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Thai
Wants Indian "Knowledge Workers"
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Thailand
welcomed "knowledge workers" from India
and was keen on a partnership with New Delhi
in helping the south east asian country
emulate the domestic economy's success in
the outsourcing business, a top Thailand
Trade Representative said on Thursday. "We
want knowledge workers from India. We want
them to train our people in IT and other
knowledge-based skills...we wanted multinational
companies to use Thailand as a hub for their
R&D activities," Prachuab Chaiyasarn, Thailand
trade representative and head of Thai negotiating
team on Indo-Thai Free Trade Area (FTA),
told a seminar. Companies like Toyota, Honda
and Ford were setting up their R&D centres
in Thailand, he said,adding the ambition
of the country was to become the "brain
nest for the next 20 years." He said Thailand
was keen on "importing brain workers" from
India to educate its people, especially
on IT skills. "We know we cannot do this
overnight," Chaiyasarn said, at a seminar
on Indo-Thai FTA, jointly organised by FICCI
and Royal Thai Embassy. The Indo-Thai FTA,
which came into effect in Sept 2004 on 82
items as per the "early harvest scheme",
saw an increase of over 70 per cent in the
bilateral trade, he said. India should not
be deterred by the "aftershocks" following
tariff reduction on products on the Early
Harvest Scheme. "Both countries should resolve
to deepen their trade engagement to optimise
the benefits under the FTA," he said. Chaiyasan
said Thailand also wanted steel and aluminium
alloy from India.
Courtesy:
The Economic Times: September 23, 2005
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India
Emerges as Favourite Tourist Destination
For Saudis
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An
increasing number of Saudis are looking
toward India as favorite tourist destinations.
Saudi tourist traffic to India increased
by over 16 percent last year and was up
a further six percent in the first half
of this year as against the corresponding
period last year. Addressing a group of
travel agents and newsmen here on Monday
night, Prakash Jajoria, regional director
of India Tourism Dubai, said a total of
14,778 Saudis visited India during the period.
"Our figures show that a growing number
of Saudi tourists are visiting India for
medical treatment, education and sight-seeing.
A popular destination is Kerala, which has
attracted visitors interested in rejuvenation
through ayurvedic treatment. Bangalore and
Hyderabad are popular with western tourists,
especially those interested in the IT industry."
The country has also emerged as a favorite
destination for honeymooners, for whom a
special brochure in Arabic was released.
"India has moved beyond the land of snake
charmers and now charms tourists with its
myriad attractions," Jajoria said, warming
up to the theme of "Incredible India" the
slogan of the tourism promotion drive. Pointing
out that there was a 23 percent jump in
the tourist traffic from the Middle East
last year, Jajoria said India had emerged
as one of the world's top five destinations.
He cited a survey conducted by Conde Nast
Traveler, a French travel magazine, which
showed that India's ranking in terms of
value for money, tourist attractions, connectivity
by air and road, among other criteria, placed
that country ahead of France and the US.
He disclosed that a brand new tourism product,
cruise tourism, would be launched on Oct.
2 for those interested in enjoying luxury
cruise from Goa to Lakshadweep islands and
back.
Courtesy:
arabnews.com : September 23, 2005
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India,
a Major Hub For Clinical Trials
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India
is emerging as a major hub for global clinical
trials and this new sector is poised to
generate more revenue than the Information
Technology industry by 2010, an industry
leader has forecast. "India is going to
be one of the major hubs for clinical trials
in the next five to seven years," Dr Krishna
M Ella, Chairman and Managing Director of
Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International,
one of India's largest biotech firms, said.
"I believe that by 2010, the revenue of
clinical trials may surpass even software
industry of India," Ella, who is heading
a FICCI biotech delegation to China, told
the media here. Multinational companies
like Aventis, Pfizer and Novartis have already
moved the clinical trials to India, he said.
One of the reasons for the growth of clinical
trial sector is the availability of large
number of private hospitals in India, he
said. India, a major hub for clinical trials.
"Almost 70 per cent of the hospitals in
India are privately owned and most of the
doctors are trained in the United States
and United Kingdom. Since they have English-language
capability, they can understand the protocol
and Good Clinical Practices (GCP) issues.
This is a very significant factor for the
clinical trials," Ella said. The number
of students undergoing masters degree in
biotechnology is in the rage of 1.5 to 1.7
lakh, which also helped the biotech industry
to grow rapidly with required skilled manpower,
he said.
Courtesy:
The Economic Times, September 22, 2005
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Flying
Messiah is Back Home, With Pride
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It
was with a sense of gratitude that the IAF
plane carrying relief supplies for the people
ravaged by hurricane Katrina was received
by the US authorities when it landed there
on September 13 and the IAF team was overwhelmed
by the gesture. Recalling the gesture, Group
Captain Rajat Sharma, who flew the supplies
to the US, said here on Wednesday, be it
a toilet cleaner or the top US military
or civil official, every one thanked India
for coming to their rescue in this hour
of crisis. Moreover, volunteers from well
to do families helped the IAF crew to offload
more than 25 tonnes of blankets, tarpaulins
and personal hygiene kits from the giant
IL-76 plane. This task was done within an
hour and the commander of the air base,
a Brigadier General, took off his uniform
shirt and lifted heavy cargo himself, Capt
Sharma told reporters. A veteran in flying
relief sorties to disaster hit areas, be
it the Bhuj earthquake, tsunami affected
areas in Indonesia and Colombo and recent
rains in Mumbai, Capt Sharma, who heads
the Nagpur based 44 Squadron of the IAF,
said his team accomplished the task with
professional ease. The local press in the
US covered the event in great detail, he
added. He said they were lucky to off load
the supplies in a short time as soon after
a thunderstorm with accompanying winds of
more than 50 knots hit the air base. The
16-member crew, however, managed to brave
the storm and then took off return flight
of more than 25 hours to New Delhi on September
15 and touched base on September 17. Capt
Sharma said this task to a foreign country
could be accomplished with speed as his
squadron was used to carry such missions
in India and abroad in recent years. Moreover,
the 44 Transport Squadron was now the designated
unit for ferrying relief to disaster hit
areas, he said.
Courtesy:
The Pioneer, September 22, 2005
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Ayurveda
in MBBS Course Now
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Union
health minister Ambumani Ramadoss has announced
that knowledge of the traditional Indian
systems of medicine like ayurveda will be
part of the modern medicine curriculum in
medical colleges for the undergraduate MBBS
course. The changes will come into force
in two years' time. "A committee will be
set up in the next few weeks to go into
the revision of curriculum. Consultations
will be held with the HRD ministry as well,"
the minister said. Dr Ramadoss made the
announcement at a symposium of the Ayurvedic
Drug Manufacturers Association (ADMA) in
the capital. The traditional systems of
medicine are ayurveda, homeopathy, unani
and siddha. There are 242 medical colleges
in the country. Dr Ramadoss said that Indian
medical students ought to have knowledge
of the traditional Indian systems of medicines
which were being practised for thousands
of years and were "time-tested." He cited
the example of countries like Korea which
had 70 per cent of modern medicine and 30
per cent of the traditional Korean systems
of medicine in its medical college curriculum.
"However, the committee to be set up will
decide what is best for us and we are not
going to base the revised curriculum on
the pattern of either Korea or any other
country," Dr Ramadoss said. Praising the
Indian systems of medicine, Dr Ramadoss
said that several western countries like
Italy, France and Germany were showing interest
in Indian systems of medicine while in the
United States, naturopathy and herbal medicines
were much in demand.
Courtesy:
The Asian Age, September 21, 2005
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Preparing
to Drum His Way Into Guinness Book
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At
two, Darshan Doshi gained entry in to the
Limca Book of Records for being the youngest
drummer in India. Now, at 20, he along with
his band `Tapasya' is all set to break the
Guinness Book of Records by playing the
drums continuously for 43 hours. `Grand
Boys', a Scottish band holds the present
record. Doshi, a commerce student, says
that setting the record would not be easy.
"We have to follow a diet chart and also
exercise regularly so that we can take the
stress of playing for so long," he says.
The Vile Parle boy readily accepts that
drums are always his first priority, though
studies are equally significant. "For the
last two years, I have been playing in US
and Dubai, but this year I dropped it because
of my final exams," says Doshi. Having performed
in more than 900 shows across India and
abroad, he desires to be a perfectionist.
With this end in view, Doshi also plans
to enroll himself in the Berkley College
of music in Boston. With Ranjit Barot for
his guru, Doshi is associated with at least
five different bands. Barot says he did
not have to teach him much, because Doshi
was born with the talent. "He will soon
become a leading drummer of India," prophesises
Barot. Along with his guru, who taught him
to appreciate the nuances of music, Doshi
owes his success to his father. "It was
music all around and all the time at home,"
says Doshi referring to his father Shailesh,
who after 33 years as a music teacher, believes
that every individual has the talent of
music in them, it's just a matter of realisation.
Courtesy:
Hindustan Times, September 21, 2005
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Dosa
& Soul Curry Lure Them to B'lore
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There
were times when America identified India
on postcards. Stills of bullock carts, elephant
mahoots, the Kumbh Mela, pontiffs in saffron.
The country of snake-charmers and black
magic. That was India. Yet, India is enchanting
for them. It's a country where they come
to seek balance in life- a mix of traditions
and modernism. So much so that most Americans
settled in Bangalore pack their bags almost
every weekend and land up either in Mysore
to buy silk sarees or trek to Bandipur for
an elephant ride! "What I love about this
place is that you can go to a church or
a temple, watch traditional dance or some
rock music, play golf or just watch streetchildren
playing cricket... there is a lot of harmony
between the old and the new world," says
Teresa Jackman who has been in Bangalore
for little over two years. It's evident
not just from Thomas Friedman's pieces,
but Americans do believe that the world
is flatenning. "We came to Bangalore because
the city offers an international experience.
It's laid-back and also has a lot of energy
at the workplace. In the evenings, there
are pubs or you can go to chill out. The
city provides good infrastructure for the
soul," points out Lara Sackman who came
down with her software-husband from Los
Angeles about seven months ago. Lara, however,
does not know a word in Kannada or Hindi
but she relishes the Indian food. "Chaats...
I love all of them. I like kebabs, masala
dosa and chicken hariyali. But I eat Indian
food not more than twice a week. When I
cook at home, I opt for non-Indian food.
I guess I don't want to mess up trying to
make round dosas," she said.
Courtesy:
The Economic Times, September 19, 2005
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India's
Tallest Building Planned in Mumbai
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Mumbai
is turning upwardly mobile. Come 2007 and
India's commercial capital will have the
tallest building in the country at a height
of 1,050 ft with 72 storeys. The India International
Trade Tower (IITT) will be developed on
12 acres of National Textile Corporation's
Indu Mills land in Prabhadevi, facing the
Arabian Sea. The ministry of textiles has
approached the Export Promotion Council
for Handicrafts (EPCH) to develop this world-class
gem and jewellery centre besides other commercial
floors. The EPCH has expertise in world-class
marts having developed one for handicrafts
on 45 acres of land at Greater Noida which
will be operational by next month. The total
estimated cost of the project will be more
than Rs 700 cr. "With the view to create
world class infrastructure to attract global
investments in Mumbai and to make the city
a major hub for internal trade especially
in textiles and gems & jewellery, it is
proposed to develop the prestigious commercial
and business tower on NTC land in Mumbai.
The project is to be totally self-financing
and will be implemented through a special
purpose vehicle (SPV)," said a senior official.
It is estimated that each floor would cover
12,000 sq ft and the tower will have two
floors. The ground level will have diamond
cutting facilities, the convention centre
will cover two floors, textile mega mart
four floors, handicraft mart four floors,
diamond and jewellery mart 20 floors, commercial
complex & malls 10 floors, office space
15 floors, hotel complex 10 floors and restaurants
and recreation centres five floors.
Courtesy:
The Economic Times, September 18, 2005
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Indian
Origin Writer Invited to Canadian Literary
Fest
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Indo
Canadian writer Jay Gajjar has been invited
to the 'The Word on the Street' annual literary
festival in this Canadian city to read a
chapter from his recently published Gujarati
novel "Timirna Tej" (The Light in the Darkness).
This will be Gajjar's second invitation
to the festival, which is being celebrated
for the last 16 years in Toronto. Gajjar
is a resident of Mississauga and a prominent
Gujarati storywriter and novelist. The literary
festival promotes books, authors, literary
activities and also hosts several book exhibitions.
More than 200,000 book lovers are likely
to descend on Queen's Park Crescent for
the Sep 25 festival, Canada's largest outdoor
book and magazine festival. Gajjar, who
came to Canada in 1970, has penned about
300 short stories.
Courtesy:
Hindustan Times, September 17, 2005
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Gearing
up For a Tougher Indian Challenge
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From
selling toothpastes to hawking colas. There
may not be a great difference between the
two to an average man. But for the 45-year-old
Atul Singh, the transition has been short
and spectacular. The newly-anointed president
and CEO of Coca-Cola India has had a fruitful
and happy career in Coke since joining the
company from Colgate in 1998. As president
of east, central & south China division
- a division within the greater China division
consisting of Shanghai, the Swire Territories
of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan - Mr Singh
was responsible for a large swathe of territory
and his performance, according to his peers
and colleagues, was excellent. "Under his
leadership, the East China Region exceeded
volume and profit targets by growing at
double the rate of other regions," said
a company spokesperson. "Under Atul's leadership,
mainland China operations was among the
fastest growing Coca-Cola businesses world-wide
for the past three years," said a company
insider. Now, as the head of Indian operations,
Mr Singh faces a different challenge, a
different battle. The Indian unit of the
Atlanta-based soft drinks giant has seen
six CEOs in the past 12 years, compared
to Pepsi, which has had just two.
Courtesy:
The Economic Times, September 17, 2005
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L
K Advani's Concluding Statement At The National
Executive Meeting
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The
following is the text of the concluding
statement made by Bharatiya Janata Party
president L.K. Advani at the national executive
meeting of the party in Chennai on Sunday:
The
Bharatiya Janata Party is celebrating 2005
as the year of its Rajat Jayanti (Silver
Jubilee). Since its inception in 1980, the
BJP has been the beacon of hope for crores
of Indians who cherish the ideals of cultural
nationalism, national security, democracy
and development.
The
people of India know that, during the six
years of the NDA government at the Centre
between 1998 and 2004, we made an earnest
effort to take our country forward on the
basis of these ideals, an effort in which
we succeeded substantially. The NDA government
laid the foundation and set direction for
India's recognition as an important geo-political
power center of the world.
On
the political front, our greatest achievement
in the past twenty five years has been our
emergence as one of the two principal poles
in India's polity. We also proved that the
BJP was capable of leading a stable non-Congress
coalition that could not only impart dynamism
to India's all-round development but also
solve many problems that it inherited from
the past.
In
1977, the Janata Party Government was formed
with Sri Morarji Desai as Prime Minister.
This government lasted for just over two
years. In the Sixth General Elections to
the Lok Sabha, the Janata Party had secured
an impressive tally of 295 seats. But in
the Seventh General Elections, its strength
slumped steeply to just 31 seats! Smt Gandhi
and her Congress scored a resounding victory.
The general talk in the country then became
that there is no alternative to Mrs Gandhi
and there is no alternative to the Congress.
The
first annual session of the BJP in December
1980 was presided over by Sri Atal Behari
Vajpayee. The 50000 delegates who had assembled
at Bandra in Mumbai for the session felt
thrilled when they heard Justice MC Chagla
declare at the session that he saw in the
BJP the only alternative and the only challenge
to the authoritarian and corrupt Congress,
and that he could clearly see Shri Vajpayee
as India's future Prime Minister, a forecast
we all have seen actually being realized.
In
free India's political history, the launching
of the BJP in 1980 has really proved a landmark
event. The Indian polity has undergone a
radical metamorphosis in these past twenty
five years.
Personally,
I deem it a proud privilege that while the
First Session was presided over by Shri
A.B.Vajpayee, the Party's Silver Jubilee
Session being held this December at Mumbai
is going to be presided over by me. I had
accepted this responsibility as Party President
in October 2004 because Shri Venkaiahji
had some personal problems. I have decided,
however, that after the Mumbai session,
I shall demit office, and the party's stewardship
should be taken over by some other colleague.
From
time to time, and depending on the issue
at hand, the BJP leadership has had no hesitation
in consulting the RSS functionaries. After
such consultations, the Party takes its
own independent decisions. Some of these
decisions may differ--and have indeed differed--
from the stated positions of the RSS and
certain constituents of the 'Sangh Parivar'.
But
lately an impression has gained ground that
no political or organizational decision
can be taken without the consent of the
RSS functionaries. This perception, we hold,
will do no good either to the Party or to
the RSS. The RSS too must be concerned that
such a perception will dwarf its greater
mission of man-making and nation-building.
Both the RSS and the BJP must consciously
exert to dispel this impression.
We
feel that the RSS should continue to play
its role to strengthen the ethical, moral
and idealistic moorings of the workers as
well as functionaries of the BJP, as in
the past, and this is in the larger interest
of the nation.
The
BJP greatly appreciates the continuing interaction
we have been having with the RSS and with
other organizations in the Sangh Parivar.
Their views provide valuable inputs for
our decision making process. But the BJP
as a political party is accountable to the
people, its performance being periodically
put to test in elections. So in a democratic,
multi party polity, an ideologically--driven
party like the BJP has to function in a
manner that enables it to keep its basic
ideological stances intact and at the same
time expand itself to reach the large sections
of the people outside the layers of all
ideology.
It
is in protecting the ideological moorings
of the BJP and in articulating it in an
idiom and language that the people understand
that great care is needed. For us in the
BJP, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya has been
a model ideologue. We have seen him interpret
the party's ideological commitments, as
for example in respect of 'Akhand Bharat',
with remarkable clarity and conviction,
and yet with flexibility and finesse.
The
RSS is a nationalist organization whose
contribution to character building of millions
and towards inculcating in them the spirit
of patriotism, idealism and selfless service
of the motherland has been incomparable.
It is this organization that has inspired
tens of thousands of public-spirited persons
to serve the nation through the medium of
politics. Those in the political field and
those who are serving the society in other
fields have to function with unity and trust
like a family to ensure that the country
secures its rightful place in the comity
of nations.
Courtesy:
The Hindu, September 18, 2005
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2
NRI Lawyers Among Top Paid in UK
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Two
NRI lawyers are among the highest paid barristers
in Britain, according to a UK government
report released here on Wednesday. Kalyani
Kaul came in at number three with a pay
cheque of £766,000 and Balbir Singh was
the fifth highest paid with earnings worth
£750,000 in 2004-2005. Their earnings could
be trimmed in the wake of calls for reform
of the government's legal aid policy. The
report revealed that top lawyers earn more
than £600,000 from British taxpayers with
most also having additional income from
private clients. Labour MP Andrew Dismore,
whose parliamentary question elicited the
information, said: "They're just astronomical
figures. Nobody is worth that sort of money
from public funds. What it shows is how
the legal aid system has become absolutely
skewed towards a few fat cats, whereas those
who are doing the donkey's work in magistrates
courts and in the crown court are feeling
the pinch."
Courtesy:
The Asian Age, September 16, 2005
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Guinness
Record For Andhra Teacher
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A
school teacher in Andhra Pradesh claims
to have set a new record by teaching continuously
for 60 hours, finding just enough time to
eat and freshen up in snatches, but sleeping
not a wink. A. Veeraiah, a retired teacher
in the state's northern district of Karimnagar,
taught English non-stop for 60 hours to
students of the Zilla Parishad High School
in Sircilla town, according to local newspaper
reports on Wednesday. Veeraiah started teaching
school students on Saturday morning and
continued non-stop till Monday evening.
He delivered lectures of two hours each
to 600 students in separate batches. He
thus claimed to have broken the Guinness
Book world record of continuous teaching
for 54 hours. Local people, the students
and teachers at the school witnessed the
feat.
Courtesy:
The Times of India, September 15, 2005
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3-Year-Old
Eyes Guinness Record
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He
is yet to step into the shoes of a man but
when he puts on his jogging shoes, not many
athletes can catch up with him. With a stamina
to run for 10 hours and up to 48 km every
day, three-and-a-halfyear-old Budhia Singh
has one aim in life, to make it to the Guinness
Book of World Records by running 90 km at
a stretch. To achieve his target, the wunderkind
follows a tough schedule. He gets up at
five in the morning and runs for seven hours.
After taking a siesta, he resumes his run
from 4 pm to 7 pm. Budhia has had a tough
life. His father died soon after he was
born. His mother, who looks after three
of his younger sisters, gave him away to
Biranchi Das when she was unable to fend
for him. Das, who was the Orissa Judo Association
secretary, said, "Budhia's mother gave the
boy to us last year. Since then he has been
living with us.'' Das says he realised the
child's great stamina when Budhia won a
25-km marathon organised by the CRPF. "I
initiated Budhia into athletics when I became
aware of his incredible stamina,'' he said.
"I want to see him run the 90 km from Puri
to Cuttack."
Courtesy:
The Times of India, September 13, 2005
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Indian
world record holder Mallikarjun Reddy shows
a carved toothpick with 28 chainlinks in
Bangalore on Monday. With this effort, Reddy
has entered into the Guinness Book of World
Records
Courtesy:
The Statesman, September 13, 2005
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India's
Real Rich Live in Small Cities
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Consumer
goods makers trying to hawk premium products
this festive season will focus their marketing
efforts much more than usual on smaller
cities, based on findings that more than
60 per cent of the 'real rich' are found
there. LG, Samsung, Maruti, Hyundai, BMW,
DaimlerChrysler and others have ramped up
distribution to tap this growing base of
affluent, upwardly-mobile consumers in smaller
cities, with aspirations matching that of
their big city cousins. Several corporates
are betting on big growth numbers from small
towns to pep up their balance-sheets this
year. Consumer goods makers are relying
heavily on the latest National Council of
Applied Economic Research (NCAER) findings
to tweak their marketing strategies. Estimates
say that about 75% of India's 'sheer rich',
64% of 'clear rich' and 58% of the 'near
rich' live in these 67 smaller cities. The
top six cities - Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai,
Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad - represent
6% of the population and contribute 14%
to India's GDP. The other cities with a
population of more than half a million represent
about 7% of the nation's population and
contribute about 13% to the GDP. The findings
came out in late '04. While the main metros
remain the country's richest cities, the
pace of growth has been far higher in the
smaller cities with a population of more
than half a million. Product launches, marketing
strategies, promotions and discounts are
being fine-tuned to bring in big growth
numbers from second-tier cities like Nagpur,
Surat, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Vijaywada and
others. Several models of high-end refrigerators,
plasma televisions, high-end bikes and premium
cars are all set to be rolled out in these
markets to lure consumers. Dealer margins,
too, have been upped in several markets
to push brands, industry sources said. As
far as durables are concerned, small towns
(with a population of less than one lakh)
across the country have begun contributing
significantly to all high-end durables such
as flat televisions and frost-free refrigerators.
Ford has increased the number of dealers
from 12 dealerships to more than 90 in about
70 cities, said auto analysts. Bacardi-Martini,
a unit of Bacardi, today distributes alcoholic
beverages in 50 cities.
Courtesy:
The Economic Times: September 13, 2005
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Lalu's
'Kulhars' Set to Conquer Britain
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Impressed
by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad's eco-friendly
move to replace plastic tea cups in trains
with earthen cups, or 'kulhar', a British
consultant plans to popularise the use of
these cups in his country. Ken Hunt, a business
advisor to UK Trade and Investment (UKTI)'s
South Asia unit, said that Lalu's kulhar
is a wonderful idea and needs to get wider
advocacy to popularise its use. "I have
decided to take the challenge to popularise
earthen cups in Britain," said Hunt, currently
visiting Jharkhand and Bihar on a business
trip. Hunt recalled that during his train
journey in northern India earlier this month,
he noticed people sipping tea from kulhars,
quite a new thing for him. "When I inquired
about it, the tea hawkers said that the
earthen cups were introduced by Lalu Prasad,
known for his rustic ways," Hunt said.
Courtesy:
The Economic Times, September 12, 2005
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Delhi
Hosts India's First Bartending Contest
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India's
first national bartending championship competition
was held in the capital recently. The three-day
event witnessed the participation of around
70 contestants across the country, who vied
for the title of "The Bar Wizard 2005."
The participants were judged on three parameters:
acrobatics, style of preparation and quality
of drinks. The competition was organised
to spread awareness about bartending as
a profession. Mr Sandeep Verma, MD, the
Institute of Bar Operations and Management
(IBOM) said, "Internationally, the concept
of bartending competitions is extremely
popular. In India, such competitions will
improve the quality of bartending and hence
satisfy the customers." After wining the
title, Shawn D'Souza from Goa was all smiles.
"I was never fond of drinking or smoking
but was fascinated by mixing drinks. After
watching the movie, Cocktail, I was so inspired
that I wanted to learn the art of flairing,"
said Shawn, who is now the bar supervisor
at the Taj Fort Aguada Beach Resort. The
first and second runners-up were Jaideep
Malik and Ami Shroff. Ami was one of the
three women participants.
Courtesy:
The Asian Age, September 10, 2005
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Desi
Americans in MIT's Innovator List
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Four
Indian Americans have been named in this
year's list of top 35 technology innovators
under the age of 35 by the Technology Review
magazine of the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (MIT). The list includes Narasimha
Chari of Tropos Networks, Anita Goel of
Nanobiosym, Rajit Manohar of Cornell University
and Shiladitya Sengupta of the Harvard Medical
School. "Their work is a road map to what's
hot in emerging technology - and their achievements
will shape the world we live in for decades
to come," the magazine said. "They are inventors
and discoverers and entrepreneurs. They
are chemists and biologists and software
engineers and chip designers. They create
their wonders in universities, start-ups
and large corporations." The list is published
annually, but there is no ranking of those
who figure in it for their respective feats.
Chari, 31, was honoured for setting the
mesh networking standard. "In the late 1990s,
when wi-fi equipped laptops were still a
novelty, Narasimha Chari saw the possibility
of creating large communications infrastructures
using wireless mesh networks," the magazine
said. Such technology was the exclusive
province of the military, it said. "In 18
months of moonlighting while a physics grad
student at Harvard University, he created
elegant algorithms that tailored mesh networking
for routine civilian communications," the
journal added. Tropos Networks, the company
Chari founded in 2000 with co-inventor Devabhaktuni
Srikrishna, helped launch commercial wireless
mesh networking. The firm is now ready to
ship its first systems to India. Physicist
and physician Goel, 32, found the place
in the list on the merit of building novel
pathogen detectors. "While working on her
medical degree at Harvard in 2004, she founded
Nanobiosym to apply her theories to the
development of nano-tech devices for precisely
controlling the proteins," the magazine
said. "Such devices could identify viruses
and bacteria in, say, a blood sample more
rapidly, accurately and cheaply than current
techniques can." Manohar, 33, an associate
professor of electrical and computer engineering
at Cornell University, was appreciated for
"taking the clocks out of computer chips".
An onboard clock synchronises the different
functions of a computer chip, but that means
the fastest operations can't pass on their
data until the slowest have finished, said
the magazine.
Courtesy:
The Economic Times, September 10, 2005
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US-Indians
Among Top Innovators
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Four
Indian-Americans have been named among the
world's top 35 young high-tech innovators
by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's
(MIT) prestigious Technology Review magazine.
Anita Goel of Nanobiosym, Narasimha Chari
of Tropos Networks, Rajit Manohar of Cornell
University, and Shiladitya Sengupta of Harvard
Medical School-all aged below 35-have been
named top high-tech innovators for "exemplifying
the spirit of contemporary technology leading
to a road map to what's hot in emerging
technology''. Goel, a physicist as well
as a physician and also the founder and
CEO of Nanobiosym was named top young innovator
for developing nanotech devices that could
identify viruses and bacteria in blood samples
more rapidly, accurately and cheaply than
existing techniques. Chari was selected
for setting the wireless mesh networking
standard. He created elegant algorithms
that tailored mesh networking, once a province
of the military, for routine civillian communication.
Courtesy:
Times of India, September 10, 2005
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Sania
to be a 'Pathbreaking Indian Woman'
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Tennis
sensation Sania Mirza on Thursday expressed
confidence that she would soon be the number
one not only in tennis but also in many
other walks of life to be a pathbreaking
Indian woman. The 18-year-old Hyderabadi
became the first Indian woman to reach the
fourth round of a Grand Slam at the US Open
last week before losing to Maria Sharapova.
In the weeks leading up to the event, she
also became the first Indian, man or woman,
to break into the top-50 in rankings since
Ramesh Krishnan in 1980s. No other female
player from the subcontinent has achieved
the feat so far. On her future plans, world
42nd ranked Sania said she would take part
in a WTA tour event in Bali next week and
return to India to launch her campaign in
the USD 170,000 tournament in Kolkata the
following week.
Courtesy:
The Times of India, September 09, 2005
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You
Can Recharge RIM Phones With Itz Cash Card
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INTREX
India Ltd, an Essel group venture, hopes
to generate Rs 350 crore from sales of its
Itz Cash Card in the current fiscal. The
Itz Cash Card is stated to be India's first
multi-purpose pre-paid card that enables
customers to top-up mobile pre-paid accounts,
shop online, book railway tickets, buy Internet
connections, and play online games. Sales
of the Itz Cash Card, launched in Mumbai
in November 1993, helped the company generate
revenue of Rs 70 crore in 2004-05. Speaking
to newspersons at the launch of a facility
to recharge Reliance India Mobile (RIM)
phones with Itz Cash Card, Mr Gurpreet Bakshi,
Chief Officer (New Projects), said by virtue
of the tie-up with RIM, its customers would
now be able to able to recharge their RIM
pre-paid mobile phones.
Courtesy:
www.thehindubusinessline.com, September
09, 2005
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Indians
in UK a Success Story
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The
capital of 21st century Britain stands revealed
as a patchwork city of colours, ethnicity,
race and religion and thereby, the 'world
capital of world cities' and home away from
home for people everywhere, according to
new research published by the BBC. The least
surprising revelation of this new, most
extensive assessment of migration into Britain
ever produced, is that Indians remain the
UK's most successful ethnic group, more
successful than white Britons and fellow
immigrants. The study shows that nearly
eight per cent of people living in Britain
were born overseas. Four out of every 10
people born abroad settle in London and
the south-east of England, making the British
capital the world's most multi-ethnic city
and on the frontline of globalisation's
economic push. Just over one million people
moved to Britain in the decade to 2001 and
just over half of the UK's population growth
in recent years can be attributed to immigration,
says the study by Sheffield University for
the Institute for Public Policy Research.
Courtesy:
The Economic Times, September 08, 2005
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Golden
Threads Woven Into Mosaic Motifs
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Fibre
carbon which is used to make aeroplane wings
finds application in the jewellery creations.
Textile embroidery techniques are transferred
on to gold. The unexpected and strangest
combinations sport an aesthetic appeal and
call for attention. Such value additions
are presented by Imagem, a jewellery line
promoted by the jewellery house Khwaahish.
"We had our first sale in Bangalore two
years ago and since then, we've regularly
exhibited our creations in South India.
About 60 per cent of sales is generated
from the region and many of our exhibits
have been launched at the India International
Jewellery Show in July," says Mr Neeraj
Kayathwal of Khwaahish, which will exhibit
its range at a city hotel from September
8 to 10. Khwaahish's strength lies in its
sourcing, as it represents 100-odd consortiums
of Italian manufacturers. This accessibility
combines with futuristic techniques, which
makes the jewellery lightweight and varied
in finishes. It is seen in lines like Jewel
Mesh, where gemstones are embedded in a
mesh of 18K gold. Likewise Stone in Stone,
wherein a small stone is embedded in a large
semi precious stone. The concept lends itself
to a kaleidoscope of colours. The most arresting
piece is from the Arabesque collection,
which packages traditional mango motifs
with a contemporary twist. Textile embroidery
techniques are transferred on to gold, and
through diligent handcrafting methods gemstones
are encased in gold. With golden threads
woven into a mosaic of motifs, it looks
like a tapestry of jewel art.
Courtesy:
The Asian Age, September 08, 2005
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Indian
American Hoteliers Open Doors to Hurricane
Victims
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Even
as numerous Indian American organisations
are collecting funds for victims of Hurricane
Katrina, the Asian American Hotel Owners
Association (AAHOA) is chipping in with
money and free accommodation. The devastating
hurricane that pounded the US Gulf coast
last week has wreaked havoc in the states
of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The
AAHOA, which controls some 35 per cent of
the US hospitality industry, has a significant
membership hailing from Mississippi and
Alabama. And though they may be fewer in
number in Louisiana, they have come forward
with offers to help. The organisation announced
that it has donated $100,001 toward relief
efforts through the American Red Cross and
other initiatives. In the wake of the disaster,
infrastructure has collapsed and there is
chaos on the streets as people wait for
water and food amid bodies. Though there
is no official death toll as bodies are
still being recovered, it is expected to
be in thousands. A semblance of order is
creeping back, but there is a new fear of
diseases breaking out. At a local level,
the AAHOA said its members have been giving
complimentary rooms, providing food and
other essentials to refugees, opening up
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