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Vol. 7 | No. 39 | Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015 | 60 Cents

Obama says

Namaste
India
President Obama 2nd visit to India, becoming the first POTUS to grace Republic
Day as Chief Guest, was also historic in terms of him and Prime Minister Modi
achieving a breakthrough in nuclear deal impasse and steering worlds two
largest democracies towards an elevated level of friendship and cooperation.
This 60-page Special Issue celebrates Indias Republic Day and President Obamas visit to India.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

The women's power was showcased at India's


66th Republic Day in the presence of US
President Barack Obama as the chief guest
New Delhi: If the annual Republic Day parade is known for its pomp and splendor, the
66th edition will remain etched in the memory for two other factors - the women's power
showcased during the two-hour event and the
presence of US President Barack Obama as
the chief guest on the occasion.
Quite appropriately, the honor of leading
the marching contingents was given to the
one drawn from the three services, while the
Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian
Air Force also fielded all-women's contingents.
A woman led the Indian Navy contingent
while a tableau depicted the success achieved
by an all-women's team in scaling the world's
highest mountain, Mount Everest.
All this, coupled with a woman leading the
contingent that presented a guard of honor to
US President Barack Obama Sunday is reportedly Modi's way of showcasing women's
power in India - despite the many stories of
atrocities on women and the odds stacked
against them socially.
The day began cloudy and rainy and there
were apprehensions that the flypast, one of
the most-eagerly awaited events at the parade, would be curtailed but, in the end, the
weather cleared sufficiently for this to take
place though the sky remained overcast.
Most of the paramilitary and police contingents were in regulation khaki but they too
got a look-in, thanks to their ceremonial cummerbunds, sashes and turbans.
Notably, the mechanized columns were
down to a minimum this time around - perhaps to paper over the fact that 70 percent of
the hardware with the armed forces is imported, a situation that Modi's 'Make in India'
initiative hopes to reverse.
The music, as usual, made for considerable
patriotic fervor, what with rousing tunes like
Sare Jahan Se Aacha, Hanste Lushai, Kadam
Kadam Badahe Ja and Sound Barrier, many

of which had Obama keeping time - which he


also did when the tableaux came on with their
wealth of folk music.
This also made for a seamless blend of military might and heritage as 25 tableaux - 16
from the states and nine from various ministries - graphically displayed India's rich cultural diversity.
Andhra Pradesh chose to do this through a
harvest festival; Madhya Pradesh highlighted
the Bhagoria festival of love and matchmaking; Uttarakhand through the pilgrimage to
Kedarnath; Sikkim through cardamom farming, Assam by re-creating Majuli, the world's
largest river island; Telangana by re-creating
the Golconda fort and Haryana with likeness
of the Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary - quite naturally, with twittering birds.
The 'Make in India' tableau by the department of industrial policy and promotion depicted a mechanised lion against the backdrop of a smart city. The campaign aims to

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

President Pranab Mukherjee, US President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle


Obama, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the
saluting dais on the occasion of the 66th Republic Day Parade.

promote manufacturing in India. Another pet


project of the prime minister, the 'Beti
Bachao Beti Padhao' program, a campaign

against female foeticide which he launched


from Panipat in Haryana Jan 22, was also featured in a tableau.

'Modi', 'Barack' chatted like old friends


New Delhi: The friendly warmth and camaraderie between Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and US President Barack
Obama was on full display as the two chatted and laughed like old friends over a twohour period while watching Indias Republic Day parade and pageantry.
A day after the two leaders - one the prime
minister of the worlds largest democracy
and the other the president of the worlds
oldest democracy - got down to referring to
each other in first person terms - Barack
and Modi respectively - their easy friendship was visible for the world to see.
Amid a steady drizzle that at times almost
threatened to spoil the celebration of Indias
military might, cultural diversity and technological prowess, Modi was seen carrying
on a steady conversation with Obama, explaining to him the different facets of the Republic Day parade as it marched down Rajpath.
The two leaders chatted, mostly without
the help of an interpreter, who was seated
within the bullet proof enclosure. Within the
enclosure was also President Pranab
Mukherjee, US president's wife Michelle
Obama, Vice President Hamid Ansari and
his wife Salma.
Modi, whose sartorial vibrancy was also

Modi with Obama and the


First Lady on the Raj Path.

remarked on by Obama, was attired in a dark


bandhgala and topped with a colorful tricolor Rajasthani turban. Modi is known to pay
special attention to his attire and has become

known for changing his dress for different


occasions.
While Obama was wearing a formal dark
grey suit, with a lavender colored tie, Modi
topped his attire by donning a pair of stylish
shades.
Michelle was seen chatting with Salma
Ansari, but mostly kept quiet and watched
the proceedings.
Towards the end of the march past, when
the mounted floats from different states and
the folk dancers came in a steady stream to
showcase their cultural splendor, the attention of the US president appeared to flag.
But his companion, in Modi, kept up a
lively chatter - explaining each bit with an
expressive show of his hands.
Obama did get to see some of the USmade acquisitions of India - the Indian Air
Forces C-130J Super Hercules and C-17
Globemaster III - that flew down at low level formation over the Rajpath.
The daredevil motorbike stunts by men of
the Border Security Force had the US president and his wife visibly interested and both
clapped with enthusiasm.
Obama did come in his own car, The
Beast, to the Rajpath, in a break from protocol and not in President Mukherjee's black
limo.

Don't make religion a cause for conflict: President


New Delhi: President Pranab
Mukherjee said political discourse
that "cuts and wounds" peoples
hearts was abhorrent" to Indias
traditional ethos.
In his customary address to the
nation on the eve of Republic Day,
Mukherjee said: The freedom inherent in democracy sometimes
generates an unhappy by-product
when political discourse becomes
a competition in hysteria that is
abhorrent to our traditional ethos.
The violence of the tongue cuts
and wounds peoples hearts, he
added. Quoting Mahatma Gandhi,
he said: Religion is a force for

unity; we cannot make it a cause


of conflict."
Mukherjee once again objected
to government enacting laws
without discussion, saying that it
impacts the law-making role of
the parliament and breaches the
trust reposed in it by the people.
This is neither good for the
democracy nor for the policies relating to those laws."
Recently the president had
raised strong objections to a string
of ordinances - executive orders passed by the union cabinet, including the one on the land acquisition act. While acknowledging

that the constitution provided for


promulgation of ordinance in extraordinary situation, Mukherjee
had said this route cannot and
should not be taken for normal
legislation.
In his address, the president also
stressed on the importance of the
parliamentary process in making
laws saying there can be no governance without a functioning legislature.
The president also said that the
results of last year's general elections have been remarkable as
people have voted a single party to
power after three decades.

President Pranab Mukherjee addressing the nation on


the eve of Republic Day.

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Community throngs NY
Consulate for R-Day
By Ashok Ojha/SATimes
New York: A few hundred community leaders, public officials and professionals from the tristate area and
New Hampshire gathered at the Indian Consulate here to celebrate Indias
66th Republic Day on Jan 30.
Welcoming the guests, Consul
General Dnyaneshwar Mulay said
the Indo-US ties reached a new level
after President Obamas visit. He
presented his vision to engage people
of different walks of life in the great
Indian journey towards economic
prosperity and intellectual growth
through events aimed at promoting
Indian art, culture and science before
the world. Some prominent citizens
were honored for their accomplish-

ments including Padma Shri Dr. Dattathreyudu Nori, New Hampshire


Assemblywoman Latha Mangipudi,
NJ Assemblyman Raj Mukherjee,
Nisha Agarwal - Commissioner,
NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant
Affairs, and City Council Member
Paul Vallone.
Talking to The South Asian Times,
Vallone offered his services to help
Indian owned businesses in NYC and
resolve administrative issues with the
city administration.
Raj Mukherjee complimented
Baba Saheb Ambedkar for authoring
a workable Constitution for India
that propelled the nations progress
towards growth and prosperity. Noted attorney Ravi Batra said that he
was proud to be an Indian-American.

Our community was the best on


both sides of the hyphen. Ashok Kumar Garg, CEO of Bank of Barodas
US Operations, commented, We are
upbeat about Indias economic landscape as the government was determined to streamline the banking system with single window clearance,
which provides new opportunities for
investors, both foreign and domestic.
The Consul General presented a
check of $10,000 to Christina
Marouda, Director, MOMI for a joint
action plan for projecting movies focused on strengthening Indo-US ties.
Deputy Consul General Dr. Manoj
Kumar Mohapatra read out excerpts
from the President of India's R-Day
Address to the Nation.

Amb. Mulay (middle) is joined by community leaders to cut a


cake celebrating Indias 66th Republic Day.

Editors Picks

Tunes by Indian musicians, foot-tapping drumbeats and calming chimes


reverberated the air as the imposing Rashtrapati Bhavan lit up at
sunset marking the end of the 66th Republic Day celebrations with
'Beating Retreat' ceremony at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi on Jan 29.
(Right) President Obama is visibly having a good time at the At-Home
hosted by President Pranab Mukherjee on Jan 26.

This is one of the pictures on the White House website from


the Republic Day parade that President Obama sat through.

New Delhi Bureau


Meenakshi Iyer
Delhi@TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Art and Design: Vladimir Tomovski


Bhagwati Creations,
Dhiraj Kumar

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Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Of umbrellas, caps
and patriotic songs
New Delhi: With the rain playing spoilsport,
the dignitaries gathered at Rajpath to witness
India's 66th Republic Day parade were
forced to wear caps and take cover under
umbrellas and raincoats.
US President Barack Obama, the chief
guest at the parade, and wife Michelle were
seated in a roofless bullet-proof glass enclosure along with President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari and his
wife Salma and Prime Minister Narendra
Modi.
As it started to drizzle, officials with huge,
black umbrellas and members of the support
staff standing next to them sprang into action.
While the Obamas held their own umbrellas, the Indian dignitaries and leaders attending the ceremony had their better halves
or their official staff holding the cover for
them.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi also held
her own umbrella. Two seats away,
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit
Shah was seen taking shelter under an umbrella held by his wife.
Kiran Bedi, the BJP's chief ministerial
candidate for next month's Delhi assembly
polls, wore a raincoat.
Many dignitaries also donned caps to protect themselves from the cold and drizzle.
Mukherjee and Ansari sported fur caps, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and senior BJP
leader L.K. Advani wore golf caps while
Modi wore a traditional and colorful Rajasthani headgear.
Had Modi peeked into the enclosures
erected in front of him at Rajpath when the
66th Republic Day parade concluded, he
might have been forced to rethink the
prospects of his pet Swachh Bharat Abhiyan,
or Clean India campaign.
Soiled sheets of newspapers, pamphlets
(carrying details of the parade details) and

People chanted We Love Obama during the Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi as rain played spoilsport.

polythene bags that had been used by the


crowds to clean their seats and cover their
heads during the morning drizzle were littered all around the VIP enclosures as the
function ended.
Many of the chairs lay toppled while the
seats of almost all of them had shoe marks
and sludge on them as the crowd had stood
atop them minutes before to catch a glimpse
of the departing dignitaries.
The camaraderie between Obama and
Modi seems to have rubbed off on Delhiites
as well. When Obama reached Rajpath to attend the 66th Republic Day parade, the
crowd climbed atop their chairs to catch a
glimpse him and his ride - The Beast.
The crowds cheered, clapped and waved at
Obama and his wife Michelle. The Obamas
too waved back, much to the delight of the
crowds.
A group of young men even had a huge
yellow-colored poster with the message We Love Obama, with a red heart signifying

love. In fact, the highly publicised ModiObama 'chair pe charcha' on the verdant
lawns of the Hyderabad House Sunday was
a hot topic of discussion among the audience
as they waited for the parade to begin. Most
of them had gathered since early morning,
braving the rain and the January chill.
The friendly warmth and camaraderie between the two leaders again evident during
the two-hour parade.
It was a wet, gloomy start to the 66th Republic Day celebrations here as sporadic
overnight rain that continued in the morning
threatened the festivities as well as dampened the spirits of the people.
The crowds gathered for the function were
a worried lot as the security personnel did
not allow umbrellas inside the venue due to
safety concerns and the light drizzle could
very well have turned into a heavy shower.
But much to their relief, half an hour into
the parade, the rain stopped and the dark
clouds that had been hovering overhead dis-

persed and later enabled them to witness the


flypast by the Indian Air Force.
It may have been a cold, foggy and wet
Republic Day morning but the people who
packed the stands, some of whom had
walked for several kilometers to reach Rajpath, were in a patriotic mood.
Despite the long queues at the entrances,
the crowds raised slogans like "Vande
Mataram" and "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" at regular intervals. Some of them had small paper
tri-colours pinned to their shirts and tops
while others had tri-coloured scarves
wrapped on their heads and around their
necks.
Adding to the feel, were soul-stirring
songs like "Yeh desh hain veer jawano ka"
and "Mere desh ki dharti" that blared out of
the address system.
However, the show stealers at the end of
the celebrations were the saffron, white and
green balloons that were released into the
sky from different corners of Rajpath.

Woman leads guard of honor for the first time

Wing Commander Puja Thakur walked Barack Obama for the


inspection of the tri-service guard of honor.

New Delhi: In a first, a woman officer


from the Indian Air Force, Wing Commander Puja Thakur, led the ceremonial
guard of honor presented to visiting US
President Barack Obama at Rashtrapati
Bhavan here.
Thakur was seen - and heard - giving
commands, which were followed by the
national anthems of the US and India. The
21-gun salute boomed next.
Thakur then escorted Obama for the inspection of the tri-service guard of honor.
Thakur hails from Rajasthan and has
served in the IAF for 13 and a half years
and is an administrative officer posted at
its publicity cell, DISHA, at the Delhi Air
Headquarters in New Delhi.
She is also a para jumper.
Thakur told reporters after the ceremony
that she felt proud.
"It is a proud moment. I hope it inspires
more women to join the forces," Thakur

said. She said there was no discrimination


between women and men in the air force.
"There is no difference between men and
women in the forces," she said.
The officer told NDTV that she came to
know about her role in leading the guard of
honor only a few days ago.
"Since the past few days, we've been
practicing for it. However, we start with
our drill movements and ceremonials right
from the first day of our training... And we
are always prepared," Thakur said.
She also said that her family is proud of
her. Her father is a retired Colonel from the
Indian Army.
Her leading the ceremonial guard of honor comes as 'nari shakti' (woman power)
was the theme for Republic Day parade
this year where Obama was the chief
guest. Another woman officer, Flight Lieutenant Smita Singh, was the supernumerary officer.

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Dazzling in the rain


As in the past, the marching contingents stole the show with their dazzling array of ceremonial uniforms, leaving
the audience in the jam-packed stands - despite the cold and rains - spoilt for choice. Some glimpses...

Air Force women officers marching contingents passes through the Raj Path
during the 66th Republic Day Parade.

President Obama and Prime Minister Modi watch the flypast which climaxed the R Day parade.

Raj Path came alive with the daredevil stunts of motorbike riders of the Border
Security Force (BSF).

Pinaka 214 MM Multiple Barrel Rocket Launcher System passes


through the Raj Path.

The BSF camel contingent passes through the Raj Path during
the 66th Republic Day Parade.

The tableau of Andhra Pradesh passes through the Raj Path.

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

10

Pomp, pageantry mark


R-Day across India
New Delhi: Republic Day was celebrated
across India with gaiety and patriotic fervor, as
leaders stressed the need of rooting out corruption and working for development while
asking insurgents to shun violence.
The day was largely peaceful, barring twin
blasts near Assam's Digboi town triggered by
the United Liberation Front of Asom.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi reiterated the
government's tough stand on militancy, and
urged insurgents to shun violence, while Governor P.B. Acharya expressed concern over the
killing of rhinos and said preservation of the
state's symbol was a collective responsibility.
Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra
hoped an elected government would soon take
over the reins in the state, and also expressed
concern that the past year saw repeated violations of the ceasefire by Pakistan and attempts
at infiltration.
In Mumbai, Maharashtra Governor C.V. Rao
unfurled the tricolour at Shivaji Park, and
spoke about the Devendra Fadnavis government's various initiatives.
In Bengaluru, Karnataka Governor Vajubhai
Vala unfurled the tricolour, as an air force helicopter showered rose petals at the Field Marshal Manekshaw parade ground, where Chief
Minister Siddarmaiah was also present. The
armed forces, police, National Cadets Corps
and hundreds of school children took part in
the parade.
In Aizawl, Mizoram Governor Aziz Qureshi
said the state was fully committed to root out
corruption in all its forms.
In Panaji, Goa Governor Mridula Sinha
blamed tourists for the cultural intrusion in the
tourism-friendly state.
"Tourists who come here bring with them
some kind of culture. We welcome all good
things which they bring. But some things
which they bring distract our youth. For Goa,
tourism is an important industry. People who
come to Goa think it is a place only for enjoyment. I can say there are some social diseases
which need control. We should know what to
accept and what not to accept from them
(tourists)," she said in her address. In Tura,
Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said
the government has adopted new developmental initiatives to bring in rapid socio-economic
transformative changes, and lauded the security forces for their achievements in the fight

against militants.
In Jaipur, Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh
said everyone should work for the state's development, and that the state was working on a
strategy to provide employment to 15 lakh
youth.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said the
Left Front government will not allow any attempt to divide the northeastern state.
"A section of people are trying to split the
state and disturb peace. The government will
resist the move," he said after unfurling the tricolour in Agartala. He said that despite the best
efforts of security forces, terrorism was yet to
be curbed, as militants still have camps in
neighbouring Bangladesh.
In Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala Governor P.
Sathasivam asked people to improve the quality of education and be concerned about the environment. Kerala has made big strides in education but it still remains a case of "a little
done and vast undone", he added.
West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi unfurled the tricolour in Kolkata. Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee watched the proceedings, and later posted on Twitter: "On this
Republic Day let us again rededicate ourselves
to being a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic." Republic Day was also celebrated across Bihar with joy and enthusiasm,
while Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi appealed to people to maintain communal harmony and peace. Maoists had put up black
flags in Gaya, Aurangabad, Jamui and Banka
districts to protest against Republic Day.
In Andhra Pradesh, Governor E.S.L.
Narasimhan exuded confidence that the state
would recover the lost ground and move on a
trajectory of growth and development. He also
paid tributes to Pingali Venkaiah, who designed the national flag and hailed from this region. Republic Day was celebrated across
Odisha with gaiety and enthusiasm despite intelligence inputs about a possible terror strike
and amidst a Maoist boycott call. Hoisting the
tricolour in Cuttack, Chief Minister Naveen
Patnaik reaffirmed his commitment to building
a prosperous state.
Tamil Nadu Governor K. Rosaiah unfurled
the national flag in Chennai. Chief Minister O.
Panneerselvam, his ministers and a large number of people enjoyed the various floats and
dances by colorfully-attired school students.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal inspects guard of honor in Mohali.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrives at Republic Day


celebrations on Red Road in Kolkata.

Artistes perform during the R-Day celebrations at Khanapara


veterinary Field in Guwahati.

Students participate in R-Day celebrations at Shivaji Park in Mumbai.

Students participate in R-Day parade organised at Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

12

Two fallen brave-hearts get


Ashoka Chakra on Republic Day

Major Mukund Varadarajan (left) and


Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh lost their
lives fighting terrorists in Jammu &
Kashmir last year

New Delhi: Major Mukund Varadarajan and


Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh were posthumously
awarded the nation's highest peacetime gallantry award, the Ashoka Chakra, at the Republic Day parade.
Both of them lost their lives while fighting
heavily-armed terrorists in separate gun-battles
in Jammu and Kashmir last year.
Varadarajan, while leading an anti-terrorist
operation in a village in Shopian district April
25, 2014, displayed exemplary leadership skills
and courage - despite being wounded himself which culminated in the elimination of three
top-ranked Hizbul Mujaheddin terrorists. He

President Pranab Mukherjee giving away the highest


gallantry award Ashok Chakra to Major Mukund
Varadarajan of the 44th Battalion of Rashtriya Rifles/The
Rajput Regiment (Posthumous); the award received
by his wife. (Photo: PIB)

later succumbed to his injuries.


Singh, while on a search operation in the
state's Kupwara district Aug 24, 2014, came
under heavy fire from terrorists and got killed.
A total of 374 gallantry and other defence
decorations to armed forces personnel were announced on the occasion of 66th Republic Day.

Wife of Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh of the 57th Battalion of


the Rashtriya Rifles (Rajputana Rifles)/13 Rajputana Rifles
receives the Ashok Chakra conferred posthumously.
(Photo: PIB).

These include an Ashoka Chakra (to Singh as


Varadarajan's award had been announced on
Independence Day 2014), three Kirti Chakras,
12 Shaurya Chakras, 48 Sena Medals (Gallantry), two Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry), 11
Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry), 28 Param
Vishisht Seva Medals, three Uttam Yudh Seva

Medal, three Bars to Ati Vishisht Seva Medals,


53 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals, 13 Yudh Seva
Medals, 42 Sena Medals (Devotion to Duty),
eight Nao Sena Medals (Devotion to Duty), 19
Vayu Sena Medals (Devotion to Duty), four
Bars to Vishisht Seva Medal and 124 Vishisht
Seva Medal, a defence statement said.

May & Sept 2015

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

13

Padma Vibhushan for Parkash


Singh Badal, LK Advani, Amitabh
Bachchan and Dilip Kumar
New Delhi: BJP's veteran politician LK
Advani, who is a film buff, had the rare
honor of receiving this year's Padma Vibhushan awards along with Hindi cinema's
two great artistes Dilip Kumar and Amitabh
Bachchan.
Senior BJP leader LK Advani, Punjab
chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, actors
Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan, industrialist and philanthropist Karim Al
Hussaini Aga Khan and Chitrakoots Tusli
Peeth seer Jagadguru Ramanandacharya
were among the nine recipients of Padma
Vibhushan, the second highest civilian honour in the country after Bharat Ratna, this
year.
Noted nuclear scientist MR Srinivasan, D
Veerendra Heggade of the famous Dharmasthala Jain temple in Karnataka and
lawyer KK Venugopal were rest of the three
to get Padma Vibhushan.
The list of 20 Padma Bhushan awardees
include former chief election commissioner N Gopalaswami, Microsoft chief Bill
Gates and his wife Melinda, former Lok

Sabha secretary general Subhash C


Kashyap, journalists Swapan Dasgupta and
Rajat Sharma, senior lawyer Harish Salve,
cardiologist Ashok Seth, Indian-American
mathematician Manjul Bhargava and David
Frawley who is also known as Vamdeva
Shastri.
Ram Bahadur Rai is another journalist
who was conferred with Padma Shri.
Besides Jagadguru Ramanandacharya, religious figures like Swami Satyamitranand Giri (Padma Bhushan), Shivakumara Swami of Karnataka (Padma
Bhushan) and Jagat Guru Amrta Suryananda Maha Raja of Portugal (Padma Shri) are
also on the honour list.
Late Dawoodi Bohra leader Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin was chosen for Padma Shri.
Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, economist Bibek Debroy, lyricist Prasoon Joshi,
who helped BJPs Lok Sabha campaign,
sports personality Saba Anjum, one of the
founders of Infosys TV Mohandas Pai, badminton player PV Sindhu, woman cricketer

Padma Vibhushan honorees: Parkash Singh Badal, L K Advani, Amitabh


Bachchan and Dilip Kumar

Mithali Raj, Gujarati writer Tarak Mehta


were also conferred Padma Shri. Wrestlerturned-coach Satpal was named for Padma

Bhushan award, while national hockey


team captain Sardar Singh was among the
five sportspersons chosen for Padma Shri.

17 foreigners, NRIs among 104 Padma awardees


From US, Manjul Bhargava, David Frawley, Bill & Melinda Gates among the honorees
New Delhi: Seventeen people from
other countries, including a few of
Indian origin, are among 104 people
chosen for the Padma awards.
Karim Al Hussiani Aga Khan of
France has been conferred with the
Padma Vibhushan, India's second
highest civilian award.
Manjul Bhargava, David Frawley,
Bill Gates and Melinda Gates - all
from the US - and Saichiro Misumi
from Japan were conferred the Padma Bhushan. Jean-Claude Carriere
and Jacques Blamont (France),
Huang Baosheng (China), Nandrajan 'Raj' Chetty, George L. Hart,
Tripti Mukherjee, Dattatreyudu
Nori, Raghu Rama Pillarisetti (all
from the US), Jagat Guru Amrta
Suryananda Maha Raja (Portugal),
Saumitra Rawat (Britain) and Annette Schmiedchen (Germany) were
named for the Padma Shri. Microsoft founder and one of the
world's foremost philanthropists Bill

Mathematician Manjul
Bhargava

Vedic expert David Frawley

Gates, along with his wife Melinda


were conferred Padma Bhushan, for
their social work.
Manjul Bhargava, the Indian-origin academician who has won the
Fields Trophy - known as the 'Nobel
Prize of Mathematics' was conferred the Padma Bhushan for his
contribution in the fields of science
and engineering. The NRI/PIO in

the Padma Shri category are IndianAmerican economist Nandrajan


"Raj" Chetty, Indian classical vocalist Tripti Mukherjee, besides Dr Dattatreyudu Nori, Dr Raghu Rama Pillarisetti and Dr Saumitra Rawat in
the field of medicine. An American
Hindu Vedic teacher, an Ayurvedic
doctor and a Vedic astrologer, David
Frawley, also known as Pandit Va-

madeva, is a prolific scholar of Hinduism and also associated with


many yogic organizations around
the world. He is a spiritual leader
and also a noted Vedic researcher
and has been instrumental in popularizing yoga and Hinduism in the
west. A Ph.D. from Harvard in Sanskrit and Indian Studies George L.
Hart has taught almost all areas of
Tamil literature at the University Of
Berkeley as well as courses on Indian Civilization, Indian literature,
and Indian religion. He was conferred Padma Shri.
He has written extensively on premodern Tamil, its relationship to
classical Sanskrit, and South Indian
religion and culture. He has translated many great Tamil works and his
work has also been nominated for
The American Book Award.
The awards, declared on the eve of
Republic Day, are the first Padma
honors announced by the Narendra

Modi government, which assumed


office last May. Last month, it conferred the nation's highest civilian
honor, the Bharat Ratna, on former
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and educationist Madan Mohan
Malaviya. The Padma awards are
given in various disciplines and
fields of activity such as art, social
work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports
and civil service. Padma Vibhushan
is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; Padma Bhushan
for distinguished service of high order and Padma Shri for distinguished service in any field. President Pranab Mukherjee conferred
Padma awards to 104 people Padma Vibhushan for nine, Padma
Bhushan for 20, and Padma Shri for
75. Seventeen of the awardees are
women. Four have been named for
Padma awards posthumously.

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

14

'Natural partner' to 'best partner'


The landmark civil nuclear deal, US support for an early decision on India's entry into the four
multilateral export control regimes, $4 billion worth of new initiatives and promise to work closely in
the Asia-Pacific region, the Barack Obama visit has elevated India-US ties to a completely new level.
Ranjana Narayan and Arun Kumar
New Delhi/Washington: India and the US
saw the forging of a closer partnership,
helped in great measure by the personal and
visible bonding between Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama, as the two sides elevated their ties with
a new 'Declaration of Friendship' and also
managed to pull off a "breakthrough" agreement on their stalled civil nuclear deal.
As Obama accompanied by wife Michelle
wound up three days of packed diplomatic
and public engagements, his state visit
where he was the chief guest at India's Republic Day parade has been termed as
paving the way for a "new era" in India-US
relations.
US Deputy National Security Advisor Ben
Rhodes said the signal being sent from Obama and Modi to their own respective governments "is going to catalyze a lot of activity". "It also sends a message to the world, I
think, that the US and India are going to be
closer partners going forward," he said.
"And that's entirely consistent with the president's focus on the Asia-Pacific region and
building closer relations with emerging
powers, particularly the world's largest
democracy here in India."
Modi and Obama, who held over threehour long talks, within hours of Obama
touching down in New Delhi, announced the
much-anticipated breakthrough agreement
on implementation of their landmark civil
nuclear deal, six years after it was signed.
That the two leaders had played a major
part in getting the nuclear contact group to
tide over their disagreements was indicated
by Indian Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh,
who said the "political leadership played a

key role" in pushing forward the agreement


for setting up US-built civil nuclear reactors
in India.
The US also signaled its support for an
"early decision on India's entry" into the four
multilateral export control regimes -- the
Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), the Australia Group, and the Wassenaar Arrangement -- that would facilitate global business
with India in the field of civil nuclear energy on which India, which has been largely
dependent on energy-inefficient and climatically harmful fossil fuels, is hoping to pin
its energy security in the coming years.
Noted strategic expert C. Uday Bhaskar
termed the Obama visit "very successful".
I would characterize this as a very successful visit, and also a reflection of PM
Modis ability to bring about a definitive
change in the bilateral relationship in a very
short time from September 2014 to now. On
the nuclear issue, the way the roadblocks
have been removed, it came about after
Modi came into the chair and brought in the
problem-solving mechanism into the relationship.
The fact that he was able to infuse the political direction and energy has made all the
difference," Bhaskar said.
India and the US have also agreed to work
closely in the Asia-Pacific region, bringing
together India's 'Act East Policy' and the
US's re-balance to Asia.
"The US welcomes a greater role for India
in the Asia-Pacific," Obama said at a town
hall-like address before winding up his India
visit Tuesday.
Bhaskar, director of think tank Society for
Policy Studies (SPS), said the Indo-US joint
statement on working together in the Asia-

President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcome US


President Barack Obama at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

Pacific and Indian Ocean "gives a better understanding of the political contours of the
relationship".
Obama and Modi had "turned a corner for
the United States and India" by resolving
"issues in a long-stalled nuclear deal that for
years kept US nuclear power companies
from doing business in India", noted Alyssa
Ayres, senior fellow for India, Pakistan, and
South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations.
The two sides renewed the 10-year Defence Framework Agreement for enhanced
defence engagement, and also inked the Defence Trade and Technology Initiative
(DTTI), under which the two sides have
agreed on co-production on four projects.

These include the Raven unmanned aerial


vehicle (UAV), and the "roll-on, roll-off" intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
module for the Lockheed Martin-manufactured C-130 J transport aircraft.
The two leaders also gave a big push to the
economic partnership, by meeting CEOs
from both sides during two back-to-back
meetings Monday.
Obama announced $4 billion worth of new
initiatives aimed at boosting trade and investment ties as well as jobs in India. The
$4-billion deals include $2-billion financing
for renewable energy investments in India
through the US Trade and Development
Agency and $1 billion in loans for small and
medium businesses across India.

In India visit, US media sees


geopolitical implications
By Arun Kumar
Washington: Taking a generally
positive view of US President
Barack Obama's India visit, the US
media has suggested that his personal chemistry with Prime Minister Narendra Modi had opened a
new chapter in India-US relations.
"After years of near misses and
unfulfilled promises," Obama and
Modi "appear to have set relations
between their democracies on a
deeper, perhaps even revolutionary,
path," the influential New York
Times commented.
"Part of the improvement in bilateral relations has to do with the
personal chemistry between the
two, which by all accounts appears
warm and genuine," it said in an
editorial titled "A New Chapter for

Modi and Obama hug each other during the Joint Press
Interaction held at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi.

America and India." Apart from


"plenty of colorful symbolism" the

Times said "There are strategic imperatives at work as well." "Both

leaders need to expand their


economies, and both see the other
as a crucial partner in offsetting
China's increasingly assertive role
in Asia," it said suggesting "The
potential for cooperation is considerable." With their talk of an "enduring commitment," Obama and
Modi "have raised expectations
and set a firm basis for moving forward," the Times said.
But "Building a true partnership
will take sustained efforts over
many decades."
The Wall Street Journal in a review titled "A US-India Nuclear
Test" suggested "Obama's visit
leaves Modi with a chance to show
his reform chops."
"Given the once-frosty relations
between the US and India, it is
worth celebrating the bonhomie

displayed by Messrs. Modi and


Obama this week, along with the
growing cooperation between US
and Indian defense planners," it
said. "Yet protectionist policies and
political dysfunction in New Delhi
continue to limit India's growth as
an economic and diplomatic power," the Journal said.
"The latest US-Indian civil-nuclear pact is a test of Mr. Modi's
ability to overcome political resistance to pro-market reforms," it
said.
CNN also wondered "Is ObamaModi 'bromance' a turning point in
US, Indian relations?"
"The biggest takeaway from
Obama's three days in India was
the symbolism of the leaders of the
world's two biggest democracies
cozying up," it said.

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

16

New impetus to business, trade ties


New Delhi: India-US business links were
set for a quantum jump with Prime Minister
Narendra Modi's assurance of "consistent
policies" and "welcoming environment"
leading to US President Barack Obama announcing steps to lead to $4 billion trade
with and investment in India.
"Over the next two years, our Export Import Bank (EXIM) will support $1 billion
Made In America goods exports to India.
Our Overseas Private Investment Corporation will support lending small and medium
businesses across India in more than $1 billion in loans. And our US Trade and Development Agency will invest nearly $2 billion
in renewable energy in India," Obama said
in his address at the US-India Business Summit here.
Listing out more steps, he said the US was
ready to help in broadband connectivity and
build better roads.
"We need to make sure that economic
growth in both India and US is inclusive. Diaspora investment initiative will aid India,"
he said.
"US exports to India is nearly 35 percent.
Indian investments in our country is growing
as well. Those Indian investments are supporting jobs across America. Our growing
trade relations are also a win for India. Both
Indian and US workers are benefiting from
the ties," Obama added.
Saying that there is a lot of "untapped trade
potential", he added: "PM Modi agrees that
there is a lot of scope to improve the trade
relations. We have to focus on making doing
business easier in both our countries."
In his address earlier, Modi said the state
should be driven by policies which should
be consistent so as to draw more investments, while revealing US investments in
India jumped by 50 percent in the first six
months of his government.
"State should be policy-driven. That will
help investment. Consistency is another very

important aspect that will bring more investments in the country. These things will address many problems," he said.
He assures US business that they "will find
environment that is not only open, but also
welcoming".
"We will guide you and walk with you in
your projects. You will find a climate that
encourages investment and rewards enterprise; it will nurture innovation and protect
your intellectual property," Modi said.
"It will make it easy to do business; our
immediate target is to bring us from the rear
ranks of the world into the top 50. You will
find a tax regime that is predictable and
competitive. We have removed some of the
excesses of the past. We will now soon address the remaining uncertainties.
Our goal is an economy where skills, infrastructure and resources will not be constraints to growth," he said, adding heavy investments in infrastructure and agriculture
will improve the economy.
Noting that "in the world of economics,
numbers are often an unforgiving mirror to
performance," Modi said: "They are telling
us that we are on the right path. Our economic growth has increased by a percentage
point. Today, business sentiments in India
are the strongest among major Asian markets. Consumer confidence in India has
turned positive after three years.
"Growth in the eight core sectors of the
economy has increased sharply. Inflation is
at a five-year low. And, 110 million new
bank accounts have opened in the last four
months. Investments from the United States
have jumped by 50 percent in the first six
months of my government. And, I know that
some of the pledges made in September in
Washington have begun to flow in."
Stressing the India-US partnership "will be
vital for prosperity at home and our economic leadership abroad", he held it will
also help address "global challenges of our
times".
Turning to President Obama, Modi said
that with his support, "quite simply, the
joined hands of India and the United States
will make this world a better place for all.
With your leadership, Mr. President, and
with the support of our gifted people, we

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama


at the India-US Business Summit in New Delhi.

will turn our commitments into concrete action".


The US-India Business Council (USIBC)
along with India's department of industrial
policy and promotion (DIPP), the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (FICCI) organized the summit.
Before this meeting, Modi, speaking at the
interactive India US CEO Forum, highlighted key priorities of his government including improving "Ease of Doing Business",
and the "Make in India" initiative. He also
added it is extremely important to listen to
investors, as this helps speed up decisions.
Reacting to the statements by Modi and
Obama, CII president Ajay Shriram expressed hope that the newly-announced USIndia Strategic and Commercial Dialogue
will convene soon to chart out the path for
enhanced bilateral economic cooperation.
He also welcomed Modis commitment to
making the business environment in India
easier and more predictable. In this regard,
he welcomed the new cell being set up in the
PMO to fast track US investments in India.
It is these steps, he noted, that will help
step up the USs engagement in the Indian
economy.

India high on
US investors'
agenda: Jaitley
New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley said President Barack Obamas
visit to India has helped forge a new
commercial relationship between India
and the US.
President Barack Obamas visit to
India has helped forge a new commercial relationship with India. The conclave of Indian and American CEOs
(chief executive officer) exhibited a
strong confidence about India. The
desire of American businesses to invest
in India was great, he said in his
Facebook post.
Their queries related essentially to
the ease of doing business in India.
With the American economy growing
stronger, US corporates are flush with
funds looking to invest elsewhere. India
appears high on their agenda, he added

India, US to identify
sectors for investments:
Sitharaman
New Delhi: Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
said that the US and India will identify priority sectors for attracting
investment after the upcoming
budget session.
The minister, who met US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzke
here, revealed that senior officials
from both sides will meet to discuss
and identify the sectors that can attract investment and technology.
They (officials) will sit and
identify sectors where priority investments can come in, the minister told reporters after the meeting

here.
man called for enhanced technology sharing and investments in India's small and medium enterprises.
"We have asked for possibilities
where technology could be shared
and to bring in investments to help
small and medium enterprises," she
said.
The minister pointed at the need
for creation of a task force to usher
in investments and identify sectors
that have the possibility to attract
influx of funds from the US.
"We need to have a task force
working on getting investments,

identifying and prioritizing sectors


where investments can come in."
Sitharaman also discussed issues
regarding the totalization agreement and visas, apart from inviting
US views on the draft intellectual
property right (IPR) policy.
"We invited the Americans to
have a look at the policy and invited inputs from them on the draft
policy," she added.
IPR protection was one of the
major issues that was discussed between the two countries in the just
finished three-day state visit of
President Barack Obama.

Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman with


US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzke.

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

17

Obama praises Modi's work ethic


Obama said: "We all know about the prime
minister's legendary work ethic. He was explaining to me today how he only needed
three hours' sleep which made me feel bad. I
thought I was doing okay with five."
"What I didn't know until now is that he
once survived an attack by a crocodile. So he
is tough," he said.
Praising Modi for his "style" and sartorial
elegance, Obama said "tonight, I was thinking about wearing a Modi kurta myself" to
smiles around.
Michelle, who was attired in a floral printed dress, also exchanged pleasantries with
the guests.
Business leaders, including Ratan Tata and
Mukesh Ambani, were among those present.
The dinner had both non-vegetarian and
vegetarian dishes. The main course included
mustard fish curry, chicken korma, gushtaba, roast leg of lamb, mutton rogan josh (all
non vegetarian dishes) and kadhi pakori, dal
raisina, achari paneer, chhole, haak ka saag,
chaunka matar and bedmi aloo (all vegetarian dishes). The menu included vegetarian
and non-vegetarian tandoori platters, curd,

New Delhi: President Obama praised


Narendra Modi for his "legendary work ethic", and described him as tough and stylish.
He praised the Indian prime minister's sartorial elegance and said he was also thinking
of wearing a "Modi kurta".
Speaking at the dinner banquet hosted by
President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati
Bhavan, Obama marveled at how Modi, the
son of a tea vendor, became prime minister
of the world's largest democracy.
"Here this evening, we think back to all
these years ago... your (Modi's) father selling tea at the train stations, your mother
working at other's families homes to support
and earn. Tonight, their son welcomes us as
the prime minister of the world's largest
democracy," Obama said.
Visibly impressed with Modi's work style,

Modi's name
suit creates
waves

New Delhi: A close look at


Narendra Modi's bandhgala
suit that he wore for a joint appearance with President Obama here, showed it was a customized marvel -- with the
prime minister's full name
'Narendra Damodardas Modi'
written in pinstripes.
The 'name suit' was reported
to have been tailored by Jade
Blue in Ahmedabad, the
clothing chain that handles
Modi's wardrobe since his
days as Chief Minister in Gujarat. Modi wore the deep blue
bandhgala suit at Hyderabad
House when he stepped out
for a 'Chai Pe Charcha' meet
and a press conference with
Obama. It would have passed
off as a regular ensemble that
the Indian leader flaunts every
now and then, but zoomed images of the outfit have revealed another story altogether -- his name was intricately
woven into the fabric.
Fashion designers say the finesse with which Modi's
name features in the fabric requires special technique, and
that the fabric is most likely
hand-woven.
"It's a very fine jacquard
technique of weaving. It's not
embroidery, and its cost
would be dependent on the
fiber and technique," designer
Samant Chauhan said, indicating that developing such a
fabric could cost anything between Rs.80,000 up to
Rs.500,000.

Barack Obama praised Narendra Modi for his style and sartorial elegance.

saffron rice, papad, soup and a variety of Indian bread. The desserts included malpua

with rabri, date steam pudding and cut


pudding.

S I D E L I G H T S
Who's who queue up to meet Obama
n one long shot, the camera captured a queue with a net worth upwards of $70 billion. There they waited patiently, the who's who of
India Inc to meet President Obama, described as the most powerful
man in the world. The 15-odd businessmen, and women, in that frame
run companies that together have a market capitalization of over $300
billion, which is roughly one-sixth of the Indian economy. Impressive
from an India point of view, but some numbers put in perspective why
India's rich and powerful stood so patiently to meet the US President.
America's economy is nearly 10 times that of India's, with a GDP of
$17 trillion. And America's richest man - Microsoft founder Bill Gates has a net worth of $81 billion - more than all of the 15 Indian business
leaders in the photograph.

Obama quotes SRK's


DDLJ dialogue
bama charmed everyone by quoting Shah Rukh
Khan's famous line 'Senorita, bade bade deshon
mein...' from blockbuster 'Dilwale Dulhania Le
Jayenge' at the Siri Fort auditorium in New Delhi.
"Last celebration here we celebrated festival of lights in
Mumbai. We danced with some children. Unfortunately, we
were not able to schedule any dancing in this visit. Senorita,
bade bade desho mein... you know what I mean," Obama said
to cheering crowds with a smile while addressing a Town
Hall style event on the third and final day of his visit to India. The President picked Indian heroes like SRK and sports
icons like Milkha Singh and Mary Kom and Nobel laureate
Kailash Satyarthi to make a point that courage and humanitarian values unify both the nations.

For First Lady, over 100


Banarasi saris
s the Obamas landed in Delhi, weavers from Prime
Minister Narendra Modi's Varanasi constituency
were ready with a special gift for the First Lady over 100 Banarasi saris. This special gift for the Michelle
Obama is believed to have been put together on a request
from PM Modi. The weavers were reportedly asked by the
union textile ministry to pack saris for her to choose from.
One of the weavers, Asif Matin, said he created a sari embroidered with silver and gold zari worth Rs 1.25 lakh.

(Photo Courtesy: PTI)

US PRESIDENTS VISITS TO INDIA

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

18

'US can be India's best partner'


New Delhi: Recalling the historic address
of Swami Vivekananda, US President
Barack Obama Tuesday won over his audience by referring to them as "sisters and
brothers of India" and said he firmly believes America can be India's "best partner"
and together the two nations can bring
more prosperity to their people.
In his final engagement in India, before
flying to Riyadh and then home, the US
president addressed a town hall-style meeting in Siri Fort auditorium, where he said:
"India and the US are not just natural partners, I believe that America can be India's
best partner, I believe that."
Addressing an invited gathering of young
people, civil society and diplomats, the US
president reached out to the audience with
many Hindi words like "Namastey",
"Dhanyavad" and even some references to
Bollywood films, which had the crowd ecstatic.
He said he was "absolutely convinced"
that when both the democracies stand together they can produce more jobs, opportunities and prosperity for their people. "I
believe that," he said.
Recalling the historic address of Swami
Vivekananda, Obama began his town hall

meeting with the invocation "sisters and


brothers of India" and talked about how the
philosopher-sage introduced Hinduism and
yoga to America in a city that was his
hometown.
He recalled Swami Vivekananda and his
famous speech in Chicago, exactly 100
years ago, where he addressed the gathering as "sisters and brothers of America"
and said he was going to address the audience likewise.
Obama struck a personal chord with the
mainly youthful crowd, saying he was very
impressed with the daredevilry of the motorcycle contingent riding Royal Enfield
bikes and wished he could ride a bike too.
"But the Secret Service does not let me
ride motor cycles," he said, and also remarked that he cannot dance as well as his
wife Michelle.
In a speech where he touched on the need
for India and the US to work together on
climate change, on how the US can partner
India in its growth story, in defence cooperation and becoming partners in the security of the Asia-Pacific region, the American president also stressed on the need for
the government to uphold the freedom of
religion written in the constitution of both
the countries.
He also spoke of the civil nuclear deal
that both countries are pushing ahead with,
saying it would help bring electricity to
homes in India and more clean energy.
He also talked about the importance of

Barack Obama meets a section of the audience at a town hall-style


meeting at Siri Fort auditorium in New Delhi.

women in society and said a "nation is successful when its women are successful", a
remark which again drew strong applause.
He talked about how impressed he was
with the "incredible women in (India's)
armed forces" that he witnessed at the Republic Day parade and also mentioned
about the women officer - Wing Com-

mander Pooja Thakur of the Indian Air


Force - who led the guard of honour at
Rashtrapati Bhavan at his official welcoming ceremony Jan 25.
Ahead of his speech, Obama and his wife
met Nobel Peace prize winner Kailash Satyarthi at the auditorium as well as some of
the NGOs.

Modi, Obama open


Obama works the crowd,
pumps flesh American-style hearts in 'Mann Ki Baat'

New Delhi: That US


President Barack Obama knows how to work
the crowds was evident
from his address at the
Siri Fort Auditorium
where he had a predominantly young crowd
screaming out his name,
repeatedly applauding
him and vying with one
another to clasp his
Obama with the First Lady
hands as well as that of
at the Siri Fort Auditorium.
his wife Michelle when
both of them came down to inter- cheers and applause. After the address, the Obama walked the
act with the audience.
The hour-long, town hall-meet- stage to loud applause, came
ing style event, was punctuated by down and then went around meetrepeated applause - almost every ing the audience in the first row
few minutes - as Obama spoke with excited youngsters particuabout the dreams and opportuni- larly jostling to reach out to their
ties for the young, the diversity of hands, as they happily pumped
both the US and India and the flesh for nearly 10 minutes, and
time for the US and India not just taking their pictures on their moto be "natural partners" but "In- bile phones. As the Obamas went
dia's best partner" on a range of is- around, the sound system erupted
sues from education to environ- with popular song from the hit
ment, fron infrastructure to count- Aamir Khan starrer "Lagaan" - O
er-terrorism. "If the grandson of a mitwa, sun mitwa, tujhko kya darr
cook can become president, and hai re Dharatee apanee hai, apana
the tea seller can become the ambar hai re, tu aaja re - which
prime minister, so can young peo- extols the virtues of friendship
ple from the humblest of origins and partriotism, making it a day
dare to dream big and realize their that many in the audience would
aspirations," he said to loud remember.

New Delhi: It was history being


made on radio. Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and US President
Barack Obama addressed a joint
Mann ki Baat program on radio,
talking about their humble origins,
their inspirations, on women empowerment and youth and values
shared by two of world's largest
democracies.
Obama, taking a veiled dig at China and some other countries seen to
regulate information flow through
the internet, said he had much
greater faith in open societies in
their ability to succeed and thrive in
the new information age than the
closed societies which try to control information that citizens receive.
The personal chemistry between
the two was evident with Modi referring to Obama by his first name.
Obama said it was apparently the
first joint radio broadcast by leaders
of the two countries. Modi set the
tone for the over 30-minute broadcast saying that some questions
touch the heart and through them
the two leaders will be able to reach
out to the common man in different
parts of the country. Obama, who
spoke of the two countries being
natural partners, added a personal

In a first, Narendra Modi and Barack Obama addressed


a joint Mann ki Baat program on radio.

touch, saying that he would bring his


two daughters to India even if it happens after his presidency.
He said his daughters are fascinated by India but have not been able to
come on his two visits to the country due to their examinations. So
when I go back I am going to tell
them that India is as magnificent as
they imagined, Obama said. Modi
said when he took a photograph outside White House in his younger
days, he could never imagine he
would get to see the building from

inside.
Referring to his visit to the White
House in September last year, Modi
said Obama gave him a book of
speeches delivered at the World Religions Conference in Chicago in the
last part of nineteenth century. Swami Vivekananda, who delivered a famous speech at the conference, was
the inspiration of his life, he said.
Asked about the American leader
who inspired him the most, Modi
named Benjamin Franklin, one of
the country's founding fathers.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL

Jan. 31-Feb 6, 2015

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

20

INDIA CHANTS OBAMA


The visit of President Obama to India not only resulted in both countries overcoming their six-year deadlock over
the civil nuclear deal but also producing a "strategic vision" for closer cooperation. As they discussed business,
Obama and Modi built a special personal rapport. Here are some great shots from the three-day visit.

Enthusiastic crowd near the R Day parade VIP viewing gallery waving to President Obama.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes US President Barack


Obama and the First Lady Michelle Obama on their arrival at
Palam Airport in New Delhi.

Obama plants a sapling at the Rajghat Gandhi


memorial in New Delhi.

First Lady Michelle Obama meets members


of the audience at Siri Fort Auditorium.

President Pranab Mukherjee hosts a banquet in the honor of the Obamas at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Modi with Obama at Hyderabad House


where they also had 'chai pe charcha'.

Modi presenting to President Obama a reproduction of telegram


sent by America to the Indian Constituent Assembly in 1946.

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

21

India-US agreements
beyond expectations
The Great Game in the India-Pacific has
begun. Having said that, all of this is
dependent on Narendra Modi not just
reviving economic growth in India but
taking it to hitherto unknown heights.
By Ashok Malik
n inviting Barack Obama to become the
first American president to be the chief
guest on Indias Republic Day, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi was sending a clear
signal. What was not so clear was whether
the visit would yield anything substantive.
In the end, agreements reached by the two
governments have gone well beyond expectations.
The joint statement, running into eight
pages and 59 paragraphs, is among the
lengthiest in recent memory. It takes forward
several initiatives mentioned in the September 2014 joint statement in Washington, DC.
Not surprisingly, it devotes its opening pages
simply to going over what has been done
since September, in areas as far apart as
higher education and IT, smart cities and
counter-terrorism.
In New Delhi itself, the joint statement announced the successful conclusion of the negotiations of the contact group on outstanding issues related to the India-US nuclear deal. Some have wondered whether the
creation of an insurance pool will remove all
misgivings about Section 17(b) of the Indian nuclear liability law. Actually a lot of
homework was done on this. A multi-ministry team ministries of external affairs,

law and justice, finance studied the issue


and looked at precedents of 26 insurance
pools in various countries, including France
and the US.
On Section 46 and the apparent confusion
between the definitions and liabilities of an
operator and a supplier, much store was
placed on case law and the history of legislative deliberations that preceded the framing of the Indian law. It proved persuasive.
Lawyers including those of the Indian
government, of Indian nuclear-component
manufacturers and of American corporations
such as Westinghouse and GE, part of the
contact group consultations were left
confident the interpretation could be defended in an Indian court. A legal challenge by
anti-nuclear activists is inevitable.
Another legacy issue was climate change.
As in September, the prime minister linked
cooperation and American advance on renewables, including solar energy, and on the
nuclear question to easing the coal component in Indias energy mix and, in the long
run, moving towards a responsible role for
India in the climate change debate.
There are no hard numbers here there
cannot be: India cannot commit to emissions
targets or even a cap year at this stage of its
development but Modi has indicated he
will not stand in the way of any global accord.
The run-up to the Paris climate change
conference at the end of 2015, at which India has promised to play a constructive role,
will need to be watched. Knee-jerk responses that have guided the environment ministry since the 1990s will likely be tweaked
towards a 21st century approach.
In the days before Obama arrived, the

The walk together of the two leaders in the Hyderabad House garden
cleared the logjam.

Modi government repeatedly used the word


embedded to describe the role of US institutions, technologies and projects in Indias
development, and perhaps in its foreign policy postures too. This is not to suggest Modi
is offering a no questions asked alliance; he
isnt, and no Indian leader can. Yet, an enlightened cooperation has replaced the denial of the past.
It has also iterated that Modi is willing to
stand on a platform with only the US unhindered by the diffidence of previous
decades and governments and propel India to a larger role on the global stage. When
India and the US commit to bilateral efforts
to advance sustainable development in co-

operation with partner countries around the


world (in the joint statement) and leverage the talents and strengths of our people to
enhance sustainable, inclusive development
around the globe (in the Delhi Declaration
of Friendship) it does speak of a new daring. The Great Game in the India-Pacific has
begun. Having said that, all of this is dependent on Modi not just reviving economic growth in India but taking it to hitherto
unknown heights.
This is the way of great nations. Governments come and go, but the ship of national
enterprise moves on. On this Republic Day,
it promised to take India and America to new
frontiers and new destinies.

India-US arrive at modus vivendi on nuclear deal


By C Uday Bhaskar
he much awaited and longdelayed modus-vivendi between India and the US over
the finalization of the civilian nuclear cooperation agreement that
began in July 2005 has finally been
achieved on the first day of US
President Barack Obama's visit to
India.
The major obstacles were the nature of the liability clauses in the
event of any nuclear accident or incident which India wanted and the
nuclear-reactor inspection rights
that the US had sought. India had
introduced a nuclear liability law in
2010 -- as it happens, at the behest
of the BJP which was then in the
opposition -- that placed the liability on the supplier in the event of a
nuclear accident. This is at variance
with the global norm which places
the liability in such exigencies on
the operator. However, this stipulation was not acceptable to the US.

President Obama and PM Modi after


signing the joint statement.

The US, in turn, sought to impose


'flag rights in perpetuity', meaning
that in the event India acquired a
US nuclear reactor, the US would
retain the right in perpetuity to inspect any material or equipment
that was being used in or associated with the said reactor. India saw
this as an infringement of its nu-

clear sovereignty and resisted such


a clause.
Consequently, the much anticipated civilian nuclear cooperation
commerce between the US and India remained a non-starter and the
issue continued to fester from late
2008 when the (George W.) Bush
administration had gone the extra

mile to tweak its domestic legislation to accord India an exceptional


status in the global nuclear domain.
The BJP-led NDA government,
which assumed office in May 2014,
had prioritized the nuclear issue
and Prime Minister Narendra Modi
indicated that this matter would receive the highest political attention
when he visited the US in September 2014 for his first meeting with
President Obama. However, despite a series of meetings between
the officials on both sides over the
last few months, it appeared that a
compromise on the nuclear issue
remained elusive. The dramatic
"breakthrough" - as Obama himself
described it - announced is to be
welcomed and is indicative of the
joint political resolve that the
Modi-Obama combine has been
able to demonstrate to redress a
long festering issue that has prevented the India-US bilateral relationship from realizing the potential benefits embedded in the radi-

cal breakthrough of July 2005 that


had ended India's nuclear isolation
in the global comity.
The impact of this Delhi breakthrough on the nuclear issue will
re-energize and reset the moribund
India-US bilateral relationship and
this will in all likelihood have a
beneficial ripple effect on all the
other issues that are awaiting traction during the current Obama visit.
Hopefully, India will be able to
overcome some of its earlier inhibitions regarding the foundational
agreements as regards the defense
and military sector and this, in turn,
will allow Delhi to begin actively
reviewing the high technology possibilities that were first mooted in
July 2005 and then signed October
2008.
This has been a long wait but the
Modi-Obama 'chai pe charcha'
(conversation over tea) has cleared
the logjam. The eagle and the elephant may still tango!

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

22

Pak expresses concern


over US-India n-deal
Islamabad: Pakistan has expressed serious concern over the finalization of a
nuclear deal between the US and India,
saying it would have destabilizing impact on regional stability.
"The operationalization of India-US
nuclear deal for political and economic
expediencies would have a detrimental
impact on deterrence stability in South
Asia," Pakistan's National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz said.
"Pakistan reserves the right to safeguard its national security interests,"
Xinhua quoted him as saying in a statement.
Aziz said Pakistan valued its relations
with the US and expected it to play a
constructive role for strategic stability
and balance in South Asia.
He also opposed permanent seat to India in the UN Security Council after

President Obama supported New Delhi's move to seek the seat.


"Proposals to add new centers of privilege in the Security Council run counter to these collective objectives of Security Council reform and have no rationale in this age of democracy, inclusiveness and accountability," Aziz said.
Pakistan, he said, supports a reformed
Security Council that corresponds to the
positions and collective interests of all
member states, not just a few.
"Pakistan, along with a large majority
of UN member states, favours a comprehensive reform of the Security Council to make this principal organ of the
United Nations more representative,
democratic, effective, transparent and
accountable," Aziz said.
"A country, in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions on

'Russia, India
India, China
remain strategic must not fall
partners'
into rivalry
trap:
Chinese daily

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov

Moscow: In view of the


growing strategic partnership between Washington
and New Delhi, Russian
Deputy Foreign Minister
Igor Morgulov said that
Russia and India remain
strategic partners and no
external influence can affect them.
"Our relations with India
have an independent value.
Indian Deputy Foreign
Minister Sujata Singh said
Moscow remained a strategic partner for New Delhi.
Ambassador
Raghavan
confirmed the same. Id
add that we are not only

strategic partners but also


close friends, Morgulov
said. Russian President
Vladimir Putin during the
15th India-Russia annual
summit in New Delhi in
December last year inked
20 agreements with India,
including in the sphere of
defence cooperation, oil
and gas, and trade, after the
holding of the 15th IndiaRussia annual summit in
New Delhi.
Russia has been a strategic partner for India and
has numerous defence,
space and nuclear cooperation deals.

Beijing: India and China must not fall into the


trap of rivalry set by the West, a Chinese daily
said Monday alluding to US President Barack
Obama's second visit to India and being the chief
guest of the Republic Day parade.
"Many reports by Western media have pointed
out that the US, regardless of historical complications, is putting more efforts into soliciting India to act as a partner, even an ally, to support
Washington's 'pivot to Asia' strategy, which is
mainly devised to counter China's rise," an op-ed
piece in the Global Times stated.
It said India, which has ambitions to be a major power, needed US investment, technologies
and political support so that its "Look East" foreign policy could better function to counterbalance China's growing influence.
"The West is egging India on to be fully prepared for 'threats' posed by its large neighbor.
Considering the fact that both sides still have territorial disputes and will probably have wider engagement at many levels, this so-called rivalry
between India and China will not stop making
headlines in Western media."
However, a trap is a trap, however craftily set,
and it would be revealed eventually, it added.
"Putting aside debates over specific issues,
China and India must keep in mind that their relations cannot take a life-or-death struggle as a
foothold. The common interests they share are
way larger than any differences."

matters of international peace and security, such as the Jammu and Kashmir
dispute, by no means qualifies for a special status in the Security Council," he
said.
Pakistan also contested suggestion to
grant membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to India.
"Pakistan is opposed to yet another
country-specific exemption from NSG
rules to grant membership to India, as
this would further compound the already fragile strategic stability environment in South Asia, would further undermine the credibility of NSG and
weaken the non proliferation regime,"
Aziz said.
Islamabad also opposed permanent
seat to India in the UN Security Council.

Obama visit
reflection of
renewed energy:
Tibetan PM

Tibetan prime minister-in-exile Lobsang Sangay

Dharamsala: Tibetan prime minister-in-exile Lobsang Sangay described the visit of US President
Barack Obama to India as a reflection of renewed energy in bilateral engagement.
"I am very happy to see that the
president of the US is here in India to take part and be the chief
guest at the Republic Day celebrations," he told reporters here.
"Since America and India are
the two largest democracies of the
world, it's a celebration of democ-

racy that we are witnessing today," he


said.
"It's also fitting because today is
the day that India promulgated its
Constitution in 1950, so the president of the US to come here on
this day is a reflection of renewed
energy in their bilateral engagement.
"As a Tibetan, I welcome and
celebrate the get-together of these
two great nations," the democratically-elected leader added.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

24

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2014

Hugs defined Obamas visit to


India, and caused its success
A n exclusive inter view with eminent New York attorney R avi Batra ,
who is Chair of the National Advisor y Council of South Asian Affairs.

By Parveen Chopra
The South Asian Times: How significant
do you think is President Obamas Chhabbis
Janavari visit to India? Is the freeze of the
Devyani affair a year ago finally over with
the Obama-Modi hugs?
Ravi Batra: President Barack Obamas
agreeing to be Chief Guest on Republic Day
was very significant and a gift to the people
of India and a belief that the Indo-US relationship is critical for global peace in the
21st century. Then, all that changed! - PM
Narendra Modi abandoned protocol, with its
embedded wisdom, and went to the airport
to personally receive him, and while engaged
in a typical handshake suddenly upgraded
the greeting into a hug. Its the hugs
that define this visit and caused the success
achieved during this trip: President Obamas
trust in Indias durable commitment to the
rule of law, honest desire to honor the spirit
of the agreements and national aspirations
that embrace peace and abhor war.
Indeed, after the hand-poured Chai Summit
in the Hyderabad House gardens, you saw two
nations born to be natural friends, walking as
natural buddies, achieve Pandit Jawaharlal
Nehrus August 14, 1947s Tryst with Destiny
on January 25, 2015 - when the N-Deal was
achieved without perpetual additional inspections (beyond those by IAEA) and Indias sovereignty honored in full measure.
The Second Hug at the end of the joint
press conference was deeper, longer and
warmer than the Tarmac Hug. PM Modi,
building on the work of prior administrations, from Pandit Nehrus to PM Atal Bihari
Vajpayee to PM Manmohan Singh & Congress president Sonia Gandhi (the duo who
secured the birth of the N-Deal), achieved
the breakthrough that negotiators after three
rounds could not. Barack Obamas faith in
Indian-ness, defined by Buddha, Ashoka
the Great and inter alia, Mahatma Gandhi,
and inter alia, mutual concern of China enhanced statecraft by Modi-driven Tarmac
Hug. Of course, Indias old friend Russias
misadventure in Crimea also factored in.
When a year ago, the Devyani affair was
poisoning the growing bonds between US
and India, I suggested a Chai Summit - at
the White House - even as then FM Salman
Khurshid secured her return. I never then
imagined that it would be in India and help
these United States of America withdraw
a reasonable, but extremely sovereigntyintrusive additional inspection requirement.
Now, America has thanked India, in more
than full measure, for supplying Indian Tea
at the birth of the American Revolution in
1773 when it was spilled in Bostons Harbor to tell King George where to go. This
speaks to American optimism and generosity of spirit, flying on eagles wings. India
has now emerged as Americas Global Partner. Thank you PM Modi for your protocolbreaches - 1.5 billion Americans and Indians together will now experience a growth
heretofore unimagined. Thank you President Obama for taking the Tarmac Hug and
engaging in a mutual Bear Hug after the

joint press conference. We The People have be judged against Americas special relabeen uplifted as a result thereof.
tionship with India. This coming together
of Obama and Modi is a friendly merger of
SA Times: Prime Minister Modi came - af- economic and military might, economic proter a big mandate - from a position of strength duction and consumption, and finally, the
to the White House last year. But do you think enhanced income and equity of Americans
his world vision and diplomatic skills are re- and Indians. Nixons opening of China and
sponsible for mending the bilateral ties?
the American investment that followed made
Ravi Batra: PM Modi is mandate-rich. China the powerhouse that it is today. AmerBut that is only a root cause. He must be icas warm hug of India, a nation under law,
given credit for taking exceptional risks - will cause an even bigger development of
running an American style campaign, with India. Since Indians already dream and live
Arab Spring-loaded social media, and then the American Dream in India, realize now
governing as a corporate CEO.
that Obama made the American Dream come

law. Best of all, its natural and fitting joinder


when India, upon its birth, sought her tryst
with destiny. Destiny has brought America
and India in each others very public arms.
SA Times: Obama-Modi man-to-man
warmth and chemistry has been there for
all to see. You think leaders chumminess
can influence diplomacy and bilateral relations between two nations?
Ravi Batra: It is rare to see this level of
closeness. But when it is present, cautious
bureaucrats and diplomats who live their
entire lives suspended between pauses,
commas and periods are left
to memorialize the friendshipbased hurricane and reset protocol to a new warmer level.

The Second Hug at the end of the joint press conference by President Obama
and PM Modi was deeper, longer and warmer than the Tarmac Hug.

SA Times: In some vox populi kind interviews at the Republic Day parade on Sunday in Delhi, people said they look to USA to
help beef up defense and as a shield against
terrorism. You think US under Obama will
grant that, considering it continues to give
massive financial aid to Pakistan and pays
only lip-service to shutting down anti-India
Pak terror groups and havens?
Ravi Batra: India and Indian-Americans
must divorce their Partition-based Pakistanpsyche and instead appreciate that but for US
support of Pakistan for five decades, a US
ally, born during the Cold War, has helped to
reduce tension in the Subcontinent. American support of Pakistans military helps it
remain a nation, with its citizens willing to
have their share of the American Dream:
merit-based society with children having a
better life than their parents.
It is now a fact that America and India are
Global Partners, global peace enhanced as
the cost of war has plummeted with American and Indian troops able to fight side by
side. Peace just got more possible for more
humanity, and economic growth and personal
incomes just got on a higher trajectory.
SA Times: What else India can look forward to from warmer relations with US?
And what is in it for America?
Ravi Batra: India is now what I have been
arguing for and wanted: Americas special
relationship with Great Britain will in time

SA Times: Not only President Obama, even GOP (under President George Bush,
for instance) had moved to
improve ties with India. But
do you feat that Republicans
- for whom all things Obama
are an anathema - may try
to undo what he (now Lame
Duck President) has wrought
in India-US relations.
Ravi Batra: Not at all. Republicans, like PM Manmohan
Singh and Congress President
Sonia Gandhi, worked hard
and took political risks to get
where we were before Devyani. All Indians and all Americans have a legitimate right
to claim ownership of this
Obama-Modi Hugs-success.

back to robust life anew. India will be the seSA Times: Traditionally Indian Americret ingredient to a strong and durable Amer- cans have supported and voted Democrat,
ican Dream for all. As an Indian-American, but it is said it is Republicans who have
it doesnt get any better: pride, and pride.
been more supportive of India in recent
years. Your take on that?
SA Times: Some think tanks say US is
Ravi Batra: Well, conventional wisdom,
wooing India as a counterweight to China. while true, has been amended: now, all
Your take?
Americans, like all Indians, want this close,
Ravi Batra: Of course. But, that was a intimate and trusting geopolitical marriage
cautionary and necessary aspect of state- so as to enhance peace, lessen war, and give
craft. The Hugs changed that.
every citizen on earth a better shot at the
American Dream.
SA Times: India even after the Cold War
One curious aspect of this Hugging Trip
remained closer to Russia. Now you think is that Indian-Americans have become Tier I
it would be prudent for India to remain Americans: American through and through,
equidistant from both Russia and US or tilt with or without the hyphen (notwithstandtowards US as seems to be happening?
ing Governor Bobby Jindal seemingly
Ravi Batra: No, this isnt a tilt. Its a ashamed of his Indian DNA). Additionally,
marriage in broad daylight, with protocol all Indians in India can openly be Ameriabandonment. Now, its Honeymoon Time can in all things; after all Indias Republic
for this massive marriage of 1.5 billion Day celebration was of Indias Constitution
dreams of free citizens living under rule of - largely modeled on Americas!

Ravi Batra

Nixons opening of China and the


American investment that followed
made China the powerhouse that it
is today. Americas warm hug of India, a nation under law, will cause an
even bigger development of India.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

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Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

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26

Hailing Obamas historic visit


The South Asian Times invited views of some prominent people on the
impact of President Obamas visit on Indo-US relations as well as on
Indias economic growth and strategic needs.

Bansi Shah
President, K G Industries Inc
resident Obama's visit to me is a history
in making. The grassroot and simple approach and self-confidence of PM Modi
is received with enthusiasm by people
of India as well as
business community.
Out of box thinking,
firm assurance with
commitment of PM
is putting India on
world map and making Indian and international community at ease and confidence in
new era. I think Modi will definite deliver his
promise of ACCHE DIN AANE WALE HAI.
Very soon. I happen to be in India currently to
witness the upswing in the mood and faith in
the government. Obama's visit has taken the
India-US relations to new heights with signing
of MOU's worth billions of dollars. There is a
bright future for infrastructure, and Make in
India campaign in many industries, especially
DEFENSE."

Ankur Vaidya
President, Federation of Indian
Associations (FIA NY-NJ-CT)
s the stark contrast friendship between
a Harvard educated US President and
humbly brought up, modestly educated Prime Minister of
India has increasingly blossomed after
the USA visit by the
Indian PM, so have
the bilateral relationship between the two
natural allies.
India, which is set
to outpace the giant
economy growth of
China in the near future, now has an opportunity to bring one of the world's top democracy
strategically closer on fronts like nuclear, defense, counter-terrorism, renewable energy,
pharmaceuticals in a two way interaction that
can be mutually benefitting to both the
economies. Hopefully, with President Obama
greeting Namaste and Prime Minister Modi
wearing a suit, the good changes and exchanges are evident and will continue to reflect
in our economies and the two countries.

Adris Chakraborty & Poulami Mukherjee


Founder & Mentor, Mediamorphosis
& Parents Concern Group
resident Obama's recent
India
visit
would definitely inject a new vitality in
Indo-US relationship. US export size

is 1% to India of its total export volume, and


India contributes 2% import of total US
trade. These numbers would definitely increase following the new Political and Economic understanding of two largest democracies of th world.
We have a strong hope of implementation
of all the announcements, including nuclear
trade and stronger defense ties between US
and India. At this historic juncture India is
not only coming up as the most potential untapped market but also showing prominence
as the strongest Asian ally of US.

Dilip Chauhan
President, NRI Overseas Affairs Inc.
his visit of President Obama was definitely a transformative moment in
the ties between India and US. White
House has been
waiting a long time
to conduct business
with India with
confidence.
In Modi, I believe
they have found
that strong leadership. Both India
and the United
States
want
a
strong economy and
a strong defense.
I believe that due to this historic visit,
there will be enhanced cooperation in areas
such as defense, infrastructure, high technology, education, and energy (nuclear and
alternative both). It will forge a new commercial relation with India benefiting US
and Indian companies alike.

Flora Parekh
Community activist
ndia seems to be positioning itself for a
more global role, playing a part in issues
that go beyond its borders.
This visit of President Obama is history making, thereby presenting the
symbolism of the
leaders
of
the
world's two biggest
democracies cozying up.
This visit has already brought the
announcement of
the 10-year defense cooperation agreement
between the two countries, that might help
broaden India's historically insular foreign
policy thinking.
Maybe it will make India a more prominent player in global issues over time. I
hope the ongoing discussions around immigration reform in the United States will see
some positive outcome for both nations
with this enhanced partnership.

Gobind Munjal
IALI Past President & India Center Chair
resident Obamas visit to India and the
newly developed friendship between
the two countries will take India and
the US - which today share an extensive cultural, strategic, military, and
economic relationship - to a new level
of cooperation. This
and the full implementation of the
signed
Nuclear
treaty will fulfill Indias ambitious goal of
producing Solar/clean energy, providing 24
hours electricity to people of India, act on climate change, improve air quality, provide
clean water, cleaning of Ganga, building infrastructure including High Speed Bullet
Trains, etc.
Further this friendship assures India becoming a permanent member of the UNSC,
cooperation in combating global terrorism,
use of technology, more high-tech collaborations, bilateral investments and economic
trade partnership between the two countries.
India has a great future with its predominantly youth population, along with women
force now getting education and joining the
work force, it will soon become one of the
largest economies of the world.The new level of friendship between the two nations
sends a message to the world - that India is
going to be a force to reckon and both USA
and India will shape the world in future.

Indrajit Majumdar
VP- Head of Sales - North America,
Zee Entertainment and india.com
uch is being said and written about
President Obamas visit to be the
chief guest at Indias 66th Republic
Day and Indo-US
friendship. All the
developments are
fairly positive for
both the countries
and both are poised
to leverage each others strength and capabilities to the
fullest in the long
run, starting from the
nuclear weapons front and the China issue.
However, the most encouraging and exciting
development according to me that would
eventually benefit the common man in my
homeland is the value of trade with the US
which is poised to touch $500 billion within
the next decade, which would result in exponential job creation and economic growth in
India. In light of the same, I also wish better
immigration reforms from the US government and less stringent tax laws for the visa
holders with respect to Social Security &
Medicare. The two other valuable points
touched upon by President Obama are greater

empowerment for women in India and more


religious tolerance among all Indians, which
is a reflection of real democracy and a must
for any nation to touch the pinnacle of glory.

Jagdish Sewhani
President, American India
Public Affairs Committee
he Republic Day chief guest honor is
reserved for special friends and now
US is in that category. President Obamas visit will take
India-US ties to the
next level as there
will be a new defence cooperation
between two countries. Cooperation
will also grow in
counter-terrorism
and intelligence sharing, geopolitical relationship and clean energy. US has abundant supplies of clean gas
and India almost imports all of its requirement.
Trade will increase fivefold to $500 billion
in the next 10 years. India will fulfill its true
potential. The two countries joining hands
will make world a better place, will bring
global stability.

James Reed
Former Deputy Commissioner at
Nassau County Consumer Affairs
resident Obama's visit during India's
Republic Day's festivities allows him
to witness India's finest on Parade and
to discuss closer ties
with the explosive
financial growth India is experiencing
under Prime Minister Modi's able leadership. A perfect
melding of the
World's Oldest and
Greatest Democratic
Countries!

Neeta Bhasin
President & CEO, ASB Communications
aving been in India at the same time
as President Obamas visit, I got to
experience firsthand how much this
visit meant to the
citizens of India.
Everywhere
you
went all people
spoke about was this
visit and what it
means for Indo-US
Relations and the
two countries economic future. I believe this visit serves

Continued on page 28

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL

Happy Republic Day

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

Continued from page 26


great purpose in restoring the two countries economic ties, which suffered during the recent economic sanctions. With
the support of America, India will be able to
pursue more trade and investment opportunities. These opportunities will be beneficial to
all, from small businesses in India to NRIs.
This visit was a significant step in India becoming the largest economy of the world by
2050 as some have predicted.

Quddus Mohammed
Assistant Governor, Rotary #7255
resident Obama's visit to India offers
an opportunity to attract much needed
foreign investments as well as elevate
Indias role on the
world stage. This
moment also offers
an absolute opportunity for the two
countries to move
ahead on trade and
other economic issues.
However,
Prime
Minister
Modi and his administration should be
extremely cautious of American courtship, as
China and Japan are carefully watching this
development.
The fundamental foreign policy goal of the
Modi administration is to see that the three
regional powersJapan, China and India
play a dominant role in shaping the Asia-Pacific region, while keeping the US minimally, but effectively involved. But the policy
goal of the US is to deepen its influence in the
region. China and Japan have emerged as the
prevailing/prominent partners of India and,
for that matter, with most other Asia-Pacific
countries. The US is deeply concerned by the
shifting regional balance of power.
Obama perhaps cannot compete with the
personal relationship that Mr. Modi has established with the Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe over the last several years including the
time when he was Chief Minister of Gujarat.
During his recent visit, Xi and Modi agreed
to mutually resolve the decades old Indo-China border dispute, while China also pledged
over $20 billion in infrastructure investments
in India. These developments are politically
unwise and economically dangerous for the

United States. Undoubtedly, it is in the


strategic and commercial interest of India to
strengthen top-level cooperation with the US.
What is unclear is the price US will demand.
The US is perceived in Asia as arrogant,
dominant, and authoritative. But they are also
perceived as essential. Prime Minister Modi
should be extremely sensitive and far-sighted
to the economic and geo-political interest of
his regional partners. China has already reacted by saying the visit is a superficial rapprochement between Delhi and Washington.
Any influential policy role of the USA will
divide the bloc.

Rahul Walia
Founder, South Asian Spelling Bee;
CEO, Touchdown Media Inc.
robably for the first time in its history
is the US breaking the mold and taking
a keen positive interest in a country
other than those in
NATO. While its an
overused adage synergies between
the oldest and largest
democracy--it
is
only now that real
meaningful activity
is actually taking
place as the US begins to recognize India, its billion people
and its leader as an
ally worthy of equal stature.
President Obamas visit in 2013, then PM
Modis visit to the US to a Rockstar welcome
at MSG and now Obama in India are all indicative of a growing bond between these
two behemoths which will only spell good
fortune to the world.
The progress achieved in the past 3 years to
strengthen economic, cultural, defense and
nuclear ties should hopefully continue well
into the future. Citizens of both countries
stand to gain from strong bilateral relations
and the fact that its happening in our lifetime
is cause for great celebration. Heres to
history!

Rashmin Master
CPA, Marathon Man
rime Minister Modis invitation to
President Obama as a chief guest on
Republic Day was a great move to
open up relation between India and the
US. The two leaders
met and business
leaders from both
countries and the
PM emphasized that
the Indian government will make it
easier and faster to
conduct
business

Pramoda Kumar Pattanaik


Chief Executive, Bank of India, US Operations
ndian Prime Minister Mr
Narendra Modi visiting Ground
Zero and paying tribute to 9/11
victims and US President Mr. Barack
Obama visiting Mahatma Gandhi
memorial and attending 66th
Republic Day parade is symbolic of
new era of stronger global strategic
partnership between the two largest

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

28

without going through red tape. Many businesses are concerned about rampant corruption and bureaucracy. India has great talent
which can be utilized in various fields by
multinational corporations. The two leaders
discussed defense partnership and a rising
threat from China. Terrorism is a threat to
both India and US. Pakistan has to be contained.

opportunities are highlights of the trade


agreement.
Inevitably, the issue of nuclear energy and
civil nuclear liability in India also came up.
According to the New York Times, Westinghouse and GE Hitachi Nuclear energy have
welcomed the agreement.
Now, US-India ties will certainly follow a
higher trajectory.

Sudhir Vaishnav

Vibhuti Jha

Director Globosat Entertainment, LLC;


President & CEO Newage Communications & Marketing

Executive Director, Nalanda International

resident Obamas visit to India was not


only historical, but very productive as
well. The close relationship between
PM Modi & the
President was very
encouraging with respect to taking the
Indo-US ties to even
greater heights. The
US delegation of
senior leaders, as
well as CEOs of major corporations, was
able to connect with
their counterparts to
exchange ideas and discuss joint collaborations. Several major deals/MOUs were
signed, including and related to the Civil Nuclear Treaty, the Smart Cities project, the aviation industry, manufacturing, the pharmaceutical industry, import/export, etc.
Most importantly, included was an endorsement from the President for a permanent seat at the UNSC recognizing India as a
major world power.

Sunil Modi
President, Association of
Indians in America (NY)
t was an eventful and great meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President
Obama. The two leaders followed up on
themes addressed
during Modis September 2014 trip to
the US, and addressed some issues
that had been on the
US India bilateral
backburner for many
years now. One of
the first announcements to come from
New Delhi during
Obamas visit was that the two countries had
reached an agreement on climate change.
Modi seems to have partly revised Indias position. Under a new agreement, US will provide funding for renewable energy. The joint
statement of the two leaders highlights the
diversified US-India partnership with
strategic consultations, and stronger defense
cooperation. Increased trade and investment

very year India invites a prominent


dignitary as chief guest at the Republic Day. But there was something special about President Obama's visit this January 26 that got entire India in a tizzy.
After all it is not always that the POTUS visits India
"twice" in his term
of office. Significantly, PM Modi
showed precious
awareness of the
significance of the
moment when both
leaders met again in Asia, soon after his very
successful visit to the US. Having established
a personal equation they both opted to move
the relationship to a higher level and Mr.
Modi's initiative in this regard certainly
demonstrates his entrepreneurial leadership
and political maturity. President Obama has
to be appreciated for his bold response in accepting the invite. Both showed their ability
to break away from bureaucratic strangleholds.
There is a recognition both in India and the
US that the two countries cannot afford to remain distant good friends despite so much
commonality of purpose. For far too long the
India-US relationship has been either a victim or a slave to the Pak equation and some
self-imposed foreign policy compulsions
based on utopian thinking of the time.
But now India is breathing free and has succeeded largely in making strides in the opportunities of economic cooperation with the
US. Much needs to be done still, but greater
cooperation is expected in matters of national security and fight against terrorism. I believe both leaders see the bleeding obvious,
to say it bluntly!
I also believe that the Indian diaspora
around the world is now more visible, more
recognized in its impact and importance to
the lives of their country of origin and country of residence.
I proudly believe that as NRIs we were
never Not Required Indians as many Indians
back home chose to call us. We are actually
the New Responsible Indians, who have given a good name to India and Indians. Every
Indian in India now must consider becoming
an NRI! They owe it to themselves and to the
new leadership.

democracies of the world. Its good to see the two nations


focusing on economic growth, defense, energy, counterterrorism and most importantly towards people to people T.S. Anand & Company CPAs P.C
ties. With a deeper engagement we expect more economic as well as social collaboration with ISRO joining
udos to The South Asian Times for being in the
NASA for Human mission to Mars, common efforts to
forefront in bringing us uptodate coverage of all
curb climate change and more of US agencies and founevents. What a proud moment for the two
dations working with activists like Nobel laureate Kailash
largest democracies in the world to have US President as
Satyarthi and Anna Hazare to reinforce focus on human
chief guest at Indias R-Day parade the largest display
rights, health and education. This partnership of shared
of its colorful multi-cultures! Obama-Modi meeting
interests is the beginning of transformation of India and is
declaring mutual New Trust will have a historic implidefinitely a step to boost aspirations of billions of people
cation on US-India friendship. The two nations will
in the country to live with dignity and pride.
work together to be the economic powers in the world.

Tejinder (TJ) S. Anand

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

32

Make in India crucial


in Defense Sector
By Manohar Parrikar
Defense Minister of India

chieving
self-reliance and
reducing dependence on foreign
countries in defense is a necessity today rather
than a choice, both
for strategic and
economic reasons.
The Government in the past has created
production capabilities in defense in form
of Ordnance Factories and Public Sector
Undertakings to cater to the requirements of
our Armed Forces. However, there is a need
to enlarge the role of Indian private sector
as well to develop capabilities and capacities for production of various defense
equipments.
Our Prime Minister has taken a very important initiative in form of Make in India
to promote and encourage domestic manufacturing of various items. The requirement
for domestic production of defence equipment is more than for any other sector because it will not only save precious foreign
exchange but will also address the national
security concerns.
Government being the only consumer,
Make in India in defense sector will be
driven by our procurement policy. The
Government policy of promoting domestic
defense industry is adequately reflected in
the Defense Procurement Policy, wherein
preferential treatment is given to Buy (Indian) and Buy and Make (Indian) categories of acquisition over Buy (Global).
In the days to come, import is going to be
the rarest of the rare option and first opportunity would be given to the Indian Industry to develop and manufacture the required
systems. As Indian companies presently
may not have adequate capabilities in terms
of technology, they are encouraged to partner with foreign companies for joint ventures, technology transfer arrangements and
tie-ups.
If we look at the profile of Acceptance of
Necessity (AONs) granted by Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) in the last couple
of months after the new Government has
come to power, proposals worth more than
Rs. 65,000 crore have been categorized under Buy (Indian) and Buy and Make (Indian). The process of further orienting the

Achieving
self-reliance and
reducing dependence
on foreign countries
in defense is a
necessity today rather
than a choice, both
for strategic and
economic reasons.

Defense Procurement Procedure towards


procurement from domestic industry will
continue in future as well. The procurement process would be made more efficient, time bound and predictable so that the
industry can plan its investment and R&D
well in advance to meet the requirement of
our armed forces.
Till now, there were many entry barriers
for the domestic industry to enter into defense sector in terms of licensing, FDI policy restrictions, etc. In the last six months,
the Government has taken several policy
initiatives to ease the process of entry into
defense manufacturing. The most important is the liberalization of the FDI policy
regime for Defense sector to encourage foreign investment in the sector. FDI up to
49% is allowed through Government route
(with FIPB approval). FDI above 49% is
also allowed on a case-to-case basis with
the approval of Cabinet Committee on Security wherever the proposal is likely to result in access to modern and state-of-the-art
technology in the country. Restrictions in
earlier policy related to Foreign Institutional Investment (FII) and majority shareholding to be held by single Indian shareholder
have been removed.
Even though private sector industry was
allowed to enter in defence manufacturing
since 2001, after obtaining industrial license under IDR Act, the process of obtaining industrial license was very cumbersome
and used to act as a major road block for the
industry, particularly small and medium industry, who were in the business of making
part, components, sub systems and sub-assemblies. The Government liberalized the
licensing policy and now most of the components, parts, raw materials, testing equipments, production machinery, castings,

As directed by PM Modi, under the Defense Procurement Policy, preferential


treatment is given to Buy Indian and Buy and Make Indian categories
of acquisition over Buy Global

forgings etc. have been taken out from the


purview of licensing. The companies desirous of manufacturing such items no
longer require industrial licence and will
also not be subjected to FDI ceiling of 49%.
A comprehensive Security Manual indicating the security architecture to be followed
by various class of industries has been put
in public domain, so that companies could
easily access the same and follow it accordingly. The initial validity of industrial license has been increased from two to three
years.
For the first time, a Defense Export Strategy has been formulated and has been put
in public domain. The strategy outlines specific initiatives to be taken by the Government for encouraging the export of defense
items. It is aimed at making the domestic
industry more sustainable in the long run as
the industry cannot sustain purely on domestic demand.
A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
for issue of NOC for export of military
stores has been finalized and has also been
put in public domain. Requirement of End
User Certificate (EUC) to be signed and
stamped by Government authorities has
been dispensed with for most of the defense
items, particularly parts, components, subsystems and sub-assemblies. This will
largely ease out the export by the domestic
industry. A web-based online system to receive applications for NOC for export of
military stores has been developed and has

been put in place. There is a big opportunity in the defense sector for both domestic
and foreign investors. We have the third
largest armed force in the world with an annual budget of about $ 38 billion and 40%
of this is used for capital acquisition. In the
next 7-8 years, we would be investing more
than $ 130 billion in modernization of our
armed forces and with the present policy of
MAKE IN INDIA, the onus is now on the
industry to make best use of this opportunity for the benefit of both the business as
well as the nation. Besides, under offset
more than Rs. 25,000 crore obligations are
to be discharged in next 7-8 years.
While on the one hand, Government is
making necessary policy changes with regard to procurement, investment including
FDI, licensing, export etc., the industry also
needs to come up and accept the challenge
of up-gradation in terms of technology and
required investments.
Defense is the sector which requires huge
investments and technology and is driven
by innovation. The industry, therefore, has
also to change its mindset and think for
long term rather than temporary gains. We
need to focus more on Research and Development and state of the art manufacturing
capabilities. The Government is fully committed to create an eco-system for the domestic industry to rise and to provide a level-playing field to all sectors of industry,
both public and private.
PIB Feature

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

34

O P - E D

Obamas visit:
India is the big loser
By Dave Makkar
ight from day one America was in the
lead. John Kerry, the US Secretary of
State, set the US corporate lobby dictated agenda with five broader issues with
liability issue in civil nuclear deal to limit US
corporate liability to a certain cap on the top
followed by defense, trade, renewable energy
and climate change.
The US is the clear winner when Modi-led
BJP government signed the nuclear deal by removing the unlimited liability clause. It was
the BJP that brought/joined the No Confidence
Motion against Dr. Manmohan Singh's Government on the issue of liability clause and
then the infamous cash-for-vote scam happened in Parliament. However, as usual BJP
under Modi took a U-turn on that and decided
to create a pool of insurance to be used to pay
the compensation. The 50% of insurance
amount will be borne by the Government of
India and the remaining 50% by the four public sector units, which in other words will also
be borne by the Government of India, that is to
say by Citizens of India.
Yes, the Modi government has got a breakthrough in avoiding US inspection in the Indian reactors, but that was the issue of second
stage and the liability clause couldn't allow
UPA Government to reach there. I leave it to
the people of India to decide on who should be
given credit for selling India. Because in the
first place, when Germany and Japan have
promised their citizens to phase out all nuclear
power plants; why does India want to install
new nuclear power plants, that too with the
help of USA that has not set up a new nuclear
power plant since 1950?
As for defense technology transfer and coproduction in India, that is a matter for discussion for future historians. It is an open secret
that the US on this count is very protective.
Above all, when Americans do not share technology with their close NATO allies, why will
they share it with India? The only country that
has unlimited access to US defense technology and hardware is Israel, that too because it

Cartoon Courtesy of The Times of India

A contrarian take on the so-called breakthrough in the nuclear deal;


also taking in PM Modis personalized style statement.
practically owns all by virtue of financing
campaigns of all the politicians across the aisle
in Washington, DC and state houses and senates of America.
By signing (if India has signed) the Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Understanding (CISMOA), India
will be allowing access to USA to its entire
communication system. USA has a long history of spying on their friends and allies except
Israel. The reason is Israel/Mossad is better
equipped to spy on America, materially and
has vast support of prominent Americans in
high places as its friends.
Indians feel proud with the presence of US
junk/health hazard industry like McDonald,
Starbucks, Coke, Pepsi, Pizza Hut, Burger
King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Cargill, Monsanto, etc in India for killing the local food and
beverage industry, creating low paid jobs and
draining foreign exchange with their massive
outflow in royalties. Indians also consider it
progress with Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai,
Toyota, Mercedes, Audi etc assembling cars in
India without critical components technology
transfer and are responsible for massive outflow of foreign exchange in royalties. Prime
Minister Narendra Modi as CM of Gujarat
gave Ford USA Rs 18,000.00 crore to create
2,000 jobs with no clause that they have to
transfer critical component technology! No
one in India wants to talk about China where
Honda and Audi are using 100% local contents. No one wants to criticize Suzuki established in 1984 and still their use of local components has not crossed 50% and still the critical component technology has not been transferred.
Three cheers for lame duck President Obama
with the lowest domestic approval rating, who
was not in a position to deliver anything of
consequence to India, and yet extracting a big

win from India for US corporations.


With a struggling US economy with 50 million people
on food stamps and high unemployment, US corporations
need new markets. What
could be a better place to sell
their junk industry and have
control on food supply and
communication than India
with 350 million middle class
that outnumbered 310 million
total US population. It may
improve Obama's domestic
rating and if it goes above
50% it may pave the way for
a 3rd Democrat term in the
White House. On the other
hand, PM Modi was more
busy in projecting himself as
the Fashion Icon of the world
by wearing a suit with his
name "Narendra Damodardas
Modi" written in English all
over it like the suits of world
famous
dictator
Hosni
Mubarak of Egypt with his
name written on them.
That made Modi a laughing
stock in the international media and Washington Post
tweeted that "Prime Minister
Modi wore a suit that takes
personalization to a ridiculous extreme. According to
Reuters, Obama also took a
dig by saying "Move aside,
Michelle Obama. The World
has a new fashion icon...."
Maybe Modi was promoting
English against the teachings
of his mentors RSS that wants
to promote Hindi in India and
abroad. Just a few months back it was the same
Modi who insisted on
speaking in Hindi at
UN. Even that was
not enough. PM Modi
made another statement to the world by
wearing a headgear
that he is the PM of
Gujarat/Gujaratis
only, not every
Indian on the Republic Day of India. It looks like
Modi forgot that he
is not attending a
PM Modi wore Gujarati local function in
headgear at a national Gujarat but Re-

event like R-Day parade.

public Day Parade that represents 29 states of


India and their residents from every religion
and sect.
The only thing PM Modi can claim as his
legacy from Obama visit in history books
would be that under his government for the
first time a US President was the Chief Guest
at the Republic Day Parade and it was the first
time a US President visited India twice.
Dave Makkar is a New
Jersey based
businessman, known for
his views on IndianAmerican public
affairs. He can be
contacted at DaveMakkar@yahoo.com

The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

35

Pandita Tripti Mukherjee and


Dr. Dattatreyudu Nori conferred Padma Shri
New York: Pandita Tripti Mukherjee, Dr Dattatreyudu Nori and mathematician Manjul
Bhargava were among the Padma awardees
this year from the tristate. While Princeton
University Professor and winner of the 2014
Fields Medal considered Nobel Prize for
mathematics was conferred Padma Bhushan,
India's third highest civilian award, Mukherjee
and Dr.Nori were conferred Padma Shri.
Pandita Tripti Mukherjee, Hindustani classical vocalist is one of the few musicians in the
United States who has the honor of being conferred India's fourth highest civilian award.
Pta. Tripti Mukherjee, an illustrious disciple
of Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj, stands bright
among the generation of musicians carrying
forth the music from great masters of Panditji's
generation.
Mukherjee is blessed with a mellifluous, divine voice, and with her tremendous passion
and dedication, has honed musical skills,
which are a seamless blend of somber and rich
elements.
She has shown monumental commitment
over the past 20 years to spreading India's rich
culture and heritage in their purest forms
throughout America. Although Indian classical
arts had found recognition in the U.S. in the
form of dance or instrumental music, the pure
tradition of vocal classical music was not
prevalent in America over a decade ago. Realizing this disparity, Mukherjee ventured to establish the first institute for vocal Indian classical music in the U.S., in the name of her
guru, the Pandit Jasraj Institute for Music Research, Artistry and Appreciation - the Mewati
Gurukul.
Today the Institute has branches in New
York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In addition, the Institute reaches the community at

large through a magazine called JasRangi,


which publishes comprehensive articles written by students of PJIM, on history and theory
of Indian classical music in a current cultural
context. Through her tireless efforts, Mukherjee continues to pioneer ways of establishing
Indian classical arts in America, providing an
invaluable service to the Indian community.
Mukherjee was born in Kolkata, India to
Shri Rajat Mukherjee and Smt. Indira Mukherjee. She realized very early that music was her
calling and started training in Indian Classical
Music (ICM) since the age of 4. She received
formal training initially from Mrs. Bharatikar
Choudhary. Mr. Sunil Das (co-founder, Direndra Music College, Kolkata) and Mr. Prasun
Banerjee (disciple of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali
Khan) trained her further in ICM while she
studied Thumris, Ghazals and Bhajans from
Mrs. Sipra Bose.
In 1976 she met her Guru, Sangeet Martand
Pt. Jasraj and this marked the beginning of a
lifelong association. Pt. Jasraj accepted few
disciples; only those ready to dedicate their entire life to music, were taken in the fold. Traditionally, Indian classical music is passed
down the generations through the Guru
Shishya parampara. In this system of education, the Shishya, or disciple stays with his
Guru and learns this art. Through constant exposure to the art and the life of the Guru, the
Shishya imbibes knowledge. Mukherjee undertook rigorous study under Pt. Jasraj.
Today, Mukherjee is carrying forward a musical tradition sculpted by her several gurus.
She has imparted music and values to hundreds of disciples spread out in US, India and
Europe. She believes that music is not taught;
instead, the Guru awakens the music dormant
in the Shishya and helps him grow into a musician, who then expresses his emotions
through Raag-based improvisations. When the
disciple accompanies the Guru to concerts, an
entire body of learning happens on the stage in
front of a live audience.

Indian Mission
to UN
celebrates
Indias 66th
Republic Day

Ambassador Ashoke Kumar Mukerji


unfurls the tricolor

United Nations: The 66th Republic Day


of India was celebrated at the Permanent
Mission of India to UN in New York. Ambassador Asoke Kumar Mukerji, Permanent Representative of India to UN hoisted the national flag at the Permanent Mission premises and read out salient excerpts
from President Pranab Mukherjee's address to the nation made on the eve of the
Republic Day of India on January 25th.
The brief and impressive ceremony saw
a well-attended turn out of over 150 guests
including senior Indian officials of the
United Nations, Indian Army and Police
officers on deputation to the UN, in addition to officials from PMI and the Consulate General of India, New York and
their families.

Dr. Dattatreyudu Nori

Pandita Tripta Mukherjee

Mukherjee trains her disciples on various aspects of voice culture, stage presence and body
language in addition to guiding their musical
compositions. Through her own example,
Mukherjee has instilled a spirit of unfailing
dedication for the Guru and the art in her disciples.
Dr. Dattatreyudu Nori is a noted Radiation
Oncologist. He has been awarded Padma Shri,
for his contributions in the field of medicine.
He was once named one of the top doctors in
America for the treatment of cancers in women
by the women's magazine The Ladies' Home
Journal.
Dr. Nori is a Professor and Executive Vice
Chairman of the Radiation Oncology Department at The New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College in New
York City. In addition, Dr. Nori is the Chairman of Radiation Oncology Unit at the New
York Hospital Medical Center of Queens.
Dr. Nori has an international reputation as a
pioneer and authority in the cancer field and he
has been referred to as a recognized leader in
his specialty by the prestigious New England
Journal of Medicine. He has been selected as

one of the Top Doctors for Cancer in America


and Top Doctors for Womens Cancers in
America over the last decade by his peers of
100,000 Oncologists in the U.S.
Dr. Nori is one of the world's leading authorities in the sub specialty of brachytherapy.
In 1979, he was the first physician in the United States to work with a computerized
brachytherapy treatment system and develop
new techniques through clinical research. He
was instrumental in the development and successful application of brachytherapy; the implantation of radioactive seeds to combat cancer. Dr Nori was born in a Brahmin family in
Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, India. He
did his schooling at Machilipatnam. He obtained his medical degree from Kurnool Medical College and Post graduate degree from
Osmania Medical College.
He has also been awarded the Ellis Island
Medal of Honor 2014. Dr. Nori is one of the
Founding Members and Chief Scientific Advisor of the state-of-the-art, not for profit, 400
bed Indo-American Cancer Institute and Research Center in Hyderabad. This center provides affordable cancer care.

Ambassador Asoke Kumar


Mukherjis Special Republic
Day Message
For Readers of The South Asian Times
am happy to note that the South Asian Times is celebrating the 66th Republic Day
of India. The significance of this year's celebrations is enhanced by the fact that exactly 100 years ago, Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Indian Nation, returned to
India after a long struggle against oppression in South Africa to lead the Indian National Movement. The vision of Mahatma Gandhi has deeply inspired the Constitution of India which came into effect on 26th January, 1950. India's growth as a vibrant pluralistic
parliamentary democracy, committed to ensuring the prosperity and development of her
population by eradication of poverty and inclusive growth, owes a great deal to the provisions of the Indian Constitution which have stood the test of time.
I wish all readers of the South Asian Times success in their endeavors on this
auspicious day.
Jai Hind
Asoke Kumar Mukerji
Ambassdor Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary Permanent
Representative of India
to the United Nations
New York

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Procession and
firework to celebrate
Indias Republic Day
in Edison, NJ
By Ashok Ojha/ The SATimes
New York: Dressed in colorful attires and
holding American star-spangled and Indian
Tricolor flags hundreds of men, women and
children took part in a parade to commemorate Indias 66th Republic Day at Royal Alberts Palace in Edison, NJ on January 25.
The parade ended with fireworks in the parking lot facing the huge statue of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, who is credited for unifying
India after the British left the country in
1947.
The celebration was presided over by the
Edison Mayor Thomas Lanky, who joined
the procession and praised participants for
displaying much love and affection for their
native country. Juned Qazi, president of Indian Nation Overseas Congress, USA, a voluntary organization of supporters of Indias
A procession to celebrate Indias 66th Republic Day
in Edison, NJ. (Photo by Ashok Ojha)
Congress Party, who played a vital role in
mobilizing the community beyond the barriers of political and religious affiliations, apideals of the Congress leaders who led the nation for
pealed to folks to proudly display their love for India. many decades.
We are proud to be of Indian descent and have a duty to
Representatives from a wide crosssection of the Indicontribute towards improving the lives of people in In- an-American community expressed their support for unidia, which emerged as one of the fastest growing nation ty in the community and pledged to celebrate all Indian
in the world due to the strong values ingrained in our national events with great pride.
constitution, he said.
Those who spoke at the function included Anil Patel,
Qazi emphasized the importance of a strong opposition Viru Patel, Col. Virendera Tavathia, Harkesh Thakur,
for the health of Indian democracy pointing out to the Ram Gadula, and Mahesh Patel.

36

Amb. Mulays
Republic Day Message
I am delighted that 'The South Asian Times' newspaper is
bringing out a special issue on the auspicious occasion of
India's 66th Republic Day. It is a moment to cherish and celebrate India's accomplishments as the world's largest democracy
and its growing presence in international affairs.
In this six and a half decade's history, India has been steadfast
on the path of democracy. Last year's General Elections which
was the world's largest elections ever with 814.5 million votes
bears witness to India's commitment to democracy. Today,
India stands tall among the comity of nations and is performing
it's just role in promoting peace, prosperity and development in
the world. India has consistently worked with people and
organisations to bring peaceful solutions to global problems .
Our role in the UN, whether it is in peace keeping or in providing humanitarian aid, has been lauded by one and all. Recently,
India' proposal to declare June 21 as the International Yoga
Day made during the Hon'ble Prime Minister's visit last year
was adopted by the UNGA. We have also just had a very successful and productive visit of President Obama for the
Republic Day celebrations in India. This is the first time the US
President was the honoured guest at the Republic Day Parade.
The Indian Government has made novel changes in its policies to make India more accessible to the Diaspora as well as
other visitors to India. I hope that the Indian American community as well as others take advantage of these changes and
increasingly participate in this nation building movement and
thereby enhance India's strength in the world to promote peace,
harmony and growth. My greetings to my fellow Indian citizens as well as the Indian Americans on this auspicious occasion. I wish you all the very best.
Dnyaneshwar M. Mulay
Consul General of India, New York

2 letters officially sent to President Obama requesting USPS issue a Diwali Stamp
Prominent Indian Americans Ranju Batra (pictured) and Ravi Batra have
relentlessly pursued the cause of getting Diwali stamp issued.
Ranju Batras Letter
January 28, 2015
President Barack Hussain Obama
White House
Washington, D.C.
Re: Please have US Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe issue the Diwali
Stamp now.
Respected President Obama,
What a thrill to see Indias PM Modi hugging America and you on the Tarmac in
Delhi upon your arrival, to be Indias Chief
Guest on her 2015 Republic Day celebration. Thank you for enhancing the relations
between our two great nations.
I write to seek your assistance in a matter
of great importance to the Diwali-celebrating world - light over darkness, good
over evil. I have served as the Cultural
Chair of the Association of Indians in
America-NY (AIA) for 10 years, 2001 2011, and then was elected as president of
AIA-NY. During my two year tenure, I organized the largest Diwali celebration in
North America - such that NYTimes wrote
that 200,000 attended the day long Diwali
2011 event. During 2012, the Silver Anniversary of the Diwali celebrations, I
added a gala dinner at The Pierre Hotel the
night before and awarded Silver Diwali
Awards to our dear friends: Rep. Eliot L.

Engel, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney and Rep.


Greg W. Meeks - these awards were jointly presented by Indias Permanent representative Amb. Hardeep Singh Puri and
Pakistans Permanent Representative Amb.
Abdullah Hussain Haroon, while both
served on the Security Council. At the Diwali 2012 event our friends Rep. Grace
Meng and Rep. Yvette Clarke joined.
Several years ago I had undertaken the
task of getting the Diwali Stamp issued and
requested Rep. Carolyn Maloney to provide national political leadership - and she
has done a fabulous job. She has introduced House Resolutions, including one
two weeks ago: HR 32. I have worked with
the community to get thousands upon thousands of signatures, letters and petitions
supporting same. Indeed, some were hand
delivered in Carolyns Office to the Deputy
Postmaster General Ron Stroman, with
Rep. Ami Bera, Ravi Batra and I. Few
press articles and press release are enclosed. Wont you please have Postmaster
General Donahoe issue the Diwali stamp
now and give Hinduism equal respect that
it deserves. USPS will make a fortune selling this keepsake-stamp to a billion Hindus.
Respectfully,
Ranju Batra

Ravi Batras Letter


January 28, 2015
President Barack Hussain Obama
White House
Washington, D.C.
Re: Letter in support of Rep. Carolyn B. Maloneys HR32 and Diwali Stamp Chair Ranju Batras unrelenting multi-year effort, and joint call
for a Diwali Stamp to be issued now.
Respected President Obama,
It has been amazing to see a hand poured Chai
Summit between you and PM Modi. From the Tarmac Hug to a Bear Hug and all the way to a path
of joint destiny with Global Partnership. A truly
history making and history changing event. Your
gracious warmth in embracing protocol-departures
by PM Modi, and jointly creating a new reality
will enhance global peace, create new high paying
jobs in the United States and India, improve the
lives of billions, save our planet and fight terror,
shoulder to shoulder with war costing less. Your
singular act of seeing Indias soul through many a
millennia - a soul that celebrates freedom of
speech and religion and seeks joint economic prosperity in peace, without waging an offensive war and then permitting the 2006 Nuclear Deal to be
operationalized with IAEA inspections speaks to
your statesmanship, most politicians would find
daunting to emulate.
That you have repaid Indias gift at the birth of
the American Revolution - Indian tea spilled in
Bostons harbor to tell King George where to go -

with your 1.5 billion people strong hugs - is quite


an ointment some two centuries after Lord Cornwallis infamous mandate upon arriving in Bombay, now Mumbai, to have 5,000 Indian men,
women and children killed so he could rule with
an iron fist and not lose India, as he had lost
these United States to General George Washington. As an Indian-American lawyer, I am deeply
touched by your answering Pandit Nehrus call the
night before Indias Independence - Tryst with
Destiny - and creating a joint destiny for freedomloving people of India and the United States under
law. All that said, and much more I have written as
Chair, of the National Advisory Council on South
Asian Affairs, I now turn to bring another matter
to your attention, and to request the Constitutionalist in you to ask Postmaster General Donahoe
that he issue the Diwali stamp now and honor Hinduism - equally - as all other faiths, with respect.
Je Suis Charlie and Pope Francis comments thereafter are instructive. Our sacred Constitution,
which has served as a core for so many nations
constitutions, including, Indias, prefers equal
protection being honored rather than the non-establishment clause being offended - as it is currently along with Hinduism - by non-issuance of
the Diwali stamp. Its the right thing to do - and
has bipartisan support - much as your enhancement of US-Indos now special relationship.
God bless you, and these United States.
Respectfully,
Ravi Batra

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

38

Are we Indian Americans


or just American?
A riposte to Governor Bobby Jindals comment on hyphenated identities.
By Jinal Shah

Ravi Batra
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal in

Prominent Attorney

a recent interview stated that he is


American and not 'Indian-American'. "My parents came in search of
the American Dream, and they
caught it. To them, America was
not so much a place, it was an idea.
My dad and mom told my brother
and me that we came to America
to be Americans. Not Indian-Americans, simply Americans," Mr Jindal
said in a speech in London last
week.
We present here responses from
prominent Americans with Indian
ancestry on Gov. Jindals much debated statement.

Upendra Chivukula
Deputy Speaker,
New Jersey Assembly
obby Jindal thinks we live in a
monolithic society which is not the
case. His views are scary especially for a man
who is ambitious for
national office. Everyone comes
from some
or the other
heritage.
Under the
First
Amendment
everyone
has his or
her right to
practice his religion.
I am proud of my identity as IndianAmerican. I am grateful to India for my upbringing, my education. I spent 24 years of
my life in India. But that does not mean I
do not uphold the American Constitution or
my being Indian affects in any way carrying out my duties as an appointed official
in America. Being from Indian does not really interfere with my daily life here.

obby Jindal is a very effective local


politician. But he has some issues
with his identity and if he wasnt a
person leading a major
state in our
nation

Louisiana his
pronouncements could
be ignored
as the silly
musings of
a
middle
aged man
going
through a
midlife
crises. But the fact that he would announce
this despite being a governor of a state suggests that his desire to assimilate has exceeded all boundaries to a point where
there is nothing of cultural pride. So, if you
are Italian, you cant be proud of Italian
heritage and if you are French you cant be
proud of your French heritage. In fact, you
cant be proud of any heritage if you are
Bobby Jindal.
Now if that is his litmus test of enlightenment that may even violate John
Lennons Imagine song. I think Bobby
Jindal needs to
sit in either a confessional box or look in
a mirror but he has to come to terms with
who he is because what he is becoming is
less than what he ought to be Bobby Jindal is a person who actually hates his own
ancestry, despite his lip service, and a person who hates himself is a dangerous man
for higher office. So, I would never vote
for him on a ballot. In a local office you
can get away with it, but for national politics which is his ambition - its not good. It
is short-sighted and feeds into the KKK
(Ku Klux Klan) and their lovers - and he
has the KKK identity-hood on.
As for me, I am an American of Indian
ancestry. I am not confused about my sovereignty, citizenship or cultural identity. India has given us "zero," yoga and a lot of
other things to the world, and one thing that
India hasnt given is offensive war. So,

Congressman Ami Bera


do not have any problem (being identified as Indian-American). You heard me say that all the time. I always talk about
the story of my parents, talk about something that I am proud
of. And then we are proud of the opportunity that America offers.
I do not shy away from my story. There is no problem being an
Indian-American because that is the tapestry of the United States.
It is generations of people coming together to weave this great
melting pot - the United States - different cultures, different ancestries. We are all Americans, but we all bring those values as
well - the Irish-, the Italian- and now the Indian-Americans.

what the hell is Jindal ashamed of. I think


the man is a glorious fool.

Roger Sen Gupta

Actor
do not want to comment on what Gov.
Jindal said as I am not aware of the full
context. However, I would like to say
that everyone has their own identity, who
they
are,
where they
are
from,
their
heritage. And if
thats what
he sees himself
(as
American)
thats great
but he does
not have to
force
that
down
on
other people.
I see myself as an Indian-American. I am of
Indian descent and I grew up in America
and so both are very important to me. Some
people might favor one over the other,
thats entirely their decision as only they
can define their identity. As for me, I
wouldnt single out any one identity. I am a
very proud Indian and I am a very proud
American.

Founder at Park Place Group,


Cofounder USIN Celebrations
everal years ago I went to a Bar
Mitzvah and an incredible thing the
rabbi said is why it took Moses 20
years
to
cross
the
Sini,
because
he
wanted that
transition
from the old
generation to
the new generation. Our
kids are going to be different, our
grand kids
are going to
be different
than us. For
me when I look at my mother, I have three
generations here and I see the transition
and the investment they have made. Its
part of being in an immigrant community.
However, we are proud to say that our
community is the model immigrant community so we have to invest in ourselves
through education and hard work and be responsible.
Just like beauty is in the eyes of beholder, prejudice is in the eyes of beholder too
and I think I dont look at myself but I look
at others. If I am in a room full of Indian
Americans we are judged one way. If I am
in a room full of Irish Americans we are
different.
It is the tapestry that we have and we
have to weave that mosaic. It all depends
on where you are, if you are an Indian
American in Michigan or in Chicago or in
Idaho its a different lens. We are very fortunate that we are in New York City, where
we have much diversity. So you have to go
with the flow.
I dont think there is an easy answer its
different for everybody. But as immigrants
you have to adjust and acclimate to this
country. You are judged by how you speak,
how you behave, how responsible you are
and thats the key.

Kabir Chopra

Gerrard Lobo
Theater Actor
hose are his people telling him what
needs to be told in his constituency
to be a next prominent candidate. I
dont think
Bobby Jindal thinks
that in his
heart.
I dont see
how I can
differentiate, I am
American
but I am Indian-American. No one
from America can really say they are Americans except Native Americans. Here everyones
something - Irish American, Indian American, Italian American.

Congressman Joe Crowley


To some degree it looks like Gov. Jindal has some kind of an
identity crisis. That is too bad for him. I am from New York. I am
very proud of my Irish roots. Be it Irish-American or an American-Irish, there is no question that I am an American first. Maybe
it is unfortunate that he feels that to overly demonstrate the fact
that he is an American. I do not apologize where my ancestors
came from, I let it shine, I applaud it. I do not think that Congressman Ami Bera has the same level of anxiety in terms of
identity. It is reflective of the politics that he is involved in. In
the Democratic Party, we welcome all ranks of people, races and
religious denomination.
(As told to PTI)

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

39

Jamshedpur, a jewel in the


history of modern India
n August 27, 1907 when the Tata
Iron and Steel Company (TISCO)
was formed as a venture to produce
120,000 tonnes of pig iron at Jamshedpur, it
was an important milestone in the modern
history of India. Jamshedpur became the first
planned industrial town of India, marking the
beginning of indigenously developed heavy
industrialization in the country. When the
then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated the National Metallurgical Laboratory in 1950 he called it a symbol of faith and
hope. He also planted trees in Jamshedpur in
1958, the 50th anniversary of the starting of
production at the TISCO plant that is seen as
the trigger of Indias industrial revolution.
Even today, the very name Jamshedpur
brings to mind history lessons about its visualizer, Jamshetji Tata, who pioneered the iron
and steel industry in India. The legacy of its
founder stays alive as Jamshedpur was selected by the UN for the Global Compact
Cities Pilot Program, along with Melbourne
(Australia), Porto Alegre (Brazil), Tianjin
(PRC), Nairobi (Kenya) and San Francisco
(USA).
The story begins when Jamshetji Tata decided the country should have a steel plant
after hearing experts speak about the importance of iron and steel in a national economy
and nation building during visits to Europe in
the 1800s.
The Tata family built a team of engineers,
geologists and prospectors to look for iron
reserves in India. These were found in the
Chhota Nagpur plateau, near the confluence
of the Subarnarekha and Kharkai rivers and
the Tata family decided to set up a township
in the area. I remember reading that the
British naturalist Gerald Durrell, whose
books I adore, was born in Jamshedpur,
which is not surprising as in the `Garden of
the Gods his mother mentions that her husband was a civil engineer in India. In fact, I
learnt that his fathers firm built the tinplate
mill, a brick-making plant, an office building, a hospital and workers quarters in
Jamshedpur. His well-known sons, the famous British novelist, poet, dramatist, and
travel writer Lawrence Durrel, and Gerald
were both born in India with the latter in
Jamshedpur.
Julian Kennedy, Sahlin and Co., of Pittsburg were appointed as Construction Engineers of the Tata Iron and Steel Co Ltd.
Dhorabji Tata decided to take up his fathers
dream that Jamshedpur should be more than
just factories and workers houses. In his letter to Dhorabji, Jamshetji wrote in 1902, `Be
sure to lay wide streets planted with shady
trees, every other of a quick growing variety.
Be sure that there is plenty of space for lawns
and gardens. Reserve large areas for football,
hockey and parks. Earmark areas for Hindu
temples, Mohammadan mosques and Christian churches.
The new city which covered Sakchi, Nutandih, Susidih and Jugsalai areas acquired
by Steel Co. at the cost of Rs.46,632 developed over the decades from 1910-11 when
the coke ovens were blasted and the steel

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make In India' campaign gathers steam our travel writer
ANIL MULCHANDANI trains spotlight on the place where it all began.
works commissioned successfully. After independence, the land was leased by the Government of Bihar, and then the Government
of Jharkhand, to Tata Steel, with an obligation on the latter to continue to provide services to the city of Jamshedpur.
Till 2003, the Town Division of Tata Steel
was providing civic amenities and allied
services to the city of Jamshedpur. Jamshedpur Utilities & Services Company Ltd (JUSCO), a subsidiary of Tata Steel, was formed
to expand their work beyond the city. It efficiently distributes power, maintains roads,
sewer lines and water mains, runs a college,
nine schools, recreational areas, manages facilities, much of it more efficiently than
many municipal corporations. This makes
Jamshedpur unique not only in being one of
the few Indian cities that were built from
scratch in the 20th century but one where the
facilities required by lakhs of people is managed by a corporation without municipal
support.
While Jamshedpur is largely an industrial
city with companies like Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Tinplate, Indian Steel and Wire
products, cement works, etc, and the neighboring industrial zone of Adityapur which
was considered the largest manufacturing estate before the development of the National
Capital Region with Noida and Gurgaon, its
planning, abundance of parks and gardens,
and surrounding forested Dalma hills makes
it a city worth a visit.
On arriving in Jamshedpur, we met some
locals who told us proudly that this is one of
the greenest cities of India with active tree
planting programs to offset its industrialization. Lakhs of trees were planted during what
was called the Green Millennium Countdown at Jamshedpur.
The main highlight is the Jubilee Park, inaugurated by Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru in
1956 to mark Jamshedpurs golden jubilee.
The taxi driver took us around to see the roses, the lake, the fountains and water cascades
across the park which spans about 225 acres.
This park, we are told, is a favorite hangout
of the citizens whether it is for walking,
jogging, cycling and workouts in the morning or for an evening of enjoying seeing the
musical fountains, laser shows and illuminated water bodies, for a daily stroll or to
amuse children with the rides on offer. The
history of Indias steel industry is also narrated during the shows. The garden is lit up
during holidays and festivals and often during the week as well. Stalls around the park
make the most of the huge number of daily
visitors offering a variety of street food.
In a corner of the park, the Tata Steel Zoological Park beside Jayanti Sarovar or Jubilee lake is a nicely kept zoo. A vehicle took
us around to see the mammals kept in naturalistic looking enclosures and the bird
aviaries. The zoo also has a `safari park
where people can view a cross-section of an-

A memorial to honor father of modern Indian industry - Jamshedji Tata

Jamshedpur, the first planned industry city of India (Photos: Dinesh Shukla)

imals from mini-buses. The trees trilled with


birdcalls in the evening.
Jamshedpur has many other recreational
options scenic Dimna lake has boating and
other facilities, Domuhani at the scenic confluence of Kharkai and Subarnarekha rivers
is a popular place to visit, Hudco Lake in the
Telco Colony area has well-kept parks and
water bodies with good views from an elevation, Sir Dorabji Tata Park has manicured
gardens and fountains with flower shows in
winter, Bhatia Park along the banks of the
Subernareka river. This is located in Kadma,
Uliyaan. The city also has wide-ranging
sports facilities for soccer, hockey, cricket
(the Keenan Stadium is an international
cricket venue), basketball, boxing, athletics,
archery, even golf courses. Those who have
seen the Bollywood blockbuster Chak de
India with tribal hockey players from Jharkhand who knew no Hindi or English would
be surprised to see the level of sportspeople
at the JRD Tata Sports Complex and Sumant
Moolgaonkar Stadium.

The Russi Mody Centre of Excellence


(RMCE)designed by the famous architect,
Hafeez Contractor, houses the Tata Steel
Archives, and the high education level is ratified by the number of schools and colleges,
the XLRI (formerly, Xavier Labor Relations
Institute), a management institute rated
among the best in the country, and the National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur.
We are told that the tribal research institute is
a good source of information about the communities of the Chhota Nagpur region. We
attended a haat at Kharsawan, where there
was a sizable gathering of Ho, Santhal,
Oraon and Munda tribal groups. The clothing of these tribal people was simple but the
women wore chunky ear, nose ear, neck,
wrist, feet and finger ornaments made from
various metals. The haat was mainly focused
on buying metal and terracotta utensils, ornaments, meat and grains. It was set in a picturesque village with houses plastered with
mud and thatched with straw or terracotta
tiles.

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

40

Vignettes of the 1st


Republic Day of India

Dr. Rajendra Prasad took oath as the first President of India at Durbar Hall in the
Government House and this was followed by the Presidential drive along a five-mile
route to the Irwin Stadium, where he unfurled the National Flag.

Indias first President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad (in the horse-drawn carriage)
readies to take part in the first Republic Day parade on Rajpath,
New Delhi, on Jan 26, 1950.

The first
Republic
Day Parade
with the
Old Fort in
the background.

Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, Indias first Prime Minister,


with his Defense Minister Baldev Singh at the
first Republic Day Parade.

Essence of India's Constitution


P

reamble refers to the introduction or


preface of the Constitution. It contains the summary or essence of the
Constitution. It sets
out the philosophy on
which the
political
system
rests or in
other words, it clearly establishes the main
objectives on which the Indian constitutional structure was crafted.
India i.e. Bharat is a Union of States. It
is a Sovereign Socialist Democratic Republic with a parliamentary system of government. The Republic is governed in
terms of the Constitution of India which

was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26th November 1949


and came into force on 26th January 1950.
The Constitution provides for a
Parliamentary form of government
which is federal in structure with
certain unitary features. The constitutional head of the Executive of
the Union is the President. Article
74(1) of the Constitution provides
that there shall be a Council of
Ministers with a Prime Minister as
its head to aid and advise the President, who shall exercise his functions in accordance to the advice.
The real executive power is thus
vested in the Council of Ministers
with the Prime Minister as its head.

Preamble to the US Constitution,


which came into force in 1789.
(right) Preamble to Indias Constitution.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

42

Swami Vivekananda
on Nation building
By Swami Shantatmananda
Ramakrishna Mission, New Delhi
wami Vivekananda was a dreamer.
He dreamt big day and night. But,
the only theme of his dream was India. This one word stirred extraordinary
feelings in the deepest regions of his heart.
Perhaps, he was the greatest patriot to have
ever been born in this country. The testimony of Mahatma Gandhi vouches for this
assertion. Gandhi visited Belur Math in
1921 and said that after reading Swami
Vivekanandas works his patriotism for the
country had increased thousand fold.
One of the Western disciples of Swami
Vivekananda, Sister Christine, reminisced,
Our love for India came to birth, I think,
when we first heard him (Swami
Vivekananda) say the word, India, in that
marvelous voice of his. It seems incredible
that so much could have been put into one
small word of five letters. There was love,
passion, pride, longing, adoration, tragedy,
chivalry, himweh, and again love. Whole
volumes could not have produced such a
feeling in others. It had the magic power of
creating love in those who heard it.
In fact, his love for our motherland was
perhaps the singular factor which held him
tied to this earth. He was a born Yogi. He
was a great contemplative and diving deep
into meditation was the natural drift of his
mind. However, he sacrificed all these to
serve our motherland.
Swami Vivekananda knew everything
about India like the palm of his hand. What
was the source and basis of his knowledge?
He was a keen student of history and had a
thorough knowledge of Indias glorious
past. He was immensely practical in his
outlook and that helped him understand the
then condition of our country. After the
passing away of his Guru and mentor, Sri
Ramakrishna, he had gone on a pilgrimage
of the entire country on foot. He met people from every segment of the society, from
the richest to the poorest, from the most
learned to the most ignorant, from high
caste priests to those condemned as the low
caste, from Maharajas to penniless beggars. The first-hand knowledge which he
gained through his explorations gave him a
complete understanding of our country including the causes for its downfall. Being
a visionary and endowed with an extraordinary intellect and even a more feeling
heart, he could find out the cure for Indias
maladies and for restoring her to her former
glory. He predicted that Indias future glory would far surpass her past glory. He felt
deeply concerned and pained by the degradation of our country.
After a stay of four years in the West,
during which he achieved extraordinary
fame and recognition and was virtually lionized by the society, when he was about
to depart for India, a Westerner asked him
how he was feeling. In reply he said, India
I loved before I came away. Now the very
dust of India has become holy to me, the
very air is now to me holy; it is now the

One of Prime Minister Narendra Modis heroes, Swami Vivekananda the great yogi was also a great
patriot who analyzed what had gone wrong with India and recommended remedies thereof: uplift
of the poor and women, education for all, and sharing our gyan with the world.
holy land, the place of pilgrimage, the Tirtha."
Swami
Vivekananda
clearly identified the causes for our downfall, one of
which was the neglect of
the masses which he labeled as the great national
sin. He said, The poor,
the low, the sinner in India
have no friends, no help
they cannot rise, try however they may. They sink
lower and lower every
day, they feel the blows
showered upon them by a
cruel society, and they do
not know whence the
blow comes. He said
that millions were oppressed in the name of religion and one of the chief
causes of Indias ruin was
the monopoly of education by a few belonging to
the privileged classes.
Swami Vivekananda said that the difference between West and East is that they are
nations i.e. civilizations, whereas we are
not. While the higher classes in India and
the West are the same, there is infinite distance between the lower classes of these
countries. He lamented that for centuries
people had been taught theories of degradation and have been told that they were
nothing. The masses have been repeatedly
told that they are not human beings and
frightened for centuries till that they have
become animals. Laziness, lack of energy,
want of sympathy and appreciation for others were at the root of all miseries and that
they should be given up.
Another cause according to him was our
exclusiveness. India went into her shell as
the oyster does, and refused to give the lifegiving truths to thirsting nations outside
the Aryan fold. He said that we shut ourselves from the outside world, did not go
out and did not compare notes with other
nations. We also lacked in the faculty of
organization and that we are altogether
averse to making a common cause for anything. He said that the first requisite for organization was obedience which we lacked
as a race. He said, In spite of the greatness
of the Upanishads, in spite of our boasted
ancestry of sages, compared to many other
races, I must tell you that we are weak,
very weak.
We are lazy, we cannot work; we cannot
combine, we do not love each other; we are
intensely selfish, not three of us can come
together without hating each other, without
being jealous of each other.
According to him another major reason

for Indias degradation was the trampling


of the women. He said that our country is
one of the weakest in the world because
Shakti was held in dishonor here.
What is the way to regeneration? The
first step is uplifting the masses by restoring their lost individuality and faith in
themselves. Swami Vivekananda said that
we should remember that the nation lives
in the cottages and that no amount of politics will be of any avail until the masses of
India are once more well educated, well fed
and well cared for. He said, our mission
is for the destitute, the poor, and the illiterate peasantry and laboring classes, and if,
after everything has been done for them
first, there is spare time, then only for the
gentry.
He said emphatically that we should feel
proud of our past and derive our strength
and inspiration from those glorious chapters of the bygone days. Along with this he
also advocated respect for the great men of
the country. He was of the firm view that
material civilization was absolutely necessary to create work for the poor. He said,
Bread! Bread! I do not believe in a God,
who cannot give me bread here, giving me
eternal bliss in heaven! Pooh! India is to be
raised, the poor are to be fed, education is
to be spread... He said that uplift of
women deserves utmost priority and only
after that can there be hope for any real
good for the nation. He said, All nations
have attained greatness by paying proper
respect to women. That country and that
nation which does not respect women has
never become great.
Swami Vivekananda laid the greatest em-

phasis on education for the regeneration of


our motherland. He said, Education, education, education alone! Travelling through
many cities of Europe and observing in
them the comforts and education of even
the poor people, these brought to my mind
the state of our own poor people, and I used
to shed tears. What made the difference?
Education was the answer I got. According to him, a nation is advanced in proportion as education is spread among the
masses. But, what was the education that
he advocated? According to him education is the manifestation of perfection already in man and that what a man learns
is really what he discovers by taking the
cover off his own soul, which is a mine of
infinite knowledge. Hence he said that
our process of education should be such
that it helps the students to manifest their
innate knowledge and power. He advocated a man-making character-building education. He said, We want that education
by which character is formed, strength of
mind is increased, the intellect is expanded, and by which one can stand on one's
own feet. He said that education must
make the students self-reliant and help
them face the challenges of life. He was
highly critical of the so-called educated
who do not care for the poor and downtrodden.
Swami Vivekananda had immense faith
in the youth of this country and said that
they would work out his ideas like lions.
That you may catch my fire, that you may
be intensely sincere, that you may die the
heroes' death on the field of battle is the
constant prayer of Vivekananda.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

44

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

INDIA

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Jaishankar is new foreign secretary, BJP might get majority in Delhi: Opinion poll
Sujatha Singh's tenure curtailed
New Delhi: The Narendra
Modi government Wednesday
appointed India's envoy in the
US, S. Jaishankar, as the new
foreign secretary, replacing
incumbent Sujatha Singh six
months before her term was to
end. The appointments committee of the Cabinet, in a
decision taken Wednesday,
decided to "curtail the tenure"
of Sujatha Singh, "with immediate effect".
The committee also said that
Jaishankar, an Indian Foreign
Service officer of 1977 batch,
has been appointed the new
foreign secretary for a period
Union Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj
of two years.
welcoming Dr S. Jaishankar as he took charge as the
Sujatha Singh had assumed new foreign secretary on Jan. 29. He earlier served
office in August 2013 and
as Indias envoy to US.
was due to retire in August
He was previously the envoy to China
this year. The surprise announcement comes
a day after President Obama left the country before moving as envoy to the US.
Jaishakar hails from an illustrious family
after a three-day visit during which, India
and the US saw a breakthrough announce- of civil servants and is the son of Indian foreign policy doyen K. Subhramanyam.
ment on the stalled civil nuclear deal.
In 2013, his name was reportedly being
Jaishankar was one of the key officials
who negotiated the nuclear deal with the US considered for foreign secretary, but Singh
as joint secretary (Americas) from 2004 to was chosen instead by the then Congress-led
government.
2007 in the ministry of external affairs.

Kushal Bhansali, chief convenor of INDINOX 2015, felicitating


Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, for attending the
stainless steel expo in Gandhinagar and for the success of
Vibrant Gujarat. INDINOX 2015 attracted 350 companies
and delegates from over 50 countries. The CM appreciated
the idea of worlds first such expo and suggested a sculpture
park on the river front.

New Delhi: The BJP


down from 8 to 5.
might get a majority in
The BJP bagged 31
seats while its ally
the upcoming Delhi
assembly elections by
Shiromani Akali Dal
winning 37 seats in the
won one seat in the last
70-member house, an
assembly elections.
opinion poll suggested
In the vote share projections, the survey said
Wednesday.
The opinion poll, conthe BJP might get 45 perducted by India TVcent votes, closely folCVoter, said there would BJPs candidate for Delhi chief lowed by the AAP with
40 percent and the
be no change in the Aam
minister, Kiran Bedi
Congress with 10 perAadmi Party's tally
which got 28 seats in the 2013 assembly cent. Delhi goes to the polls Feb 7 and balpolls while the Congress' seats would go lots would be counted Feb 10.

RJD, JD-U will merge, say Lalu and Nitish


Patna/New Delhi: Six 'Janata Parivar'
parties will certainly merge soon as there
is no hurdle, former Bihar chief ministers
Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad announced
Friday.
In the wake of reports of unlikely merger of the Janata Dal-United and the
Rashtriya Janata Dal ahead of the assembly polls in Bihar later this year, both JDU leader Nitish Kumar and RJD chief
Lalu Prasad said merger was certain.
'Merger is certain, it will take place,'
Nitish Kumar told the media in Bihar's
Aurangabad district. He said the 'Janata
Parivar' would again become one and a
united force.

In New Delhi, the RJD chief said merger


of the RJD and the JD-U will have take
place. 'There is no if and but, the RJD and
the JD-U will merge,' Lalu said.
Lalu said Samajwadi Party chief
Mulayam Singh Yadav has been working
for the merger of the six parties.
The six parties are the JD-U, RJD,
Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal-Secular,
Indian National Lok Dal and Samajwadi
Janata Party.
Some JD-U and RJD leaders, including
legislators, in the past two days have
expressed their doubt over merger and few
of them also questioned the need of the
merger.

A member of the Board of Advisers of The South Asian Times, eminent jurist Lakhpat B.
Mehta was honored by International Council of Jurist on his successful completion of 50
years of glorious contributions.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

TRIBUTE

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

45

Indias common man loses his voice: R K Laxman no more

The Uncommon Man:

R K Laxman
(1921-2015)

e was the aam aadmi


before the aam aadmi
became fashionable. The
voice of common man for over six
decades, cartoonist R K Laxman
passed away on January 26 in
Pune.
Born Rasipuram Krishnaswamy
Laxman on October 24, 1921 in
Mysore and the youngest of six
brothers, Laxman had as his older
brother, the legendary 20th century author R.K. Narayan, the creator of Malgudi.
Laxman is best known for his
creation the Common Man for
his daily cartoon strip You Said
It started in 1951 in The Times of
India.
One of the best representatives
of Indias middle class, he immortalized common man through his
cartoons.
Generations of Indians grew up
reading Laxman's pocket cartoon
in The Times of India.
He made millions of Indians
smile every morning for over six
decades with his incisive observation of post independence India.
He is one of the worlds best
cartoonists and was always considered way ahead of Indias cartoonists.
Never ridiculing the poor and
underprivileged he gave the common man a face, a voice and an
identity. His unfailing humor and
irony elevated his into iconic status.His cartoons stood out for their
sharp wit, stinging satire and
nuanced portrayal of Indias public life. There can be no better recollection of Indian political life
than a compilation of Laxman cartoons. It is a tribute to his astute
ability to spot the real issue at
hand that his cartoons are considered timeless.
He was decorated with Padma
Vibhushan (2005), India's second
highest civilian award.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
in his tribute said:"India will miss
you, RK Laxman. We are grateful
to you for adding the much-needed humor in our lives and always
bringing smiles on our faces."
As a tribute to the legendary
cartoonist The South Asian
Times presents some of his cartoons

Cartoons
courtesy
The
Times
of India

46

COMMUNITY

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Indian embassy celebrates R-Day

California house honors


contributions of Indian
Americans

Charge D' Affaires Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu unfurling the National Flag
at the Indian embassy in Washington, DC. (above) Guests at the event.

Washington, DC: Influential Republican


lawmakers joined India's 66th Republic
Day celebrations at the Indian embassy in
the capital, which was attended by a large
number of community members.
Congressman Ed Royce along with
George Holding, co-chair of the House
India Caucus on India and Indian
Americans, made a rare appearance at the
Indian embassy, joining some 250 commu-

nity members in celebrating Republic Day


Jan. 26.
Deputy Indian Ambassador to the U.S.
Taranjit Singh Sandhu unfurled the national
flag at the embassy premises.
Addressing the Indian American
community members, Royce, chairman of
the House Foreign Relations Committee,
reaffirmed
his
commitment
to
India-U.S. relationship and the need to

strengthen it.
Indias ambassador to the US, who was in
India for President Obamas visit, has been
promoted as foreign secretary in
Government of India.

INOC (I) USA to hold Jhumpa Lahiri wins DSC Prize


for South Asian Literature
elections Feb 7.
Hicksville, NY: Over 50 members of INOC(I) from all over
attended a meeting here to discuss the election process of
INOC(I) USA following the
current President Shudh
Parkash Singh submitting his
resignation couple of weeks
ago, said a press release.
Dr. Karan Singh, MP and Shudh Prakash
Singh has stepped
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs
down as President
Cell of AICC welcomed the
elections in a formal letter and clarifying that these
elections will supersede the earlier ones, if any as
claimed by some others. Speakers at the meeting
talked about the elections process and appreciated the
initiative taken by Shudh Parkash Singh. They wanted
enrolment of more members to strengthen INOC and
asked Shudh Parkash to continue for another term as
President or run again.
But Shudh declined, saying, I will not continue and
I will not even run for any position in this election. I
believe in a democracy everyone should get a chance.
No one should stick to one position for too long. A true
leader must make way for others to reach at top.
The office bearer position for which elections will
being held include: President, Senior Vice President,
Treasurer, General Secretary, Vice President (5
Positions), Joint Secretary, Joint Treasurer, and
Executive Committee member (10 positions).

Jaipur: New York


based India-born
author Jhumpa Lahiri
was announced winner of the widely
acclaimed DSC Prize
for South Asian
Literature 2015 for
her
book
The
Lowland at the Zee
Jaipur Literature Jhumpa Lahiri and cover of her prize
winning book The Lowland
Festival. The $50,000
DSC Prize along with a unique trophy was awarded by Vijay Seshadri,
the 2014 Pulitzer Prize winner for poetry. As Jhumpa Lahiri was unable
to receive the award personally, it was collected on her behalf by her
publisher. The four other shortlisted authors and books in contention for
the DSC Prize this year were Bilal Tanweer: The Scatter Here is Too
Great (Vintage Books/Random House, India), Kamila Shamsie: A God
in Every Stone (Bloomsbury, India), Romesh Gunesekera: Noontide
Toll (Hamish Hamilton/Penguin, India) and Shamsur Rahman Faruqi:
The Mirror of Beauty (Penguin Books, India).
The DSC Prize had received more than 75 entries this year with participation from publishers from the subcontinent as well as from countries like the UK, US, Canada, Australia and South Africa. The prize
which is specifically focused on South Asian writing is unique in the
sense that it is not ethnicity driven in terms of the authors origin and is
open to any author belonging to any part of the globe as long as the
work is based on the South Asian region and its people.
Commenting on the winner announcement, Surina Narula, co-founder
of the DSC Prize said, The winning novel represents the very best of
South Asian fiction writing today.

Sacramento, CA: For the first time in


California history, the state Senate and
state Assembly adopted Senate
Concurrent Resolution 3 by Senator Tony
Mendoza declaring Jan. 26 as India
Republic Day and recognizing the contributions of the Indian American community to California, IndiaWest reported.
A special ceremony was held on the
Senate floor following the vote, featuring
the Indian consul general in San
Francisco and Indian American dignitaries from throughout the state.
SCR 3 observes Jan. 26, 2015, as
India Republic Day and urges all
Californians to join in celebrating India
Republic Day.
Indias Republic Day provides an
opportunity to reflect on the many
achievements of the more than 536,000
Indian Americans who reside in
California contributing to its culture and
society through achievements in food,
medicine, business, and technology, said
a press release.

IAF organizes R-Day celebration


at Hempstead Town Hall
New York:
I n d i a n
American
Forum organized
India
Republic Day
Celebrations
at Town of
Hempstead
Town Hall on
January 26 in
the morning
braving the Community members at the Indian
tricolor unfurling ceremony
winter storm
and proudly
raising the tricolor outside Hempstead Town Hall.
The program headed by Town Supervisor Kate Murray,
Town Clerk Nasrin Ahmed, Councilman Bruce Blakeman,
Council woman Erin King Sweeney and Council woman
Dorothy Goosby.
Also present were Indian Veterans Association members
headed by Suresh Butani, Vice President of India
Association of Long Island President Satnam Prahar, Vice
President Bina Sabapathy, Gunjan Rastogi Treasurer, Jaya
Bahadkar, Dr Urmilesh Arya, Indu Jaiswal, Chairperson
Indian American Forum, Mr. Mohinder Singh Taneja,
trustee Indian American Forum, Mr. Kosh Handa from
Hindu Center, Varinder Bhalla, Ratna Bhalla Deputy
Director Emergency y Housing Nassau County Department
of Social services, Jyoti Gupta, Dr Usha Bansal and several
other members attended the Flag raising Ceremony.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL

Happy Republic Day

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

48

ULTIMATE BOLLYWOOD

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

By Jinal Shah
he classic Romeo and
Juliet has been performed
countless times in countless
ways over its 400 year history.
There are Romeo and Juliet
inspired musicals, ballets, TV
series, movies, operas and novels
as well as lesbian version, puppet
version, Yiddish, hipster, hip-hop,
Arab-Israeli, prep school, all
female version, silent version, 15minute versions and more.
Every generation comes up with
its own version of Shakespeares
star-crossed lovers and every generation intentionally or not puts its
mark on the story. Now there is a
Bollywood makeover replete with
song and dance.
This off-Broadway version produced by the newly formed
Hypokrit Theater Company
replaces the streets of 16th century
Verona with the hustle and bustle

of modern day New Delhi and period costumes gives way to designer
wear.
The Bollywood spin-off is the
brainchild of Arpita Mukherjee and
Shubhra Prakash, co-founders of
Hypokrit. Every time I read
Romeo and Juliet I just thought it
was just like a masala Bollywood
movie, said Mukherjee at
Hypokrits kick-off party last
Thursday. It has everything -romance, drama, action."
As the director Mukherjee helped
train actors in the rasa methodology, an India performance aesthetic
that is designed to elicit an emotional response from the audience.
Mukherjee explains, "The rasa theory allows an actor to free himself
or herself up while keeping the
actor's process intact. When people
see the play, they will clearly see
the relationships and all that comes
from the rasa workshops we did for
key scenes. Initially the actors were

Gurinder Chadha meets Modi


The Sikh film
director from
England Gurinder
Chadha, who is in
India to recce
locations for her
movie on partition,
met PM Narendra
Modi Thursday.
"Move over
@BarackObama
@MichelleObama
@GurinderC got an
Indian film to
make on the partition of India! #tolerance," she tweeted along with this
photograph.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Hypocrit Executive Producer Roger Sen Gupta with the theatre companys co-founders Arpita
Mukherjee and Shubhra Prakash after presenting them a citation from Congresswoman
Carolyn Maloney. (right) A poster of Romeo and Juliet.

not entirely comfortable but once


they started doing it, it became a
different way to access the scene
and a new tool in their acting
process."
Romeo and Juliet brings together
a group of diverse artists to explore
the classic through a Bollywood
lens, said their press release. Since
its production began last year, the
creative directors and cast spent
roughly 500 hours researching
Shakespearean plays and movies
and Bollywood movies and marrying the two.
So how much of it is Bollywood?
While the play got its aesthetics
from Bollywood right from costumes, set design, song and dance,
dialogues remain Shakespearean.
We tell our audience to picture
their favorite Bollywood movie
and add Shakespearean verse to it,
said Morgan DeTogne, who plays

Juliet. When asked which


Bollywood story comes close to
their version of Romeo and Juliet,
Gerrard Lobo who plays Romeo
said it is a mix of Ram Leela and
No one killed Jessica. Because
both the movies are about power
and politics and No one killed
Jessica is also about the state of
Delhi. For Morgan, the comedic
aspect of the play is close to
Dilwale Dulhania le Jayenge and
Dil to Pagal Hai.
But arent they risking narrowing
down the audience to those who
are Bollywood lovers but not necessarily theater goers? I think we
make a mistake in making
Bollywood just about Indians in
the sense that why is Bollywood
about Indians and Hollywood
about the world? And if it is language, we are crossing it by doing
it in Shakespearean verse. Also we

want people who dont watch


Bollywood to get a more nuanced
understanding of it, explained
Mukherjee. Besides, our company
is multi-cultural, we have a racially
blind cast that spans across any
ethnicity in New York City, added
Prakash.
As for Sotuh Asian audience, It
is true that they (South Asians) are
not really theater people and here I
think taking the serious edge off
theater helps, Bollywood helps in
attracting them, said Prakash.
Talking about the challenges, he
added, "What we can't do without
big budgets, we can do with a big
imagination. Experimental theatre,
race-blind casting, and diverse
voices don't have to mean low-cost
and/or low-quality theatre." The
play will run from Feb 6 for three
weeks at the Access Theater in
New York.

I don't know what romance is like now: Big B


omance might have started
early
in
Amitabh
Bachchans life, but the
megastar says he isnt aware about
its evolution now.
During an interview with Koel
Purie on the show Couching with
Koel, the megastar talked about
romance in his early school days
and more, read a statement.
Excerpts:
Koel: You have played a student
a few times in your career and
most memorably in Kabhi
Kabhi, Sanjog and Paa. All
three of them have very little to
do with studying but more to do
with romance and I am sure it
might be true for the characters
but was it true for your real life
when you were a student?
Amitabh: You are young, in
college, independent...of course.

The Big B interviewed by Koel Purie for Headlines Today.

This is embarrassing, even in


school actually. It started in
Sherwood, we had a sister school
which was called All Saints, our

main building up here where all


the classrooms were and then you
walk down to a playing field
which was lower on the hill.

Below that there was a tennis


court and below that all the
prospective... lovers ... we would
break bounds from there, jump
across the valley climb the other
hill and go to the wall. It was
called the wall because All
Saints school had a huge wall
which protected the girls from
predators like us.
We used to crawl up the wall.
And the wall used to be the edge
of their playing field, so just show
up then perhaps one of the girls
would come in the games period
and then we would ask Can you
call that one please? Then the girl
would casually walk across.
And it was really beautiful
because you know; I dont know
what romance is like now, at that
time it was- how are you doing?
or I made a little card for you...

will you come to annual concert


and may be you can put our program into this card and thats it
bye, thank you and get back.
That's all that used to happen.
Koel: Before asking the next
question, I have actually got written permission from Jaya (his
wife) that you must answer it. If
you were a 30-year-old unmarried superstar in 2015, who out of
current actresses would you have
wanted for a girlfriend, wife or
both?
Amitabh: You know looking at
modern trends where everyone is
very liberated these days, I wouldnt choose to get married at all
because then I would have the
opportunity to be with all of them.
The episode will be aired Saturday
on Headlines Today.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

50

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

Pakistan 'most reliable


friend': China
Beijing: Pakistan's concern
is China's concern, said
Chinese Politburo member
Meng jianzhu and called
Pakistan reliable friend.
According to Inter
Service Public Relations
(ISPR) tweet, Meng
Jianzhu, member of
Politburo -- Communist
Party's second highest coun- On a recent visit to China, Pakistan
cil -- termed China's rela- Army chief General Raheel Sharif
tionship with Pakistan thanked the Chinese leadership for its
support to Pakistan.
"beyond individuals" adding
that "Pakistan's concern is China's "The world must understand the
concern". Chinese State Leader Yu evolving environment greater interZhengsheng termed Pakistan as the national focus, coordination is
"most reliable friend" and said just required to logically conclude the
as Pakistan has always stood by fight against terrorism."
Sharif and his Chinese counterChina, Chinese government and its
people will stand with Pakistan and part agreed to enhance long-term
defense collaboration and strengthhelp it in all respects.
Foreign Minister of China, Wang en security and counter-terrorism
Yi, said Pakistan is China's "irre- cooperation and intelligence sharplaceable all weather friend" and ing and training exchanges.
According to ISPR, Vice
that both the countries are part of a
Chairman of the Central Military
community of shared destiny.
On a visit to China Pakistan Commission, Gen Fan Changlong
Army chief General Raheel Sharif described Pakistan and China as
thanked the Chinese leadership for strategic cooperation partners and
its support to Pakistan and said, "iron brothers".

SUBCONTINENT

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Pakistan opposes UN Council permanent seat to India


Islamabad: Pakistan Thursday reiterated its opposition to grant a permanent seat on UN Security
Council to India and insisted on reforms to make the
forum more democratic.
Pakistan contested the Indian move after US
President Barrack Obama announced support for
India to seek permanent Security Council seat during
his recent visit to New Delhi. Foreign ministry
spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said India did not "qualify to become a permanent member of UNSC because
of its violations of UN resolutions", Xinhua news
agency reported.
"India is in violation of the UNSC resolutions on
Jammu and Kashmir and the right of people of
Kashmir to self-determination," the spokesperson

said. The spokesperson, however, said Pakistan supported reforms in the UN as "it is in the interest of
everyone to seek more democratic, effective and credible mechanism of the maintenance of international
peace and security through a comprehensive reform
of the Security Council".
To a question about the nuclear agreement between
the US and India, Aslam said Pakistan has shown
serious concerns over the deal as it would badly affect
the stability in the region.
"On the conventional side, India`s massive acquisition of weapons further complicates the regional
strategic stability," she said.
She said India`s defence spending has increased by
12 percent in 2014-15 and stands at $38.35 billion.

Pakistan refuses to allow Musharraf to travel abroad


Islamabad: Pakistan has refused
to allow former president Pervez
Musharraf to visit Saudi Arabia to
offer condolences over the death
of Saudi King Abdullah, officials
said on Thursday.
Musharraf, who faces high treason and several other cases, had
sought the government's permission to go to Saudi Arabia.
Musharraf's name has been
placed on the list of those who
cannot leave the country without
government permission in view of

his cases.
The Interior Ministry has formally informed Musharraf and his
lawyers that his name could not
be removed from the Exit Control
List (ECL) as the country's apex
court had directed the government
to put him on the list. The ministry said his name could only be
cleared on the court's order.
A spokesman for Musharraf's
All Pakistan Muslim League party
confirmed Musharraf had
"appealed" to the federal govern-

ment to exclude his name from


the ECL so he could fly to Saudi
Arabia.
The spokesperson, Dr Amjad,
said that Musharraf had close ties
with the late monarch and that he
deserves to get permission from
the federal government to travel
to Saudi Arabia.
He recalled that on King
Abdullah's request, Musharraf had
allowed Nawaz Sharif to go to
Saudi Arabia after his government
was dismissed in 1999.

SPORTS

Paes in Australian Open doubles final, Sania ousted Djokovic and Murray to clash in
Australian Open final

Leander Paes

Melbourne: Indian tennis ace


Leander Paes reached yet another
Grand Slam final when he made it
to the summit clash of the
Australian Open, partnering Swiss
veteran Martina Hingis in mixed
doubles here Friday.
However, it was the end of the
road for top seeds Sania Mirza and
Bruno Soares in the other semifinal of the same category when
they lost 6-3, 2-6, 8-10 to FrenchCanadian third seeds Kristina

Mladenovic and Daniel Nestor.


In the first match of the day, Paes
and Hingis had a rather contrasting
victory. Though they finished the
match against Su-Wei Hsieh
(Chinese Taipei) and Pablo Cuevas
(Uruguay) in two sets, it took them
an hour and 14 minutes to seal the
deal 7-5, 6-4.
This is Paes' fifth Australian
Open mixed doubles final, having
won the crown twice in 2003 and
2010.

Super Bowl: Scandal may fuel Patriots to a championship


New York: Deflategate has turned
Super Bowl XLIX into a mind
game. The Seattle Seahawks are
the more-talented team entering
Sundays game, but the drama
over football air pressure could
end favorably for the New
England Patriots, whose coach,
Bill Belichick, lives for such motivation.

Nobody needs motivation on


game day, but the scandal may
have helped the Patriots get
focused while they were preparing
during that long week before
Super Bowl week.
The Patriots were called
cheaters. A team that won the AFC
championship game 45-7 was
tainted over a pound or two of air

pressure. Quarterback Tom


Bradys feelings were hurt, for
goodness sakes. Revenge is in
order.
This looks like a balanced
matchup. Seattles defense is
widely celebrated, but New
England has a pretty similar system its just that its defense is
often overshadowed by its offense.

Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray

Melbourne: World No. 1 Novak


Djokovic fought off defending
champion Stan Wawrinka over five
sets to reach his fifth Australian
Open final on Friday, where he will
meet Andy Murray.
The Serb top seed won 7-6 (7/1),
3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 in 3hr 30mins and
will face the British sixth seed for a
third time in Sunday's Grand Slam
decider.

The clash was Djokovic's toughest match of the tournament and his
serve was broken five times in a
another titanic duel with the Swiss
world number four.
It was their fourth straight Grand
Slam encounter to go to five sets
with Djokovic winning three of
them. He lost to Wawrinka in the
quarter-finals at last year's
Australian Open.

52

ASTROLOGY

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

By Dr Prem Kumar Sharma

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Chandigarh, India: +91-172- 256 2832, 257 2874; Delhi, India: +91-11- 2644 9898,
2648 9899; psharma@premastrologer.com; www.premastrologer.com

Stars Foretell: January 31-February 6, 2015


ARIES:
You are likely to reminisce
about a recently concluded
trip. Your creative eye will be
quite evident in a workplace
assignment. Fashion designers
and architects can bag a lucrative deal. A
group discussion will find you at the forefront. Attitude of a family elder can annoy
you, but you had better not confront. Shift
workers will find the timings to their liking.
Homemakers can remain busy in improving
the home front

TAURUS:
You will need to cultivate the
right attitude towards work to
be successful. Be clear about
the routes before you undertake
to drive as chance of getting lost
looks real. You may find it difficult to see
eye-to-eye with a family member. Peer pressure can force some into a bad relationship.
Inadequate rest is likely to play on your
health. Submitting a project in time can make
you burn the midnight oil.

GEMINI:
There is an outside chance of
someone tattling on you at
work. You may have to cater
to the bad mood of a senior.
Some of you can regret your
impulsive behaviour. Those planning a
relaxing time at home can end up doing
household chores! Lovers attitude is likely
to brighten up the prospects of the wedding
bells. Someone can take advantage of your
good nature. Health remains good.

CANCER:
You are likely to make up all
your loses incurred in the
recent past. A strong romantic
yearning can make you give a
miss to work this week! Work may
pile up for those compromising on efficiency.
Domestic front brightens up with the arrival
of a relative from out of town or abroad.
Landlords will find a tenant for their house.
You will feel quite at home in a new environment.

LEO:
Those ailing are likely to be
nursed back to health by the
family. A child or sibling is likely to achieve distinction in the
academic field. Decide carefully
before taking on a responsibility at work.
Chances of falling in love look bright for
some. Avoid taking a shortcut while travelling,
as difficulties are foreseen. Those shopping
are likely to find good bargains. Your efforts
will lead you to total fitness.

VIRGO:
Romantic mood prevails this
week, so plan a romantic
evening out with lover. Driving
a new set of wheels is likely for
some. You are likely to get a positive feedback regarding your performance at
work. Promotional prospects brighten for
some. Your helping hand will be much appreciated by a friend or neighbour. You may
look for good investment options as money
comes to you. A challenging task is in store
for some.

LIBRA:
Some of you are likely to top an
exam or crack a competition.
Joining an elite organisation
cannot be ruled out for some.
Financing a family youngster may pose a problem, but will not be insurmountable. Love at
first sight can happen at a most unusual place.
Homemakers may be hard pressed for time to
organise a function at home. Some of you are
likely to get a good bargain on property.

SCORPIO:
This week, family comes first
for you. Spending time in shopping will be time well spent.
Lover s suggestions can
increase your anticipation of having a good time! You will manage to hold
your own in a workplace situation. Leave is
likely to be granted to those in uniform.
Saving for the rainy time will be easier said
than done. An excursion with school or college is foreseen for some.

SAGITTARIUS:
Negative feelings are likely to
disappear as you beat your
path towards positivity. A
change is expected on the professional front which will be in
your favour. Mixed luck is foreseen for those
playing the stocks. Your crude attempt at
wooing someone of the opposite gender may
face rejection. You will need to fine tune your
travelling time with others to reach a venue
together. Health remains satisfactory.

CAPRICORN:
Time to impress others has
arrived! You will go all out to
woo all and sundry. Good contacts will translate into new
opportunities on the professional
front. You may need to raise the spirits of a
family member feeling low. Budding
romance can find some sitting on Cloud
Nine! Spending a vacation with friends and
family will prove to be a lot of fun. Deal in
property only with well established dealers.

AQUARIUS:
A wasteful expenditure can
spoil your mood. Superiors will
look up to you in a professional
situation. You are likely to get an
opportunity to dictate terms at
work. Your domestic burden may be shared
by other family members. Heart-to-heart talk
will bring you closer to the one you love. You
will be able to deal with an old ailment that is
playing up. Thorough planning is required
for a business trip.

PISCES:
You will succeed in removing
an irritant at work. Your ideas on
the professional front are likely
to be accepted. Domestic burden
may fall on your shoulders in the
absence of a helping hand. An evening out
with lover is indicated for some. A journey
may prove more expensive than anticipated.
You will receive the papers pertaining to a
property or some other asset. Workouts will
keep you fit.

Annual Predictions: For those born in this week

31st January, 2015


Ruled planet: Uranus Ruled by no: 4
Traits in you: Uranus, being your dominating planet helps
you become dynamic and creative. You are positive, realistic, responsive, and sincere. You need to work and overcome the weaknesses in your personality to attract more
people towards you.
Health this year: Your health would remain very good this
year. However, you need to go for regular yoga exercises.
You should not ignore your healthy diet plan to remain in
shape. Go for regular medical checkups to avoid any hiccups further.
Finance this year: Though you will be able to improve your
financial status, you may end up spending a lot of money in
buying luxury and comfort for yourself and your family. You
may put your money in real estate for better returns.
Career this year: Your efforts will bear results and you will
be appreciated with awards and rewards towards the end of
the year. You may get a promotion for your smart work and
efficiency.
Romance this year: Your plans to go for holidays with
your partner may not work because of huge work pressure
and this may create disturbance in your marital life. You
need to take care of the emotional requirements of your
partner to lead a peaceful life this year.
Lucky month: January, March and September.
1st Februry, 2015
Ruled planet: Sun Ruled by no: 1
Traits in you: Being number 1, you are a person who loves
originality in whatever work you do. By nature you are an
authoritative person and so you always take charge of
things which also makes you responsible person. If you
take some task in hand, you are determined to finish it. You
are very soft spoken and kind hearted person.
Health this year: Happiness is a mantra for healthy body
too. Living a great social life and enjoying all pleasures of
life in the coming year will keep you strong both physically and mentally.
Finance this year: This year you will be able to save money for the future, which will give you a sense of security and
satisfaction. You might also purchase some artefacts for
your home, which will bring beauty and a sense of well being around you.
Career this year: In career, success and prosperity will be
yours, in the year ahead of you. You will handle challenging projects, with determination and sincerity. This will
bring you fame and recognition. Your ideas will draw the
attention of your seniors. Your work will be appreciated by
your colleagues and seniors.
Romance this year: You are a person with strong personality, so its for you to attract the attention of opposite sex.

However it would be in your interest if you don't make false


promises. Better to channelise your efforts to develop
friendly relations to bring love in your life.
Lucky month: July, October and January
2nd Februry, 2015
Ruled planet: Moon Ruled by no: 2
Traits in you: Being number 2, you are a person who is
highly ambitious and always look upwards towards
progress and prosperity. You need to control your dominating nature, to keep those around you happy. You are a born
leader, and expect your colleagues and friends to follow
whatever you order them to. This sometimes, leads to misunderstandings.
Health this year: Nature and natural surroundings will
draw your attention in the coming year. You will be able to
enjoy the seas, flowers and on the whole, nature, which will
give you a sense of satisfaction. Being closer to nature gives
both mental and physical peace.
Finance this year: Investment related to your house can be
profitable as you will decide to purchase a new plot. It will
improve your financial position by bringing long term gains
for you.
Career this year: In the coming year, your superiors will
notice your sincerity and loyalty, and they will entrust a lot
of responsibility on your shoulders. You will be able to fulfill these duties to the utmost.
Romance this year: If you are in love, then your affair will
have to face some testing times as it might get disclosed this
year. However, it will be in your interest to face it courageously, so that you can enjoy your life with the person you
love.
Lucky month: June, September and December
3rd Februry, 2015
Ruled planet: Jupiter Ruled by no: 3
Traits in you: Being number 3, you are confident, ambitious and independent person who loves to work with optimistic attitude. You are a born leader, and you are always
appreciated for your work, whether it is at home or work
place. Your efforts are always sincere and thats why you
balance your personal and professional life very smoothly.
Health this year: This year you will make efforts to enjoy
the true happiness. You need to keep in mind that physical
happiness is attained by self-restraint, eating simple but balanced & nourishing food and daily exercise. You will start
participating in any sports or outdoor activities to keep
yourself in good health.
Finance this year: As far as finances are concerned, you
need to invest your hard-earned money wisely. Look at all
the aspects of business before putting your money, then
only it would enable you to fetch good returns.

Career this year: Your ability to express your views and


ideas, will take you to the top of hierarchy, in the year ahead
of you. Your superiors will notice your sincerity and loyalty. They will entrust a lot of responsibility on your shoulders. You will be able to fulfill all these duties to the utmost,
making everyone happy.
Romance this year: This year, you might meet the sweetest dream of your life, means a person of your dream,
whose thoughts have kept your memory radiant. It is now
upto you to take initiatives to develop friendly relations
with him/her.
Lucky month: March, May and August

4th Februry, 2015


Ruled planet: Uranus Ruled by no: 4
Traits in you: Being number 4, you are a person who likes
to take responsibilty and do your work with full dedication
and honesty.For the coming year, we would advice that try
to take all precautions while signing any legal documents.
If you are planning to sign a partnership, you will have to
weigh all the pros and cons, before getting into any legal
matters.
Health this year: You can enjoy a sound health only by
keeping yourself stress-free. This is a year for you to realise
that even short intense periods of stress may have long term
consequences on the functioning of the brain. Therefore
better to make it a habit to remain tension-free to enjoy the
life to the fullest.
Finance this year: This year your financial position will
improve, as you might get some unexpected monetary gains
either from foreign transaction or major government contract. At the same time if you are planning to go for some
investments, invest after a careful thinking.
Career this year: The coming year will bring changes,
which will be beneficial to you. A change in job is likely for
some. This year your hard work will bring you success and
recognition. Partnership in business will be fruitful.
Romance this year: This whole year you will be enjoying
your personal life, as you and your partner will share some
most cherishing moments of your life. To enjoy your romance, understand each other's requirement and try to fulfill them. You can plan to go on a vacation too.
Lucky month: May, October, December and March
5th Februry, 2015
Ruled planet: Sun Ruled by no : 5
Traits in you: Being number 5, you are very strong headed person with friendly nature and practical thoughts. You
inspire others to do their work with full dedication and perfection. You have an ability to make many friends and the
best is that you are known as a very loyal friend to all your
friends. This year keep control over your moody nature,

which can put you in trouble. You strongly believe in destiny and have strong concentration power. This year you
will feel more inclined towards religious activities.
Health this year: There is this phrase- 'Donate blood to
reap happiness'. Its true that when we donate our blood, it
brings unlimited happpiness to you. This year make this a
habit to donate blood every two-three months. Overall your
health will be fine.
Finance this year: Travel will bring you both prosperity
and pleasure. You will travel to distant lands in the coming
year. This will allow you to make the most of newer opportunities and will also be a source of good income, relaxation and enjoyment.
Career this year: Your planning and methodical approach
to work, will catch the attention of your seniors. You will
be handsomely rewarded for you efficient and honest approach to your professional career. The ability to judge the
weaknesses of your opponents, will be an asset to you, and
you will be able to use this to your advantage.
Romance this year: Though it will be short-lived but this
year you will have a happy romance. The relationship
would give you sweet memories, which you can cherish for
the whole of your life. Keep in mind that we should enjoy
the life as it comes to us.
Lucky month: April, August, November and February
6th Februry, 2015
Ruled planet: Venus Ruled by no: 6
Traits in you: Being number 6, you are lover of simplicity
and originality. You have the ability to inspire those around
your. Your mere presence, makes people happy and full of
enthusiasm. This year too your attractive personality and
helping nature will bring happiness in other's life.
Health this year: Health will generally remain normal. You
will enjoy a sound physical health on imbibing positive
thinking in your life. However, it will be in your interest to
continue physical exercises to keep diseases a bay.
Finance this year: You will earn a lot of money in the coming year, but on the other hand you will also spend it all on
buying expensive clothes, jewelry and luxuries of life. Remember that you should save some money for your future too.
Career this year: You have an special attachment towards
art and music. Those of you who are in the profession of
dance and poetry, will do exceeding well in your professional career, in the year ahead of you. Others will be able
to impress their counterparts in the workplace.
Romance this year: Your warmth and attractive personality will draw many friends towards you. You will always be
a centre of attraction amongst friends and relatives, but this
year you will be bowled by someone special. You might fall
in love.
Lucky month: July, November and December

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

54

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

HUMOR

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Humor with Melvin Durai

Obama delivers State of the Onion address


n case you missed it, President Obama
gave a great State of the Onion address
on Jan. 20, 2015. Here is an excerpt:
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President,
Members of Congress, my fellow
Americans:
We are fifteen years into this new century.
Fifteen years in which our country has
fought many battles and overcome many
hurdles to claim its rightful place as one of
the worlds greatest onion producers. Over
the last five years, only China and India
have produced more onions than America.
However, the reality is that while China
produced 27 percent of the worlds onions
and India 20 percent, we were far behind at
4 percent.
But tonight, we turn the page.
Tonight, after a breakthrough year for
America, our economy is growing, our
farmers are prospering and we are on pace
to produce 5 percent of the worlds onions!
Yes, one out of every 20 onions will be dug
out of American soil! But before you get
too excited, I need to emphasize that its
going to take a concerted national effort to
achieve this, not just from our onion-growing farmers, but also from the onion-eating
public. We must follow a program that Im

unveiling tonight called No Onion Left


Uneaten.
Its up to us to choose who we want to be
over the next fifteen years, and for decades
to come. Will we accept a world in which
China and India get all the onion glory? Or
will we commit ourselves to growing and
eating more onions, so future generations
of Americans can proudly display their
Onion Power banners?
As part of my No Onion Left Uneaten
program, I would like to share three important ideas:
First, we must realize that diversity
makes our country stronger, and its not
enough to eat just white onions or yellow
onions or red onions. We must embrace
onions of all types: Red, yellow, white
and even green. We must not discriminate
against any onion. We must pledge to rid
America of all forms of onionism.
Some of you may be inclined to enjoy
onions youre familiar with and shun
onions that look different and came here
from other countries. But its important to
remember that the onions you enjoy today
are descendants of onions that once came to
America from faraway lands. We must
embrace them all, even the wild ones.

Secondly, my fellow Americans, we must


try to incorporate onions in our cooking as
much as possible.
Its not enough to make onion soup,
onion bread, and onion rings. We must put
onions on our burgers, onions on our hot
dogs, onions on our pizza. Just ask
Michelle and shell tell you that onions are
my favorite topping I cant eat ice cream
without them.
Its also important to buy non-food prod-

ucts that are made with onions. We


must support American companies
that are introducing innovative
products such as onion ointment,
onion toothpaste and onion mouthwash. You may snicker at the
thought of using onion mouthwash, but take my word for it,
theres no better cure for garlic
breath.
Thirdly, we shouldnt just leave
the onion-growing to our farmers.
All of us can grow onions ourselves. If you live in a house, you
can grow onions in your backyard
garden. If you live in an apartment,
you can grow onions in a pot on
your balcony. If you live in your
mothers basement, you can grow
onions in those empty beer cans beside the
couch. If we work together, my fellow
Americans, we can do it. We can beat
China and India at their own game and get
ourselves a bigger slice of the onion pie.
Just ask Michelle and shell tell you how
much I enjoy onion pie.
Thank you, God bless you, God bless
America, and God bless this vegetable we
love.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

by Mahendra Shah
Mahendra Shah is an architect by education, entrepreneur by profession, artist and humorist,
cartoonist and writer by hobby. He has been recording the plight of the immigrant Indians for
the past many years in his cartoons. Hailing from Gujarat, he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

56

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

SPIRITUAL AWARENESS

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

Life Itself is Restless for


Peace in the World
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
ystic poetry and literature
is rich in verses addressing the way to a peaceful,
calm life. One of the greatest mystic poet-saints of the past century,
Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj, has
written a verse that captures the
way to lead lives in which we
reduce stress and anger to produce
calm and peace within ourselves
and for the whole world.

The verse by Sant Darshan Singh


Ji says:
Let this world become a temple
of love and peace.
Let love and Truth illumine the
world, And the adversaries of
peace awaken to its Light.
This sacred land of God has

been trampled with the burden of


oppression.
Life is not a dagger stained with
the blood of hatred; It is a branch
filled with the flowers of love an
compassion.
Life itself is restless for peace in
the world.
Let its noble dream materialize.
May the garden be illumined
with wave afterwave of Light.
May the wealth of love grow
greater and greater and enrich
every heart.
These verses capture the essence
of what I consider the purpose of
life and have been the inspiration of
my life. These penetrating words
by Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj,
a past master of meditation on the
inner Light and Sound, illumine a
way to achieve peace through
uncovering the Divine within. Once
this uplifting peace permeates our
being, it can spread to others,
bathing this planet in peace.
These verses describe the unity at
the heart of all creation. The poet

Sant Darshan Singh Ji


Maharaj

realizes that the same Light of God


within us is also in all others, making us one human family. Even science points to our ones through the
Genome project. Scientists have
found that more than 99% of the
genes of all human beings are the

same, with only less than 1% being


different, accounting for differences
in our hair, skin, and eye color, or
our size and shape. When we realize we are all one family, we would
not cause pain or suffering to others. As we would not want to hurt
our parents or children, we would
not want to hurt any other human
being. The walls that divide us
through nationality, social status, or
appearance tumble down as we
realize that we are all children of
the one Creative Power.
Through meditation on the inner
Light and Sound within each of us,
we can have a firsthand experience
of our unity. Through absorption
into this Light and Sound current,
we experience consciousness of
higher spiritual realms. This inner
journey leads back to the source of
this current and we experience oneness with the Creator. Saints and
mystics have described within us a
series of realms. Beyond the physical realm, there is the astral, causal,
and supracausal realms, and a pure-

ly spiritual realm, called Sach


Khand. Each realm contains greater
and greater light, celestial music,
joy, and love. We ultimately merge
back in the source of all consciousness, love, and light. Then, we recognize that all humans and all
forms of life are reated by the
Divine and comprise one family.
This nondenominational meditation
practice, called Shabd Meditation,
or meditation on the Light and
Sound, can be performed by people
of all cultures.
The introductory form of meditation, called Jyoti Meditation can be
practiced by any one at any place.
The more time we spend in meditation, the more we realize the unity
within each. Spiritual progress is
enhanced by an ethical life of nonviolence, truthfulness, humility,
love for all, and selfless service.
As we gaze at the wonders within
through meditation, we can experience the inner light, enjoy its nourishing peace and bliss, and radiate
that loving luminosity to all.

Knowledge Vs Experience
By Sant Rajinder Singh
Ji Maharaj
hen we start out on a spiritual path,
there are two elements involved in
learning the spiritual teachings.
One is the theoretical side in which we satisfy
our minds questions, and the other is the
practical side in which we experience the spiritual truths for ourselves in the depths of our
soul. While it is important to be well versed in
both aspects, there comes a point in which we
must focus our attention on doing the actual
practice of meditation to gain true experience.
Overemphasis on the theoretical side can take
our attention too far away from the practices
we need to perform. While we must satisfy the
mind and have our questions answered, we do
not want to get trapped into mental wrangling,
for that is like a spider web in which we may
get stuck.
To illustrate this point, look at the wisdom
of the great Lord Buddha. Buddha spent fortyfive years selflessly teaching the spiritual
truths. He wanted to help suffering souls gain
enlightenment and escape the karmic wheel of
life that binds them to this world.
Buddha was full of compassion and served
humanity without any concern for his own
comfort. He sacrificed himself so that others
could find the road to Nirvana. It is said
Buddha toured for eight months out of each
year to teach people the way to salvation.
The only time he did not tour was during the
rainy season, in which he stayed in one place.
He gave out his teachings to everyone, irrespective of their caste, religion, color, or
social status. He gave all an equal chance to
find the way to enlightenment.

One day, a disciple by the name of


Malunkyaputta wanted an interview with Lord
Buddha. Malunkyaputta had a restless mind,
and during his meditations he was always
pondering questions such as, Is the world
infinite or finite? Or, is the soul identical with
the human body? Instead of meditating and
stilling the mind, he ended up spending his
meditation time thinking about these philosophical questions. So, during his interview
with Buddha, the disciple told Buddha of the
difficulties he had in his meditations.
The disciple said, O Blessed One, please
answer these questions. If you do, I will
remain on the spiritual path. If you do not
answer these questions, I will leave your Holy
Order.
Buddha replied, O Malunkyaputta, did I
ever ask you to take up this path and did I
promise you that I would answer these intellectual wranglings? The disciple sheepishly
replied, No.
Buddha lovingly explained, Whoever worries about these meaningless speculations
such as whether the world is infinite or finite,
or whether the soul looks like the body, is taking away time from the spiritual practices. It is
just like someone who is shot by an arrow
who instead of letting the doctor treat him to
get out the poison starts saying, I will not
allow my wound to be treated until I know
who is the man who shot me, what kind of
person is he, is he tall or short, what type of
bow and arrow did he use, or what color is his
skin. The key is to get treatment first.
Similarly, if we say we will not do our spiritual practices until we get answers to these mental questions about whether the universe is
eternal or not, and other such questions, then

one may pass ones whole life and never reach


the spiritual goal.
Buddha further explained, I teach what is
important to know and not what is unimportant. I want to help people solve the problems
of sorrow and suffering in this life.
What is useful is how to lead the spiritual
life leading to enlightenment.
To further illustrate this point, one day,
while in the Simsapa forest near Kosambi,
Buddha was sitting with his disciples.
Buddha picked up a few leaves and asked
his disciples, What is your opinion?
Which is more? Is it the few leaves in my
hand, or the leaves in the forest around us?
The disciples said, O blessed one, you have
very few leaves in your hand, while there are
many more in the forest.
Buddha then told them, It is the same with
my teachings. Of everything I know, I have
only told you a little. What I have not told you
is much more, like the leaves in the forest.
Why did I not tell you everything I know? The
reason is that all that information is not useful.
That information that will not lead to enlightenment, I have not told you. I have only told
you that which you need to know to gain the
spiritual experience and find salvation.
As we think about our own lives, many get
involved in intellectual pursuits. But there
comes a point when we find that the mind will
never stop its wrangling. We have to discriminate which questions will help our spiritual
progress and which ones are merely to satisfy
the intellects curiosity. There are thousands of
pages written in all religions on the theoretical
side of mysticism. If we were to start reading
all those pages now, we might never finish
them all in our short life span. People who are

Buddha spent forty-five


years selflessly teaching
the spiritual truths. He
wanted to help suffering
souls gain enlightenment
and escape the karmic
wheel of life that binds
them to this world.
steeped in the theoretical side of religion can
spend years debating each point found in the
scriptural writings and never find any solution. In this short time that we have, it is far
better to spend time in our spiritual practices
so that we can rise above our limited intellect
and come in contact with our soul. Then, we
will not have to wonder about the answers, for
we will know them for certain and see them
for ourselves. Our soul has all the
answers,because our soul is one with the Lord.

TheSouthAsianTimes.info

REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL

Jan 31-Feb 6, 2015

The South Asian Times


e x c e l l e n c e

i n

j o u r n a l i s m

www.thesouthasiantimes.info

Vol. 7 | No. 39A Spl. Supplement | Feb 1, 2015

Garnering global support

for progress of
Madhya Pradesh
With the dynamic Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhans initiative of
launching Friends of MP at a conclave in New York on February 1, 2015,
Madhya Pradesh has become the first state in India to start creating
its own global talent pool in the US for progress and prosperity.
Special Supplement for the Friends of MP Conclave

Madhya Pradesh is a confluence


of all that is good in India
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan gave an exclusive
interview to The South Asian Times on the eve of the Friends of MP Conclave.
By Hiral Dholakia-Dave
The third-term Chief Minister of Madhya
Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been
considered the most successful CM, perhaps
second only to Narendra Modi who had a
long tenure ruling Gujarat. Taking Madhya
Pradesh from an annual per capita income of
Rs 13,000 to Rs 54,000, he is not done yet,
as he says: My vision for MP four years
from now is a per capita income greater than
the national average; with human development indices, especially maternal and child
health indicators exceeding the national
achievement. Friends of India as a global
talent pool is one of his initiatives in that
direction. Excerpts from the interview he
gave to The South Asian Times
The South Asian Times: How would you
want the NRIs to get involved in the development of the state?
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan:
Madhya Pradesh and its people have a very
strong aspiration to globalize, but sustainably. The global community offers diverse
opportunities to collaborate. And it goes
without saying that the NRI community is
and must be the prime mover of this endeavor. In this connection, I must mention Shri
Atal Bihari Vajpeyee jis special efforts to
organize the NRI community as key stakeholders in Nation Building through symbiotic relationships with their Motherland.
Im happy to witness the second major boost
to this goodwill under the leadership of Shri
Narendra bhai Modi.
The value of our NRI friends is steadily
evolving from a commercial to a strategic
and gradually into a political revolution. My
Government is determined to do our best in
this direction. The term brain drain has become a stale clich, and it is time to turn the
story around. Madhya Pradesh is striving to
mobilize a global talent pool intellectual,
technical, and diplomatic that would advocate the developmental aspirations of the
State. My government shall facilitate the efforts of the people of MP to network extensively with NRIs, to build on the momentum
generated by the internet revolution. I want
NRIs to play the roles of think tanks, collaborators, politico-cultural ambassadors for MP
to complement my Governments efforts.
The SA Times: Which are the focus sectors/areas you seek their involvement/investment in?
CM Chouhan: There are specifically five
core sectors in which we aim to see much
more cooperation with NRIs. Education, including higher education and research; skill
development to boost employability and
productivity; healthcare service delivery and
public health to secure human development;
rural development specifically with regard
to the concepts of rurbanization and PURA
(providing urban amenities to rural areas);

Acchhe din aa
gaye hain, aur rahane
waale hai.

and tourism which is the essential catalyst


for positive globalization.
Not just investments. I want it to be a
much more organic involvement. Strong
networks would help greater sharing and
marriage of ideas for development; there
could be sponsoring of projects right from
the community level to the macro level;
and we hope to welcome several volunteers
through exchange programs to experience
life in MP, and do their bit.
The SA Times: As a state what are MPs
greatest assets?
CM Chouhan: Quantifiable assets have
been detailed endlessly. I shall answer this
philosophically. First and foremost, it is the
cultural capital of MP of which the people
are the guardians. Apart from the rich heritage, the culture here respects and rewards
not only merit, but also hard work and sincerity. MP is a confluence of all that is good
in India. MP and its people have and will
play a pivotal role in preserving National integration. We are representative of all that
PM Modi hints at by underlining democracy,
demography and demand.
We have had modest beginnings, but a
very steady development curve, which has
ensured sustainability for generations to
come. Indias rise to the status of a global
superpower will be propelled by excellence
in two key realms agriculture and allied
sectors, and manufacturing. MP has clocked
unprecedented growth rates in agriculture
last year (25%) and has smartly diversified
striving to be a global food and crop production and processing hub. We aspire to
modernize this sector through accelerated
investments and collaborative expertise.
Besides, we ushered in the Make in MP
campaign to boost high return and employment intensive manufacturing.

I am looking at these in the same globalization reference an export oriented system over and above the imperative of self
sufficiency, with universal access. Hence,
the third critical asset is MPs viable central location which has enabled it to
evolve into an inland multimodal logistics
hub well connected to all key markets
and ports of India.
The SA Times: How has the Make in
MP campaign benefited the state so far?
CM Chouhan: It is a work in progress,
albeit progressing steadily. I am
happy to tell you that the expression of interest worth
billions of dollars that
was promised during the recent

Global Investors Summit has been absorbed into the processing stage by our
agency MP TRIFAC (Trade and Investment
Facilitation Centre) in a disciplined manner.
I assure you that MP will take the lead in
indigenous defense production and R&D,
which would be powered by our dedicated
defense manufacturing policy.
It doesnt amount to protectionism, but
will in fact enhance international collaboration and cooperation. The auto sector in
India is at a critical juncture and needs a renewed push to keep up the scales to cope up
with the competition. MP has succeeded at
convincing investors about the advantages
of scale that the State provides. I must acknowledge that we have still a long way to
go in attracting global investors, since the
bulk of the investments have come from
within India. It is precisely this concern that
has prompted my Government to embark on
this campaign to synergize efforts with
the Friends of MP.
The SA Times: How well is the infrastructure of the state equipped to handle the
new industries/investments coming in?
CM Chouhan: We have successfully
provided the basic infrastructural necessities at least in terms of land, resource, raw
material and energy availability and access,
logistics infrastructure (especially roads).
We have more than 5 GW of surplus power,
and have already assured metered uninterrupted phased power supply to industry.
As 2015 was ushered in, availability of
power increased by 1590 MW. Madhya
Pradesh is the only state to have established
306 MW solar power capacity in one year.
For infrastructure development, 2800 km
long new roads were constructed to connect
cities and towns last year. In all, 4248 km
long roads and 44 major bridges and overbridges have been constructed.
Presently, projects worth Rs. 33 thousand crore are underway under PPP mode.
Our airport modernization and capacity
building efforts have come a long way,
and we wish to cooperate with the Union
Government and PPP partners in a much
deeper and sustained manner. Similarly,
our successful river interlinking program
has ensured water supply to some critical
industrial clusters.
Coming to the point of cluster development, we have systematically made land
banks in our industrial clusters, and have
expeditiously embarked on the urban development and smart cities projects to impart
holistic infrastructural facilitation. We have
a very vibrant micro and small enterprises
(MSE) sector which is geared up to propel
big industry through consistent and high
quality product and service delivery.

The value of our NRI friends is


steadily evolving from a commercial to a strategic and gradually into
a political revolution. I want NRIs
to play the roles of think tanks, collaborators, politico-cultural ambassadors for MP to complement my
Governments efforts.

The SA Times: What steps have been taken to make it an investor-friendly state?
CM Chouhan: I was coming to that. The
developments in infrastructure have been
reinforced very well by our investment facilitation policies. This is what completes the
circle. I dont need to elaborate on our land
bank system which has prepared more than
25000 hectares for industry to be set up on.
We have dedicated sector policies for auto,
IT/ITeS, pharmaceuticals, defense production, food processing, etc. and early bird benefits for urban development and smart cities
development. Apart from these peripherals,
the central role of my Government is to balance facilitation with regulation. At our Single Window System of MPTRIFAC, all the
officials concerned are stationed in a single
office complex for clearance of project. And
as per suggestion of the PM, we have deputed
one officer for each project. That officer manages all official works related to that project.
We have assigned specific responsibilities
to every officer that a work has to be completed in a stipulated time period. We have
converted into law the Citizen Charters to
get work done in a fixed time. In terms of
labour regulation, all corporate houses will
have to submit only a self declaration and file
only one return. Licence-registration in labour laws will be issued automatically if the
government office does late in providing it.
There were 61 registers under 16-labour laws
but now there will be only one. In the place
of 13 returns, only 2 returns will be needed.
My Government has so far ensured seamless
coordination, without silos.
The SA Times: You have elevated the status of MP from being a BIMARU to an investment friendly state. Which are the areas
which still seek improvement?
CM Chouhan: We have successfully
brought my State, which was a part of the
backward, underdeveloped BIMARU States,
to this juncture of optimism and potential.
But this is an interim achievement, not the finality / destination. Yes, we have risen from
an annual per capita income of Rs 13,000 to
Rs 54,000. Yet, we have a long way to go,
lots to achieve in terms of improving human
development and health
indices like Infant
Mortality Rate (IMR)
and Maternal Mortality
Rate (MMR). We
wish to enhance
our collective
efforts in this
regard, both
quantitatively
and qualitatively,
to replicate the
degree of success
we achieved in

other fields, especially law and order. Community development and awareness building
has a big role to play in this, and proactive
contributions by the Friends of MP shall
prove invaluable. There is so much to be done
that I believe several years of my work life
will have to be dedicated to this cause here.

that having BJP at Center has ended policy


paralysis. Which steps taken by the Centre have been most beneficial for states to
prosper in your opinion?
CM Chouhan: Indeed. And I can say this
even now with complete conviction. The BJP
The SA Times: As a third term CM how led NDA Government came to power riding

the rate of improvement. Unless I see a


sustained rise in our human development
indices (HDI), I will not rate the success
of these schemes. It is for the people of MP
and India to decide.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan speaking at the Global Investors Summit in Indore last year.

The SA Times: How would you rate


the success of the welfare schemes you
launched, especially for girl child? Any
statistics to prove the positive impact of
those schemes?
CM Chouhan: My Government has
steadfastly tried meeting the greatest challenges before us. The various schemes,
principally, Ladli Laxmi Yojana (to ensure
young girls social and economic security),
Pratibha Kiran Yojana (to improve educational standard of girls belonging to urban
BPL families, who pass their 12th exam in
first division), Cycle Distribution Scheme,
etc have been harmonized with our development efforts to overcome one of these
prime challenges. Since its inception in
2006, about 1.9 million girls have benefitted from bank deposits in their name. The
scheme has ensured retention of about
700,000 girls in formal school education.
All these schemes together have been lauded at the National level, and the Government led by Modi ji has formulated the Beti
Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana across the
country. Yet, my test is to keep improving

MP is a confluence of all that is


good in India. MP and its people have
and will play a pivotal role in preserving national integration. We are
representative of all that PM Modi
hints at by underlining democracy,
demography and demand.

do you see MP say even four years from


now? Which are the areas it still needs to
progress in?
CM Chouhan: My vision for MP four
years from now aspires for: MP with a per
capita income greater than the national average; with human development indices,
especially maternal and child health indicators exceeding the national achievement.
MP is still stained by violence against
women. I wish to erase these stains through
a synergy between social movements and
political will.
I wish to see MP retain the status of not
just the dominant foodgrain producer, but
excel in dairy, horticulture, pulse production and food processing sectors to the
scale of global export competitiveness. I
wish to see MP enhance the proportion of
organic agri-produce by at least 50%. MP
must have at least one medical and one
technical higher education institution each
among top five in India. I wish to see MP
achieve pole position in terms of attracting
foreign tourists by 2019.
To speak of areas of improvement apart
from what I have stated, I wish to ensure
better parity between National and global
industrial investments in the State especially in futuristic sectors of clean energy,
hi-tech sectors like electronic manufacturing and defense R&D. At the same time,
I wish to see MP enhance its dense forest
cover by more than 5 %. I can keep going on about my aspirations for Madhya
Pradesh. But I will soon have to get back
to planning its implementation.

on great expectations, in the storm of a


crisis that had virtually eroded Indias
credibility on the global stage. Within
jut eight months, the Union Government
has considerably corrected the distortions
in federal (Centre State) relations. The
Goods and Services Tax reform is within
reach now as never before. The Government was mature enough to have understood the predicament of the States. The
environmental regulatory regime of the
Union Govt. has been greatly harmonized
with those of States. Long pending infrastructural development and industrial processing projects in MP, stuck since 2012,
have got clearance.
The eroded finances of the States, owing to straitjacketed Centrally Sponsored
Schemes and the erstwhile Planning
Commissions determinism, have thankfully seen relief. State Electricity Board
finances can now afford restructuring due
to the Centres cooperation.
Special funds dedicated to crucial projects have been expeditiously mobilized
by the Centre. Chief Ministers like me no
longer have to go to Delhi to spread our
arms. Even core contentious issues like
labor reform have seen the light of day
due to the Central Governments cooperation and mentorship.
Overall, with the revived cooperative
federalism, things have moved much faster. Productivity has been buoyant. Simultaneously there has been competitive federalism among States. It has been a morale
booster for many CMs like me. I am of the
firm opinion that acchhe din aa gaye hain,
The SA Times: You have said previously aur rahane waale hai.

Vision of Friends of Madhya Pradesh


The central Indian state is partnering with Consulate General of India in New York in implementing its vision of 'Friends of MP Conclave'.
Friends of Madhya Pradesh is
an initiative that aims to stimulate,
amongst its well-wishers and
friends - especially those who live
outside Madhya Pradesh, ideas and
thinking for the progress of Madhya Pradesh (MP) State in India.
The initiative builds on the fundamental values of participation and
solidarity for the well-being of MP.
Matters of interest to the well-wishers and friends may span political,
economic, developmental, social
and environmental issues. This initiative encourages the well-wishers
and friends to ideate and discuss issues which can go a long way in
policymaking and it also facilitates
wider involvement of MPs friends
in its future.
Though the initiative is being
launched by the Government of
MP, it is designed to be independent, neutral and non-partisan. This
forum creates a bridge between the
well-wishers and friends of MP and
the policymakers of MP.
It engages them in direct conversation with the policymakers in an
innovative, original, interactive and
dynamic mode. It combines ideas
and convergence of views by on-

boarding experience with enthusiastic energy, to produce concrete


solutions with the widest possible
involvement of stakeholders.

Who are our Friends?


Well-wishers and friends will be
across generations and walks of life
and will include Indian citizens,
people of Indian origin who are citizens of other countries, citizens of
any country who are well wishers
of MP, NGOs, civil society groups,
industry associations, companies,
the press and academia who may
not be living in MP but have a passion to help the State progress.

Genesis of Friends of
Madhya Pradesh
MP is creating a Global Talent
Pool to harness the talent that is
currently living outside MP, either
abroad or in the rest of India.
This initiative is aligned to the vision of the Honble Prime Minister
of India: Each state setting up its
own global talent pool as a global
network of its talents wherever in
the world they may be, and utilize
their experience and talent for

countrys development. Addressing the Global Investors Summit


2014 in Indore, MP, the Honble
Prime Minister said that "Under the
intellectual property rights, we have
ample scope to take the advantage
of experiences and talents of our
NRI brethren settled in various
parts of the world".
Madhya Pradesh is the first State
in India that is creating this kind of
a global talent pool with the assistance of the vast and widespread
non-resident Madhya Pradeshis
across the globe as well as the wellwishers and friends of the state who
reside in India and abroad. The idea
is to identify well-wishers and
friends of MP living abroad and
elsewhere in India and utilize their
skills, talent and experience to further the growth of Madhya Pradesh.

The Friends of
Madhya Pradesh
Portal
As a first step in creating a global
talent pool, the Government of MP
is launching a portal (www.friendsofmp.com) that will enable the
well-wishers of MP to register and

State-by-State: Consulate's attempt to project


economic opportunities in Indian states
1.
Prime Minister of India Hon'ble Mr. Narendra Modi has,
on a number of occasions, emphasized the importance of promoting economic and commercial opportunities abroad for robust development of India. In this context, he has underlined the importance of creating global talent pool focused on States so that the experts and interested persons
can participate in unique growth
stories of different States of
India. Different States offer different opportunities and it is
important that people interested in India are made aware about the requirements of the States.
2.
For the Consulate General of India in New York, highlighting economic and commercial opportunities in Indian States has been a priority and therefore it has been organizing
specific events and programmes focusing on Indian States. As a result of these efforts, in the
recent past Diwali Celebration has begun at Times Square on a large scale and the Indian States
have started participating. In the Consulate itself,
events highlighting these States' economic opportunities, infrastructure requirements, cultural and historical heritage as well as
lesser known aspects like costumes, fashion, documentaries and sports are being organized.
So far Consulate has covered events highlighting Gujarat, Rajasthan, Kerala, Chattisgarh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Nagaland. It is Consulate's vision that community takes a lead in creating a vision for its proactive participation in the States to which they belong. This kind of connectivity will add to the economic partnership, civil society understanding and people-to-people relationship.
3.
Government of India has also put special emphasis on creating partnership between
States in India with counterparts in the US on the lines of sister-city concept so that States undertake steps to promote economic and cultural partnership between the two country. To create awareness, Consulate is undertaking holistic outreach programmes throughout the 10
States under its jurisdiction. Recent one was held in New Jersey and second outreach event
has been planned for Boston in March. Community has to play a critical role in the success
of these outreach programmes for making them to be effective in providing impetus to the bilateral relationship

contribute to the states growth and


development.
The database of registered friends
will be a great tool for the State to
reach out and connect with them. It
will be a single door gateway for
people as well as the government in
their pursuit of the states growth
and development.
The portal will feature information on the policies and strategies of
the State Government, about prominent personalities from MP living
outside the state, information on
latest developments in the state,
links for getting associated with a
community initiative and ways
through which a person can contribute.
The portal will also have interactive features such as a public discussion forum and a forum for contributing innovative ideas for development of the state.
The portal will also connect
friends of MP with each other and
one can view registered members
basic details. To view the other
members details one will need to
register/login on this portal.
This portal also gives an opportunity for the well-wishers of MP to

contribute, collaborate and communicate for social initiatives and


community development of their
interest. Visitors to the portal can
share their knowledge, thoughts,
experience and ideas and contribute
for the development of sectors such
as education, health, skill development, rural development, tourism
etc., this process of interaction and
contribution will further strengthen
the governance and enhances further development of the state. A
person can also contribute by expressing his/ her interest on the portal and the Friends of MP backend
team will connect the person with
the concerned nodal officer from
the concerned department.
This portal is not for grievance redressal rather it is a networking portal where visitors can contribute
their ideas.
This kind of initiative can be described as match maker between
the FRIENDS of MP and the state
government. The pilot phase of the
portal will be followed by the expansion phase.
For more information go to
www.friendsofmp.com

Message on Friends of MP Conclave


The Consulate General of India in New York is delighted to partner with the State
of Madhya Pradesh (MP) in implementing its vision of 'Friends of MP Conclave'.
This vision itself flows from the far-sighted vision of Hon'ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi who has, while emphasizing the importance of role of States
in India's development, also suggested that States should create a global talent pool
that can contribute to India's development. Under the dynamic leadership of Shri
Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Hon'ble Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, the State of MP
has moved to shape this vision in the form of 'Friends of MP Conclave' which have
its first public meeting in Lincoln Centre, NYC on February 1, 2015.
The significance of Indian States in India's economic development is well recognized. However, States have only recently started taking proactive interest to promote inward investment, business collaboration and technology transfer projects.
The Conclave is aimed in creating awareness about the immense opportunities existing in the State of MP. For the event, large number of people belonging to the State
of MP as well as from other States residing in the US have already registered for
'Friends of MP Conclave'. During the Conclave, they will get an opportunity to listen directly from the State officials, leading entrepreneurs, Industry Minister and finally the Hon'ble Chief Minister of State about how the State is making efforts to
create unprecedented ease for doing business in MP. Specific sectors that are lucrative, social sectors that would interest philanthropists and other opportunities will be
highlighted during the Conclave. The event would set a benchmark for other States
in pursuing their promotional efforts.
The unique feature of the Conclave would be the expected high level of participation of diaspora and people invested in India from all walks of life. American political leaders representing bipartisan interests who are also joining the Conclave shall
endorse their support for the India-US relationship. All in all, the visit of Hon'ble
Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and the 'Friends of MP Conclave' are expected
to generate considerable interest about the State of MP followed by mutual
opportunities.

Dnyaneshwar M. Mulay

Consul General of India, New York

INVEST IN MADHYA PRADESH

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh


Chouhan seen with Prime
Minister Narendra Modi at
the Global InvestorsSummit
held in October 2014

M.P. is the heartland of India with its


strategic centrally located position

M.P. is the producer of best quality of wheat,


pulses, and other agricultural products.

Ample of natural resources especially


large untapped deposit of copper ore,
limestone, granite & bauxite etc.

Being centrally located state has tremendous scope to be developed as logistic


hub; Some MNCs have already started
working in this direction. Low transportation cost to every corner of the country

Probably the largest covered area by forests (27% approx.) with wide range of
wood & forest produces like tendu leaf,
mahua, neem etc & large number of prominent herbs are also available in abundance.
MNCs like PRG, Cadbury, Bridgestone,
Hindustan Lever, Coca Cola, and renowned Indian companies like Ranbaxy,
Tata, Birla, JK, Eicher, Bharti Telecom,
Grasim, Hindustan Motors, TAFE, Kinetic, Hotline, Raymonds, Lupin, Crompton
Greaves, Surya Roshni, Nahar Spinning,
Anant Spinning, Godrej, HEG, ACC,
IPCA and lot more big groups have significant presence in Madhya Pradesh
Largest producers of gram and soyabean
State is known as large producer of cotton, ginger, garlic, turmeric, chilli, coriander, banana, guava, tomato etc. State
has vast scope to invest in this field
State has one lakh kms of roads, 6500
kms of rail network and has 18000 kms
of optical fiber cable network

Cost of basic requirements like land water


& skilled manpower is very less as compared to other states. State also allows the
industrial units to have captive power plants
to produce power as per the requirement.
Nearly above 200 Engineering Collages
are already functional in the state.
State has very peaceful & conducive atmosphere for industrialization, Law and
order situation in the state is very much
under control
State Government is very much committed to support the investors & provide
them a hassle free atmosphere in its machinery. To avoid delay in obtaining various approvals and clearances Govt. have
created high powered committees and
Boards. These committees & Board are
headed by top level authorities like Principle Secretary(Commerce, Industry &
Employment), Chief Secretary of the State
and Chief Minister of the State.

District offices of Department have been


empowered by requisite powers of concerned departments; so that clearances
can be obtained easily under one roof.
Mega projects of above 50 crores are offered land at concessional rates.
Moderate climatic conditions throughout
the year
Average rains throughout the state
Attractive Industrial Policy
Special Packages for Textile Industry,
units setup in Food Park, units setup in
Stone Park, Automobile Components
units, Pharmaceuticals and Herbal Industries, Restarting the Sick/Closed Industries rehabilitated through BIFR, Policy
Package for Sick Industrial Units which
are under construction of BIFR. Package of concessions for Mega Projects and
Projects of special importance, Concession in land rates to Mega Industries, Concessional rates of land for Ware housing.
Widely covered by Rail & Road network.
Variety of tourism destination like Kanha
& Bandhavgarh National Parks, Pachmarhi hill station, World Heritage sites
like Bheem Bethka, Sanchi, Khajuraho.

Renowned CPSUs like Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd, Security Paper Mill, Bank Note
Press, Ordinance Factory, Defence Vehicle
Factory, National Fertilizer Limited, GAIL
India Ltd., Gun Carriage Factory, Telecom
Factory, Manganese Ore India Ltd(MOIL),
Hindustan Copper Ltd., NEPA Paper, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Coal
India ltd., Rail coach factory are already functional in Madhya Pradesh. Renowned Educational Institutes and other Apex Institutions like
Indian Institute of Management(IIM) Indore,
Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology
(MANIT) Bhopal, ABV Indian Institute of Information Technology & Management Gwalior,
Indian Institute of Forest Management Bhopal,
Indian Institute of Hotel Management Bhopal
,National Judicial Academy Bhopal, National
Law Institute Bhopal, Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering Bhopal, Indian Institute of
Soil Science Bhopal, National Technical Teachers Training Institute (NTTTI), Bhopal, Central
Farm Machinery Training & Testing Institute
Budhni, Water & Land Management Institute
(WALMI) Bhopal, PSS Central Institute of Vocational Education (PSSCIVE) Bhopal, Disaster Management Institute Bhopal, Agriculture
University Jabalpur, Academy of Administration and Management Bhopal, Central Institute
of Plastic Engg. Tech. (CIPET), Centre for Advance Technology (CAT) Indore is already functional in various parts of Madhya Pradesh.

For more information, visit


www.mpindustry.org

SHIVRAJ SINGH CHOUHAN

MAN ON A MISSION

hivraj Singh Chouhan was sworn-in as


Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister for a
third consecutive term in December 2013.
Known for maintaining a low-profile, Mr
Chouhan led the Bharatiya Janata Party to win
an impressive 165 seats in 230-member legislative assembly reducing the Congress tally
to just 58.
No one would have expected that the soft
and suave Shivraj Singh Chouhan would thrice
become the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh
when he launched his political career by being
elected president of Bhopals Model Higher
Secondary School Students Union in 1975.
He soon came into contact with the then Jana
Sangh (now the Bharatiya Janata Party) and
participated in the underground movement
against the 1975-77 emergency. He was
imprisoned in Bhopal Jail for some time.
Born on March 5, 1959 in a farmers family
of Shri Prem Singh Chouhan and Smt Sundar
Bai Chouhan at village Jait in Sehore district,
he is a Gold medalist in Masters of Philosophy from Barkatulla University, Bhopal.
A true son of the soil, he can easily identify himself with the socio-economic concerns of farmers, villagers
and commoners. Inclusive development
and prosperity for all is his life mantra.
He has been a five-time Member of Parliament, representing Vidisha in the Lok Sabha
since 1991 till he was anointed chief minister. He contested and won from Budhni,

in the states Sehore district.


During his early political career, he
was also convener of the Akhil Bhartaiya Keshariya Vahini in 1991-92 and the
BJP state general secretary 1992-1994.
Chouhans spouse Sadhana Singh, though
yet not in active political life, is said to be the
persona behind Chouhans many decisions.
Married in 1992, they have two sons.
Chouhan is a champion of womens
cause. As a Chief Minister, he spear heads
several initiatives for creating a positive
social attitude towards the girl child, improving the socio-economic security of
women and their health and well-being.
Some of his noteworthy initiatives are Beti
Bachao Abhiyaan and the Ladli Laxmi Yojana launched in 2006. Following the success of the Ladli Laxmi Yojana in Madhya
Pradesh, six other states have emulated it.
A firm believer in inclusive growth for all,

Chouhan has been striving to create an


empowered Madhya Pradesh by focusing on
providing better education facilities, providing better employment opportunities to the
states youth. He has also been actively engaged in activities for upliftment of scheduled
castes, struggle against injustice and slums
rehabilitation and promoting social harmony.
Chouhan is the recipient of the Krishi Karman award for the year 2011-12 from the
President of India. Madhya Pradesh registered
the highest growth in food grain production
in the country beating Punjab and Haryana.
The state has recorded the highest economic
growth in 2013-14 amongst all Indian states
for gross state domestic product, according to
the Central Statistical Organization.
Taking note of his exemplary work, the
World Bank invited him to address a talk on
womens social empowerment and improvement of access to services and livelihood

All public representatives including


Chief Minister are servants of people and
not rulers. Instead of showing off power,
work should be done with dedication
to improve peoples lives.

in Madhya Pradesh. First of its kind in the


country, Madhya Pradesh Public Service
Guarantee Act has received a special award
in the United Nations Public Service Award
for 2012 for excellence in public service.
Despite his busy schedule Mr.Chouhan
finds time to listen to his favorite songs and
watch movies. He takes a keen interest in
spiritual literature and debates and discussions with like-minded people and friends.
A sports buff, he enjoys playing kabaddi,
badminton and volleyball.
But things were quite different in his home
state when he became Chief Minister 9 years ago.
Earlier Madhya Pradesh was dubbed as a sick
state. Power was supplied to villages for only
three hours. Roads were non-existent.
Now, Madhya Pradeshs growth rate is
11.08, which is highest in the country. The
state is maintaining growth rate in double
digit continuously for last 10 years. Earlier,
only 7.5 lakh hectare area was under irrigation, which has been increased to 27.5 lakh
hectares now. With 24.99 percent agriculture growth rate, Madhya Pradesh is pioneer
in both India and abroad. Last year, Madhya
Pradesh was ahead of Haryana in wheat production. This year, it will be ahead of even
Punjab. Efforts are being made for progress in every sector in the state, he says.
A tall public figure with a relentless drive
to dedicate his life to the service of the society, Shivraj Singh Chouhan is one of the
few young Indian politicians, who are making a positive difference to the polity and
growth of our country.
Urging people to contribute their best
for taking Madhya Pradesh further ahead
he says, People and government should
join hands to build Madhya Pradesh of
their dreams.
All public representatives including
Chief Minister are servants of people and
not rulers. Instead of showing off power,
work should be done with dedication to
improve peoples lives.
He said that under leadership of the
Prime Minister, India is once again heading towards becoming world guru. Country
as well as state are transforming.
Despite the leaps he says that the State
has to move forward. Quick steps have to
be taken towards boosting milk production,
horticulture and food processing. Irrigation
capacity in the state is being increased by 3
lakh hectare every year. Industries have also
to be promoted side by side agriculture.

Chouhan says that youths are being motivated to set up self-employment to rid Madhya Pradesh of darkness of unemployment.
Government is making arrangements for
technical knowledge, marketing and share
capital. He says that Madhya Pradesh has
established itself as Best Investment Destination at last Global Investors Summit
at Indore in October 2014. Major changes
have been effected in labor laws to make the
state better in Ease of Doing Business. The
state government has implemented defence
production investment promotion policy.
Under Pradhanmantri Jan-Dhan Yojana
and other schemes, over one crore bank accounts have been opened, which are being
linked with Aadhar Number.
Taking a leaf out of Prime Minister Narendra

Modis book, Madhya Pradesh Chouhan launched Make in Madhya Pradesh


campaign campaign along the lines
of the PMs Make in India initiative.
Chouhan is the only CM meeting investors
every week. Officers of concerning departments are also present during the meeting.
The Chief Minister seeks information from
investors of under-construction projects in the
state about getting cooperation as desired by
them. He enquires about proposed investment
projects and assures necessary cooperation.
With dedicated efforts and a strong will
Chouhan is on his way changing the future of
his home state. Given the steps taken in the
right direction it wont be long before Madhya Pradesh will achieve the status of being
the ideal state.

Some major milestones in his early political journey:

A tall public figure with


a relentless drive to
dedicate his life to the
service of the society,
Shivraj Singh Chouhan
is one of the few young
Indian politicians, who
are making a positive
difference to the
polity and growth
of our country.

Year | Organization/Roles and responsibilities


1977
1978

Organizing Secretary, Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)

1978
1980

Joint Secretary, Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)

1980
1983

General Secretary and Member National Executive,


Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)

1984
1985

Joint Secretary, Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha

1985
1988

General Secretary, Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha

1988
1991

President, Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhans


welfare schemes for girl child have seen positive results.

By Anil Mulchandani

he Bundelkhand region lies along


the northern boundary of Madhya
Pradesh picturesquely set among
the Vindhya hills, this river-fed region has
many medieval monuments including some
great forts and temples.
Gwalior, the major city of northern Madhya
Pradesh, was the headquarters of many dynasties. The town is dominated by the fort largely
built during the reign of the Tomar Rajputs in
the 15th and 16th centuries. Gwalior became
one of the richest princely states under the
Scindia dynasty. The Maharajas were known
for their ornate palaces and grand lifestyle.
Rising up in the city, the Gwalior Fortstraddling a hill contains a number of beautiful
palaces and temples. Along the sandstone
trail to the fort, colossal Jain sculptures, set
deep into the rocks, depict the Jain tirthankars.The highlight of the sandstone citadel
is Man Mandir Palace, encrusted with mosaics depicting mainly faunal themes inlaid
into blue, yellow and green tiles. This palace
is an architectural beauty with ornamented
parapets and cupolas. The pair of temples
called Sas-Bahu, though partly ruined, is
worth visiting to see the workmanship. The
Teli-ka-mandir is an eight century temple
with the Garuda or eagle mount of Vishnu
at the entrance. Also worth seeing is the gurudvara, in honour of Guru Gobind, with its
gold-tipped dome, graceful lines and cool
marble courtyard.
The palace is certainly grand, as expected
from an influential and affluent princely state,
built in 1875 after Maharaja Jayaji Rao Scindias friend Colonel Filose returned from a
Gwalior state-sponsored Europe tour with
plans of great palaces and acquiring for the
Maharaja a huge collection of the finest furniture, tapestries and decorations from the countries he visited, and it was ready in time for the
royal visit of the British overlords to Gwalior.
The part opened for visitors has a museum
collection of miniatures, Persian rugs, ornaments, cut-glass items including a crystal
swing for Lord Krishna idols, Louis-theXVI furniture, erotic prints and sculpture,
curious exhibits like the poison-testing
place, stuffed tigers and other princely memorabilia. It also has a swimming pool and a
bar.The Darbarhall has two of the largest
chandeliers in the world weighing more than

Photo credit: Dinesh Shukla

Architectural marvels
of Bundelkhand region
Gwalior, Orchha, Khajuraho are must visit places

The

Bundela

cenotaphs by Betwa river in Orchha

The massive

Gwalior Fort
stretches atop a hill

three tons each gilded with 56kg gold, exuberant furniture and one of the largest handmade
carpets in India. The tombs of Mohammed
Ghaus and musician Tansen are also worth
seeing, and those with an interest in classical
music may like to visit the Sarod Ghar.
About 65 km after Gwalior, there is a turnoff for the Jain temple covered summit of
Sonagir, very important for Digambar Jains.
Shortly after this comes Datia, with the
Nrsing Dev Palace standing in the north of
town. It is an architectural marvel and offers
breathtaking views from the upper storeys.
Continue from Datia to Orchha, which has
many architectural gems. The Bundela dynasty built their fortified complex here with

palaces like Raj Mahal and Jahangari Mahal, lavishly decorated with inlaid tiles,
graceful domes, intricate screens and murals.
There are a number of interesting temples in
and around Orchha Chhatrabhuj and Raja
Ram Temple loom up on the town, while
on a hillock nearby is the Lakshminarayan
Mandir which has really good murals of the
Bundela school depicting religious scenes
like the Krishna-lila, a frieze depicting the
battle of Jhansi and the Bundelkhand Rajas. On the outskirts of town, a cluster of 14
cenotaphs or chattris erected as memorials to
Bundelkhands former rulers rise up beside
Betwa River with woodlands in the backdrop.
Travel east from Orchha to Khajuraho,

which has some of the best-known temples


of India known for their architectural details,
craftsmanship, sensuality and forthright eroticism. Built in the 10th to the 12th century
period, they are great achievements of the
Chandella dynasty. There are many groups of
temples but the best known are the Kandariya
Mahadeva, Vishvanatha and Lakshman temples, all of them in the Western Group. These
elegant temples are known for their sculptural embellishment depicting deities, mythical
beings, warriors, animals, sensuous maidens,
dancing apasaras and the erotic panels which
have made Khajuraho famous.

The elegant temples of Khajuraho


were built by the Chandela Dynasty

Gigantic chandeliers
illuminate the

Darbarhall

of

Gwaliors Jai Vilas Palace

The Majestic Monuments of Malwa

By Anil Mulchandani

he Malwa plateau occupies the western region of Madhya Pradesh, which


has been ruled by several kingdoms
and dynasties, including the ancient Avanti
Kingdom, the Mauryans, the Guptas, the
Parmaras, the Malwa sultans, the Mughals
and the Maratha Holkar dynasty. Its long
history and strategic importance has yielded
a wealth of monumental buildings, including forts, palaces and temples.
The main city of the Malwa region is Indore, which has an airport and a well-connected railway station.
Indore is an important center of the automotive and other industries, wholesale trade
in textiles and other goods, finance, media,
art, fashion, research, technology, education
and entertainment. The city is witnessing
rapid growth in recent years in many sectors
including infotech, healthcare and infrastructure. Within the bustling commercial city are
palaces and palatial buildings erected by the
influential and wealthy Holkar dynasty.

About 55km north from Indore, Ujjain is


one of Indias holiest cities. The religious
center of Ujjain is the Shipra River where
pilgrims bathe at the ghats (Ram Ghat is the
site of the Kumbh Mela).
Near the river, you can start your temple
tour at the towering Mahakaleshwar temple,
which houses one of the 12 Jyotirlingams of
Lord Shiva. The Gopal Mandir is another
fine example of Maratha architecture. Apart
from its temples, Ujjains major attraction is
the Vedshala, built in the 1700s by Jai Singh
who also built the famous observatories
called Jantar Mantar in Delhi and Jaipur. Its
dials and instruments are still used to formulate charts predicting planetary positions.
From Indore, travel south west to the enchanting island of Omkareshwar, named for
its shape like the sacred Om symbol. Ferries
take you across to the island which is dominated by the tower of the Shiva temple which
houses one of the 12 Jyotirlingams. From here,
the pilgrims circumambulatory trail called
Parikrama covers a number of temples and
ghats. Some of the temples are architecturally
The beautiful fluted domes of

Mandu

at sunset

Omkareshwar
site of one of the Jyotirlingams,
on the banks of river Narmada

From Maheshwar, travel further west to


Mandu, which has some of Indias most
impressive monuments. The picturesque
citadel of Mandu, perched on a hilltop, enclosed within its imposing walls a number of
palaces, mosques, water bodies and pleasure
pavilions looking out to the Narmada River.
Start with the Royal Enclave which has the
magnificent Hindola Mahal and the ship-like
Jahaz Mahal, the stepped well called Champa Baoili, and the Dilawar Khan Mosque.

The Buddhist and


Islamic Heritage
of Bhopal

T
You can visit the museum at Lalbaug,
which is an extravagant neoclassical palace
with opulent interiors full of chandeliers, gilt
stuccowork, European furniture, royal portraits (including a jewel encrusted one of Tukoji Rao), miniature paintings and princely
memorabilia. The faade of the Rajwada, the
old city palace, lies in the center of markets.
Other attractions of Indore are the Jain
temple called Kanch Mandir for its rich mirror inlay and glasswork, the Ganesh temple
and the Central Museum.

interesting, like the Siddhesvara or Siddhnath


Temple which has beautiful sculptures and
the Gaudi Somnath temple with a fine collection of carvings and a huge Nandi.
Travel west from Omkareshwar to Maheshwar, a historic center of Malwa from the days
of ancient Sanskrit texts to the mid-18th century when the Holkar queen, Ahilyabai, erected
richly carved temples near the Narmada River.
Along the riverfront, you can see the temples,
ghats and the royal fort, as also workshops
making the famous Maheshwari saris.

ravelling east from the Malwa Plateau, you come to Bhopal which
is the capital of Madhya Pradesh.
Founded in the 11th century, Bhopal was
modernized in the 18th century when it
was ruled by the progressive queen, Jehan
Begum in the 1870s. The female rulers
endowed Bhopal with grandiose mosques
like Taj-ul-Masjid, Jami Masjid and Moti
Mahal. These mosques can be visited
around the market square called Chowk,
together with palatial buildings like Shaukat Mahal. South of the old quarters,
Bhopal encircles two lakes and has many
cultural centers like Bharat Bhavan which

is the center for performances and exhibitions, the State Museum, the Birla Museum and the interesting Rashtriya Manav
Sangralaya, called Museum of Man, which
has replicas of tribal dwellings set in the
hills and exhibitions of tribal artifacts.
Sanchi, 46km north east of Bhopal, encompasses some of the most impressive
Buddhist monuments of India which has
deservedly been declared a World Heritage
Site. The Great Stupa is the highlight of
the extensive Buddhist site. Around Sanchi
are a number of other archaeological sites
like the rock-cut caves of Udayagiri and
the 11th century Udayapur temple.
The World Heritage Site
of Buddhist Stupa at

Sanchi

The fort and temples of

Maheshwar

by Narmada river

Photo credit:
Dinesh Shukla

Continue from here to the superbly built


Hoshang Shah Tomb which was the first marble tomb built in India, the majestic Friday
Mosque and the Ashrafi Mahal. From here,
you can continue to Sagar Talao passing a
number of impressive buildings and the lake.
Other attractions of Malwa are the Asmadha Fossil Park near Mandu, the painted
5th century Buddhist caves of Bagh, about
50km from Mandu and the princely cities of
Dhar and Jabhua.

Photo credit: Wikimedia

Charting an illustrious political history


Despite a rich political legacy, there is an urgent need for contemporary India to discover Madhya Pradesh through its ancient roots.
t is because of its geography
that Madhya Pradesh demands a
different kind of politics, a politics of imagination, where utopias
can be worked out.
Cities can be constructed in the
lap of nature, and village, farm and
forest can exist together.
If we look back, we will find a political legacy that has made the
country proud at times.
The interesting fact is that Madhya Pradesh is a cosmopolitan state
because there are no entrenched
populations. A hard look at the geography shows that even the tribal
population has moved into the region, of course earlier than everyone else, and that everyone here is a
migrant of sorts.
But this migration pattern has to
be extended far back into history
when Mauryan Ashoka was the
governor in Ujjain and the Guptas
had their seat of empire in the city
by the Shipra river.
The city of Ujjain arose as a major center in the second wave of Indian urbanization in the sixth century BC, and served as the chief city
of the kingdom of Malwa or Avan-

ti.
Chandragupta Maurya united
northern India, establishing the
Maurya Empire (1500 to 185 BCE)
which included all of modern-day
Madhya Pradesh.
Malwa was ruled by the South Indian Rashtrakuta Dynasty from the
late 8th century to the 10th century.
The Medieval period saw the rise
of the Rajput clans, including the
Paramaras of Malwa and the Chandelas of Bundelkhand.
The Paramara king Bhoj (c.
10101060) was a brilliant polymath and prolific writer. The Chandelas created the temple city of
Khajuraho between c. 950 and c.
1050.
Gond kingdoms emerged in
Gondwana and Mahakoshal. Northern Madhya Pradesh was conquered
by the Turkic Delhi Sultanate in the
13th century.
After the collapse of the Delhi
Sultanate at the end of the 14th century, independent regional kingdoms reemerged, including the
Tomara Rajput kingdom of Gwalior
and the Muslim Sultanate of Malwa, with its capital at Mandu.

First painting ever made on Maharani Durgavati, shown gearing-up for battle of Narrai.
This fresco by Beohar Rammanohar Sinha is in Jabalpur's Shaheed-Smarak.

The Malwa Sultanate was conquered by the Sultanate of Gujarat


in 1531.
Most of Madhya Pradesh came
under Mughal rule during the reign
of the emperor Akbar (15561605).
Gondwana and Mahakoshal remained under the control of Gond
kings, who acknowledged Mughal
supremacy but enjoyed virtual autonomy. After the death of the
Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in
1707 Mughal control began to
weaken, and the Marathas began to
expand from their base in central
Maharashtra.
Between 1720 and 1760, the
Marathas took control of most of
Madhya Pradesh, and Maratha
clans were established semi-au-

tonomous states under the nominal


control of the Maratha Peshwa.
The Holkars of Indore ruled much
of Malwa, and the Bhonsles of Nagpur dominated Mahakoshal and
Gondwana as well as Vidarbha in
Maharashtra.
Bhopal was ruled by a Muslim
dynasty descended from the Afghan
General Dost Mohammed Khan.
Maratha expansion was checked at
the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761.
The British were expanding their
Indian dominions from bases in
Bengal, Bombay and Madras, and
the three Anglo-Maratha wars were
fought between 1775 and 1818.
The Third Anglo-Maratha war
left the British supreme in India.
Most of Madhya Pradesh, including

In the era of princely states


walior State was an Indian kingdom and princely state during the British Raj. It was ruled In subsidiary alliance with
the British by the Scindia dynasty of the Marathas and was
entitled to a 21-gun salute.
The state took its name from the old town of Gwalior, which, although never the actual capital, was an important place because of
its strategic location and the strength of its fort.
The state was founded in the early 18th century by Ranoji Sindhia of Kunbi Maratha caste, as part of the Maratha Confederacy.
Under Mahadji Sindhia (17611794) Gwalior State became a
leading power in northern India, and dominated the affairs of the
confederacy. The Anglo-Maratha Wars brought Gwalior State under British suzerainty, so that it became a princely state of the
British Indian Empire. Gwalior was the largest state in the Central
India Agency, under the political supervision of a Resident at
Gwalior.
In 1936, the Gwalior residency was separated from the Central India Agency, and made answerable directly to the Governor-General of India. After Indian Independence in 1947, the Sindhia rulers
acceded to the new Union of India, and Gwalior state was absorbed
into the new Indian state of Madhya Bharat.
There were three other princely estates in Madhya Pradesh:
Garha, Khaniyadhana and Rajgarh..

The Maharaja of Gwalior before his palace


(Photo: Edwin Lord Weeks).

the large states of Indore, Bhopal,


Nagpur, Rewa, and dozens of
smaller states, became princely
states of British India, and the Mahakoshal region became a British
province, the Saugor and Nerbudda
Territories.
In 1853, the British annexed the
state of Nagpur, which included
southeastern Madhya Pradesh, eastern Maharashtra and most of Chhattisgarh, which were combined with
the Saugor and Nerbudda Territories to form the Central Provinces in
1861. The princely states of northern Madhya Pradesh were governed
by the Central India Agency.
Madhya Bharat, also known as
Malwa Union, was an Indian state
in west-central India, created on
May 28 1948 from 25 princely
states which, until 1947, had been
part of the Central India Agency,
with Jivaji Rao Scindia as its Rajpramukh.
With the passing of the Indian Independence Act 1947, the princely
states of India had all been released
from British suzerainty and had become fully independent. Madhya
Bharat was one of the states to have
delayed accession to India or to
Pakistan.
Gwalior was the winter capital
and Indore was the summer capital.
It was bordered by the states of
Bombay (presently Gujarat and
Maharashtra) to the southwest, Rajasthan to the northeast, Uttar
Pradesh to the north, Uttar Pradesh
and Vindhya Pradesh to the east,
and Bhopal State and Madhya
Pradesh to the southeast.
On November 1, 1956, Madhya
Bharat, together with the states
of Vindhya Pradesh and Bhopal
State, was merged into Madhya
Pradesh.

Madhya Pradesh: A political powerhouse


From political leader and social reformer Dr B.R. Ambedkar to former President Shankar Dayal Sharma, from former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to current dynamic Chief
Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Madhya Pradesh has a rich political legacy that has not only served the country at turbulent times in the past but continues to do so...
fter India got independence, the nominal head of Madhya Bharat state was
Rajpramukh. It had also the post of an
Uparajpramukh. The state had a Vidhan Sabha
of 99 members, who were elected from 79 constituencies (59 single member and 20 double
member).
There were nine Lok Sabha constituencies in
the state.
Jivaji Rao Scindia was Rajpramukh of the
state from 28 May 1948 to 31 October 1956 and
Liladhar Joshi was the first Chief Minister.
He was succeeded by Gopi Krishna Vijayvargiya in May 1949. On 18 October 1950,
Takhatmal jain (Jalori) became the third Chief
Minister of Madhya Bharat.
In the first general election in 1951, the Indian National Congress won 75 seats and the Hindu Mahasabha won 11 seats.
Mishrilal Gangwal of Indian National Congress became the Chief Minister on March 3,
1952. After his resignation, Takhatmal Jain
(Jalori) again became the Chief Minister on 16
April 1955. The present-day Madhya Pradesh
state came into existence on 1 November 1956
following the reorganization of states.
The strengths of the legislative assemblies of
Madhya Bharat, Vindhya Pradesh and Bhopal
were 79, 48 and 23 respectively.
On 1 November 1956, the legislative assemblies of all four erstwhile states were also
merged to form the reorganized Madhya
Pradesh Vidhan Sabha.
The tenure of this first Vidhan Sabha was very
short, it was dissolved on 5 March 1957.
The first elections to the Madhya Pradesh
Vidhan Sabha were held in 1957 and the second
Vidhan Sabha was constituted on 1 April 1957.

(From L to R ) Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former President Shankar Dayal Sharma and Dr B.R. Ambedkar,
who were born in Madhya Pradesh.

Initially, the strength of the Vidhan Sabha was


288 which was later enhanced to 321, including
one nominated member.On 1 November 2000,
a new state Chhattisgarh was carved out of
Madhya Pradesh state.
As a result, the strength of the Vidhan Sabha
was reduced to 231, including a nominated
member. The present house, the 13th Vidhan
Sabha was constituted on 11 December 2008.
In Madhya Pradesh, the strength of the upper
castes does not rely on the demographic advantage alone but, more precisely, on the resilience
of the princely elite because of the persistence
of old kingdoms during the British Raj.
The elitist social profile of the states political
class is a reflection of the domination of Congress and more recently the BJP.
Indeed, the Congress till the last decade had
over-dominated the political history of Madhya

Chief Ministers till date


1 Ravishankar Shukla (1 November 1956-31 December 1956)
2 Bhagwantrao Mandloi (1 January 1957-30 January)
3 Kailash Nath Katju (31 January 1957-14 March 1957)
4 Bhagwantrao Mandloi (12 March 1962-29 September 1963)
5 Dwarka Prasad Mishra (30 September 1963-8 March 1967)
6 Govind Narayan Singh (30 July 1967-12 March 1969)
7 Nareshchandra Singh (13 March 1969-25 March 1969)
8 Shyama Charan Shukla (26 March 1969-28 January 1972)
9 Prakash Chandra Sethi (29 January 1972-22 December 1975)
10 Shyama Charan Shukla (23 December 1975 -29 April 1977)
11 President's rule (29 April 1977-25 June 1977)
11 Kailash Chandra Joshi (26 June 1977-17 January 1978)
12 Virendra Kumar Saklecha (18 January 1978-19 January 1980)
13 Sunderlal Patwa (20 January 1980-17 February 1980)
14. President's rule (18 February 1980-8 June 1980)
15. Arjun Singh (8 June 1980-10 March 1985)
16 Motilal Vora (13 March 1985-13 February 1988)
17. Arjun Singh (14 February 1988-24 January 1989)
18. Motilal Vora (25 January 1989-8 December 1989)
19. Shyama Charan Shukla (9 December 1989-4 March 1990)
20. Sunderlal Patwa (5 March 1990-15 December 1992)
21. President's rule (16 December 1992-6 December 1993)
22. Digvijaya Singh (7 December 1993-1 December 1998)
and then (1 December 1998 -8 December 2003)
23. Uma Bharti (8 December 20030-23 August 2004)
24. Babulal Gaur (23 August 2004-29 November 2005)
25. Shivraj Singh Chouhan (November 30, 2005-present)

Pradesh. The party ruled pre-2000 Madhya


Pradesh continuously since its formation in
1956 except for two short periods in 1977-79
(the Janata phase) and 1990-92 (when the BJP
briefly took over).
Nevertheless, the steady erosion of the Congress party and of the socialists gradually
gave birth to a two party system with the Jana
Sangh and then the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) gaining momentum from the 1960s onwards, without modifying substantially the conservative overtone of the state political scene,
wrote Christophe Jaffrelot in an article that was
published in the Indian Seminar.
The domination of the Congress party, to begin with, was partly due to its capacity to co-opt
former princes, a process well illustrated by the
case of the Maharajas of Gwalior, Narsingarh,
Rewa, Sarangarh, Surguja and Kanker.

Famous politicians
1. Dr B.R. Ambedkar,
born in Mhow,
the Cantonment town in Indore district
2. Shankar Dayal Sharma,
former President of India,
politician
3. Atal Bihari Vajpayee,
former PM of India
4. Kailash Nath Katju
5. Vijaya Raje Scindia
6. Madhavrao Scindia,
of the Scindia family,
erstwhile rulers of Gwalior,
former Union Minister
7. Arjun Singh, politician
8. Vasundhara Raje
9. Sharad Yadav
10. Jaya Bachchan
11. Sumitra Mahajan
12. Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia
13. Prithviraj Chavan
14. Shivraj Singh Chouhan,
current chief minister
15. Uma Bharti
16. Digvijaya Singh

Thus, the Congress established its domination over Madhya Pradesh by aggregating vote
banks owned by former princes or jagirdars.
This feudal brand of clientelism partly explains the over-representation of the upper
castes among the Congress MLAs, Jaffrelot
continued.From 1957 to 1967, the proportion of
the Congress upper caste MLAs remained between 40-51 percent. However, the 1972 elections showed that the Congress did not break
from the age-old collaboration between an upper-caste educated intelligentsia and the notables from the merchant and agricultural classes.
The elitist bias of the Congress was gradually
put into question after the party returned to
power in 1980. The proponents of kisan politics
were also very weak, largely because of an absence of a strong middle caste milieu, like the
Jats in Uttar Pradesh.
Things really changed in the 1990s, with the
decreasing number of upper castes MLAs and
the rise of the OBCs, except during the 1990
election, the worse election year for the Congress since the 1977 post-emergency rout,
which suggests that its upper caste candidates
were better entrenched in their constituency.
While the upper caste members represented
45-57% of the governments in 1980-1990, in
1993 their percentage fell to about 33% and remained below 40% in the 1990s (except in
1998). In the state assembly election held in
2008, 69.28 percent of the people eligible voted, giving a majority to the Bharatiya Janata
Party, the incumbent, with 143 out of the 230
seats in the assembly. Shivraj Singh Chouhan
got his second term as chief minister of the state.
Riding high on pro-incumbency and a divided opposition, the Bharatiya Janata Party led by
Chouhan returned to power with a massive
mandate for the third straight term in 2013.
BJP won 165 seats in the 230-members seat
Assembly, way ahead of the Congress which
was restricted to just 58 seats.
The tables have turned full circle in Madhya
Pradesh with the BJP coming into power. The
state is now on the path of overall development.
The new government has also done a commendable work by politically empowering the
women by providing 50 percent reservation to
women in local civic bodies.

Industrial Development & Economic


Growth in Madhya Pradesh
Economic Snapshot: GSDP of Madhya Pradesh
At current prices, the gross state domestic product (GSDP) of Madhya
Pradesh for 2013-14 was US$ 74.8 billion.

Break up of outstanding investments


in Madhya Pradesh
In 2013-14, the outstanding investments in the state were US$ 94.5 billion.

PROFILE

Yashodhara Raje Scindia


Hon Minister of Commerce, Industries & Employment, and PSUs

ASHODHARA RAJE
SCINDIA is Minister
for Commerce, Industry and Employment for Madhya Pradesh along with other
important portfolios such as the
Public Sector Undertakings,
Sports &Youth Welfare and Religious Trusts & Endowments.
Ms Scindias first stint as an
MLA began in 1998 when she
campaigned against illegal
stone mining in Madhya
Pradesh, which led to the
Supreme Court of India hearing
a PIL on illegal mining in the
state, particularly Shivpuri district.
In her second term as MLA,
she was made Minister in the
Shivraj Singh Chouhan cabinet
(2005-7), in charge of critical
portfolios such as Tourism,
Sports and Youth Welfare.
As Tourism Minister, she pioneered and transformed the
sleepy tiger of Madhya Pradesh
tourism into a vibrant, roaring

tiger through intense branding


and marketing that is earning
accolades in India and internationally even today. Her highly
successful tenure as the tourism
minister catapulted Madhya
Pradesh into one of the top
tourist destinations in India
with a series of promotional
campaigns such as Hindustan
ka Dil Dekho. She subsequently resigned as state minister
and became a Member of Parliament from Gwalior. A twoterm MP, she held the office
from Feb 2007 to Nov 2013.
In her current avatar as the
Minister of Commerce and Industry of Madha Pradesh, Ms
Scindia is on a mission to boost
the industrial development in
the state.
As a strong advocate for progressive and sustainable development, she is passionate about
setting up a smart city, a world
class exhibition and convention
space, food processing units
and defense production units in
MP.
Under her, the Department of
Commerce, Industries and Employment organized the Global
Investors Summit 2014 in Indore. The summit will serve as
a catalyst for forging new partnerships, attracting the whos
who of the corporate word in
India and overseas and promises to place MP firmly on the
global map.

adhya Pradesh State Industrial


Development Corporation Limited
(MPSIDC) is the nodal agency for
industrial growth in the state. It is the central point
to coordinate, activate and ensure implementation
of mega infrastructure projects. MPSIDC has
identified 19 industrial growth centers to attract
medium and large industries and non-resident
Indians (NRls) to the state, and provide various
facilities and concessions to them.
To ensure a balanced and sustainable growth of
industry across the state, MPSIDC established
growth centers at Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur,
Indore, Rewa and Ujjain. These growth centers
are known as Madhya Pradesh Audyogik Kendra
Vikas Nigam Limited (AKVN).
The state has excellent infrastructure, with 19
industrial development parks, 129 industrial areas,
six food parks, eight integrated development centers, three dry parks, one stone park, one IT park,
one SEZ and an apparel park at Indore.
The following are some of the major initiatives
taken by the government to promote Madhya
Pradesh as an investment destination:

* For a structured growth, the government has


divided the state into six clusters - Indore, Bhopal,
Jabalpur, Gwalior, Rewa and Sagar.
* A gems and jewellery park is being developed in Indore to promote the diamond industry in
the state. MPSIDC has undertaken a US$ 14.7
million project to bring water from Narmada
River to Dewas under the BOT scheme. The project would likely resolve the water problems of 460
industries and facilitate further industrialization of
the Dewas industrial belt.
* Indore has been identified for infrastructure
development under the Textiles Center
Infrastructure Development Scheme (TCIDS).
Indore is a cluster of the readymade garments
industry with over 1,260 garment units.
* To attract investment into the sector, the government has provided an interest subsidy for five
years at the rate of five per cent for textile projects
and seven per cent for composite textile projects.
Source: India Brand Equity Foundation, Data
updated on: November, 2014

MADHYA PRADESH AN INDUSTRIAL POWER HOUSE


In addition to being located in the country, MP is
also a thriving business center. Renowned names
from diverse areas ranging from the auto industry to
pharmaceuticals are based here. There are strong
reasons to do so. A continuous supply of skilled
workforce, a peaceful industrial work atmosphere,
natural resources and a proactive government have
made it an attractive industrial option.
VIBRANT INDUSTRIAL BASE
 A Rs. 37,000 crore flourishing industry
 Major auto manufacturing base
 Largest producer of radial tyres in India
 Largest soya processing hub in India
 FMCG consumer electronics hub
 Hub for pharmaceutical and herbal products
 Rapidly growing textile and apparel hub
 A growing gems and jewelry center

SKILLED MANPOWER & EDUCATION


CENTER
 18,000 technical graduates and an overall figure of 230,000 graduates add to the workforce each
year
 Indian Institute of Information Technology at
Gwalior
National Law School and National Judicial
Academy and National Institute of Technology at
Bhopal
 National Tourism Training Institute at
Gwalior

Simhastha-2016 to give message of


mankinds welfare to world
5 crore devotees expected to participate at Ujjain Mahakumbh
hief Minister Shivraj Singh
Chouhan has said that the
Simhastha-2016 should spread of
message for mankinds welfare throughout
the world. Best and most beautiful arrangements as per Sanatan traditions should be
made for the event. All Simhasta-related
arrangements should be completed in a
planned, transparent and time-bound manner.
About 5 crore devotees are expected to
participate in Simhastha to be held at Ujjain
in year 2016.
CM Chouhan is himself reviewing preparations for Simhastha.
Plans are afoot to develop facilities on
4000 hectare land for Simhastha. The 2month event will begin in April 2016. For
administrative arrangements in Mela area, 6
zones, 16 sectors and 42 police stations will
be created.
First holy bath of Simhastha will take
place on April 22, Shahi Snan on May 21
while other holy baths will take place on
May 9, 11, 17 and 19, 2016. Panchkroshi
Yatra will be held from May 1 to 6, 2016.
GIS-based arrangements will be made for
Simhastha. Six flag stations will be set up
by Railways. During Simhastha 20 thousand administrative, 23 thousand police
staff and 60 thousand volunteers will be
deployed.

Chief Minister Chouhan


invites people to Simhastha2016 from all over the world
especially People of Indian
origin settled abroad
For Simhastha, 4000 hectare area will be
developed like a city for religious and socioeconomic activities. Modern traffic arrangements will be made. The state government
has sanctioned 144 works costing about Rs.
773 crore. For holy baths, 7.25 kilometer
long ghats will be renovated and constructed. Cultural programs will also be held during the event.
The Chief Minister invites people to
Simhastha from all over the world especial-

ly People of Indian origin settled abroad.


Chief Minister Chouhan has said that the
state government will provide stage for discussions on the issues How to Save Earths
Existence, Women Power, Value-based
Lifestyle and Basic Tenets of Religion at
Simhastha-2016. Efforts will be made to ensure participation of maximum number of
seers and scholars to guide the world.
The state government will also make comprehensive arrangements for devotees

reaching Omkareshwar during Simhastha.


Work is in progress at 6717 projects including construction of control room-cumwatchtower, building of Mela office, major
bridges, external and internal roads being
constructed by PWD and constructed, under-construction works of Water Resources
Development Department and works being
undertaken by Environment and Pollution
Control Board and Madhya Pradesh Western Region Power Distribution Company.

Proud of my homestate MP and CM Shri Chouhan


Sushma Kotahwala is prominent community leader and the most successful president of Association of Indians in America (AIA)-NY
By Sushma Kotahwala
am very proud to be from Madhya
Pradesh nicknamed "Heart of India".
Due to its geographical location in the
middle of the country, it is a state with immense potential for development. I feel
more proud that Hon. Chief Minister Shri
Shivraj Singh Chouhan has taken the initiative along with our Honorable Consul
General, Ambassador Dnyaneshwar Mulay in hosting a "Friends of MP Conclave"
which will bring all friends under one
umbrella to work for the development of
state. MP is a home to many well known
tourist destinations and home to a number
of eminent people of the country. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the earlier Prime Minister
of India, Amjad Ali Khan, the famous Sarod player, living legend India's nightingale
Lata Mangeshkar and many more.
Madhya Pradesh is very rich in culture,
holding a legacy of classical and folk
songs and dances. Bharat Bhavan in

Bhopal is one of the renowned hubs of culture of MP.


Several renowned community leaders
from MP have always taken initiative in
the development of the society. Among
those few my father Shri Ragunath Prasadji Tulshyan has always taken a keen interest for many years. At present he is chairman of the school in which in 2011-2012
Shri Shivraj Chouhan came to felicitate
with a maiden state award. Shri APJ Abdul Kalam, former President of India had
also visited as a chief guest of the school,
who was welcomed by my father Tulshyanji.
Its really a matter of pride for me that I
belong to this state where a CM like Shri
Chouhanji is leading Government efforts
towards conservation of natural resources
in line with Clean India project, working
on the infrastructure with better roads, bus
& train services, promoting premier educational institutions and women empowerment. All this will go a long way.

Sushma Kotahwala's father Shri Ragunath Prasadji Tulshyan greets former


President of India, APJ Abdul Kalam during the latter's visit
to the school he is chairman of.

Culinary delights of Madhya Pradesh


M

adhya Pradesh is highly


acclaimed for its treasure
of historical edifices and
relics but the state also has a rich
culinary heritage.
Cuisines of Madhya Pradesh
have evolved with the influence
from neighboring states, but once
adopted, the dishes have been modified to give it distinctiveness. The
tribals of Madhya Pradesh have
some special and authentic dishes.
While some of the dishes of the
Malwa region have become global, some still remain rooted in the
region as they are made in tribal
households and local restaurants.
Festivals are the time when the best
of dishes are made and served.
An eclectic variety of cuisines
are available all over Madhya
Pradesh depending on the regional
predisposition of the local population. In cities with strong Muslim
influence, like Bhopal, the food
tends to be rich and heavy. Bhopal
is known for the variety of delicious meat, mutton, chicken and
fish items with the dominant flavors of garlic, onion and spices all
cooked in generous quantities of
ghee. The spicy rogan josh, korma,
seekh kebab and shami kebab are
some of the more delectable. These
items have become an inseparable
part of all grand feasts.
Places such as Indore and
Gwalior offer delicacies prepared
from milk. The famous Bafla is
made of wheat and is served with
ghee and daal. Also, if you are pure
vegetarian you can relish sweet
dishes like Bhutte ki kees - made of
milk and corn, chakki ki shaak made of wheat, mawa-bati and
malpua.
Indore is considered the street
food capital of India where you
will find an entire gamut of Indian
cuisines. Evenings at the famous
streets like Sarafa Bazaar and
Chhappan Dukaan is a dream come

Gulab jammun at Rajwada Market, Indore.


(Pic courtesy blog.roomnhouse.com)

true for snack and sweet lovers.


The many shops that put up their
stalls offer exquisite items that you
probably won't find anywhere else,
at least not as good as here. 'Poha
jalebi' and 'bhutte ka kees' are the
most popular ones among the
crowd. The chaat corners and
sweet shops put so much on display
that it is hard to pass by without savoring some.

Culture
No other state in India enmeshes
as many different cultures and traditions as Madhya Pradesh.
It is a cauldron that incessantly
connects the various aspects of its
multi-dimensional culture and still
upholds a beautifully amalgamated
heritage that retains its distinctive
zeal.
Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists,
Jains, Christians and Sikhs along
with various tribal communities
comprising of Bhils, Gonds,
Oraons, Kols, Bhilalas, Murias and
Korkens contribute to the cultural
effervescence of the state. The trib-

Bhutte ka kees (Courtesy: ashwinbahulkar.wordpress.com)

al matrix has begotten the inimitable handicrafts of the region. In


fact, the art and craft prevalent in
Madhya Pradesh makes it an exclusive museum that showcases the
indigenous beauty of Indian handicrafts, and also presents the inventive adroitness of its people.

Art and craft


Arts and crafts of Madhya
Pradesh illustrate the tribal art form
merged impeccably into the tradition of the people residing in Madhya Pradesh. The region looms
large in lush textiles and rural
handiworks. The people treasure
handloom Chanderi sarees and Maheshwari saree. Madhya Pradesh is
a hub of 'erotic' artistries and beautiful architectural works. Tribal
craftsmen are skilled in metal
wares and aesthetic objects. Arts
and crafts incorporate bamboo
work, dolls and toys, metalwork,
carpet weaving, ornaments and
jewelry, pottery, stone-carving,
paintings, printing and woodcarving.

Malwa thali (Pic courtesy citydilse-1)

Cultural
institutions
The state is home to many cultural and art institutes that develop
and preserve various art forms.
Some of the institutes include
Artist Combine (Gwalior), Bharat
Bhavan (the famed multi-art center

Bharat Bhavan is the famed multi-art center in Bhopal. (right) A Tribal art Tiger sculpture from Bastar in
Bharat Bhavan collection. (Photos courtesy Gauri Bharat and Bharat Bhavan)

in Bhopal) and Vivechana Rang


Mandal (Jabalpur).
The state also hosts folk theaters
that showcase the rich performances. Some of them include Bundeli
Swang, Chahur, Gammat, Khamb
Swang, Manch and Ragini.

The rural
charm
Madhya Pradesh form a big part
of tourism in the state. Some of
these places are naturally scenic
whereas some are worth your time
for the many extravagant palaces
and forts.
The vast lands, covered with unspoiled greenery are spilled every
where in these parts. Some of the
most popular rural destinations are
Orchha, Dhar and Mandu.
While Orcha, which means 'hidden place', is exclusively famous
for its monumental heritage like
forts, temples and chhatris, Mandhu, the town on stone, is known for
the Afghan architecture. Dhar on
the other hand is famous for both
heritage sites and scenic beauty.

In the land of Tansen


Major cultural festivals in the state
Festival:- Festival of Dances
Where its at:- Khajuraho
Whats in it:- Indian classical dance performances by some of the best dancers in
the country and abroad.
Festival:- Akhil Bhartiya Kalidas Samaroh
Where its at:- Ujjain
Whats in it:- Literary presentations along
with dramas and Indian classical programs.
Festival:- Tansen Sangeet Samaroh
Where its at:- Gwalior
Whats in it:- Indian classical vocal & instrumental performances by the best in the
country.
Tansen Samaroh 2014 first day starts with musical bonfire
(Photo courtesy soulsteer.com).

he culture of Madhya Pradesh, in true


sense, is extensively recognized for its
musical extravaganza and dancing
rhythms. Folk songs, songs of Indian classical
music genre are equally popular among music
lovers.
In Bastar, the Muria and Sing Maria tribes are
well-known for the songs namely relo. The region is also fructified by dhankul songs colligated with evoking Danteshwari, a goddess,
and the 'chait parah'. In Jagdalpur, leha songs
are famous. These are ritual song sung during
the departure from near and dear ones. During
festivals, the swaying tunes of songs in accompaniment with bansuri, harmonium, chastise
hearts both young and old.
Each year, the state organizes Tansen Music
Festival called Tansen Samaroh, named after
the pillar of Indian classical music. It is held in
Gwalior, the place where this great musician
lies buried in Tansen Tomb. Gwalior is the place
that has retained the rich classical music tradition and Tansen devotion to music laid to the
foundation for what is known as the Gwalior
gharana style with its unique dhrupad classical
form. Khayal was also refined from the Gwalior
gharana only.
Tansen Samaroh is noted for its unique compositions in Indian classical style and forceful
performances. Organized by the Madhya

Pradesh Kala Parishad, the Tansen festival is a


unique four day show for the music lovers of the
country to experience the superb melody rendered by the great exponents of Indian classical
music. The most prestigious Tansen honor
(samman) for the long time devotion and contribution to Hindustani classic music is also
awarded on this occasion.
The ambience of frenzy is heightened by the
sophisticated steps of the dancing troupes. The
colorful Maria Gonds of Bastar region fete their
important events by dancing. The most popular
dance form is the outstanding wedding dance,
called the Gaur, which is worth a watch. Tribal
dances like Phag, Lota dance and various stilt
dance styles are also prevalent. Dressed up in
colored clothes, the tribal population dance and
hum melodious numbers thus depicting various
aspects of socio-political and cultural scenarios.
In a nutshell, these bonanzas create a magnificent aura to its audiences both at home and
abroad.

Festival:- Dhrupad Samaroh


Where its at:- Bhopal
Whats in it:- Vocal performances in the famous dhrupad style of Indian classical music.
Festival:- Allauddin Khan Sangeet Samaroh
Where its at:- Maihar, Satna
Whats in it:- Indian classical music.
Festival:- Chakradhar Samaroh
Where its at:- Raigarh
Whats in it:- Indian classical dance & music.

Festival:- Pachmarhi Utsava


Where its at:- Pachmarhi
Whats in it:- Indian folk arts
performances.
Festival:- Keshav Jayanti Samaroh
Where its at:- Orchha
Whats in it:- Literary presentation.
Festival:- Bhavbhuti Samaroh
Where its at:- Gwalior
Whats in it:- Sanskrits literary programmes.
Festival:- Malwa Utsava
Where its at:- Ujjain & Indore
Whats in it:- Folk arts and Indian classical music.
Festival:- Rashtriya Ramleela Mela
Where its at:- Different parts of the state
Whats in it:- Some of the countrys best
Ramleela mandlis (repertories that perform
the Ramayana) participate.
Festival:-Lokrang Samaroh
Where its at:- Bhopal
Whats in it:- Indian folk arts festival.

Festival:- Ameer Khan Festival


Where its at:- Indore
Whats in it:- Indian classical music.

Festival:- Pt. Kumar Gandharva Samaroh


Where its at:- Dewas
Whats in it:- Indian classical music performances.

Festival:- Rashtriya Hindi Natya Samaroh


Where its at:- Bhopal
Whats in it:- Some of the best theatre
repertories in India perform.

Festival:- Nimar Utsava


Where its at:- Maheshwar
Whats in it:- Indian folk and classical
performances.

Fairs and festivals

Both the tribal and non-tribal communities


have their own socio-cultural space. Gond tribe,
Bhil tribe and Oraon tribe are the three distinct
tribes that influence the culture of Madhya
Pradesh. These tribal groups have their distinctive languages, art forms and
festivities. Festivals like
Bhagoriya, Madai, etc. are
celebrated by the tribal
groups.
The state also hosts the
Simhastha Kumbh at Ujjain.
This event which the devout
Hindus wait for 12 years will
be held on a global scale in
2016. The month-long congregation brings together
millions of people from
across India and abroad.
Driven by faith and the quest
for inner peace, they converge on this holy city to be
a part of a unique bathing
Holi in MP (Courtesy blog.united21resortpench.com)
festival.

Khajuraho Dance Festival


(Photo courtesy traveltrance.com)

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