january 2012

January 2012

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Shining Stars

Proud to be IndianProud to be Indian

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Eve’s Times January 2012


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Eve’s Times January 2012 January 2012 Eve’s Times

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Change is indispensable. Change is invincible. Change is palpable when people become restless and decide to express their thoughts and actions through people’s movements. Then astute leaders know it is time to change their strategies to match the expectations of the people. This is what should be happening in a democracy. When extraneous factors mar the judgment of political leaders, then it is gives way for emergence of new leaders. Despite this truth, our political leaders do not seem to learn their lessons. It is a fact that there is a massive awareness about the impact of corruption under which the entire country is reeling. Yet, the powers that be are soft pedaling with an attempt to brush the issue under the carpet. The entire approach has been rather disappointing.

With Annaji taken to ill health, the movement seems to be tottering. In a country of more than a billion, it is disheartening to see that more erudite and knowledgeable youngsters are not coming forward to strengthen the movement that has been initiated by a humble man, who has brought the focus of the nation to look at corruption as a menace that will be detrimental to all of us. We need more men and women of character to join the team, share their experience and knowledge and take the movement forward.

What we need is something similar to a Constituent Assembly of learned and/or experienced men and women from various fields to come out with a bill that will benefit the nation and can be passed by the Parliament. This is the right time for young leaders to emerge.

We have been given a great opportunity to correct the wrongs initiated and perpetrated by the earlier generations. Given the young age, intellect and human wealth of our nation, if we can develop a strong team of political leaders of character, there can be no doubt that India will rise above all other nations of the world.

It is time for us to leave back all that comes in the way of our progress. It is time to stop talking about BPL families, castes, mid day meals, schemes for the poor. It is time to ACT. To eradicate poverty, unemployment, lethargy, alcoholism and gender bias, casteism, favouritism and above all, CORRUPTION. It is time to move forward ruled by a team of honest and capable young leaders. Will the youngsters give a thought to it seriously?

Ciao!

Swati Amar

Moving Forward…


Contents

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The

Ind

ian

Way

of L

ife

Page

8

The India I would like to see Page 12

Wheels of Change

Page 19

Does it m

atter what you

wear?

Page 23

RegularsJus’ Ask Brinda 24

Salt’n’ Pepper Korner 39

Cook ‘n’ Smile Recipes 40

The Dance of Renaissance Page 43


Contents

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Jest 4 Laughs 32Corporate contemplation 36

Love thy Pets 27

Republic D

ay Quiz 30

The Wish List Page 44

The Dance of Renaissance Page 43

Shin

ing

Star

s Pa

ge 5

4


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Vol. 7 No. 180 Rs. 30.00

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IndianProudto be

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Life as an Indian is exciting, exasperating, exacting, exhilarating… Indians go

through a gamut of emotions and of course a lot of physical hardships to get on with their daily lives. Myriad occurrences assail us all the time even as we grapple with them in an attempt to comprehend the significance of those that seem to have a stranglehold in our lives. A new momentum, a new people’s movement seemed to have had a genesis, but then again,

this is followed by silence…. Or so it seems. Amidst all these to-do, the common man plods and pulls and surges forward; a few strong willed youngsters flap their wings and land themselves in greener pastures, establishing a strong foothold, snaring a fistful of global success for India time and again. While India seems to be disunited and fragmented on the basis of certain superficial classifications, there is an unseen thread that binds

us to the umbilical cord of Mother Earth…. Yes we are proud to be Indians. Eve’s Times is amongst the few magazines which was born out of the need for a platform for the common man, to voice his views. While we encourage readers to write to us about their experiences, we bring to you the views of a few citizens on various contemporary issues that have gripped our nation and state today.


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Ervadi S.Radhakrishnan Retired Manager, State Bank of India, Editor Kavithai Uravu on the mindless slaying of a doctor by a citizen when his wife died during childbirth. Why are people frustrated with the doctors today?

The era of the family doctor who had personal interactions with families no longer exists. Back then doctors used to be dedicated to their profession and people had complete faith in the doctors, who always had the best interests of the patients in their hearts. Today, the medical fraternity radiates an impression that it is a huge behemoth, faceless, heartless and impersonal and creates mistrust among the patient community. People hesitate to approach doctors easily unless their problem exacerbates to intolerable proportions. Many people are frustrated by the way they are treated by the entire medical fraternity. The fact that such untoward incidents happen

reflects the decreasing tolerance among the people towards apathy in the medical circles.

In recent times some doctors don’t seem to have in-depth knowledge about their fields. Sometimes it is scary to approach doctors who seem to lack appropriate knowledge, which results in wrong diagnosis. Patients have to contend with the innumerable tests that are recommended by the doctors. Moreover, doctors appear asocial and inhuman and are not very pleasant to interact. They live in a separate world of their own and cut off emotionally from the patient community. Of course, there are exceptions and there are many good doctors too.

However, the extreme step taken by the auto driver is not acceptable; that is not a solution at all for the impasse. He found legal remedy on his own, blinded with fury over the death of his wife and the unborn child. But he is illiterate and did not know how to handle his emotions. The reaction of the doctors to this incident also does not seem to be appropriate. If all the doctors go on strike, a huge number of patients will be affected.

Medicine is a noble profession and those who are given the opportunity to take it up are blessed. They should do justice to their profession by upholding the Hippocrates oath in true letter and spirit. However, the sad truth is that the primary goal of many doctors is, ‘how do I get back the loan I have raised to complete my medical education? How do I set up my own private clinic? How

do I improve my social status?’ Such extreme incidents are like the tip of the iceberg that cautions the society to act to bring about a change.

Vijayalakshmi Sukumar, Homemaker

In huge corporate hospitals, the chief doctors are always busy and patients are attended to by their assistants who do not show commitment in taking down information from the patients or communicating the details to the chief properly. I lost my husband 2 ½ years ago to cirrhosis of liver. He had been taking BP tablets for a long time and we were never informed that he should stop taking the medicines if the BP became low. There were times when he used to feel dizzy and fall unconscious. Only during the last stages, I came to know that we should have discontinued BP tablets. My husband had had Hepatitis C earlier and the cirrhosis happened as a consequence of that. We used to travel from Bengaluru and


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come to Chennai for treatment. In the big hospital my husband was treated, we had to wait for a long time to see the doctor, even during the terminal stages. The medical personnel did not show any compassion even when they knew that we had traveled far and that he was suffering. Their attitude was, ‘There is no hope for this patient. Why waste time on him?’ It pained me a lot to see their indifference. Another doctor who attended my husband didn’t even know the spelling of some medicine! That is the quality in a big hospital! During the later stages, we found a doctor in Bengaluru itself. While the doctors here took money even for reviews, this doctor never charged when we went for reviews and his fees were nominal. The doctors have to change their commercial attitude and establish trust in their patients.

K. Balasubramaniam (Kavimani Ilayavan), writer, poet and orator on safety of single women and senior citizens staying alone.

Our culture is totally different from that of the western nations that celebrate Father’s Day, Mother’s Day etc. We live in a society where senior citizens are normally taken care of by the family system. Senior citizens should take reasonable precautions to safeguard themselves against criminals and nefarious elements. Usually, it is during the noon time that some vendors pass by residences and take note of those living alone. They pass on information to criminals. Ideally, it is not safe for a senior citizen, especially a

woman to stay alone. If they have no other way, it is better they keep the local police informed and also cultivate amicable associations with their neighbours. They can also look at additional protection such as installing safety locks in their doors, alarm systems etc.

I have come to live with my son who is in Hyderabad and I am comfortable in the midst of my family. Other senior citizens can also think of staying with their daughter or son. During the twilight phase of your life, you need a walking stick, which is the support from your family members, to live safely.

Aditya Bajaj works in TCS. He has also joined the Anna Hazare movement and played an active role during July/Aug 2010 when the movement’s activities were at its peak. He speaks on corruption.

We live in a country where as a retail consumer we have to pay a price higher than the MRP for even small products like water or a cool drink. If you go to Marina beach you get a bottle of water for Rs 25/- where as the MRP is Rs 15/-. The difference in the amount goes straight into the pocket of the policemen who allow the hawkers to sell their products. Corruption happens in a big way from the highest to the lowest levels, the magnitude being greater at the lower levels. Most often, the common man does not know the procedures and he is taken for a ride by agents who offer ‘services’ for specific amounts. They end up paying bribes even without their knowledge! In places like

Gorakhpur from where I come, you can get a driving licence without going to the RTO just by paying Rs 500/- to an agent!

In most government offices, we don’t often get to know the procedures. Hence the public has to pay to get work done, they don’t have a choice. That is why we are insisting on a citizen’s charter that will enable dissemination of information to the public and help them evade corruption. Customers must have direct access to the government employees and must be kept informed about the procedures, which will help bring down corruption.

Recently we had gone to a few police stations in Chennai to discuss the issue of eradication of beggary. A few months back we had submitted proposals on this issue. We also had interacted with the Corporation. No action has been taken so far. On the other hand the police personnel were very rude and threatened me, especially since I don’t understand Tamil. Such is the state of affairs.

B. Anuradha Media personality, on the role of the media

The media can and has played a positive role in bringing about desirable changes in the society and throwing light on important issues in our country. News channels today are very important tools of dissemination of important occurrences, especially in the political scenario. A lot of education also takes place through the media. This is a welcome development. However, the


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entertainment industry seems to be floundering. The quality of the tele serials is wanting. Since many women are addicted to watching serials, they have a responsibility to produce content that does not project a distorted view about family interactions and other social units. Women are now more or less stereotyped as villainous, harboring sinister intentions. This is more so among roles of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. If a woman’s character is good, she is shown as a person who is subjected to undue suffering. Projecting women in this light is not good for the society. Other than that, the content is mostly cinema related. It is possible to produce entertaining programmes such as Oru Vaarthai Oru Laksham that not only triggers the interest of the audience, but also enhances their knowledge. Another objectionable trend is the trail of reality shows in almost every channel, especially those produced for children. While it is good to promote talent, encouraging children to sing songs which have vulgar lyrics and instigating them to dance in filmy style depicting obscene gestures are abominable practices. Such programmes rob the children of their natural innocence and propel them towards adulthood very early in life. We have to think out-of-the-box to create content that

will keep the audience engaged without showcasing a distorted version of reality that will impact women and impressionable young minds.

Vijayalakshmi Kirthivasan, Teacher of Classical Music on the current trend in the classical music scenario and why stalwarts do not create protégés

Honestly as a music teacher, not all parents encourage their children to take up classical music for professional reason. In a world where there are a lot of distractions they believe that learning classical music or dance will draw them away from distractions. Parents want to instill cultural moorings in their children. As a result, very few students are serious about music as a profession.

I tell the parents of my students, that their children should practice music diligently everyday just like they complete their school homework. However, most parents don’t give importance to music practice; their focus is only on school work. Of course some parents encourage their children to practice music and this is very much evident when such children perform, better than those who don’t practice. Parents have to appreciate the teacher’s time, their

own time and the child’s time that is spent on music lessons.

Decades ago, there were few opportunities for people with passion for music to learn and perform. Only those who toiled, practiced and made a lot of sacrifices could emerge as great singers and rose to become great stalwarts. Today the problem is that of plenty. There are innumerable opportunities for learning and performing. There are a number of children and youngsters learning and practicing music. Hence we do not see the rise of such stalwarts. Talent and hard work are important. Only those who have these endure, others may sooner or later have to leave the stage. Today youngsters have a global platform to perform and can take full advantage of the electronic media and social networking to promote themselves. Many talented youngsters have two professions and some of them are able to balance both.

Another desirable trend is that NRI Indians in the US and other countries are more serious about their children training in classical music and dance. They make earnest efforts to train and practice, more than the Indian students here. There are also good teachers abroad. Here the teachers have their own profession to promote, workshops and other commitments.


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It is the beginning of a new year. New beginnings are what people want. We spoke to a few

people about the new changes that they would like for their country.

Anshuman Chaudhary, 26, Researcher: I want people in here to respect every person who’s earning the daily bread for his family, regardless of what he/she does to make a living. Secondly, I wish it weren’t a man’s world or a male dominated society. Thirdly, I wish that the politician be smart enough to keep their crimes under wraps. At least the image of the nation does not have to suffer. Because there’s no equality and there’s so much against women and it’s so threatening that in some states you have dwindling female population. For every crime that a man commits, the woman is

blamed for it.

Satyavati Rao, 73, Retired teacher: I would like to see a corruption free India, as well as a country where there is employment for all. Education should be a must for everyone, as it leads to empowerment. Also we should all follow Gandhiji’s policy of ‘Each one Teach one’ so that one day India will be ready to face the world. Women are shrouded in superstitious beliefs even now; they should come out of it. Only then can they work towards progress. Equal status for women should become a reality.

Javed Alam, 25, Software professional: India should work towards controlling its population growth. We should also find a way to have reasonable rent and

land prices. Favourable sex ratio in companies would be nice. A country where everyone is literate and there are statesmen instead of politicians. I want our country to be tax-free.

Akshay Godbole, 24, Engineer: This year I would like to see more of Anna Hazares than Kalmadis. I want our country to be proud of our people who would be known globally for their integrity and honesty. Taking on the corrupt politicians and exposing them would be a positive step for us. It is sad that people take pride in being fraudulent and being associated with such people is considered to be prestigious. It’s time to change this attitude.

Priyanka Sakhamuru from Hyderabad

India of my DreamsProud to be Indian


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Countries Greece and India

Prof N Natarajan

A Tale of Two

Greece was perhaps the first country in the world to demonstrate the democratic

form of government in Athens. It was direct participatory model in which each citizen had the duty

to attend parliament for a specific period. As population increased, the ‘representative’ model of

Proud to be Indian


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governance through popularly elected representatives came into being in various countries. This evolved further into the Westminster model in UK, proportional representative model in many European countries and a hybrid model in USA. In keeping with the colonially dominated mindset India chose the Westminster model.

No matter what form of democracy is practised anywhere in the world, the common factor is periodical elections involving wooing of the electorate, which is a costly affair. The money is provided by big businesses in expectation of undeserved concessions after the ‘Popular mandate’ brings the new government to power. The big corporates work on the principle of adequate return on their capital. This was the origin of corruption. When money is collected by political parties some of it (perhaps even a lot of it) flows into the pockets of the influential collectors. Their collection and hoarding are the main source of

black money. The other source is the money hidden away from official account books to evade income tax.

Black money is a worldwide phenomenon. It has so far received powerful official protection internationally in the form of offshore banking and in a designated country called Switzerland. In the aftermath of collapse of the US economy, Swiss banks are facing the heat since USA has become desperate for such stashed away funds. The phenomenon of black money is unlikely to end too soon because the people in power have their own stashes to preserve, worldwide.

Today, barring China, the entire world is in economic turmoil. Ironically this time around, Greece has again become the first and foremost example of an economically failed state. It is frightening to note that India is not far behind. The common symptoms are:

1. Bloated Civil service with very

little accountability.

2. Corruption: India is among the most corrupt country in the world. Greece is the most corrupt in the Eurozone. In both countries you pay to be:

#admitted into a public hospital # pass a driving licence # to enter public service # renovate your business premises or your home # avoid income tax

3. Inflated Project costs: In both countries, government projects are awarded through political cronies and at hugely inflated prices! Transparency International compared the prices of the construction costs of stadiums built for the Athens Olympics recently with similar structures in China — 500% more expensive than the Chinese; compared to Los Angeles and Sydney — 50 % more expensive! In India, Kalmadi and the Asian games are still fresh in our memories.

4. Tax evasion: Officially 80% of its citizens of Greece are supposed to pay tax but only 37% are doing so. Big businessmen and corporations have refined tax evasion to a fine art. The Indian scene needs no further elaboration.

5. Opacity in governance: The politicians and bureaucrats falsified economic data in Greece and painted a rosy and manageable picture while the economy was rotting away. Here in India, the dubious carpet of GDP hides all the


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the Government knows is to liberalise everything to make more money for the Ministers, businessmen and the Babus. Reforms to set right all the evils cited above are simply not in Government’s agenda.

India is on the brink of becoming Asia’s Greece. Unfortunately the problem is far bigger if the population of the two countries is taken into account. Greece has a population of only one crore!

If India wishes to come out of its own economic quagmire, it has to look for out-of-the- box solution which will empower the 120 crore Indians in one deft stroke. The solution may look shocking and absurd on the face of it, and may even be actually absurd. Yet there is also a possibility that it may work. I would like to place one such revolutionary solution on the table. It involves the following steps:

1. Abolish income Tax for all Indians.

2. Retain a nominal wealth tax at say 0.25%.

3. Introduce Estate duty upon death of 50%.

4. Introduce gift tax of 10%.

5. Abolish Excise duty.

6. Keep the Customs duty at a uniform level of, say 10%.

7. Declare all land as nationalised property with existing users being allowed to enjoy their holdings on a nominal lease rent.

The elaboration of the thought behind this idea would be the subject matter of another blog. In the meanwhile readers are invited to mull the idea and ready their ammunition to attack it!

As someone said, “Any revolutionary idea is first dismissed as absolute rubbish, then considered impractical and too difficult to implement, and finally accepted most reluctantly, before concluding that it was the most obvious thing to do!”

dirt below. Statistics of Indian population below poverty line are the whitest lies that come to mind.

6. Unabated borrowings: Greece has failed by continuing to issue government bonds to keep afloat. There were issues of series after series of bonds and an attempt to put a lid on the financial mess, while the economy kept going from bad to worse, until it had nowhere to go. Here in India under an expert PM, our economy is going canine! Banks have lent big time to King-fisher sized Vijay Mallya and others.

7. No political will power to reform: The only reform


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‘Hey Ram’! - will kids today recognize this famous phrase of a Mahatma? They can recognize ‘Kolaveri’ and all its variations alright? For today’s gen, Ram(a) is only a numerical recognition 2, 4, 8 GB RAM! Their ‘Kolaveri’ is just an unthinking, irrational and headstrong reaction to instant affluence and increased incomes. This murderous rage is blinding them to the realities that are stark in front of their faces.

The other day I the listened quite closely to the song “Kassu mele kaasu vandu” (money keeps piling on). It has a line that Gandhi remains only a toothless face on a rupee note. The fact is that Gandhi comes up in the news mostly when somebody has something negative to say about him. Strangely enough Jinnah’s name comes up when an Indian has nothing but praise for him.

Gandhi is truly the past and any effort to revive his relevance is restricted to a couple of generations who saw, interacted and were motivated by him to do something for the country. The post Independence generations have only inherited the dregs of his vision and values passed on to them by a diluted leadership. The Congress party itself has changed so much—including living the five-star culture, validating alcohol consumption and riding the poshest of imported cars— they freely confess they have lost sight of the grass root Indian, the Dalit and the common man. The scion of the party, Rahul Gandhi, at forty is being hailed as the youth icon and being spotlighted for his efforts to get back to the party image of being there for the ‘aam aadmi’. More power to him.

However, in rural India, Gandhiji is still the messiah, the avatar who will reincarnate to establish

Gandhigiri and its Relevance Today

Proud to be Indian

Padmini Natarajan


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a Ram Rajya where the common man, the farmer, the untouchable and the down trodden will find human dignity and at least a modest living. Anna Hazare rose like a meteor to offer hope to the common man. His crusade has however been made toothless like Gandhi’s jaw by many strands of vested interests. His health too has collapsed and it seems to prove the fact that you cannot be a ‘fasting’ leader as the drip machines and ventilators can be forcibly fitted on to you. Whether Anna gets a new lease of life is something to watch and pray for—it also totally depends on the aam janata for whom he raised his voice.

What is interesting is the cliché trotted out by everybody that ‘The youth are the future’. How can that be when the youth will become older in the future? A better statement would be to say that the youth are the present especially when you think of the major percentage of this segment of society in Indian demographics today. This section

of society has to demonstrate its presence by voting, by fighting corruption and injustice and saying no to exploiting and being exploited. They can do a great deal to level society into an equitable community.

In any war, it is the youth that sacrifices life and living to fight for the country. They have no fear and not much to lose, for they have few current responsibilities and commitments. They have the courage in them to revolutionize society, to tackle its evils today, to fight and legislate against global warming issues and social

injustice and inequities.

There were people two to three generations ago who stood in the line to take lathi charges when they took part in the salt sathyagraha and independence movement. They were young and idealistic and going to jail was a sign of sacrifice. However, once freedom was gained, the vision became narrow and ‘I, me and mine’ has occupied the whole space. The country has been reduced to shambles in terms of ethics, morality and transparency in all dealings, relationships and development platforms. The mad rush to accumulate, to enjoy and to exploit has taken unlimited proportions. Going to jail for offences has become an achievement and no longer despicable. It is a brand mark of political clout.

It is time to rein in the wild chase of pleasure and leisure. It is time to leave behind the plastic credit card at home and to see what a ten rupee note can buy for a deprived child, man, woman on the street. It is time to think of ‘Sarvodaya’, of sharing of inviting the downtrodden to join you in your celebration of life.

A loin clad, teetotaler Gandhiji is today a much abused commodity/brand, a face on a beer mug (sic), T shirt, or ridiculously high priced pen, and for things which he would have vigorously disapproved. He remains as a name on the streets of cities and as a witness overseeing the multitude that passes by, mutely standing as a statue with a powerless stick in his hand.

Good grief! His name has even been high jacked by a family!


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Recently I read an interesting article in a premier newspaper that our children are missing

the ‘fun and frolic of yesteryears’. It is true that our children hardly have time, space or inclination to play outdoor games. The author recreated nostalgia when I thought of my childhood days with my cousins spent in my grandparents’ ( both sets) sprawling houses in Chennai and the beautiful days spent playing many an outdoor and indoor games.

Though I endorse her views to a great extent but the fact remains that we cannot recreate the bygone era. Moreover, the present generation’s idea of fun is very different from ours just like how ours were different from those of our elders.

Their thought processes have evolved just like their vocabulary and language. They take pleasure in instant gratification and their fun revolves around the spending power. I have been observing the young

and a majority of them are plugged constantly to an I-pod, mobile and they create a world of their own- a world of blissful isolation. This is despite reading about the increase in accidents because of being plugged in to these electronic devices. They are happy in the space that they are creating and the only people who are comfortable in this zone are like-minded friends. Even if the house is on fire they need to be detached from these ‘life- saving machines’ before a warning can be given.

ChangeWheels ofProud to be Indian


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Another aspect that we need to admit is the life style has undergone a major change from yesteryears. Even the grandparents are living in match-box sized apartment and not in huge houses surrounded by trees. The number of cousins has also plummeted and the ones that remain are equally blissful in their own worlds. In such a scenario it is indeed difficult to recreate the fun times that we had during our younger days. They don’t have much choice in their lack of outdoor recreational activity as even the few that are persisting ( like cricket, football, tennis) are stage-managed to such an extent that there is no spontaneity in the games. There is an allocated play area in most apartments which is woefully insufficient for boisterous games like ‘seven stones’ or ‘police and thief.’ Even if children are inventive enough to play, there are elderly, sick people in the other flats who have simply

forgotten what it is to be young.

The word ‘boredom’ has taken different hues in recent times. They are bored with everything right from parents to face book. I don’t remember anyone keeping me and my ilk entertained when I was young. But today, they want constant entertainers in life despite having computer, 24/7 TV programmes. Can it be blamed on having too many gadgets?

Does all the above mean that children will never have fun in their lives? I believe parents, teachers and the other adults in their lives should take a re-look at the way they want the present generation to grow up into. They should create a conducive environment for fun time or rather time away from the technological wonder.

Taking the young ones to the park for a weekend picnic would solve the

‘eating problem’ along with giving them opportunity for some adventure time not to speak of some quality ‘adult’ time for the young parents. Negotiating the homework time with the children and allowing them to take one/two hours off every evening to play outdoors or simply to cycle around the block would also help them socialize and give them lessons on time management. Adults should learn to laugh and take the trouble to enjoy life and spread the enjoyment to the children too. I find that adults too shy away from involving in the New Year’s Eve party or Diwali get together in their community and naturally the children would follow.

Schools too have sprouted in every alley and the space for play time is curtailed to a great extent and some of the schools have the habit of taking away the PE time whenever the teachers need to complete the required syllabus. I feel it is self-defeating as the children would be least interested in learning formulae or reactions in such a scenario.

Finally, if the adults surrounding them have lost their child-like enthusiasm to life than we cannot help if our children are friends with only the crooners or imaginary characters of their computer games.

Chandrika. R. Krishnan from Bengaluru


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by a SC/ST/OBC player should be counted as 8 runs.

An SC/ST/OBC player scoring 60 runs should be declared as a century. We should influence ICC and make rules so that the pace bowlers like Shoaib Akhtar should not bowl fast balls to our SC/ST/OBC player. Bowlers should bowl maximum speed of 80 kilometer per hour to an SC/ST/OBC player. Any delivery above this speed should be made illegal. Also we should have reservation in Olympics. In the 100 meters race, an SC/ST/OBC player should be given a gold medal if he runs 80 meters.

Want reservation in Cricket..?

Wipro Chairman Mr. Azim Premji’s comment on reservation:

“I think we should have job reservations in all the fields. I completely support the PM and all the politicians for promoting this. Let’s start the reservation with our cricket team. We should have 10 percent reservation for Muslims. 30 percent for OBC , SC /ST like that. Cricket rules should be modified accordingly. The boundary circle should be reduced for an SC/ST player. The four hit by an SC/ST/OBC player should be considered as a six and a six hit

There can be reservation in Government jobs also. Let’s recruit SC/ST and OBC pilots for aircrafts which are carrying the ministers and politicians (that can really help the country…. ) Ensure that only SC/ST and OBC doctors do the operations for the ministers and other politicians. (Another way of saving the country….) Let’s be creative and think of ways and means to guide INDIA forward... Let’s show the world that INDIA is a GREAT country. Let’s be proud of being an INDIAN….. May the good breed of politicians long live.”

Contributed by Geeta Canpadee from China

Proud to be Indian


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In the year 2011, women around the world took a stand against sexism, rape and sexual crimes.

The SlutWalk was a worldwide campaign where women took to the streets carrying slogans and placards saying, “Believe it or not, my outfit has nothing to do with you” as well as, “I am scantily clad. Nobody is raping me. Therefore Clothes Do Not Cause Rape” and more. They highlighted the injustice of blaming the victim, rather than the rapist or the abuser. Their protest was against the idea of excusing any sexual misconduct referring to any aspect of a woman’s appearance.

In India, the SlutWalk was renamed as SlutWalk Besharmi Morcha and was held On July 31, 2011 in Delhi. The marchers shouted slogans that decried this mindset of holding the victim responsible. Recently, Andhra Pradesh DGP V. Dinesh Reddy made headlines for attributing the increase in rape cases to women’s clothing. He stated that it was not the police’s fault if there were more number of rape cases and blamed women for provoking men by wearing fashionable clothes. It was a reply to a query when asked about the whys and wherefores of the rise in rape cases in AP. He also clarified that it was one of the factors and not the only reason.

Several women we spoke to were against this mindset and were very vocal about what they thought about it. Divya Navaneethan, a 26 year old architect and interior designer says that the idea that it’s the woman’s fault is a lame excuse. “It has nothing to do with D

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the outfit. Even a saree can be provocative. In fact, men with wrong intentions indulge in such actions. Women should dress in a strong and bold manner so that they can scare the men away. The less vulnerable you look, the lesser the chances of your being taken advantage of,” she adds.

Divya also says that in professions which demands creativity, a lot of emphasis is laid on the way a woman is dressed. “If a girl dresses in a conventional manner, she gets left behind. However, if she is dressed in modern outfits she gets more attention and takes her a long way. But there is a limit. If you cross the line, it will draw unnecessary attention,” she sums up.

Jaya Ramachandran, a lawyer states that even if a woman wears a churidaar it does not guarantee her safety. “If you ask a man he may say that a woman’s dressing sense is to be blamed. It’s the way the men in our society think. Legally speaking there is no definition or description of what is provocative. It’s not given there is a dress code for women,” says Jaya.

However according to MBA graduate Swetha C, women should learn to protect themselves. “By knowing how to defend yourself there won’t be any need to worry when you step out in any kind of outfit.” This she says out of experience because a man once tried to molest her. “I was walking in a crowded shopping area, when a man tried to grab hold of me.

Nobody cared to help me out, so I decided to take the matter in my own hands. I slapped him right there and shouted at him. The man was humiliated in front of everyone,” she adds.

At the end of the day, women know by experience that one does not have to dress provocatively to attract the wrong kind of attention. They also say that it is important to dress for the occasion and the way you carry yourself determines your image. The least provocative outfit can be highly appealing if a woman wants to look that way. Hopefully, there will be more campaigns in the future to put these age old mindsets to rest.

Priyanka Sakhamuru from Hyderabad


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I have a friend in Madurai. Her husband owns a grocery store. When she went for her first delivery, she had left her sister ( unmarried ) who was studying in a college in Madurai ( their parents are in a village) to take care of her husband. On her return she was however shocked to find that her husband and sister were having an affair and her sister had conceived. Out of sheer disgust, she married them in a temple. Her husband started abusing her sister and wanted her to

Jus’Ask Brindaget out of their house. Her sister left their home. Now, though her husband is nice to her and her son, she cannot forget his betrayal and wants to leave him. She is asking me if she can come to Chennai with her little son and try for a job. She is just Plus 2 with a short course in computers. Though she can stay with me, I am a workingwoman myself, with my parents in the same village as hers. It would be too difficult to take care of her baby. Shall I ask her to continue to stay with her husband? I feel Chennai is too big and dangerous for an innocent woman like her, with a child and no education. I am also on the verge of getting married.

The stereotypical image of Indian women is the personification of martyrdom! Your friend has tried

to glorify herself in ‘giving life’ to the sister-a life that proved to be a disaster. But the sister was courageous enough to make her way out of this muddle. Nothing in the past can be undone because it has become history now. Please be sure that you cannot decide for your friend. You can only give suggestions and offer to stand by her in her decision. What happened seems like an act of lust which unfortunately resulted in pregnancy with no emotional bonding with the sister. That is why he was rude to her. Quitting this life is an uphill task for a woman who is not equipped. What does your friend want? If she loves him a lot, is she ready to pardon this one slip? If she cannot pardon, is she prepared to face life alone? She is unable to decide because none of the two solutions are ideal to her. If she is ready to pardon him this time and give him one more chance, there is a possibility that they may get closer. Mistakes are opportunities to learn. It is her choice, anyway


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The devil has put a penalty on all things we enjoy in life. Either we suffer in health or we suffer in soul or we get fat.

Albert Einstein

Love thy Pets 27Republic Day Quiz 30Jest 4 Laughs 32


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Hi Friends!

When I chanced upon Pandit Nehru’s Discovery of India, I was obligated to peruse the textual content under the rubric of a curriculum-driven and exam-oriented schedule. But somewhere in the midst of all the “studying”, I actually gleaned aplenty, and was truly “educated” at the end of the time-span it took to read the book from End to End. Following a voracious and copious reading session, I asked myself one simple question: What do I want my country to be?

What stands framed within the gamut of eight words and a peg at the end isn’t quite as easy to answer. We the People, today, stand at cross-roads although the country has hit the sixties in its age since Independence. We stand at a point where our country is plagued with corrupt politicians, scams aplenty, soaring prices, pockets of society that still oppress women and hire children as labourers, segments of society that traffic women and children and where we use reservations as a crutch in a bid to further our vested interests.

We stand at a point where parts of the international community have blazed trails and zoomed ahead by leaps and bounds, while we are left behind.

If I had a choice to make, and a dream to dream for my country, it would be simple. That every common man becomes Accountable. And by accountable, I mean that even the last Indian man must be accountable to himself, to his conscience, to the next person and to the soul of India, the country that he belongs to. When there is accountability, there is a steadfast attachment to a path that man traverses, as he walks on with his life, carving a niche for himself on a route that is peppered only with honesty, goodness and a sense of decorum and decency. When there is accountability, there is a sense of responsibility to his conduct. Man would think twice before he entered a cauldron-full of controversy. Man would think before he put himself or another’s genuine opportunities in jeopardy. Man would think and weigh his actions with a measure of pragmatism, and remain staunchly rooted in his values. This is, of course, not to think that a man would be a creature of Utopic characteristics. The innate ability to make mistakes cannot, and must not be weeded out whatsoever, for it is only by making mistakes that man learns. But the size of these mistakes would assume smaller proportions and stave off the likelihood of dragging a whole country into dust, if man would weigh his conduct down with a sense of accountability.

If every militant was accountable to his own conscience, would he kill? If every terror-baron was accountable to the acceptable code of human conduct, would he venture to brainwash young minds into believing that their faiths allowed them to kill? If every corrupt politician was accountable

to his conscience and to the faith of the people he leads, would he misappropriate their money in a manner so devoid of any iota of compunction? Most certainly not. In our attempt to be tigers in the rat race, we eat each other, we walk over each other, we maim, we kill, we steal, and we hunger for revenge. We forget the big picture- who were we when we were born? Do we come with a status? Who are we when we die? Do we take anything when we go?

Wherever in the world we may be- whether Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh or Parsi or Atheist- we bear the indelible mark of being Indian. Brand India is so inherently woven in our identities, that we project Indianism abroad. But if our country cannot help but make headlines suggesting a proclivity for being astutely valueless, suggesting the lack of decency in our conduct, what does this Indian element in us project in each of us?

Doesn’t that feel awful? Oh she’s from a country that’s terribly corrupt! Oh you’re from India- the country that has the highest population in the world and cannot seem to put a lid on its scams? Imagine being pockmarked with a stigmatic notion like that. Yes, that’s it. I would smart under the yoke of that sharp slap, too.

As we enter a new year, let’s make a small promise to ourselves. This is not a mere piece of jingoistic rhetoric, and the situation we are in poses a question that is NOT didactic- we have an answer, and its implementation must and WILL begin within us. Let’s promise ourselves to be accountable in our conduct and in our adherence to expected decorum. And when we are the change we want to see in the world, tomorrow could be a much better place, after all.

Until next month,Kirthi

From Kirthi’s Desk….


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Animal RightsLove thy Pets“Our treatment of animals

is important to our own internal state. If we are

to expand our horizons, to grow to understand what the relatedness of each and every thing means,

then our love and appreciation of all life is essential. Our respect and reverence for all living things will be reflected in our own living.”

-Bill Schul, author, The Psychic Power of Animals

Man claims to be the superior most form of life, capacitated by the fact that he has the ability to think and analyze. Ironically, this assumed “power” flowing from the ability to think and from the propensity to reason is perhaps what really sets us apart from animals. When it comes to satisfying his injustices or impulses, reason is mostly overpowered by cruelty and seasoned with callousness. Neither does man think, nor does he analyze.

I’d like to tell you a little story that would help you understand the statement I just made.

When my Uncle Harshit gifted his son a puppy on his seventh birthday, the little boy was swallowed whole with delight. Fondly called Milo, the tiny four legged furry golden retriever followed the boy everywhere. Not only was he the boy’s favorite companion but Milo soon became the cynosure of the entire household’s eyes as his little ‘doggy tricks’ made everyone laugh.

The understanding and love was mutual. Milo was a faithful friend in every respect. He used to bark responsibly every time a new face appeared at the gate. He would perform little chores for the house, being particularly adept at fetching things. Milo’s strong sense of smell would allow the family to keep rats at bay- as the rat community was well aware of the intimidating aura that Milo exuded, and feared


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the consequence should he happen to spot one of their kind.

When Milo turned nine, he was detected with osteoarthritis which caused him varying degrees of stiffness and joint pain. The veterinarian made it positive that being a degenerative and progressive disease, osteoarthritis could cripple Milo further. He could neither walk properly nor did he respond well when called and would rather spend hours basking in the warmth of the sunlight and sleeping. A blanket of pain and disability which was promptly mistaken as laziness and disobedience cloaked the poor animal.

The family immediately branded him as ‘an utter disappointment and waste of money’ and as fate would have it, the cost of Milo’s treatment and therapy was also on the rise.

What Uncle Harshit did next was harsh.

He replaced the family pet with another young puppy and sent Milo off to an animal shelter where the dog refused to eat properly and died within a few weeks.

Hundreds of similar stories take place almost every day around the country. Several pet owners abandon their pets the moment they grow old or fall sick. Just as we humans feel a sense of loneliness, panic, insecurity and

anxiety; animals are also known to suffer from similar feelings. Dogs, specifically, are known to suffer from Separation Anxiety which is ‘a distress response when separated from person or persons the dog is most attached to’.

Just as we would not send off our

own family member to another home because he or she is aging, in what way is it acceptable that a dog, who does become a member of the family, be sent off to a shelter when he becomes old?

Stark reality will remind us that we too become inactive and


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‘boring’ when we grow old. How would it feel if we are thrown out of the house at that age? A pat of love and a little understanding is honestly what is required.

It is inhuman to hurt feelings, they say. If the statement were to be followed there should be no

segregation between a dog and a human being. In his article, “Dogs Never Lie About Love”, Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson mentions, ‘What dogs do, the way they behave, even the sounds they make, seem instantaneously translatable into human emotional terms.’

Several articles have been published about how dogs have given up their lives for their masters. In an article published on the internet by Jerry James Stone talks about ‘how a dog saves the life of a three year old girl lost in the wood.’ When these four legged mute creatures, driven by love can take a valiant step as to save his or her master in distress, why can’t we, being the so called more reasonable species, think twice before abandoning our pet?

In what seems to be the more grievous mistake, there are a few people who just leave their dogs on the road. Whatever be the reason behind this, the outcome is pitiful. These dogs often get run over by speeding vehicles or are unable to cope with the competition on the street from other wildlife with regard to food and eventually starves to death. Since these pedigrees were born to be groomed, they are not meant to fight for survival on the road.

To some, a dog loses the status as being a ‘dog’ and quickly become family whereas, to the others, dogs are, unfortunately ‘just a pet animal’. As Richard Gere says, “As custodians of the planet it is our responsibility to deal with all species with kindness, love, and compassion. That these animals suffer through human cruelty is beyond understanding. Please help to stop this madness.”

Rittika Chunder


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1. Which day did India become a Republic?

2. What is the difference between the two days—August 15th and 26th January?

3. Who was the first Governor

General?

4. How many Indian Governor General’s did India have...name them

5. What was the most important right that we received on Republic

day?

6. Give another name for right to vote.

7. Who took charge as Head of the State on 26th January 1950?

8. Can you describe the route of the Republic Parade in New Delhi?

9. What is the most important segment represented in the parade?

10. What are the other features of the Republic Day Parade?

11. How does the parade end?

12. Who takes the salute?

13. What other post does the President of India hold?

Quizzeria?


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14. Who is the Chief Guest at the function?

15. January 26th is an Indian national holiday. Name the other two

16. How many Republic Days has India celebrated?

17. Where does the Republic Day parade begin and where does it end?

18. Where else do celebrations take place?

19. Who wrote the National Anthem?

20. When was it first sung?

21. When was it sung officially as the National Anthem?

22. Do we sing the entire song as composed by Tagore?

23. Who composed the famous patriotic song “Sare Jahamse Acha”?

24. When was India’s National Song “Vandematharam” first sung?

25. Which was the song of a famous singer that brought tears to a great leader’s eyes?

26. Who was the leader? The singer? Lyricist? Music? When was it sung?

Contributed by Padmini Natarajan

Answers on page 37


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Indian Newspaper Headlines in 2060:

Kasab dies at 75 in jail of high cholesterol due to consumption of too much biryani.

Ra 21 is released with Shah Rukh’s son Aryaan as the hero. Shah Rukh Khan is still looking for realistic stories.

Anna Hazare’s nephew and Arvind Khejriwal’s niece on fast for ‘ India against corruption’ at Ram Lila Grounds, Delhi where in 2011 Anna Hazare commenced this movement.

A 16 year old boy and an 18 year old girl arrested for submitting fake certificates and joining as pilots in Air India.

The Tamil Nadu government is negotiating with Feel Mental Tamasha to clear the garbage now threatening to burry Chennai city under its heap! Chennai citizens are now used to commuting with masks on their faces. But they still don’t give up throwing garbage wherever they move . Rat menace down a little with the rat population coming down by a few millions. A billion more to eradicate!

Shruti Hasan wins the best actor award for her sterling performance in Dasavatharam 10, the first time a woman donned ten roles. Her roles as Princess Diana and Mother Theresa in the movie have been much appreciated.

Dhanush’s new song, penned by the actor himself, ‘ Oothikodu….oothikodu, pour more poison in my glassu ,’ is the latest sensation in You Tube with a billion hits!

His sons Yatra and Linga will be acting out the scene in the movie, ‘100.’ Mother Aishwarya watches proudly.

Rakhi Sawant’s daughter thrown out of Bigg Boss . Nobody could match her caustic tongue! By the way Rakhi Sawant finally got married during the 100th Swayamwar telecast by the popular channel, ‘Hues’ in 2020.

A. Raja’s son is arrested for 16G scam. He is now cooling his

JEST 4 LAUGHSProud to be Indian


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heels in Tihar jail and parleying with Rakesh Kalmadi and others involved in the Olympiad scam.

A girl in Delhi travels 50 feet safely. This is the first time any girl has achieved this feat in Delhi! A gang of girls celebrated this success by having a bash outside Green Park metro. “Lakshadweep Cats” to be the 63rd team to join IPL.

Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek

Bachchan’s daughter AA continues to reign Bollywood as the No 1 heroine . She continues to be the brand ambassador for Longines, Nakshatra, L’Oreal which her mother used to promote earlier . She was the cause of many hearts fluttering as she traipsed down the red carpet during the Cannes Film Festival recently.

People are requested to approach designated banks to complete formalities for Adhaar UID cards.

JEST 4 LAUGHS

This has been going on from 2010 and the government is in a hurry to complete the process.

Student’s Life and their Moments Most irksome moment: Morning alarms

Most dreadful journey: Way to class :(

Most enjoyable moments : Meeting friends in a pub !

Most tragic news: Test during the first period

Most wonderful news: Teacher absent ;)

Most relaxing area: BACK BENCHERS :-)

Best past time : Watching Friends in laptop in the back bench while teacher is giving lecture.

Most funny moment: Teacher cracks a joke and nobody laughs….

Greatest secret: Where the bits are hidden during exams!

Homework Woes


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Teacher: Why didn’t you do your homework?

Student: Sir, there was no light. Teacher: So you could have used a candle.

Student: Sir, Didn’t have matches! Teacher: Why didn’t you have matches?

Student: The match box was in the Pooja room. Teacher: So you could have fetched it from the Pooja room!

Student: I hadn’t had a bath yet! Teacher: Why didn’t you have a bath?

Student: There was no water, Sir Teacher: Why wasn’t there any water?

Student: Sir the Motor did not run. Teacher: You fool, why

money that time and I told you, “Baby, it’ll be yours one day!” Wife: Suddenly in a soft polite voice “Yeah, yeah, I remember, my love!”

Husband: I am at the bar just next to that shop!

Wife: Go to hell, you jerk!

Facebook Addiction Teacher: What will you do after growing up? Student: Facebooking

T: NO! I mean what will you BECOME? S: Admin of facebook pages :)

T: OMG! I MEAN what will you ACHIEVE after you grow up? S: Facebook Admin Rights

T: IDIOT! I MEAN what will you do for your PARENTS? S: I create a page for them on facebooK. ‘I MOM & DAD’

T: Stupid! What do your parents want from YOU? S: My facebook password!

T: Oh God! What IS THE PURPOSE OF YOUR LIFE?

S: Facebook but never face your books...

didn’t the motor run? Student: Sir , I told you , there was no current!

Family!Wife (on the phone): Where the hell are you?

Husband: Darling, you remember that jewelry shop where you saw that necklace and totally fell in love with it and I didn’t have


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The song Jana Gana Mana was first sung on December 27, 1911 at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress. Tagore wrote a poem welcoming King George V. Sarojini Naidu heard an interesting story that was strictly off the record. It concerns the circumstances in which Janaganamana was composed:

“The National Congress people asked Tagore for a poem of welcome. He tried to write it, but could not. He got up very early in the morning and wrote a very beautiful poem, not one of his best, but still beautiful. When he came down, he said to one of us, ‘Here is a poem which I have written. It is addressed to God, but give it to the Congress people. It will please them. They will think it is addressed to the King.’ All Tagore’s followers knew it meant God, but others did not.” (The Indian Express, June 3, 1968).

The Calcutta Congress session began on December 26, 1911. The proceedings on the first day began with Vandemataram. The second day was entirely devoted to things connected with the welcoming of King George V, and this day the song Janaganamana was sung.

GraffitiThe genesis of the National Anthem

Bihar Driving LicenseDRIVING LICENSE APPLIKASON PHOROM

NOTE: Please do not Soot the person at the applikason kounter. He will give you the licen. For phurthar instructions, see bottom applikason. 1. Last name: (_) Yadav (_) Sinha (_) Pandey (_) Misra (_) Dot no (Check karet box)2. First name: (_) Ramprasad (_) Lakhan (_) Sivprasad (_) Jamnaprasad (_) Dot no (Check karet box)3. Age: (_) Less than phipty (_) Greater than phipty (_) Dot no (Check karet box)4. Sex: ____ M _____ P(F) _____ not sure _____not applicable5. Chappal Size: ____ Lepht ____ Right6.Occupason: (_) Politison (_) Doodhwala (_) Pehelwaan (_) House wife (_) Un-employed (Check karet box) 7. Number of children libing in the household: ___ 8. Number that are yours: ___ 9. Mather name: ____________ _________ __ 10. Phather Name: ____________ ________ (If not no,leave blank) 11. Ejjucason: 1 2 3 4 (Circle highest grade completed) 12. Dental rekard: (_) Ellow (_) Berownish-ellow (_) Berown (_) Belack (_) Other -__________ Give egjhakt color (Check karet box) 13.Your thumb imparesson : ____________ _________ ___ (** If you are copying from another applikason pharom, please do not copy thumb impression also. Please provide your own thumb impression .) PELEASE DO NOT USE PHINGERS OF YOUR LEGS Use thumb on y our lepht hand only. If you dont have le pht hand, use your thumb on right hand. If you do not have right hand, use thumb on lepht hand. NOTE : IF YOU DONT HAVE BOTH HANDS, YOU CANNOT DRIVE.WE ARE VARY ISTRICT ABOUT THIS

Yeah Write


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Put about 100 bricks in some Particular order in a closed Room with an Open window. Then send 2 or 3 candidates in The room and close the door. Leave them alone and come back After 6 hours and then analyze The situation. If they are counting the Bricks. Put them in the accounts Department. If they are recounting them.. Put them in auditing. If they have messed up the Whole place with the bricks.

Put them in engineering. . If they are arranging the Bricks in some strange order. Put them in planning. If they are throwing the Bricks at each other. Put them in operations .. If they are sleeping. Put them in security. If they have broken the bricks Into pieces.

Corporate Contemplation

HOW TO RECRUIT THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE JOB?

Put them in Information Technology. If they are sitting idle. Put them in Human Resources. If they say they have tried Different combinations, yet Not a brick has Been moved. Put them in sales. If they have already left for The day. Put them in marketing. If they are staring out of the Window. Put them on strategic Planning. And then last but not least. If they are talking to each Other and not a single brick Has been Moved Congratulate them and put them In top management.


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1. January 26th 1950

2. August 16th—Independent nation from British Rule...but we were still a British Dominion. The Republic Day of India marks the adoption of the Constitution of India and the transition of India to a republic on January 26, 1950.

3. Lord Mountbatten

4. 1st and only Indian --Rajaji.

5. The right to vote.

6. Universal franchise.

7. Dr.Rajendra Prasad

8. It begins from Raisina Hill near the Rashtrapati Bhavan (Presidential Palace), goes along the Rajpath, past India Gate and on to the historic Red Fort in the old quarter of the city.

9. Infantry, cavalry and mechanized regiments of the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force march in formation, decked in all their finery and official decorations.

10. The tricolor flag of India is unfurled by hon’ble President of India. Children who win the National Bravery Award for the year are part of the parade. The parade also includes many traditional dance troupes and floats from different states to symbolize the cultural heritage of India, Govt. 0rganizations, NCC etc.

11. It traditionally ends with a

Answerscolourful flypast by Air Force jets in a tiranga formation.

12. The President of India

13. Commander in Chief of the Indian Armed Forces, takes the salute.

14. The Chief Guest of the parade is a Head of State of another nation.

15. August 15th and October 2nd.

16. 62. In January 2012 it will be the 63rd Republic Day

17. To mark this occasion, a grand parade is held near Rajpath in New Delhi, the capital of India, beginning from Raisina Hill near the Rashtrapati Bhavan (Presidential Palace), along the Rajpath, past India Gate and on to the historic Red Fort in the old quarter of the city.

18. The President of India addresses the nation on TV and Radio. Celebrations are also held in state capitals, where the Governor of the state unfurls the national flag. If the

Governor is not available Chief Minister of the state assumes the honour of unfurling the National Flag of India.

19. It was composed by Rabindranath Tagore

20. The song Jana Gana Mana was first sung on December 27, 1911 at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress.

21. On January 24, 1950, the Constituent Assembly adopted the song as the National Anthem of India.

22. The complete song consists of five stanzas. The first stanza comprises the full version of the National Anthem.

23. Mohammed Iqbal

24. 1896 at Calcutta

25. Ai mere watan ke logon

26. The Leader was Pandit Nehru. The song was sung by Lata Mangeshkar, penned by Poet Pradeep and music composed by C.Ramachandra. It was sung after India’s losses in the India-China war in 1962.


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1102 yraunaJ semiT s’evE

Adyar Ph: 2440 5341 Anna Nagar Ph: 2628 4363/2626 0151 Abirami Ph: 2661 2033 Cathedral Road Ph: 2811 0345/2811 0343 Central Railway Station Ph: 2535 7166 ECR, Thiruvanmiyur Ph : 2448 5080 ECR, Uthandi Ph: 2453 1717/2453 1818 Egmore Ph: 28510077/88 Kilpauk Ph: 2644 4212 Mugappair Ph: 2625 1749/ 2625 1149 Porur Ph: 2476 3447 R.K.Salai Ph: 2811 2660 Saidapet Ph: 2220 0850 T Nagar Ph: 28153928 Triplicane Ph: 28419911/ 2841 9922 Tambaram Ph: 2226 4450/ 2226 4460

january Eves Times.indd 24 19/01/11 9:49 AM


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I like to include a lot of vegetables in our food. Since my children are averse to vegetables, I try to make soup everyday by boiling the vegetables and mashing them along with the stock in a mixie to get thick soup. However, my children want only clear soup. They say that is how soup is made. What can I do with the boiled vegetables after removing the stock?

Vaidehi Narasimhan, Alwarpet

Soup is a Western dish. Their meals include a clear soup which can be either vegetarian or non-vegetarian. We make only vegetarian soups. Boil vegetables along with water in a pressure cooker so that the nutrient goes into the stock. After removing the stock to make the soup, use the boiled vegetables to make a tasty side dish.

I like to include eggplant to make a variety of dishes such as the gotsu, ennai katharikai poriyal, bagare baingan etc. However, whenever I choose the round violet ones,

they turn out bitter. How to use the violet coloured brinjals so that vegetables do not turn out bitter?

Gomati Swaminathan, Adyar

Normally, violet brinjals tend to taste bitter. You can try to include jaggery in your recipe . Or you can try to include a little more tamarind or chilly power. Ideally, if you want to make dishes out of eggplant, try to choose the light-coloured ones instead of the dark violet one or go for the ‘naattu katharikkai’ variety to make tasty dishes with brinjals.

I have tried making puliyodarai at home, trying out different methods and ingredients. But I have never got the taste of the typical Iyengar puliyodarai. What is the secret of the recipe?

Bhuvaneswari, T. Nagar

There are certain basic rules for making Iyengar puliyodarai. Firstly, one must always use good gingelly oil. For making this type of puliyodarai, very little powdered pepper is used whereas the quantity of perungayam and fenugreek is a little more . Roast pepper and powder. Fry fenugreek (vendayam) in gingelly oil and powder. Add turmeric powder, perungayam powder and fenugreek powder to gingelly oil and finally add tamarind extract and boil till you get the right consistency.

Salt ‘n’ Pepper Korner

Mallika BadrinathThe name “Mallika Badrinath” is familiar to most homemakers in South India. Till 1988 , she too was a homemaker ; now she is an internationally acknowledged culinary expert, with an eager audience latching on to every word she has to say about food and cooking in her television shows. Her books are sold like hot cakes across the world. She is a symbol of women achievers of India. Hers is a success story that has been an inspiration to many women.


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Make a different, tasty fare this Pongal season and win over the admiration of your family members!

Sugarcane Juice Pongal

Ingredients

Sugarcane Juice ½ LitreRice ½ cupPayatham paruppu a fistfulMolasses (jaggery) ¼ cupMilk 1 tumbler

Ghee 1 cupCashew nuts a fewCardamom (crushed) a pinch

Method

Mix milk and sugar cane juice in a pan. Add the rice and paruppu to this and cook till very soft. Make a syrup out of the jaggery. Mix the syrup with the boiled ingredients and stir. Mix in cashew nuts fried in ghee, cardamom and the remaining ghee. Remove from fire when it attains the right consistency.

Cook‘n’S m i l e E a s y R e c i p e s


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Milk Venn Pongal

Ingredients

Milk ½ litresRaw rice ¼ cupPayatham paruppu 1 tbspGhee 2 tspCrushed pepper, jeera to tasteCashew nuts as desired

Method

Boil rice and paruppu till soft. Add to concentrated milk ( boiled and made thick) and mix in the other ingredients. Stir and remove when it reaches the right consistency. You can mix cashew nuts fried in ghee for enhanced taste.

Tasty White Pumpkin Avial

Ingredients

White pumpkin, broad beans, 1 cup eachpotatoes, carrots, beans etc Curds 1 cupGrated coconut 1 cupGreen Chillies 5Coconut oil and salt to taste

Method

Mix the boiled vegetables to coconut ground with green chillies. Remove from fire when it boils. Mix in the curds and coconut oil.


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Dear Agony Aunt,

Every New Year, I resolve to act on my weight. My BMI says, ‘Obese’ and I want it

to at least say ‘Fat’ by the end of the end of the year desperately. Please suggest ways I can do so without having to cut down on my eating, which is my passion.

Yours truly,

Desperate.

Dear Desperate,

‘Wow!’ Clearly, your idea of desperation differs from the rest. Well, your problem will not remain for long. Inflation being what it is today and rates soaring with each passing day, you will cut down on your eating not by choice but out of compulsion. So rest assured, your BMI will show not ‘Fat’ but ‘Normal’ by the end of the year.

AA.

Dear Agony Aunt,

My New Year resolution is to cut down on my TV time. I am hooked to serials and keep watching one after the other. What’s more, I watch serials on all channels by switching during commercials. So, there is no ‘break’ for me…….

Regards,

Hooked.

Dear Hooked,

Yours is a problem caused by EB. Let me alert the blessed authorities that your area has been spared of power cuts while all other areas have been facing rigorous power problems. It’s unfair and unjust having to cope with scheduled as well as unscheduled power cuts, while you enjoy your serials……. Ahem, coming back to your problem, you will get unhooked from your TV viewing within no time. Help is on the way.

AA

Dear AA,

This New Year my ardent resolve is to restrict the usage of my mobile. I am always talking, texting, tweeting or chatting on FB. I am frustrated being constantly on the phone, but I simply cannot help myself. So you HELP!

Frustrated.

AGONY AUNTKanchana. RaoNEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS


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Dear Frustrated,

I am shocked! In this new age of constantly changing gadgets, you still use a mobile? Puleeeeeese.. Now, if you had stated that you are hooked to an iphone, ipad or a Galaxy tab, I would have considered honoring your problem with a solution. Bah!

AA

Dear Agony Aunty,

My New Year resolution is to be a trend setter when it comes to fashion. I design my clothes and

let me tell you I am quite good at it. But I do not understand why my friends don’t agree with me. On the contrary; they make fun of me! This makes me more determined to make a fashion statement that will be sought after and begged to be copied, so there!

Yours truly,

Determined.

Dear Determined,

I like your confidence. Sadly, in spite of being copycats, our brood of fashion crazed people need a popular figure to emulate. And that popular figure, if from Bollywood, will be a straight hit. So if you get an actress to walk your ramp, then you are set in the fashion world, designs be darned! Of course, it will cost you, but I’m sure you will agree it’s a price worth paying. Go make all those fashion statements you want!

AA


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It is January 1st of a new year. Santa stretches his legs on to a pouffe and addresses his

elves. “You know guys. Thata is the end of another season and you know what—it is getting more and more difficult for me to run around. Sigh!! Where are the nice chimneys and window sills. All I find are delivery chutes to climb up and reach high rise apartments. I think it is time to clone myself”

The seniormost elf said, “Strange Santa. This year we have got many emails from adults sending their wish list. Would you like to have a

Padmini NatarajanwishThe list

look at it?”

“Cool! I hope the mood of these adults is not heavy. I am tired of granting wishes that are serious, solemn and sombre to people who have forgotten how to take life lightly. I am only going to grant wishes that are fun stuff. So let us see the list, shall we?”

Meera Cherian puffs and pants on her cardio round on the cross trainer. “Santa, dear Santa. Can you not grant me a wish so that I can eat all that I want and not put on weight?” she wails. “Ahem!”

said Santa. “If only I could do so, would I too not be size zero dear girl” he sighs.

As he gets out of his classy Benz, Jai, from Alchemy Fitness Centre in SCORE says, “Santa, apart from conducting dancercise and Zumba classes, I am an ardent angler. So can you get me a mermaid please?” Mermaids sing and entice people with their soulful music. Bombay Jayshree trilled to Santa, “If the garbage on the road can turn into mittens holding mysore paks, wouldn’t that be blissful?”


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Suchi, the pop diva takes a deep breath and says, “I am terribly shallow. I’d ask for a few A R Rahman recordings, a dozen or more Bollywood chances, a few more gigs at colleges (the ultimate high), a few A R Rahman recordings, good health and prosperity for my family. And Oh! Did I mention a few A R Rahman recordings?” Santa replies “Thathasthu”. Indira Kameswaran too takes time off from her hospital, MERF to tweet, “I am learning music. I could do with a Grand piano”.

Chitra Ravi is fine tuning Chrysalis, her ICT curriculum. “Can Santa make people smile more? Everyone seems to be worried all the time and a smile can ease people up.” “You bet” said Santa, “Maybe I should scatter a smile powder in the winds to bring on the grins.” Anita Kumaran knows what Santa is capable off, “You can make this happen

Santa...just a toy for every kid on the street”. And while you are at it Santa here is a desperate plea from a Dad, Pradeep Chakravarthy. “I wish for more energy to run behind my two year old!!” he gasps as he takes time off from chasing elusive historical data.

Violinist and Hindustani vocalist, Meenakshi Shivkumar says, “Dear Santa! Make man and woman more compatible and harmonious..not to fight over equality”. Santa mutters, “And pigs may fly”. Shylaja Arunkumar wants a techno savvy ‘Ro Ro Roboda’ assistant, “who will drive my car, run errands, act as personal secretary, communicate well and look dashing”. Housewives, who are pooling TV watch time to save power bills say amidst sniffs and sobs, “Can Santa issue a ban on mother’s–in-law and daughter’s-in-law serials? We would rather watch judges, anchors and participants fight it out in ‘reality’ shows”. C P Raman says, “Help to keep the power on when I am watching TV and keep the potholes of a size that my Scooty can cope with”. Santa mumbles, “At our age CP, we should not be riding dicey vehicles anyway”. Raghav and Rajiv have one fervent wish, “Please make it 100 x 100 for our demi god, Sachin at least this year Santa”.

“Santa oh Santa...please rid this world from the ‘Kolaveri’ spell” says a disgruntled Deepak Rajgopaul. “At least give me a crate of chilled beer to cope,” says Sashi Nair. Tehnaz Bahadurji is looking ahead. “My son is getting married. Bless the couple with health and happiness”.

“Hmmmmm. I wish there was a Santa to hear my requests” murmurs Santa as he sips his mulled wine, “I wish he could rid me of my arthritis and give me a new pair of knees. All this snow and sleigh rides are not doing anything good for my bones”.


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Art Nook


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There are few in the Chennai cultural scene, who can pack

so much into their artistic career. And there are even fewer, who experiment the way she does and has been doing thereby creating an entirely new stream of cultural confluence and showing the city the different faces of dance and music. Not everybody would like what she does—but almost everyone in the field of arts, would like to know how she does it. Her collaborations have led to the most interesting artists coming together and being part of the cultural experiences for Chennaites in particular and for those in other parts of the country as well. And so with her basic grounding in Bharatanatyam, Anita Ratnam, dancer/choreographer/ transcultural collaborator/arts presenter/scholar/writer/ cultural activist, has changed the way art is viewed.

With a career spanning four decades and over 1000 performances in 15 countries, Anita is termed one of ‘India’s most recognized dance icons’. And as she puts it,” I am in dance because this is my own way of connecting with myself and the world. I consider myself a contemporary classicist.’’

Anita Ratnam is also described as an intersectionist – an artiste whose work weaves through the many disciplines of dance, theatre, feminist issues and resistance. A PhD in Women’s Studies from the University of Madras, Anita engages seriously with the imaging of Indian and Asian women in the

DanceTheof Renaissance

Art Nook

prism of performance.

‘’All my ideas are from traditional sources, but they can also be from readings and from nature: a lotus flower floating in a small brass vessel, a child blowing

soap bubbles, even a piece of paper flying in the wind gives me inspiration. The whole world of ideas and a host of people and their mannerisms can all be suggested by a flicker of an eyelid, a flourish of the hand and the attitude of

Chitra Mahesh


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the body. The ideas come from many sources but I use them and put them together in my own style of dance, movement and theatre techniques.’’

In fact many of Anita’s solo and group choreographies have been of a collaborative nature. Working with theatre directors ( Dipankar Mukherjee, Pangea World Theatre, Minneapolis), Richard Armstrong (New York University), visual artistes, (photographer Cylla Von Tiedemann, Toronto) and Asma Menon (painter, Chennai) costume and visual designer Rex (Toronto) and Sandhya Raman, (New Delhi), writers Joy Harjo ( Albuquerque) and Shobita Punja ( New Delhi) and choreographers Hari Krishnan (Indance, Toronto) and Mark Taylor (Dance Alloy Pittsburgh), her interdisciplinary method of working has given her productions a new edge.

Credited with being an arts entrepreneur Anita has co-founded The Other Festival (1998 to 2007), India’s first annual international festival for contemporary dance and theatre as well as the path breaking web portal www.narthaki.com, the largest virtual space for Indian dance. Narthaki.com was founded in 2000 and attracts thousands of hits monthly on the vibrant world of India’s dances. With its wide ranging articles, reviews, editorials and dance history columns, the award winning website now boasts the bylines of famous dance critics and legendary dance divas.

‘’I call myself a cultural activist because I believe in my culture. My culture doesn’t mean just the performing arts. To me it stands for finding out about my roots and knowing who I am. And the classical arts are a very vital part of our culture.’’


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She talks about the Chennai Marghazi Season of Music and Dance in her typical, forthright manner to Chitra Mahesh.

Your take on the Marghazi Season?

Apart from my ability to talk in sound bytes, the Margazhi is like a juggernaut. It just gets bigger and more bloated. It is not only a time for music and dance, but also a time to party, attend openings of art, book releases and restaurants. In short it has become a month long party in Chennai.

How can this festival be optimised and given a face for the world?

This cannot be done without the linking of the government and the private sector. Every other mega event of this scale around the world is supported by the state. The remarkable fact of this Margazhi festival is that it has continued without a paisa of state support from the very beginning. It is a feat in itself. Every single department of our society--hotels, restaurants, cafes, bed and breakfast places, tourism departments, schools and colleges, media, cinema halls need to be sensitised about this festival. Do we even realise that Chennai is not only Mylapore and Alwarpet anymore? That there are places in Annanagar and Purasawalkam that have not heard of this festival? So to think that we are somehow the centre of the universe for this one month is both unrealistic and myopic.

We need a consolidated marketing plan and team in place and sabha managers need to have a single point plan to maximise visibility and

optimise efficiency. There is still no online booking available as the sabhas resist this progress!

What role do you think conferences such as the one you are putting together play?

In India somehow, the concept that dance is only performance is so unfortunate that the intellectual centre of Indian dance has shifted outside India with more PhDs in the US than here. Fortunately, there is a new generation of scholars, who are serious about the academic arm of dance and so these conclaves are surely gaining momentum. However it is largely up to the Convener to bring about the judicious mix of academia and performance-leaning presentations to keep the interest alive. In India we lack a critical focus and objectivity. We rarely discuss ideas and focus more on personalities. The internet and the media have made information more freely available and conferences like these will pique the interest across the many layers of society - like dance, theatre, music, women’s studies and poetry.


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What is the focus of your Mad and Divine Women Conference? What do you hope to achieve with this?

To assemble amazing speakers who will illuminate the lives and words of magnificent women like Meera, Andal. They were all called mad in their lifetimes and divine after they passed on. All because they refused to adhere to the expected notions of daughter, wife, daughter-in-law.

They chose to sublimate their energies towards a male God. To read their words as simply bhakti or divine and sacred, would also deny them their complete femininity. Andal’s poems are erotic and so are Meera’s. Through this conference, we seek to humanise these remarkable women and bring them once again to light as multi dimensional people.

Every year you try out something new for the season. What is it going to be this time?

Only one performance for Kartik Fine Arts, who are producing this dance conference – Andal- Andal with my sister, Pritha after an 18 year hiatus.

And how does it feel to be dancing with your sister this time?

Absolutely fantastic and tremendously challenging. Pritha is so meticulous and organised and I am the impulsive and spontaneous one. We dedicate this performance to the memory of our parents, who poured their love and

energy in to our training.

What is it that you love most about this time of the year?

The weather-- my friends who visit from around the world-- the shopping-- the food and the great music that filters from every nook and cranny of Mylapore, Teynampet, Alwarpet and Adyar.

Would you be anywhere else but here in December?

Yes, I can. More and More I feel I can quite easily take a break from this city in December. However it is only in December that I also

premiere my performances so it becomes tough. But soon I will step back and take off during Margazhi. It will be to my village in Tirukurungudi or to the hills in Conoor.

Any last few words on the way culture is shaping up today?

All cultural workers have to be smart and reinvent their terminology. It is boring to hear the same words verbatim and the younger generation is impatient for change and increasing novelty. However, there is a frivolous superficiality that is creeping into dance that is not pleasant.

The Bollywoodisation of dance is quite apparent and the very face of Bharatanatyam has changed so much. Which is why I am grateful to this city for having given me the space and the welcome for my own style of performance - Neo Bharatam - without any fuss. No matter what anyone says about Chennai, it has the best and warmest audience for the performing arts. People are rasikas and know their music!

On The Other Festival

It was in the early part of December many years ago that I first launched The Other Festival sensing the audience for new and experimental work. Now there are so many contemporary dance shows during this same time period alongside the classical. Chennai has grown and audiences for the modern have also increased.

I want to make a difference to the cultural life of India, as a performer, thinker and activist.....but the journey just begins…”


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MusicCarnaticGoes Cosmopolitan

Art Nook


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It is a common notion among people that Carnatic music is only for a select community

and one needs training and an understanding to listen to the art from. However, the Mecca of Carnatic Music, Chennai is showing the way that Carnatic music can be enjoyed by any one and every one who has an ear for music.

Sree Anandabhairavi’s pioneering effort, a month long classical music and dance festival titled Raaga and Expressions, in Chennai’s premium mall Express Avenue, has been attracting a large number of audiences irrespective of age, caste and creed. Speaking on the reach of the Raaga and Expressions, KP Vijayakumar, founder of Sree Anandabhairavi, a centre for classical music and dance, says, “For the past five years, we have been making strides in propagating the classical arts. Though we were apprehensive of coming up with a festival on classical performing arts in a mall, the response has been very

encouraging. People from various walks of life have been gathering in the evening at the venue to enjoy the music and dance. The artistes too whole-heartedly cooperated and they were very happy that a new set of music rasikas are in the making.”

Dr Ganesh, a well-known Carnatic singer who gave a performance at the mall is very happy that he had a full audience. “I was very happy to see people of different age groups who sat in full attention throughout the concert. I could see a lot of cosmopolitan audience both from our city and abroad for the concert. It’s a welcoming change,” he says.

Popular singer Charulatha Mani too was wowed by the audience response. She had listeners from people working with IT firms who had come to her concert after coming to know of it through the social networking sites.

Sree Chitra, a young singer, model and television anchor was surprised to see a lot of her

school friends at the venue along with their families. “As every one is welcome to listen to the concert, people who made last minute plans could also attend the concerts and I was very happy to see my former schoolmates among the audience,” she muses.

S Ali, a resident of Anna Nagar has been attending the concerts for the past 20 days along with his family. “Though a lover of music, I was not very interested in visiting the sabhas. Raaga and Expressions offered me a perfect chance to listen to my favourite singers in a pleasant ambience and I am enjoying it to the hilt,” he says.

K Srinivasan, a rasika has one request, “Make the Carnatic concerts a weekly affair in the mall as it’s going to help many an audience and artistes a lot. Besides, the malls will also see a lot of new footfalls.”

Chennai has set the trend in many ways in several other topics and Carnatic music in mall is yet another feather in the cap of discerning Chennaiites.


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Sree Chitra, singer, model and television anchor rendered a Carnatic concert under the

auspices of Sree Annadabhairavi at the Budha Gardens in Express Avenue on January 1, 2012 as part of the Raaga and Expressions Festival. She started off with a Ganesha krithi in Hamsadwani, Gam…Ganapathim..,. Her sub-main for the concert was Sabapathikku in Abogi, wherein she impressed the audience with her swaraprasthanam and sangathis. Padmavathi Ramanam… in Poorvi Kalyani was the main piece of the concert, in which she enthralled the audience with her neat alapana, niraval and kalpanaswarams.

In the second half, she regaled the audience with her melodious singing of Naadamurali, Oododi vanthen Kanna, Naan oru vilayattu Bommaya, alaipayuthe and an abhang. The highlight of the evening was the song selection by the artiste and her vocal quality. The ease with which the young girl glided over the different octaves provided an aural treat for the packed audience.

The concluding pieces of the concert were Chinnancheru kiliye, in Ragamalika followed by a Thillana. Sree Chitra was

accompanied on the violin ably by Villivakkam Raguraman, Poovalur Viswanathan on the mridangam, K Ranganathan on the ghatam and V Sai Subramaniam on the morsing. Sree Chitra is a disciple of Lalitha Subramnian and Binni Krishnakumar. She is a second year engineering student of College

of Engineering, Guindy .

E.R.Janardhan was brought up in a rich musical environment. At a tender age of four, he was initiated into the vocal music by his father Sri Rambha Satyanarayana Moorthy who was a stalwart in both Saxophone and Vocal. He also learnt mandolin and guitar from renowned maestros and followed it up with training under violin and vocal artiste Shri Annavarapu Raamakumari and violin maestro Shri Annavarapu Ramaswami at Vijayavada.

Janardhan also trained under Shri Rudhraraju Subbaraju and after his death, joined flute Mastreo Shri K.V. Ramanujam . At 14, he gave his first performance in Mandolin highlighting the Carnatic style of music. He has performed more

than 1000 concerts all over India and abroad with Mandolin and Guitar.

Janardhan’s passion for Saxophone was triggered after attending a concert by Saxophone Maestro Padmasri Sri Kadhri Gopalnath under whose tutelage his new interest flourished. Janardhan has given Solo performances, Jugalbandhi & Fusion concerts with various artists all over India and abroad. He has performed internationally and has participated in numerous music festivals. Besides playing on stage, he is also deeply involved in Cine Recordings, and release of several albums. He has been honoured with many awards.

K. Subhiksha, a software engineer in CTS has been under the tutelage of the renowned Carnatic music exponent, daughter of Sangeetha

Kalanidhi Palghat T. S. Mani Iyer, daughter-in-law of Sangeetha Kalanidhi Smt. D. K. Pattammal, and mother of Smt. Nithyasree Mahadevan, Smt. Lalitha Sivakumar since the age of 13. She has won numerous awards in Carnatic vocal music and given several concerts.

Musical HorizonShining Stars in theArt Nook


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K. Satyanarayana, child prodigy has the distinction of being featured in the Limca Book of Records, 2003 as the youngest Indian to pass Grace IV Electronic keyboard examination of Trinity College, London. He renders Carnatic Music on keyboard.

Binni & Krishnakumar began learning Carnatic Music vocal from the age of seven . She learnt violin from Vidwan B. Sasikumar and Prof Neyyattinkara Mohanachandran at Trivandrum. She is doing doctoral research in music. Binni joins her husband, vocal musician, Sri.Trivandrum K. Krishnakumar to perform duo vocal concerts and theme oriented special concerts.

Sindhuja may be among the youngest Carnatic vocal musician and an Upanyasam exponent . Gifted with clear diction and a full-

throated strong silvery voice, she captures the interest of the audience with élan . Sindhuja is seen on Vijay TV every morning rendering devotional songs.

Hyderabad B.Siva commenced training in Carnatic Music when he was 15. He took up the Teacher Training course at Sangeetha Vidvath Sabhai College, Chennai in 1995. He is a music teacher and a performer. He has given innumerable concerts.

Delhi Aishwarya Lakshmi : Initiated into Carnatic music at the age of 4 years Aishwarya Lakshmi’s first solo performance was at the age of 7 for 45 minutes at Kalkaji (Delhi). She has been learning music from Smt. Padmavathi Natesan, a very renowned and respected Music Teacher from Delhi. She has won first prizes in competitions conducted in honour of various great composers like Thyagaraja, Muthuswamy Dikshitar by various organizations and several other forums on various occasions. Kum. Lakshmi has given as many as 50 concerts at various places in Delhi & Chennai. This is notwithstanding the stiff demands of the basic academic-schooling responsibilities.

Mandolin S. Aravind Bhargav., a student of Diploma in Sound Engineering with SAE College, Chennai. Doing B-Music with Madras University trained under Mandolin maestros Sri. U. Shrinivas and Shri U. Rajesh. He has been honoured with Title “Sukha Naada Chudar Oli” by Apporva Ragam . He is a performing artiste of the Indian Music Academy founded by Shri Pandit Jasraj and led by Durga Jasraj and Vikram Shankar. He is a Graded B artiste by Prasar Bharati, AIR. And an empanelled artist of India World Cultural Forum.

Nikhil Shankar started learning Carnatic music at the age of five from the teachers of Sivan Academy. From the age of 13 he is under the tutelage and guidance of Shri SP Ramh .A management graduate from SRM University Nikhil has given performance in Vivekananada College during his graduation days and has won prizes at college levels. Nikhil has learnt several kritis and has concert experience as well. He was part of the conglomerate singing of the Naada Vaibhavam conducted by the Art of Living Group. He has performed in AIR and has passion for singing Bhajans and devotional songs too. Currently he is also pursuing Carnatic music from Shri CR Vaidyanthan a Sr. Disciple of Shri P.S.Narayanswami. Given his sonorous baritone, perfect rendition of ragas, dedication and deep passion for classical music, Nikhil is able to render performances that may soon see him as a serious contender among upcoming young classical musicians.


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anything because it may be the Act and Work of these unselfish people that we would for sure see a great transformation of India in the near future.

Now coming to the point - “The India I would like to see”

Clean India : I would like to see my country as a clean nation. We should stop littering on the roads and it is the responsibility of each and every citizen to take up the motto of keeping our country clean. This should be imbibed from childhood through education. Take an example of our own neighbor - Singapore. It is one of the cleanliest cities in the world. When Singapore can do it why can’t we, given our immense manpower and economic might? The government should work hand to hand with the public by implementing various schemes and appointing proper agencies. Those who do not follow the rules should be fined.

Better Sanitation and Road Facilities in India : I would like to see my India equipped well when it comes to better sanitation. There is a report which says that more than 50% of the Indian population lacks clean sanitation facility. We should make this facility available to all. In some states the governments are taking steps by setting up mobile toilets. Another area of concern is the state of the roads. The condition of most Indian roads is very bad. Though the government spends huge amounts on road laying and repair, this is the state of affairs. This happens because contracts are given not on merit

IndiaI would like to See

TheSarath Babu SWell, when I was given this topic

, I was amazed for a while as to how to start writing and from where to start because I have quite a few things to share with fellow readers. Though it may not seem realistic I am sure if we all can join hands together we can see my - rather Our “Dreams Come True”.

Many of us would have read or heard about our Former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam’s Vision on India by 2020. Many of us have our own vision about our country but not all of them would try to do anything about it. I salute those who do their bit without expecting


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but on extraneous considerations. Contractors make money by compromising on the quality of the roads. An idea is to set up toll gate and even small amounts collected from the people can build up into a huge corpus that can be used for the laying, repair and maintenance of quality roads.

Instead of laying tar roads, we can work on proven techniques like laying Plastic Mix Road or Rubber roads which were implemented successfully in our near by country - Malaysia. This would give long lasting life to roads and avoid being re-laid year after year thereby saving thousands of crores of rupees avoiding the hard earned public money going into drains.

Connecting Rivers: There was a hue and cry few years back about joining all the rivers from East to West and North to South and now no one is even speaking about it. By combining all the rivers we can avoid inter state disputes and at the same time avoid some states being flooded and some states on the other hand being hit by drought and famine. Water is one of the

precious resources and one should not even think about wasting it. Rain Water Harvesting must be made mandatory to increase the ground water level.

Energy: India is a vast country and we have a lot of available resources which we need to use effectively. India is home to 90% reserves of World Thorium content and by using it effectively, we can not only become self sufficient in Power but also avoid polluting the environment to a great extent since this is a much effective way of producing electricity rather than depending on our age old method of producing energy through coal, which we are importing in great quantities, which is a heavy drain on our foreign exchange reserves. By combining all the rivers we can even produce Thermal/Tidal energy effectively.

In World Politics - I would like to see India securing a Permanent Seat in the UN Council and see that the value of the Indian increases to a great extent. I do not

want 1 rupee to fetch 50 dollars but it should be on par with any other currency in the world. We must make efforts to bring back the black money held in Swiss and various bank accounts and use this to pay off India’s External Debts; there by we can use the public money collected through taxes to improve our infrastructure and strengthen our Army. I want all the countries to view India as a Responsible and Effective Power in the World Forum.

A nation devoid of Corruption: Last but not the least, I want India to be a No-Corruption Nation. This can be achieved by introducing our much talked Anna Hazare’s “Jan Lokpal”. Every one including government officials and bureaucrats would be accountable to the public which will help improve efficiency and honesty. By bringing back the money stored in the foreign banks and we can also effectively tackle poverty.

Educated Indians : I also want to see India as a 100% literate country. Though we have thousands of Indians across the globe, especially in the US who are making us proud, occupying prestigious positions, I would be really proud when we as a country can achieve 100% literacy.

Jai Hind!


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Chennai was witness to the inauguration of yet another global centre for diabetic

care, Agada Diabetic Care on 9 Jan 2012 even as His Excellency, The Governor of Tamil Nadu Dr. K. Rosaiah pressed the button and ushered in the most modern global approach to diabetic care. Spread over 25,000 sq.ft on five floors and outfitted with avant-garde infrastructure facilities and patient centric operations, Agada Diabetes Care is a world class medical centre in T. Nagar, Chennai. This venture has been promoted by Dr. Mohan

Thanikachalam in associated with Joslin Diabetes Centre, an Affiliate of Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA to provide citizens of Chennai and India with world class diabetes care and treatment.

According to Dr. Mohan Thanikachalam, Founder-Director, ADC, the centre has a two pronged agenda – to increase patient access to health care and to improve patient adherence to the treatment plan. To achieve this, world class innovative medical technology and educational methodology , jointly developed

with Joslin, would be integral components of Agada Care.

Agada Care means a constant partnership between the patients and the doctors, which would work with the single minded goal of managing diabetes and preventing its complications through evidence based treatment protocols. Agada Care distinguishes itself over all other approaches to diabetes care through this innovative approach and involves unique components:

Agada Empower: A world class diabetes education program, in collaboration with the world leader in Diabetes Management and treatment, Joslin diabetes Centre, Boston, USA.

Agada Progress: Continuous follow up and motivation of patients

Global Approach toDiabetic Care


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through email and telephone, utilizing innovative technologies.

Agada Impact: A process of measuring outcomes of treatment and constantly improvising for better results.

Agada Connect: An interactive web and mobile platform to maintain constant communication with patients.

His Excellency inaugurated Agada Connect by pressing a button and ushered in the online interactive portal for the benefit of innumerable diabetes patients across the globe. He also unveiled Agada Empower, the first publication for dissemination of awareness and education on diabetes. Prof. Mayil Vahanan Natarajan, Vice Chancellor, Tamil Nadu Dr.M.G.R.Medical University received the first copy of Agada Empower.

Delivering the Special Address, Dr. Mayil Vahanan Natarajan enumerated the impact of diabetes across the nation, expressing concern about the galloping incidence. He said that facilities such as Agada Diabetes Care can help arrest the increasing incidence hand in hand with the patient community. Prof.K.V.Thiruvengadam, Former Professor of Medicine, Madras

Medical College delivered the Keynote Address. Judith Eyres Goodwin , Vice-President & Managing Director, Strategic Initiatives, Joslin Diabetes Centre had flown to Chennai exclusive to attend the inaugural ceremony. In her felicitation, she assured that as a part of Agada Diabetes Care, Joslin Diabetes Centre will play a major role in diabetes care in India.

In his Special Address His Excellency Dr.K.Rosaiah congratulated Agada Diabetes Care for its mission to ‘Conquer Diabetes Together’ and for its tie-up with Joslin Diabetes Centre, Boston, USA, Aravind Eye Care and other premier institutions to curtail the increasing incidence of diabetes and efficiently treat patients with diabetes. He lauded the initiative of Agada Diabetes Care to institute ‘Agada Empower’ , the diabetes education programme to equip and empower persons with diabetes with knowledge and skill to manage their condition. Agada Connect, the interactive web and mobile platform is a very valuable initiative in this regard.

Agada Diabetes Care is a world class centre established with the support of Joslin Diabetes Centre, Boston, USA. Joslin Diabetes Centre is a pioneer in diabetes care and has a proven record in better blood sugar control and prevention

of diabetic complications. Agada brings Joslin care to India. It provides diabetes care, wellness programnes and endocrine care at its first centre at T. Nagar, Chennai. Agada is the only hospital in India to offer the benefits of global approach through partnership with the world-leader in diabetes care. Agada’s guiding principles of patient care are patient involvement, patient education and patient empowerment. Agada is led by a team of highly skilled and trained specialist endocrinologists, educators, nutritionists, clinical psychologist and exercise physiologist.

Joslin, a teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is the world’s oldest and largest diabetes care, education and research centre. Backed by 100 years of experience, Joslin continues to be at the forefront of research with more than 300 scientists conducting research from developmental and stem cell biology to the role of inflammation in diabetes. Joslin’s commitment to adopting a multidisciplinary approach focusing on all aspects of patient welfare has helped Joslin achieve the best patient outcomes. Joslin is bringing the same commitment to serving patients in India by partnering with Agada. Agada is fully committed to bringing the best possible diabetic care to Indian patients.


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