tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38393452151194021162024-03-05T19:26:09.103+05:30Jay's RuminationsMy take on the World around.jayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839345215119402116.post-17081477589728424182012-03-12T09:57:00.000+05:302012-03-12T09:57:22.752+05:30No longer 'First Class First Pass'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #6b7074; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
The other day, my 10-year old son asked me “what is your job, daddy?”</div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #6b7074; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
“Brand Consultant,” I replied.</div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #6b7074; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Pat came a dialogue. “Surya Bhai is not the name of a person, it is a Brand.” For those not in the know, this dialogue is from the latest Tollywood (nickname for Telugu film industry) movie `Businessman’ directed by Puri Jagannadh, which has Mahesh Babu playing the protagonist. It was clear the impression the film and its dialogues had made on my son.</strong></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #6b7074; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a class="cboxElement" href="http://tsr.net.co/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Mahesh-Babu1.jpg" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 94, 153); background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; clear: right; color: #1f7099; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-2491" height="225" src="http://tsr.net.co/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Mahesh-Babu1-300x225.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; float: left; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 18px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Mahesh-Babu" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #6b7074; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
Tollywood and Bollywood movies in the last couple of years have introduced various professions. Times have changed from the times when the hero would come rushing in to say, he has passed First Class First !</div>
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Till the last decade or so, protagonists mainly donned the role of a doctor, lawyer, painter, police officer and at times, a businessman. In fact, a widowed mother taking her son to the garlanded portrait of her husband and saying “dekhiye aapka beta Barrister ban gaya (see your son has become a lawyer)” was a common scene in majority of the films.</div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #6b7074; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
However in recent times, Tollywood has churned out movies like Manmathudu, Vinayakudu and recently Businessman where the stories are woven around advertising and branding. Venkatesh-starrer `Chintakayala Ravi’ had the protagonist playing a software engineer struggling to settle in the US.</div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #6b7074; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
In Bollywood also, movies like Wake Up Sid, Corporate, Page 3 and Life In A Metro have shown the masses the various career options that one can choose depending on their interests and academic capabilities.</div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #6b7074; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Garuda, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;">
While watching the current set of movies being rolled out is not all that good for growing up kids, the only silver lining perhaps is that they get to know a little bit more about career options other than engineering and medicine.</div>
</div>jayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839345215119402116.post-88702040280481048612011-12-17T19:58:00.000+05:302011-12-19T20:16:07.827+05:30This ‘Chand’ deserves the ‘Ratna’ first<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is official now. Indian Sports persons are eligible to receive the Bharat Ratna the highest civilian honour in the country. The award was earlier given only for artistic, literary, scientific achievements or "public service of the highest order."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Which
means two of India’s finest sporting legends, Sachin Tendulkar and the
late hockey wizard Dhyan Chand are being considered to receive the
honour.</span><br />
<strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></strong><br />
<strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Incidentally,
Don Bradman, the legendary cricketer said that his wife felt that
Tendulkar played cricket very much like him. But the great Don thought
that Dhyan Chand “scored goals like runs in cricket” way back in 1935
when both of them met in Adelaide.</span></strong><br />
<a href="http://api.ning.com/files/BICQiIgSjUl4p0rAZppgmGEuriDl-PWgs0GTi0Klxl*DYLFNFZO*KcNN-CTAI*MdShaIjOINqbdTRH*JCCg2XoIB9Ln6vG3X/dhyannetindian.in.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" class="align-center" height="400" src="http://api.ning.com/files/BICQiIgSjUl4p0rAZppgmGEuriDl-PWgs0GTi0Klxl*DYLFNFZO*KcNN-CTAI*MdShaIjOINqbdTRH*JCCg2XoIB9Ln6vG3X/dhyannetindian.in.jpg" width="302" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<a href="http://api.ning.com/files/BICQiIgSjUl4p0rAZppgmGEuriDl-PWgs0GTi0Klxl*DYLFNFZO*KcNN-CTAI*MdShaIjOINqbdTRH*JCCg2XoIB9Ln6vG3X/dhyannetindian.in.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However,
I think the three-time member of the gold medal winning Indian teams at
the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, and the
1936 Berlin Olympics (the last of which he captained), Dhyan Chand
stands first in the line to receive the much coveted award.</span><br />
<strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></strong><br />
<strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not
only that, for a man who was born Dhyan Singh and re-christened Dhyan
Chand (The Hindi word 'Chand' literally means the moon), Dhyan Singh
used to practice in the night after his duty hours. He invariably used
to wait for the moon to come out so that the visibility in the field
(obviously with no floodlights) improved. Hence he was fondly called
Chand by his fellow players, as his practice sessions at night
invariably coincided with the moon rise !</span></strong><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At
a time where a majority of the youngsters are getting carried away by
the ball being hit out of the park in the T20 brand of cricket, it is
high time we restore the glory of Indian Hockey by awarding Bharat Ratna
to Dhyan Chand, the magician of hockey who made the ball dance on the
ground like a serpent. Even today, Padma Bhushan Dhyan Chand remains a
legendary figure in Indian and world hockey for his magical control over
the ball and the way he dribbled with it. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chand’s
birthday on August 29, is celebrated as National Sports Day in India.
The President gives away sport-related awards such as the Rajiv Gandhi
Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award and Dronacharya Award on this day at the
Rashtrapati Bhavan.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">India's
highest award for lifetime achievement in sports is the Dhyan Chand
Award which has been awarded annually from 2002 to sporting figures who
not only contribute through their performance but also contribute to the
sport after their retirement. Dhyan Chand holds record for the most
international goals, i.e. more than 1000. The National Stadium, Delhi
was renamed Dhyan Chand National Stadium in 2002 in his honour.</span><br />
<span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<strong><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anecdotes (Courtesy Wikipedia)</span></strong><br />
<ul>
<li><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once,
while playing a hockey game, Major Dhyan Chand was not able to score a
goal against the opposition team. After several misses, he argued with
the match referee regarding the measurement of the goal post, and
amazingly, it was found to not be in conformation with the official
width of a goal post (as prescribed under international rules).</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After
India played its first match in the 1936 Olympics, Dhyan Chand's
magical stickwork drew crowds from other venues to the hockey field. A
German newspaper carried a banner headline: 'The Olympic complex now has
a magic show too.' The next day, there were posters all over Berlin:
Visit the hockey stadium to watch the Indian magician Dhyan Chand in
action.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>After
seeing his prolific play at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Adolf Hitler
offered Dhyan Chand, a Major in the British Indian Army, German
citizenship and an offer to promote him to the rank of a Colonel (which
Dhyan Chand, of course, refused).</b></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In Holland, the authorities broke his hockey stick to check if there was a magnet inside.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Residents
of Vienna, Austria, honoured him by setting up a statue of him with
four hands and four sticks, depicting his control and mastery over the
ball</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On
one occasion, a lady from the audience asked Dhyan Chand to play with
her walking stick instead. He scored goals even with it !</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Pic courtesy : <a href="http://www.netindian.in/" rel="nofollow">www.netindian.in</a>)</span></div>
</div>jayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839345215119402116.post-91111192787323441372011-12-15T12:22:00.000+05:302011-12-15T12:22:52.682+05:30Tendulkar & Ponting: A tale of two cricketing legends<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
Team India’s tour to Australia that starts on Boxing Day (December 26) is special for more than one reason.<br />
<a href="http://api.ning.com/files/mRLh48iLwcr8paZOdWP0BK6kEwEH3Rqrjywc8XhbF*Lg7LUX2aqSl7zeONL3uKxenuQCU88MQiY71Hyfdpr-ZX6OlVRBQwH8/pontingtendulkar_211010.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignright" height="325" src="http://api.ning.com/files/mRLh48iLwcr8paZOdWP0BK6kEwEH3Rqrjywc8XhbF*Lg7LUX2aqSl7zeONL3uKxenuQCU88MQiY71Hyfdpr-ZX6OlVRBQwH8/pontingtendulkar_211010.jpg?width=275" width="275" /></a><br />
<br />
It might well be the last time that we see the three top-runner
getters in Test Cricket history – Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and
Ricky Ponting in action.<br />
<br />
For that matter, the headline for the story should have been `A tale
of three Cricketing legends’, but I will go ahead with the story since
all the hype is around Sachin Tendulkar and his 100<sup>th</sup>
international ton and Ricky Ponting who is not sure about playing
against India in the series. As usual, Rahul Dravid remains the unsung
hero.<br />
<br />
How strange! Just a couple of years ago, Dean Jones and Ian Chappell
were vociferous about Ponting being on the verge of dislodging Tendulkar
as one of the greatest to have played the game after the legendary Don
Bradman.<br />
<br />
Cricket is a gentleman’s game. Not playing the game as it ought to be
may be the biggest difference that sets Tendulkar and Ponting poles
apart, I feel.<br />
<br />
Leave alone comparison with Tendulkar, Ponting’s 39 centuries in Test
cricket was overwhelmed by the South African all-rounder Kallis (40)
and another Indian, Rahul Dravid (13094) has surpassed him (Ponting
12656) as the second highest run-getter in Test Cricket history.<br />
<br />
Both Ponting and Tendulkar in a way endorse how cricket is played by
their respective countries. Long ago, Javagal Srinath who was
spearheading the Indian pace attack then bowled a bouncer to Ricky
Ponting that hit him on his head. <strong>Srinath was courteous enough
to go down the pitch to enquire about how Ponting was feeling, rather
apologetically. To Srinath’s dismay, Ponting shot back aggressively
asking Srinath to carry on with his job.</strong><br />
<br />
A rather similar incident occurred when India toured Australia a
couple of years back. Australia was trying desperately to get rid of
Sachin Tendulkar who was on the verge of getting a double century. Brett
Lee bowled a beamer that hit Tendulkar on his head. There was a big hue
and cry in the commentary box with Ian Chappell accusing Brett Lee of
using such cheap tactics to unsettle batsman when he (Lee) is not able
to dismiss them. Later in a press conference, <strong>Tendulkar went on to say that he knows Lee too well as he (Lee) would never do such a thing.</strong><br />
<br />
Ponting, thanks to his aggressive approach (as was evident in the
`monkey-gate’ scandal and the Sydney Test in 2008 when India toured
Australia) has many a critic in Australian Cricket gunning for his head
after stripping him of the captaincy. He on the other hand is in no
mood to let himself go even after failing to reach the three-figure mark
in the last two years making his life all the more miserable.<br />
<br />
Tendulkar (15183 test runs) in the last two years added about 13
centuries to his kitty in addition to a record first double century by
any player in one day internationals to take his tally of centuries to
99 (51 in tests and 48 in one-day internationals).<br />
<br />
No wonder Tendulkar got accolades from across the globe as a great
ambassador for the game of cricket. With due respects to Ponting the
cricketer, I do not see him matching up to Tendulkar in this aspect even
if he goes on to find his form like Tendulkar did.<br />
<br />
All the best Punter !<br />
</div>jayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839345215119402116.post-77889965204997942722011-12-12T11:31:00.001+05:302011-12-12T11:55:21.234+05:30A haircut and a close shave<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br />
<span class="font-size-3" style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; font-family: 'trebuchet ms',geneva; font-size: 12pt ! important; line-height: 1.2 ! important; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A regular haircut is an ordinary affair for most men but it wasn't for me. As a young boy, the first time I got to visit a salon alone and returned home all excited, my mother disapproved. She thought the barber had done a poor job and I was forced to go back to the salon to get my hair re-done. Being a mama’s boy, I obliged.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span class="font-size-3" style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; font-family: 'trebuchet ms',geneva; font-size: 12pt ! important; line-height: 1.2 ! important; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">As I grew older, I realised that I had got used to the habit of keeping very short hair. So much so that it started resembling an `Army' haircut.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span class="font-size-3" style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; font-family: 'trebuchet ms',geneva; font-size: 12pt ! important; line-height: 1.2 ! important; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">But worse was in store. After attending an interview for a Bank in a city in Kerala, I ventured out in the evening and asked an auto driver to take me to the place where smuggled goods are sold. I wanted to buy a Sony walkman, which in the early nineties was a much sought after gadget for all music lovers.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span class="font-size-3" style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; font-family: 'trebuchet ms',geneva; font-size: 12pt ! important; line-height: 1.2 ! important; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The driver knew Hindi and we started chatting. I had no idea which part of the city he took me to. Finally, the journey ended and the driver pointing out to an ‘adda’ (location) said “udhar aapko mil jayega (this is the place where you will get it).”</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span class="font-size-3" style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; font-family: 'trebuchet ms',geneva; font-size: 12pt ! important; line-height: 1.2 ! important; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">As I approached and entered the shady structure, that looked like one of Ram Gopal Varma's locations, I adjusted my short hair, that I assumed would have got messed up with all the wind, travelling in the autorickshaw.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span class="font-size-3" style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; font-family: 'trebuchet ms',geneva; font-size: 12pt ! important; line-height: 1.2 ! important; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">To my shock, in a matter of few minutes, the inmates had held me captive. They spoke and understood only Malayalam and the only thing I understood from sign language was that they won't let me go.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span class="font-size-3" style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; font-family: 'trebuchet ms',geneva; font-size: 12pt ! important; line-height: 1.2 ! important; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">For a moment, I thought they are not letting me go because I didn’t buy any item. But even I did, I wasn't a free man. I finally somehow convinced them to call the autodriver, who was waiting for me.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span class="font-size-3" style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; font-family: 'trebuchet ms',geneva; font-size: 12pt ! important; line-height: 1.2 ! important; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A brief conversation between the auto-driver and the inmates was followed by huge bursts of laughter. I became less nervous. The auto-driver put his hand on my shoulder and said “Saab, aapke baal dekh kar yeh tumko police ka aadmi samjha (looking at your hair, they thought you are a policeman.)”</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span class="font-size-3" style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; font-family: 'trebuchet ms',geneva; font-size: 12pt ! important; line-height: 1.2 ! important; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I laughed on my way back to the hotel and gave the small item that I purchased in the shop as a gift to the auto-driver.</span></div>
</div>jayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839345215119402116.post-979127300612595042011-11-28T11:25:00.000+05:302011-12-12T11:35:31.111+05:30Time is ripe for Federer to go the Sampras way<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As a fan of Roger Federer, I was happy to see him win the Barclays
ATP World Tour Finals beating Jo Wilfred Tsonga 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.<br />
<br />
I was even more happy for the fact that Federer regained that extra
zest in him to win the match after he failed to seal the match on the
championship point in the second set.<br />
<br />
<b>Ever since he lost out to Djokovic in the US Open semi-finals
where he failed to convert couple of match points, Federer has been on a
roll with a 17-match winning streak thanks to an out-of-form Nadal and
injuries to Djokovic and Murray</b>. At the same time, there is no
denying the fact that a break from the Hong Kong and the Shanghai
Masters has done a lot of good to Federer’s form.<br />
<br />
While hoping that Federer will continue this dream run well into 2012
and win a couple more Grand Slams, fans must be wary of the fact that
‘The Light That Burns Twice as Bright Burns Half as Long’. More so in
the context of a demanding sport like tennis at its highest level and an
ageing champion who has turned 30.<br />
<a href="http://api.ning.com/files/DNWudNGcVfe-7Z1YFEuKf68R9iJY4l4ce8QoXgXPWFeNHDhR6ittJlW3b5*jflNbmaeolqJkb0nieg71nmj-MJCtsw6dI*FK/samprasandfederer.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" class="alignright" height="240" src="http://api.ning.com/files/DNWudNGcVfe-7Z1YFEuKf68R9iJY4l4ce8QoXgXPWFeNHDhR6ittJlW3b5*jflNbmaeolqJkb0nieg71nmj-MJCtsw6dI*FK/samprasandfederer.jpg" width="350" /></a>Federer
last won a Grand Slam in 2010 at the Australian Open and has not won a
single slam in 2011 and the best was reaching the final of the French
Open where he as usual lost to Nadal.<br />
<br />
While Federer has not won a single Grand Slam this year (the first
time since he won his first title at Wimbledon in 2003), the cause for
worry is whether he will be able to sustain his energies for five-set
battles. Twice in 2011 at Wimbledon (QF against Tsonga) and at the US
Open (SF against Djokovic), Federer squandered a two sets to love lead
to end up as the loser.<br />
<br />
<b>The emergence of strong contenders like Tsonga, Berdych,
Ferrer, Del Potro and Tipsarevic along with Djokovic, Murray and Nadal
make Federer’s task of winning a Grand Slam all the more difficult.</b><br />
<br />
In sport, seeing your idols as mere mortals and not as champions can
be a torturous experience. Less than a decade ago, I went through the
same kind of emotions when Pete Sampras, the greatest Wimbledon champion
who won seven of eight championships between 1993 and 2000, went down
in five sets to a lesser known player called George Bastl with a world
ranking of 145 in 2002.<br />
<br />
What hit me hard was not Sampras losing the match but the impact it had on the man who is known to walk with drooping shoulders.<br />
<br />
<b>But two months later, Sampras rose like a phoenix to win the
US Open beating Agassi 3-1 and that was the last match he played as a
Pro. Not many champions have had the privilege to leave Centre Court
like Sampras did.</b><br />
<br />
Given the current form, Federer too for all his records, both on and off the field, deserves such a `Grand’ finish.</div>jayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839345215119402116.post-7484340827733697322011-10-01T11:17:00.000+05:302011-12-12T11:36:36.762+05:30Controversy is Shoaib Akhtar’s middle name<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<a href="http://groundstroke.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/sp.jpg?w=275&h=300" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="alignright" height="300" src="http://groundstroke.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/sp.jpg?w=275&h=300" title="sp" width="275" /></a>News editors often say that the headline must reflect the essence of the story. So when I heard about the book titled `Controversially
Yours’ by Pakistan’s pace bowler and `Rawalpindi Express’ Shoaib Akhtar
the other day, I could not help but appreciate the fast bowler and the
publishers. At least for once, he had got the perfect line and length in
deciding the title of the book.<br />
<br />
But for `Controversially Yours’, what else can you expect from a fast
bowler who has always courted controversies and has no major milestones
in his career apart from holding the record for the fastest delivery in
cricket 161.3 km/h (100.2 mph).<br />
<br />
<br />
Throughout his career, Akhtar came across as an impact bowler in
patches and has never been able to maintain consistent pace in his
bowling. He could not prolong his career through proper line and length
by giving up a bit of pace.<br />
<br />
A majority of fast bowlers are temperamental and are used to hurling
the ball with all speed and tenacity at the batsmen on the other end.
But then, Akhtar again missed the basics here.<br />
<br />
Unlike his seniors and ex-captains Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis who
are associated with cricket through IPL and Pakistan’s cricket
respectively, Akhtar has not done any good to himself through this book
as he has vent his ire both at the Pakistan Cricket Board, IPL and not
surprisingly on Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. By doing so, Akhtar
has shut all doors of opportunity. He can now never associate himself
with any cricket machinery for now.<br />
<br />
Coming to the book sales, Akhtar should have realized by now that
even those people who are not associated with cricket will vouch for the
fact that every other cricketer who writes a book will talk about
Tendulkar and is purely a commercial gimmick and there will be very few
takers for the same.<br />
<br />
Given his humble background and how he has made to it to the
international level (as discussed in his book), Akhtar can take a leaf
out of his own writing and produce fast bowlers who are not only
efficient on the cricket field but adept in handling powers that control
cricket.<br />
<br />
And that is the best way that the `Controversially Yours’ man canunwind and be at peace with himself.</div>jayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839345215119402116.post-8325672659690167922011-09-12T10:56:00.000+05:302011-09-12T10:56:24.291+05:30Rise of Djokovic - A blessing in disguise for Federer fans<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_FB_7dIAN1jISaNHhQh6XStsARSbZl_dbn2Mq7UiqHGNHFqfRUh4Z6TtZ411zbacy8x06c_4XBuyKucluJjNiyasR1Su6qzBxSgnzkYL5aiFHuXkJy-nXHDvAEVCdJqmkEPutkbZ7Y14/s1600/US+Open.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_FB_7dIAN1jISaNHhQh6XStsARSbZl_dbn2Mq7UiqHGNHFqfRUh4Z6TtZ411zbacy8x06c_4XBuyKucluJjNiyasR1Su6qzBxSgnzkYL5aiFHuXkJy-nXHDvAEVCdJqmkEPutkbZ7Y14/s320/US+Open.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
There is no denying that it was heartbreak time for Federer fans like me after
his 2nd successive five-set US Open semi-final loss. That too after the great
champion was leading Djokovic two sets to love. But then, most of the fans
take heart from the fact that Federer lost to someone who has had an incredible
year 2011 with a 62-2 win-loss record coming to US Open. <br />
<br />
While <span class="text_exposed_hide"></span><span class="text_exposed_show">fans of both
Nadal and Federer might find it difficult to accept the rise of Djokovic (who
till the end of 2010 was not perceived as a threat to either of them) as a
`super player' and his dominance over the former World No.1s who shared a record
24+ grand slams between them in the last seven to eight years, Federer fans can
still come to terms with Djokovic defeating their hero if the latter defeats
Nadal in a Grand Slam final. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="text_exposed_show">The reason, Nadal with 10 Grand Slams in his
kitty and with age on his side is a major contender to outlast Federer as the
GOAT (Greatest Tennis Player of All Time). </span><br />
<br />
<span class="text_exposed_show">From a rivalry point of view or
shall we call it `trivalry' (Djokovic, Federer & Nadal), while Nadal proved
to be the `nemesis' of Federer, the former has one turning out in the form of
Djokovic. Although Djokovic trails the Spaniard 16-12 in their all-time
series, Djokovic’s 5-0 record this year includes a finals win at Wimbledon and
hard court Masters Series victories in Miami and Indian Wells, California, where
he rallied from a set down against Nadal both times. The other two wins came on
Clay at Rome and Madrid against of the Masters Series. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><span id="goog_97133803"></span><span id="goog_97133804"></span>Djokovic now gets a
chance to avenge his four-set loss to Nadal in last year’s US Open final. On
current form and with more than 180% win percentage (Djokovic leads Nadal 9-5)
on hard courts, Djokovic is the clear favorite to win US Open 2011at Flushing
Meadows.</span></div>
jayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.com0Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India17.385044 78.48667117.142593 78.170814000000007 17.627495 78.802528tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839345215119402116.post-1227982784572554102011-07-14T19:36:00.000+05:302011-07-14T19:36:21.120+05:30Meri Awaaz Hi Pehchaan Hai (My Voice Is My Identity)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_e1-OI6Yv1txENkpj_iVPvV3iVKSoBJKoT4-gwCkUTGHV-hDDXOhL4p0Vr_sdB0UU1frCIqdwZH3I2QBiqFTZ96eYhdNluaixqsqZkXvA-UQq7CtT_uPgn8a3oTB-O_DcDa-w2uGfFwK9/s1600/lead2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_e1-OI6Yv1txENkpj_iVPvV3iVKSoBJKoT4-gwCkUTGHV-hDDXOhL4p0Vr_sdB0UU1frCIqdwZH3I2QBiqFTZ96eYhdNluaixqsqZkXvA-UQq7CtT_uPgn8a3oTB-O_DcDa-w2uGfFwK9/s320/lead2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L to R: Talat Mahmood, Mukesh, Lata, Mohd. Rafi & Manna Dey.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">There was a time in the Indian film industry when listeners could identify a singer by his/her voice. From great stage-cum-playback singers like K L Saigal (hindi), P Bhanumathi and S Varalaxmi (telugu) to playback singers like Mukesh, Talat Mahmood, Mohd. Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey (hindi) and Ghantasala Venkateshwara Rao, S P Balasubramanyam (telugu), their recognition and glory was their voice.</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">It is for this reason alone that a song of the 70s, “Naam Gum Jayega (name might be lost), Chehra Yeh Badal Jayega (face may change), Meri Awaaz Hi Pehchaan Hai (but my voice is my identity)” was not only a soothing and popular number but was relevant to the singers of that time.</span></strong><br />
<strong><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;"><br />
</span></strong> <br />
<div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;"></span></div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">The song is however irrelevant today given the number of singers we have in the Indian film industry today. Music lovers are no longer able to identify a singer on the basis of his / her voice. One has to check the cover of the CD or the cassette if he really wants to find out the name of the singer.</span></div><div class="description"><br />
</div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">A look at the current chart-busters (according to my choice) validates the point.</span></div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;"><br />
</span></div><table border="1" cellspacing="0"><tbody>
<tr><td valign="top" width="139"><div align="center" class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">SONG</span></div></td> <td valign="top" width="198"><div align="center" class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">MOVIE</span></div></td> <td valign="top" width="253"><div align="center" class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">SINGERS</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr><td valign="top" width="139"><div class="description" style="text-align: center;"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Ab Kuch Dino Se</span></div></td> <td style="text-align: center;" valign="top" width="198"><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Dil to bachha hai ji</span></div></td> <td style="text-align: center;" valign="top" width="253"><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Mohit Chauhan</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr><td valign="top" width="139"><div class="description" style="text-align: center;"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Kurbaan Hua</span></div></td> <td style="text-align: center;" valign="top" width="198"><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Kurbaan</span></div></td> <td valign="top" width="253"><div class="description" style="text-align: center;"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Vishaal Dadlani</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr><td valign="top" width="139"><div class="description" style="text-align: center;"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Mere Bina</span></div></td> <td style="text-align: center;" valign="top" width="198"><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Crook</span></div></td> <td valign="top" width="253"><div class="description" style="text-align: center;"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Nikhil Dsouza</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr><td valign="top" width="139"><div class="description" style="text-align: center;"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Jiyien Kyun</span></div></td> <td style="text-align: center;" valign="top" width="198"><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Dum Maro Dum</span></div></td> <td valign="top" width="253"><div class="description" style="text-align: center;"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Papon</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr><td valign="top" width="139"><div class="description" style="text-align: center;"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Mudhi Mudhi</span></div></td> <td style="text-align: center;" valign="top" width="198"><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Paa</span></div></td> <td valign="top" width="253"><div class="description" style="text-align: center;"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Shilpa Rao</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;" valign="top" width="139"><div class="description" style="text-align: right;"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Khaabon Ke Parindey</span></div></td> <td style="text-align: right;" valign="top" width="198"><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Zindagi Na Milege Dobara</span></div></td> <td valign="top" width="253"><div class="description" style="text-align: right;"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Alyssa Mendonza, Mohit Chauhan</span></div></td> </tr>
</tbody> </table><div class="description"><br />
</div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">From the above list, Shreya Goshal is perhaps the only exception who can be recognized by her voice. Be it the `Teri Ore' song in `Singh is Kingg', `Aadha Ishq' in `Band Baaja Baraat', `Saathiya' in `Singham', `Saibo' in `Shor in the City' or `Shukran Allah'in `Kurbaan', Shreya has made a mark for herself in the singing world. To my mind, Alka Yagnik was the last female singer who could be recognized by her voice in the 80s and the 90s.</span></div><div class="description"><br />
</div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;"></span></div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">To a great extent, the success of a singer also adds to his reputation and longevity but then, both reputation and longevity are based on the richness in voice.</span></div><div class="description"><br />
</div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;"></span></div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Blame it on the fast-life or even otherwise, music lovers are less bothered now-a-days to even think of a good singer. Even the FM Radio channels seldom mention the name of the singers and much of the emphasis is on the movie, actors, music director and the directors. Credit has to be given to the All India Radio (AIR) which even today focuses on the singers before playing the song. </span></div><div class="description"><br />
</div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Unfortunately, the number of people tuning into the AIR is very limited these days.</span></div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;"><br />
</span></div>jayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839345215119402116.post-31470434778188335712011-07-02T20:31:00.000+05:302011-07-02T20:31:23.131+05:30Gladiators to fight it out on grass<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqA-147wkd6odC9kd10maw5K77K_zQu7G-5_dso5tgvFJGanuS4a0tIVNCqr3zfjxF86BJvlCcLsC1W8Zz_YcDoagkUwa8JsWN2n_wCZaOZtisEhR69b6qokYGEgwuutNThqqjy_uG62XM/s1600/Wimbledon_Logo_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqA-147wkd6odC9kd10maw5K77K_zQu7G-5_dso5tgvFJGanuS4a0tIVNCqr3zfjxF86BJvlCcLsC1W8Zz_YcDoagkUwa8JsWN2n_wCZaOZtisEhR69b6qokYGEgwuutNThqqjy_uG62XM/s200/Wimbledon_Logo_4.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">The Wimbledon 2011 final will be a cracker of a contest. More so, in the light of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic swapping their titles of World No.1 and 2 respectively a day before their `Battle Royale'.</span></div><div class="description"><br />
</div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;"></span></div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Djokovic had an incredible run this year till the French Open semi-final where Federer spoiled his party before succumbing to the eventual winner, Nadal. Till then, Djokovic won everything that came his way including two back-to-back victories over Nadal on clay (Nadal’s favorite surface) at ATP Masters in Rome and Madrid.</span></div><div class="description"><br />
</div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Going by current form and as the newly crowned World No.1, Djokovic is the favorite to lift the trophy on Sunday and if he does this will be his first Wimbledon title.</span></div><div class="description"><br />
</div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;"></span></div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Djokovic has never been in a Wimbledon final though he has made it to the semi-finals couple of times. In 2007, Djokovic lost (retired hurt) to Nadal trailing by 2 sets to 1 and in 2010 he lost to Thomas Berdych in three straight sets.</span></div><div class="description"><br />
</div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;"></span></div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Djokovic’s overall grand slam win percentage stands at 50. Till date, he has appeared in 4 finals. While he won two Australian Open titles {against Tsonga (’08) and Murray (’11)}, he lost two US Open Finals {to Federer (’07) and Nadal (’10)}.</span></div><div class="description"><br />
</div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;"></span></div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Nadal on the other hand has made it to the Wimbledon finals 5 times including 2011 and has won and lost the title 2 times each and has never lost to Djokovic at Wimbledon.</span></div><div class="description"><br />
</div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;"></span></div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Nadal’s overall grand slam win percentage stands at a staggering 83.33%. Nadal is appearing in his 13th grand slam final in which he will bid for his 11th major title and third at Wimbledon.</span></div><div class="description"><br />
</div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;"></span></div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">While Nadal is struggling a bit on the fitness front, Djokovic’s temperament is not at the same level as it was before the French Open 2011. The new tag of No.1 may also add to the pressure in addition to being in his first Wimbledon final.</span></div><div class="description"><br />
</div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;"></span></div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">However, both of them hate to lose and will come hard at each other especially Nadal, having lost his No.1 ranking. It will be no less exciting than Gladiators fighting it out at a mini Colosseum with grass surface.</span></div><div class="description"><br />
</div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;"></span></div><div class="description"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: trebuchet ms,geneva;">Like any other Tennis fan, I just can’t wait to see when the Chair Umpire announces `Play'.</span></div><div class="description"><br />
</div></div>jayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839345215119402116.post-43422623691825621032011-06-15T10:15:00.001+05:302011-06-15T10:36:02.597+05:30Tollywood Dreams!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihkGlmJTO0ih3clqAbC3slPRIFwaZQlrcWwkUjt2gJagyVtJvjzTtJKJzw66mVB5M67Ig_fssgKIyEAUzxRpcthZPM58wJMvYxrMbypBt1d0PvzOueGLqTE-xtiZgvK1OrxTa1HU_1CXXo/s1600/kd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihkGlmJTO0ih3clqAbC3slPRIFwaZQlrcWwkUjt2gJagyVtJvjzTtJKJzw66mVB5M67Ig_fssgKIyEAUzxRpcthZPM58wJMvYxrMbypBt1d0PvzOueGLqTE-xtiZgvK1OrxTa1HU_1CXXo/s320/kd.jpg" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div>Not long ago there was a Telugu film called `Money' that had a character called Khan Dada, immortalized by popular Telugu comedian Brahmanandam. His punchline in the film was ``Khan tho games adaku'' (Don’t play games with Khan).<br />
<br />
<br />
In the film, Khan Dada happens to be a local goon whose ultimate dream is to become a film hero but gets duped to the tune of Rs 30 lakh by an imposter (pretender) who claims to have connections in the film industry. Khan Dada wants to take revenge on the person who has fooled him but cannot do much since the cops are after him given his track record.<br />
<br />
While the story ends with each character hunting one another, the imposter is the ultimate beneficiary.<br />
<br />
In the recent past, a similar story happened in real life, though the climax is still awaited. Bhanu Prakash, an aide of factionist Suri got access to funds of the latter who was serving a jail term and invested the money in Tollywood without his knowledge. When Suri was out of jail on bail after a few months, he threatened Bhanu, asking him to return the money. Fearing for his life, Bhanu allegedly eliminated Suri and is now on the run.<br />
<br />
Like the imposter who benefitted in the reel story, small-time producers who languished in Tollywood studios for years, are the beneficiaries for now as Bhanu invested large sums of money in the film industry through these producers.<br />
<br />
While Khan Dada could not become a hero in `Money', Bhanu certainly has become a real villain running after his Tollywood dreams. <br />
<br />
</div>jayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839345215119402116.post-58064752783661290432011-06-04T21:13:00.003+05:302011-06-04T21:17:58.597+05:30The match that I wanted my favorite player ‘Federer’ to lose<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3onJGKuYdUsc79ZtNc9FvHUQaJvv4lN5v6gEF4CMBtMjowSnwLHgHmrk_PHnUH6fqcUvz15D723zGDaww25xlyeOC-Eq2oL4eLxqoiKZ1_k8VDeWMTAgU17GgFS7c43TMZAgQvULkUjO/s1600/rg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3onJGKuYdUsc79ZtNc9FvHUQaJvv4lN5v6gEF4CMBtMjowSnwLHgHmrk_PHnUH6fqcUvz15D723zGDaww25xlyeOC-Eq2oL4eLxqoiKZ1_k8VDeWMTAgU17GgFS7c43TMZAgQvULkUjO/s200/rg.jpg" t8="true" width="175" /></a></div>I was and still a big fan of Roger Federer ever since I watched him beat Pete Sampras in a 4th round match at Wimbledon in the year 2000. However, for first time in the last 11 years, I wanted him to lose the semi-final to Djokovic at the French Open 2011. <br />
<br />
The reason, I can’t see Nadal pulverizing Federer as has been the case in three French Open finals so far. With Nadal already having booked his berth for the final on Sunday, I wanted Djokovic to beat Federer as he (Djokovic) has bettered his game and is lot more confident facing Nadal as compared to Federer. Djokovic has proved it recently by beating Nadal in back-to-back ATP Finals at Rome and Madrid.<br />
<br />
Even though Roger Federer is often written about as the greatest men’s tennis player of all time, it’s Rafael Nadal who is the most dominating between the two in head-to-head match-ups. In fact, even though the two men are closely tied to one another as the top players in the sport for the last decade, it’s Nadal who holds a decisive 16-8 advantage in decisions over the course of their career.<br />
<br />
Federer, 29, is currently the No. 3 singles player in the world while Nadal is the No 1. Both Djokovic who is World No.2 and for that matter World No.4 Andy Murray face Nadal better both on Clay and Hard Courts with double-fisted backhand. One of the biggest drawbacks for Federer against Nadal is his single-handed backhand which just gets nullified against the topspin ground strokes of Nadal. Federer’s lack of footwork while playing back-hand shot against a rising topspin shot from Nadal adds to his deteriorating confidence level as the match progresses and the 16-slam champion just looks like a pedestrian on the Centre Court after an hour long battle.<br />
<br />
Nadal has won both of this year’s match-ups and three of the last four. In fact, going back to 2008, Nadal has won eight of the last ten, including their last match-up in Roland Garros in 2008 — a straight sets victory for Nadal and a nightmare finish at the French Open for Federer that year.<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
Still Federer is obviously playing well and knows how to win at Roland Garros. In Grand Slam finals, Nadal holds the advantage 5-2, which makes him even more of a favorite heading into Sunday’s final. Federer wasn’t supposed to take out Djovokic, however, and did so quite convincingly. For once, Can he do it against Nadal this time at Roland Garros 2011?</div><br />
</div>jayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839345215119402116.post-3336697703056600252011-04-08T11:59:00.001+05:302011-04-08T12:21:33.863+05:30The “Lift” That Shook Parliament<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">As a child it was fun waving the thumb of your hand in the direction that you would want to travel and asking somebody for a “lift” and then enjoying the short ride as a pillion. Those were the times when the world around us was relatively less mechanical, less busy and more kind towards mankind. The result - eight of 10 times the ride was on.<br />
<br />
Over the years, I first drove a bike and now commute by a car but whenever somebody asks for a “lift” a.k.a (also known as) “drop,” I invariably oblige their request and sometimes go out of my way to offer a “lift” if the person is known to me.<br />
<br />
While giving “lift” has now become more or less part and parcel of my life, I still cannot forget the day October 9, 1996 and the “lift” that I gave. On that day as usual I was rushing to my office AP Times (a Daily Newspaper published from Hyderabad and now closed) where I was working as a Sr. Business Correspondent.<br />
<br />
An old-man was waving his hand to get dropped and even as I was slowing my bike the old man literally fell on my bike thinking that I might not stop. His eyes were moist and with a feeble tone asked me where I was heading to. I told him that I am going towards the lower tank-bund road where my office is situated. He then asked me “can you drop me till Masab Tank (a stop mid-way).” I said “fine” and asked him to board the bike.<br />
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Barely after two minutes and after travelling a distance, I could hear the man weeping. I was not surprised but then asked him to control himself and tell me if there was any difficulty and let me know if I can be of some help.<br />
<br />
The old-man said that his family has gone bankrupt because of his son taking a “LPG” dealership of a company which was nothing but a farce. He also said the dealership was bought with his lifetime savings and a loan taken by his son almost five years ago and today they are fighting with the company for re-fund of the dealership fee.<br />
<br />
For a minute I was moved but then immediately sensed a “story” for my Newspaper. Without telling him that I was a Journalist, I asked him whether there are other parties who have been duped like them. The old man replied “there are 50 other dealers like us across Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal and I am now going to attend the dealers’ association meeting and discuss further course of action.”<br />
<br />
I then introduced myself and asked him if I can attend the meeting. The old man’s joy knew no bounds and my journey took his route. I told my Editor that I am following a good “story” and might return to work with the “lead” for the day.<br />
<br />
The next couple of days was full of hectic activity (please see the attachments) and the “fraud” having the blessings of one of the MP’s from Orissa gave our budding Newspaper the publicity it badly needed. <br />
<br />
With an MP being involved in the “scam,” there was big hue and cry in the Parliament and an enquiry was ordered to probe the fraud.<br />
<br />
It’s more than a decade since I have left mainstream Journalism, but still I haven’t left my habit of giving “lift” to individuals. <br />
<br />
I haven’t had any such experience in the last 15 years but definitely narrate this story to each and everyone who gets to travel a distance with me (I mean a lift) and that is the “price” they pay whether they like it or not.<br />
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhigZdibOkHTLsGbIRQW50Z80ey73KOw2pqHtLtMrP9AiXeY53LU9834z6UQrBBRu0-REZc8mMT6CRRNzw0I6hFCO1l2X4znY-3frh2eMI8Z21vfJUBkJGUlm445S-qxU5cuIPPrAyBb7SX/s1600/Promoter+Absconds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="496" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhigZdibOkHTLsGbIRQW50Z80ey73KOw2pqHtLtMrP9AiXeY53LU9834z6UQrBBRu0-REZc8mMT6CRRNzw0I6hFCO1l2X4znY-3frh2eMI8Z21vfJUBkJGUlm445S-qxU5cuIPPrAyBb7SX/s640/Promoter+Absconds.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8yJGk-CywSJcgNerAAR9OA8npwn5OutLhe5eAvy0oe5sQdWI3VEpCy0A8jd5cfr9K1M_k3rgAoryr_YxaQWz-afOQgW_Hy1MMoGp5_wm1jkjGDtjiqm3tW2vequdStX-dKMCbVMWaIvkT/s1600/Director+Grilled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="407" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8yJGk-CywSJcgNerAAR9OA8npwn5OutLhe5eAvy0oe5sQdWI3VEpCy0A8jd5cfr9K1M_k3rgAoryr_YxaQWz-afOQgW_Hy1MMoGp5_wm1jkjGDtjiqm3tW2vequdStX-dKMCbVMWaIvkT/s640/Director+Grilled.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
</div>jayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839345215119402116.post-8917046342522426742010-08-22T20:09:00.002+05:302010-08-22T23:32:02.829+05:30Truth is stranger than fiction!Performance and arrogance go together. That is a typical "Head" of the company for you. Performance devoid of arrogance is what makes a "Visionary" like B Ramalinga Raju, the tainted ex-founder chairman of Satyam Computer Services Private Limited.<br />
An interview with Mr. Raju when Satyam was a $21mn company in the year 1998. More than a decade ago, when he was the "God" of the IT world, Raju was talking about worldwide operations and a head count of more than 50,000 employees globally.<br />
Nothing can deny Raju his place in the Indian corporate history including the good philanthrophic work that he has done through his brain-child the Satyam Foundation. After all, Even Gods Err!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIbtlS34-At8_4nj3uHIWQs-sxSs5ioHnDn9d6ejOtQ2vlmbn7OvSzS7TdbuKn5gskxFMhN9EVJQgPG-5vM6L8oHZDx5VvF9W5cFSVDC-nAXPeFJFLf8T93AUlo2x80nRS5p-Xn2rDAdu/s1600/B+Ramalinga+Raju,+Chairman,+Satyam+Computer+Services+Ltd+%28NYSE+-+SAY%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQIbtlS34-At8_4nj3uHIWQs-sxSs5ioHnDn9d6ejOtQ2vlmbn7OvSzS7TdbuKn5gskxFMhN9EVJQgPG-5vM6L8oHZDx5VvF9W5cFSVDC-nAXPeFJFLf8T93AUlo2x80nRS5p-Xn2rDAdu/s640/B+Ramalinga+Raju,+Chairman,+Satyam+Computer+Services+Ltd+%28NYSE+-+SAY%29.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>jayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839345215119402116.post-70657666888098372742010-07-27T12:16:00.001+05:302010-07-27T12:19:58.841+05:30Indian Agriculture - Of productivity & use of chemical fertilizers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisra_x_25EQWR0wYyXqOX78wH3xI1EnrU6hT0g-U81MYMaR9KgWETAeKS-zqieT_tN47A5nZ28G2ow2XzRskzCT4tK34yO-cTe7vjjuEi6as7xqImGBrDXPM4NHXc3RWQTjB0SFadd0OxI/s1600/fert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisra_x_25EQWR0wYyXqOX78wH3xI1EnrU6hT0g-U81MYMaR9KgWETAeKS-zqieT_tN47A5nZ28G2ow2XzRskzCT4tK34yO-cTe7vjjuEi6as7xqImGBrDXPM4NHXc3RWQTjB0SFadd0OxI/s320/fert.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Home to 110 billion people, if we can provide our population two square meals per day, the global hunger will go down by half. By linear method of calculation, in the year 2020, it is estimated that India’s population will be 138 billion and the food grain requirement will be 268 million MT.<br />
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Longest day length hours diversified climatic condition, diversified soil, diversified crop, highest irrigated land, ecological condition supporting all types of crop. Over the last 40 years, food production has grown multi folds thanks to increased fertilizer usage, hybrid seeds and better irrigation facilities. <br />
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<strong><span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">The Problem:</span></strong> However, productivity levels for various crops still below world average. Growing population, shrinking agricultural land, limited scope for irrigation, limited growth in mechanization primarily due to fragmented land holding, low level of agriculture extension services, stagnant food production despite increase in fertilizer consumption and neglect of organic fertilizer use are affecting farmers’ profitability. Farmers want to quit agriculture if other option is available.<br />
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<strong><span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">Fertilizer usage and productivity:</span></strong> With shrinking agricultural land and the limited scope for irrigation given the long gestation periods for constructing viable dams, the onus is now more on improving the “soil health” through effective use of “fertilizers” for better productivity of food grains.<br />
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Food grain consumption crosses 250 million MT in 2010 and the challenge is to produce more from the shrinking arable land. Increased demand of food grains will drive nutrient consumption from 25 million MT to 29 million MT. In this scenario, increasing yield will be the key for future sustenance. For the last 10 yrs, Crop yield growth rate has been only 1.20% where as Nutrient consumption has grown by 3.6%. Fertilizer use efficiency is the major concern in the Indian Agriculture.<br />
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Indian Chemical Fertilizer Industry is the largest in the world and ranks second both in production and consumption. The industry produces over 50m MT of fertilizers from 28 operational urea plants, 12 DAP plants, 19 complex fertilizer plants and about 80 single Super Phosphate plants.<br />
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However, bulk availability of nutrient fertilisers is concentrated in certain regions. ‘N’ (Nitrogen) nutrient in Middle East, USA & FSU; ‘P’ (Phosphorous) nutrient in North/West Africa, USA & Jordan; ‘K’ (Potassium) nutrient in Canada, FSU & Middle East.<br />
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India contributes 16% of the Global consumption and imports of fertilizers for 2009-10 pegged at 18 MMTs. For the last 10 yrs, Fertilizer Subsidy Bill’s growth rate is 21.53%. Though Fertilizer Subsidy Bill has gone up, efficient usage of Fertilizer remains a major area of concern.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: blue;">The Solution:</span></strong> While a right nutrient balance for optimum farm productivity and usage of other micro nutrients like Boron (B), Zinc (Zn), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Molybdenum (Mo), Nickel (Ni), Chloride (Cl) and Copper (Cu) can help the Indian farmer to improve productivity, the new Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) Scheme where the market price of the fertilizers will be determined based on demand supply balance will help the government to contain Fertilizer Subsidy Bill.<br />
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Thus, adoption of an appropriate pricing policy for ensuring balance use of fertilizers, a pricing policy to encourage use of all plant nutrients in balanced manner followed by subsidies for Research & Development in the Soil and Technology related matters are pre-requisites for ensuring continued health and growth of the fertilizer industry in India, ensuring high level of self sufficiency in food production and at the same time sustainable development of Indian agriculture.jayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839345215119402116.post-3589815458007598622010-03-29T13:14:00.002+05:302010-06-25T01:22:06.055+05:30WHY INDIA COULD WITHSTAND GLOBAL RECESSION<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHaFVDzX_qOaWXBFuZf0z7xMVMi5t021ZWYnNpgscZ2GbQ6tSdrnf1u5NkjSt4uvuy7L9MM9lqlT50JCNJS8InNaSYr7FldetXAULB3R0GQnvQ9p-IxScqkj6bWlizFxxne2ge9bUqUasB/s1600/dollar-hr6w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHaFVDzX_qOaWXBFuZf0z7xMVMi5t021ZWYnNpgscZ2GbQ6tSdrnf1u5NkjSt4uvuy7L9MM9lqlT50JCNJS8InNaSYr7FldetXAULB3R0GQnvQ9p-IxScqkj6bWlizFxxne2ge9bUqUasB/s320/dollar-hr6w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
This article is a synopsis of a recent lecture delivered by the former RBI Governor, Mr. Y V Reddy at the Administrative College of India, Hyderabad. The lecture was comprehensive and elaborate and as a former Economics student I will try and present the key points to the best of my ability.</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">To understand why the Indian economy was not severely affected by the global recession, one must understand the macro-framework in India within which the financial sector operates. In recent years, there has been a conscious effort to avoid serious macro-economic imbalances such as between savings and investments; domestic and foreign demand; consumption and investment demand and role of State vis-à-vis market.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
Second, the economy is vulnerable to four important sources of shocks. These are on account of (a) dependence on imported energy and oil (b) volatility in gap between supply and demand for food grains which can impact prices domestically and sometimes globally (c) fiscal problem with one of the largest public debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratios with limited headroom for public policy in the event of shocks and (d) quality of capital inflows, mainly on account of dominance of volatile portfolio flows. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
Despite the potential of these shocks, political stability adds to the comfort in macro-management, but due to the geo-political reasons, the global economic architecture does not give policy comfort to India for meeting unanticipated shocks.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
In a nut-shell, the macro-economic framework based on constant re-balancing is serving the country well, and has not contributed to the macro economic imbalances that might have triggered the serious consequences. India is thus a contributor to global economic stability and growth in output while successfully preserving with national interests with historically high growth and low inflation in recent years. India therefore has greater legitimacy in contributing to the resolution of ongoing debates on reforms in the context of global financial crisis.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<strong><span style="color: red;">Monetary Policy & RBI’s Changing Role:</span></strong> There is a general agreement that monetary policies in some countries did facilitate, if not caused, the global crisis. The redefining of the objectives of monetary policy, to include financial stability is on the global agenda of reform, while there is discomfort on excessive reliance on price-stability. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
In India, the mandate for the RBI is very broad. It was interpreted to mean dual objectives of growth and price stability, the relative emphasis depending on the context. The RBI reinterpreted this a few years ago, by adding financial stability to the objectives and by ensuring of inflation of not more than 5% and 3% over the medium term per annum so as to be consistent with global trends. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
More explicitly, since 2004, price and financial stability were given greater weight because the poor are impacted severely and instantly by instability while reform induced benefits of growth percolate to them with a time lag. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
The importance of sustainable current account deficit in macro-management and an appropriate exchange rate have come to the fore in the recent debate on the causes of global crisis in addition to the role of capital controls. The issue of capital account management is on the agenda of the reform in view of the observed contagion during crisis, to the developing countries which are described as innocent victims.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
The management of external sector, in India is characterized by (a) a sustainable current account deficit over the medium term (b) an exchange rate that is not excessively volatile (c) management of capital account that eschews short term debt unrelated to trade (d) a gradual process of liberalization of capital account and (e) extensive recourse to prudential measures over financial intermediaries which have the effect of active management of capital account.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
In 2004, RBI devised an innovative mechanism, namely market stabilization bonds. This gave the government a significant role in the total amount of sterilization and thus indirectly on intervention in forex markets, by government agreeing to bear the costs of such sterilization bonds. This instrument, along with active capital account management and other multiple instruments in regard to liquidity in money and forex markets helped the RBI in managing excess sudden capital inflows during boom as well as outflows on capital account when the crisis broke out.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
RBI was instrumental in delivering on several complex aspects of Indian economy, namely, maintaining stability, ensuring output close to potential output, enabling structural transformation to enhance potential output, align the growth and complexity of financial sector with reforms in related sectors both real and fiscal; and seeking gains from gradual integration with global economy while minimizing risks.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
Thus, RBI tried to exercise autonomy in operations, harmony with other macro-policies in policy-issues and close coordination with government for structural changes needed for development. The development and regulation of financial sector was considered to be one part of the broader policy-mix and not something with narrow objective confined to financial sector and well defined limited set of instruments for public policy.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
Financial sector reform has taken a new meaning all over the world. Until the crisis, reform of financial sector meant deregulation. That was yesterday’s reality, but today’s truth is that reform of financial sector globally means re-regulation and improving quality as well as effectiveness of regulation.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
Way forward, India may feel relieved that it avoided the worst affects of the crisis in financial sector. In moving forward with appropriate reforms in financial sector, India must be aware that (a) a financial sector and its reform is not an end in itself (b) the risks are amplified if the reforms in fiscal and real sectors are not in consonance with the pace of the reform in financial sector regulation and (c) highest priority should be accorded to efficient intermediation of domestic savings and domestic investment with a wide participation of the people of India.</div>jayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839345215119402116.post-17842625107044653562010-03-02T10:31:00.004+05:302010-06-25T01:26:39.567+05:30Businesses that cater to India’s domestic growth will attract VC capital: Sanjay Anandaram<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3dJ0ZxoKF71raTeCJN_XsTaSCKpcXxceUuAbjxByN_S1Ao-3uI0EegonlCsRMUG1UExzqf8RmmMFDwSprL5PxrOipMnEkQVpCApo7s_mIyOv6OKT5pdsqR_coCf5YdvM7BpHSBRiy1ZY/s1600-h/sanjay_anandaram_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3dJ0ZxoKF71raTeCJN_XsTaSCKpcXxceUuAbjxByN_S1Ao-3uI0EegonlCsRMUG1UExzqf8RmmMFDwSprL5PxrOipMnEkQVpCApo7s_mIyOv6OKT5pdsqR_coCf5YdvM7BpHSBRiy1ZY/s200/sanjay_anandaram_small.jpg" width="200" /></a>Are venture capitalists battling the global recession blues or feeling optimistic about the new opportunities for investing?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">In an online interview to <strong><em><span style="color: red;">Jayarama Emani (JE)</span></em></strong>, founding partner of JumpStartUp Venture Fund, <strong><em><span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">Sanjay Anandaram</span></em></strong> says “businesses that cater to India’s domestic growth will attract VC Capital. Sectors like education, healthcare, travel, retail, financial services and entertainment that are around the consumption of an Indian consumer will find favour with Venture Capitalists.”</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><span style="color: red;">The Interview:</span></strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: red;"><strong>JE:</strong></span> In the recent past, did you ever feel that global recession is impeding globalization and was undermining the strength of global technology innovation and entrepreneurship? If yes, when is this likely to change?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: blue;"><strong>Sanjay:</strong></span> I don’t think “globalization” is getting impeded in any manner, just might slow down a tinge in certain sectors but the march forward appears inexorable. Global technology innovation and entrepreneurship will not be impacted.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: red;"><strong>JE:</strong></span> During recession, does it pay to be either a very early-stage investor or a very late-stage investor?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: blue;"><strong>Sanjay:</strong></span> Early <span style="background-color: white; color: black;">stage</span> as then you have the time, not to speak of across the board lower costs, to develop the company’s offerings. Also customers then will only buy and pay for stuff they really want!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><span style="color: red;">JE:</span></strong> Firms are now looking at the whole world in terms of their investing priorities. The world has gone global in venture capital and the firms are adapting their strategies accordingly. Do you see any specific sectors or region (country) getting benefited out of this recession as far as VC funding is concerned? </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><span style="color: blue;">Sanjay:</span></strong> India certainly has been relatively shielded from the so-called global recession since India’s growth is largely domestic consumption led. Hence businesses that cater to India’s domestic growth will attract VC capital. Sectors could be around the consumption of an Indian consumer namely, education, healthcare, travel, retail, financial services, entertainment etc. Technology usage to drive efficiencies will enable the creation of scalable businesses.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><span style="color: red;">JE:</span></strong> How do you think the entrepreneurs should position themselves in these difficult times as compared to the past?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">Sanjay:</span></strong> Well, it will be a focus and return to basics. Low costs, real solution to a real problem, a delivery and customer support model that can operate efficiently at low costs at a price customers are willing to pay. Nothing out of the ordinary here but a grim reminder of the importance of staying focused.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><span style="color: red;">JE:</span></strong> Should entrepreneurs come up with viable propositions, do you think VCs still have the means to raise the funds as also invest them courageously in these market conditions?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: blue;"><strong>Sanjay:</strong></span> Well, that’s what VCs (at least supposed to) do! It is up to the entrepreneurs to convince investors that they have a compelling and winning proposition.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><span style="color: red;">JE:</span></strong> You have been a VC for quite sometime. Can you throw some light on the adjustments that you made vis-à-vis investment strategy over the years or did you wait for things to happen? </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><span style="color: blue;">Sanjay:</span></strong> The core approach of staying focused on early stage companies remained constant.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><span style="color: blue;">About Sanjay Anandaram:</span></strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sanjay Anandaram has over 20 years experience as a corporate executive, entrepreneur, venture capitalist and advisor-mentor. He co-founded JumpStartUp in 2000, one of the earliest US-India cross-border early stage VC funds. He’s associated with several startups (eg, RedBus, Fonemine, Ozone Media, Instahealth and Maya Organic, a social entrepreneurship venture) and two early stage Indian VC funds, Seed Fund and with Ojas Ventures. Prior to JumpStartUp, Sanjay co-founded Neta, a VC backed Silicon Valley startup that was acquired by Infoseek/Disney. He spent several years at Wipro (NYSE;WIT) and played key roles in the setting up and establishment of pioneering cross-border business models in product engineering, systems integration and distribution spanning operations in India, Africa, Middle East, East Asia and the US.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sanjay has been writing on entrepreneurship and venture capital for over 10 years now. He also co-founded Venturekatalyst, India’s first e-zine aimed at entrepreneurs. He’s a frequent speaker at academic institutes and industry events and is involved with IIMB’s NSRCEL, TiE Bangalore and Nasscom in driving entrepreneurship. As adjunct faculty, he takes a course “Business Plan Workshop” at the INSEAD business school (Singapore campus).</span>jayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839345215119402116.post-88122625299799301862009-12-30T17:18:00.001+05:302010-06-25T01:40:37.473+05:30With due respects to "Keynes" – The influential Economist<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdngCKsC5DSUnT1zA_Zh3TF3oTdrl-LiFWjozBeUEuiz4QUiHlrsea8RsbltCDI5KWPAjBGOEwvD_FCMUaL_-I5oSaT61qKMKbqILVzDMzODNjNsum0G0PEYIlx1v3LNy_0IvEMMJyXPye/s1600-h/keynes.gif"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420995885032492114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdngCKsC5DSUnT1zA_Zh3TF3oTdrl-LiFWjozBeUEuiz4QUiHlrsea8RsbltCDI5KWPAjBGOEwvD_FCMUaL_-I5oSaT61qKMKbqILVzDMzODNjNsum0G0PEYIlx1v3LNy_0IvEMMJyXPye/s200/keynes.gif" style="cursor: hand; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 140px;" /></a><br />
<div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Years ago, my father told me that my paternal grandfather was worst hit by the 1929 “Great Depression” and so was their family.<br />
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As an Economics student, I have read about depression and also learnt how it can be reversed thanks to being introduced to an British Economist – John Maynard Keynes a.k.a. J M Keynes and his brand of economics known as “Keynesian Economics.” But then, this was almost two decades ago when I was a student.<br />
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Of late, the current economic depression, its impact on demand generation and a chance to read an article in “The Economist” by accident has lead me to introspect Keynes relevance to recent times.<br />
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To my limited knowledge of Economics, Keynesian Economics is all about Government’s or State’s intervention to provide fiscal stimulus (i.e. spend money on infrastructure / healthcare / education and other basic necessities) in order to generate demand in the market leading to employment generation.<br />
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However, as an inquisitive student, I was always curious to know how Keynes policy would be applicable or bear fruit when applied to market economies like India where economic disparities are so wide and where micro-economics is more relevant than macro-economics (that was advocated by Keynes).<br />
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To my surprise, even a reputed magazine like “The Economist” subscribes to this view.<br />
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The Economist after a review of books written by disciples of Keynes says, “Keynes’s disciples are right that their prophet’s visions go far beyond the stimulus packages with which his name is now associated. But it is much less clear how these ideas should be applied to the realities of contemporary economic policy. Beyond a broader faith in governments’ role, the question of “What would Keynes have done?” is surprisingly difficult to answer.”<br />
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The books reviewed by “The Economist” are:<br />
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Keynes: The Twentieth Century’s Most Influential Economist. By Peter Clarke.<br />
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Keynes: The Return of the Master. By Robert Skidelsky.<br />
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The Keynes Solution: The Path to Global Economic Prosperity. By Paul Davidson.</span> </div><br />
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<div>Picture:- John Maynard Keynes</div>jayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839345215119402116.post-40261039391472447652009-09-13T20:02:00.000+05:302009-09-13T20:17:17.748+05:308KMiles Conquered, More To Go (365 days ago).<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvF2ZwWvnu5U7FJu1bQOtgS4N2rHUFoQaVDhVvGQ8KNgRYZWVl-UQaT4f6WjQs1dL2bniwI7GcmXj9M44aY-8Vd6pqTCw34NWE2ajJ8EP-82rPWls6g4CWHn3E8SdnDJ2FiseZYcX8NkG/s1600-h/sfo-ultimate.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvF2ZwWvnu5U7FJu1bQOtgS4N2rHUFoQaVDhVvGQ8KNgRYZWVl-UQaT4f6WjQs1dL2bniwI7GcmXj9M44aY-8Vd6pqTCw34NWE2ajJ8EP-82rPWls6g4CWHn3E8SdnDJ2FiseZYcX8NkG/s320/sfo-ultimate.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380960794616830418" /></a><br />The title of this article looks interesting, isn't it? Want to know why 8KMiles? That is the distance between the two Silicon Valley’s - Bangalore (India) & San Francisco.<br /><br />As far as conquering the distance, oh! yes, it was feeling of ‘déjà vu’ when the Boeing 737 of Singapore Airlines (fm Singapore to SFO) in which I was travelling was hovering around the SFO Airport waiting for its turn to land and my eyes were dying to see more of the mountains and the sea surrounding the SFO International Airport. <br /><br />As an avid fan and player of Lawn Tennis, just want to draw a comparison here. I don't know how Roger Federer would have felt on the match point for his maiden French Open title after 3 successive finals (losing to Rafael Nadal all the three times), but when the flight landed finally at the SFO Airport and I walked out after completing the immigration formalities (thanks to the immigration officer who let me in though I could barely speak overwhelmed by the situation), it was a dream come true. Something, which I will cherish for a life time.<br /><br />The visit was even more special as my student visa was once rejected in 2001 when I intended to pursue an MS in Journalism & Technical Communication at the Colorado State University in Denver. And now, I see myself at the heart of the Silicon Valley to attend one of the prestigious IT events – The Oracle Open World – 2008. <br /><br />They say God has his own ways of blessing people and that when he decides to give something to you; he does it with all his might. In pure Hyderabadi terms it goes - “Jab Bhagwan Detha Hai to Chappad Phad ke Detha Hai.”<br /><br />Last but not the least, my sincere thanks to Mr. G K Murthy a.k.a. “GK” (SVP – Sales & Marketing) who entrusted me with the responsibility of devising of our company’s (Sierra Atlantic) “Exhibit” for the "Oracle Open World event" and gave me the opportunity to see the other side of the globe.<br /><br />Pic: "Aerial View of the San Francisco International Airport."jayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839345215119402116.post-21609513071714091322009-08-18T18:09:00.000+05:302009-08-18T18:25:38.325+05:30‘NANO’ and ‘IPL’ present a ‘New India’ to the world.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1MRPpDaJJPxdGa99A0w9f0ODVbNufwniKmN38IU7WCUTcHmngUOVgXUJ5BFGXuMgkIB5GFkGeDkKHtXqTqj8KFBHaFpQr6nsdh08D05OVeM6vFmsh-odAd1jvdaQ8F9OU6MUFMh92l41/s1600-h/lalit+modi.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 215px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1MRPpDaJJPxdGa99A0w9f0ODVbNufwniKmN38IU7WCUTcHmngUOVgXUJ5BFGXuMgkIB5GFkGeDkKHtXqTqj8KFBHaFpQr6nsdh08D05OVeM6vFmsh-odAd1jvdaQ8F9OU6MUFMh92l41/s320/lalit+modi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371283097193666402" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_t_2vHRZ97C0w8DpwcWIOIAG7rSOISDstceFMy_Np6F0Dsl_ALbHkh9iQWT6SNo2sHDe6SdKIj6g9zwGxkfLc29qKytvPYVwloYZxSmx_YUx_rPCBkYbHdSMU9iNdCCkHISUwrZgykep1/s1600-h/nano.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_t_2vHRZ97C0w8DpwcWIOIAG7rSOISDstceFMy_Np6F0Dsl_ALbHkh9iQWT6SNo2sHDe6SdKIj6g9zwGxkfLc29qKytvPYVwloYZxSmx_YUx_rPCBkYbHdSMU9iNdCCkHISUwrZgykep1/s320/nano.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371282872070638178" /></a><br />Results of the General Elections to the largest democracy (INDIA) in the world might have been the most talked about developments in recent times. More so, in the context of Mr. Manmohan Singh propelling the United Progressive Alliance to power for its second term making him the first Indian Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. The buoyancy in the stock markets is a testimony to the support that this government is likely to give to the continuation of the economic reforms since it has more or less the required majority in the Parliament.<br /><br />However, a new breed of visionary people who see greater possibility for their companies within “Bharat and Beyond” are creating a “New India” – almost another country that resides in the modernizing cities of Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and New Delhi and not on the plains on either side of the river Ganges, where majority of the Indian Prime Ministers had their roots. <br /><br />Among them is Ratan Tata, chairman of the Rs 80,000 crore Tata Group considered as the doyen of the new era of business enterprises in the Indian mainland. Not only has his conglomerate launched the “NANO”, the world’s cheapest car, heralding a revolution by making it possible for the world’s poor to purchase their first car, but also has set out on the most ambitious foreign expansion of an Indian company, snapping up big foreign companies, including car companies Land Rover and Jaguar and the Anglo-Dutch steel maker Corus. The move was watched with envy and admiration everywhere.<br /> <br />Mr Tata’s modernising vision is shared by the likes of Nandan Nilekani and Narayana Murthy, pioneers of the information technology outsourcing industry and co-founders of Infosys. Their experience of the call-centre revolution and the US market has inspired them to believe India capable of more widespread societal transformation. Much of that hope is based on a young population – more than 70 per cent of the country is below 35 years old – working in India’s favour.<br /> <br /><br />The Indian Premier League cricket championship (IPL) best echoes the sentiments of the new age India where capitalism and bollywood have come together to promote carnivalism. IPL Teams are owned by business leaders including Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries and Vijay Mallya, chairman of the UB group, and Bollywood stars, such as Shah Rukh Khan, Priety Zinta and Shilpa Shetty. The result is a six-week television spectacle of sporting prowess, consumerism and world-beating ambition.<br /><br />And this time, the Carnival was successfully hosted in South Africa reiterating once again that a “New India” has formally arrived on the global scene.<br /><br />Picture 1: Ratan Tata, Chairman of the Tata Group with Nano Car.<br />Picture 2: Lalit Modi, Chairman of IPL.jayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839345215119402116.post-51868806267942187472008-10-07T01:01:00.000+05:302008-10-07T01:03:34.036+05:30San Francisco bathed in Oracle Red<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw9NSd_lAcYu7YzkThAp8gEdZM8cRN4ItmBc1ylga9xX2ovMDUOQ593cIcs43VMhphOQ2rofKectKGWntgztcoL8W9SBgzeBdL0m2qTgBbca2QaT3AHpkC88WEIWKk0jtU90aMapiLMYat/s1600-h/DSC_0256.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw9NSd_lAcYu7YzkThAp8gEdZM8cRN4ItmBc1ylga9xX2ovMDUOQ593cIcs43VMhphOQ2rofKectKGWntgztcoL8W9SBgzeBdL0m2qTgBbca2QaT3AHpkC88WEIWKk0jtU90aMapiLMYat/s400/DSC_0256.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254126284979918434" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmF2HFWzTYUwNgDNz0AKA7Ylu4pMyI2tQgOBOcVNiTNbM0remZztIbYkF9KjywQRBY0S45vcDkqSrRScJofxqrS6gHgIzQEotq96agQVAIuYCjADl0vfAYdyyKmCpA6wcSGEA_bNPMTXMp/s1600-h/DSC_0229.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmF2HFWzTYUwNgDNz0AKA7Ylu4pMyI2tQgOBOcVNiTNbM0remZztIbYkF9KjywQRBY0S45vcDkqSrRScJofxqrS6gHgIzQEotq96agQVAIuYCjADl0vfAYdyyKmCpA6wcSGEA_bNPMTXMp/s400/DSC_0229.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254126099714633042" /></a><br />A week’s rest to the body and the brain has given me the fillip to think about Oracle Open World (OOW) after all the excitement including playing the “Wii” at our pavilion. We were all part of the 45,000 people who were there going “ga…ga” over Oracle.<br /><br />Now it’s time to write a few lines on Oracle Open World 2008 from a perspective that I can. I am not an “Oracle Guru” nor a sales specialist on the “New Oracle Economy” and hence you NEED to recognize the limitations of this article.<br /><br />Being a first time visitor to the US, the level of activity at Oracle Open World 2008 was so weird to me as if an Obama or McCain was giving a very important presentation. <br /><br />But then there was nothing less significant going on at the OOW. In fact, the big announcement was that Oracle was going into the hardware business in an alliance with HP. I was stunned at Larry Ellison's love and passion for hardware - given that he runs a software company.<br /><br />Ellison also managed to get in an attack on cloud computing, I presume to maintain his image as a bit touchy, with the following statement:<br /><br />"The interesting thing about cloud computing is that we've redefined cloud computing to include everything that we already do. I can't think of anything that isn't cloud computing with all of these announcements. The computer industry is the only industry that is more fashion-driven than women's fashion. Maybe I'm an idiot, but I have no idea what anyone is talking about. What is it? It's complete gibberish. It's insane. When is this idiocy going to stop?<br /><br />"We'll make cloud computing announcements. I'm not going to fight this thing. But I don't understand what we would do differently in the light of cloud."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">San Francisco Takes Oracle’s Color</span><br /><br />The entire Moscone Center in SFO was dominated by people in red – badges, teeshirts and everything at OOW. Every hotel in SFO was booked and reservations were nearly impossible. The crowd turnout was so huge that one entire street (Yerba Buena) was shut down to accommodate people to have their lunch. This was not a trade show but an “EVENT.”<br />Before I conclude, I want to tell you about the hottest ticket at Oracle Open World - concerts which are UB40, Elvis Costello, Seal and others. There was lots of drink, food and noise. It was a blast!!!jayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839345215119402116.post-70673177151626307952008-03-24T15:54:00.001+05:302008-03-24T15:57:58.751+05:30DOES THE INDIAN BUDGET (2008) TELL THE COMPLETE STORY?<a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_vZA2-ktBQZE/R-eCAR7eiRI/AAAAAAAAACU/r4qMOiXefbI/s1600-h/b2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181252837637523730" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_vZA2-ktBQZE/R-eCAR7eiRI/AAAAAAAAACU/r4qMOiXefbI/s200/b2.jpg" border="0" /></a> Last week, I attended a one-day seminar “Raising Funds for IPO (Initial Public Offering) in India” by the Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FAPCCI) CEO Club in Hyderabad.<br /><br />During the course the day, many a merchant banker and financial wizard talked about the nuances involved vis-à-vis raising funds from the market. However, one presentation, though a bit of a deviation from the main theme stood out for its audacity of thought and expression.<br /><br />Titled “Overview of the Indian Economy,” by A.V. Vedpuriswar, Director (Learning and Development), UBS, the presentation gave an insight into the recommendations of Economic Survey 2008, the three main barriers to India’s economic growth, Union Budget 2008, Agriculture Sector, Industry Scenario, Financial Sector Reforms, General Economic Reforms and Labour Reforms.<br /><br />While one can have access to the entire presentation by contacting Mr. Vedpuriswar at <a href="mailto:av.vedpuriswar@ubs.com">av.vedpuriswar@ubs.com</a>, I will confine myself to what our Finance Minister has claimed in the Union Budget and how Mr. Vedpuriswar has responded to his claims based on information gathered from various sources like – IMF observations and “The Economist” Magazine. I will also touch upon Mr. Vedpuriswar’s thoughts on the much-hyped Rs. 60,000 crore farm loan waiver announced as part of the Budget.<br /><br />During the course of his Budget speech, the Finance Minister said that the current revenue deficit is 1% of GDP and the Fiscal Deficit is 2.5% of GDP. The Indian government has also claimed to reduce its deficit to an estimated 3.3% of GDP in the year ending March, from 6.5% in 2001-02.<br /><br />However, Mr. Vedpuriswar said that in a recent report that appeared in “The Economist,” the IMF argued that the true total deficit of India is closer to 7% of GDP once the State governments’ deficits and various off-budget items are included. He goes on to add that if the losses of State Electricity companies are also included, the total deficit could cross 8% of GDP. India’s public debt is also uncomfortably high at about 75% of GDP (source – “The Economist”).<br /><br />Mr. Vedpuriswar expressed his reservations on the farm loan waiver as well, more so in the context of Indian Agriculture being dependent on people who have borrowed from moneylenders rather than the Banks. He said that the damage can be minimized by giving borrowers with good records lower interest rates, lower credit limits and imposition of higher collateral on bad borrowers. This would reduce the risks in agriculture by lowering the number of intermediaries, bring down the consumer price index, and improve the realization for farmers. He also called for institutional reforms, which will be instrumental in reducing farmers’ dependency on moneylenders.<br /><br />I am also sharing with you few important quotes of the presentation…<br /><br />“Higher education is a dark spot. Though FM has enhanced allocation for education, he hasn’t done much for higher education. Starting a few IITs is not going to make much difference to the country. Bold steps are called for to open the sector. While steps have been announced to invest in skills development and education, clearly they are timid.”<br />Nandan Nilekani, Economic Times, March 1<br /><br />“We are very keen to do more in these areas but we have our resource constraints. So we cannot do everything at one go.”<br />Manmohan Singh, Economic Times, March 1<br /><br />“Generous grants, compression, righteous rule and succour to the downtrodden are the hallmarks of good governance.”<br /><br />P.Chidamabaram in his Budget speech<br /><br />Should the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act be scrapped? For this law seems to be having the perverse effect of making the government hide more and more of its expenditure and not show it in the Budget. The finance minister can then claim that he is meeting FRBM targets, when in truth he is not. Scrapping the law might encourage more honest budgeting.<br />Business Standard<br /><br /><br />The tiger may be the animal most Indians associate with their private sector; but a more apt symbol is the peepul (sacred fig) tree. Revered by many Indians, the peepul has a habit of making room for itself, poking up through roads, sometimes smothering its rivals. India's dynamic private sector has shown a similar skill. But if the next government again flunks reform, it could be the peepul itself that is smothered.<br /><br />–The Economist, March 8, 2008<br /><br />For a copy of the entire presentation, please contact Mr. Ved Puriswar at av.vedpuriswar@ubs.comjayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839345215119402116.post-1741492722875849002007-12-10T09:58:00.000+05:302007-12-10T10:14:42.807+05:30Federer Vs Sampras<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgClM0h5cgqa4Z_F6WDYXGo6K6nyuEm-6JJG634PKCaj0jnWf23xzDxvhdcicyYFKK8SuU4yGw5W4TDZpTFBCg59-ew8_tkvXWPoNFwhEvT7No7xNhq7Bf_jNrcUxmCyunpKjMkAhTBfoq-/s1600-h/fedvssampras.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5142200541958063474" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgClM0h5cgqa4Z_F6WDYXGo6K6nyuEm-6JJG634PKCaj0jnWf23xzDxvhdcicyYFKK8SuU4yGw5W4TDZpTFBCg59-ew8_tkvXWPoNFwhEvT7No7xNhq7Bf_jNrcUxmCyunpKjMkAhTBfoq-/s200/fedvssampras.jpg" border="0" /></a>Looking at the way Federer demolished each one of his opponents in the recently concluded ATP Masters’ Championship, every soul on this earth will say that he is the greatest every sportsman to hold a Tennis racquet.<br /><div><br />So dominant is Federer at this stage of his career that he might well conquer every single title and break records of significance.</div><br /><div><br />But with due respects to what Federer has achieved and will achieve, nothing should be taken way from what Sampras has achieved. Why?<br /></div><br /><div>Sampras had to face opponents of greater stature than Federer.<br /></div><br /><div>While it is easy for one to say that you can compete with the opposition that is available during your time, Sampras played and won over Jim Courier, a four-time Grand Slam champion in his first-ever Wimbledon final in 1993. His other final opponents were Boris Becker (six Grand Slam titles), Goran Ivanisevic (one), Andre Agassi (eight) and Pat Rafter (two). Sampras’ final opponents together won 20 Grand Slam titles. In comparison, the Swiss’s final opponents have won only four (Nadal three and Roddick one).<br /></div><br /><div>All this leaves us with a simple question: who is the greatest champion of all time?<br /></div><br /><div>Here is my choice: Roger Federer.<br /></div><br /><div>I believe if Sampras and Federer had met at their respective peaks at Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open, the former would have won 22 out of 40 times. Roger Federer would have beaten Sampras 7/10 times and 8/10 times at the Australian and French Opens respectively. However, the results would have been in Sampras’s favour both at Wimbledon (7/10) and US Open (6/10) times respectively. </div>jayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839345215119402116.post-29175496774236509072007-10-19T10:27:00.000+05:302007-10-19T10:30:54.760+05:30Media urged to focus more on Society<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFlp0IvzCmCFq841r8xZ27N2Lez93BTKLpAXfDojXUy-pSkRAFFUFZXanVdQVkKvu3hXd72eb4pTG4meR-fyg7ZxjvMeFKKi1rDzLtGjIHen5K8VMiqih4drhoQgrQ2FIHwy2P3CliOtRJ/s1600-h/knife.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5122908261143211730" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFlp0IvzCmCFq841r8xZ27N2Lez93BTKLpAXfDojXUy-pSkRAFFUFZXanVdQVkKvu3hXd72eb4pTG4meR-fyg7ZxjvMeFKKi1rDzLtGjIHen5K8VMiqih4drhoQgrQ2FIHwy2P3CliOtRJ/s200/knife.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>The Indian Media might be witnessing an unprecedented growth with a host of Television Channels, Newspapers and Magazines hitting the deck every other day. Even the bottom lines of some of these outfits might tempt others to enter the fray thanks to the TPRs (Television Programme Ratings) and the Advertisement revenue that is being generated by every Newspaper looking more or less like an “Ad MAG”.<br /><br />However, there is a growing concern on how “Media” is conducting itself with many a intellectual questioning its unaccountable hegemony.<br /><br />On September 28th, The Institution of Engineers (AP State Centre) & Atluri Venkateshwara Rao (AVR) foundation organized the AVR Sixth Endowment Lecture on “Media, Society & Ethics,” at the FAPCCI (Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce & Industry) premises in Hyderabad.<br /><br />One of the key speakers for the symposium was Dr. N. Bhaskar Rao; founder Chairman of “Centre for Media Studies.”<br /><br />Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Rao said that though the number of Media outfits is on the rise, contents are more or less the same in every medium and as such the focus is now more on self-centric lifestyles.<br /><br />He said that now-a-days, the priority of the Media is on the markets rather than on the Society that includes our tradition, culture, value systems and society at large.<br /><br />Turning his attention to the Print Media, Dr. Rao said that the rank and experience associated with the Newspapers earlier was missing today and there is nothing much to choose between advertisement and News.<br /><br />Drawing a parallel between Newspapers and Television channels, Dr. Rao said that earlier Television programmes tried to imitate Newspapers, but now, Newspapers are aping News Channels.<br /><br />Stating that 80 per cent of the Media is now being controlled by foreigners who are more interested in the ‘market’ rather than the Indian society. He said these vested interests are literally dictating the programmes on various TV Channels. Dr. Rao requested the Media not to fall ‘prey’ for these ‘evil’ forces that are contributing heavily for depleting yardsticks in Media ethics.<br /><br />Since, Television has a strong and instant impact on the masses, Dr. Rao asked the Media to evolve a “Code of Conduct” for themselves and suggested self-regulation is the key for Media to address the concerns of the society.<br /><br />Earlier, Dr. Rao talked about his association with Engineer Atluri Venkateshwara Rao and praised Mr. AVR as a multi-faceted personality who tried to imbibe social values through his writings.<br /><br />The highlight of the function was felicitation of two important stalwarts from the Media. Both Print and Electronic Media.<br /><br />Sri V Hanumantha Rao, Founder of Data News Features College of Journalism was conferred with 'Life Time Achievement Award’ jointly by the Institute of Engineers (AP) & Er. Atluri Subba Rao Foundation for his 55 years of service in the field of Journalism.<br /><br />Similarly, Dr PJ Sudhakar, IIS, Director (News) Doordarshan, Hyderabad (Vice President - General, GFPR) was felicitated for his highest qualification with 72 academic degrees and diplomas, including PR & Journalism.<br /><br />Sri Swaranjit Sen, former DGP and Sri Devulapalli Amar, Chairman, Press Academy of AP also spoke on the occasion. </div>jayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839345215119402116.post-9424339800738477592007-08-04T21:02:00.000+05:302007-08-04T21:08:40.812+05:30Standards Vs Corporate Management Responsibility<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6Z8AtvsDCxlw8HjiUsITqgvyVaS3RY5mPjywCJR9y147F0OYZil3iKuuD4zxTi0VNgcIoHeZkF1imrWShfeYSqrSWvYLjPlj0oVkjB_1DiGrnnEphIfqCKrxmAI9yKgfWEt-2mt20d6z/s1600-h/Q.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6Z8AtvsDCxlw8HjiUsITqgvyVaS3RY5mPjywCJR9y147F0OYZil3iKuuD4zxTi0VNgcIoHeZkF1imrWShfeYSqrSWvYLjPlj0oVkjB_1DiGrnnEphIfqCKrxmAI9yKgfWEt-2mt20d6z/s200/Q.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094869904283451058" border="0" /></a>“The top management of Indian corporates must be participative enough within the organization to ensure that Standards are maintained for the goods and services they produce to compete in the global market,” said Mr. J G Venkata Ramanaiah, a Quality Management Consultant. <p class="MsoNormal">Speaking at a seminar on “Standards Vs Corporate Management Responsibility” at the Institute of Engineers in Hyderabad, Mr. Ramanaiah said that Indian corporates might well have borrowed technical collaborations from the West but have failed to embrace their commitment towards “Quality.”<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Emphasizing the fact that it is critical for the management to understand the statutory and regulatory frameworks in which their firms need to work, Mr. Ramanaiah felt that there is a huge void that needs to be filled as most of the Indian corporates are far away from meeting the basic requirements vis-à-vis the Global Standards for Quality. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Mr. Ramanaiah felt that it is high time managements first understand and then convey the message across their organizations that maintaining standards makes life simpler, increases reliability and effectiveness of goods and services.</p><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]-->This in turn will allow companies to compete in the global market by ensuring continual improvement, cost reduction, customer satisfaction and generating profits.<p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" >Mr. A Jagannatha Reddy, Vice President, Supply Chain Management, Matrix Laboratories proposed a vote of thanks to conclude the seminar.</span></p>jayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3839345215119402116.post-72381707336733768432007-07-30T17:04:00.000+05:302007-07-30T17:09:19.096+05:30Seminar on Values and Challenges before Media<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9volhGCtt9jqQ9b3OIdbT9RXvTPmxBFrjDXARPvxukadOZ8hKDjLB1t63__ekAIXynSYw8CruODnxEEbNkUVeO-2gjUBfhqWg2LEnoS-crJQOLFvPYRKx-XLD2XFODZwhkzcG2V9HHWHj/s1600-h/p&s.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9volhGCtt9jqQ9b3OIdbT9RXvTPmxBFrjDXARPvxukadOZ8hKDjLB1t63__ekAIXynSYw8CruODnxEEbNkUVeO-2gjUBfhqWg2LEnoS-crJQOLFvPYRKx-XLD2XFODZwhkzcG2V9HHWHj/s200/p&s.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5092952970184933026" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">“Challenges change but values must remain constant. Being the Fourth Estate (the other three being the Judiciary, the Legislature and the Executive), Contemporary Media bodies and individuals have to develop a positive thinking within themselves to justify themselves as the watchdog of democracy and to ensure social responsibility.”</span> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: normal;">This above statement was the sentiment echoed by many a expert during a half-day Media Seminar on “Values & Challenges before Media”, that was organized by the Media Wing of Rajyoga Education and Research Foundation & Brahma Kumaris, Shantisarovar at Hyderabad on Thursday, 29<sup>th</sup> July, 2007.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: normal;">Speakers on the dais including Dr C V Narasimha Reddi, Director, Information & PR (Retd), Government of Andhra Pradesh, said that Media in country’s pre-independence era, especially the print media, was patriotic and missionary in character. However, the present-day scenario depicts increasing incidence of vested interest, commercialism, consumerism, sensationalism, sensualism, yellow journalism, political patronage and bureaucratic interference.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: normal;">Requesting the Media to evolve a ‘Code of Conduct’ for self, speakers opined that some degree of self-regulation on the part of the Media is highly desirable. The experts stressed that the character and content of the message being communicated to the public must be in consonance with the rich cultural heritage, values and ethos of the society. In this context, one of the speakers felt that Corporates running Media outfits must de-link their other businesses from Media and let it be an independent identity.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-style: normal;">Talking on the importance of spirituality for the Media, Rajyogini Sister BK Kuldeep Ji, said, “The world is becoming a global village, but the distance between our lives is increasing day-by-day. Let us get together to bring about hearts closer through positive thinking and rise above the pulls and pressures of personal, professional and public life.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Rajyogi Brother B K Karuna, Chief of Multimedia & PR, President, Global Forum for Public Relations, Mt. Abu in his address stressed the importance of “Professionalism, Ethics and Spirituality” (The Golden Triangle) not only for journalists but also for professionals.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">He emphasized the importance of the three words “Satyam, Shivam & “Sundaram” for the Media. “Satyam” – Everybody wants to know the truth. “Shivam” – The Benefaction and “Sundaram” – The coverage of the truth has to be nice and beautiful. “And this is where spirituality or the beauty comes into picture,” said Shri Karuna.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Sis. B K Sarala Anand, Manager PR, BHEL & Zonal Coordinator, Media Wing (A.P), Hyderabad proposed a vote of thanks to all the participants and distinguished speakers – Dr. C V Narasimha Reddi, Mr. Krishna Chandra Mouli, Professor, Dept. of Advertising & Public Relations, Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism, Bhopal; Mr. Nikunj, Media Coordinator, RERF, Mumbai; Mr. P J Sudhakar, Director, Doordarshan Kendra, Hyderabad; Mr. D Amar, Chairman, Press Academy, Govt. of AP, Hyderabad; Mr. K Srinivas Reddy, Secretary, All India Journalists Association, Hyderabad; Mr. Ravi Srivastava, Associate Editor, Hindi Milap, Hyderabad; Mr. P Venkateshwara Rao, Editor, Krishna Patrika, Hyderabad; Mr. Salman Ahmad, Asst. Professor, Institute of Management Technology, Nagpur; Sis. B K Sheela, Rajyoga Teacher, Shanti Sarovar, Hyderabad and Mr. P Upendra, Former Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting. </p>jayemanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16932016069512355075noreply@blogger.com1