THE INTERNATIONAL IndianFOR SUBSCRIBERS!theinternationalindian.com/pdfs/16.6.pdf35 motor mamla 41...

THE INTERNATIONALEst 1992: The Region’s Oldest, AuthoritativeMagazine of Gulf Indian Society & History

2009 December / January

Jewellery2009 • ISSUE 6 • VOL. 16.6

FABULOUS PEARLS FOR SUBSCRIBERS!

Indian16th

ANNI V ERSARY

Maghanmal Pancholia

Memoirs of an Indian PatriarchSix Ports on a Baltic CruiseIndians in the Netherlands

Domestic Violence in UKMy Dear Muslim Friends

Pakistanis & Indians

2009 Decem

ber / JanuaryTH

E IN

TER

NA

TION

AL IN

DIA

NV

OL. 16.6 2009

• BAHRAIN BD 2.00 • KUWAIT KD 2.00 • OMAN RO 2.00 • KSA SR 20.00 • UAE AED 20.00 • CANADA C$ 8.00 • UK £4.00 • USA $ 6.00 •

Visit our website:www.theinternationalindian.com

The International Indian100 The International Indian 101

16th

ANNI V ERSARY

The International Indian2

16th

ANNI V ERSARY


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

resonate in my mind I am aware, as I walk Mumbai’s streets of trauma and pain, that Raj Kapoor’s salaam had little impact on his militantly-religious, movie loving audience. I am aware that this is the land of Bapu’s birth and the ideals he was murdered for have not taken root. Instead, ideologies violently opposed to his dream of Ram Rajya for India have steadily consolidated power, waiting in the wings for more chances to unleash their deadly, divisive dogmas.

Hindu Muslim Sikh Isaai – do Indian hearts yearn for a breakthrough in the country’s communal conundrum? Dominique Moisi, visiting Professor of Government at Harvard points out that only if countries confront the dark shadows of their history can they move ahead. Nobel prize winning American author William Faulkner noted there is the past that, “isn’t dead and buried. In fact it is not even past.” The Ayodhya issue, inevitably resurfacing after 17 years, is a grim confirmation of that insight.

Indians seem unable to break free from the anguish of their past and remain shackled to their conflict-ridden fixations. Professor Moisi cites the situation in the Balkans, but he may as well be talking about India when he says if the past is not dealt with, it remains like a secret wound that can be reopened at any moment. Ayodhya was not about defending anybody’s religion, it was just a tool for amoral politicians who care nothing for Hindu or Muslim beliefs. It is high time Indians realized how easily religion is used to manipulate them. If India can dump what I call “Religionism” in exchange for genuine faith in the Creator, there is hope for a brand new society. Our choice is between a social order that is peaceful, open, confident, self reliant, tolerant, giving, and future oriented or one that is violent, wretched, servile, fatalistic, feudal, intolerant, cruel and medieval.

In 430 BC, shortly after the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War, in the ‘Age of Pericles’, the statesman, orator and army general delivered an oration to the ancient

Athenians, “Our system of government does not copy the institutions of its neighbors. It is more the case of our being a model to others, than of our imitating anyone.” In Gandhiji’s day India held the high moral ground. Justice Lieberhans long overdue report might still do some good if the recommendation for a new law to mete out “exemplary punishment” to those who misuse religion for political gain is implemented. If the proposed ‘Communal Violence Bill’ is effective every community and place of pilgrimage and prayer in India can truly be havens of peace and harmony.

Hindu Muslim Sikh Isaai sab ko mera salaam.

Frank RajFounder Editor & [email protected]

I’m on a weekend trip to India - one of the great perks of living in the Gulf, where we NRIs, unlike our counterparts scattered in many other countries, are Near, Regular and Involved! Routine trips back home help keep our fingers on the pulse and give us lots of insights to consider how desi life stacks up with living abroad. On a superficial, creature comfort level, India is not a place

for NRIs spoilt by international housing and civic standards - but India has other ways of tugging at our heart strings. On this trip for some reason, a song from an old Raj Kapoor movie is recurring in my mind. It’s the title song from the movie “Chhaliya” where the hero explains that his name is Chhaliya, and he greets everyone irrespective of their religion. It is sung by Mukesh, written by Qamar Jalalabadi with music composed by Kalyanji Anandji.

Chhaliya mera naam, Chhaliya mera naamHindu Muslim Sikh Isaai sab ko mera salaamA news report says one in two Mumbaikars lives in a slum - that’s not my idea

of city life and I have no plans of becoming a Mumbaikar. But I know many who will consider no other place their home and I can understand why. It’s one good and one bad way in which Indians are different - even the rich ones don’t mind living in squalor-as long as they can live well. If that were not true, probably all of Bollywood would emigrate to Hollywood - if they could find work. Money in India is the best air purifier -it eliminates all kinds of smells.

Mumbai for me is not Aamchi Mumbai - it’s India, regardless of what Shri Bal Thackeray might say. Home not only for you and me, but also for interesting folks like William Dalrymple, Scottish author of two books on Delhi, White Mughals, and The City of Djinns. His latest book Nine Lives, is a distillation of 25 years of traveling and observing India, having already sold 35,000 copies in India alone. I understand why someone like Dalrymple can call India his own and say, “Oddly, I felt at home from the beginning. I loved the history, food, people, the climate.” It’s inspiring to see such writers mining ideas for great books from our country, makes you want a slice of the action!

I can also understand why Ved Mehta, 75 year old blind author of the 12-book series Continents of Exile, including Daddyji and Mamaji says, “When my daughter was born, I prayed she wouldn’t do two things - one become a writer and two, discover India. All the awful things that ever happened to me happened in India. Nonetheless she is now writing a book on coming of age in India.” Mehta worked 33 years as a journalist at The New Yorker, and studied at Stanford, Oxford and Harvard, he is now working on a new novel Widow’s Son.

Nearly thirty million Diaspora Indians must have India on their minds regularly for one reason or another. I am certainly one of them. Some of us have family back home, property that needs looking after, college education for kids and so on and a yearning to return home to friends and relatives. Many may think differently, but for most Indians living abroad, India is not just an idea. It is a deep longing that doesn’t go away, a physical reality that draws us like a powerful magnet. If you think about it, it is sentiment more than anything else that pulls, which is generally not a reliable ingredient for quality decision making. Going back nonetheless is probably

An India of The Future or of The Past?

FROM THE EDITOR

one of the dominant thoughts in many NRI minds - the idea of returning to India is a tantalizing, ever present possibility. It’s like a balm especially at times when we feel cut off or overwhelmed by the uncertainty of expatriate life. The feeling is not always realistic perhaps, come what may we tell ourselves, somehow we will manage if we go back.

So if we are confident of a reasonable income and roti, kapada, makaan is not an issue, what stops us from heading back? Some will brush aside the notion, but it’s probably fear and or uncertainty of one kind or the other. We have got used to living in orderly societies around the world and India’s chaos, corruption and catastrophes can be unnerving. Satellite news channels 24x7 bring news of violence and human suffering in a society that constantly beckons us. And return many of us will, especially from the Gulf, even though our children may not go back with us. We have been globe-trotting and criss-crossing the world in search of opportunities for centuries. Indians are permanent residents in all but three countries of the world. India’s Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs has registered the presence of NRIs in 180 out of 183 countries in the world. It is only in North Korea, Pakistan and Bhutan that not a single NRI is to be found.

As the lyrics of Chhaliya

Think now History has many cunning passages, contrived corridors And issues, deceives with whispering ambitions Guides us by vanities. Think now -T.S. Eliot, ‘Gerontion’


42 ehsaas – manifestingemotions and passionby: Amita SarwalBubbles Hora Saba embarked upon

a journey into the world of Urdu poetry many years ago.

50 is britain turning a blind eye to domestic violence?by: Shamlal Puri

Domestic violence is so unmentionable that it seems not to exist in the UK’s Indian community.

54 a day in vancouverby: Prem Souri KishoreA visit to Vancouver provides four Indian vagabonds with a panorama of pleasures. .

58 how indians and pakistanis get alongby: Bushra AlviToo much unnecessary talk has gone into portraying the citizens of both the nations as arch enemies,

ready to slit throats and tear each other apart at the slightest provocation. .

The International Indian 5

85 when i met ritchie blackmoreby: Peter Souri RajThis, ladies and gentlemen was Ritchie Blackmore, Lead Guitarist of Deep Purple, one of the world’s biggest rock bands.

92 politics of inspiration by: Neerja SinghThe Professionals Party of India (PPI) recently celebrated its second anniversary.

COLUMNs68 indian philanthropy versus nri philanthropyby: Prabhu GuptaraGlobalisation has many negatives and many positives.

82 the indian soldier and religionby: Major General Mrinal SumanWhen told that religion is a unifying factor for the armed forces and not a divisive one, most people find it difficult to believe.Soldiers’ is a new column in TII.

EDUCATION72 the indianeducation system: paradigm changes needed urgently!by: Shyamola Khanna

What will it take to change the way education is done in India? Nothing short of a revolution in both the way subjects are taught and the way students are assessed.

baltic cruiseby: Kathy Newbern & J.S. Fletcher

2 editorial6 letters35 motor mamla41 TII hall of fame86 TII fashion88 buying IT95 TII central96 futurequest

IN EvEry IssUE...

90 • State Bank of India to give financial services to EDC members

• Oasis Centre unveils ‘Millionaire Lifestyle’

91 • Barrio Fiesta Opens In Dubai

• GEMS Education wins ‘Leader in Education’ Award

BuZz WoRd

THE INTERNATIONAL INDIAN is owned by Global Indian Travellers Association (GITA) a private limited company incorporated in England and Wales under the Companies Act 1985 on 14 January 1998 (Company No: 3492445) 50 Grove Rd., Sutton, Surrey SM1 1 BT, UK. Tel: +44-208-770 9717;Fax: +44-208-770 9747; E-mail: [email protected] INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE OFFICES: MIDDLE EAST: EXPAT GROUP, PO Box 181681, Dubai UAE. Tel: (9714) 297 3932; Fax: (9714) 297 4345; E-mail: [email protected] INDIA: MUMBAI: Feroz Shah, 56 Hillroad, Bank of India bldg, 1st floor, Bandra West, Mumbai. Tel: (+91 22) 6677 1381/82/83; Fax: (+91 22) 6677 1384; E-mail: [email protected] PUNE: 32 Bandal Dhankude Plaza, 2nd floor, Paud Rd, Busari Colony, Kothrud, Pune 411 038. Tel: (+91 20) 2528 5611/12/13; Fax: (+91 20) 2528 5615. BANGALORE: Golden Point One, No.2, Queens Road, Near Congress Committee Office, Behind Nissan Show Room, Bangalore – 560052 Tel: (+9180) 4132 9132/33/34; Fax: (+9180) 4132 9135 CHENNAI: No.4, First floor, Golden Enclave, 184, Poonamale High Road, Chennai 600010 Tel: (+9144) 30586879 to 88; Fax: (+9144) 30586878 UNITED KINGDOM Deepak Mahtani, South Asian Development Partnership, 118 Boundary Road, Carshalton, Surrey SM1 1 BT UK. Tel: +44-208-770 9717;Fax: +44-208-770 9747; E-mail: [email protected] All material in The International Indian is copyrighted. www.theinternationalindian.com

THE INTERNATIONAL

EST: 1992 The Region’s Oldest, AuthoritativeMagazine of Gulf Indian Society & History

CONTENTs63 india these daysby: Ashok DongreLooks like India is really becoming “God’s Own Country” - with total immunity granted by God againts every kind of Crisis!

64 india’s medical world:

cutting edge technologyby: Aruna SrinivasanDr Ajai Kumar introduced the next generation technology in radiation, Cyber Knife Technology.

70 country roads, take me home

by: Bushra AlviI especially miss the winter break we had during school and college days.

76 indian artin the gulfby: Bandana JainThe burgeoning UAE art market is evolving and assuming a new shape and charisma.

FEATUrEs15 gautam malkani’s londonstani by: Sarina MenezesDoes a word like Londonstani really exist? Like Hindustani or Pakistani, does it evoke a sense of identity, belonging or patriotism?

20 festival foods:jolly good cheer!by: Golden ReejsinghaniCelebrate Christmas with a twist. Right from the dress to the gifts from décor to the delicacies.

26 my dear muslim friends…by: Sarina MenezesThis decade has also seen Islam and the Muslim community going through enormous pain, prejudice and suffering due to the actions of a minority.

32 non-muslims welcome in the grand mosqueby: Hemu GordeAdmitting non-Muslims into the Grand Mosque, that the government of Bahrain started nearly two decades ago, is still the only initiative of its kind.

37 indians in the netherlandsby: Dana den HertogHolland has the second largest Indian population in Europe.

to the best of his memory by: Rajeev Nair

44Indian

10

PUBLISHERSProf. Prabhu GuptaraSantosh ShettyFOUNDER EDITORFrank RajCONTRIBUTING EDITORSErik R. HaddenPrem Souri KishoreBenjamin H. ParkerVishal MangalwadiTRAVEL EDITORShana Raj ParkerMANAGER PRChristine DeSouzaCREATIVE DIRECTORBalan IyerGRAPHIC ARTISTMelany CaguindaganPHOTOGRAPHERBenjamin H. ParkerINTERNATIONALCORRESPONDENTSCANADA Rubina JacobSINGAPORE Amita SarwalUK Rudy Otter Sarina MenezesUSA Prem Souri KishoreBAHRAIN Hemu GordeOMAN Rahul DevQATAR Ada PillaiINDIADELHI Vishal AroraCHENNAI Aruna SrinivasanHYDERABAD Shyamola KhannaMUMBAI Navin TauroKOLKATA Archisman DindaDIRECTORRaina Raj HaddenGENERAL MANAGER ME & AFRICAPeter Souri RajCOUNTRY HEAD INDIAFeroz Shah

IndianTHE INTERNATIONAL

EST: 1992 The Region’s Oldest, AuthoritativeMagazine of Gulf Indian Society & History

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The best letters to the editorwill win exquisite gifts from

Liali Jewellery.Email your letter to:[email protected]

Editor: The International Indian

TII MIDDLE EAST OFFICESBAHRAINSavio Santos | [email protected]: +973-388 96790

KUWAITWilliam Fernandes | [email protected]: +965 999 65762

OMANYogesh Macwan | [email protected]: +968 963 57464

QATARNelson Macwan | [email protected]: +974-603 4082

SAUDI ARABIAElton Noronha | [email protected]: +966 264 79229

UAEPeter Souri Raj | [email protected]: +97150 457 3836

Circulation 30,000 copies(Publisher’s figure)BPA Worldwide Business Publication AuditMembership applied for February 2008BPA Worldwide Accepted Application

152 Aircraft.101 Destinations.435 Flights Daily.Welcome to The New Air India

The new Air India has a fleet of 152 aircraft. It now offers maximum direct connections to the far corners of the globe and provides multiple choices in timings and destinations to meet all your needs.

AIR INDIA - Booking Office: 06-5620972/04-2276787, DXB Airport: 04-2166801AIR INDIA EXPRESS - Booking Office: 06-5616635/04-2666950, SHJ Airport: 06-5084841, DXB Airport: 04-2165828

INDIAN AIRLINES - Booking Office: 06-5627000/04-2216789, SHJ Airport: 06-5084715, DXB Airport: 04-2161845

TII 16.2.indd 101 5/10/2009 12:46:20 PM

THE RIKSHAW STORYSuvendu Roy of Titan Industries shares his inspirational encounter with a rickshaw driver in Mumbai

Last Sunday, my wife, kid and I had to travel to Andheri from Bandra. When I waved at a passing auto rickshaw, little did I expect that this ride would be any different.

As we set off, my eyes fell on a few magazines (kept in an aircraft style pouch) behind the driver’s back rest. I looked in front and there was a small TV. The driver had put on the Doordarshan channel. My wife and I looked at each other with disbelief and amusement. In front of me was a small first-aid box with cotton, dettol and some medicines. This was enough for me to realise that I was in a special vehicle. Then I looked around again, and discovered more -there was a radio, fire extinguisher, wall clock, calendar, and pictures and symbols of all faiths – from Islam and Christianity to Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism. There were also pictures of the heroes of 26/11- Kamte, Salaskar, Karkare and Unnikrishnan. I realised that not only my vehicle, but also my driver was special.

I started chatting with him and the initial sense of ridicule and disbelief gradually diminished. I gathered that he had been driving an auto rickshaw for the past 8-9 years; he had lost his job when his employer’s plastic company was shut down. He had two school-going children, and he drove from 8 in the morning till 10 at night. No break unless he was unwell. “Sahab, ghar mein baith ke TV dekh kar kya faida? Do paisa income karega toh future mein kaam aayega.” (Sir, what’s the use of

simply sitting at home and watching TV? If I earn some income, then it will be useful in the future.)

We realised that we had come across a man who represents Mumbai – the spirit of work, the spirit of travel and the spirit of excelling in life. I asked him whether he does anything else as I figured that he did not have too much spare time. He said that he goes to an old age home for women in Andheri once a week or whenever he has some extra income, where he donates tooth brushes, toothpastes, soap, hair oil, and other items of daily use. He pointed out to a

painted message below the meter that read: “25 per cent discount on metered fare for the handicapped. Free rides for blind passengers up to Rs50?.. He also said that his auto was mentioned on Radio Mirchi twice by the station RJs.

The Marathi press in Mumbai know about him and have written a few pieces on him and his vehicle.

My wife and I were struck with awe. The man was a HERO! A hero who deserves all our respect. I know that my son, once he grows up, will realise that we have met a genuine hero. He has put questions to me such as why should we help other people? I will try to keep this incident alive in his memory.

Our journey came to an end; 45 minutes of a lesson in humility, selflessness and of a hero-worshipping Mumbai – my temporary home. We disembarked, and all I could do was to pay him a tip that would hardly cover a free ride for a blind man.

Posted by Avinash Joshi( http://avinashjoshi.co.in )


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

BALTIC CRUISE:Six Ports, Five Countries

& ‘White Nights’

by: Kathy Newbern & J.S. Fletcher

A Baltic cruise on the Regent Seven Seas Voyager includes the region’s most popular ports on seven and 14-night sailings that

include an overnight in St. Petersburg, Russia; plus Copenhagen, Denmark; Stockholm, Sweden; Visby on the Swedish island of

Gotland; Tallinn, Estonia; and popular Helsinki, Finland.

Helsinki is a new cruise hot-spot. Finland’s capital and largest city sits on the Gulf of Finland, where it welcomed 40 percent

more cruise ship passengers this cruise season than last. And, it’s just one of several exciting cities guests can explore on a Baltic cruise. Regent Seven Seas Voyager cruises to the region’s most popular ports on seven and 14-night sailings that include an overnight in St. Petersburg, Russia; plus Copenhagen, Denmark; Stockholm, Sweden; Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland; Tallinn, Estonia; and popular Helsinki, Finland. The excursions offered in St. Petersburg’s alone are mind boggling: the world-famous Hermitage museum, an evening of Russian ballet, the palaces of Peter the Great, Catherine and Yusupov (where Rasputin was killed), a night St. Petersburg street vendors hawk their wares, including Russian stacking dolls,

near St. Isaac’s Cathedral. (Photo by: Kathy M. Newbern)

The Regent Seven Seas Voyager anchored at Visby. (Photo by: Fletcher/Newbern)TRAVEL


of Russian song and dance, canal cruising, sampling city life including riding the metro and visiting a food market; or even flying to Moscow for the day. Russia and the Baltic region have grown in cruise popularity with 2.8 million passengers arriving in 2008, up from 1.79 million passengers in 2004.

Port Highlights

• Copenhagen – Since most cruises begin or end here, allow a few extra days to explore Scandinavia’s largest city (1.7 million people).

Copenhagen is home to the most popular tourist attraction in all of Denmark, The Little Mermaid statue, a waterside rendition of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale that later inspired Disney.

The writer is celebrated

throughout the city, his larger-than-life statue sits near a fairy-tale-like setting, the wildly popular Tivoli Gardens founded in 1843 in the heart of Copenhagen. Three million people will visit during its five-month season. With dozens of restaurants, rides and attractions including roller coasters, 150 concerts per year, and 890,358 square feet of fanciful, beautiful grounds planted with some 400,000 flowers, there’s more than enough to fill a

day. But a nighttime stroll is equally entertaining since 110,000 lamps and lanterns line paths and ponds.

Climb the winding, interior stone ramp (almost the length of a football field) to the observatory level atop the 1642 Round Tower in the city’s Latin Quarter for a bird’s-eye view of the city, from rooftops to church spires.

On Europe’s longest pedestrian shopping street, Stroget, shop for Chanel, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Boss and more Walk the bustling quays of Nyhavn, the city’s heart with tightly packed pastel buildings overlooking rows of docked ships, then catch a canal tour to pass under tight bridges and alongside city sights like the royal yacht, a replica of Michelangelo’s David, the Opera House and the Little Mermaid.

• Tallinn – A visit to this UNESCO World Heritage Site is like a visit to the Renaissance era. Estonia’s capital city and main port is home to a colorful, cobbled town square with cafes, shops, costumed vendors, the world’s oldest operating pharmacy and Northern Europe’s best preserved medieval town hall. Popular outings are walking tours, concerts and folk shows plus a chocolate-making workshop, fishing and sea kayaking.

• Visby – Another UNESCO’s World Heritage Site, this picturesque walled city on the island of Gotland is home to only about 22,000 but popular with vacationing Swedes. Once a Viking trading post, the name comes from Old Norse, “vis” for “sacrificial place,” and “by” for “city.”

Visby embraces history, art and Scandinavian culture. Excursions include walking, hiking and biking tours plus food tastings and museum visits. But maybe the best tour here is simply strolling the city streets

The Regent Seven Seas Voyager as viewed from Visby. (Photo by: Fletcher/Newbern)

TRAVEL


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

two decks, was to be Sweden’s mightiest warship. Unfortunately, it sank on its maiden voyage. In 1991 it was salvaged and is now a massive, remarkable display of ship-making failure and restoration success.

High Marks for Voyage

But for the modern cruise ship Voyager, Mike and Laurie Burnham of Ohio in the U.S. had only praise. “The ship was great. The crew was fantastic. The entertainment was fabulous,” said Mrs. Burnham. “The cities we visited were awesome. The excursions were well done.”

Mr. Burnham added: “Everybody asks us our favorite (port). They were all great, but different. We really liked the big Scandinavian cities.

Copenhagen and Stockholm

to see artist studios, sample quaint restaurants, and climb up the hill to observe the architecture and rooftops of one of the best preserved, medieval walled cities in Europe.

• Helsinki –Gardens and parks abound in this port city, exemplifying the green gold of the culture: trees are a major agricultural product.

Another industry is shipbuilding: 60% of the world’s icebreakers are built here.

Many tours include Senate Square, dominated by the much-photographed, neo-classical Helsinki Cathedral.

On the waterfront are colorful, open-air market stalls hawking everything from food and furs to art, jewelry, knives and leather goods.

A popular excursion is to the Rock Church built inside a massive granite outcrop in the middle of a residential square. The copper dome is all that’s visible from outside; inside, the circular church seats 700, has bare rock walls and a giant disc ceiling made of more than 13 miles of copper wire. Natural light streams in through 180 vertical windowpanes.

Other tours feature forest hikes, sailing,

biking and canoeing.

• Stockholm - Built on 14 islands where Lake Malaren flows out to the Baltic Sea, Stockholm is one of those cities that begs a view from the water, and several sightseeing boats will oblige.

Immaculate parks, a winding, walkable waterfront, Sweden’s oldest amusement park, and excellent, varied museums all beckon. There’s even one with a theater dedicated to the creator of Pippi Longstocking.

A tour of the imposing, brick Stockholm City Hall is a highlight, including the Blue Room (which is not blue but also brick), site of the annual Nobel Prize dinner. Medals and dinner settings are displayed, and the downstairs restaurant will replicate the prize winners’ dinner for you.

Over 25 million have visited the Vasa Museum housing the world’s only 17th-century warship. Built 1626-1628, the Vasa, with 64 guns on

Stockholm is a bustling port city with lots to see and do. (Photo by: Fletcher/Newbern)


16th

ANNI V ERSARY


were clean and easy to get around on foot or public transportation. We also really liked the quaintness of Visby, great history combined

happily participate in the art of cruising on an upscale ship. Regent is noted for its all-inclusive, all-suites, all-balcony ships.

Upper decks include butler service; complimentary liquor is pre-stocked in guests’ cabins, wines are included with dinner, soft

drinks at lunch, bottled water for excursions, and there’s no tipping.

Passengers can dine at the large Compass Rose Restaurant; the French, high-end Signatures; at Prime 7 steakhouse; or the casual La Veranda for specialty buffets like Italian, Mexican and Mediterranean. Post-dinner, guests can stroll the deck awaiting sunset, which takes awhile - sometimes close to midnight - during the “white nights” of summer.

Planning Your Trip

To cruise: Visit Regent Seven Seas Cruises, www.rssc.com, or contact your travel agent. There’s a sailing July 4-11, Copenhagen to Stockholm, with stops in Visby, Tallinn, St. Petersburg and Helsinki; there’s a similar itinerary in reverse July 28 Aug. 4. The July 11-28 sailing features Warnemunde, Germany; Gdansk, Poland; Visby; Riga, Latvia; Tallinn; St. Petersburg and Helsinki. A two-week cruise June 5-19 starts at Southampton, UK, and ends in Copenhagen with stops in Amsterdam, Warnemunde, Visby, Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Tallinn and Riga.

Pre- & post-cruise lodging: In Copenhagen, check out First Hotel Skt. Petri for Scandinavian chic/sleek design. Housed in an early modernist building that was once a department store, it opened in 2003 and is named for a historical neighboring renaissance church (www.hotelsktpetri.com).

In Stockholm, consider the elegant, waterfront, 374-room Grand Hotel, which dates to 1894, designated a “Swedish National Treasure,” (www.grandhotel.se).

Helpful sites: www.visitcopenhagen.com, www.visitsweden.com, www.visitdenmark.com,

www.cruisebaltic.com.U.S. based, award-winning travel writers Kathy M. Newbern

and J.S. Fletcher write about luxury, spas, cruising and romantic destinations worldwide when not operating their personalized

romance novel company, YourNovel.com, where they put you in the middle of the romance and adventure by starring in your own book.

with good shopping. We were pleasantly surprised with how nice Tallinn was. St. Petersburg was just overwhelming with its history.”

When not sampling the myriad of shore excursions, guests

A downtown cable car in Helsinki, a port-of-call on

Regent’s Baltic Cruise. (Photo: Fletcher/Newbern)

TRAVEL

Londonstani was written and published in by London based Gautam Malkani and received much hype,

criticism and also acclaim. Londonstani is about teenagers and focuses on a small gang of boys who are mainly from Sikh and Hindu backgrounds and affiliated to the Asian desi subculture. The backdrop is Hounslow, in West London and the boys are middle class, the sons of small businessmen and ambitious mums, who posture like comic-book gangsters.

What first strikes you though is the slang, SMS style of language that this book is written in and reflects the West London Asian gang culture. At the same time it showcases the new Britain where different religions, cultures and genders rub each other up in all sorts of right

by: Sarina Menezes

Gautam Malkani’s ‘LONDONSTANI’

‘Londonstani’ is Malkani’s title for his book. Like Hindustani or Pakistani, does it evoke a sense of identity, belonging or patriotism? Although London is not a country, it is now a city that has changed drastically to become a melting

pot of cultures. TII decided to find out more about ‘Londonstani.’

and wrong ways. While the previous immigrant generation tried to conform to the expectations of the white society and mainly engaged in menial labour, the younger generation has adopted the style of American rap culture. Sikhs and Hindus hang together because they both support India in cricket but can’t forget the partition and keep

Muslims at bay. Machismo, materialism

and a withdrawal from mainstream society lead to misadventures which start out hilariously comic, become highly serious, and end in an unforeseeable plot twist.

For me to get under the skin of this book and understand this uniquely written book, it was important to catch up with the author, Gautam Malkani which was an absolute delight. Enthusiastic, young and in his early 30s, Gautam has been with the Financial Times since 1997. He has done stints as a reporter on the UK news desk and has written for the Washington bureau. He progressed to being editor of the Creative Business section and now commissions features for the newspaper.

Mamismo and Machismo explored

AUTHOR


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

overbearing mothers. And that’s one of the reasons why the Italians really got Londonstani – it slotted right into that category. That thin line between aggression and vanity. They understood the story essence and what the boys were trying to balance and project. That thin line between aggression and vanity.

The point is, this new British Asian scene seemed to take the machismo and materialism from both traditional Asian culture and hip-hop culture and crashed them together so you ended up with hyper-machismo, hyper-materialism and hyper-misogyny.

Gautam feels it also brings a confidence and self-respect that eventually allow Asians to integrate with British society, “but on our own terms and by bringing our own definition of Britishness to the table. That’s the reason Asian culture is now so intrinsic to British culture - we actively created a new identity that British youth wanted to embrace.”

Those basic ideas and all the anecdotes from his research formed the basis of the novel. I was supposed to write it up as non-fiction but ended up writing it as a novel because I thought a novel would have a better shot at engaging with the guys and girls I was writing about. “Also, a novel was more fun for me to write and seeing as I was writing this during my evenings, nights and weekends, it had to be fun otherwise I’d never manage it.”

Thirty pages into the book, you realize that the characters come from very affluent Asian families. They’re middle-class mummy’s boys who live in five-bedroom detached houses. But the point is that they act as if they’re from a

ghetto or a hood. The identity and language is pretence - a performance. The characters are like cinema screens onto which their identity is projected in the movies or adverts. But what about the backdrop, the racism, hatred towards Pakistanis, social discrimination – does all this really exist in London? Why? To what extent did he discover all this?

“So much of all youth cultures are a performance,” says Gautam, “but I wanted to explore what was driving this particular performance.” Thanks to nearby Heathrow airport and all the multinational businesses that are drawn to the airport, Asians in Hounslow face a lot less economic deprivation or racial discrimination than in other parts of the UK. That’s why Hounslow ended up being an ideal place to study this hyper-masculinity. “As for the divisions in the book between young Indians and Pakistanis, that was a feature of life when I was school in the early 1990s, but again it was a performance - what psychoanalysts call projecting (the same way English football hooligans project an imagined enmity onto the opposing team). You can’t have hyper-masculinity without an enemy to flex your muscles against,” suggests Gautam.

In the context of third-generation Asians living in West London, there’s nothing intrinsic about that antagonism. Again, ethnicity just provides a convenient stage prop for asserting masculinity. “When readers get to the twist at the end of Londonstani, it becomes clear why I needed to use those artificial antagonisms from the 1990s in the story. I wanted to show how ethnic boundaries are abstractions. Depending on the context, it can be defined by race, nationality or religion – or in

this case by a youth subculture. So it’s the fact of the boundary that matters, not the stuff on either side of it.”

Londonstani is actually about inauthenticity – the characters are supposed to be defined by their pretence because that’s the point of the book. So it was frustrating that, as part of the hype around the novel, so many media commentators just made assumptions without actually reading or thinking about the book. Thankfully, the Times of London and the BBC News actually took the trouble to take the book to Hounslow to see whether young British Asians could relate to it and they did and they really embraced it. Gautam is delighted that young British Asians have responded enthusiastically to his book. “I’ve ended up doing a lot of work with schools, sixth-forms, colleges and universities to build on that enthusiasm and encourage teenagers to now go and give other novels a try,” he says.

After years of false starts, Gautam is writing a new book guided firmly by two things he says: “It’s the book my muse wants me to write and, like Londonstani, it’s a book that I wish had existed when I was younger.”

Sarina Menezes is a freelance writer based in the UK

[“When the novel was first published, a lot of both Asian and white British media commentators were more obsessed about

whether or not the book was authentic instead of focusing on what I was actually trying to say with the book. That was

frustrating and absurd.”

Fortunately for him, his ethnicity has never been a consideration at work. Prior to that, Gautam studied Social and Political Sciences at Cambridge University.

“I had a pretty good mix of both Indian and western values – thanks largely to the fact that, after my parents divorced (I was seven), my mum worked full-time as a radiographer in a nearby hospital. That gave her a very broad outlook of life; but she was keen that we didn’t lose touch with our Indian values. So I think my younger brother and I got the best of both.” Gautam thinks a lot of people get confused between culture and entertainment. “Just because some things are “traditional” or “ethnic”, it’s not necessarily “culture” unless it provokes you into thinking differently,” he says.

Once you properly distinguish between culture and entertainment, the East/West dichotomy becomes a little meaningless is Gautam’s point. “For instance, one of mum’s biggest influences was to get us interested in literature, theatre and newspapers – non-electronic media regardless of whether it was western or Indian. The area where western influences obviously came out on top was language. When you are brought up by a single parent you are less likely to pick up your mother tongue because you don’t hear your parents talking in it - or at least that’s my lame excuse for not being able to speak my language,” he jokes.

At Cambridge University he wanted to study Asian sub-culture for his final year project. His tutor suggested that rather than follow a group of boys and interpret his findings through a race perspective, it would be more interesting to examine how gender plays a part.

Every book has a story or reason for it being written. What motivated or inspired him to write Londonstani?

“Londonstani was basically my way of getting my university final year project into the public domain and in a form that would be digestible for the young British Asians I’d been studying. I asked my Social Sciences faculty if I could study what was going on with my mates back home in Hounslow. My interest was to research the stereotypical young British Asian guy who seemed to have morphed during the early 1990s from the un troubling, geeky and almost subservient persona of the 1980s into wannabe gangster-rappers acting like they were from a ghetto in Brooklyn.”

The change seemed really interesting to Gautam, particularly the voluntary segregation, the way the hip-hop scene was being embraced

as authentically Asian, and the way the education system suddenly became a foe – part of the Establishment that we were actively opting out of. “I conducted countless interviews with my friends and with 16-18 year olds round Hounslow where I grew up – much too many than I could use in my dissertation. So I wanted to do something with all the surplus interviews, anecdotes and research.”

The study ended up having more to do with gender than race he explains. “For example, when I asked teenagers to define the word coconut (beyond the basic idea that the term refers to someone who has over-assimilated to the point of being brown on the outside and white on the inside) the responses rarely had anything to do with race or ethnicity or culture.” He discovered it was less about whether someone could speak their mother tongue or follow their religion and more about whether they wore skin-tight

jeans or listened to androgynous Britpop music – Nothing to do with a betrayal of “Asian culture”. What was being asserted wasn’t an ethnic identity, so much as a masculine identity that used ethnicity as a kind of stage prop.

Gautam ended up exploring the formation of masculinity – specifically the dynamics between Indian guys trying to be men and Indian mothers trying to ensure they remain boys. “The Italians who have much in common with Indians in this regard, have a great word for this – “Mamismo” -which basically refers to the kind of machismo that you get when boys are rubbing up against

Gautam Malkani: East and West

AUTHOR


Festival Foods:jolly good cheer!Come Christmas and everyone is into the festive spirit, and all, whether young or old, want to go out and make merry by dancing and feasting. Celebrate Christmas with a

twist. Right from the dress, to the gifts, from décor to the delicacies. You have a whole lot of choices on how you can celebrate.

FOOD

by: Golden Reejsinghani

MUTTON CUTLETS

Ingredients

500 grams boiled kheema (minced mutton)250 grams boiled, peeled and mashed potatoes1 teaspoon ginger and garlic paste.1 medium onion finely sliced2 green chillies finely sliced2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves1 tablespoon each of garam masala, dhania and jeera powder3 beaten eggs, Bread crumbs

Method

Grind the kheema to a paste and mix with the remaining ingredients with the exception of bread crumbs. Form into round cutlets; cover each cutlet with bread crumbs and shallow fry to a golden color. Decorate with lime and tomato rounds and serve.

SPICY FISH CURRY

Ingredients 4 green chilies, minced1 medium Pomfret, cleaned and sliced1 tablespoon coriander seeds4 red chillies1-inch piece ginger 6 flakes garlic 2 tablespoons coriander leaves1 big onion, finely sliced½ teaspoon turmeric powder

¼ coconut Lime-sized ball of tamarind1 teaspoon cumin seeds Garam masala Salt to taste

Method

Soak tamarind in 2 cups hot water for 5 minutes and then squeeze out its juice. Apply salt and turmeric on the fish and set aside for half an

hour. Grind together coconut, red chilies, garlic, ginger and all the whole spices to a paste. Heat 5 tblsps of oil and fry the onions till soft.


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

Add the ground paste, all the spices and salt and fry till the raw smell disappears and a nice smell comes out of it. Put in fish slices and green chilies and tama-rind along with 2 cups water; cook tilI the fish is done. Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

CHICKEN PULAO

Ingredients

1 medium chicken, cleaned500 grams kheems (minced mutton)250 grams each of onions and curds1 tablespoon each of grated ginger and garlic, 2 big cardamoms4 cloves, 2 bay leaves1-inch piece cinnamon stick25 grams each of fried and sliced almonds, pistachios, raisins and cashew nuts1 teaspoon each of garam masala, ground cumin and coriander seeds.2 hard-boiled eggs, shelled and minced.1 teaspoon saffron dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot milk, 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves.A few drops yellow food coloringA few fresh rose petals2 green chillies, minced; 500 grams rice.Salt and chilli powder to taste.

Method

Grind ginger, garlic and onions coarsely. Heat ½

cup oil and add the ground paste and fry nicely, add the mutton, ground spices and salt and fry to a rich red color. Remove from fire. Add half of the nuts, eggs, saffron, chilies, coriander leaves to one-fourth of the kheema mixture. Stuff the mixture into the chicken (after making an incision). Sew up the opening. Heat ½ cup more oil and fry the chicken to a red color. Add curds and cook till dry. Add remaining mince and whole spices and salt. Mix well and cover with hot water; cook till the chicken is tender. Remove the chicken from the gravy and put in the rice. Add enough water to stand 1-inch above the level of rice. Add color. Bring the water to a boil, reduce heat and cook till the rice is almost tender and dry. Place chicken on top and continue cooking till the rice is tender and dry. Remove from fire and place both the rice and the chicken in a serving dish and decorate with nuts

HOT AND SPICY PRAWNS Ingredients 40 large prawnsLime-sized ball of tamarind20 red chillies 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds2 tablespoons coriander seeds12 flakes garlic1 tablespoon turmeric powder10 green chillies 1 teaspoon ginger paste250 grams finely sliced onions1 teaspoon mustard seedsSalt to taste


Method Roast together whole spices and powder them. Shell and wash the prawns. Apply salt and turmeric and set aside for half an hour. Grind together chillies, garlic, ginger and onions coarsely. Cover tamarind with 2 cups hot water for 5 minutes and then squeeze out the juice. Heat 6 tablespoons oil and fry the ground paste till the raw smell disappears. Mix in the remaining ingredients and cook till the prawns are tender and completely dry. Decorate with coriander leaves and serve hot.

DRY FRUIT COOKIES

Ingredients

250 grams refined flour 250 grams castor sugar250 grams ghee1 teaspoon cardamom seeds 100 grams sliced pistachio nuts

Method

Mix together flour, sugar, cardamom seeds and ghee to a smooth mixture. Form into lime sized balls. Press to make them into a round shapes. Place in a greased baking tray 1– inch apart; decorate with pistachio nuts and bake in a moderate oven for 15 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and store in airtight container.

KULKULS

Ingredients 3 cups refined flour (Maida)2 eggs, beaten slightly; Pinch of salt¼ teaspoon baking powder1 ½ cups powdered sugar 1 teaspoon coarsely pounded cardamom seeds Method Mix together all the above ingredients along with 2 tablespoons oil. Add enough milk to form soft dough. Take a little dough, spread it on the prongs of a fork and then roll off the fork. Seal edges by pressing. Deep fry in oil till crisp and golden. Drain, cool and store in airtight tins.

BON BONS

FOOD


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

Ingredients

1 tin sweetened condensed milk.8 tablespoons cocoa1 cup milk1 teaspoon vanilla essence25 grams each of almonds and fried cashew nuts

Method

Blanch and roast the almonds, Mix cocoa in milk to a smooth mixture. Put condensed milk in a steel pan and cook over a gentle flame until you see bubbles on the surface. Put in cocoa mixture and set over the fire stirring all the time until the mixture turns thick. Put in the essence and remove from fire. Put the mixture in a greased bowl or a plate and beat vigorously till smooth. Set aside till it turns bearably warm, then grease your hands and knead the mixture till it turns extremely smooth. Now take a small portion of the mixture and form into round and smooth balls around an almond or cashew nut. Place on wax paper and set in the fridge.

HAND-MADE HOME MADE

CHOCOLATES

Chocolates - their seductive taste is simply irresistible. There are innumerable things which you can make with your hands but nothing can beat hand-made, home made chocolates; everyone loves their divine taste. Now you can make delicious chocolates yourself at home, gift wrap them and give as Christmas gifts to your friends.

CHOCOLATE WAFERS Ingredients 250 grams covering chocolateWafer biscuits

Method Melt the chocolate, by heating in a vessel over

a bowl of hot water (a double boiler), take wafer biscuits and with the help of a fork cover the biscuits on all sides with chocolate, place on a greased paper and put in the fridge for 1 hour, till firm.

FRUIT AND NUT CHOCOLATE

Ingredients 250 grams covering chocolate1 tablespoon unsalted melted butter2 tablespoons each of roasted andchopped almonds, cashew nuts and walnuts

3 tablespoons chopped raisins. Method

Melt the chocolate by heating in a vessel over a

bowl of hot water (a double boiler), mix in all the above ingredients. Make small rocks of the mixture and place on a greased paper one inch apart. Keep in the fridge for 1 hour.

Golden Reejsinghani is a freelancewriter based in Mumbai


MY DEAR MUSLIM FRIENDS…

For many people, including the non-Muslim media, Islam and its adherents stand as fundamentally

opposed to what they consider as their cherished values. This owes simply to prejudice and misunderstandings about Islam, as many Muslims would argue. Oh yes, the attackers were Muslims but it is unacceptable to conclude that all Muslims are terrorists. And this racial profiling and stereotyping of Muslims

by: Sarina Menezes

We are all aware of the catastrophic global terrorist attacks, 9/11 in the United States and the heartbreak it caused thousands of innocent families. But this decade has also seen Islam and the Muslim community going through enormous pain, prejudice and

suffering due to the actions of a minority.

must stop.The media to an extent have played their part in supplying false

information about Muslims; creating stereotypes and stating that the Quran, their holy book, promotes violence. Of course, places where there is religious intolerance and gross violation of human rights in the name of Islam, play a further role in sustaining negative attitudes towards Islam and Muslims.

I decided to touch upon this subject and listen to some of my dear Muslim friends. I wanted to hear from them first hand, listen to their heart’s cry and also understand if Indian Muslims in India and overseas also feel the same.

ISLAM AND THE MISINTERPRETATION

Arshad Syed, 38, a script writer is a Sunni Muslim has worked with top television and production houses in Mumbai. He agrees that Islam is easily the most misinterpreted religion and is perceived as a violent and intolerant religion which oppresses women.

The Quran was revealed in times of extreme strife, volatility and wars – a harsh period when certain actions were needed. But applying exactly that in today’s times is where the root of the problem lies with Muslim extremists. It is tricky to directly apply something said in one context, to another.

Another factor that has created this divide is the total misunderstanding that the so called ‘religious wars’ are for religion. They are actually wars for land – as is the case in Kashmir, Palestine, Serbia, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iran-Iraq. They only have been given a religious colour by the powers on both sides, which sadly had to be Islam! In India, it is purely politics - to gain massive vote banks.

FRIENDS


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

For Arshad the use of the word fundamentalist, for a fraction of Muslims, is a no-no simply because a fundamentalist is someone who follows the fundamentals of his belief. This, in itself, is not a wrong thing. One of his keen observations is how ‘Ghettoism’, eventually leads to alienation – a result of insecurity due to an indifferent (Hindu) majority. In India, the Gujarat issue made Indian Muslims feel insecure in their own country and 9/11 did the same for Muslims abroad.

THE LAST DECADE…

Whether we like to believe it or not, the last decade has been difficult for our Muslim friends – for some it’s the little things of everyday life, for others, facing open prejudice. There are instances of a lucky few and I wanted to find out first hand about them.

After having worked in the UK, Samir Merchant now enjoys a thriving career in Mumbai. But his experience as a Muslim common man has not been without strife. “Things have become very difficult for Muslims everywhere including India. Right from opening a bank account to school admissions, every thing needs extra documentation. Getting jobs and making or renewing passports is most difficult. Recently Shahrukh Khan was detained at a US Airport for questioning, so just imagine how difficult it is for the common man!”

Munira Diwanji is a general practitioner, with a 14 year old daughter, who admits that she is religious and follows the fundamental rules of Islam. She explains: “Due to the actions of a few, the entire Muslim community is facing criticism and in some areas, is looked down upon. Unfortunately, certain Western countries tend not to respect Islamic principles eg: the wearing of the Hijab (head scarf) for women, which has caused a moral dilemma for well meaning Muslims who wish to practice their faith in full earnest.”

Arshad is fortunate not to have faced religious prejudice in his life so far. He reasons: “Possibly, because I do not believe you should wear your religion on your sleeve. It is best left in your home and heart. Bring it out on the streets and it becomes a power

out of control. For me, it is also thanks to the broad minded and secular people I interact with within the TV and film world.”

Fauzan Alawi comes from a family of scholars in Lucknow and has been witness to the great cultural mix of Hindus and Muslims in his home and upbringing. “I have never heard of Hindu-Muslim conflicts or Hindu bashing at home. Some of my best friends are Hindus. Unfortunately in the recent past things have changed in India and abroad and the people responsible have been successful in creating that divide. Yes, there are numerous instances of prejudice against Muslims and true stories when merit has been overlooked and caste and religion has taken over. I live in a cosmopolitan area in Mumbai, but I was rejected for a rental apartment in six building societies. It is sad but true.”

Inam Abu, 36 is a CEO in an FMCG company who was

brought up in Calcutta in a very liberal community where he was taught to respect all religions. He worked in the UK for 10 years before moving back to India and his take is: “With my outlook towards life, a result of my upbringing, being of a Muslim faith did not matter to the people who I knew. But yes there have been times when I often get judged by my name even before the person meets me.”

Shahpara Siddiqui is based in Australia but is presently in

Oman Ismail with familyArshad and family at their home!


Saudi Arabia, with her family, due to her husband’s work as an Engineer. Giving us a perspective from a woman’s point of view she adds: “My husband is of Indian Muslim origin settled in Australia. Plenty of opportunities there meant that I had the freedom to wear my hijab whenever needed and still move around freely. I also did further studies and happily volunteered at the children’s schools.”

THE LIBERALMUSLIM

So, who is a liberal Muslim? Is it someone who has abandoned Islam altogether, or chooses to conceal his faith in order to ‘integrate’ into what is arbitrarily defined as the ‘mainstream’? Who has ceased to pray five times a day and regards the Islamic prohibition on consuming alcohol an embarrassing rule that has no relevance in today’s ‘modern’ age? Or someone who thinks that sporting a beard or protesting against American imperialism and Zionist oppression is rank obscurantism, and that demanding the legitimate rights of Muslims is akin to ‘fundamentalism’ or ‘communalism’?

I would think that most of my Muslim friends would fall into the category of ‘liberal Muslims’ if the term is understood in precisely the liberal way. And my understanding of a ‘liberal’

Muslim is someone who, while deeply rooted to and connected to his or her faith, is passionate about universal human rights, equality, democracy and secularism.

My friend Munira provides a very progressive perspective: “My opinion is that Indian Muslims are more tolerant, cultured and less fundamental. The more educated and broad-minded Muslim is the one that has made great progress in society and life. While on the other hand, Muslims who are not very educated are the ones who resist change and are less tolerant. Hence it is education that makes the difference and

not nationality in particular.”Arshad is proud of being a

Muslim and makes it clear that he is often pained by the situations Muslims find themselves in due to faults that lie within the community and outside, “I would like to believe my views on religion are progressive and more liberal. But at the same time (thanks to my upbringing), I practice Islam as much as I can by praying on Fridays, not eating pork, abstaining from alcohol and observing some fasting during Ramzan.”

Most of us would be of the opinion that highly educated Muslims are liberal and modernized but that is not usually the case. As Inam points

out, “There are a lot of educated Muslims who are vastly talented but are still very fundamental in their thought processes. It is the person’s willingness to open his perceptions towards other religions and cultures. It involves his readiness to integrate and uphold his values in the melting pot of cultures.”

Hopefully this presents a clear understanding of what characterizes a liberal Muslim. Needless to say, these segments of Muslims enjoy little support within the community and can in no way be said to represent it.

MUSLIMS IN THE WESTERN WORLD

There are approximately 706,000 Muslims in the city of London alone, of which 40% were born in the UK (according to the 2001 census). In 2005-2006, there were more than 1,000 religiously aggravated attacks reported in the capital - an 87% increase since the previous year, the report said.

“Muslims in London face serious discrimination and prejudice.

FRIENDS


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

Muslims are, disproportionately, victims of religiously aggravated crime, more so than any other faith,” notes Mayor Ken Livingstone. The community also has the highest levels of unemployment - 42% in the 16-

24 age groups. The Iranian Foreign Ministry

issued a report on August 5, 2009 describing the human rights challenges of Muslims living in western countries. The report elaborates on the challenges Muslims face in the U.S., Europe and Australia. This includes prejudice against women wearing the hijab, mistreatment of Muslims under the pretext of the campaign against terrorism, harsher immigration policies toward Muslims, discrimination in government institutions, employment, education and the housing of Muslim ghettos.

I took this opportunity to ask my friends what the reasons for this prejudice could be and how

this situation can be resolved, since it has become a global issue. During his time in the UK, Inam observed some simple human

behavior that characterizes migration. “There exists a big mental block; a result of ignorance or the fear of being judged. This usually happens in areas where a multicultural society does not exist or where the Muslim community has alienated themselves either due to a resistance to integrate or the western community has alienated them out of fear.”

Arshad has some hard hitting questions for the world, “The solution, if at all, has to come from both sides. The western world should investigate and understand the serious reasons why young men leave their families and go off on crazy suicidal missions. Why? What is it that they have lost? Is there anything which can be compensated? Besides, stereotyping never helps and is always a negative. Judging people by their physical appearance, clothes, beards, skin is racial and this has nothing to do with religion.”

THE FUTURE AND THE IMMENSE CONTRIBUTION BY MUSLIMS

Education and tolerance play a mighty role in bringing about success and change. Improving the image and perception of Muslims is linked

to the process of social change in the community. And when the demands of the ‘progressive’ Muslims are heard, it will involve a long global task because their voices are presently scattered with little or no organic links with the Muslim masses.

Fauzan genuinely feels: “We have to take the responsibility to change this image we have created for ourselves and many things need to fall into place to achieve this - Madrasas need to teach English and other relevant subjects, the Muslim youth need role models and true leadership to look up to. It

Fauzan Alawi - GM of Allanasons

Munira with family and friends on holiday

Osman Ismail with family on a holiday


other religions also helps.And Indian Muslims who are based overseas have been

able to achieve their dreams given the opportunity and the determination to succeed. Osman Ismail moved to the US after a fruitful career in the Middle East. The opportunity to train at the professional Oberoi Centre for learning & development, a scholarship at Essec-Paris, Cornell-USA and the Kellogg School of Management widened his horizons and impacted his outlook. “Being a Muslim did not come in my way to achieve and tap opportunities to their fullest potential.,” he reveals. “All that I am today can be attributed to my relentless commitment and my faith in

God, through highs and lows, instilled in me by my family.”Which once again goes to prove what Fauzan rightly

summarizes: “I think with the right guidance, spirit of hard work, mutual respect and following one’s faith in the true sense can lead all of us to greater heights.” Which leaves me to ask the world some straightforward questions: Why should an entire community get branded because of the actions of a few? Why should we get fed with information that is stereotyped? But most of all, do we really understand what the Muslim community has faced in the last decade? The answers eventually all stem from a single factor - conflict! In Arshad’s words: “In the end we need to realize that no matter what the issue, what the conflict, some poor child is going to lose his limbs, one poor woman is going to lose her home and an old mother is going to lose her son. And no amount of bigotry in this world is worth this. No religion in the world teaches us that. The sooner we realize this, the better.”

is important to inculcate that true Islam is about giving, kindness and forgiveness.”

According to Arshad there are two ways by which things can get better and that is through change and communication. He adds, “We will all have to change the way we think and use our rational minds so that we don’t get influenced by the media or crazy Internet hate mails. The Muslim community in turn needs to integrate into societies wherever they are, clear any misinterpretations and respect the laws of the land whether in India, US, UK or elsewhere.”

There are numerous examples of how both Muslim women and men have made great strides in their chosen professions- education, business and the performing arts around the world and especially in India. Why? How? And what sets these men and women apart?

Because India is a secular and democratic country, most Muslims believe it enables people with talent to thrive – hence prosperity comes irrespective of faith. The fact that Indians are tolerant of Sarina Menezes is a freelance writer based in the UK

Arshad with entire family visiting in Dhaka

Samir Merchant with friends

FRIENDS


16th

ANNI V ERSARYNon-Muslims Welcomein the Grand Mosque

The large banner outside the main entrance of Bahrain’s Ahmed Al-Fateh Grand Mosque said loud and clear: “Welcoming non-Muslims

Only” to the Special Eid Open House.A mosque open to non-Muslims only

and that too on the two days following Eid? It surely raises the curiosity of even the most sceptical, that too with total disbelief. No wonder this thoughtful exercise attracts thousands of non-Muslim Bahrain resident families and individuals as well as visitors to this island nation in the thousands.

Not that the mosque prohibits any Mulsim to worship in it on these days, but gently discourages them to take part in the ‘truly unique’ celebrations meant for non-Muslims only.

But what is also most important to know is what the government of Bahrain started more than a decade and half ago at its Grand Mosque, is still the only celebration of its kind in the world—be it in Lebanon, where the Christian and Muslim population is divided almost equally, or in the technologically more advanced and top tourism destination Arab Muslim country like Egypt, or even in a constitutionally secular country like India which is home to around 170 million Muslims - about 10 per cent of the total population of 1.7 billion Muslims globally.

The recent Eid Al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice) was on November 27, 2009 and November 28 and 29 became the Special Open Days for non-Muslim visitors during the three-day Eid public holidays, and thousands flocked to the Grand Mosque as in the past.

by: Hemu Gorde

Admitting non-Muslims into the Grand Mosque, that the government of Bahrain started nearly two decades ago, is still the only initiative of its kind. Neither Lebanon, nor Egypt nor a constitutionally secular country like India which is home to around

170 million Muslims - about 10 per cent of the total population of 1.7 billion Muslims globally, has anything like what Bahrain offers the world.

BAHRAIN

As you enter the mosque, you see every single woman wearing the traditional abaya (the black full-length gown), making it clear there are certain rules to be followed even by non-Muslim female visitors.

What follows is a couple of more shocks, because it is not just the outer premises that you are allowed to go to, but even to the mihrab, a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla that is, the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca—the direction that Muslims should face when praying.

Ron Brown, seen outside the mosque with

Carol (centre) and friend Vanitha, after

attending the event. Al-Fateh Mosque

is believed to have the largest fiber glass

masjid dome in the world. (Photo by: Hemu Gorde)

An Indian visitor takes a picture of his family clad in colourful Jalabiyas.(Photo by: Hemu Gorde)

The Registration Desk is handled by two Bahraini girls, where each visitor is asked to provide the name, nationality and optional other details such as the e-mail address, in exchange for a coupon with a number on it. This is the number of your Tour Guide who explains what Islam is all about briefly and the history of the mosque, taking you inside the Prayer Hall.

“But that is the whole idea. Giving an opportunity to non-Muslims to experience the Islamic tradition, familiarise them with the Arab and Islamic culture and Arab hospitality, inside a mosque - the most sacred place for any Muslim,” explains Farhat Mohammed Nasser Al-Kindy, Senior Coordinator –Visitors Section of Ahmed Al-Fateh Grand Mosque and Islamic Centre, while sipping gahwa (coffee) at a specially created traditional Arab-style diwan.

“The mosque was inaugurated in 1989, and we have been doing this exercise for 15 years, but on a bigger scale such as this, since 10 years. We were initially very sceptical about its success, but as the number of visitors increased, we added more cultural aspects, and we are glad that it is more and more successful each year. Over the past few years, the event is even advertised in the local English newspapers,” he tells visitors.

The mosque is open to the public every single day, except on Fridays since the noon-prayer is very important and thousands come here to pray. For the Special Eid Open House there were several cultural attractions added. Grand Mosque has become a main tourist attraction, and is particularly busy between December and May, as lots of European cruises came to Bahrain from Europe.

The objective is to make non-Muslims aware of Islamic values, such as the greeting of peace the guide first offers as a salutation, saying Salaam Aleikum (Peace be upon you), the beautiful Islamic greeting in Arabic commonly used across the world. “We also aim through this event to try to remove the misconception about Islam and Muslims,” Al-Kindy points out.

Islam requires that a woman must cover her full body while inside a mosque, so visitors are provided with the abaya, while it is optional for men to wear the traditional dress. That explains why all women can be seen

wearing the traditional attire. Photography is allowed, even for the media, and you are welcome to stay as long as you like.

Cultural aspects are highlighted like the Zam Zam water distribution, calligraphy, teaching basic Arabic, hennah painting for women, a painting and recreation corner for children, a desert tent, an Islamic literature stand with copies of the Holy Quran and other reading material in various languages. There is an Arabic

diwan as well as a food corner where the visitors are served light refreshments and beverages.

Additionally, there is a photo opportunity for men and women where the ladies can choose their favorite jalabiyas-colourful and intricately-embroidered with gold threads full-length traditional Bahraini gowns worn on very special occasions. Men can wear the traditional cloak with gold thread

designs. A man with a tray of traditional Bahraini and Arabic sweets moves around offering the

Bahraini nationals Sahresh (left) and Safaiyah manning the

registration desk seen with volunteer Asim Jawed.

(Photo by: Hemu Gorde)

Entrance hall of the mosque where cultural activities take place


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

delicacies to the visitors. This is all free, as the

country’s Ministry of Culture and Information takes care of the expenses and the volunteer team that consists of male and female individuals from the staff of the Islamic Centre and Discovery Islam, a charity organization that promotes Islam.

Syed Raziuddin, an Indian national and US Green Card-holder, is the Bahrain-based official of Discovery Islam and a senior member of the organizing team. A Petroleum Geologist, who retired a few years ago from a government-owned petroleum company, Syed Raziuddin, devotes full time to promoting Islam. He laments that, “So many Muslim scholars from various countries come to Bahrain’s Islamic Centre for research and are aware of our Special Eid Open House, but no one has yet taken any initiative in their own country.”

Bahrain-based Islamic scholar and Islamic author from Egypt, Ghada Khafagy, explaines how and why the hajj is performed, by demonstrating how men and women wear the two-piece white linen covering on their body during Hajj. She agrees, “there is nothing like this in Egypt or any other part of the world I have visited.” However, visitors have indicated that some mosques in Istanbul also allow non-Muslims but do not have a special program like Bahrain.

Ron Brown, a Professor at the Bahrain Technical College—University of Bahrain says, “it is a wonderful idea to give an opportunity to experience Arab hospitality and culture inside the most unlikely place imaginable, such as he country’s Grand Mosque”.

European nationals Natasha and Kate knew about the Zam Zam water, but they got the chance to taste it and learn more about it.

Australian national Amber who was visiting Bahrain was very happy as she showed off both sides of her hand with henna designs.

In Australia, although there are lots of Indians, I don’t know if I could have an opportunity, but certainly would not have thought about going for such an event, she said.

Indian Accountant A. Rajan, who visited Grand Mosque on both the Eid holidays was completely shaken as he came out of the mosque with his family. It was an experience that recalled traumatic memories of experiences back in India some years ago.

“I don’t think in India such a privilege will be given. Hindu are not allowed to enter mosques by Muslims nor do Hindus allow Muslims into their places of worship. This opportunity helped me to reflect on certain misconceptions about Islam and Muslims. When I came here with my family I was only curious to see how a the mosque looks from the inside. I was shocked when they led us into the Mihrab. Now I know why every mosque has a small semi-circular part in its outer wall. Communal divisions are disintegrating India, and if we allow religion to divide us it will be very, very sad,” notes Rajan.

Syed Raziuddin (fourth from left) seen with

volunteers and guests at the Prayer Hall.

(Photo by: Hemu Gorde)

Natasha and Kate listen to Indian and Egyptian volunteers explaining the greatness of Zam Zam Water. (Photo by: Hemu Gorde)

Hemu Gorde is a freelance writer based in Bahrain

BAHRAIN

The world’s most successful premium automotive manufacturer has announced plans to debut the new BMW 5 Series sedan in the Middle East in March 2010. The launch of the sixth generation of this immensely successful model marks the epitome of aesthetic design and supreme

driving pleasure in the midrange premium segment.

With its sporting and elegant design, excellent comfort and the highest standard in efficiency in its class, BMW’s latest executive sedan sets the benchmark in driving dynamics.

The new model’s design is imaginative, creative and effective, with BMW’s designers and engineers working hand-in-hand to ensure the perfect interplay of design and technology. The new BMW 5 Series sedan will make its debut in the Middle East with one eight-cylinder and three six-cylinder petrol engines offering outstanding performance.

The new BMW 5 Series is a class leader in emissions reduction. It has been designed around BMW‘s successful Efficient Dynamics strategy that encompasses many technology innovations to offer outstanding performance and a reduction in fuel consumption.

Some of the wide range of sophisticated driving and comfort features offered in the new BMW 5 Series include Dynamic Drive Control with three modes: comfort, normal, sport and sport +; Comfort Start; Head-Up Display; Multi-Channel Audio System, Rear Seat Entertainment; Four-Zone Automatic Air Conditioning, BMW iDrive control and Parking Assistant.

The interior of the new BMW 5 Series has a stylish and modern design with exciting lines that create a generous and harmonious

BMW’s New 5 Seriesambience. High quality materials and superior craftsmanship underline the premium interior ambience.

Commenting on the launch of the new model, Phil Horton, Managing Director of BMW Group Middle East said: “The 5 Series is one of our best selling models in the Middle East, so we are looking forward to

launching this new model early in 2010. It is a totally different car from its predecessor in terms of design, comfort, technology and engineering, so we are confident that it‘s going to be well received and help us maintain our position at the forefront industry trends.”

The new BMW 5 Series Sedan clearly stands out from the crowd, convincingly demonstrating its ability to offer the Sheer Driving Pleasure typical of the BMW brand.

Perfect symbiosis of aesthetic design, dynamic performance and the highest

standard of efficiency in its class

MOTOR MAMLA


out the VOC and British rule followed. So how then did the Netherlands still become home to the second largest Indian community in Europe?

Emigration to the Netherlands happened largely by way of Surinam, a former Dutch colony in South America. Between 1873 and 1916, 34,000 Indian labourers - mostly originating from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh – went to Surinam to take the place of freed slave workers. After their 10 year contract ended, around 23,000 Indians decided to stay in Surinam.

When Surinam became independent in 1975, many Indians came to Holland seeking better education opportunities. This is the why Surinam Indians make up the majority of Dutch Indian community today; living mostly in and around the four big cities – Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague.

Many descendants of the contract workers still live in Surinam, firmly holding on to their Indian identity. In fact, Surinam is the only country in the Western Hemisphere where all Indians speak Hindi. By contrast; in British-ruled Guyana they all speak English. This demonstrates a difference in the exercise of colonial power: the British often sought to destroy cultures, whereas the Dutch allowed them to flourish. Which makes you wonder what might have been if Holland had stayed in India....

The seafaring Dutch East India Company (VOC) first set foot in India over 400 years ago, establishing

spice factories and settlements. But in 1795 a struggle for power and trade put an end to Holland’s presence in India. The British East Indian Company forced

by: Dana den Hertog

Indians in the NETHERLANDS

Holland has the second largest Indian population in Europe. The community here consists of around 210,000 people, split into two distinct groups: 190,000

people of Indian origin (PIOs or Surinam Indians) and circa 20,000 NRIs (non-resident Indians) with Indian and/or Dutch nationality.

NETHERLANDS

The Netherlands is a place where Indian professionals are welcome


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

WAVES OFIMMIGRATION

It’s logical that the UK has more Indian residents than any other European country. More surprising is that Holland has the second largest Indian population in Europe. The community here consists of around 210,000 people, split into two distinct groups: 190,000 People of Indian origin (PIO’s or Surinam Indians) and circa 20,000 NRIs (non-resident Indians) with Indian and/or Dutch nationality.

According to Mr. Badri Madan, president of the Netherlands India Association

and chairman of the Indian Business Chamber, direct emigration to Holland took place in three waves. In the early 1970’s intellectuals and professionals came over from India or other countries such as the US and UK; from 1980 to 1984 there was a wave of labourers originating

from the south of India, and in recent years there have been mainly IT professionals.

Madan: “I myself came very early, in 1968, when there were only about seven or eight Indian families in Holland! Now there are a total of 20,000 of us. I came here to study International Law, thinking I would do my thesis in the US. Then my professor said I could do it at the University of Leiden. Two years later I went home to India, got married to a nice Indian girl and took her back to Holland”.

NETHERLANDS WANTSINDIAN PROFESSIONALS

According to Robert Schipper, Executive Director (India) of the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA). The country is working towards making the knowledge migrant (KM) of the Netherlands even more flexible whereby skilled workers who go to the Netherlands can move to other EU countries seamlessly if required. “This is a good time for skilled Indian professionals to move to the Netherlands and we are working towards making the immigration process easier for them,” said Schipper.

Over 3,000 Indian professionals, mainly from the information technology and communication segments, have so far moved into the Netherlands ever since the KM scheme was launched in 2006 targeting skilled non-EU workers. This makes them the largest such group, according to the Dutch national statistics office CBS. The Netherlands has not been hit as badly by the slowdown as certain other European nations, Mr. Schipper said.

For 2009, the minimum annual salary requirement under KM scheme was Euro 49,087 for employees 30 years or older, and Euro 35,997 for employees younger than 30 years. For persons with a diploma in the Netherlands, the minimum annual salary requirement is Euro 25,800.Schipper said that the Dutch government’s Orange carpet visa scheme was taking care of immigration issues faced by Indian companies doing business in the Netherlands. “This visa facility has been extended to companies that send a lot of people to the Netherlands for visits that are less than three months. This is a business friendly and fast track system which authorises a few senior employees in the company to sign the visa application papers. The visas are then issued almost immediately.”

Robert Schipper, executive director (India) of the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA)

Shailesh and Rashmi Yadav have fallen in love with Holland


Why did Mr. Madan come back after his wedding? “The main reason is equal opportunity. You can apply your skills in what is really a very small country. There are not as many people as in India, meaning there are fewer mouths to feed and therefore better opportunities. Also, Dutch people are very nice and there are no problems with racism or discrimination”. Still Madan realises that it’s not always smooth sailing when stepping into a new culture. “For first generation immigrants the biggest problem was language. But as long as you decide to adopt local norms and values there has to be no problem, and you don’t have to lose your Indian identity. And now the second generation is totally integrated, like my three daughters”.

SECOND WAVE

Someone who came to the Netherlands in the so-called second immigration wave is Indian restaurant owner M.L Gupta. “I came in 1980. My wife worked at the Dutch embassy in Delhi so we had already met many Dutch people before we decided to come here for business”. After owning restaurants in Den Bosch and Amsterdam, Gupta has recently opened his fifth establishment in Hilversum, Holland’s media town. “It was a dream to come here because the

local people are nicer than in Amsterdam”, he says in English because he still finds Dutch difficult, even after almost 30 years.

Gupta says he’s always been glad to have come to Holland and stresses that the most important condition for integrating well into Dutch (or any other) society is to accept and live by the local standards, laws and values. “There are no problems if we do what we are supposed to do”. But it’s not always easy. “My daughter wanted to buy a house in an affluent neighbourhood. The Dutch people were not very happy about Indians moving there at first. But now they come to us when there are problems, and they are our best friends”.

The initial reaction of the neighbours might have been due to their perception of Surinam Indians. While NRIs seem to have almost seamlessly slipped into Dutch society, the Surinam Indians have not always managed to adapt so well. Gupta: “There is a big cultural difference. Indian people are educated, business-minded people. Surinam people not so much. We want to work hard, earn a place in society and earn our money. They don’t always. They depend too often on government money and benefits. I do not have contact with them”. Mr. Madan, on the other hand, stress that not all Indians share this view. “I, personally, would not like to generalise”.

Gupta however still prefers to only associate with the Dutch and the ‘pure’ Indian community. “I think I know everyone! You meet people all the time. Like recently, when there was a big Diwali celebration just outside Amsterdam, with music, dance and many different foods. It was organised and subsidized by the local authorities from the Amsterdam regions. There were more than

10.000 people; they had to turn people away because they didn’t fit on the town square!”

Naturally many Indians celebrate their traditional events, but these celebrations are being enjoyed along with Dutch festivities. Gupta: “My two daughters Venu and Komal grew up in Holland so we also celebrate Queens day, Christmas, Easter and so on. And

M.L. Gupta with Chef Hasan outside his restaurant

Badri Madan, President of the Netherlands India Asso-ciation and Chairman of the Indian Business Chamber,

NETHERLANDS


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

we don’t eat Indian food every day, there is also local food in our kitchen cabinets!”.

Young waitress Farhana Farkin decided to take integrating into Dutch society even further. In near-perfect Dutch she tells of coming to Holland in 2000 to join her husband Hasan Mohamed, who works as a chef, and about deciding to be as Dutch as she could be. “I said: I’m going to live here, so I’m going to learn the language, study here and have Dutch friends. After all, I am in Holland! But yes, things are different here of course. There is a very different culture and people are always busy, busy, busy, much more than in India. But Dutch people are really very nice, friendly and warm. I like almost everything here, except for the weather….”

For Farkin the most Indian thing she does every day is eat and serve Indian food. She laughs: “I don’t have a lot of choice with my husband being a chef and me learning to cook Indian!”. But for the rest, she is to all intents and purposes a Dutch woman: “I know a few Indian people here, but not many at all, and I don’t seek them out”. In fact, she says, she would sooner celebrate the extremely Dutch Queens Day than Diwali!

DUTCH DESI’S

Clearly there are different levels of integration within the Indian community, but both Indian groups – NRI and PIO alike - have adopted Dutch things such as food, language

and lifestyle. Still, they differ. Particularly in younger people. Where Surinam Indians have adopted football, desi’s play cricket; where PIOs have a largely ‘Dutchified’ lifestyle, desi’s combine their Dutch side with their Indian heritage in the shape of Bollywood, clothing and traditions.

Gupta: “Indian youth mix their parents’ traditions and values with new elements like media to make their own cultural identity”. An identity defined by history and beliefs, but operating within the almost limitless boundaries of Dutch society. Madan: “Desi stands for not blindly copying other cultures, foregoing your own. Desi shows confidence in young people. They were born in a free country and choose to adopt what’s good in a culture, Dutch or Indian, and combine it”.

Desi culture is increasingly being catered for in Holland. The

Wahid Saleh with his wife Hannie

and three grandchildren (Tarik,

Nordin andYara).

www.indiawijzer.nlIndiawijzer - Dutch for ‘India in the Netherlands’

is an information portal, and a comprehensive guide to India and related information in The Netherlands.

Indiawijzer was started as a social mission by Wahid Saleh to provide India related information to the Dutch public. Over the years it has evolved into a most comprehensive portal in India centric information.

A few chapters meant for Dutch school children are in Dutch.

Indiawijzer is the product of months of research, planning and hard work. This whole site is the work of one individual. Wahid Saleh was instrumental in bringing about the social security treaty signed by the Netherlands and India last month. Wahid initiated this in 2002 actively submitting petitions etc to the government. The social security treaty can be viewed on his website www.indiawijzer.nl

Wahid Saleh


area and Indian knowledge migrants are actually the fastest growing expatriate group there.

Shailesh and Rashmi Yadav, both 34 years old, are very new residents of Holland. “We came over in April to work in client relationship management for Tata Customer Service”. The couple has been together for almost 10 years and came over for the simple reason that TCS Europe is headquartered in Amsterdam. Shailesh: “But we

had heard so much about this place and were very excited to come here. Holland is very famous and people are very fond of this country”.

The couple seems to have fallen in love with the place as well. Rashmi: “This country is amazing, beautiful and simple. Work wise we fit right in. Socially its not been very easy so far, but we are giving ourselves some time. The Dutch people we do meet are

straightforward, simple and humble. And most importantly; they have been very nice to us so far. We feel very welcome”.

Like many Indians in Holland, the couple don’t feel the need to stick to their own kind. “We haven’t socialized much so far. Work has been keeping us busy. But the few friends we have are from Holland. We like the place and can imagine ourselves living here for quite some time”. Rasmhi: “The best thing about Holland is that it’s small and beautiful. It’s easy to get around and settle into. Shame it rains so much…”

The Dutch authorities make a conscious effort to make new Indian residents feel at home. Jolanda van der Aart from the dedicated India desk at Amsterdam In Business, part of the Ministry of Commerce: “We want to do everything to bind businesses to the Amsterdam region. Already, 50% of Indian companies are concentrated here. They are more and more catered for, even by letting agents. They include rice cookers in their apartments for instance”. In short, Holland wants to please the people who came over and wants to entice more companies to move here by organising, accommodating and subsidising events such as Indian expat seminars, Diwali festivals and (of course!) cricket tournaments.

CRICKET

Cricket is a vital part of Indian culture, anywhere in the world. So, on bright summer days young Indians gather to play in Dutch parks,

intense popularity of Bollywood, for instance, has persuaded Amsterdam Players Club to showcase the glitter and glamour of the movie industry at huge parties called Bollywood Fusion. Blissful beats from much loved films, magical decors, amazing food and high entertainment cater to the taste of every self-respecting desi. India was never so alive in Holland!

HOLLAND WANTSINDIA

At a time when many governments and societies struggle with immigration and integration issues, India seems to take a special place in Dutch immigration. In fact, it has actually become easier for Indians to come here. The government is actively seeking Indian businesses to set up offices here, visa requirements have been eased and work opportunities are still good. Madan: “This is in part due to the aging population and relatively low childbirth in the Netherlands. However, even though visa rules are good now for professionals, it’s still hard for a family to come over”.

The Netherlands wants Indian professionals to emigrate to the low country, and Amsterdam successfully runs at the front of the pack. The number of Indian firms in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area has doubled in the last three years. There are now 40 companies, mainly in the ICT sector, creating 2,500 jobs. In total there are 3,500 Indian residents in the metropolitan

Farhana Farhin - near perfect Dutch

NETHERLANDS


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

and matches are often used as social events. Madan: “Ha ha, yes, missing cricket of course! But nowadays, with all the technology, you can watch it anywhere. And trust me, we organise plenty of matches here!”

Cricket is also a perfect way to combine business with pleasure. Last June 400 Indian residents from around Amsterdam gathered at VRA cricket ground for the third annual India Day. The event was organised by Amsterdam In Business. Van der Aart: “Cricket is important to Indian people so we decided to use it as part of our promotion of Amsterdam to Indian companies. To make them feel welcome”.

All in all, Indian integration into Dutch society is very much an

effort of both sides. Consider the Dutch government’s active promotion of Indian companies, their easing of visa regulations and the local authority support for Indian events. This, combined with the Indian understanding that integration centres on adopting local customs, values and rules, has enabled many Indians to make a relatively smooth and silent integration into Dutch society, while still very much celebrating their Indian origin.

TII HALL OF FAME

TII’s Hall of Fame features India’s elderly, great, interesting and unusual men and women. Excerpted from the book Ageless Mind

and Spirit’ by Samar and Vijay Jodhawww.agelessmindandspirit.com

Dana den Hertog is a Dutch freelance journalist, tv-editor

and translator. With additional inputs by Frank Raj

She used to sing very well but onlyat home, once the men were out

Cricket enthusiasts on India day at VRA

be 60-65 students at one time but now there are only a dozen of them. I have even had 70-year-old students but in older students the flexibility of vocal chords is not there. Children learn very easily but forget easily too. So you have to make them do it again and again. Almost all my friends are gone and I am the only one left. I don’t know the reason for my long life. I lead a very simple lifestyle and have immersed myself totally in music.

Krishna Kumar Bhattacharya, music teacher, born Faridpur, Bangladesh, 1908

My interest in music started with my mother. She used to sing

very well but those were very conservative times and she did it only at home, once the men were out. Here singing inspired me to become a musician. I first trained under my maternal uncle Tarapur Chakravarty in Calcutta, then came to Delhi, and learnt under Ustad Muzaffar Khan. Back then you learnt by listening. There was no question of writing, we had to remember everything.

I have been teaching music for a number of years. There used to


For me Shyari is Dil ka woh ehsaas jo harsè bayan ho jaata hai – emotions and feelings of the heart that find

expression through words, says Singapore-based Bubbles Hora Saba who has recently written her first book, Ehsaas (Feelings). The 234-page volume is a compilation of 105 Ghazals, Nazms and Shers penned in Urdu and transliterated into the Hindi (Devanagiri) script and Romanised English.

Bubbles clarifies, “Shyari literally is poetry. Two lines form a Sher or couplet, and five or more couplets make a Ghazal, while a Nazm comprises free flowing poetry.”

She reminisces, “I wrote my first Nazm in the mid-1980s while travelling in Scotland’s Lake District with my husband and son. The sheer scenic beauty of my surroundings resulted in an outpouring of my thoughts and Mere Mehboob was penned:

Kabhi sochtey hai’n ki kya ho hamarey

by: Amita Sarwal

Ehsaas – ManifestingEmotions and Passion

Bubbles Hora Saba embarked upon a journey into the world of Urdu poetry many years ago. Today, after writing the first compilation of her Shyari, she continues

to pursue her passion with the attitude of a student - focused on learning and listening, that she might always become better at expressing her thoughts and

feelings, as well as those of others.

Maseeha ho, hum dum, ya ho dost dil keYa ho doobti zindagi ke sahare.

I wonder, my beloved, who are you to me?Are you my messiah, my co-traveller, my friend, Or are you the anchor of my life?”

Growing up in Chandigarh, Bubbles’ interest in Urdu Shyari began as a 12-year-old listening to her father reciting for his friends. “The

first Sher that impacted me was by Iqbal. I told my father I wanted to read Iqbal’s poetry. He laughingly replied, “People usually end [their learning] with Iqbal and you want to begin with him. To read Iqbal you have to first learn Urdu.” That is when I resolved to eventually read the works of the great masters in their own language. Yet, initially, even while writing in Hindi, I always thought in Urdu as I had enough of a vocabulary base from my childhood,” she smiles.

In the mid-1960s finding Urdu teachers in Chandigarh was not easy. Yet the budding poet continued to imbibe what she could from her father’s recitals. “He introduced me to the sensitivity of Urdu thought

and expression. This was the start Bubbles Hora

POETRY


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

of my journey where I realised the beauty and power of Shyari. By repeatedly listening to the works of masters like Rumi, Hafeez, Ghalib, Iqbal and Asgar Gondavi an awareness began to blossom. I would hear a Sher and it would be etched in my memory. I would repeat it often and view it from different angles, often discussing the poet’s thought with my dad,” she recalls.

After her marriage, Bubbles moved to Mumbai where she was able to attend many Ghazal recitals and heard great singers like Jagjit Singh, Mendhi Hassan, Abida Parveen, Nussrat Fateh Ali and Ghulam Ali among others. “I was focusing more on the lyrics rather than the melody,” she says.

“Shyari is a unique poetic language to express oneself. It is about love and romance, about pain, compassion, sacrifice and emotion. Being a Sikh, my Shyari is influenced by the writings of our first Guru, Guru Nanak Dev Ji who was a Sufi mystic, and further influenced by compositions of Shams Tabreez, Bulle’Shah, Rumi and Omar Khayyam,” Bubbles elaborates.

“Over the years I have begun to fully appreciate the beauty in life, in people, in nature. There is an acute awareness, an ability to be sensitive to other people’s joy or sorrow. I am even impacted if somebody does something ungracious, even if it does not personally affect me. Perhaps this makes me verbalise my feelings – as I suppose it does with any other artist. I also observe a lot. I am more of a listener, rather than a talker,” she reveals.

Undisputedly her foremost ‘testing board’ is her husband. Being an emotional, sensitive, compassionate and caring human being, he has complemented his wife on her journey.

Learning Urdu eventually started in Jakarta in 2004, and subsequently continued in Singapore. “I have written more prolifically during the past three years primarily because writing in Urdu script is more enjoyable,” she affirms.

Looking forward, Bubbles wants to learn Farsi, as some of the greatest works have been written in this classical language and she feels that the essence is lost in translation.

Next, she hopes one day her compositions would be set to music: “The reason for this is because many people do not read Urdu and in musical form, thought that has been expressed will reach a wider audience as many more people understand Urdu. This is ultimately what I want.”

Bubbles does not write to a set pattern or theme. “The minute something touches my soul, thoughts begin to flow. At times I only write a Sher – but more often pen an entire Ghazal in one sitting,” she says.

Aurat ke Naam is her ode to suppressed women all over the world.

“I hope to inspire every woman to reach to aspire and believe in herself,” she says and writes:

‘Ho’n agar khwab chhotey to yeh jan leyOuncha urney ki tujh me’n bhi himmat nahi’n’(If you don’t dare to dream big, then remember thatYou won’t have the courage to soar either.)

Perhaps the best inspiration for her writings of the future could be the advice from one of her mentors, Syed Zia Alvi, a poet in his own right. He said, “Saba Sahiba, apni kalaam ko kabhi aaram na di jiya ga.” (Saba Sahiba, never allow your pen to rest).

And she has kept her pen busy writing her second book titled Takhiyul (Thought). “I felt it was time for the writer in me to move on from Ehsaas to Takhiyul – from Feelings to Thought – thereby continuing my growth as a poet,” she explains.

Ehsaas_Cover

Amita Sarwal is a freelance writer based in Singapore


To the Best of his Memory

Eighty-four years is a landmark in the life of any individual. During that rewarding span, the man,

according to Indian tradition, would have witnessed a thousand full moons.

Now, 85, Maghanmal J. Pancholia, the Dubai-based Indian entrepreneur, has seen his share of full moons, alright. Bur more importantly, he has brought sunshine to the lives of countless people – not just Indians. He has also been instrumental in shaping the Indian expatriate community as we see the one million plus people now, serving as their voice to the Dubai Ruling Family and also obtaining for them the pillars of modern society – a full-fledged school, to start with.

Fondly called as Maghaba, the mark of this man is that he is the most unobtrusive individual you could find in a room, even when everyone there has joined

by: Rajeev Nair

Some people touch lives; others influence and shape generations. Maghanmal J. Pancholia, the Dubai-based Indian entrepreneur, not only cut new inroads in business but also established the foundations for the Indian expatriate community in Dubai, as

we see them today.

to celebrate the launch of his memoir. Like a gentle wind, his persona pervades the room but doesn’t ruffle you. He is effortless, at ease with himself, doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone anymore and from that self-confidence comes across as grace personified.

Age has perhaps slowed his footsteps a bit but there are facets of the man that will never change, as his friends will vouch for. One is his elaborate preparation for any public address. For one, who must have addressed a thousand stages, interacted with luminaries ranging from

rulers to prime ministers, you would expect the man to step up on stage and extemporize. Not Maghaba. He prepares his speeches much in advance and makes sure that the basics of a good speech are followed – “Tell them what you are going to tell them; tell them; and then tell them what you told them.”

That is but one of the many facets of the man, who is renowned for a sharp memory that cuts through decades, as is illustrated in his memoir, narrated to Vasanti Sundaram (see box story). ‘Footprints: Memoirs of an Indian Patriarch’ is not about Maghanmal J. Pancholia with the late

PM Rajiv Gandhi and Mrs. Sonia Gandhi

COVER STORY


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

Maghaba but about the world as Maghaba sees it. It is also about what people feel about the grand old man of the Indian expatriate community but the take-home quotient of this book, as with any interaction with Maghaba, is how much one man can accomplish if the priorities in life are never compromised.

The story of Maghaba, like most successful Indian entrepreneurs in the Gulf, goes back in time to the days of “no power, running water and roads,” – as they refer to the Dubai of the early 1900s.

Like most of his peers, Maghaba too was following a family tradition when he sailed in to Sharjah to join his father, but unlike several others, expatriation was not Maghaba’s first choice. He wanted to study and

had enrolled at a Karachi college, shelling out a princely Rs500 before he was forced to flee the city, as the waves of nationalism and British protest reached a crescendo.

“The city of Karachi was littered with military personnel and I too got caught in a lathi charge while trying to escape from a protest

march,” recalls Maghaba. That was the turning point in

the life of Maghaba, who knew he had to take the road much traveled by his ancestors and family members.

He might have taken the beaten track but the trail he blazed in his new home today stands as a beacon for any success-aspirant.

To emulate that, one must

know where Maghaba comes from because he proves with his life that one can grow, flourish and branch out, but there is no ignoring one’s roots.

Clockwise from top left: Maghanmal J. Pancholia with the late Ruler of Dubai HH Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum: with HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, VP of UAE and Ruler of Dubai; with HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance and Industry; with leading UAE businessmenSaif Al Ghurair and Abdullah Al Ghurair


And as luck would have it, Maghaba’s roots are not even in the country of which he is a passport holder.

“There is nothing that makes me more proud than calling myself an Indian, a Sindhi and a Thattai Bhatia.” That is how Maghaba starts his memoir. But Thatta, where he started his life journey, is in modern-day Pakistan. His family had to flee Thatta during Partition but memories of the place – like all aspects of his life – are etched evergreen in Maghaba.

He can paint a rosy picture of his childhood, about herding cows, playing pranks, making his mother bake fresh bread, all in quick succession. He doesn’t want to return to the Thatta of today because “I believe it is good to allow certain memories to remain as memories. I would rather remember Thatta as it used to be when it was my home.”

And for those who want to learn more about Thatta, the traditional way of living, the customs and practices, the way women went about their chores waiting for husbands living in the Gulf, ‘Footprints’ is perhaps the most powerful referral points available today.

It is not only an evergreen recollection of Maghaba’s memories, it is a strong sketch on the community and how it has branched out to various parts of the

world, taking in the pangs of Partition with stoic grace, and rebuilding the community from scratch.

Maghaba, the frail young boy from Thatta, who eventually witnessed his family relocating in Mumbai, has gone a long way from delivering husk as fodder for cows and returning with milk supplies.

It is a remarkable journey, one that also takes followers through the evolution of a powerful economy – that of Dubai.

In 1942, when he first came to Sharjah, he started off assisting his father and was in charge of a mobile canteen at the Royal Air Force base. Like others of his community, he too did everything – “cooking, cleaning, washing our clothes and fetching water on donkeys and camels.”

Along with the city, under the leadership of the late Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, regarded as the Father of Dubai, Maghaba too charted new growth frontiers in business. From textiles to retail to money exchange, his Arabian Trading Agency became an integral part of the Indian community. About this march to success, he recalls: “We have come a long way from being traders in money exchange, foodstuff and textiles. Diversifying into electronic goods and watches was a good move that worked to our advantage. The fact that we were founder shareholders of certain local banks also helped us to gain credibility with our international business associates.”

He believes that he could have been less conservative in taking risks and implementing bold business strategies.

But the Indian expatriate community, perhaps, must thank him for that. The image of an ultra-shrewd Maghaba hardly befits the loving patriarch that Indians in Dubai know. The very fact that he did not invest his 100 per cent energy, purely for business and personal profit, makes the life of Maghaba worth emulating and revisiting.

“Even as we incorporated the elements of modern working styles into our family business, we

With former President of India Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam and

Indian Consul General of Dubai Mr. Venu Rajamony

Maghanmal J. Pancholia with formerPM of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew

COVER STORY


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

made sure that our core values remained intact,” says Maghaba. “That is the reason why the Arabian Trade Agency has grown as a credible launch pad for a variety of businesses that we are aligned with today.”

Alongside that measured, value-based growth, Maghaba did what few others had the vision or inclination to do – he ‘gave back’ to the society.

This was at a time when corporate social responsibility was not part of the business lingo. This was a time when charity events did not make it to the Movers & Shakers columns of dailies. The reward for good work was just that – nothing more.

Perhaps the most commendable and valued contribution of Maghaba to the Indian community is his commitment in establishing The Indian High School, an alma mater for thousands of young Indians, who now occupy places of pride across the world.

Maghaba was instrumental in obtaining free land from the Dubai Government for the school – land that was offered to him thrice earlier but couldn’t be put to use because the required funds for setting up a school could not be raised.

When the land was provided the fourth time, Maghaba gave an assurance to Sheikh Rashid – whom Maghaba considers his role model even today – that he will personally bear the burden to build a school.

That he didn’t have to do so marks the sense of solidarity that continues to prevail in the Indian community today. Those who chipped in funds form the Board of Trustees of the school, which today is one of the foremost educational institutions in Dubai.

“I cannot quantify my gratitude to Sheikh Rashid for having granted me that large expanse of land,” observes Maghaba. “Back then, I could never have dreamed that the school would scale significant milestones and set new benchmarks in

education. Obviously, Sheikh Rashid had proved one more time that he was a man of incredible far-sightedness.”

Maghaba’s contribution, however, extends beyond the Indian community. He has served on the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry; was the only Indian on the board of Al Maktoum Hospital; played an instrumental role in the establishment of the Dubai Electric Company – by being the first of five people to chip in Rs10,000 each to buy a generator and form the Indo Arab Electricity Company; and has been closely associated with several banks including the National Bank of Dubai, Oman Bank, Dubai Islamic Bank, Emirates International Bank and IndusInd Bank.

He also played a leadership role in setting up the Indian Association and the India Club, both referral points of the Indian community in Dubai.

In hindsight, it is easy for us all to brush past all of these achievements under ‘one

Maghanmal J. Pancholia and wife Kalaben with the extended family

Maghanmal J. Pancholia and wife Kalaben distributing sweets to school chil-dren at the Champaran Baithak Mandir in 2000.


paragraph’ but imagine the heart-break, the agonies, the sheer stress the man might have endured to accomplish one and all of his commitments.

About all his achievements, Maghaba is quick to thank the ruling family and concerned UAE citizens for their support. It makes one wonder how many of the young Indian entrepreneurs can cut

through the distance been ‘expatriate’ and ‘ruling family’ and build lasting bonds. How many of them, some 20 years from now, can stand up, look into the face of the community and say they tried to build the community?

That is precisely why Maghaba’s life makes meaningful read even today.

Yes, here is a man, who hasn’t warmed up even to a cell phone and continues to make small chits about everyone he meets and everything that impresses him; here is a man, who goes on morning walks to collect flowers for worship; here is a man who socializes but prefers to eat at

home; here is a man who would opt to listen to the radio than watch the television and upset his wife; here is a man, whose son says watching “my father maintain his composure even

under the most stressful situation has been a learning experience;” here is a man who had the resolve to just pack the bags and travel the world for four months… here is Maghaba.

Learn from him.

Clockwise from top left: Maghanmal J. Pancholia with friends Vasu Shroff, Juma Al Majid and Dr. Lalchand M. Pancholia at the launch of ‘Footprints’; With Yousuf Ali, Managing Director, EMKE Group; Dr Anil K. Khandelwal, Chairman and Managing Director, Bank of Baroda; Padmashree Dr B. R. Shetty, Managing Director and CEO, NMC Group; and G. V. Eshwar, Chairman, BUMGA Group, from left to right; Felicitating noted flautist, Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia; Breaking ground for the Indian High School Dubai in August 1968.

COVER STORY

Rajeev Nair is a Dubaibased writer


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

The Write StuffVasanti Sundaram recalls that putting together the memoirs of Maghanmal J.

Pancholia was like a prayer, a solemn discipline that made her see the richness of the man and a community.

During her rewarding career as journalist, radio newscaster and television host, Vasanti Sundaram has interviewed the crème la de crème of the Indian and UAE society. Her interviews bring out the unique depths of a person. That is because she doesn’t interview; she listens.

Perhaps it is this power of successful communication that prompted Maghanmal J. Pancholia to narrate his story to Vasanti for his memoir.

The seed was planted in 2006 with the Indian High School Principal Ashok Kumar suggesting to Maghaba that Vasanti write his memoir.

Maghaba says the book was the insistence of his sons and well-wishers, who wanted him to document his life for the sake of posterity. He rubbished the word ‘posterity’ but was drawn to the fact that perhaps he is now the most qualified person to talk about Thatta and the journey of his community from the hamlet in Pakistan to the rest of the world.

His personal objective in writing the book is the hope that “it will inspire young people to notch many firsts and to learn the realities of life from my experience.”

For Vasanti, the task therefore was as difficult as it could get.

For one, she was writing about one of the most unassuming personalities in Dubai. There is nothing flashy about Maghaba; there is only the lasting legacy of what he has accomplished. That meant none of those colourful adjectives that are thrown into personality profiles but a lot of active verbs – literally and figuratively.

Vasanti recalls that her brief was precise and sharp – much like what Maghaba does. “He wanted the book to be simple and reflect his tone of voice,” Vasanti noted. “He wanted to talk to the readers.”

Given how Vasanti earns the trust of those she interviews, she was given instant access to the thousands of little chits and notes that Maghaba used to keep from years ago. They also had weekly meetings every Saturday, when Maghaba would talk extensively about his life.

“What was surprising about these meetings is how he would recall every tiny bit. He could even list the names of all his classmates at school and explain a personality trait of each of them,” reveals Vasanti.

Vasanti was awed by his memory but it also made her task difficult because she had to keep pace with the man, who would suddenly say: “I have told you about this earlier.”

Initially the meetings were in the evenings but they changed to the morning, when Maghaba was less stressed about beating the traffic to be on time. Always punctual – a trait he expounds in his memoir – the man’s innate humaneness and humility was touching, says Vasanti.

Vasanti describes the meetings as being part of an “intensely profound journey.

I was also impressed by his thirst for learning. For the memoir, he decided to get a mobile phone and talk to his friends; he also took an active interest in exploring the Internet for details.”

Even as the discussions progressed, Maghaba being the humble man he is, he would keep asking if people would be interested in knowing about him.

Maghaba initially wanted the book to be called ‘To the Best of My Memory’ because indeed the book was all about his rich database of memories. He once joked that the book could be named ‘Man of Small Things,’ in reference to Arundhati Roy’s ‘God of Small Things.’ “He wanted his book to be simple, always saying it must not be tough to read like Arundhati Roy’s,” recalls Vasanti.

Although Maghaba’s memory was diamond-sharp and rock-solid, Vasanti knew that historical facts had to be verified and cross-checked. She was surprised to note that Maghaba was bang on target, even with dates, most of the time.

Vasanti says the task of putting together the memoirs was made easy because Maghaba had a chronological order in telling the story. “His anecdotes were always inter-connected.”Vasanti had to take a break for over a year due to personal reasons. She thought it was unfair that the memoir should be delayed because of her but Maghaba was insistent. He waited till Vasanti was ready and the narration sessions continued.

For someone who has taken all the different avatars a writer can ever aspire for – Vasanti is also a feature film script-writer – she says compiling the book makes her immensely proud. It stems not only from ticking off another ‘must do’ from a personal set of goals, but also in having been able to share the history of the Indian community in Dubai and the growth of this city through the eyes of a true patriarch.

She says writing the book was like a prayer. It called for discipline – the need to sit up late, pore through the notes, earmark the relevant research and adapt the writing to the tone and personality of Maghaba.

Now that the book is out Vasanti too has moved on – not to another biography but to a new passion – Kathak. She made her stage debut in October and is elated over having one more dream fulfilled.

Footprints, Maghanmal J. Pancholia’s memoir is the patriarch’s legacy for the Indian community


GINA Satavir Kaur, a young British Indian from Bunny, in Nottingham,

Central England, was subjected to such a terrifying four-month campaign of bullying and humiliation at the hands of her mother-in-law Dalbir Kaur Bhakar in the suburbs of London, that it broke her emotionally.

Nottingham County Court in the East Midlands was told how Gina’s life fell apart in 2002 after her arranged marriage to 29-year-old Hardeep Singh Bhakar. Gina was an intelligent, professional businesswoman, but her life changed when, after their marriage she moved in with her husband’s family in Ilford, Essex, on the eastern fringes of London.

Dalbir Kaur’s campaign of torment against her daughter-

by: Shamlal Puri

IS BRITAIN TURNING A BLIND EYE TO

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE?Domestic violence is so unmentionable that it seems not to exist in the UK’s Indian community. It isn’t talked about, it isn’t revealed and it certainly isn’t

tackled. Many Indian women are reluctant and too fearful to seek help. Reporting from London SHAMLAL PURI investigates the plight of those who

suffer in silence.

in-law made the young bride an emotional wreck. Gina was forced to do menial housework for hours; was kept a virtual prisoner in the house and forced into domestic duties at the crack of dawn. She was referred to as a ‘dog’ and forced into a routine of cleaning toilets without a brush in an attempt to exhaust and humiliate her.

Gina claimed in court that she was not allowed to visit the local Gurudwara (temple) and was allowed only four short visits home to her parents shortly after her wedding. Her telephone use was limited and calls were monitored.

The mother-in-law also forced Gina to cut her hair to shoulder length, knowing fully well her Sikh faith forbade it. Ironically, Gina’s husband Hardeep did nothing to stop his mother from humiliating the young bride.

Gina was refused to register with a local doctor and suffered a hand infection, the result of excessive cleaning, which went untreated.

Mrs. Bhakar, 52, was fined UK Pounds 35,000 after the court refused to accept her claim of innocence. The marriage had fallen apart and Hardeep and Gina were divorced. Gina moved back to her parents’

Aishwarya Rai in ‘Provoked’

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

home in Nottingham.Gina’s lawyer John Rosley told

the press, “This case has exposed a problem that is common but not often talked about.” He said Gina was brave to have sought the help of the law. “There are many who could bring such a case but do not.”

He hoped that the publicity generated by this successful action would bring other women who have suffered similarly to come forward.

This is, unfortunately, only the tip of the iceberg.

Domestic violence experts say this is the crux of the problem. Apna Ghar, a domestic violence organization based in East London, found that in a lot of cases mothers-in-law are behind the abuse.

Many of these elderly women have been abused themselves. So what makes them so keen to see the cycle of violence perpetrated on others?

For many of these women it is the only power they have. In the Indian community, a lot of women feel their sons are everything. The son should never appear to have such a close relationship with his wife that it threatens the mother’s position of power.

Consequently, some women are abusive to their daughters-in-law, determined to prove their power of strength in their sons’ lives.

But the men also have responsibility to protect their wives from abuse. They are failing in their marriage vows if they become mere observers while the wife is subjected to ridicule, disrespect and abuse.

It takes a lot to change such ingrained attitudes. Community pressure is such that even mothers whose daughters are being victimised are reluctant to step in.

A lot of Indians, even if they are living in the West, have to be educated about respecting someone’s daughter who has come into their home.

Too many men believe they have the right to physically abuse their wives, much in the same way as they beat their children for every supposed wrong. The abuse is deplorable in Hindu homes, and it has come in full force with the immigrants to the United Kingdom and elsewhere.

Many British Indians are victims of domestic violence but they choose to keep quiet for fear of being stigmatized in the community.

The most widely known case of domestic violence in Britain is that of a Punjabi woman Kiranjit Ahluwalia who suffered merciless beatings from her husband Deepak. She married him at the age of 23 and for ten years she suffered domestic abuse of profound severity, including physical violence, food deprivation, and marital rape.

She sought the help of her extended family but was reprimanded and ordered to stay with her husband because it was a matter of family

honour and she was a mother.One evening in 1989,

Mrs Ahluwalia was allegedly attacked by her husband. She later accused him of trying to break her ankles and burn her face with a hot iron, while apparently trying to extort money from her extended family. Later that night while her husband lay sleeping, she fetched some petrol from the garage, poured it over the bed, set it alight, and ran into the garden with her three-year-old son.

Deepak suffered 40 per cent burns and died ten days later in hospital from complications of severe burn injuries. Ahluwalia, who could only speak broken English at the time, was arrested and ultimately charged with murder and sentenced to life imprisonment at Lewes Crown Court on 7 December 1989.

Her case eventually came to the attention of the Southall Black Sisters, an Indian pressure group in north-west London, and Ahluwalia became a symbol of the repression of Asian women in Western society as the group pressed for a mistrial.

Ahluwalia had her life sentence remanded in 1992 on grounds of insufficient counsel. She had not been aware that she could plead guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. In addition, it was brought to light that she was suffering from severe depression when she lashed back at her husband, which her counsel argued had altered her decision-making abilities at the time.

Her case was featured in the Bollywood film, Provoked, in which Aishwarya Rai plays the

Kiranjit Ahluwalia (Photo by: Angry Harry)


role of Kiranjit Ahluwalia.Yet, it goes without saying that Bollywood films are the cause of an

increase in domestic violence not only in India, but also among NRIs. In these films, stars treat their wives as chattels and beat them up when they want to. Indian men at grass-roots level try to emulate the actions of their stars after watching these movies.

Take the comedy film Aamdani Aath Anni Kharcha Rupaiya, the stars beat up their wives at their whim when the male characters feel their spouses are over-stepping their limits. Or in one film I saw in which the famed Nana Patekar, a village rogue and grandfather, lashes out violently, not only at his wife and other women folk, but also men who irk him.

Domestic violence is no laughing matter.

In Britain there are several refuges for just Asian or Indian women. Sadly these are well-used. Here, sometimes police fail to help Asian women because they think they are treading on sensitive ground.

An example is the case of a Muslim woman they left at the mercy of the violent husband when the husband said that, according to Islamic law, he ‘owned’ his wife. The British Police did not stop to think that the law of the land applies to all.

Then there was the case of Navjeet Sidhu, a 27-year-old Sikh mother of two, who jumped in front of the Heathrow-Paddington express train in Southall with her kids. It was claimed that the young mother married an Indian man at the age of 20 and had an unhappy marriage. The couple had briefly split up for one year and Navjeet had gone to live in the US. When she returned, the couple had become more distant. Overcome by depression, she took her life and that of her two children.

When thinking of Domestic Violence or Spousal Abuse, it is automatically assumed that the victim is always a woman. What is often overlooked are situations where men are the victims – men married to scheming women who will not leave their husbands in peace, according to sources in the community.

Along with the verbal tirades, husbands also have to deal with physical abuse where the wife not only inflicts physical harm but also manipulates the law to blame him.

I recall the case of a neighbouring Indian couple in East London who had invited a guest for dinner to their house. The wife flew into a rage because her husband had failed to comply with her request to set the table for dinner. The man, who had just arrived home from

work, was engrossed in watching TV and kept on procrastinating. When he went into the dining room to set the table, she lashed out at him ferociously with a stool she was holding.

Police were called. The lady police officer said she could not intervene as this was a domestic problem. The police could clearly see blood gushing out of the husband’s head. The police only offered to call an ambulance to treat the husband and said they would record the incident in their log books at the police station.

Another time, a friend took pity on his Indian neighbour as he discovered him sleeping in the back garden in driving London snow because his wife had locked him out of the house for no other reason than his arriving home late. She refused to accept his explanation that he was late due to a delay in the public transport system. My friend invited him to his house and asked him to sleep in his spare room. His wife never spoke to my friend again after this intervention and considered him her enemy number one.

I have come across some young Indian men feeling low and miserable. They are among the breed of ‘imported’ partners married to British Asian women. These men are totally at the mercy of their British Asian wives and their families, because they do not have a proper job and the right to live in the UK permanently. These young Indian men have given up perfectly respectable jobs back home in the sub-continent to be in UK.

A typical scenario is that the imported groom once out of

Navjeet Sidhu with her 2 children


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

India is totally at the mercy of his British Asian wife and her family. He may not be subjected to physical abuse but there is a lot of mental harassment and financial deprivation. He may be forced to do long hours at the family-owned business while his British raised wife is partying.

In other cases, a successful and well-to-do Indian goes back to the motherland to get married. It is an arranged marriage to what appears to be a shy and submissive homely girl. Little does he know that she is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. She has an agenda and a game plan. The trouble begins once she has got her immigration papers. By then probably, she has a couple of children.

Then follows the divorce where, as expected, the husband loses his life’s savings and the house. This is alongside the alimony and child support that he is liable to pay.

When it comes to divorce, the women have the upper hand in the eyes of British law. Divorcing wives sit down with their lawyers to scheme how to take away everything that the husband owns. There are many examples of men in such a situation but sadly there are no organisations in the UK to look after the welfare of battered husbands.

Ironically, the British legal system is so heavily stacked against men, that even judges in divorce courts turn a blind eye to the plight of husbands. They don’t care what happens to the husband in the case of a divorce. It’s the divorcing wife who should get the lot! Only in very rare cases do the judges look

beyond their noses at the conspiracy hatched by divorcing wives and their criminally-minded, overpaid lawyers. It’s a game that a woman’s lawyer must win under any circumstances.

Once the divorce is finalized, the now ex-wife’s long time boyfriend appears on the scene – and it’s party time for her.

While divorce is the ultimate solution to the lost lives of spouses, most cases of domestic violence or spousal abuse go unreported and the victims suffer in silence.

A lot of times there are children involved in these unhappy relationships and abused women do not want to risk losing their children to the adoption system of the UK or to a foster mother. She may or may not get custody of her children depending on how the

judge views the case.Gina Satvir Kaur took

her mother-in-law to court, not under any specific domestic violence law but under the 1997 Protection from Harassment Act. This Act covers various kinds of behaviour, including religious or racially motivated harassment. It is generally used to prosecute people who play loud music or have noisy house parties.

The British Government should step into this festering problem and make spousal abuse and domestic violence severely punishable under the law. Judges should be strict in administering justice. Long prison sentences should be handed down alongside deportation of violent Asian spouses and family members involved in domestic violence. This would go some way in helping to eradicate this age-old problem, at least among the immigrant communities.

Meanwhile, plans have been mooted in the UK to set up an organization to boycott bringing in brides and bridegrooms from the Indian sub-continent because of the exploitation of NRIs and fraudulent marriages. There have been instances of marriages of convenience where people from the Indian region have come to the UK only to obtain a visa and rights to settle permanently. They walk away from the marriage citing ‘difficulties’ once their immigration status is confirmed.

Aishwarya Rai & Naveen Andrews in ‘Provoked’

Shamlal Puri is a veteran British journalist, broadcaster, author and press photographer. He has worked with the media in Europe,

Africa, Asia and the Middle East. His latest novel ‘Salik or No Salik? Welcome to Dubai! Tales of Taxi Drivers’ will be released

around the world, including Dubai, in 2010. He has travelled to more than 100 countries in an illustrious

journalistic career spanning 30 years. His work has been published in more than 250 magazines, newspapers and journals around the world.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE


Shock. Awe. Delight when I discovered that Interstate 5, the freeway which runs past a couple of miles from my home in Los Angeles could take me all the way to Vancouver, British Columbia. How cool is that? A perfect getaway from the turmoil of ramped up LA. No plane reservations,

tickets, security lines, dozing pilots, mouldy peanuts, jetlag and more. Instead, I found myself with cousins Raj, Indrani, and Ahalya on a winding road, bonding together and lapping up the miles onward to Vancouver, named top city by Conde Nast Traveller Magazine this year. A quick check at the border, sharp scrutiny by a Canadian Sikh - an admonition because two of us had come without passports. “Don’t you folks watch TV and keep up with regulations?” He queried sternly. Thankfully there was no bureaucratic snafu so we crossed over to alpine scented skies, street buskers,

by: Prem Souri Kishore

A DAY IN VANCOUVER

A visit to Vancouver provides four Indian vagabonds with a panorama of pleasures. Relaxed atmosphere, fantastic weather (July-September), and

beautiful scenery. Vancouver has fun and adventure, arts and entertainment all squeezed into one place between the mountains and the sea. Oh – and all the samosas, paneer, butter chicken, gosht curry, laddus, and jilebis you can eat!

waterfalls, the surge of the ocean, lush gardens, and mountains crested with snow. Canada: ten provinces, six time zones, and the national capital, Ottawa, in

Ontario. British Columbia is on the west side of Canada. I hurriedly read the flyer I picked up at a gas station as we merge into the tranquil, lazy streets of Vancouver. No flashy cars, no behemoth construction. What a relief.

First stop - an Indian restaurant that simply called out to us with its hoarding displaying authentic Punjabi food. Back in LA, I had heard traveller’s stories of authentic Punjabi makki ki roti, sarson ka sag, tandoori on this street called Main Street. Here we were, feasting on traditional fare, rotis, dal ki makhni, kebabs, and meetha. We left, but not without packing more goodies like gulab jamun and laddus for the

Vancouver quilt

DESI TRAVELLER


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

return journey. The whole street was Little India, though everyone calls it the Punjabi Market.

It was in 1899 when Sikh troops returned from England to Punjab via Canada after witnessing Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee celebration that they were lured by this fertile landscape, the labour opportunities, the vast expanses of pristine agricultural land, and better economic prospects. Soon almost 3000 Punjabis crossed over by steamship to the US and Canada. A very difficult phase of great hardship and alienation. Most settlers took up jobs in fishing, logging, farming, and timber industries. Today, many Sikhs hold responsible, high profile positions and hold cabinet posts in the central government. There are 247 Punjabi radio programs and many Punjabi publications.

I wander through shops spilling over with flamboyant fabrics, velvets, sequined sarees, embroidered kurtas, bridal finery, cholis, counters filled with bangles of every hue, costume jewellery ranging from lavishly studded stones to simple strands of pearls. On benches near bus stops elderly turbaned Sikhs sit with toddlers. Evidently this

was an ideal way not just to baby sit but catch up on Indian news and politics. And then the gold shops. Shop owners were very friendly, had loads of time for a chat as they brought out boxes of gold necklaces and earrings and bangles with exotic names. Aishwarya Rai jhumkas, Katrina pearls, Kareena kangans.

I talk to a few owners and sales people. They all seem very happy to live in Vancouver. Preetam Lall tells me, “We have the best of India and

UK here. Malkit Singh the bhangra king visits us, Bollywood movie stars come for film festivals, we get together for melas and life’s good,” he says. Vinita, the pretty owner of a jewellery store tells me she came from Jalandhar to marry her husband. She loves Vancouver and cannot think of moving anywhere else. The winters? “It’s okay. We grew up in North India winters, so we are used to Canadian winters,” she says. My cousins and I gift each other elegant costume jewellery, scarves and gorgeous sarees in lush colours that can be used as runners. Prices are very reasonable. While they sift though more necklaces, I step out and walk down the

road, picking up two newspapers: Asian Voice, a glossy magazine and a newspaper, South Asian Post.

I settle down on a bench and right opposite me is a restaurant advertising CHICKEN LEG WITH BACK ATTACHED (PUNJAB MEAT SHOP). I am vastly amused. I keep reading. Bengali fish curry,

Sights of Vancouver


Punjabi style Codfish pakora, kheema kaleji, goat biryani, chilli paneer, Amritsar kulcha and for bread it was lacchedar

parantha. A young Punjabi woman joins me. She is waiting for a bus. I ask if there are South Indian eating places. “Oh yes. we always go there on Sundays,”

she tells me eagerly. “There’s House of Dosas on Kingsway and Saravanaa Bhavan. Their chef arrives and serves hot dosas off the griddle in your backyard if you have a special event.” She also tells me that a restaurant

delivers ‘tiffins’ straight to business lunch meetings – “I think it’s called Chutney Villa.” The bus arrives and she is off. She certainly loves South Indian food. I scan the South Asian Post. Many Indians seem to have gone into the real estate business. Indian faces beam with

confident integrity from the pages of the paper as they lure with 30 acre farms for sale and 2 storey homes for $600,000 Canadian dollars.

I flip to the glossy magazine, South Asian Woman. Here is a mehendi article, Miss Teen BC in May contest, 16 year old Punjabi Suneet Mann - born in Surrey, BC, says she is a perfect mix of Indian and Western culture. She’s collecting 2000 teddy bears for children in Uganda and volunteers for the Heart and Stork Foundation. And here’s a play written by Fenulla Jiwani of Toronto - wish I had time to go. It’s about 30 dates: A 35 year-old South Asian woman goes on a dating spree to find true love since her parents are forcing her to get married. Fascinating.

My cousins catch up with me and we cruise through the city, after

sipping hot chocolate lattes and snacking on crisps. I remember decades ago, back in Chennai, India I had devoured the books of Lobsang Rampa the 1970’s self designated guru. Remember The Third Eye book? The best selling author of esoteric stuff wrote about flying saucers from Tibet to Venus. The first person narrator, he posed as a Tibetan physician with the psychic ability to read human auras via a third eye sited vertically

on his forehead. He wrote many books on Tibet. All fiction. And took on a Tibetan identity. Had a cult following of 12 million. Later it was revealed he never spoke a word of the language. His real name was Cyril Henry Hoskins, an unemployed son of

a plumber from Devonshire. He stayed 2 years in Vancouver in a hotel of a 35 storey building, in hiding. The memory jogged, I decide to dart into a bookstore. I discover an intimate collection of stories of Japanese Canadians - the first Japanese immigrants arrived in 1877. Spirit of the Nikkei Fleet by Masako and Stanley Fukawa: The real lives of Nikkei fishermen and families told in their own words. Plan to buy it on Amazon at the half price rate. I spot a favourite mystery writer Raymond Chandler

Vancouver skyline

DESI TRAVELLER

[ A young Punjabi woman joins me. She is waiting for a bus. I ask if there are South

Indian eating places. “Oh yes. we always go there on Sundays,” she tells me eagerly.


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

Mongolian nomads, who arrived thousands of years ago. The English arrived later, in 1792. It was Captain George Vancouver who established a trading post and the island was subsequently named after him.

Shopping for celebrities? Saunter down Robson Street. You may be lucky and spot your favourite movie or TV star browsing for antiques. For gorgeous views of downtown and beyond, go to Grouse Mountain and ride the SkyRide for dramatic views. It was

nearing nightfall and we had to catch the ferry to Victoria for the night. We left Vancouver promising to return, who knows, maybe for the 2010 Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games.

(Farewell, My Lovely; The Long Goodbye), who died in 1959 after a heavy binge. The screenplay of his last novel Playback, was set mostly in Vancouver.

I skim through a magazine and spot Dylan Thomas who wrote to his wife in 1950, “The city of Vancouver is quite a handsome hellhole, more British than Cheltenham,” and complained there were two bars in his hotel, one for men and one for women. On another page, an article about Rudyard Kipling (remember Jungle Jim?) his vitriolic outpourings against immigration, liberals, trade unions rhetorical. He often spoke about the undesired races. “East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet.” He bought a small piece of land in Vancouver and became owner of 400 well developed pines but found later he was duped. The land belonged to someone else. I am secretly pleased that this bigoted man got his just desserts.

What can you do in one day in Vancouver? Visit the Vancouver art gallery displaying Rembrandt, Vermeer Dutch masterpieces - 120 works of art created during the 17th century-Golden Age of the Netherlands from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The paintings capture the lavish clothing and jewellery, fascinating glimpses into the daily life of the wealthy society, merchant classes and aristocracy. Stroll through Stanley Park of 1000 acres where walkways are lined with cedar, fir and hemlock. Diverse hiking trails or, if you have a brave heart, walk the swaying Capilano suspension bridge in the middle of a rain forest. Lush wood lakes, turtles, foliage abound in the Van Dusen Botanical Gardens which prides itself on nurturing 255,000 plants from around the world. In Chinatown, Dr Sun Yat Zen garden is the perfect place for serenity with exquisite architecture, landscaped like the private gardens of aristocracy in China years ago. Now we were in China Town, it was time for the famous dimsum and herbal teas. Delicious.

There are walking tours conducted in Mandarin. The Chinese arrived in 1914 to construct the Canadian Pacific Railway. I made a note to delve deeper into the immigration of indentured labour, the difficulties of adapting and integrating of these independent fortune seekers, the Punjabis, Japanese, Chinese. I noticed a number of streets had Spanish names - Cordova, Valdez, Narvaez. The Spaniards had made a treaty in 1592 with the First Nations People, formerly known as

Vancouver Conference Center & Vancouver Tower

Prem Souri KishoreTII’s contributing editor is

based in Los Angeles


When the Director of the company I had worked for earlier

first called me to say I’d been appointed, I was all smiles until the reply to a question I asked casually got me thinking about what I might have let myself in for. “Where are you from, Sir?” I asked him. “Karachi,” came the reply. “Oh, a Pakistani!” I almost blurted out. How could I, an Indian, work for a Pakistani? The thought, at that time, was appalling and I was apprehensive - but that is now history. Needless to say, my tenure there was as smooth as could be and I had very cordial relations with my Pakistani boss and Pakistani colleagues and continue to do so even today. Skirmishes, if any, never had anything to do with nationality.

Too much unnecessary talk has gone into portraying the citizens of both the nations as arch enemies, ready to slit throats and tear each

by: Bushra Alvi

How Indians and Pakistanis Get Along

Too much unnecessary talk has gone into portraying the citizens of both the nations as arch enemies, ready to tear each other apart at the slightest

provocation. But take away the sheath of vested political interest and fanaticism and what you uncover are very harmonious relationships.

other apart at the slightest provocation. But take away the sheath of vested political interests and fanaticism and what you uncover are very harmonious relationships between citizens of both countries.

Nausheen Abdulla was brought up in Pakistan and had almost no interaction with Indians until she came to Dubai where she lived for ten years. When the family migrated to Canada a few months ago,

they were advised to stay in Missisauga which has a sizeable Pakistani population. Nausheen says that if she had gone directly from Karachi, she too would have followed suit but after living in Dubai for so long and having known Indian families so intimately, she chose a town with a larger Indian population.

Nausheen fondly remembers her years in Dubai where within no time she had a wide circle of Indian friends among whom were Hindus, Sikhs, Christians as well as Muslims from Kerala, Punjab, Delhi and Hyderabad. “We shared a really valuable friendship where our culture, religion, festivals and cuisine was accepted, appreciated and shared,” she enthuses.

Nausheen’s non-Muslim Indian friends shared Ramadan with her by sending Iftars and were always the first to come on the day of Eid with sweets and gifts. Likewise, she and her family always visited them on Diwali and Christmas. Different occasions saw a regular exchange of

Nausheen (R) with Pakistani & Indian friends

DIASPORA


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

traditional dishes among the friends. Nausheen stresses that trust is the key to all friendship and though her friends were of a different country and religion, they trusted each other, so much so that house keys and car keys were handed over to friends while on vacation. When Mahera, Nausheen’s daughter, fell ill and her husband was away in Pakistan, it was not to her in-laws but to her Indian friends to whom she turned who took turns at the hospital, and cooked and cleaned house for her.

“Having lived in Dubai, my approach towards Indians has changed completely,” says Nausheen, “and though it’s only been a very short while since we shifted base to Canada, I have already developed a good relationship with desis (Indians and Pakistanis) here. With my friends in Dubai, the ties are still strong.”

Ayesha Sameen Khan, a fourth year undergraduate student of nutrition and chemistry at Case Western Reserve University, Ohio, was born in Delhi and raised in the US. Though an Indian, Ayesha is a member of the Pakistan Students Association (PSA), one of the many student groups at her university where she was also on its board last year as the Vice President. “A lot of my friends are Pakistani so that’s why some Indians join, mostly Muslim, sometimes there are a few Hindu students too,” said Ayesha. She further clarified that for any of these groups you don’t have to be of that nationality, an interest in that culture is sufficient reason to join. “I have visited Pakistan, but being part of this group has helped me gain further insight into many aspects of their culture, which is in fact very much like ours,” notes Ayesha. “There are Pakistani students in the Indian Students Association (ISA) and members of both associations attend events and programs organized by the other. In fact we also have Indian groups like the Bhangra Team performing for the PSA shows,” she added. Asked if students were aware of happenings in each other’s countries, she said that it was subjective and depended a lot on whether the families still had connections back home.

Like Ayesha, Khaja Ehtashamuddin too interacts with a lot of Pakistanis and in fact some of his closest friends are from Pakistan. Khaja, a Software Engineer in Seattle, wonders why people should think that Indians view Pakistanis in a different way than they would a person of their own country or any other country for that matter. “Good people are good people. Bad people are bad people. Nationality doesn’t come into it,” he says. “I have

friends who are Hindu, Christian, Jewish, from India, Pakistan, the US, and other countries.”

Agreeing with him, Nausheen says, “Friendship is certainly above all barriers.”

People often tend to have this notion that when an Indian and a Pakistani get together, their main topic of conversation would be politics or terrorism or both politics and terrorism with accusatory remarks thrown in for good measure.

Shrugging off this remark as ridiculous Khaja believes that

Sidrah, Amena and Ayesha

Humera (R) with Pakistani singer Alamgir, Ayesha and Bushra, Cleveland, Ohioeducated human beings would never stoop so low. “Since most of my friends are in high tech or in medicine, we discuss everything: software, technology, religion, exercise, diet, cultures, genetic engineering, philosophy, books, management, cuisine and politics as well.”

Apart from interacting with Pakistanis at a social level, Khaja also meets them at his workplace. “Most people I choose to associate with are thoughtful, well read, open-minded and good human beings.” His experience, however, may not be representative of the common experience. Occasionally


one may come across citizens of these countries who are extreme in their views and create a divide in society.

Khaja’s children too share his healthy attitude of open-hearted acceptance. His daughter, Samia, also has Hindu, Christian and Muslim friends in college. Some of the Muslim friends are from Pakistan. The son, Fahad, has cemented this friendship further and is now engaged to a girl of Pakistani descent.

While both Fahad and his fiancée have lived away from their country of origin, Zeenat Syed, who married a Pakistani boy, shifted countries and moved from her home in Jaipur to her husband’s house in Karachi. All apprehensions as to how she was adjusting in the neighboring country were swept aside as she reassured her family in India that the change in her life was no more than what it would have been had she changed homes within India. Her husband, Dr. Junaid Syed, a design engineer at Kirkcaldy, Scotland, says that the initial feeling was more of curiosity than apprehension about a spouse from across the border. To their delight, Zeenat and Junaid discovered that they were very similar in all aspects. “The difference lies in assumptions,” insists Junaid. “It is not based on geographical boundaries, but in the state of mind. While there are obvious dissimilarities between say Pakistan and Britain, Pakistan and India have sprung from the same roots hence it is foolish to search for variances with the obvious intent to create friction.”

“Not only do we share the same food habits and style of dressing, we also have the same emotional make-up, same value-based traditions. We laugh and cry at the same things, we have the same concerns.”

When a foolish, bigoted terrorist blows himself up along with hundreds of others, it is the Indian heart too that bleeds along with the Pakistani one.

Junaid is an active supporter of the Pakistan-India Friendship Forum (UK). He is also a member of the Fife Pakistan Association

and Fife Inter-Faith Group, an organization which sees the

participation of people of all religions including Sikhs and Hindus from India.

Dr Jalil Ahmed, Head of Department, Pediatrics, NMC Specialty Hospital, Dubai, treats a number of Pakistani patients and finds that they have full faith and trust in an Indian doctor. In fact they prefer being treated by an Indian than any other nationality. The same ethnic background

and being ‘humzubaan’ certainly is a factor in making this choice, says he. Earlier he was in Sakaka, Saudi Arabia, where apart from interaction with patients and colleagues, Pakistanis also formed part of his inner circle of friends. “When you are in unknown seas, you tend to seek out familiar shores,” explains Dr. Jalil.

As regards viewing Pakistanis and Indians in a different light, Dr. Jalil is quick to add, “There is probably more of a stereotyping when you meet people initially, set on some pre-conceived notions, but when you get to know someone that usually goes away.” “Within India too, there is a vast diversity. That does not mean to say that we do not gel together.”

Dr S. Irfan Ahmad, Director, Yahoo! Advertising Sales Rep Office, Middle East, and himself

Kavitha Mathew, Roshni Sujil and Nausheen

Dr. Jalil Ahmed, Head of Dept. (Pediatrics) NMC Specialty Hospital, Dubai

DIASPORA


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

a Pakistani, makes no bones about the fact that he prefers to do business with Indians, whose business acumen he admires greatly. “I find them easy to deal with, straight forward and very professional.”

Answering the question whether the citizens of one country consider themselves superior to the other, Dr Irfan says that living within our countries, we may not bother about each other but concurs with Dr Jalil when he stresses that residing outside the physical borders of the country results in a natural drift towards people of our kind. “The so-called natural animosity between the two countries dissipates due to the similarity of cultures and language as we make a conscious effort at establishing harmonious relations. The question then of national superiority does not arise,” says he.

Also, he does not see why a Pakistani Muslim is expected to be a better Muslim than an Indian one. “Indian Muslims follow the same tenets of Islam and are as pious and well-informed as any Pakistani. Religious scholars like Dr Zakir Naik are highly respected among my countrymen too.”

Deliberating on sports, Dr Irfan says that cricket is another issue altogether and hackles tend to rise and we are ready to attack each other when both teams take the pitch. Rivalry is rife and the issue can get pretty sensitive. Echoing the sentiment of cricket fanatics he says, “National pride

is at stake when there is an Indo-Pak match and patriotism comes to the fore. It is but natural and cannot be prevented. It, however, should be contained,” he adds.

However Dr. Jalil feels that in creating mixed nationality teams for the IPL tournaments, the sporting world is contributing in its own way to increased tolerance and brotherhood among nations.

On the other hand, Dr Irfan says that as his association with Indians is mainly within the business sphere, the controversial topic of politics hardly ever surfaces, a fact he’s very glad of.

This is indeed an area which is the ultimate litmus test for ties between the two countries. Most Indians don’t have any grudge against individual Pakistanis but against the policies of the government, which force one to view the other through biased lenses.

For Humera Khan, an employee of Progressive Insurance Company, living in a mixed community has been an enjoyable and rewarding experience. The Indian and Pakistani communities of Cleveland, Ohio, of which Humera is an active member, mostly get along very well, especially Indian Muslims. They have more in common with the Pakistanis; they celebrate the same festivals and worship at the same mosques. The children go to the same Sunday schools. “Indian cinema

is a common denominator among people of the sub-continent,” says Humera. “At one time Pakistani TV dramas were the rage but with the influx of satellite connections, viewership has shifted to ZeeTV, Sony, QTV,etc.” So while Ayesha is only familiar by name with the Nadia Khan Show, the mothers of her Pakistani friends are addicted

to Indian soaps. Junaid feels that television

is India’s main ambassador, opening doors for others to learn more about the country. “In my house,” says Dr Irfan, “Indian newspapers are never read but important happenings are closely followed through TV channels. Media is largely responsible for making us aware of what is happening

Nausheen’s daughters (L) with Indian friends

Dr.S. Irfan Ahmad, Director, Yahoo! Ad Sales Rep Office, M.E.


16th

ANNI V ERSARY


writers” says Humera. “We see Indian journalists writing for Pakistani newspapers,” adds Dr Jalil, whose wife contributes regularly to Dawn, Karachi’s leading newspaper.

After two decades of seeing parents struggle to find suitable alliances for their children from back home, Humera points to an interesting trend where Indian parents are getting their children married to Pakistanis and vice versa.

“On a day to day level people from both the countries get along very well. It is when politics enters the picture that heated arguments do occur,” remarked Humera. “Personally I have many very good

Pakistani friends.” ‘A family that eats together stays together’ and for

Indians and Pakistanis family and food are both of prime importance. It is natural then that this becomes a focal point of socializing. Nausheen’s Indian friends swore by her cooking while they pampered her with her favorite south Indian dishes- idli, dosa, sambar etc. Recipes were often exchanged and eating together served to strengthen ties.

Dr Irfan endorses this while reminiscing about his student days at Boston University where he

was pursuing his PhD. “Food was a major bonding factor among the Indian and Pakistani students,” says he. With cultural similarities and a shared desire for the ‘all too spicy’ Asian dishes, eating joints were often the meeting point for students from the Indian Sub-Continent.

Dr Jalil too is nostalgic as he remembers the time spent in Sakaka (KSA) where Indian and Pakistani families partied together, not just on Eid, but all round the year.

Now with ‘Shaan Masala’ making inroads into Indian rasois, citizens of the two nations can look forward to continued friendship, sprinkled with spice, sometimes volatile but always delicious.

So while governments deliberate on Kashmir, Kargil and Kasab and try to figure out if star-son Rahul Bhatt is in

anyway linked to David Headley, Indians and Pakistanis are happily sipping tea in each other’s drawing rooms or taking turns as they barbeque chicken for a picnic at the beach. It is often assumed that the acrimony between the governments of the two countries must spread to average Indians and Pakistanis but it is seldom so. While it would be too simplistic to say that all is well between India and Pakistan, most Indians and Pakistanis around the globe see themselves not only as friends but as brothers and sisters, linked through a common thread of shared culture and history.

across the border. Also through advertisements in Dubai papers, we get to know about Indian festivals and other celebrations.” The rangoli design outside his Brahmin neighbor’s door seems to fascinate him.

In Cleveland, the opportunities to interact casually are endless with Indian grocery stores and clothing stores being popular venues. Though largely following similar lifestyles certain differences are apparent. “Pakistanis tend to set more store by outward appearance and dress flashier than their Indian counterparts,” observes Humera.

Cultural events in their community are organized on a large scale. Humera said that at the Annual Convention of the Aligarh Muslim University Alumni Association last year, Pakistani singer Alamgir had been invited. Recently, the Annual Bazme Adab Mushaira was held in the first week of November which saw the participation of famous poets from both nations- Javed Akhtar, Amjad Islam Amjad, Anwar Masood and others. The audience was a huge mix of both nationalities.

And it’s not just limited to the Urdu language. English writers and journalists from one country are read in the other. “I enjoy reading books by Pakistani authors, especially women

Bushra Alvi is a freelance writer based in Dubai

PSA-David, Omar, Asad and Vivek

Saima,Kavitha, Nausheen & Neha

PSA Members

DIASPORA

After her successfulSukhoi flight, the President now wants to go herself on the Moon Mission in search

of water...Look, I found a solution for the

Climate Change Problem!


India’s Medical World:Cutting Edge Technology

Liver cancer is a malignant tumor located between two veins in the liver, making any surgical

operation extremely difficult and chances of survival for the patient almost nil.

“Now, thanks to the very advanced technology in cancer cure called “Yttrium Technology patients have a chance for recovery and can go in for a normal liver transplant surgery,” says Ms. Abirami Verma, CEO – MedSpree Solution, a medical treatment co-coordinating agency.

Abirami indicates that such cutting edge technology is quite common in thev Indian medical world today. Apollo Hospital in New Delhi has successfully used the Yttrium technology in the last few years.

In 2007, MDS Nordion, a leading global provider of medical isotopes and radiopharmaceuticals used to

by: Aruna Srinivasan

Dr Ajai Kumar introduced the next generation technology in radiation. Cyber Knife Technology. Today, the Cyber Knife, the latest in radiotherapy has given rebirth to

many patients in his hospitals.

diagnose and treat disease, introduced the technology in India and three patients with primary liver cancer were treated successfully in two of Mumbai Hospitals – one was Lilavathi Hospital and Research Centre and the other was Jaslok Hospital. Introduced under the brand name TheraSphere(R), the technology involves injection of a radio active

chemical called Yttrium – 90 into the tumor making it evaporate. It is a low toxicity, liver cancer therapy which consists of millions of micro-glass beads containing radioactive Yttrium-90. The product is injected by physicians into the main artery of the patient’s liver through a catheter which allows the treatment to be delivered directly to the tumor via blood vessels. Unlike chemotherapy, it has few side effects. Patients rarely experience nausea and

vomiting usually associated with high-dose, systemic chemotherapies. The main advantage of this therapy is that it doesn’t involve over night stay in hospitals and the patient can be treated on an out patient basis.

Elsewhere, in many parts of the country, another advanced technology called Cyber Knife is being used in some major hospitals in India. Health Care Global Enterprises, (HCG) a premier health care group based in Bangalore is a pioneer in using the technology. With a missionary zeal to provide advanced health care affordable even to the poor in the country, Dr B.S. Ajai Kumar, Chairman & CEO of the group has installed advanced equipments in his hospitals. A cancer

Micro Neurosurgery

HEALTHCARE


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

treatment called intensity –modulated radiation therapy might cost anything from US$ 15,000 to $ 20,000 in a developed country. In India, the same treatment would cost less than US $3000.

With his objective to provide the best radiation technology, in 2003, Dr. Kumar introduced the linear accelerator technology for cancer treatment in his Bangalore Institute of Oncology. Until then cobalt treatment was the best radiation treatment available at the time. While many patients found it difficult to manage their finances for even the cobalt therapy which was half of the linear accelerator therapy, every one thought that the cutting edge technology introduced in the hospital would prove to be beyond reach for most patients. But soon, the patients opted for the efficacy of the treatment, and didn’t mind the costs.

Having successfully implemented linear accelarator in his hospitals, Dr Ajai Kumar introduced the next generation technology in radiation - CyberKnife Technology. Today, the CyberKnife, the latest in radiotherapy has given a new lease of life to many patients in his hospitals. Unlike conventional radio surgical technology, the CyberKnife system uses the skeletal structure of the body, rather than invasive metal frames and skull pins, as a reference point for identifying the tumor position throughout the treatment. Through a sharp beam, the technology delivers hundreds of tiny radiation beams onto a tumor, with sub –millimeter accuracy. Since the “attack” on the tumor is so precise, the healthy tissues around are unaffected. So, patients using Cyber Knife need fewer radiotherapy sessions. Older technology radiation beams cannot reach tumors located in difficult places or in narrow crevices of the human body. And they could not navigate challenging angles to penetrate into malignant cells.

Concentrated radiation beams, fired from a possible 1,200 distinct targeting positions, are directly administered to the tumor site. Using a fully integrated robotic delivery system, the doctors use the computer to identify where exactly the tumor is, and where it is in relation to the breathing cycle. It allows the doctors to make very, very small treatment fields because the robot breathes with the patient.

Observing that CyberKnife can alleviate pain to a large extent, Dr

Kumar recalls that the prevailing scenario in Onco Care motivated him to look for the most advanced technology. “For a long time we were not able to give optimal dose to patients and thereby could not get optimum results,” he recalls. “This was frustrating as patients who deserved optimal doses were denied because of lack of technology. For decades scientists were searching for an answer for this. That paved the way for Advanced Linear Accelerator,

IMRT, IGRT (all these still did not give an optimal dose). The opportunity to retreat patients on CyberKnife motivated me to go for this equipment. For example, if a child has undergone Radiotherapy

on Cobalt, she would not be able to go for treatment on other advanced radiation equipment, though there were chances for a cure. With the advent of CyberKnife, now we can re-treat the patient for a brain tumor again and there is a cure for the child from the disease. Such potentials of this technology triggered the determination in me to go in for CyberKnife.

With so much cutting edge technology, will the treatment be affordable for the majority of Indians who are not rich?

“Why not?” asks Dr Ajai immediately. “Do you feel that we should not bring in the latest technology because we cannot afford it? As an entrepreneur, a Doctor or as a social reformer it is one’s duty to look up for the latest technology. We have to create

Dr. B.S. Ajai Kumar

CyberKnife is a noninvasive technology that can accurately target cancer without

pain or anesthesia, leading to a quicker recovery time for patients.


models to take care of all sections of society. When the technology is not available with us then we could say no to patients. Having the technology in our midst it is morally as well as ethically wrong to send away patients saying no to them.

“So, HealthCare Global Enterprises is in the forefront of creating such models. Recently we launched an EMI scheme where patients are allowed to utilize this facility on instalments if they cannot afford it. With our HCG Foundation and other philanthropic organizations we are already catering and will cater to all sections of society with subsidized rates,” he says emphatically.

The Yttrium technology or CyberKnife for cancer treatment are just glimpses of the great strides that Indian hospitals are making into the world of medicine. In the sphere of organ transplantation or in other surgical procedures, India has been adopting several innovative methods. One reason for the increasing innovation is the high volume of patients in India. Of the total 10 million (approx) cancer patients worldwide, India alone has some 1 million cancer patients. Other diseases also are quite prevalent in the country, so the health care scenario lends itself for a lot of innovation and new solutions.

Consider this health care scenario for example:

• India needs 2.5 lakh donated eyes every year. It manages with just 25,000, of which 30% cannot be used. • 30,000 liver transplants are required every year in the country, but only around 400-odd such procedures are performed • 1.5 lakh new patients experience renal failure every year. Only 3,500 get kidney transplants. About 6,000 get dialysis while the rest die • In the United States, there are 25-30 cadaver donors per million populations. In India, there are a total of around 50 cadaver donors every year • 4.5 lakh patients require organ transplants in India annually. Only 35,000 transplants have taken place in the last 10 years.

With such a mind boggling situation, no wonder that the doctors across the country constantly face a variety of challenges to test their skills. When doctors in Global Hospitals in Chennai received a cadaver liver for transplant, they carried out the first split and auxiliary liver

transplant in the country using a cadaver organ. The donor organ is usually given to one patient. But in Chennai Hospital, they made use of it for two patients saving two lives.

In August this year, an 18 month old Nigerian boy and a 44 year old Mumbai resident were given fresh lives by undergoing a swap liver transplant. Both patients had damaged livers waiting for cadaver donations for transplant. Time was running out and neither got any donor organ. But by a stroke of luck, it was discovered that the boy’s mother’s blood group matched that of the 44 year old female patient waiting for transplantation. And similarly the woman patient’s husband’s blood group matched that of the 18 month old boy patient. The team of doctors decided to swap the potential relative donor organs. A 35 member surgical team worked simultaneously on four people, for 16 hours in 4 operation theatres, swapping the organs from table to table. “While both donors’ blood groups did not match their own recipients’, they were suitable for the other recipient.

The government and other agencies are also doing their part to make transplants more effective and promotion of the idea of organ donation is catching on with the public. Whole organ body donation is gaining wide publicity and more people are coming forward to sign up for whole body organ donations. Joining the donors are film and literary world celebrities. With the media popularizing a brain dead person’s family coming forward to donate whole body organs, many people are touched by the idea

Abirami Varma

HEALTHCARE


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

of saving at least 9 lives when one person comes to hospital in a brain dead condition. Today the authorities are contemplating a donor sign up notation in driving licenses to make the process of donation easier.

Stem cell therapy is in a very advanced stage in India, on par with the US, if not one notch higher. In 2007, the Lifeline Institute of Stem Cell Therapy and Research, successfully used Stem Cell Therapy to cure spinal cord problems. As awareness about the therapy is growing, there has been an increase in the number of people opting to store umbilical cords of their new born babies. Life Cell is India’s first such private stem cell bank, where you can store the umbilical cord of your child for a fee, for future use. “In our private stem cell bank, customers store their umbilical cord stem cells for their future use by paying us an amount. But if they do not want to store it for their own future use, they can donate the stem cells to the public bank. We can also collect stem cells from various hospitals and store them for the public to use,” V R Chandramouli, CEO of LifeCell, explained a few months ago, in an interview to the media.

India surely is making strides in the world of Medicine. But only in urban areas where quality of care is concentrated. What is needed is the widespread reach of this cutting edge technology across the rural areas too.

Says Dr Ajai, “India is ahead in the humanitarian touch but lags behind in its quality control. We must make sure that there is ethical practice. There are no checks and balances to prevent unethical practices. As we move forward, India should concentrate more on true evidence based practice, applicable uniformly,” he notes succinctly on the health care situation in the country.

Two tertiary care hospitals of Max Healthcare, the leading hospital chain with seven hospitals in the National Capital Region (NCR), recently received the prestigious NABH accreditation. Located at Saket in South Delhi, Max Devki Devi Heart & Vascular Institute and Max Super Speciality Hospital are the leading tertiary care hospitals of the city.

India has recently established the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Organizations. NABH released the first set of standards, which cover all functional areas of the hospitals and validate the quality of care through compliance assessments against 500 criteria, critical to the efficient functioning of a healthcare setting. There is a strong emphasis on patient rights & benefits, safety, control & prevention of infections in hospitals, practicing good patient care protocols and better clinical outcome. The standards are adaptable to a wide spectrum of healthcare services; are in sync with local culture and systems, yet at the same time, are benchmarked with the best International standards.

In an NABH accredited hospital, there is a strong focus on the following: -- Patient rights & benefits -- Patient safety-- Control & prevention of infections in hospitals-- Practicing good patient care protocols e.g. special care for vulnerable groups, critically ill patients -- Better and controlled clinical outcome

Said Mr. Analjit Singh, Chairman, Max Group, “India has been recognised globally as a healthcare destination for high quality and cost effective medical care. Having a National accreditation system like NABH will further strengthen the credibility of the Indian healthcare system.”

Aruna Srinivasan is a freelance writer based in Chennai

Mr. Analjit Singh, Chairman, Max Group, “India has been recognised globally as a healthcare destination for high quality and cost effective medical care. Having a national accreditation system like NABH will further strengthen the credibility of Indian healthcare system.” Former President of India Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam conferred the Honour to Max Devki Devi Heart and Vascular Institute and Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, New Delhi at the 2nd National Quality Conclave


My family comes from the business caste so we have traditional wealth. However, because of reasons related to my father’s death when I was eight, I myself grew up in rather poor circumstances.

One of my most unforgettable memories is of the poor old widow next door, who lived in a room that was even smaller than ours. In fact, her “room” was so tiny they had to sleep outside even in Delhi’s freezing winters. She had two grown-up but unemployed sons to support, and she earned her money by doing odd cleaning jobs whenever she could find them. But if she was home when my mother was not at home, at the time I returned from school (I must have been about 12 years old), she would always ask me how I was and offer me water to drink and food to eat.

What the poor give to others is worth much more, spiritually speaking, than what the rich give. That is because the poor give in spite of their poverty, while the rich give out of their abundance. At least that is so in the teaching of Jesus the Lord. But what is striking is that there are rich people who give away nothing – or very little. And we have of course more and more rich people in the direction that the world’s elite are choosing to take the world economic system –

by: Guptara Garmagaram

Indian Philanthropy versus NRI PhilanthropyGlobalisation has many negatives and many positives. One of the positives

is that it is encouraging NRIs to think about giving, whether to the countries where they are now resident, or to the huge needs in India.

particularly so in India, where the number of billionaires was 24 this year (down from 53 last year, as a result of the current global crisis). However, according to Forbes magazine, India could have more billionaires than any other country in the world in another ten years.

That is good news, no doubt, but I don’t know if you have noticed that, with a few honourable exceptions, the richest in India nowadays give away, in proportional terms, the least. In discussing the matter with friends and relatives, I have come to the conclusion that our traditional philanthropy was focused, in descending order of importance, on our own family, on our own caste, and on our own village or town. Beyond that, it was only as a response to our human relationships with others: when you know someone personally, it is very difficult to avoid helping that person at least a little.

One of the consequences of our so-called development is that

[What the poor give to others is worth much more, spiritually speaking, than what the rich give. That is because the poor give in spite of their poverty, while

the rich give out of their abundance.

GUPTARA GARMAGARAM


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

we increasingly lose touch with people who are not “of our class”. The result is that the only reason to give is religious, so people continue to give to their mosques, temples, churches and so on, but less and less to individuals who may be in need. As the rich tend to be least religious, they not give even to religious institutions.

However, that trend is reversed if you look at NRIs and at those Indians who are well integrated into social circles outside India: NRIs and globally-integrated Indians tend to give more than rich Indians.

This is because the tradition of giving is much stronger outside our country than it is inside India - for example in the USA, where Protestant influence has made giving a very strong part of the culture. European governments give a lot in comparison to the US government, but Europeans, as individuals, give less than Americans as individuals. That has to do to a certain extent with tax structures and overall national philosophy but, whether Americans or Europeans, they do give a lot. American individuals donated a total of $308 billion last year, with 89 percent of households giving an average of $1,620. Astonishingly, in the USA, the nonprofit sector employs 10.2 million people, that is nearly 7%

of the total workforce! In fact, you cannot really take part in public life in the USA without public discussion of how much is being given away by whom to what purpose – and, equally important, how much time you are personally giving to what philanthropic effort.

U.S. Congressman Gerald E. Connolly, for example, recently honoured the brothers Sudhakar and Suresh V. Shenoy, who are founders of tech company IMC, for volunteer and philanthropic activities with the American Heart Association, Youth Aids, the American Cancer Society, United Way, the American-India Foundation, the National Capital Region American Red Cross, and the IIT Heritage Foundation. And the Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester announced that it has received a $1.5 million gift from the Wadhawan family of India to establish an endowed professorship in management.

I must confess that, even though it is a good thing for NRIs to be involved in supporting the communities in which we live, I personally find it quite irritating that so much of NRI philanthropy goes to countries that are already rich and should not need the money. My giving is focused on India – which does not make me popular where I live, because giving

to causes primarily where one lives is what is expected here. The truth is that I do give a little to local individuals and causes, but I keep it very quiet because I don’t want what I do give to be completely eaten up by the needs here – there is enough money here to look after local needs.

Globalisation has many negatives and many positives. One of the positives is that it is encouraging NRIs to think about giving, whether to the countries where they are now resident, or to the huge needs in India.

Professor Prabhu Guptara has written the above in anentirely private capacity, and none of the above should be

related in any way to any of the companies or organisationswith which he is now, or has in the past been, connected.

His personal website is: www.prabhu.guptara.netHe blogs at: www.prabhuguptara.blogspot.com


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

The festive season, the holiday season, is around once more, and like each year my feeling of nostalgia

threatens to overwhelm me this year too. O those glorious years of childhood, the days of happy

camaraderie with my siblings entwined with days of petty fights over even pettier things – how we laugh as we recount these tales in front of our children.

I especially miss the winter break we had during school and college days. The chill of Delhi winters would compel us to plunge into our warm quilts after Fajr (early morning) prayers.

by: Bushra Alvi

Country Roads, Take Me Home

I especially miss the winter break we had during school and college days. The chill of Delhi winters would compel us to plunge into our warm quilts after

Fajr (early morning) prayers.

Sitting thus, sipping cup after cup of ‘adrak ki chai’ was a very special ritual for all of us as we caught up on happenings in each other’s lives.

Complaints, arguments, sermons, regrets, future plans, teasing and tears- all that was part of the hour or so we spent each winter morning together before ‘ Yuv Vani’ and ‘In the Groove’ had us glued to our radio sets with John Denver’s soulful ‘Almost heaven, West Virginia…’ tearing at our hearts.

Foggy mornings were another story. Anybody who has experienced the Delhi fog knows well what an awesome experience it is to walk through it. That was another ‘high’ point of our childhood winters and something all four of us siblings loved doing immensely. Clad warmly in colorful woolens: cap, muffler, gloves, we would venture out when few would dare. I remember times when we would stretch our hands out in front and

gasp in surprise at not being able to see our finger tips even! How I miss those wonderful days when we took pleasure in those simple things.

Roasted peanuts, ‘gur ki patti’, ‘phule chane’, all ingredients for a warm winter would eagerly be bought from the old Sardarji, the hawker who effortlessly carried huge square baskets hung like scales from the strong bamboo stick he proudly carried on his shoulders. His weather beaten face would crinkle up into a welcoming smile as we made a bee line for his ‘mobile shop’, perhaps the only means of his existence. Half a rupees worth of the hot roasted nuts was enough to warm our hands for a while as we held on to the paper packets he

[Complaints, arguments, sermons, regrets, future plans, teasing and tears- all that was part of the

hour or so we spent each winter morning together before ‘ Yuv Vani’ and ‘In the Groove’ had us glued

to our radio sets with John Denver’s soulful ‘Almost heaven, West Virginia…’ tearing at our hearts.

NOSTALGIA 16th

ANNI V ERSARY

cleverly made from the old school notebooks we slyly gave him. (They were actually meant to be collected and sold to the ‘kabadiwala’, the tinker man who regularly made rounds of our colony.) The hawker’s post was also the meeting point of young boys and girls of the colony and saw the blossoming of many a childhood romance.

No winter would be complete without the mention of Christmas, Santa and of course, Jingle Bells! Having spent thirteen years of my life in a convent school, Christmas was an integral part of my childhood. How often we would visit the Cathedral adjacent to my school and marvel at the Nativity scene set up there. Back home, Christmas carols were religiously sung and trees and plants in our garden decorated with carefully collected shiny toffee and chocolate wrappers, mostly from the Mackintosh Quality Street tins that were in abundance in our house due to my father’s frequent foreign trips. My sisters and brother ate the chocolates, while I, more interested in the wrappers, marveled at my ingenuity in turning them into decorative baubles!

Winter was also a time to make those seasons greeting cards. For days the house would be a chaos of colored paper, glue, glitter, sequins and little mirrors as we struggled to complete the cards in time.

Frequent trips would be taken to the post office and carefully collected pocket money would be spent on postage. Many trips would be made too, to the letter box by the gate as we raced to check our mail, three times a day. With scores of cards pouring in everyday, many from overseas too, it was the perfect time to add on to our stamp collection. Cards would be strategically placed all over the house. Surplus cards would be threaded together to make attractive card curtains to grace our bedroom walls.

Now all I do is a few clicks on my laptop and voila! There are all my cards, the ones I receive, the ones I send. No mess there, no running around, no delayed post, everything in my control. But no, I don’t like this. I like my cards the good old-fashioned way, handmade and sealed with the tongue. I love winter in all its intensity, biting cold and foggy. I yearn for those glorious days even as I miss my family and friends this holiday season.

I yearn for country roads to take me home…….. to the place, I belong!

Bushra Alvi is a freelancewriter based in Dubai

[Roasted peanuts, ‘gur ki patti’, ‘phule chane’,

all ingredients for a warm winter would eagerly be bought from the old Sardarji, the hawker who effortlessly carried huge square baskets hung like

scales from the strong bamboo stick he proudly carried on his shoulders


When Kapil Sibal, the adept lawyer turned enthusiastic politician, announced a few months ago that he would ensure that the board exams in India are scrapped, he did not know what a hornets nest he had stirred up. Newspapers are abuzz with the excitement this has

generated - a healthy sign of debate. Looks like the Minister is all set to turn the education system in India, upside down.

Just a week ago, the Central Board of Secondary Education announced that the Class X exam is finally decreed ‘optional’ from the year 2010.

To my mind it is always good to regenerate something that has reached the end of the tunnel. Basic Indian intelligence has been lauded world wide, courtesy the software boom. But there is something not quite right with the batch of new recruits passing out from the Engineering colleges and other institutes of graduate studies. As a teacher for nearly 22 years, I have dealt with students ranging from class III, IV to IX in schools and then the aspiring professionals at the ICFAI Business School. Our students are getting more and more book oriented and there

by: Shyamola Khanna

The Indianeducation system:

Paradigm changes needed urgently!What will it take to change the way education is done in India?

Nothing short of a revolution in both the way subjects are taught and the way students are assessed. At present, Indian education mostly

falls flat - like the two-dimentional sheets of paper that comprise the government exams. And since attitude, creativity, and independent

thinking cannot be found in a board exam’s results sheet, a move to a whole new dimension is urgently needed.

is a dearth of actual application of learning. They have been put through some ‘projects’ as part of their learning, but they lack the ability to think independently and

work outside the box.Back in the 90s, I was

teaching in St Anne’s School, Jodhpur. When I tried getting the kids in Class V to write their own answers for questions set in the book, I had an uphill task. The kids

wanted to do it and were willing to try it out

because I was pushing them to use their own understanding. But the parents

were up in arms - how could they teach

their kids the answers and prepare them for the test? How could they help? In fact their sneaking feeling

Padma Chandrasekhar and her daughter Shreya

INDIAN EDUCATION


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

was that I as a teacher was not really doing my job - asking the kids to use their own words was insanity! They tried telling the Principal that-now she knew what I had been doing and appreciated my efforts. She tried explaining the whole idea to the parents. They did go away , grumbling at the unfairness of it all - they were annoyed because they had no control over the lessons!

Twenty years later, I have my two foster kids, Srikant (12) and Sai Krishna (13) who go to an “English medium convent school” in Secunderabad. Every evening I take their lessons and I find that nothing has changed-the parents in Jodhpur would have been happy to see the kind of question-answer lessons being taught at the so-called English medium schools.

Only students who can spill what has been learnt verbatim, are the ones who score.

I do not want to upset the applecart even though the school knows that I am backing the kids in their learning. When I do visit the school I treat the teachers with kid gloves because I do not want the kids to suffer any backlash.

PARROTS GALORE!As parents and teachers we are happy developing parrots.

Collectively we discourage any kind of thinking, especially in the junior classes. It is easy for the teacher to correct, it is easy for the child to cram and if the parent has to take the lessons, then it is easy to ask for the crammed answers - no one has to think- which is why there is happiness all around!

And why should any of these elements want to shake the system and ask for trouble for themselves? There are a number of components that are an intrinsic part of the system and it is now essential that we make sure that all of them brace up to make the next generation of Indian kids more adaptable in their attitude and more capable of applying what they learn to everyday living.

THE TEACHERSThere are a number of private schools - the same English medium

convents - which are helping raise the statistics on literacy. These are small-time family run schools where it all starts with sub-grade teachers - teachers who are there because they cannot do anything else. They are paid a pittance and exploited to the hilt because the schools are only meant to generate money for the owners. Paying the teachers better salaries would cut into the profits of the management. These schools do come under the diktat of the school board which provides the school recognition for it to conduct the Class X exams.

It is a two way cycle. Minimally educated with a Class X pass certificate, girls and boys (very rarely) end up teaching in a school where they are paid less than the office peons. The school fulfills all the criteria for recruiting teachers except the one about the salary. Although there are enough directives from the departments of education, both at the centre and the state, it suits the school to keep all the teachers on a temporary

basis as they do not have to pay all the extras specified. The poor teachers are happy that they have a job - some kind of regular money is coming home to them. They will do anything to stay on the rolls. Unfortunately their despair and frustration manifests itself in a lackadaisical attitude towards teaching their wards.

That is not to say that all

schools do the same thing. There are some who believe

in scrupulously following the rules connected with salaries. They in turn, can afford to be picky about their teachers who get salaries at par with the best in the country. They get the correct profile vis a vis the educational qualifications, experience, personality etc.

One very important factor working for good teachers, like good nurses, is that other countries are asking for qualified teachers from India. So if they want to hold on to their teachers, they have to look after them.

THE ATTITUDEAfter sorting out the pay and

perks, I have one more angle that needs to be examined.

Not every teacher in India loves their job. Lets be honest -

International Baccalaureate kids doing a show


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

entrusted with - their favorites always score high. Personal integrity coupled with impartial judgment has to be the hallmark of a teacher, whatever the slot in the hierarchy. It does not matter whether it is class four or five or an MBA programme.

My suggestion to the HRD Ministry is that maybe the teachers also need to go through some kind of an aptitude test to check their mental make-up. They need to find out if the teachers are okay with a room full of boisterous kids and each one asking for attention, piles of corrections and a syllabus to complete.

THE SYLLABUSThat the syllabus needs to be revamped is a foregone conclusion.

The Mathematics syllabus for Class XI and XII is too much - for the CBSE exams they have four thick books to go through. The teachers do not have the time to teach everything and it is taken for granted that the

weaker students will go for private tuitions. The Science syllabus is also huge and most of it is at the undergraduate level. We need to streamline it in such a manner that actual practical learning can be much more than rote learning. Applications of the learning need to be emphasized and every child needs to have hands on experience. The kids need to be encouraged to take apart and then assemble various tools which use the basic principals of Physics and Chemistry.

Starting at the junior-most classes, the syllabus should be flexible. If there are twenty lessons in the book, they should be tested in portions. And the last exam should be done in a general kind of way, more of an applications kind of test than anything out of the text book. In fact it would be a good idea to have no exams but only class tests at the end of every lesson.

And yes, the grading system should be in place, so that the angst of obtaining high marks can be eliminated.

A NEW WAY OF THINKINGWe need to take a closer look at the International Baccalaureate (IB)

method of teaching which takes the stress away from rote learning and encourages free thinking and expression.

Arvind K. Chalasani who teaches at Doon School, Dehradun, says, “The IB creates an environment where experiences and opportunities are created in the classroom, thereby creating an enquiring mind. In IB the student gets to plan research and arrive at a conclusion, whereas in the present Indian curriculum both students as well as the teacher are racing against time to complete the mandatory hours for the year end examination.”

Chalasani is the coordinator for the CAS (Creativity, Action and

for the teacher to have any impact on tender minds, it is important for the teacher to have the correct attitude. Not every Rani, Rekha or Ruth can become a teacher - one has to want to do the job for the love of it. Teaching is a nurturing job and one cannot be impatient or imperious in this position. There are no leaders there can be only learners. Even if you have been teaching for 20 years, you cannot take the kids or the lessons for granted. A teacher

has to walk in to every class with an open mind, ready to learn and impart learning - not in an authoritarian manner but in an inclusive way so that the kids in the class room feel the need and the urge to learn.

And this is true for teachers at all stages of the teaching hierarchy, whether you are teaching at the postgraduate level or the kindergarten, all those who are in the teaching profession need to have the correct attitude. I have seen senior professors (with strings of degrees attached to their names) using their authority with impunity and being completely biased in the evaluations they are

In IB the student gets to plan research and

arrive at a conclusion.

In IB system of education, the teachers and students become both dedicated explorers and learners.

Now I know what I am capable of,” she declared.Padma says that the IB method is the best possible preparation for

the university and higher education. “If the government is looking at revamping the education system, then why not take a serious look at the IB curriculum, particularly at the class XII level. There is so much of research and independent learning as compared to rote learning which is the hallmark of the Indian system of learning. The continuous system of assessment also helps the child.”

Padma highlighted three factors which she feels are worth the money being spent on her only child:

There are only 13 kids in the class. Compare that to the average 60-70 kids in the other junior colleges. Shreya gets a one-on-one equation with her teachers while her school mates in the junior colleges are all frustrated and in complete despair as they are not happy with their situation. Plus they carry on with the rote learning!

The kind of combination of subjects that Shreya has got is not offered anywhere else. She is doing Math, Physics, Economics and Visual arts. This gives her the option of a number of fields for higher studies.

Padma does not have to run around from one tuition class to another, anymore. She had been doing that for her daughter for the last two years!

THE BOTTOM LINEThere are a number of options that are available, world wide. We

need to take a system which suits our country and our people. The three language formula was introduced so that every child gets a smattering of English, Hindi and the mother tongue. Now, that perspective needs to be revised since English is becoming the lingua franca of the nation and our kids need to have a certain level of proficiency in the language.

Different countries have different ways of dealing with their own issues. The USA has its school leaving certificate as a diploma in the XII grade. There are no external exams and assessment is based on quizzes, periodic tests and daily assignments. There is regular feedback and great emphasis on sports. In Finland there are no national standardized tests during nine years of basic schooling between 7-16 years of age. Individual school results are confidential. China has expanded secondary vocational education while UK provides completely free primary education.

A word of caution: We may not find many statistics on how the teachers are picked in these schools, but I do know that not every Rani, Rekha or Ruth can get into teaching - there are a battery of tests one has to clear. Then one has to be certified by the regulatory boards before one can be entrusted with the little ones.

For a country the size of India, maybe we need a happy blend of many factors but we certainly need to reassess the existing systems.

Thank you Mr. Sibal for starting the fire, but what you have stirred up will need a lot more cooking before it can dished out to those waiting in the wings!

Service) cell of the IB at Doon. He believes that with the IB system of education, the teachers and students become both dedicated explorers and learners. The system of evaluation is transparent and the student is allowed to see his transcript after the evaluation is done. In the CBSE or ICSE, the student has no such privilege and if he seeks to know what mistakes he has made, he will probably have to invoke the RTI (the Right to Information) Act!

The IB system of education has been introduced in Hyderabad also and every school which calls itself an “International” school flaunts the IB syllabus. But at what cost? Padma Chandrasekhar, a teacher with approximately 15 years of teaching experience, has scraped the bottom of the barrel to get her daughter Shreya (16) admitted to the DRS International School.

While putting your child through Class XI and XII (called Junior College in the South), would on an average cost Rs one lakh per year, DRS is going to cost the Chandrasekhars a cool 7-8 lakhs!

I checked with both the mother and the daughter whether it has been worthwhile. My question to Shreya had to do with the differences between the system under which she studied (ICSE) and the present one (the IB). “In the ICSE, for the last ten years, all I did was book learning,” she said. “Under the IB system, we are made to learn more by ourselves. I have to find out, research and write by myself - it takes a little getting used to but after the last four months I have found that this is better anyday! Shyamola Khanna is a freelance writer based in Hyderabad

INDIAN EDUCATION


Indian Art in the Gulf

by: Bandana Jain

The burgeoning UAE art market is evolving and assuming a new shape and charisma. How well are Indian artists placed in this arty

mélange – have they found a firm footing or is the picture a bit shaky? TII takes a look at what’s going on.

Artists from various countries are finding a place for themselves here,and UAE is fast transforming itself into a major art hub. The emirates provides easy access

to international contemporary art and myriad art styles from various countries can be experienced here.

Indian artists have charted new trajectories, experimented with conventional idioms while evolving a new vocabulary. They have carved a niche for themselves on the international art scene by expressing themselves in a global language.

The art works of Indian artists represent their concerns and preoccupations. Their works project social, political and cultural issues. Also, they show that many artists have drawn on traditional Indian idioms for motifs and devices to enhance their own pictorial language. The diverse and innovative imagery of several young artists crosses boundaries with its universal appeal.

Indian art is a serious reflection of its history and depicts its unique culture. The Indian art market is very strong despite the global slowdown. India has produced art for several centuries, so long in fact, that it has seen trends rise and fall and made way for new artists and their newer approaches to art. In India, the diverse nature of audiences, allows the absorption of varied art forms, from miniature to contemporary. The UAE art scene, on the contrary sees the best from the international art

market rather than encouraging indigenous artists.

Atul Panase, a seasoned artist of about twenty years reckons that he has seen major changes in the UAE art scene during the last five to six years, “An aggressive art scene can be witnessed today in the UAE in the form of international exhibitions, art workshops, art classes, cultural exchange programmes and art auctions.”

ART

Diyali Bhalla: art as a therapy

Minoti Shah: good market for Indian artThe International Indian 77

16th

ANNI V ERSARY

In 2008, Dunhill (Switzerland) bought 300 paintings of mine, which were prepared in a record time of 45 days. The market is very art encouraging and lucrative”, reveals the artist with a sense of pride.

He has sold over 500 artworks worth approximately Dhs. 350,000, which includes portraits and landscapes in watercolor and acrylic, sketches and illustrations,

There is immense talent in the region due to the existence of both local and expatriate talent. Several initiatives like the art fair and the annual Creek Fair are a wonderful encouragement and great platforms for artists.

Diyali Sen Bhalla, a self-taught artist describes the UAE art scene as ‘nascent and emerging’. Contemplating on art in this region, she says, “The art scene has moved away from the typical camels and desert scenes! The work coming from the region is more thought -provoking, edgy, meaningful and breaking boundaries.”

It goes without saying that India is a well established market for art. The kind of art shown there keeps evolving with the times. Consequentially, there are many more good artists on

With an innate love for art ever since childhood, Atul has enjoyed working with myriad mediums on canvas; especially water colours, inks, pastels and acrylic. He has also experimented with different forms of art, such as portraits, landscapes, compositions, sketches and photography, but has a special liking for cartooning, “Sometimes I wonder, if the joy one finds in this simple medium is above those in the more complex visual arts.”

UAE is a wonderful place to experience good calligraphy, which

happens to be one of the best art forms. “I have discovered new things about calligraphy and imbibed them into my art as well,” admits Atul.

No doubt, the art scene is still very young and if compared to India, it is just the beginning, but in future this place will become a true art hub and a culminating point for eastern and western influences.

Having lived in the UAE for 13 years, Atul’s art pieces have been proudly displayed in exhibitions across various emirates in the UAE and several states in India. When the art scenario in UAE is compared to India or other countries, it can be safely stated that the Dubai art scene is taking shape gradually. In this respect, Atul says, “the attitude of people and the gallery owners in Dubai exposes the hidden message that ‘art that comes into Dubai is much better than the art which is produced in Dubai.’ The presence of mixed cultures from different countries and different nationalities is the main contributor to the success of any exhibition in UAE.”

The UAE market has given many hopes to Indian artists since Indians form a major chunk of the population here. .Art is selling very well here and good scope in the near future is quite evident once the recession ends. Panase seems to be satisfied with his success in selling his artworks, “I work with leading advertising agencies and I get commissioned works on a personal basis and on a corporate level.

Chameli by Atul Panase

Faces by Atul Panase

Atul Panase: major changes in the

UAE art scene


the block. The Indian art market is much different from the art scene in the UAE as the culture is different and art is always shaped by the country specifics of culture, politics, social conditions, etc.

Diyali, who has exhibited her works in India, Oman and the UAE, agrees with this, “The UAE market is a wonderful platform for Indian artists. The Indian population forms a major segment of the population, hence a familiarity factor reigns. Indian art and artists are respected all over the world and talent from the sub -continent has always been well appreciated. There are umpteen number of galleries and art initiatives in the UAE which provide a fabulous platform for Indian artists.”

Specializing in figurative art through mixed media, Diyali has gone a step further to use art as a therapy. As the director of ‘Milestones’, as her company is called, workshops are conducted on therapy through the medium of colour and modules based on a holistic approach to art

as a part of life enhancement and coaching programmes.

Commenting on the UAE art scene, Minoti Shah, co- owner of Majlis Art Gallery says, “Having started with humble beginnings, the UAE art scene has come a long way. With the existence of a large cosmopolitan community and increase in the number of fine art galleries in the last decade, the art scene has matured and seen unprecedented growth. With a general increase in awareness for art and with expatriates now owning

their homes in the UAE, the market for fine arts has greatly improved. Like anywhere else in the world, there is a good market for Indian art in the UAE as well. A lot of Indian art is exhibited and auctioned here...”

Going down memory lane, Minoti says, “What is now the Majlis Art Gallery was once the home of my partner, Alison Collins, who is the co-owner with Minoti. During those times, travelling artists were welcome to stay in Allison’s home and towards the end of their stay; the artworks that they produced during their stay were exhibited in the Majlis of the building. Later on, in 1988, the building was restored and converted into what is known today as the Majlis Art Gallery.”

“The UAE art scene is rather mature,” comments Nitin Dadrawala, whose tryst with Dubai began with a solo show in Majlis Art Gallery in November 2008. “UAE being a global centre of economy and trade is visited by people from various walks of life, having a wide exposure to the contemporary scene in world art. UAE has a seasoned audience in the form of visitors coming from Europe & USA, where ‘art’ is an important activity in their surroundings.”

As an artist based in India, Nitin’s stint with art is marked with a wide use of calligraphic scripts and abstract concepts to create innovative effects in his paintings.

Indian painters and art galleries from India have entered the UAE market in the last few years. The general public as well as art connoisseurs are giving a very positive response to Indian art. Speaking on this issue, Nitin affirms, “Indian art can stand on equal footing with their counterparts on the contemporary world art scene.” This trend is

Nitin Dadrawala: big variation between Dubai and Indian art markets

Oil on canvas by Nitin DadrawalaInk on paper by Nitin Dadrawala

ART


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

markedly evident in the excellent response seen at auctions of Indian art in the last few years.

After the boom in art sales worldwide, there are few people who buy art as investment. Nitin observes a big variation between Dubai and Indian art markets. “This can be primarily attributed to the differences in the economic activities of the two countries.

The corporate world does not support art in a big way in India whereas in Dubai, offices of multinational companies and renowned banks habitually patronize art collections on a wide scale.”

The construction boom has shot the demand for art by leaps and bounds. New home owners prefer buying original works of art, rather than prints and reproductions to decorate their contemporary or classic interiors. This has encouraged local artists to produce and sell more art.

Currently, Dubai has around fifty established art galleries, most of which are not more than five years old. The UAE art scene needs to attain a certain level of maturity with the local artists bringing in more pieces. “UAE’s art market is very much in a fledgling stage. There is a shortage of original art available from local artists. A majority of galleries still import quality works from other countries to meet the rising demand,” comments Anand S. Channar, a reputed artist who has been displaying his works in the Art Couture Gallery in Dubai.

With a special affinity for abstracts, Anand has developed acrylic and three-dimensional architectural art which are some of the newer forms of art. During the course of the last fifteen years, Anand has had the credit of selling and gifting over 300 original paintings, the total value of which could be over two million dirhams. Also, Anand has the credit of being the solo exhibitor from UAE in the Toronto International Art Expo in 2008 and 2009.

In most cases, artworks are chosen by the home owners rather than the interior designers or consultants. An influx of cheap Chinese copies of famous artists in the market is mostly in demand by three star and four star hotels and corporate offices. “The owners of these properties have very little or no knowledge or taste or ability to identify and

recognize quality work. Recently, I saw some large size, cheap Chinese paintings in a new five- star hotel in Dubai,” revealed Channar astounded by the state of affairs. Nevertheless, the art market in UAE is evolving and will definitely grow as the city develops further. Art galleries and artists will have ample opportunities to sell more art. “Unfortunately, very few artists are able to devote full -time to their paintings or sculptures as most of them are working simultaneously in different professions,” observes Anand.

“Contemporary Islamic art has been in great demand amongst art lovers in the region as this is rarely available in western countries. Many western expatriates like calligraphic

work due to its unique look and design quality. The focus lies on the geometrical and visual appearance and colours rather than the insight into its meaning.”

“There are very few galleries

Ayushy Sajnani: deep into abstract expressionism

Energy Patterns by Ayushy Sajnani

Energy Patterns by Ayushy Sajnani


dealing in Indian art by established artists. Indians in the UAE prefer to buy Indian artists’ works from India itself, thinking that it is cheaper there. Lesser known Indian artists’ works are seldom available in the UAE” he says.

“Most of the art galleries prefer to exhibit works of Middle Eastern or western artists as they fetch better prices. India is a far better market for Indian artists than the UAE, Arabs prefer Arabic or the work of western artists. However,

locals have come to develop a liking for abstract paintings as they are

non –representational and non –figurative, which complement their sentiments,”notes Anand.

Media and art critics are responsible, to a great extent, for creating big names even though their works may not synchronize with the quality. This is rather unfortunate as art buyers blindly follow the media and art critics. “I believe art must be enjoyed by all for its artistic quality and message, instead of its monetary value and status,” explains Anand.

Commenting on the tremendous growth in art in the UAE, Ayushy Sajnani, another artist says, “The art scene is growing considerably in the UAE. Over the past four years or so, the city has experienced a phenomenal growth in art education by means of public events related to art and other forms of art appreciation.”

Inspired by artists such as Pollock, Chagal, and Magrite, Ayushy has delved deep into abstract expressionism. She is totally in awe of the UAE art scene,

“The unique thing about Dubai is that the audience is diverse at any given point of time and this itself enriches the entire art scene.”

As a resident of Dubai for over 23 years, her works have been strongly influenced by the growing landscape and individuals searching for their identities amidst the changes in their environment.

Ayushy has displayed her works extensively in Dubai- five star hotels, malls, trade centres, airport expo, Dubai international art centre ,Dubai ladies club, etc. Her works are currently on display in the Art Couture Gallery in Dubai.

Working as an artist in the UAE has been phenomenal for Ayushy and other Indian artists as well. Ayushy feels, “As if a cultural dialogue and exchange are taking place in my work…living here and being of Indian origin subconsciously brings a degree of uniqueness to my work, and I think the audience appreciates that.”

While Ayushy revels in the present day art scene, Ramesh Shukla, probably the oldest Indian artist in the UAE is a legend in art circles. His journey as a painter and photographer spans more than four decades and his

works stand as a testimony to the development of this tiny nation, from its nascent pre-oil days to the massive development and modernisation that has ensued.

Arriving in Dubai almost half a century back, Ramesh feels that his timing of coming to the UAE was perfect, “The coastal sheikhdoms were developing at an astonishing rate and were shortly to unite to form the UAE and I was in a unique position to record these changes.”

A versatile artist, who came to the UAE with just a few pennies in his pocket, Ramesh by dint of

Anand S. Channar: special affinity for abstracts

Abstracts by Anand S. Channar

Abstracts by Anand S. Channar

ART


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

country’s foundation and progress. Incidentally, he is the only Indian to hold an annual exhibition in the museum of the Union House in Jumeirah during UAE National Day celebrations.

His recent accomplishments are the iconic images that adorn the

newly established metro stations and the world class Palm Atlantis hotel. At the age of 71, Ramesh continues to shoot around 2,000

photographs a month and paint numerous paintings year after year. “ The Four Seasons Ramesh Gallery houses over 8,000 pieces,

which include many of my own creations and some rare paintings that I have collected from different countries belonging to Italian artists, local artists and rare miniatures of artefacts from museums around the world, including the Louvre. We are also commissioned to handle

projects across the Gulf, Africa and Eastern Europe,” says Ramesh.

An artist, who has sold over a lakh art pieces till date with three books already to his credit and the fourth one, soon to hit the bookstands, one can’t help, but admire Ramesh’s unswerving dedication to the world of art, “Being a witness to the historical saga of the UAE, inspired me to write books on the country’s past: ‘The UAE - Formative Years’ and ‘UAE - The first 30 years’.” In addition, his photographs have been used in Graeme Wilson’s ‘Father of Dubai’.

With artists such as these, the future of Indian artists in the UAE is certainly bright and the prospects quite appealing for any newcomers looking to break into

the Middle East market.

sheer, hard work and foresight, has achieved unparalleled success in the field. His prestigious Four Seasons Ramesh Gallery in Dubai,

which occupies a stupendous area of 20,000 square feet, (it also happens to be the UAE’s oldest art gallery) is a glaring example of his untiring efforts and constant endeavor. Much could be written about his many accolades, but his professional success can be evaluated by the single fact that each of his works today sells for a price that even exceeds the cost of a luxurious SUV!

Popularly dubbed as the ‘royal photographer’, Ramesh has captured the history of UAE and its royal families in the lens of his camera. His images of the rulers of the UAE grace many palaces and private collections and his work appears on UAE postage stamps and currency notes. His photographs represent one of the most comprehensive photographic records of the Bandana Jain is a freelance writer based in Dubai

Ramesh Shukla: UAE’s oldestart gallery

Bastakiya wind towerby Ramesh Shukla Sheikh Zayed with Zayed mosque

by Ramesh ShuklaMetro station Dubaiby Ramesh Shukla


The Indian Soldier and Religion

In a country infected by the virus of religious fundamentalism and riven by factionalism of all hues, the Indian soldier stands out

as a rare exception and, perhaps, the only hope. He has proved his secular credentials repeatedly during the last six decades of independence. He has been called for aid to civil authority to maintain law and order on numerous occasions. Not once has any finger been raised at his fair and just conduct. Even today, all citizens under duress demand the olive green presence. Their faith in the neutrality of Indian soldiers is total.

Many wonder as to how the Indian armed forces maintain their cohesion and secular character despite the fact that Indian soldiers are known to be highly religious by nature. According to them,

by: Major General Mrinal Suman

When told that religion is a unifying factor for the armed forces and not a divisive one, most people find it difficult to believe. Their skepticism is quite understandable, especially in the context of the prevailing environment of

disharmony in the country.

strict adherence to one’s religion makes a man doctrinaire and fanatical. They find it incongruous that a deeply religious person can be secular as well. Therefore, when told that religion is a unifying factor for the armed forces and not a divisive one, most people find it difficult to believe. Their skepticism is quite understandable, especially in the context of the prevailing environment of disharmony in the country.

To comprehend the issue, it is essential to understand that the militaries thrive on traditions and conventions. Their ethos is based on a culture of synergistic functioning for the safety of their country and mutually accommodative demeanor. Being highly structured and dynamic institutions, they develop and follow well laid down norms for their continued sustenance. Norms are unwritten rules. They get evolved due to precedents and conventions set over a period of time. Norms can be descriptive (what to do or Dos)

and proscriptive (what not to do or Don’ts). In the case of the Indian armed forces, well-established norms of religious amity mould the soldiers’ secular bearing.

Commanders’ Deportment

“A commander has no personal religion; his troops’ religion is his religion” is the norm every officer swears by. It does not mean that a

SOLDIERS

An ethos based on a culture of synergistic functioning

for the safety of their country (Photo credit: www.defenselink.mil)


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

commander cannot follow his own religion. It implies that a commander does not display his religious affiliation in front of his troops and his own religion remains confined to his personal domain. He identifies himself with his troops fully and participates enthusiastically in every religious function that his troops celebrate. Most officers know by heart essential prayers said by their troops, their personal faith not withstanding.

Some non-Muslim officers commanding predominantly Muslim troops keep ‘Rozas’ during the month of Ramadan. That is their way of showing solidarity with their troops. Similarly, Muslim officers attend functions in temples and Gurudwaras with their Hindu and Sikh troops.

No religious pictures or other symbols are ever displayed in any office. Similarly, ‘tilaks’ or other religious signs are not allowed to be worn with uniform or in social interactions. It is a proscriptive norm in the armed forces that religion, politics and women are never discussed in messes and social interactions. The aim is to keep all potentially divisive and contentious issues out of public domain. Similarly, no jokes with religious overtones are ever cracked.

During the tragic days of Operation Bluestar, all commanders were deeply concerned with the sense of hurt felt by their Sikh troops and empathised with them. They deserve credit for their sensitive and deft handling of the potentially violent situation. The crisis got diffused without any major untoward incident. It also showed that troops had full faith in their commanders and trusted their counsel.

Self Preservation Straddles Religious Divide

Soldiers have to function in environments of extreme privation and risk. Serving in remote and uncongenial areas makes soldiers highly god-fearing. They seek divine protection and this protection is welcome from any god of any religion. “My god versus your god” is a pastime of people who are well ensconced in the secure and comfortable milieu of their homes with time to spare. However, when threat to life looms large, religious differences are forgotten and prayers are sent up to any god who cares to listen. It is an amazing transformation in human psyche.

The Siachen glacier is the highest and most hostile battlefield in the world. A large number of casualties are suffered due to enemy action, low temperatures (up to minus 30 degrees), shortage of oxygen, intense ultra-violet rays, protracted snow blizzards, avalanches and crevasses. At the base of the glacier, there is a shrine of Siachen Baba (popularly called as OP Baba). It is a multi-faith

temple. Although its origin is shrouded in mystery, soldiers have an unwavering faith in this ‘guardian deity’ for protection against vagaries of nature and enemy hostilities. Every soldier, whatever his religious beliefs, visits the shrine before getting inducted into the glacier. No one knows and no one wants to find out which religion Siachen Baba belongs to. It is a most gratifying sight to see prayer flags of all religions being planted side by side and fluttering in icy winds. Self preservation obliterates all differences.

The above is not a solitary example. At Khardung La (highest motorable road in the

world at 18,380 feet), there is a temple of Khardung La Baba. At Chang La, there is a temple dedicated to Chang La Baba. Again, these shrines do not carry any religious tags. Every soldier bows and says his prayers to seek divine protection. Even in peace locations, the Army has many multi-faith shrines, called ‘Sarva Dharma Sthal’. During the preparation for nuclear tests,

Well-established norms of religious amity(Photo credit: www.history.army.mil)


a similar multi-faith shrine was raised at Pokhran. All troops, irrespective of their personal faith, prayed jointly every morning for the success of the nationally important task assigned to the unit.

Multi-faith Ethos

Respect for all religions is ingrained in every soldier right at the time of his enrolment. Commanders keep an eye on likely roguish elements. Deterrent punishment is meted out for demeanor considered offensive to any religion. Desecration of any place of worship is an act totally repugnant to Indian soldiers. When a unit came across a deserted Masjid in the captured Pakistani territory in Sialkot sector in 1971, it requested for Muslim troops from a neighbouring unit to handle copies of the holy book. Utmost respect was shown to the holy place.

It is a norm in the Army that all religious festivals are celebrated jointly. At Janmashtmi (Lord Krishna’s birthday), activities pertaining to managing footwear of devotees and distribution of ‘prasad’ are undertaken by non-Hindu soldiers. Similarly, these tasks are performed by non-Sikh troops on Gurpurab celebrations. It is heartening to see non-Sikh soldiers dressed up as traditional volunteers to assist the organizers. Such acts are not mere superficial gestures but are embedded in the psyche of every soldier. Interestingly, religious functions are referred to as Mandir Parade, Masjid Parade and so on, thereby according additional sanctity to them. It also conveys to the troops that their presence is mandated

irrespective of their own belief. In units having multi-faith troops, it is traditional for religious

teachers of all faiths to participate in every religious festivity. For a Hindu function, both Gyani and Maulvi get invited to address the congregation and highlight commonality of unifying aspects of all religions. Similarly, Pandit and Maulvi address devotees in a Gurudwara. The basic thrust of all discourses is – “to fight jointly for the defence of India is every soldier’s supreme Dharma and every thing else is secondary”. There cannot be a more satisfying sight than to see three different religious teachers sitting on the dais and sharing common bonds.

Two points need to be highlighted here. One, at Army’s Institute of National Integration, all religious teachers are trained to foster and promote an ethos of national integration in the Army. They are familiarised with the basic tenets of all religions to demonstrate equality of all faiths. Two, unit commanders monitor sermons given by religious teachers and

counsel them, if required.

Emulating the Armed Forces

After attending a joint prayer ceremony by teachers of all religions, the editor of a well known journal wondered if a similar practice was possible in civil society. “It is like a utopian dream - a Maulvi from the Jama Masjid addressing a congregation in the Birla Mandir or vice-versa. It is amazing and simply unbelievable”, he exclaimed.

No country can survive and prosper unless all citizens accord primacy to national interests. Religious dissentions must be curbed ruthlessly as they weaken the fabric of social cohesion by

giving rise to fissiparous tendencies. To counter political expediency and the divisive agenda of some self-serving entities, an ethos of religious unity epitomized by the armed forces needs to be imbibed by all. Religion is a matter of individual faith it should be confined to the personal domain. Commonality of the noble teachings of all religions should be highlighted to promote jointness and foster mutual understanding amongst all segments of the society at large. Only then can India can look forward confidently to a bright future.

The author is a retired General Officer of the Indian Army.He is India’s foremost expert on defence modernisationprocedures and offsets. He has been highlighting issues

concerning India and its military.

SOLDIERS

Indian soldiers are familiar with the basic

tenets of all religions(Photo credit: www.militaryphotos.net)


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

by: Peter Souri Raj

When I met Ritchie BlackmoreThis, ladies and gentlemen was Ritchie Blackmore, Lead Guitarist of Deep

Purple, one of the world’s biggest rock bands. They were huge and without him would probably be less deep and more purple!

musician.” I said “Oh yeah, what’s his name,” thinking he couldn’t be anyone famous since I didn’t recognize him. SRA couldn’t remember and so we left it that.

She stayed away for a whole week. Actually they did. She never showed up without him. And then she was back. Looking even more stunning in a yellow-er dress. He was in standard black. I vaguely remember thinking that I should find out who he was, but it was a busy evening and the restaurant was filled with lovers of what passed for Indian food, getting fleeced and enjoying it.

In the thick of the action, SRA handed me a bill folder. I opened it and inside was a gold American Express credit card. When I read the name, I almost died. I couldn’t believe my eyes. To think that he had been showing up almost every day, and going unrecognized!

Suddenly it all made sense: the Mercedes 500 SEL; the gorgeous blonde on his arm; the $100 a night on dinner; the frequent week long disappearances. This was no ordinary mortal. This was no marketing success. This was no wannabe rock star. This was Rock Music Royalty. This, ladies and gentlemen was Ritchie Blackmore, Lead Guitarist of Deep Purple, one of the world’s biggest rock bands at the time. (What. You’ve never

heard of Deep Purple? You can’t be serious. Get a life!)With thoughts of Fireball, Made in Japan, Shades, and the many

other rock-standard albums racing through my head, I went to his table, and gushed. Did the autograph thing and mentally kicked myself. Turns out that another guy who used to show up for dinner daily and who, on learning that I too loved soccer invited me to come and play with them, was his roadie. They were all Brits, loved soccer and played every day in a park close by. I could have been playing soccer with Ritchie Blackmore daily. Kick, kick, kick, Kick, KICK. Oh well, at least she knew my name!

Peter Souri Raj has frequently hobnobbed with celebrities during his long stint in the hotel industry. TII will feature some of his

memorable encounters in this new series.

MY CELEBRITY ENCOUNTER

She was a traffic stopper. Blonde. Ocean-blue eyes. And legs as long as the Thames. She wore

these fantastic yellow dresses which she probably used to pour over herself just before leaving home. She was his girlfriend. He had curly, shoulder length hair. Liked to wear black, full-sleeved shirts with black jeans. And boots. Showed up with her almost every day, in a black 500 SEL and proceeded to spend around $100 on each meal. At this Indian restaurant in Huntington, Long Island that I was slaving in, where I earned ten times as much. For a whole month’s work! And she even knew my name!

It was 1986. After an aborted attempt to open up an Indian restaurant in Queens with my brother, I somehow ended up working for Sewa Ram Arora and his Jhoola restaurant chain in Long Island.

She loved the Samosas – which at $5 for two pieces, were sold as Starters. He would wash down his favourite curry with around 6 pints. And still remain the gentleman, opening doors for her. Quite un-American, I remember thinking.

One day, out of the blue SRA says to me: “That guy is a famous

Mark

s and

Spen

cerAl

-Futt

aim re

veals

its

Autum

n coll

ection

for M

en

TII FASHION


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

Incorporating the newest Intel processor technology within its incredibly thin and light design the Samsung X420 is designed for anyone who needs

to be exceptionally mobile, but who doesn’t want to sacrifice power and performance.

The X420 features the longest battery life available in its class, with one 6 cell battery delivering up to

9 hours* of power to keep you going all day long. The secret behind the X420’s exceptional power efficiency is the unique combination of its low energy LED display, optimized processing performance and Samsung’s class-leading engineering. So no matter how hectic your day you’re always ready to go anywhere and do anything.

Astonishingly, despite packing in all this power, the X420 boasts

HP expanded its networking portfolio with new HP ProCurve

offerings integrated with HP BladeSystem infrastructure solutions that enable customers to increase performance, security and management of both physical and virtual environments.

The new offerings include the

HP Expands Networking PortfolioConverged blade and networking technologies increase virtualization

performance and network flexibility

HP ProCurve 6120 series designed to leverage the award-winning HP BladeSystem infrastructure and an expansion of the HP ProCurve 8200 and 5400 Ethernet switch portfolio. Also included in the announcement is a firmware upgrade to HP Virtual Connect that allows users to change bandwidth on the fly to respond to fluctuations in application requirements.

Increased network flexibilityTo further strengthen the business benefits delivered by HP BladeSystem,

HP ProCurve is offering two new standards-based blade switches that increase service quality, lower costs and reduce risks in the data center.

To reduce complexity and deliver investment protection, the 10Gb HP ProCurve 6120XG Blade Switch is designed to meet the demands of virtual machines and high-performance applications.

X420 notebookThe world’s lightest in its class! an ultra-sleek and slimline

design that is just 23.2 mm in depth so wherever you need to go it can easily fit into almost any bag, case or luggage.

The X420 includes an HDMI port so you can quickly connect to and playback any content on a television. With three USB 2.0 ports and a 3-in-1 memory card reader you can effortlessly connect to almost any modern device, so sharing your music, pictures, movies or personal data is extremely simple.

LEXMARK TO SHOWCASE THE WORLD’S FIRST LINE OF WEB-CONNECTED TOUCH SCREEN ALL-IN-ONE PRINTERS AT GITEX 09

BUYING IT


Lexmark, the printing solutions and services provider, will be

displaying a full range of advanced printers with high tech innovation at this year’s GITEX Technology Week.

“The annual event is one in a series of regional business-to-business events that we attend to reach regional channel partners as well as renew and establish new contacts,” noted Mr. Mohammed Addarrat, GM of Lexmark International Middle East.

Lexmark will be presenting its 2009 inkjet all-in-one (AIO) product

line. Lexmark will deliver five new AIO inkjets ideal for small to medium sized businesses. From new product designs to industry leading touch screen solutions, Lexmark is introducing a robust, more innovative line of printers than ever before.Web-connected touch screen inkjet

The new line includes a Web-connected touch screen AIO with Lexmark’s myTouch capacitive 4.3” touch screen technology.

Technogym introduces EXCITE+, the most complete cardiovascular equipment range in the world including 9 different

movements: RUN, JOG, BIKE, RECLINE, STEP, SYNCHRO, TOP, CARDIOWAVE, VARIO. The new EXCITE+ has been developed starting from the EXCITE line multisensorial design by adding new colour options (classic SILVER and new BLACK) and more interactivity thanks to VISIO.

VISIO is the most innovative cardiovascular equipment digital platform in the market providing users with comprehensive training

EXCITE+: the first equipment talking to your customer

and entertainment experience and offering to the operators a revolutionary business tool to communicate with the members, understand their expectations and improve the club business and service level. Designed as the result of findings from one million workouts across seven countries, it offers an accessible and easy to use interface for beginners and advanced users, enabling members to find all the fun and entertainment.

16th

ANNI V ERSARY

LG Electronics (LG), a global leader and technology innovator in mobile communications, today announced the worldwide retail release of the highly anticipated new Chocolate (LG-BL40).

The stunning fourth handset of the Black Label Series will be available in the UAE from mid-October.

With the introduction of this bold new shape, the new Chocolate is essentially reinventing the way consumers view and use mobile phones. Designed with sleek sophistication, the strikingly unconventional 4-inch wide screen opens up an enlarged and more optimal space for “on-the-go” computing, allowing for an entirely new mobile experience that raises the bar of innovation.

Users will see things differently with the widened 21:9 panoramic

Inmarsat to Showcase Advanced Mobile Satellite Offerings at GulfComms 2009

- Inmarsat’s New and Faster BGAN X-Stream Sees Rapid Uptake by Media Organizations in the Middle East -

Get a Taste of New Chocolate LG’s ultimate wide screen phone opens up a whole new

mobile experience

display that establishes a new level of visual comfort for the reading of web pages and e-mail and dramatically brings videos and games to life with cinematic flair.


Inmarsat, the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services today announced that it will be showcasing its new and premium IP streaming service, BGAN X-Stream, at

this year’s GulfComms exhibition. BGAN X-Stream will be demoed live at the Inmarsat stand in Zabeel Hall, stand Z-C25.

Following increased demand from the region’s media sector, Inmarsat introduced higher streaming rates on the BGAN X-Stream earlier this year. By using a single, lightweight BGAN (Broadband Global Area Network) terminal, BGAN X-Stream delivers the fastest on-demand streaming rates from a minimum of 384 kbps (kilo bits per second) up to approximately 450 kbps.

The new premium streaming service is available on all existing

BGAN terminals that are capable of accessing current streaming rates of 256 kbps and is accessible without the need for additional external hardware. A streaming service of 384 kbps offers near-broadcast quality video and is compatible with leading video and audio IP applications.

16th

ANNI V ERSARY


State Bank of India to give financial services to EDC members

Oasis Centre unveils ‘Millionaire Lifestyle’

Dubai Export Development Corporation (EDC) signed a Memorandum of

Understanding with State Bank of India (SBI – DIFC Branch) to provide a framework for the provision of financial support and services to EDC members comprising of exporters and

manufacturers in the UAE. The three-year agreement provides a framework that permits EDC

members to obtain value added financial services from SBI in the field of deposits, investments, corporate credit, loans & syndications, term loans & project finance, on a selective basis

Credit, being an essential ingredient for the success of any business, this agreement will facilitate credit to the exporters in the UAE at preferential and discounted terms. Such steps would greatly facilitate the task of the exporters, which will help in boosting the export segment of the UAE economy.

With an earlier similar arrangement for product certification with M/s Intertek and now with SBI on financial services, EDC is continuously looking for partnerships with service providers who are able to provide

Oasis Centre, located on Sheikh Zayed Road, today unveiled the

‘Millionaire Lifestyle’ for shoppers, which showcases top-quality offerings from the mall’s stores, without compromising their promise of value.

“As a brand, Oasis Centre has been part of the shopping experience from a time when Dubai did not have the super-malls that exist today,” said Mr. Neelesh Bhatnagar, Director - Landmark Group and CEO – Emax. “In its previous incarnation, Oasis

Oasis Millionaire Lifestyle

attractive and beneficial services that support the local exporters in the Emirates to establish innovative businesses and to develop customer export prospects.

India’s largest bank, State Bank of India located at Dubai International Financial Centre provides a full range of banking services, accepting deposits in non Dirham currencies (from non state markets) preferably USD, GBP and Euro for various periods as well as providing credits. Under the MoU, deposits made by EDC members’ will be selectively given a preferential pricing over SBI’s card rates.

“We share the same objective of enhancing the growth of the UAE economy with EDC.

Centre was the de facto destination of choice for shoppers of all hues. Today, we offer the same experience, but our offering has improved manifold. The Millionaire Lifestyle is designed to highlight that fact.”

While many proclaim the recession to be over, consumers are still shopping cautiously, carefully husbanding savings. Recent research by Unity Marketing says that more than 80% of people today put much more consideration into their spending, but it also reveals another interesting fact: While looking for lower prices, they are reluctant to compromise on a lifestyle that they have become used to. “The Millionaire Lifestyle offers a unique opportunity for shoppers to enjoy the perks of the good life without spending conspicuously,” added Mr. Bhatnagar.

The ‘Millionaire Lifestyle’ is part of the 6 weeks Oasis Millionaire promotion, where every Dhs. 200 worth of shopping affords shoppers a chance to become the ‘Oasis Millionaire’. The ‘Millionaire Lifestyle’ will showcase products shoes, clothes, accessories & home décor products available at various stores across the mall.

BUZZ WORD

Part of the ‘Oasis Millionaire’ promotion, showcasing collections that offer shoppers a ‘Millionaire Lifestyle’ – one shopper during the 6 weeks

promotion to also become an Oasis Millionaire

Photo caption: (L-R) Engineer Saed Al Awadi, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Export Development Corporation (EDC), and Mr. Vidyasagar, Chief Executive Officer, State Bank of India during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

Barrio Fiesta Opens In Dubai

Barrio Fiesta fired up its kitchens for the first time in the UAE as it took its

first steps into the Middle East market. Present at the opening was Philippine Consul General Benito Valeriano, Mr. Syed Salahuddin, Managing Director of ETA-ASCON Star Group, Happy Ongpauco, Celebrity Chef and Director , Barrio Fiesta Group of Restaurants and Ishwar Chugani, Executive Director of ETA-STAR Retail.

“The opening of Barrio Fiesta is an exciting milestone for ETA-Star Retail, as well as the Ongpauco family who have grown the brand into one of the leading traditional family restaurants in the Philippines,” said Ishwar Chugani

Celebrity Chef, Happy Ongpauco, brings mouth watering cuisines from the Philippines such as the Kare-Kare; a Barrio Fiesta speciality made from

beef oxtail and a variety of vegetables cooked in a traditional peanut sauce, the ever popular Sinigang na Hipon; a tamarind flavoured soup with shrimps and vegetables and the all time favourite Halo Halo, a traditional Filipino dessert of mixed fruits and beans served on crushed ice, milk and ice cream.

The Filipino community is now the 4th largest ethnic group in the UAE. As part of ETA-STAR Retail’s expansion plans and strategy to identify niche business opportunities, we decided to enter this venture to provide the Filipino community a place just like home where they can meet, eat and invite their friends to savour Traditional Filipino delicacies. Having grown up in the Philippines and living here for over 30 years, it was my dream to do something for the community and Barrio Fiesta is an endeavour very close to my heart, “ Ishwar Chugani said.

Barrio Fiesta is located in the new extension of Bur Juman Centre. The restaurant covers an area of over 3,000 square feet and when fully operational will have a capacity to serve 100 people. A lot of attention to detail was put into the design of the restaurant; with authentic materials and decorations sourced from the Philippines. The main entrance is made entirely from Mother of Pearl.

Established in 1952, Barrio Fiesta currently has 50 restaurants in the Philippines and the U.S.A.


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

• Honour for nurturing leadership skills in young female students

Bringing a blend of traditional and fusion cuisine from the Philippines

‘Leader in Education award’

GEMS Education wins ‘Leader in Education’ Award

GEMS Education is the first winner of the Women in Leadership ‘Leader in

Education’ award. Held under the Patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, the Women In leadership awards were presented as a part of the Women in Leadership Forum, 2009.

GEMS Education won the award for its work in honouring

exceptional young female students across the network of GEMS Schools through the Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Award for Excellence.

The award honours female students who have proven themselves as global citizens, exhibited outstanding leadership qualities, achieved exceptional academic achievements and demonstrated strong commitment to the communities in which they live. It highlights the important role that young female leaders play in GEMS schools as well as the community.

The award was established by GEMS Education in honour of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, wife of the late President His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, for her contributions to the empowerment of UAE women and in support of her vision to celebrate and support women’s achievements and self determination.

Left to right: Patricia Chugani, Happy Ongpauco; Director of Barrio Fiesta Group of Companies, Syed Salahuddin; Managing Director, ETA-Ascon Star Group of Companies, Benito Valeriano; Philippine Consul General, Ishwar Chugani; Executive Director, ETA-Star Retail Group and Dinesh Chugani


16th

ANNI V ERSARY


Politics ofInspiration

by: Neerja Singh

The Professionals Party of India (PPI) recently celebrated its second anniversary. Although not known beyond India to many, the party could transform the way the

country will be run in a decade.

Well-known Goan singer Remo Fernandes reflects a common Indian woe in his characteristic blunt style : “I’m tired of being ruled by people whom I wouldn’t trust with my company or house,

and here they’re running my country… You wouldn’t send your child to a school where the teachers weren’t qualified in their subjects; here we have our country run by ministers who have no education in the portfolios they hold, or no education at all.”

Several years ago a group of professionals decided it was time the educated middle class stopped shying away from taking responsibility for their country and did something more than just talk. The Professionals Party of India was born two years ago; the Party’s website (www.ppi.net.in) is worth a visit for the sheer attention to detail and purity of intent that PPI represents. It reads like the India we wish we could have : all politicians to submit their CVs; accountability and performance evaluation for all ministers holding office; source of all wealth to be disclosed; no personal income tax on individuals (apparently this small loss of revenue can be made up very easily); a transparent revenue system without multiple tax points; no levies on trade between states; urban beautification to be priority; power, water and public transport to be available to all.

Reading through it is inspiring, making one believe it just may be possible India might one day have

POLITICS

RV Krishnan: President of Professionals Party of India

politicians who will do us proud. But it also has suggestions that need explaining. TII spoke to RV Krishnan, President of PPI for an exclusive interview. Why PPI? And how did the name come about?

Research to find solutions for India’s problems started way back

in 2000. Unknown to us then, it was to be the genesis for what is now called the Professionals Party of India (PPI). By 2005, a comprehensive document of solutions for India was developed. This document covered areas as diverse as Economy, Industry, Culture, Education, Agriculture and Politics, detailing how India could firmly find its rightful place among the world’s developed nations.

Whimsically called ‘Manifesto in search of a Party’, the document was replicated and sent to many, including bureaucrats, business executives, Industry leaders, Bankers, even I think a couple of politicians. Even though it was appreciated by all, a year passed and nothing happened.

That is when we realised that the systemic ills ruining our country perhaps suited our politicians, they feed off these afflictions and have no motivation to change a system that works in their favour. And it then became clear that the only way to change things for our country was for us professionals and the middle class of India to roll up our sleeves and get into the fray ourselves.

After all, India-born professionals head many of the largest, most successful and influential companies all over the world; if a 100 such people got into the Indian Parliament, they could turn around India in five years.

That is when, about two years ago, the Professionals Party of India (PPI) was formally born. PPI was registered with the Election Commission in record time and we fielded two candidates from Mumbai in the recent elections. None of the candidates won, but the Party got some valuable experience and exposure. Since then, PPI has set up chapters in all the metros and continues to receive interest from people who’d like to support the fledgling party because it has caught the imagination of the professional middle-classes.

Your focus seems to be entirely on the middle class voter; how do you plan to tackle the rest of the country?

We don’t, not in the near future at least. India has a total of 714

million voters; the number is way too large, it is spread too wide, we don’t know all their languages and we don’t have enough money to speak to rural India right now. What we can do is change the current voting patterns in cities.

In the last election, about 46% of India’s registered voters

participated. Guess

how many middle class votes were cast by urban dwellers? 8%. There is a huge disconnect between what today’s India needs from politicians and what our current crop of leaders represent. The middle classes have become apathetic and cynical to the political process because none of the contenders “speak their language”. We hope to change that scenario and bring out the middle classes to vote by inspiring them.

We will focus our attention on about 100 parliamentary constituencies in India’s urban centres, each of which has a similar size with 15 lakh (1.5 million) voters. That does not

RV Krishnan: Can PPI change the voting scenario in India?


mean we need 15 million votes to get into office; as of now winning politicians typically get 16-20% of votes cast, so 300,000 votes translates into one seat. We believe that even with 75-100 seats, we could transform the face of Indian politics.

The Lok Sabha has 543 seats; if PPI gets 100 seats it still does not give you a clear mandate to make policy changes, given that the rest of the politicians will have no motivation to support you…

Have you seen the Question Hour that’s televised from the Indian Parliament? It’s embarrassing to watch and nothing constructive seems to ever get done. Politicians are supposed to be visionaries who look into the future and see a picture of the country that is not yet reality – then work towards creating this reality. Instead our politicians waste time on petty, inconsequential issues that can never get us anywhere. If PPI can simply raise the quality of debate by asking pertinent questions and Neerja Singh is a freelance writer based in Dubai

demanding answers within a defined time frame, we will start making our points of difference obvious to the country. Your manifesto proposes doing away with personal income tax altogether, yet you have envisioned having energy, water, education and healthcare for everybody. How do you plan to raise the money for these developments?

Personal income tax is paid by only about 1% of the Indian population and is relatively unimportant in the overall revenue structure of the country. In fact we believe the cost of collection of personal income tax is disproportionate to the cost of collecting other central taxes like, say, Excise. It has also given an unnecessary tool to harass individuals at will. Most of all, doing away with personal income tax can potentially increase the size of the economy because it will draw all the money currently out of sight into the mainstream.

How do we plan to raise more money for development? Very simply, by utilising our country’s massive funds for the purpose they

are intended. You remember one of our former Prime Ministers is reported to have said that only 15 paise of every rupee actually reaches its objective!

Besides, we are proposing a small change in the current makeup of levies to increase the size of the total, but PPI recommends doing away with personal income tax. After all, all central tax monies collected in India come into one common pool, of which excise, customs and sales tax make up a large proportion.How do you plan to reach your target market?

The potential PPI voter is urban, educated, employed and most likely has access to the internet or a phone, either at work or at home. We are therefore a lot focused on marketing online. Our website is a great marketing tool, along with regular newsletters and affiliation with like-minded Indians on social networking sites like Facebook and Linkedin.

What about raising the money for doing all of this?

PPI accepts donations only by cheque or online and refuses cash, especially from businesses. The rationale is simple: if we have not taken money from businesses before we get elected, we will have no obligation to return favours once we come to office.

PPI Core Group: Plans to remove personal income tax

Food

Hungry? Call 800 45 01www.sofraworldwide.com

Food


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

CentralTIIIndo-Arab

Insurance

Indo-Arab

Emigration

TIIs ‘where-to-get-it’ section. Products and services for our 200,000 discerning readers.

TII Central

Ideal for: Insurance, Travel, Property, Restaurants etc. CONTACT:BAHRAIN [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Only AED 999 for this space!

(Minimum 6 ads)

POLITICS


Because of ChristmasWe Can ‘Ask’

by: Frank Raj

FUTURE QUEST


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

TII 16.4.indd 17 9/5/2009 12:58:16 PM

Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.Futurequest is a search for the truth in our times.

Frank Raj is the Founder Editor of TII

Christmas is a time when people tend to think of Jesus Christ as a baby born in a cute little manger.

That supernatural event is not the primary focus. To know the central truth of the Christmas story one must ask not assume. Ask – did deity descend in Bethlehem? Why is it said unlike any other baby, the child born in Bethlehem was unique in all of history? How was he born of a virgin, not of a human father and mother? Did he have a heavenly pre-existence (John 1: 1-3, 14). Is he God, the Son - Creator of the universe? (Phillippians 2:5-11). Why is Christmas called the ‘Incarnation,’ a word which means “in the flesh?” In Jesus’ birth, did the eternal, all-powerful and all-knowing Creator come to earth in the flesh? Is Christmas a priceless gift for all or just for a bunch of folks with a different religious label?

I’ve always wondered why would God do such a ridiculous thing? Why would he enter his own creation as a baby, instead of arriving in power and majesty? The prophecies from the Old Testament that were fulfilled in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection have the answers. Scholars of all persuasions have verified nearly 300 predictions hundreds of years before his birth; referring to a coming deliverer they called the Messiah.

Renowned archaeologist, Nelson Glueck, has commented, “It may be stated categorically

that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference.” Findings include inscriptions that Caesar Augustus ordered his subjects to be taxed, which uprooted people such as Joseph and Mary from their homes (Luke 2: 3-4). (See Sir William Ramsey, The Bearing of Recent Discoveries on the Trustworthiness of the New Testament. (Hodder and Stoughton, 1920), p.238f.)

Despite all the evidence, many scorn the Savior’s birth because like Augustus Caesar, every individual has his own little kingdom. We want to run our own life, indulge in all the pleasures available, and demand ego fulfilment. The media reinforces all this – go for it, do your own thing, master your own fate, chart your own destiny, be your own man, be your own woman. People will not bow the knee to the Creator who chose to humble himself for their salvation.

People won’t ask.At any Christmas family meal, the tradition is to invite only close

relatives and friends. People want the best gifts, Christmas tree etc., to decorate their homes to perfection, but most folks miss the main point. Christ was born in lowly circumstances - he is not particular, he invites anyone to join the heavenly banquet, and he accepts people regardless of who they are. Just like he did in person, he still embraces rich or poor, depraved or sophisticated sinners of all types, even today. (I testify from personal experience not institutional belief).

It is impossible not to qualify for God’s grace and forgiveness -you only have to ask. You only have to set aside your spiritual pride, your tradition, your status, your knowledge, your refusal to forgive someone – whatever keeps you from acknowledging you are not pure enough to sit at the divine table. Or certain that you can be saved by your good works and religious membership, you can scorn the invitation.

Christmas 2009 will be a first for my grandson David who arrived in October. But it is a sober time for the family, with my fragile 86 year-old mother quite vulnerable after her sudden second stroke. As I write she is in a Singapore hospital ICU although her condition is reportedly stable. Shuttling between her five sons, four daughters, 17 grandchildren, and six great grandchildren in several countries, Mom is as sturdy as they come - it won’t surprise any of us if she comes through another stroke. Regardless, it will still be Christmas because even though I may not be sure about many things, this one thing I am sure of – Mom has asked.

And it will always be Christmas for anyone who asks because of the promise, “Ask and you will receive.”


16th

ANNI V ERSARY

THE INTERNATIONAL IndianFOR SUBSCRIBERS!theinternationalindian.com/pdfs/16.6.pdf35 motor mamla 41...

Documents

Transcript of THE INTERNATIONAL IndianFOR SUBSCRIBERS!theinternationalindian.com/pdfs/16.6.pdf35 motor mamla 41...