Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
2014 ISSUE 1| VOL. 21.1 www.tii.ae Jan 16, 2014 - Mar 16, 2014
What is it
Orun Palits Diaspora People Dont
Love Story Like About
Indians?
Oldest
Malayali Is Your Bank
in Europe Cheating You?
Start a Small Seven Days in
Business in 2014! Singapore!
BAHRAIN BD 1.25 KUWAIT KD 1.25 OMAN RO 1.25 KSA SR 12.00 UAE AED 12.00 CANADA C$ 5.00 UK 2.50 USA $ 4.00
THE INTERNATIONAL
You article Corbett Adventure: The Tiger or the Treat was very useful and
interesting. Such expensive vacations need to be carefully studied in order to ISSN 0964 8437
assess if its worth it. It is better to go to Kenya or Tanzania where you have a
good chance of seeing the Big 5 rather than go on an Indian tiger safari vainly Publishers
hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive beast. Prof. Prabhu Guptara
It is a sad indictment on our corrupt country where even the Bengal Tiger,
Santosh Shetty
our most magnificent animal is vulnerable to corrupt officials who are mostly
responsible for the slaughter and poaching that goes on. In 2013, eight tigers Founder Editor & Publisher
were killed by poachers in Corbett, no wonder you couldnt see any! Frank Raj
Contributing Editors
Harpreet Sindhu Erik R. Hadden
Abu Dhabi Prem Souri Kishore
Benjamin H. Parker
Kudos to Arvind Kejriwal Vishal Mangalwadi
Shamlal Puri
Kudos to Arvind Kejriwal for his Aam Aadmi Partys performance in Delhi, but
despite the amazing victory it wont be easy in the Lok Sabha elections. Travel Editor
Parliamentary polls are spread out over large constituencies and require Shana Raj Parker
massive money power and human resources. After exposing several corrupt
corporates, funding from business houses will not be easy to findor accept. Manager PR
But the major challenge unlike in urban Delhi, is religious, caste, and Christine DeSouza
language barriers, the party must face, which are a political reality in the rest Photographer
of the country. AAP has to find a niche for itself beyond corruption if it is not to Benjamin H. Parker
be quickly labelled as a one-trick pony. International
Local issues aside, how will AAP transcend its Delhi-centric victory? Correspondents
Nonetheless if AAP can truly usher in the changes it promises India may see
a new era in politics. Canada Rubina Jacob
Singapore Amita Sarwal
Jeevan Narain UK Anjali Guptara Khera
Bahrain Rudy Otter
Shamlal Puri
USA Prem Souri Kishore
Diplomatic war: India vs America
Middle East Hemu Gorde
What would happen to you or me if we got caught lying on our visa application? Bandana Jain
Deepa Ballal
India reacted sharply to the arrest of Deputy Consul General Devyani South Africa Asma Ayob
Khobragade, who was humiliated in New York on visa fraud charges recently.
Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh summoned US Ambassador Nancy Powell India
and issued a demarche in this regard. In retaliation India stripped US diplomats Delhi Vishal Arora
and their families of privileges including withdrawing all airport passes and Chennai Aruna Srinivasan
stopping import clearances for the embassy.
All U.S. Consulate personnel and their families were asked to turn in their ID Hyderabad Shyamola Khanna
cards, and the Indian government also sought key information such as salaries Mumbai Sarina Menezes
paid to all Indian staff employed at the consulates and by Consulate officers Bangalore Marianne de Nazareth
and families including as domestic helps. Director
These will now be downgraded on par with what the US provides to Indian
Raina Raj Hadden
Consulates in the U.S.
Apart from these measures, the Government of India stopped all import
clearances for the US embassy for liquor etc. Traffic barricades near the Head Of Operations
US embassy on Nyaya Marg were removed, diminishing security for the Manav Bhatia
Americans in Delhi.
The BJPs Yashwant Sinha pointed out that after the recent Indian Supreme
Court ruling it is illegal in India to have same sex companions, just as paying
less wages is illegal in the US. He recommended that the Government of India Designer
arrest all same sex companions of US diplomats in India. Marshall Markley
But nobody questioned why after Edward Snowden leaked top-secret
documents about how India was one of the biggest targets of American
spying, our foreign office pretended there was no problem! TII Middle East & India Offices:
Audited Circulation
28,399 copies
Mar/Apr 2012
4 THE INTERNATIONAL INDIAN
www.bpaww.com
EDITORIAL Frank Raj
There are many men of principle in both parties in America, but there is no party of principle.
- Alexis de Tocqueville
I
am waiting for an early Congress secularism will soon not just for the impotence of the
morning flight at Chennais new be known. But every ism is an left, it has led the entire country up
international airport, built at a ideology operating for power and the garden path. Gandhijis sincerity
cost of about 2,000 crore rupees. gain in small and big ways. Since in believing, My struggle is not
It is impressive from the outside, you cant have real conviction in an merely political. It is religious and
but inside the shoddy maintenance ism, instead of genuine belief there therefore quite pure, was a short
is shocking, with filthy carpets and is mass nationwide delusion. lived legacy that ended with his
dirty bathrooms. Religionism is easily used murder.
I wonder if an Indian political to manipulate all the sheeple, Katherine Tidrick in her
renaissance is in the making with regardless of who they are. controversial biography, Gandhi:
Aam Aadmi-ism, a new ideology Perry Anderson, author of A Political and Spiritual Life,
that is all the rage in the country The Indian Ideology, a respected calls Gandhi, the greatest Indian
today because of Arvind Kejriwal, Marxist scholar at UCLA makes godman of them all. Since then
rookie Chief Minister of New Delhi. an interesting observation about Indias religion-centric mentality of
AAPs vision is to realise the the left in India, The fundamental politics has been accepting many
dream of Swaraj that Gandhiji reason for the relative political wolves in sheeps clothing. They are
had envisaged for a free India is weakness of the Indian left..lay not the pious pundits they appear
something that the Nehru-Gandhis in the fusion of nation with religion or claim to be but predators adept
or the BJP could have done long in the struggle for independence. at controlling and conniving.
before Kejriwal arrived on the Wherever this occurred Ireland I often think that Tagores
scene. where I grew up is a signal case, prayer: Into that heaven of freedom
Chennai is a good place to the terrain was adverse for the left my Father, let my country awake,
consider Indian ideologies; few from the start. In the subcontinent was for Indians to escape from all
Indian states have succeeded in that was always, as it has remained the isms that keep us in bondage.
developing an entrenched home- the underlying sociological reality. Id given up on the capita for
grown populist philosophy like Reviewing his book Arundhati its goondagiri and corruption. Now
the Dravidian parties AIADMK Roy writes, Perry Anderson brings maybe theres hope for Delhi-ites
and DMK. The ideas of Periyar, together a set of arguments that to reconsider our citys worth if
Annadurai and MGR found an will be received with disquiet by the Aam Aadmi Party stays clean,
enduring home in Tamilnadu the scholars and ideologues who committed and in power.
whether they have truly served the have constructed a celebratory,
people of the state is debatable. self-righteous consensus about the
But the fact is the Communists Indian Republic. Instead of writing
couldnt hold on to Kerala or off the unspeakable violence and
Bengal, Sikh separatists didnt egregious injustice in our society
succeed in Punjab, the Nagas gave as aberrations in an otherwise
up in Nagaland and the Naxals are successful model, Anderson points Frank Raj
still at war in various states. to serious structural flaws and the Founder-Editor & Publisher
I would wager that Religionism, deep seated social prejudices of frankraj08@gmail.com
is Indias dominating ideology. those who have administered the
People are enthralled by some Indian State in the decades since The International Indian
ism or the other no exceptions. Independence. @frankraj08
Whether the BJPs proactive One could argue that the fusion @deshaurdiaspora
saffronism will snatch power from of nation and religion is responsible Frank Raj
blog.tii.ae
08
14 22
26 30
70
contents
04 Letters to the Editor
05 Editorial
DIASPORA
22 A Diaspora Love Story:
DEBATE
48 Elections 2014
by Bandana Jain
INVESTMENT
52 Areas To Watch For Investments
Meet Dr. Orun Palit Private Swiss In 2014
COVER STORY banker by Surabhi Arora
08 Expo 2020: For the Love of Dubai by Frank Raj 58 Is Your Bank Cheating You?
by Peyman Pejman Mangelal Sharmas Experience
26 The Oldest Malayali in Europe:
TRAVEL Jacob Matthan by Deven Kanal & Mohan Sivanand
14 Seven Days In Singapore! by Prabhu Guptara EDUCATION
And Youll Want More! 54 Great Educational Expectation
44 A Family in Every Country
by Frank Raj by Feby Imthias
by Anita Thomas
SUCCESS BOLLYWOOD
70 What Is It People Dont Like
20 Dr Shamsheer Vayalil Parambath: 64 Deepika Padukone:
About Indians?
A Remarkable Journey of Success. Why is she called a hero?
by Deepa Ballal
by Armenia Fernandes by Rajiv Vijayakar
NOSTALGIA
36 Sarosh Zaiwalla HUMOUR
40 Anglo-Indians: Home Sweet
Journey To The Top in UK Law 67 Lessons From Nelson Mandela
Homeland
by Shamlal Puri by Melvin Durai
by Rudy Otter
SMALL BUSINESS 68 TII Hall of Fame
INDIA
30 Start a Small Biz in 2014
46 Guptara Garmagaram 68 TII Photo Competition
Choose From Any One of these 10!
Upsetting India
by Balan Iyer 76 BUZZWORD
by Prabhu Guptara
34 My Moms Beauty Salon 78 Winning In Diaspora! is TIIs New
76 Expats in Hyderabad
by Ruqya Khan Theme
by Shyamola Khanna
by Frank Raj
Expo 2020
For The Love of Dubai
Union. The United States still While welcoming foreigners now stands at about 5% of its
suffers from an unemployment to work in various sectors, Dubai GDP, although authorities would
rate of above 7% and, according has also consciously diversified its like to raise that to 7%-8% of the
to Indias Annual Employment & economy so as to not concentrate GDP, which was $83.4 billion in
Unemployment Survey report for on oil exports, its traditional revenue. 2011. In return, Dubai offers several
2012-13 released by the Labour Today, with oil production estimated incentives:
Bureau under the Union Ministry at about 50,000 to 70,000 barrels Special zone free investment
of Labour and Employment, the a day, overall oil and natural gas incentives
countrys unemployment rate revenues account for less than 7% Efficient transport and distribution
stands at 4.7%. In a recent poll, of the emirates revenues. With that facilities
83% of respondents in the UK, diversification came the need to Renewable 15-year guarantee of
65% in the US, 76% in Egypt, and attract more investors. Once upon no taxation
61% in Russia all countries from a time, there were typical stories Flexible investment options
which Dubai attracts heavily said of bureaucratic red tape. Now, Full administrative and recruitment
they see the economic situation in there are stories of praise. Sheikh support
their country as bad. In the face Mohammed himself alluded to the
of those realities, Dubai continues pointed policy in his meeting with That environment has made
to grow, even after what turned out Alexander Wilmot-Sitwell, president many people billionaires over the
to be a temporary slump. The UAE of Europe and Emerging Markets years, many of them Indians.
government, meanwhile, claimed at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Dubais geography and
4.5 percent growth in 2012, its and the banks senior directors. He aggressive business strategies have
highest rate since 2006. For the first said Dubai draws individual and also been very helpful to its rise. It has
half of 2013, its GDP grew by 4.9%. corporate investors from across the spent money to attract money and
Several European countries and world and enables them to grow in people. There are no exact figures
the United States wish they could a stable and safe investment, social for how much the development of
brag about figures like that. With and living environment. Dubai has cost. Some estimates say
the promise of well-paid positions Surveys agree. An HSBC Bank ongoing projects alone are worth
(at least for skilled workers), comes poll of 25 countries listed the UAE $100 billion. The government has
the added advantage of no personal as the 4th best place to live in terms put the price tag for the Al Maktoum
income taxes, something that could of financial quality of life in 2010 for International Airport at $82 billion.
take out up to a third of ones expatriates, up from 5th in 2009. Downtown Dubai reportedly cost
paycheck in some countries. Foreign investment in Dubai $20 billion. But the city has reaped
the benefits and there is perhaps citys attraction is not just for males And one should not forget
no better proof than the rise in the coming to earn money. Families Dubais reputation as the glitziest
number of air travellers using Dubai feel comfortable coming to Dubai. city in the Middle East.
as an international hub. One-third Women and children feel safe. Dubai has set the record in
of the worlds population lives within From jogging in Dubais various being Number One in so many
four hours of flight time from Dubai, parks to wearing bikinis on the aspects. Today, Dubai is a world-
an astounding resource that helps beach, or children playing on public renowned cosmopolitan city that
keep Emirates Airline bosses on playgrounds, Dubai is unsurprisingly has become synonymous with
their feet. The recent opening of Al- safe. Even the international press, richness and glamor. Home to
Maktoum International Airport will which usually does not pick up on many ambitious projects, Dubai
undoubtedly be an added welcome feel-good topics, recently blasted proudly brandishes Burj Khalifa,
to existing visitors to Dubai, as well pictures of fancy cars acquired by which according to its web site,
as those planning to come for the Dubai police as part of a nationwide at 828 meters and more than 160
expo. Polish airline Wizz was the upgrade, citing it as a sign of the floors, is the tallest building in the
first commercial company to land at central governments commitment world, and the tallest free-standing
the airport. Located at Dubai World to law and order. structure in the world. It also has
Central, the airport will not only Indeed the overall freedoms the highest outdoor observation
serve Dubai but also the capital Abu that many expatriates enjoy in deck in the world.
Dhabi. The airport will eventually Dubai surpass those afforded But Burj Khalifa is only the latest
have up to four passenger in their own homelands. In the of Dubais wonders. Lets not forget
terminals with an annual passenger Arab world, political uncertainty in the man-made islands. First was
capacity of 160 million. The existing countries such as Lebanon, Syria, the Palm Jumeirah, then two more
terminal alone can serve up to five Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and in Deira and Jebel Ali. The latter,
million passengers. Dubai World Tunisia make Dubai the proverbial when completed is expected to
Central is the site of one of Dubais peace on earth. Many Asian feature a breakwater that will spell
largest future economic zones that countries are engulfed in their own out,It takes a man of vision to write
will include residential, aviation, crises. Social freedom is certainly on water, a line from poetry written
logistics clusters and to be built in an added bonus in the eyes of by Sheikh Mohammed. Last, but
excess of an estimated $32 billion. many foreigners. The concept that not least, is The World, a collection
Cultural diversity has always men, women, couples, families with of 300 islands of different sizes
been a magic card in Dubais children can freely go out to dinner, that, collectively, represent the map
sleeve. From a city borne on 4,114 drinks, movies, drive around either of the world. The private islands
sq kilometers of barren land, Dubai Jumeiras posh neighborhoods or are divided into private homes,
now is home to nationals of close to Deiras bustling markets without estate homes, dream resorts, and
200 countries. Survey after survey fear or personal danger, makes life community islands. The islands,
has testified to the reality that the in Dubai very comfortable. ranging in shape from about 23,000
sq meters to 83,000 sq meters,
are separated from each other by
50-100 meters of water. The only
means of transportation between
the islands will be by marine or air
transport.
So, yes, Dubai has worked hard
and has attracted people who work
hard for it. And the love is mutual. TII
DONT MISS!
1 Sentosa
Seven Days In
2 Orchard Road Shopping
And Youll Want
3 River Safari, Zoo
No one realizes how beautiful it is to tra
comes home and rests his head on his ol
4 Botanic gardens
pillow. Lin Yutang
!
MUST SEE
a,
Little Indi
Singapore!:
n,
Chinatow
Arab Street
More!
avel until he
ld, familiar
!
MUST SEE
Cooled
tories,
Conserva
by the
Gardens
Bay!
(L) Marina Bay Sands and Gardens By the Bay: Singapores magnificent new attraction
3.481 million in the same period. give the place a sense of equality WHAT IS THERE TO SEE
Run by profit-based corporations, that is noticeable even though other
SMRT Corporation and SBS Transit countries may be ranked higher.
AND DO IN SINGAPORE?
Lets talk about food first because in
they also operate bus and taxi Singapore citizens are not left to
this gastronomic paradise, virtually
services, facilitating full integration assimilate on their own something
any cuisine is available round the
of public transport services running people are generally disinclined to
clock, which is great because you
from about 5:30 am to 1 am daily. do. When you meet people who
can be out most of the day and
According to the Department of look Chinese or Malay or Indian,
night, if youre not too tired. With
Statistics the country is made up of dont be surprised if they tell you
a family heritage that includes
3,313,500 Singaporeans, 531,200 they are Singaporean, preferring not
American, Canadian, Dutch, and
PRs and 1,554,400 non-residents, to discuss their antecedents. As a
other lineages my preference is for
making the total number of foreigners conglomeration of three cultures:
blends. Ive developed a taste for a
2,085,600 38.6% of the total Chinese (74%), Malay (13%) and
wide range of cuisines and locations
population. Official policy even has Indian (9%) the racial mixture
that cater to assorted tendencies
the news on television read in four generates some conflict, but there
and Singapore fits the bill like few
languages in case anybody misses is harmony and each group works
countries in the world.
the point English, Mandarin, Malay to maintain its cultural traditions,
You cant go to Singapore and
and Tamil. The government and the as the country builds a modern,
not eat at a Hawkers Centre at
public are genuinely concerned cohesive society.
amazing budget prices (10 30 S$)
about maintaining racial balance, Remember Singapore has strict
for delicacies like Satay, Oyster
and the CMIO model (Chinese, regulations and penalties so dont
Omelette, Fried Carrot Cake, Laksa,
Malay, Indian, and Others) is an jaywalk, smoke in public or in air-
Ba Kut Teh Chili Crab etc. The best
intentional strategy to ensure racial conditioned buildings and dont eat
known places are: Makansutra
harmony. chewing gum. If you are entering
(near Esplanade); Lau Pasat (18
Singapore was ranked 4th on the the country after staying in a hotel
Raffles Quay)and Newton Circus
Economist Intelligence Units Asias somewhere else, pack your suitcase
(500 Clemenceau Ave North).
Most Liveable City 2011 survey and personally to be sure you know what
Choose from an unimaginable
Asias top City of Opportunity ninth is kept in your baggage Singapore
variety of Chinese, Malay, Indian
amongst 26 cities worldwide by has a harsh zero tolerance policy for
and Indonesian dishes, and try
PricewaterhouseCoopers. drugs.
a refreshing dessert called Ice
People from all over the world
1200
CORPORATE PROFILE
Armenia Fernandes
Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil receives the Pravasi Bharatiya Award from Indian President Pranab Mukherjee as Overseas Indian Affairs
Minister Vayalar Ravi looks on during the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in New Delhi.
Success, to me, means having created something that can positively make
a difference in the quality of life for people on a sustainable level. Everything
else, the recognition, the money, the luxury, automatically follows from
success. These are mere fringe benefits, says the 37-year-old Founder
and Managing Director of the UAE-based Lifeline Healthcare Group,
Dr Orun Palit with his wife Moutushi (R) and daughter Ronia - diversity runs in the family
Dr Orun Palit, 48 year old Swiss national, reflects the diversity of the global Indian
Diaspora. Of Indian origin, he is married to Moutushi Ghosh a Bengali, and they
have a daughter Ronia. His grandfather Prof. Benoy Kumar Sarkar was a freedom
fighter in India and the co-founder of Jadavpur University in Kolkata. Orun works
for Private Client Bank AG, a Swiss private bank, based in Zurich.
TII: Your grandparents experience is somewhat similar she coudnt find a way to go back to her parents in Innsbruck.
to the Titanic love story, the difference being their ship Her American relatives reacted quickly and invited her to the
reached New York safely. USA instead. They sent money to London for her one way
ticket to New York by sea.
ORUN PALIT: There are similarities! My grandfather, Prof. Dr.
Benoy Kumar Sarkar, born in 1887 in Malda, West Bengal, was TII: How did your grandparents meet on the ship?
a freedom fighter and a young professor at the beginning of the
20th century. In 1914, he was invited to a lecturing trip in the OP: The captain of the ship took care of the young Austrian
USA and his ship stopped in England before taking off to New lady and wisely put her with the Indian group as they were
York. My grandmother Ida Stieler at that time, a 17 year old not involved in the war. The captain thought she would be
Austrian girl worked as an Au Pair in London. She wanted to safe with a group of Indian intellectuals. And of course, my
return to Austria as the First World War broke out, and being an grandfather was part of that group and that is how they fell in
Austrian national it was not safe to stay in London. However, love during the 3-4 weeks journey to the USA. My grandmother
stayed on in America for another nine years. However my Your own marriage to a Bengali lady was in very non-
grandfather went back to India in the mean time and eight western circumstances.
years later asked her to marry him. They finally got married in
1924 and she moved to join him in Kolkata. My mother Indira, This is again a long story, but hopefully, I can tell it in person
half Bengali, half Austrian was born in 1925 and lived for 20 to people who would like to meet me. Basically, an uncle in
years in Kolkata. For further studies, her parents sent her to Mumbai put an ad in two Kolkata newspapers in July 1994,
the Sorbonne University in France where she got her PhD in without my knowledge and consent and set the ball rolling. I
French Literature. Unfortunately, during that time, her father, met my future wife Moutushi in April 1995 in Kolkata, We met
my grandfather passed away in 1949, shortly after Indias on a Monday for six hours, got engaged three days later on a
independence. My mother asked her Austrian mother to leave Thursday, and got married (civil) two days later on Saturday.
India for Europe and live with her there. The religious marriage took place after three months on July
14th, 1995 in Kolkata. We are married now for 18 years and
How did your mother and father meet? have Ronia our 16 year old daughter.
My mother Indira Sarkar finally settled down in Switzerland and How did you become a relationship manager in private
worked for the Indian embassy until 1964. She lived with my banking?
grandmother in Berne, the capital of Switzerland from 1950
1964 till my grandmother passed away in 1963. Luckily, my I started basically on a green field as I entered the business only
mother got to know my father Basanta Bihari Palit in 1964 at six years back. Prior to that, I was heading an equity team of
one of the Indian embassys social functions. A 100% Bengali, eight at another small private bank in Zurich. I was in addition
he worked at ABB in Switzerland after studying in Dresden, also a pharmaceutical analyst for European pharmaceutical
Eastern Germany at that time on a scholarship from India for companies, and a fund manager for Swiss, European and US
a PhD in Electrical Engineering. After returning to India, he equities. I didnt have any connection to India or to Indians in
found a job at ABB and they sent him later to the headquarters my professional life until then. My only connections to India
to Switzerland in the 1960s. Thats how my parents met in were my three trips to Kolkata to visit family on my fathers side
Switzerland and I was born and grew up in Switzerland. from 1965 - 1995. That changed quite dramatically after my
My mother tongue is German because my mother was half marriage in 1995. After growing up in Switzerland, doing all my
Austrian and Indian and my father too spoke German before schooling here, serving in the Swiss army and dating a couple
I was born. of European ladies, I married an Indian woman from Kolkata in
an arranged marriage. My marriage brought me much closer
to India which I am now very grateful for. We have been going
to India, thereafter, at least once a year.
TII: How did you get involved with the Indian market?
Orun and family make regular trips to India - he is on track to expanding a USD 100 million portfolio of Indian clients
India and Indians for my next career move in order to be part of TII: What is the advice you give your clients?
the Indian growth story. A year and a half later, I actually took
the challenge and changed jobs. OP: It is of critical importance that HNIs dont put all their eggs
in one basket. History has shown that HNIs who have invested
TII: How successful have you been in targeting the only in one country or kept their assets only in one asset
Indian market? class lost a major part of their wealth due to an unpredictable
external event (war, confiscation, change of government,
OP: I was someone who had know-how about global financial prosecution, etc). Investors of a certain wealth class should
markets and products, but I didnt have a client book. Who start to diversify their assets more on a global basis in terms of
would give me a job that is connected to India? In 2007 assets & currencies.
Private Client Bank AG gave me the opportunity and time
to embark on this journey and to build up my Indian client Private Banking is based on trust, which can only be established
base in Dubai, London and in India. I first had to establish if prospective clients are comfortable with the relationship
contacts, relationships and networks in these different cities manager they are working with. I feel it is of vital importance
and countries. It was two years of grueling, frustrating, for a long standing relationship that the clients get to know
fascinating effort to establish contacts with HNIs, requiring lots the relationship manager better, and know about his/her family
of patience, perseverance and persistency to survive the tough background. To give good investment advice, it is important to
times in the beginning. Slowly, my client book grew over the know about the educational and career background as well.
last four years and has now reached almost 100 million USD My personal life has been quite unusual in terms of family
with about 30 clients. background and in terms of how I founded my own family. My
educational background has all to do with finance and with
What is unique about Private Client Bank AG? financial markets and products. I have a PhD in finance with a
focus on banking. TII
We are a family office bank and serve HNI clients. Our
investment approach is based on long-term investment Readers can email Dr. Orun Palit at opalit@privateclientbank.ch
strategies. Our two main equity portfolios performed very
well over the past three years. Our high quality global mid Frank Raj is TIIs founding editor
cap portfolio, consisting of the following stocks: Sika, Adidas,
Khne & Nagel Intl., LMVH, Lindt Chocolates, Galencia, Fanuc,
Tsingtao Brewery, called Strategic Pearls has performed so
far in 2013 (until 30.11.2013):+29.30% and our global large
cap portfolio, consisting of the following stocks: Royal Dutch,
Nestl, Intel, Allianz, Apple, Syngenta, Roche, ABB, called
Strategic Equities performed: +19.28%.
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UK today.
The question of how many Malayalis married non-
Indians has never been researched, as far as I can
find out (nor has the question of how many Malayalis
married non-Malayali Indians in the early days of
interaction between Malayalis and non-Malayalis; my
mother married my father, from UP, in 1947 and it was
a sensation in Kerala as well as in UP, opposed by both
families). It is also difficult to say how typical Jacobs
story is, but no doubt readers and researchers will
evaluate that at some point in the future when much
more information has been gathered.
Anyway, during the course of his studies in England,
Jacobs brother and he were sharing an apartment Jacob and his young family
with three other Indians in London. One of them had a
girlfriend from Finland. When she came with her sister
to London for a visit in December 1963, the sisters had and settle in Madras, where Jacob and Annikkis two
no place to stay. Jacob and his brother had agreed to younger children were born. The plan for the return to
give them their room. When Jacob set eyes on Annikki, India was to form the first professional consultancy in
it was love at first sight (this has not changed in 49 India with his brother who had by this time obtained
years!). his Ph.D. in Polymer Science from England. Polymer
In terms of his studies, Jacob completed the Consultancy Services eventually formed many other
Graduateship of the Plastics Institute of England, service organisations around that base.
(GradPI), which led to the award of the Associateship, Jacobs first customer was MRF Tyres and,
APRI, as the Plastics and Rubber Institutes were immediately after that, its subsidiary and ancillary
merged, which led to the Fellowship, FPRI, in 1978 companies, and he then ventured outside that family
(making Jacob the youngest Fellow ever at the age of base, initially working with companies such as
35). The Institute then merged with the Ceramics and Carborundum Universal, and then with a whole host of
Metals Institutes to become the Institute of Materials, major multinational companies. However, his main task
thus making him a Fellow of the Institute of Materials focused on bringing new industrial project ideas to India
(FIM). and to raise the information base within India through
Immediately after completing his studies, Jacob his continuing links with RAPRA. RAPRA Abstracts was
joined the Rubber and Plastics Research Association of published in India by him, establishing the consultancy
Great Britain (RAPRA), the Government Research body, as the leading organisation in the polymers knowledge
in 1966. base in India (No major project in the fields of rubber
Meanwhile, news of Jacobs feelings for Annikki and plastics (including the Indian Petrochemical
had set off a reaction in his conservative Malayali family Corporation) was without our stamp). Jacob brought
(My family in India was greatly opposed to my marrying new ideas to India and several new projects, which were
outside of the Kerala roots. Besides my father, two of then copied by others all over the country. He was also
my mothers brothers were also sent to England to given the responsibilty of running the Malaysian Rubber
dissuade me. As that had no effect, they just hoped the Bureau as another Malayali, Tan Sri B. C. Sekhar (from
situation would die down as an infatuation). On the Trichur), Chairman of the Malaysian Rubber Reaserch
other hand, Annikkis family had no opposition to their and Development Board, and Jacobs friend since his
marriage whatsoever. Her elder brother and one of her days at RAPRA in England, gave him that responsibility.
younger sisters attended the wedding in January 1967 Meanwhile, Jacobs first proper visit to Finland
in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, in England (I was blessed was en route to India in 1969 - they travelled by ship,
to enter a loving family headed by a devout Christian. going the long route via the Cape (as we drove from
However, the day we got married, the situation on my Helsinki to Oulu, a drive of 600 km, with the midnight
side of the family changed as my mother declared to all, sun, I was astonished by the beauty of the country, of
what God has put together, let no man put asunder never ending green forests and blue lakes from south
which meant that Annikki was welcomed into the family to north. That beauty has remained for the last 43
as a daughter)**. years, despite efforts by some Finnish industrialists to
Jacob and Annikkis two older children, Susanna pollute the country!) The second visit, in 1975, was
Mariam and Jaakko (Jacob), were born in England, unintendedly longer (4 or 5 months) as Mrs Indira
in 1967 and 1968 respectively. Jacob worked at Gandhis Emergency had been declared, and they were
RAPRA till 1969, when he decided to return to India, stuck in Finland because of some misunderstandings
1 5
programs that combine jazz dance,
Jan-Pro Cleaning resistance training, Pilates, yoga Kinderdance
Systems and kickboxing. The international kinderdance.com
jan-pro.com franchise business hosts a
network of 7,800 instructors
Total investment: $2,800 to teaching more than 32,000 classes
$44,000 weekly throughout 32 countries. Total Investment: $14,950 to
This commercial cleaning Franchisees receive training, $46,100
franchise provides training and corporate support, resources Franchisees offer Kinderdances
support to new franchisees. If and strategic alliances, including innovative preschool developmental
you are a veteran and planning Jazzercise Apparel, to help grow education through dance to
to start a business of your own their businesses. thousands of children across North
4
the VetConnection program from America. There are five different
JAN-PRO offers attractive financial programs that incorporate motor-
CruiseOne
incentives. JAN- PRO also offers skills, gymnastics, music and
cruiseonefranchise.com
financial assistance to qualified fitness, blended with academics,
franchisee prospects and is specifically designed for boys and
recognized as a leader in minority girls ages 2-12. Classes can be
recruitment and participation in the If you have a passion for travel, this taught form home or in childcare
franchising sector. The average franchise is tailor-made for you. centers, churches, schools, or
initial franchise fee is $10,000. community centers. Special
2
Founded in 1992, Fort Lauderdale,
Florida-based CruiseOne is a incentives offered to women,
division of World Travel Holdings, veterans, and minorities, including
Proforma
discounted fees.
6
proforma.com/company/ the largest seller of cruise vacations
aboutus in the world with a portfolio of more
than 30 brands. Chem-Dry Carpet
With 23 new cruise ships Cleaning
Total investment: $4,730 to being built and expected to go into chemdryfranchise.com
$20,965 service in 2014, the company is
Proforma creates personalized well-positioned to ride the boom in
promotional products, offers this segment of the travel market. Chem-Dry is the worlds largest
commercial printing services, The fact that only 20% of the U.S. rug and carpet cleaning franchise,
designs custom business population and an even smaller with more than 3,500 franchises
forms and stationery, provides proportion worldwide has cruised in over 35 countries. The
e-commerce solutions, and is makes this franchise a promising companys strategy is built on a
capable of multimedia production. one. simple premise: Every year, 14
Franchisees receive accounting The franchise fee is $9,800. billion square feet of new carpet
methods, advertising, marketing Financing is offered for an initial are installed in homes and offices
and promotional techniques, down payment of $3,500. and all of it has to be cleaned.
preferential vendor relationships, Experienced travel professionals Thats just in the U.S. Clearly, its a
volume purchasing power, accredited by the Cruise Lines massive market.
personnel training and other International Association (CLIA) The franchise owners initial
matters related to the maintenance or the International Air Transport investment ranges from $33,950
Association (IATA) receive to $131,500, depending on the
3
of uniform quality standards.
significant discounts off the equipment chosen. Regardless of
franchise fee if they have a superior the investment, the monthly royalty
Jazzercise
track record in cruise sales. is constant at $350. Chem-Dry
jazzercise.com/become_
A major advantage of owning offers low-cost, in-house financing,
franchise.htm
a CrusieOne franchise is that and the loan is interest- and
you can run your business from payment-free until the fourth month
anywhere in the world with an of operation. This type of financing
Total investment: $4,280 to internet connection since all is uncommon in the franchise
$76,500 software provided is web-based industry and is Chem-Drys way
The initial fee for this fitness of boosting their franchisees
franchise is as low as $2,000. and requires no downloading.
business-building efforts.
Jazzercise offers workout
Overall, this is an ideal business incomes annually. Handyman providing professional tools,
for an entrepreneur with drive and Matters software is web-based, equipment, and storage
determination, but doesnt require a which gives franchisees the for technicians that work in
lot of experience or money to start. flexibility to work from anywhere. independent repair shops,
Chem-Dry is specifically seeking It also provides training and dealerships, small engine repair,
8
master franchise partners in Oman, marketing support. farm and industrial service, marine,
Jordan and India, among other motorsports, and even aviation.
emerging markets. Home Helpers Franchisees can sell, distribute and
7
www.homehelpers.cc service automotive equipment,
tools and toolboxes out of their
Handyman Matters
10
trucks.
handymanmattersfranchising.
Total investment: $57,500 to
com
$98,900 Snap-On-Tools
In-home healthcare is a snapon.com
Every home owner always needs growing field as the baby boomer
something fixed or improved generation ages. Home Helpers is
around the house, whether a leader in home care services with
its a clogged bathroom drain caregivers who provide one-on-one Total Investment: $143,683 to
or a garage thats overdue for care to seniors, new & expectant $307,700
repainting. But with todays busy mothers, working parents, and Snap-on Tools franchisees
lifestyles, who has the time to do those recuperating from illness offer over 22,000 products,
it himself? This franchise operates or injury and those facing lifelong including hand tools, power tools,
on that assumption. physical and developmental diagnostic tools, tool storage,
Handyman Matter specializes challenges. Senior care and shop equipment. These tools
in home repair, improvement and services allow individuals to live are for home use as well as on
remodel services, and with the independently in their home instead the job. The business can run
sheer number of houses even of an assisted living complex or from home with owners bringing
newer ones requiring regular nursing home.
9
their mobile stores or Snap-On
maintenance, theres always trucks filled with products directly
something to keep a franchisee to customers, which includes
busy.
Matco Tools
matcotools.com/franchise car dealerships, mechanics, and
The initial investment is about airports. The initial franchise fee is
$57,000, but with the home-
improvement industry valued at $7,500 $15,000.
$50 billion in the U.S. alone, the Total investment: $88,879 to
potential to earn several times the $144,410
initial outlay is nearly limitless. The Matco is one of the fastest Balan Lyer is a freelance writer based in
company says its not unusual for growing mobile tool franchises Dubai.
franchise owners to make 7-figure
THE STARTUP
Preethi at work in her salon Preethi Dsouza: First year was toughest
the UAE. While their services were branches in Satwa and Ghusais. poured all my energy and revenue
excellent I felt that they lacked Her vision is to work with people into this little place. My efforts
the personal touch. It was too who believe in beauty not just in began to bear fruit in year two. I felt
commercially packaged so I jumped looks about also of the soul. I want so blessed that I did not give up!
off their brand wagon and decided to turn the mirror inwards so that a Preethi did not allow any hurdle
to go solo! woman feels beautiful from within. to run her down. She stood strong
In 2008, Preethi moved to the Confidence and care is what I want and guarded her dream. She
Arabian Ranches, where she worked to give my clients. supported other women who had
as a freelance beauty consultant. Looking back she says, The a dream for themselves. She firmly
Her clients were largely people first year of business was the believes in the principle that you get
from her own neighbourhood. Her toughest. I was so enthusiastic what you give. No it was not easy
network grew by referrals and word about setting up shop that I did not but the struggle was worth it. I ran
of mouth but that dream always plan or think of the expenses that a one woman show where everyday
nudged her. Occasionally someone we would have to endure during the I wore several hats a mother, a
would enquire about her license times when the business was slack wife, a sister, a counsellor, a trader,
to practise and thats when she or in hibernation. While the rent and a PRO, a beautician but I did it all
decided to open a proper salon the electricity- water bills would be a for the sake of the businessperson
for herself. I wanted to dedicate constant demand on the purse, the in me.
it to my mother and so the name, cashflow was not so good. I wanted I did it out of gratitude for my
My Moms Beauty Salon! I also to sail on my own and did not want own mother and the many blessings
wanted to have a name that my to dig into my husbands pockets she gave me. I want my girls to look
own daughters could connect with, for support. up to me and feel proud of me. I am
she smiled. I set up a Facebook page a fighter. My battle wasnt easy but
Preethi reveals, The investment called Mothers World where today I feel I have defeated all that
for the project was close to AED mum entrepreneurs were invited to stood in my way. I feel happy, I feel
80,000 this included licensing advertise their businesses. Word at peace, I feel content. I am happy I
costs, visa formalities plus medical spread like wild fire and within a few tried and did not let go of my dream.
and relevant paperwork for me weeks I had mothers sharing and These two eyes that we have are not
and my staff. I had at the time of referring friends. Before I knew it I just to see, they are meant to hold a
inauguration only one beautician on had more than a 1,000 members vision and trust. When times were
board but now as we are growing from all over the place. Today we bad I prayed for direction and did
I have employed one more staff are at close to 2,750 entrepreneurs not tire from hard work. Dreaming
to ensure that work progresses online. I used this growing network big is also being willing to rise after
smoothly and without delay. to market my own work. I got every fall and not stop at any cost,
She knows that she wants to more clients for the salon and she concluded. TII
franchise her salon and is seeking also as freelance assignments. I
investors to set up two more compered events and was the MC Ruqya Khan is a freelance writer based
at many gatherings. I built in Dubai.
my income bit by bit and
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You will need a QR code scanner application
installed on your smartphone THE INTERNATIONAL INDIAN 35
DIASPORA
Shamlal Puri
Sarosh Zaiwalla
Journey To The Top in UK Law
Sarosh Zaiwalla is a solicitor par excellence with a strong track of successes
in British and international law. SHAMLAL PURI met him at his London
office and shared the story of his extraordinary career in which he has
rubbed shoulders with the movers and shakers at home and abroad.
the heart and without notes he praised the goodness by birth, British by nationality.
and professionalism of those who have handled over Sarosh decided he could make a niche for himself
1,000 international arbitrations and represented many by setting up an Asian-headed maritime law firm dealing
overseas governments and multinationals as well as with Asian firms involved in the shipping business in
private clients from overseas. London.
The Attorney General also acknowledged that With a bank loan of 10,000 he founded Zaiwalla &
Sarosh Zaiwalla was a pioneer in opening up the legal Co in April 1982 with offices in Chancery Lane, in the
profession to diversity, at a time when there were many heart of Londons Law fraternity. He is the first Asian to
racial hurdles. Even 100 years from now, history will set up a law firm in the City of London and after being
continue to remember this achievement, Mr Grieves in practice for many years is well-respected in London.
said, as he paid tribute to the firms Indian connections The challenge ahead of him was that he was not
and the contribution this had made to the good relations going to join the traditional speciality of Asian lawyers
between India and Britain. dotted around London suburbs of Southall, Wembley
Reflecting on his earlier years Sarosh Zaiwalla and Ealing immigration. He wanted to do something
studied maritime law and worked part-time in a well- different.
known London City firm in Fleet Street, the heart of the In his early years, he was lucky to meet the then
newspaper world and where a spill-over of law firms Indian High Commissioner in UK, a former lawyer.
from Chancery Lane were based. He aimed to better
his career and move up the ladder. But an old hand told
him one day that as an Asian he would never make it to
the top of the firm. He advised him to set up his own.
Sarosh was not oblivious to the grandees
observations all the top City maritime firms were
headed by Britons or Europeans, while Asians and
Blacks stuck to immigration laws on the fringes of
London.
Although I received a great deal of support from
my legal fraternity and British judges, some in the elite
Commercial Court, were not used to seeing a non-white
solicitor appearing in Court, Sarosh said in an interview
with Business Matters magazine.
One thing that he had refrained from doing was to
anglicise his Indian name, which he found later to be an UKs Attorney General Dominic Grieve pays a rare tribute to
Sarosh Zaiwalla at the House of Lords party.
advantage for him. He says very proudly, I am an Indian
Looking back on a
Home Sweet Homeland
Anglo-Indians left India thinking they would not be wanted after the
British left, and the country lost one of its most vibrant assets
A
response.
n Anglo-Indian international quarterly magazine called
Anglos In The Wind, based in Chennai, India, has
just published two consecutive issues simultaneously
on a topic of absorbing interest to its readers, judging by the
muscle-flexing India, having witnessed hordes of Indians
brandishing Quit India banners and chanting Jai Hind! All
that hostility, we believed, was aimed not only at the British
colonialists but also at ourselves. It was time to go.
I wrote two articles on this topic for MacLures Homeland
Earlier, Anglo-Indian publisher-editor Harry MacLure had issues. The first one, headed Anyone for Gorastan? reflects
asked readers whether they thought a Homeland State for the Anglo-Indian obsession with the white part of our dual
their 300,000-strong community would have persuaded most ancestry. Our only desire, I wrote, in the frenetic period
of them to stay on in a newly independent India. leading up to Indias Independence was to get out as quickly as
Although we Anglo-Indians left in droves after 1947, mainly possible. We feared that Indians would gain the upper hand
to Britain but also to Australia, New Zealand, Canada and and treat us badly for having sided with our British masters
elsewhere, there had been erstwhile attempts, as MacLure who in turn mollycoddled us. We feared Indians would force
says, as long ago as the 1930s, to create our own enclaves in us to learn Hindi properly (a totally unacceptable proposition in
India, most notably McCluskieganj up north in Bihar, Whitefield those blinkered times). Whats more, Indians would expect us
in Bangalore and the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. to abandon our western clothing and wear dhotis and saris,
Regrettably all those efforts, strenuously backed by another perceived outrage. To cap it all, the cheeky blighters
dynamic Anglo-Indian community leaders Sir Henry Gidney would think nothing of making amorous advances towards our
and his successor Frank Anthony, failed to stem the flow of our daughters, a scandalous prospect!
fellowmen and women out of India, puncturing all hopes of a I reminded readers how our leader Frank Anthony did
unique Anglo Homeland. his best to persuade Anglo-Indians to stay put in India. In a
As stalwart supporters of the British Raj, we Anglo-Indians 1946 speech in Bombay, he said: We are Anglo-Indians by
did not see much of a future for ourselves in an independent, community and have reason to be proud of ourselves. We
made a contribution to India out of all proportion to our size - to Indians, unthinkable when the British were in charge. On
in the military, aviation, engineering. Let us cling to everything another occasion, an irate Hindu man berated her and her
we hold dear, our English language and our way of life. But husband for holding hands in public and advised them to get
let us always remember that we are Indian; that we have an out of the country for such disgraceful behaviour. Moreover her
inalienable Indian background. The more we love and are loyal husbands firm sent letters to all its English-speaking workers
to India, the more India will love and be loyal to us. requiring them to communicate in written Hindi in future, a
We didnt care for his assertion that we are Indian - development that alarmed them.
oh dear me, no. We actually rejoiced in having great-great- Editor MacLure and his team visited various Anglo-
great English and Welsh grandfathers, and great-great-great Indian enclaves and regarded McCluskieganj as a humbling
Scottish and Irish grandmothers, while refusing to admit, experience. He writes of them having to adjust to jungle life,
as I wrote, that we had any Indian blood whatsoever, even build their homes from scratch. The 20 remaining families, out
though most of us bore a slight or pronounced resemblance of an original peak of 250, were displaying courage against
to Indians. Actually we come in four shades - some white, the odds, having to put up with erratic electricity supplies that
many light brown, many more medium brown and dark brown. arrived only a few years ago, and the nearest hospital a two-
In 1939, the Colonization Observer newspaper reported hour drive away.
that our first leader, Sir Henry Gidney, on a visit to London, Reader Dr Beatrix DSouza met Kitty Texeira whom older
asked the British government for 5 million towards a McCluskieganj residents remember as being very pretty with
Homeland for Anglo-Indians in India, on any terms you her blue eyes and golden hair. Her mother was the daughter of
like, Gidney declared, and we will develop a state in India E. D. Robert who had been personal assistant to Sir William
that shall be second to none. No doubt he had Reed, Governor of Assam. Kittys father, an army man,
McCluskieganj in mind, at least initially. had bought 56 acres of land and the family, one
I describe we Anglo-Indians as a much- of the earliest settlers, were considered well off.
misunderstood...unique... fun-loving, food- Kitty married a tribal man, the couple have
crazy community, more than 90 per cent four children and run an orchard. Sari-clad
of whom ran the Indian Railways with the Kitty sells fruit at the local railway station.
rest employed by the police, government Another reader, Maureen Jenkins,
telegraphs, customs & excise and other writes a four-page article on her beloved
spheres. Hardly a community suited to enclave, Kolar Gold Fields, near
the rural way of life in the enclaves they Bangalore, made famous by Tippu Sultan
hoped would thrive, but surprisingly some discovering gold there and providing work
Anglo-Indians hung on and are still in those for Anglo-Indians in the mines. Referring to
enclaves today, toughing it out. their social life, she quips: Some children
Reader Yvonne Fischer, in her article learned to dance before they could walk.
titled Why I left India realized how life was However, having to learn Hindi and later
shaping up in independent India when the state language put the wind up many
Christa Moss with her husband Lionel
she and another Anglo-Indian female at their bungalow on Borewell Road, Anglo-Indians who sought their fortunes
applied for advertised clerical vacancies in Whitefield overseas.
Madras Railway Office. All six jobs went There were other articles, on
Whitefield near Bangalore where Christa Moss and her thinking but what a wonderful thing it would have been if
husband Lionel still live. She writes a long and interesting poem Anglo-Indians were indeed given the opportunity to have their
charting the fate of this Anglo-Indian enclave, now severely own territorial state within India.
depleted in numbers as residents migrated. Here is one verse It would have been another feather in Indias cultural cap
on Whitefield: and would certainly have strengthened her defence forces.
While brass bands on Sunday lustily played communal We would have enabled India to hold sway in international
picnics in the shade Gymkhanas and other sporting events hockey as well as bring home Olympic medals in athletics and
audiences sipping their beer in tents... boxing. Country music would have found another colourful
Other articles included the palm-thronged Andaman home alongside Nashville and Tamworth. Anglo-Indians would
Islands where some Anglo-Indians tried to carve a life out for have made their mark not just on the Indian map but the world
themselves but largely gave up and left. Blair Williams writes map as well. Anglo-Indians who did make the big time abroad
that neither the British nor Indian governments would have included singers Engelbert Humperdinck and Sir Cliff Richard,
seriously entertained the idea of turning those islands into an and Hollywood actress Merle Oberon.
Anglo-Indian Homeland. Reader Ralph Baycross writes that Anglo-Indian
Editor Harry MacLure bemoans the fact that the British, emigration was the best option. Those who settled outside
chief architects of the Anglo-Indian community, abandoned India have done exceedingly well for themselves, securing
us after Indian Independence. He writes: It is perhaps wishful good jobs and pensions. He applauds Anglo-Indians across
the diaspora for banding together to help our poor, unfortunate
brethren still in India. Blair Williams, already quoted, is well-
known for doing an enormous amount of charity work for
those destitute Anglo-Indians.
In the second of my two articles, headed Gated way to
Happiness, I suggested that Anglo-Indians in India may wish
to think about setting up something less ambitious than a
Homeland, namely to go in for several gated communities all
over India and organizing exchange visits, sports tournaments
and so on with one another, just the type of activities that
Anglos In The Wind magazine would love to cover.
Meanwhile, Anglo-Indian film producer Paul Harris has
made a DVD of his documentary, Dreams of a Homeland.
Visit his website: www.gomorefilms.com for more details. TII
Everyone was shocked by the results of the Delhi elections: a political party which
INDIA
did not even exist a few months ago.
Net Change
Political Seats % of % of
Candidates Change in %
Party Won Seats Votes
in seats of vote
BJP 66 31 8 44 33%
SAD 4 1 1 1.5 1%
developed), it is clear that their hold is declining and evident that many if not most eminent thought leaders
Most Indians have still to recognise the significance of the results: the notable thing
will soon be a thing of the past. At least if ethics- and from the country will be with such a front, once it is
is that even though BJP won a
law-based parties such as AAP deliver administrative
plurality of seats, it
formed.
actually lost votes - in spite of
Narendra Modis supposedly
performance that matches their promise. charismatic and magnetic drawing
Can India move beyond power, thethe BJPs
upset of the Delhi
vote share actually declined!
Given the economic and political structure of our elections to upsetting the entire direction of corruption
country, that cannot be delivered if any such party and incompetence in which it has gone increasingly
formsThe theresults wereonly
government not inonly a slap
a few on the
states. wrist for
As the Congress,
in the theyIndependence.
decades since were also aIf shock
so, it will upset
forstructure
entire BJP ofafter the announcement
the country of the
is steeply pyramidal, withelection
manyresults,
who are the BJPbenefiting
currently leadershipfrominitially
incompetence
boasted
economic thatasthey
as well would
political stillatprovide
power thethegovernment
the top of for Delhi,
and corruption. but when
But some upsets it
areactually
good ones. TII
came
Central to the decision,
Government, they did
it is necessary not ethically-
for such dare to come up to the platform.
based parties also to have power at the national level. Prof. Prabhu Guptara has written the above in an entirely
The challenge before AAP and similar parties private capacity, and none of the above should be related in any
elsewhere in the country is that of scaling up their effort. way to any of the companies or organisations with which he is
There are efforts for such parties to come together on now, or has been associated in the past. His personal website
the basis of a minimum common agenda in order to is www. prabhu.guptara.net He blogs at: www.prabhuguptara.
form a united national Rule-of-Law Front. It has already blogspot.com
Elections 2014
TII introduces Debate, a new column that will discuss various burning issues of the
day, with views from readers who would like to have a say in whats happening in
Desh Aur Diaspora.
PARTICIPANTS:
TII: Which party would you vote for and why? renewal and economic stability to the re-modeling of taxation
and infrastructure development. Autonomous power to CBI,
Ashwin Kathpalia: I would vote for BJP or AAP ( Aam Aadmi education for all and women empowerment are also key issues
Party). All parties are the same but a change sometimes brings of the upcoming elections.
about better results.
TII: How do you think that the option of voting for none of
Shekhar Sinha: I would vote for BJP for the simple reason that the parties has changed the election scenario?
BJP appears less dangerous than Congress. With a slew of
corruption cases that have been seen in the past ten years of AK: With this new option, candidates will know that they are
Congress rule, BJP seems to have a stronger footing this time. not wanted.
Bagavadeeswar S: Congress! Congress is the party that made SS: Opting for none of the above is just an expression on the
the nation survive the economic crisis. The party established part of the voter that signifies his distaste. This option will not
the best leadership tactics and stability that was required for impact the elections as such because the concept of majority
the nation. Presently the party has a clear 5P agenda whereby wins still prevails. Change should come as a revolution from
changes to match tomorrows world for India are in place. We the people and society and not from the electoral system.
are one nation to bring knowledge to one and all. The motto of Hence, it is not likely to affect the results but will definitely
educare for all will lead us to the future. influence the mindset of candidates in future.
TII: What, according to you is the agenda/key issues of the BS: The art of politics is Plan-Do-Act- cycle. Any such decision
upcoming elections? of voting for none of the parties will lead all to retrospect the
events, corrective action and prevention.
AK: Corruption, inflation and government failure are the key
issues of the upcoming elections. It is true that things dont
change overnight but since independence, Congress has TII: According to you, which party will win the upcoming
ruled for the longest period and hence, they are responsible 2014 elections and why?
for todays India.
SS: Corruption is the main agenda. AK: There is no clarity, as such. I dont think any party will get
BS: There are several items on the agenda ranging from rural
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SS: According to me, none of the candidates are good SS: Have a check list monitored by a constitutional authority.
enough. It is sad that eligible people like Anna Hazare, Kiran Secondly, all details of the public administration should be
Bedi, scientists, etc. are missing in the contesters list. To cite available to the public for scrutiny. Have a bi-party system
an example, ex- President APJ Abdul Kalam Azad (previously rather than a multi-party system, which leads to a fragmented
a scientist) used his position constructively by bringing about or shared mandate and this system enables a party with votes
radical changes in the science and technology scene in India. as less as 30% to form a government. Lastly, there should
We need more candidates like him. be a mandatory educational qualification of graduation with no
criminal background.
For those NRIs looking at a longer term investment this is a good time to buy a property in Indian market as the
property today is available at good discounts and second the demand is likely to catch up with the prospects of a
political stability post assembly election in second half of 2014. In this article you will find emerging
REALareas suitable
ESTATE
for investments in 2014 based on their strategic locations, upcoming infrastructure developments, arbitrage
opportunities and availability of land for development.
Areas to watch for Investment in Major Indian Cities
Areas to watch for Investment in Major Indian Cities
Capital Investment Investment
Capital
Bracket Ticket
City Locations Values (INR Values (AED Bracket Ticket
Size (AED
PSF) PSF)* Size (INR Crore) million)*
20,000 -
Mumbai Wadala & Sewri 1200-2100 2.50 - 9.50 1.47 - 5.60
35,000
Southern Peripheral
NCR-Gurgaon 5,000 - 9,500 300-560 0.75 2.00 0.44 1.18
Road
Chennai Navallur and Siruseri 3,500 - 4,500 200-270 0.40 - 1.30 0.24 0.77
Note: Exchange rate used for conversion in above table is 1AED = 16.95 INR as on 6th Jan 2014
Kolkata EM Bypass
For More information please contact:
Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, a 21 km peripheral
Surabhi Arora | Associate Director | Research
bypass with a six lane road has emerged as a preferred
Surabhi.arora@colliers.com
destination of real estate investors. There are a number
of connecting roads that link the bypass to major hubs
of the city along its route. Improved connectivity to the
which remains the only program of its kind in Dubai, culture of collegiality and mutual understanding, which
said Hawke. is essential preparation for working in an international
UOWD has an excellent record for job placements, business environment.
with many graduates holding prominent positions in Academic excellence is at the heart of all programs
public and private sectors in the UAE and beyond. The delivered by UOWD. The curriculum and teaching
university is proactive in engaging with local employers practices at UOWD reflect those of UOW in Australia,
to develop and tailor courses to address emerging which is the 12th highest ranked Australian University,
industry trends and a number of programs have among the top 25 young universities, and in the top 2%
received recognition from relevant industry bodies. This of all universities worldwide.
gives UOWD graduates a real competitive advantage in The UAE has previously traded on being an
the job market. economical alternative to other overseas study
The UAE has a diverse and growing professional options such as the USA, UK, Australia, Canada etc.
landscape and, with a growing knowledge economy, However, while cost efficiency is still an important
employment prospects for graduates and postgraduates factor, the UAE is now emerging as a knowledge hub
are buoyant. Having emerged as a global center of in its own right, having recently been named the fourth
commerce, Dubai in particular has a strong business favorite Education Destination in a study conducted
base in a range of sectors such as finance, technology, in association with Deloitte . Studying in the UAE gives
logistics and media. These knowledge-based industries students a different perspective as they are learning in
require highly skilled personnel, and many UOWD a diverse, multicultural environment unlike anywhere in
undergraduates are returning for a Masters qualification Europe, North America or Australia.
in order to remain competitive in the job market. There is a growing trend for Indian students to
Indian students are well represented across all elect to study at institutions like UOWD, and they are
program areas at UOWD from business, management the largest demographic on the UOWD campus. Our
and finance, to computer science and engineering. academic programs are aligned with those of UOW in
There is growing evidence that graduates of Australia, and students can obtain a UOW degree on
generalist degrees are highly employable, as these graduation from UOWD. This means that studying at
programs provide an all-round education that helps UOWD gives them the opportunity to obtain a degree
them develop a broad knowledge base and skill set from a traditional western university, but in a location
relevant to a wide range of business sectors. closer to home, which is an attractive option for both
Another relevant point stated by Hawke, The value domestic and inbound Indian students, says Hawke.
of a degree is as much about the competencies a
student develops in the course of their studies as the Professor Christopher Abraham is the Head of Dubai
knowledge they acquire about a particular subject. Campus and Senior Vice President at SP Jain Center
Employers are increasingly seeking graduates with a of Management which is one of Asias top ranked
broad general education, who they can then train-up in business schools with campuses in Dubai, Mumbai,
the skills of a particular profession. Singapore and Sydney.
Undergraduate programs at UOWD provide students
with these broad foundations in business, technology or S P Jain has pioneered a radical revolutionary
finance, which can be honed through elective majors. concept called Business Education 2.0 which takes
Masters level programs tend to be more focused on a conventional education to a completely new level.
particular discipline, allowing graduates to specialize in This approach includes a rigorous focus on business
a specific subject, and professional learners to develop concepts and training in real life skills along with the
skills aligned to their area of work. unique opportunity to study and work in three world-
Industry relevance is also vital to employability and class cities -Dubai, Singapore and Sydney. This makes
UOWDs programs are built upon an industry-focused our students globally relevant and ready to take on any
syllabus, offering exposure to the latest business challenge in any part of the world, notes Abraham with
intelligence and providing professional recognition from pride.
relevant industry bodies. At S P Jain we run an important initiative known
As the dominant demographic at UOWD, it is as Passport to Excellence that actually trains and
gratifying to see that Indian students are benefiting from develops our students in key business areas and this
the multicultural environment, as much as contributing results in their remarkable career success.
to it. They are enthusiastic participants in activities led Since leadership and communication skills are two
by student societies representing other nationalities and key requirements apart from emotional intelligence,
cultures, including the Pakistani Student Association, Indian students need to be trained in these strategic
Amra Notun (Bangladeshi student society), the Muslim differentiators, quips the professor.
Student Association, and so on. This helps to foster a The market needs students with global knowledge,
Prof Christopher Abraham Head of Dubai Campus and Senior VP at SP Jain Center of Mgmnt with students
excellent real world skills and strong conceptual Her daughter, Nilav Anne Sebatian, recently finished
knowledge in marketing, finance, logistics and IT grade 12 and has enrolled for a degree in psychology
management. When it comes to placements S P Jain at the prestigious Sophia College at Mumbai, one of
has an enviable track record of 100% placements across the premier colleges in India. Like many parents in the
different countries including UAE. In fact in both the Gulf, Sebastian weighed the various options for higher
Forbes Top 20 World rankings and the Financial Times education for her ward before choosing a college back
Top 100 World Rankings where S P Jain is featured, home.
a key attribute for these remarkable rankings is their With the growing impact of technology, in the last
placement success. Getting a job anywhere, including ten years, the quality of students graduating from Indian
the UAE is a combination of the right knowledge, skills universities has improved and will eventually catch up
and attitude, he points out. with globally influenced students. However there are
The most popular graduate programs still remain the inevitable preconceptions about obtaining a degree
Business and Engineering. Any graduate is employable from abroad and the experience of studying overseas
if they possess strong academic credentials and equally is considered more prestigious by peers and parents.
strong soft skills. However graduates with electives and Availing a university education is of high priority to
soft skills do stand a better chance, states Abraham. most youth in India. Todays youth makes a conscious
At the moment, because of the economic boom effort to have a degree in hand that will enable them
across sectors in the UAE, study here is much more to be employed. The market demands students who
attractive as the learning translates into job opportunities are tops in their fields and who strive to achieve the
in the region. best that they can. The market also demands students
Given the high priority that Indians have for higher who are strong in application based knowledge, quips
education, it comes as no surprise that around 60% of Sebastian.
the total student populations across S P Jain campuses Most Indian students prefer to take up careers in the
in Dubai, Singapore and Sydney are Indian. fields of medicine, engineering, architecture, aviation
Parents like Cyrilla Sebastian who is a Supervisor and other professional areas. Sebastian notes that the
of the Primary Girls section at Abu Dhabi Indian School following programs have been highly recommended
and a teacher for over 25 years have seen numerous in Abu Dhabi; Bachelor of Business Administration in
Indian students take up higher studies across colleges HR Management, Bachelor of Science in Information
all over the world. Technology from Abu Dhabi University. Bachelor of
In my experience as an educator for the past Science in Psychology and Human Services from the
25 years in the UAE, the students who come back Zayed University and Bachelor of Education from the
to the UAE from good colleges and universities in Higher Colleges of Technology. TII
India, do not lack communication skills, poise or
global exposure. Today the media also plays a very Feby Imthias is an independent newspaper correspondent. She
important role in bringing together the youth of various can be reached at febims@gmail.com
nationalities, cultures and temperaments and this leads
to international awareness, comments Sebastian.
his wife had just undergone knee surgerywhat if they attributing it to computer error.
suddenly needed money? But, chatting over snacks What You Must Do: Be alert. Its best to enrol for
and soft drinks, the two bankers were persuasive. You internet banking, where, like Raj, you can go online and
can leave the DWS at any time, they assured him. track every rupee in your account regularly. You can
And all your money will be in your savings account the also complain about, or question, anything you dont
next day. like by going to the Customer Care or Contact Us
If its a mutual fund, Im not interested, said link. If you cant go online, check every entry in your
Sharma, whod once lost money in a mutual fund monthly statements or passbook and complain about
scheme. Im satisfied with the 10 percent. But the any unfair charges.
bankers convinced him this was no mutual fund and Shocked by the way hed been conned, Mangelal
that DWS stood for their Development of Wealth Sharma was crestfallen. DWS was no development
Scheme. of wealth scheme but the abbreviation derived from
Sharma thought about it anyway, and like the German initials for Deutsche Gesellschaft fr
innumerable customers who trust their bankers, went Wertpapier-Sparen, now DWS Mutual Fund. The
over to the bank with his chequebook the next day and bank manager had blatantlyand creativelymisled
signed up for the scheme. He didnt even have to fill the Sharma, who wrote his bank a strong e-mail asking
formsa bank employee took care of that. for his money back. But the same gentlemen, whod
Everything looked good, until Sharma got his visited his home and enjoyed his hospitality, now sang
shocking DWS account statement a few days later. a different tune. They rejected his claim, stating that
His money had indeed been invested in a mutual fund Sharma had signed the documents himself. Indeed, I
scheme with a five-year lock-in. It was a clear case of had, admits Sharma, who recalls how lightly hed taken
lying! matters when the DWS document was placed before
Like most of us, Mangelal Sharma is the ideal bank him. Whats this? hed asked, squinting to examine
customer. You never bounce a cheque, maintain the the tiny print. Ill develop a headache if I start reading
minimum balance, pay credit card dues on time, and it. Like millions of bank customers, Sharma didnt read
trust those behind the counters. But youre wrong. the fine printalso because bank staff assured him that
Your bankers, who are privy to your status, wealth, it said the same things theyd already explained to him.
investment patterns, even your gullibility, are forever The dictionary has a term for the kind of people
thinking up ways to make your money work better for Sharma now had to fight: bankster [noun]A member
themno matter if youre elderly and your ailing wife of the banking industry seen as profiteering or dishonest.
just underwent surgery. While well tell you about Mr
Mangelal Sharmas ordeal, here are more ways in which Rules you dont know
banks shortchange or trick you. Not reading the fine print is something bankers actually
Computer errors make you do with charm and sleight of hand. When
You may be charged extra for some services, fair they say, Well fill the form for you and mark a few
enough, but when S.M. Raj of Mumbai noticed on his Xs in pencil next to where you must sign, theyre often
netbanking page that `25 was being charged as monthly tricking you into a legal contract without your reading
bill pay fees, he complained online. I have not chosen the rules.
any bill paying scheme of yours, he wrote. Within days, When Lakshmi S., then 23, left her job and went
the bank replied saying it was an error and reversed the to the UK for higher studies in August 2008, she also
charges. left around `4000 in her zero-balance salary account
That `25 may seem small, reckons Raj, but with a private bank. The quarterly statements kept
assume that the bank made that error with a small coming to her Mumbai home. Only in early 2010 did
percentage of their tens of millions of customers, and Lakshmis father read one of them. He found that `827,
only half of them noticed it and complained. Theyd still which included a service tax, was being deducted
make crores in free money every montheven if it was every quarter from the account, because no salary was
a computer glitch. being credited there. By now there was just `393 left in
Indeed, computer errors have become Lakshmis account!
commonplace. At one leading public sector bank, Thats the rule with all salary accounts, a bank
the software kept debiting 40 percent (instead of the official explained. Lakshmi, too, had signed without
normal 10) as tax deduction at source (TDS) from reading that rule after somebody filled up the form for
thousands of fixed deposit holders. At a private bank, her. Why should any bank deduct freely from money
one customer told us, he had been shortchanged for given to them at a mere four percent, when the bank
a few hundred rupees on each of his several FDs after lends your money and earns a much higher rate of
they were renewed, but when he showed them the interest on it? Such little-known rules are deceptive and
correct workings, the bank agreed to return the money, unfair, it was argued. In the end the bank reversed the
uttering the term ULIP when they try to sell it to district consumer forum, which wrote to the bank
you. ULIPs are very beneficial to agents, but it may enquiring into the matter. After that the bank reversed
take at least a decade for you to get any returns from the full amount`85,000. Thats what the penalties had
them. ULIPs are part life insurance and part mutual fund multiplied to over those few years.
investmenta bad mix. CFPs will tell you never to mix What You Must Do: Check your card statements
insurance and investment. carefully for errors and, if any, report them immediately.
To cover risk, buy a pure term life insurance Ask for e-mailed monthly statements. Make card
instead, where the premium is very low. Agents will payments well before the due dates, and refuse to pay
tell you its no good, but thats only because their for any billing mistakes. Drop boxes are often handled
commissions from term plans are low. Invest, instead, in by outside agencies that may cause delays. So use
FDs, shares or a mutual fund scheme that has a history the drop box at the banks branch or pay online. If you
of good returns. If your bank or insurance agent tries to are not a habitual late-payer, but delayed a months
sell you an investment scheme you dont understand, payment for any reason, calling up the bank and politely
ask them pointedly if it is a ULIP to check if they are lying asking them to reverse late fees usually works. But
or hiding facts from you. never let card dues pile upinterest rates are around
Mangelal Sharma was so ashamed at the way he 40 percent per annum, and compounded monthly.
was duped, he didnt even tell his wife Geeta about Wearing his new T-shirt, Mangelal Sharma went
it. But he was not giving up. So what if even the RBI over to his bank on a pleasant April morning. There
wasnt of much help? he told himself, I have my wits was much commotion as he first walked in. Some other
intact. And if there was one grandpa who never knew customers, reading the loud message on the T-shirt,
stage fright, it was he. Sharma the playwright also told him how theyd been fooled too. Then, standing
likes to sing and dance. At Christmastime, the white- before the teller counters Sharma began to dance
bearded senior with the handlebar moustache didnt between the queues! And, parodying a song from the
need any make-up when he played Santa for the kids 1978 political comedy film Nasbandi, he began to sing
and pranced around his East Delhi neighbourhood. in Hindi:
Now, enough was enough! By the end of March, Kya mil gaya sarkar?
Sharma had a dramatic idea. He got a T-shirt printed Tumhein meri FD toodake,
with his photo and a message that read: Beware! ****** Mujhe mutual fund mein fansa ke,
Bank is a cheat. It has cheated me... May cheat you. Mujhe choona lagake **
He also posted his story in brief, in capitals that shouted
out from his Facebook page, ending it with, WHAT Sharma dared the guards to throw him out or to call
CAN I DO NOW? KINDLY ADVISE. the police. Surprisingly, they didnt. Hed pause to give
brief lectures to the employees and customers present.
Unjustified penalties If you want to enjoy life, keep smiling and dancing, he
Arun Saxena, president of the International Consumer told them. I have been looted, but see I am laughing,
Rights Protection Council based in Thane, Maharashtra, dancing and singing. This is real life and I enjoy it! I thank
reveals a banking secret. The credit card industry
thrives on late fee charges and penalties, he says.
Sachin Rane, 43, a Thane flight operations executive,
was aware of that. He had never missed a credit card
payment. Then, in 2008, his monthly statements began
to reach him after their due dates. Worse, the cheques
he dropped off at a box werent being deposited in time
for clearance.
I phoned repeatedly to complain, he says. That
in itself was an ordealhed be kept endlessly on
hold. Often, the person from the bank would simply
say theyd get back to himbut never did. Meanwhile,
Rane got calls asking him to pay up. But how could I
pay without first having tallied
my finances? he asks. The bank, meanwhile,
began to carry forward the unpaid amount and charge
interest and late fees.
Refusing to pay these unjustified penalties, he
wrote, in 2010, to the bank explaining his problem.
When that, too, was ignored, he filed a case with the
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BOLLYWOOD
Rajiv Vijayakar
Deepika Padukone:
Why is she called a hero?
The New Hero Rs 600 crore-plus heroine, a dream figure that hitherto
And yet, the term hero, which a section of the trade has been reached only by Salman Khan (Rs. 700 crore
has given Deepika, is not about work quality alone but plus since 2010) and no other hero! Moreover, as stated
also about the kind of money her movies have begun earlier, Deepika had prominent and completely diverse
to rake in. roles in every movie and was not just eye-candy or
Today, the appeal of a films promo is of paramount someone to be dominated by the hero in them!
importance for its prospects. And whether it was Perhaps the two ultimate compliments she received
Deepikas first encounter with Ranbir in YJHD, the came from the same Salman Khan. In a show on
kaun se bokwas dictionary? line in CE or the crackle television, Khan raved about her hard work and its
she imparted to the songs Nagada sang dhol and results. Later, when asked which of three (other) new
Lahu munh lag gaya in Ram-Leela, the promos itself actresses he would like to work with, Khan was decisive:
showed the sizzle that brought in an audience already ignoring the three names, he said, Deepika Padukone!
whetted by Deepikas turns as Veronica in Cocktail and So for the first time since Madhuri again we have
Alina in Race 2 earlier. There was that clear, yet intangible that complete package gorgeous looks (that are
magnetic allure, that influenced viewers enough to only getting better with the confidence, charisma and
make them want to watch the film, irrespective of any chimera that have cascaded in with her super-success),
other factor - they came to see her. huge talent as an actor (which also means a terrific
versatility), a superb flair for dance and songs, and a
First Female Super-star after Madhuri sizzling and standout stature amidst (male and female)
Most vitally, this faith was never deflated but actually co-stars.
boosted after watching these films. And as the movies Remember how Madhuri never let her heroes (or
thundered past the Rs. 100 crore domestic net mark co-heroines) get the better of her on-screen? With
along with unanimous encomiums for her work, Deepika Deepika, right from the beginning of her evolution with
not only swept past the competition (Kareena Kapoor, Cocktail (she had earlier stood her ground opposite
Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra, Sonakshi Sinha) but also Amitabh Bachchan in Aarakshan), it is the same.
became the first true-blue female superstar in 25 years Again, like with Madhuri, we can see the same passion,
after Madhuri Dixit. focus and discipline in Deepika, and as far as work-
In one fell sweep, Deepika garnered three ethic is concerned, the same complete and distinctive
super-hit 100 crore movies in 2013. With Race 2 professionalism, which does not falter even when cast
touching Rs. 90 crore-plus and no flop to her name, opposite ex-beau Ranbir Kapoor.
Deepika, only in domestic revenues, has become the
The New Diva game of badminton, till instinct made her come out of
So who would have thought that the daughter of her shell and head towards modeling and cinema.
ace badminton player Prakash Padukone, born in But what ultimately separates a true diva from
Copenhagen and raised in Bangalore, who even played the fake or passing variety is the grounded head on
badminton in national level championships, would Deepikas slim shoulders. In a recent interview, the
turn into Indias hottest female star less than six years actress stated, People tell me that I am a grounded
after her debut in the 2007 Shah Rukh Khan home person. Having said that, I havent got time for a second
production Om Shanti Om (OSO) as Shanti? to step out and gauge myself. Thats a huge compliment
But luck too contributed in the beginning: after all, and I think that comes from the way Ive been brought
who gets a debut in a double role opposite one of the up by my parents.
biggest stars in a film directed by one of the biggest A few months back, she had told this writer, In the
names Farah Khan? Within a few years, Deepika recent past especially, it has been strenuous, with back-
had garnered filmmakers like Aditya Chopra, Ashutosh to-back work on four films. But I am enjoying myself
Gowariker, Imtiaz Ali, Sajid Nadiadwala, Sajid Khan and and I do not mind the loss of personal time and family
Prakash Jha. And though she was panned in some time when I am doing good films. It feels nice to be
films, as in Chandni Chowk To China (again a dual role), wanted, to be reading and hearing good things about
she made a mark as a blind girl in Lafangey Parindey me, so I have to push myself. When I am told that I am a
and in Love Aaj Kal. huge star, I accept it, knowing that success is relative
Yes, trivia lovers can add that she made her debut the films that I do, have to work. I only hope that the love
even before OSO - in the 2006 Kannada rom-com and appreciation continue with the films I am doing. It
Aishwarya, again a hit, and also appeared in the Himesh can get difficult to live up to something like this.
Reshammiya album video Naam hai tera, which was As an awestruck Ranbir Kapoor had earlier stated,
actually where Farah spotted her. Deepika constantly surprises me and she has turned
Such is the stuff that Diva-ine careers are often all her disadvantages into advantages! And Deepika
made of Deepika was a quiet, awkward child leading giggles as she narrates that she had to put on the same
a monotonous life laced with studies and the family Southern accent for her role in Chennai Express for
which she was made fun of when she first landed in
Mumbai!
An ardent supporter of cinema that everybody
loves, Deepika is still bold enough to take on a
different English film made by Homi Cocktail Adajania
Finding Fanny Fernandes. And her inherent common
sense makes her say that she would not only like to
remembered for her work but also to be loved for the
person she is.
Sure. When brains, beauty and youth merge into
such a heady cocktail you are bound to get this lovable
Bollywood Express named Deepika Padukone. TII
I Cant Do It,
As It Is An
Expensive Process
I was among the first students of Chennais Government College of Arts
and Crafts in the 1930s. I studied painting and later also went into
making sculptures.
I have done lots of sculptures in my time, many of which were very
well received, but there is not much I can show you right now. These wax
moulds and plaster caststhat you see here need to be cast in bronze but
I cant do it, as it is an expensive process and I dont have the strength
anymore. So I sit here in my studio making sketches.
My health does not permit me to move around much but when no one
is watching I very quietly step out to tend to the garden outside.
Pigeon
feeding
TII AMATEUR PHOTO COMPETITION , Mum
bai (Ph
oto by
Balan
Iyerj)
THE INTERNATIONAL
Indian
Ongoing Theme:
India Quaint
Email your ONE Best India photo in high resolution
jpgwith the theme indicated to
tiicompetitions@gmail.com
er)
alan Iy
Bang alore (B
mple,
ide Te
Roads
Expats in Hyderabad
Children at David Y Cho and Grace Joy Chos school dedicated to the Waldorf method of teaching
Some of them have a hard time in India, some fall in love with the country,
some are there just to make a living or do business but some want to make
a difference. TII takles a look at how expats get along with desis in apna
desh.
friends who like me are well travelled and have at some we are losing. Initially, of course you have to adapt to
stage in their lives, lived in different countries. They like a new country with its food, culture, etc, but if you are
coming to spend some time with me here. Other than open to change and willing to learn, then the experience
that I keep in touch through texting I love sending out can be a positive one. The people of India have always
something funny with a few wordsmissing you lots- been welcoming and their hospitality is generous.
and I am instantly connected. You dont have to write a Often I have heard other foreigners complain about the
novella to stay connected with people you care about! pollution or traffic or poverty, but I always believe you
Janine says cheerfully, I am very comfortable here have to see the good and get past the negative. If you
and I have no plans of leaving India in the near future. focus continually on the negative, you will never see
Lona Logan , a young mother of three and an avid anything positive.
photographer has been in India for the last eight years. For Lona, the early years were spent in caring
Her husband is with a hotel chain and is currently in
Delhi. She says, It has been a very positive experience.
India is more home to me than Australia and my kids are
now more Indian than Australian.
Lona says. My children, Xavier (14), Tara (11)
and my youngest Dominic (8) have enjoyed living in
Hyderabad and go to an International School, Mosaica.
They have a good understanding of Hindi and Xavier is
quite good at conversing in Telegu. I also speak enough
Hindi to get by.
India has been an enriching experience for all of
them and exposed them to what its like to live in another
country. People often ask Lona what she likes about
India and she feels that is a tough question to answer.
Its something very internal, something intangible.
India still has a soul Atma, which I feel, in the West, Janine Baker- no plans of leaving India