India News: April 2004

Thursday, April 29, 2004 | Editor
Jammu, Apr 29 (PTI) Security forces have recovered huge quantity of ammunition and explosives, including 15 kgs RDX, from a militant hideout in upper reaches of Doda district in Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said today.
A search operation in forest area of Doda district was launched by security personnel yesterday leading to recovery of 1500 rounds of AK ammunition, 225 rounds of PIKA ammunition, 11 mortar bombs (60-mm), six mortar fuses (60-mm), 10 mortar cartridges (60-mm), 15 kgs RDX and 14 remote control devices with electronic detonators, the sources said.

The militants had abandoned the hideout leaving behind the ammunition and explosives, they said.

Meanwhile, security forces busted another hideout in Surankote area of Poonch district and recovered three UBGL grenades and one IED weighing three kgs.

On Tuesday a hideout was busted in Bahuwali Rakh area near Jammu city leading to recoveries of 847 rounds of 7.62 mm, 82 AK rounds and 24 fired cases of AK rounds. PTI
Thursday, April 29, 2004 | Editor
Sydney, Apr 29 (PTI) Riding the wave of growth fundamentals such as demographic transition, improved incentive structures, diffusion of new technologies and an improved security environment, India will be growing at the rate of above 10 per cent per annum, Finance Ministry Advisor Vijay L Kelkar said here.

Observing that India is at the threshold of a golden age of growth, he said India's democratic framework is a key growth fundamental.

"India has paid the 'fixed costs' of democracy in terms of the creation of institutional infrastructure, traditions and conventions.

"Further, India's democratic system has also internaliszed {what Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee calls - 'Coalition Dharma') showing that coalitions can provide stable government and push economic reforms," he said while delivering the 2004 K R Naryanan lecture at the Australian National University in Canberra on Tuesday night.

"India - riding the wave of growth fundamentals such as demographic transition, human capital accumulation, improved incentives structures, diffusion of new technologies such as IT, total factor productivity accelerators through for 'network industries', and an improved security environment - will be growing at growth rates which can be above 10 per cent per annum i.e. double digit growth rates".

Referring to the growth as "India: On the growth turnpike", Dr Kelkar expressed confidence that economic growth in India will considerably accelerate further in the coming decade. PTI
Thursday, April 29, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 28 (PTI) India's failure to score 120 to win a Test in West Indies seven years ago still "troubles" Sachin Tendulkar who lists it as the most disappointing moment of his career.
India lost the Test at Barbados by 38 runs and as a result the 1997 series under Tendulkar's captaincy. "Even today when I think about it, it troubles me," he told ESPN-Star Sports in an interview to be telecast on Friday.

The batting genius finds its tough to single out his greatest cricketing moment but said reaching the World Cup final last year was "special for the whole team" and from a personal point of view, beating Australia in Sharjah in the final in 1998 on the strength of a dazzling century by him.

The recent victory against Pakistan in the Test series was also very exciting for the master blaster.

Recalling his delivery that dismissed last man Danish Kaneria, marking India's historic triumph, he said he was so excited that he did not even see who took the catch.

"...Just before I bowled the sixth ball, I could hear the players from silly point and short leg and slips saying that bowl a quicker one but I said this guy is is no mood to block so I am going to toss it up and I tossed it up.

"The moment I saw the ball right up in the air and a couple of guys standing underneath, I said no one can drop this catch. But I didn't see who took the catch. I was so excited I first grabbed the stumps," he said. PTI Thursday, April 29, 2004 | Editor
Jerusalem, Apr 29 (PTI) Israeli company, Africa-Israel Investments Ltd, is mulling over the possibility of investing millions of dollars in India in real estate and agriculture.
A senior executive of the company said that the company is examining "all the investment options on its merit" and should be able to "decide upon them in the next few weeks." Among several options, the company is also considering buying local construction companies to start its operations, a procedure it has employed in the past in other countries.

The activities in India would be handled by the Africa-Israel's contracting company, Danya Cebus, which the group fully owns.

The CEO of Danya Cebus, Udi Savion, said that the "prospects look good" and being a publicly traded company, it will "report any concrete decision, when it comes through".

PTI
Wednesday, April 28, 2004 | Editor
She’s Bollywood’s blue-eyed maiden. But she’s branching out and exploring everything that comes her way. Her first English movie Bride and Prejudice will soon hit the marquee. Is she nervous, excited, irritable or on tenterhooks? Excerpts from Aishwarya Rai’s conversation with British Council’s magazine Connecting.

Has making Bride and Prejudice in the UK been a very different kind of experience for you?

Well, I think making a movie in a different language begins to cause some differences in the manner in which that movie is made and the manner in which you approach the character. When you work in different languages, your acting ‘persona’ tends to be affected by your character’s language. I’m stressing on language because I’ve worked in Tamil films, in Bengali, in Hindi of course, and now in English. And English is a first language for me - I mean I speak English every day of my life.

Tell us about your experience working with Gurinder?

Working with Gurinder was a fabulous start for me in English films. Gurinder is clearly a British filmmaker. I think Bride and Prejudice is the greatest challenge that she has yet taken on as a filmmaker. She is greatly attracted to Bollywood’s sense of flair and has converted it to her genre of film.

Did performing in English change your own acting style at all?

I have acted differently in different Hindi films. I’ve tried not to restrict myself to being ‘pre-defined’. I would really not want to be defined tomorrow as an actor who did a limited range of roles and a limited range of films. As an actor who didn’t arrive with any kind of formal training, I found that, in film work, every experience contributes to my growth. I treat each film or each project individually and that’s certainly where, as an actor, I work with the director. I believe that as an actor I must contribute all I can to interpreting my director’s perception.

Did Gurinder make you all study Pride and Prejudice, the Jane Austen novel on which the film is based?

No. No. No. She definitely did want to know if we’d read the Jane Austen novel. I’ve read it at school, but I didn’t want to read it again. I did not want to play Lizzie as we know her in the novel. And I didn’t want to see previous film versions and be influenced by earlier performances. In any case, what first attracted me as an actor to Bride and Prejudice was it’s fresh approach.

Did you enjoy filming in the UK? You have an enormous personal following there and Hindi movies in Britain, are one of the most popular forms of entertainment.

When I was filming in Britain last year, and when I was a jury member at Cannes, it was wonderful to have so many people acknowledge my work. It’s wonderful to know you can find different audiences the world over - particularly cross-cultural audiences.

Do you think the Hindi movie is changing as it builds new international audiences with different expectations?

I think Hindi movies are going through an interesting phase. We’ve built our own kind of cinema and we definitely shouldn’t lose hold of that. But it’s also interesting to know how Hindi filmmakers are launching out to explore different modes of expressing their ideas. This will be exciting for all of us - actors, writers and directors too.
Wednesday, April 28, 2004 | Editor
Teesri Kasam: Director Basu Bhattacharya’s first film was a masterpiece. Set in Purnea district of Bihar it was a gentle and elegiac parable about a bullock cart driver Raj Kapoor and a village dancer Waheeda Rehman.

Told mostly through the two brilliant actors’ interactive encounters, the wordy film had great moments of insight into the bonds that bind the downtrodden. Award-winning performances by Kapoor and Rehman and a brilliant music score by Shankar-Jaikishan, striking cinematography by Satyajit Ray’s cameraman Bimal Mitra, plus the authentic locales - the film was shot on location in Bihar - made this adaptation of eminent litterateur Phanishwarnath Renu’s novel a tour de force. And yet ‘‘Teesri Kasam’’ wiped out its producer, the lyricist Shailendra, while his songs in the film are hummed to this day.

Kaagaz Ke Phool: Apparently when poet Kaifi Azmi saw the film at its first trial he point blank told director Guru Dutt it would bomb. A treatise on celluloid defeatism, ‘‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’’ told the semi-autobiographical story of a director who falls in love with his protégé (Waheeda Rehman), loses his family and career and dies as a junior artiste on the sets of his discovery’s film.

The autobiographical elements were so pronounced that the audience felt uncomfortable watching Guru Dutt achieve a creative catharsis on screen. In retrospect, Kaagaz Ke Phool became one of the biggest creative successes of the director’s oeuvre.

Today it is accepted as an epic in every sense. And the song Waqt ne kiya kya seems to epitomise the ephemeral glory of showbiz and life.

Mera Naam Joker: Are autobiographical films doomed? Raj Kapoor’s three-part magnum opus, again containing perceptible elements of the self in the presentation, was declared a flop after a massive opening.

In hindsight many see Raj Kapoor’s Mera Naam Joker as his finest work ever. Going into the three crucial chapters of the protagonist’s life, Mera Naam Joker’constructed the most unusual spiral of sound and light ever. Perhaps the newness of the format really hit the audience hard. In hindsight it became one of the most viewed and discussed films.

Bemisaal: The Hrishikesh Mukherjee-Amitabh Bachchan combination came up with many winning films, including Abhimaan and this grossly neglected film, based on a Bengali novel about an orphan who dedicates his life and energy to looking after his guardian’s son. Amitabh Bachchan’s performance conveyed that clenched conviction that makes him the biggest star of our times. Though Bemisaal’was partially flawed, the Bachchan magic was in full flow.

Shakti: Another unsung Bachchan classic released during the same year as Bemisaal, the father-son conflict has never been charted out with such enchanting lucidity in any film. Between Dilip Kumar as the self-righteous law-abiding father and Bachchan as the obdurate, rebellious son, there existed a chemistry that was never again visible in any Bachchan film. Writers Salim-Javed and director Ramesh Sippy went beyond Sholay in search of a more intimate study of human relationships. The film was seen to be too taut for mass appeal.

Namkeen: Gulzar’s most lyrical film somehow failed to find the audience that it deserved. Never mind. It’s his favourite from his oeuvre, and mine. The Brechtian story of three sisters and their mother whose desolate existence in a scenic wilderness was shattered by a stranger in their midst was elevated to unparalleled excellence by the performances. The film saw Sharmila Tagore in a role that Rekha walked out of, Shabana Azmi and Kiran Vairale as the other sisters and Waheeda Rehman as their senile mother. Sanjeev Kumar played the stranger. It all added up to a classic for all times. And who can forget Shabana singing Phir se aiyo badra in the misty mystique of Himachal Pradesh? Delicate and delicious.

Khamoshi - The Musical: Sanjay Leela Bhansali says the title was his tribute to one of his favourite films - Asit Sen’s Waheeda Rehman-Rajesh Khanna starrer Khamoshi. But Bhansali’s film about a normal girl with normal desires trying to cope with the over-possessiveness of her deaf-and-mute father was an emotionally shattering experience. So emotionally depleting was the film that it was rejected outright across the country. But no amount of rejection can take away the power and glory of Nana Patekar and Manisha Koirala’s performances. As father and daughter they raged and protested each other’s emotional tyranny. One of the most underrated films in the history of cinema.

Hathyar: (1989) - Though J.P. Dutta is celebrated for his war trilogy, he made one of India’s best gangster films. Hathyar is the earliest proof of what Sanjay Dutt could do when given a chance. As the innocent in Mumbai who gets sucked into the underworld he’s vulnerable, tough and heartbreaking. Dharmendra and Rishi Kapoor were also exceptional and so was the films violence-begets-violence thesis.

Lajja: (2001) - Raj Kumar Santoshi’s film took feminist cinema into totally uncharted territory. Formatted as a picaresque journey, it presented a gallery of brave and unforgettable women, played by Manisha Koirala, Madhuri Dixit, Rekha and Mahima Chowdhary, who represent various facets of middleclass womanhood.

LoC: (2003)- The critics went at it with hammers and tongs. But what was LoC guilty of, apart from recreating the Kargil war realistically? The war footage, which many found repetitive, was actually a documentation of the real-life battle. J.P. Dutta created an epic of war and peace that is destined to get its due recognition in times to come.
Wednesday, April 28, 2004 | Editor
IANS

An action film with a tough sounding title cannot be expected to have any scope for music. But "Deewaar" surprises you with its rich haul of tunes.

Director Milan Luthria's earlier film, "Kachche Dhaage", had an outstanding score by the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. It proved that action films can accommodate quality music, if done with care.

Sadly this score doesn't have the all-defining presence of the mighty Lata Mangeshkar who sang "Tere bin nahin jeena" in "Kachche Dhaage" with soul-piercing emotion. However, there's variety and vigour in Aadesh Shrivastava's tunes.

The music composer has made rapid strides in the last two years, arriving at a kind of peak with last year's Amitabh Bachchan blockbuster "Baghban".

The Bachchan-Shrivastava combination is a bit of a creative configuration. The music composer openly admits he hero-worships Bachchan and saves his best for the mega star.

After rattling off a repository of ragas in "Baghban" and Gaurang Doshi's earlier production "Aankhen", Shrivastava again pulls out a bagful of treats wrapped up and packaged in an extremely appetising show of sonorous strength.

Sonu Nigam rocks in the Sufi-disco track "Mahrabba". He bends his vocals into enticing shapes...only to bounce back with a whooping sound of melodic makeover as the tune goes from one level of rhythm to another. Irresistible!

The musical arrangements are first rate in both "Mahrabba" and the patriotic "Chaliye ve chaliye". In the latter, the vocal combination of Udit Narayan and Roopkumar Rathod and Nusrat Badr's nostalgic words may remind you of Anu Malik's music in J.P. Dutta's cinema, specially "Sandese aate hain" in "Border". But Shrivastava creates his own seductiveness...always.

His blend of rhythm-oriented sounds and traditional raga elements give to the sound of Hindi film music a sense of renewed glory.

And though the semi-classical "Piya bawri" by Alka Yagnik and Kailash Kher - the latter rose to sudden fame last year with the track "Allah ke bande" - borrows distinct elements from Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Devdas" soundtrack, it nonetheless creates an utterly charming tune.

I'm afraid the other delicately perched feminine number "Kara kaga" suffers due to Yagnik's inability to carry the higher notes without shades of shrillness creeping into her delivery. In an album suffused with high-pitched glory her failure stands out.

The album is clogged with robust raga-rich renderings. The qawwali, back with a big welcome bang in Hindi cinema, gets a bracing treatment here in "Ali ali". The vocals by Krishna lift the composition to an above-ordinary experience.

Unlike his peers like Anu Malik and Jatin-Lalit, Shrivastava tends to fill the silences between stanzas with meaningful sounds.

Though this album takes time to grow on you, it's ultimately a very satisfying experience, far more so than the 1970s' "Deewaar", which also starred Bachchan. It contained one of R.D. Burman's weakest scores ever.

"Deewaar" reinforces Shrivastava's versatile talent. He has a penchant for painting pictures through his words. Whether it's the enchantingly graceful "Piya bawri" or the inspirational "Todenge deewaar hum", the soundtrack supplements the strong macho mood of the film. I can hardly wait to see the film.
Wednesday, April 28, 2004 | Editor
An acid test on tolerance
(Bardaasht)
If you can tolerate the movie, or rather the hero Bobby Deol throughout the movie, you can certainly pass the test of tolerance. With a face where expressions refuse to appear, Bobby Deol can not take the burden of such a type of movie. And with a script that drags on in the first half, the movie is a total let down. The only saving grace in the movie are the cops, led by Rahul Dev, who appear as villains. Directed by E Niwas, the movie's initial part do not evoke any feeling as stone faced Aditya Srivastav (Bobby Deol) searches for his younger brother (Riteish) who was killed by there policemen in custody.

The police, assistant commissioner (Rahul Dev) and his two inspectors had picked him late night along with his girl friend. He died of police excess in custody but the records showed it as encounter death of a drug runner.

The rest of the story is about how Aditya, an ex-army officer along with girl friend (Lara Dutta), take revenge on the three policemen - using legal option and later muscle power.

Though the movie tries to touch on fake encounters - the latest cancer of Indian police - it fails in being an engrossing one.

Wednesday, April 28, 2004 | Editor
IANS
NEW DELHI: Brushing aside exit polls that predicted a hung parliament, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) maintained Tuesday the coalition it led would return to power with a comfortable majority.

Speaking to reporters, BJP president M. Venkaiah Naidu expressed surprise at the exit poll results, saying they went against the findings of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

"Our own findings show that the NDA will garner 300 seats and the BJP will get 200 seats on its own. The Congress will not even reach a century," Naidu maintained.

Naidu's prediction of 200 seats for the BJP is 100 lower than what the party had earlier projected. Asserting that the BJP-led alliance would repeat its 1999 election performance, Naidu dismissed the need for seeking post-poll alliances to form a government. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had hinted at the need for forging post-poll alliances outside the NDA to form a government.

Claiming that the BJP was on its way to form its first government in south India in Karnataka, Naidu said: "My party's alliance (with the Telugu Desam Party) in Andhra Pradesh is also doing very well."

Describing the Congress as "strange" for welcoming the exit polls after initially demanding a ban on such polls, he said: "It (Congress) is building castles in the air by interpreting the findings of the exit polls."

"However, they will continue to sit at the same place in the Lok Sabha, where they are now (in the opposition benches)."

At least two exit polls at the end of the third phase of the country's staggered general election Monday had predicted a hung parliament with the ruling NDA tipped to get only 235-255 seats and the Congress-led alliance 190-210 seats.

Wednesday, April 28, 2004 | Editor
Royal Dutch/Shell said on Tuesday it would cut up to 30 per cent of it 9,300 global information technology employees, and move some of these jobs to countries such as Malaysia and India by 2006.

Lisa Givert, a Shell spokeswoman, said the move was part of an overall revamping of the IT operations, now concentrated in the UK, the Netherlands and the US, which has been in the planning stages for two years.

The revamp also will include developing a standardised global IT system and infrastructure for all Shell companies, as well as a rationalisation of IT applications to limit the number being used across the group.

Ms Givert said the changes were aimed at making Shell IT operations more efficient. The company already has operations in Malaysia and has signed agreements with two vendors in India IBM and Wipro.

Malaysia, where Shell already has about 1,000 people in a technology support centre, has been working for years to develop itself as a global IT hub.

India already has made a name for itself as a global outsourcing hub, particularly for software.

Moving jobs to those countries will be cheaper for Shell, as technology workers earn far less than counterparts in Shell’s key IT operating centres in the West.

The move comes as the company is under enormous pressure after cutting its proved reserve estimates by 20 per cent.

The news angered Shell shareholders, some of whom demanded new management, forcing out Sir Philip Watts, Shell’s chairman.

Monday, April 26, 2004 | Editor
PTI

PATNA: Unidentified persons exploded a bomb and opened indiscriminate fire at two polling booths in Chapra constituency soon after polling began for 17 of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar on Monday morning.

However, no one was injured in the attacks, police said.

The bomb explosion took place at Damodarpur-Sikatia while unidentified persons fired indiscriminately at a polling station at Barwe in the constituency, they said.

RJD superemo Laloo Prasad Yadav is pitted against Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy in a keen contest in Chapra.

Monday, April 26, 2004 | Editor

New Delhi: Voting began at 0700 hrs today in the second phase of the snap Lok Sabha and state elections in 136 parliamentary constituencies in 11 states and for the Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Orissa.
More than 172 million voters can exercise their right to franchise till 1700 hrs through the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to decide the electoral fortunes of 1267 candidates for the 14th House of the People.

They include the Congress President Sonia Gandhi (Rae Bareli, UP), her son Rahul Gandhi (Amethi, UP), the BSP Chief Ms Mayawati (Akbarpur, UP), Union Defence Minister George Fernandes (Muzaffarpur, Bihar), the National Conference Chief Omar Abdullah (Srinagar, J&K), the Petroleum Minister Ram Naik and film star Govinda (North Mumbai, Maharashtra), the RJD Chief Laloo Prasad Yadav and Union Civil Aviation Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy (Chapra, Bihar) and the former Prime Ministers Chandra Shekhar (Ballia, UP) and H D Deve Gowda (Hassan, Karnataka).

Polling will be held in 21 constituencies in Andhra Pradesh, 13 in Karnataka, 10 in Orissa, 24 in Maharashtra, eight in Jharkhand, seven in Assam and 32 in Uttar Pradesh, 17 in Bihar, two in Goa and one each in Jammu and Kashmir and Manipur.

Voting in 142 Lok Sabha constituencies has already been completed on April 20 and 22, spread over 16 states and Union Territories alongwith the Assembly seats of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Orissa.

Today, the polling will be over in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa, Maharashtra, Manipur and Jharkhand.

Voting for the Silchar Lok Sabha seat in Assam has been postponed till May 10 due to rains, according to the Election Commission.

More than two million security as well as poll personnel are manning 172,000 polling booths of which more than 75,000 have been categorised as sensitive or hyper sensitive.

Of the 20,115 polling stations in Bihar, 8,463 are hyper sensitive and 6,166 sensitive. In Uttar Pradesh, of the 42,203 polling booths, 8,731 are hyper sensitive and 8,649 sensitive.

Votes will be counted on May 13, except for the Andhra Pradesh legislature, whose results are to be out a couple of days earlier.

Monday, April 26, 2004 | Editor
PTI

NEW DELHI: Over one lakh personnel of Central paramilitary forces will be deployed in 11 states going to polls on Monday in the third phase, with the CRPF itself positioning nearly 27,000 men for election duty for one seat in Jammu and Kashmir.

Besides the Central paramilitary forces, almost entire state police forces would be out to ensure peaceful balloting.

The CRPF would be the largest contributor among Central forces, deploying nearly 71,700 personnel across 137 constituencies, official sources said here On Saturday.

The biggest chunk 27,700 personnel of CRPF deployment would be made for Srinagar Lok Sabha seat in Jammu and Kashmir, where 2076 polling stations had been declared as 'hyper-sensitive' and 1604 as 'sensitive', they said.

The CRPF, which has been declared as 'nodal agency' of Central paramilitary forces for elections, would also deploy 136 companies in Assam, 77 companies in Naxal-affected Andhra Pradesh, 46 in Bihar, 50 in Jharkhand, 64 in Manipur, 25 in Orissa, 37 in Uttar Pradesh and five in Karnataka.

The BSF would deploy nearly 20,000 personnel, CISF 17,200, ITBP 1500, Railway Protection Force (RPF) 4,500 and the Special Services Bureau (SSB) and Punjab state home guards 2,500 each.

In view of the level of violence witnessed in the first phase of polling on April 20, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar, security forces were making all out efforts to ensure trouble-free balloting on Monday when these states would again go to polls, the sources said.

Monday, April 26, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 25 (PTI) Firmly believing that legislation was the "only way" to facilitate construction of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya, VHP has extracted a commitment from 155 members of the dissolved Lok Sabha in its
favour and is discreetly "campaigning" for candidates supporting its
11-point agenda.
The MPs, who signed on the dotted lines of the VHP, include 141 of BJPs 182 members, seven of BJD's 10 and five of Shiv Sena's 15 in the outgoing Lok Sabha, sources in the saffron organisation claimed.
Interestingly, a member each of Trinamool Congress and RJD have also given an undertaking that if any effort is made in parliament to enact a law for construction of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya, they would extend "active support" and work for mustering such support from other MPs also, they said.
The ministers who signed in VHP's favour are M M Joshi, I D Swami, Sahib Singh Verma, Swami Chinamayanand, Vallabhai Kathiria and Bhawnaben Chikalia, they said.
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and other ministers whose names do not figure in the list were "not approached deliberately as part of the strategy", the sources claimed. PTI
Monday, April 26, 2004 | Editor

Patna, Apr 25 (PTI) Amid shoot-at-sight orders for booth grabbers and sealing off of Indo-Nepal border adjoining Bihar, the stage is set for elections to 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state in the second phase of polling on April 26.
Four persons were killed and many injured in a violence-marred poll for 11 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state held on April 20.
Nearly 100 companies of the Central para-military forces (CPMFs)fanned out to different areas spread over the 17 constituencies, where homeguards and District Armed Police (DAP) personnel too were posted to ensure conduct of a free and fair poll. PTI

Monday, April 26, 2004 | Editor
SRINAGAR, APR 25 (PTI) STEPPING UP ATTACKS, MILITANTS TODAY HURLED A GRENADE AT A PDP ELECTION RALLY MINUTES AFTERPARTY CHIEF MEHBOOBA MUFTI LEFT THE VENUE, KILLING ONE PERSONAND INJURING NINE IN ANANTNAG DISTRICT OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR.
THE ATTACK TOOK PLACE IN KHOOL-NOORABAD SHORTLY AFTERMUFTI, WHO IS CONTESTING FROM ANANTNAG PARLIAMENTARY SEAT,LEFT THE RALLY VENUE AND THE CROWD WAS DISPERSING, INSPECTORGENERAL OF POLICE K RANJENDRA TOLD PTI.
TEN PEOPLE, INCLUDING NDTV CAMERAMAN S TARIQ, WERE INJURED IN THE BLAST, HE SAID ADDING THAT ONE OF THEM LATER SUCCUMBED TO INJURIES. PTI

Sunday, April 25, 2004 | Editor
Hardwar, Apr 24 (PTI) Curfew in Kotwali area of the city, imposed after clashes between police and traders over an eve-teasing incident, was lifted this morning as the situation was found to be "normal".
"Curfew was finally lifted at 7 am after a complete review of the situation which was found to be completely normal", Director General of Police, P D Raturi said.

Curfew was imposed in parts of the the holy city on Wednesday after clashes broke out between members of the trading community and police personnel.

One person was killed in police firing earlier.

Uttaranchal Chief Minister N D Tiwari has ordered a judicial probe by a sitting High Court judge into the incident. Normal life across the state was paralysed yesterday following a bandh. PTI

Sunday, April 25, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 24 (PTI) CPI(M) today sought intervention of the Election Commission to direct the government to withdraw an order of the Textiles Ministry reducing the reservation percentage for compulsory jute packaging of foodgrains and sugar.
In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner T S Krishnamurthy, CPI(M) General Secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet said "we strongly feel that such an executive order to a particular industrial lobby, at a time when the election process is in full swing, is a flagrant violation of the model code of conduct by the party in power at the Centre".

He pointed out that the order, issued on April 16, "drastically reduces the reservation percentage for compulsory use of jute bags for packing foodgrains from 100 to 60 per cent and for packing sugar from 90 to 50 per cent".

Asserting that the order would hit hard the jute industry of West Bengal and Bihar, employing over 2.5 lakh workers and 40 lakh jute growers, he said it went against the provisions of the Jute Packaging Materials (Compulsory use in Packing Commodities) Act, 1987.

He alleged the order "would bring huge business benefits to non-jute packaging industry, engaged in the production of synthetic material, which has been lobbying hard with government and political parties for such a favour". PTI
Sunday, April 25, 2004 | Editor
Mumbai, Apr 24 (PTI) Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, who suffered chest congestion on April 16 following a spinal surgery, is improving and his ventilator has been removed, Bombay Hospital sources said today.
"Jogi is showing signs of improvement and the ventilator was removed today but he is still in ICU," they said.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharti today called on the former Chief Minister, who has started talking to people.

Other prominent visitors included senior Congress leaders Shivraj Patil and Shankarsinh Vaghela, the sources said.

Bharti, who also was admitted to the same hospital two days back after she fell ill due to hectic campaigning, went to Jogi to personally enquire about his health.

Sources said Jogi had a brief talk with his visitors.

Fifty-nine-year old Jogi, whose electoral fate was sealed on April 20 in Mahasamund Lok Sabha constituency, had suffered severe spinal and head injuries on April 11 when his car dashed against a tree. He was flown to Mumbai the same day and operated at Bombay Hospital. PTI

Sunday, April 25, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 24 (PTI) Unequivocally condemning the militant attacks on candidates and political rallies, the US today said these were "cynical attempts" to scare voters from exercising their fundamental right of franchise.
"We condemn unequivocally the attack on candidates, on political rallies, and other election related events prior to and on polling day... These attacks are cynical attempts to scare voters away from choosing their political representatives and from exercising their fundamental right of franchise," the US embassy said in a statement here.

Applauding the courage of the Kashmiris, it said, as in 2002 state Assembly elections, the people this time braved the threat of violence and intimidation to participate in the electoral process.

"Kashmiri people have shown that they wanted to ursue the path of peace," it added. PTI

Sunday, April 25, 2004 | Editor
Mumbai, Apr 24 (PTI) Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar today celebrated his 31st birthday with family members at his Bandra residence.
Tendulkar, who has so far appeared in 447 international matches and scored 70 centuries in both forms of cricket in his 15-year career, had called mediapersons yesterday to his residence to thank fans for their continued support.

The maestro, who cut a cake and gave a piece of it to his wife Anjali, said "I am really surprised that each year April 24 is made out to be an event by my fans and it is a great feeling and I would take this opportunity to thank them".

Tendulkar also made it clear that he wanted to celebrate the occassion only with his family.

Meawhile, "The Tendulkar's", the restaurant owned by the living legend is offering 31 per cent reduction on all types of food to celebrate Sachin's birthday.

"We want to make it a special day for our customers who decide to dine with us today and hence we are offering 31 per cent reduction," a restuarant staffer said.

"Last year, Sachin himself was here and we celebrated his birthday at the backdoor kitchen. But this year we are told that he will not be coming as he wants to be with his family." PTI
Sunday, April 25, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 24 (PTI) Had he known that India would win the Multan Test against Pakistan in almost four days, he would not have made the controversial declaration of India's first innings with Sachin Tendulkar stranded at 194 not out, vice- captain Rahul Dravid confessed today.
"Retrospect is a beautiful thing. If I had known that the Test would finish in four days I would not have declared then," Dravid told reporters at a function organised to celebrate India's triumph over Pakistan in both one-dayers and the Tests.

"Both Sachin and I have a sore throat now clarifying (this issue). It has been made a bigger issue than it is. At least it is not an issue in the team. We have sorted it out.

We respect each other too much to let it linger on," he said.

In the first Test at Multan, India declared their first innings at 675 for five towards the end of the second day with Tendulkar just six runs short of what would have been his fourth double century, a decision which was hotly debated on either side of the border. The Indians went on beat Pakistan comfortably by an innings and 52 runs. PTI
Sunday, April 25, 2004 | Editor
Chandigarh, Apr 24 (PTI) Instead of treating outsourcing as an emotional issue, the US should look at it with business logic to see its brighter side and realise the flowback to their own economy due to outsourcing.
"While they fear that outsourcing means job losses to thei own people, what they seem to ignore is that jobs are created on the contrary. Flowback to their own economies is what they should be looking at in this situation of job churning process and at a time when global economy is restructuring," NASSCOM President Kiran Karnik, said at a press conference here.

India was emerging as the global hub for the corporate back-office services and the ITES-BPO sector was expected to grow by 54 per cent this year, he said.

About India's software exports, he said the country's software industry had grown from a mere 150 million dollars in 1991-92 to a revenue of Rs 47,500 crore during 2002-03.

"No other industry has performed so well against the global competition. According to a Nasscom-McKinsey report, annual revenue projections for India's IT industry in 2008 are 87 billion dollars with a potential for 2.2 million jobs in IT by that year," he said, adding the IT spending around the world had been decresing. PTI

Sunday, April 25, 2004 | Editor
Mumbai, Apr 24 (PTI) India's foreign exchange reserves continued their upward swing, crossing US dollar 117 billion mark with further inflows of USD 1.53 billion for the week ended April 16.
The country's foreign exchange reserves increased from USD 116.06 billion to USD 117.59 billion during the period under review, according to Reserve Bank of India's weekly statistical supplement issued here today.

In the previous week ended April nine, forex reserves had swelled substantially by USD 3.37 billion, boosted by inflows in public offerings of state-owned undertakings, including ONGC.

Foreign currency assets for the week ended April 16 surged by USD 1,543 million to USD 1,12,103 million.

Revaluation of US dollar vis-a-vis other currencies and export remittances resulted in the rise in reserves.

Gold reserves and special drawing rights remained static at USD 4,198 million and USD two million respectively.

India's Reserve Tranche Position (RTP) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) further declined by USD 11 million to USD 1,289 million, the central bank added.

Loans and advances to Central government continued to have a nil balance while that to state governments also fell by Rs 114 crore to Rs 4,422 crore, RBI said. PTI

Friday, April 23, 2004 | Editor
Patna, Apr 23 (PTI) Repolling began this morning at 349 polling stations spread over 11 of 40 Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar that went to poll in the first phase on April 20.
The poll process, which started at 7 a.m., was peaceful in the early hours, official sources said.

Repoll was in progress at 18 booths in Patna, 61 in Jehanabad, 17 in Barh, 32 in Gaya, 22 in Buxar, 53 in Bikramganj, 10 in Sasaram, 42 in Aurangabad, 38 in Ara, 12 in Nalanda and 44 in Nawada.

Repoll in 143 booths was ordered by the Election Commission as Electronic Voting Machines did not function properly while revoting in 70 booths was necessitated following damaged caused to EVMs by anti-social elements. In rest of the booths, the repoll was ordered following electoral malpractices, the sources said. PTI
Friday, April 23, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 23 (PTI) Electioneering reaches a feverish pitch as campaigning for the third phase of elections in 137 Lok Sabha constituencies in 11 states draws to a close tomorrow evening.
At 5 p.m. tomorrow, campaigning guns will fall silent in 32 of 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, 24 of 48 seats in Maharashtra, 21 out of 42 in Andhra Pradesh, 17 of 40 seats in Bihar, 13 of 28 in Karnataka, 10 of 21 in Orissa, eight each in Assam and Jharkhand, two in Goa and one each in Manipur and Jammu and Kashmir.

The April 26 polls will also cover the second and final phase of assembly elections in 147 of 294 constitutencies in Andhra Pradesh, 104 out of 224 seats in Karnataka and 70 out of 147 seats in Orissa.

Election to the 14th Lok Sabha are scheduled for five dates stretching between April 20 and May 10. Polls for 140 seats were held on April 20 and April 22 in Tripura (2). The last two rounds will be held on May 5 and May 10. Counting will be taken up on May 13.

Prominent personalities, whose fate would be decided on April 26, include Congress President Sonia Gandhi from Rae Bareli, Rahul Gandhi from Amethi and several Union Ministers including Defence Minister George Fernandes (Muzaffarpur) and Civil Aviation Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy who takes on former Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Pradas Yadav in Chapra. PTI
Friday, April 23, 2004 | Editor
Washington, April 23 (PTI) The World Bank has strongly favoured outsourcing of jobs and free movement of temporary workers in the mutual interest of high income countries like United States and developing countries like India and China.

In a paper titled Global Monitoring Report assessing the progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the Bank said countries like India, Philippines, China and South Africa have vast capabilites in Information Technology.

It has been prepared ahead of Sunday's meeting of the Development Committee of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Stressing that a successful, pro-development outcome of the Doha Round of trade talks is critical, the paper said agreement on some focal points or targets for trade policy reform would give it an impetus.

Such focal points could include "commitments to ensure free cross-border trade in services delivered via telecommunications networks, complemented by actions to liberalize the temporary movement of service providers."

It also mooted "complete elimination by high-income countries of tariffs on manufactured products by a target date; removal of agricultural export subsidies and complex de-coupling of all domestic agricultural subsidies from production; and reduction of agricultural tariffs."

The Bank said Services sector is the fastest growing component of world trade. Developing countries have expanded export of services nearly four-fold in the last decade -- a faster rate than export of goods. PTI

Friday, April 23, 2004 | Editor
Chandigarh, Apr 23 (PTI): Rains accompanied by high velocity winds lashed most parts of north India on Thursday, providing some relief to the people from heat conditions.

Dust storms hit the city for most part of the day and the rain towards evening provided some succor to the people from the heat.

The maximum temperature here was recorded at 35.8 C, the Meteorological Department said.

Rains also lashed Srinagar, Jammu, Ambala, Hissar, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Shimla and Sundernagar.

The Met said high velocity winds with a speed exceeding 78 kmp.h. lashed the region.

It attributed the sudden change in weather to a western disturbance over north Pakistan adjoining Jammu and Kashmir which persists as an upper air system.

Power breakdowns were also reported from a few places in the region.

The mercury plummetted at Ambala which recorded 36.6 C and Hisar at 36.9 C.

Amritsar had a pleasant day today recording a high of 31.8 C while Ludhiana at 34 C and Patiala at 36.2 C were also cooler in comparison.

Shimla had a high of 23 C while the maximum at Sundernagar settled at 29.9 C and Bhuntar had a high of 29.5 C.

Friday, April 23, 2004 | Editor

NEW DELHI : Cricketer Virendra Sehwag on Thursday received blessings and a bouquet on the occasion of his marriage from President A P J Abdul Kalam.

Alongwith the bouquet, the President also sent a letter to Kishan Sehwag, the cricketer's father, conveying his best wishes to Virender and bride Aarti and to all his family members. The President wished them happiness and prosperity.

Just back from a highly successful Pakistan tour, Sehwag had on Tuesday gone to Rashtrapati Bhavan when he invited the President for his wedding.

The bouquet and the letter were carried to Sehwag's residence in Najafgarh by the President's ADC.

Friday, April 23, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi: Rain and a dust storm failed to play spoilsport as dashing Indian opener Virender Sehwag began the most important innings of his life by tying the knot with Delhi girl Arti Ahalawat in a simple ceremony tonight.

The wedding at Law Minister and DDCA president Arun Jaitley's 9, Ashok Road, bungalow was in accordance with Hindu traditions and the homely ceremony was by-and-large kept out of media glare.

A squall and hail storm, followed by heavy showers, lashed the capital late afternoon, forcing the decorations at the wedding venue to be temporarily removed.

However, the weather improved by the evening and it became pleasant as night approached. Kanwar Saini, the decorator, later said not much damage was done to the food arrangements and the tent.

"As we saw the weather deteriorating, we kept most of the movable decoration and food items under cover," he said, adding that not much time was required to rearrange the same.

Sehwag's home at Luxmi Garden in Najafgarh was decked up with lights and a tent in the front. However, sources have revealed that after the marriage, Sehwag might shift to his new house at Defence Colony.

With no dhol and no ghori, the groom led the baraatis in his black Sonata. The wedding had a traditional Rajasthani theme with almost everything being given a royal touch.

Among those who attended the ceremony on Wednesday night were BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya, Union Minister of State Vijay Goel, BJP spokesman Prakash Javlekar and a host of DDCA officials.

President APJ Abdul Kalam was among the earliest to send a bouquet to Sehwag while extending his best wishes to the star cricketer on his marriage.

Along with the bouquet, Dr Kalam sent a letter to Kishan Sehwag, the cricketer's father, conveying his greetings to Sehwag and his bride Aarti and to their family members. The President wished them happiness and prosperity.

Both the bouquet and the letter were delivered at Sehwag's residence at Najafgarh this afternoon, sources said. Sehwag had yesterday gone to the Rashtrapati Bhavan to personally invite the President for the wedding.

Dalmiya, who left the venue early after wishing the couple, was asked by waiting reporters what he had told the pair, to which he said, "I wish them an unbeaten century partnership." DDCA vice president CK Khanna said, "The arrangements were perfect. All the people are very excited and are enjoying a lot."

A family source said, "Rain has been a dampener. In fact, rain has come as god's blessings and it augurs well for the couple."

Along with Viru's wedding, almost 10,000 other couples are tying the knot in the city on this auspicious Akshay Tritaya day.

While today's ceremony is a low-key affair, the reception on Saturday at Hotel Maurya Sheraton would see a gathering of people from almost all walks of life, including big names from the cricket world. It is learnt that excluding batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, whose 31st birthday falls on the same day, most of Team India members would converge at the hotel for the occasion.

Apart from captain Sourav Ganguly and other team members, BCCI president Dalmiya, secretary S K Nair, treasurer Jyoti Bajpai, national selectors including chairman Syed Kirmani, BCCI communication and co-ordination committee chairman and MP Rajeev Shukla and former players like Kapil Dev and Bishen Singh Bedi will be present on the occasion.

To add glamour there will be television star Mandira Bedi and actress Mahima Chowdhury, who worked with the cricketer in a commercial.

Besides Jaitley and Union Labour Minister Sahib Singh are also expected to be present. The media has also been invited for tea on Saturday. Sehwag and Arti will fly to Italy and Switzerland for their honeymoon.

UNI

Friday, April 23, 2004 | Editor
NEW DELHI: The Indian Express-NDTV opinion poll for the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections to be held on April 26 indicates the NDA is struggling to hold on to its majority.

Out of the 279 seats (Phases I & II), the BJP and allies are projected to get 148 and the Congress and allies 98. In 1999, the NDA had 173 and the Congress 76 from these states.

The latest national projections (based on the exit poll for the first phase, an opinion poll carried out between April 8 and 14 for the second phase; and a mid-March opinion poll for the last two phases) indicate 255-275 tally for the NDA, 175-195 for the Congress and its allies.

In the first phase of polls in UP on Monday, where 32 seats will be decided, there is a marginal improvement projected for the Congress, from three to four while the BJP stays at 13.

The NDA has done well in Karnataka in the first phase of the elections and is expected to do well next week as well_but not as well as in the first phase.

The NDA is expected to get 19 out of the 28 seats in Karnataka while the Congress may slip from 18 to 7.

The biggest loss to the NDA so far is the loss of its hold on Andhra Pradesh. While the Congress and its allies are expected to take their tally from five to 24 (out of 42), the TDP-BJP combine is likely to slip to 17 from 36.

In Maharashtra, the BJP-Shiv Sena did very well last time because the Congress and the NCP fought separately. Although there is an anti-incumbency swing against the state government in Maharashtra, the Congress, NCP continue to hold on to their 1999 tally of seats because they are united this time.

While the Congress-NCP combine is expected to get 20 seats, the Sena-BJP are projected to get 27, one less than their '99 tally.

In Bihar and Jharkhand, too, there is a loss to the NDA in relation to the 1999 figures. In Bihar (where 28 seats go to polls in the first two phases), the NDA may get 13 while the RJD and allies may move up to 13 from just six last time.

In Jharkhand, the Congress and its allies are projected to improve their tally from three to six.

The battle now is really on and the NDA needs to do really well in the next two rounds of polling if it is to cross the halfway mark.

METHODOLOGY: The Indian Express and New Delhi Television (NDTV) have jointly commissioned A C Nielsen, a leading market research agency, to conduct fieldwork for a series of opinion and exit polls to gauge the voting intentions of the electorate as well to seek their views on a range of subjects and personalities.

Nine large states went to the polls in Phase I on April 20. Of those, nine, polling covered all the seats in two states, namely Gujarat and Chhattisgarh. In the other seven, voting is being conducted in two phases, with the Phase II voting to be held on next Monday, April 26.

The national projection in this report is based on a three-fold aggregation. The projections for Phase 1 are based on exit polls, while those for Phase 2 are computed from the results of opinion polls.

The first 32 out of 80 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, the largest state in the union, vote on April 24. Thus, there is no exit poll in Uttar Pradesh and the findings are based entirely on opinion polls.

But some words of caution. All polls are subject to margins of error. The sampling error in this poll differs across the different states, with the highest range of error not exceeding 3 per cent.

In the opinion poll, a total of 55 Lok Sabha constituencies were covered, while in the exit poll, 60 Lok Sabha constituencies were polled. In the first phase of elections, 142 seats went to the polls, while in the second phase on Monday, April 26, another 137 seats will be going to the polls.

Friday, April 23, 2004 | Editor
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has turned the turret towards the Rabri Devi Government once again, holding it responsible for Bihar's backwardness. Although the Centre has provided crores of rupees to the present Government of Bihar for various development purposes, especially for building roads but the State Government prefers to deposit the money in banks unutilised.

Why they do it is not known to me," said the Prime Minister on Thursday while addressing an election rally in Chhapra from where BJP candidate and Union Civil Aviation Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudi is contesting the election with RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav as his rival.

The Prime Minister, while asking for votes for Mr Rudi, also focused on the issues of power, irrigation and electricity. "Even today, in most of the towns of the country, the people get just two hours of electricity and the students are the worst sufferers. We will take power and irrigation as the prime concern next time," said he.

Mr Vajpayee also promised to generate more employment in the country, if elected next time. "I know we could not generate as much employment as it should have been but given a chance, we will do it the next time," assured the Prime Minister.

While addressing a mammoth crowd in Chhapra, Mr Vajpayee also dwelt upon the country's successful bilateral relations with the neighbouring countries. "Both India and Pakistan should remain united and improve bilateral relations further to become a major driving force in the region," stated Mr Vajpayee. "No country would even dare to target us if we show unity," he said.

Earlier in the day, while addressing an another election rally in Kishanganj, the Prime Minister also said that jobs would be provided to about two crore Muslims in the country if the BJP is given an another chance to serve the country. "Two crores of Muslims, unemployed youths, would be given jobs in the next five years," promised the Prime Minister in Kishanganj wile campaigning for BJP candidate Shahnawaj Hussain. Mr Hussain is locked in a battle against RJD candidate Mohammad Taslimuddin in this Muslim- dominated constituency.

The Prime Minister also said he was not in politics for earning money or for any personal gains. "Politics is my mission to change the face of the nation and I'll try to realise my dream for a strong India, parisharami and prakarmi India," said he.
Friday, April 23, 2004 | Editor
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharti developed chest pain in a helicopter carrying her to a poll rally in Maharashtra on Thursday and was admitted to a local hospital.

Doctors said her condition was "normal" without heart problem.

"Bharti's blood pressure is normal and there is no heart trouble but she is having spondylitis problem and the jerks in the chopper might have aggravated it because of which Bharti felt uneasy. She does not have any heart problem, " Dr Narayan Devgaokar and Dr D S Aher of Raje Bahadur Hospital attending on Bharti told reporters after her check-up.

The 45-year-old Chief Minister addressed poll rallies at Aurangabad and took off to attend a poll rally of Union Minister Ram Naik at Dahisar when she felt chest pain and asked the chopper commander to make an emergency landing.

After the chopper landed near Akole village in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, BJP workers alerted local doctors but the Chief Minister reportedly expressed her desire to move to Nasik and get examined. (PTI)

Friday, April 23, 2004 | Editor
The Delhi Police today arrested a CBSE employee working in the office of the Controller of Examination in connection with the Pre-Medical Test question paper leak case.

Hemant Sharma, Computer Operator in the office of Examination Controller Pavnesh Kumar, was arrested following disclosures by the main accused nabbed recently, DCP (Crime) Dependra Pathak said.

Sharma had allegedly taken copies of the question papers from the computer and given these to the accused, Pathak said.

Police have also recovered Rs 3 lakh from him, Pathak added. (PTI)

Friday, April 23, 2004 | Editor

Mulayam ... the name is deceptive as everyone knows he is a hard nut to crack. But if Congress president Sonia Gandhi is to be believed, that's not the only deceptive aspect of this veteran Socialist leader.

Ms Gandhi has said: "Haathi ke dant khane ke aur, dikhane ke aur." She also said "do chehre hain". And without naming the Samajwadi Party or its leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, she hoped the voters will teach a lesson to these forces indulging in politics of deception.Until now, the Congress has been wary of directly attacking the Samajwadi Party as some senior leaders wanted to maintain restraint, keeping in mind the post-poll compulsions. But even in politics, it sometimes becomes difficult to make an omelette without breaking the eggs. Ms Gandhi perhaps felt compelled to break the eggs under the heat of a direct contest against the SP in Rae Bareli. Addressing a rally at Uchahar on Thursday evening, last in her new constituency which goes to polls on April 26,

Ms Gandhi said some parties make loud claims about secularism and "we thought they will keep fighting the communal forces but they meekly backed out". She went to the extent of saying: "Kahin na kahin inke tar jure huye hain."

When Ms Gandhi said "I believe you will see what's the reality", a very responsive crowd, cheering the leader on every sentence ignoring the storm and rain that threatened to spoil the meeting, erupted into a roar of approval. There was no need for her to elaborate but Ms Gandhi had told reporters in the morning that the SP appeared to be having a "hidden agenda". She, however, argued that the Congress had faith in the fair judgement of the voters.

The bitterness between the Congress and the SP has spilled on to the streets of Rae Bareli. SP candidate Ashok Singh has put up posters saying "videshi ko bhagayenge" and "pehle saas hari, abki bahu ki bari". Although Priyanka Vadra has complained to the Election Commission against SP candidate Ashok Singh's brother Akhilesh Singh's activities, Ms Gandhi's campaign is sober and doesn't target the SP camp's criminal links.

The Congress posters, instead, celebrate her presence in Indira Gandhi's constituency by displaying banners with the message "ae Bareli ki lalkar, Sonia Gadhi bahu hamar". Ms Gandhi also responded to senior BJP leader Pramod Mahajan's criticism, who had, earlier in the day, told a public meeting in Rae Bareli that the Congress president had nothing else than history to talk about. He had ridiculed Ms Gandhi for recalling Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi and thanked the people to have come to hear him despite the fact that he was not married into the Nehru-Gandhi family.

Ms Gandhi, hours after Mr Mahajan's rally, said that legacies are not made in a day and they need service and sacrifice to fructify. She said the contributions of the Nehru-Gandhi family cannot be forgotten because they were part of the nation's history, not just the Congress party's past. She said. "Rae Bareli mere liye mahaj chunav nahin hai. Yeh ek virasat, ek parampara, ek bhawna se jurne ki baat hai." Friday, April 23, 2004 | Editor

Ram Gopal Varma has just about wrapped up his first-ever film with Abhishek Bachchan in the lead called Naach, and he’s all set to direct father Bachchan in a film called Sarkaar. (See: PIctures of Varma`s new films)

The Abhishek-Antara Mali starrer Naach is rumoured to be a remake of the Chinese film In The Mood For Love.

Varma is amused. "Never heard of this Chinese film in my life. Naach is very much an original film. I’ve never made an unoriginal film in my life. But now I’m about to. My next directorial venture Sarkaar is my faithful version of Francis Coppola’s The Godfather. Amitabh Bachchan plays the role immortalized by Marlon Brando." (Discuss: Will Big B be as good as Marlon Brando?)

What happened to Varma’s plans to direct the big-budget espionage thriller Ek?

"With India and Pakistan extending a hand of friendship to each other, Ek with its theme of international terrorism seems politically incorrect. I decided Ek isn’t so relevant at this moment. Sarkaar will start in August or September. It’ll be my take on The Godfather. I always wanted to do my own version of the story. In spirit I want to remain as close to the original as possible. According to me The Godfather has nothing to do with the mafia or the underworld. It’s about a patriarch and his family honour. My film will deal with high politics. The underworld will be only a tool in their hands. Apart from Mr Bachchan I haven’t decided the rest of the cast as yet."

Like the postponed Ek, Sarkaar will be produced by high-flying financier Bharat Shah. Incidentally two years ago Mahesh Manjrekar planned to re-make The Godfather in Hindi as Kutumb with Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar and Abhishek Bachchan for producer Feroz Nadiadwala. The project got shelved.

Feroz Khan had made the first Hindi version of The Godfather in the early 1970s. Entitled Dharmatma it starred the late Premnath in Marlon Brando’s role. Ever since then various versions of The Godfather have been attempted. Ram Gopal Varma and Amitabh Bachchan would definitely create a unique version of the story.

Friday, April 23, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 22 :

As the world chants the 'herbal mantra', India, the land where Ayurveda originated, is nowhere to be seen in the global market, with its meagre share of 1-2 per cent.
Those in the business say stringent quality norms in the US and European countries are forcing Indian manufacturers to stay away from these markets. China holds 48 per cent of global share of the international alternate medicine market, whereas, Indian market share lies between 1-2 per cent.

The global market for alternate medicine is presently pegged at around 15 billion USD and is poised to grow upto a whopping five trillion USD by the year 2050, feel experts.

Experts also attribute the near-absence of Indian players in the global market to the lack of proper documentation.

"Western society does not believe in traditional literature.

They want documentation of the reasearch work, which is lacking on the part of Indian companies", says Dr R C Pandey former President at New Brunswick Technology Center, USA.

Prof V S Ramamurthy, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, agrees, "Quality control exercise can not be based on folklore. We need a viable quality control system to convince the international consumer that they deserve what they are paying for."

The global consumers want value-for-money and ensure that the product they are buying has been clinically approved. Dr Pandey explains the global market scenario, "Indian herbal products are marketed as supplements only but to find acceptability as alternate medicine system in the western markets we need to provide clinical data to them. To bring credibility to our products we need the approval from regulatory bodies like FDA in the US."

Dr P Das, former Chairman, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Review Commitee believes, "To get approval in international markets the herbal companies need to follow Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) right from the time of harvest to delivery of the herbal products."

He further opines, "We have rich biodiversity, however, we have not tapped our resources properly. Rather than cultivating medicinal plants, we collect them from the wild which has resulted in depletion of these natural resources."

Dr Pushpangadan, another expert agrees," Since almost 85 per cent of the plant extracts are collected from the forests, where chances of cross-pollination are high, same extract might not be present in all the plants. How in this case can we measure quality then?"

Numerous herbs like 'neem' and turmeric have been successfuly used for therapeutic purposes in our households since time immemorial. Why then the herbal industry has failed to capitalise on the medicinal value of these plants? Why our products are marketed as supplements and not curative medicines in the international market?

"There is lack of initiative on the part of the industry as well as the government", the industry sources say. "FDA does not recognise our herbal products as alternate medicine as there is lack of documentation of the research work. They think our products are based on hit-and-trial approach", they further add.

Pharmacists blame the Government bodies for lack of data and delay in clinical testings of the herbal products.

"Government institutions take a lot of time in giving us the results. IICT charges Rs 15,000 per test and it takes upto six months to get the results", laments V Ramarao, Corporate Advisor, Pragati Biopharma.

Prof Ramamurthy says "We are taking initiatives for standardisation of herbal products like setting up National ccreditation Board and going for GLP certification which is in line with the systems followed by other countries." He further says, "We can expect GLP to come to effect in India in almost a year." Clearly with the kind of rich biodiversity that India has, coupled with the fact that Ayurveda has been practiced in the country since ages, the potential to exploit the international markets is immense.

However, as one expert puts it 'What cannot be measured, cannot be achieved.' We need to set stringent quality norms for standardisation of herbal products so that international community recognises Indian herbal products as a viable system of alternate medicine. Friday, April 23, 2004 | Editor
Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has expressed a desire to work in Shekhar Kapur's forthcoming film on African apartheid leader Nelson Mandela.

"I have met Mandela twice and he showed lot of affection towards me. I was highly impressed by his ideology and I even visted the island where the African leader was imprisoned... I would feel lucky even if I am able to get a very small role in the movie," Bachchan told Zee News in an interview.

Bachchan said he had already met the produer of the film, Anand Singh, though nothing has been finalised as yet. Amitabh is also working with Rituparno Ghosh in a film based on the life of Satyajit Ray.

Hitting out at his critics, Big B said he had no plans to retire as "there is no retirement age for actors and performers unless the audience decides otherwise".

"It is only the audience which can make actors retire when they stop getting roles or their work isn't appreciated".

Moreover, the film industry is not like government service with a set retirement age of 60, he said in the interview, the second part of which will be telecast on Saturday.

Citing the case of recent films 'Khakee' and 'Baghban', the Big B said that these roles were tailor-made for him. However, it is not always the case and should not be perceived as a trend.

When questioned about the sudden spate of movies in which he would be donning the mantle of an army officer, Bachchan said that it's a mere coincidence.

Films like 'Lakshya', 'Deewaar', 'Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo' which will be released in the coming weeks will transform the 'Don' of the seventies into a khakee-clad army office serving his nation with patriotic zeal.

Talking about the changing times, the Big B said the new generation of directors like Karan Johar, Sanjay Leela Bhansali are much more confident, organised and foresighted.

"Infact, Karan Johar told me the date and theatre in which his film 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gum' would be released even before he narrated the script to me," said Bachchan, appreciating their commitment and desire for success. Friday, April 23, 2004 | Editor
Mumbai, Apr 22 (IANS) :

Trust M.F. Husain. After withdrawing his film "Meenaxi" following protests from some Muslim groups, he is now planning to release it again.

In an interview with IANS, Husain said the controversy - "a small misunderstanding" - had been sorted out.

"I will release the movie again. When you withdraw the movie then there is always more interest in it as you have kept people thirsty," he said.

"The media got all the material it wanted. The movie ran for almost three good weeks, which I personally did not expect.

"Yash Raj Films, which released the film, started with 12 prints but the demand was so huge that they had to release 40 prints. I don't think three weeks is a bad deal, it is quite decent deal. "

The film starring Tabu was withdrawn after some Muslim groups said a song in "Meenaxi" hurt their religious sentiments.

"The issue has been sorted out and settled. Whenever this movie is released again, whether it is DVD, satellite or overseas, there will be no alteration in the song. We have no plans to remove that song from the movie - it stays," he says.

Husain says he plans to release "Meenaxi" in May in the overseas market, especially in the US, Middle East and Britain.

He says another of his film projects is already being scripted. "I like experimenting with cinema. "Gajagamini" and then "Meenaxi" were very different subjects, but now I don't want to touch those kinds of subjects.

"I would rather try comedy now. For my next film, I will have two or three lookalikes of Urmila (Matondkar). I have already discovered some matching faces," he says.

On Wednesday, the renowned painter launched his Graphics - Paris Suite collection at the Pictures & Frames art gallery here.

Graphics are usually created in a limited edition and each graphic is numbered and autographed by the artist to give it authenticity and originality. With the passage of time, graphics appreciate in value just as originals do.

Husain, 88, created 88 paintings -- 22 each in four different cities and called each Mumbai Suite, New Delhi Suite, Kolkata Suite and Paris Suite respectively.

He did these works in oil, a medium that he had not used for long. To do the Paris Suite, Hussain flew to the French capital in June 2003 and painted, savouring the ambience of his most favourite city.

"This is a collector's item. It is not something that can be produced in thousands. I thought since the middle class of India cannot afford to buy my paintings - I had to think of a more affordable approach so more people could enjoy my paintings."

He new collection ranges from Rs.3,000 to Rs.25,000. Friday, April 23, 2004 | Editor
Mumbai, Apr 21 (IANS) :

Shah Rukh Khan is ready to publish his autobiography.

"If you want to call it that," Shah Rukh told IANS. "I'm taking about six months off in June. I have three releases this year, as I normally do every year.

"I'm now going to spend time with my kids and finish my book when I take a break."

The book records Shah Rukh's experiences, attitudes and responses to the film industry and his own impressions of his performances.

"It's largely done. Now I need to take stock of the gathered material and also decide on a publisher. It's going to dwell on both my commercial and non-commercial work."

Continues Shah Rukh: "The book doesn't concentrate on any one aspect of my life or career. It's like me and my performances, unfocussed and all over.

"But it's not just about my performances. It gives me a chance to speak about matters that concern me as an artiste and an individual."

And yes, there will be a second instalment of the autobiography later in his career. "Provided my career remains eventful," he says.

While some of his senior and far more experienced colleagues like Dev Anand are still toying with the idea of recording their experiences, Shah Rukh has gone ahead and done it.

There's bound to be a flurry of excitement around the book when it's released, hopefully by yearend.

Writing is what has been on Shah Rukh's mind for some time now.

Those who heard his witty one-liners and ironical jabs at the film industry at the Filmfare Awards this year would perhaps be surprised to know that the entire script for the anchoring job between him and Saif Ali Khan was penned by him.

All this at a time when his latest film, "Main Hoon Na", carries outstanding pre-release reports.

He is also giving the finishing touches to his two other pending film assignments.

"Ashutosh Gowariker's 'Swades' is almost over and we're shooting Yash Chopra's film," says Shah Rukh. Friday, April 23, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 21 (IANS) :

India's first electronic election Tuesday was marred by some complaints from Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh that the electronic voting machines (EVMs) ended up registering votes for the wrong parties.

While in Andhra Pradesh, the opposition Congress has asked for a re-poll in certain constituencies, some voters came forward in Gujarat's principal city of Ahmedabad to complain how their vote went to the wrong party.

Explained Babubhai Desai of Vadaj in Ahmedabad: "I pressed the button against the candidate I wanted to vote for. But there was no sound and the light, too, did not flash.

"I thought I didn't know something about the machine. So I tried punching some other button and then the light flashed. Thus, I ended up voting for a candidate not of my choice."

Desai, who belongs to the Rabari or shepherd community, is literate.

In Andhra Pradesh, the opposition said it received complaints that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) button glowed when voters pressed the button against the symbol of the Congress or its allies Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and left parties.

Opposition leaders alleged that the authorities had colluded with the ruling TDP in the state to tamper with the EVMs.

Polling stopped after a while in Potaram village in Cheriyal assembly constituency in Warangal when Congress workers complained of a faulty EVM. Polling resumed after the EVM was replaced.

Similar complaints were received from Mahabubnagar and Medak districts of Andhra Pradesh. At a polling station in Sangareddy assembly constituency, 138 votes were polled before a voter apparently noticed that though he cast his vote in favour of TRS, the TDP symbol glowed.

At a few places, TDP and Congress workers clashed over faulty EVMs.

The Congress had earlier expressed doubts about the working of the EVMs and claimed that after the first 60 or 70 votes were cast, the remaining votes on the EVM would go in favour of the TDP.

Election Commission officials in Andhra Pradesh said there was absolutely no room for tampering. However, they said they were looking into Tuesday's complaints.

Gujarat went to the polls Tuesday to elect 26 MPs. Andhra Pradesh, which is holding simultaneous elections to the assembly and the Lok Sabha, lower house of parliament, held its first round Tuesday. The next phase will be on April 26.

Over a million EVMs were being used for the first time in the elections replacing the traditional ballot boxes. Thursday, April 22, 2004 | Editor
Srinagar, Apr 22 (PTI) A Cheetah helicopter of Indian Air Force today crashed while on a supply mission to a forward post on the Line of Control killing the pilot and injuring the co-pilot in Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir.
An IAF spokesman said the helicopter took off from Srinagar at 11.15 hours and landed at Uri helipad at 11.45 hours before taking off for the supply mission to Baaz post when it crashed at Choolan village, 40 kms from Uri town.

The squardon leader, piloting the chopper was killed while the co-pilot, a Flight Lt., suffered superficial injuries and was admitted to army hospital here.

The spokesman said a court of inquiry has been ordered into the crash. A team of experts would visit the crash site to ascertain the cause.

Cheetah helicopters, modified version of French Alouttee were bought in 1970's and were presently undergoing upgradation of its engine at the HAL in Bangalore.

This is the second air disaster involving IAF within a month. Earlier, two Jaguar fighters had crashed near Sonamarg due to bad weather killing both pilots. PTI

Thursday, April 22, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 22 (PTI) Setting at rest the controversy over the norms to be followed for the appointment of the CBI Director, the Supreme Court has directed the Centre to draw a panel of IPS officers from the four senior-most batches for appointment to the coveted post.
Issuing a new set of guidelines for the appointment of CBI Director, a Bench of Chief Justice V N Khare, Justice S B Sinha and Justice A R Lakshmanan said the seniority of IPS officers in this regard shall be considered on the date of retirement of the outgoing Director.

The Bench gave these directions while disposing of an SLP filed by the Centre against an October 2001 Karnataka High Court judgment upholding a Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) order quashing the appointment of the then CBI Director R K Raghavan.

C Dinakar, an IPS officer of 1963 batch, had challenged Raghavan's appointment before the Bangalore Bench of CAT on the ground that the apex court's guidelines in the Vineet Narain Case was not followed in Raghavan's appointment.

In the 1998 Vineet Narain case, popularly known as Hawala Case, The Supreme Court had made it clear that an independent committee should select the person to be appointed as the CBI Director from among a panel of senior IPS officers.

Dinakar had complained that in Raghavan's case, the Centre had followed the CBI (Senior Police Post) Recruitment Rules 1996 and ignored the apex court's directives issued in 1998. PTI

Thursday, April 22, 2004 | Editor
Vadodara, Apr 22 (PTI) Two of 21 accused in the Best Bakery case have been taken into judicial custody after the Supreme Court ordered reinvestigation and retrial of the case and shifted its hearing to Maharashtra on April 12, a senior police official said here today.
Efforts are being made to trace the remaining 19 accused, City Police Commissioner S K Sinha told PTI.

A Supreme Court Bench had quashed the acquittal of 21 accused in the post-Godhra Gujarat riot case and allowed two petitions - one by key witness Zahira Habibullah Sheikh and the other by the Gujarat Government - challenging the High Court order confirming the trial court verdict to acquit all the accused in the case in which inmates of a bakery in Vadodara were burnt alive by rioters.

The Gujarat Government yesterday requested the Supreme Court to modify its order to transfer the Best Bakery case trial from Gujarat to Maharashtra, saying the retrial outside the State is not justified as it was not an issue before the apex Court. PTI
Thursday, April 22, 2004 | Editor
Palamu (Jharkhand), Apr 22 (PTI) Jharkhand Land and Revenue minister Madhu Singh was today injured in an attack allegedly by CPI (ML-Liberation) workers at Panki in Palamu district, a senior police official said here.
The attackers pelted stones and opened fire at the minister, who was taking a walk in his native Panki area with his nephew and supporters, Superintendent of Police Murarilal Meena said.

While the minister sustained a head injury, his nephew received bullet wounds, Meena said.

The minister, also a Janata Dal (United) leader, was hit by a stone and shifted to the nearest dispensary, the SP said.

Though Singh's bodyguard returned the fire, it was not clear whether any of the attackers had sustained any injuries.

PTI
Thursday, April 22, 2004 | Editor
Washington, Apr 22 (PTI) Observing that progress was being made on relations between India and Pakistan, US President George W Bush has hoped that the two countries could get some "sticky issues" resolved for the sake of world peace.

"I'm pleased with the fact that progress is now being made on the relationship between Pakistan and India. I don't know if you remember, I think it was in the year '01 -- I don't see many foreign policy kind of reporters here -- but '01 was the year that we had shuttle diplomacy to convince Pakistan and India not to go to war with each other," Bush said speaking to newspaper editors yesterday.

He said Secretary of State Colin Powell and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and later Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage went to the region.

"Then whoever his equivalent is from Great Britain went, with the idea of kind of talking everybody down. And now, quite the opposite, they're (India and Pakistan) talking with each other in a positive way, and hopefully can get some sticky issues resolved, for the sake of world peace and stability in that part of the world.

"I think progress is being made. But we can always -- we will always find ways to improve our alliances," he said.

Bush praised Pakistan President Musharraf for dumping the Taliban and fighting terrorism. PTI
Thursday, April 22, 2004 | Editor
Moscow, Apr 22 (PTI) Russia and China have agreed to closely cooperate with India in the trilateral format for resolving key international issues.
It was decided during high-level interactions between visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and the Russian leadership, official sources here said.

Li, who is on a three-day visit to Russia, called on President Vladimir Putin yesterday at his country residence near Moscow and also held detailed talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

Welcoming Li in his country residence, Putin noted "the treaty on strategic partnership is working fully well, and our bilateral trade grew 25 per cent last year." "It is generally admitted that our business relations with China are developing fairly well, and we're having regular contacts at the top level," Putin said.

"We'll have several meetings this year, and I hope we'll discuss the entire list of our bilateral efforts," he said referring to his forthcoming contacts with Chinese President Hu Jintao at Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Tashkent in June, Asian Pacific Economic Summit in Chile and at Sino-Russian Beijing Summit in October.

With the expansion of western military alliance NATO into former Soviet boundaries in the Baltic region and overlapping expansion of EU, Russia is focusing on developing its military and economic ties with China and seeking a more close cooperation within Indo-Russia-China triangle, officials said.

Simultaneously with Li's Moscow visit, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov is holding a high-profile military talks with Chinese leadership in Beijing. PTI

Thursday, April 22, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 22 (PTI) RBI fears that rising current account deficit in the US could adversely impact interest rates and inflation globally and India could not be an exception.
With little room to manoeuvre on fiscal policy (in the US), the dollar decline may require monetary tightening, leading to rise in interest rates and "this will have serious implication for the sustainability of growth not only in the US but in several developing countries (including India)," RBI Deputy Governro Rakesh Mohan cautioned.

Coming as it does ahead of slack season Monetary and Credit Policy, RBI has sounded alarm bells apparently on the possibility of hardening interest rates and rise in inflation in the country.

"If the new globalised economy means that exchange rate adjustments as a means of correction of imbalances have become less potent, then the swing in exchange rates to correct emerging imbalances will have to be much larger than before, bringing in their wake instability eventually," he said in the latest RBI bulletin.

"As these exchange rate adjustments in the world's major currencies take place, and inflation and interest rate do rise, they will bring in their wake economic debris in different places," he said. PTI

Thursday, April 22, 2004 | Editor
Dubai, Apr 22 (PTI) In an effort to build on the goodwill generated in the just concluded Indo-Pak series, cricketing stars from the two countries would come together again, this time in UAE for a 50-over exhibition match on May 6.
The day-night match promises to be a visual treat for the fans here as it would bring together retired cricketers like Wasim Akram, Saeed Anwar, Ejaz Ahmed, Robin Singh and current stars like Ashish Nehra, Shahid Afridi, Akash Chopra and Murali Kartik, local daily 'Khaleej Times' reported today.

The Indian team will also include off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who missed the Indo-Pak series due to a finger injury.

The Pakistan team is most likely to be led by the legendary Akram, the only player in the world to have claimed more than 400 wickets in both versions of the game.

The match is scheduled to be held at the Al Wasl Stadium.

"With both the sides comprising leading past and present players, we expect the match to produce quality cricket," said Roop Razdan, one of the coordinators for the event.

"The inclusion of superstars like Akram, Waqar Younis and Saeed Anwar, who all called it quits recently, will add glamour to a side which also consists of current national team players like Taufeeq Umer, Imran Nazir, Kamran Akmal, Imran Farhat, Abdul Razzaq and Shahid Afridi," said Razdan.

"Tickets for the match will be reasonably priced so that every fan can afford these," Roop said. PTI
Wednesday, April 21, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI) He has taken nearly 800 wickets in international cricket, but Waqar Younis would not like to bowl to Rahul Dravid, who is "a teaser" and who "just milks you".
Only days ago Waqar announced his retirement from international cricket and one of his few regrets is that he played just four Test matches against India. His failure against the arch-rivals in the World Cup semi-final at Bangalore in 1996 is one of the lows of his career.

One of the greatest fast bowlers in the history of the game, Waqar took a Test wicket every 43.4 balls giving him the best strike rate amongst the top bowlers. In 87 Tests, he has a tally of 373 wickets and in 262 one-dayers he took 416, giving him a fabulous record in both versions of the game.

Looking back on his 15-year-long international career during a free-wheeling interview to PTI here, the 32-year-old Waqar said that he was in contention to play against India in the recent series but was not picked up by the selectors.

But that did not hasten his decision to retire because "one should go when one is running in and not jogging".

"Bonding" is a word he repeatedly used to describe the Indian team that beat Pakistan recently. "Look at the incident of the declaration when Sachin Tendulkar was on 194. It would have been a huge issue in Pakistan or England. Sachin did not like it, but he came out saying please do not not make an issue of it. This brings out the bonding between cricketers." PTI

Wednesday, April 21, 2004 | Editor
Srinagar, Apr 20 (PTI) National Conference President Omar Abdullah escaped unhurt when militants triggered a powerful landmine blast minutes after his cavalcade passed by in Badgam district of Jammu and Kashmir today.
No one was injured in the explosion which took place around 1.10 PM in Hayatpora village when Abdullah was on way to Panzoo to address an election rally, official sources said.

The party cancelled the poll meeting following the attack.

The attack comes a day after ultras triggered a similar explosion targeting his father and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah's motorcade in Badgam district.

Omar told PTI the landmine blast took place when he passed the area. PTI

Wednesday, April 21, 2004 | Editor
Khalilabad (Basti), Apr 20 (PTI) Expressing satisfaction over the recent thaw in Indo-Pakistan relations, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today said both countries were ready to counter the menace of terrorism together.
"The situation has changed and now it can be said that efforts are on to deal with those using bombs (terrorists) together," he told an election rally here.

"Times have changed and even those in power in Pakistan are averse to terrorism," the Prime Minister said.

Referring to the naxalite problem in the country, he said "some people take up arms, hurl bombs and land mines to claim the lives of policemen but they should understand that violence cannot solve the problems related to rozi roti".

All round development can be ensured only through peaceful means, Vajpayee added.

Hitting back at those charging him with often shifting his stand, he said "a person changing his stand cannot get elected to the lok sabha continously for 40 years".

"There has to be some difference while speaking about Indo-Pak relations now when the situation has changed for the better with cricketing ties being revived compared to the times when the kargil war was on," Vajpayee asked.

"Those criticising me should understand that ways of expression change as per the situation but principles and policies remain unchanged," he said. PTI

Wednesday, April 21, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI) Exit polls conducted by major television networks have placed NDA ahead of Congress and its allies in the 140 constituencies that went to polls in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections held today.
While 'Aaj Tak' put NDA on the top with 93 seats, seven more than in the last elections, 'Star News' projected that the BJP-led combine would get 80 seats.

Congress and allies were projected to get 53 by 'Star News' and 44 by 'Aaj Tak', while the two channels gave "OtherS" three and seven respectively.

The Zee-Taleem survey showed NDA getting between 63 and 78 seats and the Congress and its allies between 37 and 50 seats. It gave up to 16 seats to "Others".

The DRS-Sahara exit poll showed the saffron-led combine getting 82 seats, six less than in 1999, while the Congress getting 55 - nine more than last time and "Others" getting 3.

Based on the assumption that similar polling trends would continue in the remaining phases of elections, the 'Aaj Tak' gave "early seat projections" for all the 543 Lok Sabha constituencies, predicting 288 for NDA, 159 for Congress and allies and 96 for "Others".

'Aaj Tak', which made its predictions on the basis of interviews of 31,108 electors spread over 16 states and UTs, said that both NDA and Congress and allies would improve their vote share by four per cent each while other parties parties would lose four per cent.

According to it, NDA would get 49 per cent in the first phase, Congress and allies 44 per cent and other parties seven per cent. PTI
Wednesday, April 21, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI) The first phase of Lok Sabha polls today drew a turn out of an estimated 50 to 55 per cent of the 17.5 crore electorate in 140 constituencies spread over 13 states and three union territories as sporadic violence by militants and naxalites left 20 people, including a duty magistrate, a freelance journalist and seven naxalites, dead.
Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli recorded the highest voting with around 65 to 70 per cent followed by Daman and Diu 60 to 65 per cent Assam 60 percent, Bihar, Karnataka and Mizoram between 55 and 60 per cent each.

In Andhra Pradesh, a crucial state where Lok Sabha and assembly elections are being held simultaneously, the first phase of polling recorded 55 per cent turnout, he said.

Jammu and Baramulla constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a turnout of around 45 per cent voters despite militants' threat and poll boycott call by separatists.

The lowest turnout of 40 to 45 per cent marked the polling in 24 of the 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra.

Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, union ministers Nitish Kumar, Jual Oram, Kashiram Rana and Harin Pathak, Ajit Jogi, were among the 1,100 candidates in the fray for the first of the five phased elections to 543-member Lok Sabha. Voting was also held in 344 assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Orissa.

Militants attacked a number of polling booths in Barammullah killing four persons, including a freelance journalist Kumar Bharti and two security personnel. PTI

Monday, April 19, 2004 | Editor
What role are you portraying in the film? How important is this film for you?

The character's name is Ram. He is young and a little old fashioned unlike what the present generation is like. It's a clash between two generations. The film is about how the youth are being misled. They may have complaints with elder generation. How to make friendship with them, how to work with them, is what Ram focuses everywhere. That's why it is titled "Main Hoon Na".

How was it working with Farah Khan, as it was her directorial debut?

I have known Farah for a long time. I have been working with her since 7-8 years. She is very very hard working. Has complete knowledge about Hindi Cinema. She is very talented. A combination like this is very difficult to find. I wish her all the best. I think she already has a large hand in my success. And I hope I can be a part of her success too.

Is Indo-Pak issue the base of this film?

There is no exploitation in the movie. It's a 70's drama wherein you have everything. Mother, father, villain, India-Pakistan, hero and a sexy heroine too! As in the 70's movies - dance, drama, song etc, it has it all. It's not any specific film. Farah has herself written the script with the writers. The basic thought for a producer is that the film should be entertaining. As far as our production house is concerned, we have always tried to spread the message of peace, whether it was "Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani" or "Chalte Chalte".

Which is your favorite song in the movie?

The sad version of Main Hoon Na is my favorite.

Which was the most challenging scene in the movie for you?

It's a newcomer kind of question. I loved the whole process of making this film. I love the whole film. It was great working with new comers like Zayed and Amrita and Binduji, Boman and Satish Shah. Of course, Sushmita was outstanding. It was such a good experience working with Suniel Shetty.

Why is the title Main Hoon Na?

Actually, it was the first song composed by Javed saab and Anu malik. And it's in the base of the movie as whenever there is any issue, any problem, any trouble, there is one man coming into the life and we normally speak and say Main Hoon Na.

How was the shooting experience in Darjeeling?

Around 12 -13 years ago, I did a movie Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman over there. And in between, no Hindi films were made over there. I felt very strange going over there after all these years. The people out there are beautiful and so are the locations. The Saint Paul School is very beautiful. Raj Kapoorji shot his film Mera Naam Joker over there and after that one more film was shot. Till now only two films have been shot in the school. It's a lovely town and hill station. It was very difficult to go there and shoot because of communication and transportation.

More bollywood masala at IndiaFM

Monday, April 19, 2004 | Editor
Kaimur, Apr 19 (PTI) A polling party travelling by a bus had a miraculous escape when suspected naxalites triggered landmine blast near Adhaura in Bihar's Kaimur district today, top police official said.
The DIG (Rohtas range) G N Sharma told PTI that ultras detonated three landmines just before the bus was to pass through the road adding members of the polling party escape unhurt.

Police patrolling was intensified in the Adhaura police station area after the incident.

Raids were being conducted at different places to arrest the naxalities, he said.

The proscribed People's War and Maoist Communists Centre have given a call for poll boycott in Bihar and Jharkhand. PTI
Monday, April 19, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 19 (PTI) Over 1100 candidates today stepped up their door-to-door campaign in a last ditch effort to woo the voters as the stage was set for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in 140 constituencies spread over 13 states and three union territories that go to polls tomorrow.
As many as 1103 candidates are in fray for the first phase of elections that would decide the fates of Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, eight Union ministers, two former Lok Sabha Speakers, a former Prime Minister and three former Chief Ministers, among others.

The Election Commission was busy giving final touches to ensure smooth and peaceful polling and security personnel were deployed in strength in all the constituencies, specially in sensitive areas.

Tight security arrangements have beem made in Jammu and Kashmir where two constituencies go to poll tomorrow in the light of threats from Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad militant outfits to disrupt poll process. PTI

Monday, April 19, 2004 | Editor
Washington, Apr 19 (PTI) The Sikh community in the United States celebrated Baisakhi - the harvest festival of Punjab - at the Indian embassy during the weekend with Indian Ambassador Lalit Mansingh and his wife welcoming the guests.
Sikh hymns alternated with speeches about the contributions the community has made to India in war and peace followed by the beats of bhangra, which has gained popularity in the US, and folk dance giddha.

Mansingh paid a warm tribute to their enterprise and their contributions also in the United States.

The Sikh community presented Mansingh a plaque praising his services to the community. PTI
Monday, April 19, 2004 | Editor
Kolkata, Apr 18 (PTI) Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly made a surprising statement today ranking his teams recent performance against Australia, where they drew the Test series 1-1 and lost the one-day series, higher than the truimph over Pakistan, where they won both the Test and one-day series.
"Every tour is important and Pakistan was also an important assignment. Indo-Pak are always big pressure games and it is good to be on the winning side but the performance in Australia is more satisfying as they are a better team," Ganguly told reporters here. PTI

Monday, April 19, 2004 | Editor
Hyderabad, apr 18 (PTI) Admitting that he was bamboozled by the express pace of Shoaib Akhtar on a couple of occasions, prolific batsman V V S Laxman said he was "hurt by the negative comments" on his form during the historic tour of Pakistan.
"It is sad that some negative comments were made at a time when we needed really positive and morale boosting words. Such remarks did hurt me but the only way to fight them out is to perform and I have done the same thing," said Laxman who arrived here today. PTI
Monday, April 19, 2004 | Editor
PATNA: Patna police have arrested a person here in connection with the alleged leak of pre-medical examination papers.

The examination was held at different centres during the day.

Deputy Police Superintendent (Law and order) of Patna Shashi Bhushan Sharma told that acting on a tip-off police yesterday carried out raids at Patel Hostel and arrested the person. A pistol and few cartridges were recovered from his possesion.

He said the youth, however, did not possess any copy of original question paper. Further investigation is on.
Monday, April 19, 2004 | Editor
Jethmalani confirms candidature against Vajpayee
NEW DELHI: Putting an end to the controversy over his candidature in Lucknow Lok Sabha constituency, noted jurist and Rajya Sabha member Ram Jethmalani said he remained in the fray against Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

In a letter addressed to the Returning Officer, Lucknow, copies of which were faxed to media organisations this morning, Jethmalani said "nobody has any authority to withdraw my candidature from the Parliamentary election. I remain a contesting candidate." A day after Jethmalani issued a statement withdrawing from the contest, his office clarified that the situation arose after the nomination of Congress candidate Akhilesh Das, who was his proposer.

'' Ram Jethmalani never sent any letter to the Returning officer withdrawing his nomination. There are laid down procedures for that,'' said his assistant Lata Krishnamurthy.

She said Jethmalani spoke to her from London this morning and confirmed that he was "hundred per cent in the contest" and would return to Delhi from London where he is caring for his sick son Janak by midnight tomorrow.

Two days after Jethmalani filed his nomination, Vajpayee appealed to him to withdraw from the contest, promising to take care of his three main concerns - Gujarat riots, Tehelka issue and external security.

According to his office, Jethmalani decided to return after his son's doctor assured him that his illness was not life-threatening and he could go back to India. Janak, a US citizen and chartered accountant by profession, suffered a paralytic stroke a month before. Also a diabetic, he is now recuperating in Cromwell Hospital, London.

Meanwhile, Swami Agnivesh, prominent social activist, who accompanied Jethmalani to Lucknow for filing nominations, began a fast at the lawyer's residence to fend off the "continued pressure" on him to withdraw from the race.

Monday, April 19, 2004 | Editor
NEW DELHI: The heat and dust of the campaign trail settles tomorrow for the first phase of polling on April 20 in 140 constituencies in the elections to the 14th Lok Sabha and the assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Orissa.

The prominent personalities involved in the first phase of polling included Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani (BJP) who is contesting from Gandhinagar (Gujarat), former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda (Janata Dal-Secular) from Kanakapura, Karnataka, Railway Minister Nitish Kumar (Janata Dal-United) from Barh and Nalanda constituencies in Bihar, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha ( BJP, Hazaribagh, Jharkhand), Jaipal Reddy ( Cong, Miryalaguda, Andhra Pradesh), Shankarsinh Waghela (Cong, Kapadvanj, Gujarat) and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi from Mahasamund (Congress).

The first phase of voting will cover 140 Lok Sabha constituencies spread over 16 states and Union Territories and about half of the assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Orissa.

The hustle and bustle of electioneering will die down at 5pm today, 48 hours ahead of the close of poll.

Among those who have campaigned for the first phase of elections are Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Mr Advani, who took out a month-long 'Bharat Uday Yatra' across the country, for the BJP and Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

The BJP and its allies relied on the 'feel-good' factor and ''India shining'' campaign, focussing on good governance and development during their six-year regime while the Congress and the other opposition parties charged the government with non- performance and turned the heat on the BJP following the Supreme Court order for a retrial in the Gujarat riots case and the death of 21 women in a stampede at Lucknow, the constituency of Mr Vajpayee.

Among the other leaders whose electoral fortunes will be decided on April 20 are: Andhra Pradesh: Mr Yerran Naidu (TDP, Srikakulam), Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya (BJP, Secunderabad) and Mrs Renuka Choudhury (Cong, Khammam).

Assam: Singer Bhupen Hazarika (BJP, Guwahati).

Bihar: SSI Minister C P Thakur (BJP, Patna), daughter of the late Jagjivan Ram Ms Mira Kumar (Cong, Sasaram), former Delhi Police Commissioner Nikhil Kumar (Cong, Aurangabad), and Union Minister Sanjay Paswan (BJP, Nawada).

Agencies

Monday, April 19, 2004 | Editor
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee condoled the tragic demise of South Indian actress Soundarya in a helicopter crash near Bangalore and described her as a socially committed actress.

"It is particularly sad for all of us in the BJP that she met with a untimely death while on a campaign journey for the party," the Prime Minister said in a message conveying his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved members of the families of the deceased.

The Prime Minister said he was shocked to know that Soundarya and three others were killed in the helicopter crash.

Soundarya, a talented young actress who won the national award last year for the highly acclaimed Kannada film "Dweepa", had a bright artistic career ahead of her, he said adding "but the hand of destiny has snatched her away".

Sunday, April 18, 2004 | Editor
Bangalore, Apr 17 (PTI) Popular South Indian actress Soundarya and her brother were among four people charred to death when the single-engine Cessna-180 aircraft carrying them for BJP campaign in Andhra Pradesh crashed and exploded in flames within three minutes after taking off from the city outskirts today.

The four-seater aircraft crashed near the Agricultural University campus on the fringes of the Jakkur airfield, charring the bodies of the victims, including the pilot, beyond recognition, police and officials of 'Agni Aviation', which owns the aircraft, said.

The 32-year-old actress, who had made it big in the south Indian celluloid world, especially in Telugu and Tamil films, pairing with superstars Rajnikanth and Chiranjeevi, was flying to Karimnagar in Andhra Pradesh. She had joined BJP recently.

Soundarya's brother Amarnath, BJP worker Ramesh Kadam and pilot Capt Joy Philips were the other victims.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation has begun investigation to find the cause of the crash.

The aircraft took off at 1105 hours and crashed from 100 feet altitude before catching fire, Capt Arvind Sharma, Chief Executive Officer of 'Agni Aviation', said. (MORE) PTI KR RS MSR RA BN MKS MSA MKS 04171639 D

Sunday, April 18, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 17 (PTI) The victorious Indian cricket team returned here tonight to a tumultous welcome at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. PTI

Sunday, April 18, 2004 | Editor

Moscow, Apr 17 (PTI) India and Russia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on close cooperation in public audit and state financial control.
The MoU was signed here yesterday by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India V N Kaul and Chairman of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation Sergei Stepashin.

It provides for exchange of experience in the field of improvement of methodology of state financial cotrol, cooperation in the sphere of professional training and improvement of professional standards of personnel.

"The two institutions of state financial control have also agreed to exchange information and documentation on their activities and organise joint research projects and control arrangements, decision on which is passed in order prescribed and determined by the legislations of the Republic of India and the Russian Federation respectively," an Indian embassy release said.

Kaul is currently on a visit to Russia at the invitation of his Russian counterpart to attend the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation. PTI
Sunday, April 18, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi/ London, Apr 17 (PTI) A day after announcing withdrawal from Lucknow Lok Sabha constituency in the fight against Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Congress backed Ram Jethmalani today backtracked declaring that he would remain in the fray.
"No one has any authority to withdraw my candidature from the parliamentary election. I remain a contesting candidate," the noted Supreme Court lawyer said in a letter to the returning officer Lucknow, copies of which were circulated in Delhi by Congress and his associate Swami Agnivesh, former MP. PTI

Friday, April 16, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr.16 (PTI) "The whole nation is proud of you", President A P J Abdul Kalam today said in a congratulatory message to Indian cricket Captain Saurav Ganguly and his team on the "historic" and "fantastic" win in Pakistan.
"My hearty congratulations to all of you on this historic and fantastic win that you have registered in the just-concluded cricket series in Pakistan", he said in the message sent to through the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad.

"The whole nation is proud of you," Kalam said observing "this has been made possible by admirable team effort".

Felicitating the team, which recorded a 2-1 win against Pakistan in the test series, Kalam said "my heartiest congratulations to all of you and best wishes for all your matches in the future". PTI
Friday, April 16, 2004 | Editor
Rawalpindi, Apr 16 (PTI) India added another glorious chapter to their cricketing history when they trounced Pakistan by an innings and 131 runs for their first-ever Test series triumph in this country.

The magnificent win, which came on the fourth day of the series-deciding Test, gave India a 2-1 victory in the series that has been played in a spirit of exemplary goodwill and bonhomie.

The Indians could not have asked for a more fitting finish to a match which they dominated right from the first session, as Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly plucked last man Danish Kaneria off Sachin Tendulkar, much to the delight of his euphoric teammates, waiting for this moment since this morning.

The architects of the Indian win were not one but many.

But one cannot take away the credit from Rahul Dravid who scored 270 to set up the huge first innings score of 600 and Lakshmipathy Balaji who bowled his heart out to return figures of three for 108. PTI

Friday, April 16, 2004 | Editor
Raipur, Apr 16 (PTI) Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today said if voted back to power, the NDA would enact a law to bar persons of foreign origin from occupying top constitutional posts.
"If we will get a majority, we will formulate a law on the foreign origin issue," Vajpayee told reporters at Mana airport here before leaving for Ahmedabad.

Asked if foreign origin has any relevance when development is being projected as the main issue in the elections, he said who should become the Prime Minister or the President is also an important question.

Asked whether legal luminary Ram Jethmalani has reciprocated his call to withdraw from contest against him.

Vajpayee just laughed off the question.

He said he felt sorry that the son of Jethmalani is not well for which he had to leave for London. PTI
Friday, April 16, 2004 | Editor
Bangalore, Apr 16 (PTI) IT bellwether Wipro Ltd today said it has turned into a USD one billion firm with revenues of Rs 5,881 crore for 2003-04 and rewarded its shareholders with two bonus shares for each share held and a total dividend of Rs 29 per share.
"Our combined IT products and services business achieved a significant landmark by recording revenue of USD 1.2 billion. Revenue from our IT services business alone was USD one billion," Wipro Chairman Azim Premji said.

Wipro's flagship division - global IT services and products - posted a revenue of Rs 4,357 crore, a 41 per cent jump over Rs 3,048 crore in 2002-03.

Wipro's consolidated sales for 2003-04 was Rs 5,881 crore, up by 36 per cent over Rs 4,338 crore last fiscal.

Net profit stood at Rs 1,031 crore, an increase of 26 per cent over Rs 820 crore during 2002-03.

The NYSE-listed firm recommended bonus of two additional shares for each share held by its shareholders, besides Rs 29 as dividend per share, including a special one-time dividend of Rs 25.

"...we have to manage newer challenges such as growing scale and a firm rupee. The performance last year gives us confidence that we are in a good shape to seize the opportunities and face challenges this fiscal," Premji said.

Wipro became the second listed Indian IT company to reach the USD one billion mark. Infosys reported revenues of USD 1.06 billion early this week, while unlisted TCS crossed the mark last fiscal. PTI

Friday, April 16, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 16 (PTI) The Election Commission today asked the Uttar Pradesh government to register a case of bribery against senior BJP leader Lalji Tandon on whose birthday celebrations distribution of sarees caused stampede in which 22 women were killed in Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Lok sabha constituency Lucknow on Monday. PTI

Friday, April 16, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 16 (PTI) With infiltration level during last four months not indicating much change compared to the same period last year, Army is awaiting onset of summer to have the real assessment about the impact of the ceasefire on ground in Jammu and Kashmir even as it ruled out troop reduction in the state immediately.
After a five-day Army Commanders' conference here, Army also decided to make the new War Doctrine public by September.

The document was presented at the conference during which Army Chief Gen N C Vij gave certain directions and asked Army Commanders to examine it.

"Militant-initiated violence level in the state was higher during last four months (since ceasefire came into force) as compared to that witnessed during the same period last year," Army spokesman Maj Gen Deepak Summenwar told reporters today.

He said infiltration was "little lesser" during this period than that of last year due to fencing on the Line of Control (LoC). "But the real assessment can be made during summer after mountain passes get cleared." On the impact of ceasefire, Gen Summenwar said it had "created a sense of insecurity among militants".

He, however, ruled out troop reduction in the state insisting any decision in this regard could be taken after assessment of militancy pattern during the coming months.

On accusations of human rights violations in the state, he said 1385 such allegations had been made, of which 66 had been found to have some element of authenticity.

Thirty-two of these are under trial, he said, asserting those found guilty so far had been punished. PTI

Friday, April 16, 2004 | Editor
Kareena is the best thing to have happened to me’ Shahid

Inspite of just one release to his credit, Shahid Kapur continues to ride high. Currently he has a couple films in hand. In an exclusive interview with Subhash K. Jha, he speaks about his career and the “special friendship” he shares with Kareena.

Q. Did you make an effort after Ishq Vishq, to move away from your teeny-bopper image?
A. I did work on my physique, but beyond that, I never saw my image as a disadvantage. My youthfulness was my USP. Of course I’d like to grow as an actor. Because of my age I can’t right now play the kind of role my father played in Maqbool. In fact, it would take me a lifetime to act like my father. He was phenomenal in Maqbool.

Q. Which films are you working on as of now?
A. I choose very cautiously, but doing one film at a time isn’t practical. Besides Fidaa and Life Ho To Aisi, I’ve Boney Kapoor’s Milenge Milenge with Kareena and Ananth Mahadevan’s Dil Maange More. I also have a film with John Matthew and Ajay Devgan, which we’ll start shooting in July. I’m doing an action-comedy film with Feroz Nadiadwala, which will be his first solo-hero film in years.

Q. How special is your friendship with Kareena?
A. Very special! I think she’s the best thing to have happened to me. Though I don’t have that many years behind me, it’s enough to make me realise when something special comes my way. She’s one of the nicest human beings I’ve met. I like her for her frankness.

Q. What’s it like working with her?
A. Obviously very enjoyable! There was a personal rapport, before we met on the sets. When I saw her at work, I respected her even more. I have a lot to learn from her. Having done so many films, Kareena is technically very proficient. I think she was fantastic in Chameli. I always knew that she would be fabulous in the film, yet when I saw her performance, I was pleasantly surprise.

Q. You both seem quite opposite...
A. Well, she’s temperamental and I’m quite calm (laughs). I think that’s one of the reasons we get along. Actually we both find qualities in one another that we don’t possess in ourselves. I enjoy getting in touch with my impulsive facet, all thanks to Kareena. I’m not an introvert. But, yes in the last few years I’ve begun to take my life and career seriously. Acting is as enjoyable as eating ice creams to me!

Q. Do you get upset when people bad-mouth Kareena?
A. I don’t care about what people have to say about me. And Kareena too should adopt the same attitude. Both of us can’t afford to sit and brood about what people have to say. There’s so much more to do. But outspokenness suits her. She’s been there, done it all. And she can carry off her forthrightness effortlessly. But don’t you think she has matured in the last seven months?

Q. What sort of a future do you see together?
A. Hopefully a long and fruitful future. In seven months I’ve got to know her so well.

Q. What about marriage? A. Hopefully five years from now. Both of us are looking at a permanent relationship. Neither of us is frivolous. We hardly get time together, and whatever time we’ve got, we sure make good of it.

Friday, April 16, 2004 | Editor

Are there any takers for Mera Naam Joker? At least Rajkumar Santoshi feels so, as the director has gone ahead and bought the rights of the south Indian remake of the film.
Santoshi recently acquired the rights of Autograph, which was a copy of Raj Kapoor’s Mera Naam Joker. He is now looking for a producer to finance this project.
It is learnt that Amitabh Bachchan Corp. had initially shown some interest in the film, but is not interested any longer. So, Santoshi is now again in search of another producer for the film.

The Tamil version of Mera Naam Joker titled Autograph featured Cheran, who produced directed scripted and acted as the main lead in the film. The others in the cast included Sneha, Ilavarasu, Gopika, Mallika, Kanika and Rajesh.
One really wonders how Rajkumar Santoshi will accommodate so many commitments he has made to other producers and himself.
He already has his hands full with about four projects announced and Ranveer about to go on floor soon.

Friday, April 16, 2004 | Editor
Congress & JMM have edge over BJP-JD(U)

There is a clear 10 per cent swing towards the Congress-JMM alliance in Jharkhand, with 44 per cent of respondents in an Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle-ACNielsen Opinion Poll saying that they would vote for the combine, compared to 40.16 per cent who said they would vote for the BJP-JD(U) alliance. This means a negative swing of 5.3 per cent against the BJP-JD(U). Another 9.02 per cent of respondents said they would vote for Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal.

Translated into seats, this means that the Congress-JMM alliance will end up with seven of the state’s 14 Lok Sabha seats, a gain of five over the 1999 elections. The BJP-JD(U) combine will get five seats, down from 11 in 1999; and the RJD one seat, the same number that it had in the outgoing House.

A cross-section of voters across five Lok Sabha constituencies in Jharkhand were polled over the last week of March and the last week of April. In all, 893 voters were covered in the state. Ninety-five per cent of those surveyed said that they would definitely vote, and another four per cent said probably. Of these, 88 per cent said they had already decided which party they would vote for and only 12 per cent was undecided.

Among those who voted in the 1999 elections, the BJP has seen an erosion of almost one-fifth of its support base, most of it going to the Congress. The Congress too has lost 11 per cent of its 1999 base to the BJP. The JMM too has lost 18 per cent of its support base to the BJP and the JD(U).

The main reason cited by those who voted for the BJP in 1999 and now intend to vote for the Congress-JMM alliance is that the NDA government has not done good work for the country and has not fulfilled its promises. Another major reason mentioned by respondents is the increase in prices.

Polling for this survey was conducted before the car accident early on April 11 in which former chief minister Ajit Jogi was severely injured. It thus does not take into account any impact this might have on voter behaviour.

NO FEEL-GOOD MOOD

India does not appear to be shining to most voters in Jharkhand, and the government’s feel-good campaign does not appear to have struck a chord in the state. Only 29 per cent of respondents said that they were better off economically than they were five years ago, compared to 58 per cent who felt that there had been no change. Another 12 per cent said that their economic condition was worse than it was five years ago. When asked if the feel-good factor was applicable to all sections of society, only 16 per cent said yes. A clear majority of 57 per cent said the feel-good factor was not applicable to poor people, and a further 23 per cent said it did not apply to the middle class either.

VAJPAYEE FACTOR

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s personal standing is very high among the people of Jharkhand, with 73 per cent of all respondents saying that he has performed well in the last five years, with 17 per cent describing it as average. Only five per cent felt that the Prime Minister’s performance was poor. Mr Vajpayee gets an above average score of 3.91 out of a maximum of 5.0.

When asked if the Vajpayee government should get another chance to run the country for another five years, an overwhelming majority of all respondents in the state said yes (70%), against only 18 cent who said no. As in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh as reported earlier, in Jharkhand too, of those who intend to vote for the NDA parties, the vast majority (81%) would still vote the same way even if Atal Behari Vajpayee was not the leader of the NDA.

NDA REPORT CARD

n Successes: The major achievements of the NDA government is perceived to be in infrastructure development: roads, water, electricity, telephones.

n Failures: The big failure is unemployment — the NDA is blamed for not having provided enough jobs.

STATE GOVERNMENT RATING

When asked to rate the performance of the state’s BJP government, 63 per cent of respondents appeared satisfied, saying it was very good or good, while another 21 per cent said it was average and a further 13 per cent rated it as poor or very poor.

When asked to rate chief minister Arjun Munda’s own performance, the figures were somewhat similar: 53 per cent rated it as very good or good; 25 per cent said it was average and 16 per cent called it poor or very poor.

STATE OF THE CONGRESS

n Should Mrs Sonia Gandhi remain leader of the Congress if the party loses this election? Thirty-one per cent say no, but a far higher number — 47 per cent — say she should continue as party president.

The question of her foreign origin also does not appear to matter to voters even in Jharkhand: 55 per cent say this issue will not affect their vote, and only 18 per cent say that it will.

n If Mrs Gandhi were no longer the leader, who should be the head of the Congress? Top of the list is Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit (16%), followed by former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao (8%) and former Union finance minister Manmohan Singh (6%).

Thursday, April 15, 2004 | Editor
Jammu, April 14 (PTI) In a bid to disrupt poll process in the state, militants today exploded a grenade at a Congress rally in Banihal town of Doda district injuring at least seven persons, police said.
However, Congress candidate for Udhampur-Doda districts and state Minister for Health and Medical Education Chowdhary Lal Singh escaped unhurt, they said.

Some unidentified ultras hurled a grenade which exploded about 50 to 100 meters away from the site of rally which was organised near Gujjar hostel in the town today.

At least seven persons received splinter injuries in the attack, they said, adding they were later rushed to hospital.

The explosion caused panic among those who had come to attend the rally which was being addressed by Singh.

Police immmediately cordoned off the area and launched search to nab the culprits responsible for the explosion. PTI
Thursday, April 15, 2004 | Editor
Srinagar, Apr 14 (PTI) A militants' plan to target politicians in and outside Jammu and Kashmir, including PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti and Shiv sena supremo Bal Thackeray, ahead of parliamentary elections was scuttled when army gunned down a self-styled divisional commander of pakistan-based Lashker-e-Toiba outfit on the outskirts of Srinagar, a senior army officer said today.
The militant Bashir Ahmad Khan alias Abu Kashan, a resident of Sargoda in Pakistan, was killed in an encounter by the troops of 2 Rashtriya Rifles at Shaliteng bund near local unit of HMT in Zainakote area last night, brigadier A K Choudhary told reporters here.

Terming his killing as a major success, Choudhary said Kashan was heading a three-member suicide squad and had sneaked into the city a month ago to target politicians, including shiv sena chief bal thackeray, PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti and NC president Omar Abdullah.

Hurriyat Conference Chairman Maulana Mohammad Abbass Ansari, who has held two rounds of talks with Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani on Kashmir issue and Finance Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beig, who survived an attack last week during an election rally at Uri, were also on the hit list of the squad, the army officer said.

He said a diary recovered from the possession of the slain militant revealed that the militant, before sneaking into valley, was camping in Jammu and was functioning as the commander for South India of the outfit.

As per the diary, the militant had visited Race Course, Pragati Maidan, Gargoan and Noida to carry out surveillance of the areas which houses sensitive installations, including Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's residence. PTI

Thursday, April 15, 2004 | Editor
Talcher (Orissa), Apr 14 (PTI) Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani today said that the Centre would firmly deal with the naxalites, who in league with Nepal's Maoist Communist Centre, posed threat in six states, including Orissa.
+Maoist Communist Centre in Nepal was trying to create disturbances in India but we will firmly deal with the naxalites here+, Advani told a press conference here before undertaking the journey of his +Bharat Uday Yatra+ which will end at the temple town of Puri this evening.

Advani said that after assuming charge as the Union Home Minister he had convened a meeting of senior officers of the six state governments - West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and Orissa- in Hyderabad to discuss the naxalite problem.

Advani, who touched eight Lok sabha and 29 assembly constituencies in the state during his yatra, however, did not make any commitment on giving the special category status to Orissa as demanded by the BJP-BJD government here.

"If such a proposal comes, we will see, he said when asked about granting special category status to Orissa.

On the formation of a separate Koshal state out of Orissa he reiterated that there should be a consensus in the state assembly on this issue. "The matter can be taken up only then", he said adding that Uttaranchal, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand states were formed in that manner. PTI
Thursday, April 15, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 14 (PTI) Hit hard by the appreciating Rupee, exporters today sought immediate remedial measures like pegging of dollar exchange value at 45 even as they threatened to stop exports from May one.
"Thousands of small exporters have no option left but to close down all exports as they are unable to enter into new contracts or even fulfil old commitments due to volatility in the forex market," S P Agarwal, President, Delhi Exporters Association, told reporters here.

He said with intense competition from China and other ASEAN countries, exporters have already started switching their businesses to other areas and warned that with this trend country's share in the world market may decline.

Agarwal said Commerce Minister Arun Jaitley had promised he would take up the matter with finance Ministry when a delegation of the Association met him recently.

DEA will also meet Commerce Secretary Dipak Chatterjee, Finance Secretary D C Gupta, Economic Adviser to Prime Minister S Narayan, and RBI Governor Y V Reddy, he said. More PTI
Thursday, April 15, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 14 (PTI) CBI today claimed that no international gang was involved in the theft of the Nobel Medallion of Rabindranath Tagore and that it was an act of a simple burgulary by professional thieves.
Highly-placed CBI sources said investigations so far have indicated that no international gang was involved in the theft which was the handiwork of local but professional thieves who have just walked out with the booty without realising what they had.

They said the agency had got some definite clues and was hopeful of working out the case very soon. The CBI has questioned several people and examined various angles, including the rivalary between various unions in the Visvabharti University.

Initially, the probe was aimed at ascertaining whether the theft could be the work of an international gang which was into the smuggling of precious artifacts to various countries fetching them a fortune, the sources said.

The CBI had informed 182 member countries of Interpol to help them in finding whether such an incident had taken place in any those countries but so far there was no response from them, the sources said.

They said that the rivalary aspect within the University complex was also being probed.

Asked about the STD call traced during the investigations, the sources said it had nothing to do with the stealing of the nobel medallion. PTI

Thursday, April 15, 2004 | Editor
Bangalore, Apr 14 (PTI) NASSCOM, India's premier trade body and the chamber of commerce for the IT software and services industry, today announced the appointment of Jerry Rao, Chairman and CEO, Mphasis BFL, as the Chairman of NASSCOM for the year 2004-05.
S Ramadorai, CEO, TCS, has been appointed Vice Chairman, NASSCOM, for the current year, NASSCOM said in a statement here.

Speaking on his appointment, Jerry Rao, said, "My endeavour will be to establish India as a high-quality, secure, reliable software powerhouse and centre for best practices in the BPO industry." "We will continue to build on the global trade development programme and pro-actively engage with think tanks, policy makers and academics. During this year, NASSCOM will also attempt to put in place a long term vision for the industry and NASSCOM, beyond revenue targets to focus on multiple parameters of industry's value proposition with measurable indices to define them", he added. PTI

Thursday, April 15, 2004 | Editor
Rawalpindi, Apr 14 (PTI) With his maiden century against Pakistan here today, Indian vice-captain Rahul Dravid joined a select group of batsmen to have scored a century against all but one Test playing nation.
The only country against whom Dravid has not scored a century is Bangladesh.

Dravid's 17th century, which came on on the second day of the series-deciding Test, was his 11th hundred abroad, making the stylish batsman one of the few batsmen in world cricket to have better career average overseas than at home.

The 31-year-old, who began his career in England in 1996, has so far played 78 Tests. He had 6585 runs at the start of this match at a superb average of 56.28.

He began with a 95 against England at Lord's and scored his first century in his ninth Test against South Africa at Johannesburg in the 1996-97 season. PTI

Thursday, April 15, 2004 | Editor
Rawalpindi, Apr 14 (PTI) Replying to Pakistan's first innings score of 224, India were 324 for four in their first innings at close on the second day of the third and final cricket Test here today.
Brief scores: Pakistan 1st innings: 224.

India 1st innings: 324 for four in 105 overs (Dravid 134 not out; S Ganguly 53 not out; V V S Laxman 71; Patel 69. S Akhtar 3/47) PTI

Tuesday, April 13, 2004 | Editor
Ahmedabad, Apr 12 (PTI) Asserting that the Indian economy is growing at a "healthy rate", Union Finance Minister Jaswant Singh today said the 10.4 per cent growth achieved by the NDA government in the fourth quarter is the "highest quantitative rate" ever by an Indian government.
"The growth rate has grown considerably and it is as per the parameters that the (Finance) ministry had set for the year," Singh told reporters here during the election tour of Gujarat.

"We are now awaiting the RBIs monetary policy. But regarding the appreciation of the rupee, I can say that it should not be compared with the dollar as the US currency has declined much in the past months. Appreciation is there and it is evident in the exports," Singh said. PTI
Tuesday, April 13, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 12 (IANS) :

In a rare admission, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has spoken of differences with Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani but said these are only on issues.

"Yes, there are differences. Sometimes he has his way, sometimes I do. But it is only on issues," he asserted.

The prime minister was responding to a question in an interview with the Time of India newspaper, excerpts of which were published Monday, on his equation with Advani, a matter of constant speculation in the media.

Vajpayee said Advani was not the kind of hardliner he had been made out to be and charged the media with foiling his deputy's attempts at image correction.

Unlike many other leaders of Hindu radical organisations, Advani supported the peace process with Pakistan, Vajpayee said.

The prime minister emphasised the need for moderation in politics and said political parties should not insist on everyone agreeing to one point of view.

Vajpayee also said circumstances had changed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), considered by many as "Hindu nationalist," just as the party had changed circumstances.

He resented the suggestion that he was the "right man in the wrong party," but emphasised that moderation was "absolutely necessary" in the context of the country's complexities.

"Moderation is essential. Circumstances have changed us and, in turn, we have changed the circumstances.

"We believe in federalism and are more sensitive to regional aspirations," he contended.

"The BJP, I agree, has raised a debate on secularism and cultural nationalism. The debate is fine, but we should not insist on everyone agreeing to one point of view. The BJP vision document (election manifesto) certainly tries to be more inclusive," he said.

He said he preferred the word "Bharatiyata (Indianness) to Hindutva. "Bharatiyata and Hindutva are the same, but I would prefer Bharatiyata. But we have Hindutva people too (in BJP)," he said.

Vajpayee was asked how he dealt with Hindu hardliners in the Sangh Parivar and Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

"I don't deal with them," he retorted.

Asked if the BJP had changed, Vajpayee said: "Every living organisation adapts itself to the changing circumstances ... circumstances have changed us, and, in turn, we have changed the circumstances."

He sought to downplay Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's comments on the centrality of Kashmir in the peace process with India and said: "Sometimes we have to keep (his) domestic sensitivities in mind."

He maintained India's decision to mobilise troops along the border with Pakistan in December 2001 was not a mistake. The decision was taken in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament and it was necessary to demonstrate India's determination not to suffer silently, he said.

He said the mobilisation that showed India's strength might have been a factor behind Pakistan's changed approach.

Vajpayee denied that the US had nudged India and Pakistan to the negotiating table. While the US had always been keen on improved India-Pakistan relations, "it is not true they have in any way prompted us to start our peace initiative.

"This is entirely our own initiative," he asserted. Tuesday, April 13, 2004 | Editor
Patna, Apr 12 (IANS) :

At least twelve people, including four children, were killed and over 20 injured in a road accident in Bihar Monday, police said.

Police officials said the 12 people died instantly when a bus hit a tree near Chandini village in Gaya district.

The injured were admitted to a local hospital.

Police said the bus was going from Imamganj to Gaya when the accident occurred.

"As is usually the case on this route, the bus was over crowded," one police official said. Tuesday, April 13, 2004 | Editor
Lucknow, Apr 12 (IANS) :

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee Monday cut short his election campaign in Jharkhand to rush to his constituency where a stampede claimed the lives of at least 21 women.

Vajpayee expressed shock and grief at the incident, which took place at a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) function at Chandrashekhar Azad Park to mark the birthday of party leader Lalji Tandon.

At least 21 women were killed and many injured when a stampede broke out during the distribution of free saris by Tandon.

Nearly 5,000 women had gathered to collect saris being handed out by Tandon, who is known to organise these events every year.

District police said 21 were killed in the stampede.

Earlier, Vajpayee was scheduled to travel to Goa to campaign for the coming parliamentary election.

Vajpayee will file his nomination Thursday to contest the parliamentary election from Lucknow, which he represented in the dissolved Lok Sabha and thrice before.

Local authorities believe the number of victims, mostly poor women, could rise. Those injured have been admitted to four Lucknow hospitals.

Many children were also injured, Lucknow's district magistrate Aradhana Shukla told reporters in the Uttar Pradesh capital.

Reports suggested the possibility of action being taken against the organisers for not seeking permission before holding such an event with elections barely a week away.

The opposition Congress alleged the event violated the model code of conduct. Tuesday, April 13, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 12 (IANS) :

Two men have been arrested for defrauding a leading private bank of Rs.6 million by securing loans for buying 27 cars on forged papers and then selling them off, police said here Monday.

G. Udayan Dravid, 45, and Gurvinder Singh, 37, were arrested April 7 and 8 respectively on charges of fraud and cheating.

Dravid had set up a proxy investment company to secure loans from ICICI Bank and was helped by Singh to sell the cars to buyers in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.

The bank had registered a complaint with the police after the two men reportedly went underground after paying just the initial instalment of the loans, police said. Tuesday, April 13, 2004 | Editor
Islamabad, Apr 12 (IANS) :

Opener Akash Chopra made way for the return of Indian skipper Saurav Ganguly and Pakistan battled injuries to their pacers as the two teams prepared for the series-deciding third Test at Rawalpindi Tuesday.

Both teams have won one match each, making the Test a 'final' and keeping interest alive till the very end of India's 39-day historic tour.

With the return of Ganguly - Rahul Dravid led in the first two Tests - the team management was faced with little alternative but to drop Chopra, as the alternative would have been to axe Yuvraj Singh, whose century stood out as India crashed to a nine-wicket defeat in the second Test at Lahore.

"It's hard on him (Chopra), but it also difficult to leave out guys (Singh) who have scored Test hundreds," said Ganguly of the decision.

Pakistan, on the other hand, is facing several injury problems to its bowlers and the reported differences between captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and team doctor Tauseef Razzaq.

Fast bowlers Umar Gul, who won the man-of-the-match award at Lahore, Shabbir Ahmed and Abdul Razzaq are out due to various injuries.

Because of the unusually long injury list - which also includes wicketkeeper Moin Khan - the selectors had named an inflated 17-member squad.

Pacers Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Fazle Akbar, Abdul Rauf and Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan, who had played in the one-day series before the Tests, have been recalled.

Of these, Abdul Rauf was left out of the squad Monday.

From Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Fazle Akbar and Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan, one will certainly be included in the XI.

Pakistan also got a scare when fast bowler Mohammed Sami's stomach troubled him two days ago. But he is likely to be okay for the Test.

Another unsavoury behind-the-scenes development seems to be the differences between Inzamam and doctor Razzaq over how much the team's premier fast bowlers should bowl at the nets.

According to reports, Razzaq wants them to bowl only a limited number of overs at practice sessions, while Inzamam believes since it is a team game no one should get special treatment.

When last heard, the differences were still unresolved, with the doctor missing at the Pakistan net practice Monday afternoon.

A host of dignitaries are set to attend the 50th Test clash between the teams.

The Pakistan Cricket Board will present mementoes to both teams to mark the occasion.

India (from): Sourav Ganguly (captain), Rahul Dravid (vice-captain), Virender Sehwag, Akash Chopra, Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Parthiv Patel (wicketkeeper), Ashish Nehra, Irfan Pathan, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Ajit Agarkar, Anil Kumble and Murali Kartik.

Pakistan: Inzamam-ul-Haq (captain), Taufeeq Umar, Imran Nazir, Imran Farhat, Yasir Hameed, Yousuf Youhana, Asim Kamal, Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal (wicketkeeper), Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Danish Kaneria, Shoaib Malik, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Fazle Akbar and Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan.

Umpires: David Shepherd (England), Rudi Koertzen (South Africa).

Television umpire: Zamir Haider (Pakistan).

Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka). Tuesday, April 13, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 12 (IANS) :

President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee greeted the people on the occasion of the Baisakhi harvest festival Tuesday, wishing them peace, happiness and prosperity.

"On the auspicious occasion of Baisakhi, I extend my greetings and good wishes to all my fellow citizens and especially to those who are engaged in cultivation and farming," Kalam said in a message.

"May this festival which marks the beginning of the harvest season herald peace, happiness and prosperity. On this happy day let us open our hearts and share our happiness with one and all, especially the poor and the needy."

In a separate message, Vajpayee said the harvest festivals of Baisakhi and Mesadi symbolised happiness and prosperity.

"It is the time for us to express thanks and gratitude to our farmers who toil throughout the year to ensure that our granaries are full and there is no scarcity anywhere. May these festivals usher in prosperity, joy and peace for every household," he said. Tuesday, April 13, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 12 (IANS) :

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announced Monday that its pre-medical test, cancelled after the question paper was leaked, would be held on April 17.

"Various measures have been taken to ensure a foolproof examination system," CBSE board chairman Ashok Ganguly claimed but declined to go into details.

The exam would be held from 10.00 a.m. till 1.00 p.m., CBSE announced. There would be no change in the pre-assigned centres, and admission cards issued for the test scheduled for Sunday would be valid.

"April 17 being a Saturday, the day is convenient and does not clash with any other entrance exam. Also, the day is not too far from the previous date," CBSE's Rama Sharma told IANS.

Ganguly said that no changes in the system of setting question papers, including introduction of an online system, were contemplated.

Minister for Human Resource Development Murli Manohar Joshi had suggested earlier Monday that the examinations might be held online to avoid such leaks.

"It is not possible to make any change to the existing pencil-paper system immediately," Ganguly said.

"India is such a large country that it will take some more time to incorporate an online testing system," he noted.

Sources in the ministry said it planned to set up a committee to recommend steps to evolve a foolproof system.

"But anything will happen only after the elections as the minister is busy with the poll campaign," a senior official told IANS.

CBSE's all-India pre-medical test Sunday was cancelled after the question paper was leaked.

Police said two men had been arrested in connection with the leakage of the paper and for trying to sell it to 13 parents for Rs.600,000. More arrests were expected, they said.

Nearly 250,000 students are appearing for the pre-medical tests for 1,800 seats in prestigious medical colleges across the country. The test is to be held at 424 centres in 31 cities across India. Tuesday, April 13, 2004 | Editor
Lucknow, Apr 12 (IANS) :

Eminent lawyer Ram Jethmalani Monday filed his nomination as a contestant for the parliamentary poll from this constituency, which has been voting Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the last four elections.

Though Jethmalani is contesting as an independent, he has the support of the Congress and left parties. He was accompanied by Congress supporters, including Pramod Tiwari, leader of the Congress in the assembly, when he went to file his papers in this Uttar Pradesh capital.

The former minister and high profile lawyer said he would pose five questions a day for Vajpayee -- much like his 10 questions to then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in the run-up to the 1989 elections.

Former state governor Romesh Bhandari, who has floated the Bahujan Kisan Dal, has announced his support for Jethmalani. Also with Bhandari is Ramesh Tikait, son of the famous farmer leader Mahendra Singh Tikait, which might translate into votes for Jethmalani. Tuesday, April 13, 2004 | Editor
By Imran Khan, Patna, Apr 12 (IANS) :

The brain allegedly behind leaking papers of the common admission test (CAT) for entrance to India's top business schools is likely to approach the court Monday for permission to file his nomination to contest the elections from Bihar.

Ranjit Singh, better known as Ranjit Don, who is in judicial custody at the Beur jail here, intends to contest from the Begusarai parliamentary constituency and plans to file his nomination Tuesday.

The news comes just two days after the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) pre-medical test was cancelled after the question paper was leaked and two people were arrested in New Delhi.

Ranjit Singh told reporters after the news reached him here: "There have been 10 paper leaks during my stay in jail. Papers of six exams were leaked while I was in Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) custody taking lie-detector tests. It proves that Ranjits are not responsible for paper leaks."

Earlier reports had said that Ranjit Singh would contest the elections from Nalanda, his home district, as a candidate of the Magadh Vikash Manch, which he floated last year.

He had been arrested by the CBI last year with three others for selling the CAT question paper to aspiring business school students.

"Ranjit Singh became a multimillionaire within a few years with links in high society," said a senior police official.

The resident of Lodipur village in Nalanda district had come to Patna a decade ago with virtually nothing. He had also been arrested in 1990.

His main income came from managing admissions of sons and daughters of the rich and powerful, including politicians and businessmen, to prestigious medical and engineering colleges across India.

He constructed a big house in his native village. The man, who allegedly runs a pharmaceutical company in Mumbai, owns several houses in Patna and Mumbai as well.

During his arrest late last year, Ranjit Singh and his gang had also allegedly admitted to leaking question papers of the CBSE pre-medical test and the bank probationary officers' test. Friday, April 9, 2004 | Editor
KOCHI: As the US dollar slid to the lowest ever against the rupee, the travel and tourism industry which registered an all-time high this season is keeping its fingers crossed hoping for the very best.

The hospitality industry followed by the tour operators will be the worst affected if the greenbacks continue to fall, though for those planning to venture abroad on holidays, there may not be a better time.

``We are watching the situation closely as it will definitely have an impact on the tourism sector. The hospitality industry which transacts in US dollars will certainly feel the pinch. But for those travelling abroad, the appreciation of the rupee will mean increased buying power,'' says T. Balakrishanan, secretary, Kerala Tourism.

While the fall has come at the end of the tourist season, the bookings for the next season beginning October, made a year in advance, will see falling revenues for major tour operators flushing with a 27 percent increase in inbound traffic this year.

According to official estimates released by Kerala Tourism, 6.166 million tourists visited Kerala in 2003 showing an increase of 6.29 percent over the previous year and thus setting an all-time record for the State.

The number of foreign tourists who visited the State in 2003 alone stood at 2,94,621 _ an amazing increase of 26.68 percent over the previous year.

``This has been the best season so far and, fortunately, the slide has occurred at the fag end of the season. Since 80 to 85 percent of the inbound tourists transact in US dollars, revenue figures will take a beating. Combined with the fact that the same rate of growth cannot be expected to continue next year, the sector is in for rough times,'' says Swaminathan of Sita Travels.

According to industry sources, arrivals are expected to only grow by three to four percent the coming year, so making up the loss by increase in volumes may prove difficult.

``Most of the bookings for the October-March season next year are made during this season. With volumes not expected to sustain this season's growth, we will have to negotiate new rates with our partners on confirmed bookings,'' said an industry source.

While many are considering increasing tariffs, for many that would mean jumping the gun as the phenomenon might be short-lived. ``We are long-distance runners and cannot increase tariffs immediately. We are monitoring the situation closely and will take measures accordingly,'' says Swaminathan.

For the outbound tourist, specially on package tours, the situation is ideal. ``It depends not on rupee-dollar rate, but on the way the US dollar has fared against other currencies worldwide. For our cheapest three night/four day Singapore trip for instance, there will be a decrease of Rs 2000 to 3000,'' says Saji Kurien, Travel Corporation of India (TCI).
Friday, April 9, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 9 (PTI) The Centre today "endorsed" the opinion of the Attorney General negating a proposal to ban exit and opinion polls through an Ordinance and told the Election Commission to take appropriate steps. PTI

Friday, April 9, 2004 | Editor
Hazaribagh (Bihar), Apr 9 (PTI) Describing the charges raised against Congress President Sonia Gandhi in the Bofors case as "startling", Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani today asked her to answer pointed questions to bring out the truth in the matter.
"It is a startling revelation and it concerns a police officer investigating the Bofors case who cannot be taken lightly or disregarded," Advani told reporters here.

"Instead of Congress attributing motives to anyone or any party, it should answer pointed questions as suggested by Arun Jaitley," he said.

"The argument that CBI did not present to court relevant facts takes us nowhere.

"The 1989 elections were principally fought on the Bofors issue and formation of the V P Singh government had this scandal as a major prop," Advani said adding Congress should face the charges instead of running away. PTI

Friday, April 9, 2004 | Editor
Srinagar, Apr 9 (PTI) As the dates for four-phase Lok Sabha polls in Jammu and Kashmir near, the electioneering as well as boycott campaign gain momentum turning the exercise into a showdown between mainstream political parties and separatists.
The contesting parties appeal to voters to come out and exercise their franchise in order to further strengthen the peace process in the state while separatists favour boycott of the polls.

The separatists calling for boycott received a shot in the arm when Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Liberation Party (JKDLP) headed by Hashim Qureshi joined them in asking people not to vote in the elections.

The Chief Minister and patron of ruling Peoples Democratic Party Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, addressing his first election meetings in Kupwara district, appealed to the people of Baramulla and Kupwara districts to come out in large number on the polling day to carry forward the ongoing peace process in the state.

Mufti's daughter and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti termed as "uncalled for" the boycott campaign as the Centre has acceded to the demand that unconditional talks should be initiated with the separatists. PTI

Friday, April 9, 2004 | Editor
Imphal, Apr 9 (PTI) An all-party meeting has decided to seek assistance from the Centre for smooth conduct of the ensuing Lok Sabha polls in Manipur in view of the election boycott call by militants, official sources said today.
The meeting presided over by Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh here yesterday decided to seek deployment of additional central forces for free and fair polls.

The meeting also decided to inform national parties about the prevailing situation and urge them to convince the centre for deployment of extra forces in the state, a senior politician who attended the meeting said on condition of anonymity.

He said leaders of different parties had already briefed the Election Commission observers who are here to oversee the poll arrangments.

Official sources said the chief minister would convene a high-level security meeting soon to discuss steps for conducting free and fair polls in the state.

Meanwhile, a regional political party today appealed to separatist United National Liberation Front (UNLF) which had called for boycott of the upcoming elections to reconsider its ban imposed on poll-related activities. PTI
Friday, April 9, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 2 (PTI) In line with government's promise to keep commodity prices under check, inflation fell for the fourth consecutive week to 4.30 per cent for the period ended March 20, well within the 4-4.5 per cent forecast by the Finance Ministry.
The point-to-point Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation fell by another 0.48 per cent from the previous week's level of 4.78 per cent mainly on account of cheaper primary articles.

The general price level was two per cent higher at 6.30 per cent in the year-ago period, indicating the extent of relief for the average households during the period in review.

The WPI declined by 0.1 per cent to 179.5 points during the latest reported week though many of the heavy-weighted manufactured products prices remained firm even as food items became costlier. The index was 172.1 points in the previous year period.

Government had drastically revised upwards inflation to 6.24 per cent for the week ended January 24 as compared to the provisional level of 6.12 per cent.

The final WPI stood corrected at 178.8 points during the third week of January as against the provisional mark of 178.6 points. PTI

Friday, April 9, 2004 | Editor
Lahore, Apr 9 (PTI) Pakistan media today patted the home team for bringing the friendship series "back on track" by their win in the second Test while being sarcastic about Indian captain Rahul Dravid's decision to bat first.
"A victory margin of nine wickets is emphatic enough and to do this inside three and a half days makes it a thumping one. All debts have been paid off, all grievances soothed. It went according to plan, almost," gushed Pakistan's noted cricket columnist Omar Kureishi in daily 'Dawn'.

"The Friendship Series is back on track. Rahul Dravid said at the presentation that India had been outplayed by Pakistan. Poor fellow, he will get the backlash of hindsight as he got the kudos for his foresight for winning the toss and batting first and by the same people," he wrote.

Kureishi added that the credit for the win "goes to the Pakistan team and has nothing to do with the errors that might have been made by its opponents".

The 'Daily Times' also criticised Dravid's decision to bat first on a seaming track. "India self-destructed with their decision to bat first on a lively wicket coupled with some irresponsible batting by the top-order in both the innings." With banner headlines screaming "Honour Restored," "Pakistan outclass listless India", the local dailies hailed the win by Inzamam-ul Haq and his boys. PTI

Monday, April 5, 2004 | Editor
Islamabad, Apr 4 (PTI) Led by a superb show by the women swimmers, the Indian medal's tally crossed the 100 mark on Day 7 of the 9th SAF Games here today.

Following the splendid performance by the male swimmers, who picked up 17 of the 19 gold medals in the pool, the women's team put on display their dominance winning all the five finals contested today.

Reshma Millet emerged as the fastest woman in the pool winning the 50m freestyle in a record time of 28.47 secs while V Sivaranjini easily won the gold in the 400m freestyle setting another meet record. The two then teamed up with Vijayamma and Richa Mishra to help India win the gold in the 4 X 200m freestyle.

Sumi Cyriac also set a new SAF record while winning the 100m backstroke. Bhavna Sharma (100m breaststroke) won the other gold for India.

More medals came from the shooting range through Jaspal Rana (Centre Fire Pistol) and Raj Kumari (50m Sport Rifle Prone) with new meet records as India crossed the century mark with a haul of 66 gold, 26 silver and 17 bronze, totalling 109 medals.

Hosts Pakistan were placed second with 23-38-29 for a total of 90 medals with Sri Lanka third with 66 medals (8-21-37).

In athletics there was just one final -- men's marathon -- won by Sri Lanka's Anuradha Cooray in a time of 2 hours, 16 minutes and 38 seconds. India's Shivdan Singh finished fourth in (2:30:33). PTI
Monday, April 5, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 5 (PTI) India's value proposition and overall shift towards offshore IT and ITeS services will lead to an annual growth rate of 35 per cent in the sector, with the revenue touching 148 billion dollar by 2012, according to a Nasscom-KPMG study.
The country's revenues in the ITeS and IT services market increased by more than 25 per cent in 2002-03 to touch 12 billion dollar and are likely to be 148 billion dollar by 2012 with a CAGR of 35 per cent, the study said.

While IT export services are expected to account for revenues of around 55 billion dollar by 2012 at a CAGR of 25 per cent, ITeS services will expand to 64 billion dollar at a CAGR of 44 per cent.

Current manpower resources will not be sufficient to meet the aggressive growth targets even in the medium term (2009) registering a shortfall to the order of 0.5 million personnel, with around 23 per cent of the industry's requirements of 2.1 million for the IT and ITeS sector, it said.

"The manpower shortage will impact India's share of export in IT and ITeS markets", the study said.

This market size translates into an estimated manpower requirement of over 3.7 million for export of IT and ITeS services, the study said adding it was a jump from 0.4 million personnel in 2003. PTI

Monday, April 5, 2004 | Editor
Jerusalem, Apr 5 (PTI) Israel is to cooperate with India in beefing up its security arrangements at airports to prevent possible terror attacks.
A high level delegation comprising T K Mitra, Commissioner, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, K M Singh, Director General, Central Industrial Security Force and Romesh Tayal, Additional Commissioner of Security (Bureau of Civil Aviation Security) recently visited Israel.

During the visit, they were given a thorough demonstration of the functioning of the security systems at Israel's Ben-Gurion airport.

Paul Roy, Secretary at the Ministry of Civil Aviation, was expected to lead the delegation, but could not make it.

However, Israeli officials said the level of "involvement demonstrates the seriousness with which the matter is being pursued", adding it indicates the "diversifying nature of cooperation between the two countries".

The three-member Indian team was "thoroughly demonstrated the functioning of the sophisticated security systems" at the airport and "the response was good" officials said adding India has already shown interest in procuring certain devices.

The five-day visit covered a whole gamut of airport security areas like perimeter security, passenger scrutiny and baggage checks and effective deployment of security personnel.

The demonstrations also included back up and emergency procedures, and integrated functioning of the various agencies involved in manning the airport. The two sides also exchanged their experiences in dealing with incidents of hijacking and rescue operations. PTI
Monday, April 5, 2004 | Editor
Ujjain, Apr 5 (PTI) Amid sacred chants, the first 'shahi snan' (royal bath) at the Simhasta Kumbh began here this morning.
Sadhus of the Juna Akhara had the privilege of taking the first dip at the Putta akhara ghat on the banks of river Kshipra. PTI
Monday, April 5, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, Apr 5 (PTI) Delhi Police has arrested a Pakistan trained Lashkar-e-Toiba militant and recovered a substantial quantity of arms and ammunition from him, besides "hawala money".
Irshad Ahmed Malik was arrested from a south Delhi area, police sources said today.

One AK rifle, its two magazines, one pistol and a large number of rounds were found from him, they said, adding 2.75 lakh of "hawala money" was also recovered.

He was apparently in the national capital to establish a base for the outfit, the sources said. PTI

Monday, April 5, 2004 | Editor
Nagpur, Apr 5 (PTI) BJP General Secretary Pramod Mahajan today asked the opposition to name its leader since the ruling BJP-led NDA has already declared that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will continue to head the government, if they return to power.
"BJP will focus on Vajpayee's experience, capability and stability factor which was missing in earlier non-Congress government," he told reporters here, adding the opposition has not given "a name and shape and size" of its front.

Launching his campaign from Pulgaon in Wardha district, Mahajan said he will concentrate on Uttar Pradesh where party has fielded 77 candidates besides allies and would be touring the state for 22 days and would campaign in Maharashtra for nine days.

He said the NDA will release its manifesto on April 8.

On VHP leader Praveen Togadia's attack on party being non-commital on constructing Ram temple at Ayodhya, Mahajan said it will come only after the court verdict but there was scope of talks between the two groups.

On prospects of Congress-NCP alliance in Maharashtra in the absence of NCP Chief Sharad Pawar who has undergone surgery, Mahajan said he wished Maratha strongman speedy recovery so that he could join the poll campaign.

He disapproved observations that Cong-NCP alliance will gain sympathy due to Pawar's health and Congress-NCP claim of repeating 1998 poll performance, saying "the situation has changed".

Mahajan said Vajpayee will address a public meeting in the city on April 17. PTI
Saturday, April 3, 2004 | Editor
It's calling time for the subscribers of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). The telecom PSU has decided to cut ISD and STD rates by 25 per cent from April 10.

For ISD, the rate cuts have been possible as the BSNL has entered into new settlement rates with the Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) for carrying its calls overseas. The average new settlement rates are Rs 5.42 against the earlier Rs 11.

With the proposed cuts, STD call rates beyond 200 kilometres will come down to Rs 3.60 per minute from the present Rs 4.80 per minute. In the ISD segment, the reduction has been for calls to the US, Australia, New Zealand, South East Asian countries, Gulf countries and SAARC nations.

With these cuts, calling from the BSNL's network for ISD calls will be the cheapest. On an average, ISD calls from a GSM mobile costs Rs 16 per minute. However, both GSM and WLL operators indicated on Thursday that they may cut their rate in the days to come to match the BSNL's rates.

The cut in STD rates is a result of the new interconnect user charge (IUC) regime. "We have decided to pass on all the benefits to the consumers," V P Sinha, BSNL chairman and managing director told a Press conference.

The ISD cut is applicable to the BSNL's landlines, cellulars and WLL mobiles, whereas the STD cut is only for the landline. By cutting STD rates, the BSNL may get back about 10-12 per cent of traffic from the mobile segment. At present, mobile-to-mobile STD calls beyond 500 kms costs Rs 2.99 and similar mobile-to-landline calls cost Rs 4.99 per minute. Elaborating on other destinations where the ISD rates have been slashed, Sinha said rates to Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the UAE and Yemen have been cut from a peak rate of Rs 24 per minute and off-peak rate of Rs 21.18 per minute to flat Rs 18 per minute, with effect from April 10.

The rate to African countries has been cut to Rs 18 per minute from a peak ISD rate of Rs 24 and off-peak rate of Rs 21.18. Call costs to the US and Canada have been reduced to Rs 7.20 per minute from the present promotional offer of Rs 9.60 per minute.

ISD tariffs to the UK and Europe have been left unchanged. Calls to the UK will continue to be charged at Rs 7.20 while charges for Europe will remain at Rs 9.60. Sinha said that the BSNL's ISD rates may come down further in the near future. This would be possible as the company is going to start its own international long-distance operations. He said that it is in talks with various countries and until the time it does not build its own infrastructure, it will continue to route its overseas calls through the VSNL.

The BSNL also announced a 60 per cent reduction on domestic leased line charges on all circuits of two mbps and above.

Saturday, April 3, 2004 | Editor
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is in Shantiniketan today. The PM is visiting the place after the daring burglary of Rabindranth Tagore's Nobel medal and other memorabilia.

Vajpayee who is also the Chancellor of the Vishwa Bharati University from where the medal was stolen, had expressed concern over the daring burglary.

This is Vajpayee's second visit to Shantiniketan after taking over as its Chancellor in January, 2001.

He will visit the Rabindra Bhavan museum, the scene of the crime, and also meet the Vice Chancellor.

Meanwhile, a CBI team is already in Shantiniketan investigating the theft.

Friday, April 2, 2004 | Editor
Sanjay Dutt is excited! At last he has got a role that does not call for any action. "I'm playing a writer in Shabd and that character has absolutely charged me. Saajan was the only film that had me a in a subtle role of a poet. I'm looking forward to this film," he said. Aishwarya Rai and Zayad Khan have also confirmed the film. Shabd tells the story of a writer, his second wife and a professor to be played Dutt, Rai and Khan respectively. Director Leena Yadav says, "It is difficult to categorise Shabd. It is a love story. At the same time it is a dark thriller." She adds, "When I narrated the subject to Ash, she got pretty charged. She even gave valuable suggestions to the character." Leena Yadav has directed serials for various channels. The film will hit the floors in June.
Friday, April 2, 2004 | Editor
Shobhaa De is bowled over by the poetry in Husain's latest film starring Tabu in the lead.

The claps, whistles and high fives began before the film did. At a private screening of M F Husain's magnificent Meenaxi , the mood was upbeat from the word go. Husain himself was the first to applaud as the titles rolled. Why not? At 88, he is entitled to revel in his own genius. As he himself stated after his last effort (Gajgamini), "It is my vision, my dream, my money. I am entitled to do as I please with it."

Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities has been produced by 'Culture of the Street Films'. But it is essentially a baap-beta show with Husain's mercurial son Owais taking the credit as 'associate director/writer', with Owais's wife Reima Faiza billed as 'producer'.

Perhaps one should not make the mistake of comparing Meenaxi with Gajgamini , or Tabu with Madhuri. But comparisons are inevitable. Both are a labour of love, and an extension of an artist's divine sensibility that obviously drives him to explore the limitless possibilities of the medium he loves the most — the visual one.

As cinema, Meenaxi works far better than Gajgamini . Meenaxi is a far more cohesive and coherent narrative which holds viewer-interest sufficiently to make you anticipate the next unexpected turn in the loosely-constructed storyline.

If at times, you find yourself as bewildered as poor Raghubir Yadav who plays the protagonist (a writer), in search of his Ultimate Muse, with a certain befuddled, throw away charm, it's all right. For what takes a viewers' breath away is the stunning visual poetry of each sequence. Master cinematographer, Santosh Sivan, bathes each frame in a light, so lyrical, there are no other words to describe it, but the one Husain himself has used in his lyrics Noor-unala-noor — Kya roshni !

The 3 cities from the title, Hyderabad, Jaisalmer and Prague look almost as ravishing as Tabu - the Mysterious Muse, who assumes three distinct identities, as she seamlessly moves from one context to the next, challenging you to keep pace with her shifting identities.

Mickey Contractor, the make-up wizard, deserves credit for transforming India's most beguiling actress so beautifully — from a gawky, rough-speaking, ittar -seller in Hyderabad, to a Rajasthani aristocrat in Jaisalmer, and finally, a waitress/actress in Prague.

Never mind that critics are likely to be mean about Meenaxi . It has to be seen just to take in the visual splendour of the film which devours you. A R Rahman is glorious once again, with a soundtrack that haunts and haunts, particularly the extraordinary quawali sung by Murtaza and Qadir Khan. The dance sequences enchant you.

If Gajgamini was embarrassing, Meenaxi is dazzling. A filmmaker comes of age at 88 — that's a feat enough for me
Friday, April 2, 2004 | Editor
Mumbai, March 31: The organisers of the beauty pageant Femina Miss India yesterday said they had initiated a dialogue with the controversial contestant Laxmi Pandit and her mother to ascertain her marital status.

"We have started a dialogue and were still in a process of corroborating evidence. The process is on and it would take around ten days time to arrive at any final conclusion," A P Parigi, MD, Times Infotainment Media Ltd told reporters here yesterday.

Parigi said, "In our communication with Laxmi, she has claimed to be a single woman with no marital attachment."

"A three-member committee is currently examining all documentary evidence and otherwise to establish her single status."

"Our key concern now is to establish whether she has been married or not. The question whether she has lied before her landlord and other issues would come up later," he said.

The decision regarding her retaining the crown or to disqualify her would be taken after the committee concludes its report, Parigi said, adding, "The entire issue involves the dignity of a woman and hence we do not wish to hasten or rush in with our conclusion. The organisation is concerned and sensitive to the matter since the dignity of a woman is considered of prime importance."

To a query, whether the antecedents of Pandit were verified during the enrolment into the contest, he said, "We have never had a case like this so far. We take the statement issued by the contestant on her marital status as the true one. You cannot ask a woman to prove her unmarried status. Thus a woman carries a tag of being unmarried on her."

Though, the organisers have chalked out a verification system to cross-check the age, background and other details of the contestants, there are certain things that are taken to be honest clarification of the contestant, Parigi said. (Agencies)

Friday, April 2, 2004 | Editor
The Big B is, of course, the king of acting. There's no doubt about that.
But is he also one of the best singers we have today? Amitabh has been nominated in not only the Best Actor in a leading role category for his film 'Baghban', but also in the Best singer category for his song, 'Main yahan tu wahan' (Baghban), at the IIFA Awards, to be held in Singapore this year. This nomination has taken quite a few by surprise. But each to his own, we guess. Anyway, it's great to have a good actor croon as well as he acts, ainnit?

Friday, April 2, 2004 | Editor
TIMESOFINDIA.COM

That's Mahesh Bhatt on why he specialises in rehashing Hollywood features. His latest, Murder, opens this week. The film is believed to be a copy of Adrian Lyne's Unfaithful (Diane Lane, Richard Gere). Interestingly, another director Karan Razdan reportedly said recently Bhatt's Murder was a copy of his Hawas , which opened last week.

Plagiarism charges aren't new to Bhatt, whose couldn't-care-less approach remains intact.

Your film Murder, Hawas and a couple more Bollywood films are believed to be copies of Unfaithful...

I haven't seen Hawas , so I can't talk about it. I have seen Unfaithful . The similarities between the two are fleeting. In both the films, the woman has an extra-marital affair. I have been saying the same thing for Raaz , which everyone said was a copy of What Lies Beneath . I have assured the producer of Hawas that my film is different.

With so many films on the same theme, don't you think there will be a fatigue factor soon?

In the early eighties, there were Silsila, Arth, Yeh Nazdeekiyan (all based on adultery) one after the other. They all did well.

Just because there is an extra-marital affair in each of these, it doesn't mean they are all the same. A film isn't only about the plot. Or why else will you have Coke, Pepsi and other brands. The same product can be packaged and marketed differently.

Most of your recent films are derived from Hollywood...

I have already pleaded guilty. I have unashamedly plagiarised from my own life or looked everywhere else. A lot of my earlier films like Arth, Zakhm are copied from my own life.

Friday, April 2, 2004 | Editor
Rakesh Mehra's film with Aamir Khan is the talk of the town. The film will hit the floors by the end of the year. Here's some dope we thought we could share. Apparently Aamir was not the first actor to be approached for the role. Mehra had first approached Vivek Oberoi. But he could not convince Vivek about the character that he had to enact in the film. Mehra then approached Aamir who immediately said yes.
Friday, April 2, 2004 | Editor
The Bhatts and Patels of Bollywood seem to be on a tiff. And we are not talking about the industry celebrities but their respective parents.

Amisha Patel's parents Amit and Asha Patel allegedly called up Vikram Bhatt's mother Varsha Bhatt and warned her to keep her son away from their daughter. They purportedly do not approve of the friendship between Vikram Bhatt and Amisha Patel. Varsha Bhatt retorted by filing a police complaint against Amit and Asha Patel at the Versova Police Station.

And ironically this all happened when Vikram Bhatt and Amisha Patel are in Switzerland shooting for their upcoming multistarrer “Elaan” co-starring Mithun Chakravarthy, Rahul Khanna, Arjun Rampal, John Abraham and Lara Dutta.

Incidentally, Vikram Bhatt has worked with Amisha previously in Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage (2002) and her brother Ashmit Patel in Inteha (2003). Also Ashmit Patel's second film “Murder”, set for release this Friday, is produced by Vikram' uncle Mahesh Bhatt.

Friday, April 2, 2004 | Editor
Columnist Preity Zinta has finished with her second article for BBC. In her second column, Preity talks about the fear suffered by Indian women on the streets of their country. Preity narrates an incident where she was shopping in a crowded area in New Delhi a few years ago with her friends when she felt someone pinched her butt. Preity demonstarted sharp reflexes and immediately grabbed his hand, traced it back to his body in the crowd and gave him one tight slap. Wow!now that's why she is so special.

Friday, April 2, 2004 | Editor
Former Miss Universe Lara Dutta will appear in her third film after Andaaz and Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost: Indra Kumar's Masti. The film has a long star cast including Ajay Devgan, Vivek Oberoi, Aftab Shivdasani, Ritesh Deshmukh, Amrita Rao, Tara Sharma and Genelia DeSouza. But Lara's character -- which was first offered to Bipasha Basu -- is the most secretive and kept strictly under wraps.

My character is called Monica in Masti. The three boys -- Vivek, Aftab and Ritesh -- are married but very unhappy with their respective wives. They are on the lookout for extramarital affair. I meet Vivek's character first and am very intrigued by him. Vivek, on the other hand, finds Monica very smart, confident, sexy and, more important, very unlike his wife [played by Amrita Rao], who is extremely possessive.

So he starts wooing Monica. Initially, she doesn't realise that he is married. When she finds out, she takes a step back and tries to figure out why these boys are behaving the way they are. Besides, do they really want to do something about it or is it just talk? She tries to find out how far they are willing to go. That starts off a series of events.

Monica is like a catalyst who sparks events in the film. She brings out the humour in the other characters and the hilarious events. She does have her own comedy too. That's all I can say now.
There was a lot of energy and spontaneity on the sets. There were times when a joke would start early in the day and would last throughout the day. We had fun shooting. Indra Kumar never dictated how he wanted scenes to be done. He allowed creative license and let us pool in our ideas. So when you see the film, you'll see a bit of the real Vivek or the real Ajay.

Friday, April 2, 2004 | Editor
After kicking butt and doing a little jig in his previous ads, India's brand number 1 now appears as an unstoppable pack of energy.

The latest commercial to feature Bachchan has him just jumping about ceaselessly like an orangutan to sell Glucose-D

There's simply no stopping Amitabh Bachchan. Just about every other big endorsement, advert, award function and film now carries the Bachchan stamp, as if he were the next best thing, or a better alternative, to an ISO certificate.

At the rate at which he signs assignments, a lesser star would have made you the victim of overkill. Not Bachchan. Not with his constant re-inventions. In Bollywood, if they are writing roles specially for him – think Raj Kumar Santoshi's Khakee -- then award functions have created special categories to accommodate the honours for Bachchan in Baghban .

on the telly too -- Bachchan as the perfect exemplar of unlimited energy. In real life, he sleeps just four hours a day. On screen, he still packs in quite a punch. Friday, April 2, 2004 | Editor
Mumbai, Apr 2 (PTI) ICICI Bank Ltd's equity issue aggregating upto Rs 3,500 crore, which opened for bidding today, received over 90 per cent response in the first 20 minutes.
Investors have put in cumulative bids for about 10 crore shares at various price points for the issue which includes a green shoe option of Rs 450 crore, according to data available with National and Bombay Stock Exchanges.

The institutional investors have shown strong interest and most bids are in Rs 270-275 per share price range, taking total response to over Rs 2,700 crore, investment banking sources said.

The book building route has price band of Rs 255 to Rs 295 per equity share for bidding.

The bidding process would close on April seven. PTI

Friday, April 2, 2004 | Editor
Washington, April 2 (PTI) Warning Pakistan against holding the entire bilateral Indo-Pakistan agenda hostage to a single issue of Kashmir, Indian Ambassador to the US Lalit Mansingh has said this approach would defeat the very purpose of the current peace initiative.

"...It is equally important that Pakistan must not hold the entire bilateral agenda hostage to a single issue, namely Kashmir. That would defeat the very purpose of the current peace initiative," Mansingh, who will soon be retiring from his position in Washington, said.

He also lauded the enormous strides made in Indo-US relations but cautioned Washington against double standards on international war against terrorism.

"This war cannot be won completely and durably if short-term political calculations come into play and there is ambiguity about allies as well as adversaries.

"In the global war against terrorism, there cannot be two touchstones for judging acts of premeditated violence against innocent human beings. Nor can there be the remotest justification in terms of looking for the so-called 'root causes,'" he said in his address at the Elliot School of International Affairs, George Washington University yesterday. PTI

Friday, April 2, 2004 | Editor
Multan, Apr 2 (PTI) In the land of the Pathans, it is an Indian Pathan who has impressed one and all with his exploits on the cricket field and his humility.

In just three weeks in Pakistan, young Irfan Pathan has become a household name and even among the cricket stars, he is a star in his own rights.

Pakistani greats such as Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and former Australian captain Ian Chappell are gushing the superb performance of the left-arm seamer in one-day internationals and the Multan Test match where he made an impressive contribution to India's win.

Many of those who saw Pathan are reminded of young Akram and predict that he has the potential to become a top fast bowler. He is much in demand by autograph hunters and journalists but all this has not gone to the head of the 19-year-old Baroda speedster.

"I will never be carried away with the attention I am getting. I am keeping my feet very much on the ground and Insha Allah I will keep doing it," he says.

It has been a phenomenal rise for the youngster ever since making his Test debut against Australia in the second Test at Adelaide late last year, having improved by leaps and bounds after every match. PTI

Friday, April 2, 2004 | Editor
Srinagar, April 2 (PTI) Shortly after the BSNL announced cuts in ISD and STD telephone call rates, the Election Commission today said it has to be examined if the measure was motivated by the government.
"It has to be examined whether the decision was prompted by commercial interest or motivated by the government," Chief Election Commissioner T S Krishna Murthy told reporters here in reply to a question on BSNL's tariff slash. PTI

Friday, April 2, 2004 | Editor
Jawhar (Maharashtra), April 1 (PTI) Raking up the foreign origin issue of Congress President Sonia Gandhi for the first time in the election campaign, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today sought a debate on whether a foreigner could occupy a high office in the country.
"Whether a foreigner can occupy a high office in the country is a matter of debate which should take place in a calm and composed atmosphere," he told an election rally in this tribal-dominated area in Thane district without naming Gandhi.

Ridiculing the alliance of Congress and NCP in the Lok Sabha polls, the Prime Minister reminded the people that NCP had parted ways with Congress on the "big issue" of foreign origin.

"I do not not understand this alliance," Vajpayee said referring to the joint rally by Gandhi and NCP leader Sharad Pawar in Sholapur and took a dig at them saying that at least they should have avoided holding it on April Fool's day.

The Prime Minister said the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance was working well and his NDA Government had proved wrong Congress and other political opponents by successfully running the coalition for five years.

Listing the various steps taken by his Government for welfare of tribals, he said a separate Ministry of Tribal Affairs was created and a commission was set up to redress their grievances.

He asserted his Government was committed to bringing tribal regions in the mainstream of development. PTI
Friday, April 2, 2004 | Editor
New Delhi, April 2 (PTI) The Supreme Court today issued notice to the CBI on an application filed by the three Hinduja brothers seeking waiver of their bail condition to furnish bank guarantees in the sum of Rs 15 crore each. PTI
Friday, April 2, 2004 | Editor
Chittorgarh (Rajasthan), Apr 2 (PTI) Describing illegal immigration to India as "horrific", Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani today sought a national consensus on citizenship identity cards to strengthen internal security.
"Illegal immigaration is a major problem for India and it has reached horrific proportions. No other country faces this problem to the magnititude that India does. There is a need for consensus for creating a national register of citizens and providing citizenship identity cards, important for internal security," Advani said here during his 'Bharat Uday Yatra.' "We have discussed the issue at the conference of director generals of police and chief ministers. If the Election Commission and political parties also take up the matter for making an ideal voting list as it was unfortunate that the voters came to know that their names did not exist on the list only on the election day," he said.

This will enhance the quality of democracy and governance besides facilitating the detection and deportation of illegal immigrants, he said.

Asked about the recent comments by party leaders on Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Advani said "they were not personal remarks. The foreign origin issue is not personal but a political matter. It even had a direct effect on Congress that split on the issue. And a person whom they had made speaker of the Lok Sabha, left the party and is still not prepared to join it due to differences on foreign origin issue." He was referring to P A Sangma leaving Congress party but did not take his name. PTI

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