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� Vol. 8 Issue 11 � www.indianembassy.org

India Review

‘Mahatma Gandhi’s importance timeless’

India ReviewNovember 2012

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PAGEAmbassador’s

L eadership involves certainconstants regardless of theera or time zone in which weare placed. Human beings

are not very different from each otherregardless of the languages they speakor the cultures they belong to.Of course, the scale and extent of

the challenges that humankind facestoday is of a different order from evenfifty years ago. When I was growingup in Bangalore, we would never haveimagined the evil of suicide terrorism,or the rise of Al Qaeda. Today we haveleaders and leaders. Leaders whoadvocate hate and violence have a larg-er following across the planet thanever before. Good leadership and goodleaders have to develop effectivestrategies to overcome and vanquishthis opposition, and the fear, ignorance and the alienation that fuelsviolence and terror.It has been said before, and I would

like to repeat it here, there has neverbeen greater need for an equal repre-sentation of women in positions ofleadership and responsibility in govern-ment, in parliaments, in business, inthe non-profits and NGOs, and in aca-demics. It’s a fifty-fifty representationwe must aspire for. That should be themission for our century. Everybody recognizes the need for

inspirational leadership. The wordcharisma is also a natural attachmentto this definition. To be inspirationaland charismatic means more than justinspiring with words and flights of elo-quence. It is about walking the talk andmoving people to walk alongside you,as Mahatma Gandhi did when hedefied the might of the British Raj inIndia, when he led thousands of peopleto march to the seashores to harvestsalt and defy the pernicious salt laws.

In 2020, the revolution of risingexpectations in the developing world isgoing to define the character of ourtimes. The youth demographic incountries like India is going to acquireoverriding importance. The demandfor better education, for jobs and liveli-hoods, for equality and inclusion andbetter opportunities, will be topmost on

the people’s agenda in all our democ-racies. Our leaders will have to listenand read the faces well. They will haveto be leaders who deliver. The peoplewill ask for no less.If our people, especially our young,

have to be global citizens with open,searching minds, we must have lead-ers with a global outlook. Leaderswho value diversity, leaders who aresensitive to the needs of minorities,who propagate the importance ofeducation, the protection of the envi-ronment, sustainability and conserva-tion, the need for a civil society that istolerant and not divisive, who pro-mote inclusiveness and who eschewnarrow and religiously intolerantagendas.

The full text of my speech can beviewed at: http://www.indianem-bassy.org/prdetail2044/ambassado-randrsquo%3Bs-blog%3A-global-leadership-in-2020

I was invited to participate at a panel discussion at the Global Leadership Summitorganized by the Meridian International Center on October 12, 2012 in Washington DC. I spoke at the Ambassador’s panel on ‘What a Good

Global Leader (and Citizen) Looks Like in 2020’.

Global Leadership in 2020

The demand for bettereducation, for jobs andlivelihoods, for equalityand inclusion and betteropportunities, will be

topmost on the people’sagenda in all our

democracies. Our leaderswill have to listen andread the faces well

Ambassador Nirupama Rao speaking at the first Meridian Global Leadership Summit in Washington,D.C. on October 12. Also seen is Ambassador Stuart Holliday, President and CEO of MeridianInternational Center.


CoverSTORY

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How would Gandhi have viewed theworld of 21st century?

Ambassador Nirupama Rao dwells with several pertinent questions

S peaking on the occasion ofMahatma Gandhi’s birthanniversary at the GandhiMemorial Center in

Bethesda, Maryland, on October 2,Ambassador Nirupama Rao under-lined the “timeless importance ofGandhian thought and values in ourdaily lives”.She said Mahatma Gandhi would

continue to inspire political, social andreligious wisdom to successive genera-tions across the world. “There is,” shesaid, “an undeniable and essential uni-versality about Gandhian ideas andideals that were, are and will remainrelevant across generations.”Ambassador Rao said Gandhi’s phi-

losophy showed the “immeasurablereserves of humility and compassionthat exist within the human mind.”Leading a simple life, Gandhi workedtirelessly for the upliftment of the weakas part of the larger nation-buildingexercise, she said.

Excerpts from Ambassador Rao’sspeech on the occasionAs we remember Mahatma Gandhi

and recall his principles and idealstoday, one question that crosses ourmind is — how would Gandhiji haveviewed the world of the 21st century?What would he write today in theIndian Opinion or the Harijan — journals where he often expressed hisinner voice? Can you visualize an elec-tronic version, or a Facebook or Twitteraccount for these journals? I certainlycan, because Gandhiji was a commu-nicator par excellence. How would hehave reflected on the Euro-zone crisis,or the Arab Spring, or the terroristattacks of 9/11 in this country and of26/11 in Mumbai?

How would Gandhiji apply the pre-cepts of his ideals and values in

explaining, or searching for an answer,to these and myriad other challengesthe world confronts today? How do weestablish the relevance of his thoughtsand ideals in this new century? Let me begin by recalling five icon-

ic individuals, who have believed inGandhiji’s ideas. They were and areinspired by the Gandhian philosophyof humanism, compassion and non-violence. They showed courage andconviction in standing up to adversi-ty and embracing the truth. They, intheir own way, became the changethey wanted to see in the world. And they did so decades after

Gandhiji had lived and walked on ourplanet. One of them dared to “have adream” — of equality, opportunityand liberty, and to heal a nationwounded by racial segregation.Inspired by Gandhiji, Dr. MartinLuther King, Jr. saw the spirit of thehistoric Salt March at Dandi resonat-ing in his own courageousMontgomery Bus Boycott. Another man, lovingly called

Madiba by his compatriots, andwhom the world knows as NelsonMandela, emulated Gandhiji inchoosing to suffer a long incarcera-tion in order to humble a tyrannical

regime. He empowered his people,but told them never to hate theiroppressors. He ended apartheid byshowing the power of courage andtruth, as he laid the foundations of anew era in South Africa and promot-ed a path of reconciliation. The third icon, who is admired in

both India and the United States, andacross the world, for her fearless non-violent resistance is Nobel LaureateAung San Suu Kyi who I was privi-leged to personally meet when I visit-ed Yangon in June last year, when Iwas the Foreign Secretary of India.She has often acknowledgedGandhiji’s influence in a life she hasdedicated to freedom and democracy. Gandhiji has been a great light for

another great spiritual leader, who,much like the Mahatma, uniquelyblends spiritualism with humanism,religiosity with courage, and faithwith conviction. His Holiness theDalai Lama views the success ofGandhian philosophy in its most tan-gible outcomes. And finally, President Obama.

Speaking before India’s Parliament inNovember 2010 about how he wasinfluenced and inspired by MahatmaGandhi, President Barack Obama

Ambassador Nirupama Rao speaking at the Gandhi Memorial Center on the occasion of Gandhi Jayantion October 2. (Photo: Susan Hayden)


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STORYCover

said, “I am mindful that I might notbe standing before you today, asPresident of the United States, had itnot been for Gandhi and the messagehe shared with and inspired Americaand the world”. It is no coincidence that all these five

personalities, who embodied in oneway or the other Gandhiji’s ideas andideals, were recognized — long afterthe death of Mahatma Gandhi — fortheir contributions to global peace andharmony. Each of them went on to bea Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

The full text of AmbassadorNirupama Rao’s speech on theoccasion can be viewed at:http://www. indianembassy.org/prde-tail2036/speech-by-ambassador-nirupama-rao-at-gandhi-jayanti-cel-ebrations

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1. Srimati Kamala, Founder, Gandhi Memorial Center,addressing the gathering at the Gandhi Memorial Centeron the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti on October 2.

2. Carrie Trybulec, Director, Gandhi Memorial Center,speaking on the occasion.

3. From left, Krishna Ramdas, Rebecca Rahman, Renu Suri,Samia Mahbub Ahmad, Rashad Ullah, and Rishi Daspresenting ‘Vaishnavajanato’.

4. Charu Narasimhan presenting a Bharatanatyam dance.5. Supriya Dutt and Jeffery Bauer presenting ‘Jibon Jokhon’6. Sudeshna Basu and Jeffrey Bauer presenting ‘Aguner

Poroshmoni’. 7. Guests in attendance.

(Photos: Susan Hayden)


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IMF-World BankANNUAL MEETINGS

A ddressing the 26th Meetingof the InternationalMonetary and FinancialCommittee (IMFC) in

Tokyo on October 13, during theAnnual Meetings of the IMF and theWorld Bank, Finance Minister P.Chidamabaram said that to addressthe uncertainties facing the globaleconomy and put the global economyon a sustainable growth path, theauthorities need to find long-termsolutions. “The immediate challengeis to prevent the adverse feedbackloop between banks and sovereigns.However, in the absence of long-termmeasures, uncertainty will continue,which will pose risk to global macro-economic and financial stability,”Minister Chidambaram said.Noting that adverse feedback loop

of weak growth, weak fiscal positionand weak banks as a major risk toglobal financial stability, the Finance

Minister said, “Actions by centralbanks by providing liquidity may havehelped calmed the markets and avert-ed aggravation of the crisis, but theycannot be a substitute for a longer-term solution.”He said that policy uncertainties in

the advanced economies were alsoaffecting the growth prospects ofemerging market economies.“Growth is faltering across regions,including in emerging marketeconomies (EMEs),” he said. Fragilefinancial market conditions, volatilecapital flows, increasing global com-modity prices, especially energy haddented business confidence in manyEMEs, he said. “The sharp rise inglobal food prices is another majorchallenge that many emerging marketeconomies, especially those whichare already facing inflationary pres-sures, may have to contend with,”Minister Chidambaram said.

To quell doubts about the long-term sustainability of the monetaryunion, the policy makers must bringabout the necessary changes in itsinstitutional and operational archi-tecture, the Finance Minister said. In the interest of safeguarding glob-

al economic and financial stability infuture, the Finance Minister called forglobal cooperation and urgent imple-mentation of the 2010 Quota andgovernance reform of the IMF. “Wemust not let the Quota Formula dis-cussions meander into areas whichare not part of the overall understand-ing reached at different G 20 andIMFC summits — that there will be aclear shift of the quota shares in favorof the Emerging Market andDeveloping Countries, (EMDCs) toreflect more clearly the shifting globaleconomic scenario and to make deci-sion-making in the IMF more equi-table,” the Finance Minister said.

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram addressing the press conference of the G-24 Ministerial Meeting in Tokyo, Japan, on October 11. (Photo: IMF)

Expedite IMF quota reforms: IndiaAt the Annual Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank, India’s Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said the policy makers must brig about the necessary changes in

the institutional and operational architecture of the IMF

“We must also adhere to the time-line for completing this reform byJanuary 2013 so that it becomes thebasis for the 15th General Review ofquotas to be completed no later thanJanuary 2014,” he added. Stressing that GDP was the most

important variable in the quota formu-la “as it is the most robust measure ofrelative economic weight and stake inthe global economy”, the FinanceMinister said the “most appropriateway to measure the real size of an econ-omy was in terms of purchasing powerparity”. He therefore called for sub-stantially increasing the weight of theblended GDP variable in the formula“through a simple formula with GDPblend as the predominant variable andwith a higher share of GDP-PPP.” Minister Chidambaram noted that

the financial contributions made bythe member-countries to the IMFneed not be linked with governancereforms. “These contributions needto retain their temporary character;they should not be looked upon as asubstitute to quota resources,” hesaid. He also stressed that the inno-cent bystanders affected by the crisis,particularly the low income coun-tries, should be adequately protectedand sufficient resources must bemade available for them. Minister Chidambaram called for

urgently resolving the issues of fiscalcliff and the lifting of the debt ceilingin the US. “The need is to put in

place a medium-term fiscal planwhile avoiding excessive fiscal cor-rection in the short run,” he said. Hesaid that the emerging marketeconomies would be severely affectedif the economic situation in the U.S.were to worsen. “Its impact onemerging market economies will bemuch more severe than in the case ofthe situation in the euro area.”He said that to offset the decline in

external demand in the context ofuncertain global macroeconomic envi-ronment, the emerging marketeconomies should focus on strength-ening domestic demand. He said theEMEs should also introduce structur-al reforms and formulate appropriatesupply responses to deal with thesharp increase in food prices. Minister Chidambaram noted that to

put the economy on a sustainable high-er growth path, India had taken sever-al measures in the recent period suchas liberalizing FDI norms for aviationand multi-brand retail and significantpass through in fuel prices. Saying thatinflation had been a major concern forthe Reserve Bank of India (RBI), theFinance minister remarked, “The RBIhas, therefore, kept the policy rateunchanged at 8 per cent since April2012. However, in order to ensure thatcredit flows to productive sectors ofthe economy, the RBI has been man-aging liquidity actively.”“We maintain that the IMF is ideal-

ly placed for anchoring global policycoordination so as to remove the vul-nerabilities and revive growth in theglobal economy on a sustainablebasis,” he concluded.


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ANNUAL MEETINGSIMF-World Bank

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram at the BRICS Finance Ministers’ and Central Bank Governors’ (CVG)meeting in Tokyo, Japan, on October 11.

At its eighty-eighth meeting in Tokyo,Japan, on October 11, with P. Chidambaram, Minister of Finance of

India, in the Chair, the IntergovernmentalGroup of Twenty-Four on InternationalMonetary Affairs and Development said itwould “focus on job creation and the estab-lishment of effective and fiscally sustainablesocial safety nets that protect the poor andvulnerable”. Expressing concern about thefragility of the global economic and financialsituation, the G-24 countries called on the

advanced economies (AEs) to take decisivesteps towards addressing the policy uncer-tainties.

“We also believe that immediate and con-certed action is needed to boost global growththrough appropriate macroeconomic policies,the promotion of open trade and investment,the repair of financial sectors, particularly in themajor financial centers and vigorous structuralreforms, while preparing the foundations forcredible medium-term fiscal consolidation, oncethe recovery is on a sound footing,” it said.

It also urged the AEs to phase out exportsubsidies and resist protectionism.

The G-24 also underlined the importance ofmeeting the 2010 IMF’s quota and gover-nance reforms — comprehensive review ofthe quota formula by January 2013 and thecompletion of the Fifteenth General Review ofQuotas by January 2014. “In our view, the ulti-mate goal must be to better reflect the grow-ing role of EMDCs (Emerging Market andDeveloping Countries) as a whole in the glob-al economy,“ it said.

G-24 to Focus on job crEatIon, strEssEs on IMF quota rEForMs


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BilateralNEWS

I ndia and the U.S. on October9 agreed to deepen coopera-tion at various multilateralfora, including the G20, and

discussed ways to remove trade andinvestment barriers.“We agreed to deepen our cooper-

ation bilaterally and in multilateralfora, including the G20, to contributetoward steering the global economyout of uncertainties,” India’s FinanceMinister P. Chidambaram and U.S.Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithnersaid in a joint statement after a meet-ing in New Delhi. During the third cabinet-level

meeting of the Indo-US Economicand Financial Partnership, the twoleaders discussed ways to furtherlower trade and investment barriers. “We realize that continued invest-

ment in our infrastructure, in our peo-ple and in our institutions is critical todriving innovation, and increasing jobcreation and growth in our economy,”the joint statement said. Addressing a press conference,

Treasury Secretary Geithner wel-comed the economic reform meas-ures announced by the Indian gov-ernment recently, saying it wouldhelp boost private investments. “India has achieved remarkable

economic success in the last 15 years.The recent reforms advanced byPrime Minister Manmohan Singhand Minister Chidambaram will helpprovide a foundation for strongereconomic growth, an increase ininvestment, and more widespreadgains in income,” he said. India had announced a series of

reforms measures, including allowingFDI in retail trade and cutting subsi-dies on petroleum products earlier. The cabinet had also approved a

proposal to hike the FDI limit ininsurance. Treasury Secretary Geithner said

India and the U.S. had agreed on theimportance of improving coordinationon bilateral tax matters, including withrespect to the tax treaty and implemen-tation of the Foreign Account TaxCompliance Act (FATCA) to address

offshore tax evasion. “We agreed tostrengthen mutual cooperation onissues relating to illicit finance,including efforts to combat moneylaundering, terrorist financing andother financial crimes,” he said. “Both countries are committed to

pursue close cooperation,” MinisterChidambaram said.

India, us to deepen economic cooperation

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner exchanging the jointstatement at the Indo-US Economic and Financial Partnership meeting in New Delhi on October 9.

From left, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, Chairman of U.S. Federal Reserve Board Ben Bernanke and RBI Governor Dr. D Subbarao at the Reserve Bank of India in Mumbai on October 10.

During the third cabinet-level meeting of the Indo-US Economic and FinancialPartnership in New Delhi, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and U.S. TreasurySecretary Timothy Geithner discussed ways to further lower trade and investment

barriers between the two countries

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Ambassador’sENGAGEMENTS

I ndia’s Ambassador to the U.S.hasn’t had a weekend to herselfsince she came to Washington,in September 2011.

“It’s a 24/7 assignment,” saysNirupama Rao.

Terrorism originating from Pakistan,close ties with Iran, a special bond withRussia and maintaining and growing acrucial relationship with the UnitedStates dominate her time.

Seated in the large sunny, sittingroom on the park-side of the officialresidence in Washington’s trendyCleveland Park neighborhood, Rao,clad in an exquisitely tailored sari,made it clear she’s not just a pretty facein Washington.

She pulled no punches when dis-cussing difficult and delicate problemsfacing her country - beginning withPakistan.

“India is concerned about terrorismand extremism which has flown in thedirection of India from Pakistan overthe years,” said Rao.

She suggested Pakistan has not beenforgiven, and no one has forgotten,what happened on Nov. 26, 2008, inthe Indian capital of Mumbai.

During shocking and expertlyplanned attacks that lasted severaldays, “more than 170 people werekilled in the attack by terrorists whohad planned this in Pakistan,” saidRao.

These were operatives she said,“who came across from Pakistan,launched the attack on the Taj Mahalhotel and other installations.”

While India’s government says it’scommitted to exploring ways to createa normalized relationship withPakistan, Rao makes it clear: It is nottalking about amnesty.

The Indian government is convincedit was a terrorist attack from beginningto end.

“And the fact that there was a

Pakistani role, there were Pakistaniagents, Pakistani citizens who wereinvolved in this cannot be denied,”said Rao.

Almost four years after the attack,“we have yet to really see a satisfacto-ry closure to the investigations intothat attack. We have conveyed andconstantly stressed to Pakistan that itis necessary for our two countries tocooperate meaningfully in bringingthose people who were responsiblefor this attack to book to see that jus-tice is done.”

Rao said there’s serious concernwithin India that it could happen again.

“Because there are safe havens inPakistan. There are groups like theLashkar-e- Taiba, as you know, agroup that is described globally, whoare able to move around pretty freelyto broadcast, to address their con-stituencies within the country,” shesaid.

The U.S. “pivot” toward the Asia-Pacific region confirms that the risingeconomic and military power of theEast could outmatch Western powersif it loses focus. The U.S. decision toturn its attention to that part of theworld is largely centered on counter-balancing Chinese power in theregion, the increased importance ofsea lanes as a conduit of global com-merce and the free flow of informa-tion in cyberspace.

In doing so, the polite U.S.-Indiarelationship since the end of the ColdWar, has developed into “a veryimportant, very crucial, very funda-mental relationship,” said Rao.

The full text of the interview may be seen at: http://www.indianem-bassy.org/prdetail2065/text-of-ambas-sador-nirupama-raoandrsquo%3Bs-

interview-with-national-security-corre-spondent-j.j.-green-of-wtop-radio-on-

october-16%2C-2012

Besides maintaining a crucial relationship with the US, Ambassador Rao deals withmany other important issues, reports WTOP’ JJ Green. Excerpts:

Ambassador calls onGovernor Beverly Perdue

Ambassador Nirupama Rao meets withGovernor of North Carolina Beverly EavesPerdue on October 8.

Ambassador Nirupama Rao. (Photo: WTOP/JJ Green)

Ambassador Rao’s interview to WTOP Radio

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Embassy


EVENTS

1. Ambassador Nirupama Rao welcoming and addressing theguests at the pre-Meridian Ball dinner hosted at theEmbassy Residence on October 12.

2. Former Governor of Michigan and former U.S. Ambassadorto Canada James Blanchard thanking Ambassador NirupamaRao for hosting the pre-Meridian Ball dinner at the EmbassyResidence.

3. Violinist Nistha Raj performing on the occasion.4. Guests in attendance at the event.

1. Ambassador Nirupama Rao addressing the guests at the reception hosted inhonor of Dr. Vishakha N. Desai, President Emerita, Asia Society, at the EmbassyResidence on October 18.

2. Dr. Desai addressing the audience on the occasion. 3. Ryan Brown, conductor and artistic director of Opera Lafayatte, speaking on

the occasion. 4. Anuradha Nehru, founder, Kuchipudi Kalanidhi, addressing the guests. 5. Pianist Jeffery Watson presenting Barcarolle from Act 2 of Felicien David’s

opéra comique Lalla Roukh. 6. Dancers Silpa Nanan, Asha Dwarka, Deviga Valiyl and Pragnya Thamire from the

Kuchipudi Kalanidhi performing to the music of Pandit Ravi Shankar and Philip Glass. 7. Guest in attendance.

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Ambassador hosts pre-Meridian Ball dinner at Embassy Residence

Dr. Vishakha N. Desai at Embassy

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1. Dr. Masum Momaya, Curator of the Smithsonian’s Indian AmericanHeritage Project, addressing the guests at the screening of the filmPlay Like a Lion: The Legacy of Maestro Ali Akbar Khan, hosted by theEmbassy of India in collaboration with the Smithsonian’s IndianAmerican Heritage Project at the Embassy on October 26.

2. A still from the film Play Like a Lion: The Legacy of Maestro Ali AkbarKhan directed by Joshua Dylan Mellars.

3. Joshua Dylan Mellars interacting with the guests during the screeningof his film.

4. Prof. S.V. Srinivas, ICCR visiting professor, discussing the film withJoshua Dylan Mellars.

5. A section of the audience interacting with Joshua Dylan Mellars at thescreening of his film.

6. Guests in attendance at the event.

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Play Like a Lion screened at the Embassy

EmbassyEVENTS

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EmbassyEVENTS

T o showcase the rich culturalheritage of MontgomeryCounty through music,dance, visual art, cuisine and

story-telling, the Fourth Annual Worldof Montgomery Festival was organizedin Downtown Wheaton on October 21.The International Village exhibition thisyear featured India, China, El Salvadorand Ethiopia. The MontgomeryCounty government and the WheatonUrban District were major partners inorganizing the festival with the help ofactive community-based participation.Montgomery County Executive IsiahLeggett and Embassy representativesalso attended the event.

1. Deputy Chief of Mission Ambassador Arun K. Singh addressing thegathering at the reception hosted in honor of the visiting participantsof the Fulbright-Nehru International Education AdministratorsSeminar at the Embassy on October 23.

2. Dr. Vandana Chakrabarti, Pro Vice Chancellor, SNDT Women’sUniversity, Mumbai, addressing the gathering.

3. Dr. Viresh Kumar Bhawra, Humphrey Fellow – India, Human RightsCenter, University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, speaking onthe occasion.

4. Jim Moore, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Bureau of South and CentralAsian Affairs, U.S. Department of State, addressing the gathering.

5. A section of the audience at the event.

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Embassy hosts Fulbright scholars

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Other Events

Fourth Annual World of Montgomery Festival

India Celebrations at the Fourth Annual World ofMontgomery Festival on October 21.

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OtherEVENTS

Unveiling the seven feet tall bronze statue, former President of India Dr. APJ AbdulKalam applauded the ‘creative leadership’ of the organizers

Gandhi statue unveiled in Davie, Florida

F ormer President of India Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam and DavieMayor Judy Paul unveiled aseven feet tall bronze statue of

Mahatma Gandhi on October 2 in theTown of Davie, Florida. Thousands ofresidents from the area, includingIndian American families joined the fes-tivities despite the heavy rains.The 800 pound statue was sculpted

by Matt Glenn of Big Statues, Provo,Utah, in cooperation with Sculptor’sGuild. As a token of respect to Gandhi,they also contributed toward the cost ofthe statue.Babu Varghese, a member of the

Board and an Engineer by profession,designed the Gandhi Square with halfan acre of land that houses the statue.The square patterns with alternatingcolored step stones leading to the statuerepresent the steps Gandhi took in his

lifetime struggle to achieve freedom forIndia. These steps are bordered by light-ed stone pillars which represent a “path-way of light” leading up to the statueitself. Then there are concentric circleswith the curved wall behind it as ifshowing the letter G (for Gandhi) fromabove in an abstract form. The palmtrees in the surrounding symbolize life,eternity, wisdom and victory.Unveiling the statue, Dr. Kalam

reflected on Gandhi’s life and the rele-vance of his teachings in today’s world.He applauded the “creative leadership”of the Board of Trustees of theMahatma Gandhi Square Florida — acorporation organized for creating theGandhi Square in Davie. Dr. Kalamsaid that “creative leadership” meantexercising the vision to change the tra-ditional roles from commander tocoach, manager to mentor, director to

delegator and from one who demandsrespect to one who facilitates self-respect. He thanked the leadership ofDavie, Broward County, state of Floridaand the Indian-American communityfor the warm reception accorded tohim.Declaring the day as the “World

Peace & Mahatma Gandhi Day”,Mayor Judy Paul called the ceremony a“living tribute to world peace and thequest for social justice”. Mayor Paulwelcomed the former President andenumerated many of his accomplish-ments. She particularly drew attentionof her audience to Dr. Kalam’s humblebeginnings and urged the children in theaudience to follow his path. The mem-bers of the Town Council, StateSenators Nan Rich and Eleanor Sobeland several elected officials were presenton the occasion.For the task bestowed on him,

Varghese said, “What an honor for anIndian living in America to design aGandhi Square here!” Joy Kuttiyaniwho initiated the project, called it “awonderful achievement for the Indiancommunity!”Among the members of the Board of

Trustees of the Mahatma GandhiSquare Florida, who were present on theoccasion, were Dr. Piyush C. Agrawal,Joy Kuttiyani, Babu Varghese, ShekarRedddy, Chacko Philip, Hemant Patel,Vivek Swaroop and Dr Sajan Kurian.

1. Former President Dr. APJAbdul Kalam (center),Mayor Judy Paul (right) andDr. Piyush Agrawal at theevent.

2. Mayor Judy Paul receiving acommemorative token ofappreciation from PresidentDr. Kalam and Dr. PiyushAgrawal on behalf of theIndian Community.

3. Gandhi Square Board ofTrustees: From left, HemantPatel, Joy Kuttiyani, BabuVarghese, Piyush Agrawal,Vijay Narang, Sajan Kurian,and Chacko Philip.

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Ambassador Rao inaugurates CGI Atlanta For passport services, the jurisdiction of the new Consulate will be Alabama, Florida,

Georgia, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virgin Islands

T he new Consulate Generalof India in Atlanta is nowopen. AmbassadorNirupama Rao formally

inaugurated the new Consulate onOctober, 22 in the presence of Mayorof Sandy Springs Eva Galambos,Congressman Rob Woodall,Chairman of the Democratic Party ofGeorgia Michael Berlon, several lead-ers of the Indian-American commu-nity and media.

Located at 5549 Glenridge Drive

NE, Atlanta, GA-30342, the newConsulate, however, started offeringpassport and miscellaneous consularservices from October 1. For theseservices, the consular jurisdiction ofthe Consulate will be Alabama,Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, PuertoRico, South Carolina, Tennessee andVirgin Islands.

Ambassador Rao and MayorGalambos addressed the audience ata reception held at the Heritage Hallin Sandy Springs following the inau-

guration. Dean and several membersof the Consular Corps, President ofthe University of the West GeorgiaMichael Berlon, President of theUniversity of Columbus StateUniversity Dr. Beheruz Sethna, Dr.Timothy S. Mescon, ProfessorJagdish N. Sheth of GoizuetaBusiness School, leaders of theIndian-American community, indus-try leaders, representatives of cham-bers of commerce and media attend-ed the reception.

ConsulateEVENTS

From left, Margret Kumar, Congressman Rob Woodall, Dr. Galambos, Mayor ofSandy Springs Eva Galambos, Ambassador Nirupama Rao, Consul General AjitKumar, Manager of City of Sandy Springs John F. McDonough at the event.

Ambassador Nirupama Rao addresses the gathering at the reception atHeritage Hall of the city of Sandy Springs following the inauguration of theConsulate.

Ambassador Nirupama Rao addresses the audience at the inauguration ofthe of the Consulate General of India in Atlanta on October 22.

Mayor of Sandy Springs Eva Galambos addressing the gathering at the inau-guration of the Consulate.

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ConsulateEVENTS

During her visit to Atlanta,Ambassador Rao also called on theGovernor of Georgia Nathan Deal on

October 23 and discussed matters ofmutual interest to improve relationsbetween India and Georgia.

Detailed information about the newConsulate can be accessed at: http://www.indianconsulateatlata.org

Ambassador Nirupama Rao at the new Consulate General of India in Atlantawith Sandy Springs Mayor Eva Galambos, US Representative Rob Woodalland the Indian community.

Ambassador Nirupama Rao and Consul General of India in Atlanta AjitKumar with Governor of Georgia Nathan Deal on October 23.

Consul General Ajit Kumar addressing the Indian community in SouthFlorida.

Consul General Ajit Kumar with the Indian community leaders in SouthFlorida during his visit.

Consul General Ajit Kumar meets Indiancommunity in South Florida

W ith the aim of familiarizingthe Indian community onhow his office intends to

handle its passport and miscellaneousservices operation, Consul General ofIndia in Atlanta Ajit Kumar visitedMiami, Fort Lauderdale and the PalmBeach area immediately after theannouncement of the new consular

jurisdiction of the Embassy of Indiaand its consulates in the U.S. ConsulGeneral Kumar noted thatvisa/OCI/PIO related services for thestate of Florida would continue to behandled by the Houston Office forthe time being.

The Indian community welcomedConsul General Ajit Kumar and held

a reception in his honor during thevisit. On behalf of the community,Dr. Piyush C. Agrawal, in his wel-coming remarks, highlighted ConsulGeneral Kumar’s accomplishmentsduring his various foreign serviceassignments. He also introduced theleadership of the community to theConsul General.

15


Gandhi Jayanti celebrations in New York

T he Consulate General ofIndia in New York in associ-ation with Bharatiya VidyaBhavan organized the 143rd

birth anniversary celebrations ofMahatma Gandhi at the Union SquarePark, near Gandhiji’s statue, onOctober 2. The programme beganwith offering of floral tributes toMahatma Gandhi at the statue by thedignitaries and participants.

Felicitating the gathering on theoccasion, Consul General PrabhuDayal said that on June 15, 2007, theUnited Nations General Assemblyhad declared October 2 to be markedeach year as International Day ofNon-Violence in honor of the greatleader of India’s Independencemovement and proponent of satya-graha and strategy of non-violence.The Consul General recalledGandhi’s influence on world leaderssuch as Nelson Mandela and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in shap-ing the non-violent movement forfreedom and civil rights. He quotedthe words of Albert Einstein aboutGandhi and also mentioned that

President Barack Obama reiteratedhis faith in Gandhian principles. Hefurther said that Gandhism was a wayof life that could be adopted by peo-ple of all stratas of society.

Other speakers, notably H. R. Shah,Dr. Navin Mehta and Kenny Desai ofthe Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, D. Trivedi of Bank of Baroda and Dr.Najma Sultana also spoke about

Gandhian principles and emphasizedthe need of spreading the message ofnon-violence, peaceful coexistence andharmonious living.

The event concluded with a recital ofGandhiji’s favorite bhajans, namely‘Vaishnav Jan To’ and ‘RaghupatiRaghava Raja Ram’ by the musicacademy of the Bharatiya VidyaBhavan.

S peaking at a reception-cum-dinner hosted by the ConsulateGeneral of India in New York,

Minister of State for External AffairsE. Ahamed urged the members of theIndian-American community to makeoptimal use of the recentlyannounced Foreign DirectInvestment policy initiatives by theGovernment of India. DharmendraYadav, India’s youngest Member ofParliament, who had addressed theUnited Nations in Hindi earlier, wasalso present on the occasion.

Complementing the Indian Foreign

Service officers for their acumen andforesightedness in chalking outIndia’s foreign policy, Minister

Ahamed said that India’s foreign pol-icy was dictated by the country’s national interest.

Consul General of India in New York recalled Gandhi’s influence on world leaderssuch as Nelson Mandela and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

ConsulateEVENTS

Gandhi Jayanti celebrated with fervour at Union Square Park, New York.

‘Make optimal use of India’s FDI initiatives’

From left, Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed, Member of Parliament Dharmendra Yadavand Consul General Prabhu Dayal speaking at the reception.

16

ConsulateEVENTS


‘Uphold the honor and dignity of India’

C ommending the Indian-American community for itsrole in improving the rela-tions between India and the

U.S., Minister of State for ExternalAffairs Preneet Kaur urged the Indiandiaspora to uphold the honor and dig-nity of India.

Speaking at a reception-cum-dinnerhosted in her honor by the ConsulateGeneral of India in New York onOctober 18, Minister Kaur said thatalthough the global economic slow-down had affected the Indian economyshe was hopeful of its resurgence soon.

Other dignitaries who graced theoccasion included former Minister ofCivil Aviation and Urban DevelopmentAnand Kumar, Member of Parliament

Dereck O’Brien and DeputyPermanent Representative of India tothe United Nations AmbassadorManjeev Singh Puri.

Admiring her valuable contributionin the Ministry of External Affairs,Consul General Ambassador PrabhuDayal, highlighted the welfare meas-

ures initiated by her in the Ministry.He also welcomed Anand Kumar andDereck O’Brien who thankedAmbassador Dayal for providing anopportunity to meet the Indian diaspo-ra. The two leaders talked about thevibrancy of Indian democracy and itseconomic resilience.

Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur applauded the Indian-Americancommunity for its role in strengthening the relationship between India and the U.S.

Consul General Prabhu Dayal (left) and Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur addressingthe audience at the reception.

‘India Day’ celebration by Pace University

T he Consul General of India inNew York hosted a reception onOctober 19 at New India

House in recognition of the PaceUniversity, New York, celebrating thatday as ‘India Day’.

Consul General Prabhu Dayal saidthat the celebration of ‘India Day’ byPace University was indicative of theclose relationship between India andthe United States. He commended theIndian academic community in the

U.S. for promoting closer understand-ing between the two countries.

Speaking on the occasion, Provostof the University Dr. UdaySukhatme, thanked the ConsulGeneral for hosting the eveningreception as a part of the university’s‘India Day’ celebrations.

1. Consul General of India delivering his wel-come remarks.

2. Provost of the University Dr. Uday Sukhatmeaddressing the audience

3. Consul General with senior officials of PaceUniversity

4. Guests in attendance.

CGI New York hosts CIISalumni gathering

The Consul General of India inNew York hosted a reception for

the New York Chapter of theCalifornia Institute of Integral Studies(CIIS) alumni gathering at New IndiaHouse on October 26.

Welcoming the gathering, ConsulGeneral Prabhu Dayal, citing exam-ples of ancient philosophy, underlinedthe values of integral education and itsrelevance in contemporary living.

The highlight of the evening was alecture by Ameeta Mehra, Chairpersonof the Gnostic Centre andInternational Centre for IntegralStudies, New Delhi.

Consul General Prabhu Dayal (left) and AmeetaMehra, the guest lecturer of the evening, speaking on the occasion.

1 2

3 4

A lluding to the downturn inthe Eurozone, PrimeMinister Dr. ManmohanSingh on October 19 said

India was in need of an aggregategrowth rate of 8 percent per annumand stressed that although it won’t beeasy, it was also not unattainable.

The Prime Minister said India need-ed an aggregate growth rate of 8 per-cent per annum to create new jobs formore than 10 million persons whowould enter the labor force each year.

“This is not going to be an easy task,given the international economic envi-ronment. However, it is not unattain-able if we make determined efforts toincrease our investment rate to 37-38percent, as was the case three yearsago,” Prime Minister Singh said.

“The continuing uncertainty andweaknesses in the Eurozoneeconomies have hobbled the pace ofgrowth, including in Asian economies.

Inevitably, India too has had to dealwith the fallout of slowing growth,falling exports and expanding deficits,”the Prime Minister said.

He underlined the importance ofcreating “an environment conducivefor increased investment and savingsrates”, and called for devoting particu-lar attention to investment in infra-structure sectors.

D oing business in India hasbecome easier with the coun-try implementing 17 regulato-

ry reforms, states a new joint study byInternational Finance Corp (IFC) andWorld Bank released on October 23.

However, when it comes to startinga business in India, the report said thecountry’s ranking was 173 out of 185countries.

According to the report, India hasimproved the regulatory environmentfor local entrepreneurs more than anyother economy in South Asia since2005.

Among other things, India hasreduced the time required to obtain abuilding permit by establishing stricttime limits for preconstructionapprovals.

The report said economies of South

Asia have implemented 65 regulatoryreforms to make doing business easier.

The study assesses regulationsaffecting domestic firms in 185economies and ranks the economies in10 areas of business regulation, such asstarting a business, trading across bor-ders, and resolving insolvency.

The report finds that India is the firsteconomy in the region to make dealingwith construction permits easier forlocal firms since 2005.

N.R. Narayana Murthy, co-founder of ITgiant Infosys who has used his business

success to “give back” to his native India,has been named recipient of the prestigious2012 Hoover Medal.

Murthy received the honor on October 22at the Global Humanitarian TechnologyConference in Seattle, Washington.

The Hoover Medal was established in1930 to recognize great, unselfish, non-technical services by engineers to humanity.Previous awardees include former U.S. pres-idents Herbert Hoover, Dwight D. Eisenhower and James Earl Carter.

Murthy, who is the 70th recipient sincethe medal’s inception, was recognized forestablishing a foundation that forges out-standing improvements in healthcare, socialrehabilitation, rural uplift and education.

The Infosys Science Foundation wasestablished in 2009 to promote scienceresearch in India.

One of the world’s most admired busi-ness leaders, Murthy co-founded InfosysLimited in 1981.

17

Economy


NEWS

8 percent GDP growth notimpossible to attain: PM

Narayana Murthy receives2012 Hoover Medal

IBS Software Services, headquartered atTechnopark in Thiruvananthapuramannounced on October 24 that it hadacquired Atlanta-based Hotel BookingSolutions (HBSi) through a multi-million dol-lar deal.

With this acquisition, over hundred lead-ing players in the hospitality industry,including Starwood, Harrahs, Raffles,Ramada, Fairmont and Kerzner on the sup-ply partner side, as well as Expedia, Orbitzand Travelocity on the distribution side, willjoin the IBS stable.

The acquisition was made by buying overthe entire shareholding of Crosslink Capital,the San Francisco-based leading private equi-ty and venture capital firm. Crosslinks Capitalhas over $1.8 billion in assets with invest-ments in around 100 companies.

IBS acquires US hotelbooking solutions firm

‘Doing business in India easier now’

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh

I naugurating the 4thInternational Conference onMedicinal Plants and HerbalProducts (ICMPHP-2012) at

Johns Hopkins University Campus,Montgomery, Maryland, onSeptember 6, Ambassador NirupamaRao said that the popularity of com-plementary and alternative medicineor traditional medicine was growingworldwide rapidly and that India’sancient systems of medicines were atreasure trove for both preventive andcurative healthcare. “The WorldHealth Organization estimates thatherbal and traditional medicines arestill the mainstay of significant num-ber of people around the world,mainly in the developing countries,for primary health care,” she pointedout.Ambassador Rao underlined the

efforts taken by India to promote theuse of medicinal plants and theIndian system of medicine during herspeech. She said that there had beena steady upsurge in global trade inmedicinal plants and products,including gums and resin, essentialoil, vegetable saps, plants and extractsthereof. “India’s share in globalexport is also growing and was about$790 million in 2010,” she said. Commending the organizers of the

three-day conference for their effortsin promoting greater awareness andinternational collaboration in differ-ent aspects of the medicinal andherbal plants, Ambassador Rao saidthat India and the United States hasimmense potential for strengtheningcollaboration in areas of healthcare,bio-technology and medical research.“And it is in accordance with ourdevelopment objectives of providingefficient and affordable delivery ofhealth care services,” she said. Organized by the George

Washington University School ofMedicine and Public Health,Washington DC, the three-day con-ference starting from September 6,attracted more than 200 participant

experts from around the world. “The aim of the Conference is to

provide a vibrant platform for eminentresearchers, academicians, physicians,traditional medical practitioners, man-ufacturers & exporters of herbal prod-ucts, representative of the corporatesector, marketing consultants andNGOs from all over the world,” Dr.Krishna Banaudha, Director GenomaAyurveda, the Organizing Secretary of4th ICMPHP-2012, said. Welcoming India’s decision to

make clinical trials mandatory for allthe existing and new Ayurvedicmedicinal products in the country,Dr. Banaudha said the conferencewould help establish a link with thescientific and research institutions fortaking this science of Ayurveda,medicinal plants and herbal productdevelopments to the next level ofgrowth and scientific enquiry.

Following is an excerpt fromAmbassador Nirupama Rao’sspeech on the occasion:“Medicinal plants and products

derived from them have been usedthrough ages across different coun-tries. And the therapeutic use ofherbal medicines has been gainingconsiderable momentum in the worldduring the past decade. The WorldHealth Organization estimates thatherbal and traditional medicines arestill the mainstay of significant num-ber of people around the world,mainly in the developing countries,for primary health care.India possesses an unmatched her-

itage represented by its ancient sys-tems of medicine which are a treasurehouse of knowledge for both preven-tive and curative healthcare.Complementary and alternative med-icine or traditional medicine is rapid-ly growing worldwide. In India also,there is resurgence of interest in theIndian Systems of Medicine. Indiahas unique distinction of possessinglarge varieties of medicinal plants,knowledge associated with them anda significant network of infrastruc-ture required for their promotion andpropagation. India has 15 agro-cli-matic zones and medicinal plants aredistributed across all regions, diversehabitats and landscapes. India has one of the oldest and

most diverse cultural traditions, asso-ciated with the use of medicinalplants.”

18

ScienceNEWS


‘India a treasure house of knowledge’

From left, Ambassador Nirupama Rao delivering the keynote address; Dr. Krishna Banaudha,Organizing Secretary of 4th ICMPHP, speaking on the occasion.

Ambassador Rao saidthat there had been a

steady upsurge in global trade in

medicinal plants andproducts, including

gums and resin, essentialoil, vegetable saps,plants and extracts

thereof

19

Diaspora


NEWS

T hrough his innovative rain-water harvesting project‘Aakash Ganga’, Indian-American Dr. BP Agrawal is

pioneering social change, and trans-forming the landscape in ruralRajasthan. So far, Aakash Ganga hasprovided safe water to six villages,home to 10,000 villagers in Rajasthan’smost drought prone areas. With thehelp of grants from the Department ofScience and Technology, Governmentof India, and philanthropic contribu-tions from the Indian diaspora, AakashGanga is set to provide water to 50,000people by 2013.Explaining the project Dr. Agrawal

said, “Aakash Ganga is a rainwaterharvesting scheme which channelsrooftop rainwater through gutters anddrainpipes to two-tier, undergroundreservoirs, where it is then available forthe year round use of the village.”

Aakash Ganga aims to be systemi-cally sustainable. So once established,the project supports itself: economical-ly, culturally, socially, institutionally,operationally, ecologically and techno-logically. To ensure scalability, AakashGanga adapted the model of the utilityindustry and simplified it to ‘rooftoprentals’. It rents rooftops from home-owners to acquire rainwater harvestingrights, a process similar to the utilityindustry’s acquisition of passage rightsfor a fee. In 2010, Dr. Agrawal won the

Lemelson — Massachusetts Instituteof Technology Award for Sustainability,

and the Energy Globe World Award,both given to those who spark and sus-tain innovation, and the inventive spirit.Aakash Ganga comes under the

umbrella institution, SustainableInnovations(www.si-usa.org).Another Sustainable Innovations off-

spring, Arogya Ghar, created in part-nership with Atul Jain, founder and

CEO of TEOCO Corporation, isaddressing the need for basic health-care in rural Rajasthan. Arogya is train-ing a cadre of high school educatedwomen to operate healthcare kiosks, or‘clinics’. Earlier, Aakash Ganga andArogya Ghar both received the WorldBank’s $200,000 DevelopmentMarketplace award for innovation.

Transforming the landscape of rural Rajasthan

(Clockwise from top) Dr. BP Agrawal receiving the Energy Globe World Award from UNEP ExecutiveDirector Achim Steiner; Arogya Ghar personnel at work in rural Rajasthan and a 40,000 litre Aakash Gangatank at Raila village in Rajasthan.

With over 300 guests, including scien-tists, engineers, entrepreneurs andcorporate executives attending

GET2012 — the 27th national convention ofthe American Society of Engineers of IndianOrigin (ASEI) at the Ford Community &Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, Michigan,on October 6, the organizers have termed theconvention a major success. “The convention

provided unparalleled opportunity to learn,exchange information and network,” the ASEIsaid. Mayor of the City of Detroit Dave Bingdescribed the convention day as “GreenEngineering & Technology Day”.

Ravi Saligram, CEO of OfficeMax, deliveredthe keynote address at the convention that fea-tured over 18 technical speakers from academiaand the industry such as Boeing, NASA,Harman International, DTE Energy, Ford MotorCompany and others. Besides panel discussionson green technologies, merit scholarshipsworth $5,500 were awarded to engineeringstudents from all across the nation.

‘27th ASEI national convention a major success’

20

TrendsIN SOCIETY


Bollywood is goingp a n - I n d i a n .From Parsi andMarathi to

Gujarati and Bengali,filmmakers are bringingdiverse cultures to theHindi film firmament.And the credit for thisversatility goes to changingtastes and mindsets of theviewers.Sujoy Ghosh’s Kahaani is a case in

point. Made in Hindi, it had a strongBengali flavor and was also shot inKolkata, appealing to audiences somuch so that it earned almost 10 timesmore than its total cost.Lauding the new trend that he

believes is a “great time for Indian cin-ema”, Ghosh said: “We make filmswith themes we are familiar with. Forme, it was easy to write about Bengali

culture, as I am aBengali. Thanks to theaudience, they areallowing us to experi-ment.”Another small budget

film, Vicky Donor, woveboth Punjabi and Bengali

cultures to show an interestingcultural contrast. And it worked.This $1-million project, made by

director Shoojit Sircar on an uncon-ventional theme of sperm donation, gotthe thumbs up from the viewers, earn-ing $8.2 million.It is a win-win situation for all — the

viewer gets fresh stories to watch,directors are able to explore and exper-iment and producers are laughing allthe way to the bank.

Said an excited Sircar: “This is anew trend, which is very fascinating;and the best part is that these films areaccepted by the audience. I reallyappreciate this era. This is a tribute toIndian cinema.”Sanjay Leela Bhansali gave insights

into the Gujarati community in HumDil De Chuke Sanam, Catholics inKhamoshi — The Musical, AngloIndians in Black and Bengalis inDevdas. His sister Bela focused on theParsi community in her debut filmShirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi and itwas satisfactory, businesswise.“Parsi community talk is very

bindaas. They are very bold and sweet.I just picked up this aspect because Iwanted to show them as nice and fun-loving people,” Bela, whose film wasabout a 40-plus Parsi couple, said.The success of these films is proof of

the viewers’ open-mindedness.

Indian audience is increasingly appreciating the movies that go beyond the obviousand showcase different shades of Indian culture

Windows into diverse India — Bollywood style

(Top) Vidya Balan in a still fromKahaani; (Left) Rani Mukherjee

plays a Marathi girl in Aiyaa

21


ShortSTORY

I n a village, there lived twofriends. Their names wereDharambuddhi andPaapbuddhi. Paapbuddhi was

not satisfied with the wealth he pos-sessed. Contrary to this,Dharambuddhi was not only intelli-gent, but had also a lot of wealth withhim. Paapbuddhi made a plan to earnwealth with the help of Dharambuddhi.One day, he said to Dharambuddhi,

“Friend, why are you wasting your tal-ent here? If you go to some othertown, you may come across manyopportunities to earn a lot of moneyand fame. If you like, I can also accom-pany you to the new town.”Dharambuddhi agreed to the pro-

posal of Paapbuddhi. Both of them setout on a long journey to settle in a newtown. Dharambuddhi became veryfamous and rich in the new town.After Dharambuddhi and

Paapbuddhi had earned a lot ofmoney, they decided to return to theirhome town. As they arrived near theirhome town, Paapbuddhi said toDharambuddhi, “I suppose it will bebetter if we don’t carry all our wealthwith us. Our relatives may ask for theirshare. Let’s take a nominal amountwith us and bury the rest in a pit here.When the need arises, we may comehere again and take out the money. So, they dug up a pit and after bury-

ing their wealth in it, they went to theirrespective homes. But, thereafter, inone dark night Paapbuddhi visited thepit all alone and along with his moneyhe stole Dharambuddhi’s money also.After a few days Paapbuddhi went to

Dharambuddhi and said, “Friend Ineed some money. Let us go to the pitto take out some money.”Dharambuddhi agreed to it. When theyreached the spot they dug up the pit,but there was no wealth in the pit.“I never did it,” said

Dharambuddhi in great anger. Bothof them began to fight with each

other and at last, the matter wastaken to the court.Paapbuddhi narrated the whole story

and said to the judge, “My lord!Dharambuddhi denies that he dug upthe wealth in my absence. So, in myopinion the court should hear the treealso who was the sole witness to all thathappened to the wealth there.”The court agreed to this and fixed a

date when the court would visit the treeto know the tree’s version.In the meantime, Paapbuddhi told

his father, “Father, you know, I’vestolen the wealth of Dharambuddhi. Iwant you to help me, or else I’ll becaught and punished by the court.”“What am I supposed to do?” asked

Paapbuddhi’s father, “I don’t want tolose the wealth.”“Well,” said Paapbuddhi, “there is a

Shami tree in the jungle. We hadburied the wealth near this tree. Thetree is hollow from inside. You just hidein the hollow. When the judges ask youto name the thief you shout from insidethe tree. ‘It’s Dharambuddhi’.” Hisfather agreed to do it.On the appointed day, the judge,

accompanied by Paapbuddhi and

Dharambuddhi and other people, wentto the tree. Paapbuddhi then went nearthe tree and asked in a loud voice, “O,divine tree, tell us the name of thethief.”Immediately, there came a voice

from inside the tree, “Dharambuddhi isthe thief. He has stolen the wealth.”The judge was wonderstruck to hear

the tree speak.But, meanwhile, Dharambuddhi put

a heap of dry leaves and grass aroundthe tree and lighted it. Everyone failedto understand what Dharambuddhiwas upto. Soon there was a big firearound the tree trunk. After sometime,Paapbuddhi’s father jumped out of thehollow of the tree yelling for help. Halfof his body was burnt and his eyes werepopping out.Now everything was crystal clear.

The judge understood the whole story.He held Paapbuddhi responsible forthe theft. He ordered his men of thecourt to hang Paapbuddhi to death bythe same Shami tree.The people were happy that

Dharambuddhi, after all, got justice.Paapbuddhi was rightly punished forhis greed and dishonesty.

Dharambuddhi and Paapbuddhi(From Panchatantra, a collection of ancient Indian fables)

22

CinemaNEWS


H e worked with AshokKumar to Shah RukhKhan and Mala Sinha toAnushka Sharma in his

over five-decade glorious cinematicjourney, and the title of Yash Chopra’snew film, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, summedup the ace filmmaker’s philosophy —making path-breaking movies till hecould.

His death on October 21came weeks before the releaseof Jab Tak Hai Jaan, which hehad announced would be hislast directorial venture.

Chopra, whoturned 80 onSeptember 27, wasborn in Lahore in1932 and eventu-ally came toMumbai afterPartition. In aninterview somedays before he washospitalized withdengue, Chopratold Shah RukhKhan: “My mothersaid do what your heartsays. She gave me `200and said my blessings arewith you. Go ahead anddon’t worry.”

He also said whatever heachieved, was because of hislate brother and filmmaker

B.R. Chopra, whom he assisted at thebeginning of his Bollywood career.

He admitted that it was not easy tostart Yash Raj Films, his productionhouse, in 1971.

To the world, Chopra was knownas the ‘King of Romance’, a well-deserved title after he created memo-rable love stories in Daag, KabhiKabhie, Silsila, Chandni, Dil To Pagal

Hai, and Veer Zaara. To keep upwith evolving audiences, he adapt-ed new trends in each era andmade most glamorous and trendy

romances. But Chopra’s oeuvre was

not limited to just romanceand relationships. In hisfive decade-long career, heexperimented with all genres.

His first film Dhool KaPhool in 1959 was the storyof an illegitimate Hinduchild being brought up by aMuslim. His next project,Dharamputra (1961) was

another hard-hitting film oncommunal conflict, and was

one of the first films to depictthe Partition and Hindu funda-mentalism.

A precedent-setter, Chopra’s1965 critically successful dramaWaqt pioneered the concept ofmulti-starters in Bollywood, whileIttefaq (1969) was a taut thriller,

being the first Hindi film which did nothave any songs or an interval.

In his career, he won many awards,including the prestigious DadasahebPhalke Award in 2001, six NationalAwards, 11 Filmfare Awards and wasconferred the Padma Bhushan in2005.

‘King of Romance’ Yash Chopra passes away

‘SILSILA’ OF CHOPRA’S CREATIVE JOURNEYYash Chopra gave Indian cinema somepath-breaking movies in his 53-year-long career. n Dhool Ka Phool (1959)n Dharmputra (1961)n Waqt (1965)n Aadmi Aur Insaan (1969)n Ittefaq (1969)n Daag: A Poem of Love (1973)n Joshila (1973)n Deewaar (1975)n Kabhi Kabhie — Love Is Life (1976)n Trishul (1978)n Kaala Patthar (1979)n Silsila (1981)n Mashaal (1984)n Faasle (1985)n Vijay (1988)n Chandni (1989)n Lamhe (1991)n Parampara (1992)n Darr (1993)n Dil To Pagal Hai (1997)n Veer-Zaara (2004) n Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012)

23

Travel &


TOURISM

Vembanad Lake A RIDE in a canoe becomes a canoeride only if it is accompanied by loudrenditions of a boat song. Mind you, itcannot be any song. It has to be a boatsong or a fisherman song keeping pacewith the rhythm of the oars. Here wego:Thi thi thara thi thi thaeiy thi thaeiy thaga thai thai tho

the Canoe (Vallam) RideWe (hubby, our son and I) set off

early from Kodianthara HeritageHome, walking along the canaltoward the wharf in one of the largerwaterways leading into theVembanad lake. The canal is, in turn,connected to smaller waterways.Much like in Venice. Only we are inKumarakom in Kerala’s Kottayam dis-trict.

We had asked for an oar-driven, tra-ditional vallam (canoe) and hadrefused all offers of a speedy motor-boat. We want a real experience, not atouristy one, we had said.

Once in, we set sail with loud battlecries as we charge toward imaginarybattles with BIG GAME. “How big aresharks,” asks my son, on his first trip tosea (OK, a lake — but it is a very largelake: 7 kms long and 5 kms across).“Very BIG,” I answer, with the convic-tion of a seasoned fisherwoman.

the LobsterWe move into the deeper waters of

the lake and then curve back to land at

a quiet eatery on the banks. We have toorder lunch before we move on, saysone of the boatmen, who has becomeour guide by now. As we alight, wenotice a lobster in the water along thebank. Though the lobster is moving, itis not swimming away.

The owner of the kada, or shop,offers to fry the lobster for us.

We settle nearby and stuff our hookswith mashed tapioca — that’s a big hitwith fish, we are told. The three of usdrop our lines and wait� and wait andwait. No sign of a tug. Instead, theclever fish are nudging the tapioca outof the hook and having a feast.

As I watch my umpteenth baitbeing hogged down there withmuch relish, the lobster arrives on aplate. My companions refuse myhalf-hearted offer to share it. Howthoughtful! “How can you eat sosoon after breakfast,” someone

remarks. I decide no time is a badtime for lobsters. Give me lobster,anytime, anywhere. And I’ll do justiceto it.

Moving to hook-happy fishSince the fish here are very smart,

we decide to move to Pathira Manal(Midnight Sands), an island in theVembanad, in search of foolish fish.On the way, all of us lend a hand tothe oar to steer the boat faster.

The new venue is a cool spot undera huge nutmeg tree. Here, the fish areslightly bigger, about 6-7 inches long.Another boatman assures us they aredumb with a conviction that betraysfoul play. So we begin the waitinggame again. These fish are better“nudgers” than the ones we’ve leftbehind. We keep refilling our hooksand feeding the fish till all of us gettired and want to go back.

(Top) Travel into the heart of the scenic Vembanadlake with a traditional canoe ride. (Below) Lip-smacking seafood varieties of lobsters andprawns satisfy the gastronomic senses.

how to reach: KUMARAKOM is approximately a two-hour drive from Cochin InternationalAirport. Buses and taxis are easily availableat all times of the day from Kottayam andKochi. Kottayam serves as the closest rail-way station, located at a distance of about15 kms from Kumarakom. CochinInternational Airport at Nedumbassery isthe closest airport at a distance of 85 kms.Kumarakom is also accessible by boat fromAlaphuzza, which is another major touristdestination in Kerala.

What to see: KUMARAKOM is the right mix of activityand relaxation. Visit the Vembanad Lake,Water Bird Sanctuary, Bay Island DriftwoodMuseum and Aruvikkuzhi Waterfalls.

A fishing expeditionWhile away your time fishing, go boating on the traditional vallam, meditate besidethe backwaters and when tired, take a cool siesta in the lap of nature... MoushumiMohanty decodes the real Kumarakom — a serene backwater destination in Kerala

n Festival of nine nights

Devotees hold lit earthen oil lamps as they participate in a Maha Aarti, a religious ritual at Umiya Mataji temple in Surat, some 275 kms from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on October 22. Devotees thronged in their thousands on the occasion of ‘Atham’, the eighth night of Navratri or Festival of Nine Nights. (Photo: AFP)

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HoustonTexas 77007

Tel. 713-626-2148/49Fax. 713-626-2450

E-mail:[email protected]

Website:www.cgihouston.org

Consulate General of India3 East, 64th Street

New YorkN.Y. 10065

Tel: 212-774-0600Fax: 212-861-3788


Website:www.indiacgny.org

Consulate General of India540 Arguello Boulevard

San FranciscoCA 94118

Tel: 415-668-0662Fax: 415-668-2073


Website:www.cgisf.org

Consulate General of India455 North Cityfront Plaza Drive

(NBC Tower Building)Suite #850 Chicago, IL 60611

Tel. 312-595-0405 to 0410Fax. 312-595-0416


Website:www.chicago.indianconsulate.com

EMBASSY OF INDIA2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW

Washington, D.C. 20008Tel: 202-939-7000 Fax: 202-462-7276 PRE

-SORT

FIRST C

LASS Pre-sort First Class

U.S. PostagePaid

Silver Spring, MDPermit No.

3966

EMBASSY OF INDIA2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20008

Tel: 202-939-7000; Fax: 202-462-7276E-mail: [email protected]: www.indianembassy.orgwww.facebook.com/Indembassyusa

Consulate General of India5549 Glenridge Drive NE,

Atlanta, GA 30342

Tel: +1-404-963-5902Fax: +1-678-949-9657

Email: [email protected]

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