Farhan Akhtar: Legendary role

Transcription

Indian
THE INTERNATIONAL
2013• ISSUE 5| VOL. 20.5
Est. 1992: The Region’s Oldest, Authoritative
Magazine of Gulf Indian Society & History
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Sept 15, 2013 - Nov 15, 2013
Farhan Akhtar: Legendary role
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
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THE INTERNATIONAL INDIAN
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THE INTERNATIONAL
Indian
EST: 1992 The Region’s Oldest,
Authoritative Magazine of Gulf Indian Society & History
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WHERE DO OUR NETAS GET THE MONEY?
This refers to your editorial in TII 20.4 - I read on Rediff.com that the 1999 Lok
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FROM MAHARAJAS TO ‘MAHARASCALS’?
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable. - John F. Kennedy
When I returned to India in 1975,
after being away in America for five
years, I was disoriented seeing the
enormous crowd waiting outside
Delhi’s Palam airport and my first
thought was, ‘could there be a
revolution in this country?’ Those
thoughts return these days as scam
after scam tumbles out of political
closets and we see the country being
looted by ‘Maharascals’ of every hue.
Our supposedly honest Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh may not have
sticky fingers, but he is fast losing his
credibility over the Coalgate scam.
In the bygone era of India’s
Maharajas, each regal state had only
one ruler who could loot the treasury.
Today, India has an entire political and
bureaucratic class of ‘Maharascals’,
spread all across the nation and
beyond, with their greedy hands in the
till.
Author and journalist M. J. Akbar
in one of his recent columns writes
that in its search for change, India has
opted for ‘insurrection’ as its primary
instrument rather than revolution.
“An insurrection builds momentum
in bursts, and ebbs from the surface
during fallow spells. This can easily
mislead an establishment, which
quickly tends to believe that it has
either managed to defeat or purchase
a passing upsurge. But such ash is not
dead. Its spirit smoulder’s, waiting for
the moment to resurrect,” says Akbar.
It remains to be seen whether India
succumbs to insurrections. But what is
certain, is that our politicians have so
indoctrinated the country with divisive
ideologies that they can strategically
pull strings periodically, to achieve their
self-seeking objectives.
The sectarian demon is always
lurking in India and appears to be
resurfacing with the Lok Sabha
elections looming. Will 2014 see the
return of the fundamentalist Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) backed BJP?
Indians are easily goaded by their
politicians to think along caste and
religious lines. We are oblivious to what
is going on in countries like Egypt,
Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and Lebanon.
What will it take for us to understand
that urban civil war is one of the worst
catastrophes that any country can
inflict on itself?
When we Indians self-identify as
Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh etc.
that is not an indication of what we
believe – only an indication of which
community we belong to. The fact
is India’s religious sects function as
ethnicities, just as they do in the
Middle East, Northern Ireland and the
former Yugoslavia. Each sect has a
history, a culture, aspirations and fears,
about who are its allies and enemies.
Indians may pretend not to carry that
baggage by claiming to be secular, but
during communal riots we all know
the dangers of belonging to any one
of those groups and safety is probably
available only within the confines of the
sect we belong to.
Living in a never ending rat race,
Indians do not realize or are not willing
to admit the extent to which they
have been corrupted – brainwashed
by notions of superior caste, religion,
status, etc. Probably more than
anything else, this is the national
outlook that plays into the hands of our
‘Maharascal’ netas who manipulate us
like puppets on a string.
If the BJP imbibed the ‘sometimes
you win, sometimes you learn’ rule, it
could be interesting to see what they
have in store for the country if they
return to power. But so far what we
have been getting from Shri Narender
Modi and company are not so subtle
hints that Hindutva’s danda is still a
polarizing force to be reckoned with.
Criticizing Gujarat’s Chief Minister
Narender Modi, who is the BJP’s
Prime Minister aspirant, Union Rural
Development Minister Jairam Ramesh
stated, “We are facing the RSS and
not the BJP. There is a very deliberate
attempt to polarize the 2014 elections
under Modi and create an atmosphere
of fear. Governance is a mukhota
(mask),” Ramesh pointed out. The
Congress is confident that people will
see through Modi’s game of using
governance as a cover for communal
mobilization. “Modi is a giant balloon
that will burst sooner rather than later
when people separate myth from
reality,” Ramesh added.
Rajya Sabha chairperson Hamid
Ansari’s recent comments about our
politicians is proof of what goes on in
India’s parliament, “Every single rule,
every single etiquette is being violated.
If the honourable members wish the
House to become a federation of
anarchists, then it’s a different thing.”
He was being tactful to observe
parliamentary propriety, while telling
us about the kind of people into whose
hands the country has fallen into.
So what awaits us in the future more anarchy, a revolution or Ram
Rajya?
Frank Raj
Founder-Editor & Publisher
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The International Indian
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Chennai Express
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EUROPE IN A DESI CARAVAN
Al Zahra Hospital
by Megha Sequeira
by Frank Raj
SUCCESS
COVER STORY
72
Aurangabad: A City That Demands
Respect
by Shyamola Khanna
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
HUMOR
83
Tip the Patel’s at Motel 5
by Melvin Durai
DIASPORA
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Desi Girl American World by Ekta Garg
34
Dubai to Latin America
by Mano Chandra Das
48
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FARHAN AKHTAR:
Tribute to the ‘FLYING SIKH’
Pune Residential Market
by Colliers International
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The Real Estate Bill
by Colliers International
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CA’s Advice By Prem Karra
Grandparents in the Gulf by Feby Imthias
77
Indians in Tanzania by Shamlal Puri
BUZZWORD
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Teacher With a Passion
by Bandana Jain
Diwali in the Diaspora
by Deepa Ballal
COLUMNS
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Where Will You Retire in India?
by Sabina Inderjit
India is Not For Vacations by Deepa Ballal
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Sky Jewellery Open in Bur Juman Centre
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Giordano Celebrates 20 years
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INVESTMENT & FINANCE
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EDITOR’S PICK
Frank Raj
Azul Cafe’ (Photo courtesy Cidade De Goa)
Cidade De Goa (Photo by Frank Raj)
Deluxe Room (Photo courtesy Cidade De Goa)
CIDADE DE GOA:
INCOMPARABLY GOAN
Built in 1982 to a design by one
of India’s leading architects, Charles
Correa, Cidade de Goa appears like a
quaint, ochre-splashed Portuguese
hamlet. It was a concept that earned
international acclaim due to its
innovative interplay of cluster-style
courtyards, overhanging ‘balcaos,’
exuberant use of colour and painted
facades.
Amid this cocoon of Portuguese
tradition, the imprint of exceptional
modern hospitality and luxury
indulgences resonates throughout
the resort. In short, the Goan
“susegad” spirit and passion for life
infuses everything, from the cuisine
choices and beach activities to the
entertainment and more.
Alfama, Cidade’s acclaimed
fine dining restaurant with quaint
red-tiled ‘balcaos’ and vibrant murals
recalls Lisbon’s old quarter while the
chef’s finely tuned menu is replete
with authentic Goan and Portuguese
culinary delicacies. You can even
12
listen to live performances of ‘Fado,’
Portugal’s renowned music art form,
by Goa’s top performers.
Something for everyone… truly
Goa in a resort.
As well as water sports, beach
games, indoor activities and kids’
facilities, Cidade provides the
latest in gaming entertainment at
Goldfinger, its 24-hour casino, along
with age-old healing treatments at
‘Pavitra’ – Ayurveda Spa and an array
of body massages at Clube Saúde. As
a wedding destination or conference
venue too, the services and facilities
are among the finest available in the
state.
Throughout the resort, venues
such as Mandovi, Zuari and Dekhni
Lawns as well as outlets like Laranja,
Café Azul and Doçaria coffee shop
reflect the intimate connection with
Goa while Cidade’s attentive staff
also emphasise the traditional Goan
values of friendly service and warm,
welcoming hospitality.
CONTACT
Cidade de Goa
Vainguinim Beach
Goa 403004. India.
Phone:+91(832) 245 4545
Fax : +91 (832) 245 4541
www.cidadedegoa.com
Email: [email protected]
13
COVER STORY
Rajiv Vijayakar
FARHAN AKHTAR’S
TRIBUTE TO MILKHA SINGH
Milkha Singh with Farhan Akhtar and Sonam Kapoor
His lineage was evident long ago – 12 years back to be precise. As environment
added to the genes, Farhan Akhtar wrote and directed the pioneer among the new
generation films with Dil Chahta Hai way back in 2001. At that time, only the metros
endorsed this mini-masterpiece, but the son of writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar and
actress-writer-director Honey Irani made a reputation for himself as a man to watch.
14
T
he track-record: Lakshya
(2004), which marked his
next outing, was also coproduced by Farhan, and said
to have some kind of autobiographic
shades – of a direction-less youth
finding a path in life. Noble in
intention (it encouraged young
Indians to join the Armed Forces),
meticulous in execution and heavy in
its star-roster (Hrithik Roshan as the
protagonist with Amitabh Bachchan
and Preity Zinta), it, however, did not
do well.
Treading safer territory, Farhan
made a remake of the 1978 cult film
Don (co-written by his father) next,
getting a great response overseas
thanks to Shah Rukh Khan’s following
and a Diwali release, and an average
collection in India.
And then it was time to reinvent himself again – giving a
break to assistant Reema Kagti,
he co-produced the very different
Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. (2007)
and then launched himself daringly
as actor and singer in Rock On!
(2008). Both films did well only in
some centers.
The next two films from Excel
Entertainment (his banner’s name,
with partner Ritesh Sidhwani) –
Luck By Chance (2009) helmed by
his sister Zoya Akhtar, and Karthik
Calling Karthik (2010) directed by
Vijay Lalwani were the first two
of a trilogy of flops completed by
Abhinay Deo’s Game (2011), though
Farhan also acted in the first two
films and was appreciated.
The fortunes of Excel changed
when, in late 2011, Zoya’s Zindagi Na
Milegi Dobara was released. Farhan
was the leading man of the film
alongside Hrithik Roshan and Abhay
Deol – and no less than them as a
performer. This was followed by his
sequel, Don 2, which achieved the
benchmark 100 crore domestic nett
collection, besides being a major hit
Farhan trained vigorously for the role in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
abroad.
In 2012, there was the slick
supernatural thriller Talaash directed
by Reema again, followed by the
mid-2013 release of Fukrey, directed
by Mrigdeep Singh Lamba.
But it was in 2013 that Farhan
really came into his own as an
actor, with the protagonist’s role
of Milkha Singh, the legendary
Indian champion runner, in Rakeysh
Omprakash Mehra’s ‘Bhaag Milkha
Bhaag.’ Now declared a tax-free film
and critically appreciated, as well
as a commercial blockbuster, it has
won rave reviews for Farhan Akhtar’s
exceptionally brilliant performance.
Coming up next is the comedy
Shaadi Ke Side Effects, directed by
Saket Chaudhari and co-starring
Vidya Balan, and produced by Pritish
Nandy Communications.
On a roll is a tepid phrase to
describe Farhan’s success today. It
takes forever to pin him down for a
tete-a-tete, which finally happens
one Sunday at a shoot for the lastmentioned film. His vanity van is the
venue for a lunch-time rendezvous.
In the Flying Sikh’s shoes
Farhan admits that he found
Milkha Singh’s life a heart-moving
and emotional journey and he loved
the idea of sharing it – through
Mehra’s film and Prasoon Joshi’s
script – with the world. “I was taken
in by the journey of a boy who lost
almost everything he had at the age
of 8 to 9 years,” he says. “Learning
so much about him and how he
became a legend and an icon was an
education by itself.”
Farhan candidly says that the
thought of asking either Mehra or
Joshi why they thought of him for
this role never crossed his mind. His
15
COVER STORY
first outside-Excel film (though he
had done Anand Surapur’s The Fakir
Of Venice a decade earlier, and this
was technically his debut as an actor,
the unreleased film was only shown
at some international festivals), has
turned out to be his biggest triumph
as an actor.
Asked why the bio-pic of sorts
had to end even before Milkha’s
marriage, Farhan says, “As I said,
Milkha had lost almost everything as
a young boy. The film was about how
he became a legend through sheer
self-belief, courage and strength. So
the film ended with his triumph in
Lahore with Pakistani leader Ayub
Khan terming him the ‘Flying Sikh’.
This was the beginning of the legend
and that was what the story of the
film was about – about what it takes
for a man to reach those heights
after the tragedies of his early life.”
Farhan is also very clear that
his belief in the character had to
be complete, even if real life was
dramatized or fictional points added.
“I did not want to discuss these
things with Mehra or Joshi. I was
given a role and a script, and I had
to believe in it as real,” he stresses.
“My understanding of everything
in his life, whether it was fear on his
first plane journey, his affair with the
girl played by Sonam Kapoor and
with the girl in Australia, or the past
trauma that needed closure before
he went to Pakistan’s sports stadium
and won, were that they were all
true. So I never even questioned
them about such aspects.”
Farhan did not even ask Milkha
Singh about these happenings in
his life when they met several times,
including a couple of prolonged
meetings. “But I wanted to hear
about his life,” says Farhan. “He
came across as an amazing source
of inspiration and this helped me
to get the emotional nuances right.
The only point he did mention was
that in his first visit to Australia, there
16
(Top) Sonam Kapoor & Farhan Akhtar in a still from the movie. (Below)
Farhan Akhtar - charged after meeting Milkha Singh
were several distracting moments
because the women there were a
change from those in pre-Partition
India. He was overawed by their
boldness. It is quite possible that
multiple incidents were put together
in the on-screen affair that is shown!”
Farhan graphically remembers
his first meeting with Milkha on
the Mumbai racing track. “It was a
surprise visit from him and all of us
– real police and other cadets - were
training there,” recalls Farhan. “That’s
when I realized how important
Milkha-ji still was. Most of his feats
were almost six decades ago and the
legacy lives on – he is still an icon.
The fact that he has such an impact
today gave the film a new meaning,
and charged me even more.”
Milkha wanted to know what
kind of an actor and person
was playing his role in the
film. He last saw a Hindi film
in the times of Raj Kapoor
and Dev Anand.
In turn, Milkha was keen on
knowing what kind of an actor and
person was playing his role in the
film! “He had last seen a Hindi film
only in the times of Raj Kapoor,
Dev Anand and Dilip Kumar,” smiles
Farhan.
At the training level, a lot has
already been written about the
vigorous workouts needed to
prepare Farhan physically for the
role, complete with training and
diets. He lets us into a lesser-known
fact – that the film was shot in the
reverse way. “The earlier portions
were filmed later, and so I had to lose
all the muscles I had built for the
earlier parts in the film - also under
strict supervision of trainers and
nutrition experts!”
But on the mental level, his
preparations were equally intense.
“I had to imagine a past, and it was a
point-to-point process. It was about
believing, rather than calculating,
on a daily basis,” reveals Farhan. And
the actor admits that it affected him
psychologically during that period.
“My family understood all the
sacrifices I had to make and all my
moods while getting into this role.
My friends took some time though!”
he smiles. “For 18 months, my
lifestyle was different.”
Quite naturally, he is loving all
the ultra-positive feedback. “It is nice
to know that a film and your work in
it is appreciated so much,” he sums
up with another smile. “This does not
happen every time.”
Multiple talents
Farhan refused to be
photographed because he is in
costume for his next film Shaadi
Ke…, a comedy that is a sequel
to the 2006 Pyaar Ke Side/Effects.
Shifting from Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
to his first comedy is not a strain at
all, he says. “You have to be true to
your creative instincts,” he lets on.
“Comedy is about two vital points
– great timing, for which one must
have an understanding of humour,
and about being able to keep a
straight face. Any great comic, Peter
Sellers, Woody Allen or anyone here,
has these twin abilities very welldeveloped.”
Farhan, as mentioned earlier,
has done so many things in cinema
(he even co-wrote English songs for
Lagaan and Bride And Prejudice with
sister Zoya), but he insists that he
never did anything just because he
wanted to try it out. Similarly, he has
no urge to direct again till something
motivates him. “I have made four
diverse films!” he reveals. “Don and
Don 2 were totally apart despite a
common protagonist,” he points out.
“I had to know within that I
was ready to go into that field.
Abhishek Kapoor wanted me to
play the lead in and sing in Rock
On!!¸ but I accepted both only
because I thought I was prepared
to experience both.” His latest
enterprise is a live band. “My friend
Sarosh and I are the only constant
members,“ he smiles. “The rest keep
changing.”
Moving to his illustrious father
Javed Akhtar, does he have any
unofficial role in his productions,
apart from writing lyrics, that is? “I do
consult him on most of my movies
because of his experience, and he
even co-wrote Lakshya,” replies
Farhan. “He’s very easy as a person,
apart from being great fun.”
Above all, Farhan lauds his
parents for the impeccable
upbringing Zoya and he were given,
despite the fact that his parents
separated in their childhood.
“I would be lying if I said that I
wasn’t affected, but dad and mom
became friends and after the initial
hurt actually rejuvenated their
relationship,” he says. “And though
we lived with mom, dad was always
there for us and we did not miss
anything by way of parenting. They
are also great sounding boards for us
as professionals and have exposed
Zoya and me to the best of world
cinema.”
Rajiv Vijayakar is a veteran
Bollywood writer based in
Mumbai.
Farhan in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
17
DIASPORA
Ekta R. Garg
Desi Girl in an
American World
I have never really felt completely
safe anywhere in India.
D
uring my childhood visits
to India, my paternal
grandmother would
admonish my sister and
me to stay safe - we were warned to
tuck our gold chains inside our shirts.
My sister and I would roll our eyes
behind our grandmother’s back, but
we always complied. We rationalized
she didn’t get out much, which
probably reinforced her belief that
thieves and cut-throats lurked right
outside our front gate.
We found her admonitions
particularly amusing because living
in the States we never hid our
necklaces or clutched our purses
tightly under our arms. In our
small East Coast town, we grew up
in a cocoon of relative safety. At
one time people even left their
car doors unlocked. No one felt
the need to protect themselves
from their neighbors and friendly
acquaintances. However, I have
never really felt completely safe
anywhere in India.
During our trips every two years,
our love for our extended family
overrode most of our anxiety. When
we all sat around and chatted, or ate
so much we couldn’t move, or raced
from the car to the movie theater for
the newest Bollywood flick, I kept
the anxiety at bay. But lying down
18
at night in hard beds, on pillows that
refused to conform to the shape of
my head, anxiety would slowly take
hold of me in its poisonous vise.
Ten years have passed since my
last trip to India. I’ve lived in five
different U.S. cities, met wonderful
people, and had some amazing life
experiences. But I have not had the
opportunity to return to India due to
various obligations. Unbeknownst to
me, in these years my anxiety about
India crept up the wall of my heart
and began invading my defenses,
one tendril at a time.
In August 2012 we began the
arduous process of obtaining our
Overseas Citizenship of India cards
so we could travel to India without
visas. My cousins, aunts, uncles, and
my one remaining grandparent ask
repeatedly when I will come to see
them, but my trepidation trumps any
excitement I feel about visiting India.
After hearing about the New
Delhi rape case, I felt the same shock
that reverberated throughout the
world. I am horrified as the outrages
against women continue endlessly.
In early July, my uncle, a widower,
left his Noida home for an overnight
trip to Vaishno Devi. During his trip
a neighbor called to say that my
uncle’s home had been robbed. The
thieves took every single valuable
possession he owned—cameras,
expensive watches, money, his car,
the gas cylinders for cooking.
I wonder whether people living
in India have started to feel less
secure. Granted, living in America
doesn’t guarantee immunity from
crime and terrorism. The 9/11
attacks drove the point home that
the U.S. shares a vulnerability with
the rest of the world.
But my anxiety whispers doubts
in my heart, and I feel out of sync
with a country that has changed
so rapidly in such a short time. I
wonder whether I can offer my own
children emotional security when
the time comes to take them to visit
our cultural homeland, and I know
I may end up becoming the doom
sayer.
Will my children roll their eyes
at me if I warn them about thieves
swiping necklaces from their necks?
Maybe. As long as they stay safe, I
won’t mind.
Ekta Garg Lives in Salt Lake City,
Utah. She has an MSJ in magazine
publishing from Northwestern
University, and blogs at www.
thewriteedge. wordpress.com
TRAVEL
Frank Raj
ANANDA: THE
SPECTACULAR SPA
IN THE HIMALAYAS
Ananda Spa in the Himalayan foothills
P
eacocks wake you up in
the morning, the Ganga is
visible from your room and
long walks are possible in
miles of green acres; you do Yoga in
beautiful surroundings and engage
in spiritual discussions in peace and
harmony; the locally sourced food is
both delicious and healthy. Tranquil,
stunning, soothing, and caring is
Ananda Spa in the Himalayas!
Nostalgic for a long forgotten
Indian railway experience we opted
to go to Ananda by train. New
Delhi to Dehradun by road is also
a six hour journey but we were in
no mood for a long, cramped road
trip. The early morning Shataabdi
Express from Delhi to Dehradun is a
pleasant jaunt through lovely rural
landscapes, and quite comfortable
if you travel by the air-conditioned
executive coach. Pack a picnic
lunch for the train ride, you may
20
not want to eat the food supplied.
India has still not figured out how to
keep its trains clean, so wet wipes
and antiseptic hand sanitizers are
essential for the journey.
From Dehradun it’s a short 45
minute ride to Ananda, which is
also very easily accessed by air from
Delhi.
From the placid Himalayan
foothills, Ananda overlooks the
captivating Rishikesh valley. The
panorama of the entire city on the
banks of the Ganga magnificently
unfolds before you. Driving through
the forest you might see wild
elephants en route and be tempted
to take photos on the way up. But
the really stunning views are ahead
of you so don’t delay, just get up to
Ananda! Perched at a lush emerald
height of 3,000 feet with breath
taking sights of the Ganges and
Rishikesh, the location is pure magic.
Walking around in the mystical
Whether it is your
massage therapist,
yoga teacher, or
restaurant staff,
Ananda’s outstanding
hospitality standards
will ensure you have a
superb, personalized
experience.
Himalayas is as much of an
experience as enjoying great cuisine
and doing Yoga and meditation,
which Ananda is renowned for.
Destination spas often
emphasize a rigorous well-being
program and disregard creature
comforts. But Nikhil Kapur, GM of
Ananda says, “No guest is allowed
to have hunger pangs regardless of
the diet prescribed in the well-being
package they sign up for.”
“Spoil you silly” is how Ananda
describes its staff’s mandate. But
there is a serious professional side
to the pampering, underpinned by
the Ayurvedic medical team, yoga
instructors and physical trainers.
The chef has clear objectives to
accommodate any special needs,
although you will probably find it
very satisfying to have what is on
offer through his culinary virtuosity!
Formerly the palace of the
Maharaja of Narendra Nagar, Ananda
Spa is a five star ayurvedic resort that
has been recognized as the world’s
No. 1 destination spa by Condé’ Nast
Traveller for three years in a row.
Nearby Haridwar and Rishikesh
give Ananda a pilgrim touch of
transcendence. Its 24,000 square
foot spa offers an extensive menu of
over 79 body and beauty treatments,
integrating the traditional
Indian systems of Ayurveda to
contemporary western formats
without diminishing India’s ancient
therapies for body and soul.
21
The Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah mosque
TRAVEL
STRESSED? SERENITY
AWAITS AT ANANDA
A trek in the Himalayan foothills
About 150 visitors from
the Gulf visit Ananda every
year for the Ayurvedic
Rejuvenation Package.
Ananda’s wellness programs
have been designed after
years of meticulous research.
The seamless integration
of Ayurveda, Yoga and
international therapies and
the expertise and skill of the
therapists offer a unique
experience.
Ananda cuisine
Thai massage by experts
Yoga in Viceregal Palace room
Shirodhara
Superbly furnished rooms
Plenty of time for meditation
Yoga in the amphitheatre
Ananda Spa - Jacuzzi overlooking Rishikesh valley
22
Maharaja’s library
Exquisite food at Ananda
23
TRAVEL
Megha Sequeira
EUROPE IN A DESI CARAVAN
Megha with her parents Sunil and Diena and brother Avinash at Mt. Titlis: 10,000 feet above sea level, in the heart of the Swiss Alps
A caravan for 35 days cost the Sequeiras euro 4,250, with diesel approx euro 1.50 per litre, mileage 10kms to the litre
had been pushing Japan in my
parent’s faces since they said
the words “family vacation”. I
should have known they were
never going to go for it. Japan would
be shooting fish in a barrel for my
family. If one thing can be said of us,
it’s that we are ‘go-big-or-go-home’
kind of people. So I wasn’t surprised
to receive an email informing me
that we would be holidaying in
Europe. Attached to that email
was a list of more than 21 cities in
11 different countries across the
continent.
Flash forward 3 months, one
flight from Vancouver, BC, an awful
night at a hotel, another flight from
Dubai and a obscenely high taxi
charge from Frankfurt airport to
Friedberg, our family was ready to
start our 36 day excursion
My parents, Sunil and Diena, find
time in between their adventures
parasailing and scuba-diving to
get that memo and persisted in
sending us down one blocked road
after another until my tech-savvy
brother decided to go his own way.
Through his defiance, we were lead
through many small, historically
significant German towns. One of
which was “Regensberg”, whose
earliest settlements date back to
the Stone Age. Wonderfully archaic,
Regensberg boasted an almost
indescribably beauty, especially
when seen by the dawn’s early
lighten. And had once been the
country’s capital. Of all the colorful
buildings, none stood higher than
the two-floored church, which rang
out in the wee morning hour to
signify the start of the day. Though
tired from a full day and night’s
travel, we were uplifted by the town’s
dwellers who waved and greet us
“Guten morgen!” (“Good morning!”)
Time spent in a caravan allowed
us to savor every moment of our trip
I
“Japan?”
“Hmmm…let me talk
it over with Mom and
Avinash”. Click.
shame their two young adult
children with their ambition and
energy, had decided somewhere
between driving around most of
the African Coast, the UK & Ireland,
Australia, Sri Lanka and the better
part of the US, that all our travels
would be done by road. Our 4 seater/
sleeper “Globebus” came equipped
with a toilet-cum-bath, stove, fridge,
sinks, dining table, queen sized bed
and plenty of storage. The rental
company even threw in deck chairs
and tables for those rare parts of
Europe that weren’t too cold. After
‘oohing’ and ‘aching’ for a while, we
finally unpacked and to my brother
Avinash’s (our driver) great joy,
headed for Kassel.
Europe is undeniably the land of
plenty; bountiful pastures, abundant
wildlife, history and architectural
marvels to interest even the greatest
of scholars. Travelling through
country roads allowed us to literally
stop and smell the roses. We took
the road less traveled and spent as
little or as much time as we wanted
anywhere we chose. We took breaks
at ‘Biergartens’ (beer gardens) and
got our ‘wiener schnitzels’ (hot dogs)
to go. Despite additional travel time,
we got to embrace every town and
village.
Following our mantra of taking
the road less traveled, we came
across a spectacular sight on our
way from Kassel through Passau
onto Vienna, Austria. Due to recent
flooding, the road to Passau was
closed. Our GPS, however, didn’t
because normally, camper vans do
not come equipped with a television.
And because most of Europe is still
wrestling with the concept of “free
wifi”, the majority of our trip was
spent free of technology. Parents
whose children’s idea of “face time”
is the app on their iPhone would
certainly appreciate this aspect of
a RV road trip. And after all, there’s
nothing like being trapped in a 3
ton moving box to bring a family
closer together. There is no getting
away from a whole day’s or nights
(sometimes both!) travel though. But
the reward of the magnificent sights
made every minute worthwhile.
Western Europe is well-equiped
with caravan parks, picnic areas and
rest stops. While we had to watch
out in France, which requires a
permit to park outside a designated
caravan park, we often stopped
overnight at rest stops (attached to
gas stations). We tried our best to
make it to a sanctioned camping site
every night, and used the evening
to recuperate before exploring the
city the following day. Whilst parked,
we played cards and grooved
to European hits as Chef Diana
prepared sumptuous ‘meals-onwheels’ from within the caravan. If
the luxury of our ‘Globebus’ didn’t
make us feel at home, the chaana
and kheema mom dished out every
day did. The rich smell of spices
coming out of a caravan with a
‘Deutschland’ (Germany) number
plate piqued the interest of the
crowds around us and before we
knew it, we had made several new
friends. From Sweden to England to
Australia, many sampled food and
inquired because they had never
met such an ambitious Indian family.
It is hard to find good Italian good
outside of Italy, and Indian food has
garnered a similar elusive appeal.
Despite the presence of restaurants
and large settlements of people in
24
25
TRAVEL
Outside the Coliseum, Rome
larger, touristic cities, we were hardpressed to find powdered masalas.
Ready-made, bottled ones are
popular but I’ll pass on my Mother’s
advice to bring your own.
Despite not bumping into
any other Indians traveling via
motorhome, we found ourselves
quite popular and well respected
throughout - particularly in Italy,
Spain and Switzerland. Milan gave
us the pleasure of befriending a
large party who seemed to possess
a magical stash of wine because
between the few seconds in
which the bottle was opened and
emptied into everyone’s cups, it
was instantaneously replaced with
a new one that came out of thin air!
Our new friends entertained us with
reinactments of Bollywood movie
scenes.. and in spite of not speaking
English, and we not speaking Italian
- we bonded over old Italian ballads
like “O Sole Mio” until the Manager
threatened to throw us all out. One
of our greatest pleasures during
every holiday is in taking the time
to meet people; to talk, to laugh
with them - something one would
miss out on almost entirely when
traveling by air and staying in hotels.
Every country is different though,
26
and a long established stereotype
is that French people are stuffy and
do not care for tourists. Even though
the French may not be the most
pleasant, France is brimming with
Arabs from former French territories
like Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco
and they love to show off their
Arabian hospitality. Having parked
far outside Paris, we started early for
the Tour D’Eiffel but still ended up
in an hour long cue for tickets. Lines
were entertaining though, because
we weren’t the only Indians in them.
Everywhere we turned our ears we
heard Kanada, Malyalam, Marati and
Konkani. It seemed that most of India
was in that comedically long line. The
beer and crepe vendor nearby made
it all the more enjoyable.
Aside from the lines and crowds
for tourist attractions, Italy and
France are home to an obscene
amount of road tolls. And unlike
Dubai, there is no way to get
around them. It became a cruel joke
actually; every time we entered
a highway with enough speed to
get us anywhere, we had to stop
for another toll gate. This added to
the stress of finding parking within
city limits. It usually depends on
the height of one’s camper van and
ours happened to be particularly
large. Parking proved a problem in
smaller cities and traffic a problem
in bigger ones, but we learned from
our mistakes and chose thenceforth
to park outside city limits and take
advantage of the caravan park’s
(often) free bus service to the city
centre. But that didn’t always work
out. In our zeal to explore Zurich, we
missed the last bus of the night and
ended up walking for close to two
hours through swampy fields riddled
in mosquitos.
Regrettably, we came across
some particularly hard circumstances
where we were forced to learn that
some places, despite our most
earnest pleas, would not help us.
This occured in Monaco, a small
principality of France, famous of the
Formula1 race that commandeers
the entire city, it’s casinos and
discotheques. Monaco boasts
undeniably the most beautiful
coastline that was ever imagined.
However, in spite of the city being
so popular with tourists, its roads
are shabby and its people unfriendly
and uncaring. We struggled for more
than two hours up and down steep
inclines trying to find parking. We
eventually gave up and moved onto
Spain when neither the police nor
residents bothered to help us.
Thankfully, once out of French
territory, we were able to put the
idea of tolls and parking behind
us and enjoy the beauty of the
Spanish coastline as we cruised
into Barcelona. As an Indian in
Spain, you’d be hard-pressed to be
recognized. The Spanish people are
warm, welcoming, fun-loving and
often mistake an Indian’s cinnamon
skin for another Spaniard. Despite
having to have to park far outside
Barcelona city, a train that runs down
the beach front provided much
amusement as buskers attempt to
coax money out of travellers with
bad renditions of Madonna songs.
27
TRAVEL
Spain is attractive in every sense;
the sights, the smells, the sounds.
Unlike France, nearly everyone in
Spain speaks English but honestly
who needs English when even
“La Cucaracha” (the cockroach)
sounds appealing in Spanish? In
Barcelona, we had the pleasure of
being escorted around by one of my
friends, a foreign exchange student
to Canada and a native of Barcelona.
singers who belt out everything from
“Besame Mucho” to “Cielito Lindo”.
As Indians, we found that we
blended in so much that we nearly
forgot where we were altogether.
Whilst wandering the busy Barcelona
streets, we happened upon an alley
of Indian vegetable and spice shops
that bearing striking similarities to
a bazaar. Walking down the lane,
my mother called out to my father
as I attempted to act as my family’s
communication officer. It worked out
well, for the most part.
From there, our travels soon
took us through Zurich to Lucerne,
Switzerland, where we visited the
summit of Mount Titlis, more than
10,000ft above sea level in the heart
of the Swiss Alps. Anyone familiar
with the Bollywood movies would
recognize this region instantly as it
The Sequeiras at the Port of Zurich
Sculptures at Hapsburg Schloss,Vienna, Austria
has been the scene of countless films
“They sell paan here for 50 cents!”
Oriol showed us the busy streets
over the years. The most popular of
Intrigued, we asked for one, and
and back alleys, and entertained us
which was the 1995 Yash Raj film
waited outside the store as he
with urban legends while we walked
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. The
prepared it for us. A few seconds
down La Ramblas.
summit abounded in Indian tourists.
later, we turned around to find a
On La Ramblas, the sumptuous
Two of which, a young couple, in true
small baguette being handed to us.
aroma of Paella beckons you from
Bollywood fashion, broke out into
“Huh?” exclaimed my mother, “Paan
every window. Speaking from
a spontaneous rendition of “Tujhe
kahan hai?”. “Yahan hai madam. Paan Dekha To Yeh Jana Sanam”.
personal experience, I would advise
hai roti!”
against eating on La Ramblas or any
During our descent from the
From Spain we traveled to
touristic street. Wander instead down
mountain, we were mistakenly
the principality of Andorra, a
the Barcelona coast on the train
grouped together with a tour from
heavenly place amidst the Pyrenees
until you find something small and
Bombay. Despite the mistake, it
Mountains. So captivated we were by quickly became my favourite part of
homely, a place that reminds you of
it’s snow-capped mountains and taxyour own grandmother’s cooking.
the experience as our Swiss German
free shopping, that we entirely forgot operator amused everyone with
The Spanish, not unlike the Italians
that English is virtually unknown
are caring and hospitable and you
conversational Hindi, enlightened
in Andorra, whose only recognized
will be welcomed wherever you go.
us with facts about surrounding
languages are Spanish, Catalan and
The Sangria though should best be
mountains and entertained us all
French. For once, my years of high
enjoyed on La Ramblas as along
with his impressions of Amitabh
school French classes came in handy
with it, come Spanish traditional
At the Eiffel Tower
28
Bachchan.
Walking toward the parking
lot, we were met with a chaat
stand, reminiscent of something on
Bandra’s Hill Road. This enterprising
chaat stand stood at the center of a
hoard of Indian tourists aching to get
a taste of home. It served Bombay
sandwiches, samosa, vada pavs, and
masala chai. For the pricey 9 euros
(701rps) a samosa, 11 euros (857 rps)
a vada pav and 5 euros (389rps) a
cup of chai.
For a little more than 5 Euros,
we opted to savour the 500 year old
Hofbrau Original at Munich’s famous
Hofbrauhaus. The Hofbrauhaus
rivals a Mumbai mainstreet as more
than 2000 customers, waiters and
waitresses and a German big band
cram into the Royal Brewery. In
between knocking elbows with
everyone around us and attempting
to drink from a glass bigger than
our noggins, we struggled to keep
our temperatures down as the heat,
music, laughter and German cheer
rang out from Munich’s pride and
joy. Our waiter confesses that despite
his eleven years of service, he had
never met an Indian family that
gladly opted for the house brew,
ate the chef’s special (pork knuckle
and potato dumplings), and enjoyed
themselves as much as we seemed
to be.
The beer kept flowing in Belgium
where when we visited the Delirium
cafe, that boasts more than 2000
beers on tap (Belgium itself brews
8000). We sampled it’s namesake
beer ‘Delirium Tremens’, (Latin for
‘shaking frenzy’), voted the best beer
in the world. Having been fascinated
by our travels, and our talk of Dubai,
our bartender, who I was convinced
was Barry Manilow in disguise gave
us the honor of tasting any beer we
liked. Having grown so attached to
a “cafe” where beer is cheaper than
coffee, it was hard to leave but we
eventually moved on to sampling
waffles and chocolates.
Leaving Belgium set us on the
last leg of our tour. We got lost
on our way to Amsterdam with
a GPS on the fritz but mercifully,
the Dutch turned out the be the
warmest people we had come
across and gladly pointed us in the
right direction. Amsterdam- with it’s
canals and row houses is hard not
to fall in love with. The ever-present
smell of marijuana can be trying
at times, but does nothing to take
away from the splendor of the Dutch
city. However, Indians in Amsterdam
are few and far between. With a
high population of Indonesians
and Surinamese, the city boasts an
captivating international feel.
Before long, it was time for us to
return to our home cities, each with
their own international vibe. As we
drove from Amsterdam to Frankfurt
to return our caravan, we took the
time to delight in and be thankful for
everything we had seen, the security
we rested under and the people
we were blessed with meeting. The
next day, after my family returned
to Dubai, I looked out the window
of my own flight at an aerial view
of Germany and remembered how
remarkable it looked from the inside
of a caravan. Though I was sad to
return to Vancouver, I remembered
that I come from a family of
adventurers so it wouldn’t be long
before we were on the road again.
Megha Sequeira is an adventurehungry, food-loving 3rd year
journalism student at British
Columbia’s Thompson Rivers
University.
Samosa wallah at Mt. Titlis
29
GOING BACK
Sabina Inderjit
WHERE WILL YOU
RETIRE IN INDIA?
Kerala, Bekal ( Photo by Frank Raj)
Time to retire? In India, thinking
of retiring shows signs of a change
in society— One: the average life
span has increased thanks to better
health facilities and research in the
medicine industry (it went up by
4.6 years 10 years ago, the average
life expectancy of women is now
69.7 years and men 64.6). Two: the
Indian middle class is wealthier than
the previous generation and looks
for a better quality of life; it is more
demanding now, being accustomed
to a relatively comfortable life. Three:
the number of these demanding
Indians is increasing because the
middle class is expanding. According
to McKinsey, it was 250 million in
2007 and should reach 600 million by
2030. If one adds over a 100 million
upper class folks to it, the scale of
the challenge for both the Union and
State administration is obvious. They
would need to cope with a rising
retired populace (323 million of the
60-pluses by 2050, according to a UN
estimate). Can they provide them the
facilities, products and services they
obviously would look for?
This also translates into new
opportunities arising for businesses
as well. The country’s builder lobby
If you do not emigrate
to the West, sooner or
later you will have to
decide where you will
live in India. TII looks at
ten Indian city options.
has already got a whiff of it and
stepped in. One finds them vying
with each other to offer the best
post-retirement ‘housing complexes’
or ‘retirement communities’ (on the
outskirts of cities) with flats/houses/
villas and facilities like a clubhouse,
gym, library, pool, temple, doctor’s
room and 24-hour ambulance all in
place. Of course, there is a price to
pay and hinges on ones needs and
priorities.
The measuring parameters of a
retiree-friendly city would hinge on
availability of good civic amenities
such as power, roads, marketing
facilities, health and recreation
centres, environment, ecology
and the overall prevailing law &
order situation. In fact, one could
categorise the preferred places into
three slots:
A. Good quality city, yet not too big.
B. Town/small city close to the hills.
C. On the coast with a dash of
international flavour.
Dalhousie- snowfall in Himachal Pradesh
Rock Garden in Chandigarh
CATEGORY A. GOOD QUALITY
CITY, NOT TOO BIG
This is is for folks who are looking for
open spaces, safety, easy access to
facilities such as health, recreation,
entertainment, clubs, and quiet
and peace. Simply put, it should be
cosmopolitan yet laid back.
CHANDIGARH
The Union Territory and shared
capital of Haryana and Punjab
would probably top the list. It is
a peaceful, un-rushed city with a
culture of gardens and walks and
dogs and reading etc. One can relax
and interact with other retirees and
lead a tranquil, serene life. It has
been a top favourite with retired
government servants. Lately, it is
being eyed by young couples too as
their post-retirement home. Explain
Minu & Varun from Delhi: “The
moment you enter the city you get
a feeling of space, wide roads, lake,
parks, beautiful houses (sprawling
bungalows), greenery, no pollution.
It is well-planned with each sector
having its own market, no parking
hassle, pubs, malls, clubs, golf course,
lake, the best restaurants, you
name it. Yet it is not aggressive and
maddening like Delhi. One can live
at one’s own pace. Then there are
the mountains next door (Himachal
Pradesh) for a weekend break…” In
fact, Minu has a problem trying to
keep her mother from going back
to Chandigarh, as she gets “bored”
Coimbatore city view
in Delhi. The 70-plus lady misses her
hectic social life thanks to the clubs
there for older people.
Inevitably some old timers feel
that the city’s charm is wearing off
and it is changing with the many
industries and companies setting
up factories, offices and ‘techno
parks’ etc. With a lot of young people
going there for work, the culture
has become more youth-centric,
is one complaint. Worse, many are
perturbed with the ostentatious
sub-culture that has been created
with the young ones of landowners
in Punjab and Haryana moving into
the city.
PUNE
The favorite city of Maharashtra
follows a close second. It is popularly
known as the “pensioners’ city”
because of its good weather and
peaceful, friendly atmosphere. It is
not very crowded (though slowly
getting there) and the cost of
living is comparatively less when
compared to other big cities. It
houses the cantonment area, but
the ‘camp’ and the city, though two
different worlds, are harmonious. The
USP of Pune is its cultural activity,
says Col. (Retd.) Madhavrao Athavale.
People here are more interested in
cultural programmes after retirement
and the city helps them keep busy.
There are senior citizen clubs and
associations, which are a boon. This
apart, safety and healthcare facilities
Gandhi statue-Puducherry
are better in comparison to adjoining
Mumbai.
BANGALORE
The capital of Karnataka has been
a preferred choice down south. It
is a weather-friendly ‘garden city’
for the old, says Bhaskar Reddy. The
climate doesn’t go to extremes; the
people are very friendly and, unlike
neighbouring Tamil Nadu, language
is not a major problem. People make
an effort to help outsiders even if
they don’t know Kannada. The city
is peaceful (though traffic and roads
are a mess) and the crime rate by
and large lower compared to other
cosmopolitan cities. Being the hub
of IT companies, a forced retirement
thanks to an absurd age of say 58
years, may not eventually be a bad
idea, as an option of becoming a
consultant at one’s own pace is very
much available. However, unlike the
80s the land prices have sky-rocketed
making people contemplate looking
30
31
GOING BACK
a hindrance, but with cheaper
land prices and English helping,
the language difficulty can be
overlooked.
CATEGORY B. SMALL CITIES
Small cities/towns close to the
hills: This group primarily is a choice
for those who are nature lovers, seek
solitude, inexpensive and easy living
and a good climate.
DEHRADUN
Now the capital of Uttarakhand,
Dehradun hosts premier institutions
(IMA, Lal Bahadur Shashtri Academy
of Administration, ONGC etc.,) being
home to bureaucrats and Armed
Forces personnel post-retirement.
The valley, nestled between
the Shivaliks and outer Himalayan
range, offers serenity and a hasslefree life, minus the city centre. Today,
all amenities, particularly medical,
are available and the hill people’s
honesty and hospitality can be a plus
point.
COIMBATORE
Located in Tamil Nadu and
bordering Kerala, Coimbatore
is an upcoming destination in
this category. Satellite towns like
Coimbatore around such cities as
Ooty and Valparia, surrounded by
the Nilgiris, offer ‘excellent’ options
to retire, thinks Devika Singh.
Reasons: pleasant weather, peaceful
environment, dedicated hospitals
for the ailing - running a home
Bengaluru - Vidhan Saudha
32
(L) Crab Sellers, Margao, (R) Goa beach
doesn’t pinch the pocket as it would
in Chennai, which is bursting at the
seams. Domestic help is available,
there is an airport and above all the
concept of “assisted living’ has taken
off, with complexes offering safe and
good living standards to the retirees.
These are popular amongst the
parents of NRI kids.
CATEGORY C. ON THE COAST
Sea coast with a dash of international
flavour.
GOA
India’s holiday spot needs no
introduction. It is ideal for those
who prefer the sea to the hills and
enjoy a combination of the laid
back Indian pace with a touch of
the western world. Goa has drawn
many foreigners to buy property and
make it their retirement sanctuary!
Alexandro, an Italian, cherishes his
typical Goan-style house instead of
a flat in Milano. It has a swimming
pool, a handful of local help to do all
the chores, he enjoys his afternoon
siesta and the raving parties on the
weekend. And, there are many like
him who also invested in property
(bought in good time—before the
rich Delhi-ites arrived). Today, there
is a spurt of builder activity, with
villas coming up by the dozens, for
those who can afford these as part
of their post-retirement plans. Rest
assured there is no dearth of buyers.
Goa is on the radar of many NRIs
contemplating a return.
And of course, there is “God’s
Ellora cave-Maharashtra
own country” Kerala, which offers
simplicity and warmth with many
parts still having the European
influence, given that some of these
were under the Portuguese, Dutch
and the British. Other than beaches,
it has rain forests, lakes, wildlife
sanctuaries and the backwaters all
magnets for the NRIs.
PUDUCHERRY
Earlier Pondicherry, it carries with
it the French charm, policemen
who still today wear a ‘kepi’ and
there is baguette in every bakery!
Those yearning for a truly laid back
retirement will not feel let down by
its selling slogan, ‘Give time a break’!
Be that as it may, it is up to you
to choose your post-retirement
wonderland. The choice would be
influenced by one’s own desires—
either staying put in one’s home
town, or moving to a new place
closer to family and friends or opting
for a completely refreshing change.
Whatever the choice, ultimately it
should be Home Sweet Home!
Sabina Inderjit is Director of INFA
and a senior journalist in Delhi.
[ SCAN ]
AND LET HEALING TOUCH YOUR LIFE.
EMIGRATING
Mano Chandra Dhas
DUBAI TO LATIN AMERICA
Amanda and Mano Chandra Dhas - off-the-beaten-track destination
W
hen you live as an
expat, you always know
that one day you have
to ‘up and leave’. If
you are going back to your origins,
you would hope that you have the
situation almost under control.
However, as an Indian, if you decide
to move to more unfamiliar territory,
there will always be challenges. For
better or for worse, my decision was
to move to Latin America. Why Latin
America, you may wonder: my wife
happens to be a Colombian national
from Bogotá. I made the decision to
move to the Andean Capital.
Moving to an off-the-beatentrack destination poses many a
challenge and I had more than my
fair share, as I set about the move.
The initial challenge, if you decide
to move all your household goods,
is container space. Very quickly
you realise that thirty cubic metres
Relocation is tough.
Tougher if you
are going into the
unknown as Mano
Chandra Dhas found
out.
of a 22 feet container is a trifle
less space than what you require
to move possessions you spent a
lifetime collecting. Consequently,
a list needs to be drawn up: listing
what needs to be sold and what
needs to be given away. Often, no
one wants to pay what you value
your items to be worth. Worse, if the
prospective buyer discovers that you
are leaving for good, he turns into a
ruthless negotiator! This applies to
anything you may want to sell. You
quickly realise that the time you
once spent researching, reviewing
and buying articles that brought you
much pleasure, in the end is reduced
to nought and you end up having
to just give much away for free.
This process of winding down and
disposal can easily take up to eight
weeks.
I was unprepared for the down
side of relocation. Everything that
did not happen to me during my
thirty three years in Dubai, happened
during the last fortnight. I was even
robbed by a person who posed as
a buyer for one of our cars. Ahmed,
probably posing as an Emirati, ran
away with my iPhone. The amount
of data one can lose with a smart
phone is huge. Even today, after
several months, I suffer from that
loss, and can’t access the internet
facilities of a couple of my bank
accounts. Our challenges
also included getting a visa for a
Schengen country, where we had
to collect our little West Highland
White Terrier and check him into
the next flight to Bogotá. The
Consulate made a mistake and in
typical fashion of employees of that
office, ended up blaming us for it.
We were of course charged all over
again for the same visa. More than
the duplicated additional cost, it
was the hassle of the extended time
the inefficient Consulate took, to
issue the visas that caused us more
grief. The whole process took over a
month. Relocation is tough. Tougher
if you are going into the unknown.
Moving a dog from one country
to another is a very involved process
and requires planning and timely
execution. No wonder many expats
in Dubai abandon their four-legged
best friends. For us, Tango, our
twelve year old Westie, was a very
important aspect of our move. It
takes time to organise the papers.
If your destination is not an English
speaking one, translations are
involved. What complicates the
process more, is the fact that there
are time limits: some certificates,
in the case of Colombia, had to be
less than 48 hours old, when we
landed in Bogotá. Fortunately,
we were introduced to a friendly
Iranian veterinarian who works
with a superb South African lady in
Dubai. They specialise in preparing
the paperwork and securing all
the approvals. To us, they were the
real angels who handled Tango’s
paperwork so very efficiently.
We arrived in Bogotá during
the last days of November. At an
elevation of 2,625 meters, or 8,612
feet above sea level on the Andes,
Bogotá is blessed with beautiful
weather all round the year. The
mean annual temperature is a
pleasant just-about-15 Celsius. In
fact, less. Nights are around 8 or
9 Celsius and can be a bit chilly. It
Mano and Amanda - Bogota is a welcome change
can rain almost every day making
it is a very green city in terms of
vegetation. Flowers are beautiful
and roses are the size they were
meant to be. For us, it is a welcome
change from the scorching
temperatures of the Arabian desert.
Bogotá is situated on the Sabana de
Bogotá, which is really a very large
plateau. You will hardly find another
plateau of this size, at this elevation,
elsewhere on the planet. Bogotá, in
terms of area, is one of the largest
cities in the world. The Colombian
people are friendly and lovely. When
they realise you are a foreigner
(that only happens when you start
speaking), they are even nicer, and
more helpful. Language however,
can pose a serious challenge. Very
few Colombians speak English. All in
all, Bogotá is a beautiful, enjoyable
and relaxing city to retire to.
For us, it was almost straight
into the Andean Christmas season.
Decorations everywhere. There were
recorded carols in the malls. It was
however, strange for me to hear the
carols in English, in a completely
Spanish speaking country. In spite
of visiting Bogotá regularly over the
last twenty one years, I had never
been there at Christmas time. The
holiday season also meant that we
were going into a whole month of
upgraded mañana attitude: what
can be done tomorrow, will not
be done today. I thought such
an attitude only existed in Latin
territories, north of the Equator. It
was an unpleasant surprise to run
into it head-on, in Colombia - even
though in Bogotá, we are indeed
still slightly north of the Equator
as compared to the south of the
country.
I got to work immediately on all
the many things an expatriate will
have to complete before getting
down to the business of normal
living. One of the first things that
needs to be done is have one’s
residency in the country formalised.
It needs to be completed within 14
days of entering the country. Here,
I had to face the bureaucracy of
Emigración de Colombia. Then came
the unexpected hurdle of setting
up a bank account. It took me more
than six weeks to open a simple
savings account (it was impossible
to open a current account), with
a major U.S. Bank. I had to use
considerable influence through
the head office of the same bank in
Dubai, before I could open the
34
35
EMIGRATING
Bogota, Colombia - nice weather
account. I however learnt that one
could not obtain a credit card here
in Colombia before six months of
operating one’s bank account. It is
not possible to obtain a credit card
in Colombia without a six months’
credit history in the country. My
primary requirement for the card
was for mobile phone facilities.
It is absolutely annoying that I
cannot update my iPhone Apps
because I do not have a credit card.
I unfortunately made the mistake
of turning in my Dubai cards, even
though my friendly bank in the
city said I could maintain a savings
account with a credit card, provided I
maintained a minimum balance with
the bank. Too late to change that
decision.
Next on my list was the
acquisition of a two bedroom
apartment in what is considered one
of the better areas of the city. This
part of my relocation, to me, was
quite a surprise. It is obvious that
there are more sellers than buyers of
property, in this metropolis of over
10 million people. Therefore there
are plenty of apartments available
in the city. Such an apartment in a
respectable area costs only around
US$ 95,000. That is considerably
36
Mano and Tango- not easy to
relocate a pet
less than in most capital cities of
the world, and certainly less than in
some major Indian cities. Once I had
my Colombian ID Card, buying an
apartment was fairly easy. Having
bought the property, I decided to
have some renovation done. That
turned out to be a nightmare. We all
know that dealing with construction
in many countries including India,
is not easy; but Colombian masons
and carpenters are a law unto
themselves. It took us almost six
weeks to complete the intended
modifications; in Dubai I probably
would have been able to finish the
job in less than three.
Being a Christian, another item
high on my list, was finding an
English speaking congregation. It
appears there are only three in
this large metropolitan city. Two
Protestant, and one Catholic. We
finally ended up in an English
speaking Episcopal congregation.
The Reverend Dr. Ted Gaiser, a
friendly American from Boston,
Massachusetts, is the priest in
charge. There are however, at a usual
Sunday evening service, only about
five people in the congregation;
sometimes less. We have been at
services where the proceedings were
conducted for just the two of us.
Such is the popularity of the English
language, here in Colombia!
Setting up a business in Bogotá
was fairly easy. Like the LLC
companies in the Gulf, they have
here, a category called ‘Sociedad
por Acciones Simplificada’ (SAS).
Translated into English, it would
be ‘Society for Simplified Shares’.
It is just a matter of getting the
objectives of your Articles of
Association properly written out,
summarised and included in the
Acto Constitutivo. Registration of
a SAS Company with the Bogota
Chamber of Commerce allows one
to legally work in the trade of one’s
choice.
The challenge were overcome.
I am in business. We provide a
VAT recovery service for corporate
travellers from Colombia. We also
offer corporate travel consulting
services and in phase II, hope to go
into leisure retailing.
Do we miss anything from the
Gulf? Not really. We certainly do not
miss the scorching summers with the
almost hundred per cent humidity.
There however is one thing we do
miss: Dubai’s restaurants. Given the
city’s demographics, there are many
different cuisines available in Dubai.
Mano misses his south Indian breakfasts
of the phenomenon. A resolute
expat never gives up. In the end, it
is all about patience, fortitude and
tenacity. He who is used to winning,
with the help of God, always wins.
Bagota is one of the largest cities in the world
One is really spoilt for choice. What
I miss most are my weekend south
Indian breakfasts. They had become
part of our routine in Dubai. In
Bogotá, you cannot have a south
Indian breakfast - not even at home,
because the ingredients are not
available. With only a few hundred
Indians in the country, it is not
economically viable for supermarkets
to import Indian spices and lentils.
We depend on the occasional visitor
from Dubai to bring us some much
needed spices. I have even had
them sent in by courier service. Of
course I miss the ease with which
we could travel in and out of Dubai
as the city is so well connected to
all parts of the world. We also miss
seeing our son Juan Diego, who is
a Performance major at the Berklee
College of Music in Boston, MA, as
often as we used to. We have not
seen him now for almost a year.
In a fairly short period of
time, Amanda my wife, and I have
achieved a lot by any standard. We
look forward to the next exciting
part of our relocation in establishing
our business here. Challenges of
course, are always a part of life. An
expat usually receives a double dose
Mano Chandra Dhas is a senior
travel professional who worked in
the Arabian Gulf for 35 years. He
started his career with Singapore
Airlines in India, and moved to
Bahrain in 1978. Thomas Cook
brought him to Dubai in 1979.
He continued to work in the UAE
for the next 33 years. He was a
senior manager with Dnata for
15 years heading the Corporate
Travel Division. He set up the
HRG Middle East and West Asia
Network covering 15 countries
between 1993 and 1994. He
also set up Dnata’s Marine Travel
and VAT recovery divisions. After
retiring from the Emirates Group,
he joined the Carlson Wagonlit
Travel representatives in Dubai,
and worked with them for five
years. He was their Country
Manager at the time of his
retirement. Prior to joining Dnata,
Mano also worked with Alitalia
Italian Airlines in Dubai, for over a
decade.
37
EDUCATION
Bandana Jain
TEACHER WITH A PASSION
Dr Vijayam Ravi
Every component in the education system pursues its individual agenda - students
look to education as a means to earning a livelihood, while teachers, principals and
management view it as a source of income, and the government focuses on ‘Sarv
Shiksha Abhiyaan’ - education for all. In such a scenario, where does the question of
imparting a wholesome education arise?” asks educationist Dr Vijayam Ravi.
This unassuming educationist
prefers to be addressed as a teacher,
who believes every student can be
a leader.
Outspoken, she declares,
“Children are children and they
are bound to make mistakes. If we
degrade ourselves to the level of
treating them as enemies, then we
better stop running schools. “
With 32 years of teaching
experience, her philosophy, learning
and leadership skills have led
her into newer vistas in holistic
education.
Dr. Vijayam Ravi addressing educators at a national seminar for teachers in Mumbai.
she became a teacher at 22. Hailing
any people dabble in from a remote village in Kerala, she
pursued her high school education
education, but few
in a Malayalam medium institution.
educators achieve
Raised in a joint family, she imbibed
anything like Dr.
the values of sharing and caring.
Vijayam Ravi.
After topping in BSc Chemistry,
As Trustee & Director of
Vijayam could have opted to become
Education, India First Foundation
a doctor or engineer, but teaching
School, Mumbai and also Chairman,
was her passion.
Academy for Global Education
She went on to acquire eight
Services (AGES) Dr. Vijayam’s goal is
degrees and doctorates in several
to impart holistic education. India
fields like chemistry, education,
First Foundation School (IFFS) - an
philosophy and leadership and
educational institution she founded
certified courses in Educational
near Mumbai, is sharply focused on
Management and Transformational
academic excellence.
Leadership from XLRI Jamshedpur.
Dr. Ravi began her journey when
M
38
Area Of Focus
Vijayam observes several
pitfalls in the education system,
especially in India. “Though students,
parents, teachers, principals and the
government aim at good education,
due to gaps in the overall system,
this is seldom accomplished. Every
component in the education system
pursues its individual agenda students look to education as a
means to earning a livelihood,
while teachers, principals and
management view it as a source
of income, and the government
focuses on ‘Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan’ education for all. In such a scenario,
where does the question of
imparting a wholesome education
arise?” she asks.
“Society is going through
Dr Ravi concludes
that finding quality
teachers is a challenge
in today’s educational
setup. It is believed that
out of 7-8 lakh teachers,
only 10-15 % are able to
communicate efficiently.
“Generally speaking,
it is not a passion for
teaching that leads
them to acquire a B. Ed.
or Masters in Education.
Many teachers get
into the profession
simply because they
were unable to get
into anything else.
As a result, complete
involvement and
commitment on the part
of teachers is lacking.”
tremendous changes. The joint
family has given way to nuclear
families, foster parents, adopted
mothers, single parents, divorcees.
There is tremendous confusion and
lifestyles have undergone drastic
changes. The pattern of bringing
up children has also changed - the
youth don’t have goals and there
is no backing or support from
grandparents. Children are left to
fend for themselves or are left with
maids, ayahs, drivers, etc. Parents
end up feeling guilty and try to fulfill
the material wishes of their children.
This leads to children becoming
extremely selfish, materialistic
and disoriented. It is a very painful
situation.
Nobody is able to arrive at a
consensus because nobody has the
time to sit and discuss things. There
is an utter lack of a collective effort,”
Vijayam is convinced.
AcademyForGlobalEducational
Services (AGES)
Such concerns led like-minded
people like Arvind Bhanushali, Dr.
M.N.G Mani and Dr. Vijayam Ravi
to come together and set up AGES
with the aim of making a difference,
and bringing about a change in the
system over a period of time.
“We felt the need to teach
children the lessons of being a
human being - tolerance, empathy,
love, compassion, etc. Having
studied the educational scenario
of various curriculums including
American, British, Australian and
Indian systems , we endeavored to
imbibe the good points of each
curriculum, filling in the gaps and
incorporating their concepts into a
system. “ The result is a thoroughly
integrated curriculum up to grade
8. The highlight of this system is
that academic learning is purely
participative in nature.
Thus AGES, a research and
development agency was born
in 2008. Roughly Rs. 150 million
was invested in researching and
developing the best systems and
practices in education. These
were tried and tested at India First
Foundation School (IFFS). Today, the
gaps have been filled, and a system
of holistic education has been put
Dr. Vijayam Ravi addressing the
Teachers Training Programme at IFFS,
into place.
AGES provides a one-stop
solution to the needs of educational
institutions in the country. From
auditing performance, evaluating
milestones, curriculum design,
to hiring teachers and principals.
Teachers can register at an
exclusive job portal for training and
employment at different institutions
and there is also a teacher-principal
leadership portal.
The fact that the Central Board
of Secondary Education (CBSE)
has empanelled AGES for the
accreditation of its schools is a big
measure of success for AGES.
Bandana Jain is a freelance writer
based in Dubai, covering art,
travel, health, education, lifestyle
and personalities.
39
DISCUSS A BOOK
PAMPOSH DHAR
Many of us who were born after partition have never
had an opportunity to experience those critical years
which have helped form our collective national psyche.
Dhar’s writing is the perfect vehicle for this journey.
INDIA’S FORMATIVE YEARS
AN ENGROSSING PERSONAL HISTORY
Som Nath Dhar & wife Indira Kaul Dhar
From Partitition to Operation
Bluestar: Tales of a Journalist,
Bureaucrat, Spy; by Som Nath
Dhar Published by Harper
Collins India.
Som Nath Dhar - leaving a legacy
Tales of a Journalist, Bureaucrat, Spy
By Som Nath Dhar
T
he response to his book
has been tremendous, but
sadly, my father, Som Nath
Dhar, did not live to see this
response. He passed away at the
age of 88 in December 2012, just
a few weeks before his book was
published by Harper Collins India. He
had approved the final proof and the
cover design.
“Dhar’s strength lies in his
power of observation without being
intrusive and in his ability to see
the larger picture while drawing
vital and timeless lessons from the
smaller details,” wrote K. G. Sreenivas
in a review published in the literary
journal Earthen Lamp.
My father saw the book as his
legacy, his eye witness account of
40
history in the making. In the book, he
writes about India’s independence
from Britain, its partition into
two countries, the violence that
accompanied that split, the
accession of Kashmir to India, and
the leaders and events that shaped
modern India.
It is an engrossing story, with a
wealth of detail that could only come
from one who has lived through the
milestone events and had a close
view of the major players, especially
India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal
Nehru. The book also recounts Indira
Gandhi’s struggle to gain power from
the ancien regime of the Congress
after her father’s death, her fall from
grace and her re-emergence as
Prime Minister after the short-lived
and fractious Janata government. It
ends with her assassination in 1984.
Starting life as a journalist in
Lahore, moving to Delhi to become
Nehru’s personal assistant, working
as a radio journalist and finally
joining the government, he had a
ring-side view of nation-building and
high-level politics.
Som Nath Dhar lived
through milestone events
with a close view of the
major players, especially
India’s first prime minister,
Jawaharlal Nehru.
In 2010, I started to edit
and organize the manuscript in
preparation for publication. Then
I read his stories about violence in
Lahore in 1947 and the scene he
saw in Multan after riots there. The
description of Multan brought tears
to my eyes. I understood better why
he always stood so firmly against
bigotry.
In 2009, at the age of 85, he
blogged about the need for a “sanity
forum” to spread the message of
“secularism, peace and harmony.”
In the first para, he noted: “We have
had too much blood-letting in the
name of religion, caste, and honour
killings.”
My father says in the preface to
the book, that he has written the
book most of all for India’s young
women and men, to give them a
better understanding of what lies
behind them as a nation.
“This book is a powerful and
necessary insight into a critical
period of India’s history,” says Gyan
Nagpal, CEO, PeopleLENS Global
Associates and author of the bestselling book Talent Economics.
“Many of us who were born
after partition have never had an
opportunity to experience those
critical years which have helped form
our collective national psyche. Dhar’s
writing is the perfect vehicle for this
journey,” Nagpal adds. “He is very
balanced and objective in his views,
even towards those whom history
regards with less reverence. To add to
that, he had rare access throughout
his career to some of India’s greatest
leaders, and reading this book gives
us an insight into the real people
they were, behind their otherwise
well documented public personas.”
In his long career, my father was
a journalist, a civil servant and an
intelligence officer – as indicated
in the sub-title of the book. After
retiring from government, he taught
at the Indian Institute of Mass
Communication. He always loved his
work – no matter what he was doing
– and gave it his all.
The grim stories of partition, like
everything else in the book, are told
with great objectivity and simplicity,
without embellishment. My father
believed firmly in the virtue of
objective and accurate reporting, as
learnt in his early journalism training
Author (child), his parents, older brother (who died young) and his sister
in the 1940s in Lahore.
Written by a former journalist,
the book’s objective yet interesting
style is definitely one of its strengths.
With its focus on the essential in any
situation and the impact of events
on people, the book brings an
immediacy that is seldom found in a
memoir or a history book. It pulls the
reader into the drama of the events it
is describing.
“Adhering to his journalistic
ethics, he maintains a very balanced
account of events and the language
is also very matter of fact,” writes
Sapna Katti, an engineer and book
lover, reviewing the book on the
website of the Indian online store
FlipKart. “This one is like a history
of India through one person’s eyes.
Anybody interested in reading the
story of our country’s formation must
read the book.”
The author with Fakhruddin Ali
Ahmed, President of India (19741977)
Pamposh Dhar is the author’s younger
daughter, a former journalist who is
currently a consultant writer and editor
for the Asian Development Bank in
Singapore.
41
FESTIVALS
Deepa Ballal
CELEBRATING DIWALI IN DIASPORA
TII looks at celebrations in different countries
Deepak & Bhavana Jethwani in Dubai at a Diwali dinner
C
ome festival time and
somehow Indians miss
India all the more! For
once the thought of being
an expat just doesn’t feel so good.
The noise, the smells, the snooty
aunt, the loquacious uncle, the
nagging granny, all seem to be
missed immensely. In an effort to
replicate the convivial atmosphere
that combines fun, food and folklore,
Indians all over the globe celebrate
one festival, Diwali, or the festival
of lights. Diwali, Deepavali, Tihar
(in Nepal), call it by any name, the
name resonates triumph of the good
over evil; a name synonymous with
prosperity and happiness. Probably it
is one festival that brings all Indians
together at least outside India,
irrespective of all the differences.
Hence one finds Diwali being
officially celebrated in places
like Guyana, Fiji, Malaysia, Nepal,
Mauritius, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri
Lanka, Trinidad & Tobago, Britain,
Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Africa,
42
Diwali Sweets
Australia, US and the Gulf region.
Of the many festivals that Indians
celebrate, it is one festival that even
the local population in every country
seems to know about and some even
celebrate it the Indian way, given the
ever growing Indian diaspora.
“In Fiji, Diwali is a national public
holiday. People of all races and
faiths join in the celebrations with
their Hindu friends and colleagues.
Before the Diwali holiday, companies
and organizations hold fancy dress
competitions in which the staff join
in. Schools hold special programmes.
Then during Diwali itself the skies
light up with fireworks. Urban areas
especially are ablaze with lights.
Broadcast companies even have
competitions for the best lit homes.
People go around admiring the
lights and visiting Hindu friends,”
says Peter Lomas, editor of Fiji Sun
Newspaper.
During Diwali, any house that
lights a diya, has a Diwali lantern,
or has blinking lights adorning its
In Fiji, Diwali is a national
public holiday. People
of all races and faiths
join in the celebrations
with their Hindu friends
and colleagues. For
Diwali, companies and
organisations hold fancy
dress competitions.
balconies, clearly attests to the
presence of either Indians in the
vicinity or that of a person in love
with India and her festivals. None can
escape its grandeur.
“Well, all the Indology
departments in Germany that I know
of celebrate Diwali, and usually
Indian students join. As for my family,
we try our best. Candles/oil lamps
usually get blown out really quickly,”
says Katrin Binder, a lecturer of
Indology at Universität Würzburg,
43
FESTIVALS
Germany, a freelance writer and
Yakshagana performer. Love for India
is something she has in abundance
and come Diwali she gets busy with
performing Kathak and Yakshagana
for her Indian audiences who
arrange for cultural events and gala
dinners during Diwali at many places
in Nottingham, her present abode.
“There is not much of a
difference in the Diwali celebrated
in India and Dubai. The only missing
part is our near and dear ones,”
says Deepak Jethwani candidly.
Decorating the house with loads of
flowers, candles and buying sweets
is a part of Diwali festivities every
year in his house. “In the evening,,
after the Lakshmi pooja, we burst
little crackers and have dinner with
our friends. We also arrange Diwali
parties with a live DJ, interspersed
with dancing, drinking and playing
a lot of family games,” he says
jubilantly.
“For me it is a festival that brings
light into our lives. The first thing that
comes to my mind is diyas, marigold
flowers, new clothes, yummy food
prepared by Mom, Pooja at home,
meeting friends and relatives
and not to forget the fireworks,
“ says Shobha Dev, an expat from
Great Harwood, Lancashire county
Northwest England. “But for my
husband it is food, fireworks and
more food,” she laughs.
“Diwali is not the same for us,
here in UK. We miss everything about
Diwali in India. It is celebrated over
3-4 days in India. Here we don’t get
a holiday unless it falls on a Saturday
or a Sunday,” she explains. For this
doctor couple, living abroad for
the past 15 years has meant Diwali
devoid of the actual fun and being
away from loved ones. Now, they
don’t intend to continue that way
anymore.
“To compensate for all that we
have missed living abroad all these
years, we have started taking time
44
Diwali function at Jyothi Aithal’s place , Australia
Sumangala Rao - family get together for
Diwali
Ravi Upadhya’s wife bursting crackers in
Raleigh, North Carolina
off to celebrate Diwali in India. For
me, Diwali means celebrating with
family and friends. Though we have
friends, fireworks, and feasts at the
Indian League here, it’s not the same.
Finally, I miss those lovely sweet
moments; Mom waking us up for the
hot oil bath, sister grumbling that I
got better clothes than her, brothers
trying to eat the sweets before the
pooja and everyone fighting for their
share of fireworks, “ she reminisces
with tears brimming in her eyes.
Shobha and Prabhu Dev, UK
But for the millions of expats
who cant make it “home” during
Diwali, many a times it means a
noiseless Diwali too, owing to
the rules of the land. Hence with
the list of do’s and don’ts and the
available options, many like Jyothi
Aithal, from Melbourne, try leaving
no stone unturned lest it mars
the very purpose of celebrating
Diwali. Hailing from Karnataka, she
religiously keeps the tradition of the
early morning oil bath, festooning
the house, preparing sumptuous
feasts and praying to the goddess
Laxmi. “In India during Diwali, one
sees everyone celebrating, here
since not all our neighbors are
Indians, you miss that festive feeling
if you don’t make the effort to keep
it big yourself. There if you step
outside your door, you are sure to be
bombarded with lights and sweets,
here we miss that,” she laments.
In the US though, neighborhoods
with a high density of Indians,
the festive look is complete. But
California resident Ambika Prem
Kumar still misses home. “Well
however much we try, its definitely
not the same as we celebrate it in
India, but yes we all try to get as
close as we can to get the feel and
fun as we do back home,” she
says feeling quite melancholy.
Nevertheless she attends fun filled
Diwali events where all dance to the
latest Bollywood tunes and disperse
only after relishing the best of
festival gastronomy. “The changes
are not in the celebration. It is the
crowd that keeps increasing every
year,” says Ambika.
Though firecrackers that
make no sound and those that do
not rise higher than six feet are
allowed, North Carolina resident,
Ravi Upadhya feels nothing deters
the Diwali celebrations. “Raleigh
has lot of Indians. City-sponsored
Diwali gatherings happen during
the weekends, attended by tens of
thousands of Indians and nonIndians alike. The celebrations
have both local and experienced
performers showcasing their talent.
The event ends with a professionally
organized fireworks show. Many
Indian food, craft, clothes and
jewelry vendors participate in this
event by exhibiting and selling their
goods which usually is popular
among non-Indians,” he exults.
While in south east Asia, Malaysia
too has a huge Indian presence
with a unique way of ushering
goodness through this festival. “The
celebrations are very grand here. All
Indian homes are decorated with
Shalini doing the Laxmi Pooja in Australia
lights and colourful rangolis which
is a very beautiful sight. Open house
is held by Hindus where everyone
is welcome,” says Kuala Lumpur
resident Sumangala Rao, who has
been in Malaysia for the past 29
years. For her, Diwali has always
meant togetherness and families
observing traditions together.
“As a child, I remember looking
forward to Diwali for lighting lamps,
getting new clothes, bursting
firecrackers and decorating
the house. Diwali is my favorite
festival. What I miss the most while
celebrating Diwali abroad is family.
There is nothing like being in India. I
miss making colourful paper lanterns
and all the goodies together and
welcoming family and friends all day
long,” she says nostalgically.
Nevertheless celebrating Diwali
in Malaysia all these years has
been nothing but fun and joy for
her. “The celebration starts a week
before Diwali. For many of our north
Indian friends, Diwali isn’t ‘Diwali ’
without tash (cards). We play cards
every now and then in different
houses of friends and at times
these ‘Tash’ parties last till 4am,”
she says gleefully. Food of course
is a vital part of the celebrations
and the preparations begin a week
before Diwali, when all the Indian
households get busy making
delicious sweets and snacks.
Queensland resident Lethina
Sacheendran, who likes to deck
the house with diyas for her little
daugher Tanya insists. “ In Kerala, we
don’t celebrate Diwali as such,” she
says.
While for Sunita and Manoj, both
Keralites, but born and brought up
in Hyderabad, Diwali has a special
place after Onam and Vishu. Living
in Kuwait hasn’t changed anything
for them. It is one festival the whole
family eagerly awaits. “In India we
have full liberty to celebrate Diwali
as we wish. There are restrictions
on bursting crackers in Kuwait,” she
adds.
For another resident of Kuwait,
Sourabha Bhat, visiting friends and
exchanging sweets is a vital part
of the festivities.“ But alas, we have
no temples to visit here during
festivals. I do miss the fun of Diwali
in India but now I have got used to
celebrating Diwali happily by making
whatever is possible so that my son
learns the importance of festivals.
Enjoyed both by the young
and old, Sonali Kulkarni was in for
a surprise when her in laws visited
her in Dubai and liked the Diwali
here more than in India. “They were
amazed to see people visiting us
till the wee hours on Diwali day,
something one rarely sees in India
these days.
45
FESTIVALS
My mother – in-law was amused
to see how our guests let their hair
down and helped me in the kitchen,”
says an overwhelmed Sonali.
However, one concern that
she always had during Diwalis
was guarding her rangoli from the
cleaners who would vacuum it every
morning. But repeated requests
worked and now her piece of art
remains intact for a few days even
after Diwali.
I still recollect the days when as
a kid I stood sentinel at the entrance
that had these huge rangolis
painstakingly created, lest our
owner’s dog walked over it.
But Shalini Verma has no such
fears. Her German Shepherd takes
part in all the Diwali festivities. Living
in Australia she does miss the sights
and sounds of Diwali but technology
seems to have come to her rescue.
She has her immediate family
sharing their celebrations with her
on Skype. “Distances do not matter
as much these days,” she adds.
Having celebrated Diwali in different
ways in different countries she
feels the essence of celebrating it
remains the same everywhere. “The
Laxmi-Ganesh pooja is very special
or me and I put in a lot of effort in
decorating the house with flowers
and diyas. For me Diwali is about
seeking divine blessings and being
grateful for our lives, “ she reveals.
And for all those young student
expats for whom “home” literally
means the one back in India, festivals
like Diwali do bring them closer to
home. “We don’t really celebrate
Diwali “at home” since most of us
stay in dormitories. Diwali, being the
most sought after festival for Indians
from all parts of India, it is celebrated
as a group event. Back in 2007, the
foreign student association president
got this idea of celebrating Diwali
with all the Indian friends in Hsinchu
City, Taiwan. It started with a mere 50
people, which scaled up to 500 last
46
year,” says Madhulika Sinha, Doctoral
Researcher, Dept. of Chemistry,
National Tsing Hua University,
Hsinchu, Taiwan.
Nothing could be more
depressing than having to celebrate
a festival all alone with your family.
“For me Diwali in Dubai has been
very dull,” says Jasmine Kothari.
“Its just us, and we had no visitors
unlike in Delhi where we had to
make a list of people we were going
to and exchanging gifts with,” she
complains. Having moved to Dubai
a couple of years back she is all set
to make it big this time with her new
set of friends and not let anything
overshadow her Diwali celebrations.
Kuala Lumpur goes to the
extent of celebrating it for a month,
according to Sumangala Rao. “There
are fun parties every weekend. We
also have our Bharat Club Diwali
night where the attendees get
a great way to celebrate this bright
festival with friends and family,” adds
Jyothi.
Ever wondered why life itself
couldn’t be celebrated as a festival.
Why can’t the effort put into making
everyone happy be a continuous
process and not just one confined
to festivals? Alas happiness doesn’t
have a long shelf life like Diwali
sweets. The candles melt and the
flowers wilt. Hoping for a brighter
year ahead and a Diwali much more
resplendent than the current one,
the expat returns to his job the
next day and postpones his plans
of returning to India for a few more
years.
Deepa Balal is a freelance
writer based in Dubai.
Madhulika Sinha (left) NTHU Taiwan, NTHU Indian students Taiwan
to enjoy cultural programs and
performances by the members of the
club as well as enjoy yummy Indian
food. At the end of the Bharat Club
Diwali night, the dance floor is left
open for all to boogie,” she explains.
“In Melbourne we have
different committees in each
suburb organizing different cultural
programs, fireworks and Diwali fairs.
The community puts in a lot of
effort bringing international singers/
poets and dancers to many of these
shows. Over the years we have been
to many different functions and it is
Taniya with diyas in Australia
DIASPORA
Armenia Fernandes
GOANS IN THE UAE
Vito Gomes, Founder & Managing
Director, Aviation Services Management
M
igration has been an
abiding facet of life for
the people of Goa. This
is particularly so for the
Christian community, that has, since
the arrival of the Portuguese on
Indian shores way back in the early
sixteenth century, ventured far and
wide either to escape religious and
economic persecution or in search of
jobs, education and a better life.
Wherever they have gone,
be it in the erstwhile British Raj
stretching from modern-day
Pakistan to Myanmar in the east, or
to European colonies across Africa,
the Middle East and the Far East,
Goans have made a success of their
lives and have come to be known
as a sociable, cultured and honest
community. This holds true for Goans
in the UAE as well.
Goans may be a miniscule lot
when compared with the Malayalee,
Tamilian, Telugu and Punjabi
communities that dominate the 1.75
million Indian diaspora in the UAE.
Sunila Sardesai Muzawar & Hanif Sadat
But, “the number of Goans in this
country is quite large which says a lot
for a small state like Goa,” points out
Vito Gomes, Founder and Managing
Director of Dubai-based Aviation
Services Management Ltd, whose
contribution to the aviation industry
saw him being named one of the
Top 100 Indians in the UAE by Forbes
Middle East this June.
“Goans have contributed quite
a bit to development in the UAE
as they are present in different
sectors. Many of them hold high
positions though they may not have
businesses of their own. The Goan
community is definitely one of the
most cultured you will find around.
Many of our youth are employed
here and are fast climbing the ladder
of success. We are no longer among
the minority in the Indian diaspora.
Our values and refined upbringing
fit rightly in a country we now call
our second home,” says Gomes, who
came to the UAE from Portugal in
1982.
Goans in the UAE maybe
small in number but they
have made a mark in many
fields.
Education is an area where
Goans have made a mark, largely
due to language skills acquired at
diocesan managed Portuguese or
English medium schools. Christine
Mascarenhas, originally from Siolim,
has spent more than 40 years in
academia and is today Registrar
of the American College of Dubai.
Respected within the community,
Christine gave up her teaching job at
Nirmala Niketan in Mumbai to follow
her husband Felix to the UAE in 1983.
Goans are drawn to the UAE
because it offers “the best of the East
and the West”, she says. “The UAE
is just a few hours’ flight way from
India so it’s easier to stay in touch
with family back home. Indians and
Emiratis share similar cultural values
where family ties are important.
Also, the huge number of schooling
options gives parents the choice of
educating their children in a familiar
curriculum or in international schools
in a secure environment.”
Offering affordable education in
the UAE is Al Diyafah High School,
founded by the late Winnie D’Cunha,
a Kenya Goan expatriate from
Saligao, with just two students in
a villa in Dubai’s Satwa locality 31
years ago. Through her husband
Basil’s efforts, Al Diyafah is now
a full-fledged British curriculum
AS and A level high school with
its own spacious campus in Al
Nahda, being managed by her
daughter Michelle Menezes with the
same commitment to top quality
education as her mother. Continuing
with D’Cunha’s legacy, son Alan has
opened a second school, Al Diyafah
International on a larger campus in
Abu Dhabi, offering up to grade five
classes from September this year.
“There are many highly
successful Goans in various fields but
they generally keep a low profile,”
says Menezes. “Goans are historically
known to be adventurous, seeking
a better life elsewhere. The Goan
diaspora is spread across the world.”
Felix Mascarenhas is one instance
of a professional Goan striking out
on his own. An IIT Bombay graduate
with an MBA from the prestigious
Indian Institute of Management,
Calcutta, he brought decades of
experience in Indian multinationals
to the UAE’s Al Futtaim Group where
he worked for more than 20 years
as a senior Group Human Resources
Planning Manager. Felix has since
successfully launched his own
consulting firm in Dubai.
Both Christine and Felix come
from families with professionals who
have served the Goan community
with pride and dedication. While
Christine’s father was a top-ranking
officer in the Indian Police Service
who retired as the Director of
the CBI, Felix’s grand-uncle was
the first Mayor of Bombay after
independence. “Goans are generally
cautious. When Felix branched out
into business, I was holding him
back thinking of the risks involved.
We’re content with jobs that bring
in a regular salary, but we should be
more entrepreneurial,” says Christine.
However, for Taleigao-born
Gomes, setting up his own business
was a long-cherished goal. “As a
youngster, I assisted my father in his
printing press and exercise books
and stationery goods business.
After graduating in Commerce, I
was sent to Portugal to study about
new machinery. Instead, I went into
aviation. The economic situation
in Portugal and Goa at that time
was not exciting and I wanted to
expand beyond what we were doing.
I always wanted to have my own
business and the UAE seemed like an
extremely progressive country. It has
definitely turned out to be one.”
Gomes began his career as a
trainee in Air Portugal before joining
Abu Dhabi Airport Services (ADAS).
In the 90s, he took up the challenge
of setting up and managing GATS, a
The late Winnie D’Cunha, Founder of
Al Diyafah High School
Christine Mascarenhas, Registrar,
American College in Dubai
cargo airline. He also launched EMEX,
an aviation services company as a
GATS subsidiary in Abu Dhabi. “At
that time there were no options for
Trip Support Services or representing
corporate jets. As a result, this
venture was a huge success. Again
in 2004, I went on to set up Experts
Commercial Agency, now known
as Maximus. In 2005, I focused on
setting up my own company, ASM
in the UAE, which enabled me to go
into other markets including India.
We have offices in Mumbai and Goa
and representatives in New Delhi.”
Though several Goans have
flourished as entrepreneurs
in the UAE’s business-friendly
environment, investing in hospitality,
healthcare, engineering services
and construction, retail and trading,
this remains on a low scale. Ralph
D’Mello, the 73-year old Managing
Director of Mohd Abdulla Abdul
Rehman Contracting LLC (MARCON),
admits, “It was very tough when
we initially launched this business,
as we are not from the business
community. I worked 14 to 15 hours
daily.” Originally from Benaulim,
D’Mello grew up in Mumbai where
his father, Dr Joseph D’Mello had a
medical practice. Though he came
48
49
GRAND PARENTING
DIASPORA
to Dubai in 1976, D’Mello struck out
on his own only in 1989, teaming up
with Rtd Major General Abdul Aziz Al
Bannai to set up the company.
Sandeep Naik from Marcela,
who left his photographer job at The
Navhind Times to join Gulf News in
1986 says, “As a community, we do
not have an unsavoury reputation,
we are not trouble makers. We put
a high premium on honesty, are
well-mannered, friendly and get
along with other expats and the local
community.”
Goans are regarded as relaxed,
fun loving, warm and hospitable,
avers Sunila Sardesai Muzawar, a
Dubai resident of 23 years who
has partnered with her husband,
Hanif Sadat in his IT and telecom
infrastructure solutions company,
after working for over a decade as a
Certified Public Accountant with a US
multinational. “People usually smile
and light up when I say I am from
Goa. That is also because many have
had wonderful holidays in Goa and
have happy memories of the place.”
Sunila is a volunteer for the
International Association for Human
Values, a UN registered NGO.
Individually Goans seem to do
well in their chosen fields. What
is peculiar about the community,
especially in the UAE, however is
the absence of any registered Goan
business, professional or sociocultural group. “There was a Goan
Cultural Society but for now, the
India Club caters to all communities
in the UAE. There may not be a
formal group but we are close-knit
and have a network of friends that
we fall back on,” says Michelle.
Given this lacuna, social life for
Goans, especially Christians tends to
revolve around the church through
which regular festive events, cultural
programmes and gatherings are
organised. One such initiative
launched in 2003 is St Mary’s Goan
Community Dubai (SMGCD), but
Feby Imthias
Ralph D’Mello, Managing Director
of Mohd Abdulla Abdul Rehman
Contracting LLC (MARCON)
response has been poor. “Many
needy Goans face financial hardship
but do not know who to turn to.
We need an umbrella organisation
to bring together Goans across
the emirates,” says D’Mello, who is
SMGCD’s honorary advisor.
“Way back in 1975, Goans were
a big presence at St Mary’s Church.
Goan priests Fr Michael Cardoz
and Fr Felicio Diniz have been very
active in building the churches in
Dubai, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah.
The church bell was donated by His
Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed
Al Maktoum, the first Ruler of Dubai,
who even ordered an air show on the
church’s tenth anniversary,” recalls
D’Mello, who sponsors community
events and donated the Dr Joseph
D’Mello Rolling Trophy for a Goan
football tournament.
Sandeep recalls the exhilarating
thrill of going on air sorties to cover
the Gulf War; the intense pressure
of being the sole photographer
at a brief shoot with His Highness
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al
Maktoum, Chairman, Emirates
Group and Microsoft Founder Bill
Gates; capturing on camera Javed
Miandad’s historic ‘last six’ that won
Pakistan the 1986 Australasia Cup; or
being nominated the official World
Economic Forum photographer in
Dubai.”
Like him, many have invested
in Goa and are looking to take
back their UAE expertise to
start businesses or contribute
professionally. Gomes who opposes
the new airport plans at Mopa is
keenly watching India’s aviation
sector after recent FDI relaxations
and “accordingly planning a strategy
for ASM”.
“For me, Goa is home. I go there
every other month to evaluate
what’s happening. I have repeatedly
proposed to the government to look
into opening an academy to offer
world-class MBA courses in aviation.
I am also keen to promote farming
and am involved in growing fruits,
vegetables and rice on our ancestral
land,” says Gomes.
Hanif, whose brother is a
Portugal resident of 40 odd years,
too plans to start a business on his
return to Goa where he has invested
in real estate. Son Anoush is already
doing undergraduate studies in
India. “There is no way that we will
ever migrate to another country or
change our citizenship. We want our
son to learn about Indian history and
culture. As far as possible, we would
like to return to Goa and live there,”
says Sunila.
As Michelle notes, “many Goans
are going back. In the past, the
UAE and the Gulf were looked at as
stepping stones to a better life in
the West, be it the US, Canada, the
UK or Australia. But now Goans are
returning home. This is great for the
land because Goa is changing rapidly
and not always in a good way.
Ethnic Goans are trying to preserve
the essence and character of their
homeland. There is a lot happening
in that sense.”
Armenia Fernandes is a freelance
journalist based in UAE
GRANDPARENTS IN THE GULF
Dr. Mehanas KK and her son Mohammed Aadil with her parents Kunhammed K and Rabiya
I
s being a grandparent better
than being a parent? Do young
couples rely more and more
on their parents to bring up
their little ones? Is your mom your
daughter’s ‘favouritestest’ person in
the whole world? Come, let’s find out
in this issue of TII with Feby Imthias.
Science has discovered that
the guiding hand of a loving
grandparent has given humans
an evolutionary edge in survival.
Dr David Coall, from Edith Cowan
University said: “Evolutionary
perspectives on the postreproductive years have highlighted
grandparenthood as an unusual
feature of the human life that is
solely shared with one or two other
species, such as some whale species.”
In traditional Indian communities,
there is an integration of sociological
and cultural impact in large
households where grandparents
play pivotal roles in child rearing and
development.
But there is no need of all these
scientific studies to know what
grandparents do for little children.
Ask any kid and they are united
in their stance: Grandparents
rock! Someone rightly said that
grandparents sprinkle stardust
over the lives of little children. I
have discovered these magical
connections between grandparents
and grandchildren in many homes in
the UAE including mine.
Spending time with
grandparents, in a loving family
environment, boosts a child’s sense
of security and nurtures them
into emotionally well- rounded
individuals. Kids adore grandparents
with a passion and the feelings are
often returned in equal measure.
Let’s delve deeper into the lives
of some of these youngsters in the
UAE to know what’s so grand about
having grandparents to take care of
their young ones.
Dr Mehanas KK, BDS, MDS is a
Specialist in Conservative Dentistry
and Endodontics with Dr. Sunny’s
Medical Center, Shahba, Sharjah and
has patients queuing to see her from
all over the UAE .
Dr Mehanas KK landed in the
UAE as a student of the 8th grade
in 1989. Her father, Kunhammed
K owns several businesses here
and her mother, Rabiya is a great
homemaker.
“I had my son, Mohammed
What would young
parents do without
grandparents to help
with their children?
Feby Imthias talks to
a few lucky families
fortunate to have them.
Aadil, immediately after I joined
post graduate medical studies. My
parents left the UAE temporarily
and stayed with us in Mangalore. I
wouldn’t have been able to pursue
my higher studies leaving my tiny
baby with anyone else,” recalls this
endearing doctor.
“Aadil shares a very close bond
with my parents. I poke fun at them
that they had a kid in their old age!
Aadil is a very secure child as he has
grown up in a joint family. With our
hectic schedules, we often fail to
teach our kids values like respecting
elders or sharing their belongings.
We always attempt to draw a line
and make the children walk in that
contour unlike the way we were
taught,” observes Mehanas.
50
51
GRAND PARENTING
Sanjana with her baby girl, husband Sreejesh, parents Sukumaran PV & Jaya SreeSukumar, and Shruti Sukumar
has raving stories about her baby’s
the calls, but I dread him sleeping
“My father, who never attends to
grandparents.
without taking out the keys from
domestic chores, started helping my
Sanjana’s face lights up with
the doorway. I ended up standing
mother as my son was very naughty
feelings of love, compassion, concern
outside the door for one hour once
and needed full time attention. He
and appreciation smoothly rolled
was well taken care of by my parents. or twice,” recalls Mehanas.
into one as she recalls her very new
“Right now, he is very
Even religious values were taught by
foray into motherhood. ‘For those
my parents. I haven’t kept any private independent and takes up studies
of you who think that pregnancy is
by himself. I am doing a course in
tutors to teach Aadil the Quran,” says
a difficult time to live through, you
Implantology at Sharjah University.
Mehanas.
are in for a rude awakening! Once
The classes are tri-weekly and on
Split shifts are common in the
the baby is born, be prepared for
those three days, I leave home by 7
UAE in the medical field. Women
endless sleepless nights, constant
am and return by 10 pm I hardly saw
require consistent family support
attention and trying times. Night
Aadil during the last module.
when it comes to handling a high
after night, I am filled with gratitude
“There are lots of people who
flying career and a well-managed
manage everything without parental to my parents for their constant
home. Mehanas admits that her
support and inexhaustible reserves
parents made her dream career as an support and I really admire them. I
of knowledge. Although those eight
consider myself and my son blessed
Endodontist possible.
hours of sleep are as elusive as a
to have my parents beside me in
“When my parents are out
super moon, thanks to my parents, I
everything I do. The presence of my
of town, I find it very difficult to
can breathe a sigh of relief,’ admits
parents at home in his growing up
manage. It is not the workload, it is
Sanjana.
period has molded him into a much
the stress of what Aadil would be
“Since my child is a newborn
better individual than what I could
up to at home after coming back
their
gifts are limited to soft toys,
have ever done on my own,” admits a
from school. I was very happy when
clothes
and toiletries, however the
grateful Mehanas.
I landed my current job with straight
biggest
support comes at times
Sanjana Sreejesh is a very
morning shifts except two days in
when
I
feel
I cannot move my eyelids.
popular South Indian Radio Jockey
a week. One such evening, Aadil
They
are
there
to play with the baby,
and Producer at RADIO ME 100.3 FM
scared me so much, that I ran all the
bathe
her
and
change
her diapers.
playing across the UAE.
way home. Aadil usually sleeps by
This
might
not
sound
much
for
Sanjana has been in the UAE for
9 pm, I called him around 8.30 pm
someone
who
has
not
experienced
the past five years and is married
and he didn’t answer my call. Our
parenthood, but I will tell you one
to Telecom Engineer, Sreejesh
land phone is next to his bed. I kept
thing for sure: if babies are the
Nair. Her father Sukumaran P. V. is
trying every 10 minutes to no avail.
children of God, then grandparents
a businessman in the UAE and her
I have no idea how I reached home
are the angels of the Almighty.”
mom, JayaSree is a homemaker.
that day. But when I did, he was
“It might sound too soon, but
Her parents as well as in-laws stay
sleeping peacefully; he had slept off
I
am
ever ready to have one more
close by and are very hands on
early. That day I realized he was a
gorgeous
baby; but would I feel
with her one-month old baby girl.
very deep sleeper. I don’t get tensed
the
same
without
my parents? Well,
Just like everyone, else Sanjana
nowadays when he doesn’t pick up
52
ACCOUNTING
FOR EXCELLENCE
THE MIDDLE EAST ACCOUNTANCY
AND FINANCE EXCELLENCE AWARDS
WEDNESDAY 11 DECEMBER 2013
AT THE RITZ CARLTON, ABU DHABI
once again, the very best talent in the world of
accountancy and finance will be celebrated by
icAew at a stellar awards ceremony.
icAew is a professional membership organisation
supporting over 140,000 chartered accountants
around the world. And, on wednesday 11 december
2013, at the ritz carlton in Abu dhabi, we’ll be
recognising excellence in twelve categories featuring:
cfo of the year, corporate finance deal of the year
and the internal Audit excellence Award
with an impressive line up of speakers, special
guests and entertainment, it all adds up to a truly
memorable evening.
to submit a nomination or for more information,
visit icaew.ae/awards
nominations close on 1 november 2013
A world leAder of the AccountAncy And finAnce profession
GRAND PARENTING
that’s a whole different game all
together,” laughs this pretty woman.
Tushar Patni is the charismatic
Managing Director of Ajanta
Jewellers, which is one of the first
22ct gold outlets in Abu Dhabi, as
well as one of the largest retailers in
the emirate. He is also a member of
the Abu Dhabi Gold and Jewellery
Group.
UAE has been home to Tushar
since his childhood in the early ’70s.
His parents, Mahendra Patni and
Vimala Patni are well settled in the
UAE. His wife, Poonam, sons Anirudh
and Varun and their grandparents
stay together in Abu Dhabi.
Taking care of grandchildren when
parents are away at work is the
hallmark of well-grounded families.
“The interactions between my
children and their grandparents
have been one of the most precious
memories we will ever share. They
have taken on a colossal role in
virtually all the major turning points
in my children’s spirits, from their first
step to their first words spoken. My
parents have always been there for
my children when I was busy with
work,” reveals Tushar Patni.
Poonam adds, “My father in law
would pick up my children from the
daycare or school every day. Later,
he would take them for a spin in
his Lincoln Town Car. The kids were
thrilled to go on car rides with him as
he was quite a skilled wheelsman.
My mother in law was the one
who taught them how to speak in
our native tongue, Gujarati. The
interactions between them were
quite important while my kids were
growing up. It is my mother in law
who convinced my husband to buy
my son his first car at the age of 19.
Anirudh and Varun are also fortunate
to have learned a great deal of the
Gujarati culture and traditions from
their maternal grandparents who
stay in Baroda, India.”
Poonam continues with a
54
Tushar Patni with his wife Poonam and
sons Anirudh and Varun
twinkle in her eye, “If you have the
opportunity, make sure your kids
stay with their grandparents for
some part of their life. Their influence
will do wonders and they will always
cherish the memories and guidance
rendered by them.”
Shara Naroosh, is a bubbly
Administrative Assistant in the
Dean’s office at the prestigious
Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi
Shara was born and bought up in
Dubai. Her father Radhakrishnan K.V
has been in the automobile business
for the past 40 years. Her mother
Usha is a homemaker and her
husband Naroosh Kumar is a Project
Manager.
Shara has a great story to share.
She started working when her
Mahendra and Vimala Patni
daughter, Neha completed a year
and a half. “Since my husband’s
mother, Soudamini Vijayan was with
us, I was able to work peacefully as
I knew my child was in safe hands.
However, after my second delivery,
I resigned my job. I stayed at home
setting aside my career dreams until
my son turned four.”
Like most women who work
and live abroad with families, Shara
also took full advantage of her
parents’ presence for her first two
pregnancies. “I had my babies in
Dubai since my husband used to
work offshore. My dad brought my
grandma from India to stay with us
during this period. During my second
delivery, I was blessed to have them
here, as this was a difficult phase for
Shara Naroosh with her husband Naroosh & family
The extended family: Aaryan Naroosh, Naroosh Kumar, KV Radhakrishnan,
Aarav Naroosh, Sherin Radhakrishnan, Usha Radhakrishnan, Ashwathy Sherin, Shara
Naroosh, Soudamini Vijayan, and Neha Naroosh
the courage to leave her alone with
my daughter, who had to cope up
my child, I kept her as well as my son
with the new arrival. However, with
at my parent’s house. Two days later,
the constant love and attention that
she ran away with the help of a partmy parents and brother showered
time worker in Dubai. We lost a great
on her, she did not feel that her
amount of money and the scar which
new sibling was stealing her mom’s
she left behind on my children is still
constant attention. During my third
healing,” Shara recalls of her ordeal.
pregnancy, I couldn’t stay with my
Shara’s story reiterates the necessity
parents as both my children were
of children being under the watchful
schooling in Abu Dhabi. It was then
eye of someone caring and reliable.
that I truly understood how precious
Young children looked after by
my parents are. I couldn’t even lie
grandparents often develop better
down when I experienced severe
interaction skills and have boosted
morning sickness. I used to travel to
vocabulary skills at an early age.
Dubai almost every other weekend,
“The most amazing thing about
just to get my forty winks,” recounts
grandparent-grandchildren bonding
Shara.
is that they understand and enjoy
Shara opted for a maid to return
each other’s company extremely
to work after her third baby. “It was
well. Sometimes, I like to sit and
during the summer vacation. The
watch the conversations between
maid we hired from the agency
my parents and my children. I feel
was very pleasant until she got her
that there are five children of which
visa stamped. Slowly she started
two look older. They fight like little
misbehaving with my children. We
kids. I notice, along with my brother,
also realized that she was going out
Sherin Radhakrishnan, that they do
while we were away. We decided to
not react the same way with their
return her to the agency. Not having
grandchildren, like they did with us.
They are far more patient. They see
our childhood in them,” muses Shara.
“My dad and brother sometimes
cancel their meetings just to spend
time with my kids, either in the park
or swimming pool. My youngest will
not let my dad go to office, unless
he gets his ride-around in grandpa’s
car. While I ask my kids to eat what
has been prepared for breakfast, my
mom asks them what they would
like to eat and prepares it. That’s
the difference between mother and
grandmother. Now I have become
like my mom and she has become
like my grandma. However sick, tired
or busy my mom is, she makes sure
that the kids do not lack anything.
“We restrict them from picking
up items randomly while shopping.
But, when they are with my dad,
there is no limit to what they can
pick. Different phases of life! While
I have no time to read stories for
our kids, my dad doesn’t even need
a book to tell them a story. I have
heard him make-up instant stories
just to see the emotions fluttering
on the kids’ faces. I feel, ‘Wow! That’s
so unbelievable; I can see my kids
enjoying it!’ The safety and security
in my mind when my kids are in
the care of my parents cannot be
explained,” narrates Shara.
There is no denying the fact that
grandparents are an indelible part of
a child’s existence. More and more
youngsters are opening their eyes
to this reality after a paucity that
followed nuclear family concepts.
For grandparents, life presents a
fresh opportunity to love someone
new and fragile, refresh memories of
their own children’s sweet and sour
growing years and the chance to be
needed again. Frequently they do it
exceptionally well on their second
innings!
Feby Imthias is an independent
newspaper correspondent based
in Abu Dhabi.
55
REAL ESTATE
Colliers International India Research
PUNE RESIDENTIAL MARKET
LUXURIOUS YET AFFORDABLE
P
une is a classic example
of the real estate market
where commercial
activities lead the
residential development
in the city. Pune has a large
manufacturing base, with many
manufacturing as well as automobile
companies having large plants. In
last one decade the city has also
emerged as a prominent IT/ITeS
destination. Residential demand
in the city is mostly from the large
population of working professionals
and the older generation retired
from the mid-management cadre
from Mumbai who find this place
attractive due to affordability, peace
and proximity to Mumbai. The
Markets to witness residential real
estate growth
For investment purpose, the new
residential developments located
in peripheral areas alongside the
commercial developments are most
attractive. Pune witnesses multidirectional growth of residential
projects in various locations such
as Pimpri, Chinchwad, Chakan &
Talegaon in North Viman Nagar
Kharadi & Wagholi in East, Baner,
Hinjewadi, Wakad & Pashan, Kothrud,
Bavdhan & Wajre in west and Undri &
Kondhwa in the South.
Upcoming Infrastructure Driving City’s Growth
Colliers’s Pick: “The areas that will witness
maximum uptake would be those having
commercial or industrial activities such as
Hinjewadi, Magarpatta, Viman Nagar, Kharadi,
Wagholi, Chakan, Pimpri, Bavdhan, Warje &
Talegaon”.
city also attracts students who are
compelled by the city’s offering of
quality education.
A large share of the upcoming
premium residential space in
Pune is in the form of township
developments, the majority of which
is concentrated in and around the
IT and industrial hubs. In the past,
the city has seen considerable
appreciation in property values.
The government is also actively
participating in the economic
growth of the city by undertaking
various infrastructure projects such
as Pune Metro, Bus Rapid Transit
(BRT) and High Capacity Bus Route.
Factors Driving Growth
· Rising per capita income
reflects in demand for houses
· Gradual shift in the
demographic profile with more
service professionals with higher
income range
· Falling Rupee making NRI
investments more lucrative
· High commercial absorption
indicates sustained demand
growth
Source: Maharashtra Economic Survey, RBI, Colliers International India Research
56
57
REAL ESTATE
East Region: Key upcoming
micro markets in North East
location comprises of Kalyani
Nagar, Koregaon Park, Viman Nagar
Kharadi and Wagholi. Kalyani Nagar
and Koregaon Park are considered
mature markets. However, Viman
Nagar and Kharadi are seeing a lot
of residential activities due to their
locational advantages like being in
close proximity to the airport and
easy connectivity from other parts
of the city. Some of the notable
developers in this area are Panchshil,
Vascon, DB Realty, Marvel Realtors
etc. Current asking residential rates
are between AED 180 – 300 (INR
3,000 – 5,000) per sq.ft.
In south east, the main micro
markets witnessing residential
traction are Magarpatta, Hadapsar
and Mundhwa where a number of
IT companies are located in various
special economic zones (SEZs). This
area has high demand from the
professionals working in IT/ITeS
sector and various large integrated
in this area are priced in the range
of AED 240 – 330 (INR 4,000 – 5,500)
per sq.ft.
West Region: Recently, the
western area has become a favourite
investment destination due to
proximity to Mumbai via the express
“Western Region emerged as a favorite
investment destination due to proximity to
Mumbai via Expressway”
townships bring holistic approach
of quality living in this region.
Various active builders in this area
are Panchshil, Amanora Park Town,
Akshar Developers, and Kumar
Properties etc. Residential properties
highway and the Hinjewadi phased
development. In north west, Aundh,
Baner, Pashan, Hinjewadi, Wakad and
Balewadi have developed to become
prime suburban residential locations
as they serve as ideal residential
locations for people working in
the peripheries of Hinjewadi.
There is a large demand for rented
accommodation which are now
preferred by investors. A number
of projects have been launched in
this area recently in the price band
of AED 200 – 450 (INR 3,300 – 7,500)
per sq. ft. In South-west, with the
completion of Pune- Bangalore
highway, the locations along the
highway Kothrud, Bavdhan and
Warje are emerging as mid-income
housing locations catering to the
accommodation need of students
studying in nearby universities and
employees of nearby industrial
establishments. However, being in a
growing stage of development the
capital values in these areas range
from AED 230 – 360 (INR 3,800 –
6,000) per sq.ft.
South Region: This area is fast
developing with ongoing projects
in main micro markets of Undri and
Kondhwa, which offer relatively good
infrastructure and are expected
to experience further increase in
capital prices due to upcoming
malls such as Hypercity. Prominent
developers are present in this zone
such as Gagan Properties, Marvel
Realtors, Goel Ganga, Kolte Patil,
Sobha Developers, Alcon etc.
Residential properties are in the
range of AED 230 – 360 (INR 3,800 –
6,000) per sq.ft.
North Region: This area came
into light after the industrialisation
and became prominent as investor’s
paradise due to its affordability.
Talegaon, Chakan and Ravet are the
areas that are lucrative, primarily
because of availability of low to
medium housing facilities at an
economical price. Nevertheless,
the area overall reserves growth
potential due to SEZs and the
planned Pune Metrorail project.
Developers such as Kolte Patil,
Namrata Group, Mahindra
LifeSpaces, Disha Direct, Vascon
Engineers and Goel Ganga Group are
developing large scaled townships in
this area. Presently residential asking
prices are in the range of AED 150 –
270 (INR 2,500 – 4,500) per sq.ft.
By Surabhi Arora, Associate
Director, Colliers International
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59
REAL ESTATE
Colliers International India Research
THE REAL ESTATE (REGULATION
AND DEVELOPMENT) BILL
An effort towards greater transparency and fair practice
end user and the developer. The long
awaited Real Estate Regulatory &
Development Bill, 2013 got its assent
in Budget 2013-14 on 28th February
2013.
• KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Mandatory Registration
requirement of Real Estate
Projects:
The bill requires prior
registration of the real estate project
with a real estate regulatory body
for booking, selling, offer for sale,
invitation of purchase in any manner.
The punishment for non-registration
(Section 51) is the penalty of up-to
10% of the total cost of project. If
this is not paid within a certain time
it can lead to imprisonment of the
promoter for 3 years and/or 20% of
the total cost of the project.
More transparency and fair competition
U
nlike many other industry
sectors in India, real estate
does not currently have
a regulator. The recourse
for a real estate consumer is thus
limited to complaining to the
grievance cell of the development
company, or to escalate it to nodal
real estate organizations such as
CREDAI, NAREDCO and National
Association of Realtors or to further
escalate it to consumer and civil
courts. In real estate in India, most
of the complaints pertain to delay in
60
delivery of the apartment/plot and
the delivered product not being as
promised at the time of booking in
terms of quality, specification and
carpet area.
There have been increasing
demands on the Ministry of Housing
& Urban Poverty Alleviation to
introduce a regulator for the real
estate sector. The Ministry has
proposed a Real Estate (Regulatory
& Development) Bill which is aimed
to act as an interface between the
“Minimum plots size
of 1,000 square meters or
more than 12 apartment
units for compulsory
registration”
Mandatory requirement to keep
70% of the project proceedings
into a separate account: the Bill
requires the developer a compulsory
deposit of at least 70% of the
amount realized from buyers into the
particular project account to ensure
that the money received is used only
for the development of the project.
61
INDIA
REAL ESTATE
Punishment of non-compliance of
this can extend up to 5 % of the total
project cost.
• The Bill requires the
registration of the real estate
agent for selling a project. The
registration would be granted
by the authority on payment of
prescribed fee and for limited
time period. The functions of real
estate agent are also defined in the
bill such as maintaining books of
account, records, facilitation of all the
documents etc.
Defined functions and duties
of promoters and allottees: The
function and duties of promoters are
defined in the Bill including quarterly
update, registration detail, varsity
of the advertisement or prospectus
“To ensure quality, the
promoter needs to rectify
any structural faults free of
cost in case it is reported
within two years of the
date of possession.”
etc. No deposit or advance is
permitted to the promoter without
first entering into an agreement
of sale. The promoter needs to
adhere to the approved plan and
project specification and facilitate
the execution of the registered
conveyance deed. Penalty for noncompliance of this can be up to 5%
of the total project cost.
The bill provides right of
information relating to the site
and layout plans along with the
specification, stagewise time
schedule, claim of possession and
refund in case of default. The Bill has
also made a provision of payment of
Deepa Ballal
INDIA IS NOT FOR VACATIONS
The hassles of a visit to India can often cancel the joys of going home.
E
Bill envisages significant changes
interest by allottees in case of default
in scheduled payment.
Formation of Real Estate
Appellate Tribunal:
The bill has a provision to
establish a real estate appellate
tribunal within one year from the
date of coming into force of the act.
It makes a provision which suggests
that any person aggrieved by any
decision or order of the appellate
tribunal may file an appeal to the
high court within 90 days from the
date of the appellate tribunal
judgment.
Conclusion:
The proposed Real Estate
Regulation and Development
Bill envisages significant changes
in the way the real estate sector
operates in India. The bill is aimed
at greater accountability, disclosure
norms, investor protection,
and e-governance, facilitating
transparent and efficient working in
real estate by enforcing fair practices
and accountability norms and fast
tracking dispute resolution. The bill
directionally sets the groundwork
for the next round of transformation
in the Indian Real estate sector. The
policy framework demonstrates a
directionally mature and optimistic
approach.
For more details please contact:
Surabhi Arora | Associate
Director, Research | Surabhi.arora@
colliers.com
very year the thought of
visiting folks back home
brings in sweet and sour
memories of previous trips,
very much like a bag of mixed spices.
Nevertheless, suitcases are
packed to the brim, kids given a
proper orientation and everyone
looks forward to having a fabulous
time. The NRI alights on Indian soil.
“India is not for vacations! For
vacations we would rather go to Sri
Lanka or Malaysia ,” said my friend
once. “India is only for visiting near
and dear ones,” she added. Initially
her statement left me confused, but
later it became crystal clear.
July-August sees a sudden influx
of Indians travelling to India from the
Middle East. Nearly half of the Gulf
expat population empties out. Many
in India wonder how come some kids
haven’t gone to school today.
“Don’t say we have come from
Dubai, zip your mouth,” a mother
reprimands her five year old. “No, we
stay in Delhi,” lies another mom.
Gulf NRIs try not to reveal where
they come from. If they do the price
of anything one wishes to buy, any
school one tries to admit their child
into or any taxi one wants to hire
seems to double.
To begin with everything is
hunky dory on arrival. But the
honeymoon period lasts only for
a very short while. Life in India
suddenly seems difficult, stressful.
And slowly everything seems to
be going wrong - relatives start
complaining of not having been
visited - or of enough time spent
with them -, children start falling sick,
tempers flare owing to lousy service
Sourabha and Vikram Bhat-short trips to India preferred
across all verticals and horizontals.
What’s more, travelling anywhere
requires a backpack of mineral water,
mosquito repellent, hand sanitizer
and a book on anger management
for good measure!
A simple task like crossing the
road can become an issue of life and
death; finding a clean washroom is a
challenge. And this is when the NRI
opens his complaint box for the first
time. “We like it when we are here
for a short duration. Can’t say the
same if we were to settle here in the
future,“ says Sourabha Bhat, an expat
from Kuwait.
Her ordeal varies. It begins at
Subbakrishna and Smitha - India is
more exciting
the airport with the customs who
selectively target expats flying from
the Gulf and continues with the day
to day inconveniences that many
NRIs like her face.
“When I came to Bombay I
asked Vodafone to activate the 3G
service and to send a micro sim.
3G they activated but the micro
sim never came so I could not use
Skype. Finally it came today. During
my entire vacation it feels like I was
chasing Vodafone, HDFC, ICICI, etc.”
says an exasperated Dubai resident
Shalini Pinto.
No doubt the warmth shared
among loved ones and simple
pleasures experienced in India can
never be undermined nor bought,
and no matter how long we have
stayed in India, even a small stint
abroad depresses us as our mind
never ceases to compare. “ I have
been in Dubai just for one year and
have spent my entire life in India but
I feel very sad at how things are here.”
says Monica Sharma with a big sigh.
“Basic things like clean water,
good roads, good drainage system,
62
63
NA Plots close to
GOA
`45/- per sq. ft.
An Excellent Investment Opportunity
Close to the hottest tourist destination "GOA"
Just 15 Kms from Sanctioned Mopa International Airport – Goa
P.O. Box 181681, New Century Tower, 8th Floor,
Ofﬁce 807 & 808, Deira - Dubai, UAE.
64
65
INDIA
Vishala and Keshav Bhat - loss of
immunity to contaminated water
clean food are badly lacking here
and the common man’s entire
life goes fighting for these basics.
Then there is the corruption and
lackadaisical attitude of authorities,”
she adds.
A visit to a bank, according
to her, could be a tedious affair
and seeking a service as simple as
withdrawal of money a humongous
task. “They behave as if they are
doing us a favour by giving our
own money to us. They work at a
snail’s pace, ask for unnecessary
verifications and have absolutely no
sense of time,” she points out.
If services provided are
disappointing, poor infrastructure
completes the circle of apathy. The
monsoons open a Pandora’s box of
complaints.
“Every year millions of rupees are
sanctioned to clean up the drains
to avoid water logging but that
money just disappears just as the
roads disappear with the rains,” she
rues. Last year she missed her flight
to Dubai as the roads were jammed
due to water logging.” I just couldn’t
do anything about it except curse,”
recollects Monica.
One wonders why India cannot
have what the rest of the developed
world takes for granted. The
common man doesn’t demand arms
of war or skyscrapers, all he asks
for is good governance and a safe
66
Vishala Bhat and family
environment.
For Sudha Nayak, who shifted
to India this year with her family,
Dubai was a much safer place. “My
daughter would take the metro after
her coaching classes and be home
by 10 pm. But that never worried me.
Now here, though she is back from
college by 4 pm, I grow anxious if
she is late even by 15 -20 minutes,”
she says. The fact that one could
leave their apartment locked for
months together in Dubai and return
to see it still intact, is one risk that
she can’t afford to take here, despite
the double and triple locks. “There
though we paid more, we were
assured of the best services,” she
compares.
One aspect that amuses her to
this day is how well behaved Indians
are abroad. “But the same Indians
jump queues at Mumbai airport,” she
says in a surprised tone.
Spurious products have
inundated even the food market, and
this adds to her list of woes. “Here I
need to check for the expiry date of
all the products I buy, something I
never bothered to do in Dubai,” she
laments. Agreeing with her is Vishala
Bhat, who settled in India after living
in Abu Dhabi for 30 years. “Here we
dread to drink water that is offered in
hotels. A couple of months back, my
husband suffered a severe stomach
infection, and we have been very
cautious since then. We either order
mineral water or carry boiled water
wherever we travel,” she says. “Having
lived abroad this long, I guess our
immunity has drastically gone down,”
says her husband, Keshav Bhat,
laughing.
Despite driving in the Gulf for
three decades and having an Indian
license, once he came back to India
for good, he insisted on a three day
driving course to unlearn his UAE
driving skills and learn driving the
Indian way.
“Life there seems easy for all
the services are just a phone call
away, be it delivering your groceries
home or getting a leaking tap
fixed,” recollects Vishala. For once
one thinks that the town is bereft
of all the good plumbers, masons,
carpenters as all have moved to the
Despite driving in the
Gulf for three decades and
having an Indian licence,
once he came back to India
for good, he insisted on a
three day driving course
to unlearn his UAE driving
skills and learn driving the
Indian way.
Gulf for better prospects and the
existing ones are in great demand.
But they are glad to have taken
the decision to come back, as they
saw their kids getting more and
independent. “Today we are leading
a happy retired life here, thanks to
our stint in the Gulf that gave us
some financial stability,” she says.
Another couple who don’t
regret coming back are Smitha
and Subbakrishna Shivshankar,
who were in Oman for four years
and moved to India for their son’s
sake. “Somehow I felt life there
was compartmentalized, wherein
people got into particular social
circles and moved along. No doubt,
water, electricity and traffic is well
organized,” agrees Smitha.
Subbakrishna is of the opinion
that though many NRIs crib about
India, he feels things are fast
changing and the work environment
in India is far more exciting than it is
abroad. Something which Sourabha’s
husband, Vikram fully concedes. “No
matter what, I love everything about
India. It is all a matter of perception.
Be it the challenges at work or
gobbling ‘vada pavs’ on the streets of
Mumbai, I seem to digest anything,”
he says gleefully.
Love for India is what all have,
but the very thought that the way
a country is run can make a huge
difference in the life of its “praja” does
become a cause for frustration for
many NRIs. And hence the yearning
to go back (home abroad) does get
stronger day by day.
“Corruption, population and
monsoons,” these I feel have slowed
down our progress,” summarizes
Vishala aptly.
Nevertheless, hoping for an
India that doesn’t ape the west
in the name of development, but
concentrates on providing the
bare necessities to its countrymen,
Rajeev & Monica Sharma - sad at
conditions in India
could indeed make India a vacation
destination not for tourists alone,
but for NRIs too.
Deepa Ballal is a freelance writer
based in Dubai
TII’S HALL
OF FAME
MY SON LOOKS
AFTER ME BUT ALSO
THRASHES ME ONCE
IN A WHILE
I
have a son and a daughter and
both are married. I live with my
son who owns a two to three
acre farm. He has three sons
and a daughter and I don’t
have to work except take care of his
children. My daughter lives in Delhi
but cannot do anything for me. My
son looks after me and provides me
my daily bread, but also thrashes me
once in a while.
Nandbai, former farm hand born village Navagaon, Chattisgarh, circa 1935
TII’s Hall of Fame features India’s
elderly, great, interesting and unusual
men and women.
Excerpted from the book: ‘Ageless
Mind and Spirit,’ by Samar and Vijay
Jodha. www. agelessmindandspirit.
com
67
CA’s ADVICE
Prem Karra
CAPITAL ACCOUNT
TRANSACTIONS BY NRI’S & PIO’S
RBI rules are strict regarding investments made by NRIs and PIOs, Prem
Karra looks at important information we should be aware of.
I
t is extremely important for every
on Resident Indian to know
and understand the concept of
transactions being entered into
by them with persons in India. There
are two types of transactions that
they can enter into: The first one is
the Capital Account Transactions
and the second one is the Current
Account Transactions. It is very
significant to understand these two
transactions, as the Government
of India has prescribed the manner
in which the transactions have
to be managed, with reference
to repatriation & taxation . The
repatriation aspect is dealt with
by the Reserve Bank of India and
the taxation by the Income Tax
Department and the rules are framed
by these two departments in respect
of such transactions.
What would be construed as
Capital Account Transactions?
Capital account transactions
are defined as those which alter the
assets & liabilities in India of persons
who are resident abroad and are
treated as NRI’S/PIO’S.
Permitted Capital Account
Transactions
• Investments made by Non
Resident Indians and Persons of
Indian origin in Bodies Corporate
or any entity in India by way of
subscription to equity, debentures,
government bonds, preference
capital, mutual funds and deposits
with or without the benefits of
repatriation.
68
Prem Karra is a
Fellow of the Institute of
Chartered Accountants
of India with 35 years
in practice. He was a
financial advisor to Ten
Sports, and studied at
Madras Christian
College High School and
Vivekananda College,
Chennai
• Investment by way of
contribution by a Non Resident
Indian or a Person of Indian origin to
the capital of a partnership firm or a
Limited Liability Partnership.
• Investment by way of
contribution by a Non Resident
Indian or a Person of Indian origin
to the capital of a Sole Proprietary
business.
• Acquisition and transfer of an
immovable property in India by an
NRI or a PIO.
• Deposits made by an NRI or a
PIO in any bank or with any person in
India. Any foreign exchange brought
in or taken out by these persons into
or outside India.
• Deposits made by NRI’s & PIO’s
in foreign currency in accounts in
India.
• Remittance outside India of
capital assets in India by an NRI or a
PIO.
Prohibited Capital Account
Transactions
The regulations provides that no
person resident outside India, NRI’s
/PIO’s shall make an investment in
India, in any form in any company,
a partnership firm or proprietary
concern or any entity which is
engaged or proposes to engage in:
• The business of a Chit Fund
• As a Nidhi Company.
• Atomic Energy.
• Lottery Business.
• Gambling & Betting.
• Agricultural (excluding
Floriculture, Horticulture,
Development of seeds, Animal
Husbandry, Pisciculture and
cultivation of vegetables,
mushrooms, etc. under controlled
conditions and services related
to agro and allied sectors) and
Plantations activities (other than Tea
Plantations)
• Housing and Real Estate
business (except development
of townships, construction of
residential/commercial premises,
roads or bridges to the extent
specified.
• Trading in Transferable
Development Rights (TDRs).
• Manufacture of cigars, cheroots,
cigarillos and cigarettes, of tobacco
or of tobacco substitutes. Common
Issues For NRI’s/PIO’s
Q: What is the issue on
reparability of such transactions?
A: NRIS’s & PIO’s can invest into
India both on a repatriation basis
and on a non-repatriation basis. The
asset class, in which the investment
is being made determines the
repatriability.
For example if an NRI/PIO
invests into an apartment, holds it
for the requisite period and sells it
he or she will be able to repatriate
the amounts brought in as foreign
exchange to acquire the asset only.
This means that there is a restriction
on the transfer of the gain made
by the NRI/PIO. Strangely with
reference to the sale of a property
which devolves or is bequeathed
to the NRI/PIO, the entire amount
of consideration post payment of
taxes is repatriable, subject to certain
yearly restrictions.
Q: Can a person who had bought
immovable property, when he was
a resident, continue to hold such
property even after becoming an
NRI/PIO? In which account can the
sale proceeds of such immovable
property be credited?
A: Anyone who bought the
residential / commercial property
/ agricultural land/ plantation
property / farm house in India when
he was a resident, can continue
to hold the immovable property
without the approval of the Reserve
Bank even after becoming an NRI/
PIO. The sale proceeds may be
credited to NRO account of the NRI /
PIO.
Q: Can the sale proceeds of the
immovable property be remitted
abroad?
A: From the balance in the
NRO account, NRI/PIO may remit
up to USD one million, per financial
year, subject to the satisfaction of
Authorized Dealer and payment of
applicable taxes.
Q: What would a gift from an NRI/
PIO to resident be construed as?
A: A gift to a resident will be
construed as a capital account
transaction. However there would
be an element of tax liability in the
hands of the resident donee if he or
she is not a relative of the Donor NRI/
PIO.
Sale proceeds of the
immovable property can
be remitted abroad from
the balance in the NRO
account. NRI/PIO may remit
up to USD one million,
per financial year, subject
to the satisfaction of an
authorized dealer and
payment of applicable
taxes.
It would be advisable to consult a
professional while entering into such
capital account transaction as each
one is unique to itself.
Source of Information:
RBI Website: www.rbi.org.in
69
PAKISTANI VIEW
Rafia Zakaria
TOURISM,
TERRORISM
AND EMPIRE
I
n the life of many white
westerners is a chapter devoted
to the finding of oneself. This may
occur at any given point in life,
though for most the trigger is a life
crisis such as a divorce, bankruptcy,
or the lazy end of youth and the
horror of a boring, comfortable
adulthood. At this point, the subject
is expected to challenge his/her
thoughts and beliefs and gain
some deep, inner knowledge of self
that erases the memory of youth/
rejection/illness etc. All of this must
be done through an encounter with
something inexorably challenging
and physically different and in a
place as far as possible from home
- foreign enough and far enough to
merit the respect of others either
awaiting or nostalgic about their
own journeys of discovery.
Enter India, the land of the
friendly brown people, exotic
enough to be sensual, but dirty
and smelly enough to be real two essential ingredients in the
self-discovery destinations of the
wealthy white seeker. In the world of
cheaply bought jet-travel, no other
country has been able to harness
through clever marketing and
strategic imaging, the market made
available by this western search for
fulfillment. India has cornered the
market on providing rare, jewel-like
insights into self and spirit to a class
of curious westerners, awed by its
complexity and uncertainty. It’s
a perfectly brewed cup for those
70
planning a search for the unique
and un-replicable, for near every
slum is a luxury hotel and inside the
most rural of villages, a helpful man
who speaks English. The results are
tremendous: India today is a clearly
marked stop on the westerner’s
road to authenticity; yoga is the new
religion in Brooklyn and chai the
favorite drink at any Starbucks.
If India is the land of the friendly
brown people - albeit with its filth,
heat and mosquitos and other
authentically sub-continental
discomforts - which provides the
visiting westerner with a sense of
challenges overcome and comforts
confiscated, Pakistan is its opposite.
If Indians have managed to forge
a reputation on welcoming whites
seeking their wisdom, stoically
swallowing their self-righteous
judgments on their society,
Pakistan has cornered the market
on the sinister, the sly and the unquantifiably dangerous.
The westerners that do waft into
Islamabad (no one even bothers
with Karachi or Quetta or Peshawar)
are a straggly bunch of aid workers
or journalists, small in number and
scared in nature. They stay in their
hotels and count the uncertain
seconds to their departures, warily
eying everyone they encounter for
the suspicious lump of a suicide
jacket, or the sinister bulge of a
bomb. Scenes from Zero Dark Thirty
dominate and stories from Seal Team
Six loop in an eternal circle.
Their fears are not Pakistan’s
problem. Unlike India, terror-riven
Pakistan, banks not on drawing
white people to its shores, but on
keeping them away! Americans
cannot easily get visas and even their
wars on Pakistani territory are fought
by remote control. They don’t like
what they see but are obsessed with
what they cannot see. And while it
may seem different, the Pakistani
recipe is not too far from the Indian
one as tourism and terror both yield
dollars. If India has captured the
corner of the white heart devoted to
romancing self-discovery, Pakistan
has gouged out the space for
secret terrors; Pakistan and India
are thus reaping their takes from
their own little slices of the western
imagination.
At the same time both India
and Pakistan, tragically or comically,
opportunistically or cleverly, remain
defined by those whose superiority
was technically overthrown
when the British chopped up the
subcontinent and all the brown
people, Indians and Pakistanis
clapped and cheered and called it
the end of Empire.
Rafia Zakaria is an attorney
teaching constitutional law and
political philosophy.
71
SUCCESS
Shyamola Khanna
LIFESTYLE AURANGABAD:
A CITY DEMANDING RESPECT
T
he new Audi A6
turbocharged was under
wraps to protect its shiny
new midnight blue color
from any scratches from the
neighborhood urchins. We got to
ride in it when we went to Pritish
Chatterjee’s factory in Waluj, the
industrial sector of Aurangabad. At
his office, his Skoda is parked for
use by any of his countless foreign
visitors when they some to town.
One week after Pritish got his Audi,
his friend and partner, Atul Save
(pronounced Saway) got himself one
too. Atul is a legislator and is getting
ready for his third term as an MLA.
Very few people are aware that
last year 150 Mercedes Benz cars
were sold in one lot in Aurangabad,
for a collective sum of Rs 65 crores.
A group of young industrialists got
together and drummed up enough
clout to get the car of their dreams
with some serious trimming in the
collective cost! This little story made
its way to the news and people
began to look at Aurangabad with
a wee bit of renewed respect.
Obviously the latest cars are an
expression of having arrived and
Aurangabadis are proud to join the
bandwagon
Although history books tell
us that Aurangabad has a history
of being a trading hub for more
than four centuries, it remained a
sleepy little town of Marathwada
for many years till the Dhoots of
Videocon brought in heavy industry.
Slowly, Aurangabad gained ground
as the next major industrial hub of
Maharashtra and now has a little
more in its kitty other than being the
72
last rail head for the famous Ajanta
Ellora caves.
Self made entrepreneurs
SAVERA GROUP
Pritish Chatterjee (50) is the
Managing director of the Savera
Group (Engineering Division).
He strides through his factories
with great pride because he
has designed and reshaped his
machines according to his own
requirements. Starting with flat
metal sheets and plastic mouldings
he goes on to fabricating and
powder coating many products. He
employs over 2,000 people and it
was heartening to see that most
of the packaging is being done
by women. Pritish has a great
vision and also the capability and
dynamism to fulfill his plans. His
dogged persistence has paid off – his
turnover has trebled in the last five
years.
While Pritish has ensured that his
senior managers have plush glass
and chrome offices, yet, his own
Chatterji’s house with his Audi
Very few people are
aware that last year 150
Mercedes Benz cars
were sold in one lot in
Aurangabad, for a collective
sum of Rs 65 crores.
Pritish Chatterji & family
goes to the gym regularly while his
wife is a regular walker. He employs
75 people at all levels and last year
his turnover was Rs 20 crores.
office remains the same as what
it was19 years ago. There is an
endearing innocence and an earthy
charm about the man and he does
not hesitate telling you about his
humble roots. Pritish is someone
who feels shy to talk about his
own personal achievements and
is constantly playing them down,
but he is eloquent about what the
company has achieved. And the
company has achieved distinction
in a big way. It has been recognized
for its quality control and precision
engineering by two of the greatest
industrial groups in the world—
IKEA and LG. While IKEA has given
and proud of it. A product engineer
from Victoria Jubilee Technology
Institute (VJTI) Mumbai, Ashok joined
engineering mainly because he
was good at maths! After graduation
in 1985, he worked for a while in
his field, then decided to go solo
and set up his first manufacturing
unit , making control panels in
1989-90, called AKS Automations.
Slowly he began making a lot of
import substitutes. He has made
a lot of innovations and is now
manufacturing polyester films, BOPP
films, fulfilling the requirements of
the Packaging Industry, Chemical,
Akshay, Isha and Disha Choure
Ashok Choure, wife Jayashri, kids Isha and Disha
Pharmaceuticals, and Paper Mills. He a couple of crores and just bought
provides total solutions in the field of a Skoda Rapid a fortnight ago. His
special and precision metal cutting
wife who runs her own creative unit
work, CNC fabrication. His Disha
drives a modest Alto. But in his own
Industries which was set up in 1994
words, “I am happy with what I have
has gone global and is working with
achieved. I was never very ambitious
international clients from Germany,
but I was practical enough to know
UK and the Middle East.
that I would never have been able
Ashok travels widely especially
to own any property if I had carried
in connection with business but he
on with a salaried job. Although I
does take an annual holiday with his
started late, I have done fairly well
family and has travelled to Malaysia,
in my own estimate – I started with
Thailand, Germany, UK , Nepal and
nothing except experience . Today I
Bhutan. Of course visits to UK were a
have acquired all the tags that say, ‘I
given while the girls were in school.
have arrived’!”
In his 3000 sq ft house there is a
five-car garage which houses his
DHOOT TRANSMISSIONS
Toyota SUV, a Hyundai Accent and
Rahul Dhoot (39) was in the news
his Skoda, besides other smaller cars.
recently because he was one of the
Ashok is very health conscious and
main negotiators in the famous
Savera the Award for the Best
Innovations, LG has conferred the
Best Vendor Award on Savera every
year consistently between the
years 2005-2010. Last year he was
upgraded to the ‘Preferred’ vendor
status by LG for all metal and plastic
parts. Pritish is justifiably proud of
his latest factory at Ranjangaon,
close to Pune , which has actually
helped Savera achieve this coveted
status and the Audi is his weekly ride
between Pune and Aurangabad.
DISHA INDUSTRIES
A farmer’s son, Ashok Chaure
(48) is proud of the fact that he is a
completely self made man—in fact
he is a first generation entrepreneur
ADVERTISING
Ashish who is Pritish’s elder
brother, gave up his marketing job
of 16 years and came back home
to follow his dream of setting up
his own advertising company. After
working all over the country he
returned to Aurangabad to start
Dhruva Advertisers and now, after
15 years of being his own boss, he
looks back with pride on what he has
achieved. He owns property worth
73
SUCCESS
Aurangabad deal with Mercedes
Benz. In fact he loves all his luxury
cars—he has “5-6 of them” he says
casually – current favorite being his
convertible BMW sports car.
Although he shares a famous
family name with the Videocon
Dhoots, he made it clear at the
beginning that he is not from the
same family, although he has a lot
of regard for Pradeep Dhoot who
gave him a lot of encouragement in
his nascent years and even before
he started his company. Rahul
started his own company, Dhoot
Transmissions, from scratch in the
year 2000, making wiring harnesses
for two wheelers, three wheelers
and four wheelers. His father, Radha
Vallabh Dhoot who had been a car
dealer, always wanted his son to get
into the industrial side of cars. After
Rahul finished his BE in Electronics
and telecommunications, his father
gave him the seed money to get
started and within the year, his
turnover had touched 1 crore. In
fact his first consignment was to the
Videocon group.
Today after12 years , Dhoot
Transmissions employs 2000 people.
And does business to the tune of
400 crores.
Rahul Dhoot is a family man.
His wife Anupama and he have
three kids—two girls and one boy,
between the ages of 11 and 4. The
kids go to Nath Valley School. Rahul
and his family live along with his
parents and his married brother
and family. They share a common
kitchen. Although for his business
deals Rahul travels a lot, “I am
gone six months in a year, travelling
around the world,” he reveals. Yet he
treats his family to luxury holidays
twice a year; one to an international
destination and one within India.
“Nothing but the top of the line
holidays for my family’ is his firm
belief—so it’s the best locations, the
best airlines and no compromises on
74
Atul Save and family
the quality of food and stay.
POLITICS
Atul Save comes from an old
political family with generations of
old money behind him, but the two
childhood friends are genuinely
fond of each other and of what
they have made of their industrial
venture. Pritish is happy that Atul
is a sleeping partner and does not
interfere with any of the day to day
functioning of the group. It also
gives Pritish the freedom to carry on
with his redesigning and remodeling
his machines and accepting orders
and of course, expanding the
business. All of his engineering
education is finally coming in handy.
Atul admits, “Half my day is
spent in politics and the other
half I spend in looking after the
various family businesses which
include multiplexes, pharma and
transport.” He was celebrating his
fiftieth birthday but he refused
to get started till Pritish reached
the house—a sprawling mansion
spread over a massive 9,000 sq
feet, seamlessly including a gym,
a swimming pool and all the frills
that money can buy. A couple of
swanky sedans and SUVs stand in
the driveway along with the new
AudiA6.
His greatest treasure is his
friendship with Pritish. It is
heartwarming to see how these two
small town lads have not allowed
anything to dilute their bonds of
friendship and camaraderie and are
now two well respected citizens of
the same city where they grew up
GEN NEXT
Pritish has two daughters. The
elder Preetika is doing Business
Studies in Manchester, UK. She
graduated in June 2013 and her
parents and kid sister, Mihika,
attended her graduation. The
parents are hoping that Preetika
will start working with her father at
Savera as soon as she is done with
whatever she wants to study. Mihika
meanwhile is writing her Class X
exams, luckily for her, she is one of
the few students whose alma mater
has given them the option of opting
out of the board exam –no stress
there.
Ashishs’s son Dhruv, is a graduate
of the National Law School at Bhopal
and is now working with ARA Law,
a Corporate Law firm in Mumbai.
Dhruv’s kid sister who is writing her
board exam at present, wants to
study architecture and would like
to settle down in New York. Ashish
admits, “Most of my income goes
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
75
DIASPORA
SUCCESS
in keeping her happy—she is far
more expensive than my son!”
Atul’s elder son Ajinkya is
studying engineering at Aurangabad
itself. He is in his IInd year and
plans to go to the US to do his
post graduate studies in business
production. The younger boy Anurag
is writing his Class XII exams and
plans to study engineering also.
Ashok Chaura’s elder daughter,
Disha after whom the doting father
has named his industrial unit, is an
architecture graduate of Sheffield
University and is currently working
in Pune. A brilliant scholar of Nath
Valley School of Aurangabad, she set
a high benchmark for her younger
sister Isha who has followed her
footsteps to Sheffield University
and is currently studying Software
Programming. Their younger brother
Akshay is currently studying for his IB
at Cathedral Vidya Mandir at Lonavla.
By his own admission Rahul
Dhoot is overweight and plays
badminton regularly at The
Benchmark sports club with facilities
for swimming, badminton etc.
The Chaures get together with
a group of friends and regularly
Shamlal Puri
develop their entrepreneurial skills
and realize their potential. Maybe it
is Maharashtra, maybe it is just home
and the strength that comes from
being on home territory. They have
done well and found their place in
the sun through sheer hard work.
Family outings are common and
trips to the newly opened Prozone
Mall still set their pulses racing, at
least with the younger set. A million
sq feet of shopping spaces with all
the retail outlets one could ask for:
Subway, Café Coffe Day, KFC, and
the enormous food courts vying
for attention with all their delicious
aromas, you cannot deny it is exotica
for a small town. It reminds me of
the time four years ago when the
Shamshabad Airport was opened in
Hyderabad and all the villagers from
around the area used to come in to
gawk at the glass and chrome.
Rahul Dhoot: globetrotting businessman
explore all the eating joints in the
city and beyond. Ashok says they
all plan to go to an international
location for a dinner date.
Aurangabad is finally coming into its
own in a very big way. It has given
these young men the opportunity to
ASIANS IN TANZANIA:
SABOTEURS OR SAVIOURS?
I
n its heyday, Tanzania had more than 150,000 Asians but their numbers
dwindled due to mass emigration. In 1994 there were 50,000 in the
Tanzania mainland and 4,000 in Zanzibar. Today, Tanzania has around
40,000 Asians.
Shyamola Khanna is a freelance
writer based in Hydrabad
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
and his wife Gursharan Kaur on a state
visit to Tanzania, with their hosts
I
ndian traders visited the spice
island of Zanzibar, now part
of Tanzania, as far back as 1st
Century BC. In the 1890s, they
migrated to East Africa, sailing in
dhows, establishing themselves as a
very hardworking, honest, religious
and skilled community of traders.
Zanzibar’s most famous visitor
was Mahatma Gandhi, who stayed
on the island en-route from South
Africa, and for a long time, the Rupee
was Zanzibar’s currency.
The British originally brought
Indians to East Africa to build
railroads between Mombasa, Kenya
and Kampala, Uganda.
A majority returned home on
Sir Jayantilal Keshavji ‘Andy’ Chande
completion of the railway while
thousands settled in Kenya. They
moved to the neighbouring
Tanganyika Territory in search of
opportunities and set up Dukas
(shops in Swahili) and were known as
‘Dukawallas’.
While discriminating against
the indigenous Africans, British
colonialists allowed Asians to
establish a specific caste tier system,
their own education system, temples
and social centres.
When Tanganyika became
independent on 9 December 1961
Asians with British Protectorate
passports were given a choice of
acquiring Tanzanian nationality. The
majority became citizens while those
who declined went to India or to the
UK.
For decades Indians successfully
built a commercial base throughout
Tanzania giving them top positions
on the national economic map for
their business acumen.
Although the Indian diaspora
has been an integral part of Tanzania
for decades, social problems have
persisted. They live in their own
communities separated from the
local society, triggering resentment
and mistrust among indigenous
Tanzanians.
In its heyday, Tanzania had
more than 150,000 Asians but their
numbers dwindled due to mass
emigration. In 1994 there were
50,000 in Tanzania mainland and
4,000 in Zanzibar. Today, Tanzania
has around 40,000 comprising
communities ranging from Hindus,
Sunni Muslims, Shia Ithnasheris,
Bohras, Sikhs, Jains, Christians and
Zoroastrians making an intriguing
diversity in this nation of 44.6 million.
Though Indians represent less
than 0.2% of Tanzania’s population,
they control 75% of the business.
Energetic and utterly businessoriented, with a huge network
of contacts, their contribution
to Tanzania’s development is
unparalleled, making them the most
admired and rich people of the
African sub-continent.
Apart from their contribution
to Tanzania’s economic and social
development, Asians have even
participated in advancing local
aspirations for independence.
The names of Tanzania’s Asians
ring out like a roll call of millionaires
who have helped to put the country
76
77
DIASPORA
on the world map of economic
success.
Businessman Mohammed
Dewji is the first Asian in modernday Tanzania to be featured on the
cover of the July 2013 issue of the
prestigious Forbes magazine with
a headline “100 Hours a Week; $85
million a year.”
Dewji, popularly known as ‘Mo’
is a businessman, philanthropist and
politician who has built his familyrun business in Tanzania from a mere
$30 million to $1.1 billion in 12 years.
Mo said that when he joined
Mohammed Enterprise Tanzania
(METL) in 1999, its annual revenue
stood at US$26 million. With a
projected $1 billion turnover in 2013,
METL employs 24,000 people – 5% of
Tanzania’s formal employment sector
- in a corporation involved in trading,
manufacturing, agriculture, financial
services, real estate, distribution and
telecommunications.
METL’s revenue contributes
just over 3% of Tanzania’s GDP. “In
agriculture, METL is the largest
landowner in Tanzania with over
600,000 hectares to its name. In
textiles, we are the largest textile
manufacturers in sub-Saharan Africa,”
he said.
The illustrious Karimjee
family has lived in Tanzania for
195 years and are pioneers of
the Asian community. In 1818
Jivanjee Buddhabhoy, the son of
Buddhabhoy Noormuhammed, a
small scale hardware merchant, from
Mandvi in Kutch, arrived in Zanzibar
and set up a small trading firm which
was to become one of the largest
conglomerates in East Africa.
Buddhabhoy gave his business
to his three sons – Pirbhoy, Karimjee
and Esmailjee. The brothers
separated and in 1861 Karimjee
established his own enterprise
exporting commodities including
ivory, copra, groundnuts, cereals,
78
Tanzanian-born Indian beauty Richa Adhia
was crowned Miss Tanzania in 2007
beeswax and cloves from Zanzibar
and the East African mainland to
India. The business was later handed
over to his three grandsons who
managed it very successfully. By
the time Karimjee died in 1898, the
Tanzanian business tycoon Mohammed
Dewji (right) was honoured by Forbes
magazine
company had a presence in Europe.
Foundations for a massive
expansion were laid after the
company moved from Zanzibar to
Dar es Salaam in 1943.
Aside from business, the
family also built and donated
community schools, gymkhanas,
and medical facilities for the poor. Its
philanthropy and community service
was recognised when the British
Government bestowed knighthoods
on Yusufali and Tayabali.
Yusufali’s son Abdulkarim was
the Mayor of Dar es Salaam and
speaker of the Tanzanian Parliament.
Many of the family’s properties
were expropriated in post-revolution
Zanzibar and during Tanzania’s
Hatim Karimjee, who heads
the Karimjee Jivanjee empire
nationalisation. Their business
empire saw tough times between
1964 and 1990 but their fortunes
have bounced back with increasing
dividends.
Today, Hatim Karimjee, the
descendent of this family, holds the
reins of the business empire which
continues to grow. He is also the past
District Governor of the Rotary Club
at Oyster Bay, an organisation that is
known for its charity work.
The list of this renowned
family’s charitable deeds is long and
impressive; something that even
President Jakaya Kikwete noted
when he launched Hatim Karimjee’s
book, The Karimjee Jivanjee Family Merchant Princes of East Africa.
The Karimjee Jivanjee family
reflects triumph over hardship of the
Tanzanian Asians in general. They
helped transform a poor region into
today’s East Africa.
The pioneering Late Keshavji
Jethabhai Chande left Gujarat, first
set foot in Kenya in the early 1920s
and quickly moved to Tanzania
where he owned a shop selling
consumer goods and fuel in Bukene
village. The family later established
a rice and maize flour milling and oil
crushing business. His son Jayantilal
Keshavji Chande (Andy or JK) took
over the family business in his
20s and has been active in social,
political and business circles for half
a century.
He held important positions as a
member of the Governor’s Executive
Council (Cabinet) and the National
Dar es Salaam City
Assembly until independence. The
then Prime Minister Julius Nyerere
offered him an electoral constituency
but he turned it down to concentrate
on the family business.
The family is among the most
important architects in developing
Tanzania’s milling trade. Their
business, Chande Industries, was
nationalised in 1967 by President
Nyerere under the Arusha
Declaration when thousands of Asian
properties and businesses were
expropriated. Smarting from their
losses many Asians left Tanzania, JK
‘Andy’ Chande stayed on without any
feelings of rancour.
The Chande family’s private
sector business and eight similar
firms were turned into a government
parastatal, National Milling
Corporation (NMC).
Nyerere appointed him CEO and
General Manager of NMC because
of his expertise and knowledge. He
worked full time for 35 years and
established himself as a shrewd
businessman and a highly capable
manager.
JK has been the director of 25
companies spanning the whole
spectrum of national life from
banking to agriculture. He was
also involved with government
corporations - Tanzania Tourist
Corporation and East African
Harbours Corporation. He held many
prestigious positions in Tanzania and
internationally, including Londonbased Commonwealth bodies.
He also served deprived
Tanzanians through voluntary and
charitable sectors. He founded the
Tanzania Deaf Society and School
and was Chancellor of Tanzania
International Medical Technological
University. He is also the former
World President of Round Table and
Affiliated Youth Organisation and a
past Rotary International Governor.
In 2003, Queen Elizabeth
conferred on him a Knighthood.
India honoured him with the
prestigious Pravasi Bhartiya Samman
award.
Tanzania’s economically effective
Indian descendent community is
mainly concentrated in the major
regional centres of Dar es Salaam,
Arusha, Dodoma, Morogoro,
Zanzibar, Mwanza and Mbeya. They
are also spread in small numbers all
over the country.
They hail from Gujarat - mainly
Kutch and Kathiawad. They also
help in strengthening India’s ties
with Tanzania, in trade and business,
culture and in other areas.
Asians who have chosen to
remain have done very well but
problems of integration still remain.
However, this is easing today as there
have been inter-marriages between
Asians and indigenous Tanzanians.
But there is restlessness in
the lower and middle echelons of
Tanzania’s African community. Egged
on by mischievous politicians, Asians
are riled as economic saboteurs and
accused of fuelling corruption. Some
have accused them of being “strange
bedfellows out to Asianise the
Devotees praying at the Shri Swaminarayan
Hindu Temple in Dar es Salaam
economy”. Racists have disparagingly
called them “wanyonyaji” (exploiters)
saying they are not black. Ironically,
their positive side is ignored.
Many Asians concede there are
rotten apples in every society and
theirs is not an exception. Over
the years, it has had its share of
criminals who have been convicted
of economic sabotage or have fled
abroad after salting away millions.
Positively, the Tanzanian
leadership acknowledges
their contribution to national
development, acknowledging they
are largely saviours not saboteurs.
President Kikwete has noted
the benevolent deeds of the Asian
community and character, which
he said, have “demonstrated to us
that patriotism is not defined by the
colour of our skin or the origin of our
fathers. It is about what you do.”
Bhupendra Patel, a third
generation Tanzanian whose
ancestors came from India eight
decades ago, agrees with President
UK-trained Optometrist Husseinali
Datoo runs Vision Plus in Dar es Salaam
with a goal to serve Tanzanians in eye
care
79
DIASPORA
Young dancers at Onam celebrations
organised by Kalamandalam in Dar
Kikwete.
“We are Tanzanians of Asian
origin. We know no other home.
Tanzania is our country. We were
born and brought up in Tanzania.”
“Why are we grouped as
muhindis?” asks Patel, “Just because
we speak Gujarati at home doesn’t
mean we are any less Tanzanian than
others here!”
While Asians in Tanzania are
today not directly victimised or illtreated by the government, its past
national and socialist policies have
caused resentment and an exodus.
President Nyerere’s 1967
Arusha Declaration led to mass
nationalisation of foreign-owned
banks, businesses and expropriation
of properties surplus to Asians
hurting the community deeply in the
pocket. Smarting from the economic
blow many Indians fled to Britain, the
Indian sub-continent, Canada and
the US.
Ibrahim Patel, a third generation
Tanzanian, believes Asians have
made a significant contribution to
Tanzania’s development.
“Old people have passed on or
migrated, the present generation
of Indians, have largely, inherited
family businesses or have wealth left
behind by their elders,” he said.
“Most Indians, before and after
independence were living all over
the country, including rural areas
80
Ranchod Oza in his photo studio in
Zanzibar
Indian businessman enjoys a cup of
‘kahawa’ (coffee) in his shop
but with the changes in postindependence politics, particularly
the Arusha Declaration, many
pioneers migrated overseas.”
There has also been mass
migration of Indians from the villages
to the towns where there were better
business opportunities as those
departing left a gap remaining to be
filled.
“However,” notes Ibrahim, “in
Desi food is popular at Chappan Bhog
recent years, there has been a new
Indian restaurant in Dar es Salaam
trend – the small Indian Dukawallas
from the villages who once came to
indigenous Africans in civil service,
towns have moved to Dar es Salaam
hit non-citizen Asians in government
to chase better education and
jobs as their services were
medical facilities.”
terminated. They either migrated or
While the majority have headed
established businesses in Tanzania.
for the cities, small pockets of Asians
“When Tanzania’s policy
still live in smaller towns. Today, there
of Ujamaa (villagisation) and
are more Hindus in Dar es Salaam
socialism failed, there were better
than anywhere else among the Asian
opportunities for Asians in business.
population.
Once again, the community rose like
The Indian community plays
a phoenix from the ashes developing
a vital role in social and charitable
small and medium outfits into multievents. Volunteers from the
million enterprises. Large industries
Swaminarayan Hindu Temple (BAPS)
sprung up and Asians here are now a
offer humanitarian services through
force to be reckoned with.”
their temples in Dar es Salaam,
In recent years, adds Patel,
Mwanza and Arusha.
expatriates from India, Pakistan and
They visit leprosy patients and
Bangladesh are filling acute qualified
orphanages regularly offering
manpower shortages. There are
essential items and bringing a
currently around 8,000 expatriates.
smile to the unfortunate children
The role of Ismaili and the
by entertaining and offering them
Ithnasheri communities in Tanzania’s
sweets.
development cannot simply be
Tanzania’s Africanisation policy,
under-estimated, says Dilip Mehta, a
which gave priority to qualified
81
HUMOR
DIASPORA
third generation Indian.
“Among the Asians in Tanzania,
the most successful community
is the Ithnasheri followed by the
Bohras. A few Hindus who have
stayed behind are also successful in
business,” he says.
The Shia Ismaili community led
by their spiritual leader, the Aga
Khan, has played a major role in
Tanzania’s development. Tanzania
has received aid through The Aga
Khan Development Network (AKDN),
the largest International, private,
non-denominational international
development agency founded and
chaired by the Aga Khan.
The community’s presence in
East Africa has seen a steady growth
and today it employs 18,000 people,
mostly indigenous Africans, and is
the largest investor in economic,
social and cultural development
initiatives in East Africa.
Sir Sultan Mohamed Shah Aga
Khan III built 200 schools in East
Africa. The present Aga Khan IV is
investing $1 billion in health and
education in the next decade. Tanzania nationalised 64 Aga
Khan Schools now run by the
Ministry of Education.
Ismaili politicians have played a
vital role in Tanzania’s development.
The late Amir Habib Jamal was
a revered member of the postindependence Tanzania. He was
Finance Minister in the Nyerere
Government from 1965 to 1980.
He was Tanzania’s Permanent
representative to the UN in Geneva
before retiring in 1993 after 28 years
of service. He died in 1995.
Al Noor Kassum was the Minister
of Finance and Administration in
the East African Community, the
three-nation economic grouping of
Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, and
as Minister for Water, Energy and
Minerals.
“Although history bears witness
to the contributions of Asians from
82
Melvin Durai
the Indian sub-continent,” Mehta
says, “We are being overtaken by the
Chinese. They speak fluent Kiswahili
unlike most Asians who have been
here for such a long time.”
“In the economic hierarchy
within Tanzania, Asians are now
fifth in importance to the economy.
With the gradual African regional
growth, Asians will slide further,” he
predicted.
“Major changes are in the
offing, with the Chinese and
others competing in business with
the Indians. They include newly
arrived Turks, Brazilians, Russians,
Canadians and Somalis. This is a new
development and it seems those
from the Indian sub-continent will
engine. “Our business acumen has
lifted Tanzania out of the depths of
the huge economic mess into which
Nyerere had led it. We have a select
core of patriotic and dedicated
Tanzanian Asians, respected by
international bodies who give
invaluable advice to government
ministries on financial and social
matters.”
While many Asians have left
thousands more, born and brought
up in Tanzania, will continue to
make the country their home. The
Indian community is here to stay
and in spite of the new arrivals from
China and elsewhere, their overall
contribution will not be seriously
undermined.
Tanzanian Indians (in yellow jackets)
helped when this building collapsed
Dar es Salaam in March 2013
Hatim Karimjee (left) presenting
a copy of his family’s history to
Tanzania’s President Jakaya Kikwete
be edged out of business slowly. I
wonder how the 19th century Indian
immigrant family will fare in 25 years
with this massive globalization of
Africa.”
“Overall,” says Mehta, “young
people educated in the West do not
want to come back. The future looks
challenging for the Asians here. As in
the past, each Asian community will
take its own route. Some have cut
the umbilical cord with the mother
country and developed new bases
in the West. In a globalized world,
globalized communities will grow in
different stages all over Africa.”
Patel says that while Asians take
criticism from all sides, they do give
the drive to Tanzania’s business
Shamlal Puri, TII’s Contributing
Editor, is a veteran British
journalist, broadcaster, author and
press photographer from Tanzania.
He has worked with the media
in Europe, Africa, Asia and the
Middle East. His novels ‘Dubai
on Wheels: The Slippery Road to
Success’ and ‘Triangle of Terror’
(Diamond Books) are acclaimed
bestsellers. His next novel is ‘The
Illegals’ (Crownbird Publishers).
He has travelled to more than 100
countries in an illustrious career
spanning 40 years. His work has
been published in more than
250 magazines, newspapers and
journals around the world.
TIP THE PATEL’S
AT MOTEL 5
P
raveen Patel was sitting
in the office of his Motel
5, when his wife shouted
“Praveen! You got a one
dollar tip! Come, see!”
He found his middle-aged,
sari-clad wife shaking the tip jar, an
empty peanut butter container on
which he had stuck a paper with the
words “Tips very welcomed.”
“It’s your first tip,” Vandana said.
“You should frame it!”
“It’s the same dollar I put there
this morning to show people what
to do. You know, the power of
suggestion.”
Times were changing, the
economy was stagnating and tip jars
were appearing everywhere. Praveen
had seen one at Bunty’s Pizza Parlor,
another at the Tim Hortons coffee
shop, and a third at the MercedesBenz dealership. Even the homeless
guy on the street had gotten wise
and written “tip jar” on his mug.
The economy was affecting the
motel business too. Praveen was
lucky if half the rooms were occupied
on weekends. Even if he collected
$10 a day in the tip jar, it would be
enough to pay for the pens he left in
rooms, the ones bearing the motel’s
slogan: “You’ll survive at Motel 5.”
(The motel was on the outskirts of
Detroit and Praveen was proud that
no one had ever been shot there.
Three people had been stabbed, but
that was it.)
When Vandana first saw the tip
jar, she shook her head vigorously.
“Look what you’ve written,” she said.
“Tips Appreshated. You can’t have
the word ‘hated’ in ‘appreciated.’”
Spelling was important, she
reminded him, and he nodded. He
had learned his lesson last October
when he had changed the electronic
sign in front of the motel and tried to
attract travelers with “FREE WIFI.” But
he had mistakenly displayed “FREE
WIFE.”
It was only after a dozen truckers
showed up in the lobby that he
realized his mistake.
“How do I get the free wife?” a
stout man in overalls asked him.
Praveen misunderstood the
question and summoned Vandana
from the hallway, where she was
chatting with a maid. She was
surprised to find a roomful of men
looking her over.
“Is this her?” Praveen nodded.
“Yes, this is my wife.”
The stout trucker snickered.
“Mister, not to be rude or anything,
but you’ll have to pay me to take her
off your hands.”
When he realized what was
going on, Praveen screamed at the
trucker. “How dare you insult my
wife, you stupid man? You cannot
find a wife like this if you drive from
here to Ahmedabad.” The trucker was
much bigger than him, so to be on
the safe side, Praveen screamed in
Gujarati.
Thankfully, Vandana was a good
sport about it. “’Free Wife’ brought in
so many customers! Now we should
try ‘Free Husband.,” she suggested.
Recalling the incident, Praveen
was quick to change the words on
the tip jar. But it didn’t seem to help.
After three days, only one person
had dropped something in the tip
jar: a note with a message scrawled
in pencil: “Clean your windows.”
Praveen wondered what he
could do to entice patrons to leave
a monetary tip. He tried smiling at
them more and saying, “Thank you
for staying at Motel 5. Isn’t it great to
be alive?” But still no tip.
He tried putting a picture of
a puppy on the tip jar, the cutest
puppy he could find on the Internet.
But still no tip.
And finally, he tried putting a
dollar inside the tip jar, but that
didn’t work either. Everyone seemed
to ignore the dollar on the first day.
And on the second day, someone
made off with it.
“Praveen, your dollar’s gone!”
Vandana shouted.
He rushed out of the office. The
tip jar was empty.
“I should have known,” he said.
“It’s risky to have a tip jar without
guarding it these days.”
“Look at the surveillance tape,”
she said. “You can catch the person.”
He shook his head. The economy
was weak, people were hurting, and
if someone needed a dollar so badly,
let them have it. At least they hadn’t
insulted his wife.
Melvin Durai is a Manitoba-based
writer and humorist. A native of
India, he grew up in Zambia. Read
his humor blog at http://www.
Nshima.com
83
HEALTHCARE
Al Zahra Hospital
RHEUMATOLOGY
SUB-SPECIALTY FOCUSES ON
ARTHRITIS AND RELATED RHEUMATIC
CONDITIONS
Some people use the word
arthritis for all rheumatic conditions.
Arthritis which literally means
joint inflammation is just a part of
rheumatic diseases.
‘Rheumatism’ refers to
various painful medical
conditions which affect
bones, joints, muscles and
tendons. Rheumatism may
also involve internal organs
including skin, heart, lungs,
kidney and brain, referring
to over 100 conditions.
Rheumatology is a subspecialty
of Internal Medicine. Doctors who
specialize in Rheumatology are
referred to as Rheumatologists. They
diagnose and focus on non-surgical
treatment of arthritis and related
rheumatic diseases.
“Rheumatism “refers to various
painful medical conditions which
affect bones, joints, muscles
and tendons. Rheumatism may
also involve internal organs
including skin, heart, lungs, kidney
and brain. There are over 100
conditions commonly referred
to as rheumatism. The term “
rheumatism”is not frequently used
in current medical text, but is more
often found in historical medical
texts.
Q: What are rheumatic
diseases/conditions?
A: Rheumatic diseases and
conditions primarily affect joints,
tendons, ligaments, bones and
muscles. Rheumatic diseases
are characterized by the signs
of inflammation---redness, heat,
84
Arthritis primarily involves:
•
Joint pain.
•
Joint stiffness.
•
Joint inflammation.
•
Joint damage.
Common types of arthritis:
Rheumatoid arthritis.
•
Osteoarthritis.
•
Psoriatic arthritis.
•
Reactive arthritis.
•
Infectious arthritis.
•
Gout.
•
Pseudogout.
Dr. Khalid Ali Khan, MBBS
swelling, pain and loss of function of
affected organ or joint.
•
Common Rheumatic Diseases:
•
Ankylosing spondylitis.
•
Fibromyalgia.
•
Lupus.
•
Scleroderma.
•
Polymyositis.
•
Bursitis.
•
Vasculitis.
•
Tendonitis.
•
Carpal tunnel syndrome.
•
Complex regional pain
syndrome.
•
Polymyalgia rheumatic.
•
Osteoporosis and other
metabolic bone diseases.
Q: What is arthritis?
In the last 10-15 years,
tremendous progress has been made
in the management of rheumatic
diseases with the introduction of
biological agents, not only better
disease control is possible, but also
remission is possible if the disease
is diagnosed at an early stage and is
properly managed with the available
effective treatment agents.
Morbidity and mortality and
disability due to rheumatic diseases
have been significantly reduced due
to early intervention with effective
treatment options.
Dr. Khalid Ali Khan
MBBS, MRCPS,(Glasg.)
MRCPI(Ireland).
Specialist “ A” Rheumatologist
85
GUPTARA GARMAGARAM
Prabhu Guptara
LEADER OR JADUGAR?
H
ave a guess: where in India
have we recently had one
of the largest and longestlasting farmers’ protests?
That’s right: Gujarat.
For over a year, villagers in
Surendranagar and Ahmedabad
districts have held tractor rallies,
motorcycle rallies and street corner
meetings to protest against four
Special Investment Regions (SIRs)
planned by the Modi government.
The four SIRs are among eleven SIRs
that had been announced.
Why were farmers opposing
plans to convert their fields and
pastures into factories? Because
they would be paid very little for
the land, and that little would be
paid in instalments over eight years!
Villagers felt disappointed that
promises of jobs to their children
and good infrastructure to the
region resulted only in a government
notification depriving them of their
lands. They are also excluded from
access to other farmlands, as well
as access to grazing lands and even
from collecting fodder. Moreover,
the only skill the farmers have is
farming, and the government has
provided no educational facilities or
technical institutes to ensure that
farmers’ families have alternative
employment.
Following the agitation, the
Modi Government turned around
and decided to shrink the mammoth
Mandal-Becharaji Special Investment
Region (SIR) by as much as 80 per
cent, leaving just 10,172 hectares
spread over only eight villages,
instead of what was originally
envisaged: 51,000 hectares (101 sq
km) covering 44 villages. Though
eight villages “favour” the SIR
according to the Modi government,
this is contested by leaders of the
protest movement. By the way, the
massive farmers’ demonstration,
referred to at the start of this
article, was held a day after the
Modi government’s climb-down.
So the question is whether the SIR
will shrink still further and even
disappear completely, or whether
the usual bribes and terror will be
unleashed to keep the SIR at least to
its present shrunken size.
This whole sorry story illustrates
that Modi’s style of operation
is “Shoot first, ask questions
afterwards”. It is not one that
provides any basis of confidence
that he can deal with a larger area
than Gujarat, where our incredible
linguistic, cultural and religious
diversity needs to be handled
sensitively if there is not to be a
massive backlash.
Further, what has not been
commented on in all the press
reports that I have seen so far on
the various farmers’ agitations in
Gujarat, is that all these SIRs and
other misconceived plans are a
direct result of changes in norms for
the sale and purchase of land that
have been put in place by the Modi
government in order to make rapid
industrialisation possible. Under
the Special Investment Region Act
of 2009, Modi can declare any area
an investment or industrial hub. In
other words, Gujarat’s “success” has a
seamy underbelly which is exposed
by these farmers’ agitations. That’s
right: “agitations”. Plural. There
have been several of these, one
after the other, over several years.
The General Strike in February this
year affected some 8,000 Gujarat
state-owned buses and much of the
Why are Gujarat farmers
opposing plans to convert
their fields and pastures
into factories? Because they
would be paid very little
for the land, and that little
would be paid in instalments
over eight years! This whole
sorry story illustrates that
Modi’s style of operation is
“Shoot first, ask questions
afterwards”.
banking sector.
Farmers also dislike Modi for
the Gujarat Irrigation Bill which
came into effect this Spring. The
Bill’s chosen method for regulating
water consumption is to make it
necessary for you to obtain a licence
in order to sink a tubewell, borewell
or artesian well on any agricultural
land in the State and, even after that,
it is the Modi government that has
rights over the use of any resulting
groundwater. Without licence,
having any access to water makes
one liable to imprisonment up to six
months and a fine of Rs 10,000.
This is an expansion of the
law into the essentials of daily life
even more extreme than was ever
conceived by our British rulers (they
only taxed salt, Modi now taxes
water). Further, farmers owning land
within 200 metres of a canal will
have to pay for any water reaching
their fields even if the water comes
by percolation, leakage, or flooding.
But does the Modi government
not have a good record in terms
of increasing irrigation in Gurarat?
Listen to Kanubhai Patel, who
heads the Gujarat Farmers-Power
Consumers Association: “All irrigation
projects, including the ambitious
How can Modi be considered
to be serious about
eliminating corruption in
the country, when he has
completely avoided taking
any steps against corrupt
politicians in Gujarat?
Sardar Sarovar Narmada Project,
were originally envisaged for
irrigation but … end up getting
milked by urban centres and
industrial houses”.
Consider also that one-third of
Gujarat MLAs face criminal cases,
including rape and murder. At the
last count of which I am aware,
57 Members of the Legislative
Assembly face criminal charges (as
against 47 in the previous Legislative
Assembly), while nearly 75% of them
are crorepatis – up from 31% in the
previous Legislative Assembly. For
example, Jetha Bharwad, who was
earlier a police constable suspended
from duty, allegedly opened fire and
injured four people at Tarsang village
during polling on 17 December
2012. He has also been charged
with kidnapping, as well as with
rape, extortion and forgery. Further,
he was caught watching porn clips
on his tablet during the assembly
session, as was Shankar Chaudhary
who outranks Bharwad in that he
is charged with three murders.
Another MLA, Chhotu Vasava, has
28 cases against him, including
nine of dacoity, seven of theft and
three of murder. Amit Shah, Modi’s
own confidant and former home
minister of Gujarat, later arrested
in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake
encounter case, faces two charges
of kidnapping and wrongful
confinement, two of murder, and
one of kidnapping to murder. This is
the man who is now heading Modi’s
election campaign in UP.
How can Modi be considered
to be serious about eliminating
corruption in the country, when he
has completely avoided taking any
steps against corrupt politicians in
Gujarat and actually relies on some
of the most corrupt people, not only
in his State but now even for his
national campaign?
Prof. Prabhu Guptara has
written the above in an entirely
private capacity, and none of the
above should be related in any
way to any of the companies or
organisations with which he is
now, or has been associated in
the past. His personal website
is www. prabhu.guptara.net He
blogs at:www. prabhuguptara.
blogspot.com
86
87
GLOBETROTTER
Amita Sarwal
ASHNA’S HEART BEATS FOR
GLOBAL LOW-INCOME
HOUSING
G
lobetrotting Ashna
Mathema’s itinerary spans
more than 20 developing
countries, taking her to
Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Pakistan,
China, Mongolia, Philippines, Vietnam,
Morocco, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia,
Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda,
Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Antigua,
Dominica, Honduras, Jamaica and St.
Lucia.
But her travels are serious stuff. An
independent consultant since 2004,
Ashna works on urban housing issues in
low-income communities and informal
settlements in developing countries.
Her clients include the World Bank,
USAID, ADB, UN-Habitat, and private
consulting firms.
The 40-year old urban planner-cumarchitect with 14+ years of experience in
low-income housing, housing finance,
and urban development, obviously has
an incredible drive and commitment
towards socially responsible
development.
The Washington DC-based, Indiaborn lady shares her experience. “After
graduating from the School of Planning
and Architecture (SPA), New Delhi in
1995, I co-founded and managed an
architectural practice in Nepal with my
architect-husband, Kiran Mathema.
Together we designed and oversaw
the construction of some 11 projects,
approximately 100,000 sq. ft. of built-up
area.”
Pursuing her interest in going
beyond architecture to the fundamental
building blocks of ‘development’, she did
a Master’s degree in City Planning at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) in 1998. Ashna accrued sufficient
credits to graduate in three semesters
instead of four, and landed her first job
in Washington DC in 2000 with a private
international development consultancy,
PADCO.
She recollects her entry into the
workforce in a new country with a
varied work environment. “Being young,
a woman in a field dominated by men,
and a foreigner, didn’t always work in
my favour. Modesty and shyness proved
to be my inherent disadvantages in a
milieu where the squeakiest wheel gets
the oil! I had a learning curve of about
a year before I landed my first real field
Ashna, working in a coastal slum in
Lagos, Nigeria
Ashna has no regrets
about not continuing pure
architecture. “I love my current
line of work. Initially, I thought
I might have ‘wasted’ five years
studying architecture followed
by three years of running an
architectural practice.
assignment. But in general, I have been
lucky – I found just the right mentors
who have provided unconditional
support, guidance and inspiration, and
moulded me into the person I am today.
“My interest in housing started while
in India at SPA. My thesis was the most
elaborate housing design I have done,
Making new friends while travelling extensively helps energise you each step of the way, says Ashna
and one that I still love and hope to
implement somewhere, someday. It was
a prototype of good quality middleincome housing – as a challenge to the
cookie-cutter (DDA-type) blocks that
were the norm then. At MIT I continued
to study housing and slum-related
issues.”
“Ashna had her first first real
exposure to people living in slums in the
Philippines, understanding the direct
correlation between bad government
policy and slum formation.
“My next ‘baby’ was a similar, smaller
assignment funded by the World
Bank (some US$180,000) in Mbabane,
Swaziland’s capital. “The people there
were expecting someone of African
descent – apparently ‘Mathema’ is also a
Zulu name!
Four years followed with the World
Bank’s Urban / Africa departments in
Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania,
Swaziland), and with UN-Habitat
(Eritrea), while continuing consulting
with PADCO in China, Mongolia and the
Caribbean.
In 2008, Ashna joined the World
Bank’s Housing Finance group as a fulltime consultant. This was also the start
of the global financial crisis, and served
as a crucial learning period.
In Tanzania, she helped design
a US$40M housing finance project,
including a mortgage refinancing
facility for commercial banks (to expand
their lending portfolio and provide
more finance to more people), together
with a housing micro-finance fund,
and a training / capacity building and
advisory module.
Similarly, in India, she worked on a
project that helped link private housing
developers, bankers and low/ middle
income users, an effort that literally
transformed the market over the past
five years with developers and bankers
moving down market to capture the
vast un-met demand for lower income /
affordable housing.
During her full-time job at the
World Bank, Ashna also independently
(Left) A housing project by a private
developer in Mumbai targeted to
middle and low income households.
Ashna’s work with the World Bank
in India helped stimulate this market at a time when private developers were solely focused on high end
luxury housing
(Right) A focus group discussion with
a local community of potters in Kigali,
to understand their housing and socioeconomic conditions
co-authored a book in 2010 with
her mentor and colleague, Richard
Martin. ‘Development Poverty and
Politics: Putting Communities in the
Driver’s Seat’ (Routledge NY) explores
development from the perspective of
the poor and suggests practical ways for
policy makers and practitioners to make
development more effective.
“The most rewarding part of the
book to me is the foreword by John F.
C. Turner, the world-renowned guru of
housing.” she says.
(Left)Swaziland community leader
who nicknamed
Ashna ‘La
Matema’
Ashna recently led a World Bank
study titled ‘Addressing Climate Change
with Low-Cost Green Housing’. The study
is centered on housing from two distinct
angles: one, how can we practically
and cost effectively incorporate
‘green’ principles into the mainstream
housing industry, for which LEED and
other western ‘green’ standards are
largely irrelevant? And two, how can
we increase the resilience and safety
of vulnerable populations in slums
and informal settlements to natural
disasters in a way that is quick, easy, and
do-able, and poses no extra cost to the
economically-strapped households?
Ashna has no regrets about not
continuing pure architecture. “I love my
current line of work. Initially, I thought I
might have ‘wasted’ five years studying
architecture followed by three years of
running an architectural practice.
However, over the years I have
realized that my training as an architect
gives me a practical advantage over
others to apply, interpret, and explain
policy in a way that is more real and
tangible, and being a consultant is
“definitively more rewarding than being
with one single organization.”
Amita Sarwal is a freelance writer
based in Singapore.
Ashna the artist at home in Washington DC with her canvas on the wall
88
89
STEREOTYPING
Samir Nazareth
What do Tamilians think
of Chennai Express?
Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone - humour or prejudice?
movie I felt I had just read one of
kay, Deepika finally
the comics that introduced countless
accepted in an interview
children to Indian mythology.
that her character
These comics served as a ‘Dummies
Meenalochini Azhagu
Guide to Recognising Good and
Sundaram’s supposedly Tamilian
Evil’ because the characters are
accent in Chennai Express originated
colour coded making them easily
in the shadowy realms of a region
distinguishable and thereby giving
that she vaguely describes as South.
away, early in the story, the gory
Well, her real life ‘South-is-Madrasi
end which awaits them in the last
(Tamilian)’ allusion is no different
few pages of the comic. In this colour
from what happens in the reel world
coding, good is fair complexioned
of this movie. I am not even going to
and bad was black. Thus the gods
go into the usual shallow attempts
were fair and lean while the asuras
at humour as the hero Rahul,
were heavily moustachioed and
played by Shahrukh Khan, tries to
either corpulent or with bulging
pronounce a variety of Tamilian
muscles. Furthermore these figures
names - everything from names of
were topped with an unmistakable
humans to that of villages – nor will I
colour – black.
dwell on the shot of one of Meena’s
The Amar Chithra Kathaish
cousins eating a plate of idlis while
colours and characters of the movie
offering them to Rahul during the
is there for all to observe in Chennai
train journey. These are stereotypical
Express – the kidnapping cousins
prejudicial caricatures that one sees
are black, large and adorned with
in everyday life which has been
a variety of moustaches. The future
palmed off as humour in the movie.
father-in-law (Durgeshwara Azhagu
I am not sure how many of those
Sundaram), though from the same
who watched this movie have also
geography, which goes with his
read Amar Chitra Katha. After the
O
90
character in the movie of not being
villainous; the suitor, Tangabali,
looks foreboding with his all dark
attire that accentuated the shade
of his skin and hirsutic principles
noticeable on his face.
The use of such identification is
all the more apparent in the scenes
where Meena and Rahul take refuge
in Vidhaata, a pretty village in a
scenic location, as they try to escape
from Meena’s father and Tangabali.
The inhabitants of this village are
fair and would not need to waste
time listening to the promises given
by Shahrukh Khan for the skin
whitening product he sells.
Why this colour coding and
stereotyping of looks? Why the need
to fall for the formulaic depiction of a
Tamilian or a Southerner as bearing a
cross foisted by the rest of India (read
northerner)? Prejudice as humour
is not new to Indian cinema – there
was Padosan, then there was the
cross and the cleavage in the movies
of the 70’s, the village buffoon and
the simpleton took over in the
films of the 80’s, the ignoramuses
who save the day and get the girl
came next in the 90’s and 2000s,
Bollywood seems to have come full
circle with Chennai Express.
The truth is that it is difficult to
Shah Rukh Khan -stereotypical role
91
STEREOTYPING
Shah Rukh Khan: Are Bollywood movies an escape or a magnified
mirror of India?
still bound by old prejudices. For all
elicit laughs through the cerebral
our designer clothes and foreign
route, further India’s socio-economic travel, at heart we are still the Indian
and cultural geography makes it
unwilling to change while willing to
nigh impossible to find a common
carrying a baggage stereotypes. We
language of humour. It is thus easier
may holiday in the Alps but we want
and fruitful to cater to the lowest
our dal chawal there. We talk about
common denominator. So, movies
Indian culture with pride but reach
focus on deep set notions that
for that Fair and Lovely to hide our
exist in the population regarding
natural pigment. Our matrimonial
a community and on recognisable
columns may be a showcase for
socio-cultural features of a well
wealth and education but the
profiled existing population that can
choice of mate is narrowly framed
be mocked without fear of receiving
within the boundaries of a ‘wheatish
a backlash. Thus prejudices and
complexion’, family, caste, religion
stereotypes are a vast reservoir from
and geography.
which the director can draw mirthful
Many term this as the complexity
moments.
that is India. The country is described
What is interesting is that though in evocative terms as mix of the
the production values of Chennai
new and the old, as a place where
Express and other movies being
its people thrive on chaos. The
churned out from Bollywood are
analogies for this are many, some
modern and comparable to films
that come to mind immediately
of the West and Asia the story and
are the Indian road, the high-rise
its treatment harks back to times of
surrounded by the slum and the
yore. Interestingly, the script does
beggar child in front of the big car.
not give Meena a chance to poke fun Maybe its time we shed our rose
of Rahul’s surname but she is allowed tinted glasses to see this complexity
a few laughs at the expense of his
in its true light – our hypocrisy.
filial trade which at the very onset of
For all our education and so
the movie he had stated that he was called modern thinking we hem
not interested in following.
ourselves in with archaic traditions
But the prejudices and
and values which also sprout
stereotypes that make for the
prejudices and stereotypes. This is
mirthful moments of the movies are
not because these traditions are
an ugly reality in real life. Behind the
meaningful or relevant but because
glass façade of futuristic buildings
without them we would be no
and within the confines of our airdifferent from the other. Could it
conditioned cars and homes we are
be that the desire to be whiter has
92
become a pan Indian phenomenon
because a greater number of
the population have degrees,
are respectably salaried and the
markets are flooded with cheaper
clones of designer labels making
socio-economic disparity, family
roots and caste less discernible?
So even though we as individuals
progress, we try to ensure that what
marks us as different from the rest
is constantly upgraded and made
up-to-date. Thus our prejudices
remain the same or are made current
to ensure that our ability to profile
individuals continue unhindered.
Bollywood cinema is not an
escape from the real world. It is a
magnified mirror of India, albeit with
much song, dance and emotion.
Even though superficially the
story of Chennai Express is about
a West-South love story one cant
escape the subtle nuances that have
catapulted the movie into the much
vaunted 100 crore club. Chennai
Express and most other Bollywood
movies express sentiments that are
no different from that of the modern
Indian - they dont see diversity
as something which unifies, but
highlight them to play on prejudices
and stereotypes so that they can
laugh all the way to the bank.
Samir Nazareth is a freelance
writer based in Delhi.
Deepika Padukone - subtle nuances
93
BUZZWORD
Sky Jewellery opens in
Bur Juman
The boutique division of
renowned Sky Jewellery known
under the brand ‘SKYZE’ is open in
the prestigious Bur Juman Centre
to cater to the passion for trend
setting designs and fashion life of
Dubai. Skyze is a paradigm shift from
the conventional styles in gold and
diamond collections. “You dream it
we design it for you is the thought
behind this division” stated Babu
John, Managing Director.
The boutique division has been
launched in prestigious centers
like Dubai Mall, Bur Dubai and now
in Bur Juman. “The Skyze division
in Cosmos Lane, Bur Dubai, is
clubbed with an exclusive designer
studio division where innumerable
designs and collections showcase
a world of never before collections
in diamonds. If not happy there
SKYZE, the boutique division of sky jewellery being inaugurated at BurJuman
Centre by Managing Director Babu John as Rev. Dr. Daniel Mammen, Sky
Jewllery Directors Daisy Babu John, Neil Akash John, Akash Jacob John,
Amith Varghese John look on…
of this exclusive division.
will be yet another bunch from the
Skyze Bur Juman located on the
catalogues and even you can design
second level features pretty designs
your own with a designer. This will
catering to all ranges starting from
stand as a unique and never again
Aed.500/- to Aed.500,0000/- the
piece,” adds Babu John. The landmark
inaugural ceremony was attended by
showroom was recently visited by
Rev. Dr. Daniel Mammen , Sky Group
Bollywood celebrities Akshay Kumar,
directors Daisy Babu John, Akash
Kaajal Agarwal, Anupam Kher and
Jacob John, Amith Varghese John
Manoj Bajpei. They were all in full
and Neil Akash John.
praise for the ambience and designs
EMDI Institute enters
10th year of training
at Dubai Knowledge
Village
Communication was founded in
2004 with the express aim of training
young professionals in the fields of
Event Management, Media, Design
and Innovation. The Institute is now
a global education provider – having
its centres in UAE (Dubai), Africa
(Uganda) and India (Mumbai, Delhi,
Indore, Bhopal) with over 7000
alumni. EMDI has a global track
record of over 10 years of operations,
training 800 students annually across
its centres and is now a venture of
the Greycells Education Group.
EMDI is the regions only
specialized institute focusing on the
Events and Media Industry through
a combination of full time and
part time postgraduate and under
94
Students at EMDI
graduate diploma courses spread
over the weekdays/ evenings and
weekends. Courses offered are UK
accredited Diploma Courses in
Event Management, Advertising
& Design, PR & Journalism, Social
Media, Radio & Disc Jockeying,
Wedding Planning
All the courses are based on
practical hands-on delivery using
an Experience Transfer Approach to
training. For every course that we
offer there is a huge potential for
employment and entrepreneurship
in Events Industry, Advertising
Agencies, PR Industry, Media
Industry, Retail Industry, FMCG Sales
Industry, Marketing & Communication
Industry amongst others.
EMDI Highlights
Work on Live Events : Abu Dhabi
Formula 1, Dubai International
Film Festival, Rugby 7’s, Tennis
Championships, Live Music Concerts
such as Sonu Nigam, Justin Bieber,
Madonna, Corporate Events, and over
150 such events.
Placements and Internships
with: Leo Burnett, Done Events, AEG
Live, Action Impact, HQ Creative, The
National, Gulf News, Suno 102.4FM,
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UK Accredited – Evening /
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while you Learn .
Visit us on www.emdiworld.com
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Communication
Dubai Knowledge Village – Block 13 –
1st Floor, Tel +9714 4332833
95
BUZZWORD
Giordano’s New Generation Flagship
Store Celebrates 20 years in M.E.
Giordano Display area
Giordano celebrates its 20th
anniversary in the Middle East this
year with the official opening of
its new concept flagship store in
Dubai Mall. Completely redesigned
and reinvogarated, it heralds an
aggressive expansion and upgrade
program of Giordano stores across
the region following two decades of
consistent brand growth.
The global apparel brand known for its everyday wardrobe
essentials - first arrived in the region
back in 1993. From a single store in
UAE’s Burjuman Centre, Giordano
has since grown to become a
much-loved regional retail staple
The ACA qualification from The
Institute of Chartered Accountants
in England and Wales (ICAEW), gives
access to many amazing career
paths in all sectors of business. Once
successfully completed the student
will become an ICAEW Chartered
Accountant and can use the letters
ACA after their name.
The ACA is one of the leading
professional finance and business
qualifications. It equips individuals
with skills and knowledge needed to
work in a variety of roles, in a diverse
business environment. Students will
gain a solid background in finance,
business, marketing, economics,
management and information
systems, opening the door to a wide
range of career paths once qualified.
ACA training is a mixture of
classroom learning and work
96
and today has 250 stores across the
Gulf and into South and Central
Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. So
successful has the brand been that
the company’s international market
expansion is now being handled
from the Middle East, with Giordano
reaching its target of 250 stores two
years ahead of projection. Recent
openings include flagship stores in
Red Sea Mall, Jeddah and Mall of
Dhahran in Saudi Arabia, Dolmen
Mall in Karachi, Pakistan as well as
new shops in Beirut City Centre in
Beirut, Lebanon and Tblisi Mall in
Tblisi, Georgia.
Ishwar Chugani, Managing
Director of Giordano Middle East FZE
and Executive Director of Giordano
International, said, “As we celebrate
our 20th year here in the Middle
East, the consistent and sustainable
growth of Giordano in the region
is testament to the strength of our
brand and our products; but most
of all it is proof of the skills and
dedication of our people, at every
level of the company, and to our
loyal customers.
“I would like to express our
gratitude for the support of the
Government and local authorities
in each of the countries in which
we operate for providing us the
environment needed to thrive. It is a
real cause for celebration.”
With 2,800 stores in 40 countries
one of Giordano’s largest flagship
stores measuring 8,000 sq ft opened
in the Suntec Mall in Singapore.
Grand Stores (MSI)
MSI Unleashes High Performance
Gaming Notebooks in the UAE
Micro-Star International Co. Ltd [MSI]
in association with Grand Stores
unveiled the latest range of extreme
gaming notebooks that boasts of
excellent performance & unrivalled
gaming features.
The series comprises of MSI GT60
3K Edition, MSI GT70 The brand new
series of gaming notebooks are
equipped with the latest 4th Gen
Intel®Core i7 Quad Core processors,
upgraded version of the MSIexclusive gaming features tailored
for gamers and are much lighter in
weight. MSI-exclusive features such
as Super Raid 2 with a disk reading
speed at 1,500MB/s, the highefficiency Cooler Boost, the Matrix
Display with VGA, Mini-Display and
HDMI video ports for multitasking
without the need of adaptors,
makes the series a dream gaming
machine for gamers. In addition, the
Peter Beynon, Regional Director
ICAEW Middle East
experience. When studying for
the ACA participants will work
for an ICAEW authorised training
employer. These employers are
in all business sectors, including;
notebooks are also equipped with
the Killer DoubleShot which boosts
networking speed for ultimate
smoothness for online games with
LAN and Wi-Fi together. Along with
the SteelSeries full-color backlit
keyboard for professional gaming,
high-end class sound by Dynaudio,
and the MSI-exclusive Audio Boost
technology, gamers will surely find
a total solution for “live” gaming
experience.
Addressing the audience at
the event, Dr. Omar Ghanayem
– Technology Division Director
of Grand Stores said, “MSI is
Volkswagen Passat Drives Record
Growth in the Middle East
ICAEW: No One’s
Better Qualified
practice (accountancy firms) and
commerce. Their employer will
sometimes fund all or part of the
training, they will allow study leave
and pay a competitive salary, which
can increase as ACA exams are
completed.
Organisations employ school
leavers and graduates to study the
ACA. There are a variety of entry
routes available after A-levels/
equivalent level. Candidates who are
school leavers will have to train for 5
years and those who are bachelors or
post-graduates for 3 years.
“Being an ICAEW Chartered
Accountant has been a passport
to a very rewarding and successful
career”
MSI new series notebooks
known for their groundbreaking
innovations and in this series, MSI
has significantly enhanced the
performance of its flagship gaming
models with the highest-standard
technology, richer gaming functions
and friendlier user experience.”
With extreme specifications and
stunning performance MSI GT70
‘Dragon Edition 2 extreme’ is the
flagship gaming notebook from
MSI. The GT60 ‘3K Edition’ from MSI
is the world’s first gaming notebook
with 3K UHD, Triple Display & NVIDIA
GTX780M GPU. Overall, the GT60 3K
Edition integrates a host of luxury
equipments to deliver stunning
audio and video experience. MSI
also broke the misconception of
“high performance = thick + heavy
shell” by launching the newgeneration Ultra-Gaming Notebook:
MSI GS70. In a fashionable metal
shell, the MSI GS70 is less than 2.6kg
and only 2.18 cms thick. It is the
thinnest, lightest, and best-equipped
gaming notebook in the industry.
Thomas Milz,ManagingDirector,
Volkswagen Middle East
The Volkswagen Passat has
been revealed as the key driver
behind the most successful month
ever recorded for Volkswagen
Middle East. An increase of 415% in
Volkswagen Passat deliveries was
recorded during the month of July
compared to the same period in
2012.
Overall Volkswagen deliveries
increased 51% in the month of
July year-on-year, while the period
January to July 2013, represented a
growth of 32% in overall deliveries
compared to 2012. Other high
performing models included the
best-selling Volkswagen Tiguan and
Jetta.
Thomas Milz, Managing Director,
Volkswagen Middle East said: “The
Volkswagen Passat brings unrivalled
German engineering and new levels
of affordable luxury and innovation
to the region.
97
Winning
Frank Raj
GIVE THEM THE GIFT
OF LISTENING
Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.
- Stephen R. Covey
“Friends are those rare people who ask how we are, and then wait to hear the answer.”
- Ed Cunningham
I owe this column to Renee
Swope, look her up at www.
reneeswope.com and you will find
great insights for life. This piece of
writing from her really struck home
for me because I am often busy
writing and glued to my computer,
oblivious to everyone else.
One day Renee’s husband was
trying to lure Chelsea, their thirteenyear-old dachshund, to her doggie
bed from her favorite chair but she
wouldn’t budge. Not even with the
promise of a treat.
Joking with her kids about
Chelsea’s “selective hearing” because
she didn’t want to go to bed Renee
wondered if the dog was going deaf
- she used to hear every little thing.
Then her son Andrew, who was nine
at the time, looked at Renee with
great concern. “Mom, I hope when
you get old you don’t go deaf like
Chelsea.”
Her light-hearted response about
getting a lot more sleep when you
get old and can’t hear didn’t wipe
the concern off his brow. So Renee
asked her son why he was afraid she
wouldn’t be able to hear him. He
answered without hesitation, “Well,
sometimes you don’t hear me now.
Like when you’re on the computer
and I ask you a question.”
“Ouch! I had no idea my child
thought I couldn’t hear him. His
answer almost sent me on a bad-
mommy guilt-trip. Flashbacks
popped up from times I’d heard him
but hadn’t listened because my focus
was on someone or something else,
like the computer and TV,” Renee
realized.
Instead of defining that moment
with guilt, she pulled Andrew close
and told him she was sorry for not
listening sometimes. “I explained
how me being on the computer is
similar to him watching a movie.
He gets so involved he doesn’t hear
me call him for dinner. He smiled
recognizing his own “hearing loss” at
times.
“Still, I didn’t want that to be
my excuse. So I promised him I
would try to stop what I am doing
when he comes to me. In my heart,
I committed to look away from my
computer or phone to really listen.
His comment made me realize, we all
long to be heard, don’t we?
Renee points out that when
we pray we want God to listen
and answer us too. Our children,
spouse, friends and others come to
us because they want us to listen to
them. When we stop what we are
doing and listen, it tells them that
they, and what they have to say, are
important to us.
“In our culture of constant
contact through technology, it’s
easy for our attention to be divided
and our focus to shift away from
those who are in the room with us.
Although we are physically present,
often times we are mentally absent,”
Renee observes.
That night she realized the
valuable gift we can give our
children, spouses, friends, co-workers
and even strangers.
It’s the gift of listening.
We give it each time we stop
what we’re doing and turn our full
attention to others when they talk
to us.
And, it’s a gift our Maker gives us
each time we talk to Him too.
Frank Raj is TII’s founding editor
and publisher.
Frank Raj
Founder-Editor & Publisher
[email protected]
The International Indian
@frankraj08
blog.tii.ae
deshaurdiaspora.podomatic.com
98
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Farhan Akhtar: Legendary role

Transcription

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