ConneCtIng IndIa wIth Its dIaspora

vol 3 Issue 7 July 2010

PRAVA SI BHARATIYA

the eye of
the storm
India came into it own during the
recent global economic crisis — it
was less about its consequences and
more about how India tackled it

mInIstry of overseas IndIan affaIrs

 izoklh Hkkjrh; dk;Z ea=ky;
Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs

GlOBAl-INDIAN
NETwORk OF kNOwlEDGE
AN INITIATIVE OF THE MINISTRY OF OVERSEAS INDIAN AFFAIRS

The Overseas Indian Facilitation Centre (OIFC) has partnered

with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to develop the Global-INK framework.
An online web portal, it is powered by SupportCentral, a next generation knowledge
management, collaboration and business solutions platform.

The communities will also provide an array of collaboration tools:

● Blogs ● Forums ● Askan Expert ● Document management and sharing ● Online resource databases
 CONNECTING INDIA wITH ITS DIASpORA

Vol 3 Issue 7 July 2010

PRAVA SI BHARATIYA

lR;eso t;rs

izoklh Hkkjrh; dk;Z ea=ky;

Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs
www.overseasindian.in
 I
n adversity lies opportunity”, goes the well-worn saying. But it was no or-
dinary adversity when for nearly 12 months beginning late 2008 the
world was in the grips of an extraordinary financial and economic crisis.
Global financial citadels collapsed, inflicting severe damage to the eco-
nomic health of the world. The developed world was hit badly, the developing
'$ **, ,$.

world suffered worse. Job losses and loss of livelihood across the world ran
into several million while financial losses totalled billions of dollars.
Recovery has been slow but there are encouraging signs of a strong, de-
mand-driven and growth-driven comeback across the world. Businesses have
picked up the pieces while the world economy seems to be getting back on
)
& " % "&+' "+ '-& ,)"& +!
&+ $' $ '&'%" )"*"* / "+
- * $ ** ',+ "+* '&* (, & * &
track with considerable support from governments. Governments world over
have lent stimulus support worth billions of dollars to prop up failing banks,
%') ',+ !'- & " + #$ "+

institutions, industries and social security.

The Government of India extended a fiscal stimulus support of Rs. 1,86,000
crore, amounting to 3.5 per cent of India’s GDP. The support included tax cuts
Printed and Published by and interest rate subsidies. It paid off, with economic recovery holding turf, al-
Mithlesh Kumar on behalf of the beit slowly but decidedly on firm terrain. Jobs have been either reclaimed or
Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs created while manufacturing and exports have shown remarkable growth.
Akbar Bhavan, Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi — 110021 There has been, however, a different side to the story too around the world.
Website: http://moia.gov.in Reports have suggested that while world over the poor have become poorer
www.overseasindian.in and the rich richer in the wake of the global crisis, India had produced a third
“outcome”. Those affected by the crisis are reclaiming solider ground while the
Consulting Editor worst affected are being given new life through direct government interventions.
K.G. Sreenivas In the developed world, the crisis and the economic downturn are far from
over. On the other hand, in the developing world, led by China and India, re-
covery has been strong. Of course,

from
Pravasi Bharatiya is a monthly
publication. The views expressed in this trade with the developed world is
journal are those of the contributors still far from admirable. Yet most of
and do not necessarily reflect the views the big emerging and developing

the
of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs
economies have evidently taken the
(MOIA). All rights reserved. No part of
this journal may be produced, stored, or storm in its stride. It must also be re-
transmitted in any form or by any membered that the crisis was not the

editor’s
means — electronic, mechanical, making of the developing world.
photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the permission of MOIA.
For the poor across the world, the
story presented an existential crisis.
“The impact of the global economic

desk
Editorial correspondence and crisis has been substantial and it will
manuscripts can be addressed to
pravasi.bharatiya@gmail.com leave an additional 64 million people
in extreme poverty by the end of
2010,” says Otaviano Canuto, Vice-
Designed and produced by IANS President and head of the Poverty
(www.ianspublishing.com) on behalf of
the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs. Reduction and Economic Management Network of the World Bank. Poverty
and hunger had worsened and deepened across South Asia, including India,
and Sub-Saharan African countries. In fact, World Bank estimates suggest that
Printed at
the crisis, by the end of 2010, would have left an additional 50 million people
Anit Printers
1811, Gyani Bazar, in extreme poverty in 2009 and nearly 64 million by the end of 2010, mainly
Opp. D-56 N.D.S.E Part -1, in Sub-Saharan Africa and East and South-East Asia! The figures are mind numbing.
Kotla Mubarkpur, Yet how was the India experience different?
New Delhi -110003
The Government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), came out with a quick
policy response, with the RBI infusing about $80 billion as additional liquidity.
Subsequently, the Government announced three fiscal stimulus packages be-
tween November 2008-February 2009. In fact, these measures fuelled a 19
percent growth in employment generation during the October-January period
of the current fiscal over the corresponding period last year. In February this
year, the stimulus packages were supplemented by the fiscal outlay an-
nounced in the 2008-09 Interim Budget. These measures transferred signifi-
cant purchasing power to farmers and the rural sector and included farm loan
waivers, allocation of funds to the National Rural Employment Guarantee
Scheme, Bharat Nirman, and the Prime Minister’s Rural Road Programme,
among a host of others.
Read more about this in our Cover Story in addition to all your favourite reg-
izoklh Hkkjrh; dk;Z ea=ky;
Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs ular features.
www.overseasindian.in —K.G. Sreenivas

38
leander’s dozen
Leander Paes works his magic with
Grand Slam No. 12...
32
cUIsIne
With the blazing heat taking
its toll on our bodies this
summer, stay fit with these
vegetarian dishes that are
nutritious as well as tasty
18
34
travel
A cynical, urban woman
traveller explores the sweet
courtship rituals of the
Tarnetar Fair, where modern-
day swayamvars still take place
contents
12 cover story
art oF crIsIs
manaGement
The global economic crisis left in its
wake untold damage worldwide.
But the India story was different
news
6
Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi urges
Australia to exempt existing Indian students from the
new skills list so that they can finish their courses
economy
Bangalore and Bollywood are the two emblematic
icons of ‘Brand India’, says noted French economist
Guy Sorman
dIaspora
26
Indians have emerged as the third-largest immigrant
group in the United States. A report reveals that they
form 1.6 million of the immigrant population
40 42
cInema books
For some it spells romance, Indian origin author
for others it’s soul-fulfilling Vamsee Juluri’s The
season... For Bollywood, Mythologist examines the
Mumbai’s monsoon is relevance of mythological
eternal enthrallment... tales in real life
NEWS

‘Spare Indian
students’
Minister Vayalar Ravi urges Canberra to exempt
existing Indian students from the revised
skills list so that they can finish their courses,
reports Lakshmi Krishnakumar

A
mid recent reports that around
15,000 Indian students in Aus-
tralia could be forced to return
home under a revised skills list,
Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs
(MOIA) Joint Secretary G. Gurucharan
told IANS that 60 percent of the Indian
students will not be affected by the re-

Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vay-
alar Ravi has urged Canberra to exempt
existing Indian students from the new list
so that they could finish their courses.
Australia has slashed the existing
Skilled Occupations List (SOL) from 400
skills to 181 for vocational courses and
jobs, which are prerequisites to acquire per-
manent resident status and student visas.
Ravi, who visited Australia recently and
raised the issue, was confident that the
Australian government would accede to his
request, though he said it hadn’t made any
commitment. “I have asked the Australian
ministers to implement the list prospec-
tively and not retrospectively. I have asked
them to give our students two-and-a-half
years’ time to find a sponsor and employ-
ment,” Ravi told IANS recently, after return-
ing from Australia where he had met
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, Trade
Minister Simon Crean and Immigration and
Citizenship Minister Chris Evans.
vised list and that 30 percent will be
given a transition period of two-and-a-
half years to either find a job or sponsor
to acquire permanent resident status.
Those students facing uncertainty were
the remaining 10 percent, or around
10,000 students, who had arrived in Aus-
tralia on student visas with neither voca-
tional nor language skills and were only
intending to pick up jobs and secure per-
manent residency.
However, Minister Ravi was confident
that the authorities would not let down the
students. “I am confident and hopeful that
Australia will not disappoint our students
though they have not committed to us on
anything... They will look into the matter.”
Gurucharan said the Ministry had rea-
soned with the Australian authorities that
despite prior knowledge that these students
lacked vocational and language skills, Aus-
tralia had issued them student visas and so
now they cannot be forced to leave.
“
I have asked the Australian
ministers to implement the
list prospectively and not
retrospectively. I have asked
them to give our students two-
and-a-half years’ time to find
a sponsor and employment...
I am confident that Australia
will not disappoint our
students, though they have
not committed to us on
anything...They will look into
it...I tried to impress upon them
“
that our students should not
lose out on opportunities
— Vayalar Ravi

6 Pravasi Bharatiya  July 2010

Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi with Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith in Canberra on June 16.
STudENT VISA polIcy NoT bEINg chANgEd: oz
Australia has said that it was not
changing its student visa policy and
there were no plans to cap the num-
ber of foreign students studying in
the country.
The Australian High Commission
issued a statement on June 30 after
media reports stated that around
15,000 Indian students could be
forced to return after the new visa
policy comes into force on July 1.
“First, we are making changes to Aus-
tralia’s skilled migration programme,
not our student visa programme,”
said the statement. It added that
these changes were not India-spe-
cific. “They are not targeted at India or
any other country. They were not trig-
gered by the problems of the last
year over attacks on Indian students,”
said the High Commission. “No stu-
dent, whether from India or else-
where, currently studying in Australia
is going to be asked to cease their
course because of changes to our
skilled migration programme. They
will be allowed to complete their
studies. Many have visas to study
courses for several years,” said the
statement.
It was pointed out that a student
visa holder is in Australia for only a
temporary specified period to study
and is not guaranteed migration. The
High Commission also clarified that
there were no plans to restrict the
number of student visas.
“These concerns relate to a bill that
is currently before the Australian par-
liament. The amendments proposed
in this bill have been designed to
manage the skilled migration pro-
gramme and ensure that it meets the
labour market needs of the Australian
economy as flexibly as possible. There
are no plans to apply this to the stu-
dent visa programme,” said
the press release.
“But they also had a good argument in their
favour that when they gave these students
visas, it was only a student visa and so under
the new list, they cannot be given permanent
resident status,” he added.
Also affected by the new SOL are at least
5,000 other students. They were hit when the
Australian government ordered closure of 34
of its privately run institutes in the last few
months for failing to meet stipulated stan-
dards. The High Commission of India in Aus-
tralia had early this year warned students
planning higher studies in that country of the
existence of several sub-standard institutions
not meeting the standards set by the Aus-
tralian federal and state governments.
Ravi also held talks with Victoria Premier John
Brumby and urged him to take initiatives to help
the Indian students continue with their courses
in recognised institutes without being affected
by the new list. “I tried to impress upon them that
our students should not lose out on opportuni-
ties, they have spent a lot of money and energy
to get there, but when institutes are being shut
down by the government, what will our children
do? I am hoping they won’t disappoint our chil-
dren,” Ravi added.
July 2010  Pravasi Bharatiya 7
NEWS

NRIs’ voting rights bill soon

No possibility of postal ballots, Vayalar Ravi tells Lakshmi Krishnakumar

A
Bill to grant voting rights to
Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) is
expected to be passed during
the monsoon session of parlia-
ment, but there is no possibility of postal
ballots for them, according to Minister for
Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi.
“There is no question of postal ballots
because bogus voting will be a concern.
So they have to be physically present in
the country to be able to vote,” Ravi told
IANS on June 14.
The Bill was finalised at a meeting on
June 10 of a Group of Ministers consti-
tuted by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan
Singh. “The Bill will be passed in the next
session of parliament,” Minister Ravi said.
“The demand for voting rights for people
who live abroad — especially in the Gulf,
the numbers run into millions — was dif-
ficult to meet as names get deleted from
the voters’ list if they are absent from the
country for over six months,” Ravi said,
adding voting rights for NRIs residing in
There is no question of postal ballots because
other countries can be considered only bogus voting is a concern. So they have to be physically
after introduction of electronic voting present in the country to be able to vote. Voting rights for
system here. “When we have that, we can NRIs residing in other nations can be considered after
look into voting from their respective introduction of electronic voting system here
places of residence,” he said.

uS VISAS poSE ‘pERVASIVE pRoblEm’

Soon after India raised the
issue of visas for Indian profes-
sionals and skilled workers, a
senior U.S. official acknowl-
edged that visas posed an “ap-
pallingly pervasive problem” in
science and technology coop-
eration. “Visas have been an
appallingly pervasive problem
in science and technology co-
operation,” said Dr. John P.
Holdren, Advisor to the U.S.
President on Science and
Technology, on June 24.
“We need to streamline visa
procedures and we have made
considerable achievements al-
ready in the Obama adminis-
tration,” Holdren said at the in-
auguration of first US-India
Joint Commission on Science
and Technology Cooperation
in Washington. Indian Minister
of State for Science and Tech-
nology Prithviraj Chavan, who
led the Indian team, said the
coming together of India and
the U.S. would have a great
bearing on the future. “The
commitment of our two lead-
ers in building knowledge soci-
eties, without a doubt, is at a
level never seen before,” he
said. “For the relationship to be
meaningful, it has to be a mu-
tually beneficial arrangement,
with a win-win situation.”
The present-day challenges
of water, food security, food,
climate change or threat to na-
tional security can only be
addressed through science
and technology, Chavan said.
Science and technology
plays a key role in addressing
the challenges being faced by
both India and the US, Holdren
said, noting that the two coun-
tries have already accom- regime came a day after Indian
plished a lot through their Commerce and Industry Minis-
cooperation in the field of sci- ter Anand Sharma raised the
ence and technology. Hol- issue at a meeting with the U.S.
dren’s acknowledgement of Secretary of Commerce Gary
the problems with the U.S. visa Locke.

8 Pravasi Bharatiya  July 2010

I India, Europe
ndia and Europe have proposed to
resume high-level dialogue on “fu-
ture migratory movements”. Minis-

talk migration
ter for Overseas Indian Affairs
Vayalar Ravi met the High Representative
of the European Union Foreign Affairs
and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, in
New Delhi on June 23 to discuss India-
Europe “future migratory movements”. Minister Vayalar Ravi says he has had a very
“We had a good discussion on our mutual good discussion with High Representative of
interest in migration from India to Europe
and from Europe to India...We exchanged EU Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton on
many ideas and our dialogue went on “future migratory movements”
very well,” Minister Ravi said after the
meeting with Ashton. “There are many
opportunities for Europeans in India, es-
pecially in a city like Bangalore. There are
around 30 different nationals studying
and working in Bangalore...We discussed
joint action plans on migration to build a
strong relationship, enhancing further
opportunities for the future,” Ashton said.
Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs
(MOIA) Joint Secretary G. Gurucharan
said that the Minister had earlier written
to the EU Commissioner dealing with im-
migration, suggesting that an EU team
visit India to negotiate the mobility part-
nership, which got a positive response.
“Ashton told the Minister that Europe
was keen to build a partnership on migra-
tion-related matters with India. They pro-
posed to resume the high-level dialogue
on migration started in 2006,” Gurucha-
ran said, adding: “The Minister responded
by welcoming this”. European Commission High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of European
– Lakshmi Krishnakumar Union Catherine Ashton with Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi in New Delhi.

India has conveyed to the British government the

concern of its businesses and professionals
about the newly announced cap on immigration
of workers from outside the European Union.

ImmIgRATIoN
Commerce Minister Anand Sharma raised the
issue during a meeting with British Prime Minister

cAp: INdIA
David Cameron in London, a Ministry of Commerce
statement released in New Delhi on June 29 said. It

coNVEyS
quoted Sharma as saying that greater people-to-
people contact was crucial for the service industry.

coNcERN
Indian business people and professionals, who use
Britain as a hub for Europe, feel that the proposed

To bRITAIN
restrictions would hamper their movement.
The British government had announced on
June 28 a cap on immigration to the country
from non-European countries. The restrictions
are temporary for now, but will be made perma-
nent in April 2011.

July 2010  Pravasi Bharatiya 9

NEWS
Prime Minister
Dr. Manmohan
Singh dedicates
to the nation the
world-class
Terminal 3 at the
Indira Gandhi
International
Airport built in a
record 37 months
TERmINAl TERRIfIc
I
ndia joined the ranks of Dubai, Bei-
jing, Singapore, Bangkok and Mexico
City when Prime Minister Dr. Man-
mohan Singh inaugurated a glitzy
new terminal at the Indira Gandhi
International Airport in New Delhi on July
3 — the sixth largest in the world. It has
been built in a record 37 months at a cost
of nearly $3 billion.
Operations started from July 14 for in-
ternational services while that for the do-
mestic sector and for non-budget carriers,
will start a fortnight later, the developers
of what is called ‘Terminal 3’ (T3) said at
the grand opening. An Air India flight
from Washington was the first flight to
operate from the swanky new terminal on
July 14. However, the AI-120 was part of
a drill to reaffirm the operational readi-
ness of the terminal.
Also on the same date, as part of the
10 Pravasi Bharatiya  July 2010
real-time drill, Jet Airways also flew its
first international outbound flight to
Dubai from the terminal, followed by Air
India’s first domestic flight from the na-
tional capital to Jaipur. The world’s
largest jumbo jet Airbus A380 also called
on T3 on July 15. However, the first
‘proving flight’ to the terminal of A380
would be an Emirates flight from Dubai.
Among those at the inaugural event
were UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Civil
Aviation Minister Praful Patel, Delhi Chief
Minister Shiela Dikshit and chairman of
GMR Group, G.M. Rao, which led the con-
sortium that built the terminal.
“Today is a special occasion for our
country. We are all very happy and proud
of the completion of one of the world’s
largest airport terminals in a record 37
months,” the Prime Minister said at the
opening ceremony. “This airport terminal
establishes new global benchmarks. It ex-
emplifies our country’s resolve to bridge
the infrastructure deficit in our country.
It also proves the success of public-pri-
vate partnership,” he said. “We have
proved the sceptics wrong.” According to
the Prime Minster, as many as 58 govern-
ment agencies were involved in coordi-
nating the efforts to build the airport, and
congratulated every artisan, technician
and worker involved in the huge project.
The Prime Minister said it was notewor-
thy that India was today the ninth largest
aviation market, with 10 scheduled airlines,
as opposed to just two in 1990. He said the
total fleet size of scheduled carriers had
also grown four-fold to 400 aircraft.
Going forward, he said the country’s
commercial aviation industry had the po-
tential to absorb up to $120 billion in in-
vestment by 2020 and the capacity to
 Visitors and
mediapersons
going around the
newly built
Terminal 3
building of the
Indira Gandhi
International
Airport in New
Delhi on
June 23, 2010
handle some 160-180 million domestic
passengers and 50 million from overseas.
The developers of the new terminal —
the Delhi International Airport Ltd — said
the new facility can handle 34 million
passengers per annum in the first phase
of development, against less than 10 mil-
lion passengers at present at the interna-
tional terminal.
They said the new terminal would be
the sixth largest in the world — after
those at Dubai, Beijing, Singapore,
Bangkok and Mexico City. It is a super-
structure spread over 5.4 million sqft, giv-
ing the feel of a city within a city.
The airport’s developers are led by the
Bangalore-based infrastructure major
GMR Group, with the state-run Airports
Authority of India, Fraport of Germany
and Malaysian Airport Holding, as mem-
bers of the consortium.
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi
greet the audience at the inaugural of Terminal 3 on July 3.
KEy fEATuRES of TERmINAl 3
j It is the sixth largest in the world after those at Dubai, Beijing,
Singapore, Bangkok and Mexico City
j One pier each for international and domestic operations span-
ning 1.2 km from one end to other
j A city within, with a super-structure spread over 5.4 million sqft
j 78 aero-bridges, against less than 10 at the current interna-
tional terminal
j 63 elevators, 35 escalators and 92 automatic walkways
j 168 check-in counters and 95 immigration desks
j 20,000 square metres of retail area, including a large food court
j Capacity to handle 12,800 bags per hour, with 6.4 km of
conveyor belts
j Multi-layer parking facility that can accommodate 4,300 cars
j Exotic plants, material imported from Thailand, Mexico, Bahrain
cRAfTS boNANzA AT T3
Gourmet papad in tri-
colour hues, home-
made pickles, heritage
jewellery... India will
hawk its flavours at
a huge indigenous
lifestyle and crafts
bazaar being set up in
Terminal 3.
A red leather elephant wallet at the Delhi Bazaar
Spread over 4,000
sqft, the Delhi Bazaar will open its doors to the flying fraternity by
July-end. It will be the only store at T3 to showcase merchandise
manufactured and produced in India. A smaller 1,200-sqft replica
of the bazaar will sell traditional crafts at the domestic lounge.
“The store is modelled on an ethnic shopping village with 10
shops or ‘gondolas’, each devoted to a traditional lifestyle product
that will portray facets of Indian traditional, mystical and rural exot-
ica. One rarely finds them abroad,” Manisha Gupta, president of
Crafts House, which will manage the Delhi Bazaar, said. “The idea is
to promote rural artisans and women working in the village hand-
icrafts sector,” said Gupta.
— Madhusree Chatterjee
July 2010  Pravasi Bharatiya 11
resilient indiA cover story

Art
of crisis
MAnAgeMent

12 Pravasi Bharatiya  July 2010


The global financial and
economic crisis cut an
extraordinarily destructive swathe,
ruining lives and livelihoods in
their millions. Closer home,
though, the India story was
different. It was less about the
adverse consequences of the
crisis and more about how the
Indian government successfully
tackled it, reports Arjun sen
case # 1:
On October 30, 2008, the cosy and comfortable world of Dinesh
and Jyoti Bhargava came crashing down. Both IT professionals
in their early thirties, the duo had tied the knot just two months
ago, after Dinesh had got a promotion and a salary hike. Come
November, he would be off on an offshore assignment in the
United States. The lift was good enough for Dinesh to at last take
the plunge. Little did he know then that within weeks everything
would change and rather dramatically. The collapse of invest-
ment banker Lehman Brothers on September 16, 2008, sparked
off a chain reaction. The American client cancelled their contract
with Dinesh’s Indian IT firm and the young IT professional was
handed a pink slip on that fateful day in October. The quick re-
covery of the economy thanks to timely action by the govern-
ment, however, helped Dinesh get another job within three
months. By February 2009, he was back on track.
case # 2:
To veteran investor Sunil Aurora’s utter dismay, as much as 80
percent of the net asset value (NAV) of his stock market portfolio
had been eroded in just 12 months from January 2008 to Janu-
ary 2009. But then, Aurora, an investor who had gone through
many market roller-coasters, did not panic and held on to his
stocks, most of which were long-term investments in blue chips.
His instincts had told him, crisis or no crisis, Indian markets were
bound to bounce back. He was right. Within the year, his portfo-
lio’s NAV was more than what it was before the crisis. Once the
crisis had set in and appeared capable of affecting the market
for quite some time to come, Aurora, the smart investor that he
was, had gone in for bottom fishing in a big way. Many of the
stocks that he had picked up at rock bottom prices during the
crisis were now surging north once again and Aurora’s portfolio
is looking better by the day. The government’s stimuli packages
had worked like a charm. As far as he is concerned, things can
only look up from here.
case # 3:
For Hemant Solanki, a worker in a diamond polishing unit in
Surat, life had gone from bad to worse once gems and jewellery
exports from India almost came to a grinding halt following the
economic meltdown beginning September 2008. His unit closed
down and he lost his job. Today, the gems and jewellery export
trade is limping back to some degree of normalcy, but things are
far from what they were. While some of Solanki’s co-workers
have got back their employment, many of the smaller units that
employed Solanki and others like him are yet to recover. Even
when employed, Solanki was poor but now he and his family
have been reduced to destitutes. But they are surviving thanks
to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee
Scheme of the Indian government.
t
indiA story different
he three examples above illustrate the range of effects
that the global economic crisis, beginning 2008, have
had on the Indian economy. Recent reports indicate that
while globally the poor have become poorer and the rich
richer due to the impact of the global crisis, in India there has
been a third “outcome”. There are those who had been adversely
affected, but are now either back to where they were, owing to
June
July 2010  Pravasi Bharatiya 13
24
resilient indiA cover story
Genesis of crisis: The sub-prime crisis in
the U.S. led to increasing defaults on
housing loans and spiralling foreclosures
with thousands of people losing their
homes. The sub-prime crisis, in turn, led
to a severe liquidity crunch following the
collapse of Lehman Brothers and stock
markets worldwide went into a tailspin,
with investors suffering agonising losses.
the quick recovery of the Indian economy or those who, despite
being hurt, are being nursed back to some kind of economic
health through direct government interventions aimed at miti-
gating poverty. To put things in perspective, the global financial
crisis and the concurrent economic downturn are far from over
in the developed world. No doubt there are signs of recovery and
some immediate danger situations have been averted with gov-
ernments taking on their books private debt. However, on the
whole, nobody yet knows how strong are the forces of recovery
and when the global crisis can well and truly be said to be over.
In the developing world, led by China and India, the forces of
recovery are undoubtedly strong and apart from their trade with
the developed world which still remains affected, most of the big
emerging and developing economies seem to have weathered the
storm well and are now sailing ahead once again.
Although a strong recovery of the real economy is still some
way off in the developed world, stock markets rebounded in 2009.
Stock values rose by half, while hedge funds recovered most of
their 2008 losses in a year marked by government stimulus
spending and easing of monetary restrictions by central banks.
reBoUnd on tHe BoUrses
The stock market rebound helped the world’s ranks of million-
aires climb 17 percent to 10 million while their collective wealth
surged 19 percent to $39 trillion. It nearly helped recoup losses
from the financial crisis, according to the latest ‘Merrill Lynch-
Capgemini World Wealth Report’. “We are already seeing distinct
signs of recovery and, in some areas, a complete return to 2007
levels of wealth and growth,” a media report said, quoting Bank
of America Corp Wealth Management Chief Sallie Krawcheck.
14 Pravasi Bharatiya  July 2010
The fastest growth in wealth took place in India, China and
Brazil — among the hardest hit markets in 2008. Wealth in Latin
America and the Asia-Pacific soared to record highs. Yet, as port-
folios bounced back, investors remained wary after a collapse
that erased a decade of stock gains, fuelled a contraction in the
global economy and sent unemployment soaring.
The report, based on surveys covering more than 1,100
wealthy investors with 23 firms, found that the rich were well
served by holding a broad range of investments, including com-
modities and real estate.
AfflUent delinQUency
However, even as wealth owners benefited from the stock market
rebound in 2009-10, recent reports from the U.S. indicate that a
growing number of well-heeled Americans, their portfolios ham-
mered by depressed markets, have stopped repaying loans or
have even walked away from mortgages.
“The affluent are not immune to the recession. It just took a
while to manifest itself,” a media report said, quoting Jay Welker,
Chief Executive of Wells Fargo Private Bank. “In this economy,
the high net-worth segment has had to de-leverage itself as well.”
The rich by definition can weather a job loss or a market crisis
longer than the average Joe. Yet their wealth is linked to securi-
ties, properties and hard-to-sell assets such as private businesses.
North America’s millionaires are yet to fully recover the $11 tril-
lion lost in the crisis.
For example, according to a top U.S. real estate and mortgage
tracking firm, the percentage of $1 million-plus loans with more
than a 90-day delinquency rose to 13.3 percent in February
2010, as against an 8.6 percent overall delinquency rate. In fact,
the million-dollar delinquency rate has been exceeding the over- around in the Indian stock market and quick recovery of the
all delinquency rate since April 2008. economy, the poor have been impacted mainly through loss of
employment in sectors that were either export oriented or some-
BottoMing oUt how more globally integrated than other sectors in India.
For the world’s poor, however, the story has been more discon- Let us take a quick look at how the crisis impacted India. “The
certing. “The impact of the global economic crisis has been sub- impact of the global crisis has been transmitted to the Indian
stantial and it will leave an additional 64 million people in economy through three distinct channels, viz., the financial sector,
extreme poverty by the end of 2010,” Otaviano Canuto, Vice- exports and exchange rates,” says Rajiv Kumar, Director & Chief Ex-
President and head of the Poverty Reduction and Economic Man- ecutive, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Re-
agement Network of the World Bank, said at the Fourth lations (ICRIER), New Delhi. Kumar points out that the financial
High-Level Dialogue of the UN General Assem-
bly on Financing for Development in March
this year. The United Nations Millennium De- the impact of the global economic crisis has been
velopment Goals Report 2010, released late- substantial and it will leave an additional 50 million
June, also confirmed that the global economic people in extreme poverty in 2009 and some 64 million
downturn in 2009 had increased poverty and by the end of 2010, principally in sub-saharan Africa
hunger. The Report found that the worst af- and east and south-east Asia
fected were the South Asian countries, includ-
ing India, and Sub-Saharan African countries
and that they really needed to work harder to meet the MDGs by sector, including the banking sector, equity markets, external com-
2015. The Report said that updated estimates from the World mercial borrowings and remittances, did not remain unscathed, al-
Bank suggest that the economic crisis will leave an additional 50 though fortunately, the Indian banking sector was not overly
million people in extreme poverty in 2009 and some 64 million exposed to the sub-prime crisis. Only one of the larger banks, ICICI,
by the end of 2010, principally in Sub-Saharan Africa and East was partly affected but managed to thwart a crisis because of its
and South-East Asia. strong balance sheet and timely action by the government, which
virtually guaranteed its deposits.
tHe indiA eXPerience The equity markets, on the other hand, saw a near 60 percent
Coming now to the Indian experience, the crisis, as elsewhere, decline in the index and a wipeout of about $1.3 trillion in mar-
impacted both the rich and the poor. While the rich have already ket capitalisation from January 2008 to January 2009, since
recovered much of their lost wealth owing to the sharp turn- when the markets have again turned northwards. In January

July 2010  Pravasi Bharatiya 15

resilient indiA cover story

Leading global recovery: Even as doubts

remain as to exactly when developed
economies will fully recover from the
downturn of 2008, stock markets
worldwide have already recouped much
of their losses. While the Sensex of the
Bombay Stock Exchange (left) has been
steadily rising towards its all-time peak
of 21,000, stock markets elsewhere, for
example, Tokyo Stock Exchange (right)
are also on the mend. The picture on the
right shows a man walking past a TSE
board indicating a rise in market indices
across the world.

2008, the Bombay Stock Exchange’s bellwether index, the Sen- decline in global oil and gas prices and increased the cost of com-
sex, had peaked at about 21,000, only to crash to a less than the mercial borrowings but helped to encourage exporters. Again,
7,000 level by October 2008. However, this was primarily on ac- on balance, the adverse effects of a weaker rupee were more or
count of the withdrawal of about $12 billion from the market by less neutralised by the gains made by exporters.
foreign portfolio investors between January and December 2008. Thus, the direct impact of the slowdown on the poor was re-
Similarly, commercial credit, both for trade finance and stricted to loss of jobs and lack of creation of new jobs in the sec-
medium-term advances from foreign banks virtually dried up tors hit by the downturn. Even this impact was restricted to only
after September 2008. Credit from domestic banks pushed up the export-oriented sectors and the rest of the economy re-
costs and caused the rupee to depreciate. Finally, remittances mained more or less unaffected, points out Bibek Debroy, Pro-
from overseas Indians fell as oil-producing economies in the Gulf fessor, International Management Institute, New Delhi.
and West Asia began to suffer from decline in oil
prices. It was only from June this year that re-
mittances began to rise again. the direct impact of the slowdown on
the poor was restricted to loss of jobs and lack of
tHe stress Points creation of new jobs in the sectors hit by the
The second transmission of the global down- downturn. even this impact was restricted
turn to the Indian economy has been through to only the export-oriented sectors
the steep decline in demand for India’s ex-
ports in its major markets. The first sector to
be hit was the gems and jewellery sector, which felt the impact JoB loss
in November 2008 itself and where more than 300,000 workers Various estimates have homed in on a figure of between 1 and 2
lost their jobs. Other export-oriented sectors, such as garments million for jobs lost during the crisis out of a total workforce of
and textiles, leather, handicrafts and auto components were also about 500 million. “Based on a survey undertaken by the labour
hit. Since the end of 2009, however, exports began to recover. and the commerce ministries, around 1 million jobs may have
The third transmission channel was the exchange rate as the been lost, especially in sectors like gems and jewellery, garments,
rupee came under pressure with the outflow of portfolio invest- engineering goods (cycles, hand tools, etc.), chemicals, leather
ments, higher foreign exchange demand by Indian entrepreneurs and handicrafts,” says Debroy. He further points out that export-
seeking to replace external commercial borrowing by domestic oriented units are concentrated in clusters and not evenly spread
financing, and the consequent decline in foreign exchange re- out throughout the country. The major clusters are: Surat (dia-
serves. The weaker rupee partially nullified the benefits from the monds), Panipat (blankets), Tirupur (hosiery), Agra (leather),

16 Pravasi Bharatiya  July 2010

Ludhiana (woolen garments), Jaipur (hand-printed textiles), Pune
(food processing), Ahmedabad (pharmaceuticals), Ambur
(leather), Bangalore (machine tools) and Chennai (leather). “Of
these, the only instances where there seem to be firm job losses
are in Surat and Ludhiana,” says Debroy, although even these
units have now begun to rehire. As for jobs not created due to
the slowdown, early estimates had projected India’s economic
growth to come down to as low as 5.3 percent in 2008-09 due
to the downturn. At this level of growth, the economy would have
created only about 12 million jobs as against at least 18 million
that would have been created if the growth rate had remained
between 7.5 and 8 percent. In the end, however, India posted a
growth rate of 6.7 percent in 2008-09. Consequently, the num-
ber of jobs not created due to the slowdown was not very signif-
icant in any way.
groWtH in tHe tiMe of slUMP
But how did we manage to tackle the crisis and continue to grow
in the time of global slump?
According to Kumar, the quick policy response both by the RBI
and the Central Government ameliorated the impact of the crisis.
The RBI infused about $80 billion as additional liquidity by cut-
ting the cash reserve ratio (CRR), lowering the statutory liquidity
ratio (SLR) and unwinding the market stabilisation scheme (MSS).
The RBI cut its repo rate, the rate at which it lends funds to com-
mercial banks, from 9 to 5 percent in less than six months (from
September to December 2008). The reverse-repo rate was also
brought down to 3.5 percent to discourage banks from parking
overnight funds with the RBI.
Three fiscal stimuli were announced between November
2008-February 2009. These amount to about 1.3 percent of the
GDP. “To these stimulus packages, we should also add the fiscal
outlay of measures announced in the 2008-09 Interim Budget
in February 2009 followed up by the full budget in July 2009,”
says Kumar. These included some measures that implied a hefty
transfer of purchasing power to the farmers and to the rural sec-
tor in general. Among such measures were: farm loan waivers,
funds allocated to the National Rural Employment Guarantee
Scheme (NREGS), Bharat Nirman (targeted for improving rural
infrastructure), the Prime Minister’s Rural Road Programme, and
a large increase in subsidies on account of fertilisers and elec-
tricity supplied to farmers. Admittedly, some of these measures
may have had non-economic considerations. Nonetheless, they
did address the issue of the impact of the crisis, and as Kumar
puts it, “They have, nevertheless, helped to shore up rural de-
mand for both consumer durables and non-durables.”
That the stimuli packages and the fiscal expansion through ad-
ditional spending did help to tackle the crisis is evident from the
fact that even in 2008-09, the country’s economic growth rate
remained close to 7 percent, the second highest in the world
after China. In fact, in 2009-2010, growth rose to 7.4 percent
and is slated to return to an over 9 percent rate in 2010-11, ac-
cording to the latest IMF estimates.
Similarly, the NREGS proved a boon at least for those migrant
workers who had to go back to their villages after losing their
jobs in the cities.
In sum, “There does seem to be a consensus that India has not
suffered as much as other countries and that the growth down-
turn is indeed no more than that — falling far short of a
recession,” says Debroy.
July 2010  Pravasi Bharatiya 17
economy | BRAnD InDIA

The Big

Bs
Bangalore and Bollywood are emblematic
icons of India, noted French economist
Guy Sorman tells Madhusree Chatterjee

W
e perhaps knew it all along. But there was corrobora-
tion from noted French economist Guy Sorman. Bol-
lywood and Bangalore have tellingly transformed the
image of India in a globalised world, says Sorman.
“In the era of globalisation, countries are competing for soft-
ware and trademark. The image of India has been positively
impacted by the competitive computer software and the Bolly-
wood trademark. Before Bollywood and the IT revolution, the
Western media mentioned India only when the nation was
rocked by a train accident or a similar catastrophe,” Sorman
told Pravasi Bharatiya in an interview in New Delhi recently.
The economist was in the capital for the launch of his book,
Economics Does Not Lie, a study of the market economics of
developing nations of the post-meltdown scenario. In his book,
Sorman describes India as a “market revolution” in the decades
following 1991. Sorman has authored 20 books on “creativity
and modern capitalism,” including The Genius of India (2000).
Why Bollywood and Bangalore? “Non-Indians are very cre-
ative and they identify easily with the hi-tech fields of Bolly-

“
wood and software, though the two are smaller in size than
textiles that is a more important export item,” says Sorman.
“One rarely talks about textiles,” he adds.
The mere economic size of these sections does not matter.
“Bangalore and Bollywood are the cultural brands of India
globally — the drivers of the modern economy,” he says.
Bollywood cinema music is a
Other than economics, “Indian classical music and Bollywood”
good synthesis of modern and
keep Sorman bound to India, when he is not discharging his du-
ties as deputy mayor in charge of culture at Boulogne near Paris.
traditional genres. Bollywood is
“The decisive moment in my love affair with India was my a great way to teach the young
discovery of Indian classical music. I heard flautist Hariprasad generation traditional music.
“
Chaurasia play in 1985 during one of my visits to New Delhi. The infrastructure of Bollywood
Subsequently, I got a taste of Indian percussion at a tabla con- music and dance is classical
cert by maestro Zakir Hussain followed by sitar from Ravi — Guy Sorman

18 Pravasi Bharatiya  July 2010

 The IconS
Global IT icons N.R. Narayana Murthy, co-
founder of the international IT bellwether
Infosys, Nandan Nilekani, ex-CEO of In-
fosys, currently the Chairman of the new
Unique Identification Authority of India,
and Azim Premji, Chairman of Wipro,
have come to be identified with the rise
of Bangalore as a ‘global brand’. Today,
Infosys and Wipro are spread across the
world with global revenues of $4.86 bil-
lion and $6.03 billion, respectively, and
export earnings of about $4.8 billion and
about $5.48 billion, respectively.
At the height of the recent global eco-
nomic recession, the term “Bangalored”
triggered some kind of dread, as it meant
jobs lost by America and Europe to Ban-
galore. The taboo may not live long, but
it only goes to show how much Banga-
lore means to the world. Bangalore is
India’s global technology identifier.
The other ‘B’ – Bollywood – as a cul-
tural icon has been an interesting force
multiplier for India’s soft power. From
veterans like Amitabh Bachchan, whose
wax image rubs shoulders with global
heroes at Madame Tussauds in London,
to the Oscar winning A.R. Rahman and
Resul Pookutty, to a number of other ac-
tors, storytellers and singers, all have
globalised Bollywood. Many well-known
western actors, musicians, scriptwriters
and directors now closely work with Bol-
lywood which from the days of Raj
Kapoor has held an intriguing mystique
for the rest of the world. Bollywood, the
world’s largest film producer, makes
over a 1,000 films a year.

The Infosys building at Bangalore has come to be recognised as the face of India’s emergence as a global information technology gaint, just as cultural icons like
Amitabh Bachchan, A.R. Rahman and Pandit Ravi Shankar (above) have helped spread India’s ‘soft power’ globally

Shankar...and was captivated by the magic of Dhrupad music,”
the economist says. Dhrupad was “not just a musical experience”
for Sorman, “but a gateway to the Indian civilisation and culture,”
Sorman says. “I am still faithful to Indian classical music,” says
the noted economist. Last year, Sorman met Ravi Shankar in
New York and “he told me that he was playing at his last con-
cert”, the economist recalls.
“I told him that I hoped he played his last concert every
year,” the economist says. For Sorman, “Dhrupad music is a
great interpretation of Indian classical tradition.” The econo-
mist is fond of popular Bollywood cinema music. “It is a good
synthesis of the modern and traditional genres. Classical music
is boring for the younger generation. They refuse to sit
through recitals, some of which last as long as four hours. Bol-
lywood is a great way to teach them traditional music. The in-
frastructure of Bollywood music and dance is classical,” he says.
Sorman says “he was the first Indophile to organise a festival
of Bollywood cinema in France in 1995 when it was a com-
pletely unknown genre in the country.”
People in the West look at India differently, Sorman says.
“This is a country where things happen without being planned.
But the changes in the last 20 years since 1991 — when Dr.
Manmohan Singh opened the economy as Finance Minister —
have been for the better.
“The number of engines driving growth has risen, bringing
new opportunities. The fear that if you are born poor, your
children would also remain poor has diminished. India is no
longer doomed to remain poor,” the economist said.

July 2010  Pravasi Bharatiya 19

economy | floWeR poWeR

Say
it with
flowers
And we are talking
of artificial flowers
here. Though the
market for them in
India is ‘need
driven’, the business
is blooming abroad,
says Neha Tomar

T
hese flowers look good, do not
disturb the environment and do
not fade in a hurry, but there's a
catch — they cost five to seven
times more than fresh ones. Perhaps
that is why artificial flowers don’t sell
well in India, making manufacturers
look to Europe and the Middle East for a
blooming business. In India, the market
is still small compared to fresh flowers.
“It has a total turnover of around
Rs.1,000 crore a year whereas the fresh
flower market has a turnover of around
Rs.8,000 to 9,000 crore a year,” Vishal
Gutgutia, managing director of leading
Indian florists Ferns n Petals, told IANS.
He added that in India the total natu-
ral flower business covers 60 percent of
the floriculture market, artificial flowers
contributes 30 percent of the total
turnover and 10 percent is taken up by
dry flowers.
According to the artificial flower sell-
ers in India, there are many bulk pro-
ducers of these flowers, but with the
market here attracting few takers, the pro-
ducers have to look westwards.
“Since the Indian market is mostly
‘need driven’, the demand for them (arti-
ficial flowers) is less here. Only the afflu-
ent sections have the pocket to splurge
on products such as these to decorate
their homes. We usually export them to
Europe and the Middle East,” said Saif
Shah Nawaz, manufacturer, Candle &
Blooms. Incidentally, due to vast im-
provements in the quality of artificial
flowers as well as lifestyles that demand
low maintenance home decorating ac-
cessories, the market for them has
grown into a multi-billion dollar busi-
ness in countries like Thailand and China.
The higher price is perhaps the main
reason for the lower demand of the arti-
ficial flowers in India. Talking about the
price range of these flowers, Chetna
Garg of Delhi’s Ranga Rang Creations
said: “A natural rose flower costs Rs.10,
while an artificial rose flower would cost
a minimum of Rs.50. The price may rise
depending on the design and the mate-

20 Pravasi Bharatiya  July 2010


rial used.” Manoj Rajani of Mumbai’s
Agro-Care Products also agreed, adding
that artificial flowers are usually priced
five to seven times higher than their nat-
ural counterparts.
“That is one of the reasons for their
lower popularity in the Indian market;
so we export most of our stocks. A lim-
ited quantity is sent to local markets,
that too at a cheaper price,” he added.
Flower producers feel that these flowers
do have their advantages.
“People like to throw grand parties, so
they want decorations to be over the
top. These (artificial) flowers can be of
good use without disturbing the envi-
ronment and they can be reused also,”
floWeR fAcTS
In recent years, there has
been tremendous growth in
the industry powered by
growing international
demand for flowers. India
exports flowers to countries
like the United States, Japan,
Britain, the Netherlands and
Germany. Therefore, the in-
dustry also earns vital foreign
exchange. The states which
make major contributions in
the sector are Maharashtra,
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh
and Haryana. Today, approxi-
mately 160,000 hectares have
been brought under floricul-
ture. The government has
also taken significant steps to
help the industry grow. A di-
rect subsidy of up to 50 per-
cent for pre-cooling and cold
storage units has been made
available. As of April 2009,
eleven model floriculture
centre units and 20 tissue
culture units have been es-
tablished by the Ministry of
Agriculture. Moreover, import
duties on cut flowers, flower
seeds, tissue-cultured plants
have also been reduced.
Floriculture exports in 2006-
07 stood at about Rs. 650
crore and projections for the
year 2010 are estimated at
Rs. 10,000 crore (Floriculture
Today, March 2009).
Rajani told IANS. As per retailers, there
is still a prevailing mindset that artificial
flowers mean that they are made of
cheap, shiny plastic — perhaps with a
plastic dew stuck to a petal.
“Most Indians are quite wary of buy-
ing artificial flowers because most of
them think they are only made of plas-
tic, but in fact innovations and intricate
work are used nowadays,” said Mahesh
Setia, who sells artificial and dry flowers
at his shop, Florina.
Artificial flowers are available in many
varieties — besides plastic, they are
made of paper, cotton, parchment, latex,
rubber, satin, porcelain and dried mate-
rials, including flowers and plant parts,
“
I feel that artificial flowers
are a wonderful way of
adding beauty to the home
and surroundings. The
colours of the flowers and
“
the leaves are natural
— Shahnaz hussain
The mARkeTplAce
ARTIfIcIAl floWeRS
j Total annual turnover: Rs. 1,000 crore
j Artificial flowers contribute 30 percent of
the total turnover. Dry flowers contribute
10 percent
j These are more costly than fresh
flowers. Since the market for them in
India is ‘need driven’, they are mostly
exported to Europe, the Middle East,
Thailand and China
fReSh floWeRS
j Total annual turnover Rs. 8,000-9,000
crore
j The total natural flower business covers
60 percent of the floriculture market
j Fresh flowers are less costly. A natural
rose costs Rs. 10, while an artificial rose
would cost a minimum of Rs. 50. The
price may rise depending on the design
and the material used
berries, feathers and fruits. “Our raw
material comes from China and Japan,
and we put in a lot hard work to make
them look like the real ones,” Setia
added. The people engaged in producing
these flowers feel it is more profitable to
buy artificial flowers as they require
less maintenance, lasts longer and are
hassle-free.
Prominent beautician Shahnaz Hus-
sain is a lover of artificial flowers and is
known to decorate her workplace and
home with them. “I feel they are a won-
derful way of adding beauty to the home
and surroundings. The colours of the
flowers and the leaves are natural,”
Hussain said.
July 2010  Pravasi Bharatiya 21
economy | RAppRoAchmenT

power of one
With the Brothers Ambani announcing a truce, the emergence of a mighty global
conglomerate sooner than later has become a distinct possibility, argues Arjun Sen

S
tarting with a mere Rs. 15,000
($350) in 1960, Dhirubhai Am-
bani built up a Rs. 75,000
crore ($16 billion) empire from
scratch by the time he died on July 6,
2002. Three years later and after much
bitter acrimony between his two sons —
Mukesh and Anil — the two on June 18,
2005 decided to split the empire be-
tween them and go their own ways. Ex-
actly five years later, on June 18, 2010,
the two brothers announced a rap-
prochement. What does this mean for
Indian and global business?
Today, the combined worth of the two
brothers stands at $107.12 billion.
Should the brothers merge, the com- Mukesh Ambani Anil Ambani
bined entity would probably be among
the world’s 50 largest companies. In has already announced plans to take the

fact, Mukesh’s Reliance Industries ranks
121 in the Forbes’ list of 2,000 largest
companies in the world, while Anil’s Re-
liance Communications ranks 689.
The “truce” announced on May 23,
2010 says: “RIL and Reliance ADA
Group are hopeful and confident that all
these steps (signing of a new non-com-
pete agreement and an agreement for
supply of RIL gas to ADAG as per
Supreme Court directives) will create an
overall environment of harmony, coop-
eration and collaboration between the
two groups. Reliance Industries and Re-
liance ADA Group are committed to ful-
filling the vision of their legendary
founder, Shri Dhirubhai Ambani, and
contributing to the future growth of the
Indian economy.”
Under the separation agreement of
2005, elder brother Mukesh, who is
India’s wealthiest man and the world’s
fourth richest, inherited textiles and petro-
chemicals, while Anil took over the mobile
phone, financial services and power divi-
sions. The pact restricted them from en-
tering each other’s areas of business and
“
RIl and Reliance ADA Group
are hopeful and confident that
all these steps will create an
overall environment of
harmony, cooperation and
“ billion deal, its board approved a pro-
collaboration between
the two groups
has been the key source of conflict be-
tween the two. The new agreement does
away with these curbs. Mukesh is now
free to venture into any area including
those where Anil has a presence except
gas-based power generation where
Mukesh can enter only after March 31,
2022. Similarly, Anil too can enter any
business where Mukesh has a presence.
Recent developments indicate that at
least in the telecom sector, the two
brothers are likely to join hands sooner
than later. For example, while Mukesh
Reliance group to $160 billion in 10
years from its present turnover of over
$80 billion mainly through investments
in telecommunication and power, Anil’s
mobile company, Reliance Communica-
tions, welcomed Reliance Industries into
what was once its turf.
Immediately after the truce, even as
Anil’s Reliance Communications spun off
its mobile tower arm to GTL for an $11
posal to sell 26 percent stake to a strate-
gic partner. In the process, ADAG hinted
that it would be open to doing business
with Mukesh’s new broadband company.
The possibilities are mind-boggling. If
the two join hands in telecom they
would become one of the strongest
global entities. It is also likely that the
two brothers see synergy in merging
their energy businesses as well, leading
to some kind of consolidation. Should
rapprochement reach its logical conclu-
sion — a complete merger of the duo’s
business empires — India will have its
largest private conglomerate big enough
to compete with the world’s biggest.

22 Pravasi Bharatiya  July 2010

petrol on freeway
The government decides to make prices market driven to help oil PSUs make good
their under-recoveries and boost revenue

T
he Indian government has lifted
decades of control on petroleum
pricing as it hiked the prices of
petrol, diesel, kerosene and
cooking gas, inviting a barrage of
protests from not only opposition par-
ties, but some of its own allies. The Em-
powered Group of Ministers (EGoM)
headed by Finance Minister Pranab
Mukherjee approved a proposal on June
25 to make the prices of auto fuels mar-
ket-driven and boost the revenues of oil
exploring and marketing companies. An-
nouncing the decision, Petroleum Secre-
tary S. Sundareshan said the prices of
petrol “will be market determined, both
at the refinery gate and retail level".
As a result, petrol will now be costlier
by Rs 3.50 a litre.
Simultaneously, the government hiked
the prices of diesel by Rs.2 a litre,
kerosene — known as the poor man’s
fuel, and traditionally spared during pe-
riodic fuel price hikes — by Rs.3 a litre
and cooking gas by Rs.35 per cylinder.
“We are fully aware of the sentiments
of the people. We are fully aware of
some difficulty it may cause. But in the
larger interest of the Indian economy, it
is absolutely essential that the con-
sumers also share the burden of rising
prices of crude in the international mar-
ket,” Sundareshan said.
The finance ministry’s chief economic
adviser, Kaushik Basu, admitted that
there was likely to be an impact on the
wholesale price index inflation, which
was 10.16 percent in May.
“The (decontrol of petrol prices), cou-
pled with price increase for LPG (cook-
ing gas) and kerosene, will have an
immediate positive impact on inflation.
I expect an increase of 0.9 percentage
points in the monthly Wholesale Price
Index (WPI) inflation,” he said in a state-
ment. However, he added that since the
hike in fuel prices would push down fis-
cal and revenue deficit, “they will exert a
downward pressure on prices”.
Sundareshan said that even after the
changes, the under recoveries will still
be around Rs.53,000 crore at the cur-
rent international price of crude, which
stands at $75 a barrel. “The government
and upstream companies will have to
find the funds to compensate the oil
marketing companies,” he said.

oIl SuBSIDIeS muST Go: pRIme mInISTeR

Saying that people will understand the perils of excessive populism that was bad for the economy, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh
said on June 29 that diesel prices, like petrol prices, would not be subsidised anymore by the government as “much-needed reforms”
were needed in the pricing structure of fuels. “Subsidies for petroleum products have reached a level which is not connected to sound
financial management of our economy,” he told reporters on the way back to New Delhi after attending the G20 Summit in Toronto.
“The fact that petrol prices have been set free, the same is going to be done to the diesel prices — (these are) much needed re-
forms,” he said. “But we have taken due care to ensure that the interests of the poorer sections are affected to the least possible extent.
That’s why the attempt to keep under regulation the prices of kerosene and LPG,” he said.

July 2010  Pravasi Bharatiya 23

economy | G20 SummIT

Stimuli perfect
G20 leaders vow to sustain support and deficits to foster growth and drive
global recovery, reports Arvind Padmanabhan

l
eaders of the G20 pledged on
June 27 to fight protectionism
and promote free flow of trade,
investment and professionals,
respecting the demand by emerging
economies like India, articulated by
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.
In a joint declaration issued after the
two-day summit, the leaders of the rich
and emerging economies said their re-
frain to raise barriers will hold at least
till 2013, when they will review their re-
spective positions. They promised to
slash their budget deficits in a manner
that fosters growth. The promise of
“growth-friendly fiscal consolidation” for
rich countries marked a key compro-
mise between the United States, which
has pushed for more public spending,
and Europe, which has already an-
nounced austerity measures in the wake
of Greece’s debt crisis.
Wealthy countries also agreed to
halve their budget deficits by 2013 and
committed to “stabilise” their level of
government debt by 2016 — two tar-
gets seen as a victory for the European
Union. “While the global economic crisis
led to the sharpest decline of trade in
more than 70 years, G20 countries
chose to keep markets open to the op-
portunities that trade and investment
offer,” said the declaration. “It was the
right choice.” Hours earlier, Prime Min-
ister Dr. Manmohan Singh had under-
scored the need for developing
countries to increase investment de-
mand by focusing on infrastructure that
can sustain growth in the short term by
offsetting the contraction on account of
lower exports.
“But growth in developing countries
would be greatly helped if threats of
new protectionist measures in industri-
alised countries are firmly resisted and
existing barriers to trade, especially
those affecting developing countries, are
reduced,” Dr. Singh said. In this context,
World leaders pose for the G20 Summit “family photograph” on June 27 in Toronto.
he had told the opening plenary that it
was imperative to conclude the Doha
Development Round of the World Trade
Organisaion (WTO), which again was
endorsed in the joint declaration.
The declaration said G20 members
will minimise negative impacts of their
domestic policies on trade and invest-
ment, while asking multilateral financial
institutions to monitor the situation
within their respective mandates. “Open
markets play a pivotal role in supporting
growth and job creation, and in achiev-
ing our goals under the G20 framework
for strong, sustainable and balanced
growth.” Besides India, the G20 members
are the US, Canada, Russia, Britain,
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Argentina,
Australia, Brazil, China, Indonesia, Mex-
ico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South
Korea, Turkey and EU. “To be honest, it’s
more than I had expected, as it is very
specific and was accepted by all the in-
dustrial nations. I think that is a success,”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said.
Chinese President Hu Jintao said he
was “soberly aware” of the need to
rebalance the global economy, but
warned it would take time.
When pm speaks, people
listen, says obama
Praising the statesmanship of Prime
Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and the
rise of India, US President Barack
Obama said on June 27: “I can tell you
here at G20 that when the Prime Min-
ister speaks, people listen,” he said,
adding that it was because of his
deep knowledge of economic issues,
the nuances of India’s rise as a world
power and its commitment towards
global peace and prosperity. Obama
also said that he was “looking for-
ward” and “excited” about
visiting India with First Lady Michelle
later this year. “It is a trip that I’m very
much looking forward to,” said
President Obama.

24 Pravasi Bharatiya  July 2010

BIz BRIefS

RIl strikes oil in cambay Basin

India’s largest private sector company, Reliance Industries (RIL), said on
June 28 it has made its seventh oil discovery at a site in Cambay Basin,
off the Gujarat coast. RIL said it had informed the government and the
Directorate General of Hydrocarbons about the discovery, named

1
Dhirubhai-50. “The potential commercial interest of the discovery is
being ascertained through additional data gathering and analysis,” it
said in a statement. RIL said the discovery in block CB-ONN-2003/1,
about 130 km from Ahemdabad, is significant as it is expected to
open “more oil pool areas within the block.”

mahindra Aerospace to make small civil aircraft

Mahindra Aerospace of the $6.3-billion utility vehicle maker Mahin-
dra Group will become the first Indian private firm to make small civil
aircraft for the Indian general aviation market, which is set to boom
this decade. “We will manufacture the turboprop aircraft in 2-20 seat

2
capacity at our recently acquired Gippsland Aeronautics in Victoria,
Australia, and market them in India,” Mahindra board member He-
mant Luthra said. “We want to be the premier Indian producer of
aircraft,” Mahindra Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Anand
Anand Mahindra
Mahindra said.

core sector grows 5% in may

India’s core sector registered a 5-percent year-on-year growth in May
2010, compared with 3.2 percent in May last year. The index of six core
industries, that have a combined weight of 26.7 percent in the Index
of Industrial Production, registered a growth of 5.0 percent, compared

3
to 3.2 percent in May 2009. During the first two months of this fiscal,
six core industries registered a growth of 5.1 percent, as against 3.5
percent during the corresponding period of the previous year. Sectors
Sector Crude Oil Petroleum Electricity
Refinery Production Generation that witnessed a positive growth include crude oil, petroleum refinery,
electricity generation, cement production and electricity generation.

India now full-fledged member of fATf

India has become a full-fledged member of the Financial Action Task
Force (FATF), an inter-governmental organisation which creates poli-
cies to combat money laundering and terror financing, the govern-
ment said on June 29. India was granted membership at the third

4
plenary meeting of FATF held in Amsterdam from June 23 to 25. India
is the 34th country to join the organisation. The FATF membership will
help India coordinate its efforts against money laundering and
financing of terrorism at the international level, said a statement of the
Ministry of Finance. India had become an observer at FATF in 2006.

July 2010  Pravasi Bharatiya 25

diAsporA

A big second home

Indians have emerged as the third largest immigrant group in the United States. A
report reveals that they form 1.6 million of the immigrant population, says Arun Kumar

A quick glAnce

W
ith about 1.6 million foreign-born from India residing in
the United States in 2008, they have emerged as the third- j Nearly half of all Indian immigrants
largest immigrant group in America after Mexican and Fil- resided in California, New Jersey,
New York, and Texas
ipino immigrants. There were, however, 2.3 million
j The Indian born accounted for about
members of the Indian diaspora residing in the United States in 2008,
one in 10 immigrants in six states
including 455,000 native-born U.S. citizens of Indian ancestry.
j Between 2000 and 2008, the size of
The size of the Indian immigrant population more than doubled in
the Indian immigrant population
five states and the District of Columbia between 2000 and 2006. The
more than doubled in 10 states
1,519,157 Indian immigrants in 2006 were 6.5 times higher than the
j Over one in six Indian immigrants
206,087 Indian foreign born counted in the 1980 decennial census.
resided in the New York metropoli-
Between 2007 and 2008, the number of Indian immigrants sur-
tan area
passed the number of Chinese and Hong Kong-born immigrants for the
j Indian immigrants made up at least
first time since at least 1960, according to a new report from the Mi-
10 percent of the immigrant popula-
gration Policy Institute, a Washington-based think tank. Indian immi- tion in 10 metropolitan areas
gration to the United States, a fairly recent phenomenon, grew rapidly j There were 2.3 million members of
during the 1990s and 2000s, the report noted. In addition, people with the Indian diaspora residing in the
Indian ancestry have also immigrated to the United States from the United States in 2008, including
Caribbean, East Africa, Canada, and the United Kingdom. 455,000 native-born U.S. citizens of
Compared to other immigrant groups, the Indian foreign born are Indian ancestry
much better educated — nearly three-quarters of Indian-born adults j Over 40 percent of the Indian for-
have a bachelor’s degree or higher. About one-quarter of Indian-born eign born arrived in the United
men in the labour force work in the information technology industry, the States in 2000 or later
survey noted. The Indian born were the fourth-largest group of student j Three of every 10 Indian immigrants
and exchange visitors admitted to the United States in 2006. in 2008 had limited English proficiency.
The survey also revealed that Indian immigrants were less likely to j About two-thirds of the above spoke
live in poverty than natives, and most likely to own houses of their own Hindi, Gujarati or Punjabi
in the country. In 2008, there was only about one in eight Indian immi-
grants who did not have health insurance.

The Mahatma Gandhi Plaza at the Oaktree road, Iselin,

New Jersey. New York City, New Jersey, Connecticut and
Pennsylvania are home to approximately 600,000 Indian
Americans as of 2009
 gandhi in Winnipeg
A 500-kg bronze statue of the pioneer of Satyagraha — Mahatma Gandhi — was
unveiled in the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, reports Gurmukh Singh

A
life-size statue of Mahatma
Gandhi was inaugurated on June
16 in the Canadian Museum of
Human Rights in Winnipeg. Win-
nipeg, the capital of Manitoba province, is
about 1,500 km from Toronto. The local
Indian-origin cardiologist Naranjan Dhalla
of Friends of the Canadian Museum of
Human Rights had requested the Indian
government to donate the statue to the
museum in 2004. The 500-kg bronze
statue was jointly unveiled by Indian High
Commissioner Shashshekhar Gavai, Dr.
Dhalla and Gail Asper of the museum.
Lauding Gandhi as the great advocate of
human rights, Gavai recalled the Ma-
hatma’s commitment to non-violence Indian businessman Hemant Shah presenting a book on the life of Gandhi to Gail Asper of the Canadian
Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg on June 16.
when he withdrew his civil disobedience
movement after a mob killed 22 cops in
Chauri Chaura in 1922. tireless work and dedication to change for me to present you the books on the
Gail Asper, whose newspaper-owning the world through non-violent resistance life of Gandhi.” The statue has been made
Jewish family is behind the creation of to human rights violations,” she said. by Indian sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar. It will
the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, Local businessman Hemant Shah pre- adorn the entrance of the museum when
praised Gandhi for his commitment to sented her with a set of books on the life the building is finally completed in 2012.
non-violence. “Mahatma Gandhi symbol- of Gandhi. Thanking her for taking the After Ottawa, Winnipeg is the second
ised the struggle for human rights and initiative to install the statue at the mu- Canadian city to have a statue of the man
dignity. This sculpture reminds us of his seum, Shah said, “It is a proud moment called the Father of the Nation (India).

The incredible desis

With the rise of ‘desi power’, a
record number of Indian
Americans are running for
public office this year. In addi-
tion to Nikki ‘Randhawa’ Haley
— the Republican nominee
for governor in South Carolina,
Indian Americans are cam-
paigning this year for Congres-
sional seats in Pennsylvania,
Kansas, California, New York
Nikki ‘Randhawa’ Haley and Ohio. More than a dozen
others serve in senior positions
in the Obama administration,
including U.S. Chief Informa-
tion Officer Vivek Kundra and
USAID chief Rajiv Shah.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jin-
dal, the first Indian American
governor, made the Republi-
can short list for Vice President
in 2008. Manan Trivedi, a doc-
tor and Iraq war veteran, re-
cently won the Democratic
primary in Pennsylvania’s 6th
Congressional District. Raj
Goyle, who has served in the
Kansas legislature for three
years, is running in the Demo-
cratic primary in the 4th Con-
gressional District. Reshma
Saujani, who is challenging
Democratic House member
Carolyn B. Maloney in the Sep-
tember 14 primary, says she is
the first Indian American
woman to run for Congress.
The estimated 2.5 million In-
dian Americans rank among
the most highly educated eth-
nic groups in the U.S., accord-
ing to census figures.

July 2010  Pravasi Bharatiya 27

diAsporA / philAnThropy inTervieW

combating catastrophes
Rahul Singh, the founder of GlobalMedic is set to transform the way disaster relief is
managed. A glimpse into his work and the role of GlobalMedic...

r
ahul Singh, an Indo-Canadian
paramedic, is the founder and
director of GlobalMedic — a
disaster relief organisation
made of volunteer paramedics, police of-
ficers and firefighters. With the urge to
better the humanitarian aid distribution
system in the world and in honour of his
friend David, who tragically died, Rahul
created the GlobalMedic-David
McAntony Gibson Foundation in1998.
Today, his immense effort and dedica-
tion has helped GlobalMedic emerge as
one of the renowned Canadian relief
foundations. Recently, he debuted in
Time magazine’s list of ‘the world’s 100
most influential people’. The magazine
hailed his relief work in Haiti earthquake
as “a shining example” of “selfless effort”.
In the last five years, he and his volun-
teers have mounted more than 50 Glob-
alMedic missions around the world. Son
of a migrated Delhi couple, Rahul has
also been conferred the Indo-Canadian
Commerce’s Humanitarian of the Year
Award in 2006, the James Allen Award
from Toronto EMS in 2004 and an
award from the Toronto Paramedic Asso-
ciation for Humanitarian Efforts in 2005.

Rahul Singh spoke to L. Jyotimala.

Excerpts:

congratulations on being named in the

Time’s list of the ‘100 most influential
people’... how does it feel to receive
such a recognition?
It is an honour to be recognised, but in
reality it is not a personal honour. The
award represents the cumulative
efforts of our emergency volunteers,
whose efforts saved lives in Haiti. Our
volunteers are professional rescuers:
paramedics, police officers, and firefight-
ers who donate their time and skills to

28 Pravasi Bharatiya  July 2010

Rahul Singh speaking about the efforts that GlobalMedic has been putting in while helping the Haiti earthquake victims at a school in Toronto. The students of the
school had raised over $1000 for disaster-struck people of Haiti.
respond to large scale catastrophes
around the world. Their efforts to serve
the global community are the reason we
are being honoured by the Time.
The efforts that globalMedic is putting in
for earthquake-hit haiti is extraordinary.
What are the other international missions
which have truly challenged
globalMedic?
GlobalMedic teams have worked all
around the world in many different
countries including Pakistan,
Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The heat in
Sindh, Pakistan, made it unbearable, but
we still managed to run relief efforts.
The isolation and difficulty to reach
parts of southern Bangladesh also pre-
sented a problem. The magnitude of the
tsunamis in the war-torn parts of north-
eastern Sri Lanka were also difficult ob-
stacles to overcome.
it’s been more than a decade since you
founded the globalMedic. What has been
your experience?
It has been a fantastic run. Our teams
have been able to save lives and deliver
aid effectively to many people in
need. The past ten years have brought
rapid amounts of growth that have al-
lowed us to expand operations and give
more to more people during their time of
need. I really hope that we continue to
grow and manage an effective pro-
gramme that would help to revolutionise
Rahul Singh with Canadian wife Chantel Kehoe
the way emergency aid is delivered.
What has been the inspiration and what
motivated you to start such a foundation?
It was frustrating to see the inefficiencies
and drawbacks in the usual system of hu-
manitarian aid distribution. And I wanted
to create an agency that could do more
with less. My best friend passed away
and I decided to start the agency in his
honour. The motivation came from a sim-
ple source — when I saw the immense
help people needed, I felt the fire inside
me to get them the help they deserved.
how do you mobilise funds required to
help the needy? do you get aid from the
canadian government as well?
We have a number of private and corpo-
rate donors who mobilise funds quickly
when disaster strikes. I feel that everyone
should do what they are best at during a
time of crisis. Our best skill is saving lives
and that’s what we do. Also, in the past,
we have received funding from the Cana-
dian government.
does globalMedic reach every corner of
the world? how can people in trouble
seek help from your foundation?
We try to respond where there is a defin-
itive need and the programmes and serv-
ices that we offer can make an
impact. Folks can reach us online and by
email. We typically coordinate with our
global partners.
how do you see your ties to india, the
birthplace of your father? What is your
emotional or spiritual connect?
I was born in Montreal, Canada, but
travelled back to India several times as a
child. I had a 17-year hiatus from seeing
India and then decided that I wanted to
learn more about the nation.
So, I bought a ticket and a bag and
backpacked through a fair amount of
the country travelling by bus, rail, cycle,
and cart. I found it a fascinating place, a
mass of humanity, a hodge podge of the
rich and the poor. I was taken in by the
differences of culture, landscape and
language. I am still fascinated by the
land of my ancestors.
July 2010  Pravasi Bharatiya 29
diAsporA

new temple in Toronto

Over 10,000 Hindus from Canada and the
United States joined week-long ceremonies
recently for the opening of a unique south
Indian temple modelled on the 9th century
Sringeri Peetam. Built at a cost of $11 mil-
lion and named after the goddess of wis-
dom Sri Sharadamba, the temple was
consecrated during ceremonies held from
June 20-27 with water collected from more
than 250 rivers around the world. The tem-
ple, which will also have nine other deities,
has been built with marble and granite im-
ported from India.
Gurmeet Sodhi,
on her chat show
“GS with GS” ‘Marathon’ family
An ethnic Indian woman and her two
daughters bagged the top three prizes in a

s
walking competition in Malaysia. The Ipoh
he might step into Oprah Winfrey’s boots, you never know. India- Starwalk 2010, the annual walking marathon,
born Gurmeet Sodhi is among the few South Asians vying to host a turned out to be a family affair for 49-year-
new programme produced by the American chat show legend and old K. Kamaladevi, a nurse from Penang who
says she has overcome racial bias and other odds to reach where she won the first prize in the women veteran’s
is. Sodhi, who is originally from Mhow, in Madhya Pradesh and now has her category. Her daughters N. Vithiaa and N.
own talk show in the United States., is taking part in a contest that could make Nithiyaa came in the second and third spot
her the host of Oprah Winfrey Network’s (OWN) “Your OWN Show”. respectively in the women’s category. In the
“I’m sure no one will ever be able to replace Oprah’s legacy. I am here to make fourth place was her niece M. Nalienaa.
my own mark and identity and leave my legacy behind. We all carve our own Kamaladevi said her youngest daughter
paths and ways and make a journey for ourselves,” Sodhi, a 35-year-old Sikh, said. came third in the girl’s category.
“The best thing about Oprah is

gup
she can relate to an average per-
son, and at the same time with the
President with great ease and
makes everyone feel special,” said
White house Fellows
Two Indian-Americans, Pat Basu of Naperville,
Illinois, and Sunny Ramchandani of Rowland
Heights, California, are among the 13 new

shup
Sodhi. “However, to be at the plat- White House Fellows. All the 13 White House
form where Oprah is, one needs to Fellows “come from diverse backgrounds,
have confidence, perseverance, varied professions” and all of them “have

queen
dedication and commitment,” she
added. Sodhi shifted to Long Island
in New York from Mhow when she
was 12 years old.
shown a strong commitment to public serv-
ice and leadership”, the White House an-
nounced on June 22. Basu is a radiologist at
Stanford University and the Palo Alto, Virginia.

to rock
Before setting up her own show Ramchandani is a Lieutenant Commander
“GS With GS” — short for “Gup and physician in the U.S. Navy.
Shup With Gurmeet Sodhi” — in
April 2009, she hosted a live talk presidential Award
show about real estate and finance President Barack
on South Asian channels for eight years. Now she lives with her husband, and Obama has named
three children and is craving to carve a niche on a big platform like OWN. an Indian American
Online entries were called for “Your OWN Show”. OWN will soon announce science teacher Rad-
the top five online finalists who will join 35 other finalists chosen from open hika Plakkot as one of
casting calls and other online entries. After that show, producers will cast 10 the 103 mathematics
out of the group of 40 to be on the show. The show will be aired on OWN in and science teachers
January 2011. “I’m a self-made person. I don’t come from a rich family; nei- for the prestigious Presidential Award for
ther did I have a chance to go to a regular college to teach me what I know. I Excellence in Mathematics and Science
am hungry to learn and adapt to every situation. “If I win, I will have opened Teaching. Plakkot, who teaches biology at
the doors to many young girls in believing no matter where you come from, the Huntingtown High School, Calvert
no matter how rich or poor you are, you can make it on your own with hard County in Maryland is the only Indian
work and determination. I want to inspire an average person like myself to American in the group. She and other edu-
dream big.” cators will receive their awards in Washing-
— Radhika Bhirani ton, D.C. later this year.

30 Pravasi Bharatiya  July 2010

 diAsporA
quiz
How well do we know each
other? What do we know
q.1 Born in Moscow, she was the great-great-great-
grand daughter of Tipu Sultan. She studied music and
medicine and became a writer. During WW-II she was a
nurse with the Red Cross. Later, she joined the Women’s
about each others music, Auxiliary Air Force in England and trained as a wireless
operator. Codenamed ‘Madeleine’, who was this Indian
culture, country, history and origin woman of much mystique?
leaders... What are those
memories and connections q2. The return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to
India is symbolically celebrated as the Pravasi Bharatiya
we share... We bring you the Divas every year. When did Gandhi return to India?
third edition of the Diaspora
quiz. The answers are given at q3. Which period marked the large-scale migration of
professionals, such as doctors, engineers, scientists, legal
the bottom of the page. You and health professionals from Punjab and Bengal to
can also write in with little- North America and Australia?
known facts about the
q4. Who was Noor Hassanali? Clue: Trinidad & Tobago
Diaspora Community. Let us
begin a journey of learning q5. This little celebrated Sikh laid the foundations of
more about each other... trade unionism in Kenya. At the age of 14, he left India to
join his father’s press in Nairobi. Who was he?

q6. Name the Indian Nobel winning uncle-nephew duo

in physics. The uncle won the Nobel in 1930 and the
nephew, an Indian-born American astrophysicist, along
with William Alfred, won the prize in 1983.

q7. He was born in Trinidad in 1932 while his great-

grandfather had migrated to that country in the late 19th
century from Uttar Pradesh, in India, as an indentured
labourer. A Nobel Laureate in Literature, some of his best
known works include A House for Mr. Biswas, A Bend in
the River, The Enigma of Arrival, and In A Free State.
Lately, he has expressed a desire to migrate to his native
village in India and spend his last years there. Who is he?

q8. What is Chutney music and who was its progenitor?

q9. As Southall is to England, Felicity is to .................. and

Edison City is to..............

10. An Indian prince and Test cricketer, the Maharaja Jam

Sahib of Nawanagar, played for the English team. He was
known as the “Black Prince of Cricketers”, and became
the first Indian Test cricketer in 1896. Name the Gujarat-
born prince.

AnsWers
9. Trinidad and u.s.A 10. ranjitsinhji vibhaji Jadeja (september 10, 1872 - April 2, 1933).
& Tobago. it is a combination of traditional bhojpuri folk music, soca and indian film music. sundar popo popularised chutney music, beginning with his 1970 hit 'nana and nani'
June 1948 5. Makhan singh 6. sir c.v. raman and his nephew subrahmanyan chandrasekhar 7. vidiadhar surajprasad naipaul 8. it is a form of music which had its origins in Trinidad
and Tobago (1987 to 1997). in 1943, he emigrated to canada and earned a bachelor's degree at the university of Toronto. he also became a member of gray's inns of court in london in
1. noor inayat khan (Jan 1, 1914 – sept 13 , 1944) 2. January 9, 1915 3. end of the World War ii, 1947-1975 4. he was the first president of indian origin of the republic of Trinidad
cuisine
This summer... go green
To stay fit, work out with these vegetarian dishes that are nutritious as well as tasty,
says Kamini Kumari
W
ith the blazing heat taking its
toll on our bodies, it be-
comes necessary to watch
what goes down our food
pipe. Too much oil, fat and cholesterol-
laden food can have disastrous conse-
quences. Following a proper and
healthy diet will keep you fit and lend the
largest organ on your body, the skin, a
healthy glow. And what can be better
than our own Indian vegetarian diet.
Indian food is enjoyed worldwide, not
only because of its variegated tastes and
flavours but also because of the other
benefits it offers. Vegetarian dishes are
loaded with anti-oxidants and are very
nutritous, if cooked in less oil.
Indians love dishes that are rich in
32 Pravasi Bharatiya  July 2010
whole grains including lentils, legumes
and, dried beans, such as kidney beans,
chickpeas, and black-eyed beans, among
others. Whole grains are good sources
of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals.
Besides they contain very little fat.
Whole grains also help reduce the risk
of colonitis and mouth cancer. The lib-
eral use of fresh vegetables, legumes,
yoghurt, rice and other ingredients
make it inherently easy to digest.
Spices form the backbone of Indian
cooking. Although the list of spices and
techniques used to prepare some recipes
can be intimidating, they provide mouth-
watering layers of flavours in a matter of
minutes.
Whether you are preparing a quick
curry for an easy meal or a medley of
dishes for a dinner party, you will find
these recipes healthy, nutritious and
delicious.
So go ahead and try it for yourself. And
join the likes of Kareena Kapoor, who
swears by leafy veggies.
Beans salaD
A very nutritious and fibrous starter. Beans
salad helps increase the metabolic rate of
our body, an elixir for those who are
trying to shed weight.
ingredients
1/4 cup White Beans (Chowli)
1/4 cup Red Kidney Beans (Rajma)
1/4 cup Green Grams (whole moong)
100 gms French Beans
1 Onion (medium sized)
1/2 cup Fresh Coriander
1/3 cup Mint (Pudina)
2 Green Chillies (chopped)
3 tbsp Lemon Juice
1½ tsp Chaat Masala
Method
Soak white beans and kidney beans
separately, overnight in plenty of water.
Soak the green moong beans for about
two hours. Boil the three beans separately
in salted water till they become soft. Drain
and let them cool. Strain the French beans
and cut into one-fourth inch pieces. Boil in
salted water till done.
Drain immediately and refresh with cold
water and keep aside. Cut the onion into
one-fourth inch size pieces. Add to it
chopped green coriander, mint and green
chilies for the dressing.
Dilute lemon juice with an equal amount
of water and stir it with the dressing. Sprin-
kle chaat masala evenly over it and refriger-
ate the dressing for at least an hour.
Mix all the cooked beans and add the
dressing. Toss the salad to evenly mix the
dressing before serving.
inDian vegeTaBle sTeW
Sweet sautéed onions and a rich mixture of
spices create a thick, aromatic base for this
extraordinary vegetarian stew.
ingredients
1 tbsp Olive oil
3 Onions (large, coarsely chopped)
4 Garlic cloves (minced)
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp Cardamom
1/8 tsp Pepper
250 gms Potatoes (quartered)
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp Salt
100 gms Chickpeas
eaT healThy, eaT righT
j Use skim or low fat varieties of all
dairy products (milk, yogurt, cheese,
butter, cream, ice cream)
j If a recipe needs some
oil/butter/ghee, use olive or canola
oil. Use it in small quantities. Make it
a habit of brushing or spraying the
oil in the pan instead of pouring.
j Use non-stick utensils for cooking.
j First, heat the utensil, as a heated
pan spreads the oil better.
j Stop frying and start baking, barbe-
cueing or grilling, wherever possible.
j Don’t be carried away by the tags
‘No Cholesterol’ on a product’s label.
Most vegetable products are
cholesterol free. It is the fat content
of the item that matters.
j Avoid conventional fast foods. Sal-
ads, sandwiches, fresh fruits are the
best fast foods.
j Eat only when you feel hungry and
avoid eating while watching TV.
Method
Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium
heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often,
until fragrant and it begins to brown. Add
garlic, cardamom, cumin seeds, coriander,
and cinnamon powder, and cook for 30 to
60 seconds. Add potatoes, water and salt;
bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10
minutes. Add chickpeas and tomatoes,
stirring it occasionally. Reduce heat to low
and simmer, partially covered. Add 1/2 cup
water, if needed, until the potatoes are
tender, for 30 to 35 minutes. With a
nutritional content of carbohydrates,
protein, fibre and potassium, one serving
of vegetable stew makes for 53 percent of
daily requirement of Vitamin C.
navraTan KorMa
This Indian recipe involves chopped
vegetables of nine types prepared in rich
white gravy, dry fruits and cottage cheese.
ingredients
3 cups boiled vegetables (9 varieties —
potatoes, carrots, green peas, French beans,
cauliflower, capsicum, cabbage, bottle
gourd, cluster beans)
150 gms Paneer (grated)
1 cup Tomato puree
2 Onions (grated)
1tsp Ginger paste
1tsp Garlic paste
Salt to taste
1tsp Turmeric powder
1tsp Red chilli powder
1tsp Coriander powder
2 tsp Garam Masala powder
2 tbsp Cream
6 tbsp Cooking oil
1/4 cup Dry Fruits (cashew nuts, raisins)
Method
Heat oil in a pan. Fry onions and ginger-
garlic paste till golden brown. Add salt,
turmeric powder, red chilli powder,
coriander powder, garam masala and cook
for 2-3 minutes. Add tomato puree and dry
fruits. Stir well and cook the mixture for 4
minutes. Ensure that the mixture doesn’t
stick to the bottom of the pan. Add water
and bring it to boil. Reduce the heat and
cook until the gravy becomes thick. Add
paneer to the gravy and stir well. Finally,
add all the vegetables to the above gravy
and cook for 5-7 minutes. Serve hot.
Rich in protein, Navratan Korma is a sump-
tuous delicacy and has a high nutritional
content and is advised for pregnant ladies.
July 2010  Pravasi Bharatiya 33
Travel

A cynical, urban woman traveller explores the sweet and simple courtship
rituals of the Tarnetar Fair in Gujarat, where modern-day swayamvars still take place...
amidst a riot of colour and fanfare... Nandini S. Sen finds out

TarneTar ka
s
ifting through the Sunday matrimonials, something that dara in the 19th century, became the focal point of the fair. The
my parents had begged me to consider, I wondered: “Is kund (small pond) in the temple is considered holy and locals
this new-age swayamvar?” After all, the advertisements have great faith in its powers. During the festival, a host of reli-
‘showcase’ a host of eligible bachelors. I guess I was luck- gious rituals are performed at the temple. To add music to the
ier. I had a choice, whereas the queen of swayamvars, Draupadi, rituals, every year, hundreds of roving ‘sadhus’ turn up to chant
had none. The man who passed the near impossible test her father mantras and sing bhajans.
had set him claimed her for marriage. This vibrant wedding festival, traditionally begins with a flag-
Later that evening, I sat discussing the farce of swayamvar, hoisting ceremony. The flag can be unfurled only by the Mahant
carried out in a recent TV reality show. I was in for a pleasant of Paliyad, which is another village in the area.
surprise. My friend Tanushree, who is a bit of
a globe trotter, informed me that not only were
swayamvars still practised in India, they were The Tarnetar Fair is a curious amalgamation of
also celebrated by millions, who witnessed folk music, folk art and colour. The colourful
these weddings. “The Tarnetar Fair,” she costumes, glittering and jingling ornaments, and
exclaimed. “Haven’t you ever heard of this free-spirited folk dances, combine to create a scene,
mass swayamvar fair in Gujarat?” straight out of a Bollywood film set
This extraordinary fair takes place every year
on the 4th, 5th and 6th of the Shukla Paksha
(August-September) in Tarnetar, a village in Saurashtra. The fair The Tarnetar Fair is a curious amalgamation of folk music, folk
traces its origins to the story of Draupadi’s swayamvar, where the art and colour. It highlights the true flavour of Gujarat, with dances
top Pandava archer, Arjun, pierced the eye of the moving fish by like Rasada, a Gujarati folk dance, performed by innumerable
observing its reflection in a bowl of water kept beneath the target. women who dance gracefully in a circle, accompanied by drums
However, the fair is believed to have formally commenced only and jodja pava (double flutes). Other dances include the flirtatious
200-250 years ago. It is held on the grounds of an ancient tem- Ras Garba and a sheep dance called ‘Hudo’. The colourful costumes,
ple of Triniteshwar Mahadev, the three-eyed god. With the old glittering and jingling ornaments, and free-spirited folk dances,
temple in ruins, the new temple, built by the Gaewads of Vado- combine to create a scene, straight out of a Bollywood film set.

34 Pravasi Bharatiya  July 2010

a swayamvar
Travel

Clockwise from top: Single

men at the fair, try to attract
women with their umbrellas
and dancing; the Triniteshwar
Mahadev Temple; a
panoramic view of the Tarne-
tar Fair; folk dancers perform
the Hudo dance; and young
women in red zimi, seek bless-
ings of the holy kund.
 The most interesting tradition of this fair, is the beautiful umbrellas,
carried by the single men, to declare their bachelorhood and availability. The design of
each umbrella is unique. The embroidery starts from the edges and the embellishments
rise all the way to the top. small handkerchiefs are attached on the edges
to make the umbrella even more attractive

The women are bedecked in elaborate costumes. During the

dances, their marital status is clearly indicated in the colour of the
ghagra or zimi. A black zimi means the woman is married and un-
available, while a red zimi signals her ‘single and ready to mingle’
status! In turn, even the potential husbands are elegantly dressed
in elaborate and colourful dhotis, matched with intricately embroi-
dered waistcoats and turbans. However, the most interesting tra-
dition of the fair is the huge, beautiful umbrellas, carried by the
single men, to declare their bachelorhood and availability.
The design of each umbrella is unique. The embroidery starts
from the edges and the embellishments rise all the way to the top.
Small handkerchiefs are attached on the edges to make the um-
brella even more attractive. The men spend a year designing and
decorating these symbols of bachelorhood. Their intention is to
attract girls with their art, costume and head gear, and impress
them. If a girl stops and talks to a man, the alliance is made. The
alliances struck at the fair are finalised after the festival.
For an urban visitor, these simple but sweet courtship rituals
can melt away years of cynicism forged at the smithy of random
break-ups, affairs and divorces, all of which have become part and
parcel of city life. The fair is also a shoppers’ paradise. From cattle
and crop trading, to handicrafts, traditional ornaments and gypsy
costumes, Tarnetar holds you spellbound.
Just like the London Eye, the giant wheels in the middle of the
fairground take you to dizzy heights, offering fantastic panoramic
views. Long after I came back to Delhi, the giant wheel, beautiful
umbrellas, colourful costumes and energetic dances, all played on
my mind. With memories of beautiful young women choosing
their grooms, lilting bhajans, and hordes of shopping bags, I came
back to the drab reality of my urban lifestyle, vowing to inculcate
more colour in my life and help matrimonial advertisers find their
life-partners.

July 2010  Pravasi Bharatiya 37

sport

leander
38 Pravasi Bharatiya  July 2010
 Leander Paes works his magic with
Grand Slam No. 12... 1. Leander Paes
with Martina

T
Navratilova (2003
Wimbledon),
he rest is history” is what Indian tennis star Leander Paes said 2. Mahesh Bhupati
(1999 French Open)
after winning his 12th Grand Slam title at the Wimbledon Mixed and 3. Cara Black
Doubles with Cara Black this July. “It is all for supporters that I (2010 Wimbledon)
keep going. I love entertaining people. It’s my job to work hard,”
Paes said. Of his partner Black, he said soon after: “Cara is definitely my 1
favourite partner, she is one of the nicest human beings.”
There was sweet irony though. On the other side of the net was a former
partner Lisa Raymond (U.S.) who had paired up with Wesley Moodie
(South Africa). Paes and Raymond had together lifted the 1999 Wimbledon
Mixed Double title. While Paes has lifted the trophy twice, with Martina
Navratilova in 2003 and Raymond in 1999, Black had won it once with her
brother Wayne in 2004.
Mixed doubles titles at Wimbledon with three different partners, in three
different decades, is an interesting facet of Paes’s long career. “The 37-
year-old from Kolkata has already gained a formidable reputation in dou- 2
bles play, drawing praise from contemporaries, compatriots and
competitors, not to mention partners in success which include the legendary
Navratilova,” a reporter wrote.
Paes and Black earned £92,000 between them, while the runners-up took
away £46,000. With this victory, Paes surpassed his one-time doubles part-
ner and compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi in winning the most Grand Slam titles
for India. Paes now has six doubles and six mixed-doubles titles, one more
than Bhupathi, who has won four doubles and seven mixed doubles titles.
It looks like age has still not caught up with Paes, who showed sharp re- 3
flexes at the net and came with some stunning returns to surprise Moodie
and Raymond. Black, who initially struggled with her serve, was swift with
her backhand returns and the two combined well for a convincing win.
Paes, son of Dr. Vece Paes, who was a midfielder in the bronze medal
winning Indian field hockey team at the 1972 Munich Olympics, is also
famous for his several memorable Davis Cup performances. He had won a
bronze medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Paes was conferred
India’s highest sporting honour, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, in
1996-1997, the Arjuna Award in 1990, and the Padma Shree in 2001 for

r’s dozen
his outstanding contributions to tennis in India.

the record book

Men's doubles titles Mixed doubles titles

1999 French open with Mahesh bhupathi
1999 Wimbledon with Mahesh bhupathi
2001 French open with Mahesh bhupathi
2006 us open with Martin damm
2009 French open with lukas dlouhy
2009 us open with lukas dlouhy
1999 Wimbledon with lisa raymond
2003 australian open with Martina navratilova
2003 Wimbledon with Martina navratilova
2008 us open with cara black
2010 australian open with cara black
2010 Wimbledon with cara black

July 2010  Pravasi Bharatiya 39

cinema

3 idiots (2009)

Romancing
the RainFor some it spells
romance and some
enjoy long drives on a
rainy day...
Ruchika Kher finds out
why Bollywood is
enamored by the
Mumbai monsoon

40 Pravasi Bharatiya  July 2010

Tum Mile (2009) De Dana Dan (2009)
t
wirling in a shimmering chiffon sari, droplets of
water dripping from hair, sliding down the wet
skin.... It’s the classical picturisation of a typical Bol-
lywood rain song. So you have hero and heroine
swaying sensuously under a burst of rainfall or a waterfall...
From the early 1950s, when Raj Kapoor and Nargis sang
the epoch-defining Pyar Hua Iqrar Hua under an umbrella,
Bollywood has embraced the monsoon like a long-lost sib-
ling. The rain has become leitmotif, character and theme in
Hindi cinema.
Rain has been, thus, central to popular cinematic imagina-
tion and is intimately linked to Mumbai, the city of dreams
and home to Bollywood.
The city romances the monsoon best on its iconic Marine
Drive where young and old, commoner and celebrity alike
celebrate the first drops of rain to sensuous abandon. Rain,
Maximum City and Bollywood all merge inseparably.
How does Bollywood celebrate one of its key characters?
Let’s find out...
Deepika Padukone: The monsoon makes the city lush, bright
and romantic. I love that about this season.
anushka Sharma: I’ve started liking the monsoon ever since
I moved to Mumbai. It’s only here that I have realised what a
big part it plays in the lives of Mumbaikars and how they
look forward to the monsoon. Coming from Bangalore as I
do, the weather there is pretty pleasant right through the
year, but here the rains are a welcome relief after summer. I
like going on long drives during the rains. Rains have a calm-
ing effect on the city and that’s what I love.
anjana Sukhani: The sheer joy that comes with the very first
drops of monsoon is fantastic. It fills me up with anticipation.
The weather becomes cool and everything looks romantic.
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998)
manoj Bajpai: The rains, the greenery they bring along with
them and the spray of showers on my face are the best part
of the monsoon.
onir: The clean smell of rain-washed air and the washed trees
is my favourite sight during monsoon. They look relieved from
the burden of smoke and dust and seem like they are smiling.
Bhagyashree: The best thing about the monsoon is the sound
of rain, the smell of the earth and my father’s sweet corn
soup that he makes when it’s raining.
Purab Kohli: Mumbai is a hot city and the temperature soars
and becomes unbearable in summer. The rain not only cools
the place down, but also gives the city a good wash. I love that.
mika: My very first song Sawan Mein Lag Gayi Aag was about
the monsoon. Rain in smaller cities and villages means
good agriculture, prosperity, happiness and that’s what the
monsoon has always meant to me. It’s a time to rejoice.
chunky Pandey: Monsoon means cutting chai (tea), hot
bhajiyas (fried snacks) and getting wet on the terrace with
my kids. The world becomes perfect.
Vir Das: It’s my favourite season. Mumbai gets a different look
in this season. There are many old buildings across the city,
which seems to have taken a bath in the rain. I stay in Bandra
and it’s beautiful during this season. The sight across the sea
and the greenery are awesome. I just love to go out for a long
drive while it’s raining. I have bought an Avenger bike especially
for that. They are the most refreshing moments I enjoy.
Vidya malwade: Monsoon is beautiful anywhere across the
world. I am totally in love with this season. Sometimes,
the slow traffic, mud and puddles dampen the mood but oth-
erwise a heavy shower is a treat after the summer. I prefer
to stay home, sit by the window when it’s pouring and read
a book over steaming a cup of coffee or spending
time with my husband.
July 2010  Pravasi Bharatiya 41
bookS
Pictures
say it all
A coffee table, published by the Russian Embassy in New Delhi, and showcasing
120 decades-old pictures pays tribute to India’s historic ties with Russia
1 he 120 photographs compiled in a coffee table book
1. India’s first Prime
Minister Pt. Jawaharlal
Nehru, his daughter and
later Prime Minister Indira
2 Gandhi, Russian artist
and philosopher Nicholas
Roerich, M. Yunus at
Roerich’s estate in Kullu
in 1942.
2. Indira Gandhi on an
official visit to the
erstwhile Soviet Union,
during the naming
ceremony of one of the
Moscow squares after
3 Jawaharlal Nehru.
3. Pt. Nehru during his
visit to the erstwhile
Soviet Union in 1955
4. Then President of
the Russian Federation
Vladimir Putin at the
inaugural of the In
do-Russian Joint Venture
Project Brahmos in
New Delhi on
December 4, 2004.
4 priceless legacy to be handed over to coming generation,”
42 Pravasi Bharatiya  July 2010
T
may not be an encyclopaedia of India-Russia ties but
are enough to take a viewer to some major landmarks
of the long road the two countries have traversed in
their time-tested relations. The book, put together by the Russ-
ian Embassy, was released recently by former Foreign Secre-
tary of India Krishnan Raghunath. The book aptly titled: Russia
and India From the Past into the Future: Continuity and Inno-
vation has photographs dating back from the 1940s to Russ-
ian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s India trip in March this
year. Russia’s ambassador to India, Alexander M. Kadakin, was
also present at the official release of the book.
India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru with Russian
artist and philosopher Nicholas Roerich in the Kullu Valley of
Himachal Pradesh — a historic photograph of 1942 — is per-
haps a testimony to the deep ties the two countries have
forged in the annals of history. From culture, cinema, military,
economy, energy, space, science and technology to nuclear en-
ergy ties, the book gives a panoramic insight into all aspects
of cooperation between the two countries since 1955 when
Nehru visited the erstwhile Soviet Union.
Nehru, in his trademark white jacket, is seen with his daugh-
ter Indira Gandhi in a June 1955 photograph during their trip
to the Soviet Union. The trip was returned by Soviet leader
Nikita Khrushchev in the fall of that year and is captured in a
black and white photograph shot on the lawns of Rashtrapati
Bhavan with Nehru and India’s first President Rajendra Prasad.
“These rare glimpses illustrate the unique experience of
Russian-Indian amity, which is our commonly cherished and
Kadakin said.
It is a testimony to “what has been already achieved and will
help visualise more graphically the vistas of strengthening the
strategic cooperation, set new ambitions goals and facilitate
the steady progress towards new luring horizon and breath
taking heights”, Kadakin noted about the book that opens with
two women dancers from India and Russia embracing each
other in a 1987 picture.
 Sarasvati
saga
Indophile Michel Danino scripts a fascinating tale about Sarasvati, the
‘Lost River of the Indian Desert’, and brings back the mythical river to
life, says Madhusree Chatterjee
D
id the mythical Sarasvati river actually exist? Eminent
French non-fiction writer and Indophile Michel
Danino suggests that oral tradition, literary testimony
and now a mass of evidence could all be made to con-
verge to establish that it did. Danino, a religious scholar who
has lived in India for more than three decades, finds “startling
matches between literary accounts and ground situations” in
his new book The Lost River: On the trail of the Sarasvati.
“There was indeed a local oral tradition recalling the loss of
the river. But there was also much literary testimony to that ef-
fect, and now a mass of evidence in the form of topographic
and geological studies, archaeological findings and satellite im-
agery. Could it all be made to converge?” wondered Danino.
The earliest evidence of the existence of a vanishing river in
official annals, said Danino, could be found in the folios of Lieu-
tenant Colonel James Tod in early 19th century. Tod refers “to
the tradition of the absorption of the seasonal Caggar (Ghag-
gar) river as one of the causes of the comparative depopulation
of the northern desert”. The “Sarsuti (Sarasvati)” or the sacred
river of Punjab since “early Brahminical times” is known to have
merged with the Ghaggar somewhere in the Haryana region after
passing through Kurukshetra, says Danino in his book.
A British surgeon, C.F. Oldham, known for his varied interests,
drew attention to the river in a paper “The Sarasvati and the Lost
River of the Indian Desert”. Danino falls back on this text to bring
the mythical Sarasvati to life. Oldham said the Vedic hymns
placed the river somewhere “between the Yamuna and the Sutlej”.
“It is difficult to say how Sarasvati came to be deified. The river
was worshipped as a goddess as early as in the Rig Veda, but the
Indus, which is equally important as a river, never enters the pan-
theon. I assume that many of the ‘rishis’ (seers) who composed
the Vedic hymns lived on the Sarasvati’s banks — in fact, the Ma-
habharata states as much,” Danino said.
Why was the story of Sarasvati of such profound interest to
foreign audiences unlike other Indian river lores? For the
writer, the Sarasvati is “a whole symbol of Indian civilisation”.
“But beyond this, anyone trying to pierce the riddle of human
existence needs to go back to some of our myths of origin, myths
that define what we are and what we should aspire to. Gil-
gamesh’s quest for immortality, Prometheus’ stealing of the heav-
enly fire, Osiris’ death and resurrection, Sarasvati’s disappearance
and rebirth are powerful stories that can still inspire us and give
meaning to our increasingly drifting lives,” the writer said.
Danino was drawn to India at the age of 15 and is an authority
on Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy of divine consciousness and Aryan
culture with several books and treatises to his credit.
July 2010  Pravasi Bharatiya 43
 books

of migrants and myths

Madhusree Chatterjee reads Indian origin author Vamsee Juluri’s ‘The Mythologist’ —
a novel on the relevance and connection of mythological tales in real life

i
n his new novel, The Mythologist, San Francisco-based In-
dian-origin author Vamsee Juluri has captured the inner
chaos of a young migrant in the U.S. who has grown up in
the movie studios of Chennai with dreams of grandeur.
“I feel, that of late, literary fiction has become more concerned
with social and political relations than with the inner turmoil of
characters. So while (the protagonist) Parashuram’s social back-
ground is somewhat unusual, it is his inner life of myths and fears
that bring this background to life for me,” 41-year-old Juluri, who
teaches media studies at the University of San Francisco, said.
The story of The Mythologist revolves around Parashuram,
who after a mediocre tenure in a boarding school, returns to his
grandfather’s world of shared tinsel dreams in Chennai.
But as life begins to edge towards despair, a woman called ‘AK’
breezes into his life. A glib wheeler-dealer, she leads Parashuram
out of drudgery to the United States. Then 9/11 happens and Book: The Mythologist
Author: Vamsee K. Juluri; Publisher: Penguin India; Price: Rs. 299
Parashuram is stranded in San Francisco — like thousands of In-
dians. A divine coincidence stops him from jumping off the
Golden Gate bridge. And he finds that at the hour of crisis, the by his fans every morning outside his mansion in Banjara Hills”
only lifeline to connect to his roots is his pantheon of mytholog- and setting the world right in the manner of a true southern
ical tales — the stories of the gods and goddesses he had heard demigod. His desire to be a movie star is propelled by the cult
in childhood in the mega movies of southern India. standing of a “big grandfather — the biggest myth-maker and
“I saw Parashuram’s predicament basically as a psychological movie-maker” modelled on M.G. Ramachandran or MGR, the late
one as much as a social one,” Juluri added. Tamil matinee idol-turned politician. Juluri said the overall story
Hyderabad-born Juluri, an international voice on contempo- of his novel played on the “mythological legend of Medusa”.
rary Indian sociology, media and geopolitics, has authored two The author is currently working on another novel called In the
books, Becoming A Global Audience: Longing and Belonging in Last Days of Banjara Hills, — the story of a college dropout told
Indian Music Television and The Ideals of Indian Cinema. against the background of the great rock formations of Hyderabad
In the book, Parashuram dreams of being “hero-worshipped — and the subsequent real estate boom that destroyed them.

3
1 4
5
2
FicTion

The Immortals And Thereby The Girl Who Kicked Theodore Boone The Short Second Life
Top 10 be
of Meluha Hangs a Tale The Hornet’s Nest Author: John Grisham of Bree Tanner
Author: Amish Author: Jeffrey Archer Author: Stieg Larsson Publisher: Hachette Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Tara Press Publisher: Pan Books Publisher: Quercus India Publisher: Atom Books
Price: Rs. 295 Price: Rs. 253 Price: Rs.350 Price: Rs.199 Price: Rs. 595

44 Pravasi Bharatiya  July 2010

 new releases
The bourne objective
By Eric Van Lustbader
The high-action Jason Bourne thriller opens in the
congested tech city of Bangalore with
on-the-edge, supersonic action and swings across
continents cutting a swathe through Asia and
Africa. Russian Leonid Akradin, a CIA trained assas-
sin on the other side of the fence, is caught in a
shootout and he just about manages to save his life. Facing
mercenaries in Africa, Jason Bourne witnesses the death of an
art dealer Tracy Atherton. Her murder dredges up another
long-forgotten death in Bourne’s impaired memory...
nobody Does the right Thing
By Amitava Kumar
A young poet is killed by her lover, a politician in
Bihar. Soon afterwards, in Bombay, a journalist is
hired by a movie director to write a Bollywood
screenplay about the murdered poet. Research for
the script takes writer Binod back to Bihar, where he
and his cousin Rabinder were raised. While Binod
struggles to turn the poet’s murder into a steamy tale, Rabinder,
booked for circulating pornography, sits in a Bihar jail cell,
dreaming of a career in Bollywood film-making.
Tiger Hills
By Sarita Mandanna
Coorg 1878. Devi is born on the day of herons; and
Muthavva knows that her daughter will be special.
Beautiful and spirited, the little girl quickly
becomes the object of adoration of her entire
family. She befriends Devanna, a young boy whose
mother has died under tragic circumstances. Soon
they become inseparable. But the course of their lives changes
forever when Devi meets Machu, the tiger killer, a hunter of
great repute. Devi vows that she will marry Machu some day.
This is a dramatic story of a three-way love.
1 4
2
sTsellers Before Memory Gandhi:
Fades Naked Ambition
Author: Fali S. Nariman Author: Jad Adams
Publisher: Hay House Publisher: Quercus
Price: Rs. 599 Price: Rs. 699
Book: Shree Ramayana Mahanveshanam; Author: M. Veerappa Moily;
Publisher: Rupa & Co; Price: Rs.1500
re-reading rama
U
nion Law and Justice Minister M. Veerappa Moily, also a
Kannada scholar-poet-playwright, has woven burning con-
temporary realities into his modern re-telling of the 2,000-
year-old Indian epic — Ramayana. In his Shree Ramayana
Mahanveshanam, Sita is anguished when she finds an “alcoholic
husband harassing his wife”; King Rama vows to “work tirelessly
for the poor moved by their exploitation at the hands of oppres-
sors”; and Sugriva “incorporates total literacy in the development
plan of his kingdom”. Lakshmana is the real hero of Moily’s epic
for helping older brother Rama fight evil and standing by him for
14 years. The younger sibling pines for wife Urmila and Moily “de-
scribes the deep love between the estranged couple in his book”.
The English translation of his book, published by Rupa & Co,
was released by Chief Justice of India S.H. Kapadia in New Delhi
on June 30 at a star-studded ceremony graced by politicians and
Supreme Court judges. The function was presided over by Jnanpith
winner Satya Vrat Shastri. The book, published in two volumes, has
been translated by a team of five translators led by B. A. Viveka
Rai. It has 47,000 lines and the volume runs into 1,700 pages.
Hailed as a landmark in modern Kannada literature, the book
has earned Moily the prestigious Moortidevi Award. The book
explores the principles of “Ramatattva” or the true principles of
Rama from a secular and modern perspective. Moily says he has
introduced several new characters in the epic and at the same
time has “tried to retain the essence of Valmiki’s Ramayana”.
— Madhusree Chatterjee
3
5
non-FicTion
The Big My Life With The Tryst Betrayed
Short The Taliban Author: Jagat S. Mehta
Author: Michael Lewis Author: Abdul Salam Zaeef Publisher: Penguin
Publisher: Allen Lane Publisher: Hachette India Viking
Price: Rs. 599 Price: Rs. 495 Price: Rs. 550
July 2010  Pravasi Bharatiya 45
dIASporA / newSmAKerS

A 6-year-old
terrorist!
Santhosh
Thomas, an
Indian-
American
doctor, is at a
loss to understand how his
6-year-old daughter Alyssa
turned up on the U.S. gov-
ernment’s terror watch list
or how to get her off it.
The worst thing Alyssa has
ever done is probably
threaten her sister and
that the doctor from West-
lake, Ohio, says he’s sure is
not enough to land her on
the no-fly list of suspected

Funny man Aziz in Forbes list terrorists. An airline ticket

agent informed the family
of their predicament

r
ecently named in the Forbes’ “The Next Big Thing” among 17 stars to watch, Aziz Ansari is when they set out on a
an Indian American actor and comedian. The 27-year old starred in the Judd Apatow film trip from Cleveland to
Funny People with Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen as a stand-up comedian named Minneapolis. “They said,
‘Raaaaaaaandy’. The gig earned him a three-picture deal with Apatow and GE’s Universal Pictures Well, she’s on the list. We
and the film grossed $70 million at the global box office last year. were like, okay, what’s the
With his partner Jason Woliner, Ansari is working on a movie about Raaaaaaaandy as well as story? What do we have to
a road trip film about two motivational speakers, Forbes reported. In addition to his film develop- do to? This isn’t exactly the
ment work, Ansari co-stars on the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation where he plays wannabe list we want to be on,” he
ladies man Tom Haverford. He recently hosted the MTV Movie Awards, holding his own with said. The Thomases were
performers like Tom Cruise and Sandra Bullock. allowed to fly that day,
Ansari is a big proponent of the web. He has 260,000 followers on Twitter and he uses his but officials told them to
website, Aziz is Bored, to show videos he’s made, promote his concert tours and link to his contact the Department
favourite music videos. Ansari looks at social media as “an interesting way to kind of connect with of Homeland Security to
your audience”. “It’s weird because now, if you like a celebrity you can know so much about them
clear the matter.
through social media, like what TV shows and music they like, things like that,” he told Forbes.

IndIAn STudenTS ABroAd

In the 2007-2008 academic year, 15 percent of all foreign students admitted in the united States
were from India | In the united Kingdom, in 2007, Indians made up 6.4 percent of the country’s 374,000
foreign student enrolments, up from 4 percent in 2003 |
Courtesy: Migration Information Source

Top honour for Sudha Bhuchar

Well-known actor-playwright Sudha Bhuchar and artistic director Kristine Landon-Smith, joint founders of
London-based Tamasha Theatre Company, have won this year’s prestigious First Women Awards in the en-
tertainment category. Now in their sixth year, the First Women Awards recognise women at the top of their
professions, leading the way for the next generation. They are held in association with Lloyds Banking Group
and are supported by the CBI and the Real Business. Tamasha was formed in 1989 by Bhuchar and Landon-
Smith with a mission to bring contemporary work of Asian influence to the British stage. They are also the
winners of the Asian Women of Achievement Award for Arts and Culture in 2005. The women awards cita-
tion said the pair aims to create a space where British Asian talent takes centre stage, through original writing
and productions that provoke debate, ideas, passion and laughter.

— PB Desk
46 Pravasi Bharatiya  May 2010
Making investment in India easier for overseas Indians.

For details contact:

Shefali Chaturvedi
Chief Executive Officer, OIFC
& Director, CII
249-F, Sector 18, Udyog Vihar, Phase IV
Gurgaon — 122 015, Haryana, INDIA
Tel: +91-124-4014060-67 / 4014071
Fax: +91-124-4014070
Website: www.oifc.in

lR;eso t;rs Confederation of

Ministry of Overseas Indian Industry
Indian Affairs
Magnetic Pull
Imagine you didn’t have to turn on the engine of your vehicle to move up a hill. Sounds unbelievable! Well, in Ladakh, a hill has been
performing this magic for years. The Magnetic Hill, close to Leh, is another wonder in India. It is known for its magnetic properties that pull
a vehicle up at a constant speed of 20 km per hour. Some say, it’s an optical illusion, but the visitors who have witnessed this phenomenon,
call it magical and paranormal. To reach the Magnetic Hill, take the Leh-Kargil-Baltic National Highway. The hill lies at a distance of 30 km
from the town of Leh, at an elevation of around 14,000 feet above sea level. To the eastern side of the hill flows the Sindhu River,
originating in Tibet. The local administration has also put up a billboard to help tourists recognise the Magnetic Hill. The board clearly states
the whole phenomenon. So you can also enjoy a first-hand experience as you reach the Hill. Stop your vehicle on a specific spot on the road with
its engines off and you will soon notice the vehicle on upward traction. You will have the same results over and again as you redo the exercise.

lR;eso t;rs

Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs

www.moia.gov.in
www.overseasindian.in