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A Thrilling Ram Leela Downtown!!Rising Hindu Star

Runs for Congress

P3 & 14

P6Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii

Friday, November 02 2012 | Vol. 31, No. 44

www.indoamerican-news.comPublished weekly from Houston, TX7457 Harwin Dr, Suite 262, Houston, TX 77036 713.789.NEWS (6397) • Fax: 713.789.6399 • [email protected]

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BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRAHOUSTON: The Indian holiday

season has been going off for the past few weeks, with Dusserah just behind us and Diwali star-ing us in the face. But it really went into high gear with the Ram Leela pageant that was performed this past Sunday, October 28 at the Wortham Center downtown as months of preparation culmi-nated in a spectacle that unfolded in the 1,300 seat Brown Theatre for a four-hour show, which had been sold-out four weeks before the performance. Each person was greeted at the Theatre doors by a girl holding a thali and placing a vermillion tilak on the forehead.

Dr. Arun Verma, the head of the Shri Sita Ram Foundation, USA which produced the pageant, was overwhelmed by the support that the event had received. He opened the show with welcome remarks and then formally recognized, gar-landed – and in Hindu tradition, presented chunnis (long scarves) – to the two major sponsors Dr. Du-rga and Sushila Agarwal and Dr. Virender and Nalini Mathur who lit the ceremonial lamps at the foot of the stage; and to the two chief guests, Indian Consul General P. Harish and his wife Nandita and University of Houston Chancel-lor and President Renu Khator and her husband Suresh. The directors of the extravaganza, Ratna Kumar and Shiva Mathur were also in-troduced, as well as the talented dancer and actress Divya Unni who performed a special piece for the event.

It was an Unni segment that started off the program with a visually enticing scene in which she, as Mother Earth, is dancing and Vishnu and his consort Lak-shmi watch amusedly, reclining from a high boulder. The scene showed Unni’s facial expressions and dances moves, and was cho-reographed with many other danc-ers, all of whom show how Mother Earth is in danger and beseech

A Thrilling Ram Leela Captivates Houstonians at the Wortham Center

Vishnu to agree to come to Earth as Lord Ram.

Ram Leela is an folk dance art form that is heavily portrayed in India during the period before Dusserah and the story of the exploits of Lord Ram, Sita and Lakhsman are well-known by heart all across India. So, in this sense, many in the audience were well-versed in the portions of the play that follow each other, and of-

ten erupted in loud applause when they recognized the characters and followed the story line, such as when the four brothers Ram, Lakhsman, Bharat and Shatrugun are born, grow into strong young men and when they go with the Sage Vishwaamir to fight the de-mons of the forest.

As the story is well-known, the talent of the directors Kumar and Mathur was in its artistic depiction and this they both did in a mas-terful way through the calculated use of dance, costumes and music, while the use of large projected backdrops provided a sense of the particular scene. Interspersed with this, and in a departure from last year’s Ram Leela, a wandering minstrel periodically explained the scenes to come in English for those who didn’t understand the recorded Hindi dialogue and the many young kids in the audience. At one time, a young girl accom-panied the minstrel and at the end, a citizen of Ayodhya came to ex-claim his happiness at the return of the exiles.

Another impressive scene was when the monkey army is seen

building the stone bridge to Lanka, one rock at a time. What made this scene work was the lack of dia-logue, a suitable musical tract and the right dark backdrop with tinges of a sunset sky. After the battle with the demons and Ravan is slain, a series of dances celebrate the Vic-tory of Good over Evil, which is the essence of the play and also the tag line of the performance.

At the finale, Ram, Sita and Lakhsman are seen in the midst of the adoring people of Ayodhya, re-splendent in gold finery and Vish-waamitr is shown placing a gold crown on Ram’s head as brilliant sparklers burst out on all sides of the stage and form a curtain back-

drop. The entire ensemble of over 200 actors rushes in and pauses for a final bow.

Both Consul General Harish and Khator were invited onstage and offered their congratulations for a wonderfully elegant perfor-mance. Later many adoring fami-lies and friends clustered the stage to take group pictures and as they left, each family was given a bag with prasad and a small gift for Diwali.

With so many different charac-ters, scenes, dances, props, theat-rical equipment involved, promo-tional work, actors, directors and musical interludes, this Ram Leela was a major production that was in the making since January, ac-cording to Verma. He insists that, although the theatre is only his av-ocation, “the labor of love comes from within and is for my love of my Lord Ram.” The Houston community is the better off for the Ram Leela that he has pursued as a tradition for years to come.


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COMMUNITYBY PRADEEP ANAND

HOUSTON: IIT Bombay’s Deputy Director, Prof. HS Panda-lai, and Dean of International Re-lations, Prof. Subhasis Chaudhuri, visited Houston from October 22 through 24.

The purpose of their visit was to seek collaboration with local uni-versities and companies, to meet PhD students, and to meet local alumni--all for the benefit of IIT Bombay.

The professorial duo met all their expectations and more with the help of local IIT Bombay alumni, led by Pradeep Anand and Lalit Bohra.

On October 22, Hon. Consul General of India, P. Harish, wel-comed the team, senior executives from oil industry, and Deans and senior faculty from the University of Houston and Rice University over a delightful and delicious din-ner, over discussions about Lique-fied Natural Gas (LNG) and India. All attendees, especially the visi-tors and the organizers, were very appreciative of Hon. P. Harish and his family’s warm hospitality.

On October 23, Profs. Pandalai and Chaudhuri spent the morn-ing at the University of Houston, where they met Dean William Fitz-gibbon of the College of Technol-

IIT Profs Meet University Offi cials, Oil Industry Executives for R&D Collaborationogy (COT), A s s o c i a t e Dean Ray Cline (COT), Dean Latha R a m c h a n d of the Bauer College of Business, Dr. Mark Clarke from the Uni-versity’s IP and Patent office, Prof. Jaspal Sub-hlok, Chair of Computer Sciences de-partment, a representa-tive of the college of engineering, and Prof. Rupa Iyer of Biotechnol-ogy.

The meeting had several out-comes, including potential visits to IIT Bombay to discuss collabo-ration in Energy Management and Biotechnology.

After an intense morning, Profs. Pandalai and Chaudhuri visited Rice University for a meeting on “Technology Challenges in the E&P Industry”. This meeting was hosted by Dr. Douglas Schuler of the Jones College of Management. Participants included technology

executives from Halliburton, Bak-er Hughes, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, SigmaCubed, Schlumberg-er, Weatherford, GE Oil & Gas, NobleTek, and World Oil.

An action item from the discus-sion was to have a meeting, a con-ference at IIT Bombay, tentative title: Solutions to E&P Industry Challenges. The broad agenda:

1. Faculty/Academia will pres-ent their world class, leading edge capabilities in the above highlight-ed areas

2. E&P industry technology leaders will highlight their chal-

lenges3. A day of

b r a in s to rming sessions with fac-ulty across vari-ous IIT Bombay departments to discuss potential projects and solu-tions. If possible, this inaugural conference should be held during Q1, 2013, before it gets too hot in Mumbai.

After a brief break, the dis-tinguished visi-tors were then

honored at a reception at Kiran’s Restaurant, hosted by local IIT Bombay Alumni. The evening was sponsored by IIT Bombay alumnus Dee Vaidya, Chairman of NobleTek, an engineering services firm. There were no speeches and presentations, only enjoyable con-versations, in a congenial and re-laxing atmosphere. It was a fitting end to a very hectic and fruitful day.

On October 24th, Profs. Pandalai and Chaudhuri had an early start, visiting the Bioscience Research Collaborative (BRC) at Rice Uni-

IIT professor H.S. Pandalai presents a background about IIT-Bombay R&D capabilities to oil industry executives during a forum at Rice University.

versity. They had a productive dis-cussion with Dr. Lauren Vestewig-Gray and Dr. Binata Mukherjee. Common ground between BRC’s and IIT Bombay’s bioscience ini-tiatives was quickly apparent and recognized. Decisions were made to have immediate meetings over Skype, to seek and build programs on the existing MOU between Rice University and IIT Bombay.

The final session was a visit to Dr. Schuler’s project, a solar-power based device that produc-es steam; appropriate for places where there are no power sources, except the sun. Profs. Pandalai and Chaudhuri saw an immediate opportunity for cooperation with IIT Bombay’s Center for Technol-ogy Alternatives for Rural Areas (CTARA-pronounced Sitara).

Profs. Pandalai and Chaudhuri were very gracious visitors. They welcomed the hectic schedule that the local alumni laid out for their short, forty-eight hour stay. They must have had a restful flight to Dallas, the next stop in their US visit itinerary, which ended with a final stop in New York, NY.

The group is now looking for-ward to more cooperation between IIT Bombay and Houston’s educa-tional, research, business and other institutions.

BY JAWAHAR MALHOTRASUGAR LAND: Just a few

months ago, in August, Tulsi Gab-bard, 31, had stolen some of the limelight at the Democratic Na-tional Convention in Charlotte as she addressed the immense gath-ering with a warm “Aloha”, add-ing that she was “a candidate for Congress from Hawaii and a cap-tain in the Army National Guard.” The Time Warner Cable Arena erupted in applause and cheers as she shared the stage with Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic Con-gresswomen.

This past Sunday, October 28, Gabbard shared a much smaller stage – the living room of local community activist Vijay Pallod – and shared the story of her pur-suit of a career as a public servant even before she graduated from college. But what they wanted to hear most about was her reli-gion and the practice of her faith as a Hindu who follows Gaudiya Vaishnavism.

Gabbard’s story is certainly re-markable and an inspiration for many young people, especially

the Indo-Americans, who would like to follow in her footsteps. She was born in Leloaloa, American Samoa, the fourth of five children of Mike Gabbard, an educator, tennis pro, business owner and current 19th District Hawaii State

Senator and Carol Porter Gabbard an educator and small business owner. In 1983, the family moved to Hawaii, where Tulsi grew up. Tulsi was homeschooled through High school, with the exception of two years spent at an all-girls

missionary acad-emy in the Philip-pines. She gradu-ated from Hawaii Pacific University with a degree in international busi-ness. Tulsi is of-ten asked if she is Indian, though she has never been to India but hopes she does soon and

would like to visit Vrindavan when she does.

Neither one of Gabbard’s par-ents is Indian nor has any Indian ancestry, but her white mother Carol became a Hindu and later her husband, a Catholic Samoan, followed suit. “They gave all their children staunchly Hindu names,” Gabbard explained, “and raised us as Hindus and vegetarians.” Dur-ing Gabbard’s two tours of duty in Iraq in 2004 and 2009, here veg-etarianism was both a challenge for her due to the lack of variety of meals as it was an amusement for her fellow soldiers.

With the upbringing that she had, at an early age Gabbard felt an in-ner urge and passion for service

Tulsi Gabbard’s Run for Congress Carries with it Many Hindu Heartsto others, which she believes she draws from her faith. Not yet out of college, she contested an open State House seat and amazingly won against a slate of four other older candidates. After 9/11, she felt compelled to join the Hawaii Army National Guard and volun-teered for a 12-month combat tour in Iraq, serving with a medical unit.

On her return, she served as a legislative aide for U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka in Washington, DC until 2009 when she again voluntarily deployed to her unit in Kuwait. When she returned, she ran for, and won, a seat on the Ho-nolulu City Council in November 2010, resigning in April 2012 to run for the vacated District 2 Con-gressional seat from Hawaii. She won the six-way primary, and has turned the final race from a 45% deficit to a 70% heavily in her fa-vor, with a victory almost certain. She looks forward to taking her oath on the Bhagwad Gita!

Gabbard’s story of determina-tion, her passion for service and the strength in her Hindu faith ap-pealed to Pallod and other mem-bers of the Hindu community in the Houston area whom he shared with, including Rishi Bhutada, the local head of the Hindu Ameri-can Foundation which he helped co-found. Simultaneously, local community activist Sanjay Ram ran into Gabbard at the Young Americans event in Des Moines in September. This culminated in an invitation to Gabbard to visit

Bijay Dixit (left), Bhagwan Bhutada, Sameer Wadwalkar ,Sharad Amin, Partha Krishnaswamy,Richa Dixit, Tulsi Gabbard , Desh Kapoor and Vijay Pallod.



2012_Diwali_Spread the Spirit_SA_HP_Hou_IAN_Final.indd 1 10/5/12 11:15 AM

Dear Fellow Concerned Citizens:

As we watched this political season unfold, I became more convinced - more thankful -

that we enjoy the privilege of living in the Greatest Country in the world: The USA: in the

Greatest State in our country: TEXAS: and in the Greatest Communities in our state!

WHAT A BLESSING! SO LET’S KEEP IT THAT WAY!

While we are truly blessed, there are significant areas that need improvement, changes

that remedy the failures of the last four years, reinforce our confidence in the future.

“We can do better” makes a great slogan. Now, let’s do it!Now, let’s do it!

We are now in count-down days from the General Election. Its outcome not only affects

our future, but that of generations to come.

YES, it’s just that serious, and as your candidate for Dist. 26 State Representative, I pledge

to fight for you on issues affecting our district, our state and our nation.

How can I help?

I am a proven leader—experienced and best qualified with a record of successes

experienced and best qualified with a record of successes. In short,

I can help make things happen... and I will.

How can YOU help? please vote for meplease vote for me.

concerns and I will keep an open line of communication between us. I want to

hear from you, your concerns, your remedies.

hear from you, your concerns, your remedies.

How can WE DO BETTER?

BY SENDING CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICANS... TO THE

WHITE HOUSE AND TO THE STATE HOUSE.

SEE YOU AT THE POLLS...

MAY GOD BLESS YOU, OUR NATION... AND TEXAS

Sincerely,

RickRICK MILLER

BORN TO LEAD.... PREPARED TO SERVE.

www.vote4rickmiller.com

RICKMILLERREPUBLICAN FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE

Born to lead.... Prepared to serveA graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy followed by an outstanding 30-year career, retired as a Captain… a successful small businessman, now a public servant. Rick is a family man with strong family values. Married to

“Babs”, they have three children and three grandchildren. He and Babs moved to Sugar Land in1999.

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RICK MILLER for State RepresentativeElection Day is Tuesday November 6. Early Voting ends November 2.



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The Kamnanis have been a well-known and established family in the retail business

The Kamananis held their annual Diwali Party this past Saturday, October 27 at their shop, India Jewelers. From left; Chandni and Gobind; Sneha and Narayan; matriarch Leela and Mamta and Surender.

A Diwali Party Surrounded by Jewels of All Kinds

ever since the patriarch Raj Bhagwan Kam-nani opened his shop, Best of India Imports, in the Galleria in 1971. It was the first Indian business in the trendy mall and later relocated to the Galleria II across from the elevators. The elder Kamnani used to be a fixture at the Diwali parties, and the Indian Art shows that the two brothers would also hold for a few years, until he passed away in 2008. The entire clan, including the matriarch and the elder brother Surender and some of the third generation kids, greeted the guests as they checked out the food and the merchandise and mingled with each other.


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97 year old Navnit Parekh and his 72 year old son Bhupendra Parekh.

Consul General P Harish and ISCA Pres-ident Lalit Chinoy.

Masala Radio Host Sunil Thak-kar’s mother, Narmada ben, cel-ebrates her 85th birthday.

BY MANU SHAHHOUSTON: If one expected to

see a solemn gathering of senior citizens at India House on Sat-urday, October 27, they couldn’t have been more wrong. They would have found a heartwarm-ing sight of energetic, lively and enthusiastic 65+ folks who had come to celebrate Navratri with a lot of fancy footwork on the dance floor, everyone was dressed to the nines and the atmosphere was one of good cheer and merriment.

Indian Consul General P. Harish put it aptly when he said that the celebrations looked like a “teen-ager or freshers’ party.” “Such organizations fulfill an important need of the senior citizens’ and kept them active and engaged.” He said, “It also helps the younger

members connect and gain from the experience and wisdom of the senior citizens.” He also added that the Consulate would do what-ever it could to make their golden years peaceful and happy - a state-ment that evoked a lot of cheers and applause from the gathering.

Lalit Chinoy, President of the India Senior Citi-zen’s Association (ISCA), warmly welcomed the gathering and talked about the ambitious Senior Citi-zens’ convention planned for Houston in Septem-ber 2013 to which all the Indian Senior Citizens organizations in the US are being invited. Neeta Mehta, who is a youthful 82 and Past President and

Trustee of the ISCA, re-called the day 14 years ago when the idea of having a garba for the seniors was floated. Her husband, the late Padmakant Mehta was the President during that year and about 35 people got together and celebrated Navratri.

Since then this event is being celebrated every year with more than 300 people turning up this past Satur-day. The musical group of

Sushil Patel, Jyoti Desai, Daksha Bavagar, Tara Patel and Divyakant have provided the music since that first Navratri celebration. A deli-cious lunch was catered by Bhojan restaurant.

The best dressed and best danc-ers – male and female - were judged by Shobana Muratee, Editor, Voice of Asia; the Consul General’s wife Nandita Harish and Jasmeeta Singh, Secretary of the India Culture Center and a well-known artist herself. The winners for Best Dancers were Shailesh Desai and Rekha Talati while the Best costume prizes was given to Vinay Vora and Nirmala Rana. Several consolation prizes were sponsored by Mansukh Vaghela. The main sponsors of the event

Sprightly Seniors Show the Lively Way to Celebrate Navratri

were Sandhya Thakkar of Masala Radio and Umang Mehta of Deep Products.

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A memorable moment was the celebration of the 85th birthday of the mother of Music Masala’s Sunil Thakkar. It was a Kodak moment as she was surrounded by her family, daughters-in-laws and grandchildren. As usual, Sunil’s irrepressible sense of humor had the crowd in splits of laughter. He claimed that he has already booked a hall for his mother’s 100th birth-day which was nonrefundable and with the Gujarati penchant for not wasting money, she was sure to be there!



Majestic India - A Musical, Laser, & Fireworks Show

Diwali EventsCHILDREN’S HEALTH AND SAFETY DAYSATURDAY, NOV 3RD, 20121:00 pm - 7:00 pm -

Children’s Health &Saftey day and Carnival

KALI CHAUDAS - MONDAY, NOV 12TH, 2012

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Hanuman Puja

DIWALI - TUESDAY, NOV 13TH 2012

Sharda Pujan (Chopda Pujan)6:00 pm -

NUTAN VARSH - WEDNESDAY, NOV 14TH 2012 7:30 am - 9:00 am -

9:00 am - 11:00 am -11:40 am - 12:15 pm -12:15 pm - 8:00 pm -

Maha Arti & Sneh MilanNew Year’s SabhaAnnakut Thaal & ArtiAnnakut Darshan

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Diwali Samiyao4:30 pm -

Sandhya Arti7:00 pm -

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the Bayou City for a fund-raiser to help ease her campaign debt as well as to share her views on how she could further the values vital to Hindus in the US.

As Ramesh Bhutuda (Rishi’s father) expressed in the luncheon meeting this past Saturday, “After much thought, I have concluded that our children are not just Indo-Americans, but Hindu Americans first, so that they can understand the spiritual values that we hope to inculcate in them.” He, like the other 50 or so people in the room, saw in Gabbard a ray of hope, and appealed for them to support her generously.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

Tulsi Gabbard Runs for Congress

Currently, Tulsi Gabbard is a Company Commander with the Hawaii Army National Guard, and has volunteered to serve on two deploy-ments to the Middle East.

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The Extraordinary Life and Times of Mahatma Gandhi is brought to you courtesy Mahatma Gandhi Library. www.gandhilibrary.org

The Extraordinary Life and Times of Mahatma Gandhi

The story thus far… Gandhi real-izes that he could be more effective at supporting the cause of the Indi-ans in South Africa if he returned to India. Once in Calcutta, he drew attention to the plight of the South African Indians to the Indian gov-ernment and media, where there was widespread support. But he was soon recalled to South Africa as the Lord Chamberlain was vis-iting South Africa.

In 1906, an ordinance introduced by the Transvaal government re-quired all Indian men, women, and children, to register themselves and obtain a personal certificate bearing their name and thumb im-pressions. It was demeaning and humiliating to Indians, who re-fused to submit to the terms of the ordinance. They resolved to fight it. Gandhi saw the need for pas-sive resistance or satyagraha. He explained to the people his con-cept of satyagraha. First, he said, they must be prepared to observe absolute nonviolence. The authori-ties would take all measures to put down the agitation. They might use violence, arrest people and send them to jail, but all this must be faced without resistance, Gan-dhi told them.

“Merely disobeying the govern-ment’s laws will not be enough,” Gandhi told them. “You must have no hatred in your hearts and you must cast away all fear.”

The Government ignored all In-dian protests against the ordinance and it came fully into force. The In-dians decided to disobey the provi-sions of the ‘Black Act.’ Hundreds of Indians were arrested, tried, and jailed. They all pleaded guilty and went to jail without putting up any defense. Gandhi too was impris-oned. Then one day he was taken out of prison and sent to Pretoria to see General Jan Smuts.

“This movement you have start-ed,” Smuts said, “must stop at once. It is not in me to dislike Indi-ans, but they must obey the law”.

“I would rather die than submit to this law,” Gandhi replied. “It is meant to humiliate the Indians.”

After some argument, however, they reached a compromise. Gan-dhi promised to end the satyagra-ha if the act was repealed and the prisoners released. Smuts agreed to do this provided the Indians would register of their own accord. On this agreement, they parted.

Back in Johannesburg, Gandhi called a meeting of the Indians.

“We must now register volun-tarily to show that we do not in-tend to bring a single Indian to the Transvaal by fraud,” he said. “If we show our goodwill by prompt registration, General Smuts will see to it that the “Black Act” is re-pealed,” added Gandhi.

Many Indians agreed with Gan-dhi, but a man named Mir Alam disagreed, saying it was Gandhi who had earlier preached that only criminals get finger-printed. He wanted to know why Gandhi had

changed his mind. Early the next morning Gan-

dhi, with his fellow satyagrahis, set out for the registration office. But on the way Mir Alam attacked him with a heavy stick. Gandhi fell down unconscious. Mir Alam and his associates went on beating him until he was rescued. When Gandhi recovered consciousness, he found himself on a couch in the house of an Englishman whom he hardly knew.

Struggling to sit up, Gandhi requested that Mir Alam not be judged too harshly for not under-standing Gandhi’s stance about the registration. Then he insisted that a clerk from the registration office should come to take his thumb im-pression and make out his certifi-cate. In this way Gandhi was duly registered. Many Indians followed Gandhi by registering voluntarily.

But General Smuts, reneged on the deal and did not repeal the “Black Act.” The Indians, disap-

pointed at the Government’s at-titude, demanded a return of their applications for voluntary registra-tion. The

Transvaal government did not budge. Gandhi, who had by then recovered from his injuries, gave the government a very firm ul-timatum: If the Black Act is not repealed before a fixed date, the certificates collected by the In-dians will be burnt. When the Government ignored this threat, Gandhi started another satyagraha movement. A big bonfire was lit and more than two thousand cer-tificates were burnt. Many Indians openly crossed the border into the Transvaal, where their presence was illegal. Gandhi and many of his compatriots were imprisoned several times in the course of the agitation. When Gandhi came out of jail for the third time, the Indi-ans held a meeting and decided to

send a deputation to England to acquaint the British Government with the real situation in South Af-rica.

Gandhi and Seth Haji Habib were asked to go to London and present the grievances of the In-dians. Accordingly they went, but accomplished nothing as the Brit-ish government favored the British domiciled in South Africa. They returned with grim determination to fight to the bitter end. Gandhi then made a big decision. He gave up his practice as a lawyer. He felt it was a conflict of interest earn-ing his living by law while defying it. Hermann Kallenbach, a white farmer, was so impressed with the peaceful way of life at Phoenix that he offered Gandhi his own big farm near Johannesburg to start another colony. He suggested that all those who had lost their jobs and homes by their participation in the satyagraha could settle there. The new colony was established in 1910 and named “Tolstoy Farm” after the Russian writer whom Gandhi much admired.

Here people who were different in nationality, religion, and color lived together like one family. They worked hard and shared the fruits of their labor. Gandhi spent much of his time at Tolstoy Farm. He was engaged in teaching the children and in other constructive activities. Gandhi’s efforts to per-suade General Smuts to change the attitude of the Government towards the Indians had failed. Meanwhile, the struggle contin-ued against the Black Act and the poll-tax. And now hundreds of In-dian women, including Kasturbai, joined the movement.

Meanwhile a recent court deci-sion in South Africa holding that the law did not recognize Indian marriages, drew much unhappi-ness amongst the Indian women who could not stand this attack on family ties. They openly broke the law and were imprisoned in large numbers. In the coalmines at New-castle, in Natal, Indian workers went on strike protesting against the repression. News of the arrests, the deportation of passive resist-ers, and the untold sufferings of Indian families angered the people of India. A large amount of money was collected for the relief of the victims.

Many satyagrahis were beaten and flogged, and some lost their lives. Gandhi, who felt intensely the humiliation his people suf-fered, took a triple vow of self-suffering. He decided to dress like a poor laborer, to walk barefoot, and to have only one meal a day, till the poll-tax and other injus-tices were abolished. But Gandhi found the Government relentless. There was no solution in sight. He knew he had to take further drastic measures for any chance of change benefitting the Indians and people of color in South Africa.

Gandhi as a Satyagrahi inSouth Africa. He gave up his law practice,and vowed to dress like a poor laborer, to walk barefoot, and to have only one meal a day, till the injutices were abolished.

The Beginning of Gandhi’s Spartan Life-style



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November 02, 201218

®All rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be published without the written consent of the publisher. The deadline for advertising and articles is 5 pm on Monday of each week. Please include self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of all unsolicited material. Published at 7457 Harwin Drive, Suite 262, Houston, Texas 77036. Tel: 713-789-NEWS or 6397 Fax: 713-789-6399, email: [email protected], website: indoamerican-news.com

CORRESPONDENTSHOUSTON: MANU SHAH, CHETNA SAMAL

CHICAGO: NAND KAPOOR, INDIA: RAJ KANWAR

Indo American NewsFOUNDER: DR. K.L. SINDWANI

PUBLISHER: JAWAHAR MALHOTRAEDITOR: PRAMOD KULKARNI

MANAGING EDITOR: MANASI GOKHALEADVERTISING & ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER: VANSHIKA VIPIN

November 02, 201218 EDITORIALThe visit of Begum Khaleda Zia, former prime minister and

currently the leader of the opposition in Bangladesh, this week marks an important moment in the new engagement between New Delhi and Dhaka. For decades now, the relationship has been strained by the deep political divide in Bangladesh on attitudes towards India. It has been widely held in both capitals that the current prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, is “pro-India” and that Zia, who leads the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, is “anti-India”. This fracture, real and perceived, has deep roots in the political evolution of Bangladesh and is reinforced by the intense animosity between the Awami League and the BNP. It has profoundly complicated Delhi’s ability to build a long-term relationship with Dhaka on the basis of shared interests.

That Zia chose to come to Delhi raises hopes that the recent attempts by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sheikh Hasina to transform the bilateral relationship might yet elicit bipartisan support in Dhaka. Bangladesh is due to go to polls at the end of next year and the BNP’s victory is very much in the realm of possibility. In her meetings with the Indian lead-ers, Zia has suggested that she is not averse to sustaining the current momentum in bilateral relations. She has reassured the Indian leaders that her party will not allow anti-India activities on Bangladeshi soil. After Hasina’s visit to India in January 2010, the two governments have worked hard at resolving all outstanding bilateral issues — including water sharing, boundary settlement, trade and connectivity — and deepen bilateral cooperation, especially against terrorism.

With rapidly rising stakes in Bangladesh, Delhi has rightly reached out to all the major political formations there. Before hosting Zia, Delhi received the former president, General H.M. Ershad, who could infl uence the outcome of the next general elections. This effort to build broad-based support for the bilateral relationship, however, is no substitute for Delhi’s urgent actions on pending issues of concern to Dhaka. Thanks to the unpredictable moves of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the PM pulled back from signing the agreement on Teesta water sharing during his visit to Dhaka last September and is taking time to move the historic Land Boundary Agreement signed in that same visit through the Parliament. One of the fi rst tasks of the new foreign minister, Salman Khurshid, must be to mobilise domestic political support for formalising agreements that India has committed itself to. The ball, then, is very much in Delhi’s court.

- Indian Express

Across the FenceBY COOMI KAPOOR

There is a shortage of VIP housing in the Capital. It is not just MPs who are cross that they have not been allotted houses, which they feel they are entitled to, there are several Central ministers who believe they have been short-changed over their accommodation. It is surprising, therefore, to fi nd that a government bungalow in the heart of Lutyens’ Delhi has been reserved for the SPG’s dog squad. Sniffer dogs have been housed in a bungalow on Saf-darjung Lane ever since the squad was formed. No one has paused to consider whether the canines could not be kept at a further distance in less pricey kennels. They could easily be transported in a dog van to the locations where their services

Dog Bungalow

was unusually forthcoming with the media, in fact, rather garrulous and judgmental for an army chief. Gen-eral Bikram Singh is the complete opposite. He has kept away from the media and given instructions to his principal staff offi cers and army commanders that they should not talk to the press. The army chief was accustomed to dealing with journalists; during the Kargil War, he was the colonel responsible for daily briefi ngs. But Bikram Singh, who has been one of the targets of V K Singh’s barbed attacks, feels that restoration of harmony in the army

expenses, accusing her of spending Rs 1,880 crore, but in at least three places during the yatra, the Chief Minister also referred to the travel expenses of Gandhi’s mother, Paola Maino. The Chief Minister wanted to know if the money for Maino’s travels had come from the govern-ment exchequer.

Work in progressMinister of State in the PMO V

Narayanasamy was perturbed to fi nd chips of plaster from the ceiling fall-ing on his desk in his offi ce in North Block. Narayanasamy felt it was time his offi ce got a coat of paint. Renovation is on before Diwali in a number of rooms in the PMO. In Narayanasamy’s case it is not just paint, but also some shifting of furniture, probably keeping in mind the demands of vastu.

No dropoutsThe MEA calculates that normally

at a function, there are last minute dropouts, so it invites more guests than it actually expects. At the Prime Minister’s banquet for visiting Aus-tralian PM Julia Gillard, however, all the Indian invitees including Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal, Ambika Soni, Sachin Pilot and Manish Tewari, showed up. The Indians far outnum-bered the Australians, so at the last minute, even junior staffers of the Australian High Commission were asked to attend the banquet to keep the numbers even. The joke mak-ing the rounds is that the Congress contingent showed up in strength because nobody wanted to appear on TV talk shows to comment on the charges against BJP chief Nitin Gadkari by Arvind Kejriwal and company. -IE

Raj Kumar Chauhan

Narendra Modi

is priority and this will come only if everyone in uniform maintains a stiff upper lip.

Targeting her motherNarendra Modi’s month-long

Vivekananda Yuva Vikas Yatra was originally conceived as a govern-ment programme and district collec-tors across the state were involved in the planning. But after the Election Commission announced the election schedule, the yatra perforce became a party programme. Modi, who re-cently completed the yatra, ensured that almost every major temple town in the state was on the route, while the organisers concentrated on bring-ing youth to the rallies. The national press may have focused on Modi questioning Sonia Gandhi’s travel

are required.Private, not publicRaj Kumar Chauhan is the Delhi

government’s controversial PWD minister and a great favourite of Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Chau-han has encroached the children’s public park next to his residence in Bhera Enclave, west Delhi, for the exclusive use of his family and guests. Instead of children playing in the garden, one sees politicians and hangers-on in a huddle waiting for an audience with the minister. Not only has Chauhan taken over the park next to his house, he has also closed the main gate of the colony. Besides the park, he has appropriated the vacant plot next to his house. The Delhi minister seems to have forgotten the appellative of his portfolio, Public Works Depart-ment. Instead, he looks upon Bhera Enclave as his private estate.

Mum militaryHis predecessor General V K Singh

PMO V. Narayanaswamy

Gen. Bikram Singh



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Last Week’s SUDOKU Solution

COMMUNITYSewa Takes Service to a Whole New Level

BY TEJASVI V. KOKAHOUSTON: Many in our Houston

community do not have someone to fall back on because of many differ-ent situations. In Houston, we are fortunate as there are many different organizations and resources available to those who require them but some-times many different resources can be overwhelming. Sewa noticed that there is no central organization where someone can fi nd the information they need. Basically, an organization that culminates all the organizations into a database along with volunteers who will help them understand what they need to know. In other words, a family made up of our community that will walk you through the dif-fi cult times of your life.

With its Family Service Project, this humanitarian organization will take the concept of Sewa to a new level and provide the kind of assistance not undertaken by any charitable organi-zation in the community. During its years of service to the community, the organization’s volunteers and coordi-nators felt that there are so many less fortunate members of the community who do not have a wider circle of fam-ily and friends on who one can lean on in time of emergency or urgent need. The family provides you with unend-ing support and guidance. When your loved one gets terminally ill, you fall back on your family to support you. When you have diffi culty getting to the hospital for an appointment, you fall back on your family to take you. What do you do if you do not have the family to lean on?

The Family Service Initiative will provide the same personal assistance and guidance as a family does. With seven target areas, the program will provide members of our community with information about pertaining to:

• Health/Medical Guidance & Preventive Health (Guidance and support for Medical Care. Medical professionals may provide phone guidance. Other volunteers may pro-vide direct support during Doctor’s visits, Respite care and Hospital visits etc.)

• Family Service(Home visits, general support for sick individual, directing and coordinating support from other agencies)

• Crisis Support (Funeral arrange-ments, support to grieving family and referrals.)

• Health Insurance & other Services Access(Guidance with insurance and other health care resources. Advo-cacy for patient and their families)

• Food Preparation & Meals Deliv-ery (Provide meals during the time of hospitalization and serious illness.

• Transportation (Transportation for medical necessities)

• Spiritual Counseling & Moral Support (Religious and spiritual counseling during bereavement as well as life threatening sickness).

Anyone can approach a Sewa vol-unteer and the volunteer will provide the necessary information and will explain everything you need to know about a specifi c situation. Like a fam-ily, the initiative will provide aide and support during your time of need.

Sewa International, a movement dedicated to service for humanity, is launching a Family Service project to assist community members and pro-vide them the same help and guidance they would get from their families in their times of need.

The humanitarian service move-ment originated in India in 1989 and has now spread to 17 countries. In the United States, Sewa International has 38 chapters in 22 states. It is based on the principle “Serving in its mission to promote selfl ess service through body, soul and money”. Sewa has provided disaster relief, undertak-en development projects in several countries, helped local communities such as Bhutanese refugee empow-erment program and environmental causes.

“Families are the building blocks for a harmonious society and thus with our Family Services Program we intend to work with the community to sustain the family as an institution in society. We will build a structure for the community and by the com-munity to help families in emergency situation. We will work with the community to help facilitate people in need with helpful information or in person that can help in specifi c situation. FS will run on volunteers therefore we would like to call upon community members to enroll for volunteering in our sacred mission”, said Sarojini Gupta, a member of the Sewa Advisory Committee.

To volunteer, visit http://houston.sewausa.org/family-services

Workshop for Couples by Sewa InternationalHOUSTON: As part of the Family Services program of Sewa International,

a fi ve-hour workshop for couples, titled ‘Towards A Happy Family : Using MBTI for better Understanding in Relationship’ was conducted at Keshav Smriti in Houston.

The program was presented by Arun Kankani, a Certifi ed MBTI trainer, and Bhavna Luthra, a practicing Marriage Counselor. All par- ticipating couples im-mensely enjoyed the program.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment is a psy- chometric questionnaire designed to measure psychological prefer-ences in how people perceive the world and make decisions.

The event started with an MBTI assess-ment of the attendees. An overview of the vari-ous personality types was then presented with its relevance in relationship. The attendees took part in several exercises, as part of the program. At the end of the session, most attendees were able to validate their own personality type.

For more information, visit www.sewausa.org or email [email protected].

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Nicknames in Ransom Note Help Police Nab Baby Saanvi Veena’s Killer

(India Today) For USD 50,000, a 26-year-old software engineer from Andhra Pradesh kidnapped and killed his family friend’s 10-month-old baby Saanvi Veena, whose body he stuffed in a suitcase, but nicknames used by him in the ransom note pro-vided critical clues that helped police nab him.

Raghunandan Yandamuri was ar-rested on charges of kidnapping and killing Saanvi Venna and her 61-year-old grandmother Satyavathi Venna, who was found dead at an apartment complex in Upper Merion Township on October 22.

Yandamuri, who used to live in the same complex, was produced before a Pennsylvania court after police recovered the body of Saanvi on Friday from the men’s locker room of his apartment’s gymnasium in the King of Prussia, hidden inside a dark wooden sauna under a deep bench, with blood marks on her white dress.

Court documents indicate that Yan-damuri moved to King of Prussia, in Upper Merlon Township of Pennsyl-vania from San Jose in California. Being held without a bail, he does not have a lawyer.

He told the detectives that he target-ed the apartment of Venkata Venna, 41, and Chenchu Latha Punuru be-cause he believed they had money as they both were employed.

The 10 copies of the ransom note demanding USD 50,000 that he had left in the apartment at the time of the incident led to his arrest.

The ransom note asked Venkata that “Lata” be asked to deliver USD 50,000 the “Baha Fresh” at the ACME store complex.

Investigators determined “Lata” is a reference to Chenchu wife of Ven-kata and only some close friends call her with that name.

“The First word in the ransom note is ‘Shiva’. During the interview Vankata told the investigators that his full name is Venkata Konda Siva Prasad Venna, and some of his close friends and family members call him ‘Siva’,” the affi davit said.

Both Chenchu and Venkata were asked to provide a list of people who had knowledge of the ‘Siva’ and ‘Lata’ names. Each provided a list of Indian natives who either used or were aware of these nicknames. Among the names provided by the couple was the name of ‘Ragu’, who happened to be Raghunandan Yan-damuri.

According Raghunandan alias

Ragu, he killed Satyavathi as she resisted the kidnapping of Saanvi. Raghu told the police that Saanvi began to cry and he stuffed a hand-kerchief in her mouth to make her stop crying and placed a bath towel around her head to hold the handker-chief in place.

“He then put her inside a blue suit-case he found in the bedroom, he took jewellery he found in the apartment and placed that in the suitcase with Saanvi, he then left the apartment and abandoned Saanvi’s body hid-den in the steam room, of the men’s bathroom, of the gymnasium located inside marquis Apartment Building,” the affi davit said.

“Raghu then dumped the knife, some of his clothes and the blue suitcase in a dumpster in another part of the Upper Merion Township, he disposed some of the stolen jewellery in the Schuylkill river and said he left some at this place of employment,” the police said.

The authorities had also announced USD 50,000 reward for information leading to the safe return of the tod-dler.

The police, in its affidavit, said that Yandamuri told the detectives at the end of his interrogation to tell the media that his wife turned in him so that she could get the USD 50,000 award announced by the police and Telugu community for in-formation leading to Saanvi.

According to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy fi led by Raghunan-dan early this year, Yandamuri used to work for Sarayu

Consultants Inc, an Illinois-based software consult-ing fi rm.

The company did not respond to the telephone call and emails if Yan-damuri still works for the company.

More shocking to the Telugu com-munity in the US was the very fact that Yandamuri, after the kidnap-ping of Saanvi,

was not only consoling the family of his friend but also organising the community in vigil for Saanvi and distribution of fl yers. During initial interrogation, he told the police that he created a missing child poster with two pictures of Saanvi, printing 150-200 copies at work and deliver-ing them to the family for distribution and around the community. However, he soon broke down and admitted to the police that he was responsible for the death of both Saanvi and her grandmother Satyavathi.

“He described going to work on Monday and using his work com-puter to prepare a note demanding money from the Vennas. He said he printed copies of the note on his work computer and took them to the Venna’s apartment.

“He stated it was his intention to take Saanvi and hide her until her parents paid the ransom,” the police affi davit said, adding that he brought 10 copies of the ransom note. Accord-ing to the police affi davit, they found the ransom note when they went to the apartment and found the body of Satyavathi.

Raghunandan Yandamuri is escorted to a Montgomery County district court for an arraignment.

File photo of baby Saanvi and her grandmother Satyavathi Venna.

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CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

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BY RAJ KANWARIAN INDIA CORRESPONDENT

The expansion and reshuffl ing of Manmohan Singh’s council of minis-ters Sunday has neither any logic nor a pattern. Though Manmohan Singh has added 17 new “faces” including two in the cabinet rank and reshuffl ed some portfolios, yet the reconstructed ministry does not inspire much con-fi dence. The new “faces” just remain merely new “faces” and their choices seem bereft of any considered reason-ing or direction. Manmohan Singh’s statement that the expansion of the ministry is a combination of youth and experience does not bear serious scrutiny.

Of the fi ve ministers from Andhra Pradesh, K Chiranjeevi (57) is a Telugu megastar and only a recent entrant into political arena. Another, Kotla Jaya Surya Prakash Reddy (61) is neither young nor experi-enced even though he had been a three-time MP from Kurnool. The third, Sarvey Sathyanarayana (58), had worked in a bank as also with a public sector undertaking. Now very active in politics, he doesn’t have any ministerial experience. The fourth inductee is Porika Balram Naik (48); a fi rst time MP who had once reportedly remarked that “he attends Parliament sessions because that is where he can have good tea and a hearty meal”. Such a comment surely refl ects poorly on his choice. The fi fth minister from Andhra is a woman, Dr. Killi Krupa Rani (48), a doctor by profession. She seems to be the most intelligent of the Andhra contingent in the ministry.

Likewise the credentials of the three new ministers from West Bengal namely Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (56), Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury (74) and Deepa Dasmunsi (52) are varied. Adhir Ranjan is a school drop-out and has fi ve criminal cases pend-ing against him while Deepa Das-munsi is a post graduate in dramatics and an active politician. These two seem to have been preferred for their ability to confront the one time ally and now a bête noire, Mamata Baner-jee. The third minister from the state is Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury. At 74, he is not young and has no previous experience as a minister though he is highly educated and articulate. He has been primarily inducted in order to keep the Muslim vote bank happy

India’s Federal Ministry Expansion Sans Logic or Pattern Lack of Competent Bench Strength

in the minority-dominated districts of Mursdhidabad and Malda.

Among other new comers are some ‘veterans’ such like K Rahman Khan (73). He is a fourth-term Rajya Sabha member and had been its deputy chairman for two terms spread over eight years, and briefl y a minister of state. Though he has considerable experience as a parliamentarian, his record in his home state of Karnataka is not inspiring enough. The selec-tion of Chandresh Kumari (69) is surprising indeed. She has her legs in two states, Himachal and Rajast-han. Chandresh had unsuccessfully lobbied for a Congress ticket from Dharamshala in the ongoing election in Himachal Pradesh but was denied the nomination ostensibly on the ground that if she won, it would ne-cessitate a parliamentary bye election from Jodhpur. She was minister of state and cabinet minister at different points of time in Himachal Pradesh for a term or so but her inning there was lackluster. She is believed to be close to 10 Janpath (residence of Sonia Gandhi) as if that is a special qualifi cation. She has the reputation of indulging in politicking and intra-party wrangling. The elevation to cabinet rank of Uttarakhand’s Harish Rawat is well deserved and merited. His performance as minister of state for parliamentary affairs has been commendable and so was his role as Congress representative on discus-sions on news channels.

The choice of Tariq Anwar (61) of Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was, however welcome. Anwar was one of the three founding-members of NCP along with Sharad

Pawar and PA Sangma. Even though Tariq doesn’t have a political base of his own, he nevertheless enjoys a good reputation, which is the least one can say of many other parlia-mentarians.

Happily both the inductees from the North East states of India have been sporting icons. Ranee Narah (47), who has been appointed as a minister of state for Tribal Affairs, was one time an orthodox left-arm bowler and a hard-hitting left hand-ed batswoman. She was president of Women’s Cricket Association of India as also vice president of As-sam Cricket Association. In the Lok Sabha too, she has been a deputy chief whip of the Congress party. The second nominee is Ninong Ering (53) from Arunachal was a football player. He too enjoys a wholesome reputation and is interestingly a lover of ghazals and Sufi music.

The return of Shashi Tharoor has generally been hailed; he is rela-tively young, smart and boasts of

PM Singh called the new cabinet a “combination of youth and experience”

India’s new ministers after a swearing-in ceremony at The Presidental Palace in New Delhi on October 28, 2012.


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Local Asian Killed in Possible Afghan Insider AttackBY CAROL CHRISTIAN

(Houston Chronicle) A soldier with Houston ties has died in the war in Afghanistan in what may have been another insider attack by Afghan police or military against coalition forces.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Kashif M. Memon, 31, was one of two soldiers who died Thursday when their unit was attacked by small arms fi re in the Khas Uruzgan District of the Oruz gan Province, Army offi cials said Saturday.

A casualty report issued by the Afghanistan International Security Assistance Force indi-cated that the two men died after someone in an Afghan National Police uniform turned his weapon against them.

Maj. Lori Hodge, spokeswoman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, told the Associated Press that authorities were trying to determine whether the attacker was an Afghan security forces member or an insurgent disguised in a government uniform.

Taliban leaders have claimed responsibility for the shooting, saying in an emailed statement that a member of the Afghan security forces shot the two men and then escaped to join the insurgents, the AP reported.

It was the second suspected insider attack in two days, the AP reported. On Wednesday, two British service members and an Afghan police-man were shot to death in Helmand province.

Memon, who also had ties to St. Paul, Minn., is survived by his wife and two sons. The family was expecting a third child, the Army said. Rela-tives could not be reached for comment.

He was assigned to the 96th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne), 95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne), from Fort Bragg, N.C.

Memon was on his fi rst combat deployment to Afghanistan as a civil affairs soldier, in the role of a liaison between his military unit and

the war zone’s civilian residents. In 2010 he volunteered for and completed civil affairs training at Fort Bragg and was assigned the next year to the 96th Civil Affairs Battalion as a civil affairs engineer, the Army said. Memon served two previous combat deployments as an infan-tryman, fi rst with the Marine Corps as a squad leader in Afghanistan, and later while serving with the Army in Iraq. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2001 in Houston, and was stationed at Kaneohe Bay in Oahu, Hawaii, while deploying to Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore and Afghanistan.

In 2007, he enlisted in the Army as an infantry-man and was stationed at Fort Hood and, more recently, at Fort Bragg.

Among Memon’s numerous awards were the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achieve-

ment Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon, three Good Conduct Medals, and the Army Parachutist Badge.

Posthumously, he was awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge.

Staff Sgt.Kashif M. Memon, 31, was gned to Company A, 96th Civil Affairs Battalion, 95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne). The Department of Defense said he was killed Thursday in Afghanistan. (photo: Department of Defense) / HC

The other soldier killed Thursday was identi-fi ed as Sgt. Clinton K. Ruiz, 22, of Murrieta, Calif. He was assigned to the 9th Military Infor-mation Support Battalion (Airborne), 8th Mili-tary Information Support Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.



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Photographic Exhibition part Asian, 100% hapa at Asia Society

HOUSTON: “What are you?” For Americans of mixed race, it is the seemingly inescapable question, asked by friends and strangers alike.

kip fulbeck: part Asian, 100% hapa offers an array of answers in 36 pho-tographs plus video of multiracial men and women together with their written thoughts on their ethnic iden-tity. The exhibition, opening Novem-ber 9 is one of two new shows this fall at Asia Society Texas Center.

Organized by the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, the exhibition show-cases the work of award-winning fi lmmaker and artist Kip Fulbeck, who traveled the country photo-graphing mixed ancestry people of varying age, gender, and back-ground for “The Hapa Project,” originally a web-hosted collec-tion. Derived from the Hawaiian word for “half” and once considered derogatory, hapa has been embraced as a term of pride by many of mixed racial heritage with partial roots in Asian or Pacifi c Islander ancestry. The overwhelming response to The Hapa Project eventually led to a book, Part Asian· 100% Hapa (Chronicle Books, 2006).

“part asian, 100% hapa is a cel-ebration of who we are as individu-

als and as a society,” said Martha Blackwelder, Executive Director at Asia Society Texas Center. “This fascinating look at race and ethnicity will provide a forum for the explora-tion of Houston’s cultural landscape, reinforcing the diversity and multi-culturalism that have made Houston a microcosm of the entire country.”

Visitors become part of the show by adding their own images and personal

statements of identity to an interactive display, resulting in an exhibition that evolves constantly. Additional re-lated programming will encourage a vibrant dialogue about how Houston communities defi ne their place in the region and the world.

“We hope that by providing an opportunity to add to a tapestry of personal stories that transcend ra-cial borderlines, visitors will gain a better understanding of the unique

possibilities that come from living in multicolors and multicultures,” Blackwelder said. kip fulbeck: part Asian, 100% hapa will be on view in the Fayez Sarofi m Grand Hall. Admission is free. It complements the Texas Center’s other exhibition open-ing this fall, Portraiture Now: Asian American Portraits of Encounter, which will be on display in the Louisa Stude Sarofi m Gallery.

Organized by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian Asian Pacifi c Ameri-can Program, the show features ste-reotype-challenging portraiture by seven contemporary Asian and Asian American artists. Admission to the Portraiture Now show is free for Asia Society members, $5 for nonmem-bers. It, too, opens November 9. Both shows run through April 14, 2013.

kip fulbeck: part Asian, 100% hapa is supported, in part, by the James Irvine Foundation. Local support for the exhibition is provided by the City of Houston and Houston Arts Alli-ance, Dorothy Carsey Sumner, Chin-hui and Eddie Allen, Karen and John Bradshaw, Jereann Chaney, Judy and Scott Nyquist, and underwriting from other friends.

For more information, visit www.asiasociety.org/texas

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“Portraiture Now: Asian American Portraits of Encounter” to Open at Asia Society on November 9

HOUSTON: Asia Society Texas Center presents Portraiture Now: Asian American Portraits of Encoun-ter, a pioneering exhibition of work that explodes stereotypes that ob-scure the complexity of being Asian in America. Organized by the Smith-sonian’s National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian Asian Pacifi c American Program, the exhibi-tion showcases the portraiture of seven artists representing a cross-section of the Asian American experience. Collectively their work demonstrates, in micro-cosm, the nuances inherent in Asian American life. The show opens November 9, 2012 and runs through April 14, 2013.

“This remarkable exhibition challenges conventional notions of portraiture,” said Martha Black-welder, Executive Director of the Texas Center. “The seven artists rep-resented in the show take us on their journeys of self-questioning. What emerges are fresh angles of view on Asian American identity, offered in formally innovative work in a diverse set of media – painting, works on pa-per, and video as well as photography. Sometimes playful, sometimes un-settling, always thought-provoking, Portraiture Now delivers an emotion-ally rich experience.”

Roger Shimomura is a third-generation American of Japanese descent who has spent his career fi ghting stereotypes through his art. Shizu Saldamando was born in San Francisco and blends references to youth culture in Southern California with nods to both her Japanese and Mexican heritage. Other artists use concepts of diaspora, migration, and transnationalism to expand the mean-ing of their Asian American identity. Some are artists from Asia who work in the U.S., like Satomi Shirai, who moved to New York from Japan, and Hye Yeon Nam, who came to the U.S. from Korea to study art. Zhang Chun Hong recently spent a year in her native China, but makes her home in Lawrence, Kansas. Artists such as CYJO travel back and forth from Asia to America; The KYOPO Project focuses on the international community of Koreans living abroad. Tam Tran’s family relocated to Mem-phis, Tennessee, from Vietnam dur-

ing the early 1990s.“These exceptional works are por-

tals into the souls of the American experience, world cultures and their intersections,” said Konrad Ng, direc-tor of the Smithsonian Asian Pacifi c American Program. “‘Asian Ameri-can Portraits of Encounter’ provides engaging points of view that will

enrich the understanding of Asian Pacifi c America.”

“I am thrilled that this installation of the National Portrait Gallery’s ‘Portraiture Now’ exhibition series is travelling to Asia Society Texas Cen-ter,” said Wendy Wick Reaves, in-terim director of the National Portrait Gallery. “‘Portraiture Now: Asian American Portraits of Encounter,’ is a provocative and path-breaking show that affi rms the many complex realities of Asian identity in American

culture today.”The National Portrait Gallery cu-

rators for the exhibition are Bran-don Brame Fortune, Anne Collins Goodyear, Frank H. Goodyear III, Lauren Johnson, Rebecca Kase-meyer, Wendy Wick Reaves, Ann M. Shumard, and David C. Ward. ‘Portraiture Now: Asian American Portraits of Encounter’ will travel to the Japanese American National Museum, Los Angeles on May 11, 2013 and will be on view there until September 29, 2013.

On a national level, lead support for the exhibition, publication, and related programs is provided by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation and the Rebecca Houser Westcott Fund for “Portraiture Now.” Additional support is provided by Andrew S. Ree and the Joh Founda-tion.

Locally, the exhibition is supported by the City of Houston and Hous-ton Arts Alliance, United Airlines, Dorothy Carsey Sumner, Chinhui and Eddie Allen, Karen and John Bradshaw, Jereann Chaney, Judy and Scott Nyquist, and underwriting from other friends.

For more information, visit www.asiasociety.org/texas


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127

Mukesh Ambani: Richest Indian for 5th Straight YearNEW YORK (India Today):

Mukesh Ambani has retained his position as the world’s richest Indian for the fi fth year in a row, although his networth declined by USD 1.6 bil-lion to USD 21 billion but remained well above that of the second-ranked Lakshmi Mittal.

Steel baron Mittal’s networth also fell by USD 3 billion at USD 16 bil-lion, making him the second richest, as per global business magazine Forbes’ annual ranking of 100 wealthiest Indians, released on Thursday.

Ambani, who heads energy-to-retail conglomerate Reliance Indus-tries group, and Mittal were followed by IT czar Azim Premji (USD 12.2 billion), construction major and Tata group’s major shareholder Shapoorji Pallonji group patriarch Pallonji Mis-try (USD 9.8 billion) and drugmaker Sun Pharma’s Dilip Shanghvi (USD 9.2 billion) in the top-fi ve.

Mukesh’s younger brother Anil Ambani, who heads telecom-to-in-frastructure conglomerate Reliance Group, was ranked 11th with a net-worth of USD 6 billion.

Others in top-10 ranking include Adi Godrej at 6th position (USD 9 billion), followed by Savitri Jindal (USD 8.2 billion), Shashi & Ravi Ruia (USD 8.1 billion), Hinduja

Brothers (USD 8 billion) and Kumar Mangalam Birla (USD 7.8 billion).

Even as the networth of top-ranked persons like Ambani and Mittal fell, the collective wealth of India’s rich-est 100 rose by 3.7 per cent (USD 9 billion) to USD 250 billion in the past one year, Forbes said.

The number of billionaires also rose to 61, from 57 last year. Sun Pharma group’s Shanghvi entered the

the power industry, which is plagued by fuel shortages. That included L Madhusudan Rao of Lanco Infratech and BGR Energy’s B G Raghupathy and Suzlon’s Tulsi Tanti.

According to Forbes, the youngest newcomer is 40-year-old Ranjan Pai, credited with turning his Manipal Group into a global brand in educa-tion. Pai bagged the 63rd position in the list with a networth of USD 975 million.

Besides, as many as fi ve women fi gured in the list including Savitri Jindal, Indu Jain, Anu Aga, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw and Shobna Bhar-

tia, Forbes said.The rise of 3.7 per cent in total

wealth of India’s richest follows a sharp fall of 20 per cent in the pre-ceding year.

The sharp gain was mainly account of a slew of reform measures taken by the government in key sectors like retail, insurance and aviation.

The BSE 30-stock index, Sensex, gained 10 per cent over the past 12 months, a rise partially eroded by a weakening rupee that fell by 8 per cent.

Mukesh Ambani, Lakshmi Mittal and Azim Premji retained their top three positions, while Essar Group’s Shashi & Ravi Ruia slipped to eighth position from last year’s fourth spot.

Shangvi, has moved up from last

year’s 11th to fi fth this year and Mistry from ninth spot to fourth place. Godrej has also moved up four position, while Anil Ambani, Kumar Mangalam Birla and DLF’s KP Singh have slipped two positions each.

The list is based on shareholding and fi nancial information from the families and individuals, stock ex-changes, analysts and India’s regula-tory agencies, the magazine said.

The ranking lists family fortunes, including those shared among ex-tended families. Public fortunes are calculated based on stock prices and exchange rates as of October 12, while value of private companies are based on that of similar fi rms that are publicly traded, it added.

Steel baron Lakshmi Mittal ranks 2nd in the list.

Ambani and Mittal were followed by IT czar Azim Premji with USD 12.2 billion fortune.

Mukesh Ambani has retained his position as the world’s richest Indian with $ 21 billion fortune

top-fi ve for the fi rst time.Pharma major Wockhardt’s Habil

Khorakiwala, who rejoined the bil-lionaire ranks, was this year’s biggest percentage gainer with a net worth of USD 1.8 billion, while Gautam Adani was the biggest loser. He lost more than half his fortune to USD 3.9 billion.

Some who dropped out altogether from the list have their fortunes tied to

Dunkin’ Donuts to Enter Mumbai, Bangalore in Six MonthsMUMBAI (HT): Jubilant Food-

Works, which has the master fran-chise for Dunkin’ Donuts outlets in the country, has said it will enter the Mumbai and Bangalore markets within next six months. The Jubilant Bhartia Group company also has the exclusive franchise for Domino’s Pizza for the country and also in Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

“We are looking at Mumbai and Bangalore next. It will happen in the next six months or so. But we are in no tearing hurry as we want

going forward Dunkin’ Donuts will also follow a similar trajectory.

The doughnut segment in the coun-try is at a nascent stage and more competition will only augur better for the category, he said.

On investment front, Kaul said, as far Domino’s is concerned, the com-pany’s endeavour is to spend over Rs. 150 crore annually, which means 100 new stores every year.

“The company will be relocating to a new facility in Kolkata. We are also in the midst of relocating to a

to get it right and then scale it up,” Jubilant FoodWorks chief executive Ajay Kaul said.

The Bhartias-promoted company had bagged the franchising rights from the leading US baked-food and coffee chain for Dunkin’ Donuts ear-lier this year. It had launched the fi rst store in Delhi in April. Currently, it has three stores in the national capital and has plans to launch 100 outlets over the next fi ve years.

On Domino’s, Kaul said they will open at least 100 stores this year and

new facility in Mumbai as well which should happen in the next couple of months,” he said, adding third facility is coming near Chandigarh.

On Domino’s, Kaul also said there will be a price hike soon.

“The last time when we hiked the price was in June. Before that last year in August and in November also we raised our prices. Our next price hike will be in November and it will be a 2-3% increase,” he said.

On weak market sentiment, Kaul said the fi rm was not alarmed by it.

“Our 22% same store sale in com-parison to 30% in the previous quar-ter kind of faded out.

“I think sentiment is continuing but not in an alarming manner. The kind of growth which we saw last year is not there. Yet, I will not say it is alarming,” Kaul said, adding the company plans to launch a new pizza variety to cash in on the fes-tive season. “We will launch a new pizza in November-December but I cannot share the details with you now,” he added.


November 02, 201228 November 02, 201228India’s New Cabinet.....

rich experience both as a minister in India and a top functionary at the United Nations. He gets back his old portfolio of foreign affairs as minister of state. Political analysts, however, have not relished the choice of Salman Khurshid as India’s foreign minister for a couple of reasons; one, he has no experience whatsoever in foreign affairs and two, he faces allegations of indulging in malfeasance in the non-profi t organization that he and his wife run. If it was Manmohan Singh’s way of rebuffi ng Kejriwal and his ilk, he could have given him some other ministry rather than the high profi le portfolio of external affairs. They also feel that Mani Shankar Aiyar should have been resurrected from the Rajya Sabha’s store house and made the foreign minister. Aiyar has rich and varied experience and is one of the best speakers and enjoyed an impeccable reputation in his earlier tenures as a central minister.

The choice of Manish Tewari (47) has been heartily welcomed. Even though he is the fi rst time MP, he was very prominent both in the Youth Congress and the party as such; he was alternately president of the All India Youth Congress and secretary of AICC. Lately, he has come into promi-nence as an offi cial spokesman of the Congress party.

Promotion of some of the younger brigade such as Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sachin Pilot, Jitendra Singh and Bharatsinh Solanki by giving them independent charge of portfolios was hailed by many observers even though there was nothing to shout about their performance in the ministry. But then perhaps there is not much of a bench strength of capable MPs who could have been considered for induction in the ministry. Again, perhaps the qualifi cations for inclusion in the ministry have nothing to do with ability and integrity; other “qualifi cations and considerations” play a greater role in making ministerial choices. Even the reshuffl ing of portfolios was devoid of any reason. For example, it did not make sense in replacing Jaipal Reddy by Veerapa Moily in the ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas. If the two ministers were deemed to have done well in their earlier ministries, why replace them? Alternately, if these two did not perform well in these crucial infra-structure ministries like petroleum and power, then this game of musical chair does not make any sense. It seems to be a case of simply putting square pegs in round holes and vice versa.

The reaction of the most political parties was naturally negative. BJP was highly unimpressed with this so-called reshuffl e calling it ‘futile’ and objecting to the retention of ‘tainted ministers’. Other sundry parties too criticized reshuffl e as ‘meaningless’.

All said and done, it is now up to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his team of key ministers to continue the ongoing process of reforms in economic and fi nancial sectors and seri-ously taking up the successful passage of a large number of Bills pending in various stages of consideration. There is also utmost need of creating a sense of bipartisan cooperation with BJP and other such parties who do not have any in-principle ideological ‘reservations’ on many of the economic reforms under contemplation. In this context, the role of the ministry of parliamentary affairs will become much more crucial and it is happy augury that a minister of the caliber of Kamal Nath has been given the additional charge of parliamentary affairs.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22

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Pankaj Advani Wins Seventh Billiards World TitleLEEDS (The Hindu) Ace Indian

cueist Pankaj Advani proved his class once again as he notched up his sev-enth World Billiards Championship title after comprehensively beating defending champion and seasoned Englishman Mike Russell in the fi nal here.The celebrated cueist stamped his dominance with 1895-1216 win over the local favourite.

Fresh from his resounding 881-281 victory over compatriot Dhruv Sit-wala in the semifi nals, Pankaj raced into a lead with a century break of 147 and a double century break of 298 within the fi rst hour of the fi ve-hour long encounter.

With a fi nal century break of 119, Pankaj beat the 11-time champion

Pankaj Advani

SPORTS India’s Home Ministry Clears Pakistan Tour

(Cricinfo) India’s home ministry has cleared a limited-overs tour by the Pakistan team, prompting the BCCI to say the tour “is on” at the end of the year. The clearance was given at a meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday between ministry offi cials and senior representatives of the BCCI - including its chief adminis-trative offi cer Ratnakar Shetty, IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla and chief executive Sundar Raman.

“We have discussed all security aspects (and) the tour is on,” Shukla told reporters after the meeting.

The tour - which now needs only a formal announcement by the two boards to be offi cial - will comprise three ODIs and two Twenty20s at Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmeda-bad and Bangalore. Pakistan are due to arrive on December 22 and Shukla said the tour would continue till Janu-ary 7 but the detailed schedule is yet to be announced. However, there is little room for fl exibility because the series is sandwiched between two legs of England’s tour of India.

It will be the fi rst bilateral series between the two sides since Pakistan toured India in end-2007, though

This will be the fi rst bilateral series between the two sides since Pakistan toured India in end-2007 © AFP

they have met in multinational tour-naments. Cricket ties between the two countries were snapped follow-ing the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai by militants from Pakistan.

The decision to play the series came after prolonged consultations between offi cials of the two boards - BCCI president N Srinivasan and PCB chief Zaka Ashraf had held several discussions this year regard-ing resumption of ties - and, latterly, of the two governments.

It is Pakistan’s turn to host a bilat-eral series between the two. But there has been no international cricket in the country between Full Members since the March 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka team bus and it is under-stood that India were not keen to play at a neutral venue, as has been the case with all Pakistan’s ‘home’ series since the attack. Subsequently, Ashraf said India had the prerogative to decide on the dates and host the series, but the PCB would want the BCCI to share revenue as they were apparently yet to recover from the fi nancial loss suffered when India pulled out of their planned tour in 2009.

Formula No. 1: In India, V Stands for VettelBY RUHI BATRA

GREATER NODA (TOI): Sebas-tian Vettel’s love affair with India continues. The Red Bull Racing driver not only won the Airtel Indian Grand Prix for the second straight year on Sunday, he reiterated his admiration for the country after the victory.

“India has a lot to offer. There are a lot of people here: 1.3 billion or more. It’s quite incredible just to see that, to see how people live here, to see the culture. I think is very, very different,” said the 25-year-old Ger-man, who had endeared himself to Indian fans last year with his attempt to speak in Hindi.

Vettel, leading from the start, can-tered to his fourth successive win and fi fth of the season. He was followed by Fernando Alonso and Webber on the podium. Vettel maintains a 13-point lead over Alonso in the drivers’ championship and travels to Abu Dhabi with momentum behind him.

Though there were fears that the second Indian Grand Prix would be a low-key affair, there were plenty of stars and pretty faces adding a touch of glamour. The Paddock Club played host to cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh, Bollywood stars Ajay Devgn, Sonakshi Sinha and Gul Panag while about 65,000 fans turned out to watch the tussle be-tween Vettel and Alonso at the circuit that bears a distinctly different and a more beautiful look this year with a lush green cover.

Vettel, who has always been ap-

preciative of the Buddh International Circuit, seems to have been won over by Indian culture and the simplicity of its people. “Here money is not that im-portant. It doesn’t matter how old you are. I think it’s more important to have a healthy, happy life, to enjoy your life with your family, with your kids... As a country, this place has a lot to offer,” he said to applause in the press centre. His teammate, Mark Webber, nodded in appreciation.

For the second year in a row, it was another sportsperson who waved the chequered fl ag. Sachin Tendulkar did the honours last year and it was 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Gagan Narang who was entrusted with the job this year.

Moments of the race* Alonso split the two McLar-

ens of Hamilton and Button and overtook them within fi ve laps. On Lap 1, Alonso managed to draft past both Hamilton and Button on the long straight, then saw them go back

around him - one on either side - at Turn 4. On Lap 5, he left Button behind using the DRS.

* Schumacher’s last race in India was a disaster from the word go. He suffered a right rear puncture on the fi rst corner and was lapped by the rest of the fi eld. He then com-mitted a rookie mis-take and ignored blue

fl ags, for which he was later hauled up by the stewards.

* Sauber’s Sergio Perez had an-other disappointing race when he retired on lap 42 after a slight brush with Daniel Ricciardo’s Williams took his right rear tyre off.

* McLaren showed why they are one of the best teams out there when they did an amazingly slick “5-wheel” pit stop with Hamilton on lap 33. As the crew put on hard tyres, Hamilton had a new steering wheel put in place. The whole process took just 3.3 seconds.

* Vettel drove a faultless race but there was a brief moment of worry for him and the team when his under-tray generated sparks with 10 laps to go. There were concerns that there could be a potential problem with scrutineering with the plank width. But nothing happened. Thus, Vettel became the fi rst man since the great Ayrton Senna 1989 to lead three straight races from start to fi nish.

Vettel, leading from the start, cantered to his fourth successive win and fi fth of the season.

to clinch his fourth world title in the timed format. It was a case of history repeating itself for Pankaj who had beaten Mike 2030-1253 in the fi nals of the World Professional Billiards Championship in 2009 at the same venue.

Dedicating the title to his mother, an elated Pankaj said, “I am so pleased

to have won my seventh world title. I took a gamble while choosing to play the World Championships here in Leeds and not the International Championship on the Professional Snooker tour and I am glad that paid off in my favour.

“I took a tough decision earlier this year to play both Billiards and Snooker at the highest level, and I am glad that I have been able to maintain top form in both the forms.”

“This victory like every other shall be treasured yet has its own special meaning given the unique challenges I have faced this year. This win is a testament that if you follow your heart, nothing’s impossible,” Pankaj added.


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November 02, 201232 INDIAA $40 Tablet Tries to Compete

BY QUENTIN HARDY(NYT) A $40 tablet, by selling in

places Silicon Valley barely notices, may change the competitive land-scape.

The inexpensive device is called a Ubislate 7Ci, made by a London company called Datawind. Its ini-tial market is schools in India. After a rocky start, Datawind’s newest device is a fully functioning 7-inch tablet, with a touch screen, Wi-Fi capability, a microphone and camera, a headphone jack and a USB port. In other words, pretty much everything you need to be fully functional on the Internet.

In a test, it sent e-mails, downloaded two books and a fi rst-aid guide, took and sent pictures, and offered several games without diffi culty. There is a video that shows it in action, and another that lists its internal specifi -cations.

Every criticism a Western review-er might have with this tablet (the keyboard is small for big American fi ngers, the camera resolution is low, the software has lots of ads) must also meet with the riposte, “Yeah, but…it’s only $40.” For people who can’t dream of owning even a fi rst-genera-tion iPad, it’s more than enough.

“The biggest problem we have with this device is that none of the decision makers, the reviewers, or the trend setters are our customer,” said

Suneet Singh Tuli, the chief executive of Datawind. “Personal computers caught on in the U.S. when the price got to about 25 percent of the average person’s monthly income. In India, where people make $200 a month, that is about $50,” added Singh, who was born in India and raised in Canada.

In truth, that may not be the biggest problem Datawind faces. An early version of the product was of lesser quality. Datawind accepted more than 2.5 million orders to buy the device when it was announced, and had no capacity to manufacture at that scale. It even took money from some customers and then delayed shipment to them by up to 12 weeks, owing to manufacturing problems. The company was criticized by the media in India.

Singh says that 80 percent of the prepaid orders have now been delivered, and those customers were given a higher-end unit at no charge. If so, Datawind could regain its cred-ibility. Its next challenge is to meet a government order for 100,000 units, destined for India’s schools, by the end of the year. After that, he expects to compete in an order for fi ve million units for schools.

Inexpensive devices are likely to come to the United States and Eu-ropean markets with some of the hardware costs offset by advertising

or by content sales through the device. “Google’s Nexus 7 tablet is $199 now, but people are saying it will be a $49 device in a year or two,” says Ken Du-laney, an analyst with Gartner. “Con-tent sellers will underwrite hardware costs, so that devices eventually end up being free to consumers.” Stacy Smith, Intel‘s chief fi nancial offi cer, said his company expected to see such tablets, and will compete for the business.

Singh says his cost of assembly for a Ubislate is about $37, and he sells it to the Indian government for $40. He keeps the price low by us-ing Google’s free Android operating system and cheap semiconductors found in low-end cellphones. In ad-dition, he says, his company fi gured out how to make its own touch panel to fi t behind the liquid crystal display screen. The LCD is still manufactured by an outside company.

Eventually, he says, the government will equip nearly all of India’s 220 million students with a tablet, along with low-cost Internet connections, and that other countries will follow. Printing and distributing books costs about $15 a year even in a poor country, so a device like the Ubislate that lasts just three years and offers a bigger range of possibilities can be competitive.

Those prices are signifi cantly less than the One Laptop per Child com-puter, which as of 2011 had issued more than two million machines, costing about $200 each, mostly to the developing world. Those lap-tops, called XO, are manufactured by Quanta Computer of Taiwan.

Big sales to schools can help un-derwrite the cost of a mass-market product for adults in India and else-where, at a slightly higher cost that is offset by ads or possibly things like phone companies offering devices to get people on calling plans.

Singh is a long way from that level of mass production, but another com-petitor is likely to fl ood the rest of the world with cheap tablets soon. That could lead to an explosion of novel applications, similar to the online car sales and recruitment business that are moving into Africa thanks to cloud computing. Datawind has sponsored an applications contest for students, which generated a point-of-sale sys-tem for street vendors, who make $100 a month or less.

Any rival would need a cheaper tablet to compete with Singh, or it could just get used to a lot of ads.

Datawind Suneet Singh Tuli, the chief executive of Datawind, with the company’s tablet device.

Ford India Names Joginder Singh New MDBY YOGENDRA KALAVALAPALLI

HYDERABAD (Mint): Ford Mo-tor Co. has appointed Joginder Singh as president and managing director of its India operations effective 1 December. Singh, presently the presi-dent and managing director of Ford Business Services Centre in Chennai, will replace Michael Boneham, who will retire on 31 December after serv-ing 27 years with the US auto maker. Singh will oversee Ford’s expansion plans in India, which includes bring-ing eight new products to the country

by mid-decade, the company said on Thursday. “Joginder’s proven lead-ership will be critical to driving the successful and ongoing expansion of our India operation...,” said Joseph Hinrichs, president, Ford Asia Pa-cifi c and Africa. “With 60-70% of the growth expected to come from APA (Asia Pacifi c and Africa) for Ford Motor, India will be play a critical role in driving that growth.”

Singh, who has been with Ford since 1980 in different roles globally in Europe, the US and Canada, will

be based at Ford India Pvt. Ltd’s corporate offi ce in Delhi and report to Hinrichs. Boneham helped Ford’s transition to a mass player in India and led the launch of its hatchback Figo in 2010, the company said. “... his role in securing the $1 billion investment for our second new integrated manu-facturing facility at Sanand helped us signifi cantly transform our opera-tions in India,” said Hinrichs. Ford’s upcoming plant in Sanand, Gujarat, is its second in the country after the facility in Chennai.



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‘Whether it is Five Airlines or Ten, There is Demand’: Jeh WadiaMUMBAI (Mint): Jeh Wadia, managing

director of Go Airlines (India) Ltd and Bombay Dyeing and Manufacturing Co. Ltd, is bullish on both aviation and real estate businesses. GoAir plans to go international soon and Wadia is banking big on Bombay Realty, the group’s real estate arm, and says the maximum revenue will come from this business. He also wants to transform the group’s textile business into a predominantly retail venture. Edited excerpts from an interview:

Aren’t you talking to foreign airlines for selling a stake in GoAir?

At the moment, we are not talking to anybody. We are not in a hurry. We are a self-funded company and we are not looking for private equity. We are fully funded and have 92 Airbus aircraft, which we have funded internally. We have taken delivery of 13 of those 92 and the balance will be delivered in the next few years. If a foreign direct investor comes and creates a proposition, we will defi nitely evaluate it.

Are they coming?I am sure they will because ultimately the

growth is in India.How is GoAir doing?Profi t-making, always.What do you plan to do with such a huge

fl eet?We have been in the aviation business since

2005. Our focus was to start small, stay small until 2015. Between 2005 and 2016, the plan is to have only 20 aircraft with old technology. Fortunately for us, there is new technology and the plans will give us the advantage of approximately 15% (fuel effi ciency) over and above the existing aircraft. Our plan has been to stay profi table, scalable and nimble…In 2005, aviation industry was a very new industry and we waited for the industry to mature. Let there be consolidation, let the cost of supply come down, let the consumer get mature and used to fl ying.

When we start taking delivery of the new aircraft we would have the least number of inferior aircraft from the past.

So we will see a burst of activity post 2016?

Yes. We are preparing the organization to take delivery of such a large fl eet and having ability in terms of creating better processes and benchmarking with international practices.

You can also sell these aircraft.Yes, we can and make money from them.You have a plan to go international.Well, we are looking at evaluating our options

as we speak. Within, say six hour radius to the 22 destinations…We are mapping in terms of which routes we could serve better from the existing routes in India.

Do you qualify to fl y international?

There are three criteria to fl ying international. One is, fi nancing. Second is a fi ve-year operat-ing track record which we meet as we are six-and-a-half years old now. Finally, one needs to have 20 aircraft and we have 13. We made an application to the ministry, asking relaxation for us to fl y international. We don’t see why we shouldn’t be allowed (to fl y international) because we had 20 aircraft fl ying at one point of time on a cumulative basis. Incidentally, the same rule is not applicable to foreign airline who fl y to our country. Today, airlines which have less than 5-10 aircraft even fl y to India. Why should there be a rule for an Indian airline to have minimum 20 aircraft for fl ying international?

So, you are ready to go international.If we get the licence, we will start fl ying in a

few months. But we are not in any hurry…The main objective to fl y international is to use the asset well—create another four to fi ve hours of fl ying between 1am and about 7am. As we utilize our assets more, we can reduce the cost per unit. Our objective is to bring the cost down by using the asset more. These international routes do not attract 28% tax on fuel. They at-tract only 4% tax on fuel. Hence, it is very lucrative to have at least, say 20% of your fl eet fl ying international because it gives you a higher contribution than what some of your domestic routes are giving you.

You seem to be very bullish on the aviation sector.

I am very bullish on aviation. Ultimately, If you look at the statistics today, there were 62 million seats that were sold in India in the year ending March 2012. During the same period, Ryanair Ltd, one airline in Europe, carried more than 80 million seats. It’s just a drop in the ocean.

India has 340 aircraft fl ying while Ryanair

has 300-odd aircraft and S o u t h w e s t Airlines in America has 700 aircraft, double of what we have as a country. China has more than 1,500 aircraft flying com-mercially.

In terms of demand, whether it is fi ve airlines or ten, India can

absorb…We do not have very efficient roads, we do not have

the most effi cient railways.Bombay Dyeing is into textiles, polyester

and real estates. Where do you see the maxi-mum growth coming from?

Typically, real estate has the maximum growth potential. We have two large land masses in the island city of Bombay, one on the west coast in Worli and the other on the east coast in Dadar—together they are about 70 acres. Bombay Realty was launched in October last year to essentially institutionalize real estate developments for the Bombay Dyeing group. Bombay Realty is developing two mixed-use developments—residences, offi ces, a hotel, malls and either a hospital or a school or both. That is the thrust area of Bombay Realty. Two fi ve-star hotels, one seven-star hotel, multiple hospitals, two malls, two high streets, schools and hospitals are what Bombay Realty is plan-ning for both these developments.

What’s the timeframe for this?We have already launched the Dadar project

and are looking at completing the fi rst phase of residential towers approximately by 2016. We intend to complete the entire project by 2020. In Worli, we will launch our retail initiative sometime early next year.

You have about 10,000 acres land bank across India.

Well, Bombay Dyeing is a public company and has 70 acres in the island city. Bombay Realty was created to institutionalize its proper-ties. The Wadia group and the family has more than 10,000 acres of land in the whole of India. Bombay Realty on an arm’s length basis will participate and try to develop the family assets and potentially develop all group assets.

At the moment, Bombay Realty is developing Bombay Dyeing’s land in terms of mixed-use developments. Britannia Industries Ltd has real

estate in Bangalore, Bombay Burmah Trading Corp. Ltd has large assets in the south and a very large land portfolio in Bombay and these will be looked at and evaluated on a stand-alone basis.

How will this work?We are still at the planning stage. It will work

in the form of a joint development, or a joint venture, in which we bring in the development skill, planning skill and the operating skill and the land owner remains either the family or the joint company.

How much revenue comes from the real estate business?

At the moment, 25% of the revenue is com-ing from real estate, 25% from textile and the rest from polyester. Going forward, we will see real estate generating more revenue. Real estate revenue is basically accounted for in terms of construction progress.

You are planning to revamp the textile division.

We are looking at re-engineering in terms of a retail initiative focusing on what we do today—bed and bath—but take it forward and do it on a larger scale, in a more in-depth manner, creating a more effi cient supply chain and more effi cient products. We plan to improve the appearances of shops by creating a wider portfolio of products. We will make announcements at the end of the fi scal about the initiatives being taken.

We want to increase the market share and if we are going to stay in textile, we are going to make it a retail company.

What’s your outlook for real estate divi-sion?

I can only comment on real estate in the island city of Bombay. I don’t see any real corrections in prices. I am extremely bullish on the island city in terms of yields. I think the yields will grow three to four times over the next fi ve years. Now is the time to buy. Today, we have a shortage in the island city for new ready-to-move-in apartments. More and more people want to move into newer buildings since the average age of the buildings they live in are 20 to 25 years.

We are not a mass home developer. We are a luxury home developer. We have delivered a 40-storeyed tower in Dadar. We are not very aggressive in mid-market, but highly aggressive about the high-end premium market and we have a majority market share in that segment.

You want to bring down your debt. How will you do that?

Bombay Dyeing has a debt-equity ratio of 3:1 and we are looking at potentially being a debt-free company within three to four years.

We will do that by making our businesses more profi table and more effi cient in the areas that generate more profi t.

Jeh Wadia says the maximum revenue will come from the real estate business. Photo: S. Kumar/Mint


3 November 02, 201235November 02, 201235

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