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pointoutnews.com <strong>august</strong> <strong>2014</strong> Vol-1 Issue-7 50<br />
i n s i d e<br />
VEGETARIAN,<br />
TEETOTALER AND<br />
ARMY CHIEF<br />
1<br />
RNI NO: DELENG/<strong>2014</strong>/55786
Point<br />
Out<br />
2<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>
Point<br />
Out<br />
cover story<br />
CHANGING FACE<br />
OF INDIA<br />
P 12<br />
In the last six and a half decade India has seen ups<br />
and downs like never before. We have had our share<br />
of success and failures. Looking back, it would be<br />
easy to point out the failure and find fault. But, we have<br />
decided not to focus on the ills that plagued, or still<br />
continue to plague the country, But to see the brighter<br />
side of it. Hence we are focusing on the changing face<br />
of India, the sectors that underwent dramatic changes<br />
and saw great transformation.<br />
www.pointoutnews.com<br />
Editor-in-Chief – Dr. Shiv Kumar Rai<br />
Consulting Editor – Surya Gangadharan<br />
Feature Editor – Suman<br />
Editor-South – Vijay Grover<br />
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Principal Correspondent – Bipin sasi<br />
Correspondents – Ranjith Pasam,<br />
Abhay Kumar<br />
Design – Manaswi<br />
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Volume 01 Issue 7<br />
For the month – August <strong>2014</strong><br />
Total No. of pages 64+Covers<br />
Head Office<br />
1201, Nirmal Tower, Barakhamba Road,<br />
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3<br />
NEPAL: MODI STRIKES<br />
A CHORD<br />
Point Out Gallery<br />
Impact<br />
Feature<br />
P 26<br />
P 40<br />
P 34<br />
Must read<br />
Book Review P 44<br />
Test Drive P 46<br />
Movers & Shakers P 50<br />
Forecast P 56<br />
Gadgets P 58<br />
Spiritual Touch P 66<br />
POLITICAL<br />
report<br />
THE SILENT<br />
MAKE OVER IN BJP<br />
P 65<br />
cinema<br />
P 36<br />
SAIF IS A<br />
BRILLIANT ACTOR:<br />
KAREENA
Point<br />
Out<br />
• NARENDRA MODI<br />
‘In the past, there<br />
used to be a big<br />
gap between<br />
the people<br />
and the processes of<br />
governance. In the<br />
past sixty days, the<br />
experience of his<br />
Government was that<br />
there were many people who wanted to<br />
contribute towards nation-building, and<br />
devote their time and energy. The only<br />
thing they required was an opportunity<br />
to shine and showcase their contribution.<br />
The MyGov platform is a technologydriven<br />
medium that would provide this<br />
opportunity to contribute towards good<br />
governance. The platform - MyGov -<br />
presents an opportunity to the citizens to<br />
both ‘Discuss’ and ‘Do.’ There are multiple<br />
theme-based discussions on MyGov<br />
where a wide range of people would share<br />
their thoughts and ideas.<br />
• DR HARSH VARDHAN<br />
‘During my<br />
career as<br />
a medical<br />
practitioner, I<br />
have had many life<br />
threatening medical<br />
cases that the doctors<br />
here have helped me<br />
with. I have a lot of<br />
respect for Indian doctors that’s why I<br />
have never gone out of the country to<br />
seek medical treatment.<br />
• GENERAL DALBIR SINGH SUHAG<br />
‘My focus will<br />
be the soldier,<br />
what ultimately<br />
matters is the<br />
man behind the gun.<br />
I will ensure that our<br />
soldiers are motivated;<br />
they are comfortable,<br />
competently trained<br />
and provided with the latest weapons and<br />
equipment. My other focus areas would<br />
be to enhance the Army's operational<br />
preparedness and effectiveness as well<br />
as infrastructure development on the<br />
borders. Force modernization and<br />
optimisation of human resources, welfare<br />
of serving personnel and ex-servicemen<br />
are issues that are very close to my heart.<br />
• DIGVIJAY SINGH<br />
‘It doesn't matter<br />
whether Sonia<br />
Gandhi listened<br />
to her son or the<br />
MPs; what matters is<br />
she didn't become the<br />
PM when she could<br />
have. Natwar Singh's<br />
allegations don't put<br />
him in a good light. His son is a BJP<br />
MLA; he has been across many parties;<br />
that point has to be borne in mind. It is<br />
possible that he is saying all this to create<br />
a platform for his son.<br />
• SHARAD YADAV<br />
‘The way the<br />
future of Indian<br />
language<br />
students is<br />
being destroyed<br />
by the UPSC, it is<br />
like snipping our<br />
mother tongues.<br />
These students are<br />
our future. It is time for them to study<br />
and they are sitting on roads. The UPSC<br />
is ensuring that the number of Indian<br />
language speaking students in the exam is<br />
coming down by each passing year.<br />
• ASHISHKUMAR CHAUHAN<br />
‘India currently<br />
ranks 134th in<br />
the world on<br />
the parameter<br />
of “Ease of doing<br />
business”. We may<br />
disagree to the extent<br />
of problems in India,<br />
but it is understood that developments are<br />
required. We need to create an environment<br />
where companies and entrepreneurs don’t<br />
fail just because of lack of access to funds;<br />
the youth don’t go unemployed due to lack<br />
of opportunities or lack of skill training.<br />
• VINOD RAI<br />
Your Voice<br />
‘Economic prosperity for Indians is<br />
not an option –<br />
it is a necessity.<br />
Economic<br />
empowerment can<br />
be possible if growth<br />
is founded on good<br />
governance. Such<br />
growth is sustainable<br />
only if it is premised<br />
on an ethical code of governance. When<br />
the story of India is written, it should be<br />
written that governance was the solution<br />
and not the problem wherein the State was<br />
the facilitator and not the predator.<br />
• BHUPINDER SINGH HOODA<br />
‘No one is<br />
unhappy<br />
because of me.<br />
There is no such<br />
thing in the party,<br />
only some individuals<br />
may have vested<br />
interest. They may be<br />
finding excuses, but I have cooperated<br />
with everyone.<br />
4<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>
Point of View<br />
DIVIDE AND RULE<br />
F<br />
or the first time country has elected a PM who has been born after<br />
Independence and his definition of secularism is simple: 'India First'.<br />
Whatever you do, wherever you work, India should be the top priority for<br />
all its citizens. Let us see how he shapes up to make India a peaceful land when<br />
people of different faith and cultural divide can co-exist.<br />
An idea about how strong the foundation of Hindu-Muslim unity in India<br />
can be ascertained by knowing the thoughts of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.<br />
In his first Presidential speech at the Indian National Congress Conference<br />
in 1923, he had said that “Today even if an angel descends from the sky and<br />
announces from the top of Qutab Minar of Delhi that India can be free in 24<br />
hours if it leaves the idea of Hindu-Muslim unity; I will leave the freedom of<br />
the nation in favour of the Hindu-Muslim unity because if freedom is delayed,<br />
it will be a loss only to India, but if there is no unity between the Hindu and<br />
Muslims, it will be a loss to the entire mankind.” Maulana Azad had often<br />
publicly criticized the two-nation theory of Jinnah.<br />
Qurrat-ul-Ain Haider, who had been a witness to the partition of the country,<br />
realized the intensity of this shared culture very well. It was for this reason<br />
that she depicted the shared culture in an altogether different style. She said,<br />
“A child is born to a Muslim family, but the songs they sing are in praise of<br />
Krishna-Kanhaiya; the Muslim children go from street to street with their<br />
faces painted blue-and-yellow and they seek blessings for invoking the rains by<br />
thumping canisters, and alongside they chant loudly – Haathi Ghoda Paalaki,<br />
Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki.” Qurrat-ul-Ain Haider also said that “The Muslim veiled<br />
ladies who never talked to any unknown man during their whole life, when<br />
they sit with a dholak (a small drum) in their hands, they sing loudly and<br />
excitedly – Bhari gagari meri dhalkaai tooney, Shyaam haan tooney.”<br />
There are no two opinions about the fact that only because of this shared<br />
culture of India we have a unique identity of our own today. While talking<br />
about the shared culture of India, the following lines of Qurrat-ul-Ain Haider<br />
come to my mind in which she says – “The diverse culture is not the headline<br />
of a newspaper, which is forgotten the next day. It is a caption of the history for<br />
the world, which has remained intact in its own place and also attracts other<br />
cultures towards it.”<br />
We did attain freedom from the Britishers, but in the process the country<br />
got divided. People’s hearts were broken, but political powers, for their own<br />
benefit, started resorting to communal violence. Even though the Britishers<br />
were packing their bags to leave India, the after-effects of their game-plan of<br />
‘Divide and Rule’ are visible even today.<br />
Dr. Shiv Kumar Rai<br />
Editor-in-Chief<br />
5
Point<br />
Out<br />
TWITTERATI<br />
• Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi @<br />
naqvimukhtar<br />
Natwar's book<br />
Bomb...."Grand<br />
old party's<br />
brand new<br />
embarrassment<br />
"......First<br />
rejected,then<br />
isolated now humiliated...<br />
• Prakash Javadekar @<br />
PrakashJavdekar<br />
Innovation is<br />
the sustainable<br />
way of<br />
development<br />
for any Country.<br />
• digvijaya singh @digvijaya_28<br />
All right thinking people<br />
must work for<br />
Communal<br />
Harmony<br />
and take out<br />
Peace March<br />
in such areas<br />
and encourage<br />
participation of all sections<br />
• Ajay Maken @ajaymaken<br />
Feel so proud<br />
to hear our<br />
National<br />
Anthem again<br />
& again today<br />
at CWG<strong>2014</strong>!<br />
Wrestling has<br />
brought us great honours!<br />
Three out of three so far!<br />
• anand mahindra @<br />
anandmahindra<br />
Well if football<br />
is the<br />
'Beautiful<br />
Game' then<br />
Kabaddi is<br />
the 'Braveheart<br />
Game!'<br />
• Karan Johar @karanjohar<br />
Friendship just<br />
like marriage<br />
has its fair<br />
share of<br />
highs and<br />
lows...but<br />
when the base is<br />
strong it's an unbreakable<br />
bond....<br />
• Javed Akhtar @Javedakhtarjadu<br />
I get deeply<br />
touched<br />
when teams<br />
in World<br />
Cup sing<br />
their anthems<br />
with reverence n passion.<br />
How all of us relate to<br />
national anthems . Wow !!<br />
• Raj Nayak @<br />
rajcheerfull<br />
15 Gold, 28<br />
Silver & 19<br />
Bronze ..Such a<br />
good feeling, besides cricket<br />
other sports also flourishing.<br />
• Shekhar Kapur @shekharkapur<br />
Lessons of Life<br />
: If you dont<br />
believe you<br />
deserve what<br />
you dream for,<br />
why dream at all?<br />
Dont shatter your dreams for<br />
a lack of self worth.<br />
• Anupam Kher @AnupamPkher<br />
"There may be<br />
times when we<br />
are powerless<br />
to prevent<br />
injustice, but<br />
there must<br />
never be a time<br />
when we fail to protest.<br />
• Mahesh Bhatt @MaheshNBhatt<br />
Aahista chal zindagi, abhi<br />
kai karz chukana<br />
baaki hai. Kuch<br />
dard mitana<br />
baaki hai, kuch<br />
farz nibhana<br />
baaki hai.....<br />
• Chetan Bhagat @chetan_bhagat<br />
When you have colorful<br />
wings, the<br />
world will<br />
try to clip<br />
them. Make<br />
sure you fly<br />
high enough<br />
before you open<br />
them.<br />
6<br />
August <strong>august</strong> <strong>2014</strong>
Point<br />
Out<br />
MOM PITCHING FOR VARUN IN UP<br />
As the BJP braces to keep up with its impressive show in Uttar Pradesh<br />
during Lok Sabha elections and repeat it is the state assembly polls, party<br />
leader Maneka Gandhi is learnt to be pitching for Varun Gandhi as to be<br />
named party’s chief ministerial candidate. Well, how will the party react to<br />
mom Maneka’s move is not yet clear as she is learnt to have broached the subject<br />
with few of her close confidants. After having blamed the Congress and Gandhis<br />
for dynastic rule, will BJP take the bite on Varun?<br />
NATIONAL PANORAMA<br />
MIGHT IS RIGHT<br />
ANYTHING TO STOP<br />
MODI JAGGERNAUT<br />
Post Lok Sabha election scenario<br />
is telling on politics in Bihar.<br />
Battered and eclipsed from the<br />
national political, at least for<br />
this time, the Congress, Rashritya<br />
Janata Dal led by Lalu Prasad Yadav<br />
and Janata Dal (United) led by Nistish<br />
Kumar have joined hand in a bid for<br />
survival. Unable to fathom the defeat<br />
and to check its reversal during next<br />
assembly elections the three parties,<br />
who were on different pages altogether,<br />
have joined hands to prevent Modiled<br />
BJP sweep the state again. Good<br />
going, for a common foe, they all sank<br />
their differences and teamed up. How<br />
well the strategy will work, poll results<br />
would show.<br />
Shiv Sena MPs proved this old saying true with the conduct by forcing a chapati down a fasting Muslim employee at<br />
Maharashtra Bhawan. Reason for the unruly conduct given by sena MPs were that they were being served sub-standard<br />
food at the Bhawan. Is it that so serious that honourable members should take law into their hands? What about the<br />
quality of food served of train for which passengers pay a fortune? What about the quality of food served during midday<br />
meals to children in their constituencies? What about the quality of food a common man gets from the road side? Have<br />
the MP’s ever dared to taste them or raised their voices? Never. For these men, elected to represent the people their comfort<br />
comes first. When they get a decent salary, decent by all standard compared to average wage earned by a common man in the<br />
country, why should these MPs be fed upon by the government? Instead of behaving in an uncivilized manner and hurting the<br />
sentiments of a fasting individual, what prevented the honourable MPs from going out and eating to their taste? After being<br />
caught on camera in the act, the MPs and their political outfits are shamelessly justifying their action. They are only forgetting<br />
that people of the country watching them and what if they pay back the honourable men the same way<br />
8<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>
IMPORTANCE OF BEING SADHNA SINGH<br />
Sadhna Singh, wife of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj<br />
Singh Chouhan has been in the news recently for all wrong<br />
reasons. After the mudslinging over her in MP Professional<br />
Examination Board Scam now, has come up the issue of Ujjain<br />
district administration bending backwards to extend protocol and<br />
unhindered access to her at the famous Mahakal temple in Ujjain. On<br />
July 28, Sadhna, visited Mahakal to offer prayers on the occasion of<br />
Hindu holy month of Shravan. Her car was allowed by officials into the<br />
temple premises while several officials from Ujjain escorted her during<br />
her brief stay at temple town. This at a time when Mahakal temple<br />
draws maximum rush of devotees on Shravan Somwars and all access<br />
point to the shrine is sealed and vehicles are not allowed in.<br />
What is surprising is the fact that the same zeal among temple<br />
administration and Ujjain district officials were missing when Rajasthan<br />
Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje came calling to the temple a week later<br />
on August 4.<br />
DOING AWAY WITH SKULL CAP!<br />
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who had<br />
carefully crafted a very secular image among the minorities over the<br />
years suddenly made a turnaround, this Eid. After having donned the<br />
skull cap on all such occasions in the past, Shivraj was seen greeting<br />
Muslims at Idgah in Bhopal without the skull cap. He accepted one presented to<br />
him, but politely slipped it to one of his supporters. Is it the Modi affect?<br />
For Chouhan has been donning the skull cap and had been very vocal about it<br />
unless, Modi’s statement that wearing skull cap amounts to appeasement came<br />
earlier this year. At that time Chouhan was hailed as a poster boy – the moderate<br />
face – among young BJP leaders, as Modi was just the party’s prime ministerial<br />
candidate. However, equations have changed fast and today Modi is in full control<br />
of the party and the government. So, a cornered Chouhan, already facing flak over<br />
the scam in medical entrance and recruitment tests, thought it prudent to do away<br />
with the skull cap, at least for now.<br />
9<br />
»»<br />
point out team
Point<br />
Out<br />
Point<br />
Out<br />
10<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>
SPECIAL EDITorial<br />
dr. shiv kumar rai<br />
TIME TO REDEEM<br />
OURSELVES<br />
At the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947 when<br />
India’s tryst with destiny began it marked the end<br />
of despair among a generation who were ruled and<br />
dictated by forces for more than two centuries. There<br />
was enthusiasm about nationhood, pride, optimism and<br />
above all hope. Hope, of nation that will provide equality,<br />
literacy, health, jobs and growth and development for all<br />
its residents. Hope that the new nation would be a model<br />
secular, democratic country where people of different faiths<br />
would co-exist and would script growth and development<br />
hand-in-hand. Hope that as a nation with its deep rooted<br />
tradition and cultural values and civilization it would lead the<br />
world to the path of righteousness and peace.<br />
More than six and a half decades after that journey began<br />
what have we achieved and where are we headed to? Well<br />
sitting and passing a judgment is an easy task.<br />
Organising and strengthening a week federal structure,<br />
putting on track a tattering economy that was purely<br />
agrarian dependent on vagaries of climate, emphasizing<br />
on industrialization with practically no industrial presence,<br />
providing access to quality education, healthcare and<br />
jobs to all soon turned out to be an arduous task, easy<br />
to conceptualize on papers but difficult to replicate<br />
in practice. And to cap it, the vacuum left by colonial<br />
rulers were soon filled by a bunch of power hungry lot –<br />
politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen and even common<br />
man who worked seamlessly to devise short cuts for all<br />
policies aimed to benefit ‘self’ instead of ‘all’. The pride of<br />
nationhood went missing taking the sting out of our growth<br />
and development plan.<br />
Still, thanks to a largely upright section of population,<br />
despite having frittered away the strengths and losing the<br />
initiative today as a nation we cannot be written off. Thanks<br />
to the zeal and innovative skills of people, who believed<br />
in India, in themselves we are still as relevant as ever.<br />
Frustrated, fighting with red-tape at home they have kept on<br />
while others have moved out traversing the globe and with<br />
their knowledge, professional skills and entrepreneurship<br />
are scripting a new chapter about India.<br />
Today, time has given us another opportunity to redeem<br />
ourselves. As a nation, we are on the threshold once again.<br />
As opportunity beacons, we must rise to the occasion and<br />
do without fear or favour what is right for the larger cause<br />
wherever we are and whatever we are doing.<br />
We must put nation before self.<br />
11
Point<br />
Out<br />
COVER STORY<br />
CHANGING FACE OF INDIA<br />
12CHANGING FA<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>
In the last six and a half decade<br />
India has seen ups and downs like<br />
never before. We have had our share<br />
of success and failures. Looking<br />
back, it would be easy to point out<br />
the failure and find fault. But, we<br />
have decided not to focus on the ills<br />
that plagued, or still continue to<br />
plague the country, But to see the<br />
brighter side of it. Hence we are<br />
focusing on the changing face of<br />
India, the sectors that underwent<br />
dramatic changes and saw great<br />
transformation.<br />
CE OF INDIA<br />
13
Point<br />
Out<br />
COVER STORY<br />
CHANGING FACE OF INDIA<br />
Despite political differences, elections are held - by and large in a very fair<br />
process- and governments change without any fracas. The winner takes it all and<br />
the runner ups pledge to re-dedicate themselves in the service of people and to<br />
win back their confidence. Where else in the world such a smooth transition of<br />
government follows!<br />
DEMOCRATIC<br />
VALUES<br />
»»<br />
point out team<br />
India’s story of growth and struggle<br />
is what makes it inspirational. A<br />
billion aspirations and rising want<br />
a resurgent India, a country that<br />
is strong yet peaceful that provides<br />
equality and equal opportunity for all.<br />
The journey of more than six decades<br />
has brought some cheers as we still are<br />
one single entity as a nation with strong<br />
democratic values much to the disbelief<br />
of a large section of the world. When<br />
we became independent most countries<br />
and their leaders were skeptical that<br />
India would last long. Considering the<br />
vast cultural and linguistic diversity in<br />
different regions of the country, most<br />
had written India off considering that<br />
it will break up. But we have shown to<br />
the world that despite cultural barriers,<br />
different religious beliefs and poverty<br />
we can co-exist as a nation. We did it,<br />
that too with very unstable neighbors<br />
and in a region labeled potentially<br />
volatile. That the world now looks up on<br />
us as an example of unity in diversity is<br />
a testimony of our growth. This for us is<br />
the single most significant achievement<br />
of the country.<br />
Despite political differences, elections<br />
are held – by and large in a very fair<br />
process— and governments change<br />
without any fracas. The winner takes it all<br />
and the runner ups pledge to re-dedicate<br />
themselves in the service of people and<br />
to win back their confidence. Where else<br />
in the world such a smooth transition of<br />
government follows!<br />
MILITARY MIGHT<br />
India’s military has grown and seen a<br />
transformation with the best weaponry<br />
and fighter jets. Considering our<br />
landmass and blue waters Indian forces<br />
will have to play and significant role<br />
to protect its interests in future. The<br />
largest standing volunteer Army in the<br />
world, Indian Army is in a phase of<br />
transition from conventional warfare to<br />
information enabled warfare. So is the<br />
Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy.<br />
The forces have been guarding the nation<br />
round the clock and have established<br />
their credentials with best practices.<br />
Starting from a total dependence on<br />
foreign countries for defence equipment<br />
India has come a long way. Today it<br />
is building combat tanks, artillery,<br />
transport and combat helicopters and<br />
jets, besides naval ships and missiles.<br />
14<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>
Indian defence forces too are aware about<br />
the present day need of not only guarding<br />
the borders but also all vital installations<br />
within the country and securing its air<br />
and sea routes for economic growth.<br />
Today the forces of the country can boast<br />
to be equipped with some of the finest<br />
and most modern equipment.<br />
INFRASTRUCTURE<br />
Poor roads, rail and air connectivity has<br />
remained a bane for India for a long while<br />
but the nation is overcoming it. Some<br />
of its metro cities have infrastructure<br />
as good as anywhere in the world.<br />
With a burgeoning population and its<br />
expectations now, the country is moving<br />
to develop smart cities that would give a<br />
run to the metros. Privatisation of airlines<br />
has brought in more players and have<br />
vastly improved air connectivity map<br />
in the country. Likewise, expressways<br />
and toll bridges besides skyscrapers and<br />
malls with recreational amenities are<br />
no more limited to foreign countries.<br />
Indian Railways with all its limitations<br />
and criticism has gone on to become the<br />
largest railway in the world transporting<br />
people more than the population of<br />
Australia daily. Improvement in air, rail<br />
and road connectivity have ushered in<br />
economic growth along the region as well.<br />
As cities and opportunities have grown<br />
so have industries and industrial output.<br />
Today we have industries involved with<br />
off shore rigging to manufacturing<br />
aeroplanes and satellites. While state<br />
owned ONGC is making waves acquiring<br />
oil fields in Middle East and far Africa,<br />
ISRO is graduating into world finest<br />
and cheapest satellite launch centre with<br />
15<br />
Poor roads, rail and air connectivity<br />
has remained a bane for India for a<br />
long while but the nation is overcoming<br />
it. Some of its metro cities have<br />
infrastructure as good as anywhere in<br />
the world. Now, the country is moving<br />
to develop smart cities that would give<br />
a run to the metros.<br />
proven capabilities that are enviable.<br />
Tata Motors under Ratan Tata went<br />
on with the acquisition of Jaguar Land<br />
Rover while Laxmi Mittal is turning out<br />
to be the steel king of the world. While<br />
India’s giant companies like BHEL, L&T,<br />
SAIL, HAL are much talked about it is<br />
the IT companies that brought about<br />
a perceptible change in the image of<br />
India. Tata Consultacy, Wipro, Infosys<br />
among others have made India proud<br />
and helped place the country as the back<br />
office of the developed world.<br />
INFORMATION<br />
TECHNOLOGY<br />
The biggest revolution in the country<br />
has been the information technology<br />
revolution. While trained manpower<br />
in India seized the opportunity,<br />
communication has undergone a<br />
complete change. So much so, that the<br />
post offices that once was the centre of<br />
rural communication is struggling for<br />
existence. From wire telephones and the<br />
days of STD and ISD, India has seen a<br />
growth of a wireless telephony a nd digital<br />
communication like e-mail and social<br />
media. No part of the rural area in the<br />
country remains unconnected while<br />
AGRICULTURE<br />
India being an agrarian economy has<br />
continued to remain so and hardly has<br />
any government deviated from it. From a<br />
nation, that once starved for food it has<br />
buffer for a billion and is also feeding<br />
a large part of the globe. The green<br />
revolution led by eminent scientist Dr MS<br />
Swaminathan, and white revolution led<br />
by Dr Varghese Kurien have catapulted<br />
India to the rank of leading agriculture<br />
producing nations. India is among the<br />
larget producer of milk, thank to Anand<br />
and score of its cooperatives replicated<br />
in the country while it is the largest<br />
producer of wheat and cereals. With<br />
development, farm techniques have<br />
undergone a dramatic change paving the<br />
way for increased agricultural yield.<br />
The biggest concern before the<br />
government now is securing safe storage<br />
of the farm yield so that it can reach out to<br />
every individual to cater to their hunger<br />
and needs.
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CHANGING FACE OF INDIA<br />
VISION FOR INDIA<br />
Vision 2020, too, does not belong<br />
to any single party, government<br />
or individual. It is a national<br />
vision. A nation where poverty has<br />
been totally eradicated, illiteracy<br />
removed, crimes against women and<br />
children absent, and no one in the<br />
society feels alienated.<br />
»»<br />
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam<br />
Transforming India into a<br />
developed nation entails a<br />
vision of a country whose<br />
citizens live well above the<br />
poverty line, their education and health<br />
are of high standards, national security is<br />
assured, and core competence in certain<br />
major areas enables the production of<br />
quality goods—for competitive exports<br />
as well—bringing all-round prosperity<br />
to the country.<br />
The process of chalking out such a<br />
vision was set in motion more than two<br />
decades ago. Let me share with you my<br />
experience from the mid-1990s about<br />
the formulation of a vision for India for<br />
the year 2020. I was given the task of<br />
chairing the Technology Information,<br />
Forecasting and Assessment Council<br />
(TIFAC), an autonomous body set<br />
up in 1988 under the Government<br />
of India’s department of science and<br />
technology (DST) to look ahead in<br />
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CHANGING FACE OF INDIA<br />
technologies and support innovation in<br />
select areas of national importance. At<br />
the first meeting itself, council members<br />
decided that TIFAC must evolve a plan<br />
for India’s transformation into an<br />
economically developed nation by 2020.<br />
But it was a time when the economic<br />
liberalization initiated by then Prime<br />
Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao had just<br />
begun to take effect, and everybody on<br />
the council wondered how we could<br />
evolve a long-term mission under<br />
the prevailing economic and social<br />
conditions which could very well be<br />
completely different from those twenty<br />
years later. At a time when the economy<br />
was growing at around 5 per cent to 6<br />
per cent per annum, we had to envisage<br />
a growth rate of at least 10 per cent<br />
consistently for over ten years in order<br />
to realize the development of a billion<br />
democratic, multi-lingual, multireligious<br />
and multi-cultural people.<br />
Distinctive Profile of a Developed India<br />
Now, let me tell you what an<br />
economically developed India should<br />
look like by 2020:<br />
1. A nation where the rural-urban divide<br />
has been reduced to a thin line.<br />
2. A nation where there is an equitable<br />
distribution of, and adequate access<br />
A nation where the best of healthcare is available to all. A<br />
nation where education with a good value system is not denied<br />
to any meritorious candidates because of societal or economic<br />
discrimination.<br />
to, energy and quality water.<br />
3. A nation where agriculture, industry<br />
and the service sector work together<br />
in symphony.<br />
4. A nation where education with a good<br />
value system is not denied to any<br />
meritorious candidates because of<br />
societal or economic discrimination.<br />
5. A nation which is the best destination<br />
for the most talented scholars,<br />
scientists, and investors from around<br />
the world.<br />
6. A nation where the best of healthcare<br />
is available to all.<br />
7. A nation where governance is<br />
responsive, transparent and<br />
corruption-free.<br />
8. A nation where poverty has been<br />
totally eradicated, illiteracy removed,<br />
crimes against women and children<br />
absent, and no one in the society<br />
feels alienated.<br />
9. A nation that is prosperous, healthy,<br />
secure, devoid of terrorism, peaceful<br />
and happy, and continues on a<br />
sustainable growth path.<br />
10. A nation that is one of the best<br />
places to live in and is proud of its<br />
leadership.<br />
Integrated Action for a Developed<br />
India<br />
In order to realize this distinctive profile,<br />
we have to transform India in five areas<br />
where India has core competence:<br />
1. Agriculture and food processing<br />
2. Education and healthcare<br />
3. Information and communication<br />
technology<br />
4. Infrastructure development, which<br />
includes reliable and quality electric<br />
power, surface transport and<br />
infrastructure for all parts of the<br />
country including rural and urban<br />
areas under PURA<br />
5. Self-reliance in critical technologies<br />
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August <strong>2014</strong>
Challenges Involved in Realizing the<br />
Vision<br />
The India Vision 2020 document was<br />
prepared at the time of Prime Minister<br />
P.V. Narasimha Rao. It was given to<br />
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee,<br />
who announced in Parliament as<br />
well as in one of his Independence<br />
Day addresses that India will become<br />
an economically developed nation<br />
before 2020.<br />
Vision 2020, too, does not belong<br />
to any single party, government or<br />
individual. It is a national vision. Once<br />
the government commits to realizing<br />
it, it has to be discussed and debated<br />
in detail by all elected representatives<br />
in Parliament so that a national<br />
consensus—incorporating the concerns<br />
of all stakeholders such as the executive,<br />
the judiciary, the political class, media,<br />
intellectuals, academia, business,<br />
industry, teachers, doctors, farmers,<br />
and the youth of the nation—emerges.<br />
Hence the elected leader of the nation—<br />
the driving force behind the vision—<br />
19<br />
India’s youth should not keep away<br />
from politics but enter it to inspire,<br />
guide and lead to make this nation<br />
great in all disciplines. The ignited<br />
minds of the youth are bubbling<br />
with the spirit of ‘I can do it’ and<br />
the belief that ‘India will become a<br />
developed nation’.<br />
should be a creative leader who walks<br />
an unexplored path of developmental<br />
politics with the cooperation of other<br />
parties, using the core competences of<br />
other leaders, intellectuals, able and<br />
creative minds from all disciplines<br />
irrespective of their party affiliations, to<br />
realize the vision.<br />
It is only our political system that<br />
gives the required support to farmers,<br />
scientists, engineers, doctors, teachers,<br />
advocates and other professionals alike<br />
to enable this nation to achieve success in<br />
the green revolution, white revolution,<br />
the space mission, defence mission,<br />
science and technology mission, and<br />
infrastructure development mission.<br />
What we are today is because of our<br />
political system. India’s youth should<br />
not keep away from politics but enter<br />
it to inspire, guide and lead to make<br />
this nation great in all disciplines.<br />
The ignited minds of the youth are<br />
bubbling with the spirit of ‘I can do it’<br />
and the belief that ‘India will become<br />
a developed nation’. If you all feel that<br />
you can do it, India will certainly get the<br />
necessary creative leadership at all levels<br />
from panchayat to parliament. These<br />
ignited minds will sing the song of youth<br />
and lead the nation towards sustainable<br />
development. I strongly believe that<br />
the youth of my nation, by entering<br />
politics, will build a brand of integrity,<br />
honesty, value system, courage,<br />
commitment and responsibility with<br />
accountability around them and<br />
practise developmental politics.<br />
(The author is former President of India<br />
and an eminent scientist).
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CHANGING FACE OF INDIA<br />
WE HAVE MUCH TO LOOK FORWARD<br />
Apart from excellence in knowledge and skill, the human<br />
values in our culture are a treasure by themselves.<br />
The ideals of service, sacrifice, loyalty and friendship<br />
depicted in historical texts and folk stories point to a very<br />
refined way of life.<br />
»»<br />
Sri Sri Ravishankar<br />
Through several millenia, India<br />
has seen the ever flowing current<br />
of time take many turns in its<br />
history. In the ancient times,<br />
India was referred to as the 'Golden Bird'.<br />
In fact, the time when spirituality was at<br />
its peak here, prosperity was also at its<br />
zenith. Spirituality was very much tied<br />
with sciences - both academic and social.<br />
We find treatises written on a diverse<br />
array of subjects, from mathematics,<br />
astronomy, medicine and even politics<br />
and economics by ancient rishis. Even<br />
till the medieval ages, India had a major<br />
share of the world's exports. The quality<br />
of fabric, ornaments, spices and other<br />
materials coming from India was what<br />
attracted invasions from the Middle East<br />
and later the European colonialists.<br />
Apart from excellence in knowledge and<br />
skill, the human values in our culture are<br />
a treasure by themselves. The ideals of<br />
service, sacrifice, loyalty and friendship<br />
depicted in historical texts and folk<br />
stories point to a very refined way of life.<br />
So rich is our heritage that a thousand<br />
years of invasions and slavery could not<br />
completely erase it. Even in the struggle<br />
for independence, it was a movement<br />
based on non-violence that united the<br />
whole nation.<br />
Going forward, we must embrace both<br />
the ancient and the new; broaden the<br />
vision and deepen the roots. There are<br />
seven areas that India can be proud<br />
of and if paid attention to, can work<br />
wonders for our economy as well.<br />
1. Tourism:<br />
The variety of geographical landscape<br />
that we have is not available anywhere<br />
else in one country. Apart from scenic<br />
destinations, we have sites all over<br />
with rich ancient history associated<br />
with them. We can do a lot more to<br />
develop all these as international<br />
tourist destinations.<br />
2. Food:<br />
A few years ago, we had a vegetarian<br />
food festival and our volunteers<br />
prepared 5600 food items - seven<br />
tons of different types of food! And<br />
this variety was just from Gujarat.<br />
Likewise, every state has hundreds<br />
of dishes. Indian restaurants are a big<br />
hit in several countries. While pizza<br />
and burger joints are present in every<br />
city today, we have not done enough<br />
to showcase the variety in our food<br />
preparations.<br />
3. Music and dance:<br />
In India traditional music and dance<br />
20<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>
has had a higher purpose, that of<br />
connecting with oneself. That is why<br />
it has so much depth. The way that<br />
various emotions and feelings find<br />
expression through our dance and<br />
music is exquisite and matchless.<br />
We have seen that the West deeply<br />
appreciates these art forms from<br />
India.<br />
4. Dress and Jewelry:<br />
Despite being the oldest living civilization, it appears that time is only<br />
making the face of India more vibrant and younger - nearly two thirds<br />
of our population is below 35. The advent of social media has given<br />
voice to the people and everything that affects the country is now<br />
under the keen gaze of our educated population.<br />
Before medieval times, Indian<br />
garments and jewelry used to be<br />
imported to Europe and were in big<br />
demand there. India introduced<br />
diamonds to the world and still has<br />
the largest diamond cutting and<br />
polishing industry.<br />
5. Information Technology:<br />
7. Spirituality:<br />
Although scientists like Einstein and<br />
Tesla in the past have greatly valued<br />
Vedic knowledge, more people are<br />
realizing its depth now. For example,<br />
New York University Press has<br />
published a version of Yoga Vasistha.<br />
Meditation and yoga have also<br />
become a global trend.<br />
There are several challenges ahead toocrimes<br />
against women, corruption,<br />
education and good governance are<br />
some of the major issues facing us.<br />
However, we have much to look forward<br />
to too. Despite being the oldest living<br />
civilization, it appears that time is only<br />
making the face of India more vibrant<br />
and younger - nearly two thirds of our<br />
population is below 35. The advent<br />
of social media has given voice to the<br />
people and everything that affects the<br />
country is now under the keen gaze of<br />
our educated population. The last few<br />
years have shown us that our youth have<br />
awakened to national interest. With their<br />
enthusiasm and energy I am sure we will<br />
restore India's former glory and take Her<br />
to the rightful place on the world stage.<br />
(The author is a spiritual guru and<br />
founder of Art of Living)<br />
21<br />
Young Indian engineers and<br />
entrepreneurs have proven their<br />
mettle in this field.<br />
6. Ayurveda:<br />
Despite all the technology, modern<br />
medicine has not succeeded in<br />
providing total health care. It has<br />
become evident that treating just<br />
the physical body is not sufficient.<br />
Ayurveda is a holistic and complete<br />
system of medicine that is 5,000<br />
years old. It is time-tested and is fast<br />
becoming the system of the future.
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COVER STORY<br />
CHANGING FACE OF INDIA<br />
LEARN TO RESPECT WOMEN<br />
In view of the gravity of the situation concerning repeated incidents<br />
of brutal rapes and atrocities concerning women. We are being<br />
internationally condemned in this regard. Therefore this is an open<br />
letter to our Prime Minister to please consider the following in his<br />
independence day message: with similar request to State CMs to<br />
follow the spirit.<br />
»»<br />
dr. Kiran Bedi<br />
Does every rapist not have<br />
parents? Does every rapist<br />
not have a teacher? Don't<br />
rapists have a family and close<br />
friends? Then? Where is the mind of a<br />
rapist coming from? Where is it getting<br />
formed? Home? School? College?<br />
Neighborhood? TV? Item Songs?<br />
Mobile technology? Or<br />
So where do we begin the prevention<br />
of such a mindset before the systems<br />
respond, which being---police,<br />
crisis centers, forensics, law, courts,<br />
prosecution, witnesses and prisons and<br />
more? India needs a mindset revolution<br />
at the people level first, alongside all<br />
other institutions.<br />
This social revolution to be electric and<br />
magnetic will have to be led by no other<br />
than one person and position---Mr<br />
Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister's<br />
Office. Because when PM speaks,<br />
country listens. When PMO coordinates<br />
the government is synergised. The<br />
beginning of this revolution could be<br />
from the Ramparts of the Red Fort, in<br />
PM's first Independence day message to<br />
the nation when the entire country will<br />
be glued to their televisions, listening.<br />
We cannot lose this national day.<br />
In view of the gravity of the situation<br />
concerning repeated incidents of<br />
brutal rapes and atrocities concerning<br />
women. We are being internationally<br />
condemned in this regard. Therefore this<br />
is an open letter to our Prime Minister<br />
to please consider the following in his<br />
independence day message: with similar<br />
request to State CMs to follow the spirit.<br />
Here are the messages required for this<br />
social revolution. Beginning with:<br />
1) All parents to take responsibility for<br />
the children they give birth to. They<br />
must instill a sense of responsibility<br />
in their sons and courage in their<br />
daughters equally. Responsible<br />
behaviour respects all. It can never<br />
commit rapes! They must ensure that<br />
homes are safe havens where no crime<br />
against a woman takes place. Parents<br />
have to take responsibility to be the<br />
first teachers of their children.<br />
2) Message for school teachers. Their role<br />
is not only to make students pass the<br />
class courses and get marks but ensure<br />
they learn value based life skills which<br />
ensures civility in their behaviour<br />
towards all. Persons groomed in civil<br />
behaviour do not commit rapes! They<br />
are sensitive to others dignity.<br />
3) To people at large. If they see a woman<br />
in distress, in their neighbourhood, in<br />
their community, or in a public place<br />
they must respond, intervene and<br />
not walk away as is the case today. It's<br />
about responsible citizenship.<br />
4) To his own political fraternity. To<br />
be respectful. They cannot afford to<br />
say anything which brings down the<br />
respect towards women. No casual<br />
remark which causes disrespect<br />
be tolerated. They instead need<br />
to take charge of their respective<br />
constituencies, go house to house to<br />
drive the change. Like they went house<br />
to house with folded hands to get<br />
votes! And hold corner meeting to fast<br />
track the social revolution.<br />
5) To tell the cops that no Government<br />
will tolerate their callous or<br />
unprofessional response to any<br />
complaint of crime against a woman.<br />
They must not accept any interference<br />
in the process of investigation. They<br />
must also be diagnostic and inform<br />
people of what is causing such crimes<br />
for people and all other stakeholders<br />
to do correction.<br />
6) To the district administration. To<br />
ensure the Panchayats do not demean<br />
women's position. On any grounds of<br />
caste or creed. They need to mount<br />
vigil in their respective villages<br />
through community policing.<br />
7) For his own government, that it will<br />
ensure speedy justice! On all counts.<br />
PM could assure country men and<br />
women that he will lead the social<br />
revolution and will set up a task force<br />
to oversee it and report directly to<br />
him. He will review the situation every<br />
three months and do all that it takes<br />
to change of mindset that hereafter<br />
22<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>
no one will tolerate violation of a<br />
women's dignity. Last but not the least<br />
PM could urge the media to exercise<br />
self regulation and self restraint in<br />
project women which is derogatory to<br />
the dignity of women!<br />
Finally It’s all about self regulation and<br />
mutual responsibility In brief we are<br />
talking of a 6 P comprehensive plan<br />
of crime prevention. It's people,<br />
politicians, police, prosecution, prisons<br />
and press.<br />
Once this revolution is announced by<br />
the Prime Minister on August 15th from<br />
the Ramparts of Redfort it will assume<br />
a whole new dimension of seriousness.<br />
Perhaps override all the misstatements<br />
made so far by several politicians which<br />
are haunt us repeatedly! Prime Minister<br />
Modi by giving a call for respect and<br />
safety of women and turning it into a<br />
Social Revolution will be correcting<br />
historical and cultural infirmities which<br />
have seeped into our mindsets! And in<br />
our DNA It will not change in one year-<br />
--it may require all his terms and more.<br />
But the decline will have got checked and<br />
hope revived!<br />
Honorable Prime Minister Sir what<br />
purpose will strong economy and skills<br />
development be in a country where half<br />
23<br />
Today, with women coming<br />
into positions of power, they<br />
need to remain sensitive to<br />
others needs. They must give<br />
to their own juniors and peers<br />
what they are looking for<br />
themselves.<br />
it's population feels insecure? And lacks<br />
basic security infrastructure? India owes<br />
it to itself. India owes it to the world<br />
community!<br />
Today, with women coming into<br />
positions of power, they need to remain<br />
sensitive to others needs. They must give<br />
to their own juniors and peers what they<br />
are looking for themselves. These include<br />
congratulating, mentoring, promotions,<br />
training, recognition, communication,<br />
sharing and transparency. All that they<br />
want for themselves, they must equally<br />
become givers for those they supervise<br />
and lead, independent of whether they<br />
get what they need from their own<br />
seniors.<br />
Women are perceived to be givers<br />
and sharers. Hence we must continue<br />
to build on this positive perception and<br />
belief. Perhaps we are ‘hardwire’ on this<br />
when young. Hence we need not change<br />
what is our strength just because other<br />
do not endorse or support it.<br />
Women today have a wide range of<br />
choices to make all the time. Earlier<br />
there were none whatsoever – exactly<br />
like the TV channels. From no TV to<br />
one Doordarshan channel with only a<br />
black and white TV, to a wide variety<br />
of colour television with hundreds of<br />
competing channels. What a world of a<br />
difference!<br />
Similarly, the world of a woman<br />
used to be her home and family. Her<br />
basic security was the gold ornaments<br />
she received at the time of marriage<br />
and from her husband and sons. Her<br />
journey was from her parent’s home<br />
to her husband’s. She was expected to<br />
serve unquestioningly. She personally<br />
owned nothing. Everything belonged to<br />
the elders and the husband. Anything<br />
asked from her, she was expected to part<br />
with. There was not much conflict, for<br />
there was no choice.<br />
(The author is a retired Indian Police<br />
Service officer and a social activist)
Point<br />
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GALLERY<br />
GALLA<br />
GALLERY<br />
GALLARY<br />
1 2<br />
GALLE<br />
3<br />
4<br />
The Flag Foundation of<br />
India and the New Delhi<br />
Municipal Council have<br />
together set up the flag<br />
inside the Central Park<br />
in Connaught Place.The<br />
flag is 60 feet in width and<br />
90 feet in length and is<br />
hoisted on the top of a 207<br />
feet tall flag pole.<br />
24<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>
RY<br />
GALLA<br />
GALLERY<br />
GALLARY<br />
GALLERY<br />
GALLA<br />
ALLERY<br />
5<br />
6<br />
25
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Impact Feature<br />
CoBRA SQUARE<br />
REACHING OUT TO PEOPLE<br />
CoBRA SQUARE aims to provide exhibit space for banks,<br />
housing finance companies, insurance companies, property<br />
developers, construction firms and automobile companies. It is<br />
envisaged to be a winning formula of social cohesion, enabling the<br />
people of the chosen city and surrounding areas to come together<br />
at the nearest venue in a relaxed environment infused with a<br />
positive spirit to boost up business activity.<br />
Spurt in growth and exposure to<br />
higher standards of living has left<br />
the average Indian to spend more<br />
on moveable and immovable<br />
consumer products, but with little time<br />
at his end to make an informed or smart<br />
choice. Easy availability of loans and<br />
growth in real estate and automobile<br />
sector has lured every individual to turn<br />
into reality their dream of owning a house<br />
or car.<br />
However, while doing so, it has been<br />
witnessed that hard pressed for time to<br />
make the right choices, as they have to hop<br />
around one office or project to the other<br />
and as and when the project is finalized<br />
banks have to be tapped for finances. To<br />
cut short this problem endured by working<br />
professionals and others, an innovative<br />
initiate titled CoBRA (Convention of<br />
Banks, Realties & Automobiles) SQUARE<br />
is being held at Hyderabad in October later<br />
this year.<br />
CoBRA SQUARE is an exposition mooted<br />
by Revathi Creative Communications, a<br />
leading advertising and event management<br />
company. The initiative is aimed to bring<br />
banks, real estate developers and auto<br />
sector under one roof at select destinations<br />
within the city and to reach out to a large<br />
34<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>
Impact Feature<br />
the exposition.<br />
The initial event of CoBRA SQUARE in Hyderabad would be held at four<br />
strategically situated venues simultaneously covering an area of 600 sq kms<br />
covering a population of over 6,000,000. The event would take place for 3 days<br />
and the expected footfalls during the span are over 100,000 of relevant target<br />
group at each venue even by a conservative estimate.<br />
number of people. CoBRA SQUARE aims<br />
to provide exhibit space for banks, housing<br />
finance companies, insurance companies,<br />
property developers, construction firms<br />
and automobile companies. It is envisaged<br />
to be a winning formula of social cohesion,<br />
enabling the people of the chosen city and<br />
surrounding areas to come together at the<br />
nearest venue in a relaxed environment<br />
infused with a positive spirit to boost up<br />
business activity.<br />
The layout of the convention<br />
The chief promoter of Cobra Square<br />
Sarveshwar Reddy elucidates, “In the wake<br />
of proliferation of trade fair organizations<br />
on the one hand and the undifferentiated<br />
format in which the fairs are organized<br />
on the other, there has been a need for<br />
an unorthodox move for long. That is<br />
precisely what provides the raison d’etre<br />
for Cobra Square. To put it simply, Cobra<br />
Square is essentially a reversal format<br />
wherein instead of the prospects going all<br />
the way to wherever the event is held, the<br />
exhibitors themselves reach out to them at<br />
the place closest to them. Multiple venues<br />
mean multiplicity of business transactions.<br />
Cobra Square is a culmination of my<br />
close observation and association with<br />
trade events for a long time and lengthy<br />
conversations with the exhibitors of our<br />
own show Weaves across the country and<br />
entrepreneurs across banking, real estate<br />
and automobile sectors.”<br />
The layout of the convention would be<br />
designed to maximize traffic of relevant<br />
target audience - upscale and upwardly<br />
mobile strata, business owners looking to<br />
expand their business opportunities and<br />
corporate houses wishing to extend their<br />
marketing and promotion networks.<br />
It is an exposition with a difference. It is<br />
different in that it is an exposition organized<br />
simultaneously in multiple venues at<br />
strategic locales within a city so that the<br />
exhibitors could reach out to a wider base<br />
of customers. Due to such dispersion,<br />
the event is expected to draw maximum<br />
number of footfalls (which is the key<br />
performance indicator) particularly in the<br />
context of big and burgeoning cities like<br />
Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Bangalore and<br />
Hyderabad as the prospective visitors need<br />
not commute longer distances confronting<br />
traffic snarls in order to visit the venue of<br />
The initial event<br />
“Not just the number of footfalls, what also<br />
matters is the sort of visitors that an event<br />
draws. Cobra Square takes care of both<br />
the aspects squarely. We have done an<br />
exhaustive study and eventually drawn up<br />
a blueprint of an operational plan that is in<br />
line with the set objectives and goals of the<br />
proposed event. In the course of mapping<br />
out the nitty-gritty of Cobra Square, every<br />
minutiae has been paid the due attention<br />
that it deserves. As they say, the God is in<br />
details. And no detail has been ignored or<br />
overlooked,” says the co-promoter of the<br />
convention Sunil Kumar Vallabh.<br />
The initial event of CoBRA SQUARE<br />
in Hyderabad would be held at<br />
four strategically situated venues<br />
simultaneously covering an area of 600<br />
sq kms covering a population of over<br />
6,000,000. The event would take place for<br />
3 days and the expected footfalls during<br />
the span are over 100,000 of relevant target<br />
group at each venue even by a conservative<br />
estimate. Eventually, the canvas will be<br />
extended to cover all the major cities<br />
across the country.<br />
The proposed event<br />
“All in all, the idea is to develop a feasible<br />
model which could be replicated elsewhere<br />
easily and successfully. We have a team of<br />
think-tank working on it for days on end<br />
with an unflagging zeal. Cobra Square<br />
represents an innovation which could<br />
perhaps trigger off a lot more innovation<br />
in the way trade fairs are organized,”<br />
avers another associate of the project<br />
Lakshmikant.<br />
The proposed event draws its strength from<br />
the expertise of its organizers, Revathi<br />
Creative Communications which has built<br />
up a formidable reputation in the domains<br />
of advertising and event management. The<br />
company is credited with holding over 300<br />
exhibitions by the name ‘Weaves’ across<br />
the country besides organizing numerous<br />
road shows and fashion shows for<br />
renowned organizations. The organizers<br />
are embarking on a comprehensive<br />
marketing and communications campaign<br />
covering the entire media spectrum.<br />
»»<br />
For any queries please connect to<br />
cobrasquare14@gmail.com<br />
35
Point<br />
Out<br />
POLITICAL report<br />
36<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>
THE SILENT<br />
MAKE OVER IN BJP<br />
It was just last year that Modi pulled out Shah from Gujarat<br />
and placed him as party national general secretary and handed<br />
him the charge of crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, in the Hindi<br />
heartland. In less than a year the man rose to be the party<br />
president. At 49, Shah is the youngest president of the party and<br />
it itself speaks of his spectacular rise and the total control Prime<br />
Minister Narendra Modi exercises on the party.<br />
»»<br />
POLITICAL BUREAU<br />
There was a silent change in<br />
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)<br />
organisation in the last fortnight,<br />
which seem revolutionary,<br />
marking the beginning of a strong and<br />
uncompromising party with Hindu<br />
nationalism at its core. Not that BJP<br />
was any different, but the new faces<br />
in the form of Amit Shah taking over<br />
BJP as its president and two senior<br />
Rashtriya Swayemsevak Sangh (RSS)<br />
functionaries Ram Madhav and Shiv<br />
Prakash shifting to BJP, it is on way to<br />
its makeover.<br />
Madhav, the RSS spokesperson is a well<br />
known face while Shiv Prakash, RSS<br />
chief in Uttar Pradesh had successfully<br />
teamed up with Amit Shah to give BJP<br />
an impressive result from the state in<br />
the recent concluded Lok Sabha general<br />
elections. While Madhav and Prakash<br />
are sent by the mentor organization,<br />
RSS to strengthen its coordination<br />
37<br />
between the government and party<br />
and itself, Prime Minister Narendra<br />
Modi, an RSS ideologue himself, had<br />
his way in getting Amit Shah elevated as<br />
president of BJP.<br />
Shah has taken over from Union<br />
Home Minister Rajnath, who gave his<br />
term midway after joining the Union<br />
cabinet. With his elevation as national<br />
BJP president, Shah has had a dream<br />
run in the last one year. It was just<br />
last year that Modi pulled out Shah<br />
from Gujarat and placed him as party<br />
national general secretary and handed<br />
him the charge of crucial state of Uttar<br />
Pradesh, in the Hindi heartland. In less<br />
than a year the man rose to be the party<br />
president. At 49, Shah is the youngest<br />
president of the party and it itself speaks<br />
of his spectacular rise and the total<br />
control Prime Minister Narendra Modi<br />
exercises on the party.<br />
To be honest to Shah, Shah who had<br />
rarely been to UP went around entire<br />
state soon after he was put in charge<br />
of the state and his assessment that if<br />
BJP has to win UP it has to empower<br />
fresh blood proved dead right. He went<br />
around the task meticulously, keeping<br />
Modi in the loop and making drastic<br />
changes in the party and putting fresh<br />
faces in charge at the state, division,<br />
district and booth level. Taking a cue<br />
from his boss, Shah also used all forms<br />
of media, be it social media, internet,<br />
SMSes, cable TVs or the traditional<br />
media to effectively reach out to young<br />
generation and connect with them. His<br />
efforts paid off when BJP won 71 out<br />
of the 80 Lok Sabha seats from Uttar<br />
Pradesh, surprising some of the most<br />
die-hard BJP leaders and supporters.<br />
Once Modi led BJP crossed the magical<br />
figure or ‘mission 272’ on its own, he<br />
knew it was his time. In the government<br />
formation he exercised a total control<br />
and kept ministers on a tight leash and<br />
now he exercised his command and<br />
authority on the party by getting Shah<br />
elevated as party president. There was
Point<br />
Out<br />
POLITICAL report<br />
AMIT SHAH, MODI’S MAN<br />
Amit Shah, who joined BJP in 1986, a year<br />
before Modi joined the party, was active with<br />
BJP’s youth wing the Bharatiya Janata Yuva<br />
Morcha (BJYM) since 1983 in Gujarat. He<br />
gradually rose in the BJYM hierarchy becoming its<br />
state vice-president and later campaigned for senior<br />
BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani in Gandhinagar during<br />
the 1991 Lok Sabha elections.<br />
When Keshubhai Patel formed the first BJP<br />
government in Gujarat In 1995, he faced trouble<br />
from a strong Congress. It was here that Modi and<br />
Shah teamed up to work a strategy to wean away<br />
influential Congress leaders from the rural areas into<br />
the BJP. Initially, no one noticed but the impact it had<br />
on Congress was over the years in most places in<br />
the state and district-level, it was left with no second<br />
command.<br />
Thus the friendship of 80’s between Shah and Modi<br />
worked and continued to pay electoral dividends<br />
when Modi went on to become the state’s Chief<br />
Minister. Modi trusted Shah and entrusted him with<br />
party jobs which he did meticulously. Even in the<br />
decade after post-Godhra riots, the two successfully<br />
weathered the storm and ensured electoral success<br />
for BJP in Gujarat.<br />
Once, Modi moved on to national stage he was quick<br />
to realize that to win general elections comfortably<br />
BJP will have to do well in the Hindi heartland of Uttar<br />
Pradesh and Bihar. He leaned on his trusted aide<br />
Shah putting him in charge of UP, a decision that most<br />
BJP senior leaders though would backfire. But never<br />
a man who stops surprising, Shah weaned a magic<br />
for BJP that led to decimation of not only Congress<br />
but the entire opposition parties in UP.<br />
After achieving “Mission 272” and Modi taking over<br />
as Prime Minister, it was only a matter of time that he<br />
had his lieutenant take charge of party affairs at the<br />
national level.<br />
38<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>
no visible dissent in the party as Shah<br />
was named president, even as some<br />
predictable faces tipped for BJP chief’s<br />
position were just steamrolled.<br />
Shah appointment was also not<br />
questioned by the RSS, which too<br />
learned from the bitter experience<br />
of the past wanting a strong party<br />
president while the party being in<br />
power. Experiments with dedicated<br />
party leaders like Bangaru Laxman and<br />
late Kushabhau Thakre during NDA<br />
rule and later J Krishnamurthy was not<br />
something that the party could gloat on.<br />
So the sangh too wanted a strong man<br />
to head the party while the government<br />
already was headed by a strong leader<br />
in Narendra Modi. Considering Shah’s<br />
background and his equations with<br />
Modi, sangh had no problem endorsing<br />
his name.<br />
After taking over the party, Shah is<br />
likely to entrust Ram Madhav and<br />
Shiv Prakash crucial jobs as and when<br />
he constitutes his new team. Madhav<br />
is tipped to be a BJP national general<br />
secretary. Shah’s first test would now<br />
be the assembly elections due in four<br />
states, and more than any Maharashtra<br />
needs his magic.<br />
After having tested the waters with stray<br />
statements by some junior ministers<br />
over uniform civil code, Jammu and<br />
Kashmir issue and relations with<br />
Pakistan the RSS and BJP hopes it is<br />
time for its leaders to take a stand and<br />
push for its agenda. How well, it would<br />
succeed?, only time would tell.<br />
He went around the task meticulously, keeping<br />
Modi in the loop and making drastic changes in<br />
the party and putting fresh faces in charge at the<br />
state, division, district and booth level. Taking a<br />
cue from his boss, Shah also used all forms of<br />
media, be it social media, internet, SMSes, cable<br />
TVs or the traditional media to effectively reach<br />
out to young generation and connect with them.<br />
His efforts paid off when BJP won 71 out of the<br />
80 Lok Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh, surprising<br />
some of the most die-hard BJP leaders and<br />
supporters.<br />
39
Point<br />
Out<br />
indo nepal<br />
NEPAL: MODI STRIKES<br />
A CHORD<br />
40<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>
»»<br />
SURYA GANGADHARAN<br />
The most striking image of Prime<br />
Minister NarendraModi on his<br />
Nepal visit: Greeting Nepalis on<br />
the streets of Kathmandu, and<br />
clad in saffron robes ahead of his puja in<br />
the sacred precincts of the Pashupatinath<br />
Temple.<br />
41<br />
It was good going for an Indian Prime<br />
Minister, more so one on an official<br />
visit there after 17 years. Makes you<br />
think what has gone wrong with<br />
Indian foreign policy that a visit to a<br />
neighboring country becomes such a<br />
chore. It underscores the impression that<br />
they are not important to Big Brother<br />
India. It was an impression Modi wanted<br />
to dispel.<br />
Therefore the very visible effort to reach<br />
out to Nepal’s political elite during his<br />
address to their Constituent Assembly-<br />
Parliament in which he said, "I thought<br />
I should hit Nepal. Then I thought<br />
you would feel bad. But when I talk of<br />
hitting Nepal, I mean H-I-T. Highways,<br />
Infoways and Transways. You too would<br />
want this kind of a hit quickly.”<br />
He hit in other ways with a clutch of<br />
agreements: One billion dollar line of<br />
credit from India along with the vow:<br />
"You decide what needs to be done, India<br />
will stand by you.”<br />
The idea is to build on Nepal’s untapped<br />
hydropower potential, which Modi said,<br />
could well transform Nepal’s economy.<br />
He also promised to complete all those<br />
unfulfilled projects that have come to<br />
symbolize Kathmandu’s disenchantment<br />
and distance from New Delhi.<br />
In meetings with Nepali leaders across<br />
the political spectrum, Modi refused<br />
to play the ethnic card when he met<br />
Madhesi leaders and fobbed off requests<br />
that he meet deposed King Gyanendra,<br />
whose cause was pushed by various<br />
Hindu groups .<br />
It paid off, the political capital that<br />
accrued to Modi and India cannot be<br />
calculated: Witness Communist leader<br />
BauramBhattarai, India’s most bitter<br />
critic, insisting that there was no reason<br />
for Nepal to play off India against China.<br />
“Both countries are good neighbours of<br />
Nepal,” he said contradicting statements<br />
made in the past.<br />
But one swallow doesn’t make a summer<br />
and Modi knows the challenge is to<br />
deliver and deliver soon. One there’s a<br />
problem of capital, India doesn’t have<br />
enough of it and will need to work out<br />
some financial model perhaps bringing<br />
in international lending institutions.<br />
That would be complicated and will take<br />
time.<br />
“Then there’s our own capacity to<br />
implement,” said a senior Indian<br />
diplomat who served there. “Projects<br />
of this kind require a level of inter<br />
ministerial coordination lacking in<br />
India. Ideally, the MEA, Finance and<br />
other ministries involved should work<br />
together especially their bureaucracies. ”<br />
There’s also the issue of land acquisition<br />
which has become very sensitive in Nepal.<br />
Many Indian development projects<br />
involving roads for instance, are stuck<br />
because of that. Internal Nepali politics<br />
are another issue. The communists and<br />
royalists are on the margins now but<br />
they retain considerable nuisance value.<br />
What about the China factor? “It’s not<br />
so much about countering China or<br />
seeking to limit China’s influence,” said<br />
the diplomat. “The fact is China is driven<br />
by the need to end Tibet’s landlocked<br />
status and Nepal is a natural outlet.<br />
Nepal is also landlocked and the only<br />
access to the sea is through India. ”<br />
The implication is obvious, India will be<br />
the natural beneficiary of China’s trade<br />
through Nepal. If you go back to the last<br />
century, Bengal was a major supplier of<br />
fruits and vegetables to Tibet. China’s<br />
plan to build a railway line from Shigatse<br />
in Tibet to Kyirong in northern Nepal<br />
has trade and commerce written all over<br />
it. It will enable quick movement of<br />
Chinese goods and bring down prices.<br />
There are similar plans for a railway line<br />
running to Yatung in the Chumbi Valley<br />
between Sikkim and Bhutan. There is<br />
already a highway running all along<br />
India’s Line of Actual Control.<br />
Beijing expects commerce will expand<br />
markets for Chinese goods, improve<br />
the standard of living in Tibet and bring<br />
tourists into a desolate region. Better<br />
quality of living, China hopes, will reduce<br />
simmering resentment among Tibetans<br />
over China’s hold over their land.<br />
This is not to ignore the military strategic<br />
implications of China’s moves. There is<br />
no doubt China is concern over India<br />
beefing up its border infrastructure and<br />
modernizing its military. It will seek<br />
advantage wherever it can, and therefore<br />
the focus on Nepal. But no matter what<br />
China does, India and Nepal are bound<br />
together by ethnic, cultural and religious<br />
ties. Thousands of Nepalis live and work<br />
in India, they are part and parcel of this<br />
land. China cannot counter that.
Point<br />
Out<br />
BRICS BANK<br />
BRICS, DEVELOPING THROUGH BANKING<br />
»»<br />
SURYA GANGADHARAN<br />
IMF, the World Bank and<br />
the countries and companies<br />
behind them, operate in a way<br />
“The<br />
that many petty drug dealers<br />
would recognize. They hook a victim<br />
with cheap goods and a lot of talk and<br />
later they up their demands. It’s not an<br />
endearing modus operandum – Roslyn<br />
Fuller, RT.com<br />
“The beginning of a new international<br />
economic order - Dingding Chen in The<br />
Diplomat.<br />
“If the post war order is being upended,<br />
The BRICS New Development Bank<br />
(NDB) is now a reality. It could start<br />
operations as early as next year from<br />
its headquarters in China’s business<br />
capital Shanghai with $50 bn in capital.<br />
the right answer is ‘hear hear’ - David<br />
Pilling in The Financial Times.<br />
The BRICS New Development Bank<br />
(NDB) is now a reality. It could start<br />
operations as early as next year from its<br />
headquarters in China’s business capital<br />
Shanghai with $50 bn in capital. That will<br />
rise to $100 bn with China contributing<br />
$41 bn, India, Russia and Brazil chipping<br />
in with $10 bn (rising gradually to $18 bn<br />
each) and South Africa contributing $15<br />
bn. An Indian will be its first president.<br />
So what will the bank do? It will lend<br />
(initially only to its members) money<br />
for infrastructure projects to developing<br />
countries without setting political<br />
conditions. It promises to change the<br />
ethos of development finance irreversibly.<br />
Poor countries often lament the onerous<br />
conditions they have to subscribe to<br />
when taking loans from the World Bank<br />
or the IMF. The operations of the World<br />
Bank and IMF are opaque and critics say<br />
developing countries have little voice in<br />
the inner functioning of the institution.<br />
This the NDB promises to change.<br />
It’s also said that the IMF and other<br />
Western led lending systems give priority<br />
to credit repayment over providing basic<br />
social services. It’s a charge borne out of<br />
the huge debt that developing countries<br />
have accumulated. According to World<br />
Bank figures, the total debt of developing<br />
countries in 2010 was a mammoth $4<br />
42<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>
trillion. Early this year, the European<br />
Network on Debt and Development<br />
said developing countries face interest<br />
payments of almost $800 million a year<br />
on loans provided by Europe alone.<br />
At the launch of the NDB, Russia’s<br />
President Vladimir Putin spoke about<br />
the BRICS’s vision for the NDB: “The<br />
international monetary system …<br />
depends a lot on the US dollar, or, to be<br />
precise, on the monetary and financial<br />
policy of the US authorities. The BRICS<br />
countries want to change this.”<br />
The irony here is that the entire paid-in<br />
capital stock of the new bank is in US<br />
dollars. In contrast, just 10 percent of<br />
the World Bank’s paid-in capital is in<br />
American dollars; the rest being in the<br />
national currencies of member countries.<br />
There’s also the fact that China, India and<br />
Brazil have borrowed $66 billion – or<br />
more than the entire subscribed capital<br />
of the NDB – from the World Bank. One<br />
can expect this will change in the course<br />
of time but it is something to watch out<br />
for.<br />
Not that the NDB can take on the<br />
existing behemoths. The World Bank<br />
and IMF have been around for the<br />
last 70 years and unseating them will<br />
take many years and smart strategies.<br />
The World Bank has more than $200<br />
bn of subscribed capital and with 188<br />
members has operations all over the<br />
world. Its experience in funding projects<br />
is unrivalled and most important, it is<br />
able to think through issues and come up<br />
with ideas that become agendas.<br />
South African analyst Alex O’Riordan<br />
says: “In the international development<br />
space, there is no comparable institution<br />
able to attract the best talent, finance the<br />
biggest and most important studies and<br />
43<br />
able to disseminate its agenda as wide<br />
and deep as the World Bank.”<br />
A case in point is the recent World Bank<br />
decision that it will restrict funding for<br />
new coal plants in developing countries,<br />
deciding instead to invest in cleaner<br />
fuels.<br />
Financial analyst Samir Saran who is also<br />
vice-president of the Observer Research<br />
Foundation, says the NDB must create<br />
a business structure where borrowing<br />
countries are given greater urgency<br />
in prioritizing the projects they want<br />
funded. The bank’s operations must be<br />
transparent and there is a legitimate<br />
concern here that if China finds it is<br />
not able to dominate the bank, it may<br />
prefer to prioritize investments through<br />
its proposed Asian Infrastructure<br />
Investment Bank.<br />
He says it remains to be seen how<br />
soon the central banks of the NDB<br />
member countries devise measures to<br />
act as depository institutions for the<br />
NDB. How will the NDB raise funds in<br />
different countries, he asks? What will<br />
be the currency or currencies of choice?<br />
The concerns are valid but there’s no<br />
doubt the world financial institutions<br />
need to change. The New Development<br />
Bank doesn’t need to be fair, it doesn’t<br />
need to be perfect, it doesn’t even need<br />
to have that much cash to succeed. All<br />
it needs to do is be better than the IMF<br />
and World Bank. That will take time but<br />
is not impossible.
Point<br />
Out<br />
BOOK REVIEW<br />
ONE LIFE IS NOT ENOUGH<br />
• By K. Natwar Singh<br />
<br />
• Price: Rs 500.00<br />
• Publisher : Rupa Publication<br />
The Emergency made a<br />
permanent dent on Indira<br />
Gandhi’s reputation. And<br />
while I know that she<br />
regretted it, she had no one<br />
to blame but herself. She<br />
had once even claimed that<br />
the reason for declaring<br />
the Emergency was a<br />
conspiracy to overthrow the<br />
government. To this date,<br />
no proof has come up of any<br />
such conspiracy.<br />
N<br />
atwar Singh, a diplomat and an astute politician has been<br />
a trusted aide of the Gandhis, in India. He was close to late<br />
Indira Gandhi and late Rajiv Gandhi and was even very close<br />
to Sonia Gandhi, until the Volcker Report indicted him in the<br />
oil-for-food scam in Iraq, forcing him to leave his ministerial post. His<br />
memoirs make an interesting reading and give an insight into the<br />
functioning of the Gandhi family.<br />
About working with Indira Gandhi he says, she was a great leader;<br />
not the solemn, serious martinet she is made out to be. Seldom is it<br />
mentioned that this graceful, sparkling, engaging human being was<br />
a caring humanist, that she was endowed with charm, elegance and<br />
good taste. She enjoyed the company of artists, authors, poets and<br />
painters. Her sensibility was adorned with self-deprecating humour.<br />
She possessed what the French so delicately describe as je ne sais<br />
quoi- a certain style…..<br />
Before becoming Prime Minister, she had gathered around her a<br />
group of people(Dinesh Singh, Romesh Thapar, Rajni Patel and I.K.<br />
Gujral) who were derisively called the ‘kitchen Cabinet’. This group<br />
acquired substantial influence after she became Prime Minister. From<br />
1966 to 1969, Indira Gandhi was in office but not in power. The actual<br />
power rested in the hands of the ‘syndicate’-S. Nijalingappa, Atulya<br />
Ghosh, K. Kamraj, Morarji Desai and S.K. Patil. ….<br />
Indira Gandhi faced multiple Challenges in June 1969. The most<br />
serious one was the attempt by the Syndicate, which was led by<br />
Congress President S. Nijalingappa and supported by Morarji<br />
Desai, to wrest power. During the AICC meet at Faridabad that year,<br />
Nijalingappa made a withering attack on Indira Gandhi’s functioning<br />
and her economic policies. The stakes were very high. She had to act<br />
quickly to counter the threat. As a first step to securing her position,<br />
Mrs. Gandhi wrote to the Deputy Prime Miniser, Morarji Desai, telling<br />
him that she would very much like him to continue in his role as<br />
minister and that he could choose any portfolio, except finance. It was<br />
a bold decision. As expected , Morarji Desai felt insulted and resigned<br />
from the cabinet. Next, she nationalized fourteen banks, a step<br />
which was widely welcomed in the country. The Prime Minister had<br />
demonstrated acute political acumen in meeting the direct challenge<br />
of the Syndicate head-on. Though I was not involved in the highlevel<br />
discussions, all of us in the secretariat were aware of what was<br />
happening. Those were tense days and though the Prime Minister<br />
outwardly kept her composure, I could see how worried she was. In<br />
this crisis she relied heavily on P.N. Haksar, her principal adviser.<br />
On emergency, he writes, speaking at one of the debates of the<br />
Constituent Assembly, Dr B R Ambedkar said, ‘Democracy in India is<br />
only a top dressing on Indian Soil, which is essentially undemocratic.’<br />
There is considerable truth in the assertion, but the reality is that<br />
Indian democracy withstood the brutal assault made on it on 26 June<br />
1975 by Indira Gandhi.<br />
Even after four decades, the memory of the Emergency survives.<br />
All those above the age of fifty remember those turbulent months<br />
with trepidation. The Emergency made a permanent dent on Indira<br />
44<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>
Gandhi’s reputation. And while I know that she regretted it, she had<br />
no one to blame but herself. She had once even claimed that the<br />
reason for declaring the Emergency was a conspiracy to overthrow<br />
the government. To this date, no proof has come up of any such<br />
conspiracy.<br />
About the Rajiv Gandhi years, Singh writes in 1985, Rajiv Gandhi was<br />
both Prime Minister of India and President of the Congress Party. In<br />
December of that year, he was at the peak of his popularity. Rajiv<br />
considered it essential to revitalize and even reinvent the Congress<br />
Party, as Mahatma Gandhi had done years ago. The centenary<br />
session of the Congress was held in Bombay that year.<br />
… when Rajiv Gandhi got up to speak, he got a standing ovation.<br />
It was a very emotional moment. .... Rajiv spoke like a visionary.<br />
He was dismissive of some of the policies the Congress had been<br />
following. He particularly targeted the power-brokers, whose thinking<br />
was behind that times, whose dedication was questionable and, worst<br />
of all, who had no vision. For them, money took precedence over<br />
morality.<br />
Rajiv’s speech made a tremendous impact….He was preparing the<br />
Congress and the country for the twenty-first century.<br />
We all returned from Bombay surcharged. However, as the weeks went<br />
by, I could see that the old guard of the Congress had not taken kindly<br />
to the speech. These were the real power –brokers of the party and<br />
, in long run, it was they who succeeded in skillfully out-manoeuvring<br />
Rajiv. In front of him, they praised him for the great speech but<br />
behind his back, they sabotaged him and his programme. At this time<br />
Rajiv was guided chiefly by his close friends, who were very bright,<br />
full of vigour, and genuinely wanted to see him succeed. But their<br />
inexperience was all too visible and their grasp of the complexities<br />
he faced was limited. They were not familiar with the history of the<br />
Congress, or with the freedom movement. They suggested change<br />
without realizing that change had to be managed, guided, monitored<br />
and, eventually, change had to change. The memory of Rajiv’s speech<br />
and the Congress centenary faded away all too soon.<br />
In his take on Sonia Gandhi, he writes In 2004, the NDA, led by<br />
Atal Bihari Vajpeyee, lost the Lok Sabha elections. They could not<br />
manage to sell the ‘India Shining’ mantra to the voting public. Sonia<br />
and the leaders of several non-NDA parties put together the United<br />
Progressive Alliance with Sonia as chairperson. The expectation was<br />
that Sonia would occupy 7 Race Course Road as Prime Minister.<br />
The Gandhi family, however, was a house divided. Rahul was<br />
vehemently opposed to his mother becoming Prime Minister, fearing<br />
that she would lose her life, much like his grandmother and his father.<br />
Matters reached a climax after Rahul said that he was prepared to<br />
take any possible step to prevent his mother from taking up the prime<br />
ministership. Rahul is a strong-willed person; this was no ordinary<br />
threat. Manmohan Singh, Suman Dubey, Priyanka and I were present<br />
at the moment.<br />
Sonia was visibly agonized and in tears. As a mother, it was impossible<br />
for her to ignore Rahul. He had his way. That was the reason for her<br />
not becoming Prime Minister.<br />
Only Manmohan Singh and I were aware of Sonia’s decision. Later,<br />
she called a meeting in which she announced the she was offering the<br />
post of PM to Manmohan Singh.<br />
Once, I pulled Sonia’s leg on this, telling her that only two people<br />
in history had refused the crown, both Italians by birth. ‘Who is the<br />
other?’ she asked. ‘Julius Caesar,’ I replied.<br />
Rahul was vehemently<br />
opposed to his mother<br />
becoming Prime Minister,<br />
fearing that she would<br />
lose her life, much like his<br />
grandmother and his father.<br />
Matters reached a climax<br />
after Rahul said that he<br />
was prepared to take any<br />
possible step to prevent his<br />
mother from taking up the<br />
prime ministership.<br />
45
Point<br />
Out<br />
TEST DRIVE<br />
STYLISH 7-SEATER MPV HONDA MOBILIO<br />
»»<br />
business bureau<br />
»»<br />
business bureau<br />
H<br />
onda<br />
Cars India Ltd. (HCIL) recently<br />
announced its entry into the MPV<br />
segment with the launch of its midsize<br />
stylish 7-seater, Honda Mobilio.<br />
The car marks an evolution in the MPV<br />
segment by offering a unique combination<br />
of Sporty Exterior styling along with Space,<br />
Comfort and Utility in just the right size to<br />
suit the needs of Indian families. The Mobilio,<br />
with its strong desirable values, is set to<br />
expand the MPV segment and will appeal<br />
to diverse customer profiles from many<br />
vehicle segments. Honda Mobilio has been<br />
developed at Honda R&D Asia Pacific Co.,<br />
Ltd. located in Bangkok, Thailand following<br />
extensive market surveys in India on people’s<br />
driving needs and lifestyles. The Mobilio’s<br />
outstanding performance is achieved by 1.5L<br />
i-DTEC diesel and 1.5L i-VTEC petrol engines<br />
renowned for their best balance of exhilarating<br />
power and best in class mileage.<br />
In order to appeal to younger audience who<br />
look for distinct styling along with comfort<br />
of a spacious MPV, the Mobilio will also be<br />
available in an exclusive sporty RS variant<br />
which has bolder and sportier exterior design<br />
than base grade. The deliveries for the Mobilio<br />
RS would begin from September <strong>2014</strong>.<br />
The 1.5L i-DTEC diesel engine of the Mobilio,<br />
based on Honda’s latest Earth Dreams<br />
Technology, delivers a maximum power of<br />
100 ps@3600 rpm, maximum torque of 200<br />
Nm@1750 rpm andbest<br />
in class fuel economy of<br />
24.2 kmpl as per test data. It has<br />
been mated to the standard 5-speed manual<br />
transmission. The 1.5 L i-VTEC petrol engine<br />
delivers a maximum power of 119 ps@6600<br />
rpm, maximum torque of 145 Nm@4600 rpm<br />
and best in class fuel economy of 17.3 kmpl.<br />
The Petrol Mobilio is equipped with standard<br />
5-speed manual transmission. The grand<br />
concept of the Honda Mobilio is “Progressive<br />
In order to appeal to younger audience<br />
who look for distinct styling along with<br />
comfort of a spacious MPV, the Mobilio<br />
will also be available in an exclusive<br />
sporty RS variant which has bolder and<br />
sportier exterior design than base grade.<br />
Private Jetliner” with core elements of Showoff,<br />
Comfort and Assurance.<br />
The concept of the Mobilio package is to offer<br />
a convenient and comfortable cabin room like<br />
a sedan. At 4386 mm long, 1683 mm wide &<br />
1603 mm tall with a wheelbase of 2652 mm<br />
and minimum turning radius of only 5.2m*,<br />
the Mobilio is highly maneuverable and<br />
convenient for city driving. Customers<br />
can be confident in the Mobilio’s<br />
best in class 189-mm ground<br />
clearance even when facing bad<br />
roads and stormy weather. (*For<br />
Petrol Variants)<br />
The Honda Mobilio’s Advanced<br />
Compatibility Engineering<br />
(ACE) body enhances selfprotection<br />
while mitigating<br />
damage to other vehicles in the event<br />
of a collision. The high-performance body<br />
makes extensive use of high tensile steel in<br />
key areas of the frame to enhance safety and<br />
collision force absorption. It also increases<br />
durability of body and floor to resist the force<br />
of the tumble seats in the second and third<br />
row. The Honda Mobilio also comes loaded<br />
with active and passive safety technologies<br />
including Front Dual SRS airbags, Anti-Lock<br />
Brake System (ABS) which prevents wheel<br />
lock during sudden braking, Electronic Brake<br />
Distribution (EBD) which enhances braking<br />
performance and impact mitigating headrests.<br />
The ABS with EBD is being offered as<br />
standard across all Diesel variants. The front<br />
body structure of the Mobilio is equipped<br />
with Pedestrian injury mitigation technology<br />
designed to absorb impact energy.<br />
The Mobilio is available in 3 grades offered in<br />
Petrol and Diesel variants – E, S and V with<br />
Manual Transmission. The sportier Mobilio<br />
RS grade will be available in Diesel.<br />
Honda Mobilio will be available in seven<br />
exciting range of exterior colors – Brilliant<br />
Gold Metallic (New and exclusive), Carnelian<br />
Red Pearl, Majestic Blue Metallic, Urban<br />
Titanium Metallic, Alabaster Silver Metallic,<br />
Taffeta White and Crystal Black Pearl<br />
(exclusive to RS). It comes with a 2 years or<br />
40,000 kms warranty as standard value for all<br />
customers. The Cost of Maintenance for the<br />
Honda Mobilio has been kept as lowest in its<br />
segment.<br />
46<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>
Fuel economy is often<br />
cited as the No. 1 purchase<br />
consideration in the<br />
subcompact class, according to<br />
Ford research.<br />
NEW FORD FIESTA :<br />
NEW BENCHMARK FOR FUEL EFFICIENCY<br />
T<br />
he new Ford Fiesta equipped with the<br />
award-winning 1.0-liter EcoBoost®<br />
engine will be America’s most<br />
fuel-efficient non-hybrid, gasolinepowered<br />
car with an EPA-estimated rating of<br />
45 mpg on the highway, topping the EPAestimated<br />
highway ratings of Honda Fit by<br />
12 mpg and Toyota Yaris by 8 mpg.<br />
The fuel economy rating not only establishes<br />
the Fiesta 1.0-liter EcoBoost as best-in-class<br />
highway fuel economy among subcompacts,<br />
but it also outperforms some competitors’<br />
diesels and hybrids on the highway driving<br />
cycle. The <strong>2014</strong> Honda Insight has an EPAestimated<br />
rating of 44 mpg highway, while<br />
the <strong>2014</strong> Volkswagen Golf diesel with a<br />
manual transmission has an EPA-estimated<br />
rating of 42 mpg highway.<br />
Fiesta is the only car in its class that<br />
produces more than 120 horse power and<br />
has an EPA-estimated rating of 45 mpg<br />
on the highway. Plus, while the 1.0-liter<br />
EcoBoost engine is officially SAE-certified at<br />
123 horsepower and 125 lb.-ft. of torque, it<br />
features an over boost function that allows<br />
it to make more than 145 lb.-ft. for up to 15<br />
seconds.<br />
Fuel economy is often cited as the No. 1<br />
purchase consideration in the subcompact<br />
class, according to Ford research.<br />
The EPA estimated rating of 45 mpg highway<br />
is for both the four- and five-door, five-speed<br />
manual-equipped <strong>2014</strong> 1.0-liter EcoBoost<br />
Fiesta, which also has an EPA-estimated<br />
rating of 32 mpg city and 37 mpg combined.<br />
In addition to the new leadership claim<br />
for highway fuel efficiency, the new Fiesta<br />
boasts an impressive suite of technologies<br />
and features that gives drivers a blend of a<br />
connected world and an untethered driving<br />
experience.<br />
A new SYNC with MyFord Touch® system<br />
with 6.5-inch touch screen featuring<br />
enhanced voice control is now available,<br />
providing drivers more options than<br />
ever for directions, communication and<br />
entertainment functions. SYNC® AppLink<br />
capabilities pioneered on the first Fiesta<br />
continue to allow access and control of<br />
Ford-approved smartphone apps through<br />
voice commands and other controls for<br />
drivers on the go, helping them keep their<br />
hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.<br />
Turn-by-turn directions remain part of SYNC<br />
Services.<br />
Ford MyKey® is a new feature for Fiesta.<br />
MyKey enables parents in particular to<br />
encourage safer driving and limit their<br />
teenagers’ exposure to risk at the wheel.<br />
The system allows owners to configure<br />
maximum speed and audio volume limits. It<br />
mutes audio until safety belts are fastened<br />
and ensures driver aids, safety systems and<br />
more vigorous alerts cannot be deactivated<br />
when used.<br />
47
Point<br />
Out<br />
»»<br />
BIPIN<br />
GADGETS<br />
SAMSUNG AFFORDABLE GALAXY SMARTPHONES<br />
GALAXY STAR 2, GALAXY STAR ADVANCE, & GALAXY ACE NXT<br />
Samsung has launched three new<br />
affordable Galaxy smartphones<br />
running Android 4.4 KitKat in<br />
the Indian market - the Galaxy<br />
Star 2, Galaxy Star Advance<br />
and Galaxy Ace NXT.The<br />
smartphone is likely<br />
to compete against<br />
the likes of Moto<br />
E and Micromax<br />
Unite 2. The Samsung<br />
Galaxy Star 2<br />
has been priced at Rs.<br />
5,100, while both the<br />
Galaxy Star Advance and<br />
Galaxy Ace NXT will be<br />
available at Rs. 7,400. The South<br />
Korean giant has not revealed the<br />
availability details for the three new<br />
Galaxy handsets.<br />
Notably, all three new Samsung<br />
smartphones - the Galaxy Star 2, Galaxy<br />
Star Advance and Galaxy Ace NXT - run<br />
Android4.4 KitKat out-of-the-box with<br />
the company's TouchWiz Essence UI<br />
on top, and all three support dual-SIM<br />
functionality.<br />
In addition, the company revealed that<br />
the three new Galaxy smartphones come<br />
with support for 12 Indian languages<br />
including Assamese, Bengali, Guajarati,<br />
Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Malayalam,<br />
Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.<br />
Samsung, in partnership with Vodafone,<br />
has also announced 200MB of free data<br />
per month for the first six months.<br />
The Samsung Galaxy Star 2 comes with<br />
a 3.5-inch HVGA (320x480 pixels). It is<br />
powered by a single-core Spreadtrum<br />
SC6815A clocked at 1GHz alongside<br />
512MB of RAM. It sports a 2-megapixel<br />
fixed focus rear camera and includes<br />
4GB of inbuilt storage which is further<br />
expandable up to 32GB via microSD<br />
card. It includes Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi<br />
b/g/n, and Micro-USB connectivity<br />
options. The Galaxy Star 2 does not come<br />
with 3G network support and comes with<br />
Asim Warsi,<br />
Vice President,<br />
Marketing,<br />
Mobile and IT,<br />
Samsung India<br />
“Especially created for the<br />
Indian market Galaxy Star<br />
2, Galaxy Star Advance<br />
and Galaxy Ace NXT have<br />
been launched to provide a<br />
larger set of consumers with<br />
the experience of superior<br />
mobile technologies and<br />
richer internet experience at<br />
an affordable price."<br />
109.8x59.9x11.8mm dimensions and<br />
weighs 108 grams. It packs a 1300mAh<br />
battery, and will be available in Grey and<br />
White colour variants.<br />
48<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>
The Galaxy Star Advance features a<br />
4.3-inch WVGA (480x800 pixels) TFT<br />
display and is powered by a 1.2GHz<br />
(unspecified chipset) processor coupled<br />
with 512MB of RAM. It sports a<br />
3-megapixel rear camera with LED flash,<br />
while there is no front-facing camera<br />
onboard. The 4GB of inbuilt storage on<br />
the Galaxy Star Advance can be expanded<br />
further up to 32GB (via microSD card).<br />
Connectivity options on the device<br />
include 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS.<br />
It packs an 1800mAh battery, measures<br />
129.7x65.9x9.4mm and weighs 138<br />
grams. The smartphone will be available<br />
in Black and White colour options.<br />
Finally, the Samsung Galaxy Ace<br />
NXT, which was recently listed on the<br />
company's site with a price of Rs. 7,335,<br />
features a 4-inch WVGA (480x800<br />
pixels) TFT display, and packs a<br />
Spreadtrum Dolphin (single A7) 1.2GHz<br />
processor coupled with 512MB of RAM.<br />
It sports a 3-megapixel rear camera with<br />
LED flash, while there is no front facing<br />
camera onboard. The 4GB of inbuilt<br />
storage on the Galaxy Ace NXT can<br />
be expanded further up to 32GB (via<br />
microSD card).<br />
Connectivity options on the Galaxy<br />
Ace NXT include 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth,<br />
GPRS/ EDGE, and GPS/ A-GPS. The<br />
smartphone packs a 1500mAh battery.<br />
It measures 121.4x62.9x10.7mm and<br />
weighs 123 grams. It will be available in<br />
Black and White colour variants.<br />
BBM NOW<br />
AVAILABLE FOR<br />
WINDOWS PHONE<br />
USERS<br />
B<br />
lackBerry Ltd announced that its<br />
popular messaging system BBM, or<br />
BlackBerry Messenger, would now<br />
be open to those using the Windows phone<br />
platform, a move that potentially makes the<br />
messaging service more appealing to its<br />
enterprise clients. The move is part of a<br />
broader push that has also seen BlackBerry<br />
widen its device management capabilities<br />
to include devices that are powered by the<br />
Android, iOS, and Windows platforms.<br />
APPS<br />
ARGUS<br />
TURNS YOUR i PHONE INTO A HEALTH<br />
AND FITNESS DEVICE<br />
A<br />
rgus turns your iPhone into a sophisticated health and fitness device<br />
as it monitors and manages your activities, food, workouts, sleep,<br />
hydration, weight and vitals, helping you make sense of numerous<br />
bio-feedback data points to reach your health goals and improve overall<br />
well-being.<br />
Argus is designed to harness every aspect of mobile computing to monitor<br />
your lifestyle without compromising your privacy. Argus is engineered for<br />
minimal power consumption and run 24/7 in the background. However<br />
continued use of GPS running in the background can significantly decrease<br />
battery life.<br />
DIGIFIT MOBILE APPS<br />
At the Heart of the Matter is<br />
Cardio Fitness Getting the Most<br />
of Your Digifit Experience<br />
A healthy heart is the foundation for<br />
a healthy life. Digifit apps are a great<br />
way to track and monitor your health<br />
and activities. Whether you are using<br />
an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Android,<br />
or using the my.digifit.com web portal,<br />
you get great tools that make your<br />
health and activity come alive. The free<br />
version tracks your distance, duration,<br />
pace, speed, elevation and then some.<br />
It maps your routes, gives you great<br />
in-workout graphs and metrics, voice<br />
feedback of your progress and position,<br />
and so much more!<br />
49
Point<br />
Out<br />
Govt Watch Movers & Shakers<br />
• MUNDRA TAKES OVER AS DY GOV,<br />
RBI<br />
Bank of Baroda<br />
Chairman And<br />
Managing<br />
Director S<br />
S Mundra<br />
has taken<br />
over as the<br />
fourth deputy<br />
governor of<br />
the Reserve<br />
bank of India.<br />
Mundra’s<br />
appointment was cleared by Prime<br />
Minister Narendra Modi cleared a few<br />
days before his retirement.<br />
Mundra was the junior-most among<br />
the nine candidates interviewed<br />
for the job few months ago but his<br />
appointment was delayed due to<br />
a change of guard at the Centre as<br />
well as controversy surrounding<br />
his candidature. The 60-year-old<br />
banker is a Bank of Baroda veteran,<br />
where he had started his career as a<br />
probationary officer, and did a short<br />
stint at Union Bank of India, where<br />
he was executive director. In a rare<br />
move, he returned as the CMD of<br />
his parent bank and was seen as<br />
a surprise choice for the coveted<br />
regulatory job. In fact, Mundra would<br />
have never offered this assignment<br />
had it not been for K C Chakrabarty's<br />
decision to step down before the end<br />
of his term as RBI deputy governor.<br />
• RIZVI TO BE APPOINTED AS<br />
DIRECTOR,<br />
CABINET SECRETARIAT<br />
Syed Ali Murtaza Rizvi a 1999 batch<br />
Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS officer is<br />
tipped to be appointed as Director<br />
in Cabinet Secretariat. The Andhra<br />
Pradesh government is likely to<br />
relieve him from his responsibility to<br />
take up the new assignment.<br />
• SURENDER SINGH APPOINTED<br />
SPL DIRECTOR, IB<br />
Surender Singh has been appointed<br />
as Special Director in the Intelligence<br />
Bureau (IB). He is a 1980 batch IPS<br />
Officer of West Bengal cadre.<br />
• ASHWANI KUMAR TO BE CMD, BOB<br />
Ashwani Kumar<br />
will be the next<br />
Chairman and<br />
Managing<br />
Director of<br />
Bank of Baroda.<br />
Kumar, who is<br />
presently the<br />
CMD of Dena<br />
Bank. Ashwani<br />
Kumar has<br />
been with the<br />
banking sector for over 32 years, and<br />
has worked with Allahabad Bank and<br />
Corporation Bank.<br />
• NIHARIKA RAI IS DY<br />
COMMISSIONER DELHI MUNICIPAL<br />
CORPORATION<br />
Niharika Rai, a 2005 cadre IAS officer,<br />
has been transferred as Deputy<br />
Commissioner, South Delhi Municipal<br />
Corporation.<br />
50<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>
IN FOCUS PSUs<br />
SYNDICATE BANK CMD SK JAIN<br />
FACES SUSPENSION<br />
Syndicate Bank shares slump over 8% after chairman's arrest<br />
CBI has registered two cases against Jain<br />
and 11 others including CMD and Directors<br />
of two private firms based at Delhi -<br />
Bhushan Steel and Prakash Industries- in<br />
a bribery case under relevant sections of<br />
Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and<br />
criminal conspiracy.<br />
Mumbai: Shares of Syndicate Bank<br />
plunged over 8 percent after the CBI<br />
arrested its Chairman and Managing<br />
Director S K Jain for allegedly taking bribe<br />
of Rs 50 lakh for increasing credit limit of<br />
some companies.<br />
Syndicate Bank's scrip slumped 8.57<br />
percent to Rs 132.25 on the BSE. At the<br />
NSE, it tumbled 8.45 percent to Rs 132.10.<br />
Led by the sharp fall in the stock, the<br />
company's market value fell by Rs 961.85<br />
crore to Rs 8,078.17 crore.<br />
Shares of Bhushan Steel and Prakash<br />
Industries also took a severe beating,<br />
plunging 9 percent and 19.96 percent,<br />
respectively on the BSE.<br />
Jain and seven others were remanded in<br />
CBI custody for four days as the agency<br />
plans to probe various other angles<br />
into the case that may emerge from the<br />
telephonic transcripts of the official and<br />
51<br />
conduits.<br />
The CBI placed Jain and seven others<br />
-- Chairman and Managing Director of<br />
Prakash Industries Ved Prakash Agarwal<br />
and Director Vipul Agarwal, Chartered<br />
Accountant Pawan Bansal, Vineet and<br />
Puneet Godha (relatives of Jain), Vijay<br />
Pahuja and Pankaj Bansal under arrest.<br />
Jain was arrested by the CBI for allegedly<br />
negotiating with Bhushan Steel for an<br />
illegal gratification of Rs 50 lakh in<br />
return for granting credit extension to<br />
that company as it had defaulted on the<br />
payment of loan instalments amounting<br />
to crores of rupees to the bank.<br />
CBI has registered two cases against<br />
Jain and 11 others including CMD<br />
and Directors of two private firms<br />
based at Delhi -- Bhushan Steel and<br />
Prakash Industries -- in a bribery case<br />
under relevant sections of Prevention<br />
of Corruption Act, 1988 and criminal<br />
conspiracy.
Point<br />
Out<br />
Point<br />
Out<br />
A conscious attempt to not just call attention to the ills<br />
around us but also to seek solutions from the stakeholders<br />
&<br />
salute where the credit is due<br />
A magazine that touches every aspect of the nation<br />
52<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>
Point<br />
Out<br />
VILLAGE ROOTS<br />
PIPLANTRI :<br />
PLANTING HAPPINESS<br />
At a time when girl child was seen as a curse in most north<br />
Indian villages, villagers of Piplantri worked out a novel<br />
scheme whereby villagers plant 111 saplings every time a girl<br />
child is born in the village.<br />
»»<br />
AARTI<br />
Piplantri village in Rajsamand district<br />
of Rajasthan, a non-descript village<br />
with a population of about 6,000<br />
is making waves with its initiative<br />
towards protecting the girl child and<br />
environment. At a time when girl child was<br />
seen as a curse in most north Indian villages,<br />
villagers of Piplantri worked out a novel<br />
scheme whereby villagers plant 111 saplings<br />
every time a girl child is born in the village.<br />
Not only on birth, during deaths in any<br />
family too, 11 saplings are planted. Villagers<br />
54<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>
ensure that these saplings survive vagaries of<br />
weather and go on to grow into trees. This<br />
has been a practice in the village for over the<br />
past five years.<br />
Not only that villagers also collects a sum<br />
of Rs 21,000 and take Rs 10,000 from the<br />
family where a girl child is born and make<br />
a fixed deposit of Rs 31,000 in the name<br />
of the girl child for 20 years. The catch is<br />
as village sarpanch Shyam Sunder Paliwal<br />
says, one has to pledge on an affidavit<br />
to send the girl to school and that the<br />
girl would be married off only after she<br />
becomes an adult and they would take<br />
55<br />
Not only on birth, during deaths in any<br />
family too, 11 saplings are planted.<br />
Villagers ensure that these saplings<br />
survive vagaries of weather and go on to<br />
grow into trees. This has been a practice in<br />
the village for over the past five years.<br />
care of the saplings planted in her name.<br />
District officials told POINT OUT that<br />
villagers have planted about four lakh<br />
trees in and around the village. With the<br />
care of villagers the saplings are growing<br />
into trees beating high mortality rates<br />
normally associated with any such<br />
initiatives. With an improvement in<br />
green villagers themselves are feeling the<br />
difference in climate, they said.<br />
Besides, plantation initiatives Piplantri has<br />
initiated several programmes for improved<br />
sanitation and infrastructure in the village.<br />
Efforts of villagers to have toilet facilities<br />
at home and all public places including<br />
schools have won them several state and<br />
national-level awards.
Point<br />
Out<br />
TAROT FORECAST<br />
»»<br />
Nandita Pandey<br />
ARIES: (22nd March- 21st April)<br />
This is the month to exude your wisdom and patience in order to nullify your<br />
obstacles. Professionally, you shall suddenly come out of your problems<br />
as you enter into the latter half phase of the month. Expenses shall be on<br />
the higher side on a fatherly figure during this phase of your life. Keeping<br />
a check on your emotional anxieties helps in balancing your monetary<br />
matters as well. A lot of travelling might create restlessness in matters of heart.<br />
Maintaining your calm and being flexible in your attitude helps you in balancing<br />
emotional quotient in your love life.<br />
LUCKY COLOUR : Grey<br />
TAURUS: (22nd April - 21st May)<br />
New beginnings in professional area give you the required boost in your project.<br />
Creative pursuits are all the more rewarding throughout this phase of your<br />
life. Financial matters show subtle growth and investment options even if<br />
plenty have a lukewarm response during this period. There are possibilities<br />
of an unpleasant exchange of ideas in matters of heart. Being too stubborn<br />
and non flexible can create further rifts between you and your partner. Someone close<br />
to you might not fulfill your expectation levels as the month comes to a close.<br />
LUCKY COLOUR: Turquoise<br />
GEMINI: (22nd May- 21st June)<br />
Good news in financial matters right from the beginning of the month and extending<br />
throughout enhances your monetary status. This is an excellent period for<br />
you to indulge into fresh investments. Professionally, you gain from your<br />
intuitive insights. A fresh outlook towards your projects and implementing<br />
new skills in your work helps you in boosting their prospects. The cards<br />
guide you to maintain a balanced view towards your love life in order to enjoy peace<br />
and harmony. The month turns out to be an extremely romantic one only if you would<br />
not go overboard on your emotions. You might have to undergo few setbacks by the<br />
end of the month. Legal matters if any will be tough to handle.<br />
LUCKY COLOUR: Black / white<br />
CANCER: (22nd June - 21st July)<br />
This is the month when you would want to take your relationship to a more stable<br />
status. Thoughts of settlement and a protective streak towards your loved<br />
one comes out naturally in your mind and heart. Professionally, there is<br />
enough harmony and happiness. You weave a beautiful co-ordination<br />
amongst your colleagues and which in turn brings about excellent output<br />
in your projects. Creative ventures shall be extremely favourable. Financial benefits<br />
are good and few investments will be directed towards either renovating your house<br />
or in minor household works. There are a number of travels that suddenly crop up<br />
by the end of the month.<br />
LUCKY COLOUR: Orange/ brown<br />
LEO: (22nd July - 21st August)<br />
Professionally, there is good news coming in from a lot of directions. You will be<br />
helped by a man who has excellent knack for communications in your<br />
work front. Financial benefits shall be good though there is still scope<br />
for a lot of improvements in some of the investments. Following your gut<br />
instincts when it comes to your love life helps you in achieving peace<br />
and happiness in this front. Emotionally this month will bring about quite enriching<br />
experiences. Happiness and love floats in your life as the month comes to its end.<br />
LUCKY COLOUR: Red<br />
VIRGO: (22nd August- 21st September)<br />
Professionally, there are a lot of positive reflections taking shape during this phase of<br />
your life. There are expansions and growth in your projects. Business trips<br />
shall be extremely favourable. You might also meet up with an interesting<br />
man while on a journey. A number of options knock your door shooting<br />
your investment graph northwards and enriching your monetary status<br />
further. However, any transitions or journeys related to matters of heart should be<br />
avoided in this month. Keep a check on external factors which might affect your life<br />
adversely as the month comes to its close.<br />
LUCKY COLOUR: Blue<br />
56<br />
August <strong>2014</strong><br />
LIBRA: (22nd September- 21st October)<br />
Being realistic about your professional life helps you in balancing a lot of blockages<br />
that otherwise would have knocked your door. A person or a company<br />
will promise you a lot and yet shall be unable to deliver them. Having<br />
an alternative plan helps you in the hours of crisis. Avoid any new<br />
investments during this phase as they might not bring you expected<br />
gains. There are few issues that you still need to resolve properly in matters of<br />
heart. At the surreal levels everything seems to be going fine and yet a feeling of<br />
sadness creeps in your heart during this month. Being in the company of children<br />
shall be very therapeutic during this month. Good news follows you as the month<br />
comes to it end.<br />
LUCKY COLOUR: Pink<br />
SCORPIO: (22nd October- 21st November)<br />
Blessings of elders and guidance from experts are high key note during this month for<br />
you. Following their advice shall save you from a lot of negative patterns in<br />
life. Keep a double check on any communications especially written ones<br />
that you exchange with your loved one. Chances are that even a minor<br />
mistake can cause a lot of misunderstanding in life. Professional trips are<br />
best avoided in this phase of your life. Any kind of business transition is not advisable<br />
in this month. Good news can be expected as the month comes to its close.<br />
LUCKY COLOUR : Green<br />
SAGGITARIUS: (22nd November- 21st December)<br />
Blessings and guidance from a motherly figure helps you and guides you in your love<br />
life. This is a romantic month when most of your wishes are being fulfilled.<br />
Professionally, a lot of favourable changes are taking place and your<br />
juniors support you in your endeavours. Financial matters ease out further<br />
and indicate subtle monetary gains as the month progresses. You might<br />
feel a bit disappointed by few changes that suddenly crop up by the end of the month.<br />
LUCKY COLOUR: Orange<br />
CAPRICORN: (22nd December- 21st January)<br />
Professionally, this is the times to have a laid back approach and reap in the<br />
fruits of your efforts that have been put in so far. You will be happy with<br />
the way your projects will progress in life. Financial benefits though<br />
seem to be indicating an average growth phase. Matters of heart shall<br />
be extremely pleasant and romantic. You would want to take your<br />
relationship to its next stable levels. Family gatherings and wedding celebrations<br />
are high on the cards throughout this month. There are possibilities of plans of<br />
shifting to a new place or buying a new property in the near future.<br />
LUCKY COLOUR: Dark green<br />
AQUARIUS: (22nd January- 21st February)<br />
This is a roller coaster month for you when you witness few ups and few downs in<br />
life. A fatherly figure might interfere along in your romantic endeavours.<br />
However, you still will come across a number of opportunities to still<br />
enjoy peace and happiness in love life. Being too stubborn about your<br />
communications and thought can lead onto fresh deadlocks in career<br />
area. However, if efforts are made from your end then there are possibilities of<br />
subtle changes taking shape. Finances need better handling. The month ends on<br />
an extremely positive note and whatever effort you make during this month will<br />
reap in the benefits as the month comes to its end.<br />
LUCKY COLOUR: Peach<br />
PISCES: (22nd February- 21st March)<br />
Being too possessive about your relationship might cause you a lot of anxieties in<br />
matters of heart. Instead giving breathing space to your partner might<br />
help in bringing back love and happiness in life. Financial opportunities<br />
shall be plenty and growth oriented. However, you should be careful in<br />
dealing your projects. There are delays and disappointments in your<br />
work related area. Legal matters if any turn out quite tough ones to crack. A<br />
stalemate situation crops up by the end of the month.<br />
LUCKY COLOUR: Blue<br />
(Nandita Pandey is an internationally renowned and acclaimed Astro Vaastu Tarot Consultant, Spiritual healer and Past Life Regression Therapist based at Delhi. Email soch.333@gmail.com )
Point<br />
Out<br />
NEW ARMY CHIEF<br />
VEGETARIAN, TEETOTALER AND<br />
ARMY CHIEF<br />
»»<br />
SURYA GANGADHARAN<br />
His name is Dalbir Singh Suhag, he’s<br />
an animal lover, vegetarian and<br />
teetotaler. He’s also India’s 26th<br />
Chief of Army Staff (the third<br />
consecutive chief not to drink) and this is<br />
where the narrative changes:<br />
At age 59 he stands ramrod straight<br />
at nearly six feet with a moustache to<br />
match. He looks a lean mean fighting<br />
machine, loves long distance running and<br />
is rumoured to do 100 push ups every<br />
morning without a pause (courtesy a daily<br />
diet of churma made in desi ghee and<br />
buffalo milk).<br />
And by the way, for reasons unknown, he<br />
wants to be addressed only as Gen Dalbir<br />
Singh.<br />
The new chief has “army family” stamped<br />
all over him. His father is a retired subedarmajor<br />
from 18 Cavalry who decided early<br />
on that son Dalbir should be an officer.<br />
In short order the class IV student was<br />
moved from his village school in Jhajjar<br />
district of Haryana to the Sainik School in<br />
Chitorgarh, Rajasthan. It was from there<br />
that he sat for the NDA exam. His younger<br />
brother Dharambir is also in the army, and<br />
so are two brothers-in-law.<br />
The chief ’s career has taken him to every<br />
corner of India, from Kashmir to Bengal in<br />
the east. He also served with his battalion<br />
4/5 Gurkha Rifles in Sri Lanka, where<br />
bonds forged in bloody battles against the<br />
LTTE endure even today. His commanding<br />
officer at that time, Lt.Col.IJS Bawa (his<br />
company commander when he was a<br />
newly commissioned 2nd/Lt.), was killed<br />
in action winning the Maha Vir Chakra<br />
posthumously. Gen Dalbir remains in<br />
touch with Bawa’s family, visiting them at<br />
their home in Panchkula, Chandigarh.<br />
Bawa’s widow Lily is now a municipal<br />
councilor. She recalled the time Suhag and<br />
his newly married wife Namita spent with<br />
The new chief has “army family”<br />
stamped all over him. His father is a<br />
retired subedar-major from 18 Cavalry<br />
who decided early on that son Dalbir<br />
should be an officer.<br />
them when the battalion was stationed in<br />
Hashimara, West Bengal. “At that time<br />
we had limited accommodation<br />
and the couple stayed with us<br />
for almost two months," she<br />
recalled. "Namita, known<br />
as Guddi to loved ones,<br />
was a pretty young girl<br />
and Dalbir was well<br />
built, tall, genuine and<br />
extremely simple boy.<br />
They used to play<br />
with our kids and<br />
we had a great time<br />
with them."<br />
Suhag is very<br />
down to earth, says<br />
Lily Bawa. He has<br />
no pretensions, speaks<br />
plainly, directly and cares for<br />
people.<br />
"Dalbir and Guddi (his wife)<br />
call me frequently like a close<br />
family member,” Lily said during<br />
a recent interview. “Dalbir even<br />
attended the wedding of my daughter.<br />
On every occasion whether it was a tough<br />
time or happy moments, he had always<br />
taken care of us like a family member."<br />
The new chief, according to army buzz,<br />
is articulate but taciturn, proud of<br />
his Gurkha lineage and believes<br />
implicitly in his men. He<br />
promised that he<br />
would “provide the<br />
equipment and weapons for performing<br />
their assigned roles.”<br />
A tall order given the sloth that afflicts the<br />
MoD procurement bureaucracy. But he<br />
has 30 months to deliver and his men will<br />
be watching.<br />
58<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>
Pro Kabaddi League will further advance the sport’s<br />
reputation and reach internationally, by bringing together<br />
Indian and international players, acclaimed Indian<br />
personalities and sports authorities.<br />
sports<br />
KABADDI LEAGUE : TURNING<br />
TO TRADITIONAL SPORTS<br />
»»<br />
RANJITH<br />
Kabaddi…Kabaddi…Kabaddi…<br />
none would have missed it out<br />
while growing in rural or suburban<br />
heartlands in India. The traditional<br />
sport akin to those in the ring is a test of<br />
endurance, strength and agility. It had<br />
59<br />
not much takers, even after India drafted<br />
it into Asian Games during 1983. It was<br />
popular among South Asian countries but<br />
remained confined as a rural sport with no<br />
recognition to its players in a region where<br />
cricket is revered.<br />
Now, all is set to change with the launch<br />
of Pro Kabaddi League, termed a bold<br />
revolution in Indian sporting history.<br />
Pro Kabaddi League will further<br />
advance the sport’s reputation and reach<br />
internationally, by bringing together<br />
Indian and international players,<br />
acclaimed Indian personalities and sports<br />
authorities.<br />
Pro Kabaddi League has been organized
Point<br />
Out<br />
Pro Kabaddi League has been organized in association with International Kabaddi<br />
Federation, Asian Kabaddi Federation and Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India<br />
and sports commentator Charu Sharma, who is Director of Mashal Sports Pvt. Ltd<br />
is the guiding force behind the formation of the league<br />
in association with International Kabaddi<br />
Federation, Asian Kabaddi Federation and<br />
Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India and<br />
sports commentator Charu Sharma, who<br />
is Director of Mashal Sports Pvt. Ltd is the<br />
guiding force behind the formation of the<br />
league.<br />
Star Sports will be the official broadcast<br />
partner for the Pro Kabaddi League.<br />
Matches will be held on a 'home and<br />
away' format with daily, LIVE, primetime<br />
coverage while India’s leading<br />
entrepreneurs like Uday Kotak, Ronnie<br />
Screwvala, Kishore Biyani, Rajesh Shah<br />
(Mukand Group) are among team owners<br />
while efforts are on to rope in other big<br />
names. What is heartening is the fact<br />
that some leading film personalities have<br />
evinced interest in promoting the sports<br />
and be a part of the league.<br />
All Pro Kabaddi League matches will be<br />
played on a specially developed mat in<br />
state of the art indoor stadiums across<br />
eight cities. Top Kabaddi players from<br />
across India and the globe will participate<br />
in a show of intense competition and<br />
sporting camaraderie.<br />
The matches will be preceded by a player<br />
auction, where each of the teams will get<br />
equal opportunity to build their squads.<br />
Almost 100 players will be auctioned,<br />
out of which 72 players will be Indian<br />
and the rest will be international players<br />
from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Canada,<br />
England, Indonesia, Italy, Islamic Republic<br />
of Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan,<br />
South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand,<br />
Turkmenistan, United States of America,<br />
Vietnam and Zimbabwe. The League is<br />
bound to take the sport to a new level of<br />
prominence and ensure that stars such as<br />
Navneet Gautam, Rakesh Kumar, Ajay<br />
Thakur and Rajaguru are bound to become<br />
the new sporting heroes of our land.<br />
Matches will be played as per the current<br />
international rules and regulations of<br />
the IKF. The Federation is also seriously<br />
considering making some small but<br />
significant changes to the game, to enhance<br />
its appeal on television.<br />
An official website www.prokabaddi.<br />
com has also been launched. The site, is<br />
a repository of information on all things<br />
related to Pro Kabaddi as well as Kabaddi<br />
in general.<br />
Pro Kabaddi League has been<br />
conceptualized with robust marketing<br />
strategies. Each franchisee will not only<br />
have their team colors and star players<br />
but also create their own fan following<br />
with innovative media outreach strategies.<br />
Sports enthusiasts, in India and across<br />
the world, can keep track of the matches,<br />
scores, players as well as participate in<br />
the game through social media platforms<br />
such as the Pro Kabaddi League website<br />
www.prokabaddi.com, Twitter handle<br />
@prokabaddi and Facebook page Pro<br />
Kabaddi.<br />
60<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>
61<br />
T O U C H I N G E V E R Y A S P E C T O F T H E N A T I O N
Point<br />
Out<br />
CINEMA<br />
SINGHAM<br />
RETURNS<br />
SONG IS FINALLY OUT<br />
T<br />
he much awaited song of Singham Returns<br />
'AataMajhiSatakli' is finally out!!The song<br />
has crossed one million views on the video<br />
streaming website YouTube in just one day.<br />
In this promotional song, AjayDevgan and Kareena<br />
Kapoor will be seen dancing to the tunes of<br />
numerouno rapper and musician YoYo Honey Singh<br />
and who will be featuring along with them as well.<br />
The song is vibrant, fun and stylish which has been<br />
shot in a span of 3 days on a very grand scale!<br />
Interestingly, the video also features over 100<br />
children dressed in police uniforms.<br />
Choreographed by Ganesh Acharya, the song is<br />
sung by YoYo Honey Singh and Mamta Sharma.<br />
'Singham Returns' is the sequel to 2011 movie<br />
`Singham`, which became a huge hit, and is set to<br />
release on August 15.<br />
62<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>
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63
Point<br />
Out<br />
ABHISHEK KEEN ON YUVRAJ SINGH BIOPIC<br />
A<br />
bhishek Bachchan says if he gets an opportunity, he would love to do a biopic on cricketer Yuvraj Singh, whose career graph and fighting spirit<br />
as a cancer survivor, the actor believes, can make for an inspiration tale.<br />
The 38-year-old was present at a press conference to introduce his Kabaddi team, Jaipur Pink Panthers, a franchise of the Pro Kabaddi<br />
League. Asked which sportsperson's biopic he would love to do, Abhishek said: "I would love to do Yuvraj Singh's biopic. I think Yuvraj has had a<br />
fantastic life. He is a warrior. "I would have loved to say Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, M.S. Dhoni or Sachin Tendulkar or Sourav Ganguly, but I love the<br />
career graph of Yuvi. He has got a fantastic career graph." Yuvraj, a cancer survivor, became a star overnight when he hit six sixes in a single over<br />
at the 2007 World Twenty 20 against England. His journey has not been less than an adventurous film. Having started his career from the Punjab<br />
Under-16s at the age of 13 years, he entered international Cricket in 2003. Recently, he smashed a century at the bicentenary match at Lord's. "All<br />
the things he had to fight against, getting selected at the young age, being a young superstar, then being dropped from the team, fighting cancer and<br />
then coming back...So, I think as a performance, Yuvi's character will be great," added the junior Bachchan, who is sports buff himself.<br />
SALMAN ANNOUNCES HE WILL<br />
NEVER MARRY<br />
F<br />
inally, in the talk show Ek Mulaqat of DD News, Salman Khan did not shy away from<br />
accepting that may be he will never marry in his life.<br />
The actor reportedly also said that he has no interest in politics; neither does he wish<br />
to direct movies but will continue acting.<br />
It was in the same talk show in the year 2010,DeepikaPadukone considered Salman is the<br />
real 'Lafanga' though he has many good qualities that can be inspiration for others.<br />
In his full length interview the versatile actor has freely opened himself and said that he will<br />
prefer investing his time for the well-being of children.<br />
He is happy with his social work that he is doing through 'Being Human' and wishes to<br />
adopt few more places where he can actively engage himself for the betterment of children.<br />
64<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>
AAMIR KHAN’S PK POSTER : ORIGINAL OR INSPIRED ?<br />
A<br />
amir Khan’s much anticipated poster for his December release PK has<br />
leaked and made it’s way to the Internet. PK poster of Aamir Khan's<br />
upcoming movie is getting plenty of buzz .In the poster a nude Aamir is<br />
seen holding a transistor covering his private parts and looking like he’s from<br />
another world. Buzz is that Aamir is playing the role of an alien named PK and<br />
this is how he lands up on earth in nothing but his birthday suit on. A 70’s poster<br />
of portugese album 'Quim Barreros' look similar to the poster of Aamir Khan's<br />
PK. People are now questioning the PK Original idea is rather inspired by the<br />
Portugese Album poster.<br />
The film, which also stars Anushka Sharma is being directed by Raj Kumar<br />
Hirani, who earlier worked with the perfectionist Khan in 3 Idiots. The film, which<br />
also had Kareena Kapoor, R Madhavan and Sharman Joshi went on to become<br />
a blockbuster hit.<br />
Keep checking this space for more scoop on PK, which is set to hit the theatres<br />
on December 19 this year.<br />
65<br />
SAIF IS A BRILLIANT ACTOR:<br />
KAREENA<br />
A<br />
fter Sajid Khan’s ‘Humshakals’ failed to create magic at the Box<br />
Office, Saif Ali Khan expressed his disappointment about the<br />
films final outcome in a recent interview.<br />
Saif felt like he was trying to be someone completely different from his<br />
actual self. Saif’s wife and actress Kareena said that people don't like<br />
to see him in that space as he has given such wonderful performances<br />
in films like 'Omkara', 'Parineeta' and others. He has done films that<br />
have been path breaking.<br />
"He is such a brilliant actor. So, may be some people thought they did<br />
not want to see him in this kind of genre. You can see another actor in<br />
this genre but not see someone like Saif.<br />
So in that sense he thought it was a mistake," she said.Kareena too has<br />
done comedy films like the 'Golmaal' series, but she says those were<br />
not slapstick and they had strong story
Point<br />
Out<br />
SPIRITUAL TOUCH<br />
MY TRUTH, YOUR TRUTH & OUR TRUTH<br />
»»<br />
MORARI BAPU<br />
As I understand, one Truth is ‘My<br />
Truth’, second Truth is, ‘Your Truth’<br />
& third Truth is, ‘Our Truth’. If we<br />
deeply assimilate these three ideas<br />
of Truth in a family, in our confined family,<br />
as such these are comprehensive ideas,<br />
but let’s begin from our home. If a husband<br />
thinks that this is ‘My Truth’ then it must<br />
be welcomed, but at the same time it’s his<br />
liable duty that there is some Truth of my<br />
wife as well. This is ‘My Truth’, that is ‘Your<br />
Truth’. But there is a third Truth which is,<br />
‘Our Truth’ , I’ve mentioned umpteen times<br />
while giving its definition that, this is my<br />
lamp, welcome. Someone else may (point<br />
to some other lamp and) say, this is my<br />
lamp. So, that becomes his lamp. But the<br />
sun is the lamp of all of us. Sun is Truth of<br />
all of us.<br />
“My Truth” is a good idea, but there exists<br />
“Others’ Truth” as well. And at the end,<br />
reach a unanimous decision of ‘Our Truth’,<br />
The Truth of all of us. And until & unless<br />
‘Our Truth’ doesn’t materialise, till then no<br />
lamp kindles; what if the sun wouldn’t have<br />
existed? While it’s asked about Familial<br />
Truth, I shall so tell you what has come in<br />
my experience. You as well understand one<br />
thing. Along with Truth, Love is necessary;<br />
along with Truth, Compassion must<br />
infallibly be present. And therefore when<br />
you had asked, what if you’re to choose<br />
one of them and my reply was that I cannot<br />
refute this Triangle, this is my belief. All<br />
three are needed. For the Truth of Family<br />
too, all three are needed. Though the three<br />
names are different, but all three are united<br />
on their respective positions. All three of<br />
them are associated.<br />
As far as possible, husband must speak<br />
Truth, wife must cultivate compassion.<br />
Compassion in a feminine body is a natural<br />
virtue, let it awaken. And the offspring, the<br />
children present at home are Love. Thus,<br />
the Triangle will complete. If this triangle<br />
gets formed in our life then it can cause a<br />
great benefit. So, this shell become Familial<br />
Truth.<br />
At times what happens is the man does abide<br />
by Truth considering his responsibility,<br />
but wife may perhaps not wish to live in<br />
equal Compassion. Since it has been asked<br />
about the Familial Truth, hence I’m sharing<br />
my darsana (philosophy) , philosophy<br />
means I’m not a philosopher. Darsana<br />
means places, (take it) in the context that,<br />
I happen to visit many places, hence it’s<br />
whatever I observe in various families.<br />
Sometimes, a family that has small kids, or<br />
a younger brother, or whoever is younger<br />
in age or lower in rank…. Even till maids<br />
& servants…maids & servants are also<br />
your children. Think about it, those who’re<br />
born in others’ home & are working in your<br />
home; Love towards them is necessary.<br />
Pressurizing someone is an offence of love.<br />
Love is a synonym of freedom. So, please,<br />
if Truth exists then parents must properly<br />
nourish the children & those lower in rank<br />
with Compassion.<br />
I’ve perhaps already narrated a story, if not<br />
then listen now. Once upon a time, there<br />
was a great king of ancient times. A bird<br />
came flying in his kingdom. No one had<br />
seen such a bird in his state ever before. The<br />
bird was sitting on the wall of King’s palace.<br />
Entire town is beholding curiously, what<br />
kind of bird this is! The king arrived there<br />
too, everyone participated in this curiosity.<br />
The pundits were called in, for such a bird<br />
was never seen before. Is the arrival of such<br />
a bird auspicious or inauspicious? Do tell<br />
us by your calculation. And pundits are<br />
indeed pundits are indeed pundits! He told<br />
so to the king about this strange bird that,<br />
I feel some adversity is going to befall the<br />
state, hence such a bird has arrived. Have<br />
you ever seen such wide wings of any bird?<br />
Have you seen such long beak? It’s really<br />
weird. It’s an ill-omen. When must be<br />
done? Capture the bird & let its wings be<br />
cut according to other birds of our state &<br />
file its beak as consistent as the other birds.<br />
Ill-omen will transform into an auspicious<br />
omen. Pundits give such decisions! I’m not<br />
criticizing the Pundits. I honour everyone.<br />
If I come across an excellent pundit, I feel<br />
proud about his erudition. But their few<br />
ideas have deluded the society. This is also<br />
the Truth. However, I don’t generalize so<br />
far the whole cult of pundits. Sometimes<br />
the so-called pundits have immensely<br />
pressurized the society by explaining those<br />
core principles of righteousness which they<br />
themselves have failed to understand.<br />
So, King was given this suggestion. The<br />
King, anyhow, got the foreign &bizarre bird<br />
captured. Wings were amputated & so was<br />
the beak! And what happened next, can<br />
you imagine? The bird died! And blessed is<br />
a man for being such a fool that though his<br />
wing are being amputated, his beak is being<br />
cut in the name of the beaten tradition, yet<br />
man continues to live on! It’s a shame! Bird<br />
is much dignified!<br />
Aren’t we amputating our children’s wings<br />
by scolding why is he not becoming a<br />
doctor in his career? Why are you not<br />
becoming like Vivekanada ? Children’s<br />
wings of innateness are being amputated.<br />
Their beak is being cut. If you are Truth<br />
& if your wife is all Compassion then,<br />
give Love to those who are smaller in age<br />
or rank & who’re living life under your<br />
shelter, don’t amputate their wings. Let all<br />
of it end in the 21st century. This is the<br />
Familial Truth. As you have asked about<br />
the Familial Truth then I wish to tell that<br />
hermitage is also family. The whole state is<br />
a family & expanding further, ‘VasuDhaiva<br />
Kutumbakam’. Let it being from our home.<br />
66<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>
67<br />
touching every aspect of the nation
Point<br />
Out<br />
68<br />
August <strong>2014</strong>