• Country's Largest Travel Fair Begins in Kolkata
• India Tourism to Unlock Tribal Art, Tea Tours
• Hindustan Zinc Gets eco Award
• Krish Challenges Superman
• Sunil Mittal Wins Telecom Award
• It's Indian Granite vs Italian Marble Now
• Indian Outshine Gates on Fotune List
• Mittal Charmed by Orissa Artisians' Skill
• FICCI Wants Tax Soaps to Boost Film Industry
• Land of Endless Discovery Celebrates 200-yr-Old Monastic Fest
• Krrish Grabs $15 mn @BO

• Local Celebs, Global Connect
• 'Visual Radio' Launched in India
• Tybe Mehta Outshines Big B at Osian's Auction
• Small Frames Make it Big in Art Scene
• India Rules The Roost at Toronto Film Fest
• New Charge: eBikes Set to Start up, Roar in
• India Most Preferred: KPMG
• Indians Revive French Connection
• Varanasi to Offer 'Moksh Tourism'
• Revealing Sketches of Indian Culture

India's largest travel mart --Travel and Tourism Fair (TTF) on Saturday inaugurated here with over 200 participants from 21 states and six countries participating in it. The 49th edition of the three-day annual fair at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here is expected to attract 2000 travel trade visitors and over 30,000 general visitors. With economic and industrial growth West Bengal is also progressing rapidly in the tourism sector, attracting tourists from other states as also from foreign countries, Tourism Minister Manab Mukherjee said at the Inaugural function of the fair. West Bengal, he said, has the unique advantage of offering an array of destinations from the Himalayas to the beaches on the Bay of Bengal as also the Sunderbans, which is famous for the Royal Bengal tigers. With the Bengalis being known for their wanderlust, the TTF here is seen as an important event for national and state tourism organisations, travel agencies and airlines, said G Ibrahim form organisers Fairfest Media Limited. The event, which is supported by the Ministry of Tourism, and the host West Bengal government, is being attended by Indonesia, Thailand, UAE and Bangladesh among the foreign countries. Sikkim Tourism Minister R B Subba presented a coffee table book on tourism in Sikkim to Mukherjee on the occasion, which was attended by senior tourism officials from several states of the country as also from Nepal.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, July 30, 2006

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What's Saif Ali Khan doing on Mexican television? And why is Shah Rukh Khan wooing super-rich Canadians? Or for that matter, why is Sania Mirza featuring in North American and European tennis channels and what are Rahul Dravid posters doing in a non-cricketing nation like the US? This is about desi celebs and their brand muscle. Outside the country, Indian celebrities are finally coming of age in the world of international advertising. There is an emerging trend where multinational brands which have signed Indian brand ambassadors are now using them for international campaigns. Interestingly, in some cases these brands are not targeting the NRI market alone. Sometimes the commonalties between India and other international markets drive the celeb choice. Take Lenovo. The company signed on Saif Ali Khan recently as its brand ambassador and is using him in Mexico as well as Latin America, apart from North America. Miss India aspirants who went on to win global pageants have been used for international campaigns in the past, but now, a whole host of other Indian celebs are also being tapped. And it's not just Bollywood all the way. MNCS are using Indian brand ambassadors for their brands in global campaigns. Take the case of Rahul Dravid, the latest brand ambassador for Japanese watch maker Citizen. He has signed a global endorsement contract with the brand which will see him promote Citizen products not just in India but also in the US. The trend of using Indian celebs abroad is also linked to the product category to which the brand belongs. It is more common for luxury products like watches. So, Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan is a global brand ambassador for Tag Heuer. "Shah Rukh Khan is a bigger star outside India than he is in India. Even in a country like China, where language is a great barrier, Shah Rukh Khan is known and recognised. His movie Asoka was a big hit here," says Manishi Sanwal, brand manager for Tag Heuer operations in India and China. Ditto for Longines, which has Aishwarya Rai as one of its global brand ambassadors. Omega, which recently signed on Abhishek Bachchan as its brand ambassador for India, also has rights to use him for promotions abroad.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, July 30, 2006

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India tourism has launched a campaign to attract British tourists to the North East region, describing it as a 'paradise unexplored'. While India attracted a sizeable number of foreign tourists, efforts were being made to 'show-case' scenic spots in the North East which had hitherto remained unexplored owing to several factors, including inadequate flights, Vivek Angra, director of India Tourism in the UK told a gathering of tour operators here last night. Manoj Jalan of Purvi Discoveries demonstrated with the help of slides the different packages available for foreign tourists. The packages include a heritage tea tour around the tea estates of Assam, visit to exotic tribal art and culture, treks and botanical tours in the eastern Himalaya and wildlife and nature tours. Another package speaks about "a pilgrimage through the pages of history". It includes visits to Dibrugarh, the gateway to the 'hidden land' of eastern Arunachal Pradesh and to Dibru-Saikhowa National Park housing Royal Bengal Tiger, leopard, jungle cat and Malayan giant squirrel. Jalan said "the Mancotta Chang Bungalow located about 20 km from Dubrugarh town is the highpoint of visit to Dibrugarh. This 140 years heritage Chang bungalow built by pioneering Scottish tea planters offers a unique experience of the traditional plantation life." "Intermingled with local culture, folk dance and music, the Mancotta experience is indeed a life time experience," Jalan said. He said another star attraction was the Kaziranga National Park - a world heritage site and the oldest park in Assam. It has 65 per cent of the total world's population of the great Indian one-horned rhinoceros and over 50 per cent of the world's population of wild buffaloes and swamp deer respectively along with Asiatic wild elephants, hog deer, jungle cats, tigers and leopards. Rajat Bagchi, Minister, coordination, in the Indian High Commission said "North Eastern part of India is one of the most scenic places in the country." he suggested that states like Nagaland, Mizoram and Assam had much to offer to foreign tourists by way of their art, culture and scenic beauty. "North East is the treasure house of India," he said.

Courtesy: www.financialexpress.com, July 27, 2006

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Mobile radio listeners in India have a new channel for entertainment through visual radio. Four companies have announced its roll-out - Hutch, Radio Mirchi, Nokia and HP. Initially the service will be available in Delhi. Other metros will follow. Visual radio allows listeners to tune in to local FM radio on their Nokia devices even while receiving interactive information and graphics, synchronised with the radio broadcast through the cellular network onto the handset screen. Listeners can access content, participate in radio station promotions, participate in polls and contests, and interact with radio jockeys and special guests. Visual radio handsets are now available in the country with applications, and Hutch is the first mobile service provider to offer this, a spokesperson for the company said here. Nokia's visual radio handsets are available in a price range of Rs. 6,000 to Rs. 25,000. In the case of post-paid connections, there will be no rental for GPRS connections. Only usage charges, including downloading charges, will apply.

Courtesy: The Hindu, July 26, 2006

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The Federation of Indian Mineral Industries conferred Hindustan Zinc Ltd (HZL), integrated producer of zinc and lead, with the Gem and Granite Award for 2005-06 on Saturday. "Hindustan Zinc Ltd is committed to conserving and augmenting the natural resources in and around its areas of operations across India," said Mr M. S. Mehta, CEO and Director, HZL, in a release here. The environment awards are conferred to the mines adjudged best for their efforts to promote integration of environmental concerns in their mining plans. HZL has taken up various continuing social welfare measures for the local community such as free fodder camps, supply of drinking water through pipelines and tanker, medical camps and formation of self-help groups.

Courtesy: www.thehindubusinessline.com, July 23, 2006

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Superstar Amitabh Bachchan may be ruling Bollywood but when it comes to auctions, there's no beating octogenarian artist Tyeb Mehta. Mehta's 1968 painting 'Falling Figure' attracted a winning bid of Rs 3.45 crore at the Osian's auction here last night, easily the highest price quoted for any of the lots on sale. In contrast, posters of Bachchan's early films 'Bombay to Goa' and 'Abhimaan' found no takers, with connoisseurs unwilling to match pre-sale estimates of up to Rs 25,000 for the two items. The Mumbai-based painter and other modern Indian artists like M F Hussain, V S Gaitonde and Amrita Sher-Gil were the only ones to cross the Rs one crore mark in bids. An untitled painting by Gaitonde sold for Rs 2.76 crore, a Hussain oil-on-canvas went for Rs 1.5 crore while a Sher-Gil creation was snapped up for Rs 1.38 crore. The 1960 classic 'Mughal-E-Azam' fared better, notching up almost Rs 15 lakh for a set of photographic stills and posters from the movie. Osian's Founder-Chairman Neville Tuli wasn't too disappointed by the results. In fact, he was happy to note the presence of filmmaker Ketan Mehta and his actress-wife Deepa Sahi at the auction.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, July 22, 2006

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Bollywood's first superhero Krrish has made it to two major American publications in one great leap across the seas to pose a challenge to America's own favourite Superman. "Superman may have returned, but if he doesn't perform up to snuff his job could soon be outsourced to India," said Newsweek, but the Los Angeles Times was more direct: "Move over Superman, make room for Krrish." The film that became a cultural phenomenon in India long before its worldwide June 23 release, has done well in Indian communities in the US too, the Times noted. In its first three days in North America, Krrish brought in $643,000 in 59 locations or just less than $11,000 per theatre. Worldwide, the box office haul was reported to be a record $15m in its first week, almost double the $8m raked in by the previous Indian record holder Fanaa. Krrish has turned out to have crossover appeal and has drawn a culturally diverse crowd, the daily said citing Dylan Marchetti, head of operations for the ImaginAsian theater in New York, part of the ImaginAsian Entertainment, which brings pan-Asian programming to the United States. "It's played to crowds that were 50 percent non-Asian," he said. Indian epics like the Ramayana are brimming with outsize figures, but up to now Indians have seen very few homegrown celluloid superheroes, said Newsweek in its piece on the movie that drew the biggest advance opening in the history of Hindi cinema. Its $10m budget is one of the biggest ever for a Hindi film, but still paltry compared with the $200m reportedly spent on Superman Returns, it noted and asked: "Is this the beginning of a new genre for Hindi films?" "It lays the foundation of the superhero concept in Bollywood," Newsweek quoted the film's star and director Rakesh Roshan's son Hrithik Roshan as saying. As Asian consumers flex their financial muscles, they will demand Hollywood-type products that are more in line with their own cultural identities, the news magazine cited renowned director Shekhar Kapur as arguing.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, July 21, 2006

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Small can sometimes be big. With the overall boom in the art market, small format drawings are carving out a niche in the art scene. And the demand for them is pushing up their prices, too. This segment has been growing mainly in the past two years. "Earlier, small drawings used to be picked up in lots. They were just random jottings or doodles and were not considered significant works. However, they established an artist's control and power over lines and, in that sense, they were certainly a part of his or her repertoire. Collectors realised their importance, but these small-sized drawings did not enjoy a price monetarily," an art market source told ET. "At best, these creations were collected as add-ons with larger works." According to the source, with prices of artworks zooming, small format drawings, which are generally classified within a size between a postcard and a sq ft sheet of paper, have begun to gain on the price front. Together with major works, collectors are also focusing on stocking this genre of drawings in their collections. Artists whose small dimension drawings are popular in the market embrace FN Souza, MF Husain, Jogen Chowdhury, Akbar Padamsee, Shyamal Datta Ray, Ganesh Pyne, Rabindranath Tagore and Gaganendranath Tagore and Nandalal Bose. Others in this group include KG Subramanyan, KCS Panicker, Paritosh Sen, Ram Kumar and Adimoolam. "All these artists have their own style and that is what identifies their individuality and creativity," the source said. Pricewise, a small format Souza drawing is pegged in the range of Rs 2-3 lakh, Husain and Chowdhury Rs 1.5-2 lakh, Padamsee Rs 2-3 lakh, Ray Rs 75,000-1 lakh, Goud Rs 1 lakh and Pyne Rs 1.5-2 lakh. In the same breath, Nandalal Bose is in the band of Rs 75,000-2 lakh, Rabindranath Tagore Rs 2-4 lakh, Paritosh Sen Rs 75,000-1.5 lakh, Ram Kumar Rs 2-3 lakh, Ganesh Haloi Rs 1-2 lakh and Jamini Roy Rs 1-2 lakh. "This category of drawings are being acquired in art hubs like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Baroda. Collectors are finding them worth investing in. Hence, these works seem to be sporting a lot of potential," the source said.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, July 21, 2006

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Bharti Airtel chairman and managing director Sunil Bharti Mittal has been given the 'Telecom Man of the Year 2006' award by communications magazine Voice and Data. About 27 top telecom companies were also felicitated with 'Voice and Sata 100 Awards' for excellence in business performance in financial year 2005-06 at a function held in the Capital

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, July 21, 2006

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'Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna ' - the latest offering from filmmaker Karan Johar exploring the various shades of love and relationships - will lead a slew of Indian movies expected to hold centre stage at the prestigious Toronto International Film festival in September. Johar's much awaited multi-starrer will be screened in the 'Gala Presentation' section of the festival - a slot usually reserved for high-profile blockbusters or premieres. KANK, a love story set in New York, features the father- son combo of Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan along with Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukerji and Preity Zinta. Four other Indian films will also premiere during the September 7-16 festival, the 31st edition of the annual extravaganza. "India is a nation of different cultures and languages, which makes its cinema diverse, dynamic and exciting. Films in Hindi, Marathi, Telugu and Manipuri will be here ... These four films demonstrate the impressive range of Indian cinema and we at the festival are thrilled to be part of its future," Festival Co-Director Noah Cowan said in a statement here. The John Abraham-starrer 'Kabul Express,' directed by Kabir Khan and filmed on location in war-torn post-9/11 Afghanistan, will be premiered in the 'Special Presentation' category of the festival. Filmmakers Chitra Palekar and Rajnesh Domalpalli will be showcasing their directorial debuts here in the festival's 'Discovery' section. Palekar's Marathi film 'Maati Maay' starring Nandita Das and Atul Kulkarni, is based on Maheshweta Devi's story ' Daayen' . The film tells the story of a woman branded a witch and condemned to the fringes of society.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, July 21, 2006

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Rich Americans seem to be going gaga over designer bathrooms and kitchens adorned with Indian granite. Americans now prefer Indian granite in place of Italian marble. While India has already amassed Rs 3,050 crore from the export of this product in '04-05, export demands are on the rise. In fact Indian exporters have started buying granite slabs from Brazil to process them into tiles and export them to the US. Market research on the sector shows that it is black granite that is hot in American households. Once associated with the colour of death the product has been given the trademark of black Galaxy in America. Various market research reports indicate that American interior designers and builders simply love the colour and texture of the Indian granite. Indian granite sells through huge showrooms in California and New Jersey, the relatively posh states of the US. In fact major construction companies like Dal-Tile and Del Piso have been buying granite worth $250,000 every month from these suppliers of Indian granite. In the recent past, construction companies have also come forward to buy granite from India directly rather than buy them from importers based in the US. Italy, which is one of the major exporters of Italian marble and granite, has started sourcing granite from India and it is exporting the granite to its clients in the American and European markets to meet competition and hold onto its traditional customers in Europe and America. Most of the manufacturing is being undertaken by export-oriented units in India. There are a large number of small players that tie up with one importer to reach the US market. The importer on the other hand hires or has an in-house team of experts to do a quality check and certify the granite, as this facility is not available in India. But India cannot sit satisfied with this performance, as Brazil is emerging as a major competitor with huge production capacities and almost thrice the 120 varieties exported from India. Moreover, with Brazil entering the US market in a big way, India needs to find new markets for this product usually bought by the high-end consumers all over the world.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, July 15, 2006

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Call it the charge of the e-brigade. India's 7m unit strong two-wheeler industry is ready for the electric revolution. According to a latest survey by AC Nielsen spanning 10 cities, the electric two-wheeler market is estimated at nearly half a million units with the creamy layer comprising 2,90,000 units across 70 towns. The strongest demographic support to electric vehicles comes from teens, commuting adults and women. Clearly today's kids and ladies believe smoke-belching is uncool and green wheels are the way to go. Not surprisingly, top bike and scooter makers like Hero Honda, Bajaj, M&M and Kinetic are researching e-vehicles while smaller players like Pune's Ace Motors are simply importing Chinese vehicles into India. The ACNielsen study sub-divided the electric vehicle segment into four categories : eBikes which don't need a licence and can do 40 kms per charge; eBike Plus which is a higher variant and can do 45 kms per charge; the basic eScooter is like the eBike in terms of speed limit and kms/charge while the eScooter Plus is a higher performance variant. According to the survey, over 80% teens surveyed like the eBike as a concept and over 30% said they were willing to buy one. Overall 62% of the respondents were positive about the concept and about 28% were "extremely positive". An equal number were willing to buy these bikes. For the eBike Plus range, over 80% women and three-fourth commuters said they liked the concept and over 20% were willing to buy one. Overall 61% gave a thumbs up to the product and 24% were ready to purchase it. In e-Scooters, 65% of those surveyed liked the concept and 17% said they would buy it and in eScooter Plus category 79% liked the concept and 30% were willing to buy it. The potential of e-vehicles has prompted top players to look into this segment. Says Anil Dua, vice-president-marketing, Hero Honda: "We are looking at all options and can't close our eyes to options like electricity-run scooters and we are doing our bit of research to understand its potential. Whether we have plans of commercially launching one is something I cannot comment at this stage." Others like Kinetic are already in the prototype stage and have shown it to the government for productionising support. Kinetic is looking at two segments in the electric two-wheeler market-a short-range vehicle with a motor power of a maximum of 3 kilowatt and a range of 30 kms, after which it would need a recharge. The other is a full-size scooter, with motor power of a maximum of 5 kw and a range of 50-60 kms. Others like Mahindra & Mahindra and Bajaj are looking at electric three-wheelers instead. Mahindra & Mahindra displayed an electric powered zero emission three-wheeler named Bijlee at the Auto Expo. Meanwhile, Bajaj is in the midst of "testing an electricity-run, three-wheeler to understand how the technology can work and overcome the hurdles of initial costs. I think the technology is at least five years away," says Ravi Kumar, VP (business development) at Bajaj Auto.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, July 14, 2006

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The Great Indian Middle Class is finally getting its due. Here's how: This 300-million-strong population has been featured at the seventh spot in the list of 'Top 50 People Who Matter Now' - ahead of corporate czars and market swingers like Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Richard Branson and Fed chief Ben Bernanke. But topping the list - which appears in the latest July issue of Fortune group's Business 2.0 magazine - is the faceless consumer the world over. "They've long said the customer is always right. But they never really meant it. Now they have no choice," the magazine said. The list boasts of another Indian name with venture capitalist Vinod Khosla grabbing the 33rd position. But the most surprising inclusion in the list was the emerging middle class spread across India, China, Russia and Brazil. "This emerging class is looking forward to enjoying a more comfortable way of life," it said. These newly affluent consumers also have the money to spend - estimated at over $1 trillion a year, it added. Among those who have been placed above the emerging middle class are Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page (at second position), Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs (3), News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch (4), Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs (5) and Genentech's product development president Susan Desmond-Hellmann (6). The middle class outscored a host of Who's Who in the global arena, most notable among them being Microsoft founder Bill Gates, US Fed chairman Ben Bernanke, Oracle's Larry Ellison, Intel's Paul Otellini, Dell's Michael Dell and Toyota's Fujio Cho. Interestingly, Arun Sarin and Steve Ballmer - who head the largest mobile operator Vodafone and Microsoft respectively - do not even figure in this elite league of people who matter. Rather, they have been pushed into the bunch of "10 People Who Don't Matter".

Courtesy: The Economic Times, July 13, 2006

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India is emerging as one of the most preferred private banking destinations at a time when the global private banking and wealth management industry is witnessing a boom in the M&A (mergers and acquisition) activity, a KPMG report has said. Global consultancy firm KPMG in its report titled 'hungry for more - acquisition appetite and strategy in the global private banking and wealth management industry', said with robust and liquid financial markets enabling exits on a timely basis to realise gains, India is a good resource deployment avenue. "India's economy is growing at eight per cent per annum and is going through a transformation to the next level of maturity. This enables double digit returns on most asset classes, which is not so in a majority of countries, making India a preferred private banking destination," transaction services head KPMG, India, Abizer Diwanji said. Increased earning levels have resulted in a high savings rate, which is an emerging trend in India. "This has resulted in a robust private banking capital raising avenue. Indian private banking capital would soon fund deployments to a significant part of our capital needs," Diwanji added. The M&A activity in the global private banking and wealth management industry is booming, with 258 deals completed in 2005 alone, up 80 per cent from the previous year, the report, based on interviews with 147 private banks across the world, said. With over 90 per cent of private banks opining that there are good prospects for the industry over the next three years and 89 per cent actively seeking acquisition targets and considering acquisition if the right opportunity arose, the level of activity is likely to persist, it added. The growth of personal wealth in Asian economies is providing the greatest impetus to the M&A activity. About 45 per cent of all deals in 2005 took place in the Asia Pacific region with a majority of respondents naming China and India, as countries they sought expansion in, the report said. The surge in M&A activity, however, has its own set of challenges. Half of the respondents cited price expectations of vendors as an obstacle to M&A activity. On the other hand, four out of ten deals failed to be consummated due to price demands by sellers, the report said.

Courtesy: www.financialexpress.com, July 12, 2006

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Artisans in the Orissa capital are busy giving final touches to a seven-foot stone idol of Lord Krishna that may soon adorn a corner in India-born steel baron Lakshmi N. Mittal's London mansion. About 10 artisans led by master craftsman Sudarsan Sahu are working on the idol that has been eight years in the making. "The idol is in the last stages of manufacture. We hope to complete it in the coming two-three months so that it can be delivered before Diwali," Sahu told IANS. "The idol is likely to be kept in the London residence of Mittal on Diwali." Sahu, who has been feted with several awards at home and abroad, said the Krishna statue they were making was one of their finest masterpieces. The sculpture roughly weighs 1,000 kg and has been made in three stages. Apart from the main statue, there is a Kadamba tree and a pedestal on which the entire piece stands. The idol of Lord Krishna is made of eight pieces of green stone that is found only in Mayurbhanj district. The pieces are joined together by glue. The Kadamba tree is decorated with birds and squirrels all carved from stone. The tree would be placed behind the head of the deity, said Sahu, who is working on the idol at his Sudarsan Arts and Crafts Village in the heart of the city. The pedestal has beautifully carved images of 16 'Gopis' considered as consorts of Krishna. The images of the 'Gopis' were similar to those found at the Konark temple in Puri, the master craftsman said. "In 1998 Mittal's daughter-in-law Megha visited Puri. She visited our centre here and was fascinated by the beautiful artefacts. She bought a four-foot tall Ganesh idol," said Sahu's youngest son Suryanarayan. Megha told her father-in-law about Sahu and later a member of the Mittal family placed an order for the Krishna idol, said Suryanarayan. Born in 1939, Sudarsan Sahu acquired the skill of traditional sculpting under the tutelage of the late Guru Bhubaneswar Mohapatra and Kunia Moharana in Puri. He established the Sudarshan Crafts Museum in his hometown in 1977. In 1991 he set up the Sudarshan Art and Crafts Village here. He has received several awards including the Padma Shri in 1988, the National Award for stone carving in 1981 and the Liberty Bell presented by the mayor of Philadelphia in 1986. Mittal, who recently acquired European steel giant Arcelor, visited Orissa last week and announced he would set up a 12-million-tonne steel plant in the state with an investment of more than $8 billion.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, July 11, 2006

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For Kolkata, the World Cup may be all but over with the exit of Brazil but 40 km north at Chandernagar, the party has just begun. With the Les Bleus striking form at the right time, this district town has rediscovered its French colonial past. The town has draped itself in French colours ahead of Super Sunday, when 'their team' take on Italy in the final. Down south in Pondicherry as well, there's a sense of nervous anticipation over the big match. This former French enclave had erupted in wild celebrations when Zidane's team had won the Cup in 1998. Preparations for another big party are already on, with the union territory government setting up a giant TV screen near the Gandhi statue on the beach for people to watch the final. ''By birth we are Indians, but when it comes to football our hearts go to France even when they are pitted against India,'' says Thomas Huges, representative of the Franco-Indian community in Pondicherry. Chandernagar, meanwhile, has painted itself in the colours of France. Almost every lane, club and household has proudly raised the red, white and blue flag. Youngsters move around in France's blue jersey, clubs have adorned their walls with posters of Zidane, Ribery and Henry and school students have been pleading with the authorities to declare Monday a holiday to let them celebrate the victory. The 20-odd clubs in the town are busy making last-minute preparations for Sunday. At Friends Club, a big screen is being put up for the match. Hundreds are expected to gather to cheer their team. ''France had a disappointing start but have peaked at the right time. Zidane is working up his magic and Henry has regained his touch. We shall win,'' says Sumit de Sarkar, a member. At Kanailal Bidyamandir-one of the six schools that teach French-students had requested the headmaster to let them hoist the French flag on campus. ''The children are so excited that it is impossible to remain unaffected. We are being forced to talk about football in class just to make them happy and get them to study for a while. But it can't be denied that we are all excited,'' says Alok Ray, who teaches French at the school. At tourist-friendly Pondicherry, hotels and bars are busy encashing the hype over Sunday's event. Many hotels are offering special menus and big screens for the final. Sudhakar, secretary of the Pondicherry Hotels and Restaurant's Association, has urged the government to allow hotels to remain open till the end of the final. Pondicherry has a population of over 5,000 Franco-Indians, who hold voting rights in French general elections. Huges, who represents them in the French Assembly, has another reason to back France. ''They play with grace and sportsman spirit,'' he adds. Meanwhile, Chandernagar's historic French Institute, that has long been the cultural nerve centre of the town, plans to send a memento if France wins. Assistant curator Barendranath Makar puts the euphoria in perspective.

Courtesy: Economic Times, July 09, 2006

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Industry chamber FICCI has sought tax concessions, a special fund to combat piracy and single-window clearance for film shooting in the country, besides other measures to boost film industry growth by 18 per cent annually. The Indian film industry could grow at 18 per cent per annum to Rs 15,300 crore by 2010 from Rs 6,800 crore at present if the government makes these provisions during the 11th plan period, a Chamber release said. In a note to Planning Commission and the Center on media and entertainment industry, Ficci also suggested uniformity in entertainment tax across all states, custom-free import of equipment, re-introduction of income tax rebate for multiplexes as key elements for the sector's growth. The industry body recommended creating a special fund to combat piracy, single-window clearance for shooting in the country and revamp of the "archaic" Cinematograph Act for the sector. "There is a need to implement uniform tax policies across t he country," the chamber said, adding that this would enable standardized growth and increase low box-office collections resulting in a loss to exchequer. To provide impetus to technological upgrade of facilities, equipment must be allowed to be imported without customs duty, it said. The industry body suggested a single window clearance for shooting in India as it will be a great revenue earner for India and help position itself as a hub for production of entertainment content.

Courtesy: Economic Times, July 09, 2006

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Varanasi, the city of ghats, is gearing up to welcome a new brand of tourists - the moksh tourists. The moksh tourists are those tourists who are suffering from lifestyle disorders and seek an escape route from the material world. Majority of them hail from Western countries and come to the holy city in search of peace. Interestingly, the concept of moksh tourism is not being sponsored by the tourism department of the UP government. It is the brainchild of a local tourist guide Karan Pal Singh, who has been inspired by an Italian tourist. The Italian tourist, who was suffering from cancer, had come to Varanasi in quest of peace in his last days. "He died about a year and half ago and even wrote a book titled How I understand death. After his death, I realised that Varanasi was a city that helped people understand the finality of death and helped people overcome its fear. Since a lot of tourists, particularly from Western countries, come here with the purpose of finding peace of mind, I thought that starting "moksh tourism" for such people would be a good idea since they are not interested in material things like shopping etc," says Mr Singh. Mr Singh has been working as a tourist guide in Varanasi for the last 44 years. Under his concept of "moksh tourism," Mr Singh plans to organise special workshops where thinkers and philosophers will hold discourses and teach the participants how to overcome their desires and fears. Tourists will be initiated into a new lifestyle that will bring them closer to nature. "We will bring in groups of people, put them up in natural environments instead of five star hotels and teach them the futility of life and the finality of death. Their queries will be answered by the guest speakers, for those who are suffering from chronic ailments. We will initiate them into naturopathy, music therapy and psycho-energetic healing," he says. "There will be special programmes and classes to overcome depression which is emerging as a major disease in western countries," he adds. Karan Pal Singh is now contacting his counterparts in various countries with the help of leading tour operators and if all goes well, the first batch of moksh tourists will arrive in Varanasi in November. "The idea has found a good response and since the charges for these package tours will be rather nominal compared to normal tourism packages, we expect a large number of tourists in the first batch," he says. Meanwhile, the concept has already caught on if Varanasi's tour operators are to be believed. "I simply sent the concept to my counterparts in Rome and Frankfurt and I have been flooded with queries. If we can manage to sustain the quality of the package, this could well emerge as the biggest tourist concept on this side of the globe," says R.N. Sharma, a tour operator in Varanasi.

Courtesy: The Asian Age, July 08, 2006

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Several thousand domestic and foreign tourists are heading for Leh, the cultural capital of Ladakh, during the week to join the local residents in turning the land of endless discovery into a site of revelry once again. The occasion is the Mela Hemis Gumpa, the famous 200-year-old monastic festival that provides the average Ladakhi with the spice of life. The Hemis monastery outside Leh celebrates this event in the form of a two-day festival in the peak of summer popularly known as Hemis Tse-Chu. This year the festival falls on July 6 and 7. Unlike most other Ladakhi monastic festivals, which are held during winter, the Tse-Chu festival attracts tourists from far off US, Europe, Japan, Korea and other parts of the world. According to tourism officials, about 2,000 foreign tourists are expected this year. Most foreign governments, which have been issuing travel advisories from time to time asking their respective nationals to avoid visiting Jammu and Kashmir, have, however, let peaceful Ladakh off the hook except during the Kargil war. Hence, tourism officials do not face much difficulty in selling Ladakh to foreign tourists, said an official. One of the attractions remains the region's monastic festivals. Ladakh is also known as the land of celebrations. Its centuries-old culture has found expression in its monasteries, monuments, fairs and festivals. But the monastic festivals of the land are matchless events of religious and entertainment value. Tse-Chu (the 10th day) is the biggest and most famous of these festivals. As the name suggests, it is celebrated on the 10th day of the Tibetan lunar month as the birthday of Padmasambhava, or Guru Rimpoche, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism. The festival is held at Hemis monastery and that is why it is also known as the Hemis Gumpa Mela. Hemis monastery is situated in a lateral ravine off the Indus valley, 48 km east of Leh. It is the largest and most important of all the monastic sites in Ladakh. It was founded in 1630 AD by renowned Tibetan teacher Stagsang Ras-pa, with the active support and patronage of the Ladakhi King Singe Namgyal. Hemis, which has a resident community of about 500 lamas, has branches and affiliate monasteries all over Ladakh. Many Ladakhi Buddhists endorse the view held by sections of people in the region that Jesus Christ had visited Hemis site after going to Kashmir, then returned to his land, but in order to escape persecution at home, returned to the Valley where he died and was buried in the old Srinagar area of Rozabal. During the two-day festival, the resident lamas perform sacred masked dances that culminate in the destruction of the sacrificial offerings, called Stor-ma, on the last day.

Courtesy: The Asian Age, July 08, 2006

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Two children from a middling suburban school have done their institution proud by having their paintings showcased at an exhibition in the U.S. that featured works from 30 countries. The works of L. Praveena and K. Karthik of Kuthambakkam Panchayat Union Primary School near Poonamallee were exhibited at Norwalk Community College in May as pictures depicting Indian culture. The International Children's Art Exhibit was hosted by U.S.-based Creative Connections, an international cultural exchange organisation. Their works were chosen from the sketches of 20 students who were asked to paint culturally revealing events. Participants were given the theme, `Capturing the moment, hour-by hour: scenes from our lives.' While Karthik painted his favourite evening pastime, `Playing Cricket,' Praveena sketched her mother's morning chore in `Fetching Water through Handpump,' which reflected a real life routine. "My mother toils hard in the morning to fetch water for us," she said. Describing the cultural exchange as a new experience, Karthik, a VI class student, recollected the paintings from the U.S. he liked. "I saw pictures of people ice skating, kitten being fed with milk and children having burgers." L. Natana Sabapathy, programme assistant, said Karthik and Praveena's paintings were chosen, as they were culture-specific. Other paintings mainly represented Indian festivals. The programme had a schoolteacher explain the theme and encourage them to depict their cultural world through art. Paintings by the students were sent to the U.S. while works of art by participants in the U.S. were received here. The U.S.-based organisation partnered with about 30 countries where the paintings of children across the countries were exchanged. The next step of the project would be to provide classroom connections through online chat.

Courtesy: The Hindu, July 03, 2006

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Bollywood's version of Superman has thrown down a box-office challenge to his American counterpart, with trade analysts estimating the film earned an Indian record of $15 million in its opening week. Almost one-third of the takings for "Krrish" came from overseas, mostly the United Kingdom and the United States where Bollywood fare is an entertainment staple for Indian expatriates. "These are historic opening collections for a Bollywood film. India's first superhero is a superhit," said Taran Adarsh, a leading trade analyst. "This is just the first week. Many cinemas are sold out for days." "Krrish", which cost $10 million, was considered an expensive production in the Hindi language film industry, the biggest in the world by volume and ticket sales but one which operates on low margins. The story of a man with special powers who romances his lady love in between saving the world from a mad scientist has hit a chord with children, who love his ability to leap tall buildings at a bound in a black leather ensemble and a Batman-like mask. "And something which is a hit with children will ensure their parents come along," Adarsh said. Industry officials say the film is a huge success because the eponymous hero can tackle villains and save the world while singing and dancing -- a feature of Indian films. "The film is a workable mixture of what the Indian audiences adore -- fantasy, adventure, romance and family values," said film critic Deepa Gehlot. "The total package is a novelty for them." The film is a sequel to the 2003 blockbuster "Koi...Mil Gaya" (I Found Someone), considered to be Hindi cinema's first major sci-fi movie. "Krrish", played by Bollywood hunk Hrithik Roshan, boasts spectacular special effects as well as song and dance.

Courtesy: www.financialexpress.com, July 01, 2006

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