should I try and go for an end customer or should I take on sub-contracting. — Imran Shaikh First of all, congratulation on your decision to stake out on your own. It appears that you have been trained on the business that you will be doing for your own company. This is a good start as you have knowledge about the business you are getting into and the work in your would have given you the information about what is it that customers look for and what kind of services you are about the provide. NOW TO ANSWER YOUR SPECIFIC QUESTION: Choosing to sub-contract for other agencies vs going after end customers : This is a critical decision as you start business. There are advantages and disadvantages of the both and you really need to look at various stand. If you are starting off-on your own and you have a trained how to do the business. It may make sense to sub contract to start with. This will allow you to leverage the skill that you have learnt and able to offer it to the type of companies that you are already aware about. This will reduce your cost of reaching out to new end customers and your business can scale based on the numbers of agencies you begin to work with. If you are able to offer a value proposition to these agencies and sub-contract their work, your business will scale. COMPARING BOTH MODELS: In addition to ease of getting customers, you also will get experience of what the end customers are looking for. Whenever you decide to go after that market you will be able to address them better. Working directly with end customers has its own advantages. You will be able to build more profitable relationships You should realise that sales cycles in end customer segment can be long, Industries relationships can take longer to realize and you have to support your business with cash flow in the interim. MANY BUSINESSES START OUT AS SUBCONTRACTORS: Many IT services companies that we know of in fact
started by working to subcontract development for customers here or abroad. This was given them needed experience and expertise when they decided to take on developing product of their own. EXPAND GEOGRAPHY: I have another suggestion. When you look at sub -contracting you need not be limiting to the customers within your geography. You can go after customers pretty much from anywhere around the world. The client front ending work is being done by the agencies who are acting as prime contractors for your customers. If you were to do the work of the prime contractor you have to be present in that location, understand the business and meet the customer. However, when you are doing the subcontractor work this is not required. This,in fact, may give the opportunity to leverage your expertise across geographies and time zones. When you are working as a prime contractor or the prime agency you may need to invest to a lot of time upfront to sales and gaining client acceptance, as a sub-contractor you may be immune to these. LOWER PRICING IS NOT A SUSTAINABLE ADVANTAGE: Having said that, you will have to define your value proposition as a subcontractor. Your sole value proposition should not be that you are able to offer services at the lower price. You should be able to deliver your projects which create a distinctive advantage to the customer. For the prime agencies that offer you a sub-contracting project it is also a risk. By entrusting their client to you, they are putting their reputation is on the line. So they will be careful and you will have to work extra hard to continually deliver the benefit that you promised to the agencies for which you sub-contract. IN SUMMARY: You can start with sub-contracting; gain the skills and experience and once you are confident, you can start your own agency. There are several examples of such agencies and I see no reason why you cannot succeed in these model. Vishwas Mahajan, president of TiE Pune Chapter, answers real life questions of entrepreneurs
friends. “I feel that if you believe in your start ups and have done good research you cannot fail” he added. ritugoyalharish@gmail.com
Money-wise • Initial investment in Pune MUN – Rs 10,000 • No investment in Youth for Youth
Top 3 challenges Mayur Ahuja faced: • Establishing Pune MUN was difficult because people were not convinced if it would work • There is a registration cost (HOW MUCH?) involved for MUN conferences which is sometimes a deterrent to aspiring participants • Finding dedicated volunteers is a constant challenge
FOR MORE INFORMATION, to volunteer or participate log into https://www.punemodelun.org A TGS MARKETING INITIATIVE
Making a difference through social message creatives Dear Readers, The Golden Sparrow on Saturday has invited Pune’s immensely talented advertising and cre-
ative fraternity to participate in a Social Message Creatives initiative. The campaign by Surekha
Communication Pvt Ltd on vehicle pollution is prepared by the team under the leadership of Sachin S Patil and Ajay K More.
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 4, 2014
PUNE
“The government is moving in the right direction, but we will have to give them time... Nobody has a magic wand by which all problems of many years will disappear.”
Saving more and spending less P 14
—Mohan Bhagwat, Chief, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
Did Indian media jump the gun Attack on Rajdeep Sardesai: Account of an eye witness by standing up for Rajdeep?
Despite my repeated requests to stay away from Rajdeep, the mob continued to shout pro-Modi slogans right in his face to instigate him
Some blame Sardesai for inciting the crowd with his questions BY FP STAFF The entire Indian media fraternity was shocked and expressed solidarity with India Today group’s consulting editor, Rajdeep Sardesai after reports that he was heckled and assaulted outside the Madison Square Garden in New York by a group of Narendra Modi supporters shortly before the prime minister’s address. Quite naturally, many from the journalistic community across different media houses were forthcoming in saying how the freedom of expression, a must for the profession, was being stifled and how people are becoming increasingly intolerant towards critical views. Sardesai too tweeted about how he was targeted by a bunch of “idiots” and how civility was blatantly disregarded by the “rule of the mob”. However, now there is a twist in the tale. In a piece Crass, low-level and hooliganism to the core, a blogger identified only as Sudhir, lashed out at Sardesai for playing the victim by giving an incomplete account of what had actually happened but also at the media fraternity for reacting too quickly without verifying the facts. The blogger also did not spare the media house with which Sardesai is currently associated. “India Today released an “official” video in which Rajdeep was heckled (as if heckling is a nasty crime). In an attempt to gain sympathy, they have unwittingly exposed the low-level journalism their high-level journalists resort to!”—Sudhir wrote in his blog. The blogger blames Sardesai for inciting the crowd with his questions, some of which he claimed were needlessly critical and for
BY ACHINT SHARMA
Well-known journalist and anchor, Rajdeep Sardesai
questioning the audience about their love for India. The blogger said he was appalled at the support Sardesai garnered from fellow journalists and how Modi supporters were blamed entirely for the incident on the basis of a clipped video. He writes: “It is crystal clear from this video that it was Rajdeep who first manhandled the person after calling him an “a*****e”. I watched the video 3 times just to make sure it was Rajdeep who attacked first. Entire fraternity went silent.”—Sudhir wrote. He goes on to say: “It is a sad reflection on this fraternity that they pursue an agenda and don’t like to own it up fully. The agenda in this instance was to
India belongs to its people, says Modi on AIR BY FP STAFF In a significant move to reach out to the rural sections of the country where there is little to no television penetration, prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday addressed the nation for about 15 minutes through its public broadcaster the All India Radio. Modi is expected to address the nation through AIR every alternate Sunday. Launching his ‘man ki baat’ programme, prime minister Modi used the occasion to push his Swacch Bharat campaign forward, ‘remind’ people that the nation belonged to them, and also directly speak to a section of the population who do not usually have access to politicians. Speaking about the ‘Swacch Bharat’ campaign, Modi said it was for each and every citizen to take the pledge to make India a cleaner place. “You all must join in this campaign,” he said. He also urged the people to follow Mahatma Gandhi, and buy khadi products saying, “when you buy a khadi
product you light the lamp of prosperity in the house of a poor person.” As mentioned by Firstpost columnist Saroj Nagi, “PM Modi has also successfully brought the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi within the ambit of the BJP... he has freed the Mahatma and Shastri from the confines of a single party and restored them to their place as national icons. After all, when was the last time one heard slogans of Mahatma Gandhi amar rahein or Jai Jawan Jai Kisan by anyone even on October 2, or even try to apply their philosophy to contemporary India? The prime minister, referring to Swami Vivekananda’s quotes, also urged the youth to identify their strengths and work on them to better the nation and contribute to its growth. “We’re not lacking in strength but we’ve forgotten how strong we are. 125 crore Indians are blessed with immense skill and strength. It’s important that we understand our strengths to understand ourselves better”, he said. Copyright: Firstpost.com
Himachal court bans animal sacrifice BY VISHAL GULATI
Live and let live. This idiom has summed up the landmark 110-page humane judgment of the Himachal Pradesh High Court that banned the age-old tradition prevailing in most areas of the hill state to sacrifice animals to “appease” various gods and goddesses in their pantheon. Invoking ‘parens patriae’, a doctrine that grants authority of the state to protect persons who are legally unable to act on their own, a division bench consisting of Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Sureshwar Thakur observed: “The practice of animal and bird sacrifice is abhorrent and dastardly.” The bench, in its interim order Sep 1, had banned the sacrifice of animals in temples, saying they cannot be permitted to be killed in
a barbaric manner to “appease” the gods. Taking cognisance of holding Jagati Puch - the convention of oracles - in Naggar in Kullu district Sep 26 to decide whether the ban on animal slaughter is acceptable or not, the judges observed: “The extra-constitutional bodies have no role.” “They can’t issue directives to the followers not to obey the command of law. They cannot be permitted to sit in appeal over the orders and judgments of the court...any religion congregation cannot become law unto themselves.” Maheshwar Singh, the local legislator and chief representative of Lord Raghunath, the Kullu Valley’s chief deity who called the ‘Jagati Puch’, told IANS it was unanimously decided to reject the high court ban. IANS
discredit not just the Prime Minister of India, but private individuals of India (or Indian origin) and their hard work in trying to live a good life. It is appalling and beyond belief that an entire fraternity can lie, stick to it, and even discredit those putting the truth out there. This is a very very scary side of the English TV media.” He has demanded the release of the complete video of the incident which shows that Sardesai was assaulted or apologise for raking up the incident. While Sudhir has pointed out that there is no obvious evidence of the crowd doing anything apart from heckling the senior journalist, there is also this account by a Facebook user who claims to have hit Sardesai while he was attempting to talk to people. Copyright: Firstpost.com
IN THE
NEWS
The Rajdeep Sardesai video no one will post on YouTube or Social Media! Rajdeep was already trending on twitter after what happened earlier in the day before the Modi’s speech at the Madison Square Garden. You guys saw that the video, didn’t you. (Th is was shot before PM arrived at Madison Square Garden) But this is the episode that no one will tell you about, and in fact, I dare every one of you who recorded this but won’t post it for reasons not to be named. The Story Part II (Right after the event at Madison Square Garden) I was at Times Square when I heard or in fact read about it as the screen out there flashed a tweet about Rajdeep’s episode earlier in the day. Once done interviewing and usual stuff, took a walk down to Madison Square Garden. The venue where Rajdeep was heckled in the morning. When I reached, the speech was still on, so took a pitstop right across the street at my hotel to charge the batteries of my cell phone and my digicam. I return, interviewed a couple of people on their way out. But while I interviewed the last family, I hear some noise, quite different from ‘Har Har Modi’ or the ‘Modi Modi’ chant across the 7th Avenue. I turn around only to find Rajdeep Sardesai
and a senior cameraperson in the middle of a mob trying to calm down a group of approximately 50 people around him. My fi rst reaction: Are these guys for real? Second reaction: To see if any other TV crew was there, none! I barge in, just to check if Rajdeep was alright. Yes, he was. Smiling, calm, and trying to reason out a crowd which wasn’t prepared to listen to anything he said. Then the pushing and shoving begins. A barrage of abuses follows. Why? Probably because of Rajdeep’s tweet about an influential person staying in the same hotel as Narendra Modi’s. The mob called him names and hurled the choicest of words towards him. When I tried to shield the fellow journalist, I became a target as well. Th is went on for 10-15 minutes. The NYPD was right there, but won’t blame them for not knowing what was going on in the middle of that crowd of 50 odd people. The cameraman had to ensure his equipment was safe, so was trying his best he could, to fend off a few people who tried to come closer to Rajdeep. Th is went on for 10 minutes. Despite my requests to stay away from Rajdeep, the mob continued to shout pro-Modi slogans right in his face to instigate him. One person wearing glasses, and in an orange attire, almost shoved his phone into the cameraman’s lens
to which Rajdeep protested. Luckily, fellow scribes Mohit Roy Sharma and Bhupendra Chaubey arrived at the scene. Th ree of us literally made a human chain, to get Rajdeep out of that place. I’m sure all of this is on tape as the cameraman might have stopped recording, but the PCR back in India would have everything that transpired in front of that camera lens. A lot of people had their cameras rolling as well. The abuses, the pushing and shoving, and the instigation, are all on tape. Yes, you have every right to be a supporter, but let’s not mix a fan with a fanatic. Learn to respect other people. Learn to respect to earn respect. The prime minster delivered a lovely speech about peace and how India is a great democracy. But you guys defy all logic. I hope this post is shared and reaches all the people who saw the second episode and captured it on their cameras. Look inside you, and just think what you did and ponder upon what you could have done. Copyright: Firstpost.com (The author is a Deputy News Editor at the Dainik Bhaskar. This post first appeared on the author’s Facebook page. We are using this post with the permission of Sharma)
Catch up with major developments in Pune as the week comes to a close
Prarthana wins bronze in Asian Games of allowing colleges to increase fees in view of rising costs of input materials. There are about 650 colleges affi liated to the university in Pune city, Pune district, Ahmednagar and Nasik districts.
Military personnel undertake cleanliness drive City tennis player Prarthana Thombare won a bronze medal at the ongoing Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. Paired with Indian ace Sania Mirza, the duo settled for a bronze after losing their women’s doubles semifinal to Chinese Taipei’s Chin Wei Chan and Su Wei Hsiehin. The fi fth seeded Indian combo put up a brave fight before going down 6-7 (1-7) 6-2 10-4. Prarthana who hails from the small town of Barshi near Solapur, has been training in Pune for several years. She also holds the record of being the youngest women’s player to represent India in the qualifying Australian Open Junior Championship in 2010.
Pune FC to sign Katsouranis Indian Super League (ISL) franchise FC Pune City confi rmed signing of veteran Greece international Kostas Katsouranis. The former Benfica defender will join exJuventus star David Trezeguet to further strengthen the team. He is the fi rst player to feature in the money-spinning tournament to have participated in this year’s FIFA World Cup in Brazil. He was the stand-in captain for his country in Brazil after the team’s
Dr Pratap Bhanu Mehta, President, Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi delivered the Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Lecture at the Savitribai Phule Pune University’s Yashwantrao Chavan National Centre of International Security and Defence Analysis (YC-NISDA) on September 26. He was felicitated by vice-chancellor Prof WN Gade (L) and Prof. Shrikant Paranjape, director, YC-NISDA.
regular captain, Georgios Karagounis, was restricted to mostly substitute appearances.
Anu Wakhlu honoured Assocham Ladies League (ALL) has honoured Anu Wakhlu Founder and managing director of Pragati Leadership, Pune with the prestigious All Grassroots Women of the Decade Achievers Award for her outstanding contribution in promoting Leadership Development. Her company has covered over 600 leading companies across 25 countries, thus promoting the feminine vision of doing business with a heart. She received the award from Union minister M. Venkaiah Naidu.
CII to mobilise resources for school toilets Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will mobilise resources from its member companies to set up toilets in various schools across the country. The Mission SoS (Sanitation of Schools) has been initiated in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal on Independence Day. The mission has started its activities from Gandhi Jayanti. CII vice-president Naushad Forbes said that the industry body will adopt two approaches for the mission. One, by creating a set of best practices for setting up and managing public toilets and secondly, building of toilets. There are 2.53 lakh schools across the country which don’t have toilets and 1.64 lakh schools with non-functional toilets. CII will also concentrate on girls’ schools with no toilets.
Pune varsity to contemplate fee hike at college level The senate members of the Savitribai Phule Pune University are in favour
More than 250 military personnel of Shivneri Brigade and Mahar Regiment undertook a Pavana river cleanliness drive near Aundh on Wednesday. Pavana river is one of the most polluted rivers in the country. The military personnel removed huge quantities of waste from the ghat section.
Music fest for a cause Musical performances by artistes such as Geetu Hinduja, Atul Ahuja, Swarathama, Shaair n Func and Parikrama enthralled the audiences at the historic Jadhavgad fort on Pune — Saswad Road. Funds raised from the event will be used to help 10 poor and critically ill children. About 200 persons attended the event organised by Genesis Foundation’s JadhavGADH music festival. The Mumbai-based singer and songwriter Geetu Hinduja set the tone for the evening with her evocative renditions. “Music always unites people and at this festival it was heart warming to see people and musical bands unite for a special cause,” said Prema Sagar.
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 4, 2014
PUNE
“For every child with a hearing disability, providing the aid before the age of five years is important. Only then can they pick up a language.” — Alka Hudlikar, Speech Therapist
“Courage means to keep working a relationship, to continue seeking solutions to difficult problems, and to stay focused during stressful periods.” —Denis Waitley, Motivational Speaker and Author
The Way Forward With Compassion & Hope
Why don’t you walk, Mr Gokhale? No matter how busy you are, you must always find time for physical exercise, says Mahatma Gandhi in his autobiography. He said this while recounting his stay with his mentor Gopal Krishna Gokhale, in Pune, 113 years ago. Gandhiji was disappointed that Gokhale who was “always ailing”never found time for physical exercise BY ABHAY VAIDYA Th ree chapters in Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography, ‘The story of my experiments with truth’, are devoted to his stay with his mentor Gopal Krishna Gokhale at Pune in 1901. It was in 1896 that Gandhiji returned from South Africa to India and soon visited Mumbai and Pune (then Bombay and Poona), where he met the great freedom fighters, Sir Pherozeshah Mehta, Lokmanya Tilak and Gopal Krishna Gokhale. He describes Mehta as the mighty Himalayas, the Lokmanya as the ocean and Gokhale as the loving and holy Ganges. Gandhi fi rst met Gokhale on the grounds of Fergusson College and later, in 1901, spent a month with Gokhale in Pune. Th ree chapters in his autobiography are dedicated to “A Month with Gokhale” and one of the illuminating anecdotes that Gandhiji relates is his discussion with Gokhale on the importance of walking as an exercise. Having closely observed Gokhale’s disciplined life and the manner in which he used every minute fruitfully, Gandhi was unhappy that Gokhale used a horse-carriage as his personal vehicle. When he suggested that Gokhale should use the tramcar to go from place to place like the ordinary citizens of Pune, a pained Gokhale explained that he used the tramcar not because he was attached to the creature comforts of the horse-carriage but because he would face numerous interruptions from the common people if he used public transport, as he was a well-known personality of Pune. Not satisfied with this reply, Gandhi then said, “But you do not even go out for walks...Is is surprising that you should always be ailing? Should public work leave no time for physical exercise?” To this Gokhale replied that he never had free time to go out for a walk. Gandhiji then writes movingly in his autobiography that while he was not convinced with Gokhale’s reply and did not argue further out of respect for the moderate Congressman, he remained fi rm in his belief that one must always find time for physical exercise, no matter how busy one may be. As he wrote in his autobiography: “I had such a great regard for Gokhale
Every moment is new and different BY C RAVINDRANATH
W
henever we do something for the fi rst time, there is a thrill, a ‘high,’ because it is something we have never done before. After a few repetitions, the novelty wears off. A sense of déjà vu, ennui, monotony or call it what you will, takes over. The task becomes routine and we go through it mechanically without passion or even interest. It has been said that one of the greatest challenges in life is how to make our routine interesting but there can be another perspective too to this perplexing problem. Can we look at it from another angle? Can we go a little deeper into what is seemingly the same? “Yesterday, I had dal and rice. The previous day too, I had dal and rice. Today, there is the same dal and rice. I’m fed up of eating the same fare every day.” How many times have we heard people saying this? Haven’t we said so ourselves? Look closely. You did have dal and rice yesterday and the previous
day as well. Was it the same dal? Was the rice the same rice you had the previous day? Among the grains of rice on your plate today, is there one grain of rice you ate yesterday? Yesterday’s rice was different. Today’s rice is different. Yesterday’s dal was not the same as today’s dal. If this awareness or consciousness is there in us, we are not likely to get bored. There is no such thing then (in a manner of speaking) called routine. Every moment is a new, different moment. The previous moment is dead and gone. The moment to come has not come into existence as yet. Only the present moment is real. By living in the past or in the future, are we losing track of the only reality in our lives – the present moment? When I was PRO in a large hospital, I would go to all wards, rooms, departments and speak to patients and their relatives. I never used the lift but did so one day as I was accompanying a patient. The lift boy, a lad in his early 20s, was in a great mood, humming to himself and drumming on the lift wall.
“You seem to be very happy. Is today a special day,” I asked. He replied in the affi rmative. “Is today your birthday?” “No sir, it is not my birthday.” “Then is it your wedding anniversary?” He looked down shyly. “Kya sir, I’m not even married.” I was puzzled, so asked him again, “So what’s so special today?” He fidgeted, scratched his head, looked at me and said, “Nothing, sir. It’s just that... it’s just that I’ve never lived today before.” Who among us can say on any day that he or she has lived the day earlier? Henry Miller, arguably one of the greatest writers of the 20th century said, “All you need to do is look at a blade of grass closely to discover how fascinating it can be.” If a small blade of grass can be so fascinating, what about life itself? Can we live in the present? Can we spot the difference between the previous and the present? Can we re-kindle the interest, if not passion in our lives? (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 that I never strove with him. Though this reply was far from satisfying me, I remained silent. I believed then, and I believe even now, that, no matter what amount of work one has, one should always find some time for exercise, just as one does for one’s meals. It is my humble opinion that, far from taking away from one’s capacity for work, it adds to it.” Th roughout his life, Gandhiji gave enormous importance to health and fitness and undertook numerous experiments to always stay in good health. Th is was even as he put enormous strain on his body with his many rounds of fasting as a protest during the freedom struggle. The other great Indian who emphasised the importance of good health and physical fitness was Swami Vivekananda. Handsome in physique with a well-maintained body, Vivekananda gave enormous importance to yoga and meditation and is often depicted in a meditative pose. There are valuable health benefits of a brisk morning walk of about an hour. Any person who walks regularly will vouch for thisthe benefits are not just physical and physiological but also mental as a regular walk soon becomes meditative and brings clarity to thought. The New York Times in an article on May 27, To Age Well, Walk, reproduced in an earlier edition of The Golden Sparrow on Saturday, said “one of the largest and longest-running studies of its kind to date” suggests that regular exercise, including walking, “significantly reduces the chance that a frail older person will become physically disabled.” The
reinforced “the necessity of frequent physical activity” for everyone including aging parents, grandparents and everyone else. While everyone knows that exercise is a good idea, whatever your age, the hard, scientific evidence about its benefits in the old and infi rm has been surprisingly limited. The article quoted Dr. Marco Pahor, the director of the Institute on Aging at the University of Florida in Gainesville and the lead author of the study as saying that it has been seen for the fi rst time that exercise can effectively lessen or prevent the development of physical disability in a population of extremely vulnerable elderly people. The American Heart Association says that “walking has the lowest dropout rate” among the numerous kinds of physical activities with a health benefit. According to the association, research has shown that “the benefits of walking and moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day” can help in the following ways: • Reduce the risk of coronary heart disease • Improve blood pressure and blood sugar levels • Improve blood lipid profi le • Maintain body weight and lower the risk of obesity • Enhance mental well being • Reduce the risk of osteoporosis • Reduce the risk of breast and colon cancer • Reduce the risk of non-insulin dependent (type 2) diabetes So friends, let’s at least walk regularly for better health!
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Intense workouts boost memory Resistance activities such as squats or knee bends would likely produce the same results An intense workout for as little as 20 minutes can enhance episodic or long term memory about previous events by about 10 percent in healthy young adults, say researchers. Many existing studies have shown that long aerobic exercises like running can boost memory but the present study had participants lift weights just once every two days before testing them. “Even without doing expensive MRI scans, our results give us an idea of what areas of the brain might be supporting these exercise-induced memory benefits,” said Audrey
Duarte, an associate professor from the Georgia Institute of Technology’ school of psychology in the US. For the study, the team showed 90 photos to the participants on a computer screen before they started stretching their legs. The participants returned to the lab 48 hours later and saw a series of 180 pictures - the 90 originals were mixed in with 90 new photos. Those who exercised remembered about 60 percent of the photos. “Our study indicates that people do not have to dedicate large amounts of time to give their brain a boost,” said Lisa
Weinberg, a Georgia Tech graduate student who led the project. Although the study used weight exercises, resistance activities such as squats or knee bends would likely produce the same results, noted Weinberg. “The findings are encouraging because they are consistent with rodent literature that pinpoints exactly the parts of the brain that play a role in memory benefits caused by exercise,” concluded Lisa Weinberg. The study appeared in the journal Acta Psychologica. IANS
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TH E EDIT PAGE “Success in science and scientific work comes not through the provision of unlimited or big resources, but in the wise and careful selection of problems and objectives.” - Lal Bahadur Shastri
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 4, 2014
PUNE
Editor’s pick
Can Corrupt India become Clean India? We Indians indulge in doubleparking, happily drive on the wrong side of the road in our fancy cars and bikes and blatantly disregard traffic rules; often killing ourselves and others in the process. When it comes to marriages, many of our newly-minted IAS and IPS probationers, doctors, engineers and IT professionals the so-called cream of our society demand fat dowries to become rich instantly! Later in life, they don’t mind becoming corrupt too. Plagiarism is common in our school and college essays, right up to doctoral submissions and beyond; and inside homes, many of us don’t segregate dry and wet garbage. Thousands of tons of stinking piles are then moved by our open municipal trucks from one end of our cities to the other, contributing to the image of an a-Swaccha (dirty) India. Of course, if we are caught breaking or bypassing the law, we promptly extend a tempting bribe to the lowly-paid public officials. Bribegiving and bribe-taking have become so very institutionalised in our country that it would not be fair to blame Jayalalithaa alone for the wealth she amassed illegally. Can Swachha Bharat become a reality with just a broom in hand on October 2? To expect this to happen would be tantamount to living in a fool’s paradise called Shining India-II. India will become truly “clean”truly swaccha, only when each one of us stops taking shortcuts in everything we do. Th is would mean working honestly with dedication, scrupulously following traffic and other rules, segregating garbage at home and in offices...and then, taking up a broom to ensuring cleanliness in our public toilets, homes and offices. Swaccha Bharat would then have become a reality and for this we won’t need to thank Narendra Modi, but ourselves and our children.
Let’s celebrate these victories! India’s spectacular victory in the Incheon Asian Games hockey final ought to be a matter of great pride for all of us on many counts. The national team of a neglected sport has done the country proud by winning the top honours after 16 years. Sportspersons in other disciplines h a v e also done remarkably well and medals have been won in kabaddi, wrestling, boxing, shooting, athletics, tennis and badminton. As of Friday morning, India had won 55 medals. These victories are indicative of a rising self-confidence among the people and improving sports infrastructure in the country. They are also indicative of other sports beginning to get due recognition and greater acceptance among the people, notwithstanding the overwhelming importance and
attention given to cricket. After decades of apathy, the nation’s sports organisations seem to have found the right direction. It is now extremely important that we move rapidly on this path, revamp and professionalise our sports bodies and focus on providing better infrastructure and more funds for our sportspersons. A love for sports needs to be cultivated from the school-going age itself and for this we need more grounds and better facilities for our children. For many decades now, Pune has been the cradle of hockey talent in India and the latest victory will undoubtedly boost the spirits of all hockey enthusiasts, not just in the city, but across the country.
Vol-1* lssue No.: 16 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
Jaya in jail: High & mighty no longer immune BY AMULYA GANGULI The belief in the years immediately after independence that there were two sets of laws in India - one for the rich and the other for the poor - is gradually being dispelled. As Jayalalitha’s conviction in the disproportionate assets case shows, high-flying politicians can no longer avoid the long arm of the law. Although the proverbial delay still prevents a quick conviction, the accused have come to know that their high political status can no longer save them beyond a certain period of time. However, it is probably just as well that the courts are rarely in a hurry to mete out justice, for a hasty verdict can attract criticism about a possible failure on the part of the prosecutors, the defence and the judges to conduct a thorough scrutiny of the cases. The impression of a kangaroo court, the bane of all authoritarian regimes, must be avoided at all costs. It is not a matter of regret, therefore, that it took so long to pass the sentence against the former Tamil Nadu chief minister. The conviction cannot but act as a warning to all politicians - high and low - who may have looked upon their professions as a quick way to amass a fortune. Now, they will know that the axe is bound to fall sooner or later. Jayalalitha may be the fi rst chief minister to face the ignominy of having been found to have used her time in office to feather her nest. But there are others such as former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad and former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala who have fallen foul of the law and
have spent their time behind bars. Then, there are others like former telecom minister A. Raja and DMK chief M. Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimozhi who have also been incarcerated for their suspected involvement in the spectrum scam. However, for all the bigwigs who have been caught with their hands in the till, the average person will still
Among those who got away because the CBI was thought to be lax was Ottavio Quottrocchi, an Italian friend of the Nehru-Gandhi family who was widely believed to have had something to do with the Bofors howitzer scam, which brought down the Rajiv Gandhi government in 1989. As that episode showed, the suspects may pay a political price for their IANS
It is indeed a matter of great luck and good fortune for India that the prime minister’s Swachha Bharat campaign has almost coincided with the incarceration of one of India’s most corrupt politicians, Jayalalithaa Jayaram. Trying to escape the clutches of law for as long as 18 years, Jayalalithaa was finally convicted and sentenced to four years imprisonment and a fine of an astounding Rs 100 crore. The Swaccha Bharat campaign is indeed a much-needed initiative in a country of 1.2 billion people which has become used to living with fi lth in its neighbourhoods. The problem is however, not skin-deep and cannot be addressed cosmetically by picking up a broom and undertaking a cleanliness drive on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. The widespread disregard to hygiene, sanitation and cleanliness in our country is a mindset problem. For example, many of our so-called best and ‘cleanest’ restaurants have fi lthy, unhygienic kitchens- something that the media has reported frequently. Likewise, we are quite comfortable with stinking garbage dumps right next to eateries. Take the case of the eateries next to the spanking ICC Trade Towers on SB Road, where Pune’s chamber of commerce, the MCCIA, is headquartered! Indians tolerate fi lth because of a mindset problem. We love to take shortcuts in everything we do and this leads to not just fi lth creation on a humongous, national, Himalayan scale but also to a host of corrupt practices, not just of the Jayalalithaa kind. Our streets and street-corners are littered because we take the shortcut of throwing waste here and now be it out of our car windows, homes or while walking on the streets. We have pet dog and then allow its poop to dirty our roads, the concept of a doggie poop collector is still alien.
Supporters of AIADMK protest after a Bangalore special court pronounced Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa guilty in a graft case in Chennai on Sept. 27 2014.
think that there are others who have managed to evade the consequences of their illegal monetary transgressions by either being too clever to leave their fingerprints behind or because the prosecutors have not been diligent enough to probe too deeply. Misgivings of this nature explain the ill fame which the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has acquired, which led to the organization being derisively called the Congress Bureau of Investigation when the Congress was in power.
alleged misdemeanours but can escape imprisonment or a heavy fine. Now that the judiciary has begun to crack down on the malfeasants in high places with greater frequency than before, the next step is to seal off the escape routes by freeing the investigative agencies from political control so that they can pursue the crooks without fear or favour. Only then will the still lingering perception of two sets of laws be totally eradicated and India can claim to have joined the ranks of advanced countries where the
Gandhi on religious fundamentalism BY BHIKHU PAREKH
takes to be its fundamental beliefs and practices. The best way to deal In my view Gandhi’s detractors with it is to understand and criticise underestimate the originality of some it from within, and to show how the of his ideas, the depth of his political fundamentalist approach to religion, and moral influence on India and on although understandable in a specific the rest of the world, and the sheer historical context, profoundly corrupts grandeur and moral beauty of his life. and ultimately destroys the integrity of In contrast, his worshippers make the religious consciousness itself. the opposite mistake of ignoring his For Gandhi, every major religion confusions and ambiguities as well as articulated a unique vision of God and the dark underside of some of his ideas emphasised different features of the and actions. human condition. The idea of God as Gandhi has something extremely loving father was most fully developed important and original to say on in Christianity, and the emphasis on love the issue of the nature of and suffering was also unique to fundamentalism and religious it. As he put it: ‘I cannot say that identity; the sources of human it is singular, or that it is not to be suffering and an adequate found in other religions. But the theory of social change; and presentation is unique’. Austere his redefinition of fundamental and rigorous mono-theism and liberal values and his attempt to the spirit of equality were ‘most give them a much-needed moral beautifully’ articulated in Islam. and ontological depth. The distinction between the Religious fundamentalism and conceptions of THINK impersonal, has been a considerable source of God, the principle of the unity violence and suffering in recent years in of all life and the doctrine of ahimsa almost every part of the world, including (non-violence) were distinctive to developed countries such as the USA Hinduism. For Gandhi, every religion and developing countries like Iran, had a distinct moral and spiritual Pakistan, and India. Fundamentalism ethos and represented a wonderful and is a frightened religion’s response to irreplaceable ‘spiritual composition’. To the crisis of identity and integrity, a truly religious person, all religions and is an attempt to recapture and should be ‘equally dear’. uncompromisingly assert what it For Gandhi, every man is born
into a particular religion. Since no religion is wholly false, he should be able to work out his destiny in and through it. And if he felt attracted to some aspects of another religion, he should be at liberty to borrow them. When Madeleine Slade wished to become a Hindu, Gandhi advised her against it. She should, he insisted, live by her own Christian faith and absorb into it whatever- she liked in Hinduism. Merely changing over to a new religion would not improve her conduct or way of life, the only thing that ultimately mattered. When they were overwhelmed with doubt, Gandhi encouraged his Christian mends to draw new inspiration and strength from their own religion. An American missionary, Stanley Jones, spoke for many of them when he said that Gandhi had reconverted him to Christianity. In a different context he told a Jewish mend, that she need not ‘become’ a Christian in order to ‘be’ one. She could draw inspiration from Jesus’s life and teachings and live like a Christian without ceasing to be a Jew. (Excerpted from an essay delivered at the School of Oriental and African studies, University of London on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, 1995.)
rule of law is paramount. It is unfortunate that for all the progress that has been made in nabbing the high and mighty, court cases have still to be moved out of the states where they wield considerable influence so that they will not be able to exert pressure on the legal process. It wasn’t only the cases relating to the Gujarat riots which had to be moved out to Maharashtra so that the judiciary could not be suborned in any way, but also the cases concerning Karunanidhi’s son, M.K. Alagiri, in Madurai. What these transfers show is how susceptible the administrations are to the clout of local politicos who usually answer to the description of the mafia. The large number of MPs and MLAs with criminal backgrounds explains why it is impossible to carry out a fair trial in areas of their influence. The violence which followed Jayalalitha’s conviction is also an indication of how lumpen elements have infi ltrated into politics at all levels. The anger and distress of her followers are understandable because a one-person party like the AIADMK will be in disarray in Jayalalitha’s absence. What is more, Tamil Nadu itself will suffer because the DMK too is not in the pink of health because of Karunanidhi’s advanced age and the inability of his two squabbling sons, M.K. Stalin and Alagiri, to provide a measure of stability. But while leaders have to control their greed, the followers have to learn to accept the judicial pronouncements with restraint. (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
Law’s arm has a long reach In dispensing justice to each It didn’t fail To put Jaya in jail But what lesson did it teach? Our PM is going places And coming up with aces He sets new trends In making friends But leaves a few red faces. While others engage in wars We are focussing on Mars Since the rocket Is light on the pocket We should now aim for the stars!
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 4, 2014
PUNE
Back with a bang P 15
“We will seek to make sure that the Russian economy is based on the open market. This strategic course remains unchanged.” —Vladimir Putin, President, Russia
India must seize this window of opportunity
Prime minister Narendra Modi with US President Barack Obama at the White House, in Washington DC
But while the underlying trends are propitious, time is of the essence. This is so in two senses. The window of opportunity for India to become a prosperous nation is relatively small: the basic structures and dynamics necessary to achieve this prosperity will have to be put in place in the next 10 to 15 years. The underlying factors propitious for our growth may not endure long. Further, our future possibilities are going to be heavily path-dependent. That is, once certain institutional choices and development pathways are adopted, it will be very
With Europe still shaking from a populist backlash against fiscal austerity, some Jews speak of feeling politically isolated, without an ideological home JIM YARDLEY SARCELLES, FRANCE: From the immigrant enclaves of the Parisian suburbs, the drizzly bureaucratic city of Brussels to the industrial heartland of Germany, Europe’s old demon returned this summer. “Death to the Jews!” shouted protesters at pro-Palestinian rallies in Belgium and France. “Gas the Jews!” yelled marchers at a similar protest in Germany. The ugly threats were surpassed by uglier violence. Four people were killed in May at the Jewish Museum in Brussels. A Jewish-owned pharmacy in this Paris suburb was destroyed in July by youths protesting Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. A synagogue in Wuppertal, Germany, was attacked with firebombs. A Swedish Jew was beaten with iron pipes. The list goes on. The scattered attacks have raised alarm about
happened in the second World War. And now 70 years later, people standing near the European Parliament are shouting, ‘Death to Jews!’” This is not the Europe of 1938. French leaders have strongly condemned the violence. Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany in September led a rally against anti-Semitism in Berlin at which she told Germans, “It is our national and civic duty to fight anti-Semitism.” Europe has seen protests and outbursts of antiSemitism whenever the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has erupted, and some analysts say this summer’s anger is a cyclical episode that, like others, will fade away. Some note that the number of reported antiSemitic incidents this year in France, for instance, is actually well below some years in the 2000s. Yet as European support for the Palestinian cause and criticism of Israel have hardened, many Jews describe a blurring of distinctions between
RECALLING HATE Jewish residents of Mechelen, Belgium, gathered this month to remember the Holocaust. Credit Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times
how Europe is changing and whether it remains a safe place for Jews. An increasing number of Jews, if still relatively modest in total, is now migrating to Israel. Others describe “no go” zones in Muslim districts of many European cities where Jews dare not travel. But there is also concern about what some see as an insidious “softer” anti-Jewish bias, which they fear is creeping into the European mainstream and undermining the postwar consensus to root out anti-Semitism. Now the question is whether a subtle societal shift is occurring that has made antiJewish remarks or behavior more acceptable. “The fear is that now things are blatantly being said openly, and no one is batting an eyelid,” said Jessica Frommer, 36, a secular Jew who works for a nonprofit organisation in Brussels. Modern Europe is based on stopping what
being anti-Israel and being anti-Jew. With Europe still shaking from a populist backlash against fiscal austerity, some Jews speak of feeling politically isolated, without an ideological home. Many left-wing political parties are antiIsrael. Many right-wing parties, some with antiSemitic origins, are extremist and virulently antiimmigrant. And many Jews who have traditionally voted with the Socialist Party in France and Belgium worry that those parties are weak and becoming more dependent on fast-growing Muslim voting blocs. Even among those inclined to condemn racism in any form, fighting anti-Semitism is no longer seen as a priority, with Jews often perceived as privileged compared to Muslims and other minorities confronted with discrimination. © 2014 New York Times News Service
On YB Chavan It is indeed a great privilege to deliver the Y.B. Chavan memorial lecture. He was a towering figure in Indian Politics and helped India navigate the complex shoals of foreign policy and international politics. His generation, for all its limitations, showed how India could chart an independent course in foreign policy. Even when materially impoverished India could play an important role in world affairs, and safeguard its own interests, due to the dexterity of politicians like him.
be credible and effective. The most fundamental change to that context is recognition of the fact that our economic growth requires deepened economic engagement with the outside world at all levels: trade, labour, technology and ideas. It is therefore central to any future Indian strategy for that we strive to maintain an open global order at many different levels. editor_tgs@goldensparrow.com
For polar bears, a climate change twist A warming planet means less ice coverage of the Arctic Sea, leaving the bears with less time and less ice for hunting seals JAMES GORMAN LA PEROUSE BAY, MANITOBA: The sea ice here on the western shore of Hudson Bay breaks up each summer and leaves the polar bears swimming for shore. The image of forlorn bears on small rafts of ice has become a symbol of the dangers of climate change. And for good reason. A warming planet means less ice coverage of the Arctic Sea, leaving the bears with less time and less ice for hunting seals. They depend on seals for their survival. But the polar bears here have discovered a new menu option. They eat snow geese. Because the ice is melting earlier, the bears come on shore earlier, and the timing turns out to be fortunate for them. As a strange sideeffect of climate change, polar bears here now often arrive in the midst of a large snow goose summer breeding ground before the geese have hatched and fledged. And with 75,000 pairs of snow geese on the Cape Churchill peninsula - the result of a continuing goose population explosion - there is an abundant new supply of food for the bears. What’s good for the bears, however, has been devastating to the plants and the landscape, with the geese turning large swaths of tundra into barren mud. Nor does it mean the bears are going to be OK in the long run. What is clear is that this destination for polar bear tourism has become a case study in how climate change collides with other environmental changes at the local level and plays out in a blend of domino effects, trade-offs and offsets. “The system is a lot more complicated than anybody thought,” said Robert H. Rockwell, who runs the Hudson Bay Project, a decadeslong effort to monitor the environment. To fully appreciate how the chain reaction plays out in La Perouse Bay requires studying the individual links in the chain - the geese, the bears, and the plants and the land beneath them. Rockwell, 68, has been counting geese in this area every summer since 1969. In the late 1970s, he started building his current camp - a few buildings surrounded by an electric bear fence. It is reachable by helicopter only from nearby Churchill. From this vantage point, Rockwell and his team have witnessed the snow goose population swell to the point where they are harming their own nesting grounds. The number of snow geese that live and migrate in the continent’s central flyway exploded from about 1.5 million in the 1960s to about 15 million now, and many of them nest here or stop by on their way farther north. The reason for the increase, Rockwell said, can be traced largely to Louisiana and Texas, in the coastal marshes where the geese long spent their winters feeding on spartina, also known as salt hay or salt meadow cordgrass. They then migrate north in spring to nest and raise goslings on grass and sedges and other plants in the
Near the Churchill mill in Churchill, Canada. Credit Michael Kirby Smith for The New York Times
marsh and tundra of the bay shore. The goose population, Rockwell said, was once limited in size by its sparse winter food supply in the Southern United States. “After many of the marshes were drained for various kinds of development, ”the snow geese just sort of said, well, wait a minute, what was that green stuff just north of here? And it turns out those
are the rice prairies,” he said. “So a species that was once in part limited by winter habitat now has an infinite winter supply of food, and that includes the best agricultural products: corn, wheat, soybeans, canola, rapeseed, all of that,” Rockwell said. © 2013 New York Times News Service
With this issue
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Top of the World
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In the issue ON TH EI N
Europe’s anti-Semitism comes out of shadows
hard to change them: they will become entrenched. So, the choices we make now will define the horizons of our possibility for decades, if not longer. It follows that rather than imagining that growth can allow us to postpone hard decisions, our strategic approach must be exactly the opposite. If we do not seize the opportunities provided by a relatively benign environment, we will not get a second chance to correct our mistakes. For instance, if India wants to avoid the ‘middle income trap’ that has affl icted many other societies where growth rates experienced rapid
acceleration only to peter out, then it will have to move decisively and rapidly across a range of fronts. The core objective of a strategic approach should be to give India maximum options in its relations with the outside world—that is, to enhance India’s strategic space and capacity for independent agency. This in turn will give it maximum options for its own internal development. Such an approach will preserve and sustain two core objectives of non-alignment in a changing world. This policy can therefore be described as ‘NONALIGNMENT 2.0’—a re-working for present times of the fundamental principles that have defined India’s international engagements since Independence. The core objectives of non-alignment were to ensure that India did not define its national interest or approach to world politics in terms of ideologies and goals that had been set elsewhere; that India retained maximum strategic autonomy to pursue its own developmental goals; and that India worked to build national power as the foundation for creating a more just and equitable global order. The context in which India’s strategy is defined by non-alignment has changed considerably, as have India’s own capacities and requirements. Any national strategy needs to adapt and to assimilate these changes if it is to
ON TH ER E
outside world must be to secure the maximum space possible for its own economic growth. But this pursuit of economic growth will in turn require India to confront new challenges— challenges whose roots and dynamics often lie in a volatile global environment. We need therefore to ask: What kind of Foreign and Strategic Policy (FSP) is appropriate to India’s development requirements? Despite immense challenges, India faces a broadly propitious environment for its growth. A range of factors— demography, the unleashing of domestic entrepreneurship, the rising aspirations and innovation of millions of marginalized people, technology— give India’s growth prospects a sound foundation and provide a competitive advantage that could sustain growth for some time to come. There is widespread consensus that the main thing that can hold India back is India itself. There are no alibis if we were, in these circumstances, to fail.
ON THE FE AT U
The fundamental source of India’s power in the world is going to be the power of its example. If India can maintain a high growth rates, leverage that growth to enhance the capabilities of all its citizens, and maintain robust democratic traditions and institutions, there are few limits to its global role and influence. The foundations of India’s success will, therefore, depend on its developmental model. If our developmental model is successful, it will give us still greater legitimacy in the world—and it will enhance our capacity to act for ourselves, in pursuit of our values and interests, in the international arena. By the same token, our competitors will, from time to time, impugn the validity of our model and seek to place obstructions in its path. This has two implications for India’s future strategy. Under no circumstances should India jeopardise its own domestic economic growth, its social inclusion and its political democracy. Its approach to the
IANS
Excerpts from the Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Lecture by Dr Pratap Bhanu Mehta, president, Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, at the Savitribai Phule Pune University’s Yashwantrao Chavan National Centre of International Security and Defence Analysis (YCNISDA) on September 26
Disturbingly Good
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Authentic China
MONEY MATT ER S “Equity indices are slaves of corporate earnings. As long as economic conditions continue to improve, the markets should continue with the positive trend in line with the earnings momentum.” —Nandkumar Surti, CEO, JP Morgan Asset Management Co
Signposts Foreign investors pull back from Indian equities market MUMBAI: Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) became net sellers in the Indian equities market as negative global and domestic cues dented sentiments. The foreign institutional investors (FIIs) along with sub-accounts and qualified foreign investors have been clubbed together by market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to create a new investor category called FPIs. Negative domestic sentiments were cited as a major cause for FPIs pulling back.
Kerala govt gets Rs 17.76 crore profit from Cochin airport THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), the country’s first greenfield airport in the public-private partnership mode, handed over a cheque of Rs 17.76 crore to the Kerala government as its share of profits for the last fiscal. Excise Minister and CIAL Director K. Babu handed over the cheque to chief minister Oommen Chandy, the CIAL chairman. “Each and every investor in CIAL, including the state government has by now recovered 132 percent of their investment, by way of dividends that have been received by them,” Chandy said.
Quotes...
Partner, PNG Diamonds “Such an initiative is being taken by the Pune Saraf Association after a gap of over 14 years, where gold and silver buyers will get a chance to win prizes worth Rs.1.5 cr which will include 5 kg gold and 50 kg silver.”
TGS MARKETING INITIATIVE
AKSHAY GADGIL
Get justice from Insurance problems: Here are the ways to get justice from Ombudsman in a cost-effective way
given in the favour of the customer. Thus, all the old cases (few of 2009-10) were closed and the ombudsman office started dealing with 2012-13 cases. The ombudsman office has started giving priority to senior citizen cases and those with critical illness. There was a need felt to help these consumer groups faster, so that any unfair claims rejection or partial settlement is given justice. More and more people are now
“There is a lot of scope for improvement in handling grievances.” - AK Dasgupta
using Ombudsman route to resolve their insurance related issues. “I, till date, have not come across any case where the policyholder was not willing to accept the decision given by the Ombudsman,” Dasgupta said, adding, “The order for award has a timeline for insurer to pay. If the insurer has not paid award within stipulated time given in Ombudsman’s order, then interest is levied.” He said while approaching Ombudsman for insurance grievances,
contribution to savings. However, as pointed out earlier, it also inherently directs the individual to spend the other 90% of his/her income as well, which increases the standard of living so much that moves towards retirement goals barely progress. Kitces suggests an alternative approach—to focus on spending instead, in an effort to control the rising standard of living. He suggests, try to spend ‘just’ 50% of each pay raise you receive in the future (implicitly saving the other 50%). “The end result of such an approach is that increases in the standard of living are more controlled and rise far more slowly, savings grow exponentially all while feeling like your lifestyle is steadily rising as you’re still committed to spending more every year, just not increasing as rapidly as saving 10% of your income (and spending the rest)!” he says. The reality is that by systematically NOT spending 50% of every raise, and thereby controlling your standard of living, the amount of money you need to fund your retirement never grows as much, in the first place. After 40 years, by ‘only spending 50% of each raise’ you would have a standard of living that is
RAJ PRADHAN
I AM HERE TO HELP YOU
MONEYLIFE DIGITAL TEAM If you have a dispute with your insurer, you can approach the Insurance Ombudsman without any help from a lawyer. Speaking at a Moneylife Foundation interactive seminar, AK Dasgupta, Insurance Ombudsman from Mumbai said, policyholder can get justice if she can follow due procedure and prove her case without hassle Insurance grievances are on a rise. Both life and non-life have almost equal share of complaints. The main difference is that life insurance complaints have mis-selling by intermediary, while nonlife insurance has grievances against third party administrator (TPA) or surveyor. Wrongful denial or partial settlement of claims is a major grouse of policyholders. The other reasons for complaint are: Any dispute in regard to premium paid or payable in terms of the policy, Any dispute on the legal construction of the policies in so far as such disputes relate to claims, Delay in settlement of claims and non-issue of any insurance document to customers after receipt of premium. Speaking at an interactive seminar organised by Moneylife Foundation at Mumbai, AK Dasgupta, Insurance Ombudsman for the region, said, “Almost 90%-95% of grievances we receive are related to claim settlements. Insurer’s policy document is in such small letters that even the company representative could not read this. There is a lot of scope for improvement in handling grievances and we want customers to give us suggestions.” Dasgupta took charge of the Mumbai Ombudsman office in midMay 2013. Over the period of last one year, Mumbai Ombudsman has resolved more than 1,400 complaints, which is three to four times of the average complaints handled in an ombudsman office. Mumbai Ombudsman invited life and non-life insurance companies to take up non-complex cases for reconsideration. More than half of the cases were solved without any need of policyholder hearing. The decision was
policyholder needs to submit reasonable proof of claim submission. Even acknowledgment from courier can be considered as proof of submission for claim. But you need to first approach the insurer and if there is no response or the insurer has not responded in reasonable time, then you can reach Ombudsman’s officer, Dasgupta said. Regulations require the complaint to be resolved within 90 days of receipt, but it is unlikely any ombudsman office is able to adhere to the time line. The delay is due to overload of pending cases when the ombudsman takes charge of office. There are delays in appointment of ombudsman, which means there are several months, wherein there is no ombudsman, and hence, cases can pile on. Complaints can be settled, through mediation or agreement. When the complaint is not settled by mutual agreement the Ombudsman shall pass an award. The award to cover the losses suffered by the complainant shall not exceed Rs 20 lakh. The awards are binding upon insurance companies. If the policyholder is not satisfied with the ombudsman’s award he can approach other forums such as consumer forums and courts for redressal. Insurance ombudsman can only address grievance on policies on personal lines (both life and general insurance) or if deceased, the Nominee/legal their(s) of the deceased
can make a complaint to the Insurance Ombudsman. It means businesses cannot approach ombudsman forgrievance handling. Complaints are not entertained if: Complaint made one year after the insurer has rejected the claim, Complaint is on the same subject for which proceedings were made or pending before any court/consumer forum/arbitrator. Claim amount / Compensation more than Rs 20 lakh. If you have already made written representation to the Grievance Redressal Cell of the insurer and have no response or unsatisfactory response, you can approach Insurance Ombudsman under whose territorial jurisdiction the complainant resides. There are 16 Ombudsman offices: Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Lucknow, Noida, Pune, Bengaluru, Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Guwahati, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai and Patna. Metros like Mumbai and Delhi get high volume of complaints. There is no need for legal representation to fight your case as ombudsman services are meant to be low cost option to get justice. @moneylife
Focus on spending to control the rising standard of living
astonishingly h i g h savings rates. If one starts at a 10% savings rate and begins to save 50% of every raise and, as a result, ends with a savings rate of more than 20% after less than a decade, one is saving more than 30% of the income after 20 years. The bottom line is that an effective retirement savings strategy should consider not only how much of income to save, but also how those savings habits can impact spending habits as well. @moneylife
Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has launched a single-premium policy Jeevan Shagun. It is a participating, non-linked (traditional) plan, which will offer non-guaranteed loyalty additions (terminal bonus), to be paid on maturity, death or surrender, provided the policy has run for a minimum of five years. Being a money-back plan, it will pay 15% of the maturity sum assured (SA) at the end of the 10th policy year, 20% of the maturity SA at the end of the 11th policy year and 65% of the maturity sum assured along with loyalty addition on maturity (12th policy year). The plan is available from the age of 8 years to 45 years; the policy duration is fi xed at 12 years. The basic SA is 10 times the single premium. This is the death SA; but the maturity SA will be much lower. For example, a customer of age 30 years will pay single premium of Rs 31,275 for maturity SA of Rs 60,000 and death SA of Rs 3,12,750. While the death
benefit is decent, will your investment give good returns? It will depend a lot on the non-guaranteed loyalty addition. But, even without considering the loyalty additions, the returns can be 5% to nearly 7%. A policyholder 10 years of age can get returns of 6.96%pa, whereas anyone 40 years of age can get 5.08% returns. The returns will be lower for those in higher age bracket due to higher mortality charges. Does it mean you should buy the policy in the name of your children to get better returns? In reality, having insurance for covering children is not required as the breadwinner needs to be covered so that the family can survive in case of unfortunate death. Similarly, there is no need to insure senior citizens as your insurance need should not be there by the time you retire. Do not fall prey to insurance products at that age. @moneylife
RBI keeps repo with unchanged CRR MONEYLIFE DIGITAL TEAM
30% lower than in the scenario if you had saved only 10% of your income, but without ever needing to give up current spending or having let your lifestyle slide downward (it merely grew more slowly!) In fact, the increased retirement savings, combined with the decreased need for retirement funds due to the less expensive standard of living, means you can actually retire early. One of the interesting ‘indirect’ effects of the ‘spend 50% of your raise’ philosophy is that it can achieve
PUNE
Review: LIC’s Jeevan Shagun Money-back Plan
OMBUDSMAN
By doing this, your standard of living rises as fast as your retirement savings
Financial advisors widely propagate that one should save a fi xed percentage of one’s income. While this concept does influence one to save regularly, it also indirectly implies that one should spend the remaining income. Therefore, if you plan to save 20% of your income, it also implicitly means that you would spend the other 80%. This concept can have a significant impact over the long term, points out Michael Kitces, director of research for Pinnacle Advisory Group, a private wealth management firm. Kitces mentions that “saving something like 10% of your income also implicitly means you’re spending the other 90%, and continuing to do so over time means you’ll also be saving (only) 10% and implicitly increasing your standard of living by 90% of every raise you receive in the future.” By doing this, your standard of living rises as fast as your retirement savings, which means the amount needed to reach retirement gets larger and larger, given the retirement costs to be supported. At the same time, Kitces mentions that a mere accumulation approach— saving a percentage of your income every year—is not a bad way to begin and leads to a steadily rising
OCTOBER 4, 2014
“The Indian luxury goods market is not growing the way it should due to high customs duty. This makes it complicated to trade in luxury goods like watches.” — Olivier Bernheim, president, Raymond Weil
Saving more and spending less MONEYLIFE DIGITAL TEAM
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY
While keeping key rates unchanged, the RBI has reduced the liquidity provided under the export credit refinance facility from 32 % of eligible export credit outstanding to 15% with effect from October 10, 2014. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), in its fourth bi-monthly credit policy review, has kept repo, reverse repo, cash reserve ratio (CRR) and bank rate unchanged. The central bank has sought to reduce the liquidity provided under the export credit refinance (ECR) facility from 32% of eligible export credit outstanding to 15% with effect from 10 October 2014. The reverse repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) will remain unchanged at 7%, and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the bank rate at 9%. In a statement, RBI Governor Dr Raghuram Rajan said, “Since June, headline inflation has ebbed to levels which are consistent with the desired near-term glide path of disinflation— 8% by January 2015. The most heartening feature has been the steady decline in inflation excluding food and fuel, by a cumulative 111 basis points since January 2014, to a new low.” He however cautioned that, there are risks from food price shocks as the full effects of the monsoon’s passage unfold, and from geopolitical developments that could materialise rapidly. Therefore, “the future policy stance will be influenced by the Reserve Bank’s projections of
inflation relative to the medium term objective (6% by January 2016), while being contingent on incoming data,” the RBI governor added. The RBI will continue to provide liquidity under overnight repos at 0.25% of bankwise NDTL at the LAF repo rate and liquidity under 7-day and 14-day term repos of up to 0.75 per cent of NDTL of the banking system through auctions and continue with daily one-day term repos and reverse repos to smooth liquidity. Speaking on economic activity ,the governor mentioned that, “The momentum of activity in all sectors of the economy is yet to stabilise. Agriculture should shed the effects of recent shocks and pick up in Q4 of 2014-15. Industrial activity will await improvement in the business environment and the resumption of consumption and investment demand before gaining sustained speed. The key to a turnaround in the growth path of the economy in the second half of the year is a revival in investment activity, in greenfield as well as brownfield stalled projects, supported by fiscal consolidation, stronger export performance and sustained disinflation.” With no change in key policy rates, the repo rate (the rate at which the RBI lends money to banks) remains at 8%. Similarly reverse repo rate (the rate at which the RBI borrows from banks), CRR, and bank rate remains at 7%, 4.00% and 9%, respectively. The fifth bi-monthly monetary policy statement is scheduled on December 2, 2014. @moneylife
SPORTS
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 4, 2014
PUNE
“ They could have just told me that she will win at any cost. I would not have turned up for the fight. Please don’t play with the careers of players who work so hard.” — Indian boxer Sarita Devi
Mega reception awaits Mary Kom IMPHAL: The Manipur government will accord a grand reception to Asian Games gold medallist boxer MC Mary Kom on her return to her home state. Mary Kom, 31, defeated Kazakhstan’s Zhaina Shekerbekova in the flyweight (48-51 kg) category to win gold Wednesday, becoming the first Indian woman to do so. After Mary Kom won a bronze in the London Olympics, the Manipur government had given her a cash reward of Rs 75 lakh and promoted her to the post of superintendent of police (sports). The state government had also allotted her two acres of land at Meitei Langol where she currently resides.
IANS
Signposts
“Mary Kom gets gold. Now that’s called Woman Power. Shows us that we can achieve anything. Be unbeatable, be unbreakable and be Mary Kom.” — Actor Priyanka Chopra
Back with a bang
Narine suspended from bowling in final NEW DELHI: In a big blow to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Sunil Narine was Thursday suspended from bowling in Oppo CLT20, making the premier spinner ineligible for bowling in today’s final. This followed a report on his suspected illegal bowling action during Thursday’s match between KKR and Hobart Hurricanes here. KKR won the match to storm into the final. Narine was reported for a second time in as many matches over a suspected illegal bowling action.
Cash rewards for Indian hockey teams NEW DELHI: Hockey India (HI) announced cash awards for its men’s and women’s teams’ which won gold and bronze, respectively, at the Asian Games in Incheon. HI secretary general Narinder Batra said that each member of the men’s team, will be rewarded with Rs 2.5 lakh, while, the women’s team will get Rs 1 lakh each. The same amount of reward for head coach Terry Walsh and high performance director Roelant Oltmans while Rs.1 lakh will be given to each member of the support staff.
INCHEON: Yesterday was a defining moment in Indian hockey. Qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympics, winning the Asian Games gold after 16 years and beating arch-rivals Pakistan in the final on a penalty shootout. It doesn’t come any better than this. The young Indian team will remember this moment for the rest of their lives. India, you should be proud of this. The game started at a furious pace but Pakistan scored first with a brilliant goal by Muhammed Rizwan Sr two and half minutes into the game. For some reason Pakistan thought they could defend and hold this scoreline for the rest of the game. The quarter finished 1-0 to Pakistan, although India had two simple chances to put the ball in the net but squandered poorly. The second quarter saw India start to get much more possession and it looked as if it was only a matter of time before the equaliser arrived, and it did with a brilliant deflection goal by Chinglensana Singh. In the next two quarters, both teams had chances to take lead but failed to
“India is starting to return to its rightful place in world hockey.” - Michael Nobbs
capitalise and the game turned into an end-to-end battle as traditional IndiaPakistan games tend to do. This was no ordinary game as there was so much at stake and both teams gave everything they had to produce a result at full time. It was not to be, and a pressure-cooker penalty shootout awaited men on both sides. As I predicted, if India were to win, Sreejesh was going to have to produce the game of his life. Today was his day. He played very well in goal during the full game time and then what happened next was brilliant. Sreejesh saving goal after goal in
You can keep your medal
It’s not just Sarita Devi alone, others in the past have said ‘no’ too BY ASHISH MAGOTRA INCHEON: Sarita Devi’s refusal to accept her bronze medal at the 17th Asian Games in Incheon has opened a can of worms. Some say her actions are against the spirit of sportsmanship, still others mention that this was perhaps the only option she had — and still more are doing their all to ensure she gets a modicum of justice even as AIBA starts disciplinary proceedings against her. This, however, has been done before. There have been times in the past when athletes have refused to accept medals -because they felt wronged by the referees or the judges. And almost each time, it led to the athlete being asked to walk out of the Games village. Perhaps the most famous of these came way back in 1972 Olympics. It was the final of the basketball competition - the US team taking on the USSR. The US team played with great grit and hustled their way to what seemed like a 50-49 win. The buzzer, denoting the end of the match, even sounded once. But then the referees awarded the Soviets a timeout - they also allowed them three possessions in those last three seconds. And together it proved to be enough to allow the Soviet team to score a twopointer and win the match 51-50. The Americans almost instantly protested the result but their request was turned down. They then decided not to attend the medal ceremony. To this day, the medals lie in a vault in Lausanne. Despite numerous requests the American team has never accepted the medals. There was another incident -- from the 2008 Olympics. A case very similar to Sarita Devi’s. Ara Abrahamian, who was representing Sweden, lost his semifinal bout against Andrea Minguzzi of Italy in Greco-Roman 84kg wrestling because of what he considered “blatant
Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian putting his medal on the mat
errors in judging.” The Swedes demanded a video review of the match, but the referees refused and did not even consider the written Swedish protest. First, Abrahamian decided that he didn’t want to take part in the bronze medal match. But eventually, he did take part and won the bronze. At the medal ceremony though, the Swede removed the medal from around his neck, dropped it in the middle of the mat and just walked away -- straight out of the auditorium. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) responded by disqualifying him and stripping him of his rejected bronze medal for disrupting the award ceremony. He was also banned from wrestling for two years by FILA, but the ban was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in March 2009. So if the same fate awaits Sarita, she
should definitely move the CAS as soon as possible. The earlier precedent will help. There were also other instances -in 1992, Russian weightlifter Ibragim Samadov was stripped of his Olympic bronze medal after he reportedly refused to lean forward to accept it on the podium. Then, after taking it in his hand, he dropped it on the floor and walked away. His anger stemmed from being bumped down to the bronze medal despite a three-way tie for first place in the light-heavyweight division. The decision was taken because Samadov weighed one-tenth of a pound more than his fellow medalists. The Russian, who was representing the Unified team, apologised the next day to the International Olympic Committee but they refused to reverse their decision and the International Weightlifting Federation banned him for life. Then, comes a stranger incident. At the 1912 Stockholm Games, Jim Thorpe won the gold medal in the pentathlon and decathlon. However, less than a year later, a newspaper discovered that Thorpe had played professional baseball in 1909 and 1910, and therefore should have been ineligible to compete in the Olympics (which were only for amateurs at that point). Thorpe admitted that the report was true and the IOC asked him to return his trophies and medals. This is where things took a strange turn. The IOC then recognized Hugo Wieslander of Sweden, who finished second in the decathlon, and FR Bie of Norway, who was second in the pentathlon, as the rightful winners of each event. Both men refused to accept their gold medals. In 1982, the medals were returned to Thorpe but the IOC continues to recognize Wieslander and Bie as winners. (Credit: Firstpost)
the penalty shootout gave India victory. How sweet it was. This victory was an inspiration for the nation. Hockey is India’s spiritual game and now there is a glimpse that India is starting to return to its rightful place in world hockey. A lot of work still needs to be done but now there is time. The pressure is off to compete in all the qualifying tournaments and now is the time to start to build the next group of players and coaches that are needed to sustain this growth. Help is needed not at the national level but the next group down. Academies need to be supported to bring in modern methods of training, sports science, training the next generation of players in the skills required for international competition. This is a great first step in India’s growth back to the very top. Enjoy your victory, you earned it. Tomorrow (Friday) in the light of day remember what you have done and don’t let this great victory sit there by itself waiting for another 16 years. (Credit: Firstpost)
OCA reinstates Sarita Devi’s bronze medal INCHEON: Putting an end to the status of the bronze medal won by Indian woman boxer L Sarita Devi, the Olympic Council of Asia on Thursday re-instated her medal in the 60kg category after a hearing with the India’s Asian Games contingent officials. “I attended the OCA working group hearing this morning and expressed regret over what happened at the medal ceremony (of the women’s 60kg group) yesterday. “I told them it had happened in an emotional moment. The OCA has reinstated Sarita Devi as the bronze medal winner. The medal will come to us tomorrow morning,” contingent’s chef de mission Adille Sumariwalla said. Light weight woman boxer Sarita, who was robbed off a shot at gold due to poor ring-side judging despite totally dominating her semifinal bout on September 30 against her South Korean opponent Jina Park, did not allow the medal to be hung around her neck at the medal ceremony. After accepting it by hand, she hung it around the neck of silver medallist Park, who controversially defeated her in the semifinals, and left the podium without the medal which was left behind by the Korean too. Sumariwalla also said that he had asked for a review of the bout by an independent panel appointed by OCA. The threat of a ban on the boxer by the world governing body AIBA persists and Sumariwalla has said his priority now is to prevent this from happening. Earlier, at the daily media briefing by the Games organising committee, its deputy secretary-general Cheon-taik Son had termed Sarita Devi’s refusal to accept the medal as ‘regretful and against the spirit of sportsmanship’. (Credit: Firstpost)
The young Indian team will remember this moment for the rest of their lives, writes team’s former coach Michael Nobbs
Seventh consecutive Asiad gold in kabaddi
Incheon: Defending champions India staged a late comeback to edge Iran 2725 in the men’s kabaddi final to retain their gold medal at the 17th Asian Games here Friday. Meanwhile, the Indian women’s team also beat Iran 31-21 for its second successive kabaddi gold medal. India had won the top prize in Guangzhou four years ago -- the first time women’s kabaddi was introduced at the Asiad. Five-time world champions India, with a starting line-up of Rakesh Kumar, Jasvir Singh, Anup Kumar, Manjeet Chhillar, Navneet Gautam, Gurpreet Singh and Ajay Thakur, took things too lightly initially. Iran, the silver medallist in the 2010 Guangzhou Asiad, surged to a 16-7 lead till the 14th minute when Indian skipper Rakesh managed three points to reduce the deficit to six points. But Iran, who played without fear, got two ‘lona’ points to open a 21-13 lead at the end of 20 minutes. Indian raiders Thakur, Jasvir - raided too deep which
led to their downfall. Iran ousted 18 Indians in the first half as compared to 11 managed by the Indians. It looked like the western Asian country were on the verge of notching the biggest upset of the Games. But as soon as the second half started, India showed their class and quality to equalise within five minutes. India made some strategic changes and rested veteran defenders Gautam and Gurpreet and all-rounder Manjeet, with youngsters Subramaniam Rajguru, Surjeet Kumar and Nitin Madane brought in, which made the team quick and fresh. But India suffered a big setback when skipper Rakesh was trapped and thrown on the side lane, which left him injured and also kept him out for the next eight minutes. Iran again found its rhythm and went ahead 24-21. The two gold medals in kabaddi Friday helped India jump two places in the medal standings with 57 medals (11 gold, nine silver, 37 bronze). - IANS
Rebel with a cause
Let’s understand the cultural contexts behind Sarita Devi’s protest before pouring out with outrage and sympathy MALAY DESAI We might never understand what 29-year-old Laishram Sarita Devi felt while turning down her medal at Incheon, but let us weigh that in other terms. It may have been like declaring an innings with a few runs to win, like aborting a baby just before labour or procuringa t o p I I T/ I I M seat on merit after a gruelling test andceding it. When Sarita, our Arjuna awardee from Imphal, placed that medal on the podium below, then handed it to the South Korean who’d ‘defeated’ her, she only followed her grieving heart, and it will only be right for us to step back and view the incident with more contexts, before we pour our support or in some cases, objections over her gesture. Judging a boxing game has always been a subjective matter across all levels of the sport, as the number and intensity of punches pulled and hits ensued wholly depends on the referee’s perspective. Boxing, especially in private leagues, has been rife with instances of fi xing, corruption and scoring discrepancies. With that in mind, hear this fact – South Korea ranks 46th on the Corruption Perceptions Index 2013, as also it has over the past few decades bred a culture of respecting one’s superiors in a no-objection manner. (American Mind Theorist Malcolm Gladwell in 2008 had claimed how Korean Air had more plane crashes than almost any
other airline in the world in the 90s, thanks to its pilots keeping mum on their superiors’ mistakes.) Could it be, that referees from this developed nation with a dodgy record of transparency and a jingoistic thirst for medals, inflicteda defeat upon our Sarita? Ask any Italian football fan who witnessed the 2002 World Cup game against South Korea, and they’d more than sympathise with us Indians today. The controversial match, which saw the European biggies crash out, witnessed multiple blunders by an Ecuadorean referee. Those uninitiated with boxing might not read too well into Sarita’s bout (watch it on YouTube if you may), but nearly all experts feltthat she dominated it.Why, Korean boxing team’s coach Park SiHun, who had won a contentious gold at 1988 Seoul Olympics (the judges were reported to have have been buttered by the home camp) went up to his Indian counterpart BI Fernandez and apparently apologised. No athlete on a winning run likes to be short-changed after giving a 100 per cent, more so at the Asian Games level. Boxing is a high-burnout sport, and Sarita knows what it form and fitness it would take to reach the upper circuits of Rio 2016 Olympics. No wonder then, that she was in shambles as her hand wasn’t held up after the final ring. We’ll reserve our judgement solely for the sports authorities though, who opted out on smelling a controversy, making Sarita feel like an outsider. Do note, that in the men’s bantamweight category, after a Mongolian boxer was controversially ousted by (surprise, surprise!) a South Korean opponent, his entire contingent swung into action behind him.
SPORTS “Our goal is to come here and win a round of the Production Cup as this could my last APRC event of the year. We’ll be back next year though; preparation for that begins now.” — Veteran rally car driver Sanjay Takale
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 4, 2014
PUNE
“I have been closely following India’s progress at the Asian Games and I congratulate every medal winner. You make India very proud.” — Prime minister Narendra Modi
Home advantage will be the key factor City players Abhimanyu Puranik and Akanksha Hagwane are all set for World Junior Chess after their rendezvous in South Africa for the World Youth Championship by Ashish Phadnis @phadnis_ashish PUNE: In any sport the home team always has an edge over its opponents. This is true even for the individual sports, but is there such a thing as a home advantage for chess players? The answer is yes. According to experts, for chess players a mental intensity and a clear mind are indispensable. And an unfamiliar venue could be distracting enough for them. That was the reason GM Magnus Carlsen was reluctant to play a World Championship tie in GM Viswanathan Anand’s hometown of Chennai. Though, the home advantage didn’t work well for the Indian, there are many players who believe in it. City-based Abhimanyu Puranik believes in the home advantage. The Candidate Master title holder will be the lone Pune player in the open category of the World Junior Chess tournament to be held at Hotel Hyatt, Vimannagar, from October 5. “The main factor is the comfort zone. When you are playing abroad, you naturally become a little nervous and it takes time to adjust to the local climate and food. The positive mindset of playing in your home town definitely plays a major part and I am sure this will work for me too,” said Abhimanyu, who was recently in South Africa for the World Youth Championship. The 14-year-old performed well in the prestigious tournament and earned 7.5 points, to finish eighth. “I would have laid my hands on the bronze or perhaps silver medal, if
I could have earned full points in the last round. But, unfortunately I lost that round,” he said. “Actually I was thinking too much and then under time pressure, made some hasty moves. It was a big mistake and have learnt a hard lesson. But, now
I will rectify those mistakes in the juniors,” added Abhimanyu, who trains with Jayant Gokhale. Interestingly, Gokhale’s student Akanksha Hagawane also participated in the World Youth and will be representing Pune in the World Juniors.
“This was her first ever tournament on foreign soil, but she did well. However, we need to work on her stamina. For that matter, even Abhimanyu lacks stamina. Several times he has lost patience at the end of the game and eventually the points. They need to be focused
and fight till the end. Hopefully this experience in the World Youth meet will come in handy for them in the juniors,” said Gokhale. Meanwhile, the opening ceremony, first time live internet coverage with commentary, and a strong field that
watch the stars in action Top seed girls
Top Indian girls
Top city girls
Born on September 28, 1998, the Russian became the youngest WGM in the world, when she was 13. She first appeared as FIDE rated player in 2008, with ELO of 1889, rapidly improving it to 2019 in the next rating list. In her short career Goryachkina is winner of four important gold medals (U10 in World Youth in 2008, U-12 in European Youth in 2010, U-14 in European Youth and U-14 in World Youth in 2011). She has one silver (U-12 European Youth in 2009) and one bronze (U-12 World Youth in 2009).
Born on January 5, 1994, a chess player from Orissa, started playing chess at the age of nine (2003). She was the Asian Youth girls champion in 2005 and 2006, the National U-13 girls champion in 2006, followed by the World U-14 (Girls) champion in 2008 and the Continental Asian Junior champion in 2009. She finished third in the Asian Junior (U-20) championship in 2010 and in the World Junior Championship in the same year. The year also earned her the Women Grandmaster title.
Born on August 22, 2000, the city girl sparkled in every tournament she participated. She won almost every age-group tournament in district level and won U-7, U-9, U-13, U-15 state titles. She is individual gold medalist in School National Games (2012), and is currently national under-13 champion and second ranked in national sub-junior category. She is first Maharashtra girl to do so. She recently participated in World Youth Championship in South Africa and was placed 15.
Aleksandra Goryachkina
Top seed Open Vladimir Fedoseev
Born on February 16, 1995, the promising Russian player became FIDE Master in 2008 and International Master in 2010. In 2011 he was awarded the Grand Master title. He was runner up in the U-18 World Championship in 2011 and winner of the silver medal in the 10th World Youth U-16 Chess Olympiad held in Kocaeli in the same year. He scored 5.5 points against strong nine GMs at the Aeroflot Open in 2012 and was outright winner of the 2013 European U-18 Championship.
Padmini Rout
Top Indian Open Vidit Gujrathi
Born on October 24, 1994, the Indian chess player attained the Grandmaster title in 2013. He is currently the 20th ranked junior player in the world. In 2006, he finished second in the Asian Youth Championship (U-12), thus becoming a FIDE Master. His IM title came in 2008. In the same year, he won the World Youth (U-14), becoming the first Indian to do so. He was runner up in the U-16 World Youth in 2009. Last year, Vidit won a bronze medal in the World Junior in Turkey.
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Akanksha Hagawane
Top City Open
Abhimanyu Puranik
Born on February 11, 2000, the 14-year-old city player won the World School Chess Championship 2007 in U-7 category held at Halkidiki, Greece. He won bronze medal in the U-10 category in World Youth Championship, Greece in 2010 and also attained the Candidate Master title. In the same year, he won Parshwanath rating Tournament in Delhi. Earlier, he was part of Indian team that won gold medal in World Youth Championship in Vitenam in 2008.
promises high voltage action, will be the highlights of the World Junior Chess Championship. More than 125 players in the open category and over 75 girls from over 45 countries have confirmed participation. A special feature of this edition will be that both the open and girls’s section will have players who feature in the top hundred in the world, including six super Grandmasters (above Elo 2600) apart from Grandmasters, International Masters. Vladimir Fedoseev (2677) and Alexandra Goryachkina (2430) from Russia are the top seeds in the open and girls category respectively. Nashik lad GM Vidit Gujrathi, ranked sixth and Padmini Rout ranked third will spearhead the Indian challenge in the open and girls categories. The WJCC is being jointly organised by the Maharashtra Chess Association and Pune District Chess Circle, under the auspices of All India Chess Federation (AICF). The tournament will be conducted in the Swiss League format comprising 13 rounds. The winners from both categories will be conferred the title of Grandmaster (GM) and Woman Grandmaster (WGM) respectively and, will automatically qualify for the forthcoming World Cup, which is part of the World Championship cycle. The winners will take home a cash prize of Rs 6,00,000. As special recognition, the best Indian performers in both the sections will be presented with the Pune Mayor’s trophy. ashish.phadnis@goldensparrow.com