She recently walked out of Vivek Vaswani's film due to time constraints. Now a mother, Juhi Chawla's first priority is her baby Jhanvi. But that does not mean she has quit films. The actress has some good projects on hand and does not refrain from signing up for more as long as they don't affect her parenting process. Adding another plum project to her kitty, Juhi has recently signed up for Tanuja Chandra's next project. The role is that of an actress who in the process of portraying a character to perfection totally involves herself in the life of the character. Her research and personal involvement finally win her great awards and accolades. We hope Juhi, like the role she portrays, too, wins such appreciation.
Tuesday, April 30, 2002
Anil Kapoor: Awards Galore!
He won the National award for his performance in 'Pukar'. And this year again, Anil Kapoor is to be awarded another prestigious award. The Uttar Pradesh government and Indian Academy of Art and Culture have announced an award for the actor for his contribution as an artist to the field of Art and Culture. On June 11th this year, Anil Kapoor will receive a cash prize of Rupees one lakh and other honours recognising his good work. The actor's film 'Badhai Ho Badhai' too is soon to hit the screen and insiders who have seen the rushes of the film inform us that the actor once again has done a brilliant job. Anil who plays a fat man in love tells us that the film is a laugh riot. Look's like other awards are due too. Perhaps it is Anil who shall bag the Best Comedian award among the numerous other awards that we have in our country. Here's wishing him luck; may you have many more such honours bestowed upon you!
Tuesday, April 30, 2002
Devdas goes international!
Devdas goes international! Move over 'Lagaan', for yet another film from mainstream Hindi Cinema is receiving international recognition. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus, ‘Devdas’ is to be screened at the prestigious Cannes film festival to be held in May at France. The film that stars Shah Rukh Khan, Jackie Shroff, Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai is yet to release in India, but is already making a mark abroad. An overjoyed Bhansali said, "I am happy our efforts have been acknowledged." While Shah Rukh Khan joked, "I am changing my name to Shah Rukh Cannes".
Tuesday, April 30, 2002
For a good cause
Unlike many film stars who recently campaigned for their friends for the recent elections, Nandita Das is instead campaigning for a cause, which she feels strongly about. The removal of Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, after the recent riots in Gujarat, that claimed thousands of lives and left many homeless. Holding placards and shouting slogans against the Minister, Nandita Das was also joined by erstwhile actress and now activist, Nafisa Ali. Nandita is not interested in joining politics but she strongly feels about social causes and most of her films highlight these. Her film 'Lal Salaam' too is to release soon which portrays the sufferings of tribals. The film was to release this week but now has been deferred to another day due to the violence, which swept through Gujarat.
Tuesday, April 30, 2002
For a good cause
Unlike many film stars who recently campaigned for their friends for the recent elections, Nandita Das is instead campaigning for a cause, which she feels strongly about. The removal of Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, after the recent riots in Gujarat, that claimed thousands of lives and left many homeless. Holding placards and shouting slogans against the Minister, Nandita Das was also joined by erstwhile actress and now activist, Nafisa Ali. Nandita is not interested in joining politics but she strongly feels about social causes and most of her films highlight these. Her film 'Lal Salaam' too is to release soon which portrays the sufferings of tribals. The film was to release this week but now has been deferred to another day due to the violence, which swept through Gujarat.
Tuesday, April 30, 2002
Mahesh and Aamir lock horns
While Mahesh Bhatt had some strong comments on Aamir's lobbying for the Oscars and talked about the act of "grovelling before the white man", Aamir too shot back at his one time friend at a press conference, which was held to release his book on 'Lagaan' called the 'Spirit of Lagaan'. "Is there anything wrong if foreign audiences like your film and if you show it to them? As far as I am concerned, Americans could be white, pink, yellow or blue skins. How is that relevant to anything? Was I supposed to tell the Film Federation of India which had chosen my film as India's official entry to the Oscars, Lock up 'Lagaan' and put it away, I will not show it to white skins?" retorted Khan. It's your turn now Mr Bhatt, perhaps you'd like to comment on that! It may be recalled that the two were once very good friends and also churned up a mega hit like 'Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahi'.
Tuesday, April 30, 2002
Star couple's new venture
Trust Jackie and his enterprising wife Ayesha to do something different. Since the time they have gotten into production with their very first film 'Grahan', irrespective of the fate of their films they have something different to offer. Of course we had the very Bollywoodish 'Jis Desh Me Ganga Rehta Hai' but to compensate they have 'Sandhya' a psychological thriller, which is being shot at lightning speed. And while this film is still under production, the couple have already announced their fourth film to be directed by maverick filmmaker Kaizad Gustad of 'Bombay Boys' fame. The film has three super models starring in it - our very own Madhu Sapre, and other two models of Indian origin though based abroad - Katrina Kaif and Padma Lakshmi known also through her connections with writer Salman Rushdie. But this is not the only highlight of the film. The film, aptly titled 'Boom' is also making news, for it marks the debut of some of our hottest designers like Manish Malhotra, Rohit Bal and Anna Singh into the acting world.
Tuesday, April 30, 2002
Vikram Bhatt : Blame Game!
Vikram Bhatt has lashed out against the producer of 'Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage' for the film's disastrous performance at the box-office. The movie, despite its hot star cast, which includes Hrithik Roshan and Amisha Patel, has received a very bad response from the audience and in just the first week of release, the film is running in empty theatre halls. Bhatt blames Producer Mohan Kumar for the film's flop status, saying, "The publicity was terrible. Most people weren't even aware of the film. The producer is to be blamed for hardly promoting the film." But, perhaps what Vikram fails to see is that this non-promoting and lack of awareness of the film could have proved to be a blessing in disguise. After all the bigger the hype, the bigger the disappointment. For, nothing could save 'Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage'. Perhaps he should have heard the reaction of the crowds that had thronged the theatre for some of the first few shows. Most yelled, 'Aap Mujhe Achche Nahi Lage' when asked to comment on the film.
Tuesday, April 30, 2002
Review: Aankhen
Cast :Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Sushmita Sen Director : Vipul Amrutlal Shah Rating : *** Synopsis JEEPERS, here’s a crime-time caper, a movie genre that at most has been approached with a pair of tongs by our play-safe dream vendors. At the very least, then, Vipul Amrutlal Shah’s Aankhen, an adaptation of the Gujarati play Andhlopato, does dare to wander into perilous terrain where there’s a downpour of lawless rain. Indeed, you’re quite surprised by the audacious plot which emphasises that even the most upright-’n’-moralistic of men can teeter over the brink to wreak their own personal, self-absorbed vendetta. Ta-ta virtue, howdy vice. So far, so unusual. The snag is that while the screenplay is decidedly different, it doesn’t quite have the guts to go the whole hog. In the event, the story-unfolding does tend to become as thick and obfuscating as a winter fog. More fatally, the ending which is the key to the film’s derring-do, is far too tame-’n’-lame which is a crying shame. An unconvincing, abrupt and half-happy denouement leaves the effort neither here nor there. Despair. Also, was it essential to plaster on titles of the exact time and day of the events just in a bid to be Hollywoodish? Plus, that track of a l’il kid being held hostage to compel his groan-up sister to serve as an accomplice in crime strikes you as a kooky cliche which has evaporated with the wind. Ergo, what could have been a knockout wham-bam thriller emerges as a fairly okay one, ensuring a goodish time while it lasts. Particularly so in the first half, in the course of which you get acquainted with the quirky characters led by Vijaysingh Rajput, a veteran bank officer (Amitabh Bachchan) whose bite is worse than his bark. Having built the institution from scratch, he’s so enraged by any dereliction of duty that he pounds a counter clerk to pulp. Ulp. Dismissed cavalierly from his job, the self-righteous banker hatches a sinister plan. To commit an impossible heist, his eyes fall upon three blind mena victim of a tragic road accident (Akshay Kumar), a young man deprived of his sight by...believe it or collapse...an evil uncle (Arjun Rampal) and a street-savvy beggar (Paresh Rawal). And there’s that hapless woman (Sushmita Sen) who must train the trio if she has to retrieve her kid brother incarcerated in an unspecified dungeon. The training segment is lively and funny. As for the bank heist which goes awry, it does have its nail-biting moments, never mind the glitches in the realm of logic-’n’-reason. For instance, where on earth were the other senior bank officers during the robbery? On the other hand, a mini-skirted employee and her gaga Majnu are as irritating as wall lizards. And pray, didn’t anyone care to press the electronic alarm system? No video monitors, no nothing. In the technical department, the outcome passes muster. Debutant director Shah sticks largely to studio settings, intermittently disclosing a talent for crowded street scenes like the impressive slug-out shot at the congested Dawa Bazaar. More visual sheen and editing tautness could have been exercised to enhance the intricately structured screenplay. The music score is nothing to woogie or boogie about really. If you excuse the lapses, it’s essentially because of the legibly etched characterisations. At the outset, you empathise with the sacked banker, the empathy turning to fear as his obsessiveness takes on manic proportions. Doubtlessly, Vijaysingh Rajput is an extra-strong personality, a part that is unthinkable without Amitabh Bachchan. Bankably he’s superb, breathing conviction, suaveness and dignity into a role that could have been reduced to a caricature by a lesser actor. How you wish the finale had given the wronged Rajput a much-deserved wrap-up instead of doing a negative short-shrift on him. Of the rest of the cast, Akshay Kumar and Arjun Rampal are competent and likable. Ditto Sushmita Sen whenever she isn’t crying buckets of glycerine. And of course Paresh Rawal is outstanding. Give him a meaty part and this champion actor chews it bare to the bone, even propping up several scenes with his inborn flair for rib-tickling comedy. With all its pros and corns, Aankhen does come out a wee bit from the salaakhen of the Mumbai movie formula, which is a welcome change from the pyaars, dils, jigars, jigars and mohabbats clogging up the marquee nowadays. Worth a glance.
Tuesday, April 30, 2002
Latest Indo-American film creates ripples
A romantic comedy about first-generation Indo-Americans caught between the American culture and their traditional roots, American Chai is the debut film of Indo-American filmmaker Anurag Mehta. The film, which opened on April 5 all over the U.S, has got tremendous response amongst the recent lot of Independent films made by Upstart Indian Americans. And unlike Chutney Popcorn, a tacky and predictable film of the similar genre, which had released way back in 1999, this movie has scored a plus as a polished version having received critical acclaim at many Film Festivals all over America already. Even though the film has a simple plot about Suneel, a first-generation Indian-American wanting to become a rock-n-roll star, the director has handled the narrative gracefully, extracting brilliant performances from all the actors. It took me over four months to complete the script. And we shot the film in 22 days flat with a budget of $500000 in New Jersey and New York. It was a learning experience and after this I want to make a mainstream movie with a fully Indian cast, informed Mehta who was inspired by Kaizad Gustad’s Bombay Boys and Nagesh Kukunoor’s Hyderabad Blues to make this film.
Tuesday, April 30, 2002
Banking On Different Ends
For risk taking director Vipul Shah of Aankhen, one ending was clearly not enough. Those who saw the film in the theatres in India, saw Amitabh Bachchan the villain being led away by the cops in the end. But overseas audience saw a different ending. In that, Bachchan bribes the cops and escapes from prison, which is truly in Hollywood style. The pirated CD’s of the film now in the market has this ending, as it is always taken from overseas print. According to the director Shah, Yes we had two endings for the film. The ending in the overseas version is meant for a sophisticated audience. We don’t think that it would work here, so we had a different ending for the Indian audience. The grapevine has it that our censors would have never passed the film if it is shown that crime wins in the end. Though Aankhen has opened well, the trade is sceptical about its box office success as they feel that the film is too highbrow.
Tuesday, April 30, 2002
Review: Tum Se Achcha Kaun Hai
There are several surprises here. One being that newcomers can exhibit the accurate amount of acting skills when required. Two that a film that no one knows about can still manage to entertain and lastly that with hit music, good acting, a decent story some directors still do not know how to gel everything together and make a GOOD film. That’s where Tum Se Achcha Kaun Hain loses out, placing everything together without dragging along. Venus’ home production is an engaging romance drama that could have been just much more. The soundtrack has been doing wonders in sales in India, its star cast is pleasing to the eye and its story line has the right punch to become a hit at the box office. But the drawbacks are at the most evident of places, editing, pacing, and coming up with an overall well film. The film also managed to not create huge expectations for itself, a factor that has ruined many films, and could have utilized that in perhaps becoming this year’s Tum Bin. Whether it will succeed with its flaws is anyone’s guess. The film tells the story of three talented youngsters who are goal inhibited but get distracted by a youngster’s biggest nightmare- love. Arjun Singh (Nakul Kapur) has tried his best to promote his excellent vocals in hopes that he could be discovered. It happens one day when someone visiting his hometown manages to encourage him to visit the place where he can actually get noticed, Bombay. Taking Naina’s (Aarti Chabria) advice, Arjun goes to Mumbai and tries endlessly to show his talent. However, no one gives him his due attention or what he needs- his big break. Not until Bobby (Kim Sharma) comes along can he actually be recognized. A tomboy with everything, Bobby utilizes her rich dad (Dalip Tahil) to help Arjun acquire his dreams. And so he does, until the real nightmare begins. Who said love is a good thing? Arjun would beg to differ as the triangle develops between the spoiled but interestingly aggressive Bobby and innocent Naina. With a change from the norm in terms of storyline, the two girls fight for Arjun´s heart as the film nears its interesting climax. I wonder how much better the film would have been with crisper editing. Whereas truly bad films lose out in almost every department, Tum Se Achcha Kaun Hain scores in many of them except for that one, which is important. Nirmal Jani’s cinematography is appealing but more importantly fits the film well. Anna Singh’s costumes and outfits are nothing spectacular but this isn’t a grand saga of emotions either. It’s Deepak Anand’s directing where the film benefits, but his editing, and a more compact screenplay from Lalit Mahajan where the film draws back. Lalit’s dialogues are also just normal. The film could have been slicker, especially towards the climax where many films with twists have handled better. The background music at times entertains while at others becomes redundant with the uneven pace. Anand’s direction is fairly decent and he manages to change the typical romance enough to save us from lashing out at him (something Vikram Bhatt couldn’t do with his lackluster Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage). He still needs improvement to show us whatever talent he really has hidden; the film doesn’t exhibit it enough to give him any applaud. The film ends up being too long whereas it could have been short, concise and much more entertaining. The unnecessary comedy sequences by Rajpal Yadav are plain old stupid. It’s an insult to the man’s talent. Filmmakers still need to learn that the audience doesn’t always need laughs in films! The biggest surprise is Kim Sharma’s take on Urmila ala Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya. Though her character doesn´t require the extreme negativity that Urmila´s did, the roles come close and Kim does a good job. The actress exhibits her talent ten times more than she did in Aditya Chopra’s Mohabbatein. You’ll be surprised. Dialogue delivery, looks, emotives are all on par and even better than some of the bigger names in the industry now. Her character development is also well done. The aggressiveness towards Arjun that she inhibits is understandable and lends her character the right dimensions. She does an excellent job and is easily the best actor of this ensemble. What’s even better is that the actress has an excellent line up of films including Taj Mahal- An Eternal Love Story, Supari and several others that should display her talent. Aarti Chabria also surprises. Her first full leading role after a short one in Lajja, she delivers the goods ably. Her dialogue delivery, voice modulation and acting overall is handled well. She does appear second handed when she shares scenes with Kim Sharma, as Kim is the scene-stealer in this film. But she does manage to do a good job. Aarti too has a number of big projects in the future including Vikram Bhatt’s Awara Paagal Deewana. Model Nakul Kapur who made it his business to vouch for models and say, who says models can’t act? has done a decent job here. Nothing much to brag about, but certainly better than some of the poor acting debuts we’ve seen so far. He performs well, dances well and exhibits the characteristic that should be seen in fresh heroes. His only flaw is in his horrible dialogue delivery. Work on it! Rati Agnihotri supports well as Naina’s mother as does Dalip Tahil in his role as Bobby’s father. Choreography is ok, not requiring much experimentalism here. Nadeem-Shravan’s musical score is easily a hit, has been doing excellent business, but one wonders about its life now after the film has released. Either way, the duo has done this film a good job with numbers like Aankh Hai Bhari Bhari, Door Wadiyon Se, Dil Gaya and Sukhwinder Singh’s pleasing Aap Jaise. The numbers are pictured beautifully and entertain the audience. With films as stupid as Kranti, Kitne Door Kitne Paas, Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage (and the list goes on and on), Tum Se Achcha Kaun Hain holds many more positive factors than negative. Time pass in essence, you’ll enjoy the three young actors who actually have talent or at the very least the entertaining music, but sadly, nothing more!
Tuesday, April 30, 2002
Interview: Vivek Oberoi
Are you satisfied with your performance in Company? No performer is ever completely satisfied with his performance. There’s always a feeling at the back of your head that some scenes could have been done better or a dialogue delivered differently. On the whole, I try to see the role from the director’s point of view and then add my bit. Everyone has a lot of expectations from you. Ramu says you're the best newcomer he has ever worked with. I have to be honest and say that such expectations scare me. I don’t know if having a father (Suresh Oberoi) who’s a brilliant actor is a genetic advantage. It has been reported that you have been offered obscene amounts of money by producers. Is it true? God has been very kind to me. I’ve enough food on my table and a house. All my needs are taken care of. I’m very secure with what I have. As long as I have books, films and music, I don’t need anything else. I have the option of waiting for good roles. I love my work so much, that there are times when I forget acting is a profession. As far as money is considered, my dad handles the business side of my work, while I just concentrate on acting. It’s rare to see a newcomer as confident as you. Let me just say that I have never gone out of my way to attract attention. So, it’s probably just me. I was quite surprised and pleased with the positive response that I got from the industry. I hope I can live up to those expectations. I’ve given Company my best shot. What kind of homework did you do for Company? I wrote a 300-word biographical sketch for my character Chandu. I tried to figure out the the way he would talk, the kind of clothes he would wear, how he would interact with people around him. It just helped me understand the character better. Do you think you would be able to put in the same preparation for future roles? Agreed that it would be difficult to do that kind of work for all my roles. But, if the role is as challenging as the one in Company, I would prefer to be prepared. My second film Saathiya, which is being directed by Shaad Ali, didn’t need a lot of work, because I closely identify with the setting and the personality of my character. But it would be unfair to say that Saathiya is an easier film compared to Company. What was it like to work with Ajay Devgan? Is there any danger of comparison? We met on the set for the first time and throughout the shooting he helped me a lot with nuances and technical details. Ajay is phenomenal and there is no question of anyone comparing us. Our characters are so different that one would do injustice to both of us by comparing our work. Besides Company, what other films have you signed? There is Shaad Ali’s Saathiya which is co-produced by Yash Chopra and Mani Ratnam. Then I’m doing Rajat Mukherjee’s Road with Manoj Bajpai and Antara Mali. There is also Dum with Diya Mirza, which is directed by E Niwas. After that there is Vinod Chopra’s film. So, I’m pretty booked until the end of 2002.
Monday, April 29, 2002
Jaffer or Dasgupta to open in third Test
LUCIA: The half-centuries by Wasim Jaffer and Deep Dasgupta in the second innings of the three-day match against Busta XI have brought them back into contention for the opener's slot with skipper Sourav Ganguly declaring that one of the two would partner Shiv Sunder Das in the third Test against West Indies starting in Barbados on Friday. "Both Jaffer and Dasgupta would be in mind when we pick the team for the third Test," Ganguly said after the three-day game ended in a draw here on Sunday. India have tried a number of players, including Dasgupta, in a bid to settle the one vacant opener's slot but so far have been unsuccessful in finding the right person. Dasgupta has done reasonably well in that position but his performance as a wicketkeeper has left much to be desired. However, Ganguly dropped enough hints to suggest that if Dasgupta is indeed picked to play in the third Test he would keep the wickets too. "At the moment, Dasgupta qualifies as a specialist opener but I am doubtful if his role would be restricted to that only," Ganguly said. On the other hand, Jaffer is the regular opening batsman for Mumbai and is expected to bring to an end the practice of having to do with makeshift openers like Dasgupta. Ganguly had a word of praise for Jaffer's knock even though Busta XI shielded their main bowlers, Pedro Collins and Dinananth Ramnarine, after both were included in the West Indian squad for the Barbados Test.
Monday, April 29, 2002
Gujarat burns despite Fernandes' peace march
Defence Minister George Fernandes and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi Sunday led a peace march through the streets of the strife-torn walled city, even as riots and arson continued to rock the state, claiming three more lives. At least 895 people have died in the communal conflagration in Gujarat that flared up after the February 27 Godhra train carnage. Thirteen people were injured when police opened fire late last night to control rioters who went berserk and set afire a restaurant in Jamalpur area and several huts in the Chandola Talab slum. Mobs threw petrol bombs, acid bulbs, burst country-made bombs and used crude rocket launchers in areas partly under Maninagar police station, around Millat Nagar. Three people died, two of whom sucumbed on way to hospital. In an initiative to restore peace and harmony, the 'People's Peace March' led by the Defence Minister and Chief Minister Modi covered a three-km thoroughfare of the riot-affected Relief Road in the walled city. The participants included leaders of all religions and of major political parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress, Samata Party and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. All of them wore a uniform white cap symbolising peace and held playcards like 'We are all one' and 'Though many religion, India is one, Hindu-Muslims are one.' Central ministers Arun Jaitley, Digvijay Singh, Haren Pathak, Gujarat ministers Ashok Bhatt and Haren Pandya, MPs, MLAs, Congress leaders Narhari Amin and Urmila Patel and Samata Party leader Jaya Jaitley were among those who took part in the peace march. Meanwhile, as part of the peace efforts, media baron and Chairman of Jain TV Dr J K Jain is on a seven-day fast since Saturday. Several journalists and other prominent Jain leaders and religious leaders of various communities have lended their support to his cause. The chain of violent incidents entered its third month today, with Ahmedabad alone accounting for around half the death toll. In police firing alone, some 175 people have died so far in the riot-ravaged state. Unofficial sources, however, put the total death toll at around 925, including 200 in police firing.
Monday, April 29, 2002
Oracle emerges as largest employer
NEW DELHI: Global software majors have declared a no-holds-barred war in India. And the showdown of strength revolves around Who is the largest employer of them all?. And in the showdown, Oracle has emerged the winner, with a headcount of 2,000. HP is not too far behind with 1,000 strong development workforce and 500 in its backoffice operations. Equally aggressively in showcasing their manpower strength are SAP with 500 people, Adobe with 250 and Microsoft with 125 people of board. Equally big is the debate on who is growing at a faster pace. Already having doubled its base in the last two years, Oracle commits to be growing at the same pace. While Microsoft is promising to have 300 people on board by next year, Adobe plans to double number every two years. HP is also committed to treble its workforce in seven years, announced during Carly Fiorina’s visit. SAP, Adobe, Texas Instruments, Cadence, Veritas Software and Ensim have ambitious expansion plans too. In sharp contrast, most of the Indian software companies are slow on recruitments. Not only are these companies on a hiring spree in India, but they are also scouting to expand their developer network. Oracle boasts of 1,00,000-strong community of developers, largest outside the US, and is still gung-ho on its technology seminars and shipping of trial software. Microsoft is equally aggressive with its technology evangelist programme and contests to woo developers. Obviously, their expansion plans are also creating a stir in the property market, with space being leased out running over 50,000 square feet and sometimes even exceeding a lakh of square feet. The deals which made news recently included mega development plans being hatched by i2 Technologies, SAP Labs, Intel, Network Associates, 3Com arm CommWorks Corporation and Microsoft. For tech majors, chips may be down in global markets, but they are going strong in the Indian market, thanks to the costs in India being lower by 20 to 25 per cent. And even the companies who are declaring layoffs elsewhere are busy recruiting here.
Monday, April 29, 2002
21 militants killed in J&K
JAMMU APRIL 28. Security forces gunned down 21 militants, including nine foreign mercenaries, in encounters in Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu and Kashmir today. On a tip-off that heavily armed militants had infiltrated into the State from across the border, troops cordonned off the entire Dara-Glotra Dar area in Poonch district and in the operation that followed six militants of Tehreek-ul- Mujahideen were killed and explosives seized.
Monday, April 29, 2002
BSP pockets key portfolios, BJP trying to save face
Mayawati bargained hard. And successfully. The Bahujan Samaj Party has pocketed all the major portfolios of the next UP government for letting Keshari Nath Tripathi continue as Speaker of the new Assembly. She has also washed her hands off the unpredictable Ajit Singh who had relented and sent the letter of support. On the eve of staking claim to form the government, BJP leaders were devising ways of reconciling the growing demands from within the party with the parameters accepted during the month-old negotiations for the new regime. Highly placed sources said Mayawati exploited the saffron desperation to make Tripathi the speaker to the hilt. Pushed to a corner, the BJP is wondering if its workers won’t be upset by this "abject surrender". It was a tough exercise. The coordination committee is likely to be chaired by Ms Mayawati in her capacity as chief minister. The BJP is looking for a face-saving formula to send the 'right' signals to the party cadre. The BSP had already snubbed the BJP over its demand for deputy chief ministership and home ministry. As a symbol of deft negotiations, Ms Mayawati devised a formula on ministry formation. A figure of 55 was arrived at by consensus. The BSP leader demanded half of them and asked the BJP to accommodate its legislators and allies in the rest. Now, the BJP concedes that the ministry may even cross the 60 mark. Said an upset Tandon, "The ministry cannot be very small as the sentiments of the allies have to be respected but it will be smaller than the last one." The ministry had crossed the 100 mark last time. The trouble actually came from Ajit Singh, who has 14 MLAs. He was trying hard to retain his hold over his men by asking for maximum share. Sources say Ajit Singh's demands would have been met easily but for the BSP stand that it will not concede an inch on accommodating the Rashtriya Lok Dal. "The share we give them comes at our cost," said a party leader. Hard bargaining has led to a stalemate. Ms Mayawati's plan to meet Governor today was postponed after the Lok Dal chief initially refused to hand over the letter of support. The wait spilled over to the next day and Central leaders had to jump in to placate the Union agriculture minister. The stage was, however, set later tonight for BSP leader Mayawati to stake her claim in Uttar Pradesh tomorrow with the the RLD leader Ajit Singh extending support to the alliance. Sources close to chief Ajit Singh said the letter of support had been sent to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee who had an hour-long meeting with top BSP leaders Kanshi Ram and Mayawati at his residence on government formation in UP this morning. Mr Singh had the letter sent to Vajpayee through an emissary, the sources said. The letter of support by RLD set at rest speculation about a last-minute hiccup in government formation.
Monday, April 29, 2002
TDP to open its cards only at the last minute
Keeping up the suspense on its stand on the Gujarat censure motion in Parliament, the Telugu Desam Party, a key supporter of the National Democratic Alliance government, decided on Sunday to wait for Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's reply in the Lok Sabha. At a meeting of the Telugu Desam Parliamentary Party in Hyderabad, party chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said the party could wait for Vajpayee's statement in the House before deciding which way to vote on the Opposition-sponsored motion. TDP sources quoted Naidu as saying he was under "no pressure to take a decision in a hurry" and the party's stand would be made clear at an "appropriate time". The sources said the TDPP discussed all three options before the party -- voting in favour of the censure motion, voting against it and abstaining. After the TDPP meeting, Naidu, who has been holding a series of talks with his party colleagues over the last two weeks to weigh various options, began meeting his MPs separately to elicit their views. Evading questions from waiting reporters, Naidu said, "We will let you know if there is anything." The TDP has 28 members in the Lok Sabha and 13 in the Rajya Sabha. With Naidu's one-to-one interaction with the MPs expected to last several hours, a crucial meeting of the TDP politburo on the issue of firming up the party's stand is likely only on Monday.
Monday, April 29, 2002
India, China cushioned global recession: report
India came next to China in cushioning the global slump in the current year. In a report titled The World’s New Growth Cushion (April 19), Morgan Stanley Dean Witter (MSDW) has concluded that, Were it not for the resilience of China and India, the world economy would have been in deep recession in 2002. It’s hard to believe that two poor countries have finally reached the point in their development cycles where they can have such an influence on the world at large, the report states. Referring to the data, it says: Collectively, these two countries accounted for 1.1 percentage points, or 44 per cent, of the 2.5 per cent growth in world gross domestic product (GDP) in 2001. That’s a little more than two-and-a-half times their collective share of 16.8 per cent in the world’s GDP. Without India and China, there would have been little doubt about the global recession call, the report states. World GDP growth would have been closer to 1.5 per cent in 2001, matching the second-worst performance by the global economy in the past 30 years. MSDW has also said that even for poor countries, scale plus sustained rapid growth equal an increasingly larger contribution to world GDP. Together, China and India accounted for 38 per cent (2.250 billion) of the world’s total population in 1999. China’s real GDP growth averaged 9.8 per cent over the 18-year period from 1984 to 2001 and India’s averaged 5.6 per cent over the same number of years. In both cases, these growth rates are several multiples of the 3.1 per cent recorded by the so-called advanced economies, the report states. In 2001, China and India accounted for 51 per cent of pan-Asian GDP, including Japan, on a purchasing power parity basis. If these two nations stay on anything close to their recent growth paths, the rest of Asia will become increasingly marginalised by comparison, says the report. Citing a recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) report, it says the world economy narrowly skirted a recession in 2001. The just-released World Economic Outlookthe IMF’s official assessment of global growth and developmentconceded it was a very close call. But, in the end, the world economy stopped at the brink. Reading between the lines, it doesn’t take much to figure out what made a difference between worldwide recession and anaemic expansion. China and India saved the day, playing a critical role as the world’s new growth cushion, MSDW has concluded. The IMF’s report was based on the purchasing power parity criterion, which puts individual countries on a level playing field. The value of like-quality goods and services is restated at parity across nations, and growth is calculated more on an apples-to-apples basis. This can make a very big difference, especially in a period when the world economy is being buffeted by sharp cyclical fluctuations. For example, the IMF’s official purchasing power parity-based construct of world GDP is estimated to have risen by 2.5 per cent in 2001, right on the borderline of the official recession threshold. In contrast, the raw data, when added up at market exchange rates, point to only a 1.4 per cent increaseeasily on a par with readings in the global recessions of the mid-1970s, early 1980s, and again in the early 1990s, the report states. According to World Bank statistics, China’s per capita income in 2000 was $857, whereas India’s was $472. The per capital income in the industrial world was $29,395 in 2000. But the scale and sustained growth dynamic of these economies are what count in the calculus of global growth.
Sunday, April 28, 2002
Sukhoi downs MiG in India plane deal
Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi has won the bid to develop the fifth generation multi-role superfighter for the Indian and Russian air forces. Sukhoi bagged the tender by beating its two key rivals _ MiG and Yakovlev corporations. Russian Minister of Industry, Science and Technology Ilya Klebanov, Friday announced that the Yakovlev Design Bureau and MiG Corporation would also take part in the project, Russian Interfax news agency has reported. The new aircraft is expected to take off in 2006 and is likely to be operational from 2008. Russia and India have already agreed to jointly design, develop and build the fifth generation superfighter. Defence Minister George Fernandes, during his recent visit to Moscow, discussed the joint project with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, who reiterated Moscow's pledge to design and build the aircraft in collaboration with India. Kasyanov also promised to speed up the preparatory work on the development of the new generation fighter jet that would compete with the US Joint Strike Fighter, co-funded by several countries. UNI
Sunday, April 28, 2002
Bride among 21 killed in Andhra accident; Groom injured
At least 21 people of a marriage party, including the bride, were killed and 60 others seriously injured when their lorry collided head-on with another in Adilabad District of Andhra Pradesh, late Saturday night. While the bride was among those killed, the bridegroom, who sustained injuries, was in critical condition. The driver of the lorry, which was hired by the marriage party to go to Vaddur village, was also killed. The lorry, carrying about 100 people belonging to the marriage party, collided with a Tamil Nadu-bound lorry loaded with cotton-bales. The impact of the collision was so intense that the lorry carrying the members of the marriage party turned upside down, crushing most of the victims. Police said 20 people, who were critically injured, were shifted to a hospital in Hyderabad, while the rest were admitted to the Nizamabad District Headquarters hospital.
Sunday, April 28, 2002
What enabled the software revolution in India
The most revolutionary change in India has been the rise of computer software as a world-beater. India is not a miracle economy, but software is a miracle sector. Growing at 40 per cent annually for a decade, it earned $ 8 billion in exports last year. McKinsey estimates that it could earn up to $ 58 billion by 2008, more than India’s entire merchandise exports today. At a seminar on the Indian economy at Cornell University last week, Infosys chairman Narayana Murthy addressed a critical question: Could software have taken off without the economic reforms of the 1990s? Absolutely not, was his conclusion. Infosys started in 1981, but faced heavy weather for a decade. Getting even a telephone was a Herculean task. During the licence-permit raj, a retired government officer had higher priority for getting a telephone than any software firm! To import one computer costing $ 15,000, Narayana Murthy had to make 25 visits spread over 18 months to the bureaucracy in New Delhi. The cost of travel and hotels became almost as high as that of the computer! This idiocy ended only in 1991, when the abolition of industrial licensing unshackled Narayana Murthy and others of his ilk. In the bad old days, an RBI clerk took five days to decide if Narayana Murthy could travel abroad for one day. One software CEO got RBI permission to spend two days in Paris and one in Frankfurt to meet clients. But the clients changed their plans, so the CEO had to spend one day in Paris and two in Frankfurt. He immediately received a show-cause notice threatening him with prosecution! In this manner, controls imposed in the holy name of socialism were used to strangle all business initiative. The mind-set of the bureaucracy changed only when the whole licence-permit raj was dismantled. Tinkering would not have sufficed. The reforms of the 1990s blew away an entire jungle of controls on production, imports and foreign exchange. Current account convertibility made it possible for software companies to hire consultants and undertake global branding without case-by-case clearance. The old system had a controller of capital issues who decided at what price companies could issue shares, if at all. The controller invariably set prices below market rates. He looked at the track record of a company, not future prospects. But share prices are supposed to reflect future prospects, not history. The ossified rules of the controller’s office would have made it impossible for software companies to access the equity market. Fortunately, the reforms abolished the post of controller. Liberated entrepreneurs could not only float shares, but offer stock options to employees. They could even list on stock markets abroad, and so raise billions in equity in New York. But for this, Infosys could not have scaled such heights. Another vital policy change, says Narayana Murthy, was permission given to the biggest software companies in the world to invest in India with 100 per cent equity. This was opposed by vested interests and ideologues. In fact, the entry of giants like Microsoft and Oracle enhanced the competitive environment, and enabled Indian companies like Infosys and Wipro to learn how to keep pace with the best in the world. In the early 1990s, some people said MNCs must be kept out to allow the fledgling Indian software industry to develop. A second, pessimistic school of thought felt that companies like Infosys should wind up or sell out to foreigners, as Parle had done. A third option, regarded as fantasy by the old Left, was to compete with the MNCs and prove Indians were just as good. That is what Infosys and dozens of other Indian software companies succeeded in doing. Far from losing their staff to foreign firms, as predicted by pessimists, Infosys achieved higher staff retention rates than the MNCs. The neta-babu raj assumed that Indian companies were inherently inferior and needed to be shielded from international competition. Software exploded this myth. Open competition led not to the devastation, but the flowering of Indian companies. Standards and skills rose as they never would have in a protected environment. At Cornell, I expanded Murthy’s list of the blessings of liberalisation. Indian politicians and trade unions were anti-computerisation for decades, fearing job losses. They regarded computerisation as suitable for defence and nuclear research, but not for promoting consumer convenience or efficiency. So they gave no priority to software. Had there been a ministry for software with a large Plan allocation, a stifling bureaucratic jungle would have been created. Luckily no ministry or minister existed, and so software was able to take off unshackled by well-meaning socialists. Traditional exports were crippled by the vagaries and inefficiency of unionised ports, railways and road transport. Software exports, however, went over the air-waves and cables, and so were invisible to trade unions and bureaucrats. They were invisible even to bureaucrats in the West, and so escaped any protectionist backlash. The software revolution brought good governance and shareholder value to Indian stock markets. The key here was a little-noticed reform, Manmohan Singh’s abolition of wealth tax on shares. In the bad old days, no businessman wanted his share price to rise much, because it invited an extortionate wealth tax. In such circumstances, creating shareholder value was hara-kiri, so entrepreneurs kept profits black and off the books. The abolition of wealth tax on shares made it possible, for the first time, for entrepreneurs to aim at a 10-fold or 100-fold increase in share prices without committing tax suicide. When Singh introduced this reform, he had no idea he was making possible the software revolution. That reveals the real case for liberalisation. The aim is not to promote this or that sector, but to expand the universe of the possible. The aim is to empower people to dream of things that never were, ask why not, and then just do it. That is how reforms made the software revolution possible.
Sunday, April 28, 2002
Violence claims four more lives in Gujarat
At least four more persons were killed and 23 were injured in Baroda and Ahmedabad cities as the communal riots today taking the toll to 48 since last Sunday. One person was killed in police firing in Baroda city late last night, police said. One person was killed in police firing and eight were injured as violence rocked Wadi and Panigate areas of Baroda last night, police said. One person was stabbed to death and 15 injured, nine of them in police firing as violence rocked Baroda, Panigate, Raopura and Fatehpura areas this afternoon. Meanwhile, stage is set for tomorrow's much talked about peace march where people from majority and minority communities would walk through the violence-ravaged parts of Ahmedabad city. EXAMS: The second phase of board examinations for Class 10 and 12 being conducted in five places in Gujarat, recorded over 90 per cent attendance on the eighth day today.
Sunday, April 28, 2002
‘Quality Is What I Always Endorse’ -Aishwarya Rai
Former Miss World and now Bollywood superstar Aishwarya Rai says she’s really looking forward to Devdas Her dreamy green eyes looked a little tired and her cheeks were a bit more red than when you see her on the screen. Dressed in a sea-green sari, Aishwarya Rai, the dream woman of countless Indian men, looked cool and poised at the launch of Fujifilm’s Crystal Big Viewfinder in Delhi. Calm and serene as she is, you suddenly realise why Sanjay Leela Bhansali picked her for the role of Paro, rather than that of Chandramukhi, in his much hyped film, Devdas, due to be released in May. I’m really looking forward to Devdas, admits the actress herself. Why is it special, one asks her. It’s a serious role, says Ms Rai. How would she compare her role in Devdas to the one in David Dhawan’s Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin? Explains Ms Rai, In Devdas, I have a deeper and a more serious character, one which is very different from the lively and fun loving character I play in Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin. The two characters are entirely the opposite of each other. Coming back to Devdas, Ms Rai says she has a lot of faith in both the movie and director Bhansali. Who wouldn’t want to work with a director like Sanjay? I deeply believe that Devdas will prove to be a very good movie, she says. She is also sure about the outcome of Devdas, she says, because she has put a lot of hard work into the film. Quality is what I always endorse in my lifebe it the things I use and consume, or be it the work I do, explains Ms Rai. It’s for that very reason, she says, that she doesn’t sign too many movies in a year. Except for the year when Taal was released (three of her movies were released in that year), I have done one or maximum two movies each year since the beginning of my career in Bollywood. I like to step slow and steady, cherish each moment of what I do and deliver quality, she says with a smile. And that’s that. Try to probe a little further into her life, and we’re not even talking Salman Khan here, and the lady dismisses you with a firm No, personal questions, please. And walks out of the press conference.
Sunday, April 28, 2002
Believe in India, and also in Sinha
NEW DELHI: THE Finance Minister, Mr Yashwant Sinha, who faced flak from his own party ranks for several of his budget proposals, on Saturday found support from none other than the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, himself. "When our Finance Minister, Mr Yashwant Sinha, talks about our determination to achieve seven or eight per cent GDP growth, he knows that he has his feet on the ground. Here again I would say believe in India and also add: believe also in our Finance Minister," Mr Vajpayee said at the National Conference and Annual Session of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Although critics have raised doubts over the country's ability to achieve the 7-8 per cent growth in GDP, given the poor performance of the manufacturing sector, Mr Sinha has all along been of the view that the targets are not unrealistic.
Sunday, April 28, 2002
Forex reserves cross $55 b
THE country's forex reserves have risen by $268 million for the week ended April 19, touching $55.073 billion as compared to $54.805 billion in the previous week, according to the Weekly Statistical Supplement (WSS) of the Reserve Bank of India. There has been a slowdown in the rise in reserves on account of slackened FII inflows in the forex market this past month, on account of dampened sentiment following domestic political uncertainties which were further compounded by concerns over rising oil prices, according to forex dealers. The rupee too has been volatile this week slipping to its historic intra-day low at 49.05/06 before recovering to end the week at 48.97/98 against the dollar. Forex dealers are now awaiting the monetary and credit policy on Monday to see how the markets will react to the announcements. "The markets have discounted a bank rate cut, but there is still expectation that there might be a cut in the CRR,'' said a dealer.
Sunday, April 28, 2002
Windies hit for a four
ST LUCIA: Four wickets in the morning session salvaged some pride for India on day two of the three-day game against Busta XI at the National Stadium on Saturday. Harbhajan Singh struck twice, Anil Kumble and Tinu Yohanann once, to reduce the second string West Indies to 401-6 at lunch. Skipper Ridley Jacobs on 33 and Dinanath Ramnarine (15) were at the crease at close of play. Earlier, left-hander Wavell Hinds failed to dazzle like on Friday. The 26-year-old Jamaican, unbeaten on 140 at day one, was bowled round his legs while attempting to sweep Harbhajan to long leg. The West Indies Test discard, by scoring an imposing 175 in this game, may have impressed the selectors to pick him against India for the Barbados Test that begins next week. Hinds, particularly severe on the spin trio, batted in the typical West Indies flair, striking 24 boundaries and four sixes. Apart from the gritty southpaw, none of the other batsman looked comfortable against the spin of Kumble and Harbhajan. The Punjab off-spinner got his first wicket exactly after one hour of play. Certainly not the best of the ball to get a wicket, still it was a welcome sight to see the back of Hinds who may have dented the bloated confidence of the Indians. Harbhajan, bowling almost through the first session, then forced Runako Morton to play a cut shot off the back foot and Yohanann’s soap-box like hands snapped the Leeward Island’s at point. Kumble struck immediately, holding Ryan O’Hinds low to his right off his own bowling. Hinds, who has been on the verge of breaking into the senior team, had a six and four in his 10 before returning one back to Kumble. With wickets tumbling, Jacobs dropped anchor and looks in no hurry to give Indians a bat in this match. SCORECARD Darren Ganga b Anil Kumble 5, Devon Smith b Sarandeep Sing 91, Wavell Hinds b Harbhajan Singh 175, Runako Morton c Yohanann b Harbhajan 33, Ryan O’Hinds c & b Kumble 10, Ridley Jacobs bating 33, Gareth Breese c Laxman b Yohanann, Dinanath Ramnarine batting 15 Extras (b1, lb9, nb12, w4) 26. Total (for six wickets) 401 Fall of wickets: 1-35, 2-250, 3-303, 4-334, 5-334, 6-391 Bowling: Yohanann 16-2-70-1, Bangar 13-1-73-0, Kumble 30-2-112-2, Harbhajan 19-2-58-2, Sarandeep 18-180-1.
Sunday, April 28, 2002
PM slams Sonia, says Govt will last full term
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee strongly criticised Opposition leader Sonia Gandhi for suggesting that a change of regime was on the cards. He was delivering a lecture hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Referring obliquely to CII's invitation to Sonia Gandhi to inaugurate its convention, of which the lecture was a part, Vajpayee said: "If invitations to inaugurate or conclude conferences could make (people) speculate about an impending change in the direction of political winds, I must say (they) seem to think chambers of commerce and industry have more powers to make and unmake governments than the people of India." CII office-bearers, led by president Sanjeev Goenka, in fact, went out of their way to make up for not inviting Vajpayee to inaugurate its convention. "There was no inauguration at all," Goenka claimed on Saturday. Nevertheless, the CII convention has, in effect, become a venue for a political duel between the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition, with Vajpayee saying that his government would last its full term. ************************ WAR OF WORDS * February 7: Vajpayee calls Sonia a foreigner while electioneering in Uttar Pradesh. * March 25: During the Lok Sabha debate on POTO, Sonia asks PM to choose between people and Sangh Parivar. PM retaliates saying, I will not tolerate personal accusations and I am not Prime Minister because of you. * April 13: Sonia says PM has lost his mental balance, then changes that to his mental balance is disturbed. Regrets statement later.
Thursday, April 25, 2002
India to bid for 2012 Olympics
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) will bid to host the 2012 Olympic Summer Games with full support from the government, Sports Minister Uma Bharti said on Wednesday. ``I want the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to prepare for bidding for the 2012 games,`` Bharti told reporters. She said India would aim to build up its sports infrastructure and improve its performance in the next two Olympics to strengthen its bid. The world`s second most populous country with over a billion people has only ever won eight Olympic golds -- all in men`s field hockey -- and managed just one women`s weightlifting silver at the 2000 Sydney Games. The government has turned to the private sector to raise sponsorship and develop its sports infrastructure in a bid for more success. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has signed a three-year agreement with the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the country`s main sports body, to provide funds to help prepare for major events. FICCI officials said they would travel to China this year study their preparations for hosting the 2008 Olympics. Indian sports are mostly state-funded and sports federations often blame lack of resources for poor performances in world level competitions. Reuters
Thursday, April 25, 2002
Teamwork does the trick for India
As predicted in this column, India goes into the third Test with a 1-0 lead. Port of Spain had been a lucky venue for India in the past and it was no different this time. Despite all the talk about the pitch being hard, pacey and bouncy, it played slow with the odd ball keeping low. It was the kind of surface the Indians were only too familiar with. An away win, even against a less threatening West Indian side, is welcome, and one hopes the Indians maintain the pressure on the home side in the remaining matches. This series has to be won. If the Indians actually accomplish that, it could mark a turning point in the country's cricketing fortunes. However, there is plenty of cricket remaining in the series. In Port of Spain, it was teamwork that did the trick for the Indians and this really is the key ingredient for the future Tests as well. This Indian victory was different from the rest considering the pace trio of Srinath, Zaheer Khan, and Nehra grabbed more than 80 per cent of the wickets. It was heartening. It is bowlers who win matches and the performance of the Indian pacemen becomes even more creditable considering this pitch was not a seaming track by any stretch of imagination. They put in a lot of hard work and reaped the rewards. The team-management took a brave decision in leaving out Kumble, but then Nehra's success justified the move. The left-armer did provide the crucial breakthroughs on the final day. It was also nice to see Srinath bowling with fire and purpose, and this experienced bowler certainly showed the way for Zaheer and Nehra. Srinath only appears to be getting better with age. This was an important Test for captain Sourav Ganguly, under fire from various sections, and he certainly managed to silence some of the critics with a battling innings under pressure. Ganguly displayed character with bat and led aggressively on the field. However, he would do well to keep his emotions under check. Looking back, Laxman's huge second innings partnership with Ganguly was where the game got away from the West Indies, and the stylish Hyderabad player's return to form is good news. Laxman's knocks in both the innings were extremely important in the context of the match, and following a barren phase, he is once again doing justice to his immense talent. Taking his half centuries in both the innings into account, Laxman did deserve to be the Man of the Match. Tendulkar's first innings hundred, where he equalled Sir Donald Bradman's tally of 29 Test hundreds, was a weighty contribution as well. What sets him apart from the other batsmen is his ability to adapt so easily to the differing conditions. If Tendulkar produced a three-figure knock under pressure, Lara's inability to get the `big one' on home turf hurt his team's cause. In the duel between the two batting greats in the series, Tendulkar has got off to a head start. The Indians will do well to be careful here. They just cannot afford to be complacent, given the brittle nature of its lower order. West Indies has a similar problem with a rather longish tail. But, like India, West Indies has a couple of match-winning batsmen in Lara and Hooper and the story can be different if the Indians relax just that little bit. The umpiring in the Test, despite the presence of two neutral umpires, came in for much criticism. This is a nebulous area. More about it next time. www.krishsrikkanth.com
Thursday, April 25, 2002
Manisha Koirala: Onto Documentaries!
We told you about the Koirala girl making a difference to the world in her own little way – through the medium of cinema. While at tackling social international issues such as the 'trading of women' or even the Nepal tragedy, Manisha has signed up for yet another cause. She will soon be seen in a documentary film that's associated with the Global Movement for Children, a UINICEF production. So, besides acting and producing, it's also gonna be social work for the actress. Two-in-one we guess! Keep at it Manisha. You do us proud!
Thursday, April 25, 2002
Devdas at Cannes
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus Devdas has been invited to the Cannes Film Festival. The festival opens May 15 and extends to May 26. Starring Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Aishwarya Rai and Jackie Shroff, it has been included in the official selection of films unveiled in Paris by the organisers of event on the French Riviera. It will enjoy a special screening during the festival. Shah Rukh Khan states, "Yes, the film is in the competition section at the Festival." Devdas is the first Hindi feature film to win an entry into the competition even before its release in India. The film is slated to release June 14." The movie is the third celluloid take on a classic tragedy in which the title character drunkenly pines after his childhood sweetheart while rebuffing the advances of a lovestruck prostitute. It may be recalled that the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj had inaugurated the India Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival last year. Also, the National Film Development Corporation, a part of the India Pavilion, sold some of Satyajit Ray's works for a theatrical release in Spain.
Thursday, April 25, 2002
HCL first to offer Net telephony in India
HCL Infinet, a Delhi-based Internet service provider (ISP) subsidiary of Shiv Nadar-promoted HCL Infosystems, is planning to start Internet telephony in the domestic market with Internet protocol (IP) telephones. While HCL Infosystems will manufacture IP telephones, HCL Infinet will club it with ISP services to offer Internet telephony. This is expected to bring down tariffs for domestic long-distance calls. As per regulations, a customer will require IP-based H323/SIP phones to make Internet telephone calls in the domestic market, which are much cheaper. The regulations also permit PC-to-PC Internet telephony within India. To avail of Internet telephony in the domestic market, you will require such phones. We will offer Internet telephony for the domestic market around this product. We are finalising the plan and a team is looking into the strategy, HCL Infinet president Saurav Adhikary said today. This will make HCL Infinet the first company in the country to offer Internet telephony for the domestic market. The company will first concentrate on corporates. Subsequently, it will target the consumer segment. Customers will not require a PC to make calls and these phones will work like normal phones. Since IP phones are easier to use, Internet telephony with IP phones is expected to be more popular than the normal PC-based Internet telephony, an analyst with the International Data Corporation said. The other company that makes IP phones is Cisco Systems. Its products are priced at Rs 15, 000 and above. We will consider affordable prices for the Indian market, Adhikary said. Cisco markets its IP phones just to corporates. HCL Infinet will use its ISP infrastructure to offer IP phone-based Internet telephony. The company is also looking at licensing the technology for manufacturing IP phones. We will most probably license the technology from an international company, he said.
Thursday, April 25, 2002
VJ, filmmaker among 5 dead in high-speed collision
Five people died when the car they were travelling in collided with a truck near the Sai Baba temple on Lodhi Road early on Wednesday. Channel [V] VJ Pooja Mukerji, 20, filmmaker Nishit Saran, 25, dancer Shivali Malhotra, 22, advertising executive Ashish Puri, 25, and Pankaj Kakkar 24, who worked at Excel Services had spent the evening at Some Place Else, a discotheque at the Park Hotel on Parliament Street. After that, they had coffee at Barista in Connaught Place and set off for home in a Maruti car, with Ashish driving and Pooja in the passenger seat. At 2.10 a.m., Pooja called her mother to say she would be home in 40 minutes. But, 10 minutes later, she and her friends were dead. Police investigations reveal both vehicles were moving at great speeds when they collided. In fact, the impact was so forceful that the car's engine fell out on the spot, while the rest of the car with the passengers inside was dragged 30 feet away by the truck, which then rammed into a tree. The bodies were so badly mangled alongwith the wreckage that it took 20 policemen and paramedics nearly two hours to extricate them. Pooja, an English Literature student at Lady Shri Ram College, was popular as the anchor of Channel [V]'s What Women Want show. Nishit, who trained at the Harvard Film Study Centre had earned much acclaim for his film on gay relationships, Summer in my Veins. The bodies of Pooja, Nishit and Ashish have been handed over to their families, but Shivali's and Pankaj's bodies are still at the AIIMS mortuary. Shivali's parents are still to arrive from London and Pankaj's from Jalandhar. The police are waiting for post-mortem reports to ascertain if Ashish had been drunk, though a friend who had met the five at the discotheque vouches they were all sober. The truck's driver is absconding.
Thursday, April 25, 2002
Stripped-down Windows available: Gates
WASHINGTON: Microsoft founder Bill Gates admitted in court Wednesday his firm already makes a stripped-down version of Windows XP that approaches a core demand of nine US states. He had argued it was impossible to meet the states' demand for a "bare bones" system allowing people to remove a Windows component -- the Internet browser for example -- and insert a competitor's product. The software giant has been found guilty of abusing its dominance over the global industry. Microsoft has settled its four year antitrust battle with the US federal government. But only half of the 18 states in the case signed on to the deal while the other half, plus the District of Columbia, called for tougher action. The hold-out states are pressing US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly to impose more stringent remedies, including a requirement that Microsoft provide the slimmed down version of its Windows operating system. Their attorney, Steven Kuney, pointed out that Microsoft already provided a component-by-component version of Windows XP -- Windows XP Embedded -- that could be built into a near identical copy of Windows XP. Gates conceded that a customer could configure Windows XP Embedded into nearly the same operating system as the normal Windows XP. "What you would end up with on that machine would be essentially all of XP with Office except for the installer," the software that allows new components to be added later, Gates said. States pursuing the case are California, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Utah and West Virginia, along with Washington DC.
Thursday, April 25, 2002
Ahmedabad violence continues; 7 hurt
AHMEDABAD: Seven people were injured, including one in police firing, in continuing incidents of violence in the curfew-bound Saherkotda and Gomtipur areas of the city late Wednesday night. At least two persons were injured, one in police firing, in the violence in Saherkotda police station area, police said Thursday. A total of 21 rounds were fired and 25 teargas shells lobbed to disperse mobs indulging in arson in Nirmalpur in Saherkotda area. Three houses and a truck were burnt in the fire. At least 11 people were held, police said. In another incident, five persons were injured when acid bulbs were hurled at them in Gomtipur labour area Wednesday night. Indefinite curfew continued in Shahpur, Vejalpur and Saherkotda police stations areas while it was relaxed in Gomtipur, Rakhial and Bapunagar for four hours for women to buy essentials. Forty-one people have been killed and scores of others left injured in the renewed violence since Sunday. The situation, though tense, is under control, police say.
Thursday, April 25, 2002
Class 10 student ragged by his seniors and thrown off a train
In a shocking case of cruelty by a senior school bully, a young school boy Sridhar, was beaten and shoved out of a speeding electric train in the vicinity of his school in Chennai. His left hand was completely severed from his body. It initially seemed like an accident but the boy who was in a state of shock for quite sometime has now come out with the gory details. Recounting the incident Sridhar said, Feroze had been bullying me for about a month. On the fateful day he along with two other boys stopped me on the way to school and took me to the railway station. They punched me and then pushed me out of a moving train. The Railway Police has registered a case of wrongful restraint and grievous hurt and is investigating the matter. But the school authorities deny that this was a case of ragging and seem to suggest that Sridhar had got into bad company. M Viswanathan, Headmaster, Jaigopal Garodia School, said, The accused was an irregular student and quite mischievous. What is even more tragic is that this boy had lost his mother when he was barely nine months old. His father migrated to the Gulf after marrying a second time. And Sridhar`s grandmother has been looking after him all these years. But despite this incident, Sridhar has not lost his self confidence. Although this incident had made him miss his class 10 exams, he has now started preparing hard to clear the supplementary exams in October this year.
Thursday, April 25, 2002
Gujarat central forces claim lack of support
AHMEDABAD: The central security forces, including the Army, deployed in the city to put a halt to the unabated violence say there is "no proper leadership" from the civil and police administration. "No amount of deployment of army and other forces can bring an end to the situation if they are not given proper direction and free hand to flush out the miscreants," said a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel attached to a chowky in Bapunagar area. Several central forces personnel from the Rapid Action Force (Raf) echo his statement. In most of the cases, they say, central forces are withdrawn by the local authorities after the incident is over. "We just clear up the mess. See what we have done with the charred scooter here," said an Raf personnel near Shardaben hospital junction. There is also no support from the civilian population. Proper feedback from the locals is available in few cases, say central forces personnel. Police officials, on their part, claim they do not want to give away "unbridled power" to Army or central forces. Instead, to revamp the policing, a decision has been taken to depute one DCP for two police stations, especially in sensitive areas in of the city. "This will give added supervision role," says a police official. At present, 12 columns of Army personnel, in addition to other central forces, are deployed in the city.
Thursday, April 25, 2002
India’s nuclear command to be in place by June
The Cabinet has given the go-ahead for the country's nuclear arsenal to be placed under the new Strategic Nuclear Command (SNC). "The SNC will be in place by June," said highly placed sources in the Ministry of Defence. This development comes even as the 2,500-km range Agni-II intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) is being inducted into a specially raised missile unit of the Indian Army. The nuclear command will function under the Integrated Defence Staff set-up. The first commander-in-chief of the SNC is likely to be from the Indian Air Force (IAF), which had gone ballistic at the decision to hand over the Agni to the army. The IAF has shortlisted Air Marshal T.M. Asthana, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Air Command, to head the country’s nuclear command. "While the army has been allowed to raise an Agni missile group, the IAF and the navy have been asked to submit proposals for creating missile units," the sources elaborated. As recommended by the Arun Singh Committee, an Army Strategic Rocket Command to handle surface-based nuclear weapons is also on the anvil. "An elaborate command and control structure for handling India's nuclear arsenal has been worked out," a top official confirmed. The nuclear forces chief will report to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) until the Chief of Defence Staff is appointed. The final authority on decisions regarding nuclear weapons will be the Cabinet Committee on Security headed by the Prime Minister, which will convey its orders to the Chairman COSC (currently General S. Padmanabhan). The air force has nursed ambitions of being the sole custodian of India's nuclear assets, and when it was denied the pre-eminence it sought, had opposed the integration of higher defence management under the Chief of Defence Staff. The IAF believes that strategic targetting hitting areas thousands of miles away is an air force role. The air force brass believes that it is not a role that suits the army which according to it "has a 40-km perspective". The argument in favour of the army was that it was the only force which had the expertise in rocketry and had the manpower to secure and manage nuclear missiles. The Pak N-button Pakistan already has a nuclear command and control structure. On February 2, 2000, it formed the National Command Authority (NCA) as the apex body for handling its nukes The NCA, headed by General Musharraf, is responsible for both development and deployment of Pakistan's nuclear weapons Pakistan is the only N-power where the military has its finger on the nuclear button
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
Esha Deol pins hope on Na Tum Jano Na Hum
The much awaited Esha Deol, Hrithik Roshan starrer Na Tum Jano Na Hum is finally moving into post production. Like every first time director, Arjun Sablok was filled with conflicting emotions on the last day of shooting. On the one hand I am relieved that the shooting is over but on the other hand saying goodbye to all these people will be sad, said Arjun Sablok. It is also a nail biting time for newcomer Esha Deol. This is her second release. Her first film was Koi Mere Dil Se Pooche, which failed at the box office. With two films slated for release one after the other, Esha is hoping that her chirpy role in Na Tum Jano Na Hum will provide the much needed boost to her career. Na Tum Jano Na Hum is all about fantasy and all about dreams. It is a very unrealistic story but at the same time a very simple love story, said Esha Deol. Na Tum Jano Na Hum is a crucial film for both the leading actors--Esha Deol and Hrithik Roshan as well as the director. Sometimes you have got to leave it to god. I don't know what is going to happen, said a nervous and anxious Esha Deol. The film will not just help Esha Deol find a strong hold in the film arena but may also bring Hrithik Roshan closer to the No. 1 crown.
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia releases new album
After recording more than 250 albums, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia's latest work Krishna Utsav pays tribute to Lord Krishna. The five compositions in the album have been penned by Ravindra Pathania, an employee of the Central Board of Direct Taxes and sung by Devki Pandit and Suresh Wadekar. I have composed music for Hindi films and have sung bhajans. My desire is that I should experiment and work on all forms of music, said Pandit Chaurasia. In a career spanning more than four decades, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia is one of the few classical musicians, who have made a mark in the world of Hindi cinema too. His partnership with Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma was an integral part of many a Yash Chopra film including the evergreen music of films like Silsila and Chandni. When we used to work on old black and white movies, scoring the background music, I was always impressed by the sweetness in their compositions. I decided to ask them to compose the music for my films, said Yash Chopra. Pandit Chaurasia is one of those rare musicians who has successfully managed to strike a chord with both--the classical musicians and the masses. At the music release of his latest album, he was once again able to draw both sets of listeners.
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage fails to pull in crowds
Hrithik Roshan's first film of the year, Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage, released all over the country this Friday. However, despite many expectations, the films box office collections have been lacklustre. In many theatres audiences walked out halfway through the film. "The public is walking out halfway through the film. This shows that they have not liked the film. The songs of the film are also not very good, said Sanjay Dalia, GM, CineLine Cinemas. Though Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage brings back the hit pair of Ameesha Patel and Hrithik Roshan, even that was unable to hold the audiences interest. For trade analysts, the films failure was expected, as the film had not even managed to generate excitement amongst filmgoers before its release, which had resulted in a dismal advance booking for the film. "The film has a very hackneyed script. Every single situation in the film is something that has been done in the past, something that you have seen in every film. So there was absolutely nothing new in the film. The performance of everyone, except for Hrithik, was very bad, said Indu Mirani, editor, Box Office. The failure of Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage at the box office marks a serious erosion in Hrithik Roshan’s fan following. The actor will try his luck afresh at the box office with Arjun Sablok’s Na Tum Jano Na Hum scheduled for release in early May. However, the audiences seem to be running out of patience. "The movie is a joke. If Hrithik makes such movies he is going to be a flop, said a viewer. "It is a ridiculous movie. It has no storyline and the songs are also very bad, said another viewer. This time, director Vikram Bhatt's lucky charm failed to work at the box office. His film Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage didn't have any substance that could attract the masses. Perhaps it is time now for filmmakers to realize that their formulas are failing at the box office and only the ones who are presenting something different, are the ones who are succeeding.
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
Court junks conspiracy charge in Gulshan case
In a significant development in Gulshan Kumar's murder case, the trial court today rejected the conspiracy charge levelled by the prosecution against 19 accused. Delivering the judgement, sessions judge M L Tahiliyani said the prosecution had failed to prove the conspiracy charge. The court also rejected five other charges relating to possession of weapons under Section 3 of the Arms Act. According to the prosecution, Ramesh Taurani, alleged prime conspirator and director of Tips Cassettes, paid Rs 25 lakh to music composer Nadeem Akhtar Saifee, who in turn passed on the amount to Dubai-based gangster Abu Salem for executing Gulshan’s murder. The conspiracy was allegedly hatched in Dubai where Nadeem, Abu Salem and accused-turned-approver Mohammad Ali Shaikh were present. Gulshan Kumar was killed on August 12, 1997, outside a temple in suburban Juhu. At the relevant time, Nadeem was in London on holiday with his family. Since then he has not returned. The Indian government filed an extradition case against him in a London court, which discharged him and awarded Rs 7.3 crore damages.
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
Its Boom time for Kaizad Gustad
Director Kaizad Gustad is back with a film titled Boom. After a break of nearly two and a half years since his debut film Bombay Boys, the director is all ready to start shooting for his new film this week. "I wanted to keep the continuity from Bombay Boys. Boom is the same kind of film. It is not a sequel of Bombay Boys but is similar to it, said Kaizad Gustad. The film revolves around the story of three Indian female supermodels, who unwittingly get involved with the underworld. Boom will mark the film debut of Indian supermodel Madhu Sapre, while model Padma Lakshmi will act in her first Indian film. Katrina Kazi and Seema Biswas form the rest of the female star-cast. "I am very excited and nervous as this is my first film. I have got a number of offers for films over the years but I did not like any of the scripts. After I read this script, I spoke to Kaizad, I understood the character and that was it," said Madhu Sapre. The bad boys of the underworld will be played by Jackie Shroff, Gulshan Grover and Javed Jaffri. Jackie Shroff’s wife, Ayesha Shroff, will produce the film. "I have never worked with Kaizad before. I have known him for a long time, but as a director I haven't seen his work. I think, I can learn something new from him, said Jackie Shroff. Kaizad Gustad’s first film Bombay Boys did fairly well at the box office and now all eyes are on his next film Boom.
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
Seven die in new religious violence in Gujarat
AHMEDABAD (Reuters) - Seven people were killed on Tuesday as mobs went on the rampage in Gujarat, taking the death toll from three days of renewed religious violence to 33, police said. "Seven people were killed in Ahmedabad in violence yesterday," a senior police official told Reuters on Wednesday, adding that the state's largest commercial city now was "calm but tense". The latest violence came as the government geared up for a heated debate in parliament next week over an opposition motion censoring it for failing to contain the religious riots, India's worst in a decade, in which more than 850 people, mostly Muslims, have died. Losing the vote would not topple the fragile Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee but would deal it an embarrassing blow. Three of Tuesday's victims -- two Muslims, one Hindu -- were burned to death, one woman was killed when police opened fire to disperse demonstrators, two died of stab wounds and one was killed in Hindu-Muslim clashes, police said.
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
Timely pat for Sachin
New Delhi: His achievements seem never-ending and so do the accolades. This time Sachin Tendulkar, who turns 29 tomorrow, has been picked by Time magazine for some special treatment - featuring him on its cover and almost bordering on the poetic in listing his achievements. Though over the years, Tendulkar has improved a lot, both as a player and as a media performer, "What has not changed is the impression he still gives of being a kid, a tough kid, hungry to learn and achieve," says the magazine in a tribute to the Indian batting maestro. In a country where cricket is more than a religion that cuts accross caste and class, "Tendulkar is embedded at the centre of a vast and crazily complex circuit board of emotions and occupies the middle like no other cricketer before him." "And this has partly to do with the outrageous reservoir of talent he is blessed with, partly to do with his will and partly to do with the era during which he came into world cricket," the magazine says. The shy, young man of the early 90s is no more there and "what is more fascinating", writes the Time, "is the sense Tendulkar exudes of constantly wanting to improve."
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
Stop eating beef, VHP asks Muslims
As a precondition for peaceful co-existance with Hindus, the Viswa Hindu Parishad (VHP) asked Muslims in the country to give up eating beef. VHP senior vice-president Acharya Giriraj Kishore, while talking to mediapersons after a meeting with the National Commission for Minorities, said while there are so many other animals to eat why Muslims insist on eating cow which is considered sacred by Hindus. Kishore also reiterated VHP demand to hand over disputed sites at Ayodhya, Mathura and Varanasi as a precondition for peaceful coexistence with Hindus. "First let them do it. Then we will see, " said the VHP leader while asked whether fulfilment of these conditions would foster Hindu-Muslim unity in the country.
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
Govt set to win, with or without TDP
NEW DELHI: Gujarat will be discussed in Lok Sabha under Rule 184. There will be a vote, too. But the government feels it's on firm ground: Most allies will vote for it; and then, there is the BSP. The TDP, playing its cards close to the chest, is probably the main cause for concern. S Venugopal, deputy leader of the TDP in Lok Sabha said the party would seek Modi's removal. But as for voting, the party's politburo will decide where its vote goes, or if it should abstain. But the government isn't be worried too much. Part of the reason is that it expects friend-in-the-making Bahujan Samaj Party to vote in its favour. Then there are the numbers. The BJP and allies total 310 in the 545-member Lok Sabha. With three seats vacant, the government needs 272 votes to win. Even without the TDP's 27, it has 283. Add the BSP's 13, and it is comfortably home. "Allies will vote for us. We have the numbers. What the TDP will do will be known only on that day," highly placed sources in the government said. Not without reason. The Trinamul Congress and the Samata Party have already said they won't go against the government in the Opposition-sponsored censure motion. "The government should not fall on this issue," said Nitish Sengupta of the Trinamul Congress. Smaller allies like Om Prakash Chautala's Indian National Lok Dal (5 MPs) have said they will vote for the government too. Sharad Yadav's Janata Dal-United (6 MPs) and Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (4 MPs), who have been extremely critical of the Modi government, are also expected to fall in line. Of course, voting for the government does not mean the allies will keep quiet during the debate. A number of them have been asking for the Gujarat CM's ouster, and their demand stays. They say they will raise their concerns during the discussion. The Trinamul Congress and some members of the Samata Party had joined the TDP in the demand for Modi's head. The Samata Party is divided on the way in which the situation has been handled in Gujarat. While top leaders like George Fernandes have stuck by the BJP, sources said there are at least six Samata MPs who do not want Modi to continue as CM. For the Opposition, however, allies speaking openly against the government during the discussion is enough. Opposition leaders contend that their real objective is to "expose the government", which even the debate itself will do. "The debate highlights the issue. Rarely does the Opposition win," said Congress spokesman Jaipal Reddy. But they are not giving up completely on the vote either. The Congress and the Left have now called on the allies to translate their ire on Gujarat into a "conscience vote". "We can only give a call to the conscience of the many parties of the NDA which have expressed negative opinions on Modi," Reddy said. Veteran CPI(M) leader Somnath Chatterjee, too, had a similar comment: "We appeal to secular parties of the country to take a decision on the direction the country should take after events like Gujarat." The stage, then, is set. Time: Post-Question Hour. Date: April 30. Everyone's watching.
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
Pace trio bowl India to rare overseas test victory
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (Reuters) - Pace trio Javagal Srinath, Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan bowled India to a dramatic 37-run win over West Indies in the second test on Tuesday. Srinath and Nehra grabbed three wickets apiece and Khan chipped in with two key scalps as India recorded their first test win in the Caribbean in over 26 years, bowling out West Indies for 275 after setting them a victory target of 313. India had last won at the same venue in 1976, when they successfully chased a world record 403 in the fourth innings. Left-arm fast bowler Nehra struck the crucial blows when he dismissed overnight batsmen Brian Lara (47) and Carl Hooper (22) cheaply in his first spell. But things looked ominous for India when left-handers Chanderpaul and Chris Gayle (52), who retired hurt due to wrist cramps on Monday, added 73 for the fifth wicket. Left-arm paceman Khan started the slide when he had Gayle driving straight to Harbhajan Singh at point. Junior Murray was run out for one and Srinath bowled Mervyn Dillon for a first-ball duck to reduce the hosts to 238 for seven. Srinath then had Marlon Black (3) caught at forward short-leg and Nehra bowled Adam Sanford off an inside edge for one. IND CELEBRATE Last-man Cameron Cuffy was caught by Sanjay Bangar at gully off Khan to close out the match 70 minutes after tea and give India a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. The Indians celebrated, uprooting the wickets and getting together in a congratulatory huddle before running into the pavilion as fans waving the Indian tri-colours stormed the field. Lara, on 40 overnight in West Indies's 131 for two, added just seven runs before Nehra had him caught at first slip by Rahul Dravid when he fished outside the off-stump to an away swinger. Captain Hooper, who scored his maiden test double-century in the drawn first test at Georgetown, again looked good as he pulled Khan to the mid-wicket fence and lofted off-spinner Harbhajan over mid-on for another boundary. Hooper was just looking to cut loose when Nehra had him pulling a short ball straight into the hands of Shiv Sundar Das at mid-wicket. West Indies had stumbled to 164 for four but the last recognised pair of Chanderpaul, who scored a career-best 140 at Georgetown, and Gayle steadied the innings and got them within sight of victory. Chanderpaul edged Nehra just wide of second slip for his first boundary and drove Harbhajan through the covers for four more. LONELY BATTLE Gayle, who hit eight boundaries in all, drove Nehra for a straight four and hit two glorious cover drives off Harbhajan before bringing up his patient 163-ball 50 with a single to square-leg. But after his departure, it was just a matter of time. Chanderpaul, who had cracked a career-best 140 at Georgetown, raised his 50, off 98 balls, slashing paceman Khan over the slip cordon for four but soon ran out of partners as he fought a lonely battle. India looked set for victory after they scored 339 in their first innings and bowled out West Indies for 245. But the West Indian pacemen grabbed the last six Indian wickets for just 13 runs on Monday to restrict them to 218 in their second innings despite fighting knocks by captain Saurav Ganguly (75 not out) and Vangipurappu Laxman (74). Laxman, who also scored a valuable unbeaten 69 in the first innings, was named man of the match ahead of Sachin Tendulkar, who hit 117 to equal Australian Don Bradman's 29 test centuries.
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
Rupee dips further to 49.04 to the dollar
BOMBAY (Reuters) - The rupee dropped to a fresh lifetime low on Wednesday morning amid expectations the previous day's sharp fall would trigger dollar demand from importers. Dealers said early trade was jittery with no clue about the timing or size of importer buying, even as the rupee eased to 49.04 per dollar. That level marks a fresh lifetime low for the rupee, overtaking Tuesday's drop to the key 49 level. The rupee ended at 48.98/99 on Tuesday, a new closing low. It has lost 1.5 percent in 2002. "I think some more import demand is likely. The fact that state-run banks are not selling dollars isn't helping the market decide," a dealer with a foreign bank said. Large state-run banks, which normally act on behalf of the central bank, made heavy dollar purchases on Tuesday but traders suspected they were funding imports. Dealers had expected the rupee to weaken in opening trade as it adjusted for a shift in the spot date to next week. The currency market is closed for a local festival on Thursday, and traders had discounted the likelihood of the rupee losing up to 2.5 paise (0.025 rupees), the weekend swap difference, over Tuesday's close. Dealers said politics was having less effect on trading compared to last week. Concerns had mounted last week after the Bharatiya Janata Party, which heads the coalition government, came under heavy criticism for the Gujarat government's handling of the worst religious violence in the country in a decade.
Tuesday, April 23, 2002
India warns against criticism over Gujarat riots
India on Monday tried to stem growing international criticism of communal violence in riot-torn Gujarat state, saying it did not appreciate "interference" in its affairs. "We would like to make clear that India does not appreciate interference in our internal affairs, including the utilisation of the Indian media by foreign leaders as well as by visiting dignitaries to make public statements in order to pander to their domestic lobbies," foreign ministry spokeswoman Nirupama Rao told reporters. Rao was reacting specifically to an interview visiting Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomiojaa gave The Indian Express newspaper on Friday, in which he called the Hindu-Muslim violence in Gujarat "a matter of great concern." "The pictures of carnage are very disturbing," the minister said. "We are concerned, as we are when something of that nature happens anywhere in the world." India has lodged a protest with Finland through diplomatic channels, Rao said. A European Union fact-finding team has travelled to Gujarat and is expected to raise concern about the situation, according to Western diplomats in New Delhi. Rao said New Delhi would wait for the EU findings before giving a reaction. Rao said the international community needed to recognise how much India was doing to handle the situation in Gujarat. "We have the wherewithal to deal with the situation," she said. Asked if India would react similarly if the United Nations were to make an adverse comment on the situation, Rao said, "We will make it perfectly clear that the government of India is taking all the necesary steps to deal with the situation. "India is a pluralistic democracy... India has the resilience and capacity to deal with the situation. That must be recognised by the international community," she said.
Tuesday, April 23, 2002
Five killed in Ahmedabad violence; toll 26
At least five persons, including a 30-year-old woman, were on Monday killed in police firing and 15 injured as fresh violence raged through Shahpur and Behrampur localities of Ahmedabad for the second successive day, taking the toll in riots in the city since Sunday to 26. A dozen houses and shops were set on fire in Khanpur and Nagoriward localities under Shahpur police station prompting authorities to impose indefinite curfew from 2 pm, police said. Two persons were stabbed and police opened fire to quell a rioting mob in its aftermath resulting in injuries to four at Gheekanta locality of Mirzapur. The Army was deployed in all sensitive areas of the walled city at 7.30 am. Two more companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) were deployed in violence-affected areas of the city. Three persons were killed in police firing and nine others injured in Shahpur and Behrampura areas in fresh eruption of violence in the city on Monday afternoon. Earlier, four more persons succumbed to injuries on Sunday night. The army was deployed at 7.30 am on Monday to keep a check on any untoward incident, police said. Two more companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) were also deployed in the affected areas of the city, they said. As many as 125 people received injuries in large-scale violence in Gomtipur, Bapunagar, Rakhiyal areas of the city, Kadi town of Mehsana district and Kapadvanj and Mehmdavad of Kheda district since yesterday, police said adding curfew continued in all the trouble-torn areas. At least 17 people were killed, 13 of them in police firing, yesterday and over 100 injured over last two days here and at Kheda and Mehsana districts in the state. In Ahmedabad, police fired 633 rounds and burst 382 teargas shells to countain the violence in city areas till late last night. Adequate security arrangements have been made to enable school and college students to appear for the on-going examinations, police added.
Tuesday, April 23, 2002
Bharti offers 40 pc cheaper ILD service
The Bharti group, which had initiated the price war in national long distance telephony after starting its NLD services, today did an encore by announcing around 40 per cent cheaper international long distance tariffs for its services which it expects to launch around May 1. IndiaOne, the Bharti group’s face for national and international long distance services, will be charging just Rs 24 per minute (pm) at peak time to the United States and the American Sub-continent which is 40 per cent of the new VSNL rate of Rs 40 pm as per a Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) order. For Africa & Oceania and Europe regions, the IndiaOne rate will be Rs 24 pm as against Rs 31.3 pm of VSNL, while for the SAARC countries, it will be Rs 21.18 pm as against the latter’s Rs 21.82 pm, Bharti group CMD Sunil Bharti Mittal announced here.
Tuesday, April 23, 2002
Birla buys out Yamaha
Yashovardhan Birla, the scion of the Ashok Birla group, has bought out Japanese major Yamaha from his genset manufacturing joint venture, Birla Yamaha. Birla has bought 29.22 lakh shares, or the entire 27.88 per cent stake, held by Yamaha Motor, for an undisclosed amount. In a notice to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), Birla Yamaha said Birla International, an associate of the Indian promoter, had acquired the shares held by Yamaha under an "inter se transfer among promoters". Following the acquisition, Birla International's holding in Birla Yamaha increased to 29.81 per cent. The Birlas now hold almost 60 per cent in Birla Yamaha. Yamaha Motors' four directors on the board of Birla Yamaha are now expected to step down. The company's name may also be changed. Birla could not be reached for comment. According to Birla Yamaha's shareholding pattern registered with the BSE, the Birlas, prior to the acquisition, held 30.93 lakh shares in the company, or 29.51 per cent stake, as on December 31, 2001. People acting in concert had an additional 1.54 lakh shares, or 1.48 per cent stake. In 2000-01, Birla Yamaha reported a net profit of Rs 5.12 crore, lower than the Rs 6.11 crore profit it posted in 1999-2000. During 2000-01, it sold 41,907 gensets/engines, as against 37,985 during 1999-2000. The company has a share capital of Rs 10.48 crore. Its share price at the BSE fell marginally today to Rs 16 from Rs 16.40 at the previous close while 5,450 shares were transacted. In 2000-01, the company's managing director R S Sharma resigned, following which S L Khunteta was appointed the president and wholetime director.
NEW DELHI: The Parliament remained paralysed for the sixth day on Monday, with a determined Opposition insisting on a debate on the Gujarat issue under rule 184, which entails a vote. The government stonewalled the demand and Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker P M Sayeed said as there was no meeting ground between the two sides, he would give his ruling on the matter on Tuesday. Sayeed’s announcement came after the two sides conveyed to him that they would not back out, but would leave it to him to take a final view. The stalemate may end on Tuesday. No formal meeting was convened on Monday. Sayeed, however, held a series of meetings with leaders of all major political parties, including parliamentary affairs minister Pramod Mahajan, Congress chief whip Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi and Trinamul leader Mamata Banerjee. He also had a long discussion with Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Sayeed did not indicate whether he would allow a discussion under Rule 184 as the Opposition wants, or Rule 193, which the government prefers and which does not entail vote. He, however, was confident that his ruling would be accepted by both sides. Indications are that if the government and the Opposition agree to a sanitised motion, which is not too harsh on the Centre, Sayeed would admit it under Rule 184. Irrespective of the rules, a debate on Gujarat is a certainty. The dates for the debate will be fixed by the business advisory committee.
Tuesday, April 23, 2002
Pakistan says US is encouraging Indian aggression
Pakistan said Monday the sale of US radars to India would encourage New Delhi's "belligerence" amid the nuclear neighbours' ongoing standoff over Kashmir. Foreign office spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan said last week's 146-million-dollar deal was unhelpful at a time when hundreds of thousands of troops are poised for battle on both sides of the border. "It will encourage India to more belligerence," he told a press briefing. "As it is they have deployed their troops along the border. We think that anything more that adds to India's arsenal is only used in prompting it to intimidating postures." India's army chief General Sundarajan Padmanabhan was due to begin a week-long visit to the United States Monday to cement warming military ties. The trip comes on the heels of the agreement between India and the United States last week for New Delhi to buy eight US-made Firefinder counter-battery artillery radars. The Pentagon called the deal "a historic move that further signals improving relations between India and the United States". Washington this year lifted restrictions on military sales to India and Pakistan, imposed after their tit-for-tat nuclear tests in 1998. The Firefinder deal was the first US military contract in more than a decade with India, which historically has looked to Russia for the bulk of its arms supplies. India and Pakistan mobilised their armed forces following a terrorist attack on the parliament in New Delhi in December, which India blamed on two Pakistan-based Islamic militant groups.
Tuesday, April 23, 2002
Austrian anti-aging drink now in India
Mumbai-based Tradition Exim Ltd has introduced Austria's leading energy drink, 'Dark Dog' in the country. The drink is designed to reduce the process of aging by accelerating fat metabolism with a mixture of vitamins and the Guarana caffeine grown in the rain forests in Brazil, a company release said. Dark Dog will now be available in Mumbai, Pune and Goa and will soon be launched in Banglore, Kolkata and New Delhi. The drink, produced by Austria's Frankenmarkt, presently enjoys 30 percent market share in Europe, the release added. UNI
Monday, April 22, 2002
Supermodel model Madhu Sapre to sashay through "Boom"
MUMBAI: After years of turning down plum acting projects from leading film-makers, supermodel Madhu Sapre has finally settled on something she thinks is "up my street". For more reasons than one, Sapre has chosen to make her acting debut in Bombay Boys film-maker Kaizad Gustad's latest film, Boom. For one, she insists the sensibilities of Gustad's film perfectly match her own. And secondly, she doesn't think she'll be a fish out of water in a film where she plays exactly what she is in real life - a stunning supermodel. Joining Sapre to form a trio of long-legged lasses on whom Gustad's film is centred, are US-based model-actress Padma Lakshmi, and UK-based model Katrina Kaif. Boom, which Gustad begins filming on Monday, he explains, is the story of three Indian female supermodels who unwittingly get involved with three underworld characters and plan to rob a bank vault. "It's about these three women trying to outdo three fearsome dons," the director elaborates. Padma Lakshmi, whose claim to fame has until now, been her amorous association with writer Salman Rushdie, says she was curious about Indian cinema, and although she has had some experience working in American films, she "always wanted a taste of Bollywood". Admitting that Gustad's film is not a typical Bollywood potboiler, Lakshmi says she's happy nevertheless "to be working in a country I feel I still belong to". Meanwhile, 19-year-old Katrina Kaif, half-Kashmiri half-English, says she auditioned for Boom while she was in India on a modelling assignment. Pitted opposite the three stunners are Jackie Shroff (whose wife Ayesha Shroff produces Boom), Gulshan Grover and Javed Jaffrey. Gustad says there's also another important actor in the role of the head don, but declines giving away his identity just yet. According to the trade buzz, Gustad may have roped in his Bombay Boys star Naseeruddin Shah to reprise his ganglord part for Boom again. Also starring in Gustad's film, in a role she refused to reveal much about, is powerhouse talent Seema Biswas. Also making walk-on appearances are many of India's leading designers including Tarun Tahiliani, Rohit Bal, Malini Ramani, Manish Malhotra, Anna Singh, Hemant Trivedi, and Wendell Rodericks, all of whom will play themselves in the film. To be filmed over 10 weeks in Mumbai, Dubai and Thailand, Gustad says he wants his new film to have his own identity. In a lighter vein, Gustad reveals that those long dreadlocks he sported earlier were mercilessly chopped off by his mother. "She hated the mess. She just went at them with a pair of garden shears," Gustad says, running his fingers through a shorter, neater crop.
Monday, April 22, 2002
K3G insults National anthem, Karan Johar summoned
LUCKNOW: A city court on Thursday issued summons to the Producer and Director of Bollywood blockbuster Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham for alleged insult to the National anthem in a scene of the film. The Chief Judicial Magistrate Kalpana Mishra after perusing the evidence on record found that a prima facie case was made out under the provisions of the Prevention of Insult to National Anthem Act and issued summons to the Producer Yash Johar and Director Karan Johar. The court also ordered that the service of the summons shall be made through the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Mumbai. The court passed these orders on a complaint filed by one Pratap Chandra of Lucknow.
Monday, April 22, 2002
Survey says India most vulnerable to external risks
India is perceived as the most vulnerable country in Asia in terms of external threats, while Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, China and Vietnam are the least exposed, a regional survey showed. The Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy surveyed more than 1,000 foreign businessmen in 13 Asian countries asking them how they perceived external threats to affect the business environment in their places of operations. "The most notable feature of the overall scores was that India was the only country where such risks were perceived to be very high," it said in its latest Asian Intelligence survey and analysis. "It was vulnerable to fallout from social instability in other countries (Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Afghanistan) and its diplomatic relations with neighbouring countries (notably Pakistan) were very strained at the time of the survey."
Monday, April 22, 2002
17 killed, 96 hurt as riots rock Gujarat
In a sharp spurt in violence in Gujarat, at least 17 people, including a woman and a policeman, were today killed and 96 injured with Ahmedabad bearing the brunt even as Defence Minister George Fernandes claimed improvement in the situation in the riot-torn state. Nine of the 12 perished in police firing in the labour-dominated Gomtipur, Bapunagar and Rakkhiyal localities of Ahmedabad and Mehmdabad and Kapadwanj towns of Kheda district, police sources here said. Constable stabbed Police sources here said 10 people, including a constable and a woman, were killed, in the Gomt-ipur and adjoining Bapunagar and Rakhiyal areas, with seven of them in police firing on mobs indulging in arson as army was called out and curfew imposed in all the three localities. The constable was stabbed to death by an unidentified mob this afternoon. The police fired more than 200 rounds and lobbed scores of teargas shells following heavy stone throwing, arson and group clashes. One person was stabbed to death, another died in a petrol bomb attack and yet another succumbed to injuries by sharp-edged weapons in the localities. At least 66 people were injured in group clashes, arson and police firing in Ahmedabad today. Around 1400 hours an indefinite curfew was clamped when groups of two different communities took to the street and started pelting stones and indulged in arson. Police opened fire on mobs indulging in arson killing two persons in Kheda district’s Kapadwanj and Mehmedabad talukas overnight prompting imposition of curfew in both the areas. Police also fired on mobs which set on fire 30 shops and houses in Kadi town in Mehsana district this afternoon leaving 11 injured. Curfew was clamped in the town. Houses set on fire Some houses were set ablaze in Nagpurvora chawl in Gomtipur where 10 people, including three women, were injured in clashes and two in police firing. Police resorted to firing and bursting of teargas shells to scare away the rioters.Arson spread to Bapun-agar, also a labour-dominated locality, and Rakhial. Thirty-six persons were injured, including 13 in police firing, following arson and stone pelting and throwing of petrol bombs in Gomtipur and Kadi where BSF jawans and RAF personnel were deployed. Meanwhile, Mr Fernandes today said "lot more" ought to be done to recreate harmony and set in the process of reconciliation in Gujarat even as he alleged that "some people" were bent upon creating tension in the state. "There is a lot more that needs to be done to recreate harmony and the sense of brotherhood," he said and asserted that things have improved considerably. Verbal spat Mediapersons had an heated exchange of words with Mr Fernandes for being blamed for projecting the state wrongly. He told a press conference here at the end of his four-day visit: Everywhere I have gone, every community people I met, there was a high degree of complaint that things were not being projected properly. He claimed that contrary to overwhelming turnout for the class 10 and class 12 examinations and peaceful conduct of panchayat polls, the media projection was not up to the mark. Contrary to this in Bihar panchayat polls...over 50 persons had died, he said. I believe that publicity of only negative aspect has contributed a lot to let the tension continue, he said. Several scribes took exception to his remarks about media's role and protested the manner they were being made scapegoats.
Monday, April 22, 2002
7-8 per cent growth rate possible: Sinha
WASHINGTON: India is capable of achieving seven to eight per cent growth rate, Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha has said. "We are outstanding as far as growth rates are concerned," he said, adding "with a little effort and a little luck," India should be able to achieve its goal. "In the last four or five years there has not been a single year where agricultural growth rate has synchronised with the industrial growth rate. It is not that one or the other has been found wanting. When they were in sync, a seven per cent growth rate was achieved. "Now agricultural growth has revived and there are signs also of industrial growth. Therefore, with a little effort and a little luck, India should be able to achieve a seven to eight per cent growth rate," he told reporters here on Sunday. Sinha pointed out that the Government has calculated that if India gets an eight per cent growth rate, "she will be able to get rid of the problem of poverty by and large, that we witness today, by 2010." To achieve that "we must be able to make investments to the extent of 30 per cent of our GDP annually. Secondly, we must have better incremental capital output ratio, that is, the efficiency of capital must be increased so that we are able to get more out of what we employ. "And in order to be able to achieve that, we need structural reforms in various areas," Sinha said.
Monday, April 22, 2002
Big B comes to Abhishek's rescue
MUMBAI: With the career graph of Abhishek Bachchan not taking off, Amitabh Bachchan has decided to take matters into his own hands. The Big B has entrusted the AB Corp with the job of coming up with projects for Abhishek. And they on their part have roped in leading film makers like Ram Gopal Varma, Rakesh Mehra and Vipul Shah to make films with Abhishek in the lead. Reportedly, all these films will have Abhishek Bachchan as sole hero.
Monday, April 22, 2002
BJP leaders hold talks with Mayawati
Senior BJP leaders from Uttar Pradesh, Kalraj Mishra and Lalji Tandon today held here talks with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Ms Mayawati as part of the ongoing move to form a government in the state. The leaders of the two parties were understood to have discussed modalities of the government formation including the Common Minimm Programme for governance. The meeting lasted for an hour. The leaders of both the parties also discussed on possibility of accomodating BJP ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD)of Ajit Singh, which have 14 MLAs in the U P Assembly, which is now placed under suspended animation. Both Mr Mishra and Mr Tandon held separate meeting with leaders of RLD. The Ajit Singh led RLD holds key to BJP-BSP tie up reach the required mark of majority in the 403 member UP Assembly. The BSP has 97 MLAs in the UP Assembly while the BJP has 88 members. It may be noted even as both BJP and BSP are exploring the possibility of forming the government in Uttar Pradesh a formal decision on the BJP joining the government is to be taken by the party's Parliamentary Board. The BJP Chief of Uttar Pradesh unit Kalraj Mishra while interacting with newspersons after the meeting with Ms Mayawati declined to comment anything on the outcome of the meeting. Even as a formal announcement about tie up between BJP and BSP on government formation in Uttar Pradesh is yet to be made BJP sources said the party was likely to get Deputy Chief Ministership and the Speaker's post. As per the reported understanding between the BSP and the BJP on government formation in U P the post of Chief Ministership will go to the BSP leader Ms Mayawati.
Monday, April 22, 2002
Captain’s knock: It was the toughest thing I’ve ever done
Picking the team for this Test was the toughest thing I've had to do in my two years as captain. I found it difficult to decide till 10 minutes before the toss about the final XI. It was tough to leave out Anil Kumble because he's been a top performer for India. But we had to pick an extra fast bowler, as we would have fielded after winning the toss. There have been times in the past when we've had to bowl on the first day of a Test and had two spinners in the side and there was not enough assistance for them on a first day wicket, especially abroad, where the wickets tend to suit the seamers on the first three or four days. The match is very delicately poised after the second day. It was a good toss to lose. I would probably have fielded on this wicket as well, considering the rain that had fallen in Trinidad over the three-four days before the Test. We did well to get to 339 because the wicket had something to offer to the West Indian fast bowlers. Sachin, Rahul and Laxman again played very well. I take this opportunity to congratulate Sachin on his 29th Test century. His consistency in the last 40 or 45 Tests has been amazing, with the last 3,000 runs coming in just 27 Tests. I wish him many, many more for he is something special. Rahul once again continued his good form and so did Laxman. We had some useful partnerships in the middle and our first innings score of 339 was always a handy one considering the history of first innings totals on this wicket. Finishing Day Two at 190 for six is satisfying. I thought the bowlers bowled very well. The three fast bowlers --- Srinath, Zaheer and Nehra --- bowled beautifully. It was good to see Zaheer run in and bowl quickly. He bowled a great line to Lara and was rightfully rewarded. His first delivery to Chanderpaul rattled the latter up and it was followed with two wickets in a span of two overs for Srinath. The first hour of the third day will be crucial. If we can get a lead of 100-115 runs, it will be important because West Indies have to bat fourth on this wicket. Our batting in the second innings will hold the key because a decision looks very much on the cards.
Monday, April 22, 2002
'We don't project gangsters as heroes'
Bollywood hero Jackie Shroff, who of late has switched to negative roles, says criticism about Hindi movies glorifying the underworld is both unwarranted and uncalled for. Talking to UNI, Jackie pointed out that several films on similar themes have been made in the past. "The story of crime and police has existed for long in the film industry, with filmmakers presenting the same in different concepts and styles, which has been liked by the audience," he said. After Parinda, twelve years ago, Ram Gopal Varma's Satya (1998) based on the underworld was a huge success followed by Company now. "People have liked the presentation of characters and handling of the subject. This does not mean the movies had glorified the underworld," Jackie said. "As a matter of fact, movies are a mirror to the society and presenting only good facets of life in cinema would be unrealistic as society is made of good and equally evil elements," observed the actor, who is all set to play the International trickster Charles Sobhraj in the film Bottomline produced and directed by Sohrab Irani. Sobhraj made headlines in India in the eighties after his escape from Tihar Jail and re-arrest in Goa by Madhukar Zende of Mumbai police within few days. Sobhraj, also has the dubious distinction of serving the longest term for the longest sentence in Tihar jail. Originally from India, the criminal was wanted in Thailand and several other countries for various drug peddling offences. Jackie said he is meeting the criminal himself in France soon to understand more about the character he is playing. "I have read the entire script and the film in no way glorifies the protagonist. It projects Sobhraj, the way he is," the actor informed. "There is violence everywhere. What do you see in the newspapers these days. What impact does it have on children. You can't blame films alone," he added. He said he was not averse to playing any role of substance. "I started off as a sidekick of the main villain Shakti Kapoor in Swami Dada twenty years ago. My first commercial success was also as an anti-hero in the film Hero," he pointed out. Apart from Bottomline, Jackie will also be seen in his home production Sandhya, starring himself and Raveena Tandon alongwith Danny Denzongpa. "Sandhya is a thriller and I am enjoying every bit of it," he said and added that in Agnivarsha, he plays a pandit, whose mantras bring rains, whereas superstar Amitabh Bachchan plays Lord Indra in the film. "I have done enough of maar-dhad movies in the last twenty years. Now I want to do something different. There are several new directors coming up, and I am satisfied with the work I am doing. I will also do any mainstream commercial film, provided the subject is new and interesting," Jackie said. UNI
Monday, April 22, 2002
IT recruitment Are the dark clouds receding?
SOFTWARE is an industry dependent on manpower and any brightening of prospects is typically preceded or at least accompanied by increased recruitment. Ask anyone in the software industry how it is now and you receive a smile, with, ``Clients are at least speaking to us about projects. Things are looking brighter.'' One Mumbai-based IT analyst even told Business Line that there is a definite story here, since recruitment numbers are picking up. But, overall, even with bits of good news from here and there, the recruitment industry feels that it isn't yet time to throw those hats up and rejoice. Ask Mr Satish Doshi, Managing Director, Sampoorna Computer People, a manpower firm, what he thinks of the software industry's optimism, and his answer wraps up the issue succinctly. ``A bad last year is making people over-react to small positive signs and ignore the bad news because it has become routine,'' Mr Doshi said. Recruitment hasn't jumped up by leaps and bounds, even if we look at the last quarter or two when optimism has risen slightly. Says Mr Doshi, ``For the recruitment industry in IT, the year ended March 2002 saw a dip in revenue of 25-35 per cent compared to the last year. Similar figures would apply for corresponding quarters.'' This is true even if the IT industry is seeing a few more orders and projects. According to Mr Doshi, ``The IT Industry has mainly concentrated on reducing bench and on better use of existing manpower in the year. Now, demand for specific skills is increasing compared to previous quarters. Recruitment now is just-in-time and clearly tailored to a specific need. It is also targeted to improve company productivity by replacing poor performers. Demand for marketing professionals is also up. But while the IT industry is looking at lesser and better recruits, the applications seem to be flowing in. According to N. Muralidharan, CEO of Jobstreet India, an online placement firm, ``both in the IT and non-IT jobs on our site, the number of quality applicants is very high currently, as compared to a year back. This shows that not only the average person is out looking for a job, but also quality programmers and managers from all fields are in the market today. Interestingly, there has been a considerable to shift to recruit senior profiles in the mainframe areas this year where as technology areas ruled last year.'' Says Mr T. Sreedhar, Chief of Operations at TMI Network, a Hyderabad-based recruitment firm. Not all recruiters are ready to share figures but here's an indicative list: Jobstreet says that IT job postings were stable at 518 for the March quarter this year compared to 508 postings for the same quarter last year. (For thecompany, the number of postings filled, averaged between 10-12 per cent of postings.) TMI grew roughly 45 per cent in IT recruitment in 2002 over 2001. Ma Foi, a Chennai-based recruitment consultant clocked 479 recruitments in IT and ITES in the March quarter this year, compared to 180 the previous quarter and 602 in the quarter before that. Interestingly, IT enabled services (ITES) is proving a green pasture. Jobstreet has seen a 300 per cent increase in postings, from 700 in March 2001 to 2,800 in March 2002. It had a total of 20,400 postings for the year ended March 2002. However, ITES may soon see rough going in the near future. According to Mr Muralidharan, ``the industry is lapping up most of the slack generated by the slowdown in the last year in Indian industry. That will continue this year. It has a long way to for long-term career prospects. For, when other industries such as software start ramping up, ITES may have a problem in retaining or pulling in talent.'' In contrast, telecom which too has seen growth has been steady and slow. Says Mr Muralidharan, ``there is more focus on industry experience. Some companies are slowing down whereas others are pulling ahead. So, cross-pollination is more prevalent with few chances for outside industry placements. Experience in the industry is the key here.'' Jobsteet saw a 36 per cent jump in telecom postings from 116 in March 2001 to 158 in March this year. The December quarter saw only an 8 per cent jump. According to Mr Sreedhar, ``Telecom is a sunrise industry. So, recruitment for any function other than technology, was relatively easy, thanks to the mood in other segments such as FMCG and like industries. With the disinvestments process happening, there was some uncertainty. Moreover, telecom companies joined together and decided not to poach from each other. The practice helps consolidate during the launch phase. Over a period of time, the market for job change will open up.
Saturday, April 20, 2002
Interview: Mohanlal
Mohanlal: "I don't know how to dance or sing, but in my films I do everything that's required of me as a good performer." He reigns over the Malayalam film scene, is the most sought-after actor in his kingdom and wins the credit for elevating Malayalam cinema to towering heights. He's been awarded the 'Padmashree', for his contribution to Malayalam cinema. He has won several National Awards - 'Keeridum' (that was recreated into a Hindi film called 'Gardish'), 'Bharatham' and 'Vanaprastham'. He's even done Tamil and Telugu films and now we're going to watch his brilliance in Ramgopal Verma's much-awaited 'Company'. And this versatile actor eloquently states, "When it comes to acting there is no North, East, South, West. Acting follows a universal language." A few moments with Mohanlal, during his visit to the hub of Indian cinema – Mumbai. Isn't your character in 'Company' based on a true-life story? Mohanlal: "I don't know much about the true life character. All I am aware of is that it is a presentation of the current scenario. I am doing my job as Mohanlal and enacting a role that's been crafted out for me. My role is drawn out based on the incidents that have occurred in another Commissioner's life, someone I can physically meet. Now if I was portraying the character of someone like Gandhiji, Shree Krishna or Buddha, then it would have been a different experience to narrate." "There is this fire in many directors, but with Ramgopal Verma, as every frame of the movie proceeds, his passion is constantly growing." How would you compare actresses in Bollywood with those down South? Mohanlal: "When it comes to acting there is no North, East, South, West. Acting follows a universal language. The performance of an actor is what matters, and that is something that remains constant irrespective of what language or which region the film hails from. So there is nothing like 'Bollywood acting' or 'South acting' and there's no grounds on which you can differentiate it." What do you think of Ramgopal Verma's style of working? Mohanlal: "I have done around 250 films with various directors, but the passion Ramgopal Verma has for his films is amazing. He is constantly into the making of the film. I've known him for long now and I respect him as a director, the way he functions and his relentless pursuit to make an extraordinary film each time. This kind of fire is there in many directors, but with him, as every frame of the movie proceeds, his passion is constantly growing. His passion is limitless and matchless. I'm not saying this because I am doing his film, I've always appreciated his brilliance as a director." Are there any other Hindi films in the pipeline other than 'Company'? Mohanlal: "For me, I can't treat this movie any differently or label it as a Hindi movie or anything as such. I have done Telugu and Tamil movies and this one is just another. I haven't committed on doing any other Hindi movie now. I might do one, I might not." Are you fluent with the Hindi language, or do you have difficulty conversing in this language? Mohanlal: "I can read and write in Hindi. I studied Hindi in school as one of my subjects, but that was twenty-five years ago. Normally we don't converse in Hindi, so obviously I am not thorough and fluent with it." So did you have difficulty in delivering Hindi dialogues in 'Company'? Mohanlal: "I dubbed for 'Company' myself and fortunately in this movie my role was required to have a South Indian accent in my Hindi dialogues. Thankfully, I faced no problem with this." "In this industry, it does not solely depend upon the ability of the actor; the luck factor that favours you (or doesn't) also has a big role to play in one's success." What do you think of the new breed of actors? Mohanlal: "They are all good and have the potential. In this industry, it does not solely depend upon the ability of the actor; the luck factor that favours you (or doesn't) also has a big role to play in one's success. It is important to get good directors, a decent script, good co-stars and colleagues. It is all a strange recipe."
Saturday, April 20, 2002
Nitin Keni Signs Vivek Oberoi-Kareina Kapoor?!
Producer Nitin Keni's debut film 'Gadar' did phenomenally well, and everyone is waiting and watching what he's going to take up next. Although everyone expected him to sign Sunny Deol once again, the rumour mills have it that Keni has now decided to cast Vivek Oberoi and Kareina Kapoor in his next film. Also, this time, the film will be directed by Deepak Sareen instead of Anil Sharma. For Kareina, this is yet another feather in her cap. As for Vivek, looks like he's sizzling hot property right now, what with 'Company' drawing in the moolah like nobody's business, and rave reviews praising the debutant. Also, the Vivek-Kareina combination will be one thing to watch out for.
Saturday, April 20, 2002
I feel comfortable with Esha: Hrithik
Hrithik Roshan, actor, on the course of his celluloid career. What is your role in Na Tum Jaano Na Hum (NTJNH) all about? In this film, I play a rather sensitive character called Rahul who is practical, but also a dreamer. Although Rahul believes in the magic of love, he has never actually been in love. But this doesn’t stop him from believing that his dream girl is waiting for him somewhere. Later, when he does meet this girl, both are driven by the heart and not the head. What was it like working with Esha Deol in NTJNH? Esha is a great person and I felt very comfortable working with her. Being very spontaneous creativity-wise, Esha should surprise many as her career moves forward. Initially, since she was a newcomer, I used to offer her friendly advice, but slowly, as shooting progressed, she came up with an outstanding performance. What kind of a person is Hrithik Roshan in real life? I am rather like NTJNH’s Rahul in real life. At times, I am very spontaneous and often get carried away by the dictates of the heart. However, I do know that reality is very different from the world of make-believe and realise that one cannot afford to be just a romantic there is the need to be practical as well. Having worked with a number of co-stars, could you pinpoint an actor who has left an impression on you? I think Shah Rukh Khan is just perfect as an actor. He gives his co-stars a lot of space. I felt very comfortable working with him in K3G and look forward to doing so again. I didn’t get to work much with Amitabh Bachchan, but he is definitely a class apart. Would you say that you have been greatly influenced by your father, Rakesh Roshan? I have learnt a lot from my father’s films, be it Kamchor, Dhanwan, Khoobsurat or Aap Ke Diwane. Maybe, subconsciously, I am driven by what I have learnt from him hard work, honesty, dedication and the fact that ups and downs are a part of life. But, at the end of the day, I let my own instincts guide me. If not an actor, what would you have been? I would have been associated with anything related to films. I don’t know, but I might just have become a nutritionist or, perhaps, a health instructor. The fact is that I love eating ‘healthy’ food.
Saturday, April 20, 2002
Aamir's Next Project Titled 'Desh'?!
With his last film making history in Bollywood chronicles, Aamir Khan's next project is arousing keen interest. "What's your next film about?" must probably be the most frequent asked question on Aamir's list. So when we heard the grapevine claiming that the Khan had decided on a name for his next film we knew his fans would love to know what it was. Even if it was only a rumour. Apparently, a little birdie told us that Aamir's next film will be titled 'Desh' and will be directed by – you guessed it – Ashutosh Govarikar. With historicals being the flavour of the season, won't be surprised if 'Desh' too follows the trend. Then again, trust Aamir to beat the norm hands down!
Saturday, April 20, 2002
Shah Rukh Khan, the protagonist of Devdas
Shah Rukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan, the protagonist of Devdas is reported to have surpassed all expectations. Shah Rukh`s performance will send the audience into raptures, say the sources. According to Bhansali, Shah Rukh has excelled himself in the role that Dilip Kumar made his own with the Bimal Roy version of the story. When he was asked who would look best as the hero of Sarat Chandra Chatterjee`s classic, he had no hesitation in saying, "Shah Rukh of course!" Here`s another interesting observation from the distributors. The industry is desperately seeking a hit jodi with Kajol and Madhuri having almost quit films and Juhi Chawla and Shah Rukh not being hot any more. Madhuri and Shah Rukh`s great pairing and the on-screen vibes between Ash and Shah Rukh in some of the scenes are already acclaimed. Ash may turn out to be the next best thing for the 35-plus Khan, given the stiff competition he`s been facing off late from the younger lot. If Shah Rukh and Ash do make a hit pair, how can`t we not wonder what Salman will do?
Saturday, April 20, 2002
Has Kareina Forced Karisma out of Bollywood?
Following in the example of established actresses like Raveena Tandon, it is Karisma Lolo Kapoor's turn to try her acting skills down South. In an interview with a leading newspaper, Karisma said that she wants to shift her focus to regional cinema like Tamil, Telugu and Bengali movies. She elaborated that she has really grown as an actress and that though she still considers commercial Hindi cinema to be her first love, the time has come to indulge in meaningful roles. When asked if the move was a result of Kareina's growing success in Bollywood and her own relatively failed comeback, she said that Kareina was at a stage in her career when she could afford to do more commercial roles but eventually even she should consider serious cinema. As for the failure of her last movie Haan Maine Bhi Pyaar Kiya, she said that the movie failed due to a bad script and not because of her performance. But at this rate, it is now taken for granted that Karisma is going to be overshadowed by little sister Kareina. Some even say that Karisma's latest move is an attempt to avoid a clash of egos between them.
Saturday, April 20, 2002
Hrithik and Bipasha to shoot together for Coke Ad
Adding to its line-up of celebrity endorsers, Coca-Cola India has signed on model-turned-Bollywood-actress Bipasha Basu. According to industry sources, Bipasha Basu will shoot for the ad film with Hrithik Roshan who has been endorsing Coca-Cola for a couple of years now. According sources another Coca-Cola film against the backdrop of a family situation has already been shot.
Saturday, April 20, 2002
Amitabh to endorse Raymond Weil
Amitabh is going all the way to get as many endorsements as possible. He has to do this to pay all his debts. He sure is a worried man unless all his debts are paid. Raymond Weil, the Swiss watchmaker, is in advanced stages of negotiations with superstar Amitabh Bachchan to endorse its brand in India. The deal is expected to be sealed shortly. Bachchan is the latest filmstar to endorse a Swiss watch brand, the others being Shahrukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Twinkle Khanna who endorse Omega and Longines and Movado, respectively. Former Indian cricket captain Mohammed Azharuddin earlier endorsed the Tissot brand.
Saturday, April 20, 2002
Interview: Aamir Khan
So how does it feel to reach this far? Great. Last few months I've been travelling a lot, I attended quite a few film festivals, went to LA. So the experience I've had, I'd like to share with my people. It's very important for film makers from India to go outside India and see what is happening. They must see the world cinema, go for festivals then they'd understand what's happening around us. There are lot of opportunities and there is lot of talent in India which can do world class work. We can make films which will entertain the world audience. Now Lagaan is mainstream Hindi film, it is very long as compared to any foreign film and even Hindi films. Then there are songs which are neither in English nor in Hindi. Despite all this we have got such strong response. Whether it's an American or a Britisher, it got us great response. Our film was shown in Lucarno it was very successful. This gives us an indication that the world audience is appreciating a mainstream Hindi cinema We've been telling them that if you people liked Lagaan, there are many films made in India in the past which may be better than Lagaan. There is Mother India, Mughal- e- Azam, Guru Dutt and Bimal Roys films, Nasir Hussain's Teesri Manzil, Vijay Anand's films. Lot of these films are entertaining. If they have liked and enjoyed Lagaan, then they'd surely like our other films. It's high time that we pulled our socks. If the overseas market has liked Lagaan so much, why is it still not released there? In festivals, there are not only critics and lovers of cinema but it's a strong market for buying and selling. Toronto is one of the biggest markets. If you make a film, you must take your film there and show it, if people like your film they want to buy it. Our film was shown in Lucarno where it was liked that we started getting offers to buy the film for Europe. Now France, Germany, Italy have never shown any Hindi film before. Lagaan made lot of impact in Lucarno. That is how a big company like Columbia Tristar decided to release our film in Europe. We got offers from many other buyers, individual companies like from Rezo company in France, Lecardo from Italy, Trigon from Switzerland and Finland and also from Germany. There were about 10 distributors, but finally we settled down with Columbia Tristar. Do you feel that the Indian film industry should have been more supportive of you? Mr Bachchan has recently said in the CII Business of Entertainment Conference said that Aamir on his own has promoted his film which should have actually been a united task and this is where corporatisation comes in. Amitji will say that. Amitji has loved my film, he is very fond of the film and spoken very strongly about it. I'm very happy with what he said. I have always been his huge fan. But it wasn't me alone, Ashutosh and me, both of us went there and did whatever we could together. But yes, the Indian film industry which has to come together. But why is the release in Europe and even the American release taking so long? Are they waiting for Lagaan to perhaps maybe get an Oscar before they can cash in on the success? No, that is not true. Columbia Tristar took over Europe much before when Lucarno happened. They were not waiting. They had not seen Lagaan. They should know that there is a film called Lagaan which they want to buy and unless you enter your film in the festival, how would they come to know? Unless you go the arena, stand and show your face, how would they know that you exist? You have to enter your film, that is where the market is, that is where the buyers are. All company heads, Like Universal, Miramax are there to decide what films will run in their market, what they want to buy. They won't buy unless they feel that their audience would like the film. They are not waiting for anything. We entered the film in Lucarno in August after which we started getting offers from the buyers and Columbia Tristar took it over. The release in Europe or America is taking long because they follow a certain process. Their team takes over the film, they do research, check the condition of negative, work on how many prints to take out, this process takes time. They just won't put up your film in theatres next Friday, they'll plan how to go about. When the nominations came about I suggested them to wait a little more because when we get nominated more interest will be generated. And if we win it's still better. It's good that they waited. And now they are waiting till the Oscars to happen. Now more people would want to see it. When will the release happen internationally? May onwards the release will begin in Europe. In America, just before the nominations Sony Classic has acquired the rights for Lagaan in the US. Sony classic is a very big company which released huge crossover films like Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon. Are they also waiting for the Oscar results? They have no choice, they bought the film only two weeks back. We have heard about Hollywood directors wanting to sign you? Well, a few directors have shown interest. Lets see what happens. How hopeful are you winning the Oscar? The impression in the Americans' minds would be `Oh Indian film, too many songs and dance and the length, three hours and 40 minutes'. We got scared. So we decided to show our film to every Tom, Dick and Harry. If our film is good, word will spread-thats what we thought. So whether it was the Academy member or not, industry member or not. It did not matter to us. We began showing our film to all. There were lot of talk around that time when the 10 films were shortlisted and one had to go, about Monsoon Wedding maybe standing a better chance and Shekhar Kapoor said something to that effect as well. Did you see any merit in that argument at all? I think... (a long pause). Let me put it this way. The attempt that we have made to get the film viewed and get the right attention has worked. And we didn't have two million dollars. I think it was achieved without that. The job of the FFI is to select the best film. And then it is the job of the producer and perhaps as Amitji was suggesting today a collective effort on part of the industry in supporting the film. What will you be wearing for the Oscar night? It would definitely be something Indian. Have you been practising the Oscar speech? (Laughs). No no. Last words? We appreciate the kind of support the film industry has given us. Right from the day the film got released, people have been very happy and proud. After the nominations they were very happy and proud. I have their support. I want to thank the press. The mainline National press has supported the film since its release with a very positive spirit. They liked it and they supported it. And the Indian audience, whose emotions are today attached to the film. We want to share the success of this film with everybody. The film belongs to the country.
Saturday, April 20, 2002
Sachin and Bradman: Tied at 29-29
NEW DELHI: Friday will be remembered for a long time by cricket fans. Sachin Tendulkar, the world's greatest batsman today, equalled all-time great Sir Don Bradman's record of 29 Test centuries. Sachin reached his 29th ton in his 93rd Test while Sir Don Bradman had played only 52 matches. In reaching his 29th ton, Tendulkar also scored his first Test century in the Caribbean, a feat that must have given the batting genius great satisfaction. Tendulkar already has a record 31 centuries to his name in one-day internationals. It was a laboured and hard fought innings by Sachin Tendulkar though interposed with flashes of brilliance. At stumps on day one India, put in to bat, were 262/4 with Sachin batting on 113 (235 balls) and Laxman undefeated on 21. Earlier, Carl Hooper won an important toss for the West Indies on a wicket that promised assistance to the quickies early on the game. Hooper had no hesitation in inviting India to bat though the decision seemed to boomerang on him at close of play. The wicket eased out appreciably during the day with the Indian batsmen only requiring to occupy the crease and get their eyes in. The West Indian bowling lacked variety and bite with Mervyn Dillon beginning his spell poorly and Windies missing the services if leg-spinner Nagamootoo. Indian tried yet another experiment with the opening slot by throwing in Sanjay Bangar at the deep end. Bangar who has opened in the domestic circuit found the international scene a whole different ball game. A wayward Dillon ensured that the Indians did not lose a wicket immediately with the ball seaming and taking bounce. Strangely enough the West Indian bowlers did not resort to the short stuff initially, electing to pitch the ball up. Both SS Das and Bangar welcomed this strategy before Das was trapped plumb in front by Dillon for 10. With the score reading 18/1, man-in-form Rahul Dravid walked in at number three. Fresh from his 144 not out in the first Test, Dravid got off the mark with a boundary off Dillon. Bangar on the other end seemed to be settling down after a shaky start but with the score reading 38/1, Bangar got himself out to a rank bad shot when he played a lazy shot outside the off stump. The edge off the bowling of Sanford, carried off to the keeper and Bangar was gone after scoring 9. Sachin Tendulkar walked in with the score reading 38/2 and got off the mark with straight drive for four. In spite of a fine 79 at Guyana in the first Test, Tendulkar looked rather circumspect and shaky. In the 22nd over of the day bowled by Sanford, Tendulkar trying to work the ball on the leg side ballooned it on the off side. Luckily the ball just fell short of Cuffy who was slow off the blocks. Sachin batting on six was almost walking back to the pavilion before he realised that the ball had fallen short. In the very next over Tendulkar had another close shave when he seemed to have nicked the ball behind the wicket with the slip cordon going up in appeal spontaneously. The umpire ruled not out though replays showed that Tendulkar might just have been out. The bowler to suffer was Marlon Black. At lunch India had scrapped through to 70/2 with Dravid playing well on 25 and Sachin batting on a shaky 20. The game was on an even keel with two wickets falling and 11 boundaries been hit in the first session of play. The signs were ominous for the West Indian bowlers immediately after lunch with Dravid slamming a boundary in the first over bowled by Marlon Black. Sachin surviving close calls at the wicket had another close shave when he survived a very strong lbw appeal by Dillon. Umpire Harper had a long look but decided in the batsman’s favour. Sachin was playing a very peculiar innings with supremely sublime shots mixed with some shaky ones. India reached 103/2 in the 39th over with Dravid on driving Dillon for a boundary. Dravid reached his 50 off 102 balls by slamming Sanford to long off for a boundary. Dravid hit 7 fours. Sachin gaining in confidence reached his 32nd test 50 off 106 balls with seven hits to the fence. The 102-run partnership between Sachin and Dravid came up off 208 balls and at tea India were well set at 156/2 with Sachin on 63 and Dravid on 64. The West Indian bowlers had a torrid time in the middle specially Sanford and Dillon who were taken for a lot of runs. But the post tea session saw a more determined effort by the bowlers with Dravid finding it difficult to score. In the 60th over Dravid was bowled by Black for 67 (147 balls). With the score reading 162/3, the eyes of the West Indians lit up at seeing Ganguly walk in to bat. Ganguly looked scratchy but managed to hit a few well-timed boundaries before he was caught at mid off when charging down the wicket to Dillon. Ganguly made 25 (39 balls) comprising four boundaries. Meanwhile, Sachin batting on the nervous nineties, notched up his 29th test hundred by hitting Sanford through covers for two runs. His hundred came off 194 balls with 14 boundary hits. This was Sachin’s first hundred in the West Indies and in the process he is now at par with Sir Don Bradman. VVS Laxman who made a good 69 in the first Test kept got a reprieve when Lara in the slips botched up a an edge off the bowling of Cuffy. The stylish Hyderabadi batsman frustrated the opposition by repeatedly edging the ball through slips for boundaries. The West Indians were not able to make much of the second new ball on a pitch that is on the slower side and where stroke play is difficult. In was a hard day on the field for the West Indians, sweltering under hot and humid conditions. Marlon Black was carried off the field with cramps to make matters worse for West Indies. The missed catch of Sachin Tendulkar proved costly and Lara’s dropped catch of Laxman may cost dear too as India bat again on day two with both Sachin and Laxman at the wicket. Leading century-makers in Tests: Sunil Gavaskar (Ind) 34 tons in 125 Tests Don Bradman (Aus) 29 tons in 52 Tests Sachin Tendulkar (Ind) 29 tons in 93 Tests Steve Waugh (Aus) 27 tons in 148 Tests Allan Border (Aus) 27 tons in 156 Tests Gary Sobers (WIs) 26 tons in 93 Tests Greg Chappell (Aus) 24 tons in 87 Tests Viv Richards (WIs) 24 tons in 121 Tests. Scoreboard: India 1st innings: S. Das lbw b Dillon 10 S. Bangar c Murray b Sanford 9 R. Dravid b Black 67 S. Tendulkar not out 113 S. Ganguly c Dillon b Hooper 25 V. Laxman not out 21 Extras (b4, lb11, nb2) 17 Total (for four wickets) 262 Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-38, 3-162, 4-218. Bowling: Dillon 20-6-55-1. Cuffy 22-7-41-0. Sanford 22-4-83-1. Black 15-7-41-1. Hooper 11-4-27-1.
Saturday, April 20, 2002
Vajpayee dares Oppn to bring no-trust motion
Prime Minister A B Vajpayee today challenged the Opposition to bring a no-confidence motion against his government but the latter rejected it saying the only demand was for discussing the Gujarat issue under Rule 184 and permission for an adjournment motion over it. Mr Vajpayee’s challenge came during an all-party meeting held at the behest of Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker P M Sayeed to find a way out of the deadlock, but the failure to arrive at a consensus ensured that the government-opposition stand-off continued for the fifth consecutive day leading to adjournment of both Houses immediately after being convened for the day. During the meeting, leader of the opposition and Congress president Sonia Gandhi firmly stated that only a discussion in the Lok Sabha under Rule 184, which entailed voting, would satisfy the Opposition, and also made a personal appeal to the prime minister to help break the Parliamentary impasse by agreeing to the demand. As the logjam continued resulting in wastage of one whole week’s Parliamentary proceedings, the Opposition charged the government with running away from a debate under Rule 184 as it was unsure of support from its own allies like the TDP, the JD (U) and the Lok Janshakti Party. Mr Vajpayee told the meeting that allowing a discussion under Rule 184 would be equivalent to a no-confidence motion. The Opposition could directly go for a no-confidence motion instead of a debate under Rule 184 to test the NDA government’s strength in the Lok Sabha, Mr Vajpayee was quoted by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan as telling the meeting. The prime minister suggested that the discussion could be held under Rule 193 which did not involve voting. How can the government advise the Opposition under what rule should it demand a discussion? Congress spokesman Anand Sharma asked at a media briefing. This was in response to Mr Mahajan and BJP spokesman V K Malhotra’s contention that a censure motion could not be allowed under the rules of business as the Gujarat issue had already been raised in the House and also because the Centre was not involved in it. As the violence is being probed by an inquiry commission, it would not be right to discuss the issue, Mr Mahajan had contended.
Saturday, April 20, 2002
Indian mission staffer assaulted in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD APRIL 19. In what is seen as a retaliatory action, Pakistan today held A. K. Khanna, an official in the Indian High Commission here, on charges of espionage in collusion with a Pakistani in the Federal Secretariat and released him after eight hours of ``interrogation.'' The Charge D' Affaires of the Indian High Commission, Sudhir Vyas, dismissed the charges as ``bizarre'' and asserted that Mr. Khanna was abducted in broad daylight right outside his residence as he was about to board the mission coach to go to work. ``Mr. Khanna was abducted by a dozen personnel of the Pakistani Intelligence agencies around 8.45 a.m. and whisked away to an unknown place. There was no response from any of the official quarters to umpteen demarches here and in New Delhi on the whereabouts of the official. The mission could locate him only when we got a telephone call from the police station in the diplomatic enclave at 5 p.m.,'' Mr. Vyas said. Mr. Khanna's arrest came 48 hours after a member of the Pakistan High Commission was caught in Delhi for allegedly receiving ``sensitive documents'' from an employee of the Indian Air Force. New Delhi has since declared the Pakistan mission staffer a persona non grata and asked for his withdrawal within a week. It is only a matter of routine before Pakistan follows suit. The ordeal of Mr. Khanna began the moment he stepped out of his apartment at Royal Enclave, where a majority of the Indian mission staffers reside. The enclave is near the church where five persons, including two Americans, were killed in a grenade attack on March 17. As per the account given by the other Indian staffers in the enclave, at least a dozen persons dressed in "Pathan suits" were waiting in the garage when the vehicle came to pick up Mr. Khanna around 8.45 a.m. To the horror of three Indian mission staffers in the coach, the operatives of the Pakistani agency leapt out and tried to grab Mr. Khanna as he came down from his second floor apartment. After a scuffle, Mr. Khanna was taken in a vehicle to an undisclosed place. "My face was masked and I was taken to a room somewhere in the vicinity. I was beaten up repeatedly and made to sign a declaration that I worked for RAW. They interrogated me about the functioning of the mission and told me that it was a retaliation to what happened in Delhi earlier in the week. Only around 3 p.m., I was taken to a police station.'' The Indian mission doctor, Quereshi, who examined Mr. Khanna at the police station, said that besides bruises and abrasions, "Mr. Khanna's ankle joint suffered a major injury and there are cuts in and around the mouth.'' When the Indian mission wanted to know from the police station in-charge why he did not inform them about the presence of Mr. Khanna, he reportedly told them that the station could not trace the telephone number of the mission. A senior diplomat complained that no one from the Foreign Office was present when Mr. Khanna was handed over. An official statement by the Pakistan Foreign Office said "an official of the Indian High Commission, A. K. Khanna, was today caught red-handed receiving sensitive documents from a Pakistan national working at the Federal Secretariat. ``The Secretariat Police arrested the Indian High Commission official and his Pakistani accomplice at nine o' clock this morning near the diplomatic enclave. Mr. Khanna was handed over to the Indian High Commission after questioning. Mr. Khanna's Pakistani accomplice will be tried under the relevant laws.'' Asked for his reaction to the statement, Mr. Vyas said: "We would follow the evolution of this case very carefully and would be interested in knowing the action against the alleged Pakistani accomplice... it is unfortunate that a joke is made out of a serious violation related to a diplomatic official accredited to the country.''
Saturday, April 20, 2002
India elected chairman of World Climate Body
R K Pachauri was on Friday elected as chairman of an Inter-Governmental Penal on Climate Change. In a keenly contested election in Geneva, Pachauri defeated the incumbent, B Watson of New Zealand, by 76 votes to 49. The third candidate, Golden Berg of Brazil, secured seven votes. Pachauri, the Director of Tata Energy Research Institute, is considered one of the leading experts on environment in the world.
Saturday, April 20, 2002
India a contender for permanent seat at UN
India is a "natural contender" for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, the British High Commissioner to India, Sir Rob Young, said on Friday. Delivering a lecture at the National Defence College in New Delhi, he said an active and engaged UN has profound implications for the way countries conduct their foreign and security policies. "India is a natural contender for a permanent seat on the Security Council," he said. Sir Rob described Indo-British relations as "strong, confident and dynamic". The New Delhi Declaration signed during the recent visit of British Premier Tony Blair encapsulates the spirit of partnership that characterises relations between the two countries, he said.
Saturday, April 20, 2002
3 BSF men charged with raping a 17-year old girl
Three BSF personnel were arrested on Friday on charges of raping a 17-year-old girl in Pahalgam. The three were arrested after the victim identified them in a line-up at the BSF camp at Pahalgam. The BSF has initiated proceedings against the three that could lead to their court martial. An FIR was lodged yesterday in connection with the incident after a medical examination of the victim. The incident has triggered widespread protests among the people in the area and resentment against security forces.
Saturday, April 20, 2002
Wipro Walks The Talk, Logs 32% Jump In Net At Rs 885 Cr
Bangalore, April 19: Information Technology major Wipro Ltd has kept the promise of above average industry growth by clocking a net profit of Rs 885 crore in the fiscal ending March 31, 2002, against Rs 671.10 crore in the previous year, registering a growth of 32 per cent. The consolidated revenue stood at Rs 3,440.51 crore, a growth of 12 per cent. Other income accounted for Rs 155.82 crore (Rs 69.71 crore). The board has recommended a dividend of Re 1 (Re 0.50) per share for the year. Wipro Technologies Ltd (WTL), the global IT services arm of Wipro Ltd, accounting for 66 per cent of the revenue and 90 per cent of the profit before interest and tax (PBIT), registered a 28 per cent growth in its revenue to Rs 2,300 crore and PBIT of Rs 790 crore in the year. WTL clocked a revenue of Rs 1,769 crore and PBIT of Rs 606 crore in the previous year. In the quarter ending March 31, 2002, WTL recorded an income of Rs 590 crore ($120.2 million) with a sequential volume growth of 8.5 per cent. But the same period saw a sequential decline in offshore pricing by 2.4 per cent and onsite pricing by 4.5 per cent. Wipro Infotech (India and Asia-Pacific IT business arm) recorded a revenue of Rs 740 crore and PBIT of Rs 57.50 crore. Consumer care and lighting business clocked a revenue of Rs 300 crore and PBIT of Rs 41.10 crore. Other segments recorded a revenue of Rs 160 crore and loss of Rs 10 crore. Commenting on the results, Wipro Ltd chairman Azim Premji said: We have emerged stronger in a year of uphill climb. Our performance of 12 per cent year-on-year offshore price increase and 15 per cent onsite price increase is a tough performance to repeat in the current environment. We expect pricing pressure to continue at least through the first half of the year and put pressure on margins. The company continued with the policy of not giving a guidance for the whole year, but projected a near flat growth rate for the first quarter of the current fiscal. Our results for the quarter are in line with expectation. Looking ahead for the quarter ending June 2002, we expect our Indian GAAP revenue from global IT business to be around $123 million, Mr Premji said. Wipro Ltd vice-chairman and WTL CEO Vivek Paul said: Price recovery is going to lag behind volume recovery and the company would focus on a volume driven growth. The share of the US in the total revenue declined to 57 per cent (64 per cent) in the fiscal. At the same time, the proportion of revenues from Europe increased to 36 per cent (29 per cent), while Japan contributed 6 per cent in the period. Offshore revenue was 48 per cent of services with fixed price projects accounting for 28 per cent of the revenue as against 15 per cent in the previous year.
Saturday, April 20, 2002
Kazakh plane made 12 illegal flights to India
Seven years after the Purulia arms drop, Indian authorities are apparently still following an open-skies policy. Investigations have revealed that in the past three months an AN-12 aircraft owned by GST Aero of Kazakhstan made 12 illegal flights into India hopscotching from Delhi to Dubai to Bangkok and back. Intelligence officials suspect the planes may have carried weapons. While the Kazakh plane made its final departure in late March, the scandal has led to several senior officers in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) being investigated for allegedly issuing false permits to a private air cargo firm. Intelligence officials say that Sam Aviation, GST Aero's agent, used forged letters purporting to be from the Kazakhstan Embassy to get MEA clearance. Says a police source: "Senior MEA officials are involved. Documents were cleared without verifying authenticity." Three employees of Sam Aviation have been arrested by the Delhi Police's Special Cell in this connection. They have been remanded in police custody for a week and been booked for cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy. "We are also investigating whether the company had security clearance from the Home Ministry," says the source. The FIR filed in the case states that the company's flight operations received a permit from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. "The police are now trying to fix responsibility on the officers who were responsible for giving clearance without checking the cargo in the planes," said the source. The FIR further states: "SAM Aviation officers were in deep conspiracy with government employees. Someone managed to procure flight operation permits from the concerned agencies on the basis of fake letters from the Embassy of Kazakhstan." *** Evasive manoeuvres MEA says: For flight clearances, embassies come to it with details of flights. MEA consults respective divisions and clearance is forwarded to DGCA, which is supposed to keep tabs on cargo on foreign flights DGCA says: When it gets MEA requisition, the department clears request without verification
Thursday, April 18, 2002
Satyam Info Net Loss Soars 187% To Rs 720 Crore
Chennai, Nasdaq-listed Satyam Infoway Limited (Sify) has registered a whopping 186.96 per cent increase in its net loss for the year ended March 31, at Rs 720.24 crore as against a net loss of Rs 250.98 crore last fiscal. However, revenue from sales has gone up by 28.68 per cent, while cash loss has been 25.83 per cent lower than the previous fiscal. Sify has recorded a revenue from sales of Rs 157.72 crore as against Rs 122.56 crore of the previous fiscal. Its cash loss has been at Rs 98.14 crore, over the Rs 132.32-crore reported during the previous year. The rise in net loss has been mainly due to the one-time write off of amortisation of goodwill and a Rs 550-crore acquisition cost. This goodwill has mainly been due to the various acquisitions the company had made earlier in the year, including Indiaworld, Cricinfo.com etc. Part of it has also been from the investments of over Rs 7 crore Sify made towards VoIP infrastructure and other support systems, said CEO R Ramaraju announcing the results here on Wednesday. The cash burn (net reduction in cash) during the quarter-ended March 31, at $3.4 million has been 20 per cent lower than the third quarter. Its cash-in-hand has been at $16 million and at the current rate the cash burn is expected to last over a year, said senior Sify officials. The results of the software services business and the one-time income of $6.9 million from the sale of software services business have been excluded from the results to facilitate comparison of operating performance, said company sources. The challenge for the company is now to seek profitability without losing leadership, Mr Ramaraju said, adding as one of the measures towards this end, Sify is likely to increase its dial-up access costs by the second quarter, depending on the competition. However, he also said this can be avoided if the basic telecom operators agree for a revenue-sharing or the bandwidth costs come down considerably. Mr Ramaraju said Sify has been able to considerably control its costs during the past fiscal, as its staff cost remained flat coupled with a steep fall in bandwidth costs, (international bandwidth fell by 50 per cent, while domestic was down by 30-40 per cent). About 35 per cent of tis revenue went towards purchase of bandwidth. With the entry into Internet telephony and a possible foray into ILD, the bandwidth Sify’s requirements are expected to double from the current 200 mbps. Corporates and cyber cafes are expected to drive Sify’s growth during this fiscal especially once the Internet telephony is launched, said Mr Ramaraju. While corporate customers accounted for 52 per cent of its total revenue at $16.6 million, with the past year alone posting over 38 per cent growth at over $12.1 million. During the year, Sify added 70 corporate customers to its broadband network, including General Electric, Dabur, Accenture, HFCL, HDFC, Oracle, Sapient etc. Revenue from portal and retail Internet access also grew to $4.2 million ($3 million) and $10 million ($9.6 million) respectively.
Thursday, April 18, 2002
US rules out mediation on Kashmir
The United States Wednesday ruled out mediation between India and Pakistan on Kashmir but said it is ready to help both the neighbouring countries resolve the dispute. "We are not going to mediate on the Kashmir issue," US Ambassador to India Robert D. Blackwill said during an interaction with mediapersons at the Chandigarh Press Club here Wednesday evening. He, however, added that the US was ready to help both the neighbouring countries in resolving the dispute. Responding to a question, Blackwill said the September 11 terrorist strikes would not have any adverse impact as far as grant of visas to Indians was concerned. "One of my first official acts(after I came here) was to ensure that the visa process at the embassy would reflect the transformation of US-India relations," he said. In reply to another question, he said there could be no justification for acts of terrorism. The US Ambassador commented, "We do not need to debate on tragic incidents like the attack on the World Trade Center or on the Indian Parliament".
Thursday, April 18, 2002
India signs a $146 million arms deal with the US
As a major step to enhance defence cooperation, India signed a historic $146 million arms deal with the United States to procure eight US-made fire-finder counter battery radars. An Indian delegation led by Special Secretary in Defence Ministry Ajai Vikram Singh signed the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) agreement for purchase of the AN/TPQ-37 radar system yesterday. The Pentagon described the arms deal, first in over a decade between the two countries, as "a historic move that further signals improving relations between India and the United States." A Pentagon spokesperson said, "Security cooperation between the world's greatest democracy and the world's most populous democracy is natural." The deal was signed following the delegation's meeting with the members of the newly established Security Co-operation Group set up as part of the bilateral arrangement for promoting defence cooperation, an Indian embassy release said here. The radars are built by Thales Raytheon Systems Corporation of El Segundo, California.
Thursday, April 18, 2002
Mayawati to head BJP-BSP govt in UP
The new BJP-BSP government under the chief ministership of Mayawati is now certain to be formed any day before April 21, Sify.com has reliably learnt. A formal announcement in this regard is likely to be made on April 19 at a joint press conference here Friday. A meeting of senior BJP leaders, including State president Kalraj Misra and former chief minister Rajnath Singh, is slated for Thursday evening at Prime Minister's residence. The State leaders have been summoned personally by the prime minister. Rajnath Singh, who has received a severe drubbing by the BJP Central high command for opposing a BJP-BSP government led by Mayawati, is likely to be given a berth in the Union Cabinet. It is almost clear that while Mayawati would be anointed as chief minister, the posts of deputy chief minister and speaker of Vidhan Sabha would go to the BJP. The top contenders to the post of deputy chief minister are Vajpayee's confidante Lalji Tandon and former State president Om Prakash Singh, who belongs to the backward class. The new government, it is learnt, would be run on the Maharashtra formula where the Congress and National Congress Party of Sharad Pawar are in power. The BJP plan this time is to rein in Mayawati. She would not be allowed to ride roughshod over BJP again this time. In 1997, she ruled the State for six months under the principle of government by rotation. But when Kalyan Singh's turn came she ditched the BJP. To avoid this, a fool-proof system of checks and balances has been evolved. In the new ministry, the BJP and BSP will be given equal representation. She will not be permitted this time to order mass transfers and postings of bureaucrats without consulting her Cabinet colleagues of the saffron party. The BSP and the BJP will get 25 berths each. The size of the ministry would be limited to 50 as compared to Rajnath Singh's jumbo ministry of 96. She will have to set up a coordination committee on the lines of NDA government, it is learnt.
Wednesday, April 17, 2002
Mystery behind Pratyusha's death deepens
NEW DELHI: The mystery behind the death of upcoming Telugu actress Pratyusha in Hyderabad on Februray 24 further deepened following difference of opinion over the two post mortems conducted and the CBI referring the autopsy reports to AIIMS for its expert view. Highly-placed CBI sources said here on Tuesday that while the first postmortem report was suggestive of some injury marks on the body of the actress, the second post mortem report claimed that the injury marks were because of the first autopsy. The difference of opinion led to CBI sending the two reports and the photographs to the AIIMS for their expert opinion, the sources said. The CBI registered the case under Section 302 (murder) against "unknown persons" after the state government requested the Centre for a thorough investigation into the murder. Pratyusha died at a hospital in Hyderabad where she, along with her boyfriend Siddharth Reddy, was admitted after they reportedly consumed poison. The police first registered a suicide case which was later converted into murder. The CBI had questioned a person from whom the poison was allgedly procurred besides examining the girl's mother and friend circle of the actress. CBI also plans to question Reddy's parents, who were reported to have opposed their marriage plans, they said. The incident had rocked the state assembly as opposition parties alleged involvement of a kin of an influential person in the death. This prompted state Home Minister T Devender Goud to announce a CBI probe.
Wednesday, April 17, 2002
Three killed, nine injured in Ahmedabad violence
Ahmedabad, At least three persons were killed and nine others injured in Vejalpur and Ramol areas of the city today as mob violence continued unabated in Gujarat. One person was killed and three others injured when police fired 35 rounds and lobbed 22 teargas shells to disperse mobs in Vejalpur, which attacked the adjoining minority localities in the area. The mob pelted stones and attacked the residences in the curfew bound area after midnight, prompting the police to open fire. Police also lobbed 14 teargas shells in Nagoriwad locality of Shahpur area to scare away stone pelting crowds late last night, they said. This afternoon, two persons were stabbed to death and six others injured when police opened fire to quell clashing mobs in Ramol labour area outside the city. The injured have been admitted to the hospital. A passing train was subjected to stone pelting by a mob in Asarwa locality of Madhupura area yesterday. Meanwhile, curfew continued in Dariapur police station area on the third day today after the violence on Saturday left three dead, while it was relaxed in Danilimda area during the day, police said. Night curfew continued in other police station areas of the city, police added.
Wednesday, April 17, 2002
Indian, Pakistani N weapons constitute threat to US, allies
Washington, Indian and Pakistani nuclear weapons, their means of delivery and other weapons of mass destruction constitute a threat to the U.S. and its allies, a senior U.S. official said today. "The spread of such weapons and their delivery capabilities constitutes to insecurity in the regions, spreads uncertainty and instability. That is certainly true whether it is in the Middle East, areas adjacent, or whether it is in South Asia or in East Asia," Assistant Secretary of State for Non-proliferation John Wolf told reporters. Weapons of mass destruction constitute a clear and direct threat to US forces that are deployed around the world as well as a threat to allies around the world and to our friends, he said.
Wednesday, April 17, 2002
India ruing missed chances in first Test
Port of Spain Ruing the missed opportunities in the first cricket Test, captain Sourav Ganguly and coach John Wright urged their team to grab whatever chances came its way if it is to beat West Indies in the ongoing series. "We had a chance to gain the upper hand when we reduced the West Indies to 44-3 on the first morning but couldn't capitalise on it," said Gangly. "One more wicket at that stage would have put the Test in a different perspective," Ganguly said referring to the dropped chances of West Indian skipper Carl Hooper. "We dropped a crucial chance of Carl Hooper in the early part of his innings," said Ganguly. "On such flat pitches, if you let such chances go, it becomes very difficult". Hooper was dropped first ball off an inside edge by wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta off Javagal Srinath and again when a chance flew between Rahul Dravid and V V S Laxman at slips when the batsman was on 10. "It was a costly miss which was kind of strange because both Dravid and Laxman are usually very safe catchers," said Wright referring to the second chance. "It is something we can't afford in the series." Hooper made the most of these chances and went on to score his career-best 233 which propelled West Indies to 501 in the first innings. Wright also made a pointed reference to Dasgupta and said the young Indian wicketkeeper would have to catch whatever comes his way.
Wednesday, April 17, 2002
Infosys announces launch of BPM venture
Bangalore Infosys Technologies today announced the launch of its Business Process Management (BPM) venture, called Progeon Ltd, a company in which it would hold a majority stake. Infosys has also acquired additional funding of US dollar 20 million from Citigroup investments for Progeon, a company announcement here this evening said. Announcing the annual results last week, Infosys had said it has plans to start a BPM initiative with an investment of USD five million. Progeon (Managing Processes in the Global Era- Eon) would be headquartered in Bangalore and is incorporated in India, a company release said here. The company, it said, would currently operate out of the Infosys state-of-the-art facilities here. Together, Progeon and Infosys would offer their clients a complete cost-effective solution based on service and technology outsourcing, the release said. Phaneesh Murthy, Infosys board member and Head, Worldwide Sales and Maketing was quoted as saying: "We welcome Citigroup investments as an investor and we see this as a great partnership". "Infosys is a leading brand in India and this is a significant investment for us", Robert Druskin, Executive Vice-President-Chief Operations and Technology Officer, Citigroup, said.
Wednesday, April 17, 2002
Kanshi Ram meets Advani, discuss BJP-BSP govt in UP
New Delhi In a development signalling the coming together of BJP and BSP, Kanshi Ram today met Home Minister L K Advani and understood to have discussed a tie-up between the two parties for a coalition government in Uttar Pradesh. Kanshi Ram's meeting with Advani came a day after BSP Vice President Mayawati had called on the Home Minister and discussed the issue. The meetings come amidst reports that the two parties have already sewn up an alliance under which Mayawati would be the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister's post would go to BJP and with equal representation to the two parties in the cabinet. Virtually reinforcing reports that the tie-up is close to being clinched, two senior UP leaders of BJP Om Prakash Singh and Satyadev Chaudhary said efforts were on to draft a common minimum programme like the NDA for running the UP coalition. Singh said while there was opposition in BJP to forming a coalition with BSP, the partymen were now reconciled to such a development because the party high command's keenness on the issue.
Wednesday, April 17, 2002
Ganguly to continue to bat at number three
Port Of Spian (Trinidad), Skipper Sourav Ganguly is undeterred by his poor dismissal in the first Test and determined to bat only at number three during the second Test which starts here on Thursday. "I will bat at number three only," said Ganguly, nodding his head in stubborn defiance as he arrived here this morning for the second Test. Ganguly was dismissed cheaply for five in India's first and only innings during the first Test, mis-timing a hook to gift a catch to backward square leg after being hit at the back of his shoulder by a rising delivery from Mervyn Dillon. Palpably ill at ease, Ganguly was hopping or missing outside his off-stump for most of the 12 deliveries he faced in the rain-ruined first Test at Georgetown in Guyana. His dismissal led to media and public speculation about his ability to face short-rising deliveries and whether he would be able to stand up to the pace of West Indian fast bowlers. "This is only the first Test of the series," said Ganguly "We will find out at the end of it." Ganguly was reminded of typical tactics by the West Indian fast bowlers where they target the visiting captain for a special treatment in order to break the resistance of his team. Ganguly was sure it would not happen to him. "When it happened, the quality of fast bowling was very different," he quipped.
Monday, April 15, 2002
I can prove majority anytime, says Vajpayee
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Sunday declared that he is prepared to prove the majority of his coalition government on the floor of the Lok Sabha "when the time comes" and dismissed reports of instability at the Centre. "We will prove our strength when the time comes," he told reporters at a function here when asked about TDP's comments that as an option it may withdraw support. To a question about a feeling of instability at the Centre, he said, "there is nothing like that." On whether he was discussing the demand for removal of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi with TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu, Vajpayee said, "talks are going on." When questioned about Congerss President Sonia Gandhi's remarks on Saturday that he had lost his mental balance, the Prime Minister said, "her statement itself shows who has lost the balance." Union Rural Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, who was also present, told reporters that the decision not to replace Modi was taken after "weighing all factors". "There is no question of going back on the decision taken at the national executive. We are confident that the TDP or for that matter any other ally would not withdraw support," he said.
Monday, April 15, 2002
Tamil actress commits suicide
Monal, an upcoming actress of the Tamil film world, committed suicide on Sunday afternoon, her family sources said. On seeing the actress found hanging in her room, she was taken to a corporate hospital, where Monal was declared dead, they said. The reason behind taking this extreme step by the actress was not immediately known. A case had been registered, police said. The 21-year old actress is survived by her parents and three sisters, including well known Tamil actress Simran. Her body was taken to Government Royapetta Hospital for postmortem, police said. Monal was adopted by the sister of her mother, with whom she was living for the past three years. She had acted in six Tamil films, including the box office hit, Samuthiram and in two Malayalam films. Simran was abroad in connection with a film shooting. Decision on Monal's funeral would be taken only after hearing from her sister, the sources added.
Monday, April 15, 2002
10 killed, four hurt in fresh J&K violence
Ten people were killed and four wounded in explosions and shootouts in strife-torn Kashmir, police said on Saturday. Two militants, a soldier and a civilian were killed in an overnight gunbattle in Doodipora area of Kupwara district, 90 km northwest of Srinagar, police said. They said two soldiers were wounded in the shootout. Earlier on Friday evening, two Indian soldiers and two civilians were killed when rebels set off two land mines near the Banihal area of Doda that lies southeast of Srinagar, police said. Two soldiers were hurt in the explosions. Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, one of the frontline Kashmiri militant group, has claimed responsibility for the blasts. Elsewhere a militant and a soldier were killed in separate shootouts.
Monday, April 15, 2002
Kuwait seeks deportation of eloped girl
In a somersault, Interpol Kuwait has sought deportation of Dhalal Falag Al-Azmi, who eloped with her lover to India, to her country, days after its mission had announced here that it did not want her to return and had also expressed the hope that such "stray incidents" would not hamper Indo-Kuwaiti relations. The message from Interpol Kuwait was received by Interpol India, represented by the CBI, seeking deportation of Azmi on health grounds, highly-placed agency sources said here. The message to the CBI comes within days of a statement made by one of Kuwaiti diplomats that she was an adult and could decide about her rights and act according to her choice. Though director in the Kuwait Information Centre here Khaled Al-Razni had said the embassy only wanted to "help" her if she desired, the Interpol Kuwait said in the message that, "she (Azmi) is a mentally unstable girl. She has fled to India and we request for her deportation back to Kuwait." Twenty-three-year-old Azmi had eloped with Basha, who was working as a driver at her home in Kuwait, and landed in Chennai on March 22. She was, however, arrested by immigration authorities and jailed on charge of using a fake passport. The Kuwaiti girl walked to freedom from Vellore jail with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa playing a samaritan role and ordering her release on bail, besides requesting the Centre to grant her Indian citizenship. The CBI sources said the message of Interpol had been sent to Tamil Nadu Police for further action, if they intended to take. Asked whether an individual country could send such a message directly and not route it through Interpol headquarters based at France, the CBI sources said, "certain requests can be sent directly but that does not amount to warrants or Red Corner Notices." The sources said that any action, if taken by Tamil Nadu, would be conveyed to Kuwait in due course of time. Within days of the incident being reported by the media, Kuwait mission here had deputed counsellor Nameer K Al-Quraini to speak to the girl. However, despite being armed with a permission from ministry of external affairs, the counsellor was not allowed to meet the girl by the Tamil Nadu Police. Though Azmi had been sent to judicial custody on her arrival at Chennai, she was later released on the personal intervention of Jayalalithaa, who had directed the state police not to oppose her bail application in the court. According to the Chennai airport immigration officials, the two managed to "steal" the passport of an Indian maid servant working in the girl's house and changed the photograph with that of Azmi. Azmi had pleaded against her deportation as she feared that she would be "stoned to death" as per Kuwaiti law, for the crime of "eloping". The issue saw arch political rivals like DMK and AIADMK coming together on the issue and appealing to the Centre to grant her citizenship on humanitarian grounds.
Monday, April 15, 2002
BJP to TDP: Don't interfere in Gujarat
NEW DELHI: Warning NDA allies not to interfere in BJP's matters like Gujarat, party President K Jana Krishnamurthy on Sunday said the NDA government at the Centre would survive even if the TDP withdrew support. Addressing a televised press conference at the end of the BJP's National Executive meeting in Goa, Krishnamurthy said he would react to the TDP's stand only after it made a formal announcement. "The TDP is yet to pass a formal resolution. I will react only after that. They are free to take any decision." Making clear that there would be no going back on the decision not to dismiss Modi and to dissolve the Gujarat Assembly, Krishnamurthy lashed out at allies for questioning the move, saying, "It is beyond the scope of the NDA partners." The NDA partners, he said, had vowed to adhere to the NDA agenda and it was not in the spirit of the "mutual understanding" to interfere in what a partner did in a state ruled by it. He also said the allies should have raised the Modi matter at an NDA meeting, the proper forum for such issues. He reiterated that the party had rejected Modi's offer to resign, saying his was an elected government and he should seek a mandate from the people. The BJP chief was confident that no other NDA ally would have "second thoughts" on continuing to support the BJP-led government at the Centre. ``Wait for further development. Maybe there are interesting developments in the next few days,'' he said, answering queries on other political parties extending support to the Union government in the event of a withdrawal of support by the TDP. The BJP president said there was a possibility of shifting some ministers for strengthening the party. ``It will be done after the Budget session.'' Krishnamurthy said the Congress has posed a challenge and the party has accepted it. ``We will take the battle to the Congress fold.'' In an obvious reference to the observation made by Congress President Sonia Gandhi on the PM and the political alliances in the post Goa-conclave of the BJP, Krishnamurthy said the party would give an answer to the Congress decision ``to confront us.'' Earlier, the BJP executive meeting took a dramatic turn Saturday night when the PM along with other senior leaders of the party were closeted for about an hour at the Raj Bhavan where the governor hosted a dinner in his honour. Vajpayee had a long talk with the TDP on the Modi issue.
Monday, April 15, 2002
NDA gets a breather as TDP backs down
Barely hours after pronouncing that the issue of withdrawing support to NDA was one of the options before the Telugu Desam Party, the politburo meeting of the party held on Sunday night, made a U-turn and said that the issue was not discussed at all during the four hours long meeting. However the party will continue to oppose the continuation of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and raise this in the Parliament which is commencing its session from Monday. NAIDU-SPEAK "They did not discuss it with us. It is not a correct approach. The stand taken by the Centre is not in conformity with the NDA agenda." On the Ayodhya issue (March 14) "If they do not stop deviating from the NDA agenda ..." On the Godhra train carnage and shila daan in Ayodhya (March 23) "It is a question of credibility and image and if we go on changing our position and joining new fronts, the TDP will lose its image." On a Third Front (March 23) "That (removal of Modi) is not the solution. They have to control the situation and violence should end." To other NDA allies on Modi (April 08) "Unless this (the change of leadership) is done, we will be guilty of eroding public confidence and failing to provide just and fair governance to the citizens of our country." TDP Politburo (April 12) Speaking to reporters, after the marathon meeting, K Yerrannaidu, leader of the parliamentary party said that the party had supported the two resolutions passed by the politburo demanding the replacement of Narendra Modi and strongly opposing opting for elections in Gujarat. Yerrannaidu who had tough time explaining the party's stand on the Gujarat issue to scores of reporters at the residence of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, said that the TDP was opposed to the process of conducting elections in Gujarat before normalcy was restored in the state. Replying to a volley of questions on the stand taken by the NDA executive on the demand of the TDP, Yerrannaidu said that there was no discussion on the issue of withdrawing support to the NDA. The politburo also discussed all the other issues about Gujarat and the statements made by the BJP leaders. Replying to a question on the stand taken by the BJP, he said "they have taken many decisions and later changed them". He defended the party' decision to demand for change of leadership in Gujarat saying that the issue was raised to protect the secular fabric of the nation. Asked about how the party would enforce the demand for removal of Modi, when the BJP had rejected the issue outright, Yerrannaidu said "we cannot have any machinery to enforce decisions in politics". He also evaded a question asked about the credibility of the TDP, for reversing its stand. However according to party sources, Naidu received telephone calls from Venkaiah Naidu and a host of other leaders from New Delhi requesting him not to precipitate the issue and asking him to reconsider the decision. Naidu also spoke to other NDA partners during the course of meeting. Party sources told Times News Network that MPs preferred to wait for some more days before taking a final decision. It is also said that issue of withdrawing support was temporarily put on hold
Monday, April 15, 2002
Rocking to Tagore tunes?
NEW DELHI: Remember Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite Tagore song, Jodi tor dak suney keu na ashey tobey ekla chalo re? It may not sound the same anymore after Bangla band, ‘Parash Pathar’ comes out with the first ‘Rabindra rock’ album during the Durga Puja. The band is trying out about 20 Tagore songs, with new musical arrangements, sound effects and totally new form of rendition, keeping the original tune intact, for the album which will also include two popular poems rendered in the rock opera form. We have been performing some of these numbers at our live shows and people have taken it very well. The rock operas are much like Jesus Christ Super Star and Evita and are very popular already. There was a problem recording the new versions before the copyright with Visva-Bharati expired on December 31, 2001, says Subesh Roy, the band manager. The producers of the album are Asha Audio. Two songs have been recorded and we are taking a break before going in for the rest simply because we are exhausted after 100 live shows, adds Roy. It is only at serious gatherings that we try out a couple of Rabindra rock numbers. Not in places where the crowd just wants to dance to the music. We have even performed at Santiniketan and the response was very encouraging. The idea is to take Tagore to those who have are alienated from it. So long the, the young people were divided. Those who listen to rock music – western or eastern – had nothing to do with Rabindrasangeet because the traditional style of rendition did not attract them. And they had no idea of what they were missing. But now the same people love Rabindra rock, says Roy. Subhas Choudhury, a member for 12 years with the Visva-Bharati music board, believes there is no justification for those who are complaining about the copyright going out of the hands of the university, the keepers of all Tagore’s works. Nobody will be stupid enough to change or distort Tagore’s music simply because the Bengali people won’t accept it, he says. As for breaking away from traditional rendition styles and traditional instruments, there is nothing wrong with it. People should try out new things, only what is good will survive. Why should we try to protect something after 60 years of the poet’s death? When Hemanta Mukherjee tried out something it was so disastrous that nobody even talks about it. The only possibility is with the 204 songs for which Tagore had not created the tune. But Visva-Bharati has already set a standard and unless anything better is created it won’t make a difference.
Monday, April 15, 2002
want to act in Tamil movies: Karishma
KOLKATA: Having churned out umpteen box office hits in Bollywood and dabbled in a plethora of serious roles, Karishma Kapoor now wants to shift her attention to regional movies as sister Kareina takes centrestage to carry on the 'Kapoor legacy'. "I began with out and out commercial movies and later serious ones like Zubeida and Fiza happened. Now I think it is time for me to do some regional movies," the screen beauty said at a press meet here on Sunday. Karishma said she had been so busy with Hindi cinema all these days that there was no time to think of language cinema despite a few very good offers made by some Tamil and Telugu film makers. "I want to act in Tamil and Telugu and would also not mind doing a Bengali film," she said adding Bollywood, however, would never cease to attract her. Asked if she was feeling threatened by her younger sibling, who is currently being rated better by industry insiders, Karishma said she was only happy that Kareina was proving her mettle as a successful actress. "There is no rivalry between us. The roles that she is doing now, I have done in the past and I wish she would also get to work on serious roles of the kind I have metamorphosed into now," Karisma said. On why she had not been able to give a single hit ever since Kareina had set the silver screen on fire, she said that was probably due to 'poor scripts' of the films she acted in during this time.
Monday, April 15, 2002
Dravid leads the fightback
Even a thump on the face failed to stop the gutsy Rahul Dravid from reaching his tenth Test century and helping India avert the mercy-rule on the fourth day of the first Test against the West Indies at the Bourda Oval, Georgetown. India went into lunch at 345-7, with centurion Dravid and Sarandeep Singh involved in a 70-run partnership for the eighth wicket. VVS Laxman reached his half-century with a silken cover-drive to the fence off Mervyn Dillon. With a cut through backward-point, the Hyderabadi looked in ominous touch, ready for a long partnership with Dravid. Dravid suffered a vicious blow on the side of his grill from Dillon when he turned his eyes away from the delivery, failing to sway away from the line of the ball. Shaken by the jolt to his jaw, he was attended to by physio Leipus and with some icing was soon ready to take strike again. Cameron Cuffy got West Indies the breakthrough when he had Laxman edging one to first slip, while playing away from the body. Laxman (69), like Tendulkar, did all the hard work but failed to convert his effort into three figures. While replying to a score of 500, it's important that at least two batsmen get huge hundreds after the openers fail to get the desired start. At 263-4, 39 runs adrift from avoiding the follow-on, India was pushed on the back-foot. All-rounder Sanjay Bangar walked in and was trapped in front by Cameron Cuffy – his second wicket of the morning -- for a duck, with one that nipped in after pitching outside off stump. (270-6) Dravid, running out of partners, began scoring briskly, chasing the survival figure of 302 to avert the follow-on. Anil Kumble, after scratching around for a bit, played a flamboyant cut away from his body to give Sanford his second wicket; Nagamootoo at point took a sharp catch. (275-7) Sarandeep Singh joined Dravid at the crease and the duo set about scoring the 27 runs required to avoid batting again. After a few hiccups, including a catch missed by Sarwan off Sarandeep at short-leg Dravid leaned into Dillon and drove through mid-off for a boundary to avert the mercy-rule. Scoring at almost four an over, the duo displayed steel-willed determination to fightback and reduce the lead margin. Sarandeep, riding on a recent 94 in a domestic game in India, played with a defiant confidence despite not enjoying the skipper’s faith. Meanwhile, Dravid, finding the fence with alarming ease, raced to his tenth Test century – the sixth outside India – flicking Sanford off his pads. The Indian vice-captain accomplished what he had failed to do five years ago at the same venue when he was dismissed for 92. After scoring half-centuries in all Tests except the fourth on the last tour in 1997, Dravid fought back with rare certitude and salvaged his team’s pride. At lunch, India were 345 with three wickets standing. Dravid was on 107, sharing a 70- run partnership for the eighth wicket with Sarandeep Singh (27). The match, now looking set for a draw, could well turn on its head if the hosts knock over the last three wickets, pile up quick runs and leave India to bat last on a wicket where the ball is consistently keeping low.
Monday, April 15, 2002
Sonia 'sorry' for saying Vajpayee has lost his mental balance
Expressing unhappiness over the expression used by her that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had "lost his mental balance", Congress president Sonia Gandhi said on Sunday that she made the comment on the spur of the moment. "I am not happy with the expression I used yesterday (Saturday) about the Prime Minister on the spur of the moment. It was not meant by me," she said in a statement here. Gandhi at her press conference at Guwahati had strongly reacted to Vajpayee's challenge to Congress party to bring down his government saying "whenever he (Vajpayee) loses mental balance, he makes such statements." "It is important to note that Vajpayee is not only a leader of the BJP but the Prime Minister of India," she said. Clarifying her Saturday's remark, Gandhi said, "however,we, in the Congress party, are gravely concerned at the frequent changes in the stand of the Prime Minister on the secular issues in general and the disturbing situation in Gujarat in particular". "The latest illustration of this inconsistency is the contrast between the speech made by him in Gujarat and the one in Goa," she added.
Monday, April 15, 2002
No need to be apologetic: Advani
A "re-shuffle" of portfolios between those in the Bharatiya Janata Party organisation and those in the Government and a no-nonsense unapologetic stance towards the party's `Hindutva' ideology were two decisions taken at the party's national executive committee meeting here this afternoon. The Union Home Minister, L.K. Advani, categorically stated that "some people from the Government would go to the party and some from the party could go to the Government. The Prime Minister and the party president will discuss this and take a decision." However, he said he would not move to the party as president; there was no vacancy there and he had a "duty" to perform as Home Minister. On the confusion within the party on its commitment to Hindutva as well as the NDA agenda for governance, Mr. Advani made it clear that there was "no going back'' on the NDA agenda. At the same time, his message to the party cadre was that "there was no need to be apologetic about our party's ideological moorings.... enlightened cultural nationalism and positive secularism." The political resolution of the party will be discussed and adopted tomorrow, but Mr. Advani's "intervention" today during the discussion on the reasons for the BJP's downslide are indicative of the party line. When Mr. Advani was asked by presspersons whether the violence in Gujarat was a manifestation of "enlightened cultural nationalism and positive secularism" he fumbled for a response before saying that in Gujarat, there had been a "vicious disinformation campaign (against the party and the Chief Minister) but an appropriate response has been given by the national executive". On the allies' demand that the Gujarat Chief M, Narendra Modi, be sacked, Mr. Advani said that every party in the NDA had the right to run its own State Government. "They have the right to say something about the functioning of the Government at the Centre, but the State Government." In short, the BJP was in no mood to listen to the Telugu Desam Party chief, Chandrababu Naidu, and the Trinamool Congress leader, Mamata Banerjee, although it seemed to blame the decision to dissolve the Gujarat Assembly and hold early elections there on the Congress. The Home Minister also admitted that the Vajpayee Government had not been able to fulfil the "high aspirations" of the people, who wanted a "Government with a difference", although the Centre had indeed performed well in several areas, including national security and foreign policy. Appropriating for the Vajpayee Government all the political space in matters of national security, he made a direct attack on the Congress, saying, "From Pokhran to Kargil to POTO" the Congress had not stood with the Government on national security issues.
Saturday, April 13, 2002
Movie Review : Company
High on hype, high on substance as well! That sums up COMPANY, directed by Ramgopal Varma. One has witnessed underworld sagas since time immemorial. But COMPANY has a new language - a language that's even more hard-hitting when compared to its predecessors. And, of course, it's ingenuous as well. A saga of two friends - Malik (Ajay Devgan) and Chandu (Vivek Oberoi) - the story travels from the streets of Mumbai to Hong Kong and then Nairobi. Malik is a trusted lieutenant of an underworld don. He recruits Chandu in the gang when the activities begin to expand. Differences between Malik and his colleagues surface when Malik starts siding Chandu. Malik decides to take the reins in his hands and together with Chandu, starts running the 'company'. Later, they shift base to Hong Kong and start remote controlling their men from this foreign land. But a misunderstanding turns the two friends into foes. In a bid to achieve supremacy, they decide to eliminate the other. Malik stays in Hong Kong with his close associates (Manisha Koirala, Ganesh Yadav, Rajpal Yadav), while Chandu shifts to Nairobi. The dangerous game of death begins! This is the second time that Varma is attempting a film of this genre, after SATYA, and like his previous attempt, COMPANY also underlines a message that is loud and clear - Crime never pays. The initial reels are easygoing. The storytelling is ordinary and the pace is just about okay. But the film gathers momentum once the two friends decide to run the 'company' together. And the narrative gets even more interesting when the friends turn foes. The best thing about the film is that it catches you unaware at several paces. Just when you start thinking 'What next?', comes up an incident that wobbles you completely. The post-interval portions are even more captivating than the first part. This part focuses entirely on the enmity aspect, with subtle doses of emotions attached to the characters so that they don't become one-dimensional. Ajay's sequences with Manisha and Vivek's with his wife (Antara Mali) and mother (Seema Biswas) subsequently are brilliantly executed. The climax is unconventional, but just right keeping the graph of the film in mind. Directorially, Varma takes you to a world that is much-discussed and has become a part of our everyday life. One identifies instantly with the goings-on. Picking up incidents from newspaper and television news headlines, the narrative gives the viewer a microscopic view of how the mafia functions. The director's contribution is visible in several sequences in the film, like - * Ajay and Vivek corner their colleagues in the car and shoot them at point blank range; * The sequence in the Commissioner's (Mohanlal) office, when the Commissioner questions Ajay, Vivek and Akash Khurana soon after the shoot out at a studio; * The misunderstanding that results in the friendship going kaput and Akash Khurana's murder; * Ajay's blood-thirsty men entering Vivek's hideout in Nairobi in a bid to eliminate him; * Manisha and Antara coming face to face in a shopping centre; * Vivek's telephonic conversation with his mother, wife and brother-in-law from the hospital, where he is undergoing treatment; * Antara rushing to Hong Kong and the subsequent scene with Ajay and Manisha when she points the gun at Ajay; * The culmination of Ajay's character... If at all the viewer feels slightly letdown, it's on two counts - * One, the post-interval portions tend to get a bit too heavy, with no relief in the form of light moments; * Two, absence of songs in the film. The film boasts of just one song - the immensely popular 'Khallas' - while the remaining songs form part of the background. Writer Jaideep Sahni deserves a pat for serialising the occurrences to precision. Sandeep Chowta's background music is first-rate. It enhances the impact of several sequences. Action sequences (Allan Amin) are realistic and are sure to pick an award or two for their skilful execution. Cinematography (Hemant Chaturvedi) is up to the mark. Ajay Devgan enacts his role to perfection. A controlled performance, the actor takes to this complex character like a fish takes to water. He underplays his part with admirable ease. Vivek Oberoi surprises you with a performance that is a cut above the rest. He seems to have prepared for the character, bestowing it with finer nuances. The usage of the slum dweller's dialect and the intonations give his character a vividly distinct look. A performance that merits the highest marks! Mohanlal is excellent as the tough cop. His South Indian accent gels well with his role. His scenes with Vivek Oberoi towards the latter part of the film are refined. Manisha Koirala doesn't have a meaty role, but she expresses herself magnificently through gestures. She looks the part she plays. Antara Mali is superb. Playing a completely deglamourised role, she makes her presence felt in a male-dominated flick. Seema Biswas is outstanding as Vivek's mother. Akash Khurana is effective. Bharat Dabholkar, Rajpal Yadav, Ganesh Yadav and Vijay Raaz support well. On the whole, COMPANY is amongst Ramgopal Varma's finest works. A stylishly narrated tale, the film will win plaudits and reap a rich harvest at the box-office for its hard-hitting content. Rating:- * * *.
Saturday, April 13, 2002
NDA allies feel snubbed, mull response
The shrill Hindutva message that has been sent out by the BJP from Goa, together with the BJP leadership's rejection of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's offer to quit, has made highly untenable the position of many NDA partners which had sought his removal. What makes matters worse for the saffron party's "secular allies" is its decision to capitalise on the communal divide engineered by the Modi regime, by holding early polls in the state. For Telugu Desam (TDP) chief Chandrababu Naidu, whose party had demanded Modi's ouster, the national executive's decision was a political snub. It remains to be seen how Naidu reacts. He has convened a meeting of the TDP Parliamentary Party in Hyderabad on April 14 to take stock of the "emerging socio-political situation". He has been briefed by senior party leaders about developments in Goa. For the present, the only comment from the TDP camp was that it expected Vajpayee to accede to its demand. "We have full faith in the Prime Minister. We decided to support his government from outside to make the BJP set aside its agenda and govern the country on the basis of the NDA charter," said TDP general secretary Lal Jan Basha. But for Naidu it could become essential to distance his party from the BJP by not putting forward a candidate for the Lok Sabha Speaker's post. Given Vajpayee's virtual endorsement of Modi's self-serving explanation for the post-Godhra violence, even this token distancing might be inadequate to reassure the TDP's minority vote-bank. The many questions the TDP and other NDA partners will need to address were raised by Samata rebel Shambhu Srivastava. "It's a litmus test for the allies. The time has come for them to prove how genuine is their concern over the communal carnage in Gujarat," he said. Srivastava felt the rejection of Modi's offer to quit was a clear message to the allies that the BJP was determined to carry forward its agenda. "It is now up to the allies to choose whether to continue their association with the coalition or leave," he said. Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party, which too had sought President's rule in Gujarat, reaffirmed its position. "Modi should be asked to go in the interest of the NDA and the state," remarked Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, Lok Janshakti's vice-president and spokesperson. "How can the (BJP) call it (an) internal matter. Violence in Gujarat concerns the country's secular fabric, the protection of which is part of the NDA agenda."
Saturday, April 13, 2002
BJP tells Modi to seek people's mandate
BJP on Friday night asked Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to seek dissolution of the state assembly and seek verdict of the people. The resolution said "in a democracy there is only one way to put the issue and the calumny to rest. The people are the one who can and must decide." It said Modi offered to step down as Chief Minister in the best tradition of the party so as to assist it in discussing the happenings in Gujarat threadbare so that BJP may take a decision without any inhibition. While rejecting Modi's offer to resign, a resolution adopted at the national executive said, "Instead of accepting his resignation, the national executive advises him to seek dissolution of the assembly, go to the people and seek their verdict." The resolution dealt with the Godhra train carnage and the subsequent communal violence in Gujarat which killed over 850 people. The resolution titled "Godhra and its aftermath" said the need of the hour was a national consensus towards calming and cooling down the anger of different sections of people in the state. Describing the Godhra train carnage as a pre-meditated attack intended to disrupt the peace and harmony in Gujarat, the resolution said it was to the credit of the state administration and police that the incidents of massive rioting were brought under control in the initial few days and thereafter only sporadic incidents have taken place. "The police action has been aimed at rioters irrespective of the religious community to which they belonged," it said adding "the state today needs a healing touch." More GSN MSA RKC 04122220 D
Saturday, April 13, 2002
Violence re-erupts in Ahmedabad; One killed, 20 injured
Curfew was clamped in the Danilimda police station area here Friday after one person was killed in police firing and at least 20 injured, most of them in crude bomb explosions, in renewed violence, following five relatively peaceful days. The curfew was enforced at 1930 hrs following a clash between two groups in the afternoon over a minor issue. However, it gradually picked up steam and the groups started pelting each other with stones after which police tried to quell the violence by lobbing teargas shells. But after the situation could not be controlled, they fired around 14 rounds, in which one person was injured. Seven others were injured in stone pelting while one person was stabbed. The violence re-erupted in the evening and a series of crude bomb explosions occurred in certain areas. Sources said at least one person succumbed to injuries --sustanied in police firing -- at the LG Hospital while 12 persons, injured in bomb explosions, were admitted to the VS Hospital. Curfew was also imposed in Veeramgam town of Ahmedabad district in the afternoon as a precautionary measure, following the arrest of a political leader. Meanwhile, the body of a missing sales tax official was found from Gomtipur area last night. The person, resident of Vankarvas of Gomtipur, was missing since the violent clash between two groups near his house around a week ago. UNI
Saturday, April 13, 2002
Al Qaeda threatens to blow up dams in India
The most elusive terrorist Osama Bin Laden's outfit, Al Qaeda, has sent a threat to the Union Home Ministry to blow up big dams and hydel projects in order to bring havoc in the country. The Home Ministry and Central Water Commission (CWC) have asked all the states to take stringent security measures to protect the strategic dams and hydel projects in the country. Some of these projects include several hydel projects in Himachal Pradesh and Bhakra Nangal in Punjab. As per the list of the strategic dams and water irrigation projects, at least two Karnataka projects are included. They are: Krishna Raj Sagar Dam which has also been under threat from the LTTE. Another is Almatty dam, reliable sources said. There are about 4,000 small, medium and major dams in the country. The sources said the Al Qaeda threat was received in the first week of this month, which was sent to the Commissioner, CWC. The officers of the Ministry of Water Resources, CWC and security experts are taking this threat very seriously and warning letters are being sent to the states next week. Al Qaeda will carry out its threat "in revenge" and to punish 'kafirs'. The one-page threat does not carry any name but somebody has signed it which is not legible. Intelligence Bureau and other security agencies feel that this threat cannot be ignored as its earlier threat on Indian Parliament came true when terrorists attacked it on December 13 last year. Though the threat has not listed any particular dam or hydel project, the officials are panic-stricken. In the eventuality of such a strike, there would be disastrous consequences with disruption in supply of electricity in the country besides flooding of several areas. The Centre has decided to deploy jawans of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at dams in case the states make a request to the Union government. Though the law and order is a state issue, the Centre would advise the security agencies in states to take all precautionary measures to prevent use of floating RDX devices through remote controls in water channels. Earlier, Al Qaeda had threatened to blow up the nuclear installations in the country and this issue was raised in the previous meeting of DGPs and IGPs in the presence of Home Minister L K Advani. That threat still looms large, though security steps have been taken to ensure their safety, the sources said. Despite its victory over Afghanistan and its full intervention in Pakistan, the US could not lay its hands on Osama Bin Laden and many other figures of Al Qaeda.
Saturday, April 13, 2002
Rioting, arson continues in Kalyan
Rioting, arson, looting and stone throwing continued in Kalyan, 53 km from Mumbai, for the third day in succession on Friday despite heavy deployment of paramilitary forces, including the State Reserve Police Force and the Rapid Action Force. Miscreants set fire to a row of shops near the Kalyan Dombivili Municipal Corporation building around 6.30 pm. While there were no reports of casualties, three fire engines had not succeeded in taming the flames till late night. Rohidaswada, where it all began with the murder of Ashok Walunj, a Bajrang Dal activist, on Tuesday, saw more tension as mobs prevented families belonging to a minority community from returning to their houses when curfew was relaxed between 10:00 am and 12:00 noon. These were not activists of any political parties, but residents of the area armed with iron bars, choppers and swords. They advised media photographers and videographers against shooting pictures. The district chief of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Chandramouli Chaube, chose to call this "a spontaneous outpouring of feelings." Six people have died in Kalyan since Monday night when communal violence first erupted. The Hindutva brigade has now decided to hit where it hurts most. Boards have been put up across the town by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh exhorting people to not buy milk at the Dudh naka - a central milk mart which sees a turnover of over Rs 500,000 a day in milk and milk products. Most of the business here is controlled by the minority community. At least for Friday, the ban seemed to work. Saleem Kidwai, a milk dealer, said: "The closure of hotels in Kalyan had hit our wholesale market. Now even retails business is down. Why does the RSS forget that most of our stable-hands are Hindus from UP?" While there was no call for a bandh on Friday, not many shops were open and very few people were out on the roads. A BJP-Sena-VHP-Bajrang Dal morcha from Shivaji Chowk to the Thane commissionerate led to more tension as the mob began raising provocative slogans. They also stoned some Bohri Muslim properties on the way and ransacked Aslam Bakery, which shares a wall with the DCP's office.
Saturday, April 13, 2002
NDA allies feel snubbed, mull response
The shrill Hindutva message that has been sent out by the BJP from Goa, together with the BJP leadership's rejection of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's offer to quit, has made highly untenable the position of many NDA partners which had sought his removal. What makes matters worse for the saffron party's "secular allies" is its decision to capitalise on the communal divide engineered by the Modi regime, by holding early polls in the state. For Telugu Desam (TDP) chief Chandrababu Naidu, whose party had demanded Modi's ouster, the national executive's decision was a political snub. It remains to be seen how Naidu reacts. He has convened a meeting of the TDP Parliamentary Party in Hyderabad on April 14 to take stock of the "emerging socio-political situation". He has been briefed by senior party leaders about developments in Goa. For the present, the only comment from the TDP camp was that it expected Vajpayee to accede to its demand. "We have full faith in the Prime Minister. We decided to support his government from outside to make the BJP set aside its agenda and govern the country on the basis of the NDA charter," said TDP general secretary Lal Jan Basha. But for Naidu it could become essential to distance his party from the BJP by not putting forward a candidate for the Lok Sabha Speaker's post. Given Vajpayee's virtual endorsement of Modi's self-serving explanation for the post-Godhra violence, even this token distancing might be inadequate to reassure the TDP's minority vote-bank. The many questions the TDP and other NDA partners will need to address were raised by Samata rebel Shambhu Srivastava. "It's a litmus test for the allies. The time has come for them to prove how genuine is their concern over the communal carnage in Gujarat," he said. Srivastava felt the rejection of Modi's offer to quit was a clear message to the allies that the BJP was determined to carry forward its agenda. "It is now up to the allies to choose whether to continue their association with the coalition or leave," he said. Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party, which too had sought President's rule in Gujarat, reaffirmed its position. "Modi should be asked to go in the interest of the NDA and the state," remarked Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, Lok Janshakti's vice-president and spokesperson. "How can the (BJP) call it (an) internal matter. Violence in Gujarat concerns the country's secular fabric, the protection of which is part of the NDA agenda."
Saturday, April 13, 2002
Hooper's double ton powers Windies to 494/7
NEW DELHI: West Indies made the best of perfect batting conditions and a tired and beleaguered Indian bowling attack to pile up 494/7 when rain and bad light ended play on day two of the first Test at Guyana on Friday. The Indian bowling looking uninspired for the best part of the day was sent on a leather hunt by Carl Hooper and Shivnarine Chanderpaul who helped themselves to their highest individual Test scores. Carl Hooper went past his previous highest test of 178 not out, scoring a double century in the process. Chanderpaul who had been terribly out of form before the match crossed his previous highest score of 137 also scored against India. Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan failed to dislodge the West Indian batsmen with the new ball in the morning session in spite of overcast and gloomy conditions. Resuming from their overnight score of 270/4, West Indies raced to 301/4 in the 100th over of the innings with Hooper cruising at 120 and Chanderpaul well entrenched with 75 to his name. Both Hooper and Chanderpaul made a meal of the tired Indian bowling attack and Ganguly compounded matters for the Indians by a piece of unimaginative captaining. Chanderpaul was especially impressive showing exemplary footwork and timing to pierce the field cordon. Sarandeep Singh who had been twiddling his thumbs in the outfield for the better part on day one was brought on only to be milked for runs. The off-spinner was guilty of bowling far too short giving an opportunity for the West Indian batsmen to free their arms and cut the ball. Lacking confidence in his bowling, Sarandeep was also guilty of bowling no balls, a cardinal sin for a spinner. In spite of Ganguly employing a defensive field with eight players on the off side, boundaries flew thick and fast from the blades of the batsmen. Ganguly’s tactics were baffling as the Indian skipper chose to defend rather than attack the batsmen. It soon became apparent that the Indians were trying to restrict the scoring and not really take wickets. Unfortunately for India, Ganguly’s tactic of stemming the flow of runs and frustrate the batsmen backfired as he saw his bowlers wave the white flag to the West Indian batsmen. The abject surrender of the Indian bowlers made it all the easier for Hooper and Chanderpaul to score freely. At lunch West Indies were 361/4 with Hooper batting on 147 and Chanderpaul scoring his third Test hundred on 106. The post lunch session saw Hooper and Chanderpaul systematically taking the Indian bowlers apart. Ganguly finally introduced Tendulkar only to see the Little Master go for 19 runs in three overs with the well-set batsmen milking him for runs. The Indian players were already looking tired and the drooping shoulders were apparent. Chanderpaul reached his highest Test score when he crossed 137 in the 136th over of the innings. Hooper also notched up his personal best when he crossed 178. Indian looked like just going through the motions when a tired Chanderpaul was trapped lbw by Zaheer Khan after scoring 140 off 290 balls studded with 23 boundaries. This record partnership for the West Indies was worth a whopping 293 runs. In spite of the breakthrough, there was little respite for the Indians as Hooper raced to 203 from 354 balls by chipping Sarandeep for a boundary over long on. At tea West Indies were dictating terms at 454/5. The post tea session saw an inspired Zaheer Khan attack the batsmen. The second ball after tea saw the dismissal of Junior Murray trapped lbw by Zaheer for a duck. But that gave little comfort to the Indians as Hopper kept on the pressure by scoring freely. The West Indian skipper was finally dismissed when going for some quick runs. Having knocked the stuffing out of the Indian attack, Hooper was caught by Sarandeep of Kumble after Hooper had just hit the bowler for a massive six and tried to repeat the shot. Hooper made 233 from 402 balls with 29 boundaries and three towering sixes. Rain stopped play shortly after Hooper’s dismissal and in all likelihood saved India the blushes as a declaration was imminent and the Indian batsmen would have found it uncomfortable out their in the middle after sweating it out on the field for almost two days. The pitch is playing like a beauty and if the Indians can recoup, quite a few players are capable of bettering their highest Test scores. Sachin, Sourav, Das, Laxman and Dravid should find run scoring quite easy but then India will feel the pressure if they lose early wickets. The stage is set for an intriguing bit of cricket on day three as the West Indians would like to declare soon and invite the Indians to open their first innings. Scoreboard West Indies: 1st innings Stuart Williams lbw b Srinath 13 Ramnaresh Sarwan c Zaheer b Sarandeep 53 Brian Lara c wk Dasgupta b Srinath 0 Carl Hooper c Sarandeep b Kumble 233 Shivnarine Chanderpaul lbw b Zaheer 140 Junior Murray lbw b Zaheer 0 Mahendra Nagamootoo not out 9 Mervyn Dillon not out 0 Extras: (byes 1, leg-byes 4, wides 3, no-balls 26) 34 TOTAL: (for seven wickets, 158.3 overs) 494 Wickets fell at: 21, 37, 44, 157, 450, 454, 494. To bat: Cameron Cuffy, Adam Sanford. Bowling: Javagal Srinath 33-8-91-3 (no-balls 3), Zaheer Khan 32-9-97-2 (no-balls 14, wides 1), Sanjay Bangar 24.3-5-61-0 (wides 1), Anil Kumble 43-6-140-1 (no-balls 5), Sourav Ganguly 2-1-2-0 (no-balls 1), Sarandeep Singh 21-5-80-1 (no-balls 3), Sachin Tendulkar 3-0-18-0 (wides 1).
Thursday, April 11, 2002
Fernandes arrives on four-day visit to Russia
Defence Minister George Fernandes arrived here today on a four-day visit to Russia in a bid to give a new fillip to ongoing Indo-Russian military cooperation. Fernandes will hold extensive talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Ivanov to finalise several defence deals including acquisition of Kiev-class aircraft carrier 'Admiral Gorshkov', defence sources said. He is also expected to ask for the shifting of production of some critically needed Russian armament spares to India. However, Indian diplomatic sources said that no concrete deal is expected to be signed during the visit. Fernandes is heading a nine-member delegation which includes Additional Defence Secretary Ajay Prasad, Additional Defence Production Secretary Dhirendra Singh, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral S V Gopalachari, Assistant Chief of Air Staff Air Vice Marshal P K Desai and Additional Director General Weapons and Equipments at Army Headquarters Major General C S Brar. The two sides would also hold delegation level talks to expedite supply of Russian frontline main battle tanks, T-90 tanks, upgraded SU-30 fighters and other equipment, the defence sources said.
Thursday, April 11, 2002
Musharraf calls Indian democracy "a bluff"
Under attack from the opposition for his brand of democracy, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has said the communal violence in Gujarat showed the Indian society as intolerant and the democracy "just a bluff". "India is proud of proclaiming itself the largest democracy in the world but there is no society as intolerant as the Indian," he said in an interview to French daily 'La Figaro' when asked about the riots in Gujarat. The Hindus attack not only the Muslims but they also target Sikhs, Christians and untouchables, he said adding the "Indian democracy is just a bluff." He also said he did not believe that the kidnapping and killing of American journalist Daniel Pearl and the attack on a church in Islamabad, which killed four persons including two Americans, were aimed at the United States. Asked if the Pearl's killing and the church attack were meant to target his government, Musharraf said "All scenarios are possible." He said there were forces wanting to destabilise his government. "One can imagine vengeance on the part of Al Qaeda. Our eastern neighbour could also be involved in these operations", he said without naming India. In reply to a question, he said "Pakistan economy is in the process of making a new start, reviving terrorism is a good means of dissuading foreign firms from investing in Pakistan".
Thursday, April 11, 2002
Rs 800-cr petroleum storage project being set up by Reliance
A multipurpose petroleum storage and distribution terminal is being set up by the Reliance Petroleum on a 30-acre land at Kasberia here. The Rs 800-crore project's foundation stone was laid by the chairman of the Haldia Development Authority, Lakshman Seth, in the presence of top Reliance Petroleum officials today. The company's Chief Executive Officer, A Subbiah, told that petroleum products produced at Jamnagar in Gujarat will be distributed in West Bengal and other states of the eastern region through the terminal. Subbiah said that at the initial stage an investment of Rs 90 crore will be made. The infrastructure will be provided by the HDA. To give a further fillip to industry in West Bengal's showpiece industrial hub, a 21-km link road, named Integrated Industrial Link Road, is being constructed to link projects like Mitsubishi and HPL. The road, being set up at a cost of Rs 10 crore, will start at the Mitsubishi and end at Durgachak.
Thursday, April 11, 2002
India not to concede LTTE chief's demands to lift ban, mediate
Indian government is in no mood to concede LTTE chief V Prabhakaran's demand for lifting the 10-year old ban on it and is of the view that the Tiger supremo has to be extradited to this country. While a formal official response to Prabhakaran's comments at his press conference in Kilinochchi is expected tomorrow, Government sources said there is no change in New Delhi's stand of not mediating between the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE. LTTE will continue to be treated as a banned terrorist outfit. The demand for the extradition of Prabhakaran remains, the sources said. In his press meet, the LTTE chief had sought India's mediation and lifting the ban on his organisation. The sources said the protracted problem between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE has to be sorted out between them. India had welcomed the accord between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE, saying this would provide an opportunity to both sides to move forward towards a substantive dialogue for a negotiated political settlement of the ethnic conflict in a manner which would meet the aspirations of all sections of Sri Lanka society and restore lasting peace in that country. The sources said India remains commited to the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka and stands by its consistent support to the peace process and to cooperating fully towards Sri Lanka's economic development and progress. 22:21 IST
Thursday, April 11, 2002
Injury forces Harbhajan out of the first Test
GEORGETOWN (GUYANA): Ending days of speculation over Harbhajan Singh's fitness, Indian team manager Goutam Dasgupta said the off-spinner has been ruled out of Thursday's first Test aginst West Indies here due to a nagging shoulder injury. "According to physio Andrew Leipus, Harbhajan is still not able to throw properly and hence would not be considered for the first Test," a disappointed Dasgupta told on Wednesday evening. Pointing out that it was a recurrence of an old injury Dasgupta said "Leipus feels Harbhajan needs to be rested in the first Test in order to be allowed to recover." "Leipus doesn't want to take any chances considering we still have four Tests and five one-day internationals ahead in this series, not to mention the long season ahead," he added. Sarandeep Singh, a fellow-spinner, has been named in a 13-member squad for the opening Test, Dasgupta said. Also left out were paceman Tinu Yohannan, wicket-keeper Ajay Ratra and middle-order batsman Dinesh Mongia. Harbhajan suffered the injury on bowling shouler during a three-day fixture against Guyana Board President's XI here on Sunday. His omission comes as a big setback for the Indians considering the wicket for the first Test which is likely to assist spinners. India (from): Saurav Ganguly, S S Das, Deep Dasgupta, S Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, V V S Laxman, Sanjay Bangar, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Sarandeep Singh, Zaheer Khan, A nehra and Wasim Jaffer.
Wednesday, April 10, 2002
Hooper counts on pace to rattle India
Georgetown, April 10: West Indies captain Carl Hooper is looking at his pace attack to rattle India when the first of five tests starts at the Bourda cricket ground on Thursday. "We`ve picked four pacemen in the 13-man squad and we also have the option of the leg-spinner with me pitching in with some off-spinners," Hooper said after a team practice session. Hooper`s confidence -- despite his team`s five straight test losses -- stems not only from the fact that India has not won a series outside South Asia since beating England in 1985-86, but also from the form shown by most of his players in domestic cricket. "Most of the guys here have been in great form," said Hooper. "Stuart Williams ...almost picked himself by scoring 970-odd runs in the Busta competition. Junior Murray hit four hundreds at the first class level. Ryan Hinds is a very effective bat. The guys are looking sharp." However Hooper is aware his West Indies side is still struggling to replace former pace spearheads Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose. "It`s not easy to replace Walsh and Ambrose but we will be relying (on) Merv Dillon, Cameron Cuffy, Marlon Black and Adam Stanford to deliver the goods," Hooper said. High hopes are also expected from leg-break bowler Mahendra Nagamootoo, who set a domestic record this season with 50 wickets. The return of Brian Lara after a three-month layoff from an elbow injury adds depth to a batting line-up consisting of Hooper, Williams, Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul. EMULATING BRADMAN "Sachin is a great batsman, but we have the bowlers who can get him out. I`m sure he`ll have his days on this tour. We just hope he doesn`t score too many," Hooper said. Tendulkar has 7,673 test runs in 91 tests at an average of 58.57 and will be looking to emulate Australian Don Bradman`s 29 test hundreds at Bourda. Only former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar, with 34, has more test centuries. Lara`s 7,221 runs in 83 tests have come at 50.49 but his 18 centuries include three double tons and a world record 375 not out against England in 1994. "Lara is the one man we will all be looking to get out," said India`s left-arm pace bowler Zaheer Khan. "We know how hard it is to get his wicket and we`ll have to make sure we give our best against him." Indian captain Sourav Ganguly said his side would be named on Thursday morning but said Deep Dasgupta would open the innings and keep wickets. "We were a little concerned about Dasgupta`s keeping but he did well in the side match. His batting gives the team a lot of balance," he said. Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh is the only injury concern because of the shoulder injury he suffered in a warm-up game on Sunday. Team physiotherapist Andrew Leipus told Reuters on Tuesday that Harbhajan may have to undergo a fitness test before a final verdict. Off spinner Sarandeep Singh, who made his debut against Zimbabwe in 2000, has joined the Indian squad to partner leg-break bowler Anil Kumble if Harbhajan is ruled out. Squads: India - Sourav Ganguly (captain), Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Wasim Jaffer, Deep Dasgupta, Shiv Sundar Das, Vangipurappu Laxman, Dinesh Mongia, Ajay Ratra, Sanjay Bangar, Javagal Srinath, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Sarandeep Singh, Tinu Yohannan, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra. West Indies - Carl Hooper (captain), Chris Gayle, Stuart Williams, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ryan Hinds, Junior Murray, Mervyn Dillon, Cameron Cuffy, Marlon Black, Adam Stanford, Mahendra Nagamootoo. Reuters
Wednesday, April 10, 2002
‘Tired’ skipper opts for a change
Georgetown, April 9: India's captain Saurav Ganguly today said he would bat at number three in the forthcoming Test series against the West Indies starting here on Thursday as he feels too tired waiting for his turn at number five. I will come at number three in the Test series, Ganguly said here as the tourists abandoned their plans to visit the famous Keifter waterfalls, some 50 kms away from the capital, but decided to take a break from practice. Ganguly said his decision to bat at number three is not only due to his performance against Zimbabwe in the New Delhi Test in which he scored a century. I just feel too tired waiting for my turn at number five, Ganguly said adding, I spoke to Rahul Dravid about it (batting at no. 3) and he was very nice and accommodating on the issue, the skipper said. Ganguly batted one down against Zimbabwe in the Delhi Test after a long time and played a match-winning knock of 136, his first Test century in almost two years. Ganguly who batted at number three on his debut against England at Lord’s in 1996 struck two successive centuries in the series. Thereafter, he was put at number six against Sri Lanka in an away series in 1997, swapping places with Rahul Dravid who made one drop spot his own for a number of years. Dravid had to yield the premier batting slot to VVS Laxman during the Test series at home against Australia last year, and the Hyderabadi grabbed it with both hands playing an epic innings of 281 at Kolkata. But after a string of failures, Laxman again made way for Dravid to come at number three. Ganguly is now back at number three and his success or failure in the coming matches would determine whether it would be Ganguly or Dravid who bats at that spot in future. Dravid has batted at the number three position 63 times in 55 Tests and scored 3118 runs at an average of 55.68 average with seven centuries and 17 fifties. Ganguly is not far behind with an average of 48.93 batting at the same spot in 16 innings of his 53 Tests, compiling 734 runs with three hundreds and two fifties. Laxman, scored 627 runs from 12 innings in his 30 Tests at number three and has an average of 52.25, with one hundred and two fifties. ======================================== Harbhajan undegoes MRI scan on shoulder ======================================== Georgetown: Harbhajan Singh underwent MRI scan on his bothersome right shoulder in Trinidad yesterday and, while the report was still awaited, expressed confidence that he would be fit to play in the first Test against West Indies starting here on Thursday. But, with the experience of stalwarts like Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath and Radhul Dravid before it, the Indian team management was taking no chances as they decided to make the off-spinner undergo a fitness test before the Test and arranged for fellow offie Sarandeep Singh to be flown in as a standby. I feel confident about playing in the first Test against the West Indies, said Harbhajan who experienced pain in his right shoulder after hurling in a throw during Guyana Board President XI’s second innings on Sunday. After I threw in from the outfield, I was in extreme pain. I could not lift my hand, said Harbhajan.
Wednesday, April 10, 2002
Crisis in NDA over Modi
The Gujarat riots have claimed their first victim in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). A senior Samata functionary quit his posts on Tuesday evening, protesting the party's flip-flop on Narendra Modi. What made matters worse for the NDA was a demand from Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party that Modi should be sacked and President's rule clamped on Gujarat. "A serious constitutional crisis has arisen in the state," LJP vice-president Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said. "Your statement trying to defend Modi has made my position absolutely untenable," Samata general secretary and spokesperson Shambhu Shrivastwa wrote to party president V.V. Krishna Rao from Patna. On Sunday, Shrivastwa speaking for his party criticised Modi's handling of the riots, and demanded he quit. The attack from its closest ally sent shock waves through the BJP, whose stalwarts had mounted pressure on Samata boss George Fernandes to undo the damage. And on Tuesday, Rao, presumably under instructions from Fernandes, issued a statement saying Modi's removal was not a solution to the violence in Gujarat. Within hours of the volte-face, Shrivastwa resigned his Samata Party posts. "You are well aware that what I spoke (on Sunday) was not only the party's stand but (it) also reflected the overwhelming sentiment in the party," Shrivastwa said. Nor would he withdraw his resignation till the party changed its latest position on Modi, Shrivastwa told the Hindustan Times. "Modi has worked in a partisan manner. He is incapable of restoring security and confidence in Gujarat." What has upset Shrivastwa even more is that the party leadership's intended change of stance was kept from him. Rao had not taken him into confidence despite the two men having been together for quite some time in Delhi on Tuesday. It was only later in the day that Shrivastwa had flown to Patna. Worse, Shrivastwa said George Fernandes himself had spoken to him on four occasions on Monday, but had never once hinted that a change in the party line was in the offing.
Wednesday, April 10, 2002
Cannes to raise a toast to Raj Kapoor
The Indian film industry is going places. After 'Lagaan', it is the turn of legendary actor-director Raj Kapoor to be the toast of foreign lands. This year, the Cannes Film Festival will honour the late doyen of Hindi cinema, Raj Kapoor. A tribute-cum-retrospective of Raj Kapoor's films has been organised for the festival that gets under way on May 16. Three of the director's most famous films -- Awaara, Barsaat and Shree 420 -- have been slated for the retrospective. Karisma and Kareena Kapoor, the grand daughters of the director and film stars in their own right, will represent Raj Kapoor on the famous Montees des Marches to receive his award. UNI
Wednesday, April 10, 2002
Riots in Maharashtra, 3 killed
ALYAN, Thane: Three people, including two women, were killed late Tuesday when the murder of a Bajrang Dal activist sparked off riots in Kalyan in Thane district. Police fired at the mob indulging in stabbing and setting fire to houses and shops. Eight policemen were also injured when the rampaging mob pelted them with stones. The incident took place around midnight in the Bazarpeth market area in Kalyan district, 25 kilometers from Mumbai. Trouble started in the Rohidaswada area after the body of Bajrang Dal activist, who was stabbed to death, was found. The Thane police commissioner S M Shangari and joint police commissioner Ambalal Varma have rushed to the spot, police said, adding additional forces have also been rushed to the spot.
Wednesday, April 10, 2002
SC fiat on Taj security
The Supreme Court today asked the Centre to furnish plans within two weeks for providing security to the Taj Mahal to protect the monument and intimate the same to the Uttar Pradesh Government. A Bench comprising Justice M.B. Shah, Justice B.P. Singh and Justice H.K. Sema gave the direction, which was taken up by the court after its attention was drawn to the "invasion" of the monument in Agra by BJP youth wing activists on October 14 last.
Wednesday, April 10, 2002
PM may ask Modi to quit
PRIME Minister A B Vajpayee, under extreme pressure from the Opposition and some of the NDA allies may ask Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to resign. Well-placed sources told Deccan Herald today that the Prime Minister was deeply disturbed after his visit to Ahmedabad on April 4. Though Mr Vajpayee refrained from making any statement on the continuance or otherwise of Mr Modi, he is understood to have made up his mind now. He is said to have already held talks with Home Minister L K Advani, who is known to be Mr Modi’s mentor, in this regard. A couple of days ago, he is said to have asked Gujarat BJP leader and present minister of State for defence Haren Pathak to explore the possibility of taking over as chief minister. Mr Pathak, who himself had to quit as Union minister for his role in the 1992 anti-Muslim riots (but re-inducted later) is said to have expressed his unwillingness to head the government at the present juncture. The sources said the Prime Minister is likely to take the decision on Modi after the Goa national executive meeting slated for April 12-14. It also remains to be seen whether Mr Vajpayee will show Mr Modi the door before Parliament resumes on April 15. The Prime Minister is said to have been much worried over the impact of the Gujarat carnage on the image of the NDA government both within the country and outside. In a statement in Ahmedabad on April 4, Mr Vajpayee wondered what face he would show the world leadership, especially the Islamic countries and termed the carnage a blot on the nation. While some of the NDA allies have publicly demanded the sacking of Mr Modi as the violence in the state was continuing unabated, there is however, a strong pressure from within the BJP as well as the RSS not to make any moves to replace Mr Modi. Some BJP leaders are said to have expressed the fear that the party may face a Hindu backlash in the event of a change of guard in Gandhinagar. There is already a perceived BJP surge following the gruesome killings of the Muslims in the state. The demand for Modi’s ouster grew within the NDA grew with the Lok Janashakti joining the oust Modi campaign. The party said today that the Gujarat chief minister should be removed for his inefficiency, inept and callous approach to the riots even as it lambasted the government for its discriminatory handling of the situation. The Trinamool Congress and Janata Dal (United) have already called for resignation of Mr Modi. The Samata Party, which two days ago, sought the removal of Mr Modi, today made a volte-face as its president V V Krishna Rao said there was no need for change of leadership as such a situation would not help matters. TDP, another strong ally of BJP, said change of Mr Modi was not the solution to the problem. Meanwhile, Union Minister Dr Murli Manohar Joshi said it was for the Prime Minister and BJP president to decide on replacing Mr Modi for his failure to control communal violence in the state. Mr Keshubhai Patel, former Gujarat chief minister and a bete noire of Mr Modi, today met party president Jana Krishnamurthy and discussed the situation in Gujarat. Speaking to reporters Mr Krishnamurthy, who has all along defended Mr Modi said, violence has subsided and efforts were needed to restore normalcy in the state.
Wednesday, April 10, 2002
IT is still highway as far as jobs go
THE last fiscal may have been a year of pay-cuts and pink slips for the information technology industry, but even during this tough time, the sector generated nearly a lakh of new jobs. As per the figures provided by National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom), the IT industry added about 94,000 people in 2001-02, a majority of them in the booming IT-enabled services (ITES). However, when compared with the previous year, the recruits were down by about 32 per cent from 1.40 lakh as the industry adopted a cautious approach towards hiring in a slowdown. During the year software exports segment added 18,000 people to take the total number of professionals to 1.80 lakh, while the ITES sector gave employment to about 36,000 people. Total number of people working in ITES companies in the country stood at about 1.10 lakh by the year-end. "Although the software exports sector added only 11 per cent more people in the year, its turnover grew by over 30 per cent. This shows that the industry has been able to achieve improved productivity and better bench management,'' said Mr Sunil Mehta, Vice-President of Nasscom. "Companies have clearly managed their existing resources well during the year. Earlier, they just used to add people rather than focus on improving yields,'' Mr Mehta told Business Line. The domestic software sector - mainly user organisations - has added about 40,000 people during the year. Companies such as HLL, ONGC and LIC added more people in their IT departments as they continued to invest more in IT. "Corporations like LIC have been investing heavily in IT in the past 18 months. E-governance is another area which is driving the recruitment in the domestic IT market,'' Mr Mehta said. He said Nasscom collated the employment figures by doing a dip-stick survey of about 35 companies in the software exports sector. For the domestic segment, the association garnered the numbers from user organisations as well as training institutes such as NIIT and Aptech. "Then we cross-checked with the number of servers sold in the country in the year, which stood at 55,000 units. Usually a server to manpower ratio is 1:1.5,'' Mr Mehta said, adding that of the new server additions, some may be replacements. The watchful approach of companies towards hiring is likely to continue in the current year as well since the pressure on billing rates still continues. "The billing rates have more or less stabilised, but there is no upswing visible,'' Mr Mehta said. This would also mean that salaries of software professionals would not tend to skyrocket again. "Salaries are now being linked to performance of the individual and that of the companies. This trend will continue this year too,'' he said.
Wednesday, April 10, 2002
Ashok Leyland Stock Touches 52-week High
Chennai, The shares of commercial vehicle manufacturer, Ashok Leyland Ltd (ALL), touched a new 52 week high of Rs 98 and closed Tuesday’s trading at Rs 94 due to profit booking by operators. The sharp rise in the stock prices in recent days is in anticipation of large orders for CNG buses from Delhi’s state transport undertaking and private players in the region, said analysts. "There is a demand for 10,000 CNG buses from the Delhi region and the company should get atleast a 50 per cent of the new orders," said an analyst with a domestic brokerage firm. The CNG chassis cost about Rs 10.5 lakh as against Rs 7.5 lakh for a diesel chassis, said industry sources. Also, the company has orders for about 500 CNG chassis from private operators who are yet to take delivery. ALL is also carrying an inventory of about 1,000 CNG chassis. "The stock should remain rangebound till the fourth quarter results, which is expected to be lacklustre. It could move up during June in anticipation of good first quarter results," said an analyst.
Tuesday, April 9, 2002
PM discusses fight against terrorism
Fight against terrorism and strategic environment figured prominently during intensive discussions between Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his Singaporean counterpart Goh Chok Tong in Singapore on Monday. "We have discussed our strategic environment, political concerns and security challenges. Recent events have dramatically demonstrated the reach and penetration of international terrorist forces. Societies like ours have to close ranks against these forces," Vajpayee said at a banquet hosted by Goh. Lauding Singapore's contribution in facilitating India's dialogue with the powerful ten-nation ASEAN and its participation in the ASEAN Regional Forum, a security grouping, Vajpayee said: "We are convinced that India's destiny, like that of Singapore, is closely intertwined with the future of South-East Asia and of the Asia Pacific." "We can both flourish in a dynamic, mutually beneficial partnership. It is with this perspective that we look forward to the first ASEAN-India Summit in November this year," the prime minister said. Observing that India looks to Singapore as a powerhouse of economic development and modernisation, he said: "Singapore can find in India both human and natural resources as inputs to spur further growth. India provides Singapore with the space to accommodate its economic globalisation ambitions."
Tuesday, April 9, 2002
SC notice to PM
NEW DELHI The Supreme Court today ordered issue of notice to the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, on a special leave petition (SLP) challenging his election to the Lok Sabha from the Lucknow constituency in October 1999. A Bench, comprising S.P. Bharucha, Shivraj V. Patil and D.M. Dharmadhikari, issued notice to the Prime Minister, returnable in six weeks on the SLP filed by Harikrishan Lal, against a judgment of the Allahabad High Court. The High Court had dismissed Mr. Lal's petition on the ground that it was frivolous and without substance and outside the purview of the Representation of the People Act. .
Tuesday, April 9, 2002
Seven killed in terrorist attack in Udhampur
Heavily armed terrorists shot dead seven Hindus, including two women and their daughters, and lobbed grenades on some houses in a village in Udhampur district on Sunday night after a fierce gun battle with the members of the Village Defence Committee (VDC), official sources said on Monday. The terrorists swooped on Dandli village around 2100 hours and engaged the VDC members for nearly six hours. After the VDC ran out of ammunition, the terrorists opened fire on the villagers killing seven Hindus and injuring three others, they said. The slain Hindus have been identified as Shoba Ram, Ganpati Devi and her six-year-old daughter Santosh, Lal Devi and her four-year-old daughter Srishtu Devi, Shanker Dass and Somi Lal, the sources said. Three more Hindus, including a girl, were injured in the firing, they said, adding the terrorists later lobbed grenades at some houses as a result of which ten houses were gutted. Police party along with security forces rushed to the village in the early hours, but the terrorists escaped. Minister of State for Home Khalid Najeeb Suhrawardhy, DGP A K Suri and IGP (Jammu) P L Gupta also flew to the village to take stock of the situation. Though no terrorist outfit has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, intelligence sources said it could be the handiwork of either Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) or Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT). This is the first major incident in the area this year. Terrorists had shot dead five Hindus at Thandi Behak in the district in August last year.
Tuesday, April 9, 2002
Kuwait Not seeking deportation
NEW DELHI Kuwait is not seeking the deportation of Dhalal Falag al Azmi, who had fled the emirate with her Indian companion on a forged passport, but regrets that the authorities in Tamil Nadu had "denied diplomatic access to her." Khalid al-Razni, Director of Kuwait's information office, said here today that the embassy would apprise the External Affairs Ministry about this. The Embassy Consular, Nameer al-Quraini, had not been allowed to meet Ms. Dhalal and this behaviour of Chennai police was "unprofessional".
Tuesday, April 9, 2002
UTI to be restructured by end-2002
State-run Unit Trust of India, the country's largest mutual fund manager, will divide its operations into three divisions by the end of 2002 as part of a restructuring drive in line with the market regulator's guidelines, a top fund official said on Monday. Bombay-based UTI, which was created by an act of parliament in 1964, currently functions as a single entity but under the Securities and Exchange Board of India's (SEBI) rules every mutual fund needs to separate its asset management company from its trusteeship. "We will be SEBI-compliant," UTI Chairman Meleveetil Damodaran, who was in the capital to hold discussions with Finance Ministry officials on the new structure of the fund manager, told reporters. "The exercise that we attempted today was how to ensure UTI becomes structurally compliant by December 2002, which means a (separate) sponsored company, a (separate) trustee company and one or more asset management companies." UTI, which manages almost half the Indian fund management industry's assets, was at the centre of a major financial scandal in mid-2001. It rattled financial markets when it froze redemptions at its largest fund, US-64, for the rest of the year following heavy redemptions in the April-June quarter. A nationwide uproar over the decision to freeze the fund in which some 20 million investors had parked their savings forced UTI to allow partial redemptions at a predetermined price and also to announce a restructuring plan. Damodaran said the UTI Act would have to be altered for the fund to comply with SEBI's rules. "This act would need to have some of its provisions diluted in order to completely comply structurally. That is the limited exercise on which discussions commenced today." He said he was hopeful the act would be changed in the current session of parliament which meets on April 15 after a recess. NO SHORTFALL Damodaran said UTI will not float new schemes that offer assured returns, but would meet its commitments under closed-end schemes that come up for redemption during the year. He also said that UTI would not resort to selling its holdings in the markets in a bid to raise cash. "Investors should not be concerned where the money (for redemptions) comes from. The promise held out to them would be fulfilled," Damodaran said. "On the date on which these schemes mature, there is not going to be any shortfall in the UTI for honouring its commitments."
Tuesday, April 9, 2002
Shareholders Okay RPL, RIL Marriage
Mumbai, The Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) shareholders have approved the merger of Reliance Petroleum Ltd (RPL) with itself. The resolution was passed with an overwhelming majority representing 99.95 per cent in value of members present and voting, said a Reliance release. The resolution was supported by all categories of shareholders, including international and domestic institutional investors and retail investors. At the extra-ordinary general meeting (EGM) convened under the orders of the high court of Mumbai here on Monday, RIL chairman Dhirubhai Ambani said the merger would result in increased financial strength and flexibility for the company. It would enhance the company’s ability to participate in future growth opportunities, particularly, in the context of its own initiatives in exploration and production (E&P) and infocom sectors, and the government’s approach towards hydrocarbon sector reforms, deregulation of marketing of petroleum products, and the privatisation of public sector enterprises. The company has received proxy for 63 crore share, representing 60 per cent of the equity capital of the company. Mr Ambani added that the proposed merger is in line with the global industry trends for achieving scale, size, integration and enhanced financial strength and flexibility to pursue future growth opportunities, in an increasingly competitive environment. The merger will be significantly accretive for RIL’s shareholders, as annualised EPS will increase from Rs 26 (US$ 0.5) to Rs 28.8 (US$ 0.6) per share, based on financial results as announced by RIL and RPL for the first nine months of the financial year 2001-02, as annualised. Addressing the shareholders, Mr Ambani said that based on the nine-month results of both the companies for 2001-02, the merger will create India’s largest private sector company, on all major financial parameters - sales of Rs 58,000 crore ($ 11.8 billion), operating profit of Rs 9,000 crore ($1.8 billion), cash profit of Rs 6,800 crore ($1.4 billion), net profit of Rs 4,000 crore ($0.8 billion), equity share capital of Rs 1,396 crore ($284 million), net worth of over Rs 28,000 crore ($5.7 billion), total assets of Rs 55,000 crore ($11.2 billion), exports of Rs 10,800 crore ($2.2 billion) and market capitalisation of over Rs 45,000 crore ($9.3 billion). The merger will create India’s only world scale, fully integrated energy company, with operations in oil and gas exploration and production, refining and marketing, petrochemicals, power, and textiles. He added that even after the merger, RIL’s sales, profits and assets will be less than 10 per cent of the respective figures for the largest global energy companies. Mr Ambani said that the merger rationale has been determined using three different methods net asset value (NAV) method, earnings value (EV) method and market value (MV) method.
Tuesday, April 9, 2002
Gujarat riots: PM sent emissary to assuage miffed Naidu
Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office Vijay Goel on Monday flew down to Hyderabad to assuage Telegu Desam Party chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu over his 'agitation' on the failure of the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to contain violence in the state, a top TDP leader said. The leader told rediff.com that Goel carried a specific message from Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee which was to 'assuage' the ruffled feelings of the TDP chief, party MPs and legislators who had expressed their 'disgust' over Modi's handling of Gujarat's law and order situation. He said that the TDP meeting on Saturday was a 'stormy affair' with the majority of its members wanting the party to review its ties with the BJP as the Gujarat situation had a direct 'spillover' effect in Andhra Pradesh. He said that since 'Muslims were the worst sufferers in Gujarat', their community leaders in Andhra Pradesh wanted Naidu to adopt a tough stand against the BJP central leadership. Consequently, on Sunday, Naidu, who is also the Andhra Pradesh chief minister, had a 15-minute telephonic talk with Vajpayee during which he conveyed his party's 'extreme anguish' at Modi's inability to control the riots. The TDP leader said that taken aback by the vehemence of the TDP chief's disenchantment with the Modi government, the prime minister instructed Goel to fly down to Hyderabad in a bid to mollify the TDP leaders. He said that the violence in Gujarat has shaken the Muslim community in Andhra Pradesh. As a result, Naidu in his telephonic conversation on Sunday had emphasised to prime minister that if Modi gave further proof of his 'inability' to tackle the perpetrators of violence, the TDP could not be held responsible for any 'strategy' it followed.
Monday, April 8, 2002
Gujarat DG (Intelligence) shifted in major police reshuffle
Under attack for failure to anticipate post-Godhra communal violence in the state, Gujarat government today transferred five top police officers, including the Director General of Intelligence, in the second major reshuffle in police administration. R B Shreekumar, Additional DG in Ahmedabad, was made in charge of Intelligence replacing G C Raigar who has been shifted as Additional Director General of Police (Administration), an official spokesman said here. K Bhargav, who was DG (Administration), has been transferred as Additional DG, Ahmedabad, replacing Shreekumar. Ahmedabad is one of the areas worst hit by communal violence triggered by the Godhra train carnage. Managing Director of Police Housing Corporation S Banerjee has been transferred as Inspector General (Jails), Ahmedabad replacing H R Gahloat who was shifted in place of Banerjee. This was the second major change in the state's police set-up since the riots broke out, the previous having come nearly two weeks back.
Monday, April 8, 2002
PM arrives in Singapore; to discuss fight against terrorism
Fight against terrorism, cooperation in knowledge-based industry and foreign investment in India would dominate the agenda of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who arrived here today on a three-day visit for wide-ranging talks with the leadership in Singapore, a leading partner of the powerful ten-nation ASEAN. Vajpayee was given a warm welcome as the special Air India Boeing 747 touched down at the Changi international airport here in the first leg of his two-nation tour which would also take him to Cambodia. The Prime Minister would be accorded a ceremonial reception tomorrow. The war against terrorism alongwith economic and trade issue would figure prominently in the talks Vajpayee has with his counterpart Goh Chok Tong tomorrow as Singapore in the recent past has been hit by activities of 'Jema Islamis' - an Islamic fundamentalist organisation which has been operating in Indonesia, Malaysia and parts of Thailand. India and Singapore would discuss the possibility of exchange of information and sharing of intelligence to combat terrorism, a senior External Affairs Ministry official told reporters here. She said Vajpayee would seek "better appreciation" of Pakistan-backed cross-border terrorism being faced by India for nearly two decades especially in the wake of global awakening against the menace following the September 11 attacks in the US.
Monday, April 8, 2002
BJP moderate launches broadside against VHP, Bajrang Dal
Moderate voices in BJP have begun speaking out on the adverse impact caused on the party by "Hindutva" forces and may take up the issue at the party's National Executive meeting beginning in Goa next week. Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Shanta Kumar today launched a broadside against Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal saying elements in these two outfits have nothing to do with 'Hindutva' and were indulging in acts which undermined Hinduism. Asserting time has come to do some plain-speaking, he told that "what these elements are doing is not Hindutva as Hindu Dharma never permits what they have done." He said it was time to rein in the elements who are responsible for demolition of the disputed structure in Ayodhya on Dec 6, 1992 and the attack on Orissa assembly and suggested the BJP deal firmly with them. Kumar said he had consistently maintained that some elements in VHP and Bajrang Dal have nothing to do with 'Hindutva' and are indulging in the acts which "devalue Hinduism and tarnish the image of the country." Kumar, who is likely to leave for Goa to attend the National Executive declined to say whether he would raise these issues there and said he was watching the reaction and would not react to statements of some VHP and Bajrang Dal leaders against him.
Monday, April 8, 2002
Abortive bid by ultras to blow up BSF camp in J and K
Militants made an abortive attempt to blow up a security camp and a grid station in Jammu and Kashmir where an army jawan and two militants were among four persons killed and five others,three of them army jawans, injured since last evening, an official spokesman said here today. Militants fired a rifle grenade towards a BSF campt at Barbarshah in Srinagar in the wee hours today. The grenade missed the target and fell in a nearby nallah. No loss of life was reported, he said. Security forces detected an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by militants near Gangoo-Lajoora grid station in south kashmir which was defused before it could cause any damage, the spokesman said. Ultras also kidnapped two persons including one who opposed marriage of his sister with a militant while security forces smashed a militant hideout and recovered four mines including one fitted in a transformer, 13 detonators, 26 metres of cordex wire, two pairs of foreign made cells, a binicular, nine letter pads of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit in the state during the period, the spokesman said. Police recovered silted head of a teacher, Mushtaq Ahmad Mir, from Nagbal in Pulwama district this morning, the spokesman said. An army jawan was killed and three jawans received gun shot wounds when militants engaged them in a gun-battle at Bankote-Bafliaz in border district of Poonch last evening, the spokesman said.
Monday, April 8, 2002
Media persons assaulted, Patkar mobbed in Sabarmati Ashram
Police today assaulted mediapersons and angry protestors mobbed Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar at Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram here as violence rocked the haven of peace for the first time in half a century. The protestors, including BJP Youth Wing President Amit Thakkar and Congress corporator Rambai Patel, barged into the Ashram in the heart of the city, where a peace meeting was scheduled, at around 2 pm shouting slogans decrying Patkar for her opposition to Sardar Sarovar Dam. Patkar has "undertaken anti-Gujarat and anti-water" mission for 17 years and "therefore, she has no business to be here" were the slogans shouted by the demonstrators shortly before the NBA leader was to join the peace meeting with other NGO leaders and Gandhians. Patkar was escorted to another room by police personnel even as the protestors stayed on in the Ahsram complex shouting slogans occasionally. Police reinforcement marched in and charged with batons leaving mediapersons injured. Among the mediapersons injured in the police action were NDTV camera man Pranab Joshi who was hit on the head and Aaj Tak reporter Dhiman Purohit struck on his arm. Additional Commissioner of Police Shivanand Jha regretted the assault on mediapersons and said he was "sorry" for whatever has happened. "It should not have happened," he added. The protestors also included BJP corporator Amit Shah. Renowned danseuse Mallika Sarabhai, who also runs an NGO 'Prakriti', was among those who attended the peace meeting.
Monday, April 8, 2002
Bowlers put Indians in sight of victory in practice match
Indian bowlers wiped out half the batting line-up of Guyana Board President's XI to cover up the disappointing performance of their batsmen and put their team within sniffing distance of victory on the second day of the three-day tour-opening match here. Speedster Javagal Srinath and leg-spinner Anil Kumble struck twice each to leave the home team tottering at 52 for five at close of play Saturday after they had conceded a 130-run first innings lead to the Indians. Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh claimed the other wicket. The failure of the home batsmen for the second time in the match gave the Indian team some reasons for cheer after they were left rueing the missed opportunities by their batsmen to put up a big score ahead of the first Test against the West Indies starting on Thursday. All-rounder Sanjay Bangar, who top-scored with an unbeaten 76, and V V S Laxman saved the blushes for their team with a 82-run stand for the sixth wicket after three top batsmen had been dismissed within the first hour of play in the day. Still a total of 248 against a second-string attack was a far from satisfactory performance by the Indians who are aiming for their first Test series victory outside the sub-continent in 16 years. Nevertheless, the total gave them a healthy lead over the home team's first innings score of 118 and by the close of play Saturday it seemed it might even be enough for an innings victory.
Monday, April 8, 2002
Azim Premji lone Indian to make the grade among 50 richest
Despite the declining fortune, IT software magnate Azim Premji is the sole Indian to make the grade among the 50 richest in the world. According to the Sunday Times Rich list 2002 published today, Premji with a fortune worth 4.5 billion pounds - down from 4.8 billion pounds in 2001 - is the 49th richest in the world. America's Robson Walton (Retailing) with a staggering fortune worth 73 billion pounds is the richest in the world (up from 45.3 billion pounds in 2001) and Bill Gates, Microsoft Chief is the second richest (37.5 billion pounds, the same as in 2001). There are as many as 40 Non Resident Indians among the richest 1,000 people in Britain with Lakshmi Mittal figuring as the 22nd richest with a fortune of 900 million pounds, down from 1,000 million pounds in 2001. The Hinduja brothers - Srichand and Gopichand - the second richest Asians are listed as the 35th richest in Britain with wealth worth 700 million pounds, the same as the previous year. Lord Swraj Paul, Chairman of Caparo, one of the biggest family-owned steel manufacturers in Britain, retains his position as the sixth richest Asian. With a fortune worth 280 million pounds, he is listed as 122nd richest in Britain richer than Queen Elizabeth II. Incidentally, the Queen Elizabeth II is listed as the 125th richest with a fortune worth 275 million pounds. 18:28 IST
Sunday, April 7, 2002
Kuwaiti girl marries boyfriend
CUDDAPAH: After escaping from Kuwaiti officials attempting to track her down, Dhalal Salang Al Aazmi married her boyfriend, Khader Bhasha, at a mosque in a remote village in this district late on Friday night. The marrige was solemnised by a "qazi" after which the couple returned to Bhasha's native village, Daluvayipalli in Pullampet mandal. Despite having landed in a village where there is absolutely no comfort at the boy's home who belongs to a poor family, the girl appears to have no regrets. Bhasha's parents live in a thatched hut and all that they have is a coir cot, a few vessels, a couple of suitcases and a a cow. "I am prepared to face any hardship. But I want to live with Bhasha, come what may. If separated, we are going to die," she told this website's newspaper at the village on Saturday. Though a new entrant to the family, the girl has been received well by Bhasha's parents, who are farm labourers. The villagers too are aware of the controversy surrounding her escape from Kuwait and firmly said that they would resist any attempt to take away the girl. "We are, no doubt, poor but will take care of the girl. She is as good as my daughter," said Bhasha's mother. Khader Basha is the fourth son of Bashu Saheb, an agriculturer labourer. Khader's second brother, who was also in Kuwait, returned to India a few days ago following the couple's escape from that country as he feared that action would be taken against him. Khader's elder brother is a tailor and stays in the village itself while the last one is working as a farm hand. The couple urged the Indian government to grant Aazmi Indian citizenship so that they can lead a happy life here. Asked if she was aware that an official from Kuwait was likely to visit the village, Aazmi said: "I am clear in mind. I want to live here with my husaband or they can take me only after I am dead." Pullampeta Sub-Inspector V Narayana Swami Reddy told this website's newspaper that they would protect the couple as long as the case was pending would not hand them over to anyone.
Sunday, April 7, 2002
Bollywood welcomes Bharat Shah's release
The Hindi film industry on Wednesday welcomed the apex court decision to release on bail Bharat Shah, leading movie financier and distributor, held for his alleged nexus with the underworld to target film personalities for personal gains. Reacting to the Supreme court verdict, Shah, admitted to a Mumbai hospital for treatment of a neurological problem, said "I am happy to hear the news." Mood was upbeat among the film fraternity, who said that it augured well for the crisis-ridden industry. On hearing the news, his well-wishers went to Shah's office at Naaz building, the nerve centre of the film trade at Lamington Road. Staff members of Shah's enterprise VIP Films, including general manager Vinay Chokshi, went to his Napean Sea Road flat to congratulate his wife and younger son. Shah has invested more than Rs 100 crore in Hindi films and obtained world distribution rights of several movies. Leading distributor Balkrishna Shroff of Shringar films said, "we are happy that he has been released", echoing the sentiments of several others in Bollywood. Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said "we shall abide by the Supreme Court verdict" but opined that "it was not a setback to city police which had launched a crackdown on persons having underworld connections". Shah was arrested on January 8 last year under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). Police filed the chargesheet against Shah and two others in January this year. The prosecution has not yet opened its case and trial is yet to begin. Other accused are producer Nasim Rizvi and his assistant Abdul Rahim Allah Baksh. On eight occasions earlier, his bail plea was rejected by the trial court as well as the Bombay High Court. The apex court had also rejected his plea for liberty earlier. Police claim to have recorded telephonic conversations between Shah and Karachi-based gangster Chhota Shakeel, which allegedly reveal that they had targetted film personalities for personal gains. Police claimed that the talks indicated that the film Chori Chori Chupke Chupke was made by Rizvi and Shah at the instance of Shakeel. Shah was admitted to hospital on July 10 last after he developed chest pain in prison. He was admitted initially to government-run JJ Hospital. However, Shah complained that the hospital did not have adequate facilities. The court allowed his plea to undertake treatment at Lilavati Hospital. The trial court formed an expert medical panel to supervise Shah's health. The head of the panel and dean of JJ Hospital suggested that Shah be shifted to the government hospital so that he could supervise his health and treatment. The trial court ordered police to shift Shah to JJ Hospital following which the film financier moved the Bombay High Court. The court, however, suggested that he may be shifted to another establishment, Bombay Hospital.
Sunday, April 7, 2002
Jackie To Play Charles Sobhraj!
This one comes straight from the horse's mouth. Jaggu dada is getting ready to play the role of his lifetime. This is going to be the most challenging role for the 40-plus actor. In what is regarded as the mother of all roles, Jackie will bring to the silver screen, the life and times of notorious international criminal Charles Sobhraj. Titled 'Bottomline,' the film will be directed and produced by Sorab Irani. And according to reports, Charles has been consulted before Sorab's intention was made public. 'Bottomline' is not exactly a biography of Charles. We have taken some creative liberties, says Oorvazi Irani, daughter of Sorab, who is also the associate director. The film in no way will glorify the crimes committed by Charles. It will be a question about man, morality and redemption. For the role, Jackie plans to go for a rigorous workshop, which includes voice modulation and cutting off his moustache. Jackie also has plans to catch up with Charles to enable him to prepare for the role adeptly. Another special feature of the film will be that it will be the first film in India to be shot in digital format. Sounds like a hit already!
Sunday, April 7, 2002
Abhishek Bachchan Receives Court Summons
Abhishek Bachchan has apparently been summoned by a Delhi Metropolitan Court on April 4 to answer charges of 'wrongful restraint' and 'voluntarily causing hurt' to two cameramen. The summons-notice is being served by a team from the New Delhi Police District which has already proceeded for Mumbai. Abhishek was shooting for a film on the India Gate lawns when he is alleged to have assaulted the two photo-journalists, who later filed the case.
Sunday, April 7, 2002
Foreign exchange reserves cross $54 billion
MUMBAI: Foreign exchange reserves continued their upward trend following further inflows of $837 million to cross the $54 billion mark. Within the last four weeks foreign exchange inflows have shot up more than $3 billion taking the country's reserves to record highs. During the week ending March 29, the total reserves touched $54,154 million, Reserve Bank of India said in its weekly statistical bulletin. The country's foreign currency assets also rose by a similar margin of $837 million to end the week at $51,092 million, it added. Gold at $3,052 million and special drawing rights at $10 million were unchanged. Loans and advances to central government remained at a nil balance while that to states rose by Rs 421 crore at Rs 7,346 crore. Aggregate deposits of scheduled commercial banks for the fortnight ended March 22 rose by Rs 10,552 crore at Rs 11,00,454 crore while bank credit swelled to Rs 5,85,832 crore, up by Rs 11,261 crore. Food credit was up by Rs 74 crore at Rs 53,978 crore and non-food credit increased by Rs 11,187 crore at Rs 5,31,854 crore, RBI added.
Sunday, April 7, 2002
Lagaan sweeps Indian film awards in Malaysia
Having missed out at Oscars, favourite Lagaan swept most awards at the India International Film Awards on Saturday here. Lagaan won seven awards in all, including best film, best director, best story and best actor for Aamir Khan. "This is happiness," a beaming Ashutosh Gowariker, the film's writer-director, told the sold-out crowd of 3,000 people at the awards ceremony held in a gambling resort in Malaysia's Genting Highlands. Lagaan was a firm favourite after being nominated in the best foreign film category at this year's Academy Awards, only the third Indian film to get an Oscar nomination. The Indian Awards, started two years ago, are the only Indian movie ceremony held abroad. The first was held at the Millennium Dome, London, followed by last year's ceremony in Sun City, South Africa. Actress Tabu walked away with the best actress award for her performance in Chandi Bar. The film, about a woman who works as a dancer in a seedy bar, was criticized for being unrelentingly bleak, but received five nominations. Another blockbuster, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, also received 12 nominations and was thought to be the biggest threat to Lagaan. It won six of 14 technical awards announced in Mumbai in March, including best art direction, background score and costume design. The film won two more awards on Saturday, including best supporting actress for Jaya Bachan. Two special awards were given on Saturday: a lifetime achievement award was given to veteran actress Sadhana, and special recognition was given to Mira Nair for Monsoon Wedding, which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival last September.
Sunday, April 7, 2002
4,000 ultras waiting to infiltrate into J&K before polls
About 4,000 militants in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) are waiting for the snow to melt on the mountain passes along the Line of Control (LoC) to cross over to Kashmir for stepping up violence during the coming assembly elections, a senior police official said on Saturday. Conservative estimates put the number of such militants between 3,000 to 4,000, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, K Rajendra, told reporters here. Ultras are after soft targets, killing political workers, especially of ruling National Conference, to create fear among the people so as to keep them away from the electoral process, he said. With assembly elections scheduled for September or October, "militants have clear instructions to target political activists to keep common people away from the electoral process," he said. Six NC activists fell to the bullets of militants in they valley in the past two weeks.
Sunday, April 7, 2002
Senior IAS official resigns over the violence in Gujarat
Anguished over the violence in Gujarat, a senior IAS official Harsh Mander on Saturday night resigned from the service saying the communal strife had 'sickened' his heart. Official sources in Delhi confirmed the resignation but an official notification was yet to be issued. Mander, who belonged to the 1980 batch, is currently working with Actionaid, a United Nations-sponsored non-governmental organisation (NGO). He graduated in economics from Delhi's St Stephens College in 1975 and started doing his masters in sociology in the Delhi School of Economics. However, he had left it midway to join the Social Work and Research Centre in Tilonia.
Sunday, April 7, 2002
Hate mobs deny peace a chance in Gujarat
How do you begin the process of healing when any attempt to talk peace is met with threats of even more violence? The answer, apparently, is you don't really. In Mehmadabad town, some 50 km from Ahmedabad, an attempt to hold a peace rally was thwarted when the organiser was threatened by a 500-strong mob. Mehmadabad has a population of about 15,000 Muslims and 25,000 Hindus. Some weeks after communal riots first broke out, Vipin Shroff, the editor of a small monthly publication called Vaishvik Manavad published a pamphlet asking people to maintain communal harmony. A local paper carried the pamphlet on March 25. The next step was a peace rally slated for March 31. But on the night of March 30 a mob landed up at his doorstep. Shroff was not at home but his wife was. The hoodlums asked for Shroff and told his wife they would cut him to pieces. "Tell him we don't want Hindu-Muslim ekta," some people said before bombarding his house with stones for close to 15 minutes. The next day, Shroff put up boards at prominent places calling off the rally. In Ahmedabad a group of NGOs and public-spirited people, including danseuse Mallika Sarabhai, was supposed to hold a meeting to discuss relief and rehabilitation on Sunday. Permission was obtained from the Gujarat Vidyapeeth, an institution set up by Mahatma Gandhi, to hold the meeting there. But suddenly, on Friday evening, Sarabhai got a call from the Vidyapeeth's Kiran Shah telling her the meeting was off since "the current climate was not conducive". "They simply refused us their venue at the last minute," said Sarabhai. Attempts to contact Shah proved unsuccessful but the meeting will now be held at the Gandhi Ashram. "There is a lot of fear in the city and that is why there has been no big public outcry against the riots," says Chunnibhai Vaidya, a senior Gandhian who lives close to the ashram. "There is simply no confidence amongst the people," says Stalin K. of the Drishti Media Collective. "Twenty-four hours after the PM's visit, a group of people putting up billboards for peace were threatened." Mira Mehta, a social worker who has been working at the Shah Alam camp for Muslims affected by the riots, says she routinely gets abusive phone calls. "There's a desperate need to form peace committees to get people out of the camps and back into their homes," says Kanubhai Kothia, a former MLA who is deeply involved in the communally polarised Bapu Nagar. "But people are very scared to stick their neck out at times like this," he says. Sonia attacks PM Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee for allowing Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to accompany him throughout his visit to the state. She said the BJP leadership lost its mental balance whenever the Congress exposed it.
Saturday, April 6, 2002
Atom bomb against India a possibility: Musharraf
In a chilling admission of intent, Pakistan President General Musharraf has warned that he is prepared to use nuclear weapons against India in the event of war. In an interview to a German magazine Der Spiegel to be published on Sunday, Musharraf made the startling comment that if the pressure on Pakistan becomes too great then "as a last resort, the atom bomb is also possible", says a report in the Guardian. He blamed India for harboring a "superpower obsession" and "energetically arming itself". Both states tested nuclear weapons in 1998, the first time Pakistan admitted its nuclear capability. Musharraf's words about nuclear weapons are likely to cause consternation in New Delhi. Since mid-December the two countries have remained on a full military alert with thousands of troops deployed along their borders and diplomatic ties cut to a minimum. In the run-up since the attack on the Indian Parliament, which New Delhi blames militants based in Pakistan, Washington has applied heavy pressure on India to stop its military from launching punitive strikes against Pakistan in retaliation. Then in a groundbreaking speech in January, Gen Musharraf appeared to appease India by pledging to curb Islamic militancy and to promote a moderate state. In recent days, however, his tone has shifted dramatically. In another interview earlier this week with The Hindu newspaper,the general said that the military situation on the border was "extremely explosive". With unusually frank language he warned the Indians not to treat his nation "as if we are some kind of scum, a very weak country which cannot handle itself". "We don't crawl," he said. "We're not going to crawl." The general's unusually aggressive comments came as he announced plans to hold a referendum in the first week of May to confirm his presidency for the next five years. "I want the people of Pakistan to tell me if I am required. I need your strength," the general said. After outlining the actions his regime has taken since the coup in October 1999 the general made it clear that he would remain in overall charge of the country, despite the elections planned for October. The constitution would be amended to support his plans. "I must carry on leading this country," he told Der Spiegel. "I am not power hungry but I do not believe in power sharing... I believe in unity of command. There has to be one authority for good government." He said whoever was elected prime minister in the October polls would have their own powers but would "not dare" change the policies which Gen Musharraf himself began. "There will be authority to govern but to govern well."
Saturday, April 6, 2002
Industrialist Manu Chhabria dead
NRI industrialist and one-time takeover tycoon Manohar Rajaram Chhabria, popularly known as Manu Chhabria, died of a heart attack on Saturday morning in Mumbai. The 56-year-old chairman of the Dubai-based Jumbo Group was ill for past one month when he came to India for the inauguration of Shaw Wallace Pro Am Open Golf Tournament sponsored by liquor manufacturer Shaw Wallace. Chhabria could not travel to Delhi for the tournament in which his flagship would pump Rs 50 crore as sponsorship money over next five years. A diabetic and heart patient, Chhabria was taken ill after he landed in Mumbai and had kidney problem further aggravated by a heart condition. Following this, he had undergone a bypass surgery at the Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai. Chhabria is survived by his wife and three daughters, including Komal Wazir, who is an executive director in Shaw Wallace. The cremation will take place on Sunday. Besides Shaw Wallace, the Rs 7,500-crore Jumbo Group has a controlling stake in Indian entities such as, Dunlop India, Mather & Platt, Hindustan Dorr Oliver, Falcon Tyres, and Gordon Woodroffe. Of these, tyre-maker Dunlop is currently fighting a battle for survival. It is a BIFR sick-listed company and the management was asked to rework a rehabilitation package for the company at the last hearing over five months ago. Having risen from humble beginning in Mumbai selling radio parts, Chhabria migrated to Dubai and raised a huge business empire. He shot to fame in the eighties and was known as a `takeover tycoon'. Between 1994-1999, his group companies, particularly Shaw Wallace, faced major liquidity and credit problems. He was also embrioled in a three-way court battle with his estranged brother Kishore Chhabria and UB chairman Vijay Mallaya.
Saturday, April 6, 2002
Communal violence hits W Bengal, 1 dead
Communal violence hit West Bengal touted by its chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya as an ‘oasis of peace’ today, leaving one person dead and eight injured, four of them critically, when members of two communities clashed in Hooghly district, an hour’s drive from here. The police denied any casualty, however, and said only one person was critically injured in the violence. ‘‘One person, who was part of a group of hooligans chased by the police near a mosque at Sagoonbagan, fell and the bomb he was carrying in his pocket burst injuring him critically,’’ IG (Law and Order) Chayan Mukherjee told reporters. According to Mukherjee the gang gathered at three mosques in Sagoonbagan under Chandannagar police station while Friday prayers were being held and threw bombs there. As the congregation began running in panic, policemen already deployed at the mosque started chasing the group. In the melee, said Mukherjee, one man was injured.
Saturday, April 6, 2002
24 hrs after Vajpayee’s plea, five killed in Gujarat violence
Just 24 hours after Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee made an impassioned plea to end the mindless violence in Gujarat, at least five people were killed, three in police firing, in the violence that erupted late on Friday night in Vatva, Sabarmati and Karanj police station areas. Incidents of stabbing and arson continued in different parts of Ahmedabad city, prompting the authorities to clamp indefinite curfew in Vatva and Sabarmati police station areas after midnight. Police said on Saturday that five rounds were fired and several teargas shells burst to disperse violent mobs in which two persons were killed and four others injured in the late night incidents in Vatva labour area on the outskirts of the city. Four others also received injuries in assault and stone-throwing, police said. In another incident, a youth was stabbed to death by some unidentified persons in the Vatva labour area. Three others also received stab injuries in the different areas of the city on Friday, police said. One person was killed in police firing when the police opened fire and lobbed tear gas shells in Jawhar Chowk area of Sabarmati police station to disperse stone-pelting mobs, they added. One person, who was injured in stabbing at relief road under Karanj police station earlier, succumbed to injuries in the hospital late on Friday night, police said. At least seven policemen were injured in an attack on them by a by a mob near Sabarmati police station late on Friday night. Vatva and Sabarmati were put under Indefnite curfew even as it was relaxed in other six police station areas of the city for the daytime. In Gomtipur, curfew was relaxed for women and children to buy essential commodities.
Saturday, April 6, 2002
Helped by Jaya govt, Kuwaiti woman plays hide as embassy officials seek
The Dhalal Salang Al Aazmi saga continues. The Kuwaiti government wants to meet her but cannot find her. A senior official of the Kuwaiti Embassy, who flew down to Chennai from New Delhi in search of Dhalal today, complained that Tamil Nadu government officials weren’t co-operating with him in tracking her down. Dhalal, who eloped with boyfriend Khader Basha to India a fortnight ago, was granted asylum by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on humanitarian grounds. The Union Home Ministry is also considering her plea for Indian citizenship. The Kuwaiti government is persisting its case: after stating in New Delhi that Dhalal was mentally unstable, the Kuwaiti Embassy dispatched Nomeer Al Kharuni, a counsellor, to Chennai to talk to her. But Dhalal had left with Basha for his hometown Pullampet in Cuddapah district, Andhra Pradesh, on Thursday. ‘‘We mean no harm. We only want to find out why she came to India and whether she wants to return home. If so, we would lend her all necessary help,’’ Al Kharuni said. ‘‘The Embassy had informed the police and Dhalal’s lawyer about my visit here. But she has been packed off to Basha’s village. Nobody is telling me where she is. I contacted the village and her relatives say she has not reached home,’’ Al Kharuni told The Indian Express. Senior Tamil Nadu government officials denied having received any information from the Kuwait Embassy about his visit. ‘‘We released her on bail. She is free go anywhere. We cannot stop her. We received no information from the Kuwait Embassy,’’ shrugged a senior police officer. Khaled Al Razni, Director (information) at the Kuwaiti Embassy in New Delhi was dismayed at the development. ‘‘We will approach the ministry of external affairs in a couple of days,’’ he said. He claimed that it was Dhalal’s relatives who had reported that she was mentally ill. Dhalal had not broken any Kuwaiti regulations, he added, and the country’s law did not prevent a woman from marrying an Indian. ‘‘There are lots of Indians married to Kuwaiti girls. There is no punishment like stoning or beheading for such people. We will ensure that she is not harmed. Only, we want to meet her first,’’ Al Razni said. ‘‘We wanted to ask her if we could do anything for her. If she wants to Indian citizenship, we have to inform her of our regulations in Kuwait which only allow for single citizenship.’’ Al Razni, nevertheless, threw a veiled hint that Basha would be in trouble if he visited Kuwait again. ‘‘He has stolen another girl’s passport and affixed Dhalal’s photo on it. Even if she had stolen the passport, it was he who had led her to India. He has certainly violated Kuwaiti laws,’’ he said. Prison officials at Vellore and the doctors at the government hospital there say Dhalal did not show any sign of mental illness during her brief stay at the two places. ‘‘She responded to our calls. Though she did not understand everything we said due to the language barrier, we managed to communicate with her through signs. If she was mentally ill, it would not have been possible,’’ a doctor at the hospital said.
Saturday, April 6, 2002
What's Laxman doing in Wisden Top 5? British media upset
If the British media had its way, England skipper Nasser Hussain would have found a place in Wisden's top five choice and not VVS Laxman. No Englishman has been considered good enough to be chosen among Wisden's five cricketers of the year, one of the most coveted awards in cricket. The British media seems to be particularly upset with the choice of Laxman in the top five. Dickie Bird told The Daily Telegraph: "I think that's very sad. It's a difficult choice. If I was choosing in the last 12 months then I would choose Matthew Hoggard. I rate Nasser Hussain as captain and he has brought Hoggard, Foster, Flintoff and Vaughan along, and I would have liked to seen him as one of the five." Trevor Bailey was surprised to learn that Wisden no longer relied on performances in an English summer. Laxman incidentally did not set foot on English soil last summer. "I have always thought of a cricket season as an English summer and Wisden as a very English book. It must have been a very difficult choice. It also means not having seen them play, relying on television, I wouldn't have chosen the same five." Ted Dexter felt the lack of English cricketers demonstrated they had to smarten up their act. "Most English cricketers are lazy. Nasser works hard at his game but he's not the best batsman in the world." Graeme Wright, editor of the current edition, had his reasons for not choosing Hussain. "Last year there were some who felt Nasser should have been chosen for leading England to victory in Pakistan and Lanka. But the Wisden year runs from September to September and Sri Lanka was after," he said.
Friday, April 5, 2002
Vajpayee's visit over; Gujarat still simmers
Even after the Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's visit to the riot-torn Gujarat Thursday, the state continued to simmer with sporadic incidents but the authorities have relaxed the curfew in serveral areas, while maintaining tight vigil. One person was killed in police firing and a dozen injured in violence at Modasa town of Sabarkantha district, North Gujarat Thursday, forcing authorities to clamp indefinite curfew in the afternoon. Two trucks were also set ablaze after group-clashes in the town. With this, the death toll, after the renewed violence of March 15, has reached 60. Ever since February 27, when 58 Kar Sevaks had been killed in Sabarmati Express by miscreants at Godhra, Gujarat has witnessed around 800 deaths in the communal riots. Thursday night, police fired two rounds, burst tear-gas shells and rounded up six persons to quell two groups engaged in pitched battle in Vadodara's Madar Jhampa Road area under the Nawapura police station. Police also seized a large cache of acid bulbs and stones. No casualties were, however, reported in the incident and authorities lifted day curfew from 0500 to 2000 hrs in all six police station areas of Vadodara city Friday. In Bharuch, peace prevailed and a 12-hour curfew relaxation was given from 0700 hrs Friday while in Ankleshwar town in the same district, only two-hour relaxation was given to women from 1000 hrs to enable them buy essential commodities. In Ahmedabad, curfew was relaxed from 1000 to 1800 hrs in the Khadia, Kalupur, Dariapur, Shahpur, Gaekwad Haveli, Vejalpur and Karanj police station areas, with ban on pillion-riding continuing. In the sensitive Gomtipur area, it will be relaxed for women from 1000 to 1400 hrs while night curfew will continue partially or fully in sensitive areas under four other police stations. With the Prime Minister's one-day visit, a sense of confidence was perceptible Friday in the city with the violence-fatigued people praying for return of peace. Vajpayee ended his visit, that took him to Godhra also, by reassuring the people about their security and a comprehensive relief package. He appealed to them to maintain communal amity, describing the Godhra carnage as a "deep-rooted conspiracy". He also ruled out the removal of Chief Minister Narendra Modi and holding of early Assembly elections in the state.
Friday, April 5, 2002
Indian accused of fraud extradited to the US
The Indian government has decided to extradite to the US 54-year-old Yogesh Ratilal Shah alias 'Yogi' accused by the Federal Bureau of Investigation of defrauding people to the tune of nearly Rs 100 crore in Wisconsin, according to reports. Yogesh is the first Indian to be extradited to the US. The CID wing of Gujarat state police had arrested Yogesh, a US citizen of Indian origin, last year on counts of fraud, failure to appear in the court and misuse of passport. According to police, Yogesh ran a company called '1043 Development Corporation' in Wisconsin along with three other partners, all of whom are Indian doctors. The partners -- Dr Dharmesh C Shah, Dr Durgesh Mankikar and Dr Gautam Segal -- reportedly lodged a complaint against him after he fled to India in December last year. It is learnt that the accused had been living at his father's house in Ahmedabad. The FBI declared Yogesh 'absconding' after he escaped on a passport of Leonides Zamora Jr. Yogesh is married to Zamora's sister and holds an American passport. Yogesh, a slick, smooth-talking business man had told mediamen that he was deeply into charity, pious and innocent, soon after his arrest. He has a wife and two kids in the US.
Friday, April 5, 2002
Bollywood flocks to ‘Indian Oscars’ in Malaysia on Saturday
Genting Highland (Malaysia), April 5: After Europe and Africa, Bollywood is turning its attention to Asia with India's equivalent of the Oscars to be staged on Saturday at a hill-top Malaysian casino resort. Bollywood's brightest stars will gather in Genting Highlands, some 50 km from Kuala Lumpur, for the third International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards which will be seen by millions of television viewers worldwide. The inaugural IIFA awardsdesigned to promote Indian cinema worldwidewere held at the Millennium Dome in London. Last year they were at Sun City in South Africa. "When we went to London, for the first time we really exposed ourselves to a more international audience," Sabbas Joseph, director of event organiser Wizcraft Int., told AFP. India annually produces about 800 filmsmore than Hollywoodand has established markets among large South Asian communities in the US and Europe, with demand for mainstream Hindi films growing in Asia. But Bollywood quantity is no guarantee of quality. There were only two Indian mega hitsLagaan and Gadarlast year, and around 100 flops. The IIFA, which honors only Hindi films at the moment, hopes to incorporate "elements of regional Indian cinemas", such as Malayalam and Tamil movies, into the main event from next year, Joseph added. The creme de la creme of the Indian film industry from screen icon Amitabh Bachchan to superstars Aamir Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan Kajol and Aishwarya Rai will grace the glitzy affair in Genting.
Friday, April 5, 2002
Interpol letter on Kuwaiti girl?
nterpol letter on Kuwaiti girl? By Our Special Correspondent NEW DELHI APRIL 4. The controversy surrounding the Kuwaiti girl, Dhalal Salag al-Azmi, who flew into Chennai on a forged passport, has taken a new turn with the Kuwaiti Embassy here reportedly handing over a letter from Interpol to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), claiming that she was mentally ill. Ministry sources were tightlipped whether such a letter from Interpol was handed over to them, but the CBI which represents Interpol in India denied it had received such a letter. When contacted, the CBI spokesman said that Interpol-India in the CBI headquarters here was yet to receive any such letter from the Interpol headquarters. "Even if such a letter was handed over to the MEA, the CBI is yet to receive it,'' the spokesman said tonight. Diplomatic sources in the Kuwait Embassy said that they had approached the MEA for consular access to the girl, who had been arrested with her Indian companion, Khader Basha, in Chennai. The Ministry had agreed for a meeting between a diplomat from the Embassy and Ms. Aazmi. Nomeer al-Kharuni, a counsellor in the Kuwaiti Mission, will meet her on Friday to ascertain whether she desires to return to Kuwait. Diplomatic sources said they had taken a grim view of the fact that Ms. Aazmi had travelled to India on a fake passport. Ms. Aazmi, who was released from jail on Monday, met the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalaithaa, along with Mr. Basha on Wednesday.
Friday, April 5, 2002
Bodo ultras blast rail track
Four persons were injured, two of them seriously, when suspected National Democratic Front of Bodoland militants blasted railway tracks using an improvised explosive device at Alokjhar in lower Assam's Kokrajhar district early on Friday. Two bogies of the Sealdah-bound Kanchenjungha Express were damaged in the blast, Assam's Director General of Police Harekrisna Deka said. The incident took place in a remote area between Srirampur and Gosaigaon Hat, about 213 km from Guwahati. Of the four injured - three travelling ticket examiners and a passenger - one has suffered serious injuries. All four have been admitted to the Gosaigaon Civil Hospital.
Friday, April 5, 2002
UTI: Govt help on redemptions sought
NEW DELHI: THE Unit Trust of India (UTI) has approached the Government for support, considering that several of its Monthly Income Plans (MIPs) are due for redemption this year. One of its MIPs is due for redemption this month and the UTI has sought Government support for bridging the shortfall in several of its MIPs. The UTI Chairman, Mr M. Damodaran, informed the JPC probing the 2001 securities scam that he was in regular touch with the Ministry of Finance and was now attempting to secure funding from the Government to fulfil all its commitments to investors. The Chairman of the JPC, Mr Prakash Mani Tripathi, told newspersons here on Thursday that Mr Damodaran had informed the Committee during a hearing on Wednesday that the Trust was strapped for funds. The JPC after further depositions by Mr Damodaran and the former Chairman of UTI, Mr P.S. Subrahmanyam, will take a view on whether the UTI needs to be restructured further, he said.
Friday, April 5, 2002
Laxman named in Wisden’s top five
Ace Indian batsman VVS Laxman has been named among the top five cricketers of the year in the 139th edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2002, which will be released on Friday. Others to find a place in the elite bunch are Australians Adam Gilchrist, batsman Damien Martyn and pace-bowler Jason Gillespie, and left-handed batsman Andy Flower of Zimbabwe. Laxman had made a record-breaking 281 against Australia in the Kolkata Test in 2001, which is the highest ever by an Indian batsman. It spurred India to win the Test and series 2-1. In the process, the Hyderabad batsman ruined Australia's dream of winning their first Test series on Indian soil since 1959. This edition will be of special interest to collectors and cricket lovers as it contains full coverage of the life of Sir Donald Bradman, who died in February 2001 just as the previous Almanack was going to Press.
Thursday, April 4, 2002
PM visits riot-hit Gujarat
AHMEDABAD - Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee began a visit on Thursday to riot-racked Gujarat where the country's worst religious violence in a decade has claimed more than 800 lives. Vajpayee flew into the main commercial city, Ahmedabad, and then went to the town of Godhra to inspect the burnt-out carriage of a train whose Hindu occupants were burnt to death in an arson attack by a Muslim mob, sparking communal fury. The torching of the train on February 27 in which 59 people were killed -- including one who died late on Wednesday -- triggered a wave of reprisal killings and clashes which claimed about 750 victims, mainly Muslims. Vajpayee, who was accompanied by the state's Chief Minister Narendra Modi, spent about five minutes inside the scorched maroon carriage. He emerged looking sombre. Vajpayee, whose Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party also rules Gujarat, had said he wanted to take "personal stock" of the situation during his one-day visit to the state where outbursts of violence in cities and rural areas continue. He has been under intense pressure from opposition parties to fire Modi for failing to control the bloodshed. But he has been under equally strong pressure to support Modi from some hardline members of his party. The prime minister was later due to return to Ahmedabad to visit relief camps, talk to victims and meet officials in charge of relief efforts during the visit, his first to the state since the bloodletting began. MORE KILLINGS REPORTED The prime minister's arrival in Gujarat came hours after two more Muslims were killed, one hacked to death and his body set ablaze, the other stabbed, bringing to 10 the number of people who died in the 24-hour period ahead of his visit. Modi's government has been accused of turning a blind eye to the violence while it was at its height, and allowing Hindu extremists free rein. Modi has denied the accusations. Forty areas in Gujarat, India's second most industrialised state, were under curfew including seven districts in Ahmedabad and the town of Godhra to avert violence during Vajpayee's visit. "It is peaceful now in the state," a senior police officer told Reuters. State workers have been spending the week cleaning up relief camps and other sites that Vajpayee will visit. Some 100,000 survivors of the mayhem are being sheltered in makeshift camps across the state and relief workers have described conditions at some of the shelters as appalling with few sanitation facilities and serious overcrowding. "All set for Operation Impress the Boss," read a headline in The Indian Express newspaper. "They (state authorities) were giving assistance but very slowly," Munir Sheikh, an official of the Shah Aalam Relief camp, told Star News. "Then all of a sudden when a VIP -- the PM -- is coming they have showered us with all type of assistance." The Hindu newspaper said Modi's removal would be the minimum Vajpayee could do. It cited "blatant complicity by the powers that be in mindless vengeful attacks on the (Muslim) minorities". The main opposition Congress party's spokesman, Jaipal Reddy, also said Vajpayee should give Modi his "marching orders" after his visit.
Thursday, April 4, 2002
New washing machine can talk in Hindi and English
CLEVELAND - Swedish appliance maker Electrolux has introduced a washing machine in India that can communicate to its users in two languages. AB Electrolux has begun selling its "Washy Talky" washing machine in that country this month, the first market for the chatty washer. The machine, the latest attempt by appliance makers to add high-tech features in order to attract customers, uses a microcomputer to sense the weight of the wash load, and automatically decides the best wash program, required water level and wash time. It can also voice simple instructions like "drop detergent, close lid and relax," the company said in a news release from its U.S. headquarters in Cleveland. The current version speaks with a "warm female voice" in both English and Hindi, the company said. It can also tell you if an error has been made by saying things like "please close the lid." The machine, developed in India, will be marketed under the Electrolux Kelvin brand name there. A U.S. spokesman said it was not decided whether the machine would be sold elsewhere.
Wednesday, April 3, 2002
Maruti zooms ahead, posts Rs 550-million profit
Maruti Udyog Limited on Wednesday announced a net profit of Rs 550 million in the fiscal year ended March 2002. The announcement marked a remarkable turnaround for Maruti which in the previous fiscal posted a 56-million-dollar loss ahead of the government's plans to dilute its equity in the joint venture company. Maruti had a turnover of almost Rs 93 billion in the financial year ended March 31. "This turnaround by the company has come in a year when the car market was flat and the overall economic sentiment remained depressed," Maruti Managing Director Jagdish Khattar said in a statement releasing the company's annual financial performance. Maruti sold about 340,000 vehicles in the domestic market during 2001-2002 compared with 335,000 units in 2000-2001, he said.
Wednesday, April 3, 2002
Britain supports India's views on cross-border terrorism
Britain supports India's views on cross-border terrorism Seeking to strengthen its cooperation with India on counter-terrorism, Britain on Tuesday said that it shares New Delhi's views on complete halt of cross-border and other forms of terrorism for a 'meaningful' Indo-Pak dialogue. "India's and Britain's views are identical and we want complete halt of cross-border and all other forms of terrorism so that meaningful dialogue can begin between India and Pakistan," Britain's High Commissioner to India, Rob Young, said after meeting Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani. Advani is likely to visit London in June. Young, who discussed the proposed visit, said that the issue of terrorism was 'very high' on his country's agenda. "We will build on the existing cooperation on counter-terrorism," he said, adding they also discussed developments in the region, including Afghanistan.
Wednesday, April 3, 2002
Windies keep aces close to the chest
Georgetown (guyana) India’s preparation for the first Test against West Indies would suffer as their only tour game ahead of that match would be against a second-string Guyana side. Guyana would be without some of their top stars including West Indian captain Carl Hooper who would be playing in the final of the Busta Cup against Jamaica in Sabina Park, Kingston on Thursday. Shivnaraine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Mahendra Nagamootoo would also be absent, leaving India with a rather weak opposition when they go into the three-day game on Friday. John Wright feels slow pitches will help Indians With only five players in their ranks who have played in West Indies before, India were looking to sort out their batting and bowling combinations before they went into the five-match Test series hoping to register their first series win outside the sub-continent in 16 years. To make matters worse, the Indians would also not have a feel of the Bourda Cricket Oval, the venue of the first Test, and instead would play the three-day game at a run-down Everest Cricket Club ground. Meanwhile, the India coach John Wright said the pitches in West Indies which have gone slower over the years would boost his team’s chances in the two-month long tour in which they will play five-Tests and five one-day matches. ‘‘Though it would not be right to comment on the wickets without looking at them first, still I believe they are slower these days compared to the past. It would boost India’s chances if the wickets were to be slow, devoid of pace and bounce which have been the India batsmen’s failing throughout the history,’’ Wright said after the team arrived here last night, sans skipper Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly, who chose to stay back with his indisposed wife, is expected to join the team tomorrow evening. The coach also dismissed speculations regarding the fitness of star leg spinner Anil Kumble who skipped the last three matches of the one-day series against Zimbabwe. ‘‘He is absolutely fine,’’ Wright said of Kumble who will be India’s key bowler alongwith offie Harbhajan Singh. Kumble is central to Ganguly’s scheme of things, but speculations were rife about his right shoulder after he missed the matches against Zimbabwe. India could ill-afford to miss an important bowler like him at the start of their last tour in 1997 when paceman Javagal Srinath pulled out with a shoulder (rotator cuff) injury. The Indians, who Wright said were tired after the long journey, would be put through their paces this afternoon. ‘‘The boys would have a little workout,’’ he said adding ‘‘nothing strenous but just to keep them going.’’
Wednesday, April 3, 2002
Violence, police firing in Ahmedabad
HMEDABAD: Police opened fire and burst teargas shells to disperse group of people indulging in violence in Gomtipur, Kalupur and Sherkotda areas in the city on Tuesday night. Incidents of arson were also reported from Gomtipur area, police said adding, stone throwing incidents were reported from the areas forcing the police to open fire to scare away the warring groups. Rapid Action Force was also rushed to the trouble torn areas to contain the violence, police added. For the first time since the violence broke out in Gujarat, indefinite curfew was imposed in Khadia locality under Astodia police station precincts from midnight on Tuesday after incidents of arson was reported from the area, police said. A house was set on fire by the mob in Kalupur police station area late on Monday night, police said and added that Army was deployed in the trouble-torn area of Gomtipur where violence was reported.
Tuesday, April 2, 2002
"I am completely satisfied with my work" -Sonali Kulkarni
"I am completely satisfied with my work" Sonali Kulkarni is an interesting person once away from the camera, she comes across as a soft-spoken person who takes time to phrase her answers and talks in a very down-to-earth manner. In front of the camera, however, she is an absolute natural. She steps into the shoes of her character with remarkable ease, enacts her bit, and returns to her natural self the moment the shot is okayed. In this interview, we caught up with the two sides of Sonali the person and the actress who talked to us while waiting for the next shot of a film she is shooting for How has Dil Chahta Hai made a difference to your career? Commercially, the film did superbly. After Mission Kashmir, I got to play a modern and trendy looking girl in Farhan Akhtar's film. The film worked, and I got noticed for my performance. (In the film, she plays the role of Saif Ali Khan's girlfriend). What are your forthcoming releases? I have a few releases in the pipeline. Among them are Arjun Sanjnani's Agnivarsha, Makarand Deshpande's Danav which is the story of a girl who has been brought up by a thakur and Jai Prakash's Laagi Prem Lagan which stars a newcomer Shakti Anand. How was the Agnivarsha experience? The shooting is over, and I must tell you that the experience was very interesting. I had read the play on which the film has been made earlier, and liked it immensely. The story line is different, and so were the costumes in which we played our characters. The look made me enjoy the experience a lot. You have done a lot of work on the stage. How different, and tough, is it to act in films? It is not tough. Each and every role that I have essayed has been different, be it in Mission Kashmir, Pyar Tune Kya Kiya, or Dil Chahta Hai. As an actress, I am in an upbeat mood because this happens to be a great phase of my career. I am completely satisfied with my work on the big screen. Have you made any plans for your future as far your career is concerned? One cannot plan one's career. I have learnt Bharatnatyam and classical music, and I would like to use my skills. But it all depends on the kind of stories that is going to come my way. Really, it does. How did you react to the fact that Lagaan lost out at the Oscars? I don't think it is a loss. In fact, it is a major gain because the film managed to be part of the shortlist of five films for which there is competition from the world over. In fact, I am really very proud because of the nomination itself because it is a great morale booster for the Indian film industry.
Tuesday, April 2, 2002
Aftab gives tips to Shah Rukh!
Some people just never learn. Take Aftab Shivdasani for instance. He is all but zilch in the acting department and his career, whatever is left of it, is almost finito. But the guy has the gall to advice the likes of Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan. After delivering a monologue on how Shah Rukh should "learn to control his facial expressions" and concentrate on emoting before the camera, Aftab was seen rushing to Saif to dole out free counsel on the best ways to act. He went on to add that since Saif always thinks in English, it "would do him a world of good if he learns to think in Hindi instead to be able to act better." Don't know what the senior Khan had to say to the speech he was subjected to, but chhote nawab sure clenched his teeth at the end of the 40-minute "dressing down." Saif was overheard saying that he would "break Aftab's bones the next time he even attempts to teach him." And now after the debacle of Kya Yehi Pyar Hai, Aftab must be running away from not just the two Khans but his audience as well.
Tuesday, April 2, 2002
Karisma Kapoor: A new look!
People are talking about Karisma's new look, which is chic, bold and really smart. It makes makes her "look younger," says to sis Kareena. What Lolo has done to herself has not only become the talk of the town, it has had rival actresse turn green with envy. She has gone in for a short, shoulder length haircut that has given her a vibrant, with-it air. While she is not telling on whose advice or why she has acquired the new look in the first place, Kareena's friend, Esha, knows that the makeover is for a new film she and her best pal's sister have signed. A little birdie also informs us that Abhishek is quite a traditional Allahabadi at heart much more than his dad and prefers the "Indian look to the modern wicked one". Come out with the truth, Lolo.
Tuesday, April 2, 2002
Juhi Chawla: Reality bites!
It's time Juhi Chawla realised that she is past her prime. She should be thankful that sections of the film industry still consider her good enough to play important movie roles. But Juhi is demanding bound scripts, insisting on playing lead characters and seeking remuneration nearly on par with Madhuri Dixit. Do we need to say that she is asking for too much given the fact that she is no longer a saleable name? Juhi undergoes a strange transformation when she is on the other side of the table and is called upon to negotiate terms for films produced by Dreamz Unlimited, the joint venture firm that she runs with Shah Rukh Khan and Aziz Mirza. She is forever cutting costs, coaxing young actresses to "try out newer challenges" and not worry about their remuneration. Juhi has been dropped from three of the four films she was signed for. One of them is Vivek Vaswani's Dil Vil Pyar Vyar, in which she has been replaced with Sonali Bendre. Juhi is understandably not too happy about it. "Sonali is much junior to me and the role demands a mature woman," she says. What were you expecting, Mrs Mehta?
Tuesday, April 2, 2002
Kajol: Crooning glory!
Stars have fetishes that surface from time to time. After Madhuri Dixit, Rekha, Meenakshi Sheshadri and Juhi Chawla, it's Kajol's turn to exercise her vocal chords and attempt singing. "I always wanted to sing but ended up being a mere bathroom singer," confesses Kajol. Now that she has all the free time in the world, even if she does accept Aditya Chopra's offer to star in his next film opposite Shah Rukh Khan, Mrs Ajay Devgan wants to brighten up her life by taking up singing. "Ajay is shooting for Shaheed Bhagat Singh day and night like a maniac and I seldom get to see him," she says. So she has decided to devote all her free time to picking up the ropes of music. Her plans to start a kindergarten has been put on hold for the time being. Know who's helping Kajol in her new endeavour? "Ashatai (Asha Bhosle), of course. She has been my mother's inspiration too." Would she take up playback singing then? "No way, but I am going to sing for Karan, Shah Rukh and the rest," she screamed. If your singing is as awesome as your acting talent, it sure would be something to look forward to. But if it turns out to be in the same pitch as your shrieks, God help us from disaster!
Tuesday, April 2, 2002
Hrithik Roshan: Competition blues!
Roshan junior is an admirably disciplined actor. It did come as a great surprise, therefore, to see Hrithik losing his cool. No, for once, the Kapoor girl had nothing do with it. Actually one wouldn't have known what's going on in Hrithik's mind had the unit members not seen directors Arjun Sablok and Vikram Bhatt literally coaxing and cajoling the actor to dole out dates for some patchwork and dubbing. Hrithik is doing Bhatt's Aap Mujhe Achhe Lagne Lage and Sablok's Na Tum Jano Na Hum. A calculated move on his part made Roshan space out his releases to distance himself from Vivek Oberoi, touted as an incredibly talented actor who could sweep everybody off his feet once once his debut film, Company, makes it to the theatres. A close family friend spilled the beans when he narrated how Hrithik was worried about the Big B's next releases along with Ramu's Company and a host of new actors making their debut in films. He even cancelled two schedules of Barjatya's Main Hoon Prem Deewaani so that the film doesn't get completed before the end of the year for an early 2003 release. Sounds unbelievable that such a calm and composed person could be so edgy about competition. Sooner or later though, things are going to hot up, Duggu beta!
Tuesday, April 2, 2002
Review: Kitne Door Kitne Paas
Director Mehul Kumar Producer M. K. Pictures Cast Fardeen Khan, Amrita Arora, Nasir Khan Guess Mehul Kumar should have stuck to his jingoistic films, instead of changing tracks. His musicals are pathetic. Mehul Kumar calls it a musical romance, but it should have been more of a love travelogue. That’s what it is. From New York to Delhi to Rajasthan to Gujarat, romance travels this entire distance. If only love was measured in miles, then KDKP would qualify for it. The backdrop of this film is the Gujarati community, which has a fetish for all things `Umerican’, including a penchant for slips of the `taang’ in their bid to master Billu’s (Clinton anyone?) lingo. Luckily their offspring are better suited to charm the pants off Billu, since they live in 'Umerica' itself. Jatin (Fardeen Khan ) runs a successful business out there. He has Jackie (Nasir ) for a friend who’s quite whacked out. Jatin who has a chain of motels to his credit, funnily makes a song and dance of his family having found a bride for him. He has never seen the bride, Jaya (Sonali Kulkarni ), but he trusts his mother’s judgment. But as luck would have it, he bumps into a hussy like Karishma (Amrita Arora ) who bristles at him at the first go. And as film coincidences go, they keep bumping into each other. And what do you know? They are on the same flight to India with the same mission: to marry the person their parents have chosen for them. While the pair keeps snarling at each other at every bump, they land up sharing the same cab to Gujarat, since there’s been an accident of some sorts to Ahmedabad (Very convenient). The duo has their share of adventures from Delhi to Gujarat. En route to Gujarat they meet all kinds of characters, including the family of a slimy Sardarji driver (Satish Shah ) in America, who in his days as a truck driver in India spread his wild oats at every stop. Another family on their way to Gujarat to celebrate their grandparents’ golden jubilee as a couple, mistake the pair for newly weds. Unwittingly by involving them in all sorts of traditional events for married couples, they help the pair in discovering their love for each other. So when the pair do reach their homes they are in a dilemma, which gets only worse when Karishma discovers that her best friend’s beau is no one else, but Jatin. Even when Karishma’s father (Govind Namdeo ) tells her to go for her real love and break off her engagement with Nimesh (Ayub Khan ), she refuses. She doesn’t want her family to suffer the consequences because of her actions. But a Hindi film is never complete without the hero getting his heroine. Luckily for Karishma, her fiancé turns out to be a real jerk on the wedding day itself, giving way for Jatin to play the knight in shining armour. Jatin really seems to be one helluva lucky guy, because his fiancée Jaya is more than generous to him. I mean marrying off her best friend with her fiancé in the very mandap she was to be wed off is something that happens only in Mehul Kumar’s romances. God save us from such romances. Kitne Door Kitne Paas is utter nonsense. There’s not one redeeming factor in it. And if you think Fardeen and Amrita Arora will make it tolerable. Forget it. They are unbelievably bad actors. Fardeen is amazingly bad. His staccato dialogue delivery and two expressions are the pits. As for Amrita, she’s comfortable in front of the camera and is also a good dancer, but she needs to work on her emotional scenes. Watch this film, and you’ll never know what hit you. It’s better that you say `Door Door, Never Paas ’ to this one.
Tuesday, April 2, 2002
Oscar Truth!
With the Lagaan hype, most Indians thought that this was the third Indian film ever to be nominated for the prestigious Oscar Awards, after Mother India and Salaam Bombay . But Vidhu Vinod Chopra recently broke that myth when he announced that one of his films had also been previously nominated for the Oscars. Talking about Aamir Khan’s Oscar fever, he informed, Not many know this but my film, An Encounter with Faces had been nominated for the Oscars a few years ago for the Best Short film category. But way back then, the media attention wasn’t this high and so people didn’t write about what I was wearing, eating and sleeping all the time. About Lagaan , I feel proud that an Indian film stuck to its formula of song and dance and still made it to the top. We as Indians should be proud of our cinematic heritage and make good films in our own format. Though in my time, the hype wasn’t so high, I feel good that we have come so far in such a short span of time.
Tuesday, April 2, 2002
Army called out in Ahmedabad after violence
AHMEDABAD: The Army was called out on Monday night in Khanpur locality of Ahmedabad after a mob tried to attack some houses prompting police to open fire as communal violence continued unabated here and some other parts of Gujarat claiming two more lives. Police opened fire and burst several teargas shells when the mob tried to attack the houses in labour-dominated Khanpur, police sources said. There were no immediate reports of any casualty or injury in the firing, they said adding Army and para-military forces were rushed to Khanpur to help maintain law and order. A mob set on fire at least eight houses at Adundara village near Kadi taluka town of Mehsana district, police said. Curfew continued to remain in force in Kadi town. Two persons, injured in violence three days ago, succumbed, they said. A man, assaulted in Ranip area of the Ahmedabad, died on Monday night as did an old man injured in stone pelting at Petlad town. Indefinite curfew continued in Gomtipur which remained in the grip of tension set off by violence on Saturday last. In Ahmedabad, no untoward incident was reported during the curfew relaxation today. Police opened fired at two places in Vejalpur and Danilimda areas late on Monday night to disperse stone pelting mobs resulting in injuries to one person in the firing.
Tuesday, April 2, 2002
India-Pak cricket could resume by Sept 29
NEW DELHI: Despite continued military tensions on both sides of the border, India and Pakistan could meet on the cricket field as early as September 29. The match, however, will not require any special diplomatic skill to ensure the first international between the two countries since May, 2000 takes place. It's the players themselves who can make it happen -- India and Pakistan need to reach the final of the 12-nation Champions Trophy tournament in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo to break the ice. Both India and Pakistan have been drawn in different groups of the International Cricket Council-organised tournament featuring the 10 Test-playing nations plus Kenya and the Netherlands. India are drawn alongside England and Zimbabwe in Pool B, while Pakistan are in Pool D with hosts Sri Lanka and the Netherlands. Even if both countries top their respective pools, the ICC have ensured they do not clash in the semi-finals, but a meeting cannot be avoided if they reach the finals. India has banned bilateral cricket ties with Pakistan in protest at Islamabad's alleged support for the militancy in the Jammu and Kashmir. But the Indian cricket board has permission to play in multi-nation tournaments which feature Pakistan, like the World Cup or the Champions Trophy. India last played against Pakistan in the Asia Cup in Bangladesh in May, 2000. Since then, the government has refused to sanction the team's trip to Pakistan for a scheduled Test tour, or play the arch-rivals in Toronto, Canada and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Suresh Kalmadi, was last week in Islamabad to fix new dates for the South Asian Federation (SAF) Games, which were postponed after the US-led strikes in neighbouring Afghanistan. The Games, featuring India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Maldives, will be held in Islamabad from March 29 to April 7. Kalmadi also used the opportunity to meet Pakistan Cricket Board chief Tauqir Zia and discuss the resumption of cricket ties between the two countries. An Indian cricket board official, however, said Kalmadi's mediation was unlikely to resolve the matter. "There is no point talking to Pakistan about playing cricket again because they have never refused to play against us," the official said. "The problem lies with our government's stand and it is up to us to convince the government to allow us to play." India are scheduled to make a Test tour of Pakistan in April 2003, their first to that country since 1989.
Tuesday, April 2, 2002
ISD through the Net? Not just yet
NEW DELHI: Net telephony has been made legal from Monday. But it will take Internet service providers a little while longer before they can offer long distance telephone services. None of the ISPs have got their licences amended yet. The department of telecom stipulations permit only ISPs to offer Net telephony after getting their original licence amended to enable them to offer voice-enabled services over their network. An amount of Rs 10,000 is required to be paid to DoT as processing charge for the change in licences. It is expected that most ISPs will go for the amendment over the next couple of weeks. Already, some ISPs have started doing the spadework for selling pre-paid cards, but it will be a while before they can actually start selling them. More importantly, the ISPs will have to tie up with overseas application providers like Dialpad.com, Net2phone.com, Mediaring.com, Buddyphone.com or Phonefree.com. This way, the customers will benefit as the ISPs can launch pre-paid and post-paid cards that will be billed in rupees, instead of dollars/cents. Even now, a consumer with a multimedia PC (or by adding a microphone costing Rs 100 and speakers costing Rs 500 to his PC) can directly go to these sites and avail of the services, which can be as cheap as 0.25 cents. While making a PC-to-PC call is free, these providers charge for routing PC-to-phone calls. The catch, however, is that the caller will be required to pay in foreign currency and that through the credit card. The ISPs would have to enter into revenue-share arrangements with such service providers, or set up their own applications and then enter into revenue-share agreements with numerous telecom service providers individually, who would charge them for terminating the calls at their respective ends. The upside of ISPs going for such a Net telephony service is that it will ensure a minimum quality of service, whereby a customer can legally challenge any deficiencies in Indian courts.
Tuesday, April 2, 2002
Hero Honda, world's largest 2-wheeler co
HERO Honda Motors Ltd today said it has now become the world's largest two-wheeler company selling over 14.25 lakh motorcycles in 2001-02 financial year. The company had sold about 10.3 lakh motorcycles in 2000-01 and is planning to sell over 15 lakh vehicles in the current financial year. Hero Honda's motorcycle model, `Splendor', is already the world's largest selling two-wheeler. The company is an 18-year-old joint venture between Japan's Honda Motor Co and the Hero group, both holding 26 per cent equity stake each. Its popular motorcycle models include the CD100, CD100SS, Splendor, Joy, Passion and the CBZ. It had phased out models such as Street and Sleek. Hero Honda plans to push its production capacity beyond the two-million mark by adding a new third plant for which feasibility studies are on. It would also be launching two new products in the coming year for which the engine capacity and price points are yet to be decided. During the current financial year, the company is targeting a revenue of $1 billion.
Tuesday, April 2, 2002
Govt issues Rs 9,000-cr bonds to oil majors
THE Government has issued bonds aggregating Rs 9,000 crore to the state-owned oil companies to liquidate a substantial part of their dues in the oil pool account. The issue of the special bonds also coincides with the freeing of the domestic oil and gas sector from controls. The prices of petro-products would be governed by import parity and retail pricing of products would be based on import cost plus freight and local taxes, according to the Petroleum Minister, Mr Ram Naik. The issuance of oil bonds by the Government is aimed at compensating the oil companies for part of their outstandings estimated to be over Rs 13,000 crore through issuance of 6.96 per cent Oil Companies' Government of India Special Bonds 2009. These bonds would have a maturity of seven years. Indian Oil Corporation has received the highest allocation of these special bonds at Rs 5,276 crore, followed by the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL), which received bonds worth Rs 1,481 crore, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) Rs 1,018 crore, and ONGC Rs 961 crore. For the other oil companies, the Government has allocated Rs 107 crore for Oil India Ltd, Rs 56 crore for Bongaigaon Refinery and Petrochemicals (BRPL) while Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) received Rs 46 crore. Kochi Refinery Ltd (KRL) has been issued bonds aggregating Rs 37 crore, Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd Rs 12 crore and Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) Rs 6 crore. According to the Government, the present payment is being made on a provisional basis in lieu of part of the estimated outstanding claims of the oil companies on the Oil Coordination Committee under the erstwhile administered pricing mechanism (APM) as on March 31, 2002. The claims are subject to audit by the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India and final acceptance. The balance amount of the oil pool account deficit will be paid to the oil companies after the accounts are certified by the CAG, according to the Government. With the deregulation of the sector with effect from Monday, the Oil Coordination Committee (OCC) has also been wound up. In its place, the Government has set up a new cell called the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell under the Petroleum Ministry. This will assist the Ministry in maintaining up-to-date data and statistics on the oil sector. According to Mr Naik, this will facilitate not only the smooth switchover but also help the Government play a role of a watchdog in the oil sector and ensure healthy competition. "At the same time, the Government will ensure that the oil companies maintain uninterrupted supplies of petroleum products throughout the country," he said in a statement. Domestic prices of petroleum products would now be a reflection of increase or decrease in global prices, Mr Naik said.
Tuesday, April 2, 2002
Arafat appeals to India for help
The Palestinian leadership has appealed to India to intervene and help defuse the escalating tension in the West Bank and Gaza. The appeal has been communicated through Hani al Hassan, Yasser Arafat's special envoy who met senior MEA officials in Delhi today and handed over a letter from Yasser Arafat for Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In Shanghai, External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh endorsed Arafat's role as the leader of the Palestinian people and criticized Israel's siege of his offices and the conditions Arafat is being kept under. But Singh also categorically said that acts of terror should stop. Meanwhile, Israeli tanks entered the town of Bethlehem and another West Bank town of Qalqiliya, prompting Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to call for immediate international intervention. The Israeli tanks however withdrew from Bethlehem to another position nearby several hours later. The siege nonetheless continues outside Yasser Arafat's Ramallah office. The Palestinian leader has been confined to one room without water and power supply for the fourth day today. His supporters say they fear for his life as Israeli troops widen their military operations. Israel's foreign ministry spokesperson said that the Israelis were doing the job of the Palestinian police and cracking down on terrorists. Danny Shek, Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said, "The objectives are to find the people who operate, instigate and incite terrorist activity, to find their infrastructure, to find their equipment, explosives, guns, lots of that has been found. Basically, I am reminding you that would have been the job of the Palestinian police but they have not done that for many months now." Israeli forces have consistently targetted Palestinian police posts and personnel as well. Yasser Arafat called for immediate international assistance. Arafat remarked that there was an urgent need to send international forces to stop aggression against the Palestinian people. Protest against the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories is growing across the Arab world. Just last week the Arab League had agreed to a Saudi proposal to normalize relations with Israel in return for a military pullback by Israel in Palestinian territories. Instead, Israel has called 20,000 reservists into action in the Palestinian territories since the series of terrorist attacks began effectively stalling any hope of making good on the Arab League's proposals.
Tuesday, April 2, 2002
Love prevails, Advani says Kuwaiti girl may stay
New Delhi/chennai, April 1 Dhalal Al Azmi, the 23-year-old Kuwaiti girl, who sneaked into India with her Indian boyfriend Basha last week, will not be deported, Home Minister L.K. Advani said in New Delhi today. She was granted bail by the Judicial Magistrate today. The Home Ministry has also decided to ask Tamil Nadu government to send all documents related to Azmi. Advani assured MDMK leader Vaiko that he would prevent Azmi’s deportation. Vaiko met the Home Minister today morning to urge him to intervene in the case. Azmi faces capital punishment on charges of violating Islamic law once she is sent back to her country for not only falling in love with a foreigner but also getting pregnant. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa also urged the Centre today to first provide Azmi permanent resident status and then citizenship. Azmi, she said, had written to her seeking resident status and Indian citizenship on marrying her boyfriend.
