• Sundraram Infotech Bags Award
• India-Born Expert Receives Stockholm
• Triupatio-Style Temple Opened in UK
• BEN Bags IFFI-2006
• Contemporary, Modern Bengal Art to Feature at Sept Auction
• Iranians Vote Sholay Favourite Film
• TV Channel For Indian Diaspora Launched
• Vertex's on The Block For Raman Roy
• Dahi Handi Frenzy Lures Group of 9 Experts From Spain
• Aurbindo And Independence
• 39th Jnanpith Award Conferred on Writer Vinda Karandikar
• Subir Raha Named 'Energy Executive of The year'
• 'US Sikhs Can Build Gurudwara'
• Mohammad Rafi Remembered on 26th Death Anniversary

• British Media Lauds Hrishida's Film-Making Skills
• Ocimum Bio Gets Red Herring Award
• Largest Hindu Temple Opens in Britain
• Orissa Professor Gets Award in Australia
• Bollywood More Successful in UK Than Homegrown Productions
• AR Rahman on Bowling Over The Hollywood Bowl
• Virgin Comics to Tap Indian Mythology
• ACC Award For Cisco Systems
• Indians Abroad Passionately Celebrate I - Day
• EEPC Award For Indian Charge Chorme
• Pride of Sustralia Award For Indian Aussie
• Amitabh Bachchan a Never-Before Avatar
• Teach Morality And Spirituality
• Revealing Sketches of Indian Culture

British media has lamented noted film director Hrishikesh Mukherjee's passing away in Mumbai and has hailed him as the 'chronicler of the conservative Indian middle classes of the 1970s'. In detailed obituaries, The Times and The Independent lavished praise on his film-making skills but noted that the themes of decency and family values that dominated his films had been swept away in India's recent economic changes. The Times obituary said: "He echoed the mood of the times, when there was little to buy in an economically isolated India and being wealthy often meant being decadent. It was a time when the good cherished family and the bad cherished money - at least, so said Mukherjee. "His films contained no violence, crime or vulgarity. That, in itself, set him apart as Bollywood embraced blood as a substitute for erotica, which was limited by the censors to the shaking bush or clinging wet sari. Mukherjee mostly made films the entire family could see. That is why they are still played repeatedly on state-run Indian television. They are an idealised view of the past. "Mukherjee was no communist but he was a product of the Leftist soul of a now-vanished socialist India. As India changed he went out of style, but in his heyday he was one of the kings of Bollywood. "Funny or tragic, his films carried the same themes of a high-thinking, urbanised, educated middle class." "His films also adhered to middle-class Hindu secularism and the belief that religion was personal - one value, at least, that generally survives. He stuck to his basic themes consistently, rarely experimenting with new styles while others pushed out the bounds of violence and sexuality. His films were like himself - decent and proper". The Independent wrote: "Mukherjee understood the nuances that characterised India's middle classes and portrayed them with a skilful and charming mix of objectivity, realism, pathos, humour and mild sarcasm. "He was one of the last truly Bollywood-rooted directors, deliberately eschewing stories set in overseas locales and featuring flamboyant stars who dressed outrageously and acted outlandishly. "The nub of almost all of Mukherjee's films was that most things in life can be made easier with laughter and simplicity".

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, August 31, 2006

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Sundaram Infotech Solutions, the IT arm of Sundaram Finance, has bagged the Microsoft award - `best partner-South' - for its `Microsoft Dynamics' ERP solutions. Microsoft Dynamics is a line of ERP Solution that automates and helps improve financial and customer relationships as well as manufacturing and supply chain management.

Courtesy: The Hindu, August 30, 2006

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The Hyderabad-based Ocimum Biosolutions has been selected as a Red Herring 100 Asia winner for 2006. From about 600 submissions throughout Asia, Ocimum was selected as one of Asia's hottest technology start-ups by Red Herring, which covers markets such as Japan, South Korea, China, India, Singapore and Australia. In a press release, the Chief Executive Officer of Ocimum, Ms Anuradha Acharya, said the award would boost the innovations and research efforts being undertaken at the company. The winners of the Asia 100 award would be receiving the recognition at a function in Hong Kong on August 28, the press release added.

Courtesy: www.thehindubusinessline.com, August 25, 2006

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An India-born water management expert has been awarded the US$150,000 Stockholm Water Prize for his multi-faceted contribution to global water resource issues, including research, education and creating awareness in both developing and developed countries. Asit K Biswas, now a Canadian citizen, is the president of the Mexico-based Third World Center for Water management. He was cited for helping "foster a critical rethink" among UN agencies, governments and others about how to improve the delivery of water and sanitation services. He received the prize from Swedish Crown Princess Victoria at a ceremony in Stockholm on Thursday. While many highly-qualified experts in aquatic disciplines distinguish themselves as academicians, practitioners, government advisors, writers and lecturers, Biswas, with his wide knowledge, is highly recognized in all of these areas and, most importantly, has applied his skills internationally, thereby adding new dimensions to the wise use and management of the global water resources, the citation said. The Stockholm Water Prize is a global award founded in 1990 and presented annually to an individual, organisation or institution for outstanding water-related activities. The activities can be in fields like education, human and international relations, water management, water-related aid. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden is the Patron of the Water Prize. Biswas founded the International Journal of Water Resources Development and has been its Editor-in-Chief for the past 21 years.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, August 25, 2006

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Europe's largest Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Venkateswara has been thrown open to the public with a week-long festival during which priests will perform rituals to sanctify the shrine. The Rs 57.3 crore temple, which opened on Wednesday, is in the west central English town of Tividale, near Birmingham. It is based on the famous Tirupati-Tirumala temple in India. Fifteen Indian priests will perform rituals to sanctify the temple. The festival will end with the installation of the 3.6 metre statue of Lord Krishna. The idea of the temple was conceived in the 1970s but it was not until 1987 that worshippers acquired the site. Scores of craftsmen from India worked on the temple. "It's just marvellous and thanks must go to the people who have donated money and the all the work the volunteers have done. The devotees have been very generous and it is a beautiful temple," devouts Nookaraju and his wife Jayakumar told the BBC. Devotees hope that people of all faiths will be compelled to visit the largest temple in Europe. "There is still work to be done but it is great to have this place, it enriches our culture."

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, August 25, 2006

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The largest Hindu temple in Europe based on the architecture of the Tirupati Tirumala temple is being opened during a five-day religious festival in Tividale, near Birmingham. More than 10,000 devotees are expected to attend a number of rituals scheduled to sanctify the Sri Venkateswara (Balaji) temple. Several sculptors and artisans have worked on intricate carvings in and around the temple. Several priests have flown in from India to perform the rituals in Sanskrit. The five-day event will culminate in the installation of a 12-foot idol of Lord Krishna. The temple's construction is reported to have cost 6.5 million pounds. The funds were provided by donations from devotees and a grant from the Millennium Commission. The temple has been built on a site donated in 1987 by the then Black Country Development Corporation. Bimal Kishna Das, the secretary of the National Council of Hindu Temples (Britain), told the BBC: "This is great news for the Hindu British community. The opening of this great temple will be a wonderful addition to the multi-religious society of Britain, especially in the West Midlands." VP Narayan Rao, the chairman of the trustees, said: "This is the fulfilment of a long cherished dream, the end of a long road and the beginning of a new era." One of the temple founders, K. Somasundara Rajah, said: "We used to have the use of another temple but then the congregation got bigger and in 1974 some in our group thought we should get our own temple. We said we should build a replica of the Tirupati Temple in South India."

Courtesy: The Times of India, August 24, 2006

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Orissa's Professor Mukti Mishra was given the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Research by Victoria University in Australia. Mishra was given the award for his outstanding research in governance and fiscal reforms. "This is a great honour for me. I am the only non-Australian to receive such a prestigious award from Victoria University," Mishra said from Australia.

Courtesy: The Times of India, August 24, 2006

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The Delhi based event management company, Brilliant Entertainment Networks (BEN) has bagged the contract as the official event management agency for the International Film Festival of India, 2006, to be held in Goa this November. BEN was selected after an elaborate selection procedure that went on for 3 months. This will be for the first time that the Event Management agency will take care of the inaugural and the closing ceremonies too, this is because the state government has been entrusted by the Union Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. The Chief Secretary, ESG, Mr.J.P.Singh said, "The firm has been selected because of their creative design and marketing strategy." Speaking on this achievement, Mr.Raman Raheja, Director, BEN, said," This is one of the biggest projects of our events industry. IFFI-2006 gives us an opportunity to use our technical and creative expertise to take this event to the level of Cannes Film Festival."

Courtesy: The Economic Times, August 21, 2006

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Bollywood films are more successful in the UK than home-grown productions, with nine Indian productions making it into top ten and three scooping more than one million pounds at box office last year. A record 74 Indian films were released in the United Kingdom in 2005, compared to just 61 British productions. "During the last 12 months, nine Bollywood films have entered the top 10 list of films compared with just seven British ones," The Sunday Telegraph reported on Sunday. Bollywood films, which have achieved significant success in UK include Garam Masala, Krrish and Dosti: Friends Forever. Garam Masala, a romantic comedy, collected 292,033 pounds in its opening weekend, where as science fiction epic, Krrish made 210,499 pounds during the same period. The drama, Dosti: Friends Forever, which entered the UK box office chart at number five after grossing 146,069 in its opening weekend also made good business. Each of the three films have now grossed around one million pounds. Almost one in six of all films released in Britain last year (16 per cent) were in Hindi while Bollywood produced 11 of the 20 most successful foreign-language films released in the UK in 2005. Successful Bollywood films can now expect to make more than two million pounds at the British box office and, despite expensive publicity drives and all star casts, a number of high-profile British productions have been eclipsed by Indian films, the report said. For example, Fanaa, a romantic drama, collected more than 300,000 pounds in its opening weekend while The Libertine starring Johnny Depp, took 278,000 pounds over the same period. So far Fanaa has taken a total of 1,176,000 pounds, almost double that earned by The Libertine. In addition to the seven British films, which made it to the top 10 over the course of the last 12 months, another 14 films classed as British co-production entered the charts. These included George Clooney's Good Night and Good Luck, and Woody Allen's Match Point. When Anglo-American productions are added, the number of British films released in the UK in 2005 rises to 89. The unprecedented level of commercial success has been fuelled by a new generation of young British Asians whose appetite for Indian films means that three of Britain's largest cinema chains, Cineworld, Vue and UCI, now routinely screen Hindi language films.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, August 20, 2006

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Another art auction house has arrived on the Indian scene. Frontline art outfit Apparao Galleries, which staged its opening auction a few months back, is unfurling a second sale in the first week of September. This is the first time that an auction is being dedicated exclusively to Bengal art. As things stand, the gallery has decided to combine both the online and onground models to auction the artworks. "We are featuring 90 lots in the sale. The paintings range from modern to contemporary Bengal art. There are also some Dutch Bengal works and portraits from the 19th century. Bengal was picked as a theme because it has a fantastic history. But, despite this and its tremendous potential, the paintings are generally undervalued and have not got adequate acknowledgement," Sharan Apparao, director, Apparao Galleries, said. She said that the first auction was a mixed bag of paintings and had grossed around Rs 3.5 crore. Dwelling on the dual format approach of an online and onground auctioneering, Ms Apparao said that the attempt was to do something different from other auctions. "It's a difficult thing and there's a good deal of technicalities involved. We are working on evolving the right model as the auctions unfold," she said. As far as the onground section of the auction goes, bids can be placed physically at the four different stations in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai. However, only registered bidders will be allowed to participate in the auctions. "We want it to be a no-nonsense affair," Ms Apparao said. Against the backdrop of the problem of fakes in Bengal, the gallery has taken care to rope in three art professionals to vet the works before they were selected to be auctioned. In fact, to create a parallel platform, Ms Apparao is unveiling authentication workshops at the preview shows of the auctions. Individual collectors can drop by at these programmes and get their works certified by experts. On the estimates front, Apparao Galleries is fielding a Bikash Bhattacharjee which is valued at Rs 80 lakh, while two Shakti Burmans are pegged at Rs 30-35 lakh. At the same time, Jogen Chowdhury is estimated at Rs 25-28 lakh, KG Subramanyam Rs 34-35 lakh, Ganesh Haloi Rs 16-18 lakh, Rabin Mandal Rs 7-8 lakh, Lalu Prasad Shaw Rs 7-10 lakh, a small Ganesh Pyne mixed media on paper work Rs 7-8 lakh and Abanindranath Tagore Rs 6-7 lakh. Paritosh Sen's drawings sport an estimate of Rs 1.5-1.75 lakh, with his paintings going at Rs 2-7 lakh. "Our estimates are definitely on the conservative side," Ms Apparao observed. She said venturing into auctions was a logical extension of the gallery. "There are few players in this sphere and one should always look for opportunities. I have been in this field for 22 years and learnt the nitty gritty of the gallery business including sourcing works. Of course, we'll take a little time to settle down in the auction circuit."

Courtesy: The Economic Times, August 20, 2006

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Composer AR Rahman's historic concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles last month has changed the equation between Bollywood and Hollywood. Recalling the exhilarating experience, Rahman says: "They had been trying to contact us for the past year. Finally I let them on to my events manager. "When I was earlier honoured at the Hollywood Bowl in 2000, they told me it was going to be a non-Indian audience. But a lot of Asians came, which was fantastic. But that process of reaching out to a global audience happened this time at the Hollywood Bowl." The concert held on July 16 was attended by 18,000 people. Says Rahman, "Eighty per cent of the audience was non-Indian. More than an endorsement of my music it was an acknowledgement of our entire film industry. I hate to call Hindi cinema 'Bollywood'. But that's what we represented at the Hollywood Bowl. "The doubts that I had about our music being appealing to the West were finally cleared. Our sincerity was quite clear to them. It took me years to get unapologetic about our music in front of a western audience. I now realise that the gift god has given me is the gift that I need to use to the fullest in front of audiences in any part of the world. "That's exactly what I did at the Hollywood Bowl that evening. My musicians and I for the first time felt such pride in doing our own thing. I started the evening with Bombay Dreams which the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra performed, followed by Dil Se, Rang De Basanti etc. Then we did choral arrangements of my songs from Mani Ratnam's films with a group called Global Rhythms." "They're students from Miami University. These kids had been following my music for years. They all flew into Los Angeles at their own expense because they wanted to play with me." Says Rahman: "I wasn't thinking of the fact that the Beatles or Pink Floyd performed at the Hollywood Bowl. I was just thinking of what I was supposed to do. I got great support from my musicians like Hariharan, Sukhwinder, Madhushree and Sadhana Sargam. Two local dance groups from Los Angeles danced to Rang de Basanti and Sona sona (Bombay Dreams)." Rahman is again prompted to look seriously westwards. "I'm confident about hitting other cities in Europe, Russia, China, Japan with similar concerts. If it worked in America, especially Los Angeles where the cream of the crowd lives, it can work anywhere. And I feel it's not just me moving forward. It's the entire Indian music industry.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, August 20, 2006

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Movie buffs in Iran have voted Ramesh Sippy's 1975 blockbuster Sholay as their favourite film of the month. A poll conducted by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting's (IRIB) Research Centre showed that the celebrated movie had drawn maximum attention from the viewers. The film starring Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar and Amjad Khan was telecast on Iranian television between June 22-July 22. It outdid Iranian directors Kiumars Purahmad's Strange Sisters and Kamal Tabrizi's Maternal Love, which were aired during the same period. They stood second and third respectively on the list.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, August 19, 2006

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Eyeing the burgeoning entertainment market, Virgin Comics and Virgin Animation on Thursday said it plans to tap the 5,000 year "vault of Indian mythology" and showcase it to the world. "The company hopes to create characters that simultaneously appeal to audiences from Boston to Beijing to Bangalore," Virgin CEO Sharad Devarajan told reporters. After what the company called "unbelievable success" of its debut comic titled "Devi" in the US, Virgin has launched in India its first original comic book series including "Sadhu", "Devi" and "Snake Woman", he said. Virgin Comics and Virgin Animation is the collaboration of writer Deepak Chopra, celebrated filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and British billionaire Sir Richard Branson. "The Virgin Comics reinvention of the quintessential Indian icon Devi is heading for global cult status and now the stage has been set for an equally strong birthing in India," the company said. Speaking on the evolving entertainment market in India, Shekhar Kapur, who is the Chief Visionary for Virgin Comics and has created two of Virgin Comics' launch series, "Devi" and "Snake Woman", said in the next 10 years, India would have 550 million children under 20 years, offering the largest "youth resource" that could be tapped. Devarajan said the company plans to evolve its content into various forms of youth-related entertainment products, including films. He said in the second phase, its comic books would be made available in Indian languages, including Hindi, Malayalam and Punjabi. Based in Bangalore, the company currently houses 75 artists and writers in a creative studio focusing on creating original stories and character properties that tap into the vast library of mythology and re-invent the rich narratives of Asia.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, August 18, 2006

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Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi Thursday launched a television channel, called PIO TV, meant for the Indian diaspora that will now be able to connect with its motherland in real time. The channel will be available through the Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) platform, which was also launched by the minister here. "We look after the interest of the 20 million people of Indian origin (PIOs) and non-resident Indians (NRIs) who reside overseas. Hence I am delighted to launch this new platform that will connect the expatriates with instantaneous news and information from India," Ravi said. "This service could further enhance the fast-growing relationship between overseas Indians and India," he added. The service provider for the channel is India Broadcast Live, a global entertainment and media company based in the US. "PIO TV is the first-ever ethnic channel for any expatriate community," said Munish Gupta, president of India Broadcast Live.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, August 18, 2006

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Internet networking company, Cisco Systems, on Thursday announced that Cisco India has been given awards by the Indo-American Chambers of Commerce (IACC). The IACC has instituted the "Indo-American Corporate Excellence awards" and this year Cisco is the winner in two categories - "Overall Best" and "Best Company in Technology, Communications & Entertainment" for 2006.

Courtesy: The Hindu, August 18, 2006

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In what could be a landmark deal in the outsourcing space, Raman Roy, serial BPO entrepreneur, could team up with 3i and a few other funds looking to acquire UK-based BPO major Vertex. The deal size is likely to fall between $600m and $700m (about Rs 3,000 crore) as its current parent, United Utilities, is mulling an exit. Sources close to the development told ET that the genesis of the deal centres on parleys between Mr Roy and Akshaya Bhargava, former head of Infosys' BPO arm Progeon, who currently heads the UK-based 3i's BPO business. 3i, which is a listed private equity group with an appetite for big-ticket deals, is likely to park significant investments in case the buyout proposal goes ahead. Headquartered in Manchester, UK, the BPO firm has about 9,000 employees across the UK, US, Canada and India. It saw revenues of $770m for the fiscal '05-06 ($752.4m in FY05), while operating profit fell to $40m ($45.6m in FY05). If successful, this deal will rank among the biggest leveraged buyouts (LBO) in the BPO industry. Again, this will be the largest acquisition led by an individual Indian entrepreneur - Raman Roy in this case. Mr Roy has a committed war chest of $200m to unfurl his new play in BPO through acquisitions. Vertex has been in the news recently, with TCS reportedly looking to acquire it. However, TCS moved out of the race after the price proved too steep. The private equity-fired deal would bank on Mr Roy's abilities to drive Vertex further on the road of India arbitrage, and his skills to upscale the company's high-end outsourcing business. In context, it must be mentioned that voice-led business accounts for bulk of Vertex's operations currently.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, August 17, 2006

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Indians abroad today celebrated their country's 60th Independence Day by attending flag hoisting ceremonies at their diplomatic missions and participating in cultural programmes organised to mark the occasion. After unfurling the national tricolour, the heads of the missions read out President APJ Abdul Kalam's address to nation. In Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, visiting Overseas Indians Minister Vayalar Ravi attended the flag hoisting ceremony at the residence of Indian High Commissioner RL Narayan. The womens' wing of the Bharat Club, an association of expatriate Indian women, sang the National Anthem and other patriotic songs. In Beijing though a working day, Indians gathered at the Indian Embassy where Ambassador to China, Nalin Surie unfurled the tricolour and read out President's address to the nation. The celebrations in the Chinese capital were attended by a large group of Indian businessmen, visiting to see the Communist giant's progress. The Independence Day was also celebrated at the Consulate General of India, Shanghai, China's largest city and commercial hub. For the first time ever sizeable groups of Indian nationals, including medical students, from nearby cities also participated with marked enthusiasm. In Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of China, the Consulate General of India organised the function attended by a sizable number of Indian community, including senior executives of Indian banks and other companies.

Courtesy: The Pioneer, August 16, 2006

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While all political parties in the city are vying to make the dahi handi events sponsored by them the talk of the town, the Nationalist Congress Party member and Legislative councillor Jeetendra Awhad, has announced in Thane a cash prize of Rs 21 lakhs which is almost thrice the amount which he had given away as prize money to the dahi handi pathaks in 2005. The handi in Thane has been organised by Sangharsh Mitra Mandal, headed by Mr Awhad. Councillor Awhad said that it was his passion for the festival that made him announce huge cash prizes every year. He said, "Many persons sponsor handis across the city and they do so merely to increase their popularity which takes away the sanctity of the whole festival. I believe that in the interests of increasing the unity of a particular community, we should put all the prize money on one handi only which would thereby be more popular and well known." The height that the human pyramid needed to reach break this handi is 45 feet and this has actually led to many troupes to practicing for several days. Mr Awhad also said that there was a group of nine enthusiastic Spaniards, who have come from their distant land to attend the dahi handi festival and try their hand in winning the prize at the dahi handi in Thane sponsored by him. He added that the Spaniards were members of groups that held the world record for the tallest human pyramid. One of them, Felix Miret spoke about the 300 year-year old tradition in Spain to assemble the highest human pyramid ever, and had therefore come to see the execution of human pyramids in India that were assembled for breaking the dahi handis. It is also noteworthy that pandals participating in the breaking of the handis in Thane district will be offering cash prizes totalling Rs 1 crore to Govinda troupes through 650 dahi handi events at various locations.

Courtesy: The Asian Age, August 15, 2006

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Indian Charge Chrome Limited (ICCL), a constituent of IMFA Group, the largest producer of ferro alloys in the country, has been awarded the Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) Award for outstanding export performance in 2004-05 under the category of 'Star performer in large enterprise-ferro alloys'. The award, sponsored by the ministry of commerce of the government of India, is given every year to meritorious exporters in various categories. ICCL is being honoured for phenomenal growth in exports of high carbon ferro chrome. The award was presented by Union minister for commerce and industry, Kamal Nath, at a special function in Chennai held on August 10. Jayant Misra, director (corporate), received the award on behalf of ICCL. Commenting on the occasion, Subhrakant Panda, managing director, said that 2004-05 was a record year for IMFA Group thanks to excellence in operations coupled with increase in demand for steel internationally. "This award is a matter of great pride for us as it underlines our leadership position in the country as the principal producer as well as the largest exporter of value added ferro chrome," he added. "With the commissioning of the new 27 MVA plant at our Choudwar complex and the ongoing merger of ICCL with IMFA in order to capture operational and financial synergies, we are optimistic of registering further growth in the coming years", he said. The net foreign exchange earning of ICCL in FY 2004-05 was Rs 223.85 crore, a jump of over 71 per cent compared to the previous year's figure of Rs 130.58 crore). IMFA Group's ferro chrome output was at an all time high of 1,05,211 tonnes in 2004-05 with substantial exports to eastern Asia. The group enjoyed the distinction of being the only producer in India to produce in excess of 100,000 tonnes ferro chrome per annum. The group has been honoured with many national as well as state export awards in the past.

Courtesy: www.business-standard.com, August 15, 2006

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Significantly Sri Aurobindo, born on August 15, envisaged freedom for humanity at large, though it was encased in the bondage of many imperfections. He reiterated that man is a transitional being evolving towards higher consciousness, harmony and joy and evolved the path for expediting the evolutionary process of man through elevation of consciousness. His concept of evolutionary metaphysics is rated by his admirers as a wonderful discovery. Aurobindo reminds us that in the beginning, the omnipotent Consciousness willed, "Let there be light, and there was light". The said light is Agni of the Rig Veda and solar fire of modern science. Thus we find divine will and energy vibrations in the form of life force and light at the root of the universe. In the evolutionary process, energy or vitality developed the awareness latent in matter, evident in plant-life, prominent in animals and best manifested in man. It is the mind, made out of subtle principles of energy, which is the missing link between matter and consciousness. It is by gradually developing our minds that we transform matter and attain the highest level of being. Sri Aurobindo discovered another realm of consciousness, which he called supramental or overmind, which can cause divine transformation in the mental, vital and even physical existence of man and enable earthly transformation. He wanted to, in a sense, bring the supramind down to earth. His Integral Yoga affirms, "All life is yoga," as it is intended to unite fragmented consciousness with the holistic one so that it becomes a transparent vehicle of spiritual energy and consciousness. Egoism or the sense of 'I am' obstructs identification with the Divine and hence is not compatible with Divine attunement. Surrender to the will of the Almighty facilitates showering of Divine grace. Sri Aurobindo's contribution to modern thought, therefore, is valuable in that it brings new lustre to the concept that man is a transitional, evolutionary being and we have the capacity to transform both our inner and outer selves through "integral yoga". Old thought finds new application and meaning for receptive people.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, August 15, 2006

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An Indian Australian cookery writer has won the 'Pride of Australia' award this year for her work to promote Indian culture. Promila Gupta, a prominent writer on Indian cuisine from Whyalla, South Australia, has been conferred the award under the 'Fair Go' category. She is among 10 others to be handed over the award which recognise "extraordinary contributions of everyday Australians who don't always get the acknowledgement they deserve." Each winner was presented a silver medal at a gala event held across Australia on Saturday. "When I was nominated it was a pleasant surprise-being an immigrant and having won this award is auch an achievement to me," Gupta, 53, told Adelaide Now newspaper. The other categories under which the awards were presented were bravery, courage, young Aussie, community spirit, role model, mateship, environment, peace and true blue. Gupta's book 'vegetarian Finger Foods' and 'Selection Dishes from India' have been published in Australia. Winner of several international awards, Gupta has conducted cookery classes, workshops and presented talkshops on SBS Radio National. The News media group started the Pride of Australia awards last year through its newspapers across the country.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, August 14, 2006

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It was an evening where the lines of creativity between science and literature got blurred. Conferring the 39th Jnanpith Award for 2003 on noted Marathi writer Vinda Karandikar at a glittering ceremony here on Thursday, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam described him as an essayist, critic and translator who has made a notable contribution to Marathi poetry and literature. "His life is an example of extraordinary achievement realised through ceaseless search for aesthetic perfection." Mr. Kalam said that after hearing Mr. Karandikar read out his poem in Marathi, he felt he should learn the language. "I was reminded of my childhood and my professor who taught mathematics. He was a professor, poet and philosopher. Only 50 students were to attend his class, but there were always 200 people because he taught the philosophy of life," he said. Stating that even at an early age Mr. Karandikar had decided to fight strong sectarian prejudices and superstitions, Dr. Kalam said his effort towards the process of liberation was to synthesise the West and the East, the past and the present and the materialistic and the spiritual worlds. "To achieve this, he has passed through several twists and turns in his journey after his formal education. I understand that he was inspired by personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Bertrand Russell, Freud and Einstein. His poems generally reflect a high level of practical thoughts," he said. Born in 1918 at Dhalwal in Maharashtra, Mr. Karandikar is said to have reinvented himself in each new collection of his poems. His first publication, "Swedganga," put him on the map of the Marathi literary world, with poetry that is imbued with variety and depth. Mr. Karandikar is also known for his inimitable style in love poems and poems for children.

Courtesy: The Hindu, August 11, 2006

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Kabhi Alvidaa Na Kehna casts you in a never-before avatar. I play a happy-go-lucky person, open-minded and honest about his activities, even though they are below the belt - and the pun is intended! But, also, as the senior-most character in the film, he bears a certain responsibility of guiding and monitoring others who seem to be drifting in the wrong direction. My character's ability to judge and advise in moments of extreme emotion is perhaps the crux of what the film intends to convey. If a marriage is not working out, it is better to walk away from it, rather than continue just because society and tradition dictate so. Why suffer pain and incompatibility by remaining in it?

Courtesy: The Times of India, August 08, 2006

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Subir Raha, the former chairman and managing director of Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), has been short-listed for the prestigious "Energy Executive of the Year" award instituted by London-based renowned energy journal 'Petroleum Economist'. The other short-listed nominees are: Elias Velasco Garcia of Union Fenosa Gas, John Lau of Husky Energy, Alexander Medvedev of Gazexport and Adnan Shihab-Eldin, acting secretary - Opec, a press release said here. The winner for the coveted award will be announced at an awards ceremony in September at the Banqueting House in London. The evening will be hosted by the highly-respected BBC World Affairs Editor, John Simpson CBE. Raha has spent more than 35 years in the oil industry and held various posts including the top slot of India's most valuable company -- ONGC. In a communiqué, Petroleum Economist has mentioned that "Raha's appointment in 2001 launched a progressive period of investment and exploration that secured numerous commendations for clean energy and transparency initiatives for the ONGC group. The development of education and research programmes demonstrated Raha's commitment to the future of ONGC and the industry at large." The 70-year-old energy publication, which is the official publisher of most of the global energy events, including World Petroleum Congress and World Gas Conference, has 10 Award categories, with the most coveted one being the "Energy Executive of the Year Award."

Courtesy: The Economic Times, August 08, 2006

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As per Indian scriptural evidence, conditioned souls are enveloped by Lord's illusory energy consisting of three gunas or primal qualities, Sattva, Rajah, and Tamah. 'Tamah' is the tendency to commit vice or to inflict injury. By Rajah-guna, living beings are created, by Sattvaguna they are maintained and by Tama-guna they are destroyed. It is the tamah tendency seems to have now engulfed the whole world. Human beings are the best amongst all kinds of created species, because they have got the discriminating power between good and bad, eternal and non-eternal, vice and virtue. Eating, sleeping, defending and mating are equally present in beasts but human beings are superior because of their discriminating power. Yet human beings have become the greatest enemy of their own species, causing unnatural deaths without considering the innocence of the killed, whether they are children or women, whom the killers have never seen and who have never done any harm to the killers. When human beings have lost the capacity to understand the difference between civilisation and non-civilisation, good and bad, they have lost everything: 'When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; and when character is lost, everything is lost.' The highest importance should be given now to character building in human society. The root cause of such venom is false ego: wrong conception of self, consequently causing false interests that make us competitive and ferocious. Only theoretical knowledge is not sufficient, there should also be practical spiritual life. 'Example is better than precept'. This must be started forthwith and introduced in the education system. Character building is the backbone of the nation and human civilized society. But most important is that the instructor should have practical moral and spiritual character. 'Education' is defined as systematic instruction, with development of character; 'Character' is defined as mental and moral qualities. How is this against a secular state? Moral and spiritual lessons come from culture. This process should be instituted without delay. The legacy of Indian saints is superbly equipped to help.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, August 04, 2006

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Sikhs in California's Yuba city have scored a major victory. The Ninth Circuit Court of